US3613119A - One-piece or two-piece panty-type garment,and process and fabric suitable for making such garment - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION IS DIRECTED TO PANTY-TYPE GARMENT (FOR EXAMPLE, PANTY OR PANTY GIRDLE), WHICH IS CONSTRUCTED IN A NOVEL MANNER, UTILIZING ONE OR TWO PIECES OF FABRIC. THE FABRIC IS OF WRAP KNITTED CONSTRUCTION, AND IS CONSTRUCTED TO HAVE INTEGRALLY KNITTED PARALLEL SELVEDGES OF ONE-WAY STRETCH, ELASTIC CONSTRUCTION. IN THE FINISH GARMENT, ONE OF THE ELASTIC SELVEDGES FORMS THE WAIST BAND, AND THE OTHER ELASTIC SELVEDGE IS CUT AND SEWED TO FORM LEG BAND ELASTICS. A DESIRABLE, BODY-CONFORMING SHAPE IN IMPARTED TO THE GARMENT BY UTILIZING, IN THE CONSTRUCTION THEREOF, CUT SECTIONS OF THE WRAP KNITTED MATERIAL IN WHICH THE END EDGES AER PROVIDED WITH CONCAVE ARCUATE CUTS EXTENDING DOWNWARD AND OUTWARD FROM THE UPPER EDGE. WHERE LARGE BODY SIZES ARE TO BE ACCOMMODATED, A SEPERATE CROTCH PIECE IS INCORPORATED IN THE GARMENT CONSTRUCTION, EXTENDING IN THE FRONT-TO-BACK DIRECTION. THE CROTCH PIECE, LIKE THE MAIN FABRIC SECTION, IS OF WARP KNETTED CONSTRUCTION AND HAS INTERGRAL ELASTIC SELVEDGES. IN THE CASE OF THE CROTCH PIECE FABRIC, HOWEVER, BOTH OF THE ELASTIC SELVEDGES ARE THE SAME AND CORRESPOND TO THE LEG BAND SELVEDGES OF THE MAIN OR BODY FABRIC SECTION.

Description

L. SARMIENTO Oct. 19, 1971 ONE-PIECE OR TWO-PIECE PANTY-TYFE GARMENT, AND PROCESS AND FABRIC SUITABLE FOR MAKING SUCH GARMENT Filed May 12, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 7

FIG. 4

INVENTOR. LOUIS SARM IENTO BY 777M ATTORNEYS Oct. 19, 1911 L, R N O I 3,613,119

ONE-PIECE OR TWOPIECE PANTYTYPE GARMENT, AND PROCESS AND FABRIC SUITABLE FOR MAKING SUCH GARMENT Filed May 12. 1970 3 Sheets$heet 2 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. LOUIS SARM IE NTO ATTORNEYS Oct. 19, 1971 SARM|ENTO 3,613,119

ONE-PIECE 0R TWO-PIECE PANTY-TYPE GARMENT, AND PROCESS AND FABRIC SUITABLE FOR MAKING SUCH GARMENT Filed May 12, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 80 FIG. 8

INVUNTOR. LOUIS SARM l ENTO WMM MM,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,613,119 ONE-PIECE 0R TWO-PIECE PANTY-TYPE GARMENT, AND PROCESS AND FABRIC SUITABLE FOR MAKING SUCH GARMENT Louis Sarmiento, Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., assignor to International Stretch Products, Inc., New York, N.Y. Continuation-impart of applications Ser. No. 10,770, Feb. 12, 1970, and Ser. No. 21,409, Mar. 20, 1970. This application May 12, 1970, Ser. No. 36,552

Int. Cl. A41b 9/04 US. Cl. 2-224 A 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is directed to a panty-type garment (for example, panty or panty girdle), which is constructed in a novel manner, utilizing one or two pieces of fabric. The fabric is of warp knitted construction, and is constructed to have integrally knitted parallel selvedges of one-way stretch, elastic construction. In the finished garment, one of the elastic selvedges forms the waist band, and the other elastic selvedge is cut and sewed to form leg band elastics. A desirable, body-conforming shape is imparted to the garment by utilizing, in the construction thereof, cut sections of the warp knitted material in which the end edges are provided with concave arcuate cuts extending downward and outward from the upper edge. Where large body sizes are to be accommodated, a separate crotch piece is incorporated in the garment construction, extending in the front-to-back direction. The crotch piece, like the main fabric section, is of warp knitted construction and has integral elastic selvedges. In the case of the crotch piece fabric, however, both of the elastic selvedges are the same and correspond to the leg band selvedges of the main or body fabric section.

