US3503078A

US3503078A - Stocking support

Info

Publication number: US3503078A
Application number: US715329A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clyde S Gallian
Original assignee: CLYDE S GALLIAN
Current assignee: CLYDE S GALLIAN
Priority date: 1968-03-22
Filing date: 1968-03-22
Publication date: 1970-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1987-03-31

Description

March 31, 1970 c. s. GALLIAN STOCKING SUPPORT iled March 22, 1968 DIRECTION 0F STRETCH INVENTOR. CLYDE $.GALLIAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,503,078 STOCKING SUPPORT Clyde S. Gallian, 325 11th Ave., Huntington, W. Va. 25701 Filed Mar. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 715,329 Int. Cl. A41f 9/00, 11/00 US. Cl. 2311 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Stocking supports are cut from a rolled-up strip of indeterminate length that is comprised of three tapes secured together side-by-side. The central tape has oneway stretch in a direction perpendicular to its length. The outer two or marginal tapes are inelastic and have pressuresensitive adhesive on the side opposite the elastic tape. In use, a length from the roll is wrapped around the wearers leg with the adhesive on the inner side and cut to length; and one edge strip clings to the top of the stocking while the other edge strip clings to the leg. The cut-to-length feature eliminates the need for stretch lengthwise of the strip.

The present invention relates to stocking supports, more particularly of the garter type for ladies hose.

It is an object of this invention to provide a stocking support that will be of the proper size but will not constrict the leg of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a Stocking support that prevents no telltale contour, even beneath the tightest garment.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a stocking support that is inexpensive enough to be discarded when soiled.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a stocking support that has no connection to any other garment.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a Stocking support that will not rub, chafe or irritate the skin of the wearer and will not damage the stocking.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stocking support which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to put on and take oif, comfortable to wear, and rugged and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a stocking support according to the present invention, in use on the leg of a wearer;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stocking support according to the present invention, in the form of a roll of indeterminate length, from which shorter lengths are cut at the time of use;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the support of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the support of the present invention, from the side which is the outer side in use; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but from the side which is the under side in use.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown a stocking support according to the present invention, in the form of a strip 1 of indeterminate length. In its preferred initial form, strip 1 is rolled up in the form of a roll 3, which can be either helical as shown, or elongated, and which can be rolled on a solid core or spool (not shown) which can have any desired shape. Thus, the rolls 3 of the present invention are characterized by being wound in a plurality of repetitive layers, without restriction as to the particular shape of the loops thus formed.

In the roll 3, the strip 1 thus has a free inner end 5 at the interior of the roll, and a free outer end 7 on the exterior of the roll. It is particularly to be noted that the present invention differs from previous garters in the form of endless bands, in that the ends 5 and 7 of the strip before use are free and are spaced from each other.

The present invention is also characterized in that the strip 1 is of a length much greater than the circumference of a leg; preferably many times the circumference of a leg. This is because the strip is cut to length and used as needed, the rest of the roll being reserved for future uses.

The strip 1 is itself comprised of three principal portions: at central tape 9 and two parallel edge tapes 11 and 13, the tapes 11 and 13 being secured to the edges of the central tape 9 and spaced apart from each other by central tape 9. On their sides opposite tape 9, the tapes 11 and 13 each have a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive 15. The tapes 11 and 13 may be and preferably are inextensible in the direction of both of their principal dimensions, that is, both along their length and across their width. They can be woven tapes or plastic tapes or any of the other types of tape that are used as a flexible but inextensible backing for a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The adhesive 15, in turn, can be any of the common pressure-sensitive adhesives that are applied to cellophane tape or masking tape or surgical bandages.

The tapes 9, 11 and 13 are assembled relative to each other as best seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Thus, at each longitudinal edge of the central tape 9, there is a region of overlap .17 with the subjacent edge tape 11 or 13. In this area of overlap, the tape 9 is secured to the tapes 11 and 13, as by adhesive or sewing or the like.

A very important feature of the present invention is that the entire length of central tape 9 has one-way stretch in a direction transverse to its length, that is, in the direction of the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 4. Thus, by pulling the tapes 11 and 13 laterally away from each other, the central tape 9 can be stretched in the direction of pull.

The lateral one-way stretch of the tape 9 can be achieved by the manner of weaving, as by any of the common one-way stretch weaves to which particularly synthetic fibers are susceptible; but it is preferred to achieve one-Way stretch by means of the incorporation of transversely disposed elastic threads in tape 9, according to any of the well-known prior art methods for this purpose. In this latter way, by the inclusion of elastomeric threads in the Weave of tape 9, a stronger elastic action can be obtained and the degree of the elasticity can be nicely regulated.

