Shirred Pants and Process for Producing the Same

Europaisches Patentamt European Patent Office © Publication number: 0 572 116A1 Office europeen des brevets

EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

@ Date of filing: 22.04.93

® Priority: 27.05.92 JP 35325/92 © Applicant: Kato, Tall 301, Yoyogikoen Gardenia, @ Date of publication of application: 43-23 Tomigaya 1-chome 01.12.93 Bulletin 93/48 Shibuya-ku, Tokyo(JP) Applicant: ZIN CO., LTD. © Designated Contracting States: 9-5 Hatsudai 2-chome DE FR GB IT Shibuya-ku, Tokyo(JP)

@ Inventor: Kato, Tall, 301, Yoyogikoen Gardenia 43-23, Tomigaya 1-chome, Shibuya-ku Tokyo(JP)

(54 Shirred pants and process for producing the same.

© Shirred pants having a shirring on and along the entire length of front and rear centerlines of pant legs have a fancy appearance and an aesthetic effect improved by fine ripples in an adequate number provided over the whole length of the pants by FIG. 4 the shirring. Such shirred pants are readily and economically fabricated from four longitudinally ex- tended quarters per pant leg (1,2,3,4), having an arcuate plane shape with a sideseam side (7) of a standard length of the pants or an inseam side (8) of a standard under-crotch length, as a short arc, and < with a centerline side of a length ranging 110-160% of the standard length, as a long arc. Front quarters CO and rear quarters are seamed together, respectively, at the centerline sides (5,6), to form front and rear halves of a pant leg which are then shirred along the CM entire length of the centerline to gather the long arc substantially to the standard length under a tensionless condition. With the thus shirred halves, the pants are made up according to a usual procedure.

