US1825271A - Garment - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1931. P. K. KARBERG 1,825,271

' GARMENT Filed March 3l, 1930 Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PETER K. KARBERG, OF DUBU'QUE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO H. B. GLOVER COMPANY, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, A CORPORATION 0F IOWA GARMENT Application filed March 31, 1930. Serial No. 440,284.

jamas and other garments of the kind 1nen tioned have been made with elastics in the waistband to avoid the binding and discomfort, but it is obvious that such garments naturally rely upon a definite amount of tension in the elastic. It has been a matter of. common experience that the elastic in the course. of time, especially after several launderings, becomes elongated and loses a certain amount of its original tension, and the result is that the garment sags at the waist and must either be repeatedly hunched up, or a pleat sewed or pinned in. It 1s, therefore, the principal object of my invention to provide a waistband made up .partly of elastic to afford the desired amount of give, but having adjusting strings in connection therewith to adjust the waist measurement as the elastic becomes elongated, and thus adjust the elastics whereby to maintain a predetermined desired tension in the elastic at all times throughout the life of the garment.

Another, object consists inthe direct attachment of the adjusting strings to the elastic inside the waistband at the back, so that the tightening of these strings is not attended with the slightest discomfort to the wearer, the strings being kept covered, and

portion of the waistband shown on a larger scale, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, a horizontal section on the line and a vertical section on the line 4.-1 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

Before proceeding with the detailed description of my invention, it should be understood that, while I have illustrated the invention as applied to pajamas, it is not limited to such use, but may be ap lied to various other garments and to unc erwear generally, such as union suits, drawers, etc.

In Figure l, the pajama trousers 5 have the legs and the rest of the Abody portion made of any suitable non-elastic fabric. The front G may or may not be provided with buttons, although I have shown theA same closed, as indicated by the seam 7 of which the seam 8 running up the back 9 `than shown, they being herein illustrated as terminating short of the middle of the front of the waistband where the ends are sewed, as at 13 and 1-1, to a non-elastic front piece that is sewed onto the body fabric at the waist line. vThe elastics reach around the sides and across a portion of the back of the waistband, as indicated, andare seWed to the waist portion o'f 'the body fabric along the upper and lower edges of the elastics, as indicated at 15 and 16. The elastics are stretched to their full extent during this sewing, so that when they go back to their normal length the body fabric is gathered in as many small uniform pleats as there are stitches. The fact that the elastics are at opposite sides` instead of in the front or back port-ion of the waistband, is of advantage from the standpoint that the waistband is free to give in respiration without pulling back and forth on the body at the sides. This crinkled effect at opposite sides of the waistband, combined with the slight tension of the elastics, prevents slippage, and the garment is found to stay in place properly at all times, provided there is the pro er tension in the elastics, which, in accor ance with my invention as will now be described, can always be provided for. In passing, 1t should also be noted that with this construction the body fabric entirely covers the inside of the elastics 10 and 11, So that there is no rubber coming in contact with the body, that having been a serious objection to many forms of elastic waistband constructions which may just as well be avoided, as I have illustrated. Y

At the back, the waistband 12'l1as a piece 17, preferably of the same non-elastic fabric previously mentioned, sewed to the waist portion of the garment along its upper and lower edges, as indicated at 18 and 19. A pair of adjusting strings 20 entered through slits 21, similar to button holes, provided in the piece 17 at the middle thereof and, consequently, disposed at the middle of the back of the waistband, are extended in opposite directions, and one is joined at its lend directly to the elastic 10, and the other directly to the elastic 11 by stitching, indicated at 22, joining the ends of the piece 17 to the ends of the elastics. The piece 17, which, of course, need not be a separate piece, but might simply be an outer ply formed in one piece with the rest of the waist portion, in addition to forming the tunnel for the adjusting strips, also serves the im ortant function of covering up with the en s thereof, the raw ends of the elastics as clearly indicated in Fig. 3, thus giving a smooth back for the garment and making for the neatest appearance. The strings 2() are intertwined, as mdicated in Figure 1, and are arranged to be pulled to secure the desired tension inthe elastics and then-tied in a bow knot or otherwise so that they may be subsequently untied easily when a further adjustment in Vwaist measurement and tension of the elastic is to be made, because of elongation and loss in tension of the elastic.

Garments provided with this waistband construction do not have to be made in nearly so many sizes because of the elastics taking care of oversizes, and the adjusting strings taking care of undersizes. In other words, a garment of a given size, sold to one purchaser who has a larger waist measurement,` will fit that person possiblyv without any adjustment on the adjusting strings,

at least when the garment is new, whereas, in the case of a purchaser having a smaller waist measurement, a garment of the same size can be made to fit perfectly by proper adjustment of the adjusting strings. Thus, for example, in the case of pajamas, only four sizes-A, B, C and D, are ordinarily made to take care of the full range of measurements, and the odd sizes are taken care of in the manner indicated. This matter of taking care of size adjustments of the waistband is mentioned merely as a distinctly advantageous feature of the invention. The advantage of the waistband construction of this invention is partly noteworthy from the standpoint that it permits the wearer to adjust the tension of the elastic to suit his personal preference when the garment is new, and permits him to make still further adjustments from time to time to retension the elastic after the same has become elongated, so that the garment fits comfortably throughout the life thereof including the time when there is no more elasticity left in the elastics. In other words, the garment is useful until worn out, and not only so long as there is life in the elastics. An adjustment with the adjusting strings will merely result in the gathering of the excess material at the back of the waist similarly as in the case of the material gathered under the elastics, that is, in small pleats, so that there is no excessive bunching of material in one place. The fact, too, that this gathering comes at the hollow of the back, avoids any likelihood of discomfort.

