US20070151001A1

US20070151001A1 - Gift wrap lingerie

Info

Publication number: US20070151001A1
Application number: US11/633,843
Authority: US
Inventors: Georgina Huerta
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-12-05
Filing date: 2006-12-05
Publication date: 2007-07-05

Abstract

A novel type of lingerie garment that wraps around a person to create a bow shaped design across the person's chest area to give the appearance that the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. When being worn, the garment fastens in a manner in which it can be removed from the person's body in a quick and efficient manner by pulling one end of the bow. Methods of wrapping a person in the lingerie garment and unwrapping the lingerie garment are further provided.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/742,231 filed Dec. 5, 2005 entitled “Gift Wrap Lingerie,” the entirety of which is incorporated as if set forth in its entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a novel type of lingerie garment, and is specifically directed to a lingerie garment that wraps around a person to create a bow to make it appear as if the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. The present invention is further directed to methods of wrapping and unwrapping a person wearing the lingerie garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is generally well known that people exchange gifts with one another that are often wrapped with a ribbon or a bow. The apparent purpose of the bow in presenting gifts is to dress up the item being given so that its presentation is more elaborate or decorative and additionally to conceal a portion of the gift so that when it is unwrapped by the recipient there is an element of surprise. Commonly, a bow covering a particular article or gift can be quickly and easily unfastened by pulling at one end of the bow such that it comes apart to reveal the underlying article in its entirety. It is generally understood that part of the enjoyment of receiving a wrapped gift is unwrapping it to see what has been given.
It is also generally well known that there are a great number of types and styles of undergarments presently available; many having a variety of seemingly unique functional or aesthetic characteristics directed to the distinct tastes of different types of individuals. Since lingerie is often times worn under other clothing however, it will typically only be seen by persons other than the wearer in intimate or private circumstances. In anticipation of these circumstances, certain types of lingerie will sometimes be purchased or worn by individuals for the enjoyment of a partner or spouse.
In keeping with the aforementioned points, it would thus be desirable to have a type of lingerie garment that can wrap around a person to create a bow in order to make it appear as if the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. Such a garment would enable the wearer to present themselves to another person in intimate situations as a present to be unwrapped. It would be further desirable if such a garment could be unfastened like a bow placed over a gift and could thus be unwrapped or removed from the person's body in a quick and efficient manner by simply pulling one end of the bow. It would also be desirable if the aforementioned garment could be comprised of a pliable and durable material such that it will not tear or become damaged during the unwrapping process and could thus be washed and reused.
As will be described in greater deal hereinafter, the present invention satisfies these needs as well as other features and advantages which will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention, in one embodiment, is directed to a lingerie garment featuring a first elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end and being of sufficient length to laterally encircle a wearer's torso at least once. The first and second ends of the strip are adapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having a substantially centrally located knot. The lingerie garment additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end and is of sufficient length to longitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer at least once by extending from the wearer's breast area over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side. From the wearer's back side the second elongated strip extends between a wearer's legs and over at least a portion of the wearer's abdominal area so that it may be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip.
The second end of the second elongated strip is further adapted to form a loop which is able to fasten to itself to form the knot of the bow. Accordingly, when the garment is fastened at the front of a wearer, the first and second ends of the first elongated strip are folded and passed through the loop formed at the second end of the second elongated strip to form bow loops.
