US3177875A

US3177875A - Girdles

Info

Publication number: US3177875A
Application number: US140737A
Authority: US
Inventors: Garson Arthur
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-09-26
Filing date: 1961-09-26
Publication date: 1965-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 1982-04-13
Also published as: GB956945A; NL283284A

Description

April 1965 A. GARSON 3,177,875

GIRDLES Filed Sept. 26, 1961 FIG.4

Z4 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR CARSON BY ZZMr/ZV ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,177,875 GIRDLES Arthur Garson, 941 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. Filed Sept. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 140,737 Claims. (Cl. 128-540) The present invention relates to foundation garments and more specifically to girdles of the type which are provided with reinforced areas for giving the wearer added support and increased comfort.

It is well known to provide girdles with reinforcing panels for the purpose of giving support to the wearer and for the purpose of assisting and complementing the muscles in the lower part of the body of the wearer.

In prior art girdles these supporting features are provided by panels which are incorporated in the girdle by securing such panels to the girdle proper, such securing being done by stitching, by sealing or by other well known laminating means. While proper control may result in the prior art girdles if these panels have the proper configuration and the proper stretch characteristics, the method of incorporating these panels in the girdle is relatively costly as such method requires the cutting out of panels having the proper configuration and stretch characteristics, and as it further involves the necessity of securing these panels in place. Furthermore, after these panels are secured in place, say by stitching to the inside surface of the girdle, the periphery of these panels form contour edges which cause discomfort to the wearer. If on the other hand the panels are stitched on the outside surface of the girdle, then the stitch lines as well as the contour edges become visible when a fitted outer garment is worn thereover.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a girdle having all the desirable features normally provided by the incorporation of laminated supporting panels but which does not have the disadvantages of the prior art girdles pointed out above. Furthermore, the girdle in accordance with the invention is made in a far simpler manner than prior art girdles and at a greatly reduced cost.

The girdle in accordance with the invention is provided with reinforced areas which furnish the required abdominal support and the required complementary. action to the rectus abdominal muscles, the gluteus maximum muscles and the oblique external muscles of the abdomen. These reinforced areas are integral with the girdles as they are formed simultaneously with the other portions of the girdle. More specifically, the girdle in accordance with the invention is made from a knit fabric which, during the knitting thereof, has incorporated therein more elastic strands along some parts thereof than along other parts thereof according to a predetermined pattern. Accordingly, the fabric itself is a unitary length of material having integral portions thereof of different stretchability with the portions of less stretchability gradually blending into the portions of more stretchability without producing any visible line of demarcation therebetween. In this way, rough contour edges are eliminated and the need for stitching on panels of different stretch characteristics has likewise been eliminated. The knitting pattern is arranged so as to produce a generally sinusoidal intermediate area, in the fabric, of different stretch characteristics than the remaining parts of the fabric. Since the reinforced areas are integral with the other areas in the fabric, it is possible to form a girdle therefrom with only a single seam therein.

it is therefore an object of the invention to provide 'a girdle having reinforced supporting portions which is of improved construction and which can be made at a greatly reduced cost.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a girdle having reinforced portions for supporting and complementing the action of the r-ectus abdominal muscles, the gluteus maximus muscles and the oblique external muscles of the abdomen, which reinforcing portions are formed simultaneously with the other portions of the garment and are integral therewith.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a girdle having integral reinforced portions which are disposed intermediate the upper and lower edges of the girdle. 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of a girdle made of a single piece of fabric secured together to form only a single seam in the girdle, and provided with integrally formed portions intermediate the upper and lower edge of the garment for giving added support to the wearer.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the garment in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a rear view thereof,

FIG. 3 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the fabric used for making the girdle in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 4 is a section along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown the girdle 10 in accordance with the invention. Girdle 10 is made of a unitary flat piece of fabric stitched together to define seam 12 of the girdle. As shown in Fig. 1 seam 12 is the only one in the garment and defines a front medial seam for the girdle 10. Girdle 10 is bound by an upper edge 14 defining the waistband of the girdle and lower edge 15 delining the leg opening thereof.

