Cover garment for changing clothing

Abstract

A cover garment is worn to provide privacy when changing clothes, and is particularly suited for use when changing into or out of a swimsuit or wetsuit in public places. The garment is generally structured in the form of a skirt and includes a stretchable waistband, a front panel and a rear panel. The front and rear panels overlap at the opposite sides of the garment to provide longitudinal slit openings on each side that allow for passage of the user's hands under the garment in order to grasp and pull-down or pull-up the clothing under the cover garment. The overlapping arrangement of the front and rear panels allows the user to pull on or remove the swimsuit, wetsuit or dry street clothing in a single motion, while remaining covered at all times. In a preferred embodiment the garment is made of a single material, such as a terry fabric similar to a beach towel.

1 . A cover garment for providing privacy when changing articles of clothing comprising: 
 a waistband;    a front panel extending down from said waistband and having a bottom edge, and left and right side edges extending between said waistband and said bottom edge on opposite left and right sides of said cover garment;    a rear panel extending down from said waistband and having a bottom edge, and left and right side edges extending between said waistband and said bottom edge on the opposite left and right sides of said cover garment;    said left side edge of said rear panel being positioned forwardly of said left side edge of said front panel to define an area of overlap of said front and rear panels on the left side of said cover garment, and said right side edge of said rear panel being positioned forwardly of said right side edge of said front panel to define an area of overlap of said front and rear panels on the right side of said cover garment; and    a left longitudinal slit opening defined between said left side edges of said front and rear panels along said area of overlap on said left side of said cover garment, and a right longitudinal slit opening defined between said right side edges of said front and rear panels along said area of overlap on said right side of said cover garment, and said left and right longitudinal slit openings being structured and disposed for passage of a wearer's hands therethrough in order to grasp and pull on and remove articles of clothing being changed underneath said cover garment.    
   
   
       2 . The cover garment as recited in  claim 1  wherein said waistband is adjustable to fit a plurality of waist sizes.  
   
   
       3 . The cover garment as recited in  claim 2  wherein said waistband is stretchable.  
   
   
       4 . The cover garment as recited in  claim 3  wherein said waistband includes an elastomeric material to promote stretching and return to a relaxed state.  
   
   
       5 . The cover garment as recited in  claim 1  wherein said left and right longitudinal slit openings extend from said bottom edge of said front and rear panels to said waistband.  
   
   
       6 . The cover garment as recited in  claim 1  wherein said front and rear panels are structured and disposed to remain overlapped at said areas of overlap on said left and right sides of said cover garment when the wearer is pulling on removing the articles of clothing being changed underneath said cover garment.  
   
   
       7 . The cover garment as recited in  claim 1  wherein said front panel and said rear panel are manufactured of a terry fabric.