Pull-over Infant's Garment

Abstract

A pull-over garment, particularly for infants, comprises front and back body panels joined to each other along the sides of the garment to define a body portion with a central neck opening at the top, and shoulder and sleeve portions extending laterally outward from each side of the neck opening and including a back part joined to the back body panel, an outer front part joined to the back part along the top of the shoulder and sleeve portions and along the bottom of the sleeve portion and having an inner edge sloping downwardly from the neck opening to the bottom of the sleeve portion, and an inner front part joined to the front body panel and underlying said outer front part, the inner front part having an upper edge extending substantially along the top of the shoulder and sleeve portions and being joined to the outer front part along only the outer end portion of such upper edge and along only the lower end portion of the mentioned downwardly sloping edge, so that the neck opening can be expanded for ease in application of the garment to an infant and is restored to its normal configuration by outward pulling of the tops of the sleeves.

Description

This invention relates generally to pull-over garments, especially for infants, and is particularly directed to improvements in pull-over garments of the type having an expandable neck opening.

Pull-over garments, particularly for infants, have been provided with expandable neck openings, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,035,377, and in U.S. Pat. No. 2,511,809. The known garments of the described type comprise a tubular, knitted body portion having a central neck opening at the top defined between overlapped front and rear strap portions which are respectively integral with the front and rear of the body portion. The overlapped front and rear strap portions are secured together only along the overlapped sections of their outer edge, and inset sleeves are seamed to the remainder of the garment along the outer edges of the front and rear strap portions. The described construction of a garment provides a surplice-like neck line, and the resulting neck opening can be expanded laterally or spread wide for ease in application of the garment to an infant. However, in thus expanding the neck opening of the garment, the front and rear strap portions thereof are disarranged so that, after the application of the garment to an infant, it is necessary to manually smooth out each of the front strap portions in the desired underlying relationship to the respective rear strap portion.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening, particularly suited for infants, and in which restoration of the garment to its normal configuration is facilitated after the application of the garment to an infant.

Another object is to provide a garment, as aforesaid, which is easy and inexpensive to produce.

Still another object is to provide a pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening which affords increased comfort to the infant or other wearer thereof.

A further object is to provide a pull-over garment, particularly for infants, with a neck opening that can be expanded to an extent greater than known garments of the mentioned type for further facilitating the application of the garment to an infant.

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, a pull-over garment, particularly for infants, comprises front and back body panels joined to each other along the sides of the garment to define a body portion with a central neck opening at the top, and shoulder and sleeve portions extending laterally outward from each side of the neck opening and including a back part joined to the back body panel, an outer front part joined to the back part along the top of the shoulder and sleeve portions and along the bottom of the sleeve portion and having an inner edge sloping downwardly and outwardly from the neck opening to the bottom of the sleeve portion, and an inner front part joined to the front body panel and underlying the outer front part, the inner front part having an upper edge extending substantially along the top of the shoulder and sleeve portions and being joined to the outer front part along only the outer end portion of such upper edge and along only the lower end portion of the mentioned downwardly sloping edge, so that the neck opening can be expanded for ease in application of the garment to an infant and is restored to its smoothly fitting normal configuration merely by outward pulling of the tops of the sleeves.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the upper portion of a pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening produced in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a back elevational view, partly broken away, of the garment shown on FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are elevational views of two fabric pieces which are joined together to form the garment of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are elevational views of folded blanks which may be cut from a fabric tube to provide the fabric pieces shown on FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a flattened tube of fabric having a series of alternately arranged patterns thereon to define the lines along which such tube is cut to provide the folded blanks shown on FIGS. 6 and 7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that a pull-over garment 10 with an expandable neck opening 11 of a type that has been previously produced, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,035,377, comprises a tubular body portion 12, for example, of a knitted fabric, having front and rear shoulder strap portions 13 and 14 respectively, disposed at opposite sides of neck opening 11 and which are integral with the front and back of body portion 12. The front and back sections 15 and 16 of neck opening 11 are defined between front strap portions 13 and rear strap portions 14, respectively, which strap portions are of sufficient length to overlap at the front, top and back of the shoulder portions of the garment, as shown, with the front strap portions 13 underlying the respective rear strap portions 14. The overlapping front and rear strap portions 13 and 14 are secured to each other only along their outer edges, for example, by means of the respective sections of bound seams 17 provided for securing set-in sleeve portions 18 to the remainder of the garment.

The above described construction of the known garment 10 provides the latter with a surplice-like neckline so that the neck opening 11 can be easily expanded to facilitate the application of the garment to an infant. Such expansion of neck opening 11 is achieved by pressing laterally outward against the opposite sides of the neck opening and thereby at least partly withdrawing front strap portions 13 from their normal underlying relationship to rear strap portions 14. However, after the garment has been applied to an infant, the strap portions 13 and 14 remain disarranged and can be restored to their normal smoothly overlapping relationship only by individually adjusting each of the front strap portions 13 and its respective rear strap portion 14. Thus, the described construction of the known garment requires time consuming adjustment of the shoulder portions of the garment after its application to an infant. Further, the known garment has the end portions of its front shoulder strap portions 13 and the corresponding sections of its set-in sleeve seams 17 disposed at the back of the shoulder regions of the garment when applied to an infant, and which may constitute a source of discomfort or annoyance to the infant lying on its back. It will also be apparent that, in the garment 10, the lateral expansion of its neck opening is limited to approximately the lateral distance between the top portions of the set-in sleeve seams 17.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that a pull-over garment 20 with an expandable neck opening 21 in accordance with this invention which avoids the above mentioned disadvantages of the known garment 10 generally comprises front and back body panels 22 and 23, respectively, joined to each other along the sides of the garment to define a body portion 24 having the neck opening 21 located centrally at the top thereof, and shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26, respectively, extending laterally outward from each of the opposite sides of the neck opening. The shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26 at each side of the neck opening include a back part 27 (FIG. 3) and inner and outer front parts 28 and 29, respectively (FIGS. 3 and 2). Each back part 27 is joined to the back body panel 23 and also joined to the respective outer front part 29 along the top of the respective shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26. Further, each outer front part 29 is joined to the respective back part 27 along the bottom of the respective sleeve portion 26. Each inner front part 28 is shown to be joined to the front body panel 22 and to be in underlying relation to the respective outer front part 29.

In accordance with this invention, the upper edge 30 of each inner front part 28 extends outwardly along the top of the respective shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26 and is joined to the respective outer front part 29 only along the outer end portion of such upper edge 30, as by the stitching 31. Further, each outer front part 29 has an inner edge 32 sloping downwardly and outwardly from the respective side of neck opening 21 to the inner end of the bottom of the respective sleeve portion 26, and such inner edge 32 is joined to the underlying inner front part 28 only along the lower end portion of the downwardly sloping edge 32, as by the stitching 33.

The garment 20 according to this invention, as shown, is preferably formed of first and second fabric pieces 34 and 35 (FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively). The first fabric piece 34 is shown to include the front body panel 22 which, at the central part 36 of its upper edge, defines the front of neck opening 21, and the inner front parts 28 of the shoulder and sleeve portions which extend laterally from the opposite sides of front body panel 22 and have their upper edges 30 extending laterally outward from the central part 36 of the upper edge. Thus, the upper edge of fabric piece 34 is seen to be in the form of a gently undulating curve which is upwardly concave at the center and upwardly convex at the opposite sides thereof. The second fabric piece 35 is seen to include the back body panel 23 which is dimensioned to be substantially coextensive with the front body panel 22 and which defines the back of the neck opening 21 at the central part 37 of the upper edge of fabric piece 35. Fabric piece 35 further includes laterally extending upper portions which respectively constitute the previously mentioned back parts 27 and outer front parts 29 of the shoulder and sleeve portions and which are foldable about fold lines 38 extending laterally outward from the central part 37 of the upper edge of fabric piece 35, and preferably sloping downwardly, as shown, to constitute the top of the shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26 of the completed garment. Thus, it will be seen that, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the inner front parts 28 of the shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26 are integral with the front body panel 22, and the back and outer front parts 27 and 29 of the shoulder and sleeve portions are integral with the back body panel 23.