The invention, in one form, is further directed to a method of wrapping a wearer in the lingerie garment as well as to a separate method of unwrapping the garment. The method of wrapping the wearer includes placing the wearer's arm through a sleeve formed between the first and second elongated strip such that the second elongated strip extends over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side; pulling the second elongated strip between the wearer' legs such that a second end of the strip extends from the wearer's back side to their abdominal area; folding the second end of the second elongated strip to form a loop; folding the first end of the first elongated strip over itself and passing it through the loop formed by the second end of the second elongated strip to form a first bow loop; doing the same with the second end of the first elongated strip to form a second bow loop; pulling the first and second bow loops until the first elongated strip is securely around the wearer's torso; and adjusting the bow formed by the garment such that it covers at least a portion of the wearer's breast area.
Once fastened to a wearer, in one embodiment, the lingerie garment is adapted to be quickly and easily removed. In removing the garment from the wearer, one simply pulls a portion of the bow in a direction away from the knot such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the first and second elongated strips from one another at the wearer's breast area. The elongated strips are then permitted to separate from one another such that the garment becomes unwrapped from the wearer's body. This method of unwrapping is analogous to unwrapping a gift and can be done by the wearer or someone else in the wearer's presence.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of one embodiment of the present invention being worn by a female person.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 laid out in an unfolded configuration.
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 fastened to a mannequin.
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 worn by a female person with an alternate type of bow.
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 worn by a female person with an alternate type of bow.
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 with an additional bow fastened along the second elongated strip.
FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a female person.
FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of an additional embodiment of the lingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a male person.
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the lingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a female person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings a number of presently preferred embodiments that are discussed in greater detail hereafter. It should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. It should be further understood that the title of this section of this application (“Detailed Description of the Drawings”) relates to a requirement of the United States Patent Office, and should not be found to limit the subject matter disclosed herein.
Referring now to the appended drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 1 shows a lingerie garment 10 of one embodiment of the invention worn by a female wearer 11; FIG. 2 illustrates the lingerie garment 10 laid out and arranged in an unfolded condition; and FIG. 3 illustrates the back side of a mannequin having the garment fastened thereto. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the garment 10 features a first elongated strip 21 of pliable material having a first end 22 and a second end 23. In this embodiment, the first elongated strip 21 is of sufficient length to laterally encircle the torso of a wearer 11 at least once around the wearer's chest area. As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the lingerie garment 10 is fastened to a wearer 11, the first and second ends 22, 23 of the first elongated strip 21 are adapted to be tied together to form a bow 31 having at least one loop 32, 33 and a substantially centrally located knot 34. While FIG. 1 shows the bow 31 positioned over the frontal chest area of the female wearer 11, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the bow 31 may be positioned at any location about the wearer's torso without departing from the scope of the invention.
The lingerie garment 10 additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material 24 having a first end 25 and a second end 26. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the second elongated strip 24 is of sufficient length to longitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer 11 at least once by extending from the wearer's breast area over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side. The second elongated strip 24 continuing from the wearer's back side such that it is passable between the wearer's legs and over at least a portion of the wearer's abdominal area so that it may be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip 21.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in one embodiment, the first end 25 of the second strip 24 may be fastened to the first elongated strip 21 between its first and second ends 22, 23 at a plurality of locations such that a sleeve 27 is formed, the sleeve 27 being of sufficient length to enable a wearer to extend an arm through the formed sleeve 27 such that the second strip 24 covers at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder. The second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 may feature at least one attachment means 28, the attachment means 28 enabling the second elongated strip 24 to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop. When fastened to a wearer 11, the loop formed by the second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 becomes an additional point of attachment between the first elongated strip 21 and second elongated strip 24 by serving as the knot 34 of the bow 31 formed by the first and second ends 22, 23 of the first elongated strip 21.
