US2873744A - Girdles - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1959 P. J. MOR'ANO 2,873,744 4 GIRDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1955 lnvenTor PaTrick J. Morano Feb. 17, 1959 P. J. 'MORANO 2,873,744

7 GIRDLES Filed Dec. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ln venl'or:

Pafric/r J. Mora/2o United States Patent GIRDLES Patrick J. Morano, Newark, N. J., assignor to Even-Pal Foundations, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 6, 1955, Serial No. 551,414 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-554) This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in torso constricting and moldin undergarments, and more specifically concerns itself with structural and functional features of girdles, corsets, corselets, and the like.

The principal object of the invention is to efficiently control and shape the contour of the front abdominal and hip regions of the wearers body, this being achieved by an improved front panel construction coacting'with improved elastic side panels which extend over the hips to impart a molding action thereto in an oblique direction laterally and downwardly from the front panel.

As such, an important feature of the invention, therefore, resides in the configuration and arrangement of the elastic side panels, while another important feature lies in the specific structure of the front panel itself, the latter embodying resilient elongated reinforcing elements or bones which are arcuate in a plane parallel to the front panel and cross one another at least at one point, whereby they are better adapted to control and mold the abdominal region than straight reinforcing elements in garments of conventional types.

With the foregoing more important objects and-features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention resides in the arrangement of parts and details of construction substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention in use;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the invention per se in a developed, fiat form;

Figure 4.is a fragmentary inside elevational view, on an enlarged scale of the front portion of the garment;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 in Figure 4;

' Figure 6 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 6-6 in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional detail, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially in the plane of the line 77 in Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the reinforcing elements.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in de tail, the torso constricting and molding undergarment exemplified by a girdle is. designated generally by the reference numeral 10, it being understood, of course, that the invention is also equally adaptable to corsets, corselets, and the like. In any event,jthe garment 10 includes an abdomen encircling member having a vertically elongated front panel 11 and a pair of elastic side panels 12 which are secured to opposite side edges of the front panel and are yieldable circumferentially of the garment.

The front panel 11 is made of fabric on non-elastic material and, if desired, a back panel 13 of similar material may be interposed between the outer side or rear Patented Feb. 17, 1959 edges of the side panels 12, as shown. Moreover, a con tinuous elastic waist band 14 may be provided at the upper edges of the side panels 12 and back panel 13 flush with the upper edge of the front panel 11, as illustrated.

It is to be noted that the side panels 12 have upwardly convergent lower edges 15 and that a pair of tapered substantially triangular elastic lower panels 16 are provided thereunder, the panels 16 having downwardly divergent upper edges 17 secured by open stitching 18 to the lower edges 15 of the side panels 12, while the inner end edges 19 of the panels 16 are stitched to the opposite side edges of the front panel 11.

The lower panels 16 thus extend laterally and downwardly in an oblique direction from the front panel 11 .to the opposite sides of the garment and over the hips of the user, the tapered end portions 16a of the panels projecting rearwardly beyond the outer side edges of the side panels 12, as is best shown in Figures 2 and 3 and have the apices thereof disposed at the lower edge of the garment. The elastic material of the panels 16 is yieldable in the oblique directions in Which the panels extend as above stated, and since the panels pass over the hips and the thighs of the user, an efiicientmolding and shape controlling action of these regions will be obtained through the obliquely directed elasticity of the panel material.

With particular reference now to the accompanying Figures 4-8, it will be noted that an inner panel 20 of fabric or non-elastic material underlies the upper portion of the front panel 11, being secured thereto at the upper edge 21 and at the side edges Where the front panel is secured to the side panels 12. The lower edge 22 of the inner panel 20 is spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the front panel and is detached therefrom as indicated at 23 in Figure 5.

A set of elongated, resilient reinforcing elements or bones 24, 25, 26, 27 is carried by the inner panel 20 in elongated pockets 28, 29, 30, 31 respectively, formed by stitching narrow strips of material to the inner face of the panel 20, as is best shown in Figure 7.

