US1389922A - Union-suit - Google Patents

Description

C. N. WINSHIP.

UNION SUIT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1919.

1,389,922. PatentedSept 6,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES N. WINSHII, OF WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WINSHIlP,

BOIT & 00., A CQPARTNERSHIP CONSISTING OF CHARLES N. WINSI-IIP AND ELIZA- vIBETI'I E. BOIT, BOTH OF WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

UNION-SUIT.

Application filed May 8,

T 0 all to 7mmz't may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES N. lVINsHIr, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVakefieltLin the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Union-Suits, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a. specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to undergarments of that type known as union suits, and it aims to improve this type of garment with a view especially to facilitating the manufacture of these garments improving their wearing qualities and contributing to the comfort of the wearer. The invention is especially concerned with union suits of the closed crotch type for men and boys. This style of garment has many advantages over the open crotch style but it has proved difficult to devise a garment of this character which will give the desired opening at the back of the garment and will still be com-' fortable to wear. It is one of the objects of this invention to solve this problem. The invention also is directed to the improvement of the construction of the back of the garment, especially the flaps that close the posterior opening in the garment, the binding of the edges of the fabric and the rein forcement of the fabric and seams.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a union suit embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the seat por tion and adjacent parts of the garment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the seat flap open;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view showing the method of binding the edges of the fabric; and

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view through the crotch seam of the garment.

The garment shown comprises a body 2 and legs 3 made of a knitted fabric, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

1919. Serial No. 295,606.

back part of the garment being cut away to provide the usual posterior opening. For the purpose of closing this opening a side flap 4 is secured to oneedge of the opening, as best shown in Fig. 3, this flap being of triangular shape and secured to the body by seams 5 and 6. A seat fiap 7 has one edge secured to the opposite edge of the posterior opening by seams 8 and 9. The seams 6 and 9 form continuations of each other and together form the crotch, seam of the garment. The seat flap 7 is provided with a buttonhole designed to cooperate with a button 10 to secure the flap in its closed posi tion, this buttonhole being located about midway between the crotch of the garment and the upper end or apex of the flap 7.

The upper edge of the posterior opening in the garment is indicated at 12, Fig. 3, and it will be seen from an inspection of this figure that this edge extends horizontally of the body of the garment and lies at a considerable distance below the apex 13 of the flap 7. It will be noted that this apex 13 is substantiallyin the median line of the garment and that the lower ends of the free edges of the fiaps 4 and 7 terminate in the crotch seam at points on the same side of the median line of the garment as is the button 10, so that when the flap 7 is closed the free edges of both flaps lie entirely at one side of the median plane of the body. The piece of. material which is covered by the flap 7 when it is in its closed position is structurally integral with the body of the garment instead of being a separate piece or gore set into the body, as frequently is the case,- and the lower margin of this part is turned over and stitched to form a hem 14. The ribbing in the fabric runs longitudinally of the body of the garment so that it is very elastic in a lateral direction. This is a substantial advantage in the hem 14 and in the fabric immediately above the hem since it permits the widening of the posterior opening when desired and still tends to contract or narrow this opening at other times.

In order to narrow the garment to the required width in the neighborhood of the upper part of the flap 7 a V-shaped part of the fabric may be cut out at one side and the opposite edges united by continuing the seam 5 upwardly beyond the point where this seam unites the flap 4 to the body. A

Patented Sept. 6, 1921'.

similar cut may be made in the fabric at the opposite side of the seat flap and the edges secured together by the seam 8 which also secures the upper part of the fiap 7 to the body of the garment. v

The free edges 15 and 16 of the flaps 4 and 7 preferably are bound in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4, which is a transverse oross'section through theedge of the flap 7. It will be seen from an inspection of this figure that a tubular fabric 17 is folded flat and. slightly overlapped on the edge of the flap .7 and is sewed to the flap-by the stitches 18. The sewing machine used in performing this operation preferably is the usual overseaming orfinishing machine much used in themanufacture of underwear of this character. 'This construction provides a very strong binding, economical to manufacture, easilysecured in place and very comfortable to wear.

1 Fig. illustrates the construction of the crotch seam where the flap 7 joins the leg 3. These two parts are united by the usual seam 19 and then a tube, preferably of knitted fabric is laid over the seam 19 on the inside and is sewed to the fabric parts 3 and 7 at opposite'sides of the seam 19. This tube covers theseam completely and makes a very strong, elastic, but entirely comfortable reinforcement.

In knitting the fabric from which the seat flap 7 is cut, an additional thread preferably is introduced at a point in the knitting operation so that the part of the fabric knit thereafter will be firmer and more sub stantial than that knit prior to the introduction of this additional thread. In cutting the seat flap the pattern is laid on the goods in such a manner that the lower portion of the flap beginning at approximately the height of the buttonhole will be cut out from this reinforced part of the fabric. This firmer fabric avoids the undesirable looseness which otherwise would be present in thispart of the garment. Furthermore, because of the additional firmness of this material it assists in keeping the posterior opening of the garment closed. 7

What is claimed as new, is:

1. A union suit of the closed crotch type provided with a posterior opening having an upper edge extending transverselyof the body of the garment, a flap for covering said opening and extending for a substantial distance above the upper edge of said opening, one edge of-said flap being secured to the body of said garment and the opposite edge being free, the body portion of said garment and said flap having cooperating means to fasten the flap in its closed position, and the body of said garment having astructurally integral 'partthereof extending underneath the upper portion of said fiap'with the lower edge of said part forming said transverse upper edge of said posterior opening.

2. A union suit of the closed crotch type provided with a posterior opening having an upper'edge extendingtransversely of the body of the garment, flaps secured to the opposite edges of said opening and cooperating to close it, one of said flaps having an upper portion of substantially triangular shape with the apex of said portion secured to the body of the garment at a point considerably above said transverse edge and secured to the opposite edges of said open ing and cooperating to close it, said seat flap havingan upper portion approximately triangular in shape and constructedto but ton to the body of the garment substantially midway between the crotch and the upper end of the flap, the apex of said triangular portion being secured to said body at a point considerably above the upper edge of said opening and substantially in the median line of the body of the garment, whereby the material of the body portion of the garment between the upper edge of said flap and the upper edge of said opening is enabled to stretch laterally.

a. In an undergarment, the combination of two fabric parts sewed together to form a seam, and a strip of tubular fabric c0v-, ering said seam and sewed to the fabricrof the garment at opposite sides ofthe seam. A. union suit of the closed crotch type comprising a body, legs depending from said body, rear flaps secured to'said body and legs by a seam extendingthrough the crotch of the garment, and a tube of fabric covering said seam and sewed to the fabric of the garment at opposite sides of the seam.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

, CHARLES N. WVINSHIP.

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