Rank Xerox (UK) Business Services (3. 10/3.6/3.3. 1) 1 EP 0 572 116 A1 2

The present invention relates to trousers, par- where slash pockets, side slits, zippers, zipper ticularly pants having excellent motional function shields or fly fronts are provided or sewn up, with a and aesthetic effect, more particularly, an improve- troublesome work taking much time and impair- ment of hitherto known shirred pants, and a pro- ment of aesthetic appearance; (b) further, in the cess for producing the same. 5 case where a shirring is provided particularly along As pants adapted for wear in skiing, riding, inseams, a delicate skill is required in adjusting a golfing, motorcycling, bicycling or the like, a num- contracting force of a shirring band, and if it is ber of those entirely or partly composed of an inadequately adjusted, the crotch portion will be- elastic fabric for improving motional function there- come slackened so that the wearer's shape looks of have so far been proposed, for example, in io awkward; (c) as a whole, one may have an impres- Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication sion that the ripples formed by shirrings are so Nos. 52-3,813, 56-1,683, 60-6,402, 62-11,923, 62- excessive in number that they are apt to tire of the 11,924, etc. Since they require a special elastic style; and (d) the necessary length of the fabric fabric and a difficult sewing technique, most of must be extremely increased for providing shirrings them have had drawbacks such as a high produc- 75 and it pushes up the cost of production. Further- tion cost and in addition an increase of wearers' more, from the above reasons, many portions fatigue due to a tight fit exerted to the body by the which make sewing operations difficult and in addi- elastic fabric, rather than a feeling of comfort. Be- tion many shirrings to be provided increase wages sides, these are mainly a kind of sportswear and for sewing and push up the cost of production. not suited for home wear, casual wear or townwear. 20 An object of the present invention is to easily Aiming to solve such hitherto posed problems and economically provide shirred pants having a and to provide inexpensive pants of free size, suit- further improved and aestheticized appearance, ed for use as home wear, townwear or leisure wear, without impairing advantages of the conventional which give a feeling of comfortable wear without shirred pants, and to eliminate the above-described preventing a free and light motion as well as an 25 difficulties entailed by the conventional shirred excellent aesthetic style and are very convenient pants. A further object of the present invention is to for handling, I, the inventor, proposed in Japanese provide fashionably and variedly designed shirred Utility Model Registration Application Laid-open No. pants which can be almost released from restric- 63-170,412 shirred pants which have at least 2, tions with respect of designing and selection of preferably 4 shirrings per a pant leg at symmetrical 30 materials, by minimizing the number of the shir- positions with respect to the cross-section of the rings. pant leg, said shirrings extending from the cuff of Namely, the present invention is shirred pants the pant leg up to the seam line of the self-belt or comprising a pair of pant legs bordered by a front the crotch of the pants. seam or front placket and a crotch seam, each of In a preferable embodiment of such conven- 35 said pant legs comprising two outside quarters tional shirred pants as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a defined by a front or rear centerline seam and a front half cloth 21 and a rear half cloth 22 to sideseam, and two inside quarters defined by said compose a pant leg are cut out so as to have a front or rear centerline seam, an inseam and the length as much as 130-160% of a standard length front seam or front placket or the crotch seam, said of the pants and sewn together. Then, four shir- 40 four quarters having an arcuate plane shape in rings per one pant leg are provided to the sewn up expanded patterns thereof, which said arcuate pants along front and rear centerlines 23 and 24, plane shape has said sideseam of a length cor- sideseams 25 and 25 and inseams 26 and 26 to responding to a standard length of the pants or reduce by gathering the length of the pants to the said inseam of a length corresponding to a stan- standard size. Though these shirred pants achieved 45 dard under-crotch length, as an inside short arc, the aimed objects in general on the one hand, the and said centerline seams of a length ranging 110- following difficulties were encountered in the stage 160% of the length of said sideseam, as an outside of actual practices on the other hand. long arc, and which centerline seams are provided Namely, since the above-described convention- with a shirring thereon, along the entire length al shirred pants are composed of a trousering 50 thereof and gathered by said shirring to a length much longer than a normal or standard trousering substantially the same as the length of the and shirred to form uniform, horizontal ripples over sideseam under a tensionless condition. the whole pants, the function of the pants may be Further, a process for producing the shirred rather impaired according to the portion thereof. pants according to the present invention, com- For example, (a) at a fly front portion, around a 55 prises the steps of: slash pocket, or the like, a sewing operation is (a) producing two sets of pattern fabrics for a difficult to conduct due to the shirrings, so that the pair of pants, in a mirror symmetrical relation cloth has to be gathered beforehand at portions with one another, each set comprising four lon-

