Bra Cup Using Tensioned Lining for Weight-Reduced Push-Up
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional push-up bra cups enhance bust size but add weight, causing discomfort due to the presence of filling materials, and require complex pocket structures for retention.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight bra cup design featuring a hemispherical external shell with an internal expansible tulle fabric lining that tensions to push the bust upwards, eliminating the need for a filling material and using a thermoformed polyurethane foam shell for support without added bulk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If filling material is used in the cup, then the push-up effect is achieved, but the weight of the bra increases causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the filling material (silicone gel) from the cup structure entirely. Instead of using a pocket containing malleable material, the invention uses only the external shell and internal skin, eliminating the source of additional weight while maintaining the push-up effect through the shell's hemispherical geometry and the skin's tensioning action.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the cup components. The external shell is made from thermoformed polyurethane foam with specific thickness (3-6mm after thermoforming), and the internal skin is made from expansible tulle fabric that can expand 50-150% from its rest state. These parameter changes allow the structure to provide push-up effect without heavy filling material.
2Shape
If filling material is retained in the cup, then the push-up effect is maintained, but the device complexity increases due to the need for a pocket structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the pocket structure from the cup design. The conventional structure with external layer, internal layer, and sealed pocket containing silicone gel is replaced by a simplified structure with only an external shell and an internal skin lining, eliminating the complex pocket assembly while maintaining functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of multiple components into a simpler structure. The external shell and internal skin work together as an integrated system, where the shell provides the hemispherical shape and the skin provides the tensioning force, replacing the multi-layer pocket structure with a unified design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design provides a comfortable, weight-reduced push-up effect by using breathable, elastic tulle fabric and a lightweight polyurethane foam shell, enhancing bust appearance without the discomfort of additional weight or complex pocket structures.
Implementation Method 1
the internal skin is capable of being elastically expanded according to a range between fifty percent and one hundred and fifty percent with respect to an initial rest state
Implementation Method 2
the external shell is made in thermoformed polyurethane foam
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a cup (12) for a bra (10) that comprises an outer shell (38) forming a recess (40) of a generally hemispherical shape and that is defined by a peripheral edge (32), characterized in that the cup (12) comprises at least an inner skin (42) forming a lining that is fixed to the peripheral edge (32) of the cup (12) and that partially covers the recess (40) formed by the outer shell (38), defining a space with the outer shell (38), and in that the inner skin (42) is designed to be tensioned when the cup (12) is placed on a breast.