As shown in Figure 8, the elements 24, 25, etc., are of the type made from closely pressed, fiat loops or coils of Wire 24a, well known in the art, the important feature being that such elements, unlike conventional bones, are resiliently bendable in the plane of their thickness as well as in the plane of their width. Accordingly, when the elements 24, 25, etc., are installed in the pockets 28, 29, etc., they are arcuated substantially as shown in Figure 4 in the plane of their width, that is, in a plane parallel to the panels 11, 20. Of course, the pockets 28, 29, etc., are arcuate in the same manner so as to sustain the reinforcing elements therein in the desired arcuate position.

While the upper end portions of the elements 24, 25, etc., are substantially parallel with each other, their lower arcuate portions are directed from one side of the vertical center line of the garment toward the other so that they are crossed at least at one point. Specifically, the pocket 28 crosses the pocket 30, the pocket 29 crosses the pocket 31 and the pockets 29, 30 cross each other. The elements 24, 27 in the pockets 28, 31 extend almost the full length of those pockets down to the points indicated at 32. However, the elements 25, 26 in the pockets 29, 30 extend only to the points 33 near the intersection of those pockets with the pockets 28, 31. Accordingly, while the pockets cross one another at three points, namely, 34, 35, 36, the reinforcing elements are crossed at only one point, namely, 34.

The laterally curved arrangement as well as the crossing of the various reinforcing elements and pockets facilitates efficient distribution of forces in the plane of the front panel of the garment, with the result that proper abdominal contour control is achieved without sacrifice of Comfort and undue bulkiness. Moreover, the directional arrangement of the reinforcing elements, as described, coacts with the oblique elasticity of the lower panels 16 in an efficient equalization of forces downwardly and to the sides of the body, that is, from the front region of thc abdoment to the hips and thighs, so that the garment as a whole is capable of excellent torso molding and shaping qualities.

Since the elements 25, 26 in the pockets 29, 3% stop short of the pockets 24, 31, respectively, unnecessary multiple crossing of the reinforcing elements is avoided, while the crossing of the pockets themselves at the points 35, 36 andcontinuation of the pockets 29, 33, downwardly beyond these points serves to provide a satisfactory amount of reinforcement in those regions.

In accordance with conventional practice, the garment is provided with the usual slide fastener 37 and hose suspenders 38, as shown.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a torso constricting and molding undergarment, an abdomen encircling member including a vertically elongated front panel, a pair of elastic side panels secured to opposite side edges of said front panel and yieldable circumferentially of the garment, said side panels having upwardly convergent lower edges, and a pair of tapered substantially triangular elastic lower panels having inner end edges secured to the opposite side edges of said front panel and downwardly divergent upper edges secured to the lower edges of the respective side panels, said lower panels extending obliquely from said front panel laterally and downwardly to opposite sides of the garment over the thighs of the user and being yieldable substantially in parallel to the directions in 4 which they extend, tapered end portions of said lower panels being disposed at the sides of the garment and projecting rearwardly beyond the outer side edges of said side panels, the apices of said tapered end portions being disposed at the lower edge of opposite sides of the garment.

2. In a torso constricting and molding undergarment, the combination of superposed inner and outer front panels secured together at the top and side edges thereof, the lower edge of the inner panel being detached from and spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the outer panel, said outer panel being entirely free of reinforcing means, and reinforcing means provided on the surface of said inner panel adjacent the outer panel, said last mentioned reinforcing means comprising a first pair of elongated curved reinforcing elements extending downwardly in mutually convergent relation from points at the upper edge of the inner panel adjacent the side edges thereof to a common point of convergence disposed cen trally at the lower edge of the inner panel, and a second pair of elongated curved reinforcing elements extending downwardly in mutually crossing relation from points at the upper edge of the inner panel spaced inwardly from the upper ends of the first reinforcing elements to points at the lower edge of the inner panel at the respective opposite side edges of the latter, said second pair of reinforcing elements being mutually crossed substantially at the center of the inner panel and crossing the respective opposite reinforcing elements in the first pair at opposite sides of and below their own point of crossing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,058,991 Kahn Oct. 27, 1936 2,l00,986 Smit h et al Nov. 30, 1937 2,219,153 Versoy Oct. 22, i940 2,526,360. Johnson Oct. 17, 1950 2,607,037 Kahn Aug. 19, 1952 2,675,548 Leonard Apr. 20, 1954 2,696,614 Imershein Dec. 14, 1954

Images