US2344237A - Foundation garment - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1944. H. J. DUBNER.

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed June 25. 1943 My gwon.

Patented Mar. 14, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v FOUNDATION GARMENT Harry Jay Dubner, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Application June 25, 1943, Serial No. 492,201

7 Claims.

This invention relates to foundation garments and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a gar- -ment or device especially adapted for women having small busts to give them proper support and shaping for the bust.

I have observed that while many styles and constructions of brassieres and the like are known, none is well adapted to suit the needs of a woman having a very small bust, and the solution is not to be found in merely reducing the size of the bust receiving pockets, because the personality of the individual must be considered. The fitting of the brassire pockets to the small bust is best attained if adjustability is provided, because the small bust lacks the flexibility necessary with brassires made merely to standard sizes.

To my knowledge, the best attempt at a solution of the problem is that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,313,811 issued March 16, 1943, but this Was rather expensive to make, lacked the conventional appearance, and caused upward and lateral pressure or confining action on the bust only through the medium of the pocket wall, with consequent excessive distortion and wrinkling of the pocket wall. Hence the brassiere often looked crumpled up, and caused discomfort to the delioate tissues of the bust.

Other devices have been used to cause lateral and downward or upward pressure to cause the bust to wholly fill the pocket, but'these are satisfactory only with larger busts and would cause discomfort with small busts by reason of the buckles or other devices employed, and detract from the desired appearance because of excessive wrinkles produced. Even if means are em ployed to shape the pocket to the bust, the result is practical only with relatively large busts, if excessive distortion, wrinkling andungainly effects are to be avoided.

With the present invention, a plurality of well shaped pockets are used, of any desired form, and a plurality of adjustably tensioned bands converge downwardly within the pocket, the major portions of the said bands being free to directly upwardly and laterally bear on the bust to confine the lower part thereof with only a minor change in shape of the walls, the bust being in contact with the walls as it overflows the bands. Therefore, the lower, halves of the pocket walls may be regarded as shields over the bands. Since a common adjusting device is provided for individually adjusting the companion bands of each pocket from a point external of the pocket, the

tendency to provide wrinkling or uneven bulging of the pocket wall is avoided, and adjustment can be efiected while the garment is worn in the normal manner whereby a rather precise condition, appearance and eiiect is quickly obtained, with the contour lines of the pockets including the bottom portions thereof flowing onto the body of the wearer.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a foundation garment having the advantages above mentioned.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a foundation garment having improved means whereby the bust may be shaped and supported.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing a garment, such as a brassiere, embodying the invention, with parts removed.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary like view loo-king at the inside thereof, with a pair of bands released.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a buckle used to adjust the bands.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary greatly enlarged sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. .5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, showing the central band anchorage schematically.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

' It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, Hl denotes any garment, for instance, a brassiere, embodying the invention. The same may be made toextend around the body to afford a front wall ll having a plurality of bustv receiving pockets .12,

and supported as by shoulder straps I3. Without being limited thereto, a specific structure may include a plurality of wall elements l4 interconnected by a central panel [5, whereby seams I6 may be formed to concave the wall elements l4.

ther such seams i! may provide additional concaving, and shaping, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Connected to the walls M are the wings I8, the ends of which may be interconnected by fastening means such as a hook l9, and one, of, a plurality of eyes 20, the latter on a band 2|. Elastic gussets may be arranged at 22, and an elastic insert may be provided at 23. Suitable reenforcement strips may be provided at various seams and edges, as shown in Fig. 2, for instance at the top and bottom of. the brassiere at 24, at 28 where the panel I5 is connected to the walls It; at 21 where the Wings [8 are connected to the walls It; and also at 28 at the shaping seams l1,

Connected to. the pocket walls. I4 at the sides thereof are a plurality of bands for each pocket. The pointsof connection at 30b,.3!lc are substantially midway between the top and bottom of the pocket, and adequate seourement is obtained with the aid of the seaming strips 26' and 21. As secured, the bands 3i! tend to lie. fiatwise within the pockets, and to thus downwardly converge to a central point at the bottom of each pocket. At this point, an opening 3.! is formed, with the seaming strips 28 affording a suitable-reenforcing or finishing for the openings 31. Through each opening are passed a pair of the corresponding bands 30 to extend at the outside. or frontof the pocket. The end portions of the bands are engaged in a conventional friction buckle 32, which produces a rather fiat anchorage indicated as a whole at 33, with the end portions 30a projecting in an ornamental manner. The anchorage 33 or the buckle 32 are too large to pass through the hole 3!, and are free and unsecured to the wall M, being merely caused to bear on said wall by the tension of the bands 33. The arrangement is highly eifective when the garment is worn and supported by the body of the wearer. For laundering, the buckles 32 are easily removed.

