US2519534A - Wearing apparel - Google Patents

Description

Aug- 22, 1950 w. w. ARTzT 2,519,534

WEARING APPAREL Y Fild July 8, 1949 h INVENToR. WILL/HM VV. Rl-zr Patented Aug. 22, 1950 sy PATENT OFFICE WEARIN G APPAREL William W. Artzt, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Lisle'Mills, Inc., Allentown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application J uly 8, 1949, Serial N0. 103,557

. 11 Claims. l

The 4present invention relates to wearingapparel, particularly to improved knitted undergarments. i

The primary object of the present invention is to provide machine knitted form-fitting undergarments, such as underdrawers or shorts and combination shirt and drawer garments, which afford maximum comfort to fthe wearer in the seat, crotch andback areas Vand yet retain their shape after repeated use and laundering thereof.

Another object resides in the provision of garments of the character indicated Ywhich, when worn, will readily and automatically'conform to the various parts of the body of the4 wearer.

-Another object is to provide such garments which are constructed of an integrally continuously knitted piece of fabric.

Another objectris to provide such garments in a simple and veconomicalmanner.`

Other and further objects of thefinvention will be manifest from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

` In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a garment of the character indicatedfwhich is constructed of a knitted fabric comprising a onepiece integral body portion or form including a crotch portion or flap, wherein either the front or back orvboth have a longitudinal zone contiguous with and including the crotch portion which is of a knit more yieldableflaterally than adjacent portions and the remainder of the body portion, the zone preferably being plait-knitted and adapted to retain its shape'when relaxed and the remainder of the garment being of a conventional plain or jersey knit. Y

In the drawing: Y n

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a flat-knitted form for undergarmentsor shorts embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the front of a garment constructed from the form shownj in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the back of the garment shown in Fig. 2:

. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the back of a circularly-knitted combination shirt'vand drawer garment embodying the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the lower front portion of -the garment shown `in Fig. `4; and

1 Fig. 6 is a plan view of the front of a circu- Figs. 4 and 5.

(Cl. Gti-175) lariy-knitted combination shirt and drawer gary Vof the fold line.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, there is shown a one-piece integral flat knitted form or body I0 for constructing underdrawers, shorts or the like. The form is shaped to comprise a top edge Il to provide a trunk opening, side edges l2 adapted to be joined together at the front of the garment to provide a fly, bottom edges I4 to provide leg openings, a flap l5 having a rounded lower edge I6 and depending from the bottom edges at the middle of the formto provide a crotch portion, and a rounded edge I1 between adjacent' side and bottom edges for joining the lower edge I6 of thefiap.

The form has a zone 20 at the middle thereof, preferably of the same width as the iiap and in alignment therewith, which extends from the top edge l l to the lower edge I6 and includes the entire flap. This zone is of a knit which is more yieldable laterally than adjacent portions and the remainder of the form. To accomplish this, the zone is plait-knitted in a manner to stretch readily to afford maximum comfort to the wearer in the back, seat andcrotch areas, which zone will readily conform to the parts of the body of the wearer, while being worn, and will return to its original shape after repeated washings. The remainder of the form is of a conventional knitV which provides a form-fitting garment.

More particularly, the "zone 2l) may be of an accordion knit such as illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,201,980, wherein a self-pleating machine knitted, double-rib fabric has fewer Wales on the inside surface at the fold line'than at the outside surface For example, the fabric may have one or more'wales missing on one surface at every sixth, eighth or tenth wale position and have two Aadjacent `wales missing in the other surface at every fth and sixth, seventh and eighth,y or ninth and tenth Wale position,` respectiVeIy,` with the missing wales on one surface being generally equidistantly staggered in relation to the missing wales of the other surface. The thread forming the fabric is sufficiently tight in relation to the gaugeV and thickness of the thread to cause the fabric to fold itself in accordion fashion along the lines of the missing wales. I'

Such a knit permits localized stretch at any point or area within the zone 2E! permitting greater comfort to the wearer of the garment "than is provided by conventional garments of latter is effected by removing some of the needles.

from one or both sets in this zone of the machine and feeding the thread or yarn alternately to needles in the two different sets or rows orV needles.

