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Brassiere having stretchable support

a brassiere and stretchable technology, applied in the field of brassieres, can solve the problems of inability to comfortably fit all users in the same shape and/or size group, standard shape and/or size systems cannot comfortably fit all users, and the cost and effort of custom tailoring makes it impractical to supply to the mass market, etc., to achieve the effect of enhancing comfort, supporting and/or flexibility

Inactive Publication Date: 2007-02-01
MAIDENFORM INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a garment, specifically a brassierre, that offers additional comfort, support, and flexibility to the user. The garment has a stretchable component that can expand and contract to accommodate different body shapes and sizes. The stretchable component can be made of elastic materials and can be formed in various shapes and sizes to provide flexibility and comfort to the user. The brassierre can also have a shaped section to support the user's breast and can be padded or molded to maintain the desired shape. The garment can also have inner and outer layers with different elasticities and stretchabilities to provide flexibility and comfort. The stretchable component can be located on the bra cups, bra wing, or other areas of the garment that come in contact with the user's body. The invention provides a flexible and comfortable garment for the user."

Problems solved by technology

As a result, the standard shape and / or size system cannot comfortably fit all users in the same shape and / or size group.
In view of this phenomenon, the standard shapes and / or sizes will not comfortably fit all users.
Although custom tailoring can be employed to address the above-mentioned problem, the cost and effort associated with custom tailoring makes it impractical to supply to the mass market.

Method used

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  • Brassiere having stretchable support
  • Brassiere having stretchable support
  • Brassiere having stretchable support

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

first embodiment

[0027] The brassiere 10 can be formed in various conventional manners, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. In a first embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1, the brassiere 10 can generally comprise a pair of bra cups 12 and a bra wing 14, which can be formed in various conventional manners for supporting a user's breasts. The bra cups 12 can be joined to each other in the front either permanently, such as through a center fabric as shown in the various drawing figures, or releasably, such as through various conventional fasteners (not shown). The bra wing 14 can join the bra cups 12 in the back.

[0028] If desired, the brassiere 10 can be formed with one or more supporting elements to provide additional support to the user. For example, one or more shoulder straps 16 can be provided and joined to the bra cups 12 and the bra wing 14 in various conventional manners. A bra underwire 18 (visible in FIG. 4) can be provided and encased in a wire channel 20 formed at the bottom bra rim...

second embodiment

[0038]FIGS. 3 and 4 show the body side of a brassiere 10 formed according to a In this embodiment, the bra cups 12 can be formed so as to have a multi-layer structure, such as including inner and outer layers 12a, 12b, providing a combined flexibility, support, and / or comfort to the user. For example, the inner layer 12a can be formed as a shaped section 12′ to provide a desired shaping effect to the user. In one example, the inner layer 12a can be made of a padding material, such as a foam material, to provide a desired shape and enhanced support to the user. In another example, the inner layer 12a can be molded to provide a desired shaping effect to the user. The outer layer 12b can be made of a material having a design and / or texture to increase the aesthetic appeal of the garment. For example, the outer layer 12b can be formed of a continuous piece of material. In another example, the bra cups 12 can be provided with aesthetically pleasing designs.

[0039] The stretchable compone...

third embodiment

[0041]FIG. 5 shows a brassiere 10. The stretchable component 24 can be in the form of one or more stretchable segments 24d formed on the bra wing 14. The stretchable segment 24d can expand, when being stretched, allowing the brassiere 10 to fit a larger body portion. Once the stretching force is released, the stretchable segment 24d can contract to the initial shape and / or size. For example, the stretchable segment 24d can allow the brassiere 10 to conform to the wearer's changing body shape and / or size, such as when the wearer bends her body. In one embodiment, the stretchable segment 24d can have a different stretchability from that of the bra wing 14. For example, the stretchable segment 24d can be more stretchable than the bra wing 14. The combination of the bra wing 14 and the stretchable segment 24d can provide a varied and additional stretchability for an enhanced flexibility and / or comfort.

[0042] The stretchable segment 24d can be positioned at various locations on the bra w...

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PUM

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Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a garment that is capable of providing additional comfort, support, and / or flexibility to the user. For example, the garment can have a stretchable component formed at various locations on and as a portion of the garment. The stretchable component can stretch differently from its adjoining material. The garment so formed can provide an increased flexibility and / or comfort to the user when the user's body portion changes in shape and / or size, such as during physical exercises. Additionally or alternatively, the garment is capable of accommodating different users having differently shaped and / or sized body portions and providing a flexible and / or comfortable fit to the different users.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 704,480 filed Jul. 31, 2005, now pending, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to a garment formed to provide increased comfort, support, and / or flexibility to the user. In particular, the present invention relates to a brassiere that provides a stretchable and / or customized fit to accommodate differently shaped and / or sized body portion(s) of a user to enhance comfort, support, and / or flexibility to the user when the brassiere is in use. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Garments are typically made in standard shapes and / or sizes, each of which is intended to fit a group of users having similar body shapes and sizes. Within any shape and / or size group, the intended users may nevertheless have somewhat different heights and / or weights. As a result, the standard shape and / or s...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A41C3/00
CPCA41C3/0028A41B2300/22
Inventor SCHEININGER, MANETTE M.MOSES-JONES, WANDACASTELLANO, STEVEN
Owner MAIDENFORM INC