Patent Application
20120276811
The present invention relates to a garment that has cup parts for covering a bust.
Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, and Patent Literature 3 each disclose a brassiere as a garment that has cup parts for covering a bust. These brassieres are each designed to have a gathering member for bringing right and left cup parts toward a front center of the brassiere in order to improve the bust-gathering effect and the bust push-up effect. The gathering member is configured in a manner that one end thereof is fixed and attached to a cup side part and to a base part and that the other end is extended in a tapering manner toward a front central part, to join the ends to each other.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-321249
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication No. 3118029
Patent Literature 3: Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication No. 3118931
Incidentally, a garment with cup parts needs to make improvements in a space that is generated between an upper part of each cup part and a bust due to a motion of a wearer of the garment. The brassieres described in Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, and Patent Literature 3, however, cannot serve such a need. In other words, in each of the brassieres described in Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, and Patent Literature 3, the gathering member and the cup parts move relative to the bust as a result of a motion of a wearer. As a result, upper parts of the cup parts separate from the bust.
Furthermore, the garments with cup parts need to make further improvements in its formability for gathering the bust.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a garment having cup parts, which is capable of improving its formability for shaping a bust and preventing the formation of a space between an upper of each of the cup parts and the bust.
A garment with cup parts according to the present invention is a garment that has a pair of cup parts for covering a bust and a gathering part for gathering the bust toward a front center, wherein fabric power of a lower edge part of the gathering part is stronger than fabric power of an upper edge part of the gathering part.
The fabric power here means anti-drape stiffness and stiffness or pulling force of the fabric. For example, the higher anti-drape stiffness and stiffness of the fabric, the stronger the fabric power. The pulling force of the fabric is expressed by a weight that is applied to the fabric to stretch the fabric by a certain amount or an elongation that is obtained when a certain amount of load is applied to the fabric. When the pulling force of the fabric is expressed by the weight that is applied to the fabric to stretch the fabric by a certain amount, the greater the applied weight is, the stronger the fabric power is. When the pulling force of the fabric is expressed by the elongation that is obtained when a certain amount of load is applied to the fabric, the smaller the elongation is, the stronger the fabric power is.
In the garment with cup parts according to the present invention, because the fabric power of the lower edge part of the gathering part is stronger than the fabric power of the upper edge part, the gathering part can improve not only the bust-gathering effect but also the bust push-up effect, improving the formability for shaping the bust.
Furthermore, the garment with cup parts can improve a following capability of the cup parts to the bust that moves as a wearer of the garment moves, by strongly pressing a lower part of each of the cup parts against the bust by means of the lower edge part of the gathering part. Therefore, the formation of a space between an upper part of each of the cup parts and the bust can be prevented, the space being formed due to the motion of the wearer.
It is preferred that the gathering part described above have a front central portion and a side portion that are connected in a horizontal direction, that fabric power of a lower edge part of the front central portion of the gathering part be stronger than fabric power of an upper edge part of the front central portion of the gathering part, and that fabric power of the side portion of the gathering part be stronger than fabric power of the front central portion of the gathering part.
According to this configuration, pressing a side portion of the bust by using the side portion of the gathering part can reduce the spread of the bust to the sides thereof and efficiently transform the pulling force of the gathering part to the side portion of the bust. Therefore, the formability for shaping the bust can be further improved.
Moreover, it is preferred that each of the cup parts described above have a front central portion and a side portion that are coupled to each other in the horizontal direction, and that fabric power of the side portion of each of the cup parts be stronger than fabric power of the front central portion of each of the cup parts.
According to this configuration, pressing the side portion of the bust by using the side portion of each of the cup parts can reduce the spread of the bust to the sides thereof, further improving the formability for shaping the bust.
Moreover, it is preferred that the front central portion of each of the cup parts described above have a front central upper portion and a front central lower portion that are coupled to each other in a vertical direction, that the side portion of each of the cup parts described above have a side upper portion and a side lower portion that are coupled to each other in the vertical direction, and that fabric power in each of the cup parts become stronger in order of the front central upper portion, the front central lower portion, the side upper portion, and the side lower portion.
According to this configuration, by pressing the side portion of the bust by using the side lower portion and the side upper portion that have relatively strong fabric power in each of the cup parts, the spread of the bust to the sides thereof can be reduced. Moreover, the bust can be pushed from the bottom up by the side lower portion and the front central lower portion that have relatively strong fabric power in each of the cup parts. Therefore, the formability for shaping the bust can be further improved.
It is preferred that the garment with cup parts described above further have a base part for supporting a lower part of each of the cup parts, and an annular fixing part provided at a front center of the base part, wherein a front central part of the gathering part is inserted into a hole of the fixing part.
When the front central part of the gathering part is not fixed as in the conventional technologies, the front central part of the gathering part is shifted to the front side of the wearer, affecting an outerwear of the wearer. In this regard, for example, the front central part of the gathering part can be stitched directly to the front center of the base part.
