bra

Abstract

We offer bras that provide a comfortable fit, a beautiful appearance, and effective support and shaping features. [Solution] The bra (10) of the present invention has a front part (12) with a pair of cup parts (20) on the left and right sides, a pair of side parts (14) connected to the sides of each of the cup parts (20) and fastened together at the back, an underbelt (16) connected to the lower edge of the front part (12) and the lower edge of the side parts (14), and two shoulder straps (18). At least the cup parts (20), the side parts (14), and the underbelt (16) are connected to each other by adhesive. The underbelt (16) is composed of a pair of elastic bands (16a) made of stretchable fabric and a reinforcing band (16b) made of power net and inserted between the elastic bands (16a), characterized in that it has greater elasticity in the horizontal direction (Y) than in the vertical direction (T), is less stretchable in the vertical direction (T), and has strong tension in the horizontal direction (Y).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to women's clothing, particularly bras.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, seamless bras such as those described in the following Patent Document 1 (Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3080719) have become popular. Since this seamless bra has almost no seams, it feels good on the skin when worn, and since the seams of the bra do not show on the surface (outer) of the clothes, it is particularly useful in the season of light clothing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the surface side of the above seamless bra is composed of an outer shield made of a single fabric, there is a problem that it lacks decorativeness and the beauty of appearance. Also, although it has an excellent wearing feeling, among the functions required for a bra, effective support (lifting of the bust) and modeling function (lifting function of the bust to create a valley between the busts) are not sufficient, and it has been difficult to simultaneously satisfy the needs of both comfort (wearability) and functionality (lifting of the bust, etc.).

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a bra that can simultaneously satisfy the needs such as comfort, functionality, and design of appearance by having elements such as good wearing comfort and beautiful appearance (e.g., seamlessness and decorativeness) due to its unique design and structure, and having effective support and modeling functions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention configures the bra 10 as follows, for example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In other words, the bra has a front section 12 with a pair of cup sections 20 on the left and right, a pair of side sections 14 connected to the side of one cup section 20 and the side of the other cup section 20, respectively, and fastened together at the back, an underbelt 16 connected to the lower edge of the front section 12 and the lower edge of the side sections 14, and two shoulder straps 18 extending from the left and right upper side edges of the front section 12 to the upper back edge of the side sections 14 connected to the cup sections 20. At least the cup sections 20, the side sections 14 and the underbelt 16 are connected to each other by adhesive. Furthermore, the underbelt 16 is composed of a pair of elastic bands 16a made of stretchable fabric and a reinforcing band 16b made of power net inserted between the elastic bands 16a, characterized in that it has greater elasticity in the horizontal direction Y than in the vertical direction T, is less stretchable in the vertical direction T, and has strong tension in the horizontal direction Y. Here, "vertical direction T" and "horizontal direction Y" refer to the direction that is up and down when wearing a bra, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and the direction that is left and right when wearing a bra, respectively.

[0007] In this invention, the main parts such as the cup portion 20, side portions 14, and underbelt 16 are all connected by adhesive, resulting in a seamless design that provides superior comfort and prevents seams from showing through outer clothing. Furthermore, the underbelt 16 is composed of a pair of elastic bands 16a on the front and back and a reinforcing band 16b inserted between them. Because it has greater elasticity in the horizontal direction Y than in the vertical direction T, and is less stretchy in the vertical direction T and tighter in the horizontal direction Y, the underbelt 16 can be firmly fixed along the bust line when wearing the bra of this invention. As a result, the shoulder straps 18 can fully exert their lifting power to raise the cup portion 20 without compromising its effectiveness.

[0008] In this invention, the cup portion 20 includes a pair of cup fabrics 20a made of stretchable fabric, and a pad 20b housed in a bag formed by joining the peripheral edges of the cup fabrics 20a, and it is preferable that the lower edge of the pad 20b is fixed to at least one of the lower ends of the pair of cup fabrics 20a. In this case, the lifting force of the shoulder strap 18, which lifts the cup portion 20 upward, can be used more efficiently to lift and bring together the bust.

[0009] Furthermore, in this invention, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, for example, the cup portion 20 includes a pair of cup fabrics 20a made of stretchable fabric, and a pad 20b housed in a bag formed by joining the peripheral edges of the cup fabrics 20a, and it is preferable that a lower support projection 20c is provided on the lower edge of the pad 20b, with the back side protruding in a horizontal band shape. In this case, the bust support effect of pad 20b can be further enhanced.

