Chamois with integrated pouch

Abstract

A chamois for a cycling garment includes a padded rear portion for cushioning an area of a user of the garment, and a front portion. The front portion includes a front panel and a resiliently elastic stretch panel attached to the front panel. The stretch panel defines, with the front panel, a pouch configured to receive therein the user's genitalia. The stretch panel includes an opening providing access to the pouch.

Description

CHAMOIS WITH INTEGRATED POUCHField

[0001] The present disclosure relates to cycling garments and in particular to a chamois with an integrated pouch, and to a garment comprising such a chamois.Background

[0002] Next-to-skin clothing for men should comfortably accommodate the wearer’s genitalia. Uncomfortable pressure and / or chafing of the genital area are common problems with existing male undergarments.

[0003] This is especially true of garments worn when the user is performing sports or other physical activities, such as cycling. When performing such activities, pressure and / or chafing of the genital area, as well areas proximal thereto, may be exacerbated.Summary

[0004] According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a chamois for a cycling garment, comprising: a padded rear portion for cushioning an area of a user of the garment; and a front portion comprising: a front panel; and a resiliently elastic stretch panel attached to the front panel, defining with the front panel a pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia, and comprising an opening providing access to the pouch.

[0005] The area may be one or both of a crotch and a buttocks of the user.

[0006] The front panel may comprise foam.

[0007] The front panel may be perforated for increasing a breathability of the front panel.

[0008] The front portion may further comprise lateral wing portions attached to edges of the stretch panel and the front panel.

[0009] The lateral wing portions may comprise foam.

[0010] The lateral wing portions may be monolithically formed with the rear portion.

[0011] The front panel and the stretch panel may be attached to one another at a seam. The padded rear portion may comprise padding that does not extend beyond the seam.

[0012] According to a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a garment for use when cycling, comprising: a body including leg openings for a user’s legs; and a chamois attached to the body and comprising: a padded chamois rear portion for cushioning an area of the user; a front chamois portion comprising: a front panel; and a resiliently elastic stretch panel attached to the front panel, defining with the front panel a pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia, and comprising an opening providing access to the pouch.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the garment does not comprise a waistband.

[0014] The body may comprise: a garment front portion attached to the chamois front portion; and a garment rear portion attached to the chamois rear portion. At least a portion of an edge of the chamois may be disconnected from the body.

[0015] The chamois front portion may further comprise lateral wing portions attached to edges of the stretch panel and the front panel. The edge of the chamois that is disconnected from the body may comprise at least a portion of edges of the lateral wing portions.

[0016] The garment front portion may be further attached to at least a portion of the lateral wing portions.

[0017] According to some embodiments, at least a portion of edges of the stretch panel and the front panel are not attached to the body such that the pouch is free-hanging.

[0018] The garment front portion may be connected to the front panel via only at least a portion of a front edge of the front panel.

[0019] An open space may be provided between the chamois and the body, the open space extending from beyond a left side of the chamois to beyond a right side of the chamois.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of making a garment for use when cycling, comprising: providing a body including leg openings for a user’s legs; and attaching a chamois the body, the chamois comprising: a padded rear portion for cushioning an area of the user; and a front portion comprising: a front panel; and a resiliently elastic stretch panel connected to the front panel, defining with the front panel a pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia, and comprising an opening providing access to the pouch,

[0021] Attaching the chamois to the body may comprise partially attaching the chamois to the body.

[0022] Partially attaching the chamois to the body may comprise: attaching at least a portion of the front panel to the body; and attaching at least a portion of the rear portion to the body.

[0023] This summary does not necessarily describe the entire scope of all aspects. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a chamois according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the chamois of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a third perspective view of the chamois of FIG. 1, showing an underside of the chamois, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a top-down view of the chamois of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 5 is a front view of a garment comprising the chamois of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the garment of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 7 is a magnified view of the front of the chamois integrated with the garment of FIG.5, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

[0032] FIG. 8 is a magnified view of the rear of the chamois integrated with the garment of FIG.5, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.Detailed Description

[0033] The present disclosure seeks to provide a chamois with an integrated pouch, for use with cycling garments. While various embodiments of the disclosure are described below, the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and variations of these embodiments may fall within the scope of the disclosure which is to be limited only by the appended claims.

[0034] Generally, according to embodiments of the disclosure, there is provided a chamois for a cycling garment. Generally, a chamois may refer to a padded component that is used to cushion one or more areas of a user (such as the user’s crotch, groin, and / or buttocks) when cycling. Typically, a chamois is shaped to resemble the shape of a bicycle saddle.

[0035] According to embodiments of the disclosure, the chamois includes a padded rear portion for cushioning, for example using foam padding, one or more areas of the user as described above. In addition, the chamois includes a front portion connected to the rear portion, the front portion comprising a front panel and a resiliently elastic stretch panel attached to the front panel. Together, the front panel and the resiliently elastic stretch panel define a three-dimensional pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia. The stretch panel includes an opening providing access to the pouch. Therefore, when a garment incorporating the chamois is worn by the user, the user’s genitalia may be gathered and held comfortably within the pouch, by being passed through the opening in the stretch panel and into the pouch.

[0036] The chamois described herein may be integrated with any of various garments in order to provide a cushioning functionality to a garment that may not otherwise provide such functionality. Garments may, in effect, be retrofitted with the chamois to provide a garment with both cushioning functionality (enabling the garment to be enjoyed when cycling) while also providing comfort to the user by allowing the user’s genitalia to be comfortably held within the pouch. Furthermore, the integrated chamois may reduce friction or chaffing due to the repetitious motion of cycling.

[0037] When incorporating the chamois with the garment, the chamois is preferably only partially attached or connected (e.g. sewn or stitched) to the garment. For example, according to some embodiments, only a portion of the chamois (e.g. only a portion of the pouch) is connected to a front portion of the garment, and only a portion of the chamois is connected to a rear portion of the garment. In addition, according to some embodiments, portions of edges of the chamois are not connected or attached (e.g. not sewn or stitched) to the garment. Advantageously, this may allow for a space or void to be provided between the underside of the chamois and the garment. The space allows greater articulation of the chamois and reduces bunching of the garment.

[0038] Furthermore, by attaching only a portion of the pouch to the front of the garment, the pouch may remain generally free-hanging, thereby providing additional comfort to the user. Inparticular, the free-hanging nature of the pouch may allow greater articulation of the chamois and reduces bunching of the garment.

[0039] Generally, the front panel, the resiliently elastic stretch panel, and characteristics of the pouch may be the same as those described in US Patent No. 10,834,974, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Any differences between these components and the corresponding components described in US Patent No. 10,834,974 are described in further detail below.

[0040] Embodiments of the chamois, and a garment integrated with the chamois, will be now be described in further detail in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Turning to FIGS. 1-4, there are shown perspective views, as well as a top-down view, of a chamois 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Generally, the various components of chamois 100 (aside from stretch panel 34 and front panel 36 - described in further detail below) are formed of a common cushioning material, such as foam.

[0042] Chamois 100 includes a padded rear portion 10 connected to a front portion 30. In addition being formed of foam, padded rear portion 10 includes padded areas 12 that comprise additional padding / cushioning for further cushioning a buttocks and a groin of a user. In particular, padded areas 12 may be shaped and located on rear portion 10 to provide additional padding / cushioning to areas of a user that are exposed to increased pressure and friction when the user is sitting in a bicycle saddle.

[0043] Front portion 30 includes a front panel 36 and a resiliently elastic stretch panel 34 attached to front panel 36. The combination of stretch panel 34 and front panel 36 defines a three-dimensional pouch 38 configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia. Stretch panel 34 further comprises a generally U-shaped, or keyhole-shaped, opening 42 providing access to pouch 38. As described above, when a user is wearing a garment into which chamois 100 has been integrated, the user’s genitalia may be passed into pouch 38 via opening 42.

[0044] With specific reference to FIG. 4, stretch panel 34 includes top edges 33 that, when connecting stretch panel 34 to front panel 36, and pulled forward to stitched to a top edge 37 of front panel 36. When stretch panel 34 is stitched to front panel 36, top edge 37 of front panel 36 extends between corners 35 of stretch panel 34. Front panel 36 comprises foam for providing additional comfort to the user when the user is wearing a garment incorporating chamois 100. In addition, the foam of front panel 36 is perforated to increase a breathability of front panel 36 and to decrease the overall weight of front panel 36.

[0045] Chamois 100 further includes side portions 14 connected to each of rear portion 10 and front portion 30. Side portions 14 are monolithically formed with (i.e. integrally connected to) rear portion 10 and front portion 30, and comprise the same foam material used for rear portion 10. In FIG. 1 , side portions 14 appear as free-hanging portions to simulate portions of chamois 100 that are intended to not be attached to a garment when chamois 100 is integrated with the garment (as described in further detail below).

[0046] Front portion 30 of chamois 100 further includes a pair of lateral wing portions 32 positioned on either side of stretch panel 34. Wing portions 32 are monolithically formed with (i.e. integrally connected to) rear portion 10, and comprise the same foam material used for rear portion 10. Front panel 36, stretch panel 34, and wing portion 32 are interconnected to one another along a common seam extending along an outer edge 31 of stretch panel 34.

[0047] The foam material that forms rear portion 10 as well as lateral wing portions 32 does not extend beyond the seam defined by outer edge 31 of stretch panel 34. In particular, the foam material that forms rear portion 10 as well as lateral wing portions 32 does not extend into pouch 38 and does not form part of front panel 36, and effectively terminates at outer edge 31 of stretch panel 34. As a result, there is no interference between the foam material of wing portions 32 and the user’s genitalia when the genitalia are received within pouch 38.

[0048] As now described in further detail, chamois 100 may be integrated with a garment, such as a garment intended to be worn when cycling, in order to provide added comfort and cushioning to the user when riding a bike. When integrating chamois 100 with the garment, only select portions of chamois 100 are connected (e.g. stitched or sewn) to the garment, thereby allowing for portions of edges of chamois 100 to remain disconnected relative to the garment. This may enable portions of chamois 100 to hang freely relative to the garment, as described in further detail below.

[0049] The range, type, and size of garments into which chamois 100 may be integrated is generally not limited. In general, chamois 100 may be integrated with any suitable garment intended to be worn while cycling.

[0050] An example of such a cycling garment 200 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, garment 200 includes a body 215 comprising a pair of leg openings 25 for receiving the user’s legs. Body 215 includes a body front portion 210 and a body rear portion 220. As described in further detail below, chamois 100 is integrated with garment 200 by being partially secured (e.g. stitched or sewn) to both body front portion 210 and body rear portion220. Although the particular garment 200 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 does not include a waistband, according to other embodiments chamois 100 may be integrated with garments that do include waistbands, such as cycling shorts.

[0051] FIGS. 7 and 8 allow us to better visualize the connection of chamois 100 to body 215 of garment 200.

[0052] Turning first to FIG. 7, front portion 30 of chamois 100 is shown stitched to body front portion 210 of garment 200 in greater detail. In particular, a front edge 230 of front portion 30 is stitched to body front portion 210. Front edge 230 includes top edges 33 of stretch panel 34 as well as top edge 37 of front panel 36 (FIG. 4). To the left and to the right of corners 35 of stretch panel 34, edges 235 of lateral wing portions 32 are stitched to body front portion 210. The stitching of lateral wing portions 32 to body front portion 210 continues along edges 235 of lateral wing portions 32 until the locations marked by references 240. Locations 240 indicate positions at which lateral wing portions 32 transition from being stitched to body front portion 210 to no longer being stitched to body front portion 210. Beyond locations 240, moving toward rear portion 10 of chamois 100, edges of lateral wing portions 32, as well as edges of side portions 14, are not stitched to body front portion 210.

[0053] Turning to FIG. 8, rear portion 10 of chamois 100 is shown stitched to body rear portion 220 of garment 200 in greater detail. In particular, an edge 250 of rear portion 10 of chamois 100 is stitched to body rear portion 220 of garment 200. The stitching of edge 250 of rear portion 10 of chamois 100 to body rear portion 220 of garment 200 continues along edges 250 until the locations marked by references 255. Locations 255 indicate positions at which rear portion 10 transitions from being stitched to body rear portion 220 to no longer being stitched to body rear portion 220. Beyond locations 255, moving toward front portion 30 of chamois 100, edges of rear portion 10, as well as edges of side portions 14, are not stitched to body rear portion 220.

[0054] Due to the lack of connection of chamois 100 to garment 200 along edges running from locations 240 to locations 255, a space or void is provided between the underside of chamois 100 and garment 200. This open space extends from beyond a left side of chamois 100 to beyond a right side of chamois 100. This disconnectedness of chamois 100 relative to garment 200 allows side portions 14, as well as aft portions of lateral wing portions 32, to hang freely relative to garment 200. As a result, these portions may contour to the wearer’s inner thighs and may mitigate friction caused by rubbing between areas of the user when in motion and seams of the garment.

