US2379815A - Garment closure - Google Patents

Description

July 3, 1945. M. MCFARLANE 2,379,815

GARMENT CLOSURE Filed Sept. 27, 1941 m ATTORNEYS Patented July 3 uni-ran sTArss PATENT oFFi cs:

I GARMENT cnos'unn Marguerite Mc'Farlane, New York, N. Y. "Application September 21, 1941, Serial No. 412.573

4 Claims. (01'. 2-38) This invention relates to garment closures, and

' more particularly to the type of garment closure where a slide, fastener'is used and the garment is under some strain or tension.

sure in which the edges of the opening may be easily brought together to enable the free movement of a slide fastener.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure with which temporary relief from the in binding effect of the garment may be secured by operation through the outer garments.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relief opening in a corset, girdle or similar garwearer without lifting or removing the outer sarments.

' It is wellknown that. many garments of the supporting type. such as corsets, girdles and foundation garments, are designed to sheath and mold 0 the body when the wearer is in a standing position. Also, many garments are designed to re- 'duce excess flesh and are for that purpose very snug and coinflning about the hips and thighs.

when thewearer sits'for a period of time, such 95 over, the continued wearing of such a garment causes an undesirabledistribution of the flesh and defeats the general purpose for which the gar ment is designed."

While my closure is designed for, and adaptable for garments of the type just described, to enable makes possible the release of pressure on the I lower part of the garment when the garment is, being put on or takenoif and thus decreases the the wearer to release the pressure in the lower portion of the garment through the outer clothing when the wearer is in a sitting position or to,' any type of closure, it is particularly suitable with the resultant straining of shape.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

. Inthe drawing- Fig. 1 isa perspective view of a garment on a wearer embodying my invention; a

Fig. 2 is a perspective viewillustrating how the closure may be opened through the outer clothins;

Fig. 3 is a detailed-view partly in section showseams and loss of .ing the structure of my closure in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a detailed view with the outer part of the garment partly broken away showing the 010- ment, which may be openedand closed by the l sure in open position;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken. on the. line 5-5 of Fig.3; v

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 8-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is across-sectional view of a modified form in which the outer fabric of the garment is extended to cover the slide fastener.

w zts'prviously stated, my closure is adaptable to any slide fastener construction where tension is needed to bring the edgesof the slideiastener together before the slide is closed. While I have shown my invention as applied to an undergarment, it will be appreciated that it is equally applicable to any number of constructions.

In the particular use shown,v a girdle or corset II) is provided with one or more openings ll adjacent the front of the hip and thigh portion of the garment below th waist, which openings may be inserted in the seam i2 or at any convenient place; I The opening is adapted to be closed by 'a conventional slide fastener having the usual I i teeth l3 and slide it. I have found that the when the garment becomes uncomfortably tight. 40

Since under such circumstances the ordinary slide fastener cannot be closed without pinching ofithe flmh or obvious pulling and struggling with the fastener, my invention contemplates and provides fastener is most easily operated if the slide is provided with a fairly large flat ring ii of sumcient circumference to allow the insertion of the thumb, and it is advisable .to have the loop i8 suficiently large to allow the free reversal of the ringii additional means for bringing the edges of the I slide fastener together so that the fastener may beclosed by a simple quick movement. It fur. ther provides means to protect the wearer from The slide fastener unit may be of the conventional typ'e'having zipper backings H and I8 for the teeth ll; which backings may be fastened by the seam l8 and 20 to the edges of the opening being pinched or cut b the fastener during its operation.

In addition to the foregoing, my invention ll. In order to prevent the catching of the flesh and to further enable the easy operation of the closure, a shield member 2! is stitched to the Earfront-most end of the opening.

