U.S. patent number 3,852,827 [Application Number 05/465,429] was granted by the patent office on 1974-12-10 for form fitting lower body garment and method of making same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Wayne-Gossard Corporation. Invention is credited to Robert B. Colbert, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,852,827 |
Colbert, Jr. |
December 10, 1974 |
FORM FITTING LOWER BODY GARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME
Abstract
Garments, such as panty hose are provided with increased
fullness of fabric, as for example in the rear or seat portion
relative to the amount of fabric across the front so as to provide
improved form fitting characteristics thereto and to reduce the
tendency to pull the rear of the waistband downwardly when the
wearer sits, bends and squats. The garment is formed of a pair of
knitted tubular legs with a panty half knit integrally with each
leg and extending upwardly therefrom. Each panty half is slit
downwardly with at least a portion of the slit in each panty half
extending across a plurality of wales. The corresponding slit edges
are seamed together to form the panty of the garment and the offset
portions of the slits form fullness fabric areas in an area of the
panty for accommodating, for example, the buttocks of the wearer.
Several different types of offset slits are disclosed to vary the
amount and location of the fullness fabric areas in the rear or
seat portion of the garment.
Inventors: |
Colbert, Jr.; Robert B.
(Humboldt, TN) |
Assignee: |
Wayne-Gossard Corporation
(Humboldt, TN)
|
Family
ID: |
23847775 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/465,429 |
Filed: |
April 29, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/409;
66/177 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41B
11/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A41B
11/00 (20060101); A41B 11/14 (20060101); A41b
009/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;2/224R,227,239,240
;66/177,176,189 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hunter; H. Hampton
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Parrott, Bell, Seltzer, Park &
Gibson
Claims
That which is claimed is:
1. A lower body garment, such as panty hose, characterized by
increased fullness in a selected area of the panty portion to
accommodate lower torsal protuberances of the wearer, said garment
comprising
a. a pair of knitted tubular legs,
b. a panty composed of two halves, each panty half being knit
integrally with each of said legs and extending upwardly therefrom,
said legs and panty halves each being knit with stitch loops
forming courses extending circumferentially and wales extending
longitudinally of said legs and said panty halves,
c. each leg and panty half including an inside wale and an outside
wale positioned 180.degree. apart and defining corresponding front
and rear portions therebetween,
d. each panty half having a slit extending downwardly from its
upper end with at least a portion of the slit in each panty half
extending across a plurality of wales adjacent said inside wale to
form fullness fabric areas between the respective slits and inside
wales, and
e. means connecting corresponding edges of the slits in said panty
halves to form the panty with said connecting means extending from
the waist opening in the panty in the front downwardly through the
crotch and upwardly to the waist opening in the rear of said panty,
said fullness fabric areas when connected by said connecting means
providing increased fullness in that area of the panty to
accommodate lower torsal protuberances of the wearer and thereby
providing increased fitting quality and comfort.
2. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the portions of the slits
extending across wales in each panty half extend toward the front
of the panty halves to form the fullness fabric areas in the rear
of the panty to accommodate the buttocks of a wearer.
3. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the portions of the slits
extending across wales in each panty half extend toward the rear of
the panty halves to form the fullness fabric areas in the front of
the panty to accommodate a frontal lower torsal protuberance of a
wearer.
4. A garment according to claim 2 wherein the lower ends of the
slits terminate at points substantially coincident with said inside
wales of each of said panty halves.
5. A garment according to claim 4 wherein the upper ends of the
slits also terminate at points substantially coincident with said
inside wales of each of said panty halves.
6. A garment according to claim 5 wherein the portions of the slits
extending across wales curve forwardly from opposite ends and
define curved lines generally corresponding to the contour of the
buttocks.
7. A garment according to claim 5 wherein the medial portions of
the slits extend in walewise directions and forwardly of said
inside wales of said panty halves, and the upper and lower portions
of the slits extend at angles from the medial portions of the slits
to said inside wales.
