US3238945A - Girdle - Google Patents

Description

March 8, 1966 P. E. AMBROSE ETAL 3,238,945

GIRDLE Filed May 16, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l "iimumlulll.

llllllllll IIIIIII INVENTORS 1 Paul E. Ambrosefi Carl Redmon Glines ATTORNEY March 8, 1966 P. E. AMBROSE ETAIL. 3,238,945

GIRDLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1963 FIG.6.

FIG.7.

INVENTORS Paul E. Ambrosefi Carl Redmon Glines Wwm ATTORNEY March 8, 1966 P. E

. AMBROSE ETAL 3,

GIRDLE Filed May 16, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS Fl G Paul E.Ambrose a Carl Redmon Glines BY WWW ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,238,945 GIRDLE Paul E. Ambrose and Carl Redman Glines, Dover, DeL, assignors to Sarong, Inc., Sarong Park, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 16, 1963, Ser. No. 281,862 Claims. (Cl. 128-548) This invention is an improved girdle which permits greater freedom of leg movement during walking or sitting while maintaining figure control.

An important purpose of a girdle is to support and restrain the thigh and buttock muscles and to give a smooth line across the abdomen while supporting and shaping the gluteal fold of the buttocks. To do this the girdle must fit the wearer snugly throughout. At the same time, adequate freedom is required at the bottom opening of the girdle to allow ease of walking and striding. One prior art construction provides overlapping panels of inelastic fabric with upwardly inclined lower edges wherein each panel extends from the bottom edge of the girdle up to the waistline. Another construction provides a pair of crossed, elongated elastic pieces in the bottom edges of the front area of the girdle which are connected together for the most part.

The girdles of the present invention are a further advance in the art in providing girdle construction that are economical to make, give firm support to the lower torso, and at the same time provide greater freedom and ease of leg movement.

The invention provides a girdle having side sections and a front and back panel, each of which panels extend from the top to the bottom of the girdle, at least one of said panels having a diagonally inclined bottom edge and an elastic member disposed at cross-angles to the bottom edge of the panel and being attached at its ends to opposite side sections and being free from attachment .to the panel.

More specifically the invention provides a girdle having a front panel whose bottom edge is inclined upwardly and a separate expansion member or band whose top edge is free or substantially free from the front panel and which is disposed at the cross-angles to the bottom edge of the front panel. The front panel is secured at each edge to a side section and the expansion member is also attached at each of its side edges to a side section of the girdle. The expansion member is free from the front panel. The expansion member and the bottom portion of the front panel are made of stretchable or elastic material, including material which is stretchable by virtue of its rubber content. The front panel provides the support and control of the body tissues while its elastic bottom edge and the elastic expansion member allow the girdle to accommodate to the pressures exerted by the legs in walking and sitting, and provide comfort and resistance to riding up.

The expansion member may advantageously be disposed below the front panel :and together with the stretchable bottom portion of the front panel provides a hingelike action so that each part exercises control over the lower part of the torso while permitting freedom of leg action during walking and sitting.

In another construction of this invention, the girdle has a rear panel which has an elastic bottom edge member inclined upwardly and an elastic expansion member under it disposed at cross-angles to the elastic bottom edge member. Similarly to the front panel construction, each end of the rear expansion member is secured to a side section of the girdle and is free from the rear panel. Thus, the elastic bottom edge member of the rear panel extends 3,238,945 Patented Mar. 8, 1966 from one side section at a point above its bottom edge to the bottom edge of the other side section.

The degree of stretch in the two criss-cross elastic members in the front of the girdle may be greater than the degree of stretch of the corresponding cross-cross elastic band members in the back of the girdle. This greater resistance to stretch of the criss-cross members in the back of the girdle provides greater holding power in the region of the gluteal fold to give the wearer firm support, but because of the hinging action of the criss-cross members, there is no loss of freedom of leg movement.