The fabric pieces 34 and 35 may be obtained from suitable flat knitted fabric by wetting the latter along lines corresponding to the perimeters of such pieces, as shown on FIGS. 4 and 5. However, since the fabric pieces 34 and 35 are symmetrical about their medial lines 36 and 37, respectively, such fabric pieces 34 and 35 may be obtained by unfolding fabric blanks 34A and 35A, respectively (FIGS. 6 and 7). The blank 34A consists of two superposed plies or layers of fabric each corresponding to one-half of fabric piece 34 and being foldably joined to each other along one longitudinal edge 36A. Similarly, the blank 35A consists of two superposed plies or layers of fabric each corresponding to one-half of fabric piece 35 and being foldably joined along one longitudinal edge 37A. As shown on FIG. 8, the folded blanks 34A and 35A and similar folded blanks 34B and 35B may be conveniently and economically cut from an elongated tube 38, for example, of circularly knitted fabric, which is flattened to provide two layers of the material joined together along the opposite side edges of the flattened tube. In order to economize on the material of tube 38, the latter is dimensioned so that its width, in the flattened condition, will substantially correspond to the desired width of the front and back body panels 22 and 23 of garments to be produced from the folded blanks 34A and 35A. Thus, as shown on FIG. 8, the patterns along which the flattened tube 38 is to be cut to form the folded blanks 34A and 35A may be inverted with respect to each other and interleaved, that is, arranged so that the portion of blank 34A which is to define the front body panel 22 is arranged alongside the portion of blank 35A which is to define the back body panel 23, and with the folded edges 36A and 37A of the blanks 34A and 35A extending along the opposite longitudinal edges of the flattened tube 38. It will be seen from FIG. 8 that a succession of the folded blanks 34A and 35A, 34B and 35B, etc., may be cut from flattened tube 38, as described, with a minimum wastage of the material of such tube.

If it is desired to provide the garment according to this invention with longer sleeves, the sleeve-defining portions of blanks 34A and 35A may be extended, as indicated in broken lines on FIG. 8, and cuffs may also be cut from the portions of flattened tube 38 between the successive blanks, as indicated in broken lines at 44. Further, as indicated in the case of blanks 34B and 35B on FIG. 8, the end of the body-defining portion of each blank may be cut precisely along the underside of the sleeve-defining portion of the other blank so that, in the completed garment formed from blanks 34B and 35B, the sides of the body portion 24 will curve inwardly at the bottom of such body portion. It will be apparent that all of the foregoing modifications serve to further minimize wastage of the fabric of tube 38.

After the folded blanks 34A and 35A have been cut from tube 38, such blanks are unfolded to provide the corresponding fabric pieces 34 and 35. Prior to assembling the fabric pieces 34 and 35, a suitable binding or edge finishing may be provided along the entire upper edge of fabric piece 34, as at 39 on FIGS. 2 and 3, and along the upper edge portions 32 and 37 of fabric piece 35, as at 40 on FIG. 2. Thereafter, fabric piece 34 is superposed on fabric piece 35 so as to register the front and back body panels 22 and 23, and parts 29 of fabric piece 35 are folded downwardly about fold lines 38 so as to overlie the parts 28 of fabric piece 34. Then continuous side seams 41 are sewn along the opposite sides of the garment to join together the respective side edges of front and back body panels 22 and 23 and also to join together the parts 27,28 and 29 along the bottoms of the respective sleeve portions 26. The bottom edge portions of body panels 22 and 23 may be turned under and stitched, as at 42, to provide a finishing hem at the bottom of body portion 24, and binding or other edge finishing can be provided around the end edges of sleeve portions 26, as at 43. Such binding or edge finishing 43 at the ends of the sleeve portions may also join the end edges of inner front parts 28 to the corresponding end edges of outer front parts 29. Finally, the stitching 31 and 33 is applied.

