US2030826A - Undergarment - Google Patents

Description

H. SCHOEBEL Feb. 11, 1936.

UNDERGARMENT Filed Feb. 9, 1935 2 Sheets- Sheet l mm m WITNESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR v J-MWS 67/015851;

H. SCHOEBEL Feb. 11, 1936.

UNDERGARMENT Filed Feb. 9, 1935 overlie the abdominal region when Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNDERGARMEN T Henry Schoebel, Hem

pstead Gardens, Long Island, N. Y., assignor to Model Brassiere (30., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 9, 1935, Serial No. 5,711

3 Claims.

The invention relates to an article of apparel constituting an undergarment. Such undergarment may take the form of a girdle or a combination garment, which latter is a unitary garment including a brassiere portion and a girdle. The invention consists in providing an adjunct for an undergarment of any usual type adapted'to encircle the torso and more particularly that portion of such garment which overlies the abdominal region of the torso.

An object of the invention is to provide in such garment an elongated plate of a material of limited flexibility but of sufiicient rigidity to maintain substantially its original shape and contour, such as a plate of steel which is of such configuration that in the position thereof in which it is secured to the undergarment, the plate overlies the hypogastric region of thebody of the wearer of the garment so as to follow the anatomical contour of such abdominal region and be effective to control pressure against the body by the distribution of the flesh in such manner that the flesh is primarily lifted by the plate instead of being merely pressed inwardly thereby.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a substantially rigid insert in an undergarment, in the portion thereof adapted to the garment is worn, for the purpose of reducing the waistline by the effective control of the flesh in such abdominal region through a distribution of the flesh in the immediate vicinity of the position of the insert, uniformly throughout such portion of the body.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such an insert of a configuration which will be most eifective to attain the primary object, i. e., the lifting of the flesh which the insert is adapted to overlie without appreciable pressure thereof inwardly and to incorporate in such insert features which make it particularly efiective in rounding the portions of the abdomen immediately-adjacent the portion thereof which the insert is adapted to overlie when the garment is worn and to overcome the tendency of the flesh to mass on either side of the portion of the abdomen which the insert overlies. These two latter features consist in providing the plate with a concaved upper extremity and with inwardly curving side portions so that the insert as a whole constitutes a cup or receptacle within which is maintained the fleshly portion of the abdominal region which the plate is designed to overlie when the garment is worn.

In accordance with the invention the metal plate or insert is made as narrow as possible,

the width thereof being governed by the extent or the fleshy area which it is desired to control. The particular width of the metal insert for any particular undergarment is thus governed by the de- I gree of correction from the central point of control desired to be attained and may most easily be determined by simple experiment by trying on a garment. A narrower insert than that'necessary for absolutely corrective control of presbythe particular corrective measure to be taken would have no further efiect than that obtained by the approximate width of the insert deemed desirable by trial.

A specific embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the invention being shown as applied to a ladies undergarment of the type known in the art as a girdle, the drawings showing the specific embodiment by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation. In such drawings Fig. 1 is a front View of a girdle with my novel insert applied thereto;,Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2, 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows the girdle with my 'novel'insert therein in position upon the body; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4, 4 of Fig. 2 showing the front section of the girdle in rear elevation; Fig. 5 is an. elevation of my novel insert; Fig. 6 is a side view of such insert; and Fig. 7 is a top view of the insert.

Referring more which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, the girdle embodying my invention preferably consists of a front section In and a rear section I I, these twd sections being joined at one side of the garment throughout substantially one-half their length, the upper halves of the edges of the sections being provided, as is customary in the art, with fastener elements It.

The front section II) of the garment is constructed of any suitable material, for instance, silk brocade, and may include devices such as the elastic insert l3, adapting this section to particularly perform conforming functions in enclosing the figure of the wearer. The section In may be also provided with hose supporters ll of conventional form.

The rear section of the girdle may be made entirely of an elastic material as illustrated in Fig. 1 or may be substantially of the form and mateparticularly to the drawings in .strip is to prevent plate so as to increase rial shown as constituting the front section If]. Conventional hose supporters l5, l5 may depend from the rear section of the girdle.

The particular portion of the undergarment to which my invention relates is the upper portion of the front section l5 which, when the garment is worn, overlies the abdominal region of the body of the wearer and, more particularly, the hypogastric portion of such abdominal region.

Such portion of the undergarment is constituted, as shown in Fig. 2, of the fabric layer comprising the upper portion of the girdle section H.)

and a separate section it depending from the upper edge of the girdle proper. Such separate section 16 consists of a strip of lining I1 and a second strip of lining l8, between which strips is positioned an elongated metal plate I9. In the illustrated embodimenubetween the plate l9 and the inner lining strip ll is positioned a flannel strip 26. The purpose of providing this flannel the, hard surface of the metal plate from bearing against the body of the wearer through the lining ll, and affording the flannel a cushioning for such metal plate.

