Pleating

July 19, 1960

2,945,238

D. WEISER

PLEATING

<img file="US2945238A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US2945238A_D0002.tif" />

Agent

July 19, 1960 d. weiser 2,945,238

PLEATING

<img file="US2945238A_D0003.tif" />

<img file="US2945238A_D0004.tif" />

<img file="US2945238A_D0005.tif" />

Agent

July 19, 1960 d. weiser 2,945,238

PLEATING

<img file="US2945238A_D0006.tif" />

<img file="US2945238A_D0007.tif" />

Agent

2,945,238

Patented July 19, 1960

United States Patent Office

2,945,238

PLEATING

David Weiser, 2515 Bathhurst St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Filed Apr. 15, 1957, Ser. No. 652,767

Claims. (CI. 2—243) ly independent band; the same being done with their companion reveals whereby the superfluous material may be either cut away or arranged between the two resulting bands to minimize bulk, as will appear from the herein5 after following description of a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea which is illustrated by way of example only in the hereunto annexed drawing wherein like reference devices refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Fig. 1—A plan view of a panel as contemplated by the invention which has been ruled to indicate areas which will be respectively formed into knife pleats as well as to indicate the band zone.

Fig. 2—An isometric view looking down on the ends 15 of knife pleats formed pursuant to the invention both above and below the band zone.

Fig. 3—An elevational view of a panel pleated pursuant to the invention and folded to show both its inside and outside surfaces.

Fig. 4—A detail' showing a stage in the method of forming the reveal terminals into the bands aforesaid.

Fig. 5—A view corresponding to Figure 1 and showing a panel ruled for box pleats.

Fig. 6—A top plan view looking down on the band 25 zone of the panel of Fig. 5 after it has been box-pleated pursuant to the invention; the broken lines appearing therein indicating certain portions which have been cut away.

Fig. 7—An isometric view corresponding to Fig. 2 30 showing the same details as Fig. 2 with respect to box pleats.

Fig. 8—A view in elevation of a skirt formed of a panel pleated pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 9—An enlarged view of a fragment of the panel 35 shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 10, 11 and 12—Schematic views showing successive stages by which knife pleats are formed in the band zone of the panel fragment shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 13—An enlarged view of a fragment of the panel 40 shown in Fig. 5; and

Figs. 14 and 15—Schematic views showing successive stages whereby box pleats are formed in the band zone of the panel fragment of Fig. 13.

It will be recalled that a pleat has been described as a 45 multiplicate fold producing a set of pleat elements comprising inner and outer pleat faces or reveals and an interconnecting intervening underlay or gusset. If a said reveal exhibits two lateral edges on each side of the panel, it is usually termed a box pleat. Conversely, if it exhibits 50 only one such edge it is known as a knife pleat.

Another distinguishing characteristic of the knife pleat is that its two reveals are more or less squarely superposed over each other while its one interconnecting gusset is, perforce, approximately as wide as either of the re55 Veals. In the box pleat, on the other hand, the reveals are offset relative to each other and the gusseting consists of two half gussets which are, in turn, separated by reveals.

It will be understood, of course, that the foregoing pleat 60 characteristics have been set forth for purposes of identification and by no means as limitations.

Proceeding now with the description of the invention in relation to knife pleats, P is a panel on which it is proposed to form a complement of knife pleats.

Although it will hardly be necessary to do so in actual practice, the panel P of Figs. 1 and 9 has herein been ruled both vertically and horizontally to plot the pleats and the various elements thereof which will hereinafter be γθ discussed. Thus the double vertical lines x denote the boundaries of the several areas A respectively proposed to be folded into pleats while the broken vertical lines y

The present application is a continuation-in-part of application 592,375 filed lune 19, 1956, by the same inventor and entitled Box-Pleated Skirt.

The invention herein disclosed relates generally to improvements in pleating with special reference to pleated panels constituting a part, at least, of a larger fabric formed or adapted to be formed into an article of apparel.

The invention is deemed to be of particular utility and advantage in association with women’s skirts and will be so described although it is not entirely inconceivable that it may be usefully employed in other garments as well.

