Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02855408 2016-02-03
BRA CUP WITH MODESTY PANEL
Field of Invention
This disclosure relates to undergarments, particularly brassieres. More
particularly, this disclosure relates to the breast cups of brassieres that
have a modesty
panel in the apex of the cups.
Background of the Invention
Conventional brassieres for everyday wear should offer comfort as well as
coverage to the wearer. Consumers want to feel comfortable when wearing light
weight
clothes, yet confident that their undergarments, particularly brassieres, are
providing
adequate coverage. Bras that are too sheer and thin are not likely to provide
the wearer
with the desired level of modesty and discretion duc to a lack of a
sufficiently smooth
contour. Bras arc alternatively formed with cups containing relatively thick
layers of
foam. These foam layers provide a smoothly contoured, modest appearance, but
significantly increase weight and bulk. Accordingly, there is a need for a bra
cup that
provides modesty while remaining relatively lightweight and inexpensive to
manufacture.
Brief Drawing Descriptions
Figure 1 is an outer perspective view of a brassiere according to embodiments
of
the present disclosure.
Figure 2 is an inner perspective view of a cup portion of a brassiere
according to
some embodiments of the present disclosure.
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Figure 3 is an exploded cross section of the cup of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments
of the
present disclosure.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described below and illustrated
in the
accompanying figures, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout
the several views.
The embodiments described provide examples and should not be interpreted as
limiting the
scope of the invention. Other embodiments, and modifications and improvements
of the
described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such
other embodiments,
modifications and improvements are within the scope of the present invention.
Features from
one embodiment or aspect may be combined with features from any other
embodiment or aspect
in any appropriate combination. For example, any individual or collective
features of method
aspects or embodiments may be applied to apparatus, product or component
aspects or
embodiments and vice versa.
In reference to the drawings and, in particular, to Figure 1, there is
illustrated a brassiere
according to embodiments of this disclosure. The brassiere 10 includes a pair
of breast cups
50 including the modesty features of this disclosure. The brassiere 10 also
may include a pair of
shoulder straps 20 and a torso band 30. The brassiere 10 may include fasteners
detachably
connecting two portions of the torso band or front fasteners detachably
connecting the pair of
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breast cups 50. The outer perspective view of the brassiere 10 in Figure 1
shows the outer
surface 61 of a first ply 60.
As used herein, the term "outer" means the portion of an element that is
disposed away
from the body or skin of a wearer when the brassieres of the present
disclosure are worn. On the
other hand, the term "inner" means the portion of an element that is disposed
relatively towards
the body or skin of a wearer when the brassieres of the present disclosure are
worn. Each
element of the brassieres, as disclosed herein, should be considered to
separately demonstrate an
inner and outer portion thereof. As a result, an outer surface may not be
visible to an observer
since the outer surface may be further covered by additional elements with
outer surfaces of their
own.
While the breast cups 50 of brassiere 10 may be molded, the present disclosure
is not
limited to use in connection with bras having rigid molded cups, but may also
be used on cups
for underwire, strapless, demi-cup, or sports bras. As may be appreciated,
each of the pair of
breast cups 50 may be separately formed, separately molded or integrally
formed or molded as a
single panel with two cups having apexes, one for each breast.
An exemplary cup of the present disclosure may be understood from Figures 2
and 3.
Figure 2 is an inner perspective view of a breast cup 50 of the brassiere 10
shown in Figure 1,
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 shows an
exploded cross
section of the breast cup 50 of Figure 2. The breast cup 50 shown in Figures 2
and 3 is a right
cup; as may be appreciated, the left cup would have a structure that mirrors
the right cup.
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As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the breast cup 50 may be formed of a cup assembly
comprising a first or outer ply 60, a second or inner ply 70, and a modesty
panel 80. The first ply
60 has an outer surface 61 and an inner surface 63; similarly, the second ply
70 has an outer
surface 71 and an inner surface 73.