The manner of use and mode of application of the stocking support of the present invention can perhaps best be seen in FIG. 1, in which a stocking 19' is thus supported on the leg of the wearer. To apply the support, the stocking 19 is first smoothed on the wearers leg, with the leg straight so that the upper end of the stocking is as high as it will reach on the wearers leg. Holding the roll 3 in the hand, with the axis of the roll generally parallel to the length of the leg, the free end 7 of the strip 1 is then applied to the leg so that the adhesive side of one of the tapes 11 and 13 is against the top of the stocking and the adhesive side of the other of the tapes 11 and 13 is against the skin of the wearer. The free end 7 is then pressed against the leg so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive 15 of each of the tapes 11 and 13 adheres to its subjacent support, and the roll 3 is then pulled in a direction to unwind it and a length of strip 1 is thus wrapped about the leg, with the upper of the strips 11 and 13 entirely in contact with and-adhesively clinging to the skin of the wearer, and the other of the strips 11 and 13 entirely in contact with and clinging to the outer surface of the top of the stocking.

The strip 1 is thus wound entirely about the leg and cut off with a little excess, to form a new end 21 which becomes the outer end of the shorter length of strip 1 as applied to the leg. And new end 21 is then pressed down against the underlying former free end 7 to form a region of overlap 23 in which strip 1 is two layers thick. In the region of overlap 23, the tapes 11 and 13 simply adhere to the outer surface of the underlying strip 1.

The resulting support has no elasticity peripherally of the leg. But it needs none, because it is applied to size, with a tension regulated by the wearer at the time of application, so that it need not bind the leg and need not be any tighter than is comfortable.

At the same time, however, the support has elasticity in the direction of the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 4 so that when the leg bends, the top of the stocking can move down along the leg, and return when the leg is straightened again. In this connection, it is particularly to be noted that there is no portion of the support, at any place about the support, where there is no substantial oneway stretch in the direction of the length of the leg. Thus, there is no tendency for the stockings to wrinkle or to pull up unevenly, as would be the case if separate elastic straps held up the tops of the stockings, or as would be the case if the support had any portion about its periphery that did not have one-way stretch in the direction of the length of the leg.

The fact that the tapes 11 and 13 are longitudinally inextensible insures that they will remain in strongly but removably adhering contact with both the leg and the top of the stocking. The longitudinal inextensibility of the tapes 11 and 13 is made possible by the unique feature of the present invention comprising cutting the support to length at the time of application.

Of course, it will also be understood that the supports are reusable several times, until the pressure-sensitive adhesive is inadequately adhesive, simply by peeling off the support and reserving it for reuse. Thus, the present invention is by no means limited to cutting to size upon each application of the support. Instead, the present invention is characterized by the fact that, both in the roll and as applied to the leg, the support of the present invention has free ends that are not necessarily secured together nor even adjacent each other.

In view of the foregoing disclosure, therefore, it will be evident that all the initially recited objects of the present invention have been achieved.

Although the present invention has ben' described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readily understand.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A stocking support comprising an elongated strip having free ends, the strip having areas of pressuresensitive adhesive along both edges of the strip on one side of the strip, the strip having an elastic portion that extends full length of the strip and that has one-way stretch in a direction transverse to the length of the strip and that is disposed between and spaces apart the areas of pressure-sensitive adhesive that extend along opposite edges of the strip.

2. A stocking support as claimed in claim 1, said strip being comprised of a central tape and two parallel edge tapes secured to the longitudinal edges of the central tape and spaced apart by the central tape, the edge tapes having pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side only and having substantially no longitudinal stretch, the central tape comprising said elastic portion.

3. A stocking support as claimed in claim 2, the central tape overlapping both of the edge tapes on the side of the edge tapes opposite the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

4. A stocking support as claimed in claim 1, the strip being arranged in a roll with one end of the strip at the interior of the roll and the other end of the strip on the exterior of the roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,351,199 6/1944 Fry 2-240 X 2,425,479 8/1947 LeBlanc 2240 X 2,628,928 2/1953 Cadous 2-338 X 2,697,230 12/1954 Rosecrans 2i-3ll X 3,082,135 3/1963 Lane 16l147 3,097,364 7/1963 Hess 2232 FOREIGN PATENTS 492,507 9/ 1938 Great Britain. 1,336,103 7/ 1963 France.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2-240