In this case, however, it might be impossible to adequately obtain the bust-gathering effect and the effect of preventing the formation of a space between the upper part of each of the cup parts and the bust.
However, according to this configuration, the front central part of the gathering part is inserted into the hole of the fixing part and thereby flexibly fixed to the base part so that the front central part of the gathering part can flexibly move between the right and left cups. As a result, the bust-gathering effect and the effect of preventing the formation of a space between the upper part of each of the cup parts and the bust can be obtained adequately. Moreover, the front central part of the gathering part can be prevented from shifting toward the front side of the wearer, less affecting the outerwear.
Furthermore, it is preferred that the gathering part described above have a stitched part that is obtained by stitching a side edge part and a side lower edge part of the gathering part to a side edge part and a side lower edge part of each of the cup parts, and that the gathering part be unattached from each of the cup parts except for the stitched part. According to this configuration, the gathering part functions to gather the bust toward the front center and improves the formability for shaping the bust.
Moreover, it is preferred that the gathering part described above be stitched in a manner that the side portion of the gathering part circles around a rim of the side portion of each of the cup parts. This can efficiently press the side portion of the bust.
The garment with cup parts according to the present invention can improve its formability for shaping a bust and prevent the formation of a space between an upper of each of the cup parts and the bust.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or like reference numerals are used for indicating the same or like components in each of the drawings.
The main body part 10 has a cup part 12, a base part 14, a back belt part 16, and a shoulder strap part 18.
The cup part 12 covers a bust and is supported by the base part 14. The base part 14 is made from a non-stretchable fabric and stitched to the cup part 12, from a lower part of the cup part 12 through a side of the same. The back belt part 16 is stitched to a side of the base part 14. The back belt part 16 is made from a stretchable fabric and supports the base part 14 and the cup part 12 by being coupled to the back belt part 16 on the other side on the back of a wearer. The shoulder strap part 18 is stitched to a side upper part of the cup part 12. The shoulder strap part 18 is made from a stretchable fabric and supports the cup part 12 by being coupled to the back belt part 16 through a shoulder.
A cup wire 40 is attached along a verge's line, which is a border between the cup part 12 and the base part 14. Note that the brassiere 1 is not necessarily provided with the cup wire 40. Furthermore, a gathering part 20 is provided on a surface side of the cup part 12.
The gathering part 20 gathers the bust toward a front center. A side edge part 20s and side lower edge part 20ls of the gathering part 20 are stitched to a side edge part 12s and side lower edge part 12ls of the cup part 12. The gathering part 20 extends, in a tapering manner, from the side edge part 12s and the side lower edge part 12ls of the cup part 12 toward the front center to form of a substantially triangle with a bottom edge formed along the verge's line. The gathering part 20 is stitched to the gathering part on the other side at the front center. Note that the gathering part 20 may be formed integrally with the gathering part of the other side by using a single piece of fabric. The gathering part 20 is unattached from the cup part 12 except for the stitched part and is horizontally stretchable. Therefore, the gathering part 20 functions to gather the bust toward the front center.
A front central lower edge part 201c of the gathering part 20 has stronger fabric power than an upper edge part 20u. The fabric power here means anti-drape stiffness, stiffness or pulling force of the fabric. For example, the higher anti-drape stiffness or stiffness of the fabric, the stronger the fabric power. The pulling force of the fabric is expressed by a weight that is applied to the fabric to stretch the fabric by a certain amount or an elongation that is obtained when a certain amount of load is applied to the fabric. When the pulling force of the fabric is expressed by the weight that is applied to the fabric to stretch the fabric by a certain amount, the greater the applied weight is, the stronger the fabric power is. When the pulling force of the fabric is expressed by the elongation that is obtained when a certain amount of load is applied to the fabric, the smaller the elongation is, the stronger the fabric power is.
In order to increase the fabric power of the front central lower edge part 201c, for example, a non-stretchable or stretch-resistant tape may be stitched to a rear side of the front central lower edge part 201c. Alternatively, an overlock stitching method may be used as a method for stitching the front central lower edge part 201c. On the other hand, a material with strong fabric force, such as a material with strong stretch recovery (a material with small SS curved slope), may be used as a material for the front central lower edge part 201c.
According to the brassiere 1 of the first embodiment, because the fabric power of the front central lower edge part 201c of the gathering part 20 is stronger than the fabric power of the upper edge part 20u, not only the bust-gathering effect but also the bust push-up effect can be improved by the gathering part 20, thereby improving the formability for shaping the bust.
Moreover, strongly pressing the cup part 12 toward the bust by means of the gathering part 20 can enhance a following capability of the cup part 12 to the bust that moves as the wearer moves. Therefore, the formation of a space between an upper part of the cup part 12 and the bust can be prevented, the space being formed due to the motion of the wearer.
Note that, in the brassiere 1 of the first embodiment, a front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 is fixed to the base part 14 by a fixing part 30 that is provided at a front center of the base part 14. For example, the fixing part 30 is obtained by forming a ribbon-like fabric into an annular shape (a ring-like shape) and stitched to the front center of the base part 14. