Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a novel design for
suspenders to support trousers or pants on the wearer's body~
Although the primary use of the inventive suspenders is
thought to be in the field of sports clothing, e.g. for holding
up hockey pants, the invention is useful with conventional
clothing also.
By 'hook and loop fastening material' herein is
meant the two cooperating types of mat~rial well known when
sold under the trade mark "~ELCRO" and sold by Velcro Canada
Limited, 114 East Drive, Bramalea, Ontario, Canada.
Conventional suspenders require metallic or
plastic buckles for adjustment of each of the front straps
and for adjustment of a junction member at the point at the
back where two strap extents diverge from each other to go
forwardly over each shoulder.
This invention provides suspenders with fastening
and adjustment means using hook and loop fastening techniques,
to replace the requirement for metallic and plastic buc~les at
the front and for the junction member at the back. ~rhere are
thus provided suspenders having all the utility and adjust-
ability of conventional suspenders but which are more
comfortable and convenient.
The invention is used with two front connectors
and a rear connector. The connector is designed to have means
~or connection to pants and trousers and an aperture (pre-
ferably a slot) for connection to the strap of the suspenders.
The strap is designed to extend through the apertures of one
front connector, the rear connector and the other front connector.
Adjacent each end of the strap there is provided an exposed
portion of one type of the hook and loop materiaL and at a
location on the strap near each end is provided a corresponding
exposed portion of the other type of hook and loop material.
With the end of the strap through the aperture in the front
connector, the corresponding hook and loop portions may be
mutually attached to connect to the connector. The mutually
attached portions will be arranged so that such attachment
takes place at the front of the wearer's body. The extent of
one of the mutually attachable portions of hook or ~oop
material determines the range of adjustability of the suspenders.
That part of the strap which will be worn at the back of the
wearer is provided, on each rear extent leading from the rear
connector with a surface for attachment to a junction member.
A 3unation member, preferably a double loop member is designed
to attach to each rear extent surface in the same manner as the
hook and loop attachments. It is preferred, for economy, to
replace the loop material b~ the nap of strap material. (Such
replacement is possible with the lesser stres3es on ~he rear
junction member although not at the front of the suspenders
where the full strength of a hook and loop attachment is required~.
It follows that the junction preferably double loop member,may
be detached and attached from the strap extents to be located
at the rear of the wearer and raised and lowered to control
the point of divergence of the two strap extents which will go
over opposite shoulders of the wearer.
In drawings which illustrate a preferred embodi-
ment of the invention :
Figure l is a perspective view of suspenders
in accord with the invention; and
Figure 2 is a view, enlarged relative to
Figure 1, of a preferred form of the junction member.
In the d~awings are shown three connectors for
connecting the strap to the pants or trousers. Each o~ the
front connectors and the rear connector has two tines 12
defining button holes 14 at their extremities, extending from
a body having an aperture, here a slot 16 to rece.ive a strap.
The connectors are preferably made of plastic but may be made
of leather or other material. The button hole forming
portions represent only one of a number of alternatives methods
for attaching the connectors 10 to the pants or trousers.
A strap or band 18 is of a length to extend
through the respective slot 16 of one front connector, the
slot 16 of the rear connector and the slot 16 of the other
front connector. The strap 18 is preferably made of a single
integral band. Although it could, within the scope of the
invention, be made from attached lengths; however, this would
detract from the simplicity and the economy of the construction.
The strap 18, or at least portions thereof, are preferably
made resiliently stretcha~le in the longitudinal direction.
For the front adjustment of the suspenders the
strap 18 is provided immediately ad~acent each end with an
attached (here sewn-on) portion 20 of one of the types of hook
and loop fastening material, here the hook type is used. Spaced
from each end of the strap, but arranged to be located at the
front of the wearer's body when in use, are a plurality of
longitudinally spaced sewn-on pads 22 of the other type of
hook and loop fastening mate.rial, here loop, material. Thus
the adjustment of the front lengths of the suspenders is
achieved by attaching end pad 20 to a selected one of the
corresponding pads 22 after passage through the connector slot.
It will be appreciated that the plural spaced corresponding
pads 22 could be replaced by a single strip of the same hook
or loop type material giving an even finer range of adjustment.
HGwever, this is a considerably more expensive arrangement
and the spaced pads 22 have been found to provide adequate
adjustment.
The other adjustment for the suspenders is the
control of that location where the strap lengths running up
the wearer's back diverge to go over opposite shoulders. A
double loop member 24,preferably a piece of band sewn into its
double loop form,is designed to receive in its respective
loops 26, respective extents of strap 18 extending from the
rear connector~ Thus the strap extents at the rear of the
suspenders when worn will be side-by-side and sl.ightl~ diverging,
as shown, from the rear connector to the double loop member 26
and will then diverge to go over opposite shoulders. The
inside of the loops 26 at proper locations are provided with
portions of one type of hook and loop fastening material. The
strap extents from the rear connectors may be provided with
portions (or an extended portion) of the other type of hook and
loop fastening material, whereby the height of the double loop
member may be adjusted by raising or lowering the double loop
member and attaching to the hook and loop material of each rear
e~tent at the desired location. It will be noted that, for
the rear adjustments, if the hook or loop portions on the rear
lengths are on the same side o~ the s-trap when extended flat,
then the material in the two loop members will faca opposite
ways.
In some case, and as shown in the preferred
embodiment, a saving of the hook and loop fastening material
may be achieved. The resili~ntly stretchable strap material
may be purchased to have a nap or pile (often known in the
-trade as "plush") on one or both sides~ The strap 18 shown
has the nap on the surface 28 onlyO It is found that for the
purposes of the loop adjuster this nap is sufficient to attach
to the hook and loop fastening material of the hook type.
Thus the double loop member may be provided with hook material
30 facing opposite directions to attach to the nap of side 28
at the desired height (and it may be detached and readjusted),
and the strap will thus not require pads of corresponding loop
material. ~owever, it should ~e noted that the stresses on the
hook-loop or hook-nap attachment at the rear are much less at
the double loop connector than at the front strap adjustments.
Thus, although the nap may usually be substi-tuted for the loop
mater:ial at the rear junction member, it will not be adequate
to replace the loop material at the front adjustments.
A strap having nap on one side, longitudinally
stretchable and having the desired qualities for use at the
rear junction member is * purchased from Britex Ltd,
P.O.Box 4~0, Bridgetown, N.S.
. .~,. _,
* 2-1~69-380-13-08-394-1
