US1853666A - Elastic fabric - Google Patents

Description

April 12, 1932. N. A. CRIMMINS ELAS'TI C FABRI C Filed June 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet ATP \3 INVENTOR NEIL A. CRlMMlNS ATTORNEY April 12, 1932. N. A. CRIMMINS ELASTIC FABRIC 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 17,

a @vv vvv 2.514%

T Asa M l 6.9g. 1

INVENTOR NEIL A. GRIMMINS ATTORN EY of extension and contraction. It is covered Patented Apr. 12, 1932 UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFICE NEIL A. CRIMMINS, OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO NEIL A. CRIM- MINS, INC., OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS ELASTIC Application filed June 17,

This invention relates to elastic knitted,

woven or braided fabrics such as are used in corsets, reducing garments, garters, supporters, stockings with elastic tops, and a variety of other articles in which bands of elastic material enter the construction in one way or another.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fabric of the type described contain- 7 ing a plurality of elastic threads each having a rubber core and a plurality of covers which cooperate to control the stretch of the fabric, to anchor the threads in the fabric, to provide firm gripping surfaces for sewing machine stitches, and to limit the separation of the rubber core when severed and thereby maintain the continuity of the fabric.

In the manufacture of corsets and other garments it is customary to sew sections of elastic fabrics together or to other sections of non-elastic fabrics. When the elastic fabric is made of ordinary covered rubber threads, having the usual smooth outer surfaces, the sewing machine needle often enters the spaces between adjacent threads, or sometimes merely pierces the edges'of the threads. Consequently, when the fabric is stretched, many of the covered rubber threads slip be-. tween the sewing machine stitches, and then through the fabric, causing objectionable im= perfections and impairing the utility and value of the garment. The sewing machine needle may also glance off the smooth or hard surface of the thread, causing the needle to break with consequent loss in production. Sometimes the needle severs the rubber core, and when this happens the edges of the core pull apart in spite of the ;covering threads, leaving an unsightly gap.

Elastic rubber thread is used for the purpose mentioned above because of its qualities FABRIC 1931. Serial No. 545,011.

to give added strength, prevent deterioration, and to control or regulate the stretch and contraction. The requirements of elas-- tic fabrics are decidedly in favor .of short stretch having a quick contraction to its original length after being stretched, and possession of the greatest possible strength. with minimum bulk. stretch is limited by laying an inextensible cotton stay thread alongside the rubber core, or by twisting threads around the rubber core in a long pitched or open spiral, but since such stay threads constitute only about 20% of the aggregate tensile strength of the total covering, they are readily broken and of doubtful further value.

In some fabrics the- Stay threads of the type referred to do not prevent slippage of the covered elastic threads through the fabric itself or through the sewing machine stitches. Some attempts, however, have been made to reduce the amount of slippage through the fabric by knotting the individual elastic threads at in tervals to provide spaced knots or bumps intended to grip the knitting loops of a knitted fabric or the cross threads of awoven or braided fabric. One objection to this practice is that the knots form bumps or projections in the finished fabric which destroy its uniformity and render it objectionable for most purposes. Another objection is that sincesuch knots are spaced apart on the surfaces of the elastic threads, they can only grip the fabric at spaced intervals. Furthermore, the portions of the threads lying between the knots are spaced further away from adjacent threads of the fabric than they would be if the knots were not present at all, so that the sewing machine stitches always tend to enter these'spa'ces instead of piercingthe covers of the elastic threads themselves.

My improved fabric is made up of a pluralityof "covered elastic threads which are speciallyconstructedto control the stretch of thefabric in which theyare used. The fabric has a smooth, uniformtexture entirely without knots-or bumps which" are characteristic of some -ofthe anti-slipping fabrics mentioned above, and is so constructed that the roughened gripping surfaces of theindithreads 2, 3, 4 and 5.

vidual elastic threads cooperate with each other and with the knitting loops of a knit ted fabric, or the cross threads of a woven or braided fabric, to retard slippage and enable the sewing machine needle to pierce the body of the threads w thout special effort or skill on the part of the operator.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged view showing one form of elastic thread employed in the construction of my fabric;

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views showing two different modifications in the construction of the covered elastic threads;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a brassiere having a waist band constructed of elastic material made according to my invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing one form of knitted elastic fabric constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a woven elastic fabric constructed accordingto the invention; and

Fig. 7 fabric.

The elastic thread shown in Fig. 1 consists of one or more rubber core threads or strands 1 on which are wrapped a plurality of superimposed spirally wound textile cover is a plan view showing a braided The innermost cover 2, consisting of two ends of suitable textile fibres such as cotton, is wound upon the rubber core preferably with a short pitched close spiral so that it completely encloses the rubber core when in the normal contracted conditions shown in the drawings.

The second cover 3 is generally similar to the first cover, but is preferably composed of three ends of textile fibres wound in the opposite direction overthe first cover, also in a short pitched close spiral. The covers 2 and 3 together substantially cover and conceal the rubber core even when it is stretched to the limit of its elasticity.

The third cover 4 is preferably composed of one end of fine, hard twisted cotton which is wound tightly over the inner covers in a long pitched open spiral running in the opposite direction to the cover 3. The fourth cover 5 is also composed of one end of hard twisted cotton which is wound in an opposite direction to the cover 4, also in along pitched open spiral.

The covers 2 and,3 serve to protect and strengthen the rubber core, and also cooperate incontrolling the stretch thereof. Covers 4 and 5 with their long pitched open spirals cooperate in compressing the .first two covers, causing the resulting extensible encasement to grip the rubber core, and causing-the cover 3 to protrude or bulge out between the open spirals, raising countless small ridges or corrugations continuously around the outer surface of the thread.

The construction shown in Fig. 2 difiers from that previously described in that it employs only three covers. The innermost cover 6 is composed of four ends of cotton which are wound upon the rubber core in a short pitched close spiral, completely enclosing the rubber core as shown in the drawing. The second and third covers 7 and 8, respectively, are each composed of one end of hard twisted cotton wound tightly over the cover 6 in long pitched open spirals similar to the covers 4 and 5 in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3, the innermost cover 9 is composed of one end of cotton wrapped in a short pitched close spiral. The second cover 10 is composed of three ends of cotton wound in the opposite direction over the first cover,

also in a short pitched close spiral. The

third and fourth covers 11 and 12, respectively, are each composed of one end of hard twisted cotton wrapped in long pitched open spirals, similar to the outer covers previously described.

In all the forms described above, all the covers forming the encasement about the rubber core will tighten andreach the breaking point at substantially the same time, well within the elastic limit of the rubber core, limiting the stretch of the rubber and insuring that the breaking points of the core and all the covers are reached at approximately the same point.

The fabric shown in Fig. 5 is a knit fabric having inelastic knitting loops 13 enclosing or interlaced with longitudinal elastic covered threads 14 constructed according to any of the modifications shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. It will be understood, however, that the fabric may be woven, braided or otherwise constructed. since I do not limit myself. to any particular type of fabric. In any case, the fabric is knitted, woven or braided tightly, or in a close mesh, so that in Fig. 5, for example, the roughened gripping surfaces of the elastic threads 14 are tightly held by the knitting loops 13, greately reducing the amount of slippage of the elastic threads 14 and making it difiicult to pul the threads 14 out of the fabric even when the ends are exposed as in Fig. 5 which, of course, is an abnormal condition. The spaces between the adjacent elastic threads 14 are somewhat exaggerated in Fig. 5 in order to clarify the showing, and in actual practice the roughened gripping surfaces of adjacent threads may bulge out and substantially fill all such spaces as are shown in the drawing.-

The brassiere shown in Fig. 4 is of the type shown in Patent 1,640,823. issued August 30, 1927 to Katherine E. Cunningham, having an easy fitting vest 15 provided with shoulder straps 16 and an elastic belt portion ed fabrics were used in garments of this type,

or in other garments where it was necessary to stitch the elastic material directly to other elastic or inelastic sections difliculty was encountered because the sewing machine needle usually tended to enter-the spaces between adjacent elastic threads, or else merely pierced the edges of such threads. As a result, the elastic sections were notattached securely together or to the inelasiic portions of the garment, and the garment would easily pull out of shape. If the rubber core of any elastic thread happened to break, the sewing machine stitches would not assist ma 'terially in holding the severed ends of the thread together because the stitches at best would never run longitudinally through the thread for any appreciable distance. This was a great disadvantage because the covers heretofore used to Wrap the rubber core could not be depended upon to prevent the severed ends of the core from separating.

