[0001]     The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/901,944, filed on Jul. 30, 2004, which claim priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/492,505, filed on Aug. 5, 2003. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to garments, and, more particularly, to a device for avoiding the entanglement of garments between heels and backless shoes during movement.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Whether practical or fashionable, garments are available in a variety of forms. Blouses, skirts, pants, jackets, dresses, and shorts are among the selections one may choose when dressing for the day. Even among pants, many options exist, from chinos to jeans, Capri&#39;s to bell-bottoms, hip-huggers to high-waisted, boot-cut to straight-legged, and so on.  
         [0004]     One limitation to the myriad of available choices in clothing selection is fit. A poorly fitting garment is not only unflattering, it may be impractical. A long skirt on a person with short stature may, for example, cause the person to trip while walking. Certainly, the ability to walk with ease and comfort is desirable when fitting ones clothes.  
         [0005]     What constitutes a proper fit may depend on the accessories one wears. A certain pair of pants may fit well when worn with high heels, but need to be cuffed when worn with penny loafers.  
         [0006]     Shoes present a particular problem for some pants wearers. When a wearer of long pants is walking in backless shoes, such as strapless sandals, thongs, or mules, the lower leg of the pants fabric may unintentionally slip between the shoe and the heel of the walker when the heel separates from the shoe. When the heel again makes contact with the shoe, the pants may be pulled down somewhat toward the foot, rather than resting against the leg. The walker awkwardly removes the bottom of the pants leg from between the heel and the shoe, hoping the mishap can be avoided in succeeding steps. A similar accident may occur when simultaneously wearing backless shoes with very long skirts.  
         [0007]     Thus, there is a continuing need for a way to keep long pants (or skirts) from being disposed beneath ones feet during wear.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In accordance with the embodiments described herein, a garment accessory is disclosed for preventing the fabric of a pair of pants or a skirt from being entangled between the heel and shoe sole during movement, such as walking. The garment accessory comprises a portion of material upon which an adhesive strip is affixed. The adhesive strip is covered with a removable covering, such as wax paper, protecting the exposed side of the adhesive until such time as the garment accessory is to be used.  
         [0009]     Upon removal of the covering, the garment accessory is affixed to the base of a pants or skirt leg, on the back and inside portion of the pants, at the region closest to the heel. The size of the garment accessory may vary, but is intended to stiffen the region of the pants or skirt around the heel. The garment accessory provides temporary stiffness to the pants region, minimizing the possibility that the pants will become entangled between the heel and the backless shoes during movement. When the pants are removed, the garment accessory may be discarded. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a pair of pants upon which a garment accessory is affixed, according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a detailed diagram of the garment accessory of  FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the garment accessory of  FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a diagram of a long skirt upon which a garment accessory is affixed, according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the garment accessory of  FIG. 1  being worn by a woman wearing pants, according to one embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the garment accessory of  FIG. 1  being worn by a woman wearing a long skirt, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. However, it is to be understood that other embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be construed in a limiting sense, as the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a garment accessory  50  is depicted, according to one embodiments of the invention. In  FIG. 1 , a back view of pair of pants  20  is depicted, having legs  10 A and  10 B, in which garment accessory  50 A and  50 B (collectively, garment accessories  50 ) are affixed to the inside of the back of the legs  10 A and  10 B, respectively. The garment accessories  50  are depicted using dotted lines, to indicate their invisibility to an observer, as the garment accessories  50  are affixed to the inside of the pants garment.  
         [0018]     In the side view of  FIG. 2 , the garment accessory  50  is shown. The garment accessory  50  includes a support portion  32 , an adhesive strip  30 , and a covering  60 . The adhesive strip  30  has two-sided adhesion, such that one side is permanently affixed to the support portion  32 , while the other side is to be temporarily affixed to a garment, once the covering  60  is removed. Although a rectangular strip  30  is shown in  FIG. 2 , the garment accessory  50  can include any number of horizontal strips, vertical strips, block-shaped strips, circular strips, and so on, as long as temporary affixation to a fabric material is possible.  
         [0019]     The support portion  32  of the garment accessory  50  is preferably made from a cardboard stock or other paper material that provides some stiffness, yet remains light enough to be affixable to the garment material without being noticed, either by the wearer of the garment or by a third party. The stiffness of the support portion  32  is greater than the stiffness of the material to which it is being affixed. However, the support portion  32  need not be very much stiffer than the garment material to be effective at preventing the garment from being disposed between the wearer&#39;s shoes and the wearer&#39;s heel.  
         [0020]     Alternatively, the support portion  32  may be composed of a composite material that is both lightweight and somewhat stiff, and may include paper, plastic, or other materials. A variety of materials and combinations of materials, which are both lightweight and sufficiently stiff to provide support, may be suitable for the support portion  32  of the garment accessory  50 .  
         [0021]     In one embodiment, the garment accessory  50  is approximately the thickness of a business card. Preferably, the garment accessory  50  is disposed very close to the bottom of the pants leg, such as just above the hem. Depending on the thickness of the hem, and particularly where the hem tends to get caught between the heel and the shoe sole, however, the garment accessory  50  can be disposed upon the hem as well. Preferably, the garment accessory remains invisible to others from the outside of the pants, and is unnoticed by the wearer of the garment.  
