Lower torso garment with integral panty and method of making same
AssigneeSara Lee Corporation
InventorsGeorge A. Browder, Jr., Mac Lewis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is provided lower torso garments that have an integral panty or brief, circularly knit garment blanks for such lower torso garments, and methods of producing lower torso garments that have an integral panty or brief from circularly knit garment blanks. Lower torso garments according to the present invention have an outer layer and an inner layer. The inner layer has an integral panty. The garment is formed from a blank that is circularly knitted with a welt band seamlessly joined to a first fabric segment forming the outer layer and a second fabric segment forming the inner layer with the integral panty.
Claims21
A lower torso garment comprising:
- a circularly knit turned welt having a lower torso encircling shape;
- a circularly knit outer fabric layer seamlessly joined to said turned welt and having a lower torso encircling shape;
- and
- a circularly knit inner fabric layer seamlessly joined to said turned welt and having a lower torso encircling shape, said inner fabric forming an integral panty.
A blank for the manufacture of a lower torso garment, said blank comprising:
- a circularly knit welt having a lower torso encircling shape;
- a circularly knit first fabric segment seamlessly joined to said welt and having a lower torso encircling shape;
- and
- a circularly knit, tubular second fabric segment having
- (i) a lower edge seamlessly joined to said welt, and
- (ii) an upper edge having at least two portions thereof sewn together,
- whereby said second fabric segment is adapted to form an integral panty.
A method of making a lower torso garment comprising the steps of:
- knitting a generally tubular lower torso garment blank having:
- (1) a circularly knit welt, (2) a circularly knit first fabric segment seamlessly joined to said welt, and (3) a circularly knit, tubular second fabric segment seamlessly joined to said welt, said second fabric segment having an upper edge with at least two portions thereof sewn together;
- cutting and removing areas of said upper edge of said second fabric segment to define leg openings therethrough;
- forming an outer fabric layer from said first fabric segment;
- and
- forming an inner fabric layer from said second fabric segment,
- whereby a lower torso garment is produced having an integral panty.
A lower torso garment comprising:
- a circularly knit turned welt having a torso encircling shape;
- a circularly knit outer fabric layer seamless joined to said turned welt, and having a lower torso encircling shape, and having an edge opposite and turned welt;
- and
- a circularly knit inner fabric layer seamlessly joined to said turned welt, and having a lower torso encircling shape, and having an edge opposite said turned welt, wherein an integral panty without any seams along the torso encircling shape of said inner and outer fabric layers is formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.