EP2815660B1

EP2815660B1 - Improved facing for covering a closure in a garment

Info

Publication number: EP2815660B1
Application number: EP14173486.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luc De Maeght; Wouter Noterman
Original assignee: Novavo
Current assignee: Novavo
Priority date: 2013-06-21
Filing date: 2014-06-23
Publication date: 2016-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2034-06-23
Also published as: BE1022265B1; EP2815660A1

Description

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to clothing. More in particular, the invention relates to an improved facing for covering a closure in a garment, and garments provided with the improved facing.

Background art

Openings in garments, such as for example a fly in a pair of trousers, an opening to open a coat or jacket, a pocket opening etc., are commonly provided with a closure to allow closing and reopening of the opening.
As a closure, a zip closure may be used, by means of which the opening can be opened and closed quickly and easily. A zip closure has the disadvantage, however, that the appearance of a zip is considered by many people to be less aesthetically pleasing.
For aesthetic reasons, a zip closure provided in the opening of a garment is therefore usually covered by a facing. Such a facing consists of a flap which is laid over the zip closure. This flap may be a separate piece of fabric which is affixed to the garment on at least one side of the opening, so that the unaffixed part of the flap overlies the closed zip closure so as to cover it. Thus, the piece of fabric continues from a first side of the opening onto the fabric on a second side of the opening, opposite the first side of the opening. The flap may also be a part of the garment itself, and be provided as a piece of fabric on a first side of an opening continuing onto the fabric on a second side of the opening, opposite the first side of the opening. Such a facing has the disadvantage, however, that it will come off of or fold away from the zip closure even with common day-to-day movements, leaving the zip closure visible again.
Other means exist for opening and closing openings in garments, such as for example button closures, which are commonly considered much more beautiful than zip closures. This kind of closure has the disadvantage, however, of not allowing quick closing or ondoing, since undoing or fastening a button takes some time in itself and, furthermore, needs to be repeated for every button in the closure.
The present invention's aim is to prevent or at least reduce the problems described above and/or to provide improvements in general.

Summary of the invention

According to the invention, an improved facing is provided for covering a closure in an opening of a garment, as well as a garment comprising the improved facing, as defined in any of the claims enclosed herewith.
The facing according to the present invention is arranged for covering a closure in a garment. The closure closes an opening of the garment. The facing comprises:

a lower flap, which is provided with at least one button on a first side of the lower flap, and
an upper flap, which at least partly covers the first side of the lower flap.

