April 29, 1969 R. W. RUSSE 3,440,665 HIP-HIGH HOSERY Filed Feb. 17, 1967

Tas. 32 39, 2-140 2?

2/ A.

/24 aa/ aNVENTOR 12-yazz Y

%iezea razzarAORNEYS. 3,440,665 United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 29, 1969 1 2 FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the lines 6-6 of 3,440,665 FIG. 5. HP-HGH HOSERY Detailed description Ralph W. Russell, Siler City, N.C., assignor to Kellwood Company, a corporation of Delaware As particularly exemplified, the invention, in one of its Filed Feb. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 616,907 5 aspects, provides a garment 4 comprising a pair of stock Int. Cl. A41b 11/00, 9/02, 9/04 ings 5 and 6 united at their upper ends to provide a single U.S. Cl, 2-240 6 Claims article of hosiery which is held up by a unitary waist 7. The invention, in another of its aspects, is embodied in each of the exemplified stockings. ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE 0 The stocking 5 comprises a foot portion 11, a leg por Hosiery composed of a pair of hip-high stockings in tion 12, a hip portion 13, and a waist portion 14, and the teriorly slitted downwardly, and having a waist formed by stocking 6 comprises a foot portion 15, a leg portion 16, a joining the ends of the two slit waist portions at both hip portion 17, and a waist portion 18, there being, in the the front and rear by hook members each permanently present instance, no difference between the portions 11 Secured to an end of one waist portion and releasably se 15 and 15, or between the portions 12 and 16. The portions cured to a loop at an end of the other waist portion. The 13 and 17 are similar to each other, and the portions 14 waist portions are preferably double welts in the tube and 18 are similar to each other except that the upper ends of which there are secured bent-over tapes, a pair parts of the stockings are open-as by slitting the upper of which hold the hook members and a pair of which are portion of each stocking-not at corresponding sides, but 'slipped over the hooks on the hook members. 20 each at a side facing the open side of the other stocking; So that the open areas are at the interior of the garment. The stocking 5 is formed with a slit at 21 (at the left of the waist and the right of the drawing) extending thru Summary of the invention the waist portion 14 and into or thru (as exemplified) the With the wearing of higher and higher skirts, it has hip portion 13 thereof; and the stocking 6 is formed with become more and more important that feminine hosiery a slit at 22 (at the right of the waist and the left of the cover not only the legs but the thighs of the wearer with drawing) extending thru the waist portion 18 and into or out any Supporting means being visible. One immediate thru (as exemplified) the hip portion 17 thereof. The slits development was panty-hose, but these have been found 21 and 22 provide an opening 24 below the waist of the to lack the convenience in slipping off or down which is 30 Wearer. possessed by those panties which are separate from the The exemplified waist portions 14 and 18 are elastic and hosiery. They have been worn, however, because of the are tubular in construction, being formed by providing a lack of satisfactory means for holding up thigh-covering turned-over welt caught-down at 25. The slits 21 and 22 Stockings. The present invention is directed to the provi will thus have provided open tube ends 26 and 27 for the sion of garments comprising a pair of stockings each hav 35 waist portion 14, and open tube ends 28 and 29 for the ing leg, hip, and waist portions with the waist portions waist portion 18, and, in the present instance, each waist united at their ends by hook members each permanently portion has had sewn thereto by stitching at 30 just inside Secured to one end of a waist portion and releasably se one of the tube ends a bent-over loop 32 or 33 of tape. cured to an adjacent end of the other waist portion; In the present instance the tapes are one-half inch in and to stockings adapted to form part of such a garment. 40 width and are all-nylon or elastic woven or braided con In its more specific aspects, the invention contemplates struction, and additional stitching may be provided at the provision of stretchable waist portions of tubular con 35 thus permitting each line of stitching 30 to be as near struction-as, for example, a bent-down elastic welt top a tube end as possible, thus interfering as little as possible with its bent-down edge secured to the lower welt edge with the stretchability of the elastic waist portions, tho this and to the hip portion by transfer mechanism and having 45 is, of course, unnecessary so far as other inventive fea the ends of bent-over loops secured in its open ends; two tures are concerned. It is also to be noted that, in the pres of the four bent-over loops having the hook member per ent instance, there is no difference between the loops 32 manently secured thereon, as by extending thru an elon and 33, tho their functions differ from each other. gated perforation therein, and the other bent-over loops Each loop 32 extends permanently thru a vertical open being adapted to be releasably slipped over the hook in ing 39 in a flat fastening member 40 having a vertical the hook member. (downwardly-extending) hook 41 over which a loop 33 The invention accordingly comprises a manufacture on the other stocking is slipped when the two waist por possessing the features, properties, and the relation of tions are united (as after the stockings have been indi elements which will be exemplified in the articles herein vidually put in place) so as to releasably fasten the waist after described and the scope of the application of which 5 5 portions at the front and rear. It will be appreciated that, will be indicated in the claims. so long as one loop 32 and one loop 33 are provided at Brief description of the views of the drawings the front and one loop 32 and one loop 33 are provided at the rear, the invention in its broader aspects contem FIGURE 1 is a front view of an exemplified garment plates any desired arrangement of these loops with respect In use: 60 to the individual stockings forming the hip-high hosiery. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of one exemplified As exemplified, however, one loop 32 and one loop 33 is s'ocking in a relaxed state and on an enlarged scale, fasten provided on the front and rear, respectively, of the stock ing portions of another stocking being shown also to facil ing 5 and one loop 32 and one loop 33 on the rear and itate an understanding of the arrangement when as front, respectively, of the stocking 6, so as to simplify the sembled; 65 arrangement as well as to provide for easy interchange FIG. 3 is a front view of the rear fastening means of FIG. 1 in unfastened condition on a further enlarged ability of stockings from the different pairs by turning one scale: of them inside out. FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof: In the provision of either of the stockings 5 and 6, the FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the fasten 70 stocking may be knitted on a two-feed stocking machine. ing means in place in the tube ends of the waist por The welt is formed of ordinary (e.g. plied 20-denier 7 tions; and filament S and Z 100 turns per inch nylon) yarn on all 3,440,665 3 4 the needles at one feed, and after the formation of a few of a waist portion, a short separate tape providing a loop courses, the second feed of elastic (e.g. nylon-covered at a front end of a waist portion and releasably extending 70-denier spandex or 140-denier bars spandex) yarn is over said front hook, and a separate short tape providing introduced at suitable tension with a selection of spaced a loop at a rear end of a waist portion releasably extend needles, so that the elastic yarn will only be caught in by ing over said rear hook, and means securing said separate every other, every third, every fourth, etc., needle to give short tapes to their respective waist portions so as to inter a pleated effect. fere to a minimum extent with the stretchability of at least After knitting the nylon and spandex a number of the major portion of each elastic waist portion. courses about twice the number in the waist portion, a 2. A garment as in claim 1 wherein each releasably transfer mechanism is put into operation, transferring the extending loop is secured to one of said ends of a waist loop of the top course back on the needles, and thus mak IO portion, and wherein each hook is on a fastening member ing the tubular double welt. The selective mechanism is secured in the bent-over portion of an additional loop now idled, so that all needles will knit at both feeds; and which is secured to another end of a waist portion. the yarn feed carrying the plied nylon and that carrying 3. A garment as in claim 2 wherein each waist portion the spandex may both be removed from action and re is bent down upon itself to form a tube, and the sides of placed with feeds for a light weight yarn (e.g. 15 denier, Said loops are inserted and secured in the open ends of three-filament, 100-150 turns per inch, stretch nylon said tubes. yarn). If desired, the hip portion may be made in a 4. A garment as in claim 1 wherein one of said hooks heavier (20-70 denier) stretch yarn, 60-120 turns per and one of said loops are provided on each of said waist inch, before shifting to a lighter weight yarn for the leg 20 portions. portion. The toe and heel portions may be made in any 5. A stocking comprising a leg portion, a hip portion, suitable manner (as from two S and Z plied 20-denier, and a downwardly turned-over elastic waist portion se seven-filament, 80-90 turns per inch stretch nylon). Vari cured in turned-over position to provide a tube at the top ous other well known knitting and yarn arrangements of the stocking, said waist portion and at least the upper may be employed. 25 end of the hip portion being downwardly slitted to open Desirably, and as exemplified, the bottom of the slits 21 the ends of said tube and to permit the spread of the and 22 are bartacked at 45 to prevent running, or other waist portion and of at least the upper part of the hip por wise suitably stitched. tion, a pair of short separate tapes each bent over upon In some instances, and as exemplified, the knitting of itself to form a loop and each having its ends in a different the yarn in the hip portion may be varied at spaced inter 30 one of the open ends of Said tube, and means securing said vals in a few contiguous courses as by inserting a tuck separate short tapes to their respective open ends so as to stitch after a number-e.g. seven-of wales so as to pro interfere to a minimum extent with the stretchability of vide spaced--e.g. one or more inches-bands 48-e.g. at least the major portion of the elastic waist portion, one-quarter inch wide-in the hip portion to facilitate and a fastening element permanently fastened to the loop determinations such, for example, as the length of the hip. of one of said tapes and carrying a hook for the reception This arrangement may be made either in a stocking hav of a tape providing a similar loop. ing hip and leg portions continuously knitted without 6. A stocking as in claim 5 wherein the hip and leg change of yarn as exemplified, or in a stocking wherein portions are continuously knitted without change of yarn the hip portion is formed of heavier yarn than the leg at the yarn feeds. portion. Bands so formed are invisible to a casual observer References Cited or at any significant distance, so that they do not affect the appearance of the stocking when worn or the appeal UNITED STATES PATENTS of the stocking when displayed for purchase. 3,104,397 9/1963 Gant ------2-141 XR The slits are preferably from seven to nine inches long 3,362,029 1/1968 Comerma ------2-224 XR measured on the stretched stocking as worn on an average 45 989,024 4/1911 Moses ------2-240 sized wearer. 143,947 10/1873 Weil ------2-237 The stockings may be preboarded before being slit, or 364,650 6/1887 Holmes ------2-239 XR may be preboarded after slitting. 2,733,448 2/1956 Stogoski ------2-313 I claim: FOREIGN PATENTS 1. Hosiery comprising a pair each of leg portions, hip 50 portions, and elastic waist portions, each unitary with a 457,965 1/1945 Belgium. hip portion, each waist portion and at least the upper part 855,082 11/1952 Germany. of its hip portion being open down the side facing the other waist and hip portions, and fastening means inter JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner, connecting said waist portions and comprising a separate U.S. C. X.R. short tape with a hook at a front end of a waist portion, 2-224 a separate short separate tape with a hook at a rear end