US1458547A

US1458547A - Undergarment

Info

Publication number: US1458547A
Application number: US468514A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Rood
Original assignee: OTIS Co
Current assignee: OTIS Co
Priority date: 1921-05-11
Filing date: 1921-05-11
Publication date: 1923-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 1940-06-12

Description

June 12, 1923.

w. B. ROOD UNDEHGARMENT Filed May 11 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Emmy INV

Patented June 12, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM 2B. ROOD, 0F WARE, MASSACUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO OTIS COMPANY, 0F WARE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS;

UNDERGARMENT.

Application filed May 11,

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, `WILLIAM B.' Roon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ware, county of I'Iampshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Undergarments, of which the following is a specification, ref erence being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to union undergarments or combinations. The object of the invention is to` provide a construction of garment, particularly of the seat flaps which, while affording an am le seat opening, will close automatically; t at is, without conscious effort on the part of the wearer; and furthermore so that the natural strains placed upon the garment by the ordinary movements of the wearer, kasin walking, standing, bending over or stooping down, will tend to close the seat opening rather than to open it. These desirable resultsy are attained by the application of the principle that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, and that 'when a strain is placed upon the free edge of the seat piece, it will tend to assume a straight line, and therefore may, if properly placed, be employed to pull the seat flap sidewise into position to close the seat opening.

The invention herein described may be embodied in undergarments yfor men, women or children, but, in the drawings, is shown as employed in mens garments. It willbe understood, however, that the adaptation of the garment to womens and childrens requirements involves merely the cutting of the garment to fit the figure of the prospective wearer.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown a novel closure for the upper corner of the seat flaps, but I have not claimed the same inthe present application, as this forms the subject-matter of an application filed May 11, 1921; Serial No. 468,515.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointedout and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In ithe drawings, Fig.` 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 is a back view of a mans union l reversed as compared with the other.

1921; serial No, 468,514.

ment. y

` Fig. 6 shows `my inventionembodied in an athletic union suit made of woven fabric such as'nainsook.

Fig. 7 is a rear view of a union under'- garinent embodying my invention but having the upper edges of the two seat flaps permanently secured to the body of the garment.` y

Fig. p8 is a rear view of amodified forni of union undergarmentl embodying my in` -vention v Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the novel stay employed at the bottom of the seat opening. f

yIeferring now to the drawings, the body portion of the garment is shown at 11. and in the form shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, is of tubular knit fabric. Thefly opening is shown at 12 and is closedwith buttons in the ordinary manner.

The back of the body is slit along the me,- dian line from the point ci: which is above the waist line downwardly in the ordinary manner. Twoseat pieces are provided, (see Figure 4) the outer seat piece being designated 13 and the inner seat piece 14. These seat pieces are of the same shape but oneis They can, therefore, be cut from the same pattern which is a decided advantage in manufacturing the garments.l The rvertical sides c, d and e of the seat pieces are nearly parallel with each other, though diverging slightly toward the bottom of the seat piece. In Figure 4, I have shown the position occupied by the two seat piecesv whenbeing cut from the fabric. In thisposition the seat piece 13 is rightside up while the other is bottomv side up.l The edge b ofthe outer seat opening. Ifhave designated the lower edge of the outer seat flap f, and of the inner seat, flap` g. The upper edge of the outer seat flap is designated h and the upper edge of the inner seat flap is designated 2'.

The edge d of the inner seat flap and the edge c of the outer seat flap are sewn to the respective edges of the slit in the body portion 11 of the garment, and the lower edges j' and g of the two seat flaps are superim' posed as shown in Figure 5 and are stitched into the leg inseams l5 and 16, being turned up in front, as shown in Figure 1.

I have designated the bottom point of thel free edge of the outer seat flap and the upper point of the said free edge 1c. Correspondingly the lower point of the inner seat opening is designated l and the upper point m. The two lower points j and Z, as will be seen from the drawings7 are located in the respective inseams of the leg l5 andl6 while thefupper points 70 and m are located on opposite sides of the median line of the garment, and about half way between the median line of the garment and the respective sides thereof. f

It will also be noticed that these points k and m are lower than the point a so that the upper edges of the seat flaps slope downwardly and outwardly toward the sides` of the garment. It will also be seen that when the garment is laid out flat as shown in Figure 2, the points and y' are both on the same side of themedian line, and at a con-` siderable distance from it so that the entire free edge of the outside flap is well on oneJ sideof the median line of the garment and in general about parallel with it.

Likewise the free edge of the inside Hap is similarly placed on the opposite side of the median line and in general about parallel with it.

`The arrangement of these seat openings is a very important feature of the present invention.v The seat flaps are cut so that the edges Z9 and e will be a little short rather thanl slack, and, therefore` in the Ordinary movements of the wearer whether he stands erect or stoops over, this tends to approach a straight line. and thus pulls the respective seat f flaps sidewise closing` the openings. This action is further assisted by the fact thatv the points 7c and y' lie well away from the median line 0f the garment so that the free edge or" the seat opening tends to lie along the side of the wearer and across the outside of the buttock rather than along the median line ofthe back and over the high pointof the buttock or 0n the inside of the crotch.

Similarly the position vof vthe free edgeof the inside flap is such that the strain imposed on theedgetendsto close the opening.

' I nd in practice that it is not necessary vto make the seat lapseither tight or loose,rsince the natural action of the parts when the garment is constructed as shown and described herein closes the seat openings automatically and holds both flaps in smooth position across the thighs and through the crotch.

In the preferred form offmy invention, I make the upper edges L andi of both seat flaps with hems n in which are placed straps 0 and p secured to the body of the garment at their ends. In practice both ends of the strap 20 and the inner end of the strap 0 are secured permanently to the body of the garment, but I provide the outer end of the strap 0 with a button and button-hole g by which the strap is detachably vsecured to the body of the undergarment.

It willbe understood that the` hem of each seat piece is slidable on the respective Strap and therefore when it is necessary to open the seat opening the hem may be slid to ward the median line, thereby enlarging the seat opening. j y

Since the outer end ofv each of said straps is lower than the inner end and since a slight strain is placed on the free edges-of the respective seat flaps, the tendency of the upper free corner of the hem is to, work down. and close the seat opening. I find in practicethat even though the seatopening may not be pulled closedby the wearer after it has been opened, it will soon work closed, owing to the slight strain on the free edges of the seat openings.

For the purposeof preventing the body fabric of the garment tearing about the loot` tom of the fly opening as has commonly beeny the case with knit garments of this type owing to. the factthatknity fabric is relatively weak crosswire of the wale, Iy use anovelV stay 25 of the shape shown in Figure 9.. This stay is cut with the wale runningtransversely and. is stitched along the line 'o into the inseam l5, 1 6 and is stitched to the body along the lines yA and e so that it takes. the strain. which. wouldotherwise come on the body fabric itself.

Referringl now to Figure', there is shown therein a garment similar to the garment al'- ready described except for the fact that the novel closure for the upper edge ofthe seat'. flap is notl employed but on the contrary the seat flaps are stitched' along the lines r 'and s, to the'body portion of'the undergarment. I find that under certain conditions such a garment is just as satisfactory as the gar ment shown in Figure l.

In Figure 6 is shownia garment similarto that showny in Figure y7,*but made of nains sock or other vwoven fabric and provided witha waist bandl' of'elastic material; In this garmentthe upper edges of thel seat flaps are sewn to the lower'edge t' oflthe waist band of,f elastic material.

InL Figure 8 I have shown another undergarment, the inner seat Hap l8of which is permanently attached along its upper ed e u to the body portion of the garment whi e the outer seat ap 19 is provided With a strap and button closure as shown at 20, Fi ure 8,

1. An improved union undergarment comprising a body portion and inner `and outer seat pieces, one longitudinal edge of each of said seat pieces being secured to the body of the garment and the other longitu` dinal edges of said seat pieces being free to Yform inner and outer edges of a seat opening, both of said seat pieces being free along their upper edges and supported in suoli manner that the upper ends of said seat pieces are both laterally slidable.

2. An improved union undergarment comprising a body portion and inner and outer seat flaps, one longitudinal edge kof each of which is secured to the body of the garment and the other longitudinal edges of which form, respectively, inner and outer edges of a seat opening, said free edges being located on opposite sides of the median line of the garment, the upper edges of said seat flaps sloping downwardly from the median line toward the side of the garment, and being open and supported in such manner as to be laterally slidable.

3. An improved union garment comprising a body portion and inner and outer seat flaps, one longitudinal edge of each of which is secured to the body of the garment, the other longitudinal edges of which are free and form the seat opening, said free edges being located on opposite sides of the median line of the garment, one of said seat flaps being free along its upper edge, a transverse strap having its ends secured to the body portion of the garment, said free upper edge of the said seat flap being slidable on said strap.

4. An improved union undergarment comprising a body portion and inner and outer seat flaps, one longitudinal edge of each of which is secured to the body of the garment and the other longitudinal edges of which are free and form the sides of the seat opening, said free edges being located on opposite sides of the median line of theA garment, the upper edge of one of said seat iiaps being free, a transverse strap the ends of which are secured to the body portion of the garment andk slope downwardly from the median line toward the side of the garment, said seat `flap being slidable on said strap. f

5. An improved union undergarment comprising a body portion and inner and outer seat flaps, a longitudinal edge of each of which is secured to the body of the garment and the other side edges are free and form the sides of the seat opening, said free edges being located on opposite sides of the median line of the garment, one of said seat flaps being free along its Lipper edge, a transverse strap one end of which is permanently secured kto the body'portion of the garment and the other end ofwhich is detachably secured thereto, the free edge of said seat rlap being adapted to slide on said strap.

6. An improved union undergarment comprising a body portion and inner and outer seat flaps, one longitudinal edge of each of which is 'secured to the body portion of the garment and the other longitudinal edges of which form the inner and outer sides of the seat opening, said sidesr of the seat opening being located on opposite sides of the median line of the garment, the upper edges oi' both of said seat flaps `being free, transverse straps secured at their ends to the body of the garment, the upper free edges of said seat ilaps beingk adapted to slide on said straps. y

7. An improved union undergarment comprising a bodyy portion and inner and outer seat iiaps,-one longitudinal edge of eachk of which is secured to the body portion of the garment and the other longitudinal edges ofwliich are free and form inner and outer sideedges of the seat opening, which edges are located on opposite sides or' the median line of the garment, the upper edges of both of said seat flaps being free, trans,-

verse straps secured at their ends to the j body of the garment, the upper free edges of said seat flaps 'being adapted to slide on said straps, the outer ends of said straps being lower than the middle ends lthereof.

ln testimony whereof l aiiix my signature.

WILLIAM B. ROOD.