(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,526,929 B2 Takamoto Et Al
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USOO7526929B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,526,929 B2 Takamoto et al. (45) Date of Patent: May 5, 2009 (54) TIGHTS 5,590,548 A * 1/1997 Osborne ...................... 66/177 5,819,322 A 10/1998 Dicker et al. (75) Inventors: He has Kobe (JP); Yoshie 5,954,564 A 9, 1999 Ganz ........................... 450/99 suji, Kobe (JP); Mamoru Omuro, 5.996, 120 A 12, 1999 Balit ............................... 2.67 Kobe (JP) 6,186,970 B1 2/2001 Fujii et al. (73) Assignee: ASICS Corporation, Kobe (JP) 6,231.488 B1 5/2001 Dicker et al. 6,430,753 B2 8/2002 Duran ........................... 2,239 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 6,874,337 B2 * 4/2005 Uno et al. ..................... 66/177 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. (21) Appl. No.: 11/662,941 (Continued) (22) PCT Filed: Jul. 21, 2005 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS (86). PCT No.: PCT/UP2005/O13383 EP 1016351 A1 T 2000 S371 (c)(1), (2), (4) Date: Mar. 17, 2007 (Continued) (87) PCT Pub. No.: WO2006/033200 Primary Examiner Danny Worrell PCT Pub. Date: Mar. 30, 2006 (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Michael E. Zall (65) Prior Publication Data (57) ABSTRACT US 2007/O256217 A1 Nov. 8, 2007 (30) Foreign Application Priority Data The invention provides tights that are capable of efficiently training the psoas major while preventing discomfort of wear Sep. 21, 2004 (JP) ............................. 2004-273766 ing the tights due to the high elastic portions provided over an (51) Int. Cl. area in which no load for the psoas major is required. There D04EB I/24 (2006.01) are provided tights characterized in that it includes a high (52) U.S. Cl. .......................................... ... 66/177 elastic portion that is formed in a predetermined area of a back (58) Field of Classification Search ................... 66/171, side of the tights, which area corresponding to a region of the 66/170, 175, 177, 178 A buttocks and the posterior thigh of the human body in which See application file for complete search history. the skin of the region is stretched greatly when the femoral region of the human body is lifted, the high elastic portion (56) References Cited being higher in elastic modulus in the height direction than U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS the area of the back side of the tights other than the predeter mined area and an area of a front side of the tights correspond 3.413,824 A * 12, 1968 Kuney ......................... 66/177 ing to at least the abdomen and the anterior thigh. 4.325,379 A * 4/1982 Ozbey ........................ 450,116 5,109.546 A 5, 1992 Dicker ............................. 2/7O 5.367,708 A * 1 1/1994 Fujimoto ......................... 2/22 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets US 7,526,929 B2 Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS JP A-10-280209 10, 1998 7,024,892 B2 * 4, 2006 Blakel 66/177 JP A-1998-280209. A 10, 1998 7,074,204W 4 B2 * 7/2006 Fujii Clyet al.. .... 60275 A-1998-280209 A5 10, 1998 JP A-2001-64801 3, 2001 7,143,453 B2 * 12/2006 Duran ..... .2409 A-2002-212814 T 2002 7,229,390 B2 * 6/2007 Fuji et al. 482,124 M M f 7,260,961 B1* 8/2007 Kennedy ..................... 66/177 JP A-2004-3396.23 12 2004 WO WO98,43504 10, 1998 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS EP 1016351 B1 11, 2003 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 1 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 2 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F I G 2 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 3 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F I G 3 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 4 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F I G 4 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 5 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 6 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F I G 6 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 7 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F I G 7 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 8 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 H'0||(E)9 HLONGHTHO NHACHS:ISHJTWOIAM30 W}{{{HL}{HA 0IS ||H'0(\/)9 U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 9 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F I G 9 (A) U.S. Patent May 5, 2009 Sheet 10 of 10 US 7,526,929 B2 F G 1 O (A) F G 1 O (B) US 7,526,929 B2 1. 