Waistband providing configurable mid-section support

Abstract

This disclosure describes a waistband that provides configurable mid-section support. The waistband includes an abdomen-covering portion and a lower-back-covering portion. The low-back covering portion includes two textile panels that overlap one another and are affixed at their respective side edges to the abdomen-covering portion at respective right and left side seams.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A lower-body garment comprising:
 a torso portion; and   a waistband coupled to the torso portion, the waistband comprising:
 a lower margin coupled to the torso portion; 
 an upper free edge comprising an upper extent of the lower-body garment; 
 an anterior portion comprising a first textile panel configured to cover an abdomen of a wearer; and 
 a posterior portion comprising a second textile panel and a third textile panel that overlap one another and that are configured to cover a lower back of a wearer, the second textile panel comprising a first side edge that is affixed at a first side seam to the first textile panel and to the third textile panel, the first side edge having a first length at least about one-third of a first height of the waistband at a first position of the waistband aligned with the first side seam. 
   
     
     
         2 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the first length of the first side edge is at least about one-half the first height of the waistband. 
     
     
         3 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the first length of the first side edge is in a range between about one-third and two-thirds of the first height of the waistband. 
     
     
         4 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the second textile panel comprises a second side edge that is affixed, at an opposite second side seam, to the third textile panel and to the first textile panel, the second side edge having a second length at a second position of the waistband aligned with the second side seam, the second length greater than the first length of the first side edge. 
     
     
         5 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the third textile panel comprises:
 a third side edge that is affixed, at the first side seam, to the second textile panel and to the first textile panel, the third side edge having a third length at the first position of the waistband aligned with the first side seam, and   a fourth side edge that is affixed, at the second side seam, to the second textile panel and to the first textile panel, the fourth side edge having a fourth length at a second position of the waistband aligned with the second side seam, the fourth length less than the third length.   
     
     
         6 . The lower-body garment of  claim 5 , wherein the fourth length of the fourth side edge is at least about one-third of a second height of the waistband at the second position of the waistband aligned with the second side seam. 
     
     
         7 . The lower-body garment of  claim 5 , wherein the fourth length of the fourth side edge is in a range between about one-third and two-thirds of a second height of the waistband at the second position of the waistband aligned with the second side seam. 
     
     
         8 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the lower margin is coupled, in the anterior portion, to the torso portion along a lower seam, and wherein the lower seam curves away from the upper free edge. 
     
     
         9 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein, along the anterior portion, the upper free edge is substantially straight. 
     
     
         10 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the first textile panel comprises a bi-layer panel having a first textile layer, a second textile layer, and a fold seamlessly connecting the first textile layer to the second textile layer along the upper free edge. 
     
     
         11 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the waistband, by folding the upper free edge toward the lower margin, is convertible from a first configuration to a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration, the waistband comprises an inner-facing surface configured to face toward a wearer, at least a portion of the inner-facing surface configured to face away from the wearer in the second configuration, and wherein the portion of the inner-facing surface configured to face away from the wearer in the second configuration comprises a surface ornamentation element. 
     
     
         12 . The lower-body garment of  claim 1 , wherein based on a sagittal reference plane, the posterior portion comprises a posterior-first-side portion and a posterior-second-side portion and the anterior portion comprises an anterior-first-side portion and an anterior-second-side portion, and wherein the first side seam is at a position that is in the posterior-first-side portion and is closer to the anterior-first-side portion than to the sagittal reference plane. 
     
     
         13 . A lower-body garment comprising:
 a torso portion having an anterior side and a posterior side, a left side and a right side; and   a waistband comprising a textile panel coupled to the torso portion, the textile panel comprising:
 a lower margin coupled to the torso portion; 
 an upper free edge comprising an upper extent of the lower-body garment; 
 an anterior portion comprising an abdomen-covering portion, the anterior portion comprising a first portion of the textile panel; and 
 a posterior portion comprising a lower-back-covering portion, the posterior portion comprising a second portion of the textile panel at least partially overlapping a third portion of the textile panel, the second portion of the textile panel comprising a first side edge that is affixed to the waistband at a first side seam, the third portion of the textile panel comprising a second side edge that is affixed to the waistband at a second side seam. 
   
     
     
         14 . The lower-body garment of  claim 13 , wherein a first length of the first side edge is at least about one-third of a first height of the waistband at a first position of the waistband aligned with the first side seam. 
     
     
         15 . The lower-body garment of  claim 13 , wherein a first length of the first side edge is in a range between about one-third and two-thirds of a first height of the waistband at a first position of the waistband aligned with the first side seam. 
     
     
         16 . The lower-body garment of  claim 15 , wherein the first seam and the second seam are substantially parallel. 
     
     
         17 . The lower-body garment of  claim 13 , wherein the first side seam and the second side seam are respectively located at the right side and the left side of the torso portion. 
     
     
         18 . The lower-body garment of  claim 13 , wherein the lower margin is coupled, in the anterior portion, to the torso portion along a lower seam, and wherein the lower seam curves away from the upper free edge. 
     
     
         19 . The lower-body garment of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the first side seam extends between the lower margin and the upper free edge and along a length of the first side edge; and   the second side seam extends between the lower margin and the upper free edge and along a length of the second side edge.   
     
     
         20 . A method of using a waistband having an upper free edge and a lower margin, the waistband comprising an anterior portion and a posterior portion, the posterior portion comprising a second portion of a textile panel overlapping a third portion of the textile panel, the second portion of the textile panel comprising a first side edge affixed at a first side seam to the third portion of the textile panel, the third portion of the textile panel comprising a fourth side edge affixed at a second side seam to the second portion of the textile panel, the first side edge having a first length in a range between about one-third and two-thirds of a first height of the waistband at a first position of the waistband aligned with the first side seam, and the fourth side edge having a fourth length in a range between one-third and two-thirds of a second height of the waistband at a second position of the waistband aligned with the second side seam, the method comprising:
 converting the waistband from a first configuration to a second configuration by folding the upper free edge toward the lower margin.