U.S. patent number 3,871,030 [Application Number 05/447,780] was granted by the patent office on 1975-03-18 for tennis panty.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Milaca Mills, Inc.. Invention is credited to Ralph W. Green.
United States Patent |
3,871,030 |
Green |
March 18, 1975 |
Tennis panty
Abstract
A woman's tennis panty which is provided with quickaccess
pockets adjacent the leg passages in the panty, each pocket
constructed to securely hold an object, such as a tennis ball, in
such a manner that it will not impede the movement of the wearer,
nor be ejected by body movements of the wearer of the garment.
Inventors: |
Green; Ralph W. (Minneapolis,
MN) |
Assignee: |
Milaca Mills, Inc.
(Minneapolis, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
23777720 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/447,780 |
Filed: |
March 4, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/238; 2/406;
D2/712; 2/250 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D
31/18 (20190201); A41D 13/0015 (20130101); A63B
47/001 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A41D
13/00 (20060101); A63B 47/00 (20060101); A41d
001/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;2/238,227,250,247,254,224A,224R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hunter; H. Hampton
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Caine; Arthur S.
Claims
I claim:
1. A tennis panty comprising a unitary garment composed of a front
panel, a back panel, and a crotch portion connecting said front and
back panels, said front panel converging along the lower edge
thereof toward said crotch portion, means joining two side edges of
said front panel with two side edges of said back panel to form a
body encircling garment having a waist opening, a pocket formed to
hold a tennis ball composed of a major panel and a minor panel
overlying the major panel, said minor panel having its perimeter
secured to the major panel except for a portion of the perimeter
forming the pocket entrance, and means for joining the perimeter of
the major panel to the crotch portion and to the front panel along
the lower edge thereof to depend from said front panel and complete
the formation of a leg encircling opening for the garment.
2. The article of claim 1, wherein the edge of the leg opening
includes, at least partially, elasticized material.
Description
THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to a sportswear garment, and primarily to a
feminine garment, or panty, worn during the playing of tennis. When
engaged in playing tennis, and particularly during the service part
of the game, a player normally holds the racquet in one hand, and a
plurality of balls in the other hand for consecutive play. In many
instances, a woman player's hand may be too small to hold a plural
number of tennis balls, which gives rise to the problem of
providing convenient carriage for such balls.
Although women may wear a variety of garments while playing tennis,
a preferred combination is composed of a short dress that does not
impede vigorous movement, together with a panty that serves as an
undergarment, but which may be at least partially visible during
play. This combination of clothing does not permit the provision of
pockets capable of holding tennis balls without creating a burden,
or without impeding body movement of the player. Moreover, even if
the combination is replaced by so-called "tennis shorts," the
customary pockets normally provided in such garments will either
impede free body movement, or will not provide for the secure
holding of the balls.
In the present invention, there is provided a panty which could be
worn as an undergarment beneath a short dress, but which is so
constructed that it could be modestly worn solely as a lower torso
covering garment, provided with pockets, each constructed to
receive an object, such as a tennis ball, and to hold the same in
such a manner as to avoid interfering with body movements of the
player, and at the same time providing a secure and convenient
manner of storage or carriage of said balls.
An object of the invention is to provide a woman's sport garment in
the form of a panty containing quick-access side pockets, each
designed to securely carry an object, such as a tennis ball.
Another object is to provide a tennis panty having quick-access,
side-opening front pockets, each for receiving an object such as a
tennis ball, and designed with elastic means to securely hold said
ball within the pocket.
Other objects, advantages and features of novelty, which
characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in
the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a
better understanding of the invention, its objects and advantages,
reference should be had to the accompanying drawings which form a
further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter in
which there is described a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters
identify like parts:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a tennis panty forming the present
invention, showing side-opening pockets, one of which is
illustrated with a tennis ball retained therein;
FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively illustrate right hand and left hand
pockets for the panty shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 illustrates the unassembled panel structure forming the
panty; and
FIG. 5 illustrates the panel structure with the pockets joined
thereon.