An assortment of various fasteners may serve as the attachment means 28 located at the second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 including, for example, hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro® brand fasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at least one hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at least one stud receiver, a buckle, a hook and loop fastener or any other type of fastener that will allow the second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 to fasten to itself to form a loop.
The lingerie garment 10 may be made from a variety of different types of pliable fabric such as, for example, cotton, silk, linen, polyester, a mixture or blend of more than one type of material, paper, wool, or any other type of suitable material that will allow the garment 10 to fasten around a wearer. In addition, it is preferable that the material used for the garment 10 be sufficiently durable so that it may be fastened and unfastened to a wearer 11 without being torn or otherwise damages and also so that it may be washed such that it may be reused on different occasions. The garment 10 can further be decorated in a variety of different styles, colors or patterns and may be provided in a one-size-fits-all design or alternatively may be provided so that, depending on the size of the individual wearer, a different sized garment 10 is used. Further, while FIGS. 1-7 illustrate various embodiments of the garment 10 being worn by a female wearer 11, the garment 10 is not limited to females and may be worn in a similar fashion by male individuals as well.
The bow 31 of the garment 10 may feature a variety of different sizes or shapes. Specifically, while the bow 31 illustrated in FIG. 1 features two loops, 32, 33 having a specific size, larger or smaller bows 31 as well as bows having an alternate number of loops are contemplated by various forms of the garment 10. FIGS. 4-5 illustrate, for example, two different types of bows 31 a, 31 b that can be used with the garment 10. The first and second strips 21, 24 of the garment 10 may additionally feature hook and loop fasteners, such as for example Velcro® brand fasteners in a variety of different locations in order to assist in fastening the garment 10 around the wearer 11.
FIG. 6 illustrates the lingerie garment 10 having a supplemental bow 35 fastened to the second elongated strip 24 between the first and second ends 25, 26. While FIG. 6 illustrates the supplemental bow 35 to be located proximate to the front crotch area of the wearer 11, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the supplemental bow 35 may be positioned at any location along the second elongated strip 24 between the first and second ends 25, 26. Specifically, when a garment 10 having a supplemental bow 35 is fastened to a wearer, the supplemental bow 35 may be positioned, for example, at any location on the back side of the wearer 11, or above or in a position covering the wearer's buttocks. Further, the present invention may additionally feature a plurality of supplemental bows along the second elongated strip 24 which may be arranged in a number of different configurations.
One embodiment of the present invention is further directed to a method of wrapping a wearer 11 in the lingerie garment 10 as well as to a separate method of unwrapping garment 10. In wrapping a wearer 11 with the garment, the wearer's arm is first placed through the sleeve 27 formed between the first and second elongated strips 21, 24 such that the second elongated strip 24 extends over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side. The second elongated strip 24 is then pulled between the wearer' legs such that a second end of the strip 26 extends from the wearer's back side to their abdominal area. The second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 is then folded to form a loop which will become the knot 34 of the bow 31. The first end 22 of the first elongated strip 21 is then folded over itself and passed through the loop formed by the second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 to form a loop 32 of the bow 31. The second end 23 of the first elongated strip 21 is then folded over itself and passed through the loop formed by the second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 to form another loop 33 of the bow 31. The first and second bow loops 32, 33 are then pulled until the first elongated strip 21 is securely around the wearer's torso, and the bow 31 formed by the garment 10 is then adjusted in order to preferably cover at least a portion of the wearer's breast area.
