Dec. 3, 1963
`
`A. H. CLEVELAND
`CONNECTION DEVICES FOR GARMENTS
`
`3,112,491
`
`Filed March 8, 1961
`
`FIG.1.
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`7
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`VINVENTOR.
`Amta H. Cleveland.
`.1”
`'
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`LaRose Exh. 1018, p. 1
`LaRose Exh. 1018, p. 1
`
`

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`United States Patent Office
`
`3,1 12,491
`Patented Dec. 3, 1963
`
` 1
`
`2
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`3,112,491
`CONNECTION DEVICES FOR GARMENTS
`Anita H. Cleveland, 3845 N. Atlantic Blvd.,
`Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
`Filed Mar. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 94,382
`3 Claims.
`(Cl. 2—90)
`
`This invention relates to outer garments and more par-
`ticularly to sweaters and similar articles of wearing ap-
`parel, with special reference to means by which the gar-
`ment can be properly maintained in position of wear
`while being used over the shoulders as a wrap or cape.
`Many garments such as sweaters, and particularly those
`intended for female wear, are often placed over the
`shoulders and worn as a wrap or cape at times when
`complete fitment of the garment in it‘snormal position
`of wear is not required or desired. When such a gar-
`ment is worn cape-like over the shoulders, the conven-
`tional fastening elements, such as buttons and button-
`holes, and which are arranged along the edges of the
`front opening of the garment, cannot be brought
`to-
`gether to hold the garment in its cape-like position on
`the wearer. Various devices, such as chains with clips
`at their opposite ends, have been employed to serve as
`a link between the opposite edges at the front of the
`garment, but such devices have been found unsatisfae
`tory for various reasons, one of which consists in the
`tendency of the clips to mutilate or tear the material
`of the garment, particularly when the same is a knitted
`sweater. Another reason is that the chain must be de-
`tached from the garment during laundering and thus
`often becomes mislaid or lost.
`It is therefore one of the objects of the present in-
`vention to provide a connection device for use on sweat-
`ers and similar garments which will enable thelgarment
`to be worn cape-Wise on the shoulders, which connec-
`tion device serves to extend between the buttons and but-
`ton-holes at the front of the garment and serves as a
`connecting link between the same, thereby retaining the
`garment in proper position of wear over the shoulders.
`it is an object of the invention to provide a connec-
`tion device which can,
`if desired, be made largely of
`material to resemble or be the same as that of the gar-
`ment, and which can therefore present the appearance
`of being a part of the garment.
`It is an object of theinvention to provide a connec-
`tion device which can,
`if desired, be permanently at-
`tached to the garment and Ibe composed of a material
`which will enable it to be laundered along with the
`garment.
`
`50
`
`It is an object of the invention to provide a connec—
`tion piece which can be attached inside of the garment
`when in a position of non-use, whereby the device will
`be retained in constant attachment to the garment and
`ready for operative positioning thereon whenever re-
`quired.
`’
`With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth
`in View, 1 have devised the arrangement of parts to be
`described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims
`appended hereto.
`In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative
`embodiment of the invention is disclosed,
`FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a part of a gar-
`ment, such as a sweater, showing the same as it sub-
`stantially appears when draped cape-like over the shoul‘
`tiers, and provided with the improved connection piece;
`FIG. 2 is a front elevational View of a part of the
`garment to which one end of the connection piece is
`attached;
`FIG. 3 shows how the connection piece is held within
`the garment when not in use;
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`60
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`65
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`70
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`0!
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`10
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`20
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`25
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`30
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`4:0
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`FIG. 4 shows a completely detachable connection
`piece, and
`FIG, 5 shows one manner in which a detachable con-
`nection piece, such as shown in FIG. 4, may be attached
`to the garment.
`Referring to the drawing, 1 generally indicates a gar-
`ment which may be a jacket, sweater or other like outer
`garment,
`the garment being provided with the conven-
`tional neck opening 2 surrounded by a knitted neokband,
`and edges 3 and 4 at the front of the garment. The
`front edge 3 is provided with the usual row of button—
`holes 6 for the reception of the buttons 6 provided along
`the opposite front edge 4 of the garment.
`In the nor-
`mal position of wear of the garment, when the arms
`are inserted through the sleeves, the buttons 5 may be
`readily inserted through the button—holes ‘6 to thereby
`secure the garment around the body in the known man-
`ner. However,
`in cases where it is desired to drape
`the garment over
`the shoulders and without entering
`the arms through the sleeves, the edges 3 and 4 at the
`front of the garment cannot be brought sufficiently close
`together to enable the buttons 5 to be inserted through
`the button—holes 6. Therefore, in order to maintain the
`garment securely in properly draped or cape-like posi-
`tion on the wearer, the connection piece of strip indi-
`cated at 7 is employed.
`The connection piece 7 may be composed of the same
`material or materials of which the garment is made and
`thus so match the same that the piece 7 appears to be
`a part of the garment.
`It can also be made of elastic
`or inelastic material; of contrasting or different material
`from the garment, and it may be knitted, woven, crocheted
`or otherwise formed, and is preferably of a material
`which enables it to be laundered along with the gar-
`ment.
`It can also be gaily decorated or embellished
`to add a touch of attractiveness to the garment. The
`connection piece or strip 7 is shown in the drawing
`in a. primary, simple form to facilitate the illustration
`of the features of the invention.
`In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS.
`1, Z and 3, the connection piece 7 has one end attached
`to the back of the front part of the garment by stitch-
`mg at the point 9 directly behind the upper button 5.
`The opposite or free end of the connection piece 7 is
`provided with an attached button 8 which can, if de-
`srred, match the buttons 5 in size and coloring or be
`identical therewith. When the garment is placed across
`the shoulders in the cape—like position of FIG. 1,
`the
`button 8 is entered through the top button-hole 6 and
`the connection piece will then bridge or span the space
`between the two edges 3 and 4 of the [garment and
`ers.
`gnu thus maintain the garment in position over the shoul-
`When the use of the connection piece is not required,
`such as when the garment is normally worn with the
`arms extended through its sleeves, the connection piece
`may then be located wholly Within the garment and thus
`concealed from external View. This disposition of the
`connection piece will be noted in FIG. 3, wherein it
`will be seen that there is provided on the inside of the
`garment at a distance from the point of anchorage 9 of
`the connectiOn piece, a loop member 12 which may be
`stitched or otherwise finrnly attached to the inside of the
`The distance between the loop member r12
`and the point 9 is such that the connection piece, when
`brought inwardly and flatly against the inner surface of
`the garment, will have its button 8 reach the loop mem-
`ber 12 for insertion therethrough as seen in FIG. 3. This
`arrangement is such that when the connection piece is
`positioned within the garment as above explained and
`is held in such position by the engagement of the but-
`LaRose Exh. 1018, p. 2
`LaRose Exh. 1018, p. 2
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`10
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`15
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`20
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`25
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`with one of the button—holes, means located within the
`garment for engagement by the button on the end of
`the strip to thereby wholly dispose the strip within the
`garment in a position of non-use, the strip having a loop
`at its end remote from its button, which loop extends
`behind the top button on the garment, and the means
`located within the garment consisting of a loop for en-
`gagement with the button at the end of the strip.
`2. In an outer garment such as a sweater, said sweater
`having its opposite edges at the front provided respec-
`tively with buttons and button-holes, a connection strip
`having an end attached to the inside of the garment near
`one of its edges, the strip having a button at its opposite
`end, the strip being adapted to be extended between the
`edges of the garment when the garment is disposed in
`draped position over the shoulders of the Wearcr and
`said edges are in spaced-“apart relation,
`the strip when
`in such extended position, being arranged to have the
`button carried by it engaged with the top button-hole
`on the garment, and a loop carried by the garment on
`its inside face and near its neckband and adapted to re-
`ceive the button on the strip when the strip is wholly
`disposed on the inside of the garment in 1a position of
`non-use.
