AU657621B2 - Crutch access - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Rglto Patents Act 1990 rw NOR 0% 1

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: OUT *.*The following statement *:::.method of performing it CH is a full description of this invention, including the best known to me:at A GARMENT The present invention relates to articles of clothing, in particular such articles which generally extend about the lower torso and crotch region of a person, such as pants or trousers, jeans, shorts, etc.

The invention is particularly concerned with the provision of crotch access for such garments.

It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to articles of clothing such as pants, jeans or the like, although it is to be understood that the invention has wider application and should not be restricted to the specific description which follows.

Articles of clothing such as pants, jeans etc.

generally include an opening in the region of the lower torso at the front, rear or side of the garment, primarily to facilitate fitting or removal thereof. Generally, the :opening is referred to as a "fly" opening and extends vertically from the upper edge of the waist of the garment to a suitable distance below the upper edge. Fastening means are generally employed to retain the opposing edges of the opening together, particularly when the garment is being worn. The fastening means typically comprises a slide fastener attached to opposing sides of the opening, although other fasteners such as buttons, press studs etc.

25 are also appropriate. While a garment opening as above described facilitates the fitting and removal of a too.

S: garment, it generally does not extend into the crotch :..region of the garment such that, in the majority of cases, it does not provide sufficient access to the crotch region so that the wearer can attend the lavatory without fully removing the garment from the lower torso region. This is particularly so with respect to the female population.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least alleviate the foregoing problem. It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment having crotch access means to enable access to the crotch region of the wearer without the need for removal of the garment from the lower torso region.

With these objects in mind, the present invention 4,z la

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0* 0*e*) provides a garment for wearing about the lower torso region of a person, the garment including a waist part, a pair of leg parts connected to and extending from the waist part, a releasably closable elongate opening which extends between first and second ends, said first end being located at said waist part and being releasably closable and said second end being located toward, but spaced from a crotch reqion of the garment which crotch region is located between said pair of leg parts, and a crotch access opening in the crotch region of the garment for providing access to the crotch of a wearer of said garment, and being spaced from said elongate opening, said crotch access opening being elongate and extending across the junction between the front of said garment and the 15 rear thereof in the crotch region rf said garment and said opening having an edge periphery extending thereabout in a closed loop, said crotch access opening enabling access to and egress from the crotch of the wearer without the need for removal of said garment from the lower torso region of 20 the wearer and wherein said opening includes fastening means are located on either side of the opening so that opposing sides of said elongate crotch access opening may be fastened together in a closed configuration when access to the crotch of the wearer is not desired.

The opening of the crotch access means should be so arranged that the wearer can obtain access to their crotch without the need for removing the entire garment from about their lower torso region. A garment including an opening as above described enables the wearer of that garment, in particular a female wearer, to attend to their lavatory needs in a simplified manner.

The size of the opening is governed to a certain extent by the size of the garment to which it is to be fitted, while the opening will generally be fitted at a similar position in the crotch region of each garment.

In a preferred embodiment, the fastuning means is a slide fastener. Alternatively, button o- press stud fasteners may be used. Other suitable fasteners are also applicable.

.1.4!4 2 It is to be appreciated that the crotch access opening of the present invention is not an opening used to allow easier fitting or removal of the garment, the crotch access opening provides no advantage in this respect.

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An embodiment of the invention will be described in detail in the following passages of the description which refer to the accompanying drawing. This drawing however, is illustrative of how the invention might be put into effect, so that the specific form and arrangement shown in the drawing is not to be understood as limiting on the invention.

Figure 1 shows a frontal view of a garment including a crotch access opening.

In Figure 1, there is shown a garment 1 in the form of a pair of pants or jeans. The pants include a waist part 2 for fitting about the lower torso region of a wearer and two leg parts 3 and 4.

The garment 1 includes a waist band 5 from which an opening 6 (shown in a closed configuration) depends. The opening extends vertically for a predetermined length and generally includes a fastening arrangement to retain it in the closed configuration. A button 7 serves as part of the fastening arrangement. Opening of the opening 6 20 enables the waist part 2 to be widened to facilitate fitting or removal of the garment 1. The opening 6 does not however extend vertically sufficiently to allow convenient access to be made at the crotch region of the wearer, without the garment 1 being fully removed from the lower torso region of the wearer.

Thus, the garment 1 also includes a crotch access opening 8, which is located about the region of the wearer's crotch and which enables the wearer access to their crotch through that opening without the need to also unfasten the opening 6. Thus the crotch access opening 8 provides convenient crotch access, particularly for women when they need to attend a lavatory.

The opening 8 can be of any appropriate size, but it will generally be located about the junction of the leg seams 9 and 10 and the front seam 11.

The opening 8 will generally include opposing sides and fastening means may be applied to the opposing sides to close the opening 8 when access to the crotch region of the wearer is not required. The opposing sides may be 4 o 4 Ji v r: 3 arranged so that they overlap when the opening is closed.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the fastening means takes the form of buttons 12 which are fastened to one side of the opening and which engage button holos located on the other side of the opening. Clearly ther forms of fastening means may be adopted as is appropriate.

The opening 8 may extend to any extent necessary to provide a convenient and suitable opening for accessing the crotch region, without fully removing the garment 1 from the lower torso region. The opening 8 is illustrated as extending along the front seam 11 and, while a rear view of the garment 1 is not shown, it is envisaged that the opening 8 also extend at least for a similar distance along the rear seam. The opening 8 may however extend perpendicular to the orientation shown, ie. along the seams 9 and The present invention thus provides a novel garment addition which enables convenient crotch access when otherwise it would be necessary to completely remove the garment from the lower torso region.

Various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the construction and arrangement of the invention previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.

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Claims (2)

1. A garment for wearing about the lower torso region of a person, the garment including a waist part, a pair of leg parts connected to and extending from the waist part, a releasably closable elongate opening which extends between first and second ends, said first end being located at said waist part and being releasably closable and said second end being located toward, but spaced from a crotch region of the garment which crotch region is located between said pair of leg parts, and a crotch access opening in the crotch region of the garment for providing access to the crotch of a wearer of said garment, and being spaced from said elongate opening, said crotch access opening being elongate and extending across the junction between the front of said garment and the rear thereof in the crotch region of said garment and said opening having an edge periphery extending thereabout in a closed loop, said crotch access opening enabling access to 20 and egress from the crotch of the wearer without the need for removal of said garment from the lower torso region of the wearer and wherein said opening includes fastening

55.5 means are located on either side of the opening so that opposing sides of said elongate crotch access opening may ol 25 be fastened together in a closed configuration when access to the crotch of the wearer is not desired. 2. A garment according to claim i, wherein said fastening means includes a slide fastener. 3. A garment according to claim i, wherein said fastening means includes buttons located on one side of said opening for engagement in button holes located on an opposing side of said opening. 4. A garment according to claim i, wherein said fastening means includes press stud buttons located on one side of said opening for engagement with studs located on an opposing side of said opening. Id L 3 B A garment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the garment includes front and rear seams which run through the waist part and end at or near the crotch region and wherein the crotch access opening extends along the front and rear seams in the crotch region. 6. A garment substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1. DATED: 4 October 1994 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: GIORGIO PIETRALUNGA 0***20 S' p 7847Z 0 6 S 40 *-6