US 12,245,643 B2
Lower body garment providing improved comfort
Thomas John Austin, Birmingham (GB)
Assigned to CXP Official Ltd, Birmingham (GB)
Appl. No. 18/027,405
Filed by CXP Official Ltd, Birmingham (GB)
PCT Filed Sep. 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/075903
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 21, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/058607, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 24, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2014859 (GB), filed on Sep. 21, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0329355 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. A41B 9/00 (2006.01); A41B 9/14 (2006.01)
CPC A41B 9/001 (2013.01) [A41B 9/14 (2013.01); A41D 2500/10 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A durable lower body garment formed of a plurality of fabric panels and having an inner surface for facing towards the wearer and an outer surface for facing away from the wearer, the plurality of fabric panels defining a waist opening and a pair of leg openings,
wherein the garment comprises a front fabric panel and at least one further fabric panel, the front fabric panel and the at least one further fabric panel being joined along their lateral edges to define the waist opening including a waist edge, each of the front fabric panel and the at least one further fabric panel extending from the waist edge to at least a crotch region of the garment, and wherein each of the front fabric panel and the at least one further fabric panel is formed of an elastically stretchable fabric,
wherein the front fabric panel defines from 10% to 60% of a length of the waist edge and the at least one further fabric panel defines from 40% to 90% of the length of the waist edge, as measured when the garment is in its unworn state,
wherein the front fabric panel is folded along the waist edge to define a front waist hem at the inner surface of the garment and the at least one further fabric panel is folded along the waist edge to define a further waist hem at the inner surface of the garment, the front waist hem and the further waist hem each having a depth of at least 15 mm,
wherein the front waist hem and the further waist hem are ungathered when the garment is in the unworn state,
wherein the further waist hem comprises a layer of thermoplastic material for bonding a folded portion of the at least one further fabric panel to a main portion of the at least one further fabric panel, the layer of thermoplastic material serving to limit elongation of the further waist hem under load, such that an elongation under a load of 3.6 kg exhibited by the front waist hem, in a direction about the waist opening, is at least 10% greater than an elongation under a load of 3.6 kg exhibited by the further waist hem, in a direction about the waist opening.