As is known, for making underpants, panties, briefs and the like, in particular for a woman use, the fabric portions provided for forming said articles of manufacture are conventionally assembled, said fabric portions comprising fabric elements of different types, such as laces, resilient fabrics, strips and the like, which are joined by seaming operations, thereby providing underpants having a desired configuration.

As it should be apparent, such a method is affected by several problems, the main of which is its high operating cost, since the seaming operations are mainly manually carried out.

Another problem is that the seams would inevitably provide a projecting region, which can irritate the user skin, mainly at the top portion of the leg and at the thigh inner region.

A further problem affecting the prior art solutions is that possible reinforcement or stiffening elements, which are typically arranged at the inguinal regions, require a further processing step which negatively affects the end cost of the article of manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a method for making underpants, panties, briefs and the like which allows to fully eliminate the seaming operations or steps, while providing an article of manufacture perfectly fitting the user body.

Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide such underpants, or briefs, allowing to form reinforcement or stiffening regions, thereby meeting the requirements of the user.

The above mentioned results are achieved by performing high frequency seaming operations or thermosealing operation, to connect to one another synthetic material fabric portions, or portions of fabrics preliminarily coated or spread upon to which a thermofusible material is applied.

Alternatively, between the fabric portions or flaps, are arranged thermofusible material flaps or strips, allowing, by a thermosealina or high frequency sealing operation, to stabilize the fabric peripheral portions or flaps, and/or connect them without the need of performing seaming operations.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an underpants, panty or brief article which, owing to its specifically designed constructional features, provides a very high reliability and safety in operation.

Yet another object of the present invention

is to provide such a method allowing to make underpants, briefs, panties and the like, by using easily available elements and materials, and at a very reduced cost.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for making underpants, panties, briefs and the like, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of providing a semi-finished article of manufacture, comprising a flat layer of an elasticized fabric, overlapping on the edges of said elasticized fabric flat layer, a plastics material finishing strip, and joining to one another the transversal portions arranged at the ends of the opposite base edges, to provide an underpants, panty or brief article and the like.

The edging of the peripheral portions of the subject article of manufacture, and the connection of the edges to be connected are performed by a high frequency thermosealing method.

The above mentioned high frequency thermosealing method causes a thermomelting of the fabric fibers in synthetic and/or resin coated fibers, which must be stabilized at their peripheral edges or which must be mutually connected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent

hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of a method for making underpants, panties and the like, which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example, in the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 schematically illustrates the subject semi-finished article of manufacture, and further represents, in an exploded form, a reinforcement element therefor; Figure 2 is a further schematic view illustrating a made underpants article of manufacture; Figure 3 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, the connection of the cross portions of the opposite base edges which are arranged at a side region.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the number references of the above mentioned figures, the method for making underpants, panties, briefs and the like, according to the present invention,. comprises a step of providing a semi-finished article of manufacture 1, which is made of an elasticized fabric, and which has preferably a substantially hourglass configuration.

The layer 1 is advantageously made by die- cutting a fabric piece or by manually or mechanically cutting through said fabric piece.

The layer 1, which has substantially a hourglass configuration, comprises a front portion 2 tapering toward a central region 3, and then widening

again toward a rear region.

The front region 2 and rear region 4 end with base edges 5 and 6 which, at their ends, are coupled to respective cross portions 7 and 8 practically delimiting the saddle region formed at the central portion of the layer 1.

On the semi-finished article of manufacture comprising the layer 1, at the edge thereof, is overlapped a plastics material finishing strip 10, which can be made of polyurethane or other synthetic materials, and is provided to be intimely coupled to the half finished article of manufacture.

In this connection it should be pointed out that it would be also possible to cut the layer 1 after having applied the finishing layer comprising said strip 10.

Moreover, the finishing strip 10 can be made by spreading a hot-melt adhesive materials, or by other analogous methods suitable to cause the plastic material layer to adhere to the fabric material.

The plastic material to be specifically used, and its specific characteristics, will depend on the need of providing stable edges, which, however, would be provided with a desired softness property.

In order to finish the underpants article, it is necessary to connect to one another the cross portions 7 and 8 which are practically sealed to one another by directly using the finishing layer 10 or, possibly, by interposing a thermofusible material strip, allowing to perform the sealing operation.

With the underpants article in a finished condition, before performing the connecting step for mutually connecting the cross portions 7 and 8, a reinforcement layer 20 is applied, which is overlapped on the narrowed region 3 to practically correspond to the inguinal region, thereby allowing to easily apply a reinforcement element without the need of performing seaming operations.

In this connection it should be apparent that the subject underpants article, in addition to being made of a single piece and by thermosealing the edges and flaps to be connected, can also be made starting from two portions, separated by a dashed line (a) as shown in figure 1.

In this case, the adjoining portions or flaps arranged near said dashed line (a) will be sealed by thermomelting.

The subject article of manufacture can also be made starting from a fabric material having a hourglass configuration, as shown in figure 1.

Alternatively, the body of the subject article of manufacture can be made starting from several flat flaps separated and connected to one another by a high frequency sealing or thermosealing operation.

Said article of manufacture can also be made by suitably cutting, edging and sealing a tubular resilient fabric portion.

The thus obtained article of manufacture provides the great advantage that it can perfectly fit to the user body and that it is provided with very soft edges, practically free of thickness,

which, consequently, do not irritate the user skin.

Another important aspect of the invention is that it is possible to provide a very good comfort level, together with a very good supporting of the user body owing to the capability of the subject article of manufacture to perfectly self-fitting to the user body.

The invention, as disclosed, is susceptible to several modifications and variations, all of which will come within the inventive idea scope.

Moreover, all the constructional details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

In practicing the invention, the used materials, as well as the contingent size and shapes, can be any, depending on requirements.