[0010] Furthermore, in this invention, it is preferable that the main body 14a of the side portion 14 is made of a stretchable lace fabric. In this case, the decorative aspect of the side portion 14 can be improved while maintaining the supportive properties of the bra, and as a result, the overall aesthetic appearance of the bra can be improved.

[0011] Furthermore, in this invention, it is preferable that the front portion 12 is made of stretchable fabric and includes a front neck fabric 22 that connects the upper edges of the pair of left and right cup portions 20. In this case, the front neck fabric 22 can cover the cleavage created between the breasts when wearing a bra. Furthermore, if a stretchable lace fabric is used as the stretchable fabric that makes up the front neck fabric 22, the decorative effect of the chest area can be further enhanced. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this invention, a bra can be provided that combines elements such as good comfort and a beautiful appearance (e.g., seamlessness and decorativeness) through its unique design and structure, while also possessing effective support and shaping functions, thereby simultaneously satisfying the needs of comfort, functionality, and aesthetic design. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing a bra according to one embodiment (first embodiment) of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded view of the main parts of a bra. [Figure 3] This is a front view showing a bra of another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a magnified view of the main part of the cross-section along line A-A' in Figure 3 (showing only the cup portion and underbelt). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front view showing a bra 10 of one embodiment (first embodiment) of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an exploded view of the main parts of the bra 10. These figures show that the bra 10 of the present invention is generally composed of a front part 12, side parts 14, underbelt 16, and shoulder straps 18.

[0015] The front section 12 is literally the part that makes up the front of the bra 10, and is equipped with a pair of left and right cup sections 20. As shown in Figure 2, the cup section 20 is composed of a pair of cup fabrics 20a, one front and one back, made of stretchable fabric such as knit or tricot containing elastic yarn such as spandex, and a pad 20b, made of, for example, urethane foam, which is housed in a bag formed by joining the periphery portions of the pair of cup fabrics 20a and is formed in a roughly bowl shape to cover the bust. The method of joining the periphery portions of the pair of cup fabrics 20a is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to join them using an adhesive, especially a hot melt adhesive such as a polyurethane moisture-curing type.

[0016] In the bra 10 of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the inner lower edge (the side facing the wearer when the bra 10 is worn) of the pad 20b is fixed to the lower end of the back cup fabric 20a with heat-adhesive double-sided tape 24. However, the method of fixing the pad 20b to the cup fabric 20a is not limited to the above, and any method is acceptable as long as the lower edge of the pad 20b is fixed to at least one of the lower ends of the front and back cup fabrics 20a.

[0017] Furthermore, in the bra 10 of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a front neck fabric 22 made of stretchable fabric is attached to the front portion 12, connecting the upper edges of a pair of left and right cup portions 20. In the illustrated embodiment, this front neck fabric 22 is made of stretchable lace fabric, and the collar portion (neckline) is cut in a V-shape. In addition, a pair of neck tape fabrics 22a made of tricot or the like are attached to the upper edge of the central part of the V-shaped cut front neck fabric 22 for reinforcement.

[0018] Here, the "stretchable racing fabric" refers to stretch lace knitted with stretchable yarns such as spandex. As its manufacturing method, for example, after embroidering on a fabric made of a water-soluble material using an embroidery lace machine, the fabric is dissolved to leave only the embroidery yarns (chemical lace), or a natural fabric is made using a raschel knitting machine and patterns are knitted on it (raschel lace). Known methods such as these can be used.

[0019] Also, the front neck fabric 22 has its outer peripheral edge sandwiched between the outer peripheral edges of a pair of front and back cup fabrics 20a of the cup part 20 and joined together when the outer peripheral edges of the cup fabrics 20a are joined with an adhesive. By doing so, molding with a pair of front and back cup fabrics 20a becomes possible, and it can be useful for adjusting the depth of the mold and efficient manufacturing.

