US2084938A - Wearing apparel - Google Patents

Description

June 22, 1937. C. J. BU$cH ET AL 2,084,938

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kg Wm Patented June 22, 1937 UNITED STATES WEARING APPAREL Conrad J. Busch, Wyomissing, and Otto Eugene Huber, Reading, Pa., assignors to The Narrow Fabric Company, West Reading, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 13, 1936, Serial No. 68,702

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wearing apparel, and especially to the incorporationof a band of fabric having a novel edge construction which facilitates its sewing onto a marginal portion of an article of wearing apparel and effects a new seam arrangement in conjunction therewith to hold such portion in place. The invention is particularly applicable to narrow fabrics such as tapes or bands provided with longitudinal ridges whichmay be formed by heavy longitudinal strands, a construction generally employed in elastic bands in which the longitudinal strands are composed of rubber or other elastic. material. The invention as applied to such fabrics specifically is covered in divisional application No. 81,992, filed May 27, 1936.

Tapes or bands of this type are frequently attached to the margins of articles of wearing apparel to form an edging, one popular embodiment being the elastic garter band attached tothe top of a knitted stocking. Although various methods of attachment have been proposed, there are definite advantages in sewing the band to the garment fabric, including particularly convenience and speed; but heretofore there have been certain practical difficulties which have detracted from the effectiveness and accuracy of the sewing operation.

One difficulty arises when the band includes longitudinal strands of rubber. In a band of this type some of the rubber strands must be located in the marginal portion of the band to assure uniform expansion and contraction; but this location renders them especially liable to be cut when sewing the marginal portion to the garnient fabric. This difficulty is increased when the band is constructed of relatively loose material, such as certain desirable types of braided and warp knit bands; and there is a further complication whenthe garment fabric to which the band is attached consists of readily distorted material, such as knitted material, and especially the sheer knitted fabric of which stockings are usually made.

The general purpose of this invention is to provide an arrangement whereby the marginal portion of a band or the like provided with relatively heavy longitudinal ridges or strands may be sewed to garment fabric rapidly, accurately and without sewing into or across such strands. This is in general accomplished by providing a band or the like in which the longitudinal strands are located at predetermined intervals from the edge, providing seaming zones between the strands, adapted for sewing the band to the fabric with a multiple needle machine whose needles are spaced relative to the longitudinal strands so that each needle is located between two strands and produces on the face of the fabric a line of stitches located in a seaming zone. With this arrangement the seams are inconspicuous on the face of the band, as they lie in depressed portions between the longitudinal strands. The seams are preferably crossed and interlooped at the rear of the fabric in any of the various ways well known in the sewing machine art to provide an elastic composite seam which overlies the fabric, providing a firm support that is particularly advantageous for sheer stockings, permitting full elasticity of the band at the margin, and forming a neat binding for the fabric on the reverse side. These features are especially desirable in the manufacture of stockings, where neat appearance, strength and elasticity are of prime importance.

A further feature of the invention is to avoid the thickening due to the superposition of the margin of the band upon the margin of the garment fabric. This is in general accomplished by employing a band which is provided with a substantially thinner marginal zone including longitudinal strands and extending across the area that is superposed upon the margin of the fabric by sewing. This thinner marginal zone may be produced by employing lighter threads in forming such zone; and a feature of the invention is the determination of the fact that the incorporation of such threads to form a zone of the type indicated is particularly feasible when the band is produced either by braiding or by warp knitting. The invention includes also certain specific constructions involved in the incorporation of such threads in bands of these types.

When the band is of relatively loose construction, as is frequently desirable to produce popular ornamental effects, the transverse threads have a tendency to slide along the longitudinal elastic strands and become bunched and distorted, particularly near the margin, producing an undesirable appearance and uneven support for the elastic strands. The arrangement above described eliminates this difficulty, as the seams hold the transverse strands longitudinally in. place.

The properly spaced longitudinal strands adjacent the margin likewise serve to guide and align the seam. They may be utilized in connection with guides usually employed in main taining alignment of such margins; but the longitudinal strands have a further guiding effect a This expansible garment margin arranged so thatthe band will have substantially uniform longitudinal expansion and tension throughout its width.

Bands of this type have heretofore been constructed and attached in such manner that certain portions thereof were less extensible, particularly along the line of the seam; and the result was an objectionable constriction of the wearer along the line of the less extensible portion. This defect is eliminated according to the present invention by employing a band having uniform longitudinal extensibility throughout its width, and attaching it by a seam sufiiciently expansible to permit full and free stretching of the portion of the band engaged by the seam.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

I attached to the margin of a relatively sheer garment fabric;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a warp knit elastic band;

Fig. 3 is a face view of a braided elastic band attached to the top of a knitted stocking to form a garter selvedge therefor;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on line 44 of Fig. 3, showing the attaching zone with finer threads incorporated in the attaching zone of the elastic band;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in whichstandard size threads are employed in the attaching zone;

.Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the fabric and band at the attaching zone with the needles and associated parts of a sewing machine in position for sewing the band to the garment fabric;

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a method of braiding an elastic band such as that shown in Figs. 1 and 3, with the central portion omitted;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a method of manufacture of a warp knit elastic band such as that shown in Fig. 2, the central portion being omitted; and i Fig. 9 illustrates diagrammatically a suitable compound seam.

Considering first the braided band in, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, it includes a lower marginal zone in which four longitudinal strands l2 are incorporated, which are connected by transverse strands indicated generally at l3. This construction produces a plurality of longitudinal ridges corresponding to the location of strands I2, and a plurality of substantially thinner zones intermediate the ridges which constitute the seaming zones l4. These zones are spaced in conformity with the spacing of the needles of a cooperating multiple needle sewing machine so that the needles travel in well-defined tracks overcoming any tendency of the needles to cut across or into the elastics and the seams produced thereby will be accurately located between longitudinal strands l2.

This arrangement is shown best in Fig. 6, in which the strands l2 are located at the sides of needles l5 and overlie the upper margin of the stocking fabric l6 resting on the bed-plate H of the machine and held in position thereon by presser foot 3. By the employment of well known suitable guiding arrangements the general relationship between fabric l6 and the marginal zone ll of band l0 may be readily maintained; and the spacing of longitudinal strands 12, in conjunction with the tendency of the needle points to push the larger strands away from the seams, will serve to restrict the seams to the zones l4 and prevent sewing across strands l2. When the latter are constructed of rubber they are readily cut when penetrated by the needles, seriously detracting from the elasticity of the band It is especially advantageous to employ a seam in which the threads carried by the various needles are interlooped or cross-connected below fabric 16 to produce an elastic seam, various seams of this type being well known. An arrangement of this type is indicated diagrammatically in Figs. 4, 5 and 9 in which the face seams 19 have the appearance of ordinary seams but are transversely connected at 20 beneath the fabric I6. This arrangement reinforces, binds and supports the margin of fabric l6 and produces a neat appearance on both sides. It'may alsobe arranged as illustrated in Fig. 5 to envelop the upper edge of fabric l6, serving as a binding therefor. This is particularly desirable when the band is employed in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the upper end of a relatively sheer knitted stocking is sewed to the lower edge of a band l0, since such coursewise fabric end may be left in ravelable or unfastened condition and the seam may envelop a number of courses to prevent raveling and assure firm attachment without distortion.

One type of compoimd seam structure suitable for the purpose is illustrated in Fig. 9. It includes three needle threads and three looper threads, and can be produced by three needle sewing machines of a standard type. The upper needle thread 43 in Fig. 9 forms a series of stitches 44 on the face of band in with loops 45 extending through said band and fabric i6 to the rear face of the fabric. The middle needle thread 46 has a similar series of stitches 41 and loops 48, and the lower needle thread 49 has corresponding stitches 50 and loops 5|. The stitches 44, 41 and 50 are located between longitudinal warp strands I2 or 28 and serve to maintain the weft strands 1.3 or 30 in position on the warp strands.

Three looper threads are provided, one for each needle thread, and are interconnected on the exposed face of fabric 5, a bight of each looper thread being drawn through one of three registering loops of the needle threads and spread so as to engage a plurality of succeeding needle thread loops, forming an expansible seam structure. In the embodiment illustrated herein the middle looper thread 52 is drawn through a needle. thread loop 48 and spread to envelop the and 5| of the succeeding stitch. Upper looper thread 54 is drawn through the corresponding needle thread loop 45 and spread over looper threads 52 and 53 to envelop needle thread loops 45 and 4B of the succeeding stitch. The looper threads pass through the needle loops of such succeeding stitch and serve to lock in place both the needle loop-s and the looper thread bights surrounding such loops.

Under certain circumstances it is advantageous to reduce the excess thickness of the overlapping sewed portions of band I0 and fabric l8, which may be accomplished by employing a relatively thinner marginal zone H on band I0. This may be produced by forming such zone from finer vide a thinner marginal zone.

threads. A method of making a braided band I having these characteristics is shown in detail in Fig. 7. In this illustrative embodiment the band includes a first marginal zone (shown at the lower edge in Figs. 1, 3 and 4) which is solidly braided, including four longitudinal elastic strands |2; a central zone including longitudinal elastic strands 2|, the central portion of which duplicates the remainder thereof as shown in Fig. 1, and is therefore omitted from the illustration; and a second margin including four longitudinal elastic strands 22. The elastic strands are interconnected by transverse strands 23 traveling back and forth across selected portions of the central zone and a second margin of the band In and by transverse strands 24, preferably finer than strands 23, traversing the first marginal zone II and traveling around the elastic strands I2. The transverse strand- s 23 and 24 are preferably inelastic. The band In is made substantially uniformly longitudinally expansible across its width by making strands l2, 2| and 22 of substantially uniform size as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7.

The pattern employed is subject to extensive variations as will be apparent to those skilled in this art. In the particular pattern shown in Fig. 7 the spindles are indicated generally at 25 and the tellers or quoits at 26, with the path of the strand carried byeach spindle 25 indicated diagrammatically in the usual manner, the travel of each spindle 25 around a teller or tellers 26 being controlled in the ordinary way by jacquard mechanism. It will be noted that the elastic strands |2 retain the same general location and will be straight in the finished braid; while the finer transverse strands 24, interbraid strands |2 with each other and are marginally interbraided with selected transverse strands 23 to preserve the continuity of the braid.

Another type of band adapted for use in connection with this invention is the warp knit type illustrated generally at 21 in Fig. 2. It is provided with similar longitudinal elastic strands 28 in the first marginal zone I la (shown at the lower edge in Fig. 2), transversely connected by finer strands to produce seaming zones as already described. One method of producing a band of this type is illustrated in Fig. 8, which shows diagrammatically an arrangement applicable to a warp knitting or Raschel machine of the well known type. The specific band illustrated is produced by feeding the main longitudinal or warp strands downwardly to a single bank of needles, knitting a weft thread around each warp strand, and connecting the weft threads transversely to form a band. In the preferredform the warp strands are elastic and the weft threads in the marginal zone may be of substantially finer size to pro- As shown in Fig. 8, warps or longitudinals 28 and 32 are of the same size to provide uniform expansibility.

In the arrangement shown, the weft threads which wrap the longitudinal strands are carried by the first finger bar 29, and include the finer weft threads 30 which wrap the strands 28 in the first marginal zone Ila, as well as the remaining weft threads 3| whose size is determined by the pattern, and which wrap the remaining longitudinal strands 32. and 32 are carried by the fourth finger bar 33. Intermediate strands are provided for interlocking adjacent wrapping weft threads. Certain of the interlocking strands in the form illustrated extend in a zigzag path between the wrapping weft threads of the marginal portions and inter- The longitudinal strands 28 lock all contiguous loops of the wrapping weft threads. These continuous interlocking threads are carried by the third finger bar 34, and include the continuous interlocking threads 35 for the outer margin which engage strands 3|, and preferably finer continuous interlocking threads 36 engaging the wrapping strands 30 in the marginal zone The intermediate portion of the band may be patterned by providing suitable spaces or openings, a convenient arrangement including interlocking threads 31 on the second finger bar 38 which connect spaced loops of adjacent wrapping weft threads 3| to form a suitably patterned structure. The construction and arrangement is such that each wrapping weft thread 30 and 3| is connected to each adjacent wrapping weft thread by an interlocking thread 35, 36 or 3'! forming a continuous band structure. The central portion of the band is omitted as it includes simply a repetition of the adjacent portions, as will be evident from Fig. 2.

A novel margin structure has been provided along the upper edge of the band 21. It includes a special edging strand 39 carried by the fifth finger bar 40. Strand 39 is arranged to form a series of free loops 4| interlocked at their inner bights 42 with one or more of the Wrapping weft threads 3|. This is accomplished by wrapping strand 39 around an idle needle to form the free outer bight of each loop 4|, and interlocking the inner bight 42 with a weft thread 3| by bringing strand 39 across into looking position in the usual manner. This interlocking may take place at desired intervals as determined by the usual pattern mechanism to provide loops 4| of any preferred length. The interlocked bights 42 of such loops 4| may also be carried across the needles into position to be interlocked by more than one of the wrapping weft strands 3|, as shown, providing a firmer anchorage for the margin loops.

The specific embodiment of warp knitted braid which has been illustrated and described is adapted to be manufactured by the use of a single bank of needles. The bars are mentioned in order as they appear from the fabric side of the needles; and may be manipulated by the pattern mechanism in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art by shogging the first bar at the loop side of the needles, and appropriately shogging the remaining bars at the fabric side. Other details will be apparent from a study of the relative positions of the various threads and strands as shown in Fig. 8.

It will be noted that both the braided band l0 and the warp knit band 21 are constructed so as to be uniformly extensible longitudinally throughout their width; and that the seam is of a type that will permit the engaged portions of the braid to expand without material restriction. In both the braided band l0 and the warp knit band 21, the center section of the band is provided with apertures to increase its effectiveness as a garter.

While the invention is particularly suitable for use with elastic bands of the braided or warp knitting patterns may be used. The word gar- 76 ment" is used assynonymous with article of wearing apparel and simiIar expressions.

We claim:

1. A knitted stocking having a garter seamed to the upper edge thereof, said garter having relatively large straight elastic warp threads of uniform size spaced across its width and a portion thereof having openings to enhance the garter efieot, the seamed edge of the garter having a plurality of said warps therein and ,a reduced thickness produced by solidly arranged weft threads of reduced size compared to the weft threads in the major portion of the garter, and

an elastic seam having a plurality of rows of 1 stitches intermediate the warps in the portion of reduced thickness.

a seam for uniting said garter to the stocking having one or more rows of stitches intermediate the warps in the portion of reduced thickness.

CONRAD J. BUSCH. OTTO EUGENE HUBER.

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