US3338244A

US3338244A - Undergarment with adjustable garter support

Info

Publication number: US3338244A
Application number: US488547A
Authority: US
Inventors: Burke James Francis
Original assignee: Sears Roebuck and Co
Current assignee: Sears Roebuck and Co
Priority date: 1965-09-20
Filing date: 1965-09-20
Publication date: 1967-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1984-08-29

Description

Filed Sept. 20, 1965 INVENTOR James I Burke W azy;

United States Patent 3,338,244 UNDERGARNIENT WITH ADJUSTABLE GARTER SUPPORT James Francis Burke, Aurora, 111., assignor to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 488,547 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-535) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention concerns an undergarment for ladies embodying an elastic band at its bottom margins provided with a plurality of pockets for selectively and detachably receiving the hook supports of hose grippers which make possible the support of the hose at any desired circumferential points of the bottom margins. The retaining pockets are formed in an elastic band composed of a pair of integrally woven or knitted elastic strips in which the first wide strip is stitched along its upper edge to the bottom of the garment and the second strip of a width substantially less than the width of the first strip is integrally united along its upper edge of the first strip along a line intermediate the edges of the latter and is integrally joined along its lower edge to said first strip near the lower edge along a series of spaced lon-gituidnal areas, thereby forming said pockets.

My invention relates to undergarments for females and is especially applicable to those of the general character of a panty girdle, which garments are characterized in that they cover the lower portion of the torso and are form fitting, being formed of stretchable fabric, terminating in rudimentary leg portions. The invention may also be applied, for example, to sheath-type girdles.

Garments of this character may be worn with or without with regard to the number of garters desired and the location thereof, and numerous expedients have been proposed for the solution of this problem to permit attachment of garters in a variety of selected positions around the periphery of the leg portions.

My invention may be considered an improvement over Murdock Patent 3,059,647, granted Oct. 23, 1962.

According to Murdock, a pair of elastic strips or bands are stitched to the free edge of the leg portions of a girdle, the latter being sandwiched between said bands in the course of the stitching operation, and the outermost of said elastic bands terminating above the bottom edge of the innermost band and secured thereto by a spaced series of tacking to provide pockets into selected -ones of which may be inserted hose supporters or grippers.

The aforesaid construction has certain disadvantages, particularly with regard to the cost of production and also by reason of the fact that the stitching may become worn, permitting the aforesaid bands to become loose or detached, and for other reasons.

According to my invention, I secure to the free edge of the leg portions of a panty girdle a longitudinally elastic strip or band consisting of a ply of major width, the upper portion of which is stitched to the aforesaid leg portion, and having integrally knitted therewith adjacent its lower portion of a ply of minor width which is joined to the major ply along its top edge which is generally medial of the width of the major ply and is also secured to the major ply at spaced portions of its lower edge to provide pockets into which hose grippers may be inserted. Thus,

my invention provides a construction which is considerably less bulky and much more durable than that disclosed by Murdock.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings appended hereto and forming a part hereof and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a panty girdle embodying my invention shown as worn on a human figure,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective sectional view on an enlarged scale, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, also on an enlarged scale as compared with FIG. 1, of the free edge of a leg portion of the girdle, partially mutilated to illustrate the construction.

The numeral 10 indicates a garment of the panty-girdle type as worn on a human figure, said garment comprising a main body portion 12 and leg portions 15, 15. Said panty girdle may be of any desired construction and material, although it is customary to fabricate such garments of two-way stretch fabric such as that known in the trade as Lastex.

Secured as by stitching 18 to the free edge of leg portions 15 is a longitudinally elastic band indicated generally by the numeral 20 of such length as snugly to grip the thigh of the wearer and which may be formed of a fabric similar to garment 10. Said band 20 comprises a major strip 22 and a minor strip 25 integrally woven together. It will be noted that minor strip 25 is integrally woven along its upper edge as at 27 to join major strip 22 at approximately the longitudinal median line of said major strip. Said operation can be performed on a double or triple shuttle loom, whereby the minor strip is woven as an integral portion of the major strip without interruption of the weaving operation, thus efiecting a saving of time, labor and cost over the Murdock construction, referred to above.

