Flocked shapewear garments

• US 10,455,866 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spanx Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Spanx Incorporated
• Inventors: Hays, Tosha L., Colon-Otten, Sylma
• Primary Examiner(s): Hale, Gloria M
• Application Number:
  US15/898,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20190021404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 450106, 450112, 450 97, 450 81, 450 39, 450 40, 450 43, 450 92, 450 93, 450107, 450109, 450114, 450115, 450122-124, 450130, 450131, 450151
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 1/08 Abdominal supports
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 1/12 Component parts
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 5/00 Machines, appliances, or methods for manufacturing corsets or brassieres

Abstract

Disclosed herein are flocked shapewear garments. The flocked shapewear garments comprise a fabric, an elastomeric coating, and flocking fibers embedded in the elastomeric coating.

Claims

1. A shapewear garment for control of an abdominal region, the garment comprising:

a. at least one fabric panel that extends over at least the abdominal region; and

b. a fabric portion applied to the fabric panel, the fabric portion including a tummy covering portion that extends over at least a portion of the abdominal region and a pair of lateral portions extending laterally from lateral sides of the tummy covering portion;

wherein;

at least one of the lateral portions has subportions bifurcating to define therebetween a portion without the fabric portion; and

the tummy covering portion and the pair of lateral portions provide compression to the abdominal area.

2. The shapewear garment of claim 1, wherein the portion without the fabric portion progressively widens as the portion without the fabric portion extends laterally to an adjacent hip of the wearer.

3. The shapewear garment of claim 1, wherein both of the lateral portions have bifurcating subportions.

4. The shapewear garment of claim 1, wherein the fabric portion includes a superior edge and an inferior edge.

5. The shapewear garment of claim 4, wherein the superior and inferior edges are closer together at the tummy covering portion than at the lateral portions.

6. The shapewear garment of claim 5, wherein the superior and inferior edges are from 6 inches to 15 inches apart at the tummy covering portion.

7. The shapewear garment of claim 5, wherein the superior and inferior edges progressively diverge from each other extending laterally away from the tummy covering portion.

8. The shapewear garment of claim 7, wherein the superior and inferior edges are from 8 inches to 18 inches apart at the lateral portions.

9. The shapewear garment of claim 4, wherein the portion without the fabric portion is located nearer to the superior edge than to the inferior edge.

10. A method of making a compression region for a shapewear garment, the method comprising:

providing a first fabric panel comprising an abdominal region, the abdominal region configured to extend over the abdominal area of a wearer wearing the garment,

applying a fabric portion to the abdominal region of the garment, wherein the fabric portion is at least partially defined by a superior edge and an inferior edge and comprises a central portion positioned between the superior and inferior edges, and wherein the superior edge and the inferior edge diverge from each other extending laterally away from the central portion to provide compression to the abdominal region, and

embedding fibers into the fabric portion, wherein embedding fibers into the fabric portion provides compression to the abdominal region.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the fabric panel is attached to one or more additional fabric panels to create leg regions during construction of the shapewear garment, wherein the leg regions are configured to extend around the legs of a wearer wearing the garment.