US2018120A - Garment flap fastener - Google Patents

Description

u. G. BUMBARGER 2,018,120

GARMENT FLAP FAS TENER Oct. 22, 1935.

Filed April 2, 1934 ll/ /A/1 6. Elma/wane Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT FLAP FASTENER Uriah G. *Bumbargen Cleveland, Ohio Application April 2, 1934, Serial No. 718,649 5 Claims. (cm-+78) This invention relates .to garment flap fasteners for application to various under garments, such .as a single piece garment which .is more often formed .of knitted goods manufactured as a combination shirt .and drawers; and which piece isadaptedito be formed with a verticalslot in the back, and having overlappingedges which latter normally remain overlapped in a suitable fit, but areadapted to be separated when the wearer desires, but can be drawn into the original position when other clothes are to be manually closed, and the edges of the flaps are again overlapped. .Difiiculty hasbeen encountered by :former underwear of this character, because of inconvenience and discomfort in closing the flaps and retaining them closed.

It is my purpose to accomplish the desired result by providing strapsof unequal length. and attaching oneend-of each strap together atone point and at aside of the garment, .while the oppositeends of the straps are secured to the respective flap edges which-overlap to close the mentioned slot at the back ofthe garment. The common ends of the. straps are provided With a buttonhole adapted to detachably fit a button attached to .the described point at theside .of the garment. Such arrangement of the :straps for closing said vertical slot when the strapends "are buttoned, -may be accomplished readily, a :practicalembodiment of which in a unitary garment is represented in the accompanying V drawing, in which,--

Figure 1 is a-frontelevation of a single piece garment and showing atone side a fastening 35 button for .detachably securing thereto my improved flap fastener;

Figure 2 is a rear elevationof the garment showingthe overlapping flap in closed position over the vertical slot, and the flap edges having 40 one end of the fastener secure thereto externally of-the garment, and the other end shown entering a slot opposite the'otherend of the fastener;

, Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, butshowing 45 'the flaps separated and the fastener device unbuttoned;

Figure 4 is -a cross section of the rear walls of the garment, takenthrough a'plane indicated by the line 44 of Fig. l; and showing the por- 5 tions in closed position, and,

'Figurefi is'a view similar to Fig. 4, but showingthe fastener parts in position when the flaps are separated. "The unitary body of the undergarment has 55 "the usualfrontdetachable seam 6, as chosen for wider than sthe longer strap 15.

piece garment, but may be used with advantage 10 on anygarments-having the vertical seat seam, asabove stated.

Assuming the garment shown in rear View in Figs. 2 and 3, and the outer flapfi closed over the under flap it, a reinforce patch M will best be I securedexternal of the goods on the right hand si .eoi the wearer, and a button it provided at this point, as shownin Figs. 1, 3 and 5, for detachablefastening of the loose end of the straps .12 and iii which are united at id and provide a button-hole there for suitable fastening on the button 28. The strap i2 is the shorter, and is .Further, this Wider strap is permanently secured at the seam l3to theouter edge of the flap 9, and thereby is adaptedto exert great pulling forceon the flop :9, in drawing the flap, 9 to closedposition before buttoning theunitedportion M on the button 20.

Tracing the strap 15 back fromthe point I4, it passes inwardly through the reinforced slot it which is-designed to lead through the outer flap 9 and-through the reinforce piece 18 shown clearly in Figs. 2, 3,4, and 5. The extreme end of the strap i5 is secured at I! by seam to the inner edge-of the inner flap Ii), so that outer pullingforce exerted at the point of attachment l i will tend todrawthe flap iii to the inner position shown in either view in Figs. 2 or 4. The closing operation or'the flaps 9 and. iii may be accomplishedby drawing the unitary attachment it. toward the button 20, thereby pulling the connection i'i beneath the reinforced slot I6. All the viewsof .the drawing, except Fig. 1, clearly show that. outer pressureexerted against the longer strap l.5,-iand.which can be done by the .wearen tends todrawthe flap it from its position. in=.Fig. 4.,to that inFig. 5, while the strap is drawn through the reinforced slot l6 ,until'the cunbuttoned end it reaches said slot, the seams .ii and idat the edges of the flaps being separated from the position of Fig. 4 to that shown in Figs; -5,.and'3. ;It will nowbe clear that a positive slack i9 will exist in the longer strap 15 which,

.by raising somewhat aboveits positionin Fig. 3, .will conveniently permit, separation of the flaps 5 temporarily; but when the wearer rises to approximate erect position, and the flap edges loosely closed, may be held in such closed relation by grasping the united ends at l4, and taking up such slack by repositioning thebuttonhole slot at M in engaged position on the button 20, as shown in either Fig. 2 or 4.

The opening and closing positions of the parts 9, l0, I2, I4, l5, l6, and 20 are shown well in.

the last four views of the drawing. The movement of such parts in the changes from one position to the other, obviously requires a sliding movement of the strap l5 through the reinforced slot i6 remote from the outer edge ofthe flap 9. This is controlled by the wearer by manually grasping the parts at M and I9, and applying the stronger force at one or the other of the latter parts, and button or unbutton the part I4 at 20.

The garment is shown flattened out in the first three views, the straps I2 and I5 ordinarily being designed to press slightly upon the buttocks of the wearer, when the flaps are being closed and the garment is worn. It is of much importance also, the fact that no buttons or other hard engaging objects such as buttons, pins or books, need be used on my device, in a position to be sat upon when the flaps are closed. The only fastener for my garment at the seat seam is the button as at the side.

The manipulation of the improved flap fasteners which constitutes my invention, is readily accomplished in the following manner:The outer flap 9 is held normally ciosed over the under flap It) as shown from the rear in Fig. 2, and in section in Fig. l. The connection of the outer ends of the straps l2 and !5 being then buttoned over the button 212, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, in which the position of both the fasteners and the seam flaps is both comfortable and secure. When the wearer desires to seat, as at toilet, the unit I4 is easily unbuttoned from the button 20, the longer strap l5 as shown at Fig. 2, is drawn backwardly and upwardly sufficient to provide slack as at I9, in Figs. 3 and 5, this longer strap l5 being drawn through the slot 5 until said slack I9 is adequate, at the same time separating the flaps 9 and I0, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby opening the seam which can be done readily while the garment is loosened from the front.

When the said seam is to be closed, the wearer may reach the hands to the position for grasping the common connecting point at M, as inFig. 5, at the same time applying a pulling force to the straps which will draw the strap l5 outwardly through the slot [6, and at the same time pull the strap l2 over into overlapping position, and such attachment I4 forward to be secured on the button 20 at the side. This operation can be performed without opening the front seam 6, though it can be loosened if desired. While I have shown in much detail the application of my flap fastener to a single-piece undergarment, I do not however, desire to limit myself to the particular application of the fastener to any one garment having the vertical seam at the back, for I have found such application easily adaptable to garments of all kinds having the separable flaps as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a garment having an opening, flaps for covering the opening, and a fastener for detachably securing the flaps in overlapped position, comprising strap members of unequal length seing the seam and a fastener for detachably securing the flaps in overlapped position, comprising strap members of unequal length having one end of each attached to the edges of the respective flaps, the outer flap having an open slot therein at a point remote from its edge, to receive the longer or" said strap members outwardly therethrough, the other ends of said members being united for a common manual application of pulling force to said united ends to draw the flaps into overlapping relation for closing the said seam, and means provided on the side of the garment for detachably receiving the common.

united point of said strap members to hold the said flaps overlapped.

3. In a garment having a seam, flaps for closing the seam, and a fastener for detachably securing the flaps in overlapped relation, comprising strap members of unequal length secured to,- gether at one end in superposed position and having a common buttonhole therethrough, a button being fixed on a side of the garment on a line transverse of said garment scam, the other ends of said straps being secured to the edges of the respective flaps, the shorter of the strap members being broader and engaging the outer flap, there being a slot in the latter at a point remote from its edge to receive the longer and narrower member therethrough loosely, so that engaging said buttonhole in said secured ends of the strap members on said button will overlap said seam flaps, while separation of the flaps when the strap members are detached from the button, will loosen the longer strap member by movement through said slot in the outer seam flap.

4. In a garment having a seam, flaps for closing the seam and fastening 'means comprising, for detachably securing said flaps in overlapping position, strap members of unequal length, secured at one end of each to the edges of said ilaps respectively, and the opposite ends of said members united together so that a pulling force applied to said point of union will exert an overlapping tendency to the flaps to which the strap members are secured, the said strap members being superposed in their securing position upon said flaps, the outer strap being the narrower and extending inwardly through an opening in said outer flap at a point remote from its edge, so that the latter flap may engage the edge of the inner flap whereby a pulling force exerted on said point of union toward the fixed point established on the garment remote from the said flaps, will close said flaps in superposed relation with a resulting balanced strain on the two strap members.

5. In a garment having a seam, flaps for closing the scam in overlapped relation, and a fastener comprising strap members of unequal length andwidth secured together at one end, and having a buttonhole through the superposed union of said. members, a button being fixed on a side of the garment nearest the edge of the outer flap when overlapped, the shorter strap member having its opposite end attached to the outer flap edge of the garment seam, the outer flap having an opening therethrough remote from its edge to permit the longer strap member to pass through said opening and secure its opposite end to the inner flap edge and engagement of said button by the buttonhole in the straps tending to detachably close the said flaps, whereby to close said seam.

URIAH G. BUMBARGER.

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