Article of apparel

Nov. 11, 1941. κ. Oppenheimer 2,262,402

ARTICLE OF APPAREL ' Filed Nov. 16, 1940

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ATTORNEYS

Patented Nov. 11, 1941

2,262,402

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,262,402

ARTICLE OF APPAREL Klee Oppenheimer, New York, N. Y. Application November 16, 1940, Serial No. 365,858

Claims.

The invention relates to articles of apparel or garments of outer wear for men, women, and children, such as trousers, knickerbockers, riding or work breeches and skirts, and more particularly to a novel construction of pockets for such garments.

The construction of the present invention is an improvement upon a garment pocket construction disclosed and described in my copending application, Serial No. 334,474, filed May 11, 1940 now Patent No. 2,236,694 dated April 1, 1941. In such application, I describe a pocket structure for an article of apparel comprising two completely separate and individually accessible compartments fabricated from a single piece of material, the duplex compartment pocket being secured to the body of the garment along the conventional seam or seams of the garment in substantially the conventional position of the usual pockets provided on garments of this type. The two compartment pocket as disclosed in said application is adapted to be retained in proper position for ready access to the contents of either compartment by the hands of the user through a single opening in the garment.

The present invention has for its object the provision of such duplex pocket construction, incorporating therein a bar-tack which, however, in contradistinction to the structure disclosed in my pending application, secures only one panel of the folded single strip of fabric, forming the pockets, to the garment material, so that by reason of the fact that the second panel is free, i. e. not stitched to the garment material, the pocket opening can expand laterally to a considerable degree when such second or free panel is moved rearwardly or away from the opening in the garment body. In this manner, the ready access to the contents of either compartment of the pocket by the hands of the user is considerably enhanced by providing a substantial laterally enlarged opening to the pocket compartment when the rear panel of the pocket material is pushed by the hand being inserted through the pocket opening rearwardly and away from such opening.

All of the objects of the duplex compartment pocket construction as set forth in my said copending application are attained by the construction of the present invention but in addition thereto, the further advantage of increased and enlarged lateral, stretching or opening of the pocket entrance is secured.

While the construction of my present invention is applicable to garments other than the specific type incorporating a duplex compartment pocket.

(Cl. 2—247) for purposes of illustration, but not by way of limitation, I have shown the embodiment of my present construction in such duplex compartment pocket garment structure.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is an outside view of an upper portion of a pair of trousers in the construction of which my improvement has: been embodied;

Fig. 2 is an inside view of the waist region of a pair of trousers, showing the application thereto of my novel pocket arrangement with part of the pocket construction broken away to illustrate its structure and application to the garment fabric;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2—2 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4—4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detailed inside view of a portion of the pocket structure showing the application to the vertex of the trouser opening of a triangular reinforcing strip of the trouser material positioned immediately below the bar-tack; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4,' but showing the pocket structure in cross-section in expanded position to illustrate the substantial lateral enlargement of the opening to the pocket compartment upon rearward movement of the second panel of the folded over strip constituting the material of such pocket.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, 10 represents a portion of a trouser leg having the conventional side seam ί i joining the fabric strips constituting the leg, and a waist band 12. Immediately in line with the side seam 11 and below the waist band i 2, there is formed a substantially V-shaped opening i 3, one side of which is constituted of the edge 14, a continuation of the trouser seam II, extending to the waist band, and the other side of which is constituted of an edge 15 of the front garment fabric extending at a substantial angle from the side seam at a point at which the edge 14 terminates, to the lower edge of the waist band 12.

The pocket structure, constructed in accordance with my invention, is preferably constituted of a single piece of any suitable material conventionally utilized in fabricating a garment pocket, such single strip of material being cut from a pattern which is then doubled over upon itself along the line 16 and seamed at the opposite edges 17 throughout the length of the pocket and also along the two bottom edges 18 and i9 of the two

2,262,402 compartments 20 and 2i to be formed, and along a curved cut-out 22 extending substantially along the center of the single strip of fabric from the bottom edge thereof to a little below the vertical midpoint thereof. 5

The two compartment pocket, as thus constituted, is secured as a whole to the waist band 12 by stitching 23 running along the upper edge of the fabric material constituting the pockets. The material of the edges 14 and 15 of the opening 13 10 is folded over and stitched to the corresponding edges of the pocket material to form an edging or binding 24 around the pocket opening. A strip of facing material 25, preferably of the same material as the garment, is stitched to the inner 15 wall of the pocket to constitute a facing for the entire V-shaped opening 13, and extending sidewise from each edge thereof to the extent indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

