Oct. 31, 1961 H. A. OWEN ET AL 3,005,990 GARMENT SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 16, 1957

INVENTORS Zarola/A. Ouwen. %id ZAZAZeŽz

ATTORNEY 3,005,990 United States Patent Office Patented Oct. 31, 1961 2 type shown in the drawings, which illustrate preferred 3,005,990 GARMENT SUPPORTNG DEVICE embodiments of the present invention, it being under Harold A. Owen and Elizabeth C. Clark, Dover, Del stood that such embodiments are shown by way of ill assignors to International Latex Corporation, Playtex lustration only, in which drawings: Park, Dover, Dei., a corporation of Delaware 5 FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation of a garter belt Filed Dec. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 702,837 showing hip hugging sections having positioned therein 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-306) an adjustable looped pendent garter strap in the bottom marginal edge of each section; ? This invention relates to a body-encircling undergar FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view of the hip section ment for supporting stockings and the like. More par 0. of the garter belt shown in FIGURE 1 showing the grom ticularly, this invention relates to a supporting under met attachment sewn to the bottom marginal edge of garment having an adjustable pendent garter strap with the hip section of the garment and the grommet bar a stocking grip or fastener at each end thereof, the garter arrangement over which the adjustable looped garter strap being attached to the undergarment so that one strap slides; stocking grip moves in an opposite direction from the 5 FIGURE 3 is a view in elevation of the grommet for other stocking grip in a reciprocative manner during mo holding the slidable looped pendent garter strap show tion of the lower limbs of the body of the wearer to ing the framework thereof and the grommet bar over equalize the stress and strain on the stocking and the which the garter strap slides; and garment. FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the grommet at Many types of body-encircling garments have been 20 tachment showing the sliding adjustable looped garter made with looped pendent garter straps, but these have strap in position to slide over the grommet. had the disadvantage of being supported by an additional In the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates a garter belt pendent strap which is attached at the top to the gar 10 having a decorative front panel 11. Attached to each ment and at the bottom to the looped garter strap by vertical marginal edge of front panel 11 (such as by various types of metal devices. Such a three-piece ar 25 sewing) is a hip hugging section 12 having downwardly rangement results in a cumbersome and ineffective meth depending section 13 which terminates in a point to form od of supporting the stocking of the modern woman be a triangularly shaped section for covering the hip region cause reciprocation is below the hip region, thereby re of the body. Sewn to the back vertical marginal edge Sulting in loss of control and effectiveness of support. 14 of one of the side panels 12 is an elastic band 15, The metal devices at the bottom of the strap attached 30 Stretchable in the girth-wise direction, having attached to the garment press uncomfortably against the skin of thereto a small band 16 with vertically disposed rows of the wearer while the looped garter strap tends to chafe eyes 17. Attached to the back vertical marginal edge of the skin during any reciprocative motion thereof. the other side panel 12 is a vertically disposed group of The present invention is directed to an improved body hooks 18 adapted to fit in locking engagement with eyes encircling supporting undergarment, such as a garter belt 35 17 to form a girth-wise extendable body-encircling band and the like, in which a looped pendent garter strap hav with sections 12 hugging the hips when the garment is ing a stocking grip or attachment at each end thereof is positioned on the body of the wearer. slidably connected to each hip portion of the garment The lower portion of the bottom marginal edge of to allow for reciprocation of each section of the looped each section 13 has attached thereto a grommet indicated pendent strap so that as tension is applied to one end, 40 generally as 19, such as by sewing the top bar of the it lengthens and the other end shortens in compensation grommet to the margin of the garment. The grommet thereto. Means for shortening or lengthening the total 19 has a substantially horizontal bar 20 which, with the length of the strap is provided on the strap to effect the grommet frame, defines an opening 21. Through the desired adjustment for the wearer. The pivoting and opening 21 in sliding arrangement with bar 20 is posi looping action of the pendent garter strap in the hip 45 tioned an elastic garter strap 22 indicated generally as section of the garment, which section may be substan 22 and having sections 23 and 24 depending from grom tially triangular in shape, results in the hip hugging mem met 19, each section having secured at the end thereof