Intermediate said upper edge 14 and said lower edge 15, girdle 10 is provided with an intermediate area 16 which is different in construction than the

areas

18 and 20 thereabove and therebelow, respectively. More specifically, area 16 which is continuous around the girdle, has incorporated therein a different number of elastic strands than the

areas

18 and 20 respectively to thereby be pro vided with different stretch characteristics than said

areas

18 and 20. This area 16 defines'support means for the wearer of the girdle, particularly for the rectus abdominal muscles, the gluteus maximus muscles and the oblique external muscles of the abdomen. As shown in Fig. 1, at the front of the garment the area 16 extends from seam 12, in opposite directions, laterally and downwardly, and continues downwardly at the rear of the garment, as shown in Fig. 2. These areas, as previously stated are of different stretch characteristics than

areas

18 and 20 of the garment and may for example have greater stretchability along the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 1 and 2'than the stretchability of areas 18 and it The particular stretch characteristics are determined by the manner in which the fabric out of which the girdle is made, is knit.

Referring now to Fig. 3 there is shown a fiat segment 22 from a length of fabric which is used for making girdle 10 in accordance with the invention. It will be noted that said flat segment 22 of fabric is unitary though it contains a sinusoidal intermediate portion thereof 24 which is of different characteristic than the remaining portions thereof. Segment 22 is formed by one continuous knitting operation during which the knitting pattern is arranged in a pre-determined manner so as to obtain said intermediate portion 24 which is of different stretch characteristic. This is done by having the knitting pattern include more or less strands of elastic material during knitting operation, as may be desired. Accordingly, the knitting operation produces an integral length of fabric which has included therein said portions 24 in a pre-' determined manner. In order to make girdle from segment 22 of the fabric, it is merely necessary to cut such segment 22 along

lines

26 and 28, respectively, and along

sides

30 and 32, respectively. These

sides

30 and 32 are thereafter stitehed'or otherwise secured together to form front medial seam 12 of the girdle 10. Thus it is seen that girdle 1-0 is made from said fabric length in a most efficient and direct manner and at a greatly reduced cost.

Due to the fact that the portion 24 is knit integrally with the formation of the fabric itself, there are no clear lines of demarcation, such as stitch lines, at the outlines of portion 24. This is clearly shown in Fig. 4 where it is seen that portion 24 blends in gradually with the remaining portions of the length of fabric. It will be understood that in the girdle 10 described above, the stretchability characteristics and the configuration of the intermediate areas have been set forth so as to produce, a garment having the desired supporting features for the wearer. Within. the spirit of this invention, however, it would be possible to produce intermediate portions of different stretchability characteristics and different configuration than those described hereabove to meet the demands of particular wearers.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will beuunderstood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, arid that in the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details of construction and in the form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A girdle formed from a flat segment of fabriccomprising a seamless one piecelength of'fabric having opposite sides thereof stitched together to form a continuous body encircling memberhaving only a single vertical seam therein, said member having an upper continuous edge defining the waistline of the girdle and a lower continuous edge defining the leg opening of the girdle, said girdle having at least one intermediate portion of different stretch characteristics than the remaining parts of the girdle, saidintermediate portion being integrally formed with said remaining parts, said intermediate portionhaving a different number of elastic strands than said remaining parts and gradually blending into said remaining parts and whereby no visible line of demarcation therebetween is visible, said intermediate portion being spaced from said upper and lower edges, said intermediate portion extending continuouslyaround the girdle, said single vertical seam being located centrally at the front of the girdle.

2. A girdle comprising a seamless one piece length offabric having opposite sides thereof stitched together to form a continuous body encircling member having only a single vertical seam therein, said member having an upper continuous edge defining the waistline of the girdle and a lower continuous edge defining the leg opening of the girdle, said girdle having at' least one intermediateportion of different stretch characteristics than the r emaim ing-parts of the girdle, said intermediate portion being integrally formed with said remaining parts, saidintermediate portion having a different number of elastic strands than said remaining parts and gradually blending into said remaining parts whereby no visible line of demarcation therebetween is visible, said intermediate. portion bemg spaced from said upper and lower edges, said intermediate portion extending continuously around the girdle, said single vertical seam being located centrally at the front of the girdle, said intermediate portion extending from said seam in opposite directions laterally and downwardly about said girdle whereby said intermediate portion is highest at the center front of the girdle and lowest at the center rear of the girdle.