Referring to the several figures of the drawing, general reference
numeral 10 indicates a tennis panty, comprising a front panel 12, a
back panel 14, which are interconnected by a crotch portion 16. The
panty is made of two layers of knitted fabric, preferably nylon
tricot. The two layers 18 and 20, shown in FIG. 1, may be
designated respectively as an underlayer and an outer layer, which
together as assembled forms an opaque garment for the lower torso
of the wearer.
While the garment 10 in its entirety primarily effects a body
covering function, a secondary function with which this invention
is concerned, involves two normally closed pouches or side pockets
22, 24, located in the front panel 12 adjacent the panty leg
openings, indicated by reference numerals 26, 28. The specific form
and other details of the pockets 22, 24, for holding objects such
as tennis balls, and the manner in which the pockets are integrated
with the front panel 12, and the crotch portion 16, will now be
described.
Referring to FIG. 2, a right hand pocket 22 is composed of a
knitted fabric, and it may be the same material as the panel
portions of the garment. It is comprised of a major fabric panel 30
and a superimposed minor fabric panel 32 with edges of the two
panels secured together to form a seam as by suitable straight
stitching 34 and with one edge 36 of the minor panel providing an
opening to the pocket so formed. The resultant edge 36, in addition
to the fabric material thereof, includes an elasticized band 38
secured to said edge to resiliently restrict the opening of the
pocket to retain within said pocket an article such as a tennis
ball.
The garment's left hand pocket 24, seen in FIG. 3, is of a similar
nature and is composed of a major panel 40, a minor panel 42, and a
seam 44. The minor panel 42 has an edge 46 to which is secured an
elasticized band 48.
FIG. 4 shows the primary body covering elements, comprising the
front panel 12, back panel 14, joined by the crotch portion 16. All
three portions are symmetrical about an axis or center line 50 of
the garment.
FIG. 5 shows the pockets 22, 24, stitched to the front panel 12 of
the garment in such a manner that in the completed garment, an
article within one of the pockets, such as a tennis ball, indicated
by reference character 52, does not project or protrude therefrom,
but may be extracted by a sidewise motion relative to the wearer's
body, and thus provide quick access and release of the article from
within the pocket, but without substantially hindering the player's
movements, as in a tennis game. The outline edges 54, 56, of crotch
portion 16, are composed of elasticized material which are also
joined at 58, 60, to the lower edges of the pockets 22, 24.
The major panels 30, 40, of the two pockets 22, 24, are each
secured to the front panel by suitable stitching 62, 64, each
consisting of a seam, combined with an overcast protective
stitching to provide support for the respective pockets having
greater strength than would be provided by simple patch pockets
secured onto the front panel 12.
FIG. 1 shows the finished panty 10 with the side edges of the front
panel 12 joined respectively adjacent to the side edges of the back
panel 14 by seams 65, 66. A waistband 68, also composed of
elasticized material, is secured to the upper extremities of the
panels.
It will be evident from the appearance of the finished garment that
the seams 65, 66, which secure together the front and rear panels
12 and 14 along with the seams 62, 64 on which are secured the
pocket panels 30, 40, to the front panel 12, are hidden toward the
body of the wearer of the garment. Such seams are used to provide
strength, and also provide a more attractive appearing garment.
Since the garment is intended as feminine apparel, and might be
visible, an appropriate form of decorative lace may be secured to
the edges of the leg openings and overlie the elasticized material
58, 60, to give a more pleasing appearance to the garment.
The garment, as mentioned, is preferably composed of knitted
material, yielding an advantage of stretch quality. Since the
function of the pockets is to retain articles, such as tennis balls
in a manner as to be readily accessible, but without projecting or
protruding from the respective pockets, the elasticized edge of the
pocket openings 38, 48, is such that when a ball is placed in the
pocket, it will be held therein so that it will not fall out of the
pocket, nor be ejected therefrom during normal body movement of the
wearer.
Numerous objects and advantages of the invention have been set
forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the
structure and function of the article of invention. The disclosure,
however, is illustrative, and changes may be made in detail,
especially in the matter of shape and size within the principle of
the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general
means of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
* * * * *