[0055] Except where otherwise indicated or necessarily implied, the description herein uses relative directional terms such as front, back, above, below, top, bottom, upper, lower, right, and left relative to a wearer wearing a garment as described and standing upright.

[0056] Where a component (e.g. a panel, seam, elastic, thread, opening, etc.) is referred to above, unless otherwise indicated, reference to that component (including a reference to a “means”) should be interpreted as including as equivalents of that component any component which performs the function of the described component (i.e. that is functionally equivalent), including components which are not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the illustrated exemplary embodiments.

[0057] The word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” or “including” in the claims and / or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

[0058] The terms “coupled”, “coupling” or “connected” as used herein can have several different meanings depending on the context in which these terms are used. For example, the terms coupled, coupling, or connected can have a mechanical or electrical connotation. For example, as used herein, the terms coupled, coupling, or connected can indicate that two elements or devices are directly connected to one another or connected to one another through one or more intermediate elements or devices via an electrical element, electrical signal or a mechanical element depending on the particular context. The term “and / or” herein when used in association with a list of items means any one or more of the items comprising that list.

[0059] As used herein, a reference to “about” or “approximately” a number or to being “substantially” equal to a number means being within + / - 10% of that number.

[0060] While the disclosure has been described in connection with specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and that alterations, modifications, and variations of these embodiments may be carried out by the skilled person without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0061] It is furthermore contemplated that any part of any aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented or combined with any part of any other aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification.

Claims

Claims1 . A chamois for a cycling garment, comprising: a padded rear portion for cushioning an area of a user of the garment; and a front portion comprising: a front panel; and a resiliently elastic stretch panel attached to the front panel, defining with the front panel a pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia, and comprising an opening providing access to the pouch.

2. The chamois of claim 1 , wherein the area is one or both of a crotch and a buttocks of the user.

3. The chamois of claim 1 or 2, wherein the front panel comprises foam.

4. The chamois of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the front panel is perforated for increasing a breathability of the front panel.

5. The chamois of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the front portion further comprises lateral wing portions attached to edges of the stretch panel and the front panel.

6. The chamois of claim 5, wherein the lateral wing portions comprise foam.

7. The chamois of claim 5 or 6, wherein the lateral wing portions are monolithically formed with the rear portion.

8. The chamois of any one of claims 1-7, wherein: the front panel and the stretch panel are attached to one another at a seam; and the padded rear portion comprises padding that does not extend beyond the seam.

9. A garment for use when cycling, comprising: a body including leg openings for a user’s legs; and a chamois attached to the body and comprising: a padded chamois rear portion for cushioning an area of the user; a front chamois portion comprising: a front panel; anda resiliently elastic stretch panel attached to the front panel, defining with the front panel a pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia, and comprising an opening providing access to the pouch.

10. The garment of claim 9, wherein the garment does not comprise a waistband.

11. The garment of claim 9 or 10, wherein the body comprises: a garment front portion attached to the chamois front portion; and a garment rear portion attached to the chamois rear portion, wherein at least a portion of an edge of the chamois is disconnected from the body.

12. The garment of claim 11 , wherein: the chamois front portion further comprises lateral wing portions attached to edges of the stretch panel and the front panel; and the edge of the chamois that is disconnected from the body comprises at least a portion of edges of the lateral wing portions.

13. The garment of claim 12, wherein the garment front portion is further attached to at least a portion of the lateral wing portions.

14. The garment of any one of claims 9-13, wherein at least a portion of edges of the stretch panel and the front panel are not attached to the body such that the pouch is free-hanging.

15. The garment of claim 14, wherein the garment front portion is connected to the front panel via only at least a portion of a front edge of the front panel.

16. The garment of any one of claims 9-15, wherein an open space is provided between the chamois and the body, the open space extending from beyond a left side of the chamois to beyond a right side of the chamois.

17. A method of making a garment for use when cycling, comprising: providing a body including leg openings for a user’s legs; and attaching a chamois the body, the chamois comprising: a padded rear portion for cushioning an area of the user; and a front portion comprising: a front panel; anda resiliently elastic stretch panel connected to the front panel, defining with the front panel a pouch configured to receive therein the user’s genitalia, and comprising an opening providing access to the pouch,18. The method of claim 17, wherein attaching the chamois to the body comprises partially attaching the chamois to the body.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein partially attaching the chamois to the body comprises: attaching at least a portion of the front panel to the body; and attaching at least a portion of the rear portion to the body.

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