The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a girdle made according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the girdle shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a front view of an alternate form of the girdle.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a rear view of the girdle shown in FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE *6;

FIGURE 8 is a front view of an alternate form of the girdle; and

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8.

Referring to the drawings in FIGURES 1 through 3, 3, numeral 10 represents a girdle having a front panel 12, side sections 14 and 16, and rear panel 18. The side sec tions may be of single thickness fabric and preferably have circumferential elasticity. They may be of fabric having two-way stretch, such as a power net material, as indicated by the stretch arrows.

Front panel 12 may be made from one or several pieces of cloth and may have a vertical stretch. The front panel is sewn to side sections 14 and 16 along generally vertical seams 20 and 22, and rear panel 18 along generally vertical seams 24 and 26, to form a circumferentially complete garment. To the top edge of the garment is sewn a waist band 28 which is elastic and stretchable in the girthwise direction as shown by the stretch arrows.

Advantageously, elastic bottom edge member 30 is secured along its top edge by stitching 32 to the bottom edge of panel 12. As is evident from FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the lower end or side BC of member 30 is stitched to the side section 14 of the girdle and to bottom band 34 by the lower portion of seam 20. The bottom band 34 is sewn along its top edge to the bottom edge of the side sections and the rear panel to form a girthwise expansible bottom edging of the girdle. The upper end or side AD of member 30 is stitched to side section 16 along the lower portion of seam 22. The bottom edge CD of member 30 is entirely free. While it is preferred that member 30 be elastic as indicated by the stretch arrow, it can be made of inelastic material.

Disposed under member 30 is an elastic expansion member or band 36 attached along its lower end EF to bottom band 34 and side section 16 by seam 22. It has an upper end GH attached by stitching to side section 14 by seam 20. The expansion band 36 is free from bottom edge member 30 and front panel 12 so that the parts individually and cooperatively provide a hugging action at the lower front portion of the girdle. The members 30 and 36 advantageously have a greater degree of elasticity in a direction parallel to their bottom edges, but they can have two-way stretch or be elastic due to being cut on the bias. These members are shown in the drawing as being longer than they are wide, but it is to be understood that the members may extend upwards to some extent. Such upward extent should not go beyond the mid-height of the girdle, however, since it would then tend to function like a girdle having two front panels extending from top to bottom of the girdle, with attendant loss of freedom of movement and cooperation of the members. It is to be understood further that the greater the amount of material used in making members 30 and 36, the more expensive becomes the girdle.

The front panel 12 of the girdle, in extending from top to bottom and side to side, effectively supports and controls the abdomen and the tissues of the lower torso. The expansion band 36 provides means whereby the girdle is able to accommodate easily and quickly to the stretching forces generated by the legs in moving or sitting. More flexibility is thus provided than can be attained in girdles where there are multiple front panels extending for the full height of the girdle or the elastic pieces are sewn together throughout most of their perimeters.

In order to provide natural curvature of the side seams and eliminate their distortion, member 30 advantageously can be longer than expansion band 36 so that member 30 will normally be looser and prevent undue pull on the side seam 22 to which it is secured. FIGURE 4 illustrates a girdle in which the elastic bottom member 30 is longer than expansion band 36. When the garment is placed upon the body, the slack of member 30 is taken up and the two criss-cross elastic members exert just the right amount of tension so that both side seams 20 and 22 retain their natural curves, and thus allow the front panel to perform its full supporting function. This is illustrated particularly in FIGURES 4 and 5 of an alternative girdle construction. In the absence of such looseness in member 30, undue buckling and distortion of seam 22 would occur at the region where member 30 meets the seam line.

