Disposable boxer shorts

[0002] This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/801,884 filed on Mar. 8, 2001 now abandoned.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention relates generally to disposable garments.

[0005] 2. Prior Art

[0006] The need for clean underwear is almost universal. Most people prefer to change into clean underwear at least once a day, and more frequently in hot and humid areas that promote perspiration. Preparing clean underwear is usually not a problem at home, but it may be very inconvenient when traveling, camping, etc.

[0007] Many types of disposable underwear have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,636 to Lunt discloses a disposable brief comprised of a single panel folded at the crotch and connected at the sides. It has no fly, which makes urinating inconvenient. The waist has no opening, so that entry is also inconvenient. Further, the flat crotch area does not provide enough room for comfort.

[0008] A pair of disposable boxer shorts is comprised of a back panel, a right front panel, and a left front panel made of a strong tissue paper. The back panel has a crotch between leg portions. Each front panel has a leg portion with a half crotch along an inside edge. The shorts are made by folding down and securing the top edges of all the panels, folding and pressing the inside edge of the left front panel, joining the lower portions of the inner edges of the left and right panels with a seam to form a fly above the seam, securing the edges of the half crotches on the front panels to the corresponding edges of the crotch on the back panel, attaching the front panels to the back panel at the sides, and attaching adhesive strips to the front panels at the waist.

[0009] FIG. 1 is an exploded front view of the present disposable boxer shorts.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof during assembly.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof during assembly.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof during assembly.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view thereof during assembly.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view thereof during assembly.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view thereof when finished.

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the present disposable boxer shorts is shown in an exploded front view in FIG. 1. It is comprised of a back panel 10, a right front panel 11, and a left front panel 12, all made of a strong cloth-like paper, such as the material used for making the paper towel sold under the trademark “VIVA” by the Kimberly Clark company. Back panel 10 has leg portions 13 and 14 with an arch shaped crotch 15 in between. Front panels have leg portions 16 and 17 with right and left half crotches 18 and 19 along an inside edge that has a substantially different shape than a corresponding side of crotch 15 on back panel 10. Specifically, the edges of half crotches 18 and 19 are substantially longer than the corresponding edges of crotch 15. The panels are folded about the dashed lines during assembly, which is shown in FIGS. 2-7.

[0017] In FIG. 2, top edges of 20-22 of back panel 10, front panel 11, and left panel 12 are folded along the dashed lines in FIG. 1 and secured with stitches or a seam 23-25 to form waist portions 26-28. An inner edge 29 of left panel 12 is folded to form a folded edge 30.

[0018] In FIG. 3, which shows the exterior sides of panels 11 and 12, folded edge 30 of left panel 12 is placed in an overlapping position on a non-folded inner edge of right panel 11. A strong, external vertical seam 32 and a strong, external transverse seam 33 are stitched to the lower portion of the overlap between panels 11 and 12. An outer edge of a fly 45 is defined above seam 33.

[0019] In FIGS. 4-5, right panel 11 and left panel 12 are reversed to position their inner sides upward, and placed on top of back panel 10, which is turned to place its inner side downward. As shown in FIG. 5, crotch 15 on the back panel is purposely mismatched in shape with half crotches 18 and 19 on the front panels. Lower edges 34 and 35 of half crotches 18 and 19 on the front panels are aligned with and stitched to the lower ends of crotch 15, and the arched upper edges 36 and 37 are “eased” to match the contour of crotch 15 as the crotch is secured with a seam 38, as shown in FIG. 6. Half crotches 18 and 19 are substantially longer than the corresponding edges of crotch 15, so that when they are eased together, they form a bulging and roomy crotch area. Outer sides 39 and 40 of right panel 11 and back panel 10 are joined by seams 41, and outer sides 42 and 43 of left panel 12 and back panel 10 are joined by a seam 44.

[0020] In FIG. 7, the shorts are turned outside out. A right adhesive strip 46 is attached to waist portion 27 on right panel 11. A left adhesive strip 47 is attached to waist portion 28 on left panel 12 and projecting therefrom in a position to meet adhesive strip 46 for adjusting the waist size on a wearer. The adhesive strips may be comprised of pressure sensitive adhesive, hook-and-loop fasteners, etc. If they are pressure sensitive adhesive, they should be provided with peel-off paper covers.

[0021] Although the foregoing description is specific, it should not be considered as a limitation on the scope of the invention, but only as an example of the preferred embodiment. Many variations are possible within the teachings of the invention. For example, different attachment methods, fasteners, materials, dimensions, etc. can be used unless specifically indicated otherwise. The relative positions of the elements can vary, and the shapes of the elements can vary. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, not by the examples given.