[0020] The side part 14 is a part connected to the side parts (more specifically, the outer parts) of the left and right cup parts 20 and arranged from the wearer's flank to the back, and has a main body 14a made of stretch fabric. In the illustrated embodiment, this main body 14a is composed of stretchable racing fabric similar to the above-mentioned front neck fabric 22. Also, the upper edges of the left and right of the main body 14a of this side part 14 and the front neck fabric 22 are integrally adhered and reinforced with an upper edge piping fabric 26 made of tricot or the like. Further, the outer edge ends that face each other horizontally at the connection end of the main body 14a of the side part 14 with the cup part 20 and are fastened to each other at the back are bent so that their lower parts protrude, and an outer edge piping fabric 28 made of tricot or the like is adhered and reinforced. And at the protruding lower part of the outer edge of the side part 14, a hook member 30 for fastening the outer edges of the side part 14 together is attached together with the longitudinal end part of an underbelt 16 described later. Note that any known hook member can be used for this hook member 30.

[0021] The underbelt 16 is a long piece connected to the lower edge of the front section 12 and the lower edge of the side section 14, and is curved so that its longitudinal center protrudes slightly upward to follow the bust line of the wearer of the bra 10. The underbelt 16 is composed of a pair of elastic bands 16a made of stretch fabric such as tricot, and a reinforcing band 16b made of power net with high elasticity in the lateral direction Y, which is inserted between the elastic bands 16a. These elastic bands 16a and reinforcing bands 16b are joined and integrated by dot bonding using an adhesive such as polyurethane wet-curing hot melt adhesive. By joining and integrating the pair of elastic bands 16a and reinforcing band 16b with an adhesive in this way, the underbelt 16 has greater elasticity in the lateral direction Y than in the vertical direction T when the bra 10 is worn, and is less stretchy in the vertical direction T and tighter in the lateral direction Y.

[0022] The shoulder straps 18 are a pair of left and right strap members that extend from the left and right upper side edges of the front section 12 to the upper back edge of the side section 14 that connects to the cup section 20. Specifically, one longitudinal end of the shoulder straps 18 is attached by sewing or adhesive to the ends of the front neck fabric 22 and upper edge piping fabric 26 on the left and right upper side edges of the front section 12. An eight-ring 32 is attached to the other longitudinal end of the shoulder straps 18 to form an adjustable loop, and this loop is connected via a Z-ring 34 to a ring-fastened sewn portion at the upper end of the outer edge piping fabric 28. With this configuration, the shoulder straps 18 are adjustable in length. Furthermore, the shoulder strap 18 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any other known embodiment can be adopted.

[0023] In this embodiment, the bra 10, which is composed of the parts described above, has at least the cup portion 20, the side portion 14, and the underband 16 all connected to each other by adhesive. Specifically, the parts are connected and integrated by methods such as dot bonding, where a permanent adhesive such as polyurethane wet-curing hot melt adhesive or water-resistant polyamide adhesive is applied in dots to bond the fabrics together, or by applying the same adhesive in lines to bond the fabrics together.

[0024] According to the bra 10 of this embodiment, as described above, the main parts such as the cup portion 20, the side portion 14, and the underband 16 are all connected by adhesive, so there are no seams, resulting in superior comfort and preventing seams from showing through outer clothing.

[0025] Furthermore, the underbelt 16 is composed of a pair of elastic bands 16a on the front and back and a reinforcing band 16b inserted between them. Because it has greater elasticity in the horizontal direction Y than in the vertical direction T, and is less stretchable in the vertical direction T and tighter in the horizontal direction Y, the underbelt 16 can be firmly fixed along the bust line when the bra 10 of this invention is worn. As a result, the shoulder straps 18 can exert their lifting power to lift the cup portion 20 upward without being spoiled, and even when the wearer exercises, the bust will not go beyond the bust line and spill out of the cup portion 20.

[0026] Furthermore, since the main body 14a of the side section 14 is made of stretchable lace fabric, the overall aesthetic appearance of the bra can be improved. Additionally, the front section 12 is made of stretchable lace fabric and has a front neck fabric 22 that connects the upper edges of the pair of cup sections 20, so that the cleavage created between the busts when wearing the bra can be concealed. Moreover, if the same lace fabric as the main body 14a of the side section 14 is used as the stretchable fabric that makes up the front neck fabric 22, it will look as if an integrated lace design is used, further enhancing the decorative appeal, including the chest area.

[0027] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the peripheral shape of the front and back cup dough 20a constituting the cup portion 20 is shown to be formed with straight lines. However, the peripheral shape of the cup dough 20a is not limited to this, and may be formed with decorative lines such as wavy lines (not shown).