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gitudinally extending quarters of a pant leg, said according to the present invention, a front half F four quarters being front and rear, outside and and a rear half R of the pant leg are divided along inside quarters, forming each into an arcuate longitudinal centerlines 5 and 6, respectively, into a plane shape in its expanded pattern with an front outside quarter 1 and a front inside quarter 2 inside short arc and an outside long arc having 5 and a rear outside quarter 3 and a rear inside a length ranging 110-160% of a standard length quarter 4. For a pair of pants, two sets of such of the pants, said short arc for the outside structural component pattern fabrics in a mirror quarters having a standard under-crotch length; symmetrical or flip-flop relation with one another (b) seaming said front outside and inside quar- are produced. ters and said rear outside and inside quarters at io These longitudinally extending quarters 1, 2, 3 said long arcs, respectively, to form front and and 4, as structural components, are formed into rear halves which are provided with a longitudi- an archwise bent shape in plane having a center- nal centerline seam along the long arc; line side 5 or 6 as an outside long arc and a (c) providing a shirring on and along the entire sideseam side 7 or inseam side 8 as an inside length of said centerline seams to gather the is short arc, in the expanded pattern thereof. centerline seams to have an apparent length The sideseam side 7 has a length correspond- substantially the same as the length of the stan- ing to a standard length of the pants, namely, an dard length of the pants under a tensionless under-belt length of the pants in accordance with a condition; wearer's size. The inseam side 8 has a length (d) combining the thus formed shirred rear half 20 corresponding to a standard under-crotch length of a pant leg with another similar half in a mirror extending from the lower end of the crotch 10 to a symmetrical relation therewith at the crotch to cuff 11 of the pant leg, in accordance with a form a rear half of the pants; and wearer's size. (e) sewing up a pair of the shirred front halves Though it depends upon the breadth of the of pant legs to said rear half of the pants at 25 pant leg and the designed elongation and contrac- corresponding short arcs, respectively, to form tion degree of the shirring, a curvature of the bent inseams and outseams. arcuate shape is determined so that the length of In this specification and claims, the term the centerline sides 5 and 6 may be in the range of "shirring" is meant by gathering of cloth under a 110-160% of the length of the sideseam side 7. tensionless condition that is made by drawing up 30 Within the above range, the bent shape can be the cloth along a line of stitching, by stitching the arbitrarily designed to be arcuate, a part of an cloth with an elongated elastic control band, such ellipse, parabolic or the like, with the degree of as a rubber thread or the like, under tension. gathering by the shirring appropriately being The above and other objects, features and ad- changed in the longitudinal direction. vantages of the present invention will become more 35 As shown in Fig. 2, the front outside quarter 1 apparent from reading the following description of and front inside quarter 2, and the rear outside the preferred embodiments taken in connection quarter 3 and rear inside quarter 4, are seamed with the accompanying drawings, wherein: together at their centerline sides 5 and 6, respec- Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an expanded tively, to form a front half F and a rear half R of a pattern of structural components of the shirred 40 pant leg and then a shirring 12 is provided on and pants according to the present invention; along the entire length of each centerline 5 or 6 Fig. 2 is a plan view showing front and rear with an elastic control band having a length at halves of a pant leg, fabricated in the process of contraction so determined as to be substantially manufacturing the shirred pants according to the the same as the length of the sideseam side 7. The present invention; 45 term "substantially the same length" should be Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a rear half of the noted to include a somewhat different length to the shirred pants, fabricated in the process of manu- extent that the centerline does not excessively facturing the shirred pants according to the slacken or tense to cause an awkward appearance present invention; or impair motional functions of the pants. Fig. 4 is a slant view showing made-up shirred 50 As shown in Fig. 3, the thus shirred rear half R pants according to the present invention; of a pant leg composed of the quarters 3 and 4 Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an expanded and another separately formed similar half R' in a pattern of structural components of known mirror symmetrical relation therewith are sewn up shirred pants; and together at the crotch 1 0 to form a rear half of the Fig. 6 is a slant view showing made-up, known 55 pants. Then, the shirred front half F of a pant leg shirred pants. composed of the quarters 1 and 2 and another In Fig. 1 showing an expanded pattern of struc- separately formed similar half in a symmetrical tural component fabrics of a pant leg of the pants relation therewith are sewn up to the front side of