The lower and upper flaps are arranged to be affixed to one side of the opening of the garment, so that the lower and upper flaps are arranged to continue from a first side of the opening, arranged to be closed by the closure, onto the fabric on a second side of the opening opposite the first side of the opening. On the second side of the opening, the facing comprises a free end. Thus, the lower and upper flaps will, in a closed state of the closure, be arranged to continue from the first side of the opening, which in the closed configuration is also the first side of the closure, onto the fabric of the second side of the opening, which in the closed configuration is also the second side of the closure, opposite the first side of the opening. Therein, both the lower and upper flaps bridge the closure from the first side of the opening, which in the closed configuration is the first side of the closure, and the lower and upper flaps comprise a free end at the free end of the facing. In such a configuration, configuration, the upper flap is provided so as to be capable of being folded away from the lower flap along a folding line which is substantially located along the first side of the opening, so that the button located between the lower and upper flaps can become visible by the folding away of the upper flap from the lower flap.
The facing according to the invention has the advantage that it can be applied in a garment over a closure that is easily openable and closeable but may not have a very pleasing appearance. The pleasing appearance is then provided by the first side of the lower flap, which comprises at least one button, simulating the appearance of the well-known button closure. Disadvantages of slow opening and closing of the button closure are hereby not retained, since this functionality is provided by the closure that is covered. The lower flap is further covered by the upper flap, which has the advantage that the facing according to the present invention has the appearance of the known type of facing consisting of a single flap. In other words, in such a configuration, when affixed to the garment in the way described above, a double facing is obtained wherein the whole of the facing according to the present invention covers the closure, and the upper flap forms a facing for the button fitted to the lower flap.
US6668384B1 discloses a garment with a closure covered by an upper flap and a lower flap. However, said upper and lower flaps extend from different sides of the opening closed by the closure.
US3962729 discloses a garment with a closure covered by a facing with an upper flap and a lower flap. However, said lower flap does not comprise a button on its first side.
According to preferred embodiments of the facing of the present invention, the closure is a zip closure.
It is advantageous to apply the facing according to the present invention over a zip closure to cover the latter. The zip closure has the advantage of being quickly openable and closeable, but has the disadvantage that its appearance is considered by people to be less aesthetically pleasing, even when it is covered by a facing. By means of a facing according to the present invention, a garment can be provided with the comfort of a zip closure, but the outward aesthetic characteristics of a button closure.
According to preferred embodiments of the facing of the present invention, the lower flap comprises at least two buttons on the first side of the lower flap.
It is advantageous to provide the first side of the lower flap with more than one button, preferably at least two buttons, since the button closure known in the art preferably comprises a plurality of buttons to be able to fully close the opening in which the button closure is arranged. By providing the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention with a plurality of buttons, its simulation of the appearance of the known button closure is improved.
According to preferred embodiments of the facing of the present invention, the at least two buttons are arranged along a lengthwise dimension of the facing.
Most openings provided with a closure in a garment have a lengthwise dimension, such as for example the fly of a pair of trousers; the opening at the front side of a coat, the opening of a coat pocket, the opening in the back side of a dress, the opening for opening and closing a coat, etc. The facing for covering a closure in a garment according to the present invention preferably has this lengthwise dimension as well, and preferably also has a length of at least the length of the closure.
The plurality of buttons of the button closures known in the art are preferably arranged along this lengthwise dimension so as to be able to close the opening in which the button closure is provided over its full lengthwise dimension. By providing the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention with a plurality of buttons along the lengthwise dimension, its simulation of the appearance of the known button closure is improved.
According to preferred embodiments of the facing of the present invention, the lengthwise dimension of the facing is located along the zip closure.
It is advantageous to locate the lengthwise dimension of the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention along the zip closure, preferably along a lengthwise dimension of the zip closure. In this way, the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention can be arranged so as to cover the zip closure in a garment over its entire length.
The garment according to the present invention comprises an opening. The opening is provided with a closure for opening and closing the opening. The garment further comprises the facing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The facing covers the closure in the garment when the closure closes the opening of the garment. Herein, a second side of the lower flap, facing away from the first side of the lower flap, faces the closure. The lower and upper flaps are affixed to one side of the opening of the garment.
It is advantageous to cover the closure in a garment with the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention. This allows a closure to be chosen for the closure in the garment which is capable of being opened and closed quickly and easily, but has a less pleasing appearance. The pleasing appearance is then provided by the first side of the lower flap of the facing, which first side comprises at least one button to stimulate the appearance of the button closure known in the art. Such a button closure is considered by many to be stylish. The use of the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention thus allows a garment to be provided that combines the comfort of a quickly openable and closeable closure with the aesthetic appearance of the button closure known in the art.
While wearing the garment according to an embodiment of the present invention, it may occur that the facing partly or entirely comes off of or folds away from the closure in the garment, so that it no longer fully lies against the closure and therefore no longer completely covering it. The inventors have found, however, that it us usually only the upper flap which folds away, while the lower flap continues to fully cover the closure, so that only the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the first side of the lower flap becomes visible, and not the closure. This is because in most cases, the lifting of the upper flap in a direction away from the closure will cause the lower flap to be pushed further in the direction of the zip closure.
According to preferred embodiments of the garment of the present invention, the facing fully covers the closure in the garment.
It is advantageous to arrange the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention in such a manner as to fully cover the closure in the garment. This way, no part of the covered closure is visible.
According to preferred embodiments of the garment of the present invention, the facing also covers a part of the garment adjacent to the closure, and a connection is provided between this adjacent part and the lower flap.
Though less likely, it is possible for both the lower and upper flaps of the facing to fold away from the closure while the garment is worn, causing the closure to become visible. To prevent this, it is advantageous to provide a connection between the second side of the lower flap and a part of the garment, said part being adjacent to the closure. This connection prevents the lower flap from folding away, thus causing the covered closure in the garment to become visible, while the garment is worn.
The connection between the lower flap and the adjacent part is preferably a connection that can be quickly undone, which has the advantage that the wearer of the garment loses little time in undoing the connection to reach the closure in the garment, and also loses little time in covering the closure in the garment again with the lower flap of the facing fixed.
According to preferred embodiments of the garment of the present invention, the connection between the part of the garment adjacent to the closure and the lower flap is a hook-and-loop tape.
It is very advantageous to use a hook-and-loop tape for the connection to the adjacent part and the lower flap, as a connection made with a hook-and-loop tape can be quickly undone in one swift pulling motion. The connection can also quickly be restored by pushing both connection parts of the hook-and-loop tape, namely a hook part and a loop part, back together.
According to preferred embodiments of the garment of the present invention, the at least one button provided on the lower flap is a button that is sewn on.
According to preferred embodiments of the garment of the present invention, the garment is a pair of trousers, and the opening is a fly of said trousers.
According to preferred embodiments of the garment of the present invention, the garment is a pair of men's trousers.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a frontal view of a pair of trousers wherein the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention fully covers the fly.
Figure 2 shows a frontal view of a pair of trousers wherein the upper flap of the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention is held aside to show the first side of the lower flap.
Figure 3 shows a frontal view of a pair of trousers wherein both the upper and lower flaps of the facing according to an embodiment of the present invention are held aside to reveal the underlying zip closure.