As best shown in Figure 2, a modesty panel 80 is a layer of material disposed
on inner
surface 73 of inner ply 70. The modesty panel 80 may alternatively be disposed
on an outer
surface 71 of the inner ply 70, or on outer surface 61 or the inner surface of
the first, outer ply
60.
As also shown in Figure 2, in one embodiment, the modesty panel 80 may be a
layer of
material disposed on a surface of a breast cup in a "sun burst" shaped
pattern. A sun burst
pattern may be thought of as a generally circular shape with a modified
periphery. The modified
periphery of the sun burst includes at least alternating short 82 and long 84
projections. The sun
burst pattern provides an advantageous result for the modesty panel 80. The
spaced and
alternating projections 82 and 84 increase the flexibility of the bra cup 50
at the apex compared
to a purely circular panel. The increased flexibility leads to an increased
level of comfort. The
periphery of the sun burst pattern also results in a relative blurring of the
boundary between the
edges of the modesty panel 80 and the remainder of the inner surface 73 of the
inner ply 70 of
the breast cup 50. The blurred boundary, and disposing the modesty panel 80 on
the inner
surface 73 of the inner play 70, reduces the visibility of the modesty panel
80, which increases
the aesthetics of the brassiere 10.
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In one embodiment, the modesty panel 80 is a layer of material that is
comprised of flock
that is adhered to a surface of the breast cup 50, such as the inner surface
73 of the inner ply 70.
As is well known in the field of garments and textiles, the term "flock"
refers to any number of
materials provided as fine fiber particles to be deposited onto a surface to
produce a textured
pattern. The process of flocking the breast cup 50 to create the modesty panel
80 may include
the use of a high-voltage electric field to electrostatically apply the flock
material to a liquid or
semi-liquid material, thereby using the liquid or semi-liquid material to
adhere the flock to the
breast cup 50. The flock may also be applied to the liquid or semi-liquid
material by other
known means, such as spraying.
The material used for the flock may include nylon, rayon, polypropylene or the
like. It is
understood that flock necessarily requires relative small fiber sizes.
Examples of fibers suitable
for flocking include fibers between 0.50 and 1.0 mm in length. The fibers may
have a light
denier between 1 and 5. An example of suitable fibers includes rayon flocking
fibers sold under
the Suede-Tex Tm mark, which are available from DonJer Products of Winnebago,
IL.
In other embodiments, the layer of material comprising the modesty panel 80
may not be
flock at all. Rather, the modesty panel 80 may be formed by applying suede ink
to the desired
surface of the breast cup 50. The suede ink would provide a similar opaque,
textured layer to the
desired surface of the breast cup 50.
As discussed above, a liquid or semi-liquid material may be used to adhere the
flocked
material to a surface of the breast cup 50, such as the inner ply 70. The
material may be a
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curable material, such as liquid silicon rubber, which is available from Dow
Corning Corporation
of Midland, MI, and is sold as Product Number 9602. The liquid silicone rubber
may be cured
by heating, ultraviolet or any other known curing method.
The material may be applied to the selected surface of the breast cup 50 using
a variety of
techniques. These include: pad printing, screen printing, pouring, extrusion,
spraying, and the
like. The semi-liquid material may be applied to the selected surface in a
pattern configured to
represent the shape of the finished modesty panel. As discussed above, in one
embodiment, the
modesty panel 80 is shaped like a sun burst as shown in Figure 2.
Turning to Figure 3, an exploded cross-sectional view of the breast cup of
Figure 2 is
shown. The representative breast cup 50 includes a first or outer ply 60 with
an outer surface 61
and an inner surface 63, and a second or inner ply 70 with an outer surface 71
and an inner
surface 73. In the particular embodiment shown, a layer defining a modesty
panel 80 is disposed
on the inner surface 73 of the inner or second ply. The modesty panel 80 is
positioned relative to
the breast cup 50 to correspond with the apex of the breast cup 50.
