U.S. patent application number 15/486824 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-19 for offset side seam for an apparel item.
The applicant listed for this patent is NIKE, Inc.. Invention is credited to Andrew Gosse, Donavan Harris.
Application Number | 20170295856 15/486824 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60039649 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170295856 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gosse; Andrew ; et
al. |
October 19, 2017 |
OFFSET SIDE SEAM FOR AN APPAREL ITEM
Abstract
A lower torso apparel item having an offset side seam is
provided herein. The lower torso apparel item includes a front
panel and a back panel, with left and right side seams that are
offset from the inseam of the apparel item. In some examples, such
as a pair of shorts, the front and back panels are assembled to
provide left and right leg openings, with the left side seam on an
anterior portion of a wearer and the right side seam on an anterior
portion of a wearer.
Inventors: |
Gosse; Andrew; (West Linn,
OR) ; Harris; Donavan; (Beaverton, OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NIKE, Inc. |
Beaverton |
OR |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
60039649 |
Appl. No.: |
15/486824 |
Filed: |
April 13, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62324164 |
Apr 18, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41B 2400/38 20130101;
A41D 27/245 20130101; A41D 2300/50 20130101; A41B 2300/35 20130101;
A41D 2400/38 20130101; A41D 27/20 20130101; A41D 1/08 20130101;
A41D 1/06 20130101; A41D 27/24 20130101; A41B 9/001 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A41D 1/06 20060101
A41D001/06; A41D 27/24 20060101 A41D027/24; A41D 27/20 20060101
A41D027/20 |
Claims
1. A short comprising: a front panel; and a back panel, wherein in
an assembled configuration, the front panel is joined to the back
panel at a plurality of seams to form at least a left leg opening
and a right leg opening, wherein the plurality of seams comprises
at least: an inseam between an interior edge of the front panel and
an interior edge of the back panel along a midline in the assembled
configuration; a left side seam offset with respect to the inseam
along the midline and between the front panel and the back panel;
and a right side seam offset with respect to the inseam along the
midline and between the front panel and the back panel.
2. The short of claim 1, wherein the inseam, the left side seam,
and the right side seam are longitudinally oriented on the
short.
3. The short of claim 1, wherein the left side seam is offset with
respect to the inseam in an anterior direction.
4. The short of claim 1, wherein the right side seam is offset with
respect to the inseam in an anterior direction.
5. The short of claim 1, wherein the inseam comprises a left inseam
segment proximate the left leg opening and a right leg inseam
segment proximate the right leg opening.
6. The short of claim 1, further comprising at least one pocket
having a pocket opening aligned with at least one of the left side
seam and the right side seam.
7. The short of claim 6, wherein the pocket opening is positioned
adjacent to at least one of the left side seam and the right side
seam.
8. An article of apparel for a lower torso, the article of apparel
comprising: a front panel comprising a front inseam edge, a left
seam edge, a right seam edge, and a front bottom edge; and a back
panel comprising a back inseam edge, a left seam edge, a right seam
edge, and a back bottom edge, wherein the article of apparel
comprises a left leg opening defined by a first segment of the
front bottom edge and a first segment of the back bottom edge, and
further wherein the article of apparel comprises a right leg
opening defined by a second segment of the front bottom edge and a
second segment of the back bottom edge, wherein at least a portion
of the front inseam edge and the back inseam edge are joined at an
inseam along a midline of the article of apparel, at least a
portion of the front and back left seam edges are joined along a
left side seam offset with respect to the inseam such that the left
side seam is anteriorly displaced with respect to the inseam, and
at least a portion of the front and back right seam edges are
joined along a right side seam offset with respect to the inseam
such that the right side seam is anteriorly displaced with respect
to the inseam.
9. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein the at least one of
the front panel and the back panel comprises a plurality of pattern
pieces.
10. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein the first segment of
the front bottom edge is narrower in width than the first segment
of the back bottom edge, and the second segment of the second
bottom edge is narrower in width than the second segment of the
back bottom edge.
11. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein the article of
apparel is a short.
12. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein the article of
apparel is a pant.
13. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein at least a portion
of the front panel material is the same material as at least a
portion of the back panel material.
14. The article of apparel of claim 8, further comprising at least
one pocket formed along at least one of the left side seam and the
right side seam.
15. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein in an as-worn
configuration, the left leg opening and the right leg opening
provide for greater range of motion of a wearer's legs based on the
location of at least one of the left side seam and the right side
seam on the anterior side, as compared to a range of motion of an
article of apparel having side seams along the midline.
16. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein the left side seam
and the right side seam are parallel in a longitudinal
direction.
17. A pair of shorts comprising: a front panel; a back panel; a
left side seam on an anterior portion of the shorts; a right side
seam on an anterior portion of the shorts; and an inseam along a
midline of the shorts between the anterior portion and a posterior
portion of the shorts.
18. The pair of shorts of claim 17, wherein the inseam comprises a
left leg inseam and a right leg inseam.
19. The pair of shorts of claim 18, wherein the left side seam is
offset with respect to the left leg inseam and the right side seam
is offset with respect to the right leg inseam.
20. The pair of shorts of claim 17 further comprising at least one
lower edge seam flange integral to one or more of the left side
seam and the right side seam.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application having attorney docket number
NIKE.273927/160170US02 and entitled "Offset Side Seam for an
Apparel Item," claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Prov. App.
No. 62/323,164, entitled "Offset Side Seam for an Apparel Item, and
filed Apr. 19, 2016. The entirety of the aforementioned application
is incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an offset side seam for an
apparel item.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Various seam locations have been proposed for assembling
apparel items for the lower torso of the wearer. The seams of a
lower torso apparel item may be located at or near an edge of each
pattern piece, such as a set of seams located on a wearer's sides
(e.g., an outseam) and inseam when mating together a front garment
panel and a back garment panel on a pair of shorts. With opposing
seams on the inside and outside of the wearer's legs, and with
varying force applied to the garment based on the front side and
back side motion of the wearer, the front garment panel and the
back garment panel may shift in various directions during wear. A
symmetric seam location between an inseam and outer seam region may
impact translation of the front garment panel with respect to the
back garment panel during movement, and muscle groups covered by
the lower torso apparel item may be restricted from optimal range
of motion. As a result, the seam location on a lower torso apparel
item impacts both comfort and motion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The present invention is described in detail below with
reference to the attached drawings figures, wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 depicts a front, perspective view of a wearer with a
lower torso apparel item having offset side seams in accordance
with aspects herein;
[0006] FIG. 2 depicts a rear, perspective view of a wearer with the
lower torso apparel item having offset side seams of FIG. 1 in
accordance with aspects herein;
[0007] FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the apparel item with offset
side seams of FIG. 1 in accordance with aspects herein;
[0008] FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of an assembled pair of
shorts having offset side seams in accordance with aspects herein;
and
[0009] FIG. 5 depicts a bottom-up view of the left leg opening and
right leg opening of the shorts of FIG. 4 in accordance with
aspects herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The subject matter of the present invention is described
with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However,
the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this
disclosure. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the
disclosed or claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other
ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar
to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other
present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms "step"
and/or "block" might be used herein to connote different elements
of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as
implying any particular order among or between various steps herein
disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is
explicitly stated.
[0011] Aspects herein are generally directed to an offset side seam
for a lower torso apparel item. The offset side seam may be
incorporated into one or more sides of the apparel item such as an
offset left side seam and/or an offset right side seam. The apparel
item includes a hypothetical coronal or frontal plane that divides
the apparel item into an equal front (anterior) half and back
(posterior) half. In exemplary aspects the inseam of the apparel
item is oriented along this hypothetical frontal plane. As used
throughout this disclosure, the side seams being "offset" with
respect to the inseam describes a side seam that is positioned
along the left or right sides of the apparel item and is offset
from the frontal or coronal plane. In other words, in the example
of a pair of shorts, the left side seam and the right side seam may
be offset with respect to the inseam, shifting the left side seam
and the right side seam to the anterior side of the apparel item.
Moreover, the apparel item described herein may incorporate a seam
flange at the lower margin of the offset side seams. The seam
flange may represent an area where the front and back panels are
not affixed or joined. Thus, because of the offset nature of the
side seams, the seam flange is positioned at a more anterior
location of the apparel item.
[0012] The configuration thus described may have a number of
functional advantages. One advantage includes an increased range of
motion for a wearer of the lower torso apparel item with offset
side seams. For example, a pair of shorts having offset side seams
positioned toward the anterior side of the shorts provides for a
greater range of motion for the big muscle groups of the thigh such
as the quadriceps. As well, the seam flange provides additional
ease of movement for a wearer's leg muscles on a lateral side of
the upper thigh. In further aspects, the offset side seams may
allow an internal capacity of the shorts to accommodate a wearer's
back side adjacent a larger back panel of material, which is joined
to the smaller front panel of material (adjacent the wearer's front
side) along the midline inseam and the offset side seams.
