Garment with replaceable drawstring

Abstract

Drawstrings in garments can become easily damaged during use in sports or within washing machines, rendering the entire garment useless. Garments with an easily detachable/replaceable drawstring provide an economical solution to allow laundering the garments without the drawstring, thereby extending the lifetime of the garment and increasing variability of design through the use of interchangeable replacement drawstrings.

1 . A patch assembly for securing a drawstring to a garment comprising:
 a panel with a first side for attaching to the garment and a second side for retaining the drawstring; and   a loop secured to the second side of the panel.   
     
     
         2 . The patch assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the panel is fabric. 
     
     
         3 . The patch assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the loop comprises a fabric with elasticity. 
     
     
         4 . The patch assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a retainer. 
     
     
         5 . The patch assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the retainer is fixed within the loop. 
     
     
         6 . The patch assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the retainer is removably secured within the loop. 
     
     
         7 . The patch assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the retainer comprises protrusions extending within the interior of the loop. 
     
     
         8 . The patch assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first side comprises an adhesive. 
     
     
         9 . The patch assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first side comprises one portion of a hook-and-loop fastener. 
     
     
         10 . The patch assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the loop is configured to adopt either of an open or locked position relative to the panel along its length. 
     
     
         11 . A fly closure comprising:
 the patch assembly of  claim 1 ; and   a drawstring.   
     
     
         12 . The fly closure of  claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of opposing apertures adjacent the loop. 
     
     
         13 . The fly closure of  claim 11 , further comprising a retainer. 
     
     
         14 . The fly closure of  claim 13 , wherein the retainer removably attaches to the drawstring. 
     
     
         15 . The fly closure of  claim 13 , wherein the retainer is a widened segment of the drawstring. 
     
     
         16 . The fly closure of  claim 13 , wherein the retainer is a segment of the drawstring having increased friction within the loop. 
     
     
         17 . A garment comprising the patch assembly of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . The garment of  claim 17 , wherein the panel is a waistband of the garment. 
     
     
         19 . The garment of  claim 17 , wherein the panel is attached to a waistband of the garment. 
     
     
         20 . The garment of  claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of opposing apertures adjacent the loop.