US2794986A

US2794986A - Ladies' bathing suits

Info

Publication number: US2794986A
Application number: US640302A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anderson Milo
Original assignee: CATALINA Inc
Current assignee: CATALINA Inc
Priority date: 1957-02-15
Filing date: 1957-02-15
Publication date: 1957-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 1974-06-11

Description

June 11, 1957 M. ANDERSON LADIES BATHING SUITS Filed Feb. 15, 1957 INVENTOR M 1:10 Anderson BY 4Z0 W1 aw ATTORNEYS United States Patent LADIES BATHING SUITS Milo Anderson, Hollywood, Calif., assignor to Catalina, Inc., a corporation of California The present invention relates to ladies bathing suits.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a ladies step-in bathing suit, comprising a bodice and a trunk, which bodice affords sufficient yield to admit of drawing the same over the hips and thus dispenses with the need for the conventional slide fastener which is especially diificult for the wearer to manipulate, particularly with a high back bathing suit, and the substantial yield of which bodice for such purpose is effected without detracting from, but on thecontrary, substantially enhancing the allure of the back of the gann ent'in wear and which garment lends itself to any desired style effect, ranging from the simple to the highly styled.

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

Fig. l is a front perspective view of the bathing suit in wear,

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a detail view in longitudinal cross-section, taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a transverse fragmentary cross-section taken on line 44 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional longitudinal view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the bathing suit is essentially of woven fabric that has substantial elasticity transversely thereof. It is preferably of elasticized faille, the filler of which is of conventional fabric covered elastic thread. The fabric need have little or no elasticity longitudinally of the garment.

The garment in common with ladies step-in bathing suits of conventional construction, has a main structure S, best shown in Fig. 1. That main structure may be of an integral piece of fabric but preferably comprises a front panel 10, to the lateral edges 11 of which are stitched side front panels 12, to the outer edges of which panels 12 are in turn stitched side back panels 13. The

panels

10, 12 and 13 are conjointly designated as the bodice portion or main structure S.

The bathing suit has a rear panel 16, stitched laterally as at 17 to the upright edges of the main structure S, in the preferred construction to the edges of the side back panels 13 of said structure. The lower portion of said rear panel 16 constitutes the back of the trunk, which includes the usual crotch portion (not shown), which in connection with the lower edges of the

panels

10, 12 and 13 forms the leg openings.

The garment may have a suitable brassiere conformation at the front, suggested at 18, and may be supported in any conventional way as by shoulder straps 19 or by resort to a wired brassiere, or in other familiar manner.

The garment as thus far described does not per se involve my invention and is substantially conventional.

My invention resides in the elastic back conformation now to be described. That conformation comprises a pair of wide obliquely crossed straps, i. e., an inner strap 20 and an outer strap 21, each of fabric preferably the same Patented June 11,1957

'ice

as the fabric of the main structure S. Each strap is desirably of rhomboid shape. It maybe in the order of 4 inches wide with its oblique ends in the order of 5 inches long, the latter stitched as at 23, to the upright edges of the main structure S and specifically to the outer edges of the side back panels 13. Essentially the entire width of the outer strap 21 at one end, illustratively the left end, as shown, extends directly above substantially the entire width of the corresponding end of the inner strap 20. Similarly, essentially the entire width of the outer strap 21 at the other or right end, extends directly below substantially the entire width of the corresponding or right end of the inner panel 20. Preferably, as shown, there is some overlap between the ends of the two crossed over

straps

20 and 21 at each end to avoid exposure of the body therebetween. The back portion of the garment including the

crossed bands

20 and 21, extends well above the waist line substantially in excess of three inches and may, as shown in the drawings, extend even to near the arm pits for a high-back bathing suit. Desirably, the same stitching by which the

straps

20 and 21 are affixed to the rest of the garment also attach the sheathed stays 22 in position at the edges of the side back panels 13. v I

The lower edge of the inner strap 20 is stitched longitudinally thereof, as at 26, along part and preferably along the entire length of the rear panel 16. Desirably as shown, that upper edge of .the rear panel 16 is cut obliquely, as shown, to extend along the oblique lower edge of strap 20, stitched thereto as previously stated, as at 26.

