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LipowearRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Guard Or Protector, Side Impact Torso ProtectorLipowear description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070061950, Lipowear. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application claims the benefit of our U.S. provisional patent application with the Ser. No. 60/666,684, which was filed Mar. 29, 2005, and which is incorporated by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The field of the invention is functional clothing, especially as it relates to undergarments with a padding that is configured to alleviate symptomatic discomfort associated with various conditions, and particularly lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, and/or sarcopenia. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Various conditions and diseases are associated with loss or maldistribution of body mass, and especially fat and muscle tissue. For example, long-term treatment of patients infected with the HIV virus is often accompanied by lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, and/or sarcopenia. Similar problems are also encountered by patients undergoing chemotherapy for treatment of cancer, and/or long-term diabetes patients. [0004] While pain due to lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and/or sarcopenia can be treated with analgesics, drug therapy is often not desirable due to high costs and/or side effects of the drugs. Most significantly, loss of body mass, and especially loss of fatty tissue in the buttocks and legs typically lead to tenderness, and more typically severe pain in such patients which transforms routine daily activities (e.g., sitting on a chair, lacing shoes) into a challenge. Thus, the quality of life is significantly reduced and even prevents at least some of these patients from participation in ordinary daily life, Remarkably, there are numerous garments known in the art that increase sitting comfort of a person on bicycle seat or provide cushioning for sports activities, however, none of them has been shown to substantially alleviate personal discomfort for patients having lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and/or sarcopenia. [0005] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,304 describes an undergarment with a pad that shapes and uplifts the lower buttocks for cosmetic reasons. Clearly, such undergarment is not suitable for patients with lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and/or sarcopenia and further fails to significantly cushion affected areas. In another example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,216, an undergarment has a large unitary cushion that is configured to cover the buttocks area. While at least some protection is provided to the pericoxxigeal area, the side and back of the legs, and the waist area remains unprotected. [0006] Still further known undergarments with a pair of cushioned inserts are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,867, in which the pads are relatively small and designed for sports events. Similarly, even smaller and very thin buttock-protecting pads are provided in a comfort garment as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,103,505 and 5,749,101. Sport pants with larger padding are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,328, in which inner, tight-fitting, and outer, loose-fitting shorts include inner and outer pads, respectively to provide cushioning to an in-line skater in case of a fall. While such garments are generally suitable for their intended purpose, the padding is either too small to effectively protect back and legs of a person, or the sports garment is too bulky to be worn as undergarment. In yet other known garments, the cushioning pad has a unitary construction that extends across the crotch and is typically used in bicycling shorts as depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,961,233, 4,805,243, 5,365,610, and 5,271,101, and U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0131399. While such shorts typically significantly improve sitting comfort on a bicycle seat, the cushioning area is limited to the crotch area, which is of little or no help to a person suffering from lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and/or sarcopenia. [0007] Therefore, while numerous padded pants and undergarments are known in the art, all or almost all of them suffer from one or more disadvantages. Thus, there is still a need for improved undergarments that effectively and discreetly provide cushioning for the legs, buttocks, and belt area of a person wearing such garment. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention is directed to undergarments and methods therefor, and especially to form-fitted undergarments having a waist portion with a waist circumference and a leg portion with a leg circumference, wherein the ratio of the waist circumference to the leg circumference is higher than normal. Such undergarments include a padded area configured to provide preferably continuous protection extending from an upper area of the waist portion to a lower area of the leg portion such that the area of the buttocks and legs of a person contacting a seat (while sitting on a chair) are substantially completely covered by the padded area. [0009] Most typically, the higher than normal ratio is characteristic of a person diagnosed with lipoatrophy, lipodystrophy, sarcopenia, HIV infection, a neoplastic disease, and/or chronic diabetes. For example, such contemplated ratios will be at least 1.9, and more typically at least 2.0 (as compared to a normal ratio of about 1.6 to 1.8, or lower). It is typically preferred that at least one of the waist portion and the leg portion comprises an elastic material, and/or the padded area extends to a substantially topmost and/or lowermost end of the waist portion and/or leg portion. Where desirable, the padded area is configured as an independent right and left area, wherein each area includes a removable pad. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the padded area and/or pad includes a plurality of vent openings and that it is further contoured to have a thicker than average thickness in the buttock area and optionally a thinner than average thickness in a peripheral area of the padded area. [0010] In another aspect of the inventive subject matter, a method of providing symptomatic relief for a person suffering from HIV infection, chronic diabetes, neoplastic disease, lipoatrophy, lipodystrophy, and/or sarcopenia will comprise a step of providing the form-fitted undergarment according to inventive subject matter and a further optional step of informing the person that the undergarment reduces symptomatic discomfort associated with the conditions indicated above. Moreover, contemplated undergarments may also be of significant advantage where the patient is a geriatric patient as advanced age is often accompanied by loss of muscle tissue and/or fatty tissue in the buttocks and/or legs. [0011] Alternatively, or additionally, a method of providing improved sitting comfort to a person is contemplated in which a form-fitted undergarment having a waist portion, a leg portion, and a padded area is provided, wherein the padded area is configured to provide protection extending from an upper area of the waist portion to a lower area of the lea portion such that the area of the buttocks and legs of a person contacting a seat (while sitting on a chair) are substantially completely (i.e., at least 90%, more typically at least 95%) covered by the padded area. In another step, the person is informed that the undergarment will provide reduction in at least one of pain, numbness, local hemostasis, and deep vein thrombosis when the garment is worn during a prolonged period of sitting (e.g., over at least one, more typically at least two, and most typically at least three hours). Most preferably, the padded area in such methods has an average thickness of between 0.5 inch to 1 inch, and is contoured to have a thinner than average thickness in a peripheral area of the padded area. Furthermore, it is generally preferred that the padded area is configured as an independent right and left area, wherein each area includes a removable pad. [0012] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0013] FIG. 1 is a photograph of a front view of an exemplary undergarment according to the inventive subject matter. [0014] FIG. 2 is a photograph of a rear view of the exemplary undergarment of FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 3 is a photograph of a padding insert of the exemplary undergarment of FIG. 1. [0016] FIG. 4 is a photograph of the foam pad of the padding insert of FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0017] The inventor has discovered that quality of life of a person diagnosed with lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and/or sarcopenia can be significantly improved by providing a form-fitted undergarment that not only accommodates the altered anatomical features of such persons, but that also provides a relatively large padding to thereby reduce painful and potentially destructive pressure to the legs and buttocks during sitting. [0018] It should be noted that patients diagnosed with the above conditions will typically exhibit a substantially reduced amount of muscle an or fat tissue in the buttock area and/or the posterior thigh area, which exposes muscles, nerves, and blood vessels to significant compression and thus renders sitting even over a relatively short period not only painful but also potentially dam acing to the compressed tissues. Unfortunately, loss of functional vasculature and neuropathic pain are often common in such compressed-tissues and further decrease sense of well-being for geriatric and/or patients diagnosed with the conditions listed above, Viewed from a different perspective, undergarments according to the inventive subject matter will not only distribute the weight of a sitting person from a few compression points to a relatively large area, but will also provide cushioning to the load-bearing surface of a body while the person is in a sitting position. Therefore, contemplated undergarments will significantly increase quality of life, allowing normal daily activities and social life, and thereby reducing depression and use of analgesics. [0019] In one particularly preferred aspect of the inventive subject matter, the undergarment is configured as a form-fitting undergarment as depicted in FIG. 1. Here undergarment 100 has a to waist portion 110 with an elastic waistband 112 and optional drawstring 114. The leg portion 120 includes first and second legs 122A and 122B. Waist circumference is schematically indicated by arrow W, while leg circumference is schematically indicated by arrow L. In preferred aspects of the inventive subject matter, the ratio of the waist circumference W to leg circumference L in contemplated undergarments is higher (e.g., about 1.9-2.1) than a W to L ratio ordinarily encountered in form-fitted undergarments (e.g., about 1.6-1.8). While not limiting to the inventive subject matter, it is generally preferred that the waist is elasticized to allow a person to wear the undergarment above, at, or below the hip bones. Thus such garment can be worn with or without belt, or with loose or close fitted clothing. Continue reading about Lipowear... Full patent description for Lipowear Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Lipowear patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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