US2777134A - Garment support device - Google Patents

Description

1957 A. s. KAUFMAN GARMENT SUPPORT DEVICE Filed Feb. 11, 1954 IIIIIVI -169 i T1 I J I INVENTOR. A lfm S. Kuf man ATTORNE Y United States Patent 7 2,777,134 GARMENT SUPPORT DEVIGE Alfred's; Kaufman, New York, N. Y. Application February 11-, 1954,Serial No. 409,618

1' Claim. (Cl; ii -301) This invention! relates. to improvements in devices for supporting upon the body ot the wearer, trousers, skirts and the like.

An object of the invention is: to: provide a? novel and improved garment support device which includesa. plurality of major elements and which are combinable in cooperative engagement withz an upper marginal portion of a pair of trousers, a skirt or the like, for engaging; the same with the body of the. wearer, in non-rigid resilientdisposition thereupon.

Another object ofthe invention is to: provide anovel and improved garment support device in which there isa plurality of major elements, elongated for extension over the shoulders of the wearer, and adaptedattheir end portions, for cooperative prehensile engagement with;

upper marginal portions of a pair of trousers, skirt orthe like, for-supporting. the same upon: the body, and in which ,novel means is. provided for releasable mutual. engagement between the said major elements at locations intermediate their endportions.

A further object of the invention is to-provide a novel. and improved garment supporting. device of the character described and illustrated herein, which isconstructed: and

arranged for use in a plurality of ways, as asuspender.

type of garment support, and as a belt typeof garment support, either mode of such use being possible. without structural alteration of the device, as a result of its novel construction.

Still another object of the invention is to provide anovel and improved garment in the nature. of a pair or? trousers, skirt or the like, which is provided at its upper marginal portion or waistband area, with body engaging means releasabl-y carried thereby, said means being con.- structed for interchangeable use either in suspender fashion, or in belt fashion, by means of simple adjustment of the body engaging means, thetrous'ers being thus inherently convertible from a suspenders-type trouser to a belted type trouser, andv vice versa.

Still a further objectof the invention is toprovide anovel and improved garment of the character described, and body engaging means carried thereby, which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, highly attractive in use and appearance, and in which, when: used: as a. sus pender-type trouser, the user always has at hand a belt, for use as he desires, and when used as a belted type trouser, the user can readily and easily convert it to a suspender type trouser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved suspender device for apparel, which may be readily and easily converted and adjusted into a belt; the belt being adjustable for various waist sizes.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a: novel and improved garment and garmentsupporting means of the character described, which is usable as desired, for adult trousers or skirts, or for childrens trousers or skirts.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description 2,777,134 Patented Jan. 15, 1957 trousers with: the garment supporting device arranged as a belt: instead; of as a-sus'pender'.

Figure 4- is a plan view showing the garment supporting: means in; outstretched disposition, apart from the trousers, both major elements being pi v'otally engaged.

Figure 5) is a fragmentary side elevational view takensubstantially on viewing plane 5-5 of Figure 4.

In connection: with the: wearing of garments such as trousers',.slaeks,- or'skirts, the user commonly may employ means: suchas a beit or suspenders, for engaging the same: with. the body; Since thesusp'en'ders extend upwardly from the waist: portion of the garment; and over theshoulders,v while the belt extends only around the waist portion itself, the problems encountered in manufactoring such garment supporting devices are commonly consideredWidely'difierent from each other. Many'men commend the useo'f suspenders in supporting their trousers, as providing: for somewhat more correct formal hang of the trousers when worn under a jacket, and prefer to wear suspenders under such conditions. However,'. when the coat or jacket is removed, either while indooradue to'it'he' temperature of their surroundings, or for greater freedom of movement in an office or the like; or while in the home, their a problemarises, since it is commonly through to be more correct to remove the suspenders and wear a belt when no jacket or coat is worn; As a result, many persons, who are wearing suspenders for their trousers, will hesitate toor refrain from removing their coator jacket, since their suspenders will. become visible; and will instead suifer either the excessive heat, or other inconvenience, while continuing to wear the coat.-

Acccrdingtto-the present invention, a person who likes to wear suspenders, or prefers to do so, may, if he so desiregre'movehis coat o-r'jacltet at anytime; confident in the knowledge that he may imrne'diately convert his trousers support from suspenders into an attractiveand comfortable belt, which: is adjustable to fit his waist, and, their restore it to use as a suspender when he puts on his: coat: again; all this without any constructional bother or need for special tools or the like. In" order to understand clearly the nature of the invention, and the bestmeansfor'carrying it out, reference may now he had to the drawings, in whichlike numerals denote similar parts. throughout the several views.

As shown, there is a'pair of trousers generally indicat'ed at! 10',- and: including trousers legs 12 and 14- which are joined at the upper portion and thus merge with the seat PEItiODiGf th'e'trousersas at 16 to accommodate the body of the wearer, the rearward portion of the trousersg. there is a permanent seam I8 which may tor minate atiits' upper portionin a V'-shaped cutout or notch 20? i11 v som'ei styles of trousers, and at the front as seenin- Figures 1: and 3; there is a fly or placket closure at 22;. which; maybe: formed: with button and buttonhole closure construction, a slide fastener, or other convenient leftward margin of the rightward trousers panel 28. Similarly, the rearward trousers panels and 32, as seen in Figure 2, which are joined at marginal seam 18, are also joined by side seams 34 and 36 respectively, to the front panels 28 and 26. Side pockets 38 and 40,, as well as rear pockets 42 and 44, may also be provided, being secured through openings formed in the various panels of the trousers, as located on the drawings, by means of suitable stitching of the pockets to the panels.