2 TIGHTS while preventing discomfort of wearing the tights due to the high elastic portions provided over an area in which no load TECHNICAL FIELD for the psoas major is required. The present invention relates to tights, and more particu MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM larly, to tights that are capable of strengthening the psoas major. Fortraining the muscles, it is effective to apply a load to the muscles So as to extend the same when they are being con BACKGROUND ART tracted. With the tights, the load can be easily generated by 10 utilizing elastic tension of a material that forms the tights. In general, tights, a type of clothing to be worn next to the Here, the elastic tension is produced by the product of the skin or underwear on the human body, are used for sporting or elastic modulus and the amount of extension. Therefore, in on a daily basis. A general purpose of wearing the tights is to order to increase the elastic tension to be generated, the elastic help increase the muscular movements and hence improve modulus and the amount of extension, of the tights may be athletic ability or correct the body shape. 15 increased. The psoas major is a muscle that usually functions The tights function as Supporters when they are worn, and when the femoral region is lifted, and regions stretching when do not intend to have a permanent effect extending over Such this movement is performed are the buttocks and posterior as the time during which the tights are not worn. Therefore, thigh. for training purposes, tights that improve muscular strength Accordingly, the present inventors have reached the idea by applying a load to a certain muscle when they are worn and that a large elastic tension can be generated and hence a load enhancing the movement of muscles are provided (e.g., can efficiently be applied to the psoas major by providing Patent Document 1) high elastic portions having a high elastic modulus to areas of As illustrated in FIGS. 10(A) and 10(B), high elastic por a tights respectively corresponding to the buttocks and pos tions are provided on portions of the front and back sides of terior thigh and more specifically a region thereof in which the tights. It is said that the musculus gluteus maximums is 25 the skin is greatly stretched (hereinafter referred to as “high trained by a high elastic portion 40 (cf. FIG. 10(A)) on the stretching region'). front side, and the iliopsoas muscle (generally, a part com According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided bining the psoas major with the iliac muscle is called as the tights including a high elastic portion that is formed in a iliopsoas muscle) or quadriceps muscle is trained by a high predetermined area of a back side of the tights, which area elastic portion 41 on the back side (cf FIG. 10(B)). 30 corresponding to a region of the buttocks and the posterior thigh of the human body in which the skin of the region is DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION stretched greatly when the femoral region of the human body is lifted, the high elastic portion being higher in elastic modu Problem to be Solved by the Invention lus in the height direction than the area of the back side of the 35 tights other than the predetermined area and an area of a front Among the muscles mentioned above, the psoas major is a side of the tights corresponding to at least the abdomen and muscle that connects the spine (the lumbar vertebra) and the the anterior thigh. inside of the femur, and that generally contributes to lift the According to another aspect of the invention, there is pro femoral region or lift up the upper part of the body. Recently, vided tights including a high elastic portion that is formed in therefore, the importance to train the psoas major by taking 40 a predetermined area of a back side of the tights, which area exercise has been recognized among athletes, etc. Further, the corresponding to a region of the buttocks and the posterior public also has started to recognize that the psoas major thigh of the human body in which the skin of the region is contributes to the natural S-shaped curvature of the spine stretched greatly when the femoral region of the human body (furthermore, posture correction). Training of the psoas major is lifted, the high elastic portion being higher in elastic modu also has received attention as one of the general methods of 45 lus in the height direction than the area of the back side of the keeping fit. tights other than the predetermined area and a front side of the The tights disclosed in Patent Document 1 having the high tights. elastic portions provided on the front and back sides of the In the tights according to the above-mentioned aspect, tights can apply a load to the psoas major by the high elastic preferably, the predetermined area includes a pair of leg sec portion 41 on the back side of the tights when the femoral 50 tions that extend downward in a height direction from one end region is lifted, but at the same time, help increase the move side thereof that passes through or close to intersections, the ment of the psoas major by the high elastic portion 40 on the intersections being formed by crossing an intermediate line front side of the tights.