SHOULDER STRAP FOR LADIES UNDERWEAR

BRETELLE POUR DESSOUS FEMININS

English Abstract

Summary:
The shoulder strap is intended for ladies' underwear, more
particularly as shoulder strap for brassieres. It consists
of elastic warp threads and traversal running, inwoven weft
threads. Width (B) of its longitudinal mid-section (M) is
enlarged with respect to widths (b) of the shoulder strap
sections (A,C) extending from both ends thereof. In the lon-
gitudinal mid-section (M) of the shoulder strap the mutual
spacing of the warp threads (K) is enlarged with respect to
the mutual spacing of the warp threads in the shoulder strap
sections (A,C) extending on both sides from the longitudinal
mid-section (M). Furthermore, the number of weft threads per
unit of length (1) in the longitudinal mid-section (M) is
greater than in the shoulder strap sections (A,C) extending
from both ends of the longitudinal mid-sections (M). Advan-
tageously, the number of weft threads per unit of length (1)
in the longitudinal mid-sections (M) is by about 50% greater
than the number of weft threads per unit of length (1) in
the shoulder strap sections (A,C) extending from both ends
of the longitudinal mid-section (M).

Claims

New Claims
1. Shoulder strap for ladies' underwear, more particularly
a shoulder strap for brassieres, wherein width (B) of
the longitudinal mid-section (M) with respect to widths
(b) of the shoulder strap sections (A,C) extending from
both ends thereof is greater, characterised by the com-
bination of the following features, namely
- that it consists, as such in a known way, of elastic
warp threads and inwoven weft threads running tra-
verse to the latter;
- that the mutual spacing of the warp threads (K) in
the longitudinal mid-section (M) of the shoulder
strap is greater with respect to the mutual spacing
of the warp threads in the strap sections (A,C) ex-
tending from both ends of the longitudinal mid-sea-
tion (M), and
- that the number of weft threads per unit of length
(1) in the longitudinal mid-section (M) is greater
than in the strap sections (A,C) extending from both
ends of the longitudinal mid-section (M).
2. Shoulder strap as defined in claim 1, characterised in
that the number of weft threads per unit of length (1)
in the longitudinal mid-section (M) is by about 50%
greater than the number of weft threads per unit of
length (1) in the shoulder strap sections (A,C) extend-
ing from both ends of the longitudinal mid-section (M).
3. Shoulder strap as defined in one of the claims 1 or 2,
characterised in that the proportion of the total
length (L) of the shoulder strap to the length of the
enlarged longitudinal mid-section (M) is about 3.5.
4. Shoulder strap as defined in claim 1, characterised in
that the proportion of width (B) of the longitudinal
mid-section (M) to width (b) of the shoulder strap
sections (A,C) extending from both ends thereof is
about 1.2.

- 2 -
5. Shoulder strap as defined in one of the claims 1 to 4,
characterised in that the shoulder strap sections (A,C)
extending from both ends of the longitudinal mid-sec-
tion (M) have different lengths.

Description

2 ~ ~
The present invention relate~ to a shoul~er ~trap Xor
ladies~ ~nderwear and more partlcularly to a ~houlder strap
fo~ ~ra~sieres, wherein the width of the long~tudinal mi~-
~e~tion is enlArged with reOEpect to the width of ~he shoul-
der strap se~tion~ extending from ~oth en~s thereof.
Shoulder straps of this type are known. Due to their ela~ti-
city they can follow the movements of the body or the body
parts of the wearer oeo that the article of clothing it i~
holding exert~ no or only low tensile or ~ompreseive
strain~, respectively, onto the bo~y of the wear~r of this
article of clothing. Suah ~houlder ~trap straddle over the -~
~houlder o~ the person w~aring thi~ article of ~lothing, the
longitu~inal mid-geation of the shoulde~ ~trap thereby
serving ~s ~upport, and ~he ~houlder strap aection~ extend
in~ from both end8 ~hereo~ which reach along the brea~t and :
the back, re~pectively, of the wearer, ~eing apprepr~ately
~onnected ~t their end~ with the article of clothin~. Su~h a
~houlder strap is known fro~ Us patent specl~ication ~ :
4 100 g24, whlch is used ~or bags, la~ie~' underwear, ruck-
~a~ks and the lLke, and who~e width of the longitudinal mid~
~ectlon i3 enlarged with ~e~peat to the wid~h o~ the shDul~
der strap sections extending from ~oth ends thereof. When ~::
u~ed aaco~ding to the respectiv~ purpese, the enlar~ed sec~
tion of the shoulder strap lies on the ~hould~r of the wear
er and is intende~ to tran~fer ~he wel~ht so to oe~y over a
larye area of tho~e part~ o~ the shoulder which by nature
are provided for thls purpose in o~der to prev~nt ~rsinin~
of nerve centres, blood ve~el~ or ~en~itive cell areas of
the ~kin. Thi~ anticipat~d sh~uld~r ~trap i~ of a very com-
plex structure~ ~on~i~ting ~f ~trip~ of fabrlcs sewn togoth- :
er at their ~d~e~ And havin~ an enlar~ed mid~ tion, whe~e-
by in this mid-~e~tion two pockets with ~i.ffer~nt widths and

