US3191603A - Adjustable garment - Google Patents

Description

June 29, 1965 Ni A. MARINO 3,191,603

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Fild p 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. FIG. 5 Nicholas a. marina BY M @3247 @155 June 29, 1965 N. A. MARINO 3, 5

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Filed Sept. 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGOY Q 45 FIG. 6 I y I l INVENTOR.

*6 R Q 7lz'clzolas djfiaruza by w 50 BY United States Patent 3,191,603 ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Nicholas A. Marino, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Sears, Roebuck and (30., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,986 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-506) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, S.N. 237,559, filed November 14, 1962 and now abandoned.

My invention relates to adjustable garments, and is particularly concerned with, but not limited to, brassieres specially designed for adolescent girls as well as for pregnant women.

At certain stages, of adolescence, the proper fitting of brassieres on young girls becomes difficult because of the day-to-day development of the body. While attempts have been made to take care of this situation, as by providing a spaced series of hooks and eyes and the like, to permit a range of adjustments, none of these solutions is entirely satisfactory, all of them involving a certain amount of inconvenience on the part of the wearer. A plurality of spaced fasteners, such as hooks and eyes, permits only limited adjustment, resulting in improper fitting and discomfort.

A similar problem is encountered in pregnant women, whose mammary glands become increasingly active in the latter stages of pregancy. Garments for normal adults may also utilize my invention, especially for odd sizes.

My invention contemplates the utilization of a recently developed material sold under the trademark Velcro, a fabric available in the form of a tape including a series of minute hooks extending normally from the base of the tape, said hooks being formed of resilient filamentary material, usually of a synthetic plastic, and engageable in a looped fabric such as baize, felt or the like. Such a fastener provides an infinite number of adjustments, permitting repeated repositioning to accommodate steady and substantial growth in the body, as well as to adjust for shrinkage, etc., in the garment.

I am aware that the Velcro type of material has heretofore been suggested as closure means for normally loose-fitting garments of various kinds, such as coats. However, my first attempts to use such material in a brassiere were not satisfactory for withstanding the stresses required in such a garment. A brassiere, if it is properly to perform its function, must necessarily fit snugly on the body while withstanding constant strain from respiration. Hence, a positive connection is required for the ends of the brassiere, such as standard hooks and eyes, as well as a positive adjustment element permitting an infinite number of adjustments to accommodate changes in body girth.

My invention contemplates an arrangement in a brassiere wherein one of the cooperating elements of a standard back closure, such as hooks and eyes, is attached to one of the elements of a Velcro unit.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the appended drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating certain preferred embodiments of my invention, wherein,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the rear of a typical brassiere to which one form of my invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of the terminal portions of the strap members of the brassiere shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3a is a magnified sectional detail showing the 7 character of one element of my invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the back and FIG. 8 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 88 of FIG. 4.

Referring first to FIG. 1, I show here one form of brassiere 10 which may be considered more-or-less typical of the kind of garment to which my invention may advantageously be applied. The brassiere has a pair of generally hemispherical cup members 12, 12 joined at the front of the brassiere by means of a fabric web portion 15.

Also connected to the cup members 12, 12 adjacent the sides and back of the wearers body are strap members 18, 18. The free evtremities of these strap members have secured thereto a strap of elastic webbing 20, 20, of the type of elastic webbing commonly utilized in gar ters, etc.

Attached to end member 20, as by stitching 22, is a swatch of looped fabric indicated by the numeral 25, seen in detail in FIG. 3a, preferably a looped tricot of nylon or other synthetic continuous filament such as those known as Dacron or Antron. Such fabric 25 preferably is characterized by a myriad of minute looped filaments extending from and integral with a base sheet G, and is presently marketed as Velcro tricot pile by Velcro Corporation, New York, NY. To the back of fabric 25 has been laminated by any suitable means, as by heat, adhesive, etc., a relatively thin sheet of resilient synthetic resin foam 27, such as a polyester, so that the fabric 25 and the foam backing sheet 27 are, for all practical purposes, substantially integral. The preferred foam is a polyurethane, although other suitable resins might be employed in lieu thereof.

Cooperating with the fabric 25 is a swatch 30 of Velcro fastening material, referred to above, comprising a plastic backing or sheet 31 from which extend perpendicularly a myriad of minute filamentary flexible hooklike elements 32, as seen greatly exaggerated in FIG. 3. Said hooks, like the backing sheet 31, are of synthetic resin, having a high degree of stiffness and resilience. Thus, when pushed into the fabric 25, as seen in FIG. 3, the individual hooks tenaciously engage in the loops thereof,

forming a firm connection therewith; on grasping the edge of the backing sheet 31 and pulling away from the fabric 25, these hooks tend to flex and thus may be withdrawn from said material 25 without radical alteration of the latter.

The Velcro material 30 is detachably secured by any suitable means, as by hooks and eyes 35, 37, to the terminal portion of strap 20'.