bers in the belt-like construction being capable of hold a stocking grip, fastener or attachment 25, which may ing the loop of the strap so that movement by the lower be of the type standardly used to firmly grip and hold, limbs of the body automatically effects adjustment as the 50 without tensing, an upper portion of a stocking. The garter strap slides through a grommet or pendent Sup strap 22 has a length adjusting clamp 26 for controlling porting bar arrangement to shorten one side thereof while the total length of the strap to make each length of the the other side is lengthened. By this arrangement, a looped garter strap accommodate the particular needs of more comfortable attachment and support of the stock the wearer. Attached to the body-encircling garment on ing can be made which utilizes the hugging of the hips 55 the inside of the top and bottom marginal edges of the to effectively hold the garment in place. front and side sections is an inelastic binding strip 27 Additionally, the looped garter strap construction of which provides an edging and finish to the top and bot the garment of this invention may be provided with a tom of the garment. simply and easily adjusted means of arrangement for the garter strap by providing a shortening means, such as a The adjustable looped pendent garter strap 22 is so clamp, within the garter strap so that the total length of 60 positioned that, when the garter belt is arranged on the the garter strap can be shortened or lengthened. body of the wearer, the grommets lie substantially verti The looped garter strap of the garment of this inven cally in line with the hips of the wearer. In this posi tion may be attached easily to the stocking; for example, tion, each downwardly extending section 23 or 24 of the by lengthening one end of the strap, the garter may be looped garter strap is free to be positioned around the fastened without pull or strain to the back of the stock 65 leg of the wearer and fastened to the stocking by the ing, and then the other end of the looped strap may be attachment at the end thereof. The strap then is in a brought forward, the strap sliding through the grommet, position to adjust by sliding through the grommet to to make the front garter attachment, which is more ac lengthen one end of the strap with compensating short cessible than the back. ening of the other end. To make the desired attachment It will be appreciated that these and other desirable ef 70 to the stocking, one of the strap is attached to the back fects are achieved by the garment construction of the of the stocking and the other end of the strap pulled into 3,005,990 3 4. position and attached to the front of the stocking or vice tened end portions and adapted to extend completely WeSa. across the front of the garment from one hip to the This strap arrangement provides a criss-cross garter. other; a grommet in the lower edge of each said hip attachment angularly pivoting from the hip section of hugging section substantially at the lowest point, each the garment to allow for the shortening of one section grommet having a slidable surface fixed in substantially of the strap with the simultaneous lengthening of the horizontal position; and a pendent looped garter strap other section thereof in a compensating manner as move siidably mounted in said grommet having a front stock ment of the limbs require. This stocking support ar ing attaching means secured to the one free end and a rangement also places the points of stress and move back stocking attaching means secured to the other free ment thereof on the garment at the hip section where the O end thereof, whereby movement of the body of the wear motion of the point of pivoting relative to motion of the er permits the garter strap to slide over said slidable Sur body is minimized. Such positioning provides a relative face of the grommet to maintain continuous adjustment ly fixed fulcrum point even when the adjustable looped tensioning between the front and back attaching means garter strap see-saws back and forth during motions of the for control of the stocking and to maintain the hip-hug body. Also, because of scissor-like action of the strap, at 5 ging sections firmly in place against the body. tachment of the garter may be made at various points on the stockings as desired by the wearer. References Cited in the file of this patent Although the present invention has been described with particularity with reference to a preferred embodiment, UNITED STATES PATENTS it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after under 20 772,021 Bowen ------Oct. 11, 1904 standing the invention, that various changes and modifi 1,814,511 Hebner –------July 14, 1931 cations may be made therein without departing from the 1,816,656 Schweizer –––––––------July 28, 1931 spirit and scope of the invention, and the appended claim 2,245,556 Ellison ------June 17, 1941 should therefore be interpreted to cover such changes 2,424,251 Morton ------July 22, 1947 and modifications. 25 2529,074 Cooley ------Nov. 7, 1950 What we claim is: 2,530,850 " . Atchley ------Nov. 21, 1950 A stocking-supporting garment comprising a body en 2,619,645 Blatt –------Dec. 2, 1952 circling band having a waistline and an edge spaced FOREIGN PATENTS therebelow and including a front body panel, a rear 131,731 Austria ------Feb. 10, 1933 elastic band and a pair of hip-hugging sections, the front 30 63,681 Denmark ------July 9, 1945 portion of the edge being concave and terminating in flat 535,991 Canada ------Jan. 22, 1957