Retainers for belts or straps

Abstract

Retainers for belts or straps on articles of clothing or luggage each comprise a plurality of strips of different lengths secured to the article so as to define apertures of at least two different widths.

Description

The present invention relates to articles of clothing or luggage provided with retainers for a belt or strap.

It is known that articles of clothing such as trousers, skirts, dresses or the like are commonly provided with retainers for a belt. These known retainers each comprise a single strip, for example, of textile material or leather, fixed at each of its two ends to the said article of clothing, in particular by stitching.

The maximum width of the belt which can be used in the article of clothing is determined by the length of the said strip.

Such known retainers therefore have serious disadvantages. Firstly, it is not possible to use a belt which is wider than that for which the retainer was designed and, secondly, if a much narrower belt is used, the result is poor centring of the said belt which is not very pleasing to the eye. It is therefore necessary to have a belt which is specially intended for the retainers. Consequently, if a wardrobe comprises numerous articles of clothing with retainers, the owner must have practically as many belts as he has types of retainer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to these disadvantages. The invention relates to retainers which enable the satisfactory use of belts (or straps) of different widths.

The invention provides an article of clothing or luggage provided with a plurality of retainers for a belt or strap, wherein each retainer comprises at least two adjacent strips of different lengths secured to said article in the region of their ends so as to define apertures of at least two different widths.

The strips of each retainer may be placed edge to edge or spaced apart from each other.

The strips may be disposed one next to the other approximately perpendicular to a belt or strap therebetween. In this case each retainer may, for example, comprise a plurality of strips of two alternate different lengths or a plurality of strips of several different lengths arranged in increasing or decreasing order of length.

Instead, the strips may be disposed next to one another, some of them being approximately perpendicular to a belt or strap therebetween whilst others are oblique with respect thereto.

Several forms of retainer according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows various possibilities in plan view;

FIG. 2 shows retainer C of FIG. 1 passed through by a belt;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section along the line III--III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows various other forms of retainer in plan view;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section along the line V--V of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 shows a further type of retainer according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a portion of an article of clothing 1 on which are arranged several different retainers having in common the fact that they each comprise only two types of strip 2 and 3, of different lengths placed side by side in a direction approximately perpendicular to the belt. Thus, in A, the retainer comprises four strips 2 between which are arranged three strips 3. In B, the retainer comprises three strips 3 between which are arranged two strips 2. The retainer shown at C comprises four strips 3 between which are arranged three strips 2. The retainer shown at D comprises one strip 2 bordered by two strips 3. In E the retainer takes the form of three strips 2 and two strips 3, each of the latter being arranged between two straps 2. In the retainer shown in F, one strip 3 is bordered by two strips 2.

It can be seen that, in each of the retainers shown in FIG. 1, the strips 3 and 2 are arranged alternately. These retainers may therefore be used for two belts of different widths. When the belt is wider than the width allowed by the strips 3, it is passed under the strips 2 only, the strips 3 being disposed behind the said belt. When the belt is of a width corresponding to the strips 3 it may be passed under both the strips 2 and 3. However, (see FIGS. 2 and 3) it may be aesthetically preferable to pass such a belt 4 under the strips 3 only, the strips 2 being disposed beneath the belt.

In the Examples in FIG. 4, the retainer shown at G comprises five strips 5 to 9 each of different length and fixed at their ends to a portion of an article of clothing 10. These strips are arranged side-by-side in increasing order of length from strip 5 to strip 9. Consequently, this retainer may be used for a plurality of belts with widths corresponding respectively to the effective length of the strips 5 to 9. H, I and J show similar retainers comprising four, three and two strips respectively.

FIG. 6 shows a portion of an article of clothing 11 to which is fixed a retainer comprising a strip 12 which is orthogonal to a belt, and two identical straps 13 and 14 arranged one on each side of the strip 12 so as to extend obliquely in relation to the belt. It is therefore possible by means of the retainer shown in FIG. 6 to use belts of two different widths, passing the belt either under the straps 13 and 14 or under the strap 12.

Although retainers according to the invention are primarily intended for attachment to clothing, similar advantages in terms of interchangeability may be obtained in the case of bags, suitcases, and articles of luggage generally.

Claims

I claim:

1. An article of clothing provided with a plurality of loop shaped retainers for a belt, each retainer comprising at least two adjacent strips of different lengths secured to said article in adjacent, laterally spaced relation only in the region of their ends and defining apertures of at least two different widths for receiving belts of varied width, each of said retainers having one end portion secured along a common line with respect to the corresponding end portions of the other retainers.

2. An article according to claim 1, wherein the strips of each retainer are placed edge to edge.

3. An article according to claim 1, wherein the strips of each retainer are spaced apart from each other.

4. An article according to claim 1, wherein the strips are disposed so as to be substantially perpendicular to a belt therebetween.

5. An article according to claim 4, wherein each retainer comprises a plurality of strips of two different lengths disposed alternately.

6. An article according to claim 4, wherein each retainer comprises a plurality of strips of several different lengths arranged in order of length.

7. An article according to claim 1, wherein at least some retainers comprise both perpendicular and obliquely disposed strips.

8. An article of clothing provided with a plurality of loop shaped retainers for a strap, each retainer comprising at least three adjacent strips of different lengths secured to said article in adjacent, laterally spaced relation only in the region of their ends and defining apertures of at least three different widths for receiving belts of varied width.