- 2 ~ 2 5
extending diagonally to the axe~ of the strap are provide~
which are for~e~ ~y darts and serve to a~ommodate flat ~up-
port ~lements of the kind of corset 9tay9 in the fonm of a
parallelogram. The~e ~upportin~ element~ ~ay con~i~t of var-
ious matQrial~, normally fishbone, plastia material bu~ al-
so rubber-like material~. Furthermore, this insets are pad-
ded with foam pads. Shoul~er straps of this type unque~tio-
nably provide a high wearing com~ort, particularly when car-
rying of relatively heavy loads is concerned, i.e. whe the
~houlder ~trap is intended for use a~ shoulder straps of
rucksacks, ~olf b~ a~ for photographic equipment and
the like. However, for ladie~' underwear and more partio~-
larly for bra~ieres, such a rhoul~er strap i~ much too com-
plex and thu~ too costly, ~nd for this rea~on not usable in
practice~
The pre~ent invention now set~ out to provide a shoul-
der strap for the aforementioned purpose of use, in fact
accordin~ to and with aonventional manufacturing ~ethods
usLng ribbon looms, and nevertheles~ to ~orm the shoul~er
strap in such a way a~ to ensure enhanced wearing comfort.
The invention is ~haract~ri~d by the combination of the
following feature~, namely
- th~t Lt consists~ as ~uch in a known way, of ela~tic
warp ~hread~ and inwoven weft threads running tra- :
ver6e to the latter;
- that the mutual ~pacing of the warp threads in the
lon~itudinal mid-~ection of the shoulder strap i~
greater with respect to the mutual spacin~ of the
warp thre~d~ Ln the strap ~ection~ Qxtending ~rom
both ends of the lon~itu~inal mid-~ection, and
- that the number of weft thread~ per unit of lenyth in
the longitu~inal mid-~ection is greater ~han in tho
~trap section~ extending from both end8 o~ the longi-
tudinal mid-section.
Thank~ to the propo~al according to this invention the manu-
facture of such 0houlder strap~ for ladies~ underwear pro-
viding high wearing com~ort i5 now possible by ~pplying

21112 ~ O
conventional techniques on ~xisting ribbon looms, al~hough
the straps partly consi~t of elastic threads.
In ~rder ~o ensure that in splte o~ ~he enl~rge~ width of
the mi~-~ec~ion in which the nu~ber of warp threads is, in
fa~t, not greater than in the narrower ~trap sec~ions ex-
tending thereof from both end~, this mid-section is suffi-
ciQntly stable and firm, it iY furthar provided that the
number of weft threads per unit of length in the longitud~-
nal mid-~ectlon i~ by about 50 ~ g~eater than the number of
weft threads pe~ unit of length in the ~houlder strap ~ec-
tions extending t~ereof from both end~.
Th~ d~awiny ~chematic~lly illu~trates the presQnt invention. -
~he drawing ~how~ in top vi~w the shoulder ~trap spread out
on a plane level with a length L, with a longitudinal mid~
~eation M and the two ~houlder ~trap ~ections A and C ex- :
tending thereof from both ænds. As can be seen from thi~
drawing, width ~ of the longitudin~l mid-se~tion M of the
~houlder strap i~ enl~rged with re~pect ~o widths ~ of the
shoulder ~trap s~ction~ ~, C extendin~ thereof fr~m both
end~. Warp thread~ K, which are indic~ted only schematic~l-
ly, Are elasticAlly ductile. El~sti~ity of the~e warp
thread~ x may result from the materi~l ~rom which they are
made of br from the spec~ic type of threa~ au such~ Tra-
ver~al to the warp threads K extending in longitudinal di~
rec~ion, weft threads (not ~hown in ~he drawin~) are in~ert- -
ed in weave binding~ It aan be seen from tne s~hematic il-
lu~t~tion that the mutual ~paciny of the warp threa~s R in
the longitudinal mid-se~tion M of the shoulder strap i~ en-
l~rged with re~p~ct to the ~utual ~pacin~ of the warp
thread~ in tho shoulder ~trap sections A, C extending from
both end~ of the longitudinal ~i~-~ection M. Thers~y, the
n~mber of weft threads per unit of length 1 in th¢ lon~itu-
dinal mid-~ection M i~ gre~ter than in the ~houlder strap
Y~'tiUII~ A~ ~ e~t~l~l~illg Lh*~ f frhm hnl.h ~n~.~, m~
fically g~eater by akout 50 ~ The propo~tion of th~ total

_ 4 ~ 2 5 0
length L of the shoulder strap to the length of the enlarged
mid-~ection M i8 ahout 3 . 5 . The proportion of width B of ths
longitudinal mid-se~tion M to width b of the strip sections
A, t~ extending thereof is about 1. 2 . The two shoulder strap
~ec~ions A, C~ extending f rom both ends of the enlarged lon-
git~dinal mi~-~ectlon M have different lengthx.
Thanks to the features a~cording to this invention a shoul-
der ~trap is provided whi~h i~ broader within the bearing
rangs t~ho~ er), resultins~ in an enlarged ~earing surface,
whereby the elasticity of the strap i8 maintained to ths
same ~xtent in virtually all sectlons of the ~houlder ~trap.

Representative Drawing