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is closely related to and constitutes a continuation-in-part of the copending application of Louis Sarmiento, Ser. No. 10,770, filed Feb. 12, 1970 and entitled Panty-Type Garment and Process of Making Such Garment, and Ser. No. 21,409, filed Mar. 20, 1970, entitled Warp Knit Fabric Adapted Especially for the Manufacture of One-Piece or Two-Piece Panty-Type Garments. The first-mentioned application relates to a pantytype garment, particularly of one-piece construction, utilizing a section of warp knit fabric, constructed to include integral elastic selvedges having one-Way stretch characteristics. A section of the thus-constructed fabric is secured to form a tube, in which one elastic selvedge forms a waist band and the other forms leg bands. The leg band selvedge is sewed together in the crotch area to form separate leg-encircling elastics. The second-mentioned copending application relates principally to the construction of a unique warp knit fabric, incorporating integral one- Way stretch elastic selvedges and a two-way stretch body area. It is suggested that reference be made to the related copending applications for a fuller appreciation of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the copending Sarmiento application Ser. No. 10,770, it is disclosed that a novel and improved panty-typ garment can be constructed utilizing a single, substantially rectangular section of fabric from a continuous or substantially continuous knit web of combination fabric. The garment thus disclosed has extraordinary advantages in respect of the savings realizable in the manufacture thereof from a single piece of fabric rather than, more conventionally, from a number of pieces of fabric and sections 3,613,119 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 ice of elastic. The present invention is directed to the making of further improvements on the above disclosed garment construction, particularly in the direction of imparting more conventional and therefore (in the market place at least) more desirable contours to the garment. The more conventional contours are particularly desirable for adult garments.

One technique for achieving the above-stated objective involves cutting fabric sections from the basic web in a configuration in which the elastic selvedge eventually intended to form the leg band elastics is of substantially greater length than the elastic selvedge eventually to form the waist band elastic. When the respective end edges of the fabric section are sewed together, in accordance with the basic teachings of the Sarmiento application Ser. No. 10,770, the garment is oriented so that the area of the seam constitutes the rear or seat portion of the garment. This gives a greater fullness to the seat area and imparts a more conventional configuration to the garment. As will appear, the secured-together edges of the fabric section may, in desirable cases, be cut with a deep arcuate shape to provide substantial fullness to the seat portion of the garment.

For the larger sizes of adult garments, it may be desirable to introduce increased front-to-back fullness in the crotch area of the garment. To this end, the present inven tion provides for incorporation of a second piece of fabric in the garment. The second piece, referred to therein as a crotch piece, is constructed in accordance with the beforementioned Sarmiento application Ser. No. 21,409 to have integral elastic selvedges, having effective one-way stretch characteristics, and an intermediate body fabric, integrally associated with the selvedges and having two-way stretch characteristics. Whereas, in the main fabric section, the elastic selvedges have different constructions to provide desirable waist band and leg band characteristics, the elastic selvedges of the crotch piece are of the same construction and, moreover, are of the same construction as the leg band elastic selvedge of the main fabric section. In the construction of the two-piece garment, in accordance with the invention, the main fabric section is formed into a tube, in the usual manner, but the front and back sections thereof are not secured together in the crotch area as is customary in the one-piece garment. The special crotch piece is then inserted, extending in the front-to-back direction. The elastic selvedges of the crotch piece connect the leg band selvedges of the main fabric section and form part of the leg band elastics in the finished garment.

In either of the above-described forms of the invention, major economies may be realized in the manufacture of the garment, as compared to conventional garment construction techniques using multiple components.

One of the important advantages realized in the construction of the garment utilizing the principles of the present and the above-mentioned copending applications, resides in the almost perfect color matching of the various components. With the one-piece garment, for example, it will be readily understood that all portions of the garment necessarily will have been processed and dyed simultaneously, resulting in optimum color match throughout the garment. This is extremely difficult to achieve with conventional garment construction, inasmuch as the elastic components are constructed and processed separately from the body components, and even the waist band and leg band elastics may be given separate processing.