There is also an advantage in having the elastics at both sides in that they come just over the hips so as to keep the garment in place, and the fullness of material, owing to the pleats below the elastics, give plenty of hip room.

l. claim:

1. In a garment having leg portions, an adjustable waist construction for said garment, comprising in combination with in` elastic waist material, elastic web members disposed at opposite sides of the waist spanning gathers of waist material, the said elastics having the gathers stitched thereto so as to fold and unfold uniformly in the contraction and stretching of the elastics, and a pair of adjusting strings reaching from the ends of the elastics toward each other and arranged to be intertwined with one another at their free ends and drawn up so as to, first of all, take up excess waist material and, beyond that, place the elastics under a predetermined desired tension, said strings being arranged to be tied together in adjusted position whereby to keep the garment with the exact waist measurement and elastic tension to which the same has been adjusted, the said elastic web members norlnally having the ends thereof spaced far enough apart to permit the desired range of waist measurement adjustment and adjustment of the elastics up to the point where there is substantially no further elasticity therein.

2. In a garment having leg portions, an adjustable waist construction for said garment comprising inelastic lfront and back: portions having gathers of waist material therebetween at opposite sides of the waist, elastic web members disposed at opposite sides of the waist spanning the gathers, the said elastics having the gathers stitched thereto so as to fold and unfold uniformly in the contraction and stretching of the elastics, a second ply of inelastic material for one of said inelastic waist portions extending from the end of one elastic to the end of the other and serving to cover the raw ends thereof, said second ply forming a tunnel between .the ends of the elastics, and a pair of adjusting strings provided in said tunnel attached at their outer ends to the ends of the elastics, the attachment being concealed by the second ply, said strings having their inner ends extended through one of the plies at an intermediate point of the tunnel and arranged to be fastened together, said strings being arranged to be adjusted to Yeffect waist measurement adjustmentl and elastic tension adjustment.

3. In a garment having leg portions, an adjustable waist construction for said garment comprising in combination with inelastic waist. material, elastic web members disposed at opposite sides of the waist superimposed upon the outside of gathers of waist material, there being longitudinal stitches smoothly connecting the elastics and the waist material when the former are stretched, the waist material being thereby gathered in slnall uniform pleats when the clastics are in their normal contracted condition, whereby said waist material is caused to fold and unfold uniformly with contract-ion and stretching of the elastics, the ends of the elastics being disposed normally in spaced relation in the wearing ofthe garment, whereby to permit stretching of the elasties for waist tensioning by drawing said ends toward each other, and a pair of adjusting strings attached at their outer ends to the ends of the elastics and arranged to have free inner ends thereof fastened together, said strings being arranged to be adjusted whe'reby to secure the desired waist measurement adjustment and elastic tension adjustment.

4. In a. garment having leg portions, an adjustable waist construction for said garment comprising in combination with inelastic waist material, elastic webbing spanning gathers of waist material, the said webbing having the gathers fastened thereto so as to fold and unfold uniformly in the contraction and stretching of the webbing, the endsof the webbing being disposed normally in spaced relation in the wearing of the garment, whereby to permit stretching of said webbing for waist tensioning by drawing said ends toward each other, and a pair of adjusting strings suitably secured at their one end to the waist and extending away from the ends of the webbing toward each other and arranged when pulled to place the webbing under tension, said strings being arranged to be adjusted at'their free ends and fastened together whereby to secure the desired waist measurement adjustment and elastic tension adjustment.

5. In a garment having leg-portions, an adjustable Waist construction for said garment comprising in combination with inelastic waist material, elastic webbing spanning gathers of waist material, the webbing having the gathers fastened thereto so as to fold and unfold uniformly in the contraction and stretching of the webbing, the ends of the webbing being disposed normally in spaced relation in the wearing of the garment, whereby to permit stretching of said webbing for waist tensioning by drawing said ends toward each other, a second ply of inelastic material for the waist extending from the ends of the webbing and fastened thereto and serving to cover the raw endsthereof, said second ply forming a tunneled waist portion between the ends of the webbing, and a pair of adjusting strings suitably attached to the waist in'the tunneled portion and extending away from the ends of the webbing with the free ends extended through one of the plies in the tunneled portion to permit fastening of said ends together, said strings being arranged to be adjusted to effect waist measurement adjust-ment and elastic tension adjustment.

6. In a garment having leg portions, an adjustable waist construction for said garment comprising in combination with inelastic waist material, elastic webbing superimposed upon the outside of gathers of waist material and fastened thereto so that the waist material is caused to fold and unfold uniformly with contraction and stretching of the webbing, the ends of the webbing being disposed normally in spaced relation in the wearing of the garment, whereby to permit stretching of said webbing for waist tensioning by drawing said ends toward each other, and a pair of adjusting'strings attached to the ends of the webbing and extending therefrom toward each other to have the free ends thereof fastened together, said strings being arranged to be adjusted whereby to secure the desired waist measurement adjustment and elastic tension adjustment.

In witness of the foregoing I aiix my signature.

PETER K. KARBERG.

Images