US2622244A - Brassiere - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 23, 1952 5, s, ALBERTS 2,622,244

' BRASSIERE Original Filed Aug. 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR SYDNEY S. ALBERTS W fmgz W0 1i d 641mm H ATTORNEYS S. S. ALBERTS Dec. 23, 1952 BRASSIERE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 10, 1946 INVENTOR SYDNEY s. AliBERTS BY {M WW 6%.

,q/s ATTORNEYS v S. S. ALBERTS Dec. 23, 1952 BRASSIERE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Aug. 10, 1946 FIG. 7

FIG. 8

INVENTOR SYDNEY S. ALBERTS Isl/ ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE 2,622,244 BRASSIERE Sydney S. Alberts, Yonkers, N. Y.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to womens garments and has for its object to provide a garment such as a brassiere, corselette, (or other garments incorporating bust cups or breast pockets) of improved construction. More particularly the invention relates to garments of this kind wherein the breast pockets are reinforced along their margins by means of stays of stiff wire or other stiff resilient or spring-like material. Still more particularly the invention relates to such garments in which stays for the individual pockets are consituted of portions of a single stay member which is resilient throughout its length.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 689,688, filed August 10,

1946, now Patent No. 2,508,355, dated May 23, 1950. Heretofore it has been the practice to make such garments by hand, that is to say, the application of the stay member to the fabric portion of the garment has involved a considerable amount of hand labor, with the result that the cost has been excessive. The stay was combined with the fabric portion of the garment in the early stages of manufacture and costly hand labor was required to stitch the stay to the garment, the garment being built around the stay, somewhat as a custom made garment would be made. The aim of the present invention is to provide a garment construction, including such stay member or wire, which is susceptible of being manufactured on a quantity production basis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment construction which does not require the combining of the stay member with the garment until the garment is finished, or practically finished, so that the garment can be manufactured inexpensively by conventional production methods which do not involve building the garment around the stay member by hand sew- 111%.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment of the class described which is constructed to facilitate removal and replacement of the stay member in connection with the laundering of the garment.

The invention will be understood from a consideration of the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example two embodiments of the improved garment, and also illustrate the method of manufacture. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a brassiere of the strapless bandeau type embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section taken on. line 2-2. of .F a.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a stay member;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating three steps in assembling the garment;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 1, of a modified form of brassiere;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified stay member; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the garment of Fig. 7 in position as worn.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings and first to Fig. l, the brassire I is provided with two substantially circular pocket portions 2 and 3 individually shaped to enclose the breasts of the wearer. These pocket portions may be made of any suitable fabric and they are connected together at the longitudinal center of the garment in any suitable way, as for example, by means of a section 4 of fabric having an upward extension 5 for a purpose which will appear later. At the outer sides of pockets 2, 3 are attached substantially triangular extensions 6 and l, and secured to the ends of these extensions are elastic tapes 8, 8 and a releasable and adjustable connection 9, 9 to hold the garment in place in the usual way.

Commencing at the center of the garment adjacent fabric section 4 and extending along the peripheries of pocket sections 2 and 3 there are two channels I 0, [0 which may be placed on either the inside or the outside of the garment. As shown in Fig. 2 these channels are constructed by attaching a tape II along the margin of the material constituting the pocket sections 2, 3. Tape H has its opposite margins I2, I2 folded inwardly against the opposite surfaces of the material of the pocket section, and the tape itself is folded at [3 along its longitudinal center line around the peripheral edge of the pocket sections.

The tape is secured by two lines of stitching l4 placed one adjacent the inner, and the other adjacent the outer, edge of tape II. This leaves a channel I0 (Fig. 2) between the tape and the surface of the material of the pocket section. The two channels l0, [9 of pocket sections 2 and 3 are open at their inner adjacent ends I5, i! but are closed by stitching at their opposite ends l8 and I9.

It will be understood that instead of applying a folded tape, such as tape II, in order to form the space or channel In, this channel can be formed by suitably folding and stitching the material of which the pockets 2 and 3 are made, or the channel may be constructed in any other desirable way. Also, as garment I has been described, channel I 0 follows the seam between the pocket portions 2, 3 and their respective triangular extensions 6 and l, the latter being cut from pieces of material which are separate from the material of pockets 2 and 3. It will be understood, however, that if desired each of the pockets and its adjacent triangular extension may be made of one piece of material.

The single stay member is shown at 211 and has two symmetrical halves or arms 2 i, 22 connected together by a short cross-piece 23. The ends 25 of the two arms may each be bent into the form of a closed eye forming a, rounded enlargement at each end. When the stay member 2!] is in place in the garment shown in Fig. 1, the arm portions 21 and 22 occupy the two channels it, ill of pocket sections 2 and 3 respectively, the ends 26 extending to the ends l8 and is of the channels which are disposed substantially vertically above the centers of the two pocket sections. Cross-piece 23 extends between the two adjacent opposite ends it and I! of the channels and may be concealed, as for example, by means of extension of fabric section which is arranged to be folded over and secured in place, e. g., by means of a snap iastner 25, 25.

Stay member 26 is stiif and resilient and may be made of spring steel or other material of somewhat similar stillness and resiliency. Its ends 26, before the stay is placed in the garment, occupy positions somewhat higher and somewhat nearer each other than after being placed within the channels it, as may be seen by comparing Fig. 3 and Fig. l. The upper edges of pocket portions 2 and 3 between the ends it; and is of the channels and the center of the garment are stretched and held taut by the resiliency of stay 2%).

