Improvements in Undergarments, such as Under-vests, Shirts, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 5th June, 1894-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Undergarments, such as Under-vests, Shirts,
and the like.
I, AUGUST WALTER, of 95 Milton Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Garments such as under-vests, shirts and the like, as usually made, are open to
objection owing to the inefficient protection afforded to the wearer at the vertical
opening that extends from the neck band down the front to admit of the garment
being readily put on and taken off, notwithstanding that the two edges of the opening
have been arranged to more or less overlap.
Now my invention has for object to make double and single breasted garments
of the kind referred to with a vertical opening in the front in such a way that when
the garment is in use, it shall be practically impossible for cold air to pass through
the said opening. To this end I make one side of the opening with a double
thickness of material and the other side thereof with a single thickness of material,
the latter being adapted to be placed between the two first mentioned thicknesses,
the three thicknesses being secured together at the top, when in use, by any suitable
means such as a stud, or by a button if desired, although a stud is preferred, which
may serve also as a collar stud.
In a garment the breast of which is made of double thickness, the parts are made
to overlap in the peculiar manner above set forth by cutting and arranging the two
thicknesses of material as I will now proceed to explain.
The outer layer or thickness of the double front is or may be made in two pieces
that are sewn along their outer edges to the inner layer or thickness of material
that forms part of the body of the garment. The adjacent vertical edge portions
of the said two outer pieces of material are arranged to overlap each other for a
short distance, and in the inner layer of material a slit is made that extends down
from the neck to a suitable depth and the position of which corresponds, or nearly
so, with the vertical edge of the outer of the two overlapping portions of the front
layer of material. The portion of the inner layer of material at the side of the slit
opposite to the outer of the two overlapping pieces is sewn to the said outer piece,
the said overlapping pieces being sewn together and to the inner layer of material
at points below the desired opening. In this way a vertical opening is formed that
extends downward from the neck band to a suitable depth and one side of which
consists of two vertical strips or layers of material between which the single
vertical strip or layer of material constituting the other side of the opening
normally extends, the three overlapping strips or layers being held together by a
stud passed through them at the top.
In a single breasted garment constructed according to this invention two of the
overlapping portions at opposite sides of the vertical opening in the front of the
garment may be arranged in the ordinary manner, and the third overlapping portion
may consist of a supplementary vertical strip of material sewn to the body of the
garment so as to form with one of the said overlapping portions a double layer or
thickness of material between which the other layer of material is normally held by
a stud or other means as in the previous case.
As will be obvious my invention can be carried out in various ways.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Undergarments, such as Under-vests, Shirts,
and the like.
1, AUGUST WALTER, of 95 Milton Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Under-garments such as under-vests, shirts and the like, as usually made, are
open to objection owing to the inefficient protection afforded to the wearer at the
vertical opening that extends from the neck band down the front to admit of the
garment being readily put on and taken off, notwithstanding that the two edges of
the opening have been arranged to more or less overlap.
Now my invention has for object to make double and single breasted garments
of the kind referred to with a vertical opening in the front in such a way that when
the garment is in use, it shall be practically impossible for cold air to pass through
the said opening. To this end I make one side of the opening in the front of the
garment with a double thickness of material and the other side thereof with a
single thickness of material, the latter being adapted to be placed between the two
first mentioned thicknesses, the three thicknesses being secured together at the top,
when in use, by any suitable means such as a stud, or by a button if desired,
although a stud is preferred, which may serve also as a collar stud. In an under-
garment the breast of which is made of double thickness, the parts are made to
overlap in the peculiar manner above set forth by cutting and arranging the two
thicknesses of material as I will now proceed to explain by the aid of the accom-
panying drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an under-vest, and
Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sections thereof on the lines x x and y y, respectively of
Fig. 1.
The outer layer or thickness of the double front is or may be made in two
pieces 1, 2 that are sewn along their outer edges to the inner front portion 3 of the
garment constituting the inner thickness of material. The adjacent edge
portions 1, 2 of the two outer pieces 1, 2, are arranged to overlap each other for
a short distance as shown, the edge portion 1 being innermost, and in the inner
layer 3 of material, a slit 4 is made that extends down from the neck to a suitable
depth and the position of which corresponds, or nearly so, with the vertical edge
of the outer overlapping portion 2ª as shown. The portion 4" of the layer 3 of
material at one side of this slit is sewn to the layer 2 along the line 5, and the
other edge of the slit is sewn to the layer 1, along the line 6, the layers 1 and 2
being sewn together and to the layer 3 along the lines 7 and 74, as well as along
their outer edges as hereinbefore stated. In this way a vertical opening is formed
that extends from the neck band down to the point 7b, and one side of which
consists of two vertical strips or layers 2", 4" of material between which the single
vertical strip or layer 1ª of material constituting the other side of the opening
normally extends, the three overlapping strips or layers being held together by a
stud passed through them at the point 8.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation, and Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line of Fig. 4
showing a single breasted garment constructed according to this invention. In
this case 1 and 2ª are overlapping layers arranged it may bê in the ordinary
manner at opposite sides of the vertical opening in the front of the garment,
and 4 is a supplementary vertical layer of material sewn to the layer 2 along the
line 5, so as to form therewith a double layer or thickness of material between
which the other layer 1ª of material is normally held for the purpose hereinbefore
mentioned by a stud or other suitable means, as in the previous case.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An under-vest, shirt or like under-garment in which the vertical opening that
extends from the neck band for a short distance down the front to admit of the
garment being readily put on and taken off, is provided at one side with two layers
or thicknesses of material between which the layer or thickness of material at the
other side of the opening is normally held so as to thereby effectually prevent cold
air passing through such opening when the garment is in use and affording efficient
protection to the wearer at this part of the garment as set forth.,
2. A double breasted under-garment of the kind specified in Claim 1, in which
the three overlapping layers or thicknesses of material are formed by making the
outer thickness of the double front in two pieces 1, 2, parts of the adjacent edge
portions of which are arranged to form the outer and intermediate overlapping
layers 2 and 1 respectively, and making in the inner breast portion 3 of the
garment a vertical slit 4 so arranged that the edge portion of the material at one
side of such slit constitutes the inner overlapping layer 4* of material, which is
sewn to the outer piece 2, whilst the other edge of the slit is sewn to the outer
piece 1 as set forth.
3. A single breasted under-garment of the kind specified in Claim 1, in which
the two layers or thicknesses 2" and 4" of material at one side of the vertical
opening down the front of the garment are sewn to the front body portion 3 of the
garment at one side of a vertical slit therein so as to lie on opposite sides of the
edge portion or layer 1ª of material at the other side of the said slit, so that such
layer 1ª will, when the garment is in use, be held between the other two layers 2*, 4*
as set forth (Figs. 4 and 5).
Dated this 5th day of June 1894.
W. Lloyd Wise,
A. WALTER.
46. Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.