US20170020217A1

US20170020217A1 - Garment Cinching Belt

Info

Publication number: US20170020217A1
Application number: US15/216,568
Authority: US
Inventors: Dena Manning
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-07-21
Filing date: 2016-07-21
Publication date: 2017-01-26

Abstract

A garment cinching belt for tightening garments around a user and for supporting articles of clothing. The garment cinching belt includes a strap having a pair of hooks on opposing ends for securing the strap to belt loops of a garment. A tightening mechanism allows a wearer to adjust how the garment is fitted to the wearer. In one embodiment, the tightening mechanism includes a pair of chains that pass through eyelets on opposing sides of the strap, that allow the wearer to pull the opposing ends of the strap together and tie the chains into a knot to fix the position. The strap may also include a pair of pins on the opposing ends for securing a first section of a garment to a second section of a garment.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/195,013 filed on Jul. 21, 2015. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garment cinching belt. More specifically, the present invention provides a garment cinching belt that tightens garments around a user for providing a better fit and support for articles of clothing.
Many individuals wear belts as a fashion choice and to support pants, trousers, and other articles of clothing. Although belts may be fashionable, for some it is annoying and uncomfortable to wear, especially when walking or performing other tasks. Also, all belts are not comfortable for all wearers. In particular, women may find it cumbersome to wear a belt. For example, some women may prefer thinner belts, and other women may prefer wider belts.
Other individuals may simply choose to wear a single belt with known comfort regardless of outfit. However, because of the variations in styling and preference, selecting belts based on comfort or size limits the amount of available belts, which is already limited by the need for a variety of styles, materials, and colors. In light of these general issues, a belt that is fashionably customizable and configured to be used on a variety of garments, regardless of the presence or absence of belt loops, is desirable.
Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to belts. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to belts for attaching around a wearer's waist. However, these devices in the known art have several known drawbacks. For example, conventional belts require the belt to be wrapped around a waist of a wearer. However, these belts may not be comfortable to wear in many situations, especially during activities that require significant amount of movement. Further, these attempts fail to provide a belt that may be customized to match various fashion outfits and accessories. Thus, it is desirable to provide a garment cinching belt that is interchangeable with various garment types and fashionably customizable.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing belt devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of belts now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new garment cinching belt wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when wearing garments and articles of clothing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment cinching belt. The garment cinching belt comprises a strap having a pair of hooks located at opposing ends, wherein the hooks are configured to receive a belt loop therein. A tightening mechanism, such as a pair of chains that pass through a series of eyelets, is selectively used by a wearer to adjust the fitting of the present invention and garment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a garment cinching belt comprising a pair of pins located at opposing ends of the strap that can cinch garments to better fit the wearer. In use, one pin is attached to a garment section, the section is moved towards another section of the garment, where the other pin is attached to the garment. Thus, the garment is held tightly against the wearer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment cinching belt that supports pants, trousers, and other articles of clothing without covering the front portion of the article of clothing. In particular, the garment cinching belt does not cover or obscure the front fastener often found on garments such as jeans. In this way, the garments may be donned or doffed without the need to undue the belt.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a garment cinching belt comprising a tightening mechanism and constructed from elastic band that is configured to expand and contract. In this way, the present invention provides support for the garments and may be worn by users of varying dimension.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment cinching belt comprising a first side having a removable member that is affixed thereto. The removable member may be decorative and interchangeable with other similar members. The garment cinching belt may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a rear view of the garment cinching belt.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the garment cinching belt in use.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the garment cinching belt in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the garment cinching belt. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for cinching garments worn by a wearer. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a rear view of the garment cinching belt and a front view of the garment cinching belt. The present invention provides a garment cinching belt 11 for tightening garments around a user for offering a better fit and support for articles of clothing. The garment cinching belt 11 comprises a strap 12 having a first end 15 and an opposing second end 16, wherein a first hook 13 is disposed at the first end 15 of the strap 12 and a second hook 14 is disposed at the second end 16 of the strap 12. The first hook 13 and the second hook 14 are configured to receive a first and second belt loop 32 therein, respectfully.
In the shown embodiment, the first hook 13 is a J-shaped clip that is biased toward the strap 12, wherein the J-shape forms a gap configured to receive a belt loop 32 therein. In this way, a wearer can insert a belt loop 32 within the first hook 13 and the belt loop 32 will remain therein until removed by the wearer. In the shown embodiment, the second hook 14 is substantially similar to the first hook 13. In alternative embodiments, the first hook 13 and the second hook 14 may include fasteners of varying dimensions configured to receive a belt loop 32 therein.
A first pin 17 is disposed at the first end 15 of the strap 12 and is configured to removably affix the first end 15 of the strap 12 to a garment. A second pin 18 is disposed at the second end 16 of the strap 12. The second pin 18 is configured to removably affix the second end 16 of the strap 12 to a garment. In the shown embodiment, the first pin 17 and the second pin 18 are oriented parallel to each other and flush with each corresponding first and second hook 13, 14.
A tightening mechanism is disposed on the strap 12, wherein the tightening mechanism is configured to adjust the distance between the first end 15 and the second end 16. In this way, the user can selectively adjust the distance between belt loops 32 received within the first and the second hook 13, 14. In the shown embodiment, the tightening mechanism comprises a first chain 19 and a second chain 20 each having a first end 25 and an opposing second end 26. A first eyelet 21 and a second eyelet 22 are disposed on one of the hooks 13, 14, and a third eyelet 23 and a fourth eyelet 24 are disposed on one of the hooks 13, 14, such that they oppose the first eyelet 21 and the second eyelet 22. The first end 25 of the first chain 19 is affixed to a first eyelet 21 and passes through the third eyelet 23. The first end 25 of the second chain 20 is affixed to the second eyelet 22 and passes through the fourth eyelet 24.
In one use, the hooks 13, 14 and/or the pins 17, 18 of the garment cinching belt 11 are affixed to a garment and the tightening mechanism is utilized to cinch the garment worn by the wearer. For example, the second ends 26 of the first chain 19 and the second chain 20 are configured to be tied into a knot for securing a distance between the first end 15 of the strap 12 and the second end 16 of the strap 12. In one embodiment, the first, second, third, and fourth eyelets 21, 22, 23, 24, are rotatably affixed to the strap 12. This enables the wearer to manipulate the first and second chains 19, 20 in various orientations and assist with the tying of chains 19, 20.
The strap 12 of the garment cinching belt 11 comprises a first side 30 on the opposing side from the first and second hooks 13, 14. A removable member 31 is affixed to the first side 30 via a fastener, such as a button, Velcro, and the like. In one embodiment, the strap 12 comprises an elastic band configured to expand and contract. The removable member 31 includes a variety of substantially similar interchangeable elements that are configured to removably affix to the garment cinching belt. The removable member 31 provides fashionably customizable and interchangeable decorative elements that may be selectively worn with various garment types and sizes.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of the garment cinching belt in use. In the shown embodiment, the garment lacks belt loops that may be utilized by the hooks of the garment cinching belt 11. The garment includes a first section 33 and a second section 34 that are positioned adjacent to the body of the wearer. In the shown embodiment, the garment is a dress wherein the first section 33 and the second section 34 are overlapping panels. The first section 33 and the second section 34 are secured together by the first and second pin 17, 18.
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1) A garment cinching belt comprising:

a strap having a first end and an opposing second end;

a first hook disposed at the first end of the strap, the first hook configured to receive a first belt loop therein;

a second hook disposed at the opposing second end of the strap, the opposing second hook configured to receive a second belt loop therein;

a tightening mechanism configured to adjust the distance between the first end and the opposing second end.

2) The garment cinching belt of claim 1, further comprising:

a first pin disposed at the first end of the strap, the first pin configured to removably affix the first end of the strap to a garment;

a second pin disposed at the opposing second end of the strap, the second pin configured to removably affix the second end of the strap to a garment.

3) The garment cinching belt of claim 1, wherein:

the strap comprises a first side opposing the side on which the first and second hooks are disposed, wherein a removable member is affixed thereto.

4) The garment cinching belt of claim 1, wherein:

the first pin and the second pin are oriented parallel to each other and flush with each corresponding first and second hooks.

5) The garment cinching belt of claim 1, wherein:

the tightening mechanism comprises a first chain and a second chain;

the first chain and the second chain each having a first end and a second end;

a first eyelet and a second eyelet disposed on one of the hooks;

a third eyelet and a fourth eyelet disposed on a hook opposing the hook on which the first eyelet and the second eyelet are disposed;

the first end of the first chain affixed to the first eyelet and passing through the third eyelet;

the first end of the second chain affixed to the second eyelet and passing through the fourth eyelet;

wherein the second end of the first chain and the second end of the second chain are configured to be tied into a knot for adjusting a distance between the first end of the strap and the second end of the strap.

6) The garment cinching belt of claim 5, wherein:

the first, second, third, and fourth eyelets are rotatably affixed to the strap.

7) The garment cinching belt of claim 1, wherein:

the first hook is a J-shaped clip biased toward the strap.

8) The garment cinching belt of claim 7, wherein:

the second hook is similar in shape and size to the first hook.

9) The garment cinching belt of claim 1, wherein:

the strap comprises an elastic band configured to expand and contract.