Belt loops 46a, 46b, 466, etc., may be secured at their upper and lower ends to the various locations around the waistband 24 of the trousers, to accommodate the supporting means when used as a belt, as hereinafter de-,

scribed in detail. In order to engage the trousers with the body of the wearer, I provide novel trousers supporting means. As seen in Figures 4 and 5, such trousers supporting means includes a pair of elongated supporting members generally indicated at 50a and 5011. Such major elements 50a and 59!), may be made of any suitable material, which is flexible, such as cloth, fabric, leather, plastic, or other suitable material, andmay be surfaced to match with or contrast with the fabric forming the trousers themselves. Thus those portions of elongated major elements 50a and 50b, which lie between locations 52 and their end tips 54, may be made of, such cloth, fabric, leather or plastic material, while according to a preferred form of the invention, there may be elastic or resilient stretchable material sections as at 56, and between locations 58 and 52, with second end tips 60 secured by stitching 62 or other means, to the resilient sections 56. The tips 60 and the end portions 54 of the elongated major elements may be suitably rounded oil as shown.

Intermediate portions of the two major elongated members or elements 50a and 50b are brought into mutually overlapping positions, as seen in Figures 4 and 5, and are releasably secured together making them an assembled trousers suspension unit, in the manner shown. Thus I provide cooperating male and female snap fastener elements 66 and 68, which are securedrespectively to and through the overlapping portions of the elongated major elements 50b and 5011, respectively. The male snap fastener element 66 is provided on its lower end with a flange 70, and on its upper end with an up wardly projecting stud, which is adapted to snap into engagement with a matching socket carried and formed on the lower portion of the female snap fastener element 68, which, on its upper portion, is provided with a suitable roof or cap member 72.

Button-hole openings 74 are formed through each of the end tabs 60 of the elongated major elements 50a and 50b, for engagement with buttons 76 carried on the rearward portions of the waistband of the trousers as seen best in Figures 2 and 4. Similarly, a series of buttons 80 is secured in mutually interspaced relationship to the end portions near locations 54, of the major elongated elements 50a and 50b, for engagement with buttonholes 82 formed through the frontal portions of the waistband 24 of the trousers. ures 1 and 2, it is clear that the elongated elements 50:: and 50b, extend over the shoulders of the .wearer, in suspender fashion, to support the trousers on his body, and that the length. of the :suspender type supporting means is adjustable by selection of the desired button 80 which is to engage the buttonholes 82. Inaddition, the resilient insert sections 56 permit yielding when needed, without binding. As seen in Figure 1, the tips 54 of the suspender elements may be inserted inside the waistband, with the buttons 80 projecting through the buttonhole 82 as selected, and as seen in Figure 2, the tabs 60' may be When thus engaged, as seen in Fig-,

4 outside the waistband, with the buttons 76 projecting therethrough as shown.

When the wearer finds it necessary or desirable to wear a belt type trousers supporting means, it is only necessary to unsnap the snap fastener elements 66 and 68, separating the two major elements 50a and 50b from each other. Since each of the elements 50a and 50b is of a length approximating the length of a belt which would be needed to encircle the waist of the wearer, it is seen that he can now take either of the separated members 50a or 5%, and use it belt fashion, by inserting it through the belt loops 46a, 46b, etc., in the manner shown in Figure 3. As thus seen, the end 54 of the member 50a, is overlapped by the tabs 60, and one of the buttons is engaged in a corresponding manner, in the buttonhole 74 of the tab 60. The elastic section 56 now provides elasticity for the belt, and there is the utmost of convenience. Also, the user has two belts, which he can interchange at will, or combine them again as explained above, for use suspender fashion.

While the device can be used on mens trousers, and slacks, it is also usable on childrens slacks, and likewise on girls skirts, being secured thereto at the waistband in the manner described hereinabove. At low cost, the consumer is provided with a combination device at no greater cost than that which he would pay for either a suspender or belt alone.

Although I have described my invention in specific terms, it will be understood that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: 7

A garment support device for use as a suspender and a belt, comprising a first major garment elongated support means, a second major garment elongated support means, complementary snap fastener element means carried jointly by both said elongated support means intermediate their end portions, and adapted for snap pivotal releasable engagement when disposed in mutually overlying suspender type disposition, said major elongated support means being of equal overall length, and sufiiciently long to encircle the waist of the wearer when separated and in mutually overlapping belt-like relation, said major elongated support means being constructed and arranged for sequential alternate wearing as a belt and as suspenders, a plurality of spaced button means carried on a first end portion of each of said garment support means for selective engagement with buttonholes carried on a waist portion of a garment, resilient extension members carried at the second end portions of said major elongated support means outwardly of their said location of releasable pivotal mutual engagement, for allowing their overall length to be increased upon application of stretching force, and end tab means carried on the outer ends of said resilient extension members, said end tab means having buttonholes formed therein for direct engagement with buttons carried on opposite waist portions of a garment to be supported, said resilient extension members being free of any covering or encasement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 366,475 Gilmore July 12, 1887 877,332 Hayden Ian. 21, 1908 1,421,690 Howard July 4, 1922 1,675,234 Tarlton June 26, 1928 2,587,126 Ellington Feb. 26, 1952

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