3 5 EP 0 572 116 A1 6 the above rear half of the pants, respectively, at along the sideseams, inseams, crotch seam and corresponding inseam sides 8 and outseam sides front seam. 7, into a pair of pants of integral one body. The Further, the shirrings continuously extending shirred front halves of pant legs may be either from the cuffs or the vicinity thereof up to the seam combined at the front seam 9 together or left 5 line of the self-belt, on and along the entire length unseamed to form a front placket to be provided of the front and rear centerlines of the pant legs, with a fly front or zipper shield, before sewing up to serve to form an adequate number of almost uni- the rear half of the pants. formly sized, horizontal ripples over the whole In Fig. 4, a main body of the pants formed as length when the pants are put on. Since the shir- described above may be then provided with a self- io rings are provided along the entire length of the belt 13 and, if required, with straps 14 on the cuffs. front and rear centerlines, the shirrings are well It is desired to compose at least a part of the self- balanced with each others and contract to form belt 13 of an elastic material 15. rather irregular but horizontally oriented ripples. The thus made up shirred pants according to Furthermore, a relatively supple fabric may the present invention are provided with shirrings is make the above ripples more elegant. Alternatively, continuously extending from the cuffs 11 or the a glossy fabric may display a gorgeous beauty. vicinity thereof up to the seamline of the self-belt The shirred pants according to the present 13, on and along the entire length of the front and invention will not impair motional functions such as rear centerlines 5 and 6. Since the sideseams, bending and stretching motions of wearers' legs or inseams, crotch-seam, front seam, etc. are ordinary 20 waist, or the like, by virtue of an adequate elasticity plain seams without shirring or gathering, these of the control bands and a configural elasticity of portions can be easily provided with, for example, the fabrics supported by the control bands. Further, side zippers on the cuffs, slash pockets or side the shirred pants of the invention will not give a slits on the both sides of the waist, a zipper shield feeling of tight fit to wearers, different from conven- or fly front on the front placket, or the like, in the 25 tional pants composed of only a structurally elastic same manner as ordinary pants. fabric. As a most preferable example of elastic control In a preferable embodiment of the hitherto bands to be employed in the present invention, known shirred pants disclosed in Japanese Utility mention may be made of a so-called "soft type Model Registration Application Laid-open No. 63- elastic braid" about 4-8 mm wide, having an appro- 30 170,412, a trousering far longer than a standard priate contractile force, which are usually used as a trousering is used and provided with 4 shirrings on sewing material. An excessively large contractile and along the entire length of the front and rear force may impair motional functions when the centerlines, sideseam and inseam per pant leg and pants are put on. On the other hand, if the contrac- thus uniform, horizontal ripples are excessively tile force is too small, the control band can not 35 formed over the whole pants. In contrast, the contract against stiffness or resilience of the shirred pants according to the present invention, trouserings. since shirrings are not provided on and along the As a structural fabric of the shirred pants ac- sideseams, inseams, crotch-seam, front seam or cording to the present invention, ordinary supple the like, can produce a relatively plain fancy, main- fabrics for pants can be extensively employed, 40 taining beautiful ripples adequately decreased in since the number of shirrings is limited to two per number, by virtue of a cooperative effect of such a pant leg. It is preferred to use glossy fabrics in properly selected position and a restricted number view of an aesthetic effect of thereby increased of the shirrings. Besides, the appearance of the wavy figuration of the fabrics. Further, the use of pants is improved by the absence of shirrings on structural elastic fabrics, such as fabrics woven or 45 the fly front, crotch and both sides of the legs, so knitted with texturized yarns, polyurethane yarns, that a long-lasting, untiring, aesthetic sense is giv- rubber mixed yarns or the like, having a recover- en. able stretchability in the warp and/or weft direction- Further, a fly front on the front placket, slash (s) can more increase motional functions cooperat- pockets or side slits on the sides of the waist, cuff ively with the configural elasticity of the shirring. 50 zippers and the like which have been difficult to The shirred pants according to the present provide on the conventional shirred pants due to invention have a very stabilized shape, because obstructive shirrings, can be readily and neatly they are composed of front and rear, outside and provided. Thus, restrictions in designing can be inside quarters which are cut into arcuate shapes eliminated. and sewn up together, and then provided with 55 The conventional shirred pants have required shirrings on and along only the centerlines where fabrics as much as 130-160% of fabrics for or- the longer outer arcs of the outside and inside dinary pants, while the pants of the present inven- quarters meet together, and not provided on and tion are made up from patterns of which a neces-

