US2864376A - Foundation garment - Google Patents

Description

G. RQSEPERACK FOUNDATION GARMENT 1 Dec. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 22, 1954 1958 G. R. SEPERACK 2,864,376

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed NOV. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Unite States FOUNDATION GARMENT Gertrude R. Seperack, Bridgeport, Cnn., assignor to The Warner Brothers Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corpoi-anon of Connecticut Application November 22, 1954, Serial No. 470,199

8 Claims. (Cl. 128-524) This invention relates to ladies foundation garments and more particularly to girdles formed with a crotch.

' A serious disadvantage of girdles formed with a crotch as'heretofore made is that they tend to cut into the legs of the wearer adjacent to the crotch thereby causing discomfort and rendering the girdle objectionable.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel girdle having a crotch portion and which affords maximum comfort to the wearer.

Another object is to provide such a garment having leg engirdling portions adjacent to a crotch portion which remain flat and unwrinkled while the garment is worn thereby ensuring maximum comfort.

In accordance with this invention theleg engirdling portions of a girdle adjacent to the crotch portion thereof are provided with stiffeners. Preferably, the stitfeners are elongated resilient stays or bones and extend downwardly in the direction away from the crotch along the leg engirdling portions.

This invention as well as further objects and advan tages thereof will be better understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a girdle embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a detail view of a portion of the girdle corresponding to a view through the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Figure 2 in the direction indicated; and

Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figure 2 but of different embodiments of this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the girdle shown comprises a front panel joined along opposite sides thereof by suitable stitching to side panels 11, 12 each of which may extend rearwardly and may be joined by a seam or otherwise to form the back of the garment as is partially indicated in Figure 2. In the present instance front panel 10 is formed with a center .seam 13 extending from crotch piece 14 to the upper edge of the girdle and both front panel 10 and crotch piece 14 are made of material which is stretchable in one direction disposed so as to be vertically or longitudinally stretchable. Also, side panels 11 and 12 may be made of material which is stretchable both horizontally and vertically, i. e., two-way stretch material. While other arrangements and combinations of materials may be utilized the foregoing is preferred, front panel 10 and side panels 11, 12 being joined together by downwardly extending seams 15, 16 to form leg portions and to crotch piece 14 by an endless seam 17. A fastener may be conveniently provided adjacent to the upper edge of the girdle along one of the seams between the front and side panels. As shown, a slide type fastener may be utilized, the slider being indicated at 18.

When worn, the girdle conforms to the body of the wearer and, as shown in Figure 1, seams 15 and 16 extend downward along substantially the center of the in ner sides 19 and 20 of the respective leg engirdling por tions of the garment. Some improvement over girdles heretofore in use may be attained by providing a pocket Patented Dec. 16, 1958 directly along each of the seams 15, 16 in which stays or bones may be secured. A further and substantially greater improvement is achieved by providing stays on either side of each of the seams 15, 16 in that not only is the possibility of that portion of the garment becoming wrinkled completely eliminated but better balance and avoidance of undesirable local pressure is ensured. As shown in Figure 2, pockets 21 extending obliquely rela tive to seams 15 and 16 areprovided as by stitching suitable material along the interior surface of inner sides 19 and 20. Thus, a pocket 21 is provided along each of the lower extremities 10a of the front panel and along the lower extremities 11a, 12a of each of the side panels. Elongated resilient stays or bones 22 extend one in each of said pockets 21 and are disposed so that the bones 22 along each of the inner sides 19, 20 form the sides of a triangle while the peripheral portions 23 and 24 of the respective inner sides 19, 20 form the bases thereof. It will be observed that the bones 22 come into close proximity with each other adjacent to their upper ends while the apex of the triangular panel portion formed thereby and either of the peripheral portions 23, 24 is located in the median marginal portion of crotch piece 14.

Stiifeners 22 may be flat steel members or serpentine wire members may be used which are formed by bending a flexible wire member back and forth upon itself in its own plane as are shown in Figures 4and 5. Such serpentine wire members while incorporating the desired degree of resiliency have the further advantage of more perfectly conforming to the person of the wearer.

Referring now to Figure 4, arcuate pockets 26 may be formed along the lower extremities of the front panel and of each of the side panels to form generally triangular panel portions on the inner sides 19 and 2%) of the leg engirdling portions of the girdle. Serpentine wire members 27 are enclosed in each of the pockets 26. Due to the fact that serpentine wire members 2'7 are highly flexible and may readily be bent in all directions they not only prevent wrinkling or rolling of the inner portions.

of the garment but also permit to an extraordinary degree freedom of movement on the part of the wearer.

