Apparel – General structure – Seams
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-26
2001-01-09
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
General structure
Seams
C002S239000, C066S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170089
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an article made of sheer knit fabric, typically stockings, tights (panty-hose) and the like, the seams of which article have little thickness, unlike the seams obtainable with current well-known overlock machines such as UNION SPECIAL and so on, in which seams the margins of the pieces of fabric to be assembled are drawn tightly together (“overlock” seaming) which results in very thick, cord-like seams; this is disadvantageous both from the point of view of the comfort and “wearability” of the garment, because of the irritation caused by the shape of the seams, and from the point of view of the aesthetic appearance of the garment.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present garment avoids these problems and has stable seaming and satisfactory appearance; it can also be produced with a high degree of automation and is therefore clearly suited to industrial application.
Fundamentally, the article, such as a stocking, pair of tights (panty-hose) or the like made from sheer knit fabric has seams for joining together, along the crotch, its constituent pieces of fabric and/or for closing the toes of the legs, whose structure is such that, under the stretching of the garment as it is put on, the seams become essentially “flat”, that is to say very thin, and certainly much thinner than they are wide.
In one practical embodiment, said seams are made with two needle threads and one looper thread for the chain stitch, these together forming relatively long stitches that do not pull tight.
In the seam produced according to the invention, when the fabric pieces—joined together by said seam—are tensioned and made coplanar, their margins connected by the seam in question are effectively “edge-to-edge”, that is to say “adjacent” or “juxtaposed” so that the seam becomes thin, and certainly much thinner than it is wide.
Basically, the article according to the invention comprises seams consisting of three threads forming three series of stitches, specifically:
a) a first series of short stitches, formed with a first needle thread, which extend across the “line of the cut”, passing out of one of the two pieces of fabric being joined together and entering the other at positions relatively near to the cut edges;
b) a second series of longer stitches, formed with a second needle thread, which stitches also extend across the line of the cut, passing out of one of the two pieces of fabric being assembled and entering the other at a greater distance from the same line of the cut than the stitches forming the aforesaid first series of stitches, so that the shorter stitches of the first series of stitches lie inside the longer stitches of the second series of stitches; and
c) a third series of stitches, formed with “slack” stitches of a looper thread, much longer and “slacker” than those of the first two series of stitches, which stitches of the third series form the “chain” seam, extending across the line of the cut and forming chain stitches with the first and second needle threads.
It follows from the structural characteristics of the seam described above that, under the stretching of the garment as it is put on, the seam becomes wider and quite flat, with virtually no overlapping of the fabric pieces. This has the obvious advantages of greater comfort and a much more pleasing appearance of the garment. There is no disadvantageous impact on either the practical or aesthetic effect from the fact that the width of the flat seam produced in this way cannot be made to equal that obtained with the type of seam produced with only manual sewing machines; because in fact, from the aesthetic point of view it is actually decidedly preferably, in tights and stockings, for the width of the seam to be limited.
The drawing shows one possible embodiment of a flat seam according to the invention, and one possible example of equipment for producing it.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1934328 (1933-11-01), Rubel
patent: 1968967 (1934-08-01), Snader
patent: 2164036 (1939-06-01), Lane
patent: 2512489 (1950-06-01), Dills
patent: 2617114 (1952-11-01), Sanson
patent: 3082724 (1963-03-01), Washburn
patent: 4697440 (1987-10-01), Riccitelli
Federal Standard: Stitches, seams, and stitchings, Mar. 1930, Stitch type 503, 504 and 505.*
Calvert John J.
Golden Lady S.P.A.
Hoey Alissa L.
McGlew and Tuttle , P.C.
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