The problem which the invention mainly seeks to resolve arises from the dimensional factors requiring consideration in the making of pleated skirts. As is well known, such skirts which are normally unfoldable and expandable, have inexpandable bands of optional height and substantially reduced circumference next adjacent their upper edges. The specific problem heretofore encountered has therefore been to achieve the necessary circumferential reduction in this region in a smoothly fitting and attractive manner and without introducing excessive bulk therein.

One of the main objects of the invention is, therefore, to provide a method of pleating for the band portion of a panel whereby such dimensional reduction can be achieved in an efficient, economical and expeditious manner, with an attractive result on both the inside and outside surfaces of the panel.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide a method for pleating the said panel band portion whereby excess material can be conveniently removed to avoid accumulation of excessive bulk therein.

A still further and quite important object of the invention is to provide such pleating method which is applicable to a variety of pleating modes such as box pleating and knife pleating as well as to several variations and combinations thereof.

It is, of course, an object of the invention to provide a panel whose band portion has been pleated pursuant to the present methods.

A pleat, as is well known, is basically constituted by a multiplicate folding of fabric creating a set of pleat elements comprised Of inner and outer pleat faces, or reveals, which appear on the respective sides of the pleat arid an intervening, interconnecting, underlay or gusset. A pleated pariel will therefore exhibit a series of consecutive pleat reveals on each of its inside and outside surfaces; the reveals being interconnected by gussets as aforesaid.

The above stated and other objects of the invention which will duly become apparent are achieved by cutting into the band portion of the panel to be pleated so as to liberate the terminal portion of at least one reveal from each proposed pleat set; the same (i.e. inside or outside) 'reveal being liberated from consecutive sets.

The thus liberated reveals may then be conveniently tapered and grouped or otherwise formed into a relative2.945,238 in each area A denote the lateral margins of the pleat elements, namely: the outer and inner pleat reveals 10— 10' and the gusset 12 of each proposed knife pleat.

. The horizontal zone line z marks the bottoms of.the bands 14—14' and isolates the terminals. 16—16' which are those portions of the reveals 10—-10' within the bands 14—14'. Needless to say, the said line z may theoretically occur at any desired level of the panel P. between its bottom edge and its upper edge 18.

Having plotted the panel P into pleat areas A, its band zone 20 which is disposed between the zone line z and the panel edge 18 is then incised as at 22—22' on each side of one of the reveal terminals 16 or 16' in each pleat area A to release or liberate the former from the remainder of said pleat area A within, the band zone 20 although not from the panel P to which it remains attached at zone line Z; the terminal 16 of the outer reveal 10 having been so liberated in the present embodiment. Inasmuch as the gusset terminal 24 serves no useful purpose in the band zone 20 of the panel P, the cut 22 may be made anywhere therein and, in fact, said cut 22 may be of such character as to remove gusset terminal 24 in its entirety, as suggested by the broken line in the drawing, to reduce bulk in this region. The second cut 22' may then be made along the juncture line x of abutting reveal terminals 16—16' in adjacent pleat areas A.

It is most desirable, of course, that the corresponding reveal terminals 16 be so liberated in each pleat area A; being all planned to occur on the same side of the panel P when the latter is finally pleated.

The thus liberated terminals 16 are then grouped into a first band 14 which may be effected by seams 26 interconnecting the lateral margins 28 of each pair of adjacent terminals; the length of the seams 26 corresponding preferably to the depth of cuts 22—22' which is, in turn, related to the specific distance of zone line z below the edge 18 of the panel P.

The seam 26 which interconnects two adjacent terminals 16 may be sloped or slanted, with respect to the axes of the pleats in a manner well known in the art to taper said terminals 16 as in Figs. 2 and 4.

: The foregoing operation is then duplicated in respect of terminals 16' which are grouped into a second, superposed, band 14' by seams 26'. Incidentally, it ne.ed hardly be pointed out that both in plotting and cutting the panel P, allowance is herein contemplated and should be made for sewing edges as shown in Figs. 9 and 11; such provision having been omitted from Fig. 1 for the sake of clarity and to avoid complicating this view.

At this stage it may be noted that the herein devised concept of liberating the terminals as a step in the process permits subsequent operations to be carried out on two substantially separated bands 14—14' as in Fig. 4 and are resultantly, radically simplified.