In the double-rib fabric Zone 20, made on such a machine, the thread forming each course forms a loop alternately on opposite vsides of l2 are stitched at '22 to provide a fly opening, and an elastic waist band 24 is sewn to the top edge Il. If desired, binding of any desired type may be provided at the edges I2, and closure means secured in such binding.

In Figs. 4 and 5, there is shown a circularly knitted one-piece combination shirt and drawer garment comprising a body 29, shoulder straps A3E) providingaJ neck opening 3| and arm openings 32, and a crotch -portion 34 providing leg openings 35. A double-rib knitted zone extends from the middle of the neck opening through and including the crotch portion to the other side 'of the garment as shown in Fig. 5. It will be appreciated that this zone could be provided on boththe' front and back of the garment so that the front is substantially identical with the fabric over a suitable width and then for f either two or three stitches only on one face of the fabric and then again on both faces for the same width and then again only on the opposite face for either two or three stitches.

i The double-rib fabric zone 2B is produced by removing or rendering ineffective and inoperative one or two needles at regular intervals in each of the two rows or sets of needles in the Acorresponding zone of the machine, but with the spaces of the removed needles of one row being staggered in relation to the spaces of the removed needles of the other row, and 'then'knitting each thread over all the remaining needles .with sufficient tension so as to cause the fabric to fold by itself around the point where one or the two needles are missing.

The garment form l0 may also be knitted on any other type of double-needles row machine,

wherein in a zone of the machine the same thread may be fed alternately to the needles of one row and then to the needle of the other row, and so on across the length of theY needle bar. For example, a generally tubular form may be produced on a circular knitting machine and duction.

:Such circular double-needle row machines are exempliled by machines made by the Wildman Manufacturing Company of Morristown, Pennsylvania, wherein both rows of needles are arranged in a continuous uninterrupted circle and in which one row of needles is arranged generally vertical, such needles being generally referred to as the cylinder needles, while the other row of needles is arranged generally radially and more or less at right angles to the cylinder needles, the needles of this rowbeing generally referred to as the dial needles. The circular double needle row machines may be either of the type in which the needle banks rotate in relation to non-rotating Ycams and in relation toI non-rotating thread carriers or they maybe of the type in which the needle banks do not rotate and instead the actuating cams rotate along with the v thread carriers or thread guides. Anyv of such machines may `be readily arranged to knit the double-rib or plait-stitch at certain zones and a 4plain or jersey knit at other zone, and thereby produce a fabric of two types of knit adapted to be converted into the form I0. l

In Figs. 2 and 3, drawers or shorts constructed from the form I0 are shown, wherein the edges I6 and I1 are stitched at 2| and the side edges the back, shownin Fig. 4. In other words, the

.backlit-'such garment would be as shown in Fig. 4 and the front thereof would be as shown in The zone- 251 (Fig-4) is of similar knit as described in connection with the zone 2! of Figs. 1 to 3, and the remainder of the garment is of a conventional plain or jersey knit.

The garment isadapted to be produced -by a circularv knitting 'machine as vpreviously described here-in. Y Such a machine provides a tubular form from Awhich the garment may be made, without .cutting open Vthe form, as illustrated in Fig. l. By knitting the Vform more or less to predetermined diameters on machines of correspondingdiameters, it is only necessary to cut the top and bottom thereof to conform to the necessary shape of thegarment to nt the varlousvbody portions suchA as arms, legs, neck,

etc. v

From the fonegoi-rf1eV description, it Win be seen that -the presentinvention provides improved undergarments which afford 4mairimum comfort to the wearer,retain their shape, permit laundering'without eiecting their shape, and which can be manufactured-in a simple and economical manner. It will also be appreciated that the garments illustrated l.herein could be formed with sleeve or leg portions, if desired.