The combining of the stay and garment is illustrated in Figs. e, 5 and 6. The first step is to fold the two halves of the garment so as to bring the two pocket sections 2 and 3 and the two channels it, it? into substantially parallel relation with one another, in which position they may be held for example by means of the left hand, with the index finger inserted just below fabric section l which connects the two pocket sections. Stay member is grasped by the right hand either before or after folding the garment as just described and is bent to bring its two halves or arms 2| into approximately parallel relation and may be held by the right hand as shown in Fig. l. The ends 2:3 are then inserted in the open ends 5 t and ll of channels it, and slid part way into the channels.

If desired stay 22 may be pushed all the way into channels it, but when the ends 2 5 have been pushed into about the distance shown in Fig. 5 the resiliency of stay 25 causes the arms to spread apart and propel the stay into channels it. This self-propulsion will continue, the arms 25 and 22 sliding through the fingers until the insertion of the stay is almost complete, with only a short portion, about as shown in Fig. 6, still remaining to be pushed in by the operator. The operator then closes the ends of channels it in any convenient manner as, e. g., byfolding a tab extension 5 over cross-piece 23 and closing the snap fastener 25, 25, to complete the assembly.

It will be observed that the stillness and resiliency of stay as is such that, although the two halves or" the stay can be bent by the hands into parallelism, as shown in Fig. 4, when the arms are released the resiliency is sufficient to maintain the garment substantially flat, that is to stay stretched out into bust-conforming posi tion, approximately as shown in Fig. 6, where the inside portion of the garment is given a concave curvature to conform generally with the shape of the wearers body.

In Fig. 1 the invention has been illustrated in connection with a bandeau garment of the strapless type in which the seams or hems along the lower edges of the two extensions 5 and 1 constitute in efiect a band fitting snugly around the body, and the upper outline of the garment being maintained in proper position by the stillness of the stay member 26. In Fig. 7 the invention is illustrated in connection with a long line type of brassire which is provided with shoulder straps and in which the stay member 29m is shorter.

In this modification the garment comprises a comparatively Wide band portion, consisting of two side sections 25 and an intermediate central elastic section El. The side sections 26 are provided with the usual fastening devices 23 by means of which the garment may be fastened together at the rear to hold it in place. The pocket sections 2m and 3m are stitched along substantially arcuate seams in part to side sections 28 and in part to mid-section 2'1. Along these seams there also extend the two channels Him, mm which may be formed by the application of a strip of tape 25 over the circular seams, this tape being held in place by two lines of stitches 33 along its marginal edges.

Inasmuch as stay member 29m is shorter than stay 28 channels 53m may be terminated short of the top centers 3! of the pocket sections, although from a manufacturing standpoint it may be simpler to continue the channels to the tops of the pockets as is the case in Fig. l. Shoulder straps 32 are attached at the top centers ti and at the proper points at the rear of the two side sections 2%. The inner ends of channels [em are open as before, as indicated at Him and lim, and after the stay has been put in place, its upper portion may be concealed by means of a flap extension 5m which is held in place as previously described.

In this form of garment the two pocket sections 2m and tm are interconnected by means of elastic insert 2i, as well as by fabric section 4m which is preferably but not necessarily inelastic. The method of assembling stay 22m in channels Him is similar to that described above. The length of the arm portions 21m and 22m can be varied as desired.

Although the upper edges 33 of pockets 2m and 3122 between the top center points 3! of the pockets and the longitudinal center of the garment (also the similar edges of the garment of Fig. l) are shown as being straight, it will be understood that they may have a circular 01' other curved outline as desired. Also it may be understood that the pocket sections of either the garment of Fig. 1 or Fig. '7 although shown as being made of one piece of material, may be of the two piece type, that is with the lower pocket sections of somewhat heavier or stiffer material than the upper or of any other suitable material, or style, as dictated by the fashion of the time.

Because of the stiffness of arm members Elm and 22m and the width of the band sections 26,

21 of the garment of Fig. 7, there is'atendency for the lower portions of the two pocket sections to hang away'fro'm the body. This tendon shown in' Fig 9, in'orderfor' the lower portions of pocket sections 2m and 3m to fit snugly against the body, as at 34, it is necessary that elastic insert 21 be stretched along its lower edge to a greater extent than in its upper portion. The stretch or extension of this material in the upper part of section 21 between the pocket sections enables the pocket sections to be brought into proper fitting relation to the breasts. This is provided for in the garment in Fig. l by the flexing of stay member 23.

The modified form of stay member 26m is shown as being provided with a properly tempered spring loop 35 in its connecting cross-piece 23m so as to facilitate the bending together of the two halves or arms of the stay member during the assembly operation,

It will be understood that Whenever reference is made in the appended claim to the peripheries of breast pockets, it is to the boundary of that portion of the pocket intended actually to enclose the breast which is referred to rather than to the pattern or seam of the pocket which may be square or rectangular or oblong and may extend beyond the channels I 9.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular forms which have been illustrated and described above by way of example, but may be variously modified within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a garment of the class described, a pair of interconnected pockets adjacent one another shaped to receive the breasts, channels extending along the peripheries of said respective pockets, said channels having entrance openings adjacent each other substantially at the center of garment, a unitary stay member stiff and resilient from end to end and having two connected symmetrical arm portions shaped to conform substantially to the shape of the channels of said respective pockets, one of said arms being positioned in each of said channels when the garment is worn to maintain the garment in bustconforming position, a cross piece interconnecting said arms at the center of the garment, said arms being constructed and arranged for removal and i e-introduction through said channel openings when the arms are folded upon one another, and a single tab connected to the garment at the center thereof and foldable to close the said channel openings and at the same time to serve as a cover for the cross piece of said stay member.

SYDNEY S. ALBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,303 Alberts Jan. 29, 1935 2,131,357 Tachat Sept. 27, 1938 2,388,535 Gluckin Nov. 6, 1945 2,508,355 Alberts May 23, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 548,177 France Oct. 13, 1922 781,297 France Feb. 18, 1935

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