8. A garment according to claim 4 wherein the upper ends of the
slits terminate forwardly of said inside wales.
9. A garment according to claim 8 wherein the medial portions of
the slits extend in a straight line positioned at an angle from the
lower ends at said inside wales to the upper ends positioned
forwardly of said inside wales.
10. A garment according to claim 2 wherein the upper ends of the
slits terminate forwardly of said inside wales.
11. A garment according to claim 10 wherein the lower ends of the
slits terminate at points substantially coincident with said inside
wales.
12. A garment according to claim 11 wherein the upper portions of
the slits extend in walewise directions and the lower portions of
the slits curve inwardly from the lower ends of the lower portions
of the slits and to said inside wales.
13. A garment according to claim 11 wherein the upper portions of
the slits extend in walewise directions and the lower portions of
the slits define curved lines generally corresponding to the
contour of the buttocks.
14. A garment according to claim 2 wherein said fullness fabric
areas comprise a number of wales equal to approximately one-eighth
of the total number of wales in each panty half.
15. A garment according to claim 1 formed from highly stretchable
knitted fabric.
16. A lower body garment, such as panty hose, having improved form
fitting characteristics and comprising
a. a pair of knitted tubular legs,
b. a panty half knit integrally with each of said legs and
extending upwardly therefrom, said legs and panty halves each being
knit with stitch loops forming courses extending circumferentially
and wales extending longitudinally of said legs and said panty
halves,
c. each leg and panty half including an inside wale and an outside
wale positioned 180.degree. apart and defining corresponding front
and rear portions therebetween,
d. each panty half having a slit extending downwardly from its
upper end with at least the medial portion of said slit being
offset relative to said inside wale and toward the front portion
thereof,
e. means connecting adjacent portions of said panty halves to form
a panty, said connecting means extending up the front and rear and
through the crotch of said panty and forming a waist opening at the
upper end of said panty so that the number of wales extending
around the medial portion of the rear of said panty and between
said outside wales is greater than the number of wales extending
across the corresponding portion of the front of said panty to
provide a greater amount of fabric in the rear than the amount of
fabric in the front of said panty of said garment.
17. A garment according to claim 16 wherein the number of wales
extending around the rear of said panty exceeds the number of wales
extending across the front of said panty by approximately twelve
and one-half percent (12.5 percent).
18. A method of forming a lower body garment, such as panty hose,
including a pair of legs and an integral panty and being
characterized by increased fullness in a selected area of the panty
portion to accommodate lower torsal protuberances of the wearer,
said method comprising the steps of
a. knitting a pair of tubular elongate blanks with leg portions at
the lower ends and panty portions at the upper ends and while
forming stitch loops comprising courses extending circumferentially
and wales extending longitudinally from one end of said tubular
blanks to the other, each leg and panty portion including an inside
wale and an outside wale positioned 180.degree. apart and defining
corresponding front and rear portions therebetween,
b. slitting the panty portions of each of said tubular blanks
downwardly from the upper ends thereof while crossing a substantial
number of the wales thereof, at least portions of said slits
extending across a plurality of wales adjacent said inside wale to
form fullness fabric areas between the respective slits and inside
wales, and
c. interconnecting the corresponding edges of the slits in the
blanks to form the panty with the connection extending from the
waist opening in the panty in the front downwardly through the
crotch and upwardly to the waist opening in the rear of the panty,
the fullness fabric areas providing increased fullness in that area
of the panty to accommodate lower torsal protuberances of the
wearer and thereby providing increased fitting quality and
comfort.
19. A method of forming a garment according to claim 18, wherein
the portions of the slits extending across the wales in each blank
are formed toward the front of the panty portions to form the
fullness fabric areas in the rear of the panty to accommodate the
buttocks of the wearer.
20. A method of forming a garment according to claim 19 wherein the
slits in each blank are curved forwardly from opposite ends and
define curved lines generally corresponding to the contour of the
buttocks.
