Apparel pouch assembly
View Patent ↗A flexible pouch for an apparel item to support a portion of a wearer's body, particularly a pouch for use in male apparel such as undergarments and swimwear.
1. A flexible garment pouch formed from a preform, the preform having a preform base portion and two opposing preform arms extending away from the preform base portion, each preform arm extending symmetrically away from the other preform arm about a central preform vertical axis, each preform arm having a lower arm portion located proximate the preform base portion and an upper arm portion distal from the base portion and extending away from the central preform vertical axis, the preform having outer side preform edges extending from the base along the outer sides of the preform to an upper preform edge on each arm and inner preform edges extending from each upper preform edge to a base joint proximate the base portion, a preform arm crossed over an opposing preform and the central preform vertical axis so that a preform arm's lower arm portion extends over or under an opposing preform arm's lower arm portion to form a preform overlapped lower arm portion and so that a portion of each inner preform edge is proximate with a portion of each inner outer side preform edge and so that each upper arm portion is generally evenly overlapped with an opposed upper arm portion to form a fly overlap portion, said preform forming a convex semi-spherical body shell extending from a pouch aperture to shell peak, the body shell having a semi-circumferential vertically extending arc and an intersecting semi-circumferential horizontally extending arc, said arcs intersecting proximate the shell peak, the body shell defining the pouch and having a hollow pouch interior, a fly overlap portion extending along the semi-circumferential vertically extending arc defining a closed pouch fly, wherein the pouch fly is opened by pulling opposed upper arm portions from the fly overlap portion away from each other to form a fly aperture to allow access to the hollow pouch interior.
2. The flexible garment pouch of claim 1 wherein the preform is generally V-shaped.
3. The flexible garment pouch of claim 2 wherein the pouch aperture is fastened to an apparel item front aperture.
4. The flexible garment pouch of claim 1 wherein the preform overlapped lower arm portion comprises a preform outward bulge or bulge joint proximate the preform base portion, wherein the bulge extends in the same direction as the pouch.
5. The flexible garment pouch of claim 2 wherein the outer preform edges are generally L-shaped.
6. The flexible garment pouch of claim 5 wherein the fly overlap portion comprises elastic wherein the elastic assists in securing the pouch fly closed.
7. The flexible garment pouch of claim 1 wherein the garment pouch and apparel item is constructed of a water-resistant fabric.
8. The flexible garment pouch of claim 7 wherein the fly overlap comprises one or more fasteners, wherein the fasteners assists in securing the pouch fly closed.
9. The flexible garment pouch of claim 1 wherein the portion of each inner preform edge proximate with the portion of each inner outer side preform edge is fastened to each other.
10. The flexible garment pouch of claim 1 wherein the preform is made up of two or more preform sub-units.
11. An apparel item having a front aperture and a flexible garment pouch having a convex semi-spherical body shell having a hollow pouch interior and extending from a pouch aperture to shell peak, the pouch aperture fastened to the apparel item front aperture, the body shell having a fly overlap portion extending along a semi-circumferential vertically extending arc along the shell, the body shell comprising a preform, the preform having a preform base portion and two opposing preform arms extending away from the preform base portion, each preform arm extending symmetrically away from the other preform arm about a central preform vertical axis, each preform arm having a lower arm portion located proximate the preform base portion and an upper arm portion distal from the base portion and extending away from the central preform vertical axis, the preform having outer side preform edges extending from the base along the outer sides of the preform to an upper preform edge on each arm and inner preform edges extending from each upper preform edge to a base joint proximate the base portion, a preform arm crossed over an opposing preform and the central preform vertical axis so that a preform arm's lower arm portion extends over or under an opposing preform arm's lower arm portion to form a preform overlapped lower arm portion and so that a portion of each inner preform edge is proximate with a portion of each inner outer side preform edge and so that each upper arm portion is generally evenly overlapped with an opposed upper arm portion to form the fly overlap portion, said preform configured into the body shell.
12. The apparel item of claim 11 wherein the preform is generally V-shaped.
13. The apparel item of claim 12 wherein the fly overlap portion is opened by pulling opposed upper arm portions from the fly overlap portion away from each other to form a fly aperture to allow access to the hollow pouch interior and apparel item front aperture.
14. The apparel item claim 12 wherein the preform is made up of two or more preform sub-units.
15. The flexible garment pouch of claim 12 wherein the outer preform edges are generally L-shaped.
16. The flexible garment pouch of claim 15 wherein the fly overlap portion comprises elastic or fasteners wherein the elastic or fasteners assists in securing the fly overlap portion closed.
17. A flexible garment pouch assembled by the steps of:
A. Providing a preform having a preform base portion and two opposing preform arms extending away from the preform base portion, each preform arm extending symmetrically away from the other preform arm about a central preform vertical axis, each preform arm having a lower arm portion located proximate the preform base portion and an upper arm portion distal from the base portion and extending away from the central preform vertical axis, the preform having outer side preform edges extending from the base along the outer sides of the preform to an upper preform edge on each arm and inner preform edges extending from each upper preform edge to a base joint proximate the base portion;
B. Crossing a preform arm crossed over an opposing preform and the central preform vertical axis so that the preform arm's lower arm portion extends over or under an opposing preform arm's lower arm portion to form a preform overlapped lower arm portion;
C. Locating a portion of each inner preform edge proximate with a portion of each inner outer side preform edge so that each upper arm portion is generally evenly overlapped with the opposed upper arm portion to form a fly overlap portion; and
D. Forming a convex semi-spherical body shell from said preform, the body shell having a pouch aperture and extending from the pouch aperture to a shell peak and the body shell having a semi-circumferential vertically extending arc and a semi-circumferential horizontally extending arc, said arcs intersecting proximate the shell peak, the body shell defining the pouch and having a hollow pouch interior, a fly overlap portion extending along the semi-circumferential vertically extending arc defining a closed pouch fly wherein the pouch fly is opened by pulling opposed upper arm portions from the fly overlap portion away from each other to form a fly aperture to allow access to the hollow pouch interior.
18. The flexible garment pouch of claim 17 wherein preform is generally V-shaped.
19. The flexible garment pouch of claim 18 wherein the preform is made up of two or more preform sub-units.
20. The flexible garment pouch of claim 19 wherein the outer preform edges are generally L-shaped and comprise elastic.