Bearing in mind, as hereinbefore stated, that a knife pleat is one in which the pleat reveals are superposed, it will be understood that seams 26—26' in the bands 14—14' may tend to coincide and thus create unwanted and noticeable promontories between the said bands 14__

14'. It is therefore desirable that the said seams 26—26' be offset relative to each other and this is achieved by varying the width of gusset 12 relative to the width of the pleat reveals. In the present example, the gusset width has been actually increased over that of the reveals 10—10'; an extension of this proportioning into the zone 20 ensuring that the seams in one band are concealed by the reveals in the other band.

Pleating of the panel P may now be completed by ironing below the zone line z and/or by such other steps as are well known in the art. If desired, or appropriate, the bands 14—14' may also be interconnected at their ends.

The panel Ρδ of Fig. 6 and 15 proposed to be provided with box pleats is ruled, plotted and zoned in the same manner as in the case of the panel P to define pleat areas

A, pleat reveals 110—110', and pleat terminals 116—116' which correspond to the equivalent parts of the panel P and, in fact, bear the same reference devices distinguished, as will be noted, by prefixing the numeral 1 5 thereto. However, in this example, the gusseting is provided in the form of two half gussets 112—112 which are respectively arranged to occur between each pair of pleat reveals 110—110' whether or not such reveals are in the same pleat area A.

In this case, too, a corresponding reveal terminal 116 is liberated from each area A by cuts 122—122' which, however, are effected in the gusset terminals 124—124 which may also be entirely removed if desired as indicated by the phantom lines in the relevant views.

The corresponding pleat terminals 116 and 116' of the respective pleat areas A are also then grouped into bands 114—114' and the panel P6 completed in the same manner as the panel P.

As has been stated, the panels P or P6 may be of suffi20 cient size to form a skirt or other garment. Alternately, they may be incorporated in and made part of a fabric of appropriate dimensions or they may constitute areas in such fabric.

As hereinbefore set forth, the method of the invention 25 comprises, amongst other things, the liberation of certain selected pleat terminals and the grouping thereof into bands. However, there is another way in which the same inventive idea can be expressed although, in its broad concepts, it constitutes nothing more than a re30 phrasing of the method already defined.

It will be noted that the general effects of the cuts 22—22' and 122—122' in the band zones 20 and 120 is to divide the said band zones into discrete flaps; each constituting and/or incorporating a reveal terminal de35 noted by lines y.

Practice of the method hereinbefore disclosed results in alternate flaps being grouped together to form said bands.

Thus the inventive idea may be alternately summarized 40 and embodied in the following steps, namely, dividing the band zone of the panel into a series of discrete flaps, each incorporating the terminal of a proposed pleat reveal and grouping alternate reveal terminals into a pair of superposed bands.

It will also be understood that the cuts, generically 45 identified as 22 (which here includes 22'—122—122') are not necessarily mere splits of the band zones 20 (and 120). They may be broadened in appropriate instances, as has already been indicated in connection with the gusset terminals 24 (and 124) to eliminate excess ma50 terial between the bands 14 (etc.) and/or may be inclined with respect to the reveal axes as parallel guides for the seams 26.

These expedients are thought not only to be productive of better results but also to obviate the need for expert seam55 stresses in the manufacture of the panels and/or garments herein contemplated; such obviation being also rendered still more feasible by the present concept of forming the band zones 20 into independent bands 14 which are more readily accessible for fabrication.

It will, of course, be understood that although they are herein referred to as independent or separate members, said bands 14 are always nevertheless interconnected at the level denoted by the zone line z being otherwise free of attachment to each other.

It should, perhaps, also be stressed that while, in the best form thereof known to the inventor, the invention contemplates that the reveal terminals 16 be sewn into the bands 14 in the described manner, it is yet conceivable that an acceptable result may be achieved in certain 70 circumstances by limiting the length of the seams 26 and even by omitting them altogether whether on one side or on both; such omission being theoretically passable in the case of box-pleating, for example, if the upper edge 118 of the pleated panel Pb be provided with the conventional waist band 30 appearing on skirt S in Fig. 8.

2,945,238 ⁵

The foregoing seeks to make it clear that the inventor is well aware that many variations and modifications are possible in the mode of pleating contemplated and set forth herein. The fact that such variations and modifications have not been specifically noted should not, therefore, be construed as an abandonment thereof; they having been purposely excluded for the sake of brevity and clarity; the true scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.