US3463162A - Stocking with girdle-attaching means - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 26, 1969 H. w. HEGGIE STOCKING WITH GIRDLE-ATTACHINC MEANS Filed Sept. 8. 1967 FIG. 1

INVENTOR HENRY W HEGGIE ATTORNEYS United States Patent Olfice 3,463,162 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A panty hose type garment and the hose used therewith, the hose being detachably connected to the panty by flat connecting means within the panty legs which releasably engage a perforate longitudinally elastic upper portion of the hose.

At the present time, miniskirts are in common use and stockings as conventionally knit have proven unsatisfactory in that the double welt shows and furthermore, with conventional garter arrangements an unsightly bulge is formed. However, it has been a major problem to eliminate this condition, since it is essential that some stretchable element be interposed between the girdle or other stocking supporting means and the stocking, and furthermore, since the conventional garter button arrangement requires the use of a double welt in order to assure that the stocking will not be damaged and caused to run.

By use of the present invention, substantially no welt is necessary, since there is no garter button engaging the stocking, and additionally, no shadow welt need be employed and the stocking can thus be made substantially uniform throughout its length so that all exposed portions thereof will be sheer and conform to current fashion.

It will be clear from the above description that the main feature of the invention is a stocking having a minimum of shadow welt, and welt, and which is provided with means for attaching the stocking to the panty girdle in such manner as to provide proper stretch and at the same time maintain the stocking within or closely adjacent to the legs of the panty girdle to assure that only the sheer portion of the stocking will be visible beneath a skirt, even a miniskirt. Other features of the invention will appear when the following description is considered in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a panty girdle together with the upper portions of two stockings which are to be attached thereto;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, showing the mode of attaching a hook within the girdle leg;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the stocking top engaged by a girdle hook; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view of the elastic mesh fabric which is secured to the stocking top.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the stocking 10 is knitted in the conventional manner, save that it has substantially no shadow welt and a minimal welt, but has sewn thereto, as indicated at 11, a piece of elastic fabric 12 which as indicated in FIGURE 4, is of mesh construction having diamond-shaped openings 13 regularly recurring throughout the fabric, save at its marginal edges, indicated at 14 (FIG. 1).

The girdle 15 is the usual panty girdle having leg portions 16. At the lower edges of the leg portions 16 an elastic fabric 17 is sewn into the legs to render them tight-fitting. Reinforcing tabs 18 are secured to the elastic 17 at spaced points about each leg and flat hooks 19 are secured between the elastic 17 and tabs 18, the hooks being of such a size as to readily engage in the openings 13 in the elastic fabric or tape 12.

In some instances it may be preferable to utilize tabs secured at the top to the girdle legs with a hook secured to the outer side of each tab and facing outwardly. This arrangement serves to prevent the hooks from contacting the wearer and thus eliminates possible annoyance and physical discomfort.

As will be apparent, particularly when FIGURE 3 is considered, the stockings are held in a position with a minimum amount of the elastic fabric beneath the lower edge of the girdle, so that a minimal skirt will cover the upper edge of the stocking. Thus the stocking top and the elastic fabric support is not exposed to view, and at the same time the elastic fabric permits the stockings to move with respect to the girdle so that the movements of the wearer are accommodated without unduly stretching the stocking fabric, the stretch being of course provided by the elastic fabric. Furthermore, the arrangement of the hooks within the girdle and the use of small flat hooks, which is rendered possible by the mesh fabric, provides secure anchorage for the stocking on the girdle and eliminates unsightly protrusions in the outer garments resulting from the thickness of the fastening means which engage the stocking. In other words, the fastening means of this invention does not require a double welt to assure sufficient thickness to be gripped by the usual button and clip. Nor does the fastening means of this invention require a garter button of suflicient thickness to cooperate with a clip and thus of such thickness as to form unsightly protrusions. At the same time, by use of this invention the stocking can be so adjusted and fixed to the girdle that substantially no portion of the fastening means is visible, even when the wearer is in a sitting position, and instead, the stocking top and the lower edge of the corresponding leg of the panty girdle are in substantial alignment. Additionally, the elastic fabric distributes the strain from the points of attachment substantially evenly to the stocking so that no areas are unduly strained, as contrasted with the usual garter arrangement in which the strain is greatest at the points of garter attachment.

It will be clear from the above description that many advantages result from the construction described. Among these are prolongation of the life of the panty type garment when compared to the common panty hose construction wherein the hose and panty are integral and damage to a stocking results in discarding the entire combination garment; use of varied stockings with a single panty garment; use of the panty garments without stockings, and of course the flat, smooth attachment arrangement described, resulting in greater comfort and greatly reduced likelihood that the attachment means will produce unsightly protrusions of the outer garments.

Although the description herein refers to a panty girdle, it will be understood that any bifurcated garment such as panties or briefs may also be utilized. Also, although the elastic band is described as being mesh fabric secured to the stocking, the mesh fabric may be integral with the stocking. Further, the fabric may present no defined openings, but be sufiiciently loosely knit or woven as to make it readily penetrated by the fastening means, which fastening means although specifically mentioned as a fiat hook, may comprise other means of fastening through the fabric, which retain the fiat characteristic.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious that variations may be made, and I wish therefore to be limited not by the foregoing description, but on the contrary, solely by the claims granted to me.

What is claimed is:

1. Panty hose comprising in combination a panty-type garment having leg opening portions,

detachable hose adapted for positive connection to said panty garment, and a plurality of flat hook-type connectors secured within the lower leg portions of said panty garment for releasably connecting said hose to said panty garment,

each of said hose having a longitudinally elastic upper perforate portion sized to fit snugly within said lower leg portions of the panty garment and adapted to releasably hook onto said connectors at a number of openings in said upper portion, said openings being selected from a plurality of such openings which are longitudinally and circumferentially distributed in said upper portion, whereby the wearer may selectively engage each of said connectors with the desired longitudinally and circumferentially located opening in said portion.

2. Panty hose as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper portion comprises a narrow band of longitudinally and circumferentially perforate elastic fabric adapted for engagement with said connecting means.

3. Panty hose as claimed in claim 2 wherein said fabric is an elastic open mesh fabric.

4. Panty hose as claimed in claim 3 wherein said mesh is of diamond configuration.

5. Panty hose as claimed in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises flat hooking means positioned inside and above the ends of said leg portions.

6. A detachable panty hose stocking consisting essentially of a foot, a leg and a narrow circumferentially and longitudinally elastic circumferential portion at the upper end of the leg,

said circumferential elastic portion having a mesh with openings distributed for longitudinally and circumferentially selective releasable positive connection to a panty-type garment within the lower leg portion thereof,

said portion also being adapted to withstand substantial longitudinal stresses when so connected to said panty garment.

7. Panty hose as claimed in claim 6 wherein said elastic portion consists essentially of a narrow band of perforate elastic fabric adapted for hook connection to the inside of the panty-type garment.

8. Panty hose as claimed in claim 7 wherein said fabric is an elastic open mesh fabric.

9. Panty hose as claimed in claim 8 wherein said mesh is of diamond configuration.

10. Panty hose as claimed in claim 6 further comprising imperforate upper and lower marginal portions at the edges of said elastic portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,745,801 2/1930 Maclean 128535 1,965,314 7/ 1934 Henderson 2-240 2,190,560 2/1940 Gaines 66-172 2,053,761 9/ 1936 Bloch 66-l 72 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,197,211 6/1959 France.

1,147,453 6/ 1957 France.

1,431,883 2/ 1966 France.

1,190,399 3/ 1959 France.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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