[0013] Accordingly, in a first aspect, a short comprises a front
panel and a back panel, wherein in an assembled configuration, the
front panel is joined to the back panel at a plurality of seams to
form a left leg opening and a right leg opening. In further
aspects, the plurality of seams comprises: an inseam between an
interior edge of the front panel and an interior edge of the back
panel along a midline in an assembled configuration; a left side
seam offset with respect to the inseam along the midline and
between the front panel and the back panel; and a right side seam
offset with respect to the inseam along the midline and between the
front panel and the back panel.
[0014] In another aspect, an article of apparel for a lower torso
includes: a front panel comprising an inseam edge, a left seam
edge, a right seam edge, and a front bottom edge; and a back panel
comprising an inseam edge, a left seam edge, a right seam edge, and
a back bottom edge. In aspects, the article of apparel comprises a
left leg opening having a first segment of the front bottom edge
and a first segment of the back bottom edge, wherein the article of
apparel comprises a right leg opening having a second segment of
the front bottom edge and a second segment of the back bottom edge.
In further aspects, at least a portion of the front inseam edge and
the back inseam edge are joined at an inseam along a midline of the
article of apparel, at least a portion of the front and back left
seam edges are joined along a left side seam offset with respect to
the inseam such that the left side seam is on an anterior side of a
wearer in an as-worn configuration, and at least a portion of the
front and back right seam edges are joined along a right side seam
offset with respect to the inseam such that the right side seam is
on an anterior side of a wearer in an as-worn configuration.
[0015] In yet another aspect, a pair of shorts comprises a front
panel, a back panel, a left side seam on an anterior portion of the
shorts, a right side seam on an anterior portion of the shorts, and
an inseam along a midline of the shorts between the anterior
portion and a posterior portion of the shorts.
[0016] Turning now to FIGS. 1-2, front and rear perspective views
of a wearer 10 with a lower torso apparel item having offset side
seams is depicted in accordance with aspects herein. The body 12 of
the wearer 10 having a pair of shorts 14 is depicted from a
perspective view to include the anterior (front) 16 side and a
posterior (back) 18 side. Further, the shorts 14 include a front
panel 20 opposite a back panel 22, which are joined at least along
a pair of left and right offset side seams 24.
[0017] In some aspects, the front panel 20 and/or back panel 22 may
be assembled from a single pattern piece or from multiple pattern
pieces. As such, although referred to as a pair of shorts assembled
from joining the front panel 20 and the back panel 22 along the
offset side seams 24, it is contemplated that the front and back
panels 20 and 22 may include multiple pattern pieces, such as
multiple segments of fabric, that are joined together at multiple
seams to provide a common material for the front and back panels 20
and 22. Accordingly, the front panel 20 may include an inseam edge,
a left side seam edge, a right side seam edge, an upper edge, and a
bottom edge, while the corresponding back panel 22 may include an
inseam edge, a left side seam edge, a right side seam edge, an
upper edge, and a bottom edge. The front panel 20 may be joined to
the back panel 22 in a variety of ways, including sewing, serging,
gluing, bonding, adhesives, binding, lacing, etc., and is not
limited to a sewn seam edge. Further, the front panel may be
attached along only a portion of the left and right offset side
seam 24 edges, as shown in the various aspects having a seam flange
44 along the bottom edges of the left leg opening 40 and right leg
opening 42.
[0018] As shown in the shorts side view 26 of FIG. 3, the midline
28 of the shorts 14 is a midpoint between the anterior 16 and
posterior 18 sides of the shorts 14. To put it another way, the
midline 28 represents an intersection line of a frontal or coronal
plane that divides the shorts 14 into generally equal front and
back halves. The offset side seam 24 is displaced anteriorly a
distance 30 with respect to the midline 28. The left and right
offset side seams 24 may be longitudinally oriented, parallel in a
longitudinal direction such that the left and right offset side
seams 24 join the front panel 20 and the back panel 22 at a
predetermined location with respect to the midline 28. In some
exemplary aspects, the shorts 14 may optionally include a pocket 32
along the offset side seam 24, with an opening along the offset
side seam 24 providing access to a pocket cavity. As such, the
opening of the exemplary pocket 32 of FIG. 3 is positioned in an
offset location towards the anterior side 16 of the shorts 14. This
location may provide easier access to the wearer 10. The pocket 32
may be an integral feature sewn into the offset side seam 24, or
may include an opening proximate/adjacent to the offset side seam
24. Any and all aspects, and any variation thereof, are
contemplated as being within aspects herein.
