GB2056845A - Convertible trousers - Google Patents

Abstract

Convertible trousers 10 including a body portion 12 and a pair of leg portions each comprising a plurality of flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 16, 18, 20, and means for selectively removably securing the flexible interchangeable tubular elements coextensively together. The tubular elements may be joined to the body portion in various configurations to produce a garment of a variable length which may be altered to present several different visual appearances. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Convertible trousers The present invention relates to trousers, and more particularly, to trousers which are variable in length and which may be altered to present several interchangeable distinctive visual appearances.

Increasing costs in wearing apparel has led to a trend of coordinated wardrobes where a single garment may be used as a portion of several different outfits. Frequently a single outfit may be varied by the inclusion of a pair of trousers, shorts, or a pair of slacks of intermediate length. Presently known garments which have been proposed in more than one of these capacities have proven to be bulky, unattractive and of limited flexibility.

Typical of convertible trousers presently known are the pantaloons disclosed in the Specification of United States Patent 269,479 issued to J.T. Stretch et al on December 19, 1882. Disclosed therein is a pantaloon in which the legs thereof from the knee down are detachably connected to the legs above the knees. As a result, the pantaloons may be changed from long pants to knee breeches or vice versa by the fastening or unfastening of the detachable leg portions.

According to the invention there is provided convertible trousers comprising a body portion configured to accommodate therein the lower half of a human torso, the body portion providing a pair of apertures to accommodate a pair of human legs disposed therethrough, a pair of leg portions for accommodating therein the pair of human legs, the leg portions each comprising a plurality of flexible interchangeable tubular elements each having an uppermost edge and a lowermost edge, and means for selectively removably securing each of the uppermost edges to a lowermost edge of one of the tubular elements, each of the tubular elements being removably securable to at least another one of the tubular elements, at least one of the plurality of tubular elements being affixable to the body portion adjacent the apertures located therein, several of the tubular elements being distinctive in visual appearance.

In order that the present invention may be more fully understood it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a pictorial representation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention assembled as a full length trouser; Figure 2 is a pictorial representation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention assembled as walking shorts; Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the flexible interchangeable tubular elements are assembled; and Figure 4 is a pictorial representation of a plurality of flexible interchangeable tubular elements joined together.

Referring now to the Figures, and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated therein a pair of convertible trousers 10. The convertible trousers 10 include a body portion 1 2 and a plurality of flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 16, 1 8 and 20. The body portion 1 2 is configured in a conventional manner to accommodate therein the lower half of a human torso. A pair of apertures 22 dimensioned to accommodate a pair of human legs therethrough are located in the body portion 12. The body portion 12 is preferably provided with a zipper closure 24, a pair of pockets 26 and 28 and a plurality of belt loops 30. The flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 16, 18 and 20 each provide an uppermost edge 32 and a lowermost edge 34.The uppermost edge 32 of the flexible tubular element 14 is fixedly removably secured to the lowermost edge 36 of the body portion 1 2 adjacent the apertures 22 located therein. The uppermost edge 32 of the tubular element 1 6 is removably secured to the lowermost edge 34 of the tubular element 14, the uppermost edge 32 of the tubular element 1 8 is removably secured to the lowermost edge 34 of the tubular element 16, and the uppermost edge 32 of the tubular element 20 is removably secured to the lowermost edge 34 of the tubular element 1 8.

The body portion 1 2 and the flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 1 6, 18 and 20 are removably secured together by a plurality of snap sets 38 each having a male snap 40 and a female snap 42. The female snaps 42 are fixedly secured adjacent the lower edge 36 of the body portion 12, and to the lowermost edges 34 of the flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 1 6 1 8 and 20. The female snaps 42 are fixedly secured to the uppermost edges 32 of the flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 1 6, 18 and 20. Each of the flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 1 6, 1 8 and 20 are provided with distinctive designs and may vary in coloration and type of material.The flexible interchangeable tubular elements may be interchanged or deleted to provide garments of different lengths which have various visual appearances. The interchangeable tubular element 20 may be provided with both male and female snaps 40 and 42 adjacent the lowermost edge 34 thereof, as shown. As shown, both tubular elements 20, are shown having the lowermost edge provided with snap elements 40, being the male variety and female snap elements 42, disposed adjacent the lowermost edges thereof.When it is desired to install tubular element 20, or any other similarly equipped tubular element, in upsidedown fashion, such that the lowermost edge, as shown, is supported in an uppermost position, the female snaps 42, secured to the lowermost edge of tubular element 20, are adapted to engage nothing, whilst the male snaps 40, engage the female snaps 42, already located at the bottom edge of tubular element 1 8. In this fashion, any tubular element may be installed in the position shown, or in an inverted position, as desired, thereby permitting the design of such tubular element to be inverted creating a pleasing effect thereby, or, if desired, permitting a flared type tubular element to be inverted, so as to provide for a "baggy knee" effect, if desired, from a flared type tubular element.The combinations of locations, placement of pocket elements (not shown), the ability to rotate as well as invert, provides an unlimited number of combinations and variations in placement, location and direction of each tubular element, relative to another. Resultantly, the flexible interchangeable tubular element 20 may be reversed to alter the garment from a flare leg to a straight leg.

