US2948445A - Dress form - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1960 Filed Feb. 2, 1956 J. S STODDARD DRESS FORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. LIESSIE. .5. STUDDARD ATTURNEY Aug. 9, 1960 J. 5. STODDARD 3 DRESS FORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb; 2, 1956 INVENTOR. :JEEEIE 5. STUDDARD BY xznn -a AT TDRNEYI- DRESS FORM jessie S. Stoddard, 2821 Congress St Fair-field, Conn; Filed Fe 2, 1956, Ser. No. 563,004

'1 Claim. (Cl. 223-6 The present invention relates to a dress form, particularly for home use, and'has'for an Object to provide a device of this character which may be supplied in, the form of a plurality. of relatively flexible members of sheet material, such as heavy card or fiber board in flat form, and which is adapted to be assembled in such manner as to substantially approximate 'a desired shape of the torso above the waist. To this end it is particularly proposed to provide means whereby the several pieces making up the form may be secured together in such adjusted relation that various predetermined sizes and shapes may be produced.

A further object is to provide a form adapted to be supported upon a suitable stand, and which latter maycomprise a dress form, to simulate the part of the body below the waist, as well as the diaphragm portion immediately above the waist, it being particularly proposed to provide means whereby the parts may be relatively vertically adjustable so as to dispose the parts at desired.

distances above the waist, as well as above the floor. In this respect, the present invention is especially adapted for co-operation with a dress form of the, type, asdisclosed in my co-pending application for Dress Form, Serial No. 549,287 filed November 28, 1955, now Patent,No.2,879,- 928 dated March 31, 1959.

Other objects and advantages of the invention; will become apparent from a consideration'of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However it will be understood that the invention isnot limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope ofthe appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the several parts of the dress, form in separated relation and certain of the parts in their form producing shape as curved from the normally flat sheet material of which the parts are formed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the disc members employed for providing a bust simulating part, the same being inits normal flat position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the disc of Fig. 2 adjusted and secured in a cup formation;

Fig. 4 is, a perspective view of the dress form assembled; and

Fig.5 is a front elevation showing the dress form as supported upon a stand in cooperating relation with a dress form simulating the portion of the body below the waist and immediately above the diaphragm.

Referring to the drawings, the dress form generally comprises a plurality of identical but reversely disposed right and left parts, as well as certain medial parts cooperating therewith, so. that in the following description the identical right and left parts will be given corresponding numbers, and the description of the right parts will apply to, the left parts. The several parts are formed of relaited States Patent Patented Aug. .9, 1960 tively stiff card or fiber board and are adapted to be secured together by suitable fasteners engaged in register-i ing holes in overlappingportions of connected parts. The sheet material may have a layer of felt or the like laminated to its outer side to facilitate pinning of dress material thereto. The fasteners may, for instance, be the well known paper fasteners of the split stem type con-z sisting of a head and a pair of bendable legs adapted to be spread following their insertion through a hole.

The right hand parts comprise a yoke member 10 adapted to be transversely bent to provide an upper shoulder portion 11, a forward chest portion 12 and a rearward back portion 13, the inner edges 14 and 15 of the chest and back portions being in substantially straight vertical lines and connected at their upper ends to the ends of an arcuate neck conforming cutout 16 in the shoulder portion. An outer edge !17, also disposed substantially vertically, extends along the back portion, the shoulder portion and the chest portion, and at its lower end is connected to a downwardly and inwardly curved edge 18 along the outer side of the lower part of the chest portion 12. By virtue of the downwardly and inwardly curved edge 18 the lower edge 19 of the chest portion 12 is relatively narrow, while the lower edge 20' of the back portion 13 is relatively wide.

A shoulder extension member 21, of generally elongated rectangular shape in its flatcondition, is adapted to be curved into a substantially inverted U-shape for providing a shoulder extension to the yoke member, as will hereinafter more fully appear. A crescent shaped underarm member 22. is adapted to be pivotally attached at its forward end to the forward outside corner of the shoulder extension member 21, as will presently more fully appear, and its rearward end is adapted to be adjustably connected by a hanger member 23 to the rearward outside corner of the shoulder extension member 21.

