US2966912A - Girdle - Google Patents

Description

B. MURDOCK 2,966,912

GIRDLE Jan. 3, 1961 Filed March 25, 1958 usea-Jae.

llliiiiiiiii INVENTOR :Benjumin Murdock ATTORNEY United States Patent GIRDLE Benjamin Murdock, New York, N.Y., assignor to Fortuna Foundations, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 723,844

1 Claim. (Cl. 128-540) This invention relates to foundation garments, and more particularly to such garments worn on the lower torso and known as girdles.

Figure control in the female form is today accepted as a technique whose practice is important for the modern woman. While of course such practice means that the refinement of the lines of the body is for purposes of fashion, this is not its sole aim. Equally important is it that the way in which this is done be in a manner not merely not detrimental to health, but aflirmatively, in a manner to increase the health and sense of well being of the woman. Further, and likewise a prime aim, the garment provided must be comfortable to wear. Creative minds working in this field have dealt with these aims.

in a variety of ways. Generally, their work has produced girdle structures which comprise an assemblage of a number of fabric components, each making a particular contribution to the whole. The assembly process with such garments has entailed numerous sewing operations and has not always been most economical as to the utilization of fabric.

In the present inventive structure it is a primary object to provide a girdle with unique provision for body control, which girdle in structure is not unduly complex, but is conceived to harness to the maximum extent the inherent characteristics of the fabric comprising the garment. The practice of my invention permits a complex bias control where desired without a concomitant complexity in the structure.

Another object herein is to achieve the foregoing object with the greatest economy as to the quantity of fabric required, in that a single cutting operation will provide a blank for inclusion in the garment which otherwise would require more than one cutting operation. By providing such blanks of ingenious configuration, the number of sewing operations to create the finished garment is also reduced.

Still another object is to permit the application of the principles taught by my invention in any localized area of greater or lesser extent as desired embraced within the confines of the entire garment.

How these and many other objects are to be implemented will become clear through a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a panty girdle constructed according to my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blank laid out prior to assembly into the panty girdle of Fig. 1.

The garment It) in the drawings, in connection with which my invention is illustrated, is of the type known as a panty girdle in that it has leg openings, but it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable in a garment as is generally comprehended when the term girdle is used, in that a girdle does not have leg openings. At the top of the garment is an incircling band 11 having a soft inner surface where such band 11 contacts the body so that such band will not cause discomfort to the 2,966,912 Patented Jan. 3, 1961 wearer. There is a rear center panel 12 stretchable only vertically, and rear side panels 13 and 14 of two-way stretchable fabric. The arrows in the drawing appearing within each particular panel indicate the primary stretch characteristics of such panel. Seams 15 and 16 occur where the rear side panels are joined to the rear center panel 12.

At the front of the garment are laminate panels 20 and 21 joined at the front center of the garment along vertical seam 22 and at the sides of the garment to the rear side panels 13 and 14 at seams 23 and 24 respectively. The lower extremities of all panels, and also crotch insert 25, define leg openings 26 and 27.

It will be seen that the laminate panels 20 and 21 are identical and mirror images of each other, and therefore a description of one will sufiice for both, and such further description of the laminate panels will be made using laminate panel 20.

Laminate panel 20 has an outer portion 28 and an inner portion 29, such portions 28 and 29 being superposed. Outer portion 28 is of two way stretch material disposed on the bias, with a primary direction of stretch as indicated by the direction of its weft lines inclining downwardly from the side seam 23 to the front seam 22 at the center of the garment, and a second primary direction of stretch at right angles to the first. Inner portion 29 is also of two way stretchable material having a primary direction of stretch inclining downwardly from the front seam 22 at the center of the garment to side seam 23, and a second primary direction of stretch at right angles to the first as indicated by the crossed arrows shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It is apparent, therefore, that the first primary directions of stretch for portions 28 and 29 cross each other in the assembled garment.

Laminate panel 20, having outer and inner portions 28 and 29 respectively, is fashioned from a single blank 32 which is shown in the as-cut condition in Fig. 2. Blank 32 is bias cut from its parent sheet of material. The portions of blank 32 destined in the assembled garment to be outer portion 28 and inner portion 29, are identified by these same idexed numerals in Fig. 1. To assemble the blank 32 into the garment 10 the portions 28 and 29 are folded so that they lie superposed upon each other, upon fold line 33. An edge of the folded blank is thus provided at such fold line 33 and such fold lines in the laminated panels 20 and 21 respectively are placed in opposed relationship whereupon they can be joined by a single line of stitching, to form the front vertical seam 22. After folding along fold line 33 edges 34 and 35 of blank 32 will coincide and in the assembled garment these are sewn into side seam 23.

Thus a unique girdle structure is provided which will give augmented control and support to the figure. Such augmented control is in the nature of a complex bias control by reason of the superposed laminae in the panels 20 and 21, the primary directions of stretch in such laminae not coinciding and being disposed on the bias.

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein, as by transposing the specific location of the characteristic superposed laminae, and as so changed, a modified structure would still fall in the ambit of my invention.

I claim:

In a girdle having a rear panel and side panels joined thereto, a pair of front laminate panels each comprising a single bias cut blank of stretchable fabric folded upon itself along a substantially vertical line; the vertical folds of said laminate panels being joined to form the central seam of said garment; said laminate panels at the free vertical edges thereof being seamed to said side panels and substantially overlying the abdominal region of a wearer; said laminate panels thereby each comprising an innerportion of two way stretch fabric having .a prirnarydirection of stretch inclining downwardly from said central seam and said side seam and a second primary direction of stretch at right angles to said first primary direction of stretch, and an outer portion of two way stretch fabric superposed upon said inner portion, said outer portion being disposed upon a bias with the primary direction of stretch thereof being downwardly inclined from said side seam to said front seam, and a second primary direction of stretch at right angles to said first direction of stretch, said outer portion substantially extending from said central seam to said side panels.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 24, 1955

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