US2408723A

US2408723A - Undergarment

Info

Publication number: US2408723A
Application number: US583632A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard G Arpin; Helen G Arpin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-03-19
Filing date: 1945-03-19
Publication date: 1946-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1963-10-08

Description

Oct. 8, 1946.V

L. G. ARPIN Erm.

UNDERGARMENT Filed March 19, l1945 IN VEN TORS AT ORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1 946 Leonard G. Arpin and Helen G. Arpin, MontclairN. J.

Application March 19, 1945, Serial No. 583,632

This invention'relate's to undergarments of the type commonly known as shorts One of the objects of this invention is to provide an unusual degree of comfort in .the wearing of these garments, this advantage being obtainable in hot as Well as'vcold environments.

Another object of this invention isto combine the above mentioned feature with extreme simplicity of construction and conservation of material.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple means of automatically converting the area of fabric at the crotch, from a series of bunched and uncomfortable folds to a Well formed front crotch portion possessing an unusual degree of comfort and conformity to the anatomical requirements of the wearer.

Other objects of this invention rwill become apparent from .the following description it being understood that the above general statements of the objects of .this invention are intended to describe and not to limit it in any manner.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a plan View of a strip of cloth material before being folded and connected to form the nished garment.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of .the nished garment.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the garment as worn.

T he strip of cloth material I is folded and sewn at its ends to produce the usual hems II and I2. A fly I3 is provided, although it may be omitted if desired. Elastic tapes I4 and I5 are sewn to one end of the Icloth strip and, when.,

sewn to the other end, form the waist engaging portion of the. garment as illustrated in Figure 2.

The important feature of this invention is the provision and disposition of pleated tucks or shirring I6 formed at the side edges of the garment as seen in Figure 1,

Referring to Figure 2, the folded strip is seen to provide a back member B and a front member F. The series of pleated tucks are located substantially on the lower half of the front member but preferably, although not necessarily, do not extend to the bottom edge 4of said front member F.

Whereas the strip of fabric I!) is initially a planar member with straight edges, .the provision of the pleated tucksY causes the treated side edges to .curve inwardly, reducing the width of the garment at that area. However, since .the material between the pleated side edges remains unpleated,

so that the side edges are shortened in relation to the length of the central portion of said area,

3 Claims. (ci. 2-224l this area is necessarily ormedwith a fullness which provides the advantages hereinafter set forth.

The area defined by the pleated side edges will be referred to herein as the crotch portion, its shape being arranged to :conform to the anatomicalA requirements of a male wearer although a `female may use the garment as well.

The simpleprovision of the pleated side edges results in many unexpected advantages. For eX- ample, this treatment of the side edges causes them to curve inwardly thereby conforming to the curvature of the torso adjacent to the top inner edge of the thigh. Tins curvature is de sirable only until the eXtreme bottom of the crotch is reached whereupon the pleating ceases and the garment is permitted to fan out as it approaches the posterior of the wearer.

In addition, the unpleated area between the Side edges achieves a fullness at the `crotch portion which is contributed to by two effects. First, since the area is unple-ated between the shortened side edges, the excess of material contributes to this fullness. This may be called a longitudinal contribution since the material comes from the greater length of the unpleated in relation to the pleated areas. Second, the inward curvature of the side edges contribute thereto in what may be called a lateral manner. Finally, the combinationof these contributions produce a result of forming an excellent pouch of concave-convex cross section as illustrated in Figure 3. The curved side edges are automatically drawn up in luse so that the genitals are shielded from the thighs of the wearer and thus from the perspiration annoyances caused by disregard of this requirement. It has been found that the pleated side edges tend to assume this position without manifesting -a tendency to bunch between the genitals and the thighs. This tendency of the side edges to draw up into a comfortable position is attributable to the reduced width and form tting nature of .the crotch portion automatically achieved by the pleating operation.

The conformity of the garment to the fundamental requirements of such articles is achieved with a minimum of labor as well as material and the effectiveness of the garment While avoiding excessive material makes it highly desirable in tropical or similar climates.

While it is obvious that the dimensions of the garment may vary somewhat according to the size of the wearer, we have found that a width of material about 11 inches and a folded length of about 15 inches (referring to the garment as shown in Figure 2), provides a garment useable over a wide range of conventional wearing sizes.

We have shown a, preferred embodiment of our invention, but it is obvious that numerous changes and omissions may be made without departing from its spirit.

What is claimed is:

1. An undergarment comprising a unitary strip of fabric folded upon itself to form front and back members, the ends of said folded strip being interconnected to form waist engaging means, and a crotch portion formed on said front member, said crotch portion being defined by an area of said front member having pleated side edges whereby said pleated side edges are vcurved inwardly in relation to the unpleated side edges of said front member so as to conform to the bottom torso curvature of a wearer, said pleated side edges forming said crotch portion of less width and greater fullness than the remainder of the undergarment.

2. An undergarment comprising a strip of material folded upon itself to form front and back members, elastic strips interconnecting said members to form a waist engaging portion, a crotch portion integral with said front member, said crotch portion being defined by an area of said front member having pleated tucks formed on the side edges .thereof to shorten the normal length of the material at said side edges and to cause said side edges to yCurve inwardly in relation to the unpleated edges of said front member reducing the width of said front member at said area and causing Ithe central portion oi said area to assume a fullness relative to said pleated side edges, said inward curvature causing said crotch portion to conform to the bottom torso curvature of a wearer.

3. An undergarment comprising a strip of material folded upon itself to form front and back members, elastic strips interconnecting the ends of said members to form a waist engaging portion, a crotch portion integral with said front member, said crotch portion being dened by an area of said front member having pleated .tucks formed on the side edges thereof to shorten the normal length of the material at Said side edges and to cause said side edges to curve inwardly from their normal position reducing the Width of said front member at said area, said area being located substantially on the lower half of said front member without reaching the bottom edge thereof, the said pleated side edges of said area causing the central portion of said area to assume a fullness relative to said pleated side edges, the inward curvature of said side edges causing said crotch portion to conform to the bottom torso curvature of a wearer.

LEONARD G. ARPIN. HELEN G. ARPIN.