While I have illustrated andr described preferred embodiments of myinvention, lit is to be understood thatIdo not wish to be limited to those ,precise embodiments, as obviously Various modificationsv andv changes may be made therein without departing.- from the spirit and scope of my invention.`

What I claim is: .l.-An undergarment formed v of a knitted `fabric. comprising an, integral body portion having front andback sides, -one of said sides having a longitudinal zone of a knit more yieldable .laterally than adjacent portions and Vthe `remainder .of-saidbody portion and including a crotch portion of the same knit as said z cne and .being joined with .theother side of -saidbody portion.. A

2. An --undergarment for-med'- of a knitted fabric comprising an integral-body portion having leg openings. therein and a crotch portion between-said openings contiguous withrone side of said body portionand joined with the other .sidefof said ,body portion-,said iirst mentioned side-having .a longitudinal zonevof a knit more yieldable laterally than Yadjacent portions 'and the remainder4 lof-said vbody portion and said crotch portion Abeing of Ythe same knit as said zone and.a.continuatQn-thereof.

3. An undergarment formed of a knitted -fabric comprising an integral body portion having front and back sides, said back side having a longitudinal Zone at the middle thereof of a knit more yieldable laterally than adjacent portions and the remainder of said body portion, and a crotch portion of the same knit as said zone and being a continuation thereof and being joined with said front side.

4. An undergarment formed of a knitted iabric comprising an integrally knitted one-piece body having front and back sides, leg openings and a crotch portion, said body being formed with a continuous zone of a knit more yieldable laterally than the remainder of said body, said zone including the middle of said back side and said crotch portion.

5. An undergarment formed of a knitted fabric comprising an integrally knitted one-piece body having front and back sides, trunk and leg openings and a crotch portion contiguous with said back side and joined with said front side, said body being formed with a continuous zone of a knit more yieldable laterally than the remainder of said body extending from said trunk opening at the middle of said back side to the junction of said crotch portion and said front side.

6. An undergarment according to claim 5, wherein said zone is plait-knitted and adapted to retain its shape when relaxed and the remainder of the garment is of a conventional knit.

7. An undergarment formed of a knitted fabric comprising a circularly knitted one-piece body having front and back sides, neck, arm and leg openings and a crotch portion contiguous with said back side and said front side, said body being formed with a continuous zone of a knit more yieldable laterally than the remainder of said body extending from said neck opening at the middle of said back side to the lower end of said front side and including said crotch portion.

` 8. An undergarment according to claim 7 wherein said zone is plait-knitted and adapted to retain its shape when relaxed and the remainder of the garment is of a conventional knit.

Cil

9. A continuously knitted one-piece form of a shape to provide undergarments having a depending fiap at the middle providing the crotch portion, said form being characterized in that the fiap and a middle zone above and in alignment with the flap is of a knit more yieldable laterally than the remainder of said form.

10. A circularly knitted one-piece tubular undergarment having a back and front provided with neck and arm openings at one end and leg openings and an intermediate crotch portion at the other end, said garment having a zone extending from the middle of said neck opening at said back through said crotch portion to said front, said zone being of a knit more yieldable laterally than the remainder of said garment.

11. A circularly, integrally, continuously knitted one-piece tubular undergarment having a back and front provided with neck and arm openings at one end and leg openings and an intermediate crotch portion at the other end, said garment having a zone extending from the middle of said neck opening at said back through said crotch portion to the middle of said neck opening at said front, said zone being of a knit more yieldable laterally than the remainder of said garment.

WILLIAM W. ARTZ'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,074,119 Boysen et al Mar. 16, 1937 2,165,077 Spordick July 4, 1939 2,201,980 Artzt et al May 28, 1940 2,220,277 Ralston Nov. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 516,496 Great Britain Jan. 3, 1940

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