         [0022]     The garment accessory  50  is self-adhesive. An adhesive material, such as tape or glue, is applied to the garment accessory  50  during manufacture, to form the adhesive strip  30 . One side of the adhesive strip is permanently affixed to the support portion  32 . The other side of the strip is pressure-sensitive, such that, upon removing the covering  60 , the support portion  32  can readily be affixed to a fabric by minimally pressing the support portion  32  against the fabric, with the exposed strip  30  making contact with the fabric of the garment.  
         [0023]     The covering  60  protects the adhesive strip  30  until the garment accessory  50  is ready to be used. The covering  60  may be a wax paper material and may be opaque or transparent. The covering  60  may include text or graphics instructions for using the garment accessory, or may feature trademarks or company logos, and so on. Since the garment accessory  50  is not externally visible when worn, it may also include instructions, company logos, and the like.  
         [0024]     Once the covering  60  is removed, the garment accessory  50 A may be affixed to the bottom or near to the bottom of the pants leg  10 A ( FIG. 1 ). A second garment accessory  50 B is affixed in the same location of the other pants leg  10 B. Once the garment accessories  50  are in place, the pants wearer can accessorize with backless shoes, such as sandals or mules, without worry that pants leg fabric will “ride up” between the heel of the foot and the shoe.  
         [0025]     While the garment accessory  50  is preferably a single-use product, multiple uses of the accessory may be possible, depending on how effectively the adhesive strip  30  is able to re-affix to the garment fabric after removal. Where the garment accessory  50  is improperly positioned on the pants leg, for example, the accessory may be removed and repositioned for a more strategic fit. The stickiness of the adhesive strip  30  may diminish following repeated usage of the garment accessory, since some of the fabric material may be deposited on the adhesive strip after each use. After the pants are removed (or when different shoes are to be worn), the garment accessories can be removed and disposed of.  
         [0026]     The size of the garment accessory  50  may vary. In one embodiment, the garment accessory  50  is approximately two inches high, and its width extends from the outside of the pants leg (e.g., the outside seam) to the inside of the pants leg (e.g., the inside seam). Since pants sizes vary greatly, even within a single pants size, the garment accessory  50  may be available in multiple sizes, such as Small, Medium, and Large, may track pants sizes, such as 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or may track pants styles, such as bellbottoms, straight-leg, and so on. Further, the garment accessory  50  may be color-coded, to distinguish between sizes, for example, since the accessory is not externally visible during wearing.  
         [0027]     As another option, the garment accessory  50  may be manufactured in a single large size, such that it may be cut to a size suitable for all possible uses. In such an embodiment, the garment accessory  50  may include instructions for cutting the accessory to the desired size, and may also include gridlines imprinted on either the support portion  32  or on the covering  60 , to facilitate the proper cutting of the accessory. By allowing the purchaser to customize the single-size garment accessory, the accessory is readily adaptable to a number of different and possibly atypical uses. A single-sized garment accessory may be desirable for use with unusually shaped pants legs, such as extreme flares, party costumes, and other non-standard garments. Further, by allowing the purchaser to customize the garment accessory to the unique garment, a perfect fit of the accessory can be achieved, ensuring that the garment accessory will function as intended.  
         [0028]     The garment accessory  50  is flexible. In the perspective view of  FIG. 3 , the garment accessory  50  is shown to have some bending quality, so as to substantially fit to the shape of the garment when affixed thereto. Preferably, a casual observer will not notice that the garment accessory  50  is in place inside the pants.  
         [0029]     The garment accessory can also be affixed to the inside of long skirts. In  FIG. 4 , for example, a garment accessory  50 C is affixed to the inside of a long skirt  40 . The garment accessory  50 C is somewhat wider in length than the garment accessories  50 A and  50 B that are affixed to pants legs ( FIG. 1 ). As an alternative, the two garment accessories  50 A and  50 B can be affixed, side by side, to the bottom of the skirt  40 , so as to sufficiently stiffen the skirt fabric near the heels and shoes. Whether inside a skirt or pants, once the garment accessory is in place, undesirable entanglement between the garment fabric and the shoes is avoided.  
         [0030]     In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , perspective views of a woman wearing pants  10  and a skirt  40 , respectively, are depicted. In  FIG. 5 , the garment accessories  50 A and  50 B are worn close to the heel of shoes  34 . Likewise, in  FIG. 6 , the garment accessory  50 C, which extends laterally across the length of the skirt hem, is also affixed so as to be close to the heels of the shoes  34 . The temporary stiffness provided by the garment accessory  50  helps to prevent the fabric of either garment from getting caught under the woman&#39;s heels. Once the clothing is removed, the garment accessory can be disposed of.  
         [0031]     The garment accessory  50  can be affixed to the inside of durable pants or skirts, such as blue jeans and corduroys, as well as lightweight materials, such as cotton blends, rayon, and spandex-blended pants and skirts. The garment accessory  50  is lightweight enough to remain affixed to the fabric during normal daily wear, active wear, and night-time wear, yet remain invisible from the outside of the garment.  
         [0032]     While the garment accessory  50  prevents clothing, such as jeans and long skirts, from getting caught between the heal of the clothes wearer and his/her shoes, the garment accessory  50  can be used to prevent the clothing item from slipping under the heel when walking with bare feet as well.  
         [0033]     While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
A garment accessory is disclosed for preventing the fabric of a pair of pants or a skirt from being entangled between the heel and shoe sole during movement, such as walking. The garment accessory is affixed to the base of a pants leg or skirt, on the back and inside portion of the pants, at the region closest to the heel. The garment accessory temporarily stiffens the region of the pants or skirt around the heel, so as to avoid entanglement of the garment fabric between the heel and the backless shoes during movement.