Once fastened to a wearer 11, the lingerie garment 10 is adapted to be quickly and easily removed. In removing the garment 10 from the wearer 11, a portion of the bow 31 is simply pulled in a direction away from the knot 34 such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the first and second elongated strips 21, 24 from one another at the wearer's breast area; the elongated strips 21, 24 are then permitted to separate from one another such that the garment 10 becomes unwrapped from the wearer's body. This method of unwrapping is analogous to unwrapping a gift and can be done by the wearer or someone else in the wearer's presence.
FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment 10 being worn by a female person 11. As shown in FIG. 7, the garment 10 features a first elongated strip 21 of pliable material having a first end 22 and a second end 23. In this embodiment, the first elongated strip 21 is of sufficient length to laterally encircle the torso of a wearer 11 at least once around the wearer's chest area. When the lingerie garment 10 is fastened to a wearer 11, the first and second ends 22, 23 of the first elongated strip 21 are adapted to be tied together to form a bow 31 having at least one loop 32, 33 and a substantially centrally located knot 34. While FIG. 7 shows the bow 31 positioned over the frontal chest area of the female wearer 11, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the bow 31 may be positioned at any location about the wearer's torso without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The lingerie garment 10 additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material 24 having a first end 25 and a second end 26. The first end 25 of the second elongated strip 26 is fastened to the first elongated strip 21 between its first and second ends 22, 23 such that when the first elongated strip 21 is fastened around the wearer's torso the second elongated strip extends longitudinally down the wearer's backside and between the wearer's legs, the second strip 24 continuing from between the wearer's legs to extend over at least a portion of the wearer's abdominal area to be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip 21.
As with the other embodiments, the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 may feature at least one supplemental bow 35 fastened between the first and second ends 25, 26 of the second elongated strip 24. Further, the second elongated strip 24 may feature at least one attachment means 28, the attachment means 28 enabling the second elongated strip 24 to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop. In addition, the first and second strips 21, 24 of the garment 10 may feature hook and loop fasteners, such as for example Velcro® brand fasteners in a variety of different locations in order to fasten around the wearer 11.
FIG. 8 illustrates an additional embodiment of the lingerie garment 10 being worn by a male person 11. In this embodiment, the garment 10 features a first elongated strip of pliable material 21 of sufficient length to encircle the waist area of a wearer 11 at least once. The first elongated strip 21 further includes first and second ends 22, 23 which are adapted to be tied together to form a bow 31 having at least one loop 32, 33 and a substantially centrally located knot 34. The garment 10 additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material 24. having first (not shown) and second ends 26. In this embodiment, the first end of the second elongated strip 24 is fastened to the first elongated strip 21 between its first and second ends such that when the first elongated strip 21 is fastened around the wearer's waist, the second elongated strip 24 extends in a substantially perpendicular direction from the first elongated strip 21 to cover at least a portion of the wearer's buttocks. The second elongated strip 24 extending from the wearer's buttocks between the wearer's legs to cover at least a portion of the wearer's crotch area. The second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 adapted to fasten to the first elongated strip 21 in a manner identical to that previously disclosed with respect to other embodiments. The second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 forming the knot 34 of the bow 31.
FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment 10 being worn by a female person 11. In this embodiment, the bottom portion 20 of the garment 10 has characteristics identical to those previously described in connection with the garment 10 illustrated in FIG. 8 and thus will not be repeated. The garment 10 of this embodiment however additionally features a top portion 30 made of a third elongated strip 41 of pliable material. The third elongated strip 41 of this embodiment is of sufficient length to encircle the torso area of a wearer 11 at least once and further features a first and second end 42, 43 that are adapted to be tied together to form a bow 31 a having at least one loop 32, 33 and a substantially centrally located knot 34.
The present disclosure includes that which is contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the forgoing description. Although, this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of the elements, compositions and the combination of individual ingredients may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A lingerie garment comprising:

a first elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, the first elongated strip being of sufficient length to laterally encircle a wearer's torso at least once, the first and second ends of the strip adapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having a substantially centrally located knot; and

a second elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, the second elongated strip being of sufficient length to longitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer at least once by extending from the wearer's breast area over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side, from the wearer's back side the second elongated strip being passable between a wearer's legs and over at least a portion of the wearer's abdominal area to be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip.

2. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the first elongated strip has a non-uniform width such that the first and second ends have a greater width than an area between the ends.

3. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the second elongated strip has a substantially uniform width along the length of the strip.

4. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the first end of the second elongated strip is fastened to the first elongated strip between its first and second ends at a plurality of locations such that a sleeve is formed, the sleeve being of sufficient diameter to enable a wearer to extend an arm through the formed sleeve such that the second strip covers at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder.

5. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the second elongated strip features at least one supplemental bow fastened between the first and second ends of the second elongated strip.

6. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the second end of the second elongated strip features at least one attachment means, the attachment means enabling the second elongated strip to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop.

7. The lingerie garment of claim 6 wherein the attachment means comprises an arrangement selected from the group consisting of hook and loop fasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at least one hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at least one stud receiver, a buckle, and a hook and loop fastener.

8. A lingerie garment comprising:

a second elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, the first end of the second elongated strip is fastened to the first elongated strip between its first and second ends such that when the first elongated strip is fastened around the wearer's torso the second elongated strip extends longitudinally down the wearer's backside and between the wearer's legs, the second strip continuing from between the wearer's legs to extend over at least a portion of the wearer's abdominal area to be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip.

9. The lingerie garment of claim 8 wherein the first elongated strip has a non-uniform width such that the first and second ends have a greater width than an area between the ends.

10. The lingerie garment of claim 8 wherein the second elongated strip has a substantially uniform width along the length of the strip.

11. The lingerie garment of claim 8 wherein the second elongated strip features at least one supplemental bow fastened between the first and second ends of the second elongated strip.

12. The lingerie garment of claim 8 wherein the second end of the second elongated strip features at least one attachment means, the attachment means enabling the second elongated strip to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop.

13. The lingerie garment of claim 12 wherein the attachment means comprises an arrangement selected from the group consisting of hook and loop fasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at least one hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at least one stud receiver, a buckle, and a hook and loop fastener.

14. A lingerie garment comprising:

a first elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, the first elongated strip being of sufficient length to laterally encircle a wearer's waist at least once, the first and second ends of the strip adapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having a substantially centrally located knot; and

a second elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, the first end of the second elongated strip is fastened to the first elongated strip between its first and second ends such that when the first elongated strip is fastened around the wearer's waist the second elongated strip extends in a substantially perpendicular direction from the first elongated strip, the second elongated strip coving at least a portion of the wearer's buttocks and extending between the wearer's legs, the second strip continuing from between the wearer's legs to cover at least a portion of the wearer's crotch area and adapted to be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip.

15. The lingerie garment of claim 14 further comprising:

a third elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, the third elongated strip being of sufficient length to laterally encircle a wearer's torso at least once, the first and second ends of the strip adapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having a substantially centrally located knot.

16. The lingerie garment of claim 14 wherein the first elongated strip has a non-uniform width such that the first and second ends have a greater width than an area between the ends.

17. The lingerie garment of claim 14 wherein the second elongated strip has a substantially uniform width along the length of the strip.

18. The lingerie garment of claim 14 wherein the second end of the second elongated strip features at least one attachment means, the attachment means enabling the second elongated strip to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop.

19. The lingerie garment of claim 18 wherein the attachment means comprises an arrangement selected from the group consisting of hook and loop fasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at least one hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at least one stud receiver, a buckle, and a hook and loop fastener.

20. A method of wrapping a person in a lingerie garment having first and second elongated strips of pliable material fastened together at a location proximate to a wearer's breast area by a bow having a centrally located knot, the method comprising:

placing the wearer's arm through a sleeve formed between the first and second elongated strip such that the second elongated strip extends over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side;

pulling the second elongated strip between the wearer' legs such that a second end of the strip extends from the wearer's back side to their abdominal area;

folding the second end of the second elongated strip to form a loop;

folding a first end of the first elongated strip over itself;

passing the first end of the first elongated strip through the loop formed by the second end of the second elongated strip to form a first bow loop;

folding a second end of the first elongated strip over itself;

passing the second end of the first elongated strip through the loop formed by the second end of the second elongated strip to form a second bow loop;

pulling the first and second bow loops until the first elongated strip is securely around the wearer's torso; and

adjusting the bow formed by the garment such that it covers at least a portion of the wearer's breast area.

21. A method of unwrapping a lingerie garment from a wearer where the garment features at least two elongated strips of pliable material fastened together at a location proximate to a wearer's breast area by a bow having a centrally located knot, the method comprising:

pulling a portion of the bow in a direction away from the centrally located knot such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the elongated strips from one another at the wearer's breast area; and

permitting the elongated strips to separate from one another such that the garment becomes unwrapped from the wearer's body.