For adequate strength and body, each of the

straps

20 and 21 is preferably of flat tubular form so that it involves a double ply of the elastic fabric.

Desirably the inner strap 20 is of a piece of fabric approximately double the width of the strap, reversely folded at its upper edge 20' with its superposed lower edges conjointly stitched at seam 26 to the upper oblique edge of the rear panel 16.

The outer strap 21, both of the lateral edges of which are free, is preferably also of a width of fabric substantially double the width of the strap, the infolded edges of the fabric being stitched together as at 24 at the rear face of the flat tubular strap 21.

Desirably the downwardly extending end portion of each of the straps is gathered or shirred at its outer or exposed face only, as at 25, for ornamental effect, while the inner or concealed face of the double ply strap is not gathered or shirred to avoid the possibility of discomfort or excessive fullness.

To don the garment, the wearer steps in and pulls it upwardly, in which operation greatly enhanced yield is afforded by the obliquely extending crossed over longitudinally

elastic straps

20 and 21 at the rear, which readily stretch to extent adequate, in conjunction with the transverse elasticity of the garment, to permit drawing the bodice and closed back over the hips and as the bodice reaches the position of wear, the

stretched straps

20 and 21 will resiliently return, snugly to fit against the back of the wearer.

Thus the garment dispenses with the conventional slide fastener and the substantial impossibility of the unaided average wearer manipulating the same, especially in the case of a high back bathing suit. Yet, as best shown in Fig. 2, the garment, which is completely closed peripherally, fits along the back, whether a relatively low or a high back, with a decidedly ornamental and attractive effect.

As changes could be made in the above construction, and 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 in a limiting sense.

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

1. A ladies"step-in' bathing suit essentially of transversely elastic, woven fabric of considerably less elasticity longitudinally thereof, said bathing suit comprisinga front bodice portion, having upright side edges and a lower front trunk covering portion and a rear panel, thelower portion of the rear panel constituting the back trunk portion the upper. edge of said rear panel extending at least in part above the waistline, an inner obliquely extending elastic strap stitched at its lower edge tothe upper edge portion of the rear panel, said edge extending in a correspondingly oblique direction, said elastic strap being stitched at its ends along the substantially upright edges of the front bodice portion, and an outer elastic strap extending obliquely of and crossed over the inner elastic strap, symmetrically with respect thereto and stitched at one end, essentially at a level higher than the corresponding lower end of the inner strap and at its opposite end essentially at a level lower than the corresponding upper end of the inner strap, whereby the obliquely extending straps afford adequate yield of the transversely elastic garment to permit drawing the same over the hips.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, in'which the straps are of the same woven fabric as substantially the rest of the bathing suit and said straps constitute the upper back portion of the bathing suit.

3. The combination recited in claim 1, in which each of the two crossed over straps is of flat tubular form and 4 i. in which the conventional longitudinal stays at the side edges of the rear panel extend along the full length of the ends of the tubular straps.

4. The combination recited in claim 1, in which said inner strap is of flat tubular construction comprising fabric of substantially twice the width of the strap, said fabric having a longitudinal fold atits upper edge, the superposed otherwise free lower edges thereof being stitched conjointly to the upper edge portion of the rear panel.

5. The combination recited in claim 1, in which the outer of the straps consists'of a flat tubular piece of longitudinally elastic fabric, substantially double the width of the strap, having a plain exposed face, the upper and lower portions of said piece being infolded and longitudinally stitched together along the length of the strap.

6. The combination recited in claim 1, in which each of the bands is a flat tubular longitudinally elastic piece, in which the rear or concealed fiat portion of the tube is substantially fiat and in which the outer face of the flat tube is shirred along the lower end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,266,518 Sarge Dec. 16, 1941 2,431,505 Reid Nov. 25, 1947 2,497,938 Friedman Feb. 21, 1950 2,553,301 Colby May 15, 1951 2,613,357 Christensen Oct. 14, 1952