In the construction of two-piece garments according to the invention, optimum color matching may still be realized even though the garment incorporates two sections of fabric, each derived from a separate fabric web. This is realized by simultaneously warp knitting, on a single machine, a plurality of fabric webs, from which both the main fabric section and the crotch piece are derived. The separate webs are knitted simultaneously on a side-by-side basis and are connected together by a temporary stitch construction formed as part of the knitting operation. The multiple-component knitted web is processed and dyed while the components thereof remain secured by the temporary stitching. Thereafter, the individual web components may be separated and cut into sections for assembly into garments. However, the finished garment will be characterized by an optimum color match of the components, by reason of the simultaneous processing.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a section of combination fabric cut in an advantageous manner for the construction of a contoured one-piece or two-piece garment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first construction stage of a onepiece or two-piece garment according to the invention, utilizing a fabric section of the type shown in FIG. 1, oriented inside-out for ease of fabrication.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a one-piece garment constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a special crotch piece constructed in accordance with the invention and intended for incorporation in a two-piece garment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a two-piece garment constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 4, illustrating the construction of the two-piece garment of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a section of multiple component warp knit fabric constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a section of combination fabric suitable for the construction of a modified type of onepiece garment according to the invention.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of a one-piece garment constructed with the fabric section of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing, and initially to FIGS. 1-4 thereof, the reference numeral 10 designates generally a section of warp knitted fabric as constructed in accordance with the Sarmiento application Ser. No. 21,409. The fabric comprises a body portion 11 constructed to have two-way effective elasticity, and elastic selvedge portions 12, 13 constructed to have one-way elasticity. The effective elasticity of the selvedges 12, 13 is in the warp (lengthwise) direction, while the eflective elasticity of the body portion 11 is both lengthwise and widthwise. As explained in the copending application, the fabric 10 is knitted in substantially continuous lengths and is so constructed that, in its relaxed condition, the courses, or transverse rows of stitches, have a generally straight-across disposition.

In the cutting of a garment section from a Web of knitted fabric, the length of the elastic selvedge 12 is set to correspond to a desired waist size of the garment. In accordance with the invention, the elastic selvedge 13, from which the leg band elastics are formed, is cut to a substantially greater length than the waist band elastic. Thus, in the illustration of FIG. 1, the leg band elastic is approximately 40% longer than the waist band elastic, although it should be understood that there is considerable latitude in this relationship within the teachings of the invention.

At each end, the cut fabric section has deep arcuate cuts 14, 15. These cuts extend vertically downward through the waist band elastic 12 and then curve downward and outward until they connect with cut edges 16, 17. The

edges 16, 17 extend vertically upward through the leg band elastic selvedges 13 and for a short distance beyond. Desirably, the disposition of the arcuate cuts 14, 15 is at a relatively low angle to the horizontal in the region where the cut edges 14, 16 and 15, 17 join. As will be observed in FIG. 1, the cut of the fabric section 10 is symmetrical.

In the formation of a garment from the fabric section 10, the fabric is folded along a vertical midline 18, so that the arcuate cut edges 14, 15 overlie each other, as shown in FIG. 2. The arcuate cut edges are then sewed together along a seam 19. The vertical cuts 16, 17 are, however, left temporarily unsecured. Adjacent to the folding line 18, the fabric is cut upward through the leg band selvedge 13, as indicated at 20. The cut 20 terminates at a point 21 on the midline which is calculated to provide a total cut edge length (considering both front and back edges of the fabric section shown in FIG. 2) that will equal the combined edge length of the cuts 16, 17. The cut 20 may be a single cut, made vertically along the midline 18, or may be offset therefrom so as to remove a small section 22 of fabric, substantially as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, the tubular garment pre-form which results from the making of the seam 19, is developed into a completed one-piece garment by refolding the garment to bring together the cut edges 16, 17 with the cut edges 20. These are sewed together along a seam 23, as reflected in FIG. 4. This joins the front and back portions of the fabric in the crotch area and completes the crotch construction of the garment. At the same time, the seam 23 joins together the opposite ends of the individual section 13a, 13b of the leg band selvedge 13 to form separate, leg-encircling elastics.

In normal practice, the garment is sewed up while in an inside-out orientation. Accordingly, after the sewing operations have been completed by forming the seams 19, 23, the garment is turned rightside out. The finished garment, shown in elevational view in FIG. 3, has contours characteristic of a more conventional, multiple component garment with the edges 14, 15 providing a contoured fullness appropriate for the seat portion of the garment. Nevertheless, the garment of the invention is constructed of a single piece of fabric and requires only two easily constructed seams to complete its manufacture.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5-7, while incorporating most of the inventive substance of the garment of FIGS. 1-4, is of two-piece construction to impart improved contours to garments intended to fit larger body sizes. In general, the garment of FIGS. 5-7 incorporates a main body section 40 constructed in the manner of the fabric section 10 of FIG. 1 and cut to have arcuate edges 44, 45 joined together along a seam 49, all corresponding generally to the edges 14, 15 and seam 19, of the garment of FIGS. 1-4. However, while the body section 40 is provided with edges 46, 47 and 50, corresponding to the edges 16, 17 and 20 of the fabric section 10, these edges are not secured directly together, as in the garment of FIGS. 14. Rather, in accordance with the invention, a special crotch piece 51 is secured in the garment to join the front and back crotch portions of the body fabric section 40 in spaced relation.