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sary length of the fabric can be extremely de- ing two outside quarters defined by a front or creased as compared with the conventional shirred rear centerline seam and a sideseam, and two pants. Thus, the manufacturing cost can be largely inside quarters defined by said front or rear decreased with the decrease of the necessary centerline seam, an inseam and the front seam length of the fabric and the number of the shirrings 5 or front placket or the crotch seam, said four and with an increase in feasibility of the sewing quarters having an arcuate plane shape in ex- operation. panded patterns thereof, which said arcuate Since the shirred pants of the invention have plane shape has said sideseam of a length no shirrings on and along the inseams and corresponding to a standard length of the sideseams, particularly on the inseams, a fear of io pants or said inseam of a length corresponding slackening of the crotch portion is eliminated, so to a standard under-crotch length, as an inside that kinds of employable fabrics may be increased short arc, and said centerline seams of a and the breadth of the pant legs can be varied. length ranging 110-160% of the length of said Furthermore, the shirred pants of the invention sideseam, as an outside long arc, and which can maintain the same meritorious effects and ad- is centerline seams are provided with a shirring vantages as those of the conventional shirred pants thereon, along the entire length thereof and in addition to the above. gathered by said shirring to a length substan- Namely, the shirred pants of the present inven- tially the same as the length of the sideseam tion, since they are well stretchable and contrac- under a tensionless condition. tible, do not strain even when the wearer crouches, 20 nor impede free and light motions of the wearer. In 2. A process for producing shirred pants, com- addition, the pants of the invention may have an prising the steps of: effect of extremely reducing wearers' fatigue by (a) producing two sets of pattern fabrics for virtue of a comfortable wear feeling thereof. a pair of pants, in a mirror symmetrical Furthermore, as a free-size articles, the pants 25 relation with one another, each set compris- of the invention can be worn with ease even by ing four longitudinally extending quarters of somewhat fat persons insofar as their body shape a pant leg, said four quarters being front does not largely deviate from the standard, and and rear, outside and inside quarters, for- create a smart silhouette having the contours of the ming each into an arcuate plane shape in its body blurred by the ripples. Additionally, the pants 30 expanded pattern with an inside short arc of the invention have a visual aesthetic effect such and an outside long arc having a length that beautiful leg-lines are kept, or bowlegs or ranging 110-160% of a standard length of knock-knees look normal. the pants, said short arc for the outside The pants of the invention, different from or- quarters having a standard under-crotch dinary pants, are totally free from cares of wrin- 35 length; kling, creasing, pleat flattening or the like, require (b) seaming said front outside and inside no ironing and are easy to wash. Further, since quarters and said rear outside and inside they can be carried or laid away by wadding up quarters at said long arcs, respectively, to into a ball, the pants of the invention are very form front and rear halves which are pro- convenient in storage and maintenance, for exam- 40 vided with a longitudinal centerline seam ple, with extremely decreased spaces for storage, along the long arc; no hangers required, or the like. (c) providing a shirring on and along the The shirred pants of the invention are suited for entire length of said centerline seams to home working wear as home wear or casual wear, gather the centerline seams to have an ap- and further adapted for extensive applications in 45 parent length substantially the same as the loungewear, townwear, leisure wear and the like. length of the standard length of the pants As explained above, the shirred pants of the under a tensionless condition; present invention do not impair advantages of the (d) combining the thus shirred rear half of a conventional shirred pants in the least, improve pant leg with another similar half in a mirror their shortcomings, largely contribute in reducing 50 symmetrical relation therewith at the crotch prices and, therefore, are far superior to the con- to form a rear half of the pants; and ventional shirred pants. (e) sewing up a pair of the shirred front halves of pant legs to said rear half of the Claims pants at corresponding short arcs, respec- 55 tively, to form inseams and outseams. 1. Shirred pants comprising a pair of pant legs bordered by a front seam or front placket and a crotch seam, each of said pant legs compris-

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8 Paten. European EUROPEAN SEARCH REPORT AppU"U°n Office EP 93 30 3149

DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT Citation of document with indication, where appropriate, Relevant CLASSIFICATION OF THE Category of relevant passages to daim APPLICATION Ont. CI.5 ) A,D JP-U-63 170 412 (...) A41D1/06 * figures 1,2 *

A CH-A-452 458 (HANS THUR)

A FR-A-1 357 782 (ETABLISSEMENTS P. MARCHE-ROCHE)

DE-A-2 227 411 (D0K0W Y CIA)

TECHNICAL FIELDS SEARCHED (Int. CI. 5 )

A410

The present search report has been drawn up for all claims Place of March Date of caapldioa of the March THE HAGUE 13 AUGUST 1993 GARNIER F.M.A.C. CATEGORY OF CITED DOCUMENTS T : theory or principle underlying the invention E : earlier patent document, but published on, or X : particularly relevant if taken alone after the filing date Y : particularly relevant if combined with another D : document cited In the application document of the same category L : document cited for other reasons A : technological background O : non-written disclosure A : member of the same patent family, corresponding P : intermediate document document