Description
This invention relates generally to lower body garments having long
legs, such as panty hose, tights, leotards, and the like and to
lower body garments having short legs, such as bathing suit trunks,
panties, panty girdles and the like. More particularly, the present
invention relates to improving the fitting quality and comfort of
this type of garment by providing fullness fabric areas in a
selected area of the panty portion to accommodate lower torsal
protuberances of the wearer, such as the buttocks.
Heretofore, it has been the practice to produce panty hose by
forming vertical slits extending substantially straight down an
inside wale of a pair of elongate hosiery blanks. The corresponding
edges of the slits of adjacent hosiery blanks are then seamed to
form a seam which extends downwardly from the waist opening in the
front and rear and passes through the crotch of the panty portion
of the garment. The seaming together of the edges of the straight
vertical slits produces a panty which is symmetrical, that is, the
front and rear portions of the panty contain the same amount of
fabric and the front and rear portions of the panty are shaped in
an identical manner. Since most panty hose are knit of some type of
stretchable yarn, the panty portion will stretch and conform to the
configuration of the wearer. However, the distance across the
buttocks of the wearer is usually greater than the distance across
the front and this results in the rear portion of the panty being
stretched to a greater extent than the front portion which tends to
cause discomfort and to place extra strain on the connecting seam
at the rear of the garment which can result in rupture of the seam.
Also, when the wearer of this conventional type of symmetrical
panty hose sits, bends or squats, additional stretching of the
fabric in the seat of the garment takes place. This additional
stretching places even greater strain on the connecting seam in the
crotch and rear of the panty and tends to pull the rear portion of
the waist opening down on the wearer so that when the wearer again
assumes a standing position, it is necessary to pull up the rear of
the panty to a comfortable position.
In an attempt to overcome some of these problems, it has been
proposed that panty hose be knit with larger, looser or different
type stitches in the portions of the hosiery blanks adapted to
cover the buttocks of the wearer. However, this involves a change
in the knitting machine and can change the appearance of the
fabric. It has also been proposed that gussett panels of various
sizes and shapes be sewn in various locations between the hosiery
blanks, or knit in the blanks by fashioning, such as by knitting
partial courses in selected areas. However, the addition of these
gussett panels adds to the cost of producing the panty hose and
often distracts from the appearance.
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a lower body garment, such as panty hose, and
a method of forming the same wherein the front and rear portions of
the garment are of different fullness and are shaped to more nearly
correspond to the natural shape of the body of the wearer and to
accommodate lower torsal protuberances, such as the buttocks, with
the amount of fabric in the rear of the panty being greater than
the amount of fabric across the corresponding portion of the front
of the panty. This fullness fabric area in the rear or seat portion
of the panty not only provides a better fit when the wearer is
standing, but also provides an additional amount of fullness in the
seat to permit the wearer to sit, bend and squat without bringing
about any discomfort or binding effect, reduces the amount of
strain on the connecting seam, and greatly reduces the downward
pulling force on the rear portion of the waist of the garment.
The present invention will be described in connection with the
formation of panty hose, however, it is to be understood that the
present invention may be utilized in the manufacture of other types
of garments having either short or long legs, with or without a
closed toe and foot at the lower ends of the legs. Also, the panty
hose of the present invention is described as being provided with
more fabric in the rear portion of the panty for accommodating the
buttocks of the wearer. However, it is to be understood that the
fullness fabric area may be provided in the front of the garment,
as for example, when it is to be worn by pregnant women.
The panty hose of this invention is formed of a pair of seamless
tubular legs having a panty portion or panty half knit integrally
with each of the legs and extending upwardly therefrom. The legs
and panty halves are each knit with stitch loops forming courses
extending circumferentially and wales extending longitudinally of
the legs and panty halves and each leg and panty half includes an
inside wale and an outside wale positioned 180.degree. apart and
defining corresponding front and rear portions therebetween. Each
panty half is slit downwardly from the upper end with a portion of
each of the slits in each panty half being offset relative to the
inside wales and toward the front of each panty half. The
corresponding edges of the slits in each panty half are connected
to form a panty with the connection extending up the front and rear
and through the crotch of the panty and forming a waist opening in
the upper end of the panty. The forwardly offset slits in the panty
halves provide a greater amount of fabric in the rear or seat of
the panty than the amount of fabric which extends across the
corresponding portion of the front of the panty to provide fullness
fabric areas in the rear of the panty for accommodating the
buttocks of the wearer in both the standing and sitting positions.
Several different types of offset slits are disclosed in this
application for providing more fabric in a selected area of the
panty.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear
as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the
accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of panty hose blank for the right leg
and is provided with a slit extending downwardly from the upper end
of the panty half and with the slit being curved forwardly into the
front half of the blank and generally following the contour of the
buttocks of a wearer;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the panty hose blank
for the left leg;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views of the upper
portions of the blanks shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and with the
corresponding edges of the slits in the two blanks being
separated;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the blanks shown in FIGS. 3 and 4
and illustrating a seam line connecting the rear edges of the slits
of each blank, the front edges being spread apart to show the
inside of the panty portion;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the panty hose
with both the front and rear edges of the slits of each panty half
being connected together by a seam extending from the front of the
waist opening, through the crotch and up the rear of the panty to
the waist opening;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the upper portion of the panty
hose, in flattened condition, and illustrating the manner in which
the fullness fabric area in the rear or seat portion of the panty
is provided to accommodate the buttocks of the wearer;
FIGS. 8 and 9 are views of panty hose blanks which correspond to
FIGS. 1 and 2 but which are provided with different types of offset
slits;
FIGS. 10 and 11 also correspond with FIGS. 1 and 2 and illustrate
still other types of offset slits;
FIGS. 12 and 13 correspond with FIGS. 1 and 2 but illustrate yet
other types of offset slits; and
FIGS. 14 and 15 correspond to FIGS. 1 and 2 but illustrate still
further types of slits.
The seamless tubular panty hose blanks illustrated in each
embodiment of the invention of the present application are
preferably knit on a conventional hosiery knitting machine, such as
one, having approximately 400 needles and each panty hose blank is
preferably knit of some type of stretchable yarn and may be knit
with plain or rib stitch loops or the blanks may be knit with
patterned stitch loops forming a pattern of tucks, floats, or a
combination of both, etc. Elastomeric or rubber yarns or the like
may also be incorporated in the tubular panty hose blanks to
provide support characteristics to either the legs or panty
portions or both. The lower ends of the tubular blanks may be knit
with or without reciprocated heel pockets and the lower toe end
portions may either be provided with or without reciprocated toe
pockets or the toes may be closed in the well-known manner on the
knitting machine. Also, the lower ends of the blanks may be closed
by a conventional toe closing operation.
Normally, a heavier denier yarn is used in knitting the upper panty
halves of the tubular blanks and a lighter weight or sheer yarn is
used for knitting the leg portions. However, it is to be understood
that the same yarn could be used to knit the entire length of the
panty hose blank, if desired. The panty hose blanks, including both
the legs and panty halves, are knit with stitch loops forming
courses which extend circumferentially and wales extending
longitudinally of the legs and panty halves, as illustrated by the
longitudinally extending shade lines on the tubular blanks.
The seamless tubular panty hose blank, as illustrated in FIG. 1 is
preferably knit from the top to the bottom and may be provided with
a turned welt 10 which has an elastomeric or rubber yarn
incorporated therein for forming the waistband at the upper end of
the panty. However, it is to be understood that the waist opening
of the panty may be finished by applying a woven or knitted elastic
tape thereto, as by a sewing operation.
The tubular blank is knitted with continuous rotation of the needle
cylinder and while feeding a relatively heavy denier yarn to all of
the needles to form a panty half down to the line 11 where the
heavy denier yarn is normally exchanged for a lighter weight yarn
and rotary knitting continues to knit the tubular leg portion 12. A
heavier denier yarn is normally introduced again at the lower end
to form the lower toe 13 of the blank. It is preferred that the
size of stitch loops being formed by the knitting machine from the
top to the bottom of the tubular blank be gradually reduced in a
conventional manner so that the tubular blank tapers inwardly at
its lower end to aid in fitting around the foot and ankle of the
wearer.
The panty hose blank illustrated in FIG. 2 is knit in an identical
manner to that described for the panty hose blank illustrated in
FIG. 1 and the corresponding parts bear the same reference numerals
with the prime notation added. Each leg and panty half includes an
inside wale, designated by the dash-dot line 14, and an outside
wale, designated by the dash-dot line 15, which is diametrically
disposed relative to the inside wale 14. Thus, the outside wale 15
is positioned 180.degree. from the inside wale 14 and these opposed
inside and outside wales define corresponding front and rear
portions F and R therebetween. In selecting the inside wale 14,
care should be taken to locate the same in proper relationship to
the foot to avoid twisting of the legs.
Each panty half includes a slit 16 extending downwardly from its
upper end with at least the medial portion of the slits in each
panty half being offset relative to the inside wales 14 and toward
the front F of each panty half. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the medial
portions of the slits 16, 16' curve forwardly from opposite ends
and define curved lines generally corresponding to the contour of
the buttocks of the wearer. Both the upper and lower ends of the
slits 16, 16' terminate substantially coincident with the inside
wales 14, 14' of each panty half.
In FIGS. 3 and 4, the front edges of the slits 16, 16' are
designated at 16a and 16a' while the rear edges of the slits 16,
16' are designated at 16b and 16b'. Suitable means is provided for
connecting corresponding front and rear edges of the slits 16, 16'
in the panty halves to form a panty, as illustrated in FIG. 6, with
the connecting means extending up the front and rear and through
the crotch of the panty and forming a waist opening at the upper
end of the panty. In FIGS. 5 and 6 this connecting means is
illustrated as a sewn seam S which is preferably of the
conventional over edge type. Although the corresponding edges of
the slits in the two panty halves are illustrated as being directly
connected together by the seam S, it is to be understood that a
crotch patch or gusset may be interposed in between the edges of
the slits, if desired and justified from an economic standpoint.
Although the panty hose blanks are usually slit and then sewn
together in separate operations, the blanks may be slit and sewn
with a sewing machine in the same operation.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the fullness fabric area which is cut
from the front half F of the panty half is now positioned in the
rear of the panty. Therefore, the amount of fabric extending around
the medial portion of the rear of the panty and between the outside
wales 15, 15' (FIG. 6) is greater than the amount of fabric
extending across the front of the panty. Since these fullness
fabric areas have been removed from the front halves F of the panty
halves, a reduced amount of fabric extends around the corresponding
portion of the front of the panty and between the outside wales 15
and 15' so as to provide more fabric in the rear or seat of the
panty for accommodating the buttocks of the wearer in both the
standing and sitting positions.
This fullness fabric area provides a "pocket," as is clearly
illustrated in FIG. 7, and provides additional fabric for
accommodating the buttocks of the wearer so that when sitting,
bending or squatting the downward pulling force on the rear of the
waist of the panty will be reduced and excess strain will not be
placed on the seam extending up the rear of the panty. Because the
fullness fabric area is present in the rear of the panty, the
number of wales extending around the medial portion of the rear of
the panty and between the outside wales 15, 15' is greater than the
number of wales extending across the corresponding portion of the
front of the panty.
Also, because the curved slits 16, 16' extend across a substantial
number of wales adjacent the inside wales of each of the blanks, as
best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wales in the portion of the
panty halves adjacent opposite sides of the crotch extend in
opposite directions relative to the seam S with the wales in the
lower front parts of adjacent panty halves converging toward the
seam and the wales in the lower rear parts of adjacent panty halves
diverging away from the seam. The wales adjacent opposite sides of
the seam in the upper rear portion of the garment converge toward
the seam while the wales in the upper front portion of the garment
diverge away from the seam.
