Gladys Ritter, Phyllis M. Larson, and LeAnn Tatro
Glady Ritter's Diagram for Her Expandable Jock Strap
Phyllis Larson's Diagram for Her Men's Supporting Undergarment
As Ethlie Ann Vare and Greg Ptacek have noted in their book Patently Female "There are some things only a woman would think of." They offer the example of Gladys Ritter who received a patent in 1988 for her invention, an expandable jock strap described as "an elongated soft cloth rear envelope forming panel, releasably secured along at least one vertical edge, to the front panel of said male undergarment, to form a vertically disposed enclosure for an erect male organ." An earlier patent was also awarded in 1968 to a woman, Phyllis M. Larson, for her invention a "supporting undergarment for men." Larson's garment (Patent # 3,511,234) was to be made of a "resilient stretch material" and was designed to offer suport as well as comfort. In 1990, LeAnn Tatro developed her "Super Sports Shorts" when her five year old son began playing baseball and hockey. Her patent (Patent Number 4,967,768) was awarded for shorts designed with a pocket to hold a protective cup. Tatro's atheletic shorts for boys also feature a three-point gripping apertures to enhance its ability to hold the undergarment and protective cup in place. She notes that this feature is particularly important for little boys whose waists and hips are too small to hold up traditional jock straps or the heavy protective cups.
Vesta Roman Goddess of the Hearth
References:
Patently Female by Ethlie Ann Vare and Greg Ptacek (John Wiley, 2002) p. 133.
Web Sites
History of the Atheletic SupporterPecursor to Modern Jock Strap
Bike History