Detailed description

The present invention will be described in particular embodiments and possibly with reference to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto, being limited only by the claims. Any drawings are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions, including relative dimensions, in the drawings therefore do not necessarily correspond to the way the invention is put into practice.
Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can occur in other sequences than those described or illustrated herein.
Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are mutually interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can occur in other orders than those described or illustrated herein.
The term "comprising", as used in the claims, should not be interpreted as restricting to the elements listed in its context. It does not exclude the occurance of other elements or steps. It should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, numbers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "an object comprising means A and B" should not be limited to an object consisting only of means A and B. It means that A and B are the only elements relevant to the object with respect to the present invention.
Figure 1 shows a frontal view of a garment with an opening 7 which is provided with a closure 8, said closure 8 being covered by the facing 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown, the garment 9 is a pair of trousers 12 of which the zip closure 11, which is provided in the fly 10, is covered by the facing 1. The facing 1 fully covers the zip closure 1, leaving only an upper side of the upper flap 6 of the facing 1 visible in the figure. All further parts of the facing 1 and the underlying zip closure 11 are covered by the upper flap 6.
The lower flap 2 and the upper flap 6 are affixed to one side of the opening 7 of the garment 9.
When the upper flap 6 shown in Figure 1 is pulled up, the lower flap 2 of the facing 1 is revealed as shown in Figure 2. Thus, in addition to the upper flap 6, the first side 3 of the lower flap 1 is now visible as well. Furthermore, three buttons 5, sewn onto the first side 3 of the lower flap 2, are shown as well. The appearance of the lower flap 2 is thus visible, while the zip closure 11 in the garment 9 still remains covered.
Figure 3 also shows a frontal view of the trousers shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, but here, in addition to the upper flap 6, the lower flap 2 is now pulled up as well, so that the zip closure 11 provided in the fly 10 of the trousers 12 now becomes visible as well.

List of reference numbers:

1: facing
2: lower flap
3: first side lower flap
4: second side lower flap
5: button
6: upper flap
7: opening
8: closure
9: garment
10: fly
11: zip closure
12: trousers

This invention being herewith fully described, the person skilled in the art will realize that the invention may be carried out with a wide range of parameters within what is claimed, without thereby departing the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

A facing (1) for covering a closure (8) in a garment (9), said closure (8) closing an opening (7) of the garment (9), wherein the facing (1) comprises:
- a lower flap (2), which is provided with at least one button (5) on a first side (3) of the lower flap (2), and

- an upper flap (6), which at least partly covers the first side (3) of the lower flap (2),
characterized in that the lower flap (2) and the upper flap (6) are arranged to be affixed to one side of the opening (7) of the garment (9), wherein the lower and upper flaps (2, 6) are arranged to continue from a first side of the opening (7) onto the fabric on a second side of the opening (7) opposite the first side of the opening (7), wherein the facing (1) comprises a free end on the second side of the opening (7), wherein the lower and upper flaps (2, 6) comprise a free end at the free end of the facing (1), so that the upper flap (6) is provided to be capable of being folded away from the lower flap (2) along a folding line which is substantially located along the first side of the opening (7), so that the at least one button (5) located between the lower and upper flaps (2, 6) can become visible by the folding away of the upper flap (6) from the lower flap (2).
The facing (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure (8) is a zip closure (11).
The facing (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lower flap (2) comprises at least two buttons (5) on the first side (3) of the lower flap (2).
The facing (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least two buttons (5) are arranged along a lengthwise dimension of the facing (1).
The facing (1) according to claim 4 in combination with claim 2, characterized in that the lengthwise dimension of the facing (1) is located along the zip closure (11).
A garment (9) comprising an opening (7), wherein said opening (7) is provided with a closure (8) for opening and closing the opening (7), characterized in that the garment (9) comprises the facing (1) according to claims 1-5 so that the facing (1) covers the closure (8) in the garment (9) when the closure (8) closes the opening (7) of the garment (9), wherein a second side (4) of the lower flap (2), facing away from the first side (3) of the lower flap (2), faces the closure (8), wherein the lower flap (2) and the upper flap (6) are affixed to one side of the opening (7) of the garment (9), wherein the lower and upper flaps (2, 6) continue from a first side of the opening (7) onto the fabric on a second side of the opening (7) opposite the first side of the opening (7), wherein the facing (1) comprises a free end on the second side of the opening (7), wherein the lower and upper flaps (2, 6) comprise a free end at the free end of the facing (1), so that the upper flap (6) is provided to be capable of being folded away from the lower flap (2) along a folding line which is substantially located along the first side of the opening (7), so that the at least one button (5) located between the lower and upper flaps (2, 6) can become visible by the folding away of the upper flap (6) from the lower flap (2).
The garment (9) according to claim 6, characterized in that the facing (1) fully covers the closure (8) in the garment (9).
The garment (9) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the facing (1) also covers a part of the garment (9) adjacent to the closure (8), and in that a connection is provided between said adjacent part and the lower flap (2).
The garment (9) according to claim 8, characterized in that the connection is a hook-and-loop tape.
The garment (9) according to any of the claims 6-9, characterized in that the at least one button (5) provided on the lower flap (2) is a button (5) that is sewn on.
The garment (9) according to any of the claims 6-10, characterized in that the garment (9) is a pair of trousers (12), and in that the opening (7) is a fly (10).
The garment (9) according to claim 11, characterized in that the trousers (12) are men's trousers.