In Fig. 1 the showing of the elastic fabric is diagrammatic, and in actual practice the elastic threads 14 run horizontally, or from left to right in. the drawings, so as to hold the garment snugly about the body of the wearer and flatten the diaphragm. The several covers, or wrappings of the elastic threads 14 cooperate to control the stretch of the fabric which may be limited to any desired degree, and also form an encasement which decidedly limits the peparation of the several ends of the rubber core and encloses them in such a manner as to make ,any rupture'hard'ly perceptible. The roughened gripping surfaces of the threads 14:, are firmly anchorcdin the knitting loops lgfand the roughened surfaces of the threads enable the sewing ma chine-needle to pierce the body of the threads,

rounding portions of the fabric and prevent slipping.

Fig' 6 shows this view the usualinelastic warp and. weft threads are indicated at 22 and'23, respec tively. The elastic weftthrcads 24, similar to'the threads .14 in Fig. 5, are woven into 1 ping the outer surfaces thereof.

. g p l v one. form of woven fabric constructed accordmg to my mvention. In

the fabric at any desired intervals. It will be understood, ofcourse, that the elastic threads 24 may be run into the fabric as warp threads. In any case the cross threads grip the roughened surfaces'of the elastic threads and hold them te-naciously in the fabric.

Fig. 7 shows one form of braided fabric constructed according to the invention, consisting of a "series of longitudinal elastic threads 25 running parallel to each other and preferably spaceduniformly throughout the fabric, and united by inelastic braiding threads 26.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to any particular number of strands in the core or covers of the elastic threads, or to the preferred" arrangement of spiral covers, or to the particular fabrics which I have shown here for purposes of illustration, as it will be evident that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. An elastic fabric comprising a plurality of elastic threads having a rubber core, an inner cover wound around the core in a short pitched spiral and an outer cover wound around the inner cover in a long pitched spiral compressing the inner cover and causof elastic threads having a rubber core, a

plurality of spirally wound superimposed covers on the core, one entirely outside the its other, the outermost cover having a greater pitch than the inner cover and compressing same to form an extensible encasement gripping the rubber core and limiting the stretch thereof, and a plurality of inelastic threads interlaced with said elastic threads and grip- .3. An elastic fabric comprising a. plurality of elastic threads having a rubber core1an inner cover wound around the core in a short pitched spiral and, a pair of outer covers wound around the inner coverin oppositely directed long pitched spirals compressing the inner cover and causing it-to bulge out between the convolutions of the outer covers, and a plurality of inelastic threads interlaced with said elastic threads and gripping the bulging outer surfaces thereof. a,

hAn elastic fabric comprising a. plurality of elastic threads having a rubber core, an inner cover wound around the core in a short .pitched' spiral and a pair of outer covers wound around the inner. cover in oppositely .directed long pitched spirals compressing the. 1111181" cover and-causing it to bulge out be tween the convolutions of the outer covers, all of said covers being adapted to tighten so as to break at substantially the same point well within the elastic limit of the rubber core, and a plurality of inelastic threads interlaced with said elastic threads and gripping the bulging outer surfaces thereof.

5. A knitted elastic fabric comprising a plurality of elastic threads having a rubber core, an inner cover Wound around the core in a short pitched spiral and an outer cover Wound around the inner cover in a long pitched spiral compressing the inner cover and causing it to bulge out between the convolutions of the outer cover, and a plurality of knitting loops forming the body of the fabric and gripping the bulging outer surfaces of said elastic threads.

Signed at Stoughton, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts this 12 day of June A. D. 1981.

NEIL A. CRIMMINS.

Images