CUFF BAND FOR PANT LEG

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/715,932, filed Nov. 4, 2024, the disclosure and teaching of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to articles of clothing, particularly pants having pant legs with elastic bands for loosely securing the pant legs around a wearer's ankles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pants, including loose-fitting pants, are an essential clothing item in much of the modern world. However, conventional pants have pant legs that are susceptible to snagging on or riding up a wearer's legs in uncomfortable and unsightly ways. Some conventional pants attempt to alleviate this problem through the use of stirrups extending from and across the bottom portions of pant legs whereby wearers may place the stirrups around the bases of their feet to keep the pant legs extended in a desired position. Such stirrups may merely be extensions of the same fabric used to construct the pants themselves and are thus often not suited for providing a comfortable and snug fit around the wearer's feet. Further, when the stirrup is not worn around the foot, the stirrup is left to drag on the ground or catch on other objects, creating a tripping hazard for the wearer in addition to being aesthetically displeasing.

There is a need for a mechanism by which a pant leg may be held in a desired position around the wearer's foot, in which the mechanism is both functional and comfortable for the wearer while being simultaneously pleasing and stowable in a safe position when not in use.

The present invention provides a hidden elastic cuff band in a pant leg that is comfortable for a wearer when worn or stowed, and which may be stowed such that it is hidden from view, and thereby maintains the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the pants when worn by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, in one aspect, a pair of pants for wearing by a user, including a first pant leg having a free end; a cuff formed at the free end of the first pant leg; and an elastic band attached to the cuff of the first pant leg; wherein the elastic band is configurable to wrap around a leg of the user to lessen or prevent movement of the cuff relative to the leg of the user.

Implementation of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The elastic band may be moved between a stowed position in the cuff and an operational position. The elastic band may be hidden from view when in the stowed position in the cuff. At least a portion of the elastic band may be disposed within the cuff when in the stowed position. The cuff may include a slot, and the elastic band may be extendable into and out of the cuff through the slot. The slot may be arranged on an interior face of the cuff. The slot may include two cut-outs spaced from one another along the cuff.

The invention may further include the elastic band being stretchable and twistable to form a criss-crossed arrangement that forms a loop, such that the loop may wrap around the leg of the user. The cuff may compress when the elastic band is stretched. The elastic band may have a length that is approximately one half of a circumferential length of the cuff. The elastic band may be formed of at least one of rubber, spandex, polyester, cotton, and nylon. The elastic band may be attached to the cuff adjacent to a seam by at least one of sewing, gluing, fusing, mechanical clasps, or electromagnetic clasps. The pair of pants may include a second pant leg having a free end; a cuff formed at the free end of the second pant leg; and an elastic band attached to the cuff of the second pant leg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows front and rear views of an exemplary embodiment of a pair of pants having cuffs adjacent to the feet openings in the pant legs in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an interior view of a bottom portion of the patent legs and cuffs of an exemplary pair of pants incorporating a hidden elastic band in a retracted, stowed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration of the elastic cuff band in operational position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the exemplary configuration of the elastic cuff band in operational position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary configuration of the elastic cuff band in a stowed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary configuration of the elastic cuff band in an operational position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to pants comprising an elastic and stowable cuff band in the cuffs of a pair of pants such that the cuff band may be worn around a wearer's ankle or leg or retracted and stowed such that the pant leg may be held loosely around and against a pant leg of the pants and hidden from view. The present invention is primarily aimed at providing a comfortable, safe, and aesthetically pleasing means for maintaining a desired position of pants when worn by a wearer.

Referring to the Figures, FIG. 1 shows front and rear views of an exemplary embodiment of a pair of pants 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The pants 10 may be include a top end comprising a waistband 14, first and second pant legs 12, and a bottom end formed by a bottom cuff 16 at respective free ends of the first and second pant legs 12. Preferably the first and second pant legs 12 are the same length. The pants 10 may be formed from conventionally known materials, such as a fabric, including, but not limited to, cotton, denim, khaki, nylon, polyester, lyocell, or spandex. The pants may include a myriad of features known to be conventionally associated with pants, such as pockets, drawcords, an elasticized waistband 14, and/or belt loops, among other features. The respective free ends of the first and second pant legs 12 may be arranged such that the bottom cuff 16 forms part of openings in the first and second pant legs 12 adjacent to a wearer's legs, feet and/or ankles.

FIG. 2 shows an interior view of the free ends of the first and second pant legs 12 including the bottom cuff 16. The bottom cuff 16 of each of the first and second pant leg 12 free ends may include a bottom portion of the pant leg with a hem. The hem may be formed by seams or other known means.

