US2595088A - Brace for lady's garment - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1952 A. LlCHT BRACE FOR LADYS GARMENT 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Aug. 12, 1947 INVENTOR. Anna Lz'cfii April 29, 1952 A L T BRACE FOR LADYS GARMENT Filed Aug. 12, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 JNVENTOR. Anna Lia/22 Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE- 2 Claims.

The present invention is concerned with a ladys garment of the bust covering type, including a brassiere, a corselet top, a bathing or swim suit, a play suit, a bare shoulder dress, halter, i. e., a garment that fastens around the neck and drapes the torso to cover the bust, a dickey or vestee, i. e., a garment with or without a back and that is tailored toward the shoulders and neck, a bust shaped slip, an inner lining introduced specifically for bust control, a formal evening dress, and a piece of fabric, either square or triangular to be draped around the bust.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a compact, simple and inexpensive brace attachment or accessory for such garment which may be readily applied thereto, both for the type of garment equipped with shoulder straps as well as for the strapless type of garment, which may be so applied either by the manufacturer or by the wearer to convert a garment of otherwise conventional type into one that affords adequate support and improved appearance to the wearer, which attachment may be readily adapted by the wearer to the particular outline desired, and which admits of ready removal of the stiffening brace elements for laundering of the garment and facility for readily reinserting such brace for use.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

I tratively made of a ribbon of bias-cut fabric.

vFig. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the brace attachment unit,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but shown applied to the garment and showing a portion of the sheath ripped open and part of the brace withdrawn therefrom,

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional detail views on a larger scale, taken respectively on lines 3-3, 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a strap type brassiere with the accessory attached,

Fig. 7 is a similar view of a strapless type of brassiere,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the mode of attaching the accessory to a brassire,

Fig. 9 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 of the attachment side of an alternative form of brace,

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view thereof on a larger scale taken on line IIl-I0 of Fig. 9, and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of a garment with I The length of said ribbon is transversely folded at I2 at its middle and the lateral edges thereof are stitched together and the sheath thus formed is turned inside out for infold at I I and concealment of said stitches as at I3. The sac thus formed, closed at the folded end I2 and open at the opposite end I4 has longitudinal lines of stitching I5 therethrough defining a tunnel I6 therebetween for the brace B to be now described and defining webs I1 laterally of the tunnel for attachment to the garment. Desirably transverse stitching I8 is provided across the open end I4 of the sheath, save between the lines of stitching I5.

The brace B is an arcuate member of suitable wire, naked or covered, or of plastic or other material of sufiicient stifiness'to be form-sustaining and of sufficient plasticity to admit of slight deformation by hand for adaptation to the particular form of the wearer. The arcuate brace when introduced into the tunnel I6 of the sheath causes that sheath by virtue of the bias-cut of its fabric to become neatly curved without objectionable wrinkling, to the arcuate conformation of the brace B itself.

A preferred form of brace is of the type generally described in my prior patent, Reissue No. 22,771, dated July 16, 1946. In general this brace comprises a unitary piece of stainless steel wire, preferably of about I5 gauge, which is conformed into a narrow loop of arcuate outline, the convexity of one length or span I9 thereof being nested in the concavity of the companion length or span 20 thereof, the ends of said lengths or spans being connected by unitary hairpin turns 2I, as shown. The substantially abutting extremities 22 of the unitary piece of wire are disposed adjacent one of the hairpin turns and preferably along the inner or nested span I 9, as shown. Desirably the wire ends are maintain-ed assembled by a sheet metal clip constituting a web 23 bridging across one face of the double wire brace near one end thereof, and having unitary end loops 24 snugly embracing the ends of the wire of the respective spans I9 and 2B and straddling the substantially abutting extremities 22 of the wire piece. Thereby'the separation or breakage of the wire brace at or near the points of abutment is precluded and requisite stiffness is afforded near that extremity thereof at which the wire ends abut. Moreover the web of the clip affords a convenient surface for commercial markings.

It will'be obvious that the manufacturer of the garment can readily attach the sheath b stitching the attachment webs I! of the sheath to the garment along the border of the breast cups, with the accessory completely assembled, that is with the brace B in place in its tunnel l6, and imparting to the latter the curvature of the brace.

When the sheath I is attached beneath the bust, the brace is suitable for the type of garment having shoulder straps 25 as shown in Fig. 6 while, when attached laterally and preferably between the breasts as shown, the accessory pair affords adequate support for the strapless type of garment, as shown in Fig. 7. Of course, the latter mode of attachment could be used if desired also with the strap type of garment shown in Fig. 6.

By the arrangement set forth, the brace serves as a template for facilitating the correct attachment of the sheath to the garment and, in wear, affords the support desired. Yet the brace is readily removable from the garment by pulling it out from the sheath through the. open end I4 thereof to facilitate laundering or for wear under conditions when the brace support is not desired. The removed brace .may be readily reinserted after laundering of the garment, and without injury to the sheath since the rounded end thereof will readily pass along the tunnel of the sheath without danger of ripping the fabric or threads thereof.

In one important application of the invention, the brace unit, substantially as shown in Fig. l, is sold in pairs at retail as an article of manufacture for convenient attachment bythe ultimate wearer to garments such as brassires, bathing suits, slips, playsuits and evening dresses that are not so equipped.

