US2632177A - Maternity panty - Google Patents

Description

Patented Mar. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATERNITY PANTY Sallie B. Mcberin, (Jana! Winchester, Ohio, now by change of name Sallie B. Bigger Application November 23, 1948, Serial No. 61,690

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in clothing and is particularly directed to maternity garments of the underclothing class.

An object of this invention is to provide an undergarment comprising a pair of panties which are so constructed that they may be worn by a woman in normal condition 01' early stages of pregnancy and during the more advanced and final stages of pregnancy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of maternity panties which have an expansible abdominal section and means for adjusting such section between contracted and expanded conditions so that the efiective size of the garment may be readily adapted to the needs of a particular user at different stages of pregnancy.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pair of maternity panties having an abdominal portion of considerable length and means, such as draw strings for varying the effective length of such abdominal portion.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pair of panties having conventional seat and crotch portions and an abdominal portion secured at its side edges to those of the seat portion, the side edges of the former being of greater length than the latter and being gathered as the same is stitched thereto, the abdominal portion being provided with upwardly extending means in the nature of draw-strings which may be used to vary the effective length of the abdominal portion.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a pair of panties having conventional seat and crotch portions and an abdominal portion of materially greater length than conventional panties and providing a plurality of casings which extend upwardly across the abdominal portion and which receive ribbon-like elements by means of which the effective length of the abdominal portion may be varied, the ribbon-like elements being secured at one end of the casing so that by applying a drawing force to the elements at the opposite end of the casing the abdominal portion can be gathered or plaited to decrease the effective length thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view looking toward the front of a garment formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view looking toward the back of the garment;

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken through the garment on the plane indicated by the line III-III of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view taken through the garment on the plane indicated by the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing numeral 26 designates the garment in its entirety. This garment may be formed of suitable material and from two or more pieces depending upon the desires of the manufacturer. It includes a conventional seat or back portion 2|, a crotch portion 22 and an abdominal or front portion '23. The crotch and back portions are stitched together in a conventional manner as at 24, the former being secured also in the conventional manner as at 25 to the abdominal or front portion 23. The lower and side edges of the abdominal, the seat and the crotch portions are suitably shaped so that when the pieces are assembled leg openings 26 will be formed. These may be encircled by casings 21 for the reception of elastic garments not shown, or, left plain, also depending upon the desires of the manufacturer.

One of the important features of the present invention is to form the abdominal portion 23 of a length materially greater than the conventional length of similar parts of such garments. Due to the length the side edges of the abdominal portion are gathered or plaited as at 23 at the time they are being sewed to the side edges of the back portion. The upper edges of the back and abdominal portions may also be provided with a casing indicated by the numeral 39. This casing, in the form of the invention shown, receives a ribbon-like element 3!, the ends of which extend outwardly through an opening 32 at the approximate center of the casing in the upper edge of the abdominal portion. By drawing the ends of the element 3! outwardly through the opening 32, the wearer may adjust the circumference of the waist-line of the garment to suit her particular needs.

The abdominal portion is provided with a pair of double casings 33, which extend from the junctures of the sides edges of the crotch portion with the lower edge of the abdominal portion, upwardly across the abdominal portion. In the form of the invention shown the upper ends or these casings 33 are disposed slightly to either side of the center of the abdominal portion and the casings thus extend upwardly and outwardly at a slight angle rather than truly vertical. These double casings 33 receive ribbon-like elements 34, the center portions of which are secured to the abdominal portion in the lower ends of the casings. The upper ends of the casings 33 are open so that the ribbon-elements may extend therefrom, where they can be readily grasped by the wearer in adjusting the size of the garment. It is obvious that the ribbon-elements could be secured in the upper ends of the casings if desired and have the adjustment thereof performed at the lower ends. In adjusting the length of the abdominal portion the ribbons 34 are pulled outwardly of the casings 33 and cause the material of the abdominal portion to be gathered or plaited throughout the entire length thereof. When the proper size has been determined the ribbon may be tied in a bow or other knot to maintain the adjustment. It is obvious that the length of the abdominal portion and the circumference of the waist portion of the garment may be increased as occasion demands, merely by untieing the ribhon-like elements and releasing the same. After the desired increase in size has been secured these elements may again be knotted.

