US1987965A - Girdle - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1935. L' MEARES 1,987,965

GIRDLE Filed Aug. 1. 1935 ET 7 a5 '14 11 Patented Jan. 15, 1935 GIRDLE Lillian Meares, RutherfordpN. J., assignor to Venus Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 1, 1933, Serial No. 683,213

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to nether garments and more particularly to an improved type of girdle. 1

An object of the present invention is to provide a girdle which is of contractile form and which is relatively long so as to extend down over the hips and thighs, and which is provided with means for securely anchoring the upper and lower ends of the garment in place, to hold it in stretched position not only circumferentially about the hips and thighs, but also in stretched position lengthwise of the garment.

The invention has for another object to provide a girdle which may be of substantially tubular form, and which has a body part capable of expansion circumferentially and which may be also stretched longitudinally so that when applied, the garment may be anchored in correct position at its upper end about the waist, and may be securely anchored at its lower end upon the legs.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a girdle which embodies certain character'- istic structures to extend down and perform the function of a corselet and which at the same time .s will serve to compress the hips and thighs and -will present a smooth and uninterrupted exterior surface throughout its entire length and entirely about its circumference.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a girdle the body portion of which may be.

made from material capable of stretching both longitudinally and circumferentially, and which has incorporated therein at the upper and lower portions of the girdle bands which may be woven i intothe body fabric for rendering the bands yieldable circumferentially only, and for holding the band portions against yielding lengthwise, so that the band portions will effectively anchor the top and bottom portions of the garment in stretched position. With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the sev- ,eral views, 7

Figure 1 is a-front elevation of the garment in stretched and applied position.

the lower portion of the garment substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the garment in stretched position.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the garment when not in use and in normal contracted position.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken through an end portion of the garment,

showing the band construction incorporated in the fabric.

Figure 7. is a sectional view taken through the body portion of the garment on the line 'l'! of Figure 6, and showing the fabric in contracted and stretched positions, and

Figure 8 is a similar view taken on the line 88 of Figure 6 through the band portion ofthe garment in contracted and stretched positions.

Referring now to the drawing, and first to Figure 5, the garment comprises a substantially tubular body portion 10, which is of knitted fabric or the like capable of stretching lengthwise and also circumferentially. The body 10 may be made in one or more sections and is shown in the present instance as made of front and back sections with longitudinal lines of stitching-1l therein which also serve to strengthen the garment.

The upper end of the body portion 10 is pro, vided with a waist band 12, which is preferably incorporated in the structure of the body 10 by combined ribbing, or the like, closely knitted to resist to an appreciable extentlengthwise stretching, but which is capable of yielding circumferentially. The close weaving of the waist band 12 also serves to increase the resistance to the stretching of the band circumferentlally, so that the waist band 12 is normally, in a retracted position as shown in Figure 5.

At the lower end, the body portion 10 is cut.

away at its front and back intermediately between its'sides to provide a crotch, and such crotch flares through the lower extremity of the body portion 10. Secured in thecrotch is a preferably non-elastic gusset 18, which completes at its free end portions the leg portions of the garment body, and the garment body is provided with leg bands 13 constructed similarly to the waist band 12 for resisting to a greater extent the circumferential stretching of the lower ends of the garment and to hold the bands 13 against longitudinal yielding.

As shown in Figure 8, the band portions 12 and 13 comprise connected or composite ribs 15 which are compact or closely knitted, and which thus resist to a considerable degree the stretching of the same both longitudinally and circumferentially, while the body portion 10 of the garment is knitted more loosely and with divided ribs 14, as shown in Figure 8 wherein the ribs 14 are capable of more readily being separated during the circumferential stretching of the body portion and which will also yield lengthwise for taking care of inequalities in the length of the ribs throughout the circumference of the body incident to the rounding out or bulging of the body portion when applied.

When the garment is applied to the person, the waist band 12 provides a firm anchor at the waist line for the upper end of the body portion 10. The body portion 10 may be stretched downwardly over the hips and thighs, and is also circumferentially enlarged to conform to the shape of the person and to exert the desired pressure of compression on the hips and thighs; the combined longitudinal and circumferential yielding permitting the garment to readily conform to the shape and movement of the person and at the same time maintaining the upper and lower ends of the garment in their proper relative positions. The leg bands 13 resist longitudinal stretching to a large extent and provide firm gripping means to resist the tension to the body portion 10 for anchoring the lower end of the body portion in its stretched and distended position.

The inelastic gusset 16 holds the lower divided end or crotch of the garment in proper shape so as to prevent the yielding material thereof from drawing out of place, and also serves to anchor the intermediate front and back strands or ribs in position to exert the desired compression on the body of the person wearing the garment.

A modified form consists in having the crotch piece 16, extend upwardly along the body portion, so as to provide a closure for an enlarged opening in the nature of a fiy.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims:-

What is claimed is:--

1. A girdle comprising a normally contractile body portion circumferentially and longitudinally yieldable adapted to be stretched over the hips and downwardly over the thighs to conform to and compress the same, a circumferentially yieldable waist band at the top of the garment for anchoring the upper end of the garment at the waist line, the lower end of the body portion having registering longitudinal front and back intermediate cuts therein to provide leg portions, a non-yieldable gusset secured along the marginal edges of said cuts in the body portion to complete the leg construction thereof, and circumferentially yieldable leg band portions disposed at the bottom of the leg portions to anchor the lower end of the body portion in stretched position over the hips and thighs said gusset terminating at each end at the bottom of said leg portions.

2. A girdle comprising a body of fabric of tubular shape capable of stretching in any direction, said tubular body having cuts in the front and back portions thereof and at its lower end to provide leg portions, a non-yieldable gusset secured to the marginal edges of said cuts to provide a closed crotch and terminating at each end at the bottom of said leg portions, said body portion having reinforcements in its upper and lower edge portions to resist longitudinal stretching and to increase the resistance of said upper and lower portions to circumferential stretching said reinforcements being substantially non-stretchable longitudinally.

3. A girdle comprising a circumferentially and longitudinally yieldable body portion adapted to be stretched over the hips and downwardly over the thighs to conform to and compress the same, means at the top of the garment for anchoring the upperend of the garment at the waist line, the lower end of the body portion having registering longitudinal front and back intermediate cuts therein to provide leg portions, a substantially inelastic gusset attached along the marginal edges of said cuts in the body portion to complete the leg construction thereof, said gusset terminating at each end at the bottom of said leg portion, and means circumferentially disposed at the bottom of the leg portions to anchor the lower end of the body portion in stretched position over the thighs.

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