A collar member 24-, in the form of an elongated strip The several parts are, provided with suitably positioned" holes so that when these parts are overlapped the per forations will so register that they may be adjustably secured together. In the case of the yoke member @10', a plurality of series of horizontally spaced holes 27 are provided adjacent the edges 14 and a plurality of'series of horizontally spaced holes 28 is provided adjacent the edge 15. Adjacent the edge 17 the shoulder portion 11 is provided with a series of laterally spaced holes 29, the chest port-ion 112 is provided with a series of holes 3%, and the back portion is provided with a series of holes 31. The

shoulder extension member 21 is provided with holes 32, 33 and 34 adjacent its inner edge for respective cooperation with the holes 29, 30 and 3 1, and is provided at its forward and rearward corners with holes 35 and, 356

for respective cooperation with a series of holes 37 inthe forward end of the underarm member 22 and a series. of holes 38 in the hanger member 23.

At the rearward end of the underarm member 22 there, are provided a series of holes 39 forcooperation with one of the holes 38 of the hanger member 23-for connect;

ing the underarm member thereto. The collar member is provide d at itsback portionwith. a hole 40; and atv each of its forward end portions with series of holes til--41. The connector member 25 is provided with a series of holes 42 and the connector member 26 is provided with a series of holes 43.

The bust simulating portion of the form comprises a pair of right and left discs 44, each having four equally spaced radial slits 45 extending from a central area 46 to the periphery. At one side of each slit there is provided a series of spaced holes 47 and at the other side a single hole 48, so that upon overlapping the portions of the disc adjacent the slits to bring the holes 48 into register with selected holes 47, the disc may be shaped to cup form, as shown in Fig. 3, and thereupon secured by a fastener '49. Right and left hanger members 50, each having a series of holes 51, are adapted to be connected to the outer edge of the right and left bust simulating members, as will presently more fully appear, and a horizontal connector member 52 having a series of holes 53 is adapted to be connected between their inner edges.

' The several parts of the form are adapted to be assembled, as shown in Fig. 4, and for this purpose the overlapped portions of the several parts are secured by fasteners 4? of the same type as used in forming the bust simulating members. The right and left yoke members have their forward and rearward inner edges overlapped and by engaging fasteners in the registering holes 27 at the forward side and the registering holes 28 at the rearward side, the two yoke members are rigidly secured together, and by selective register of the holes the overall width of the assembled yoke members is determined, as well as the size of the neck opening formed by the two arcuate neck cutouts 16.

The collar member is secured in the neck opening by engaging the upper fastener 49 securing the back por tions through the rear hole '40 and engaging the upper fastener securing the front portions through the proper registered holes 41 in the forward ends of the collar. The shoulder extensions 21 are engaged at the desired projected position within the shoulder portions 11 by fasteners engaged through the holes 32, 33 and 34 registered with the selected holes of the series of holes 29, 30 and 31. The underarm member 22 is secured by a fastener 49 engaged through the hole 32 and one of the holes 37. The hanger member 23 is engaged by a fastener 49 engaged through a hole 46 of the shoulder extension and one of the holes 38, and the hanger member is adjustably secured to the rearward end of the underarm member by a fastener 49 engaged through one of the holes 38 and a selected one of the holes 39. The connection members 25 and 26 are connected to the overlapped forward and rearward ends of the yoke members by engaging the fasteners at the lower ends of the front and back portions with a selected one of the holes 42 and '43 of the respective connection members.

, The two bust members 44 are connected at the desired laterally spaced position by the connection member 52, the fastener at the respective inner side of each bust member being engaged through one of the holes 53 of the member 52. The two bust members connected by the member 52 are thereupon connected at the desired height adjusted position by the members 50 at each side, these members being connected by engaging the fastener 49 at the respective outer side of each bust member through one of the holes 51 and by engaging the fastener securing the forward end of the underarm member 22 to the shoulder extension member 21 through one of the holes 51. Thus the bust simulating members are freely supported in any adjusted position of adjustment. If desired, they can be fixed against lateral displacement by engaging a fastener 49, as shown in Fig. 4, through the center hole 53 of the member 52 and then engaging the fastener through holes which may be punched in the overlapped parts of the chest portions 12 of the yoke members.

