Undergarment

Abstract

An undergarment for covering a pelvic region of a wearer is adapted to finger graspable pulls shaped and located to aid a wearer with diminished motor capacity and/or manual (i.e., hand) dexterity to more easily put on and take off the undergarment independently, without needing precise finger, hand, and arm control. The undergarment desirably uses materials, color choices, and decorative trim and elements to make the finger pulls and/or to decorate the undergarment to make the undergarment look more aesthetically appealing and reduce resemblance to specialty medical garment used by medical patients.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . An undergarment comprising:
 a unitary main garment portion having a front side, a rear side, and respective opposed lateral sides, the main garment portion being provided with a waist opening defined by a waist opening periphery and two leg openings defined by respective leg opening peripheries, the waist opening periphery being located so as to encircle a wearer's waist or hips when the undergarment is worn, and the respective leg opening peripheries being located so as to receive each of the wearer's legs therethrough when the undergarment is worn;   wherein the main garment portion is provided with at least two horizontally extending finger pulls at or adjacent to the waist opening periphery in a direction generally parallel therewith, wherein a region between a front center of the main garment portion and a given lateral side of the main garment portion is provided with at least two of the horizontally extending finger pulls.   
     
     
         17 . The undergarment according to  claim 16 , wherein each horizontally extending finger pull is defined by an elongate portion of material fixedly attached to the main garment portion between two spaced apart attachment locations. 
     
     
         18 . The undergarment according to  claim 17 , wherein the elongate portion of material is a single elongate portion of material is attached to the main garment portion at a plurality of spaced apart attachment locations, thereby defining a respective horizontally extending finger pull between a respective two consecutive attachment locations. 
     
     
         19 . The undergarment according to  claim 17 , comprising at least two independent elongate portions of material, each independent elongate portion of material having opposing ends attached to the main garment portion at corresponding attachment locations to thereby define the at least two horizontally extending finger pulls, respectively. 
     
     
         20 . The undergarment according to  claim 16 , wherein the main garment portion is further provided with at least one vertically extending finger pulls at or adjacent to the waist opening periphery in a direction generally perpendicular thereto. 
     
     
         21 . The undergarment according to  claim 20 , wherein each vertically extending finger pull comprises an elongate portion of material having opposing ends, the opposing ends each being fixedly attached to the main garment portion at two spaced apart attachment locations. 
     
     
         22 . The undergarment according to  claim 17 , wherein:
 a length of the elongate portion of material between the two spaced apart attachment locations is X,   a length of the distance between the two spaced apart attachment locations along the main garment portion is Y, and   Z is a distance between elongate portion of material and the main garment portion thereunder, wherein Z is directly proportional to X,   wherein the elongate portion of material is an elastic material and X is substantially equal to or greater than Y.   
     
     
         23 . The undergarment according to  claim 17 , wherein:
 a length of the elongate portion of material between the two spaced apart attachment locations is X,   a length of the distance between the two spaced apart attachment locations along the main garment portion is Y, and   Z is a distance between elongate portion of material and the main garment portion thereunder, wherein Z is directly proportional to X,   wherein the elongate portion of material is inelastic and X is greater than Y.   
     
     
         24 . An undergarment comprising:
 a unitary main garment portion having a front side, a rear side, and respective opposed lateral sides, the main garment portion being provided with a waist opening defined by a waist opening periphery and two leg openings defined by respective leg opening peripheries, the waist opening periphery being located so as to encircle a wearer's waist or hips when the undergarment is worn, and the respective leg opening peripheries being located so as to receive each of the wearer's legs therethrough when the undergarment is worn;   wherein the main garment portion is provided with at least one vertically extending finger pull at or adjacent to the waist opening periphery in a direction generally perpendicular thereto.   
     
     
         25 . The undergarment according to  claim 24 , wherein each vertically extending finger pull comprises an elongate portion of material fixedly attached to the main garment portion between two spaced apart attachment locations. 
     
     
         26 . The undergarment according to  claim 25 , wherein:
 a length of the elongate portion of material between the two spaced apart attachment locations is X,   a length of the distance between the two spaced apart attachment locations along the main garment portion is Y, and   Z is a distance between elongate portion of material and the main garment portion thereunder, wherein Z is directly proportional to X,   wherein X is substantially equal to or greater than Y if the elongate portion of material is an elastic material, and wherein X is greater than Y if the elongate portion of material is an inelastic material.   
     
     
         27 . The undergarment according to  claim 22 , wherein X is sufficiently greater than Y such that Z is large enough to permit one or more of the wearer's fingers to pass between the elongate portion of material and the main garment portion thereunder. 
     
     
         28 . The undergarment according to  claim 23 , wherein X is sufficiently greater than Y such that Z is large enough to permit one or more of the wearer's fingers to pass between the elongate portion of material and the main garment portion thereunder. 
     
     
         29 . The undergarment according to  claim 26 , wherein X is sufficiently greater than Y such that Z is large enough to permit one or more of the wearer's fingers to pass between the elongate portion of material and the main garment portion thereunder. 
     
     
         30 . An undergarment comprising:
 a unitary main garment portion having a front side, a rear side, and respective opposed lateral sides, the main garment portion being provided with a waist opening defined by a waist opening periphery and two leg openings defined by respective leg opening peripheries, the waist opening periphery being located so as to encircle a wearer's waist or hips when the undergarment is worn, and the respective leg opening peripheries being located so as to receive each of the wearer's legs therethrough when the undergarment is worn;   wherein the main garment portion is provided with at least one finger pull at or adjacent to the waist opening periphery and extending in a direction generally parallel therewith,   wherein the at least one finger pull comprises first and second elongate and intersecting portions of material fixedly attached to the main garment portion at respective opposing ends of the first and second elongate portions of material, the first and second elongate portions of material each extending in opposing oblique directions relative to the waist periphery opening and intersecting so as to form an X-shape in combination.   
     
     
         31 . The undergarment according to  claim 30 , comprising a plurality of the X-shaped finger pulls located at or adjacent to the waist opening periphery.