An elastic cuff band 18 may be attached to at least one of the bottom cuffs 16 at the open ends of the first and second pant legs 12. The elastic cuff band 18 may be attached adjacent to or within the bottom cuff 16 and secured by known fastening means, such as, but not limited to, sewing, glueing, fusing, and/or mechanical or electromagnetic clasps. The elastic cuff band 18 may be formed of an elastic material, including but not limited to, rubber, spandex, and/or nylon. The elastic cuff band 18 may be additionally formed of non-elastic fabric materials, such as polyester and cotton. In certain embodiments, the elastic cuff band 18 may be formed of a blend of elastic and non-elastic fabric materials such that the elastic cuff band 18 is resilient, flexible, elastic, durable, and soft. Such a composition allows the elastic cuff band 18 to provide a soft and non-irritating means for securing a bottom cuff 16, and thereby first or second pant leg 12, to a wearer.

With reference to FIG. 5, the elastic cuff band 18 may be attached to at least a portion of the bottom cuff 16. Further, the elastic band 18 may extend around at least a portion of a circumferential length of the bottom cuff 16. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the elastic cuff band may be attached to the bottom cuff 16 at one or more seams such that the elastic cuff band 18 is otherwise free and unattached to the bottom cuff 16 and first or second pant leg 12. In certain embodiments, the elastic cuff band 18 may extend within the bottom cuff 16 along substantially half of the circumferential length of the bottom cuff 16 when in a retracted or stowed position. Alternatively, certain embodiments of the present invention provide for the elastic cuff band 18 to extend within the bottom cuff 16 around the full circumferential length of the bottom cuff 16 when in the retracted or stowed position. In certain embodiments, the elastic cuff band 18 may be arranged such that it is held substantially flush against the bottom cuff 16 in the portion of the first or second pant leg 12 to which it is attached when in a retracted or stowed position. Further, in certain embodiments, the elastic cuff band 18 is substantially hidden from view when in the retracted or stowed position, with at least half of a length of the elastic cuff band being stowed within the bottom cuff 16.

In certain embodiments, the elastic cuff band 18 may be arranged to extend into and out of the bottom cuff 16 via at least one slot or cut-out 20 formed in the bottom cuff 16. The at least one slot 20 may be formed on an interior face of the bottom cuff 16 to arrange for any portion of the elastic cuff band 18 that extends outside of the bottom cuff 16 to remain substantially hidden when the pants 10 are worn by a wearer. In certain embodiments, multiple slots or cut-outs 20 are arranged for the elastic cuff band 18 to extend into and out of the bottom cuff 16 at multiple locations. The multiple slots or cut-outs 20 may be arranged adjacent to or distally spaced from one another along the circumferential length of the bottom cuff 16.

Further, as seen best in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the elastic cuff band 18 may be stretched or pulled into an operating position such that it may be passed around a wearer's foot and worn around the wearer's ankle. As the elastic cuff band 18 is stretched or pulled, at least a portion of the respective bottom cuff 16 may fold, crumple, or otherwise compress to allow at least a portion of the elastic cuff band 18 to extend outside of the bottom cuff 16. In certain embodiments, at least half of a length of the elastic cuff band 18 may be pulled or stretched to extend outside of the respective bottom cuff 16.

When in the operating position, the elastic cuff band 18 may be arranged to hold the open end of the first or second pant leg 12 to which it is attached in a desired position such that the respective first or second pant leg 12 does not snag or ride up a wearer's leg as the wearer moves. For example, when a wearer moves between seated and standing positions and the elastic cuff band 18 is worn around the wearer's ankle, the elastic cuff band 18 lessens or substantially prevents movement of the respective first or second pant leg 12 relative to the wearer's leg. When the wearer is finished using the elastic cuff band 18, the elastic cuff band 18 may be released from the wearer's ankle, over the wearer's foot, and the elastic cuff band 18 may then retract to the stowed position to lie flush against the portion of the first or second pant leg to which the elastic cuff band 18 is attached.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show an exemplary configuration of the hidden elastic cuff band 18 in an operational position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In exemplary embodiments, the elastic cuff band 18 may be pulled and twisted such that it forms a criss-crossed pattern with a free end loop. A wearer may pass his or her foot through the free end loop of the elastic cuff band 18 and allow the free end loop of the elastic cuff band 18 to rest against a portion of the wearer's leg, such as the ankle. The free end loop of the elastic cuff band 18 may thus loosely secure the first or second pant leg 12 to which it is attached to a desired portion of the wearer's leg, e.g., the ankle. The twisted elastic cuff band 18 may thus be hidden from view in the operating position and create a more aesthetically pleasing look for the wearer. Further, the elasticity of the elastic cuff band 18 provides the wearer with a simultaneously comfortable and secure means for keeping the first and second pant legs 12 in their desired position to maintain a desired aesthetic for the pants 10. In such a configuration, the elastic cuff band 18 may be moved quickly and easily between the stowed and operating positions while also being comfortable for the wearer.

The embodiments and examples above are illustrative, and many variations can be introduced to them without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative and exemplary embodiments herein may be combined with each other and/or substituted with each other within the scope of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention.