US2107121A

US2107121A - Foundation garment

Info

Publication number: US2107121A
Application number: US108128A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kops Waldemar
Original assignee: KOPS BROTHERS Inc
Current assignee: KOPS BROTHERS Inc
Priority date: 1936-10-29
Filing date: 1936-10-29
Publication date: 1938-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 1955-02-01

Description

Feb. 1, 1938. w. KoPs FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Oct. 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR WAL DE MAR ITOPS ATTO RN EY Feb. 1,' 1938; w. KoPs FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Oct. 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MLDEMAR lfOPS ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNDATION GARMENT poration of New York Application October 29,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to garments of the corset or foundation type and more particularly to garments of this character adapted for use on relatively stout figures or those requiring abdominal support.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a novel form of belt for producing a desired uplift effect upon the abdomen. The construction is such that the belt may be readily drawn downwardly to place a portion thereof well beneath the abdomen and a yielding upward and inward force is created to lend a firm support to the abdomen. Moreover, the arrangement is such that all portions of the belt will lie flat against the figure and will not have an objectionable tendency to bulge away from the body at any point.

Toward the foregoing ends, a specific feature of the invention is the employment of an abdominal supporting belt formed of elastic material having a varying elasticity from top to bottom thereof. The upper portion is adapted to exert a relatively easy, transverse, confining force while lower portions of the belt are adapted to exert increasingly greater transverse confining forces. This belt, according to the preferred construction, is permanently attached to the opposite side edges of the front of the garment and is so arranged that if it is drawn downwardly at its center with respect to the front of the main garment, a substantial, upward force will be exerted.

Another feature of the garment is the provision of a readily closable opening at the front through which access may be had to the lower portion of the abdominal belt for the purpose of drawing it downwardly beneath the abdomen.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of an illustrative form of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view showing the garment from the front as applied to a figure.

Fig. 2 is a front View of the garment, off of the figure, with the front opened up and laid back to expose inner parts of the garment.

' Fig. 3 is a view of the interior of the garment opened out.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, vertical section through a portion of the front of the garment along the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, horizontal section through a portion of the front of the garment along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

1936, Serial No. 108,128

Referring now to the drawings, the improved garment comprises a main body-encircling member in the form of a series of inter-connected sections, including a front section l0, side sections ilarly'joined to the back I3 by means of a reinforced seam l5 and the back section is in turn connected with the side section l2 by means of a similar seam I6, Any suitable means may be provided for detachably connecting the free edges of the front section It! and side section l2.

tached to the free edge of the front section and eyes l8 attached to the free edge of the side section.

The back of the garment may assume any of a variety of different forms of construction but that illustrated has been found to be particularly suited for the intended purposes. The back section may be formed either of a continuous piece of fabric or of a number of individual sections stitched together. At suitably spaced points a series of vertical stays [9, extending from substantially the upper edge to a point near the lower edge of the back section, are preferably I Such means may include, for example, hooks I! atemployed. These stays, it will be understood, 7

by a small section 2| of lining material, or the 7 like, which is suitably stitched to the main fabric of the back section and extends upwardly an appropriate distance from the lower edge. Except for the small section 20, which is transversely or horizontally elastic, the back section is formed of strong, non-elastic material. The side section I! is largely formed of nonelastic material but the lower portion 22 thereof, adjacent the edge of the back section, is formed of elastic material. The rear edge of this elastic portion is substantially straight and is secured to the back section by the stitching I5. The forward edge of the elastic portion is preferably curved and secured to the non-elastic part of the side section by means of stitching 23, preferably reinforced by binding tape. A similar construction is provided for the opposite side section l2, which includes an elastic portion 24 having its rear edge included in the seam l6 and its forward edge secured by stitching 25 to the non-elastic portion of the section I2.

Elastic portions

22 and 24 are arranged to stretch transversely or around the body to allow'a suitable expansion and contraction of the garment during movements of the body. At the seam l5 a pair of stays 26 is provided, these extending from the upper edge of the garment to a point slightly below the horizontal center-line. Similar stays 21 are provided in the seam I6.

The construction of the front of the garment is somewhat'more complicated. At points intermediate the edges, a plurality of vertically disposed stays 28 may be suitably employed. These stays extend from a point slightly below the horizontal center-line of the garment to the lower edges of a pair of bust pockets 29 forming the upper portion of the frontsection of the garment. An elastic section 30, capable of stretching transversely of the garment, is provided in the lower left-hand portion of the front section (Fig. 3), this being secured along its outer edge to the tape which carries the hook elements I! and being secured by suitable stitching along the inner edge to the non-elastic portion of the. front section. A similar, elastic section 3| is provided in the lower right-hand portion of the front section (Fig. 3), this having its outer edge incorporated in the seam I4 and its inner edge secured to; the non-elastic portion of the front section by suitable stitching, At the center of the front'section a reinforced pad or lining 32 is provided between the pairs of stays 28. This reinforcing member extends from a point adjacent the lower edges of the bust pockets to the point indicated by the line 33 in Fig. 3. Additional,

vertical stays

34 and 35 intermediate the stays 28 may be mounted in the reinforcing member or pad 32, these stays being of substantially the same length as the stays 28 but being disposed at a somewhat lower point.

Along the vertical center-line of the front" section of the garment it is slit or divided from. its lower edge to a point well above the horizontal center-line. 'This is to enable the front of the garment to be opened up to allow access to the abdominal support, to be later described. Any suitable means may be provided for securing the free edges formed by the slit or divide. A hookless type of fastener is particularly suited for this purpose. This may comprise a series of fastening elements 36 along one edge of the slit, complementary fastening elements 31 along the opposite edge of the slit and a rider 38 adapted to bring about the interlocking engagement or release of fastening elements, as desired. Anchored to the front section I!) at the point 39 is a relatively wide, flap member 49. The upper end '400 which secures the fastening elements 31.

Adjacent the lower end of the flap 40 an eye member 4! is provided and arranged to cooperate with a hook member 402 secured to the front sec ing tape 405 secured to the front section. These hooks and eyes serve to hold the flap 40 in position and prevent it from becoming caught in the hookless fastening means during operation of the rider.

The abdominal supporting belt which constitutes an important feature of the present invention will now be described. This comprises an elastic member 4| having its left edge (Fig. 3) secured by suitable stitching 42 to the free edge of the front section In. The opposite end of the member is secured by stitching 43 to the right edge of the front section. Member 4| is formed in two parts joined togetheradjacent the vertical center-line of the member by suitable stitching 44. This is to enable the elastic member to extend upwardly at a slight angle from this center line toward both of the side edges of the front section. I

Each half of the member 4| is formed of a plurality of sections or portions of elastic material, the sections being of successively increasing elasticity in a direction around the body. Thus, the upper section 45 has a relatively easy stretch in the direction of its length while the intermediate section 46 has a somewhat firmer resistance to stretch and the lower section 4'! has a still firmer resistance to stretch. This arrangement is such that the lower portion of the belt applies a substantial confining and uplift force: to the abdomen While the upper portions of the belt exert successively decreasingconfining and restraining forces. The variation in the tension of the various portions of the belt has been found to create a very desirable action in confining and supporting the abdomen. The sections or

portions

45, 46 and 41 may be formed as separate elastic bands or tapes stitched together along their longitudinal edges, although they are preferably formed as one integral band having the described, variable elastic properties. In lieu of having each of the sections provided with distinct stretch characteristics crease in resistance to stretch between the several sections, there may be a gradual increase in the resistance to stretch from the top to the bottom of the member. 7

Adjacent the vertical center line of the member 4| i. e., along the seam 44, there is preferably provided a relatively stiff and broad stay member 48. This is retained within a pocket formed by a band 49 of non-elastic material stitched along its edges to the member 4| and extending from the upper edge of the member to its lower edge and preferably extending around the loweredge and up on the opposite or outer face of the member a slight distance, as indicated at 50 in Fig. 2.

This non-elastic band is preferably formed'of cushion the pressure of the stay against the body. To the upper edge of the member 4|, in. line with the band 49, is secured an elastic band 5| whose upper end is secured by stitching 52 to the front section of the garment adjacent the upperend of the reinforcing member 32. Except for the stitching 52, the band 5| is free of the front section. So also the member 4! is free of the front section except for the lines of stitching 42 and 43.

Suitable garter attachments 53 may be provided at the lower edgeof the garment, all or a portion of these being preferably provided with soft pad members 54 formed of a plush-like material similar to that forming the band 49.

relatively soft, plush-like fabric that serves to In applying the garment to the body, the fastening means H and IB will first be fastened while the hookless fastening means at the front of the garment will be left open. The flap 40 will also be left free so that the lower edge of the member 4| may be readily grasped by the hand and drawn downwardly to a point beneath the abdomen. Upon release of the member 4|, the upward elastic forces created by the

several sections

45, 46 and 41, as well as the band 5|, will produce a desirable uplift effect upon the abdomen. The hooks and eyes MM, 402, 403 and 404 may then be fastened and the slider 38 drawn downwardly to close the opening in the front of the garment.

The variable elasticity of the sections of the belt 4| provides a very desirable distribution of the forces applied to the abdomen. A very firm upward tension is applied beneath the abdomen while light pressures are created at higher points. If the belt were of uniform elasticity throughout, an excessive and quite objectionable inward pressure would be applied. The improved arrangement is such, furthermore, that all portions of the belt cling nicely to the body and no objectionable bulging takes place.

While an illustrative form of the invention has been described in considerable detail, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made without departing from the general principles and scope of the invention. The terms and expressions used herein have been used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation.

What I claim is:

1. In a garment of the class described a body encircling member including a front section, an abdominal belt secured to said front section, said belt being of substantially uniform width throughout its length and comprising elastic material of progressively increasing elasticity in the direction of its length from top to bottom of the belt and being thereby arranged to produce a progressively increasing tension around the body from top to bottom of the belt, and means exerting an upward, yielding pull upon said belt adjacent its center.

2. In a garment of the class described a body encircling member including a front section, an abdominal belt secured to said front section, said belt comprising elastic material of progressively increasing elasticity in the direction of its length from top to bottom of the belt and being thereby arranged to produce a progressively increasing tension around the body from top to bottom of the belt, and a longitudinally elastic tape connecting the center portion of said. belt with a higher portion of said front section and arranged to apply an upward pull to said belt.

3. In a garment of the class described a body encircling member including a front section, an abdominal belt secured to said front section, said belt comprising two sections of elastic material angled downwardly from the side edges of said front section and united adjacent the vertical center line of said front section, the elastic in said belt being of progressively increasing elasticity in the direction of its length from top to bottom of the belt and being thereby arranged to produce a progressively increasing tension around the body from the upper to the lower edge of the belt, and an elastic tape extending from the upper edge of said belt adjacent said vertical center line to a higher point on said front section for exerting a yielding, upward pull upon said belt.

4; A garment of the class described comprising front, side and back sections connected to form a body encircling member, an abdominal supporting belt mounted in said front section and extending from a point adjacent one side of the garment to a point adjacent the other side thereof, said belt having its ends secured to said front section, an elastic tapeconnecting a point on said belt with a higher point on said front section and tending to restore said belt to its normal position, and closable means enabling access to said belt through said front section whereby said belt may be drawn downwardly and said tape tensioned.

WALDEMAR KOPS.