As shown in Figure 5, a somewhat different configuration may be utilized by forming pockets 28 which are generally elliptical in shape with their major axes extending along seams 15 and 16 respectively. Resilient and highly flexible members 29 in the form of serpentine wire members may be used to advantage. Members 29 may be in the form of endless loops.

The number of panels utilized in making the girdle may be varied. For example the body of the girdle may be of one piece construction, if desired, formed in the proper shape to provide a crotch portion to receive a crotch piece. In that event, the leg engirdling portions of the garment may be seamless but stitleners would be provided in the portions thereof corresponding to portions 19 and 20 as shown.

The terms and expressions which I have employed'are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. V

I claim:

1. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said body portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdling portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, and at least one stiffener connected to' and extending.

along each of said inner side portions and terminating short of said crotch portion.

2. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said body portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdiing portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, and at least one resilient highly flexible serpentine wire member connected to and extending along each of said inner side portions and terminating short of said crotch portion.

3. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said both portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdling portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, and a plurality of stiflfeners two extending along each of said inner side portions from adjacent to said crotch portion toward the peripheral portion of said inner side p'ortions away from said crotch portion, saidstifieners terminating short of said crotch portion.

4. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said body portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdling portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, said inner side portions each having amedian line extending downwardly from adjacent to the horizontal median line of said crotch portion, stifr'ener receiving pockets on said inner side portions extending divcrgently from adjacent to said crotch portion toward the lower peripheral portion of said inner side portions on either side of the median line of each of said inner side portions, and a stiffener in each of said pockets and spaced from said crotch portion.

5. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said body portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdling portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, said inner side portions each having a median line extending downwardly from adjacent to the horizontal median line of said crotch portion, a pair of stiffener receiving pockets on each of said inner side portions ex tending divergently one with the other from adjacent to 7 said crotch portion toward the lower peripheral portion of said inner side portions, one of said pockets being on either side of the median line of each of said inner side portions, and a stifiener in each of said pockets and spaced from said crotch portion.

6. A girdle, comprising front and side panel portions and a crotch portion joined to form a body encircling garment with the lower portions of the front panel being stitched to corresponding portions of the side panels and forming leg engirdling portions having inner side portions adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, said inner side portions each having a median line formed by stitching extending downwardly from the midportion of said inner side portions, a pair of bone receiving pockets on the inner surface of each of said inner side portions extending downwardly from adjacent said crotch midportion, the pockets forming each of said pairs extending one on either side of said median line and away from each other and said median line so that said pockets form the sides and said lower peripheral portion the base of a generally triangular figure the apex of which is located adjacent to the median marginal portion of said crotch portion, and a plurality of resilient bones one extending in each of said pockets.

7. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said body portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdling portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion,'

said inner side portions each having a median line extending downwardly from adjacent to the horizontal median line of said crotch portion elliptical stiffener receiving pockets one on each of said inner side portions and extending from adjacent to said crotch portion toward the lower peripheral portion of said inner side portions, the major axis of each of said elliptical pockets extending substantially along the median line of the corresponding one of said inner side portions, and a resilient highly flexible serpentine wire member in each of said elliptical pockets and terminating short of said crotch portion.

8. A girdle, comprising body and crotch portions, said crotch portion being elongated and extending longitudinally between the front and the back of said body portion, the lower portion of said body portion forming leg engirdling portions each of which has an inner side portion adjacent to and extending below said crotch portion, said inner side portions each having a median line extending downwardly from adjacent to the horizontal median line of said crotch portion, stitfener receiving pockets on said inner side portions extending divergcntly from adjacent to said crotch portion toward the lower peripheral portion of said inner side portions on either side of the median line of each of said inner side portions, and a resilient highly flexible serpentine wire member in each of said pockets and terminating short of said crotch portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,300,153 Herbener Oct. 27, 1942 2,406,215 Gliues Aug. 20, 1946 2,458,712 Kops Jan. 11, 1949 2,505,616 Goldberg Apr. 25, 1950 2,620,473 Bayer Dec. 9, 1952 2,644,946 Menz et al. July 14, 1953 2,696,003 Herbener Dec. 7, 1954 2,729,821 Frendenberg Jan. 10, 1956 2,774,073 Herbener 1 Dec. 18, 1956

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