As an important aspect of the invention, the crotch piece 51, shown by itself in FIG. 5, is constructed by manufacturing techniques closely corresponding to those utilized in the construction of the main body fabric sections, 10 and 40. That is, the fabric is of warp knit con struction, preferably made on a raschel machine. It is constructed to have selvedge portions 52, 53, having oneway (lengthwise) effective elasticity, and an integral body portion 54, having two-way effective elasticity. The fabric is constructed in webs of substantial length, and the webs are then cut transversely to form the individual crotch pieces 51.

In the construction of the body section 40, it is usually desirable to impart different characteristics of elasticity to the respective selvedge portions 42, 43, inasmuch as, in the finished garment, the selvedge 42 constitutes a waist band elastic and selvedge 43 constitutes a leg band elastic, and different characteristics usually are desired to accommodate these somewhat different functions. In the case of the warp knit web material of which the crotch pieces 51 are formed, however, the elastic selvedge portions 52, 53 are of the same construction and have the same elastic characteristics. Moreover, the construction and the elastic characteristics of the crotch piece selvedges 52, 53 are designed to be the same or substantially the same as the construction and elastic characteristics of the leg band selvedge 43.

In the construction of the garment, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the crotch piece 51 is cut to have end edges 54, 55 which correspond in length to the edges of the body section 40 to which they are secured in the finished garment. Thus, the edge 54 corresponds in length to the combined length of body section edges 46, 47, while the edge 55 corresponds in length to the edge 50 of the body section. Typically, the end edges 54, 55 of the crotch piece may have an arched or similar configuration, whereby the center portions of the crotch piece are of greater length than the selvedge portions. The garment of FIGS. 6 and 7 is constructed by first joining the edges 44, 45 along the seam 49, to form a tubular garment preform. The crotch piece 51 is then secured along a seam 56, which joins the edges 50, 55 and also along a seam 57, which joins the edges 46, 47 to the edge 54. The elastic selvedges 52, 53 of the crotch piece are joined to the respective leg band selvedge portions 43a and 43b to form complete leg-encircling elastics.

As will be appreciated, the two-piece garment of FIGS. 6 and 7 retains in great measure the extraordinary economic advantages of the one-piece garment construction of FIGS. 1-4, while providing for somewhat greater flexibility in garment design, adapting the garment particularly for the larger adult sizes. The crotch piece 51 may be incorporated into the two-piece garment by simple seaming operations, and includes integral elastic selvedges corresponding to the leg band elastics of the main fabric section. Thus, even in the two-piece garment, the usually time-consuming and difiicult operations of sewing the waist band and leg band elastics to the body fabric are avoided.

One of the substantial advantages of the one-piece garment construction is, of course, the fact that the conventional difiicult-to-impossible problem of achieving a proper color match between the body sections and the elastics is entirely avoided. This is an important commercial advantage, inasmuch as proper color coordination seems to have a definite effect on sales price. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, this important advantage is retained even in the two-piece garment construction of FIGS. -7 through the side-by-side, simultaneous knitting of all of the component elements on a single knitting machine, and the subsequent simultaneous processing of the fabric components. Desirably, simultaneous processing is carried out through at least the dyeing operation and (typically) throughout all of the processing stages including dyeing and finishing and up to the point where the fabric is ready to be cut into garment sections.

In a typical raschel knitting machine, there is a widthwise capacity which is greatly in excess of the height of the body fabric section 40. Accordingly, in a typical commercial operation, one knitting machine can be arranged to construct, simultaneously, a susbtantial number of webs of the main garment fabric. The webs are constructed in side-by-side relationship, and adjacent webs are connected by a temporary stitch which may be easily removed at the desired time to completely separate the individual webs. The techniques for accomplishing this are, in general, well known in the knitting art.