A bar-tack 26 is formed at the terminus of the ₂₀V-shaped opening 13, such bar-tack extending through only one panel of the pocket material to the garment just below the V-shaped opening. Such bar-tack is applied at a point slightly above the vertex of the curved inner edge 22 of the ₂₅compartments of the pocket, but as will be seen from Fig. 4, the panel of the pocket material through which the bar-tack passes extends downwardly substantially along the inner surface of the trouser fabric and then rearwardly to the 30 point of juncture of such panel with the rear panel of the pocket strip at a point approximately at the vertex of the cut-out 22. A separate substantially triangular strip of material 27, which may be made of the fabric of which the 35 trouser is constituted, is sewn to the inner surface of the front panel along the surface thereof extending immediately below the bar-tack 26, the vertex of such triangular insert strip being approximately at the vertex of the cut-out 22. 40 This triangular strip of material 27 constitutes a reinforcement of the most vulnerable portion of the duplex pocket structure.

When the hand is inserted into the V-shaped opening 13, it automatically contacts the facing 45 25, pushing it rearwardly and thereby moving rearwardly the panel of the pocket material to which such facing is secured. This rearward movement of such panel causes, as shown clearly in Fig. 6, a widening laterally of the openings 50 to each of the pocket compartments, as the portion of the panel extending between the vertex of the cut-out 22 and the bar-tack 26 is now enabled to assume a substantially horizontal position. Upon this rearward movement of the 55 panel not limited by its securement to the garment fabric by the bar-tack 26, the actual opening to each of the pocket compartments is greatly enlarged, so as to facilitate the movement of the hand after passage thereof through the V-shaped 60 opening 13, into either the forward or rearwardly extending compartment of the pocket. In other words, as soon as a hand is thrust through the V-shaped opening 13, it will automatically distend the pocket material laterally of the gar- 65 ment to a sufficient extent to permit easy access of the hand into either of the two compartments of the pocket structure. This entire result is attained in my novel construction by securing only one of the panels of the strip of material con- 70 stituting the duplex pocket to the trouser fabric by the bar-tack 26, leaving the opposite panel of the pocket strip for free movement rearwardly from the bar-tack and, therefore, from the Vshaped opening 13. 75

As shown in the drawing, the preferred embodiment of my invention provides the V-shaped opening with one of its edges running substantially coincidental with the side seam of the pocket. Both of the edges of the opening 13, however, might diverge at a considerable angle from the bar-tack 26, so that the opening to each compartment of the pocket is disposed at an angle to the trouser side seam for providing even greater facility of insertion of the hand of the wearer into either of the compartments. The degree of divergence of the two side edges of the opening depends entirely upon the type of garment to which my novel pocket arrangement is applied. For instance, in a pair of overalls or knickerbockers, the divergence may be considerable so as to provide the ready access to the hands which wearers of this type of wearing apparel like.

It will be noted that my novel construction of pocket provides a pocket structure of great strength and large capacity, but which is so disposed and formed as not to interfere with the comfort of the wearer, the fit of the garment, or the ready disposition of a plurality of articles in the compartments and the ready access thereto by the hands of the wearer without the necessity of unnatural contortions of the hands or of the wrists in order to make it possible for the wearer of the garment to reach either of the compartments. Thus, access to the front compartment of the duplex pocket structure may be had by inserting the hand forwardly into the pocket through the opening 13, while access to the rear compartment may be had with substantially the same facility by inserting the hand into the same opening but directing the hand rearwardly. By reason of the wide mouth or upper edge of the opening, the hand of the wearer is readily insertable into either compartment and extended downwardly to a sufficient extent to reach the lowermost recesses of the compartments irrespective of the depth of the pocket.

By reason of my novel construction, therefore, a considerable increase in the size of the pockets from the conventional size may be attained while retaining the ready accessibility to such compartments, a consideration of primary importance in trousers or overalls used by workmen who may have tools and materials which must be stored in pockets and yet be readily accessible in the course of their work.

It will be noted, also, that the contents of the two compartments are readily kept apart, particularly by reason of the configuration of the single strip of material constituting the pocket in the formation of the curved cut-out portion 22, extending from the bottom of the pockets to the bar-tack 26. While the contents of the two compartments are kept apart when desired, it is nevertheless, very easy to transfer an object from one compartment to another without completely withdrawing the object to be transferred from the confines of the duplex pocket. This would not be possible if the duplex pocket were formed by a vertical partition extending substantially from the bottom edges of the pocket to its upper edge.