When applied to the selected surface, the modesty panel 80 provides an
increased degree
of rigidity to the apex region of the breast cup 50. This increased rigidity
provides modesty by
maintaining the smooth outer contour of the breast cup 50 while the brassiere
10 is being worn.
As discussed above, the modesty panel 80 can be applied to any of the
disclosed surfaces 61, 63,
71, 73. Additional plies of fabric may be added outside of the first ply 60 to
provide a decorative
outer appearance. Although a relatively thin, lightweight construction is
desired, additional
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material may be added between the first and second plies 60, 70 within the
scope of this
disclosure.
In the embodiment of Figure 3, the first or outer ply 60 is a liner. The liner
is generally
understood to be a relatively thin, flexible fabric sheet. The liner may have
a pattern or a variety
of colors to provide a decorative outer appearance to the brassiere 10. The
liner may be woven,
non-woven, warp knit or weft knit. Example materials used for forming the
first ply 60 include
polyester, nylon, rayon, polypropylene and cotton.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the second or inner ply 70 is comprised
of a spacer
fabric, also known as three-dimensional knit or duplex fabric. A single ply of
spacer fabric
generally comprises three integrally knit layers, that is, two opposite face
layers knit together and
spatially separated by a spacer layer of fibers joining the two opposite face
layers. A spacer
fabric provides a structure for a breast cup 50 that is lighter and has
significantly enhanced
breathability compared to foam. The spacer fabric also provides more
structural stiffness or
rigidity than a single layer liner, which allows for the application of the
semi-liquid material used
to form the modesty panel 80 by adhering flock to a surface of the breast cup.
A spacer fabric
can be used to form a molded breast cup with less dwell time in the mold as
compared to a
laminated foam cup. Materials used to create the spacer fabric can include
polyester, nylon,
rayon, polypropylene and cotton.
Although the embodiment of the breast cup 50 shown in Figure 3 shows the first
ply 60
as a liner and the second ply 70 as a spacer fabric, alternative constructions
are within the scope
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of this disclosure. For example, both the first ply 60 and the second ply 70
may be constructed
from single layer liner type fabric. Both the first ply 60 and the second ply
70 may be
constructed from multilayer spacer fabric. Also, the first ply 60 may be a
spacer fabric while the
second ply 70 is a liner fabric. In other embodiments, one of the plies 60, 70
may instead be a
laminated foam construction. Even further still, the brassiere 10 may be
formed with only one
ply without deviating from the scope of this disclosure.
Figure 4 shows a flow chart depicting a method of forming the exemplary breast
cup 50
of Figure 3, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In step
100, a fabric ply is
provided that will support a modesty panel 80.
In step 105, the provided ply is molded to form a breast cup blank having an
apex. The
molding step may comprise using a heated bubble/bullet mold or a heated
periphery/impression
mold to mold the at least one ply for a desired dwell time. In one embodiment,
the mold may
dwell for no more than one minute, and is preferably dwelled between about 40
and about 50
seconds. The dwell time would be longer if a laminated foam assembly is being
used to form the
breast cup blank.
After molding in step 105, a liquid or semi-liquid material is applied to the
apex of the
molded cup in step 110. In a preferred embodiment, the semi-liquid material is
applied by screen
printing. As discussed above, the material may be a heat curable liquid
silicone rubber.
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In step 115, the molded cup is flocked. The step of flocking may comprise the
use of
an electrostatic field or alternative methods such as spraying of the flock.
Next, the material
is cured at step 120 in order to fix the flock to the molded cup. The step of
curing will depend
upon the material used, but in one embodiment, where the material is liquid
silicone rubber,
curing is achieved by with heat.
in step 125, the formation of the brassiere is completed. The completion step
may
include trimming of the molded cup, addition of a second ply to the inner or
outer surface of
the molded cup and other well known finishing steps, such as the addition of
straps 20.
Although the above disclosure has been presented in the context of exemplary
embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be
utilized without
departing from the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will
readily understand.
Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and
scope of the
appended claims and their equivalents.
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