It will be noted that minor strip 25 is of a width substantially less than one-half the width of the major strip, the lower edge 30 of said minor strip being spaced a substantial distance above the lower edge 32 of the major strip.

Although the minor strip 25 is secured to the major strip along its entire upper edge as at 27, it is secured adjacent its lower edge 30 to the major strip only along spaced linear areas, as indicated at 35, said areas of attachment 35 likewise being knitted on the same machine without interruption thereof, and leaving unattached areas 37 between said attachment areas 35.

Thus, it will be seen that said unattached areas 37 provide openings into the space between minor strip 25 and major strip 22 so as to provide a series of pockets 40 above each of the attachment areas 35.

Thus, as indicated in FIG. 3 .a molded hose gripper or fastener F of common construction, having a hook portion H, may be attached at any given point along the periphery of band 20 by inserting hook H into any desired one of the openings 37 and manually working it into the adjacent pocket 40.

Obviously, by means of the arrangement shown and described above, the wearer of garment 10 may employ any desired number of hose grippers and may position them at any desired points around the periphery of the leg portions of garment 10.

The arrangement shown herein, embodying my invention, is of minimum bulk and weight and, therefore, may be worn with maximum comfort. Furthermore, by knitting the two bands or strips 22 and 25 as an integral unit without interruption of the knitting machine, by simple preadjustment of the latter, there is elfected a substantial saving in cost.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art; hence I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only bysthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an undergarment having a free bottom edge,

(a) an integral longitudinally elastic band formed of yarns, or filaments and consisting of (b) a first strip portion stitched along its upper edge to said free edge and (c) a second strip portion having an upper edge integrally joined to said first strip portion solely by the interengagernent of said yarns or filaments, said junctions of said strips being approximately along the medium line of the latter and extending downwardly in overlapping relation to the first strip portion,

(d) said second strip portion having a lower edge secured to said first strip portion along a series of spaced longitudinal linear areas to provide spaced pockets for hose grippers, and providing spaced openings between said areas for the entry of a hose gripper into said pockets.

2. A stretchable, form-fitting gridle as in claim 1, where in said band is a unit with said strip portions integrally knitted together along the upper and lower edges of said second strip portion.

3. A combination as in claim 1, wherein the garment is a panty-girdle.

4. In an undergarment having a free bottom edge,-

(a) an integral longitudinally elastic band formed of yarns or filaments and consisting of (b) a first strip portion stitched along its upper edge to said free edge and (c) a second strip portion having an upper edge integrally joined to said first strip portion solely by the interengagement of said yarns or filaments, said junction of said strips being disposed intermediate the edges of the latter and extending downwardly in overlapping relation to the first strip portion,

(-d) said second strip portion having a lower edge secured to said first strip portion along a series of spaced longitudinal linear areas to provide spaced pockets for hose grippers, and providing spaced openings between said areas for the entry of a hose gripper into said pockets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1941 Nordseth 139-384 10/1962 Murdock 128535 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN UNDERGARMENT HAVING A FREE BOTTOM EDGE, (A) AN INTEGRAL LONGITUDINALLY ELASTIC BAND FORMED OF YARNS OR FILAMENTS AND CONSISTING OF (B) A FIRST STRIP PORTION STITCHED ALONG ITS UPPER EDGE TO SAID FREE EDGE AND (C) A SECOND STRIP PORTION HAVING AN UPPER EDGE INTEGRALLY JOINED TO SAID FIRST STRIP PORTION SOLELY BY THE INTERENGAGEMENT OF SAID YARNS OR FILAMENTS, SAID JUNCTIONS OF SAID STRIPS BEING APPROXIMATELY ALONG THE MEDIUM LINE OF THE LATTER AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY IN OVERLAPPING RELATION TO THE FIRST STRIP PORTION, (D) SAID SECOND STRIP PORTION HAVING A LOWER EDGE SECURED TO SAID FIRST STRIP PORTION ALONG A SERIES OF SPACED LONGITUDINAL LINEAR AREAS TO PROVIDE SPACED OPENINGS BETWEEN SAID AREAS FOR THE ENTRY OF A HOSE GRIPPER INTO SAID POCKETS.