`3. A sweater or similar garment including a connec-
`tion piece having a loop at one end and a button at its
`other end, said sweater having a button on one edge of
`the garment at the front thereof adjacent the neck of
`the sweater and .a buttonhole on another edge at
`the
`front thereof adjacent the neck of the sWeater to coop-
`erate with said button, said sweater also having a sec-
`ond button and a loop secured to the inside of said
`SWeater, said second button being secured behind said
`first mentioned sweater button, said connection piece
`loop being detachably connected to said second button
`and said connection piece button being detachably con-
`nected to said button-hole on the garment at the front
`thereof in one position of said connection piece, said
`second button and said loop on the inside of the gar~
`merit being respectively detachably connected to said
`connection piece loop and button in a second position of
`said connection piece when it is desired to store said con-
`nection piece in an invisible position on the inside of
`said garment.
`
`3
`the connection piece
`ton 8 with the loop member 12,
`will be completely and invisibly disposed Within the gar-
`ment. At the same time,
`the connection piece will al-
`ways be ready at hand for use as disclosed in FIG.
`1
`when the garment is draped over the shoulders as dis-
`tinguished from being normally and conventionally
`worn. The p0sition of the loop 12 may be varied.
`It
`can be located on the inside of the neckband or at any
`other convenient point provided that it is within reach
`of the button ‘8- when the connection piece is disposed
`on the inside of the garment.
`In FIG. 4 is shown another embodiment of the in-
`vention, wherein the connection piece is so constructed
`as to be wholly detachable from the garment.
`In this
`construction,
`the button 8 is provided at one end for
`engagement with the top button-hole 6 as heretofore
`described, while the other end of the connection piece
`is provided with a loop 10, stitched or otherwise secured
`at 11 to the 'end of the connection piece. With this
`arrangement, the connection piece can have the loop 19
`engaged with the top button 5 and the button 8 on its
`opposite end engaged with the top button—hole 6. As
`a further alternative, the garment may be provided with
`a button 13 located inside of the garment behind the top
`button 5, and the loop 10 can be extended around the
`button 13 to thereby anchor the looped end of the con-
`nection piece to the garment. This connection piece
`can be maintained inside of the garment in position of
`non~use, by engaging the button 8 with the loop 12, as
`previously described, while the loop 10 remains attached
`to the button 13.
`By means of the arrangements described, a conned
`tion piece is provided which connects the opposite spaced
`edges of a sweater or similar garment while the garment
`is in a draped, cape-like position over the shoulders, and
`thus holds the garment properly in place. The connec-
`tion piece may be composed of such materials that it
`appears as a part of the garment and, can be laundered
`therewith. When not in use it can be attached on the
`inside of the garment and thus concealed from view
`while being available for use Whenever required.
`If
`made completely detachable, as in the case of the con-
`nection piece shown in FIG. 4, it can be attached inside
`of the garment rat
`'a point other than that disclosed in
`FiGS. 3 and 4, such as .for example, along a seam on
`the inside of the garment with suitable attaching means
`there provided for its reception.
`In its use as herein de-
`scribed, the connection piece cannot harm or in any way
`damage the garment and can be made to form an at-
`tractive and useful adjunct to the garment.
`Having thus described several embodiments of the
`invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be re-
`stricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all struc-
`tures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.
`What I claim is:
`1. In an outer garment such 'as a, sweater having its
`opposite edges respectively provided with buttons and
`button-holes, a connection piece in the form of a strip
`having one end’attached behind one of the buttons and
`having .a button provided at its other end for coupling
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`3,112,491
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`A.
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`35
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`4O
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`References Cited in the file of this patent
`UNITED STATES PATENTS
`
`5O
`
`U!
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`.0'!
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`60
`
`426,087
`965,552
`1,251,069
`1,384,685
`2,083,121
`2,119,378
`
`Wolkow _______________ Apr. 22, ‘1890
`Ban-hart _____________ July 26, 1910
`McKay _______________ Dec. 25, 1917
`Weig _________________ July 12, 1921
`‘Oberrender ____________ June 8, 193 7
`Berger _______________ May 31, 1938
`FOREIGN PATENTS
`
`41,145
`162,455
`508,493
`14,617
`
`Austria _______________ Feb. 25, 1910
`Austria ______________ Mar. 10, 1949
`France _______________ July 26, 1920
`1905
`Great Britain __________ July 15,
`
`LaRose Exh. 1018, p. 3
`LaRose Exh. 1018, p. 3
`
`