An alternate form of the gird-1e of this invention is shown in FIGURES 4 through 7 in which, in addition to the criss-cross elastic members in the front of the girdle, there are similar criss-cross elastic members in the bottom portion of the back of the girdle, all of which cooperate to provide greater freedom of leg movement during walking and sitting while controlling the tissues of the gluteal muscles. In this construction, rear panel 18, which may be stretchable in the vertical direction as shown by the stretch arrow, is attached by sewing to side sections 14 and 16 along sea- ms 24 and 26. 'Panel 18 has secured to it an elastic back edge member 40 by stitching 42 along the members stop edge to the bottom edge of panel 18. The lower end KL of member 40 is stitched to side section 16 and to elastic bottom band 34 by the lower portion of seam 26. The upper end JM of member 40 is stitched to side section 14 along the lower portion of seam 24. This construction provides a bottom edge LM of member 40 which is entirely free. It will be appreciated that, although member 40 may be elastic as indicated by the stretch arrow, it nevertheless can be made of inelastic material.

Positioned under member 40 is a rear elongated expansion band 44 attached along its lower side ON to bottom band 34 and side section 14 by seam 24. The upper side PO is attached to section 16 by seam 26 to provide a construction in the rear of the bottom portion of the girdle which is similar to that of the bottom portion of the front of the girdle. Band members 40 and 44 advantageously have a greater degree of elasticity in a direction parallel to their bottom edge, but, as in front members 30 and 36, they can be of two-way stretch material or be stretchable due to their being cut on the bias. In addition, member 44 may be longer than it is wide. However, it may extend upwardly to some extent.

As heretofore described in connection with the crisscross front members, rear member 40 can be longer than rear expansion band 44. When the girdle is placed on the body, member 40 will prevent undue pull on side seam 24 where it is secured and thus maintain the normal contour of seam 24. It will also assure that seams 24 and 26 follow their designed curvature while giving full support to the rear portion of the torso.

It will be appreciated that the cooperation between rear members 40 and 44 provides a hingelike action which eliminates undue stress on the lower back portion of the girdle during striding and walking and, in addition, provides for full control of the gluteal muscles and associated tissues.

FIGURES 8 and 9 show another alternate construction of the girdle of this invention. In this construction, inelastic fabric piece 46 is positioned between the crisscrossed members 30 and 36 to further prevent wrinkling of seam 22 when the girdle is on the body of the wearer. The upper edge of piece 46 is sewn by seam 32 to a portion of the bottom edge of front panel 12. The upper edge of piece 46 extends obliquely downwardly from seam 22 to a point past the vertical center line of the front of the girdle. The side edge of piece 46 is sewn by seam 22 to a portion of side section 16 extending downwardly from the point of intersection of seams 22 and 32 to approximately the point of intersection of seam 22 and the top edge of member 36. The bottom edge of piece 46 is free and extends obliquely upwardly intersecting the top edge of piece 46 to complete the triangle.

The triangular piece 46 may be cut from any suitable inelastic fabric material. It may have some stretch in it, however, such as a fabric that would be cut on the bias so as to provide a resistance to stretch in the area where seam 32 of front panel 12 intersects seam 22 of side section 16. This triangular piece serves as a compensator for the forces exerted in this area by balancing the pull on seams 22 and 20 in the lower portion of the front panel when members 30 and 36 are stretched.

Advantageously, the rear criss-cross members of FIG- URE 6 may have positioned between them a triangular fabric piece in a manner heretofore described to avoid uneven tension on seam 24 in the area Where seam 42 intersects it.

It has been further found that garter attachments positioned in the hip region at the bottom edge of side sections 14 and 16 produce a downward pull on the side sections which cooperates with the tensioned criss-cross members both in the front and in the back of the girdle to provide for exceptional control of the lower abdominal muscles and tissues around the gluteal folds of the wearer. In addition, when criss-cross front members are used in cooperation with criss-cross back members, there is provided a pull downward from the area of each trochanter across the front around the upper thigh at the other side thereof and upwardly along and under the gluteal fold to the buttock opposite the trochanter. This cooperating criss-cross action in both the front and back of the girdle provides for greater ease in striding and sitting as well as greater support for the lower abdominal region and the buttocks of the wearer. Also provided is better formfitting of the girdle in both the back and front of the wearer, particularly a cupping support for the gluteal folds. The presence of the expansion band provides the above control and support in a light and airy garment which is not characterized by the heavy and cumbersome structures of the prior art.