In use, the wearer operates the anchorage 33 to adjust the tension on the bands 30 to suit her particular bust size and to. suit her comfortand ideas of style and appearance. When she wears the garment the effect is neat and decorative, as may be seen in Fig; 1; the anchorage is external and hence will not press on the bust; and the adjustment can be made as fine as desired, while the garment is being worn. The. symmetry and form of, the, top edge of, the garment is undisturbed, andthere are nostraps to show through the bosom opening of the garment.

When properly tensioned, the bands 30 bear upwardly on the bust and have a lateral confining action thereon to urge the bust to fill into the central and upper region of the pockets. Being relatively wide, the bands will not cut into the bust. Since they are. largely free of. the walls I4, the bands 30 follow their own paths and may be spaced away from these walls as shown inFig. 5, due to the tension on the bands. In other words, the bands form chords for the adjacent are shaped portions of the pockets. Thus thebust can be shaped with very little or not noticeable distortion of the pockets on a different sense, the lower halves of the pocket walls may be regarded as shields over the bands to confine the flesh that tends to overlie. the bands and to support and shape the excess of fatty tissue thus created.

I claim:

1. A foundation garment having a pair of bust receiving pockets, each pocket having its wall provided with an opening, downwardly convergent bands for each pocket connected at one end to said wall at the side edges of the pocket in spaced relation to said opening, said bands lying in the concavity of the pocket and extending through said opening to the front or outer side of said wall, and. a single means at the outer side of said wall for adjustably tensioning said bands, said means including a member engaging the bands and being too large to pass through said opening and thus abutting the wall to maintain the tension on the bands when the garment is in use, whereby the adjustment can be made while the garment is snugly applied about the body of the-wearer.

2'. A foundation garment having bust receiving pockets, the wall for each pocket having a hole, a plurality of band portions for each pocket connected to the wall at the side edges of the pocket, in spaced relation to said hole, said band portions lying within the. concavity of the pocket and extending through said hole to the front side of said wall, and means, interengaging and individually adjustably tensioning said band portions to prevent accidental withdrawal of the band portions from the hole, whereby the bands can be adjusted while the garment is worn in the normal manner.

3. A foundation garment according to claim 2 wherein said means includes a member too large to pass through said hole, and being thus in abutment against said wall under the tension of the band portions.

4. A foundation garment having bust receiving pockets, a pair of bands within each pocket connected to the wall thereof at the sides of the pocket at points at least at the elevation of the center of the pocket and extending thence downwardly and toward each other, said wall having an opening at the central, bottom portion of each pocket, the bands passing through said opening to the outside of. the pocket, only a single buckle interconnecting the bands and lying on the outside of the pocket and being too large to pass through said opening, said bands being otherwise free of said wall so as to be capable of lying under tension in spaced relation to portions of said wall, said buckle having means for slidingly adjustably tensioning, the bands and lying against said wall to maintain the tension of the bands when the garment is in use.

5. A foundation garment having a wall having bust receiving pockets, a plurality of bands for each pocket, the wall of each pocket having a central opening at the bottom portion of the pocket, the bands being respectively connected to opposite sides of the pocket so that both lie within the pocket and. converge downwardly tov pass outwardly through said opening, said bands being adjustably tensioningly secured on. the outside of. the pocket, the bands being otherwise free of the said wall so as to form chords for adjacent arcuate portions of the pocket to be thus adapted to, directly engage the bust to afford a bottom support and a lateral confining action to-urge the bust into the central and upper portions of the pocket.

6. A foundation garment according to claim 5 including a member of rigid material larger than said opening for adjustably tensioning the bands, with the member being held against said wall by the tension of the bands.

7. A foundation garment having bust receiving pockets, a plurality of bands for each pocket connected to the wall thereof at different side edges of the pocket, common adjusting fastener means for slidably adjustably interconnecting otherwise free end portions of the bands at a point intermediate of their connections to said wall, said wall having an opening therethrough remote from the points of connection with said wall, so that the bands form an angle with each other and are free of said wall at all points intermedi- HARRY JAY DUBNER.

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