When the garment 20 according to this invention is to be applied to an infant or other wearer, the neck opening 21 is expanded for convenient application merely by pulling laterally outward against the sides of the neck opening. In thus laterally expanding neck opening 21, the latter can be made to extend fully across the shoulder portions 25 and into the sleeve portions 26 of the garment, with the lateral expansion of the neck opening being limited only by the inner ends of the stitching 31. This is to be contrasted with the lateral expansion of the neck opening 11 of the known garment 10 which, as previously mentioned, is limited by the set-in sleeve seams 17. Thus, the garment 20, by reason of the increased possible expansion of its neck opening 21, is more easily applied over the head of an infant. After the garment 20 has been applied to an infant, the neck opening 21 is restored to its normal or contracted configuration merely by grasping the tops of sleeve portions 26 adjacent the ends of the sleeves and pulling laterally outward thereon. By reason of the configuration of garment 20 at its shoulder and sleeve portions 25 and 26 and the provision of the stitching 31 and 33, as described, pulling laterally outward on the ends of the sleeves at the tops thereof restores the inner front parts 28 to the normal smooth underlying relation to the outer front parts 29. Thus, after application of the garment to the infant, the restoration of the garment to its smoothly fitting configuration is easily and simply effected. Further, reference to FIG. 3 of the drawings will show that the back of the garment is free of any seams or double thicknesses of fabric at the shoulder regions thereof, for optimum comfort to the infant when lying on its back. Having particularly described the advantages of the garment 20 in connection with its application to infants, it will be apparent that garments according to this invention may be advantageously provided for older children and/or adults.

Although an illustrative embodiment of this invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening comprising a first fabric piece including a front body panel which, at the central part of its upper edge, defines the front of a neck opening and portions extending laterally from the opposite sides of said front body panel and having their upper edges extending laterally outward from said central part of the upper edge of said front body panel, a second fabric piece including a back body panel substantially coextensive with said front body panel to define the back of said neck opening at the central part of the upper edge of said back body panel and laterally extending portions folded about fold lines extending laterally from said back of the neck opening to provide shoulders of the garment and the front and back parts of sleeves, each of said fold lines defining the top of the respective shoulder and sleeve and along which said upper edge of the respective laterally extending portion of said first fabric piece extends, said front parts of the sleeves overlying said laterally extending portions of said first fabric piece and having inner edges that diverge downwardly from said back of the neck opening, a continuous seam along each side of the garment joining together the respective side edges of said front and back body panels and the bottom edges of said front and back sleeve parts, first stitching extending substantially parallel and adjacent to said fold lines and securing said upper edges of the laterally extending portions of said first fabric piece to said laterally extending portions of said second fabric piece only along the outer end portions of said upper edges, and second stitching extending along and securing said downwardly diverging edges of said front sleeve parts to said first fabric piece only along the lower end portions of said downwardly diverging edges.

2. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening according to claim 1, in which the bottom edge of each of said laterally extending portions of said first fabric piece is also secured in said seam along the respective side of the garment.

3. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening according to claim 2, in which the outer end edges of each of said laterally extending portions of the first fabric piece and the respective front sleeve part are bound together.

4. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening according to claim 1, in which the outer end edges of each of said laterally extending portions and the respective sleeve part are bound together.

5. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening comprising front and back body panels joined to each other along the sides of the garment to define a body portion with a central neck opening at the top thereof, and shoulder and sleeve portions extending laterally outward from each of the opposite sides of said neck opening, said shoulder and sleeve portions including a back part and inner and outer front parts, said back part being joined to said back body panel, said outer front part being joined to said back part along the top of the respective shoulder and sleeve portions and along the bottom of said respective sleeve portion, said inner front part being joined to said front body panel and underlying said outer front part and having an upper edge which extends substantially along the top of the respective shoulder and sleeve portion and along which said inner front part is joined to said outer front part only at the outer end portion of said upper edge, and said outer front part having an inner edge sloping downwardly and outwardly from said neck opening to said bottom of the sleeve portion and being joined to said underlying front part only along the lower end portion of said downwardly sloping inner edge.

6. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening according to claim 1, in which said back and outer front parts of said shoulder and sleeve portions are integral with said back body panel.

7. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening according to claim 6, in which said inner front part of each of said shoulder and sleeve portions is integral with said front body panels.

8. A pull-over garment with an expandable neck opening according to claim 5, in which said inner and outer front parts are bound together along the free end edge of the respective sleeve portion.