Belt-type garment for carrying tennis balls and the like

A belt-type garment for carrying tennis balls and the like comprising:

• an elongate, longitudinally extending, belt portion having front and rear surfaces and means thereon for removably fastening said belt portion around the waist of a wearer with said rear surface facing the wearer and said front surface facing away from the wearer;
• and
• a longitudinally extending pocket portion dimensioned for carrying a plurality of tennis balls and having front and rear sections integrally joined together at the bottoms and secured together at the sides thereof to define an open mouth and a generally U-shaped, transverse, cross-sectional configuration, means securing the top of said rear section to generally the top of said rear surface of said belt portion in a pleated arrangement for defining a plurality of successive pleats in said rear section extending downwardly from the top to generally the area of joinder with said front section, means securing a portion of the side of said front section to said front surface of said belt portion to position said open mouth at generally the top of said front surface of said belt portion, an elongate elastic strip of less longitudinal length than said open mouth of said pocket portion, and means securing said elastic strip in the stretched condition thereof to the top of said front section of said pocket portion at said open mouth thereof for defining when said elastic strip is relaxed a plurality of successive gathers in said front section extending downardly from the top to generally the area of joinder with said rear section and for substantially closing said mouth of said pocket portion when said elastic strip is relaxed while allowing stretching of said elastic and said mouth of said pocket portion for insertion and removal of balls therefrom;
• whereby, said pleats in said rear section of said pocket portion will reduce the bulk of said pocket portion between said rear surface of said belt portion and the wearer, said gathers in said front section of said pocket portion and said elastic strip secured to the top of said front section of said pocket portion will allow an evenly distributed expansion of the top of said front section of said pocket portion for ease in insertion and removal of balls and for holding the balls in said pocket portion, said pleats in said rear section and said gathers in said front section will provide for expansion of said pocket portion for containing the plurality of balls, and said pocket portion substantially surrounding that portion of said belt portion to which it is secured will eliminate obstructions during insertion and removal of the balls and for providing stability to said pocket portion.