In accordance with the present invention, a single warp knitting machine will knit a plurality of adjacent, tem- 'porarily connected webs 60 from which the main fabric sections 40 are to be derived, and will, in addition, construct a web 70, also temporarily connected into the web structure, and from which the crotch piece sections 51 are derived. As will be apparent from the drawing, the overall length of web material required to form the body section 40 of the garment is much greater than that required to form the crotch piece 51. Accordingly, the knitting machines desirably are set up to knit a number of the main webs 60 for each web 70 of crotch piece material, the ratio of one to the other being substantially in accordance with the relationship of the length of one to the length of the other (e.g., seven or eight webs 60 for each web 70). In this manner, all of the main fabric sections 40 and crotch piece sections 51 for a production batch of two-piece garments of the type shown in FIGS. 5-7 can be derived from a single combination web of material produced by a single warp knitting machine. This combination web, designated by the reference numeral in FIG. 8, is processed at least through the dyeing stage, and typically right up through the finishing stages in its combination form, after which individual components of the two-piece garment are assured to have optimum color match. Typically, the color match achieved in the manufacture of a two-piece garment in accordance with the invention, should be superior to that achieved even in very high priced garments of conventional construction, because the practical difficulties of achieving close color match in a variety of individually processed components make it difficult indeed to achieve substantial perfection within the restrictions of an economically realistic pricing structure.

In the modified garment construction of FIGS. 9-10, an extremely simple design concept is provided, which is suitable for either one-, or two-piece garment constructions. In the modification, a fabric web having integral elastic selvedges may be cut into main fabric sections 81 of trapezoidal shape, to provide a waist band elastic 82 of shorter length than the leg band elastic 83, while providing essentially straight line end edges 84, 85. The edges 84, 85 may be joined along a seam '86 to form tubular garment pre-form, and a crotch structure may be formed in the manner set forth in the above-mentioned Sarmiento application Ser. No. 10,770. The garment may also incorporate a separate crotch piece of the general type shown in the garment of FIGS. 5-7 hereof, if desired to provide for additionl fullness.

It will be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A contoured panty-type garment having a waist opening, a crotch, a pair of leg openings, and elastic waist and leg bands, which comprises (a) a single section of warp knitted fabric having a stretchable body portion and longitudinally extending integrally knitted one-way elastic selvedges,

(b) said section of fabric being oriented such that its longitudinally extending elastic selvedges are disposed to extend transversely of the garment to form an elastic waist band portion and elastic leg band portions,

(c) said elastic selvedges being disposed in initially straight, spaced, parallel relation throughout the entire length of said fabric section,

((1) said fabric section having arcuately cut concave end edges extending downward and outward from the upper edge of the waist band elastic to a point above the elastic leg band portion and near the upper edge thereof,

8 (e) said arcuately cut end edges forming matching, 3. Acontoured, panty-type garment according to claim overlying arcuate edges when said fabric section is 1, further characterized by folded in half upon itself, said means for joining comprising a seam directly join- (f) said arcuately cut end edges being sewn together ing said edges.

in a continuous seam extending from the upper edge 5 4. A contoured panty-type garment according to claim of the waist band elastic to said point, 1, further characterized by (g) said fabric section being severed upwardly midsaid body portion being of two-way elastic construcway between its end edges, from a level at the bottion. tom of said elastic leg band portion to a level in said Referen e Cited body portion above and near the upper edge of said 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS elastic leg band portion, formlng severed edges, and (h) means for joining the end edges of said fabric, 1,513,750 11/1924 Dolan 2224 below said point, to said severed edges to form sep- 2,519,534 8/1950 ATtZt 66-477 X arate tubular leg portions, each including an integral 3,226,731 1/ 1966 Terry 2224 1eg encircling elastic band BOySen et a]. (i) the arcuately seamed portion of said garment pro- 2,114,004 4/ 1938 Relnthalviding contoured fullness appropriate for a garment 2,147,169 2/1939 Mendel et seat portion Sinigaglicsi. 2. A contoured panty-type garment according to claim 3,177,875 4/ 1965 Garson- 1, fi g 'd r ii a riz fii d n'ng com r's' g t h 20 FOREIGN PATENTS a sa1 e 1 1 p1 in a croc piece extending between and joining said severed edges to 1455456 9/1966 France 2 224 the portions of the end edges below said point, 89 81 12/1953 Germany 2 73 (b) said crotch piece comprising a normally fiat, warp knit fabric section having integral one-way elastic 25 HAMPTON HUNTER Primary Exammer selvedges corresponding to said elastic leg band por- U.S. Cl. X.R. tions. 2874 H

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