US2093371A - Knit nether garment with inelastic crotch insert - Google Patents

Description

D. F. SHEEHY Sept. 14, 1937.

KNIT NETHER GARMENT WITH INELASTIC CROTCH INSERT Filed July 18, 1955 Patented Sept. 14, I937 "Daniel F; 'Sheehy, Reading, Pa., assignor to VanityFair Silk Mills, Reading, Pa., a corpora 'tion of Pennsylvania Application July 18, 1935, Serial No. 32,128

This invention relates to womens nether garments of the form-fitting. drawers type. It has fOIiltS general object to prV i,de a garment of the classindicated made from ,fiimsy knit fabric 5. elastic-both longitudinally and circumferentially,

butwith a.modulus.of elasticity so freely yieldingas to setiit apart from, the type of garment generally known as a girdle, designed to, compress or conform the body toa predetermined shape and having a coeefficient of elasticity sufficiently powerful to enable it to fulfill its purpose. The present garment has no function of compressing or conforming, being of just sufficient elastic strength to contact the body in a wrinkle free manner. 7

There is nothing new in the broad concept of knit drawers fitting theform with light elastic pressure, but such garments have not been eminently successful due to the fact that the loosenessiof the knitting failed to give the necessary support so that the weight of the garment caused it'to-sag and hang out of shape. Furthermore, in common with all knit garments they were more elastic in 'one'direction than another and par ticularly after laundering became stretched hopelessly out of shape. Another drawback with the conventional knit drawers is that the rubbing together of the legs of the garment in the act of walking caused twisting in the leg portions rendering them uncomfortable and unsightly. The present invention has for its object to improve knit drawers type garments of light elastic quality as described by providing a support or relatively inelastic anchoring area which keepsthe garment in shape, prevents the legs froi n'sag'g'ing oi twisting, nullifies the effects formerly produced by the act of walking, and prevents relative movement between the garment and the skin.

Specifically, the object of the invention is to provide an elastic knit drawers of flimsy noncompressing texture having a relatively nonelastic insert in the form of a crotch piece of double thickness extending down the insides of the legs to the peripheral margins thereof.

Another specific object of the invention made possible by the combination of the supporting area with the flimsy knit elastic body material is the provision of a nether garment of knit elastic freely yielding fabric having the leg portions terminating in cuffs of still slighter coefficient of elasticity and supporting means for retaining the legs including the cuffs in shape and in untwisted position upon the legs consisting of a crotch piece of double thickness constituting the insides of the legs and crossing the line of demar cation between the cuff portions and the inte-. grally knit body portions.

Another-object of the invention is to provide a nether garment as described, with an elastic source both at the waist lines and at the bottom of the legs.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 isa perspective view of a nether garment embracing the principles of the present invention distended as worn;

Figure 2 is afront elevation of the garment; Figure 3 is a plan view from beneath the legs being spread apart; and rFigure 4 is a section taken along the line i4 of Figure 3.

Referring now in detail to the several figures the numeral 1 represents the body'of the garment comprising preferably a tubular knit fabric having longitudinally extending wales 2 and being stretchable both longitudinally and circumferentially. As in all garments knit with wales,'the elasticity is greater in a direction perpendicular to the wales than it is in the direction of the wales. The body portion. is cleft both at the front and rear as indicated at 3 to define leg portions 4 and '5. A crotch insert Bis set into the clefts being united'to the edges of thecleft preferably by an overlook chain stitch and forming the inside parts 1 and 8 of the leg portions as, shown in Figures .2 and .3. The insert is of substantially inelastic material, for example, glove silk and is of double thickness, the two thicknesses being entirely free except where stitched to the adjacent fabric. It is also much wider from front to back in the line of the crotch than where it terminates at the leg openings, so that it extends well up on the body both at the front and back to the point where the curvature which represents the rotundity of the lower part of the abdomen and buttocks extends.

It will be noted that the lines of stitching 9 and 10 are parallel to the direction of the wales, that is to say, the direction in which the body fabric is less stretchable. Consequently, the difference in stretchability between the insert 6 and the body fabric I in the seam is of minimum value and there is less chance of the elastic fabric being torn away from the insert by excessive stress than would otherwise be the case.

The top of the garment is provided with a waist band II preferably incorporating circumferential rubber strands, but in any event more pronouncedly elastic than the body fabric, for firmly holding the garment in position. The ends of the leg portions are provided with circumscribing elastic bands l2 and [3 which also may incorporate rubber, forholding the leg portions in place and for determining a normal form-fitting relation of the entire garment to the body of the wearer. It is to be understood throughout the specification that the material of this garment is of flimsy nature, practically incapable of supporting itself in any position unaided, and that it does not compress or conform the body.

It will be observed in Figure 2 that the line (1-1) between the arrow heads from the waist line to crotch is shorter than the similar line c-d which extends from the waist line down to the bottom of the leg portion so that the aggregate elongatability of the fabric in the line ab is less than the aggregate elongatability along the line c--d. The result is that the leg portions of the garment ordinarily would sag and get out of shape. The relatively inelastic insert 6 compensates this tendency for the middle portion of this insert is secured at the points I4 and I5, see Figure 3, to the body fabric at the lower ends of the lines ab and said insert may therefore be considered anchored to the garment at this point. The insert extends down the insides of the legs on opposite sides being stitched to the adjacent body fabric and thereby anchors the body fabric-to it preventing its sagging down in the longitudinal direction of the legs. The supporting function of the inelastic insert is so well performed that it permits the lower ends of the leg portions to be integrally knit with the body portion as cuffs l6 and I! of lighter wales and therefore more stretchable even than the body portion. The inside leg portions of the insert 6 are stitched longitudinally to the cuffs l6 and I1, keep these in place, and prevent them sagging downward. Furthermore, the individual courses which extend circumferentially about the leg in the ouifs I6 and I1 terminate in the inelastic insert 6 and are thus held substantially parallel to one another. and prevent it from sagging out of shape. The fact that the crotch insert extends higher up both at the front and back and that it is inelastic, causes it to provide a supporting function to the knit material in those regions which would be unduly bulged or sagged by the rotund mass of the lower part of the abdomen and buttocks.

The leg portions of the insert 6 also act, through their relative stiffness, to allocate the knit material of the leg portions, keeping the wales in straight lines and preventing the material twist ing about the legs in the act of walking. .Since the insert 6 is of double thickness, the outer adjacent layers of said insert may rub together and be displaced through said rubbing without affecting the inner layer which lies against the skin. The outer layer will therefore not be susceptible of any translatory movement, but merely to a wrinkling and straightening relative to the inner This double thick crotch portion therefore makes for comfort in preventing the material of the garment from rubbing against the legs and also prevents the oscillatory movements of walking from having a rotating effect upon the leg portions of the garment. The elastic belt and leg bands have l layer which is fixed in its relation to the legs. r

the sole purpose of keeping the garment smooth and in a sense stretch it longitudinally to the extent or for the purpose of causing it to assert a conforming'pressure upon the body.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical form of the invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the limitationsherein disclosed are by way of example and not who construed as restricting the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

Nether garment comprising a supporting framework consisting of a constrictively elastic selfsupporting waist band, constrictively elastic selfsupporting leg cuffs and a substantially inelastic crotch insert in the form of .an inverted dihedral angle forming the inner sides of the legs, having its apical edge at the crotch and its base portions interposed in the leg cufis, kept stretched thereby and prevented from twisting around the legs by the tension of said cuffs, and a flimsy knit, inherently non-self-supporting, smooth fitting tubular body portion, weakly elastic in both circumferential and longitudinal directions, bifurcated at one end to form leg portions, integrally

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