3. A girdle formed from a flat segment of fabric comprising a seamless one piece length of fabric having opposite sides thereof stitched together to form a continuous body encircling member having only a single vertical seam therein, said member having an upper continuous edge defining the waistline of the girdle and a lowercontinuous edge defining the leg opening of the girdle, said girdle having at least one intermediate portion of different stretch characteristics than the remaining parts of the girdle, said intermediate portion being integrally formed with said remaining parts, said intermediate portion having a different number of elastic strands than said remaining parts and gradually blending into said remaining parts whereby no visible line of demarcation therebetween is visible, said intermediate portion being spaced from said upper and lower edges, said intermediate portion extending continuously around the girdle, said single vertical seam being located centrally at the front of the girdle, said intermediate portion being thicker than said remaining parts for imparting greater support to a wearer of said girdle.

4. A girdle comprising a seamless one piece length of fabric having opposite sides thereof stitched together to form a continuous body encircling member having only a single vertical .seam therein, said member having an upper continuous edge defining the was'tline of the girdle'and a lower-continuous edge defining the leg opening of the girdle, said girdle having at least one intermediate portion of different stretch characteristics than the remaining parts of the girdle, said intermediate portion being integrally formed with said remaining parts, said intermediate portion having a different number of elastic strands than said remaining parts and gradually blendinginto said remaining parts whereby no visible line of demarcation therebetween is visible, said intermediate portion being spaced from said upper and lower edges, said intermediate portion extending continuously around the girdle, said single vertical seam being located centrally at the front of the girdle, said intermediate portions extending from said scam in opposite :directionsl-aterally and downwardly about said girdle whereby said intermediate portion is highest at the center front of the girdle and lowest at the center rear of the girdle, said intermediate portion being thicker than said remaining parts for imparting greater support to a wearer of said girdle. i

-5. A girdle formed from a fiat segment of fabric comprising a seamless one-piece length of fabric having opposite sides thereof stitched together to form a continuous body encircling member having only a single vertical seam therein, said member having an upper continuous edge defining the waistline of the girdle and a lower continuous edge definingthe leg opening of the girdle, said girdle having at least one intermediate portion of different stretch characteristics than the demaining parts of the girdle, said intermediate portion being integrally formed with said remaining parts, said intermediate portion having a different number or" elastic strands than said remaining parts and =gradually blending into said remaining parts whereby no visible line of demarcation therebetween is visible, said intermediateportion being spaced from said upper and lower edges, said intermediate portion extending continuouslyaround the girdle, said single vertical seam being located centrally at the front of the girdle, said intermediate portion extending from said seam in opposite directions laterally and downwardly about said girdle whereby said intermediate portion is highest at the cen- 6 ter front of the girdle and lowest at the center rear of 2,960,855 11/60 Sieiiiano 66176 the girdle. 3,077,758 2/63 Sicilians 66-192 References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 11/52 1,1'27,5'44 2/ 15 Stuart 128-555 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 2,026,963 1/36 Burns 66-176 2,076,350 7 Roques DELBERT B- LOWE, Examlnei" 2,893,397 7/59 Plehn 128-541

Claims

1. A GIRDLE FORMED FROM A FLAT SEGMENT OF FABRIC COMPRISING A SEAMLESS ONE PIECE LENGTH OF FARBIC HAVING OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF STITCHED TOGETHER TO FORM A CONTINUOUS BODY ENCIRCLING MEMBER HAVING ONLY A SINGLE VERTICAL SEAM THEREIN, SAID MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER CONTINUOUS EDGE DEFINGING THE WAISTLINE OF THE GIRDLE AND A LOWER CONTINUOUS EDGE DEFINING THE LEG OPENING OF THE GIRDLE, SAID GIRDLE HAVING AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF DIFFERENT STRETCH CHARACTERISTICS THAN THE REMAINING PARTS OF THE GIRDLE, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION BEING INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH SAID REMAINING PARTS, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION HAVING A DIFFERENT NUMBER OF ELASTIC STRANDS THAN SAID REMAINING PARTS AND GRADUALLY BLENDING INTO SAID REMAINING PARTS AND WHEREBY NO VISIBLE LINE OF DEMARCATION THEREBETWEEND IS VISIBLE, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION BEING SPACED FROM SAID UPPER AND LOWER EDGES, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AROUND THE GIRDLE, SAID SINGLE VERTICAL SEAM BEING LOCATED CENTRALLY AT THE FRONT OF THE GIRDLE.