They Invented What? (No. 218)

U.S. Patent No. 6,161,223: Pants separable at crotch for style mixing.

I claim:

1. A pair of outerwear pants having front and back sides and a crotch, the pants separable into right and left leg portions by a releasable closure system defining a seam spanning from the front to back sides of the pants through the crotch, the closure system having left and right portions, each left leg portion having the left half of the closure system, and each right leg portion having the right half of the closure system, each leg portion selected from a set of one-piece left and right leg portions having a variety of visual effects, whereby a user can flexibly create a custom style for a given wearing of the pants.

2. The pair of pants of claim 1, wherein the closure system comprises a slide fastener, a front waist security strap, a back waist security strap, and a front lower crotch security strap, each of the security straps crossing over the slide fastener and having left and right attachments on the respective leg portions, at least one of the two attachments per security strap being releasable.

3. The pair of pants of claim 1, wherein the closure system comprises a front slide fastener portion, a back button portion, and a front waist security strap.

4. A set of left and right outerwear pant legs having a variety of visual effects, each leg having a single visual effect, and having a waistband with a front and back end, each of the left legs of the set being releasably attachable to each of the right legs of the set along a closure line spanning between the front and back ends of the waist bands.

5. The set of left and right pant legs of claim 4, wherein the closure line comprises a slide fastener, a front waist security strap, a back waist security strap, and a front lower crotch security strap, each of the security straps crossing over the slide fastener and having left and right attachments on the respective pant legs, at least one of the two attachments per security strap being releasable.

6. The set of left and right pant legs of claim 5, wherein the slide fastener has a slide with an outwardly extending ring-mounting boss, and a pull-ring pivotally mounted in the boss for operating the slide fastener.

7. The set of left and right pant legs of claim 4, wherein each leg has front and back sides, and the closure line comprises a front slide fastener portion, a back button portion, and a front waist security strap.

8. A method for creating a customized visual effect for a given wearing of pants comprising the steps of:

a) providing a set of left and right outerwear pant legs having a variety of visual effects, each leg having one visual effect;

b) providing means to securely releasably attach each left leg of the set to each right leg of the set;

c) selecting a left pant leg having a first visual effect form the set;

d) selecting a right pant leg having a second visual effect from the set; and

e) attaching the selected left and right pant legs together to form a pair of pants with an asymmetric visual effect.