As best shown in Fig. 8, the attachment is effected by the wearer donning the garment turned inside out, removing the braces from their sheaths, conforming each to the particular shape of the corresponding breast outline .by positioning it under or between the breasts, depending on whether the form of garment shown in Fig. 6 or that shown in Fig. '7 is desired and drawing with a light chalk or pencil mark between the two spans of the wire loop brace along each breast. Thereupon the braces are reintroduced into their respective sheaths I0 and the sheaths are stitched to the inner face of the garments at 26, symmetrically of the chalk or pencil line previously marked thereon. The garment is thus equipped with its braces and ready for wear, with all of the advantages above pointed out of the brace-equipped garment produced by the manufacturer. i

In Figs. 9 and 10 is shown an alternative form of sheath in which the ply of fabric that is innermost or toward the bodyis of velour or like pile-fabric to afford protection which, while not needed with the wire loop type of brace shown and described, is useful where other types of wire braces such for instance asthose made of a single span of wire are used. Of course the velour backed type of sheath could be used, if desired, with the preferred wire loop type of brace shown and described. I

The sheath shown in Figs. 9 and 10 comprises a ribbon of velour 2| and a companion ribbon 2B of bias-cut lining type fabric -of ;si1k,- cotton or rayon. Desirably the velour ribbon is wider than the companion ribbon and is infolded laterally as at 29 with the lateral; folded edges thereof overlapping the infoldedborderspf the lining fabric. The two ribbons of fabric are stitched together by lines of stitching 3| adjacent the lateral edges of the thin and narrower ribbon 30 which pass through both the infolded border 29 and the main area of the velour ribbon 21. A transverse line of stitching 32 at one end determines the bottom of the tunnel or sac between the lines of stitching 3|. The brace B when inserted in the tunnel between the stitches 3| is accommodated between the double thickness of velour at the lateral edges and the sheath conforms itself, in the manner above described, in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5, to the curvature of the brace inserted therein. The brace is accommodated in the tunnel between the double border thickness of velour that flanks it at each side. The present embodiment of attachment is applied to the garment and used in substantially the same manner as the other embodiment previously described.

In Fig. 11 is shown a continuous seamless tubular sheath consisting preferably of a unitary braided tube 35 that may alternatively be of knitted jersey, and is of effective width such as to fit with little clearance about the enclosed brace B". The original straight braided tube is stitched closed at one end and will of course adapt itself to the curvature of the brace in substantially the same way as the other embodiments of tube. The tube 35 is stitched to the fabric of the garment by stitches 36 laterally of the tube. If desired, the braid may be somewhat wider than the brace and a separate line of stitching substantially like that at l5 in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 may define the tunnel for accommodating the brace.

In Fig. 11 is also shown a modification of the brace structure. Instead of the separate clip, the extremities of the unitary length of wire are spaced from each other but abut lateral portions of the wire to which said extremities are welded. Specifically one end of the wire of the brace has an inturned toe 31 extending from the nested span Hi, to abut as at 38 the other span 20' of the wire brace loop and near the hairpin turn end 2 I thereof. The other extremity of the wire length abuts as at 38" the root of the toe 31. Preferably the extremities of the wire are welded to the contiguous portions of the wire length, as suggested by the black shading. Thus the wire brace is continuous without gaps, affords a firm construction atthe welded portion, and dispenses with the need for the clip shown in'the other embodiment.

While the sheath in each of its embodiments is shown on the drawings as stitched to the garment near both lateral edges thereof, it is within the scope of the invention and frequently preferred,'to so stitch or otherwise fasten the sheath only at the convex edge thereof, i. e., the lower edge in Fig. 6 and the corresponding or inner edge in Fig. 7. Thus the brace is free to hinge outward about the seam and will adapt itself to the convex protrusion of the breast, and this arrangement is quite advantageous except possibly for a particularly stout person.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention what I 5 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A bust supporting attachment for ladies garments comprising an arcuatebrace', a sheath therefor comprising a length of lining type fabric having its lateral edges inturned, a length of velour type fabric of width greater than the lining type fabric having its edges inturried to protrude laterally beyond the superposed; liner type fabric, said fabrics being stitched together near one end thereof and at the inturned'edges thereof with the outer folded edge of the liner fabric superposed over and exposing part of" the width of the inturned edge of the velour ty e fabric at each side thereof, whereby the sheath when laterally stitched to the inside ofjthe garment with the velour fabric against the bo'dy will retain the brace in operative position, and whereby the brace may be removed from the open end of the sheath for laundering and reinserted for use.

2. A bust supporting attachment for 'a garment comprising an arcuate brace, a sheath therefor, comprising two lengths of ribbon, the longitudinal edges of said lengths being connected and said lengths being transversely joined at one end of the sheath to form a sac, the inserted arcuate brace imparting its arcuate form to the sheath, said sheath comprising lateral webs for attachment thereof to the garment, said sheath having REFERENCES CITED 'Thefollowing references are of record in the file of" this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,303. Alberts Jan. 29, 1935 2,045,401 Mowry June 23, 1936 2,347,578 Roher Apr. 25, 1944 2,414,590 Folb Jan. 21, 1947 2,420,593 Gluckin May 13, 1947 2,426,959 Warner Sept. 2, 1947 2,432,910 Licht Dec. 16, 1947 "2,438,062 Licht Mar. 16, 1948 2,446,437 Schoebel Aug. 3, 1948 2,483,273 Gluckin -Sept. 27, 1949 2,484,219 Glick Oct. 11, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 805,277 France Apr. 22, 1936

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