While in the specific embodimentillustrated I have shown a flannel strip as applied only to one side of the elongated metal plate, i. e.

tremity of the plate, a particularly effective cushioning of the plate is obtained. Making the flannel strips of slightly larger area than that of the -metal insert may also may shrink to some extent,

such flannel strips, is retained even "peated laundering of the As illustrated more particularly in Fig. 4, the

be of advantage in that when the garment is laundered, the flannel strip but will still be of larger area than the insert, so that the full cushioning effect of the flannel strip, by having the peripheral edges of the metal insert bear against after regarment.

metallic strip constituting the insert I9 is secured within and between the linings l1 and It by a line of stitching 2! following closely the periphery of the metallic insert IS.

The specific configuration of the metal insert I9 is shown in Figs. 5 to '7. Itwill be seen from such figures that the metallic insert is curved throughout its width near its upper end, as shown at 22, the edges of the plate as at 23, 23 being curved to a greater extent than is the body portion of the plate.

The portion of the plate contiguous its lower extremity is curved inwardly, as shown at 24, the curvature of such portion of the plate being such that the plate in its position within the garment and when the garment is worn, follows the contour of the body of the wearer at the' lower portion of the abdominal region.

It will thus be seen that the metallic insert is characterized by three separate features of curvature. The most important of these features is the curvature of the bottom portion of the plate, as it is this particular configuration of the insert which .makes possible the attainment of the primary corrective results sought by my novel construction.

' lingpressure against the fitting dresses as the wearer When a garment, in which my inventive structure has been incorporated,.is worn, this curved lower portion of the metallic insert is positionedso as to overlie the lower portion of thehypogastric region where there is usually an abnormal accumulation of flesh, the curvature of the plate being effective to lift, by means of the tilted extremity of such plate, the 'fiesh without appreciable pressure thereof inwardly. Thus, a means of controlling the pressure against the' body,- which would result by the application of a flat plate against this portion of the body, is supplied without any pressure whatsoever against the body, the control being attained by lifting the'fieshy portion of the body rather than pressing the same inwardly.

The second feature of my novel insert, namely that of the curvature of the upper portion thereof, prevents undue'pressure of the sides of the plate against the body, the curvature being substantially identical with the curvature of the body of the wearer in the abdominal region which the upper portion of the plate is designed to overlie when the garment is worn.

The curvature of the edges of the insert is designed to overcome the massmg of the flesh on each side of the plate. The curved edges of the insert prevent an abrupt elevation of flesh on 7 each side of the insert and are effective to cause such a gradual rising of the flesh at the por- H tions of the abdomen adjacent theposition of'the insert that a natural contour and rounding of the abdominal fiesh'conforming to the curvature of the body, upon each side of the insert, is secured. This curvature of the edges of the insert completes, with the curvatureof the upper portion of the plate and the curvature at the bottom extremity thereof, the cup or receptacle within which the abdominal region which the plate is adapted to overlie, is confined.

The advantages of my metallic insert, when applied to an undergarment of the type described, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art,'not only as a corrective measure for controlbody of the wearer oi the garment, but as a means of conforming the necessity of wearing an undergarment of the girdle or combination type with present trends of fashion. It is a well recognized fact that modern fashion dictates a tight and closely fitting dress. The adoption of my novel construction will make possible the designing of even closer whose body is encircled by a garment to which my novel metallic insert has been applied, will out any bodily movement without disarrangement of any portion of the dress, particularly in the abdominal region. In other words, the wearer of my novel undergarment is able to assume any posture without fear of presenting an unsightly appearance, particularly when wearing a closefitting dress.

The preferred material of which my novel insert is to be made is steel, preferably a steel that will resist corrosion, or material which has been plated to render it .rustproof. I have found that the type known as Swedish steel is partieu larly suitable as it has a limited amount of flexibility but sufficient rigidity to maintain substantially its original shape'and contour. Obviously, any suitable material, for instance, celluloid, bone, ivory, or composition material such as a phenolic condensation product may be used in manufacbe enabled to carry I claim:

1. An undergarment having an elongated plate of a material of limited flexibility but of sufiicient rigidity to maintain substantially its original shape and contour, said plate being of substantial width and being secured to the undergarment in a portion thereof overlying the hypogastric region of the body of the wearer, said plate having a curved portion contiguous its lower extremity, the curvature of said portion being inward and substantially identical with the contour of the part of the body against which it rests, said plate having the upper portion thereof slightly concaved on its inner surface.

2. An undergarment having an elongated plate of substantial width and of a material of limited flexibility but of sufficient rigidity to maintain substantially its original shape and contour, said plate being secured to the undergarment in a portion thereof overlying the hypogastric region of the body of the wearer, said plate having a curved portion contiguous its lower extremity, the curvature of said portion being inward and substantially identical with the contour of the part of the body against which it rests, the side edges of said plate being curved inwardly to conform to the curvature of the body and to lend rigidity to the plate.

3. An undergarment having an elongated plate of substantial width and of a material of limited flexibility but of sufficient rigidity to maintain substantially its original shape and contour, said plate being secured to the undergarment in a portion thereof overlying the hypogastric region of the body of the wearer, said plate having a curved portion contiguous its lower extremity, the curvature of said portion being inward and substantially identical with the contour of the part of the body against which it rests, said plate having the upper portion thereof slightly concaved on its inner surface, the side edges of said plate being curved inwardly, the three features of ourvature of said plate cooperating to constitute said plate a natural receptacle within which the abdominal region, which the plate overlies when the garment is worn, is confined.

HENRY SCHOEBEL.

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