It will be noted that the Velcro tape 30 provides an infinite number of adjustments, junction being effected by manual pressure. Hence, it will be seen that for an adolescent girl whose bust dimensions may be rapidly changing, it is a simple matter for her to place Velcro hook elements 30 in proper longitudinal adjustment relative to fabric 25 to provide an optimum fit from the standpoint of appearances and comfort. After said element has been properly positioned, the hook and eye members 35 and 37 are engaged and the brassiere is then snugly positioned on the body, and may be quickly and easily applied to and removed from the body in the usual way, using the standard fasteners 35, 37.

As the bust increases in girth, the Velcro strap 30 will be repositioned from time to time to accommodate such not ordinarily be a daily requirement.

Referring now to FIGS, 4-8, inclusive, in this embodiment the brassiere (only the terminal portions of which are shown) will include straps 18, 18 similar to those of the previously described embodiment. To strap 18' is secured, as by stitching, a strip of elastic webbing 20' as in the previous embodiment, while to strap 18 there is similarly secured a laminated or composite strip 40, as seen in detail in FIGS. 6-8, inclusive. Said composite stripcomprises a plurality of elements as described herebel-ow, said elements being secured together, preferably by stitching, along the marginal portions thereof, as indicated at 42, and quilting 43.

Composite strip 40 includes on its outside (away from the body) a looped fabric 25 which, in general, may be substantially similar to the element 25 of the previous embodiment, with a base or supporting fabric G. On the opposite side of strip 40 (next to the body) is a sheet 47 which may be of any suitable textile material, preferably Woven, although it might be knitted, such as a tricot or the like, which for convenience I refer to as'of a substantially continuous filament, and preferably of a synthetic filament such as those known to the trade under the trademarks of Nylon, Orlon, etc., although cotton might be employed. Sandwiched between elements 25 and 47 and quilted to sheet 47, as indicated at 43, is a relatively thin batt or pad 50 ofrandom filaments, such as spun synthetic filaments of the character just described for sheet 47, overlaid by a gauze sheet G. It will be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7 that pad 50 is substantially thicker than looped fabric 25, forming a cushion therebehind.

As in the first embodiment, suitable closure elements of standard type, such as hooks or eyes 35, are carried by elastic strap 20' and cooperate with mating elements 37 carried by a strip 30 of Velcro hooks 32, as in the first embodiment.

It will be seen that in the embodiment just described the pad 50 serves as a cushioning element in a manner corresponding to foam 27 in the first embodiment. I have found that the batt is highly effective, and this is especially true when the batt is formed of a synthetic filament, which filaments retain their spring or resilience in batt form over a long period of time, even after frequent laundermg.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiment shown and described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my inven tion being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a garment adapted to encircle the body snugly,

(a) a pair of terminal members carried by said garment,

(b) the first of said members having a fixed-position fastener permanently secured thereto,

(0) the second of said terminal members having permanently secured thereto a strip of looped fibers,

(d) and a separable intermediate member having a fixed-position fastener detachably engageable with said first-mentioned fastener and having a multiplicity of resilient hook elements detachably engageable with said looped fibers by penetration thereof, to provide an infinite number of adjustments to accommodate numerous variations in girth.

2. A combination as in claim 1, wherein the second terminal member is a laminated fabric comprising said strip on one side, a sheet on the opposite side formed of a continuous filament, and an intermediate pad of resilient material.

3. A combination as in claim 2, wherein the pad is a resin foam.

4. A combination as in claim 2, wherein the pad is a resilient batt.

5. A combination as in claim 4, wherein the pad is substantially deeper than said strip and is formed of spun synthetic fiber.

6. A combination as in claim 6, wherein said first termi nal member is formed of elastic fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,191,603 June 29, 1965 Nicholas A. Marine It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent reqiiring carrectio'n and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected,below.

Column 4, line 35, for the claim reference numeral "6" rea 1 Signed and sealed this 30th day of November 1965.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Aluasting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims (1)

1. IN A GARMENT ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE BODY SNUGLY, (A) A PAIR OF TERMINAL MEMBERS CARRIED BY SAID GARMENT, (B) THE FIRST OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A FIXED-POSITION FASTENER PERMANENTLY SECURED THERETO, (C) THE SECOND OF SAID THERMAL MEMBERS HAVING PERMANENTLY SECURED THERETO A STRIP OF LOOPED FIBERS, (D) AND A SEPARABLE INTERMEDIATE MEMBER HAVING A FIXED-POSITION FASTENER DETACHABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIRST-MENTIONED FASTENER AND HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF RESILIENT HOOK ELEMENTS DETACHABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LOOPED FIBERS BY PENETRATION THEREOF, TO PROVIDE AN INFINIATE NUMBER OF ADJUSTMENTS TO ACCOMMODATE NUMEROUS VARIATIONS IN GIRTH.

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