Fig. 2 illustrates the body portion 1 2 with the flexible interchangeable tubular element 14 removably secured thereto. This arrangement provides a "shorts" type garment. The interchangeable tubular elements 14 may be constructed of a material similar to that fabricating the body portion 1 2 or the tubular elements 14 may be constructed of a different material having a different design or colour.

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner in which the flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 16, 18 and 20 are fastened together by the snap sets 38. The snap set 38 is shown fastening a portion of the tubular element 14 to a portion of the tubular element 1 6. The male snap 40 is fixedly secured to the portion of the tubular element 1 6 and the female snape 42 is fixedly secured to the portion of the tubular element 14. The female snap 42 provides an open ended chamber 44. The open ended chamber 44 is dimensioned to capture and frictionally removably retain therein an extensive portion 46 provided by the male snap 40.

Fig. 4 illustrates the flexible interchangeable tubular elements 1 6 and 1 8 having a tubular element 40 secured thereto. The tubular element 48 modifies the garment illustrated in Fig. 1 from a flare leg to a straight leg. The flexible interchangeable tubular elements 16, 1 8 and 48 are joined together by a plurality of snap sets 38 as illustrated in Fig. 3. The male snaps 40 are preferably secured to the inner surface of the tubular elements and the female snaps 42 are preferably secured to the outer surface of the tubular elements as illustrated in Fig. 3. The flexible interchangeable tubular elements 14, 16, 1 8 and 20 and 48 may be interchanged to provide garments of various lengths and having different visual appearances.

Claims (8)

1. Convertible trousers comprising a body portion configured to accommodate therein the lower half of a human torso, said body portion providing a pair of apertures to accommodate a pair of human legs disposed therethrough, a pair of leg portions for accommodating therein said pair of human legs, said leg portions each comprising a plurality of flexible interchangeable tubular elements each having an uppermost edge and a lowermost edge, and means for selectively removably securing each of said uppermost edges to a lowermost edge of one of said tubular elements, each of said tubular elements being removably securable to at least another one of said tubular elements, at least one of said plurality of tubular elements being affixable to said body portion adjacent said operatures located therein, several of said tubular elements being distinctive in visual appearance.

2. Convertible trousers according to Claim 1, including a plurality of male snaps and a plurality of cooperating female snaps, said plurality of male snaps being fixedly secured adjacent to the lowermost edges of each of said plurality of tubular elements and to said body portion adjacent said apertures thereof, said plurality of female snaps being fixedly secured adjacent to the uppermost edges of each each said plurality of tubular elements, said plurality of male snaps and said plurality of female snaps being disposed removably engaged to one another, a portion of each of said plurality of make snaps being located on an exterior surface of said tubular elements, whereby said portion of said each of said plurality of male snaps is visually accessible when the remaining portion of said each of said plurality of male snaps are engaged to adjacent female snaps of said plurality of female snaps, one of said each of said tubular elements having another plurality of female snaps secured adjacent the lowermost edge thereof, whereby said lowermost edge and said uppermost edge of said one of said each of said tubular elements may be selectively secured to said lowermost edge of said another one of said tubular elements.

3. Convertible trousers as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said male snaps are secured to the innermost surfaces of said tubular elements and said female snaps are secured to the outermost surfaces thereof.

4. Convertible trousers as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein said means for selectively removably attaching comprises an additional plurality of male snaps being fixedly secured adjacent said female snaps and an additional plurality of female snaps being fixedly secured adjacent said male snaps.

5. Convertible trousers as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said additional plurality of male snaps are disposed in uniform spaced apart relationship and said additional plurality of female snaps are disposed in uniform spaced apart relationship.

6. Convertible trousers as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein any of said plurality of tubular elements has said uppermost edge thereof equal in size to said lowermost edge thereof.

7. Convertible trousers as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein any sub-plurality of said plurality of tubular elements is of different length from the length of the remainder of said plurality of tubular elements.

8. Convertible trousers, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.