[0028] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the inner lower edge of the pad 20b in the cup portion 20 is shown to be fixed to the lower end of the back cup fabric 20a with heat-adhesive double-sided tape 24. However, instead of this fixing, a pad insertion / removal hole (not shown) may be provided at the end of the back cup fabric 20a to make the internal pad 20b replaceable. The material and shape of the pad 20b may be any.

[0029] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment shows a case where the collar portion (neckline) of the front body neck fabric 22 is cut in a V-shape, the shape of the front body neck fabric 22 is not limited to this, and for example, the upper end may be formed straight to cover the entire collar portion. In such a case, the upper edge of the front body neck fabric 22 may be reinforced using a general piping fabric instead of a pair of front and back neck tape fabrics 22a.

[0030] Next, another embodiment (second embodiment) shown in Figures 3 to 4 will be described. The differences from the first embodiment described above are that in the front portion 12, the left and right pair of cup portions 20 are integrally formed, the neck fabric of the front body is omitted, and a lower support projection 20c is provided on the lower edge of the pad 20b of the cup portion 20, with the back side protruding in a horizontal band shape. Note that the parts other than these are the same as in the first embodiment described above, so the description of this embodiment will be replaced by referring to the description of the first embodiment.

[0031] In this second embodiment of the bra 10, the front and back cup fabrics 20a that make up the cup portion 20 are integrally formed on the left and right sides, and the front neck fabric is also omitted, thus reducing the number of parts and making it possible to manufacture the bra 10 more efficiently.

[0032] Furthermore, the lower edge of the pad 20b of the cup portion 20 is provided with a lower support projection 20c that protrudes horizontally on the back side, thereby further improving the bust support effect of the pad 20b.

[0033] Although the bra 10 in this second embodiment and the first embodiment described above are both of the so-called full-cup type as shown in the figures, the cup shape of the bra 10 is not limited to this, and may be a 3 / 4 cup type or a half-cup type, for example. Also, the underband 16 may be extended downwards to make a longline bra.

[0034] Furthermore, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope that a person skilled in the art could foresee. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 10: Bra, 12: Front section, 14: Side section, 14a: Main body (of the side section), 16: Underbelt, 16a: Elastic band, 16b: Reinforcement band, 18: Shoulder strap, 20: Cup section, 20a: Cup fabric, 20b: Pad, 20c: Lower support protrusion, 22: Front neck fabric, T: Vertical direction, Y: Horizontal direction.

Claims

1. A front section (12) having a pair of cup sections (20) on the left and right, A pair of side parts (14) are connected to the side of one cup part (20) and the side of the other cup part (20), respectively, and are fastened together at the back. An underbelt (16) connected to the lower edge of the front portion (12) and the lower edge of the side portion (14), and A bra having two shoulder straps (18) extending from the left and right upper side edges of the front portion (12) to the upper back edge of the side portion (14) connected to the cup portion (20), At least the cup portion (20), the side portion (14), and the underbelt (16) are connected to each other by adhesive, The underbelt (16) is composed of a pair of stretchable strips (16a) made of stretchable fabric and a reinforcing strip (16b) made of power net that is inserted between the stretchable strips (16a), and has greater elasticity in the horizontal direction (Y) than in the vertical direction (T), is less stretchable in the vertical direction (T) and has strong tension in the horizontal direction (Y). A bra characterized by the following features.

2. In the bra according to claim 1, The cup portion (20) includes a pair of cup fabrics (20a) made of stretchable fabric, and a pad (20b) that is housed in a bag formed by joining the peripheral edges of the cup fabrics (20a). A bra characterized in that the lower edge of the pad (20b) is fixed to at least one lower end of the front and back of the cup fabric (20a).

3. In the bra according to claim 1, The cup portion (20) includes a pair of cup fabrics (20a) made of stretchable fabric, and a pad (20b) that is housed in a bag formed by joining the peripheral edges of the cup fabrics (20a). A bra characterized in that the lower edge of the pad (20b) is provided with a lower support projection (20c) that protrudes horizontally on the back side.

4. In the bra according to claim 1, A bra characterized in that the main body (14a) of the side portion (14) is made of a stretchable lace fabric.

5. In the bra according to claim 1, The bra is characterized in that the front portion (12) is made of stretchable fabric and includes a front neck fabric (22) that connects the upper edges of a pair of left and right cup portions (20).

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