[0019] Shifting perspective, in FIG. 4, reference generally by the
numeral 34, the pair of exemplary shorts 14 includes offset side
seams 24 with respect to the inseam 36 of the shorts 14, and is
shown in an assembled configuration. In one example, the inseam 36
is positioned along the midline 28 (depicted in FIG. 3), while the
offset side seam 24 is shifted towards the anterior 16 side of the
shorts 34 away from the midline 28. Accordingly, the lower portion
of the offset side seam 24 is positioned closer to the large muscle
groups on the upper thigh of a wearer, rather than the hips or
sides corresponding to the midline 28 or inseam 36. In some
aspects, the inseam 36 includes a left leg inseam and a right leg
inseam. In further aspects, the left leg opening 40 includes a left
inseam segment of the front panel 20 and a left inseam segment of
the back panel 22, while the right leg opening 42 includes a right
inseam segment of the front panel 20 and a right inseam segment of
the back panel 22. Accordingly, a segment of an inseam edge may be
used to refer to a portion of an interior material edge of the
front panel 20 or back panel 22.
[0020] In aspects, the front panel 20 and the back panel 22 are
joined along the inseam 36 and the offset side seams 24 to provide
a left leg opening 40 and a right leg opening 42, as shown in the
bottom view 38 of FIG. 5. Each of the left and right leg openings
40 and 42 may further include a lower edge seam flange 44 along a
bottom edge of the shorts 14, which may provide for an increased
range of motion for a wearer's legs when applying force against the
front panel 20 and/or the offset side seams 24 (e.g., during
running motions). The left leg opening 40 may include a first
segment of the front panel 20 bottom edge and a first segment of
the back panel 22 bottom edge, while the right leg opening 42 may
include a second segment of the front panel 20 bottom edge and a
second segment of the back panel 22 bottom edge. According to one
aspect, the first segment of the front panel 20 for forming the
left leg opening 40 may be narrower in width than the first segment
of the back panel 22, providing a left offset side seam 24 in an
assembled configuration. Similarly, the second segment of the front
panel 20 forming the right leg opening 42 may be narrower in width
than the second segment of the back panel 22, providing a right
offset side seam 24 in an assembled configuration. In other words,
the wider segments of the portions of the back panel 22 sewn to the
inseam 36 and side seam edges of the front panel 22 provides an
offset positioning of the resulting offset side seams 24.
[0021] In some aspects, the edges of each of the front and back
panels 20 and 22 may be equally divided such that the outer edge of
the panels becomes the offset side seam 24, and the interior edge
becomes the inseam 36. During assembly, the left and right leg
openings 40 and 42 may be formed, in part, by joining the front
panel 20 to the back panel 22 along the inseam 36 proximate the
midline 28. Additionally, the left and right leg openings 40 and 42
may be formed, in part, by joining the front panel 20 to the back
panel 22 along the offset side seams 24 proximate the anterior 16
side of the shorts 14. In one example, the left and right side
seams 24 are offset with respect to the longitudinally oriented
inseam 36 in an anterior direction. As such, each of the resulting
left and right leg openings 40 and 42 may facilitate a greater
range of motion for a wearer requiring forward and backward travel
of their legs in the shorts 14, with a minimized front panel 20, a
maximized back panel 22, and an anterior 16 shifted, offset pair of
side seams 24.
[0022] Although shown as being incorporated into a short, such as
the shorts 14, it is contemplated that the exemplary offset side
seam herein may be incorporated into other lower torso apparel
items. Examples include pants, capris, leggings, compression pants,
underwear, outerwear, and the like. Any and all aspects, and any
variation thereof, are contemplated as being within the scope
herein.
[0023] The present invention has been described in relation to
particular examples, which are intended in all respects to be
illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will
become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the
present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
Certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be
employed without reference to other features and subcombinations
and are contemplated within the scope of the disclosure and the
claims.
* * * * *