While the form as hereinbefore described may be supported upon any suitable support, it is preferred to use it in cooperation with a dress form of the type as disclosed in my co-pending application above referred to (Serial Number 549,287). This form is illustrated in Fig. 5 and consists generally of a truncated cone member 54 mounted for vertical adjustment upon a tripod stand 55 and having at its upper end a vertically extensible rod 56 upon the upper end of which there is supported a shoulder support hanger 57 projecting laterally at each side of the rod 56. The cone is provided with a series of circumference markings 58 of gradually increasing circumference from top to bottom, and which indicate a series of various size waist line points. Upon this form there is engaged a body simulating member 59, preferably formed of padded material, and which includes a lower hip portion 60, a waist portion 61 and an upper diaphragm portion 62. Pads 63 are preferably inserted within the hip portions.

As shown in Fig. 5, the form of the present invention is engaged upon the shoulder support 57 with the ends of the connection members 25 and 26 inserted between the surface of the cone and the waist portion 61 of the form 59. The lower end of the forward chest portion preferably engages within the diaphragm portion 62 while the bust simulating members 44 engage at the outer side of the portion 62. The member 59 is adjustable to various waist sizes, and, depending upon the waist size, will engage the cone 54 at a corresponding circumference point. By vertical adjustment of the rod 56, the shoulder may be placed at the desired height from the waist and by adjustment of the cone upon the stand 54, the waist may be placed at the desired distance from the floor.

While the hanger members 50 connected to the outer ends of the bust members are illustrated as being connected at their upper ends to the shoulder extension members, it is pointed out that in the case of adapting the form to a relatively narrow shoulder, the shoulder extension members may be dispensed with and the hanger members directly connected to the yoke member, utilizing the holes 30 for this purpose. Also, the underarm members 32 and the hanger members 23 may also be directly connected to the yoke member, utilizing the holes 30 and 31 for this purpose.

What is claimed is:

A dress form comprising an identical pair of reversely opposite right and left yoke members simulating in their external shape the respective right and left shoulders of a human body and the forward chest and rearward back portions of the body immediately below the shoulders, each formed of a single piece of normally fiat flexible relatively stiff sheet material and each including a forward chest portion having inner and outer edges, a rearward back portion having inner and outer edges, and an arched shoulder portion, integrally continuous with and spanning said chest and back portions, having a concavely curved inner edge lying in a substantially horizontal plane and defining substantially one-half of a circular neck opening having its crown directed outwardly, and an arched outer edge lying in a substantially vertical plane, the inner marginal portions of said chest and back portions of said right and left yoke members adjacent their inner edges being overlapped in laterally adjusted relation whereby the size of the neck opening defined by said curved inner edges of said shoulder portions is adjustable, fastening means in said overlapped marginal portions securing said yoke members in their positions of adjustment, a pair of arched shoulder extension members, each in the form of a single piece of normally flat flexible relatively stiff sheet material, respectively overlappingly engaged at their inner marginal portions with the outer marginal portions of said respective yoke members adjacent the outer arched edges of said shoulder portions, fastening means in said last mentioned overlapped marginal portions securing said extension members to said yoke members, a pair of bust members each comprising a pair of substantially circular pieces of flexible relatively stifl sheet material each having radial slit means permitting adjustable overlapping and fastening of the portions of said material at each side of said slit means to form said pieces of material into cup form, a connection member in the form of a strip of flexible relatively stiff sheet material adjustably connected for horizontal adjustment between the inner edges of said respective bust members, and hanger members in the form of strips of flexible relatively stiff sheet material adjustably connected for vertical adjustment between the outer edge portions of said respective bust members and the forward end portions of said respective shoulder extension portions extending outwardly from said yoke members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hall Oct. 9, 1888 Schell May 4, 1897 Sims Mar. 27, 1900 Smith Feb. 3, 1914 Belling Nov. 4, 1924 Shafarman Aug. 16, 1949 Beal Sept. 13, 1949 Baldwin Nov. 22, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 9, 1948

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