Pant garment having crotch panel that eliminates cross seam

Abstract

A pant garment includes a crotch panel that eliminates the uncomfortable cross seam in a conventional pant garment, while providing improved hygiene. The crotch panel includes an inner layer made of a smooth, soft, absorbent and breathable fabric material and an outer layer made of the same fabric material as the exterior of the remainder of the pant garment. The inner layer is treated with an antimicrobial agent that is distributed substantially uniformly through the thickness of the inner layer. The inner layer may further include a moisture repellant additive that is applied to the outer surface of the inner layer. The crotch panel may be sized and shaped appropriately and combined with a gusset in a military pant garment to provide increased comfort and improved hygiene, particularly for female military personnel deployed in field operations or in a combat theatre.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pant garment comprising:
 a left leg portion made of a garment fabric material and defining a left leg seam;   a right leg portion made of the garment fabric material and defining a right leg seam, the left leg portion and the right leg portion joined together to further define a front seam, a rear seam and inner edges extending between the left and right leg seams and the front seam and between the left and right leg seams and the rear seam; and   a crotch panel disposed in a crotch region defined by the inner edges, the crotch panel comprising an inner layer made of a first fabric material and an outer layer made of a second fabric material and positioned outwardly of the inner layer;   wherein the inner layer of the crotch panel comprises an antimicrobial agent that is distributed substantially uniformly through the first fabric material.   
     
     
         2 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the crotch panel is disposed in the crotch region to eliminate a cross seam defined by the intersection of a left leg seam, a right leg seam, a front seam and a rear seam of a pant garment that does not have the crotch panel. 
     
     
         3 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the inner layer of the crotch panel further comprises a moisture repellant additive that is applied to an outer surface of the inner layer adjacent an inner surface of the outer layer of the crotch panel. 
     
     
         4 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the second fabric material of the outer layer of the crotch panel is the same material as the garment fabric material. 
     
     
         5 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the first fabric material of the inner layer of the crotch panel is an absorbent and breathable material. 
     
     
         6 . A pant garment according to  claim 5 , wherein the first fabric material is selected from the group consisting of natural cotton, a man-made cotton equivalent and blends thereof. 
     
     
         7 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the inner layer of the crotch panel has a width measured between the left leg seam and the right leg seam, and a length measured between the front seam and the rear seam that is greater than the width. 
     
     
         8 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the inner layer of the crotch panel is biased in the direction of the rear seam such that the extent of a perimeter of the inner layer extending between the left leg seam and the right leg seam in the direction of the front seam is less than the extent of the perimeter of the inner layer extending between the left leg seam and the right leg seam in the direction of the rear seam. 
     
     
         9 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the shape of the inner layer of the crotch panel is selected from the group consisting of oval, elliptical, pear, diamond-shaped and kite-shaped. 
     
     
         10 . A pant garment according to  claim 9 , wherein the inner layer of the crotch panel is selected from the group consisting of diamond-shaped and kite-shaped, and wherein a perimeter of the inner layer defines endpoints at the left leg seam, the right leg seam, the front seam and the rear seam. 
     
     
         11 . A pant garment according to  claim 10 , wherein the inner layer comprises a series of straight segments interconnected with an arcuate segment adjacent the endpoints. 
     
     
         12 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the crotch panel is joined to the inner edges defined by the left leg portion and the right leg portion with the inner edges disposed medially between the inner layer and the outer layer of the crotch panel. 
     
     
         13 . A pant garment according to  claim 1 , further comprising a gusset that is disposed on the pant garment in a seat region between the crotch panel and the rear seam. 
     
     
         14 . A pant garment according to  claim 13 , wherein the gusset comprises a left gusset portion and a right gusset portion joined together along a center seam that extends between the crotch panel and the rear seam. 
     
     
         15 . A pant garment according to  claim 14 , wherein the left gusset portion defines a perimeter that extends between the left leg seam and the rear seam, and wherein the right gusset portion defines a perimeter that extends between the right leg seam and the rear seam. 
     
     
         16 . A crotch panel for a pant garment, comprising:
 an inner layer made of a first fabric material that is absorbent and breathable; and   an outer layer made of a second fabric material that is different than the first fabric material;   wherein the inner panel and the outer panel are joined together and disposed within a crotch region of the pant garment to eliminate a cross seam defined by the intersection of a left leg seam, a right leg seam, a front seam and a rear seam of the pant garment; and   wherein the inner layer comprises an antimicrobial agent distributed substantially uniformly through a thickness of the inner layer and a moisture repellant additive that is applied to an outer surface of the inner layer adjacent an inner surface of the outer layer.   
     
     
         17 . A crotch panel according to  claim 16 , wherein the inner layer has a width measured between the left leg seam and the right leg seam, and a length measured between the front seam and the rear seam that is greater than the width. 
     
     
         18 . A crotch panel according to  claim 16 , wherein the inner layer is biased in the direction of the rear seam of the pant garment such that the extent of a perimeter of the inner layer extending between the left leg seam and the right leg seam in the direction of the front seam is less than the extent of the perimeter of the inner layer extending between the left leg seam and the right leg seam in the direction of the rear seam. 
     
     
         19 . A crotch panel according to  claim 16 , wherein the fabric material of the outer layer is the same as a fabric material of the pant garment. 
     
     
         20 . A method of joining the crotch panel according to  claim 16  to the pant garment, comprising:
 turning under peripheral edges of the inner layer around a perimeter defined by the inner layer; 
 turning under peripheral edges of the outer layer around a perimeter defined by the outer layer; 
 disposing inner edges defined by the pant garment that extend from the left leg seam and the right leg seam to the front seam and from the left leg seam and the right leg seam to the rear seam between the inner layer and the outer layer; and 
 sewing the inner layer and the outer layer together with the inner edges defined by the pant garment disposed therebetween to form substantially continuous stitching lines around the perimeter defined by the inner layer and the outer layer and including the left leg seam, the right leg seam, the front seam and the rear seam.