While the invention has been illustrated in only one form, it should be obvious that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A parity-like garment comprising united seat, crotch and abdominal portions, the length of the side edges of said abdominal portion being materially greater than that of the seat portion to which they are attached so that the former must be gathered: a casing ext-ending upwardly from each side of the crotch portion to the upper edge of said abdominal portion; draw string means in said casings, said draw string means serving to increase the efiective length of said abdominal portion beyond the length of a conventional garment.

2. A parity-like garment comprising seat and crotch portions; an abdominal portion joined at the bottom edge to said crotch portion, the side edges of said abdominal portion being of greater length than the side edges of said seat portion and gathered and secured thereto; parts of the edges of said abdominal and crotch portions form ing leg openings; casings extending from the ends of the juncture of said crotch and. abdominal portions to the upper edge of the latter; an additional casing extending along the upper edge of said abdominal and seat portions; and draw string means in said casings, said draw string means serving to increase the efiective waist diameter of the garment and the effective length of said abdominal portion beyond the lengths of the corresponding portions of a conventional garment.

3. A maternity garment comprising a seat portion having side edges of substantially conventional length; a crotch portion; an abdominal portion secured to said crotch portion, said abdominal portion having side edges of materially greater length than the side edges of said seat portion, the side edges of said abdominal portion being pleated and secured to the side edges of said seat portion; and means extending from the ends of the seam between the abdominal and crotch portions upwardly to the upper edge of said abdominal portion, said means being effective to change the length of the abdominal portion of such garment from a conventional length to a materially great length.

4. A maternity garment comprising a seat portion having side edges of substantially conventional length; a crotch portion provided on said seat portion; an abdominal portion secured to said crotch portion, said abdominal portion having side edges of materially greater length than those of said seat portion, the side edges of said abdominal portion being pleated and secured to the side edges of said seat portion; a tubular casing extending from points adjacent each end of the seam between the abdominal and crotch portions upwardly across the abdominal portion to points adjacent the upper edge thereof; and drawstring means in said casings, said drawstrings serving to gather the abdominal portion to reduce it to conventional length.

5. A maternity garment comprising a seat portion having side edges of substantially conventional length; a crotch portion provided on said seat portion; an abdominal portion secured to said crotch portion, said abdominal portion having side edges of materially greater length than those of said seat portion, the side edges of said abdominal portion being pleated and secured to the side edges of said seat portion; a double tubular casing extending from a point adjacent each end of the seam between the abdominal and crotch portions upwardly across the abdominal portion to points adjacent the upper edge thereof; and an inelastic flexible tape secured at its intermediate portion at one end of each casing, said tapes serving to gather the abdoi'iinal portion to reduce its effective length to substantially conventional length.

6. A maternity garment comprising a seat portion having side edges of substantially conventional length; a crotch portion provided on said seat portion; an abdominal portion secured at its lower end to said crotch portion, said abdominal portion having side and waist edges with lengths materially greater than those of a conventional garment, the side edges of said abdominal portion being pleated and secured to the side edges of said seat portion; a casing provided at the waist edge of said abdominal portion; drawstring means in said casing, said drawstring means being operative to gather the material of said abdominal portion at the waist to reduce it to substantially conventional length; a casing extending from each end of the seam between the abdominal and crotch portions upwardly across the abdominal portion to points adjacent the waist edge; and a drawstring in each of the second mentioned casings, said drawstrings serving to gather the material of the abdominal portion to reduce the effective length of such portion to substantially conventional length.

SALLIE B. MCFERIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 136,860 Walker Dec. 14, 1943 964,697 Rogers July 19, 1910 1,281,058 Neilson Oct. 8, 1918 1,628,891 Lefirowitz 1. May 17, 1927 2,391,641 OHern Dec. 25, 1945 2,462,195 Jacobson Feb. 22, 1949 2,484,467 Schacht Oct. 11, 1949 2,513,039 Miller June 27,1950

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