METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING KNITTED BRASSIERE BLANKS AND BRASSIERES

• US 3,789,098 A
• Filed: 06/11/1971
• Issued: 01/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Playtex Apparel Incorporated (Tyson Foods Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: James G. Donaghy, Raymond C. Cole, William C. Hittel
• Inventors: Cole, Raymond C., Hittel, William C., Donaghy, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reynolds, Wm. Carter
• Application Number:
  US05/152,245
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 66/176,189,175,96R,89 223/52,66,68 264/103,292 128/516
• US Class Current: 264/103
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 3/0014 made from one piece with one or several layers
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 5/00 Machines, appliances, or methods for manufacturing corsets or brassieres
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/246 Upper torso garments, e.g. sweaters, shirts, leotards
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 11/36 other wearing apparel
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/033 Three dimensional fabric, e.g. forming or comprising cavities in or protrusions from the basic planar configuration, or deviations from the cylindrical shape as generally imposed by the fabric forming process

Abstract

There is disclosed as an article of manufacture an integrally knit blank shaped to allow for the reorientation of the wales along the apex of the cup and to allow for the reorientation of the wales along the body of the breast receiving elements at least along the area which will comprise the lower cup portion, to an orientation other than originally knitted. There is also disclosed a flat boarding arrangement as the shaping apparatus as well as the stabilizing form. The method of knitting and shaping generally includes the steps of integrally knitting, with at least some heat setting yarns a blank having relatively concial breast pockets and a relative flat apex area; reorienting a portion of the yarns in the apex area to provide a relatively rounded apex configuration; and heat setting the blank to retain the apex area in such relatively rounded configuration.

Claims

1. A method of knitting and shaping breast receiving articles comprising the steps of:

integrally knitting a breast receiving blank from yarns, at least a portion of which are heat setting, said blank having a relatively flat body portion and two spaced apart relatively conical breast pockets, each of said breast pockets including a relatively flat apex area;

knitting a second breast receiving blank;

securing said second breast receiving blank to the originally knit blank along respective longitudinal selvages of each of said blanks to form a hollow chamber defined by said blanks;

simultaneously re-orienting said portion of the yarns in the respective flat apex areas on both of said blanks to provide a relatively rounded apex configuration by exerting a shaping force internal of said hollow chamber; and

heat setting said blank to retain said apex areas in shaped relatively rounded configuration.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reorientation includes the step of inserting an elongated flat shaping board having laterally extending shaped protuberances adapted to shape at least the apex areas of said breast receiving pockets within the chamber formed by said secured together blanks.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said shaped protuberance of said flat shaping board are extensible and retractable transversely of said board and whereby said shaping board is inserted within said chamber formed by said secured together blanks with said protuberances in retracted position, said protuberances being extended when said board is within said chamber.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said protuberances of said shaping board include a peripheral contour having a concave outer edge, a convex inner edge, and a concave apex between said outer and inner edges.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including the step of securing one distal end of each of said blanks transversely to provide a closed end chamber defined by said blanks.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said reorientation step includes the step of inserting a flat shaping board having laterally extending shaped protuberances adapted to shape at least the apex areas of said breast receiving pockets wIthin said flat shaping board includes at least one end portion having a peripheral stepped shape, said last referred to end portion adapted to seat along said closed end of said sewn together blanks.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein said stepped shape is an omega shape.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including the step of separating said blanks and incorporating each said blank, after said heat setting step , as the frontal portion of a brassiere.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said incorporating step includes the steps of cutting the outer side edges of each said blank to an inclined orientation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said incorporating step further includes the step of cutting one selvage edge of each said blank to provide a concave line from first points along the lateral edges of said blank to respective second points along said selvage spaced apart and laterally offset from the respective apex areas of said blank and cutting a convex line which extends downward through the area between said breast receiving pockets between said second points.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the knitting of said blanks is effected by a flat bed full fashioning machine.

12. An apparatus for shaping a pair of brassiere blanks comprising an elongated flat board having at least two shaping surfaces extending laterally of said board, each of said shaping surfaces adapted to stress portions of one of said blanks in selected areas and at least two additional shaping surfaces extending laterally of said board along the longitudinal edge of said board opposed to said first pair of shaping surfaces adapted to stress selected areas of the other said blank.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein one end of said board is stepped.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said stepped end portion defines a peripheral omega-like shape.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein each of said shaping surfaces includes a peripheral edge defining a substantially curvilinear hemispheric profile.

16. A method of knitting and shaping breast receiving articles comprising the steps of:

integrally knitting a breast receiving blank from yarns, at least a portion of which are heat setting, said blank having a relatively flat body portion and two spaced apart relatively conical breast pockets, each of said breast pockets including a relatively flat apex area;

knitting a second breast receiving blank;

securing said second breast receiving blank to the first blank along respective transverse portions of the body portion of each blank to form an endless length defined by said blanks;

simultaneously re-orienting a portion of the yarns in said relatively flat apex area to provide a relatively rounded apex configuration by exerting a shaping force internal of said endless length; and

heat setting said blank to retain said apex areas in said shaped relatively rounded configuration.