In each of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 8-15, at least the
medial portions of the slits are offset relative to the inside
wales and toward the front of each panty half. The parts of the
panty hose blanks shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 8-15 bear the
same reference numerals as corresponding parts of the panty hose
blanks shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except that they are increased by
ten digits in each successive embodiment.
The slits 26, 26' in the panty hose blanks shown in FIGS. 8 and 9
terminate at their lower ends substantially coincident with the
inside wales 24, 24' and terminate at their upper ends in the front
portions of the panty hose and forwardly of the inside wales 24,
24'. The medial portions of the slits 26, 26' extend in straight
outwardly diverging lines from their lower to upper ends.
The slits 36, 36' provided in the panty hose blanks illustrated in
FIGS. 10 and 11 include medial portions which extend parallel to
and forwardly of the inside wales 34, 34'. The upper and lower
portions of the slits 36, 36' extend rearwardly in straight angular
lines and terminate substantially coincident with the inside wales
34, 34'.
The upper portions of the slits 46, 46' in the panty hose blanks of
FIGS. 12 and 13 extend parallel with and forwardly of the inside
wales 44, 44'. The lower portions of the slits 46, 46' curve
rearwardly, as indicated by the curved lines 47, 47', and terminate
substantially coincident with the inside wales 44, 44'. If desired,
the curved portions 47, 47' of the slits can be formed to extend
straight across a course line to the inside wales 44, 44'.
The upper portions of the slits 56, 56' in the panty hose blanks of
FIGS. 14 and 15 extend parallel with and forwardly of the inside
wales 54, 54' and their lower end portions curve forwardly and then
rearwardly and terminate substantially coincident with the inside
wales 54, 54'. The lower portions of the slits 56, 56' are similar
to the lower portions of the slits 16, 16', illustrated in FIGS. 1
and 2.
As illustrated, the lower ends of all the slits terminate
substantially coincident with the inside wales and portions of each
slit are positioned forwardly of the inside wales. It is important
that the forwardly positioned portions be spaced a substantial
distance from the inside wales so that a sufficient amount of
fabric fullness is provided. For example, in a blank knit on a 400
needle machine the forward portions of the slits should be
positioned forwardly approximately one-eighth of the total number
of wales in each panty half. This amounts to approximately 50 wales
when the blank contains 400 wales. This fabric fullness in the rear
of the panty portion provides more wales across the rear than
across the front. The number of wales across the rear exceeds the
number of wales across the front by approximately 12.5 percent.
The panty hose, described as an embodiment of the lower body
garment of the present invention, may be finished in any desired
manner. For example, many panty hose are currently being sold in
unboarded condition while some panty hose are placed on shaped
boarding forms and subjected to heat to set the legs and panty
portions in a smooth flat condition.
In each embodiment of the panty hose blanks illustrated, the slits
extend across a plurality of wales adjacent the inside wales and
portions of the slits are positioned forwardly of the inside wales
so that fabric is removed from the front of the panty and
transferred to the rear of the panty when the corresponding edges
of the slits are sewn together to form the panty. In each instance,
this provides fullness fabric areas in the rear of the panty and
provides improved form fitting characteristics to the panty hose.
While the fullness fabric area is normally required in the rear of
the panty hose, there will be instances in which it will be
desirable to have fullness fabric areas in the front of the panty
hose. In these instances, corresponding offset portions of the
slits will be positioned rearwardly of the inside wales so that
fabric is removed from the rear of the panty and transferred to the
front of the panty when the corresponding edges of the slits are
sewn together to form the panty.
In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth several
embodiments of the invention, and although specific terms are
employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and
not for purposes of limitation.
* * * * *