It will be appreciated that the girdle construction of this invention may provide the criss-cross member at the bottom portion of the front only, the rear only, or in both the front and rear of the girdle.

It will be further appreciated that the expansion band positioned under the member attached to the lower portion of the front panel and/or the back panel provides for simplicity of girdle construction and gives maximum freedom for leg action without sacrificing any of the controls found in criss-cross girdles known to the art. The free expansion band, which is free or substantially free from the front and/ or back panel, provides unique control and restraint better than heretofore provided by known girdles because the expansion band is able to perform its function both independently and cooperatively with the overlying member. One or more tacking stitches may be employed to make the expansion band lie somewhat closely to the bottom edge member of the front and/0r back panel without unduly interfering with their functions. These stitches may be placed where the top edge of the expansion band crosses the top edge of the bottom edge member. It is to be understood however that it is a distinct advantage of the invention that no fastening together of the two members is required.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of the elements forming the girdles illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A girdle having a body portion including a pair of side sections, a front panel and back panel, at least one of said panels having a diagonally inclined bottom edge, and an expansion member disposed at cross-angles to the inclined bottom edge of said one panel, said expansion member being of uniform width throughout a major Portion of its length and being stretchable in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis, the expansion member being attached at its ends to the respective side sections and its upper and lower edges being free of attachment throughout a major portion of its length so that the girdle accommodates to stretching forces generated by movement of the body of the wearer.

2. The girdle of claim 1 in which said one panel is the front panel.

3. The girdle of claim 1 in which said one panel is the back panel.

4. The girdle of claim 1 in which both the front panel and the back panel have diagonally inclined bottom edges and corresponding expansion members disposed at crossangles to the inclined bottom edges of said panels.

5. Girdle of claim 4 in which the bottom edge and the expansion member at the front of the girdle have a greater degree of stretch than the bottom edge and expansion member at the back of the girdle.

6. Girdle of claim 1 in which said inclined bottom edge is elastic.

7. Girdle of claim 1 in which said inclined bottom edge is longer than the expansion member.

8. Girdle of claim 1 in which the expansion member has at least one point of attachment to the inclined bottom edge.

9. Girdle of claim 1 in which a fabric insert is attached to said one panel and a corresponding side section and positioned between said inclined bottom edge and the expansion member.

10. Girdle of claim 9 in which the fabric piece is substantially triangular in shape and having its top edge attached to said one panel and extending downwardly past the vertical center line of the girdle, its side edge attached to a side section and its bottom edge extending upwardly and intersecting its top edge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,445,322 7/1948 Fridolph 128548 2,553,301 5/1951 Colby 128548 2,707,280 5/1955 Mayer 128548 2,757,379 8/1956 Stone et al. 128528 2,849,003 8/1958 Hines 128-547 2,974,667 3/1961 Cousins 128547 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A GIRDLE HAVING A BODY PORTION INCLUDING A PAIR OF SIDE SECTIONS, A FRONT PANEL AND BACK PANEL, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PANELS HAVING A DIAGONALLY INCLINED BOTTOM EDGES, AND AN EXPANSION MEMBER DISPOSED AT CROSS-ANGLES TO THE INCLINED BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID ONE PANEL, SAID EXPANSION MEMBER BEING OF UNIFORM WIDTH THROUGH OUT A MAJOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH AND BEING STRETCHABLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, THE EXPANSION MEMBER BEING ATTACHED AT ITS ENDS TO THE RESPECTIVE SIDE SECTIONS AND ITS UPPER AND LOWER EDGES BEING FREE OF ATTACHMENT THROUGHOUT A MAJOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH SO THAT THE GIRDLE ACCOMMODATES TO STRETCHING FORCES GENERATED BY MOVEMENT OF THE BODY OF THE WEARER.

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