2i extends under the zipper backings i1 and I8 and under the edge of the garment. .At

' ment at one end 22, preferably the forward or min on the garment due to excess stretching its inedge a the shield ii is free but it tained in position by the elastic stays 24 and 25. The stay 24 isfastened at 28 to the upper edge of the shield 2i and at 27 to the fabric of the garment. The stay is fastened at one edge 28. to

the shield some distance frointhe edge, and is fastened to the garment at 29.

A loop 30 on the edge of the shield 21 is provided to position the stay and shield and to.allow the stay-tostretch. A pull cord extends from a point it between the shield and th zipper backing i1 through sliding means 31, 38, 38 and 40, and is provided at its end with a knob or bead 4|. An elastic cord or thread 42 tacked to the garment at 48 may be provided to prevent the bead-ll from hanging downwardly when the fastener is closed. The members 31,, 38, 39 and ll maybe eyelets, pulleys, or any other type of sliding means which will allow the free passage of the cord 35.

It will be noted that the cord 35 extends under the slide supports l1 and is so that as the fastener is closed or opened the cord is protected from being caught in the fastener. It will also be noted that the shield 2i lies between the cord 35 and the body and-that the shield 2i always separates the fastener and its backing from the body.

From the foregoing description it will be readily merits and move the slide I l upwardly to open the closure. This will naturally release the pressure and tension on the thighsand lower hips. When it is desired to the opening this may be done. by asimple one-two motion in which the bead 4| is grasped through the dress and other garments and pulled downwardly to hiring the edges of, the slide fastener t ether, whi e the other hand engaging the ring ii the slide ll may be pushed downwardly to affect a closure.

The bead is then released and the elastic cord 4:

will lift the bead out of the. way. 1

In the modified form shown in Fig. 'l, the edges II and ii of the outer fabric of the garment are 1 extended so as to conceal the zipper opening and the zipper supports l1 and i8.

While I have shown, in Fig. 1, a garment in which two relief openings are provided, the numappreciated that a woman may grasp the ring 15 through a dress and other outer or under garwith thethumb of viding a relief opening extending upwardly from the loweredge of the garment, slide fastener of the way and where it may be operated by the wearer inconspicuously as she rises 01' sits.

I claim: I 1. The combination witha closure having 'a slide fastener, of independent means to bring the edges of said slide fastener together to enable the easy operation oi the slide, said means compris ing a cord fastened at one end adjacent the top of said closure and extending back and forth through sliding means whereby the pulling of said cord will bring the edgesoi said slide fastener into juxtaposition.

2; The combination with a closure having a slide fastener, of independent means tobring the edges of said slide fastener together and enable the easy operation of the slide, said means comprising a cord fastened at one end adiacent the top of said closure extending back. and forth through sliding means whereby the pulling of said cord will bring the edges of said slide fastener into juxtaposition, and a shield positioned beneath said opening having one end fastened adjacent said slide fastener and extending beyond the g opening at the other end. 25

3. In a garment of the corset type, means providing an elongated opening in the body of the garment substantially in the direction of its length, a slide fastener for normally closing said opening, a shield member positioned underneath said slide fastener, me for securing opposite edges of said-shield mem r to the garment on opposite sides of said opening, said securing means including a pair of elastic members connectingone edge of the shield member tothe garment and acting to maintain said shield. iii extended position under tension across said opening, when the slide fastener is unfastened to permitexpansion or the garment in the region of said opening.

4. In a garmentof the corset type, means promeans for normally closing said opening, a shield extending substantially the'full length of said opening and having a greater lateral dimension than said-opening when the slide fastener is .un-' fastened, said ,shield being secured along one edge to the garment at one, edge of said'opening, and elastic means attached to the opposite edge of the shield andsecured'to'theinside of the'garment beyond the other-edge'of said opening for normally positioning the shield beneaththe fas-- tenor means when-said fastener means is fastened p and for yieldably maintaining said shield under tension completely across said opening when fastener means is unmatched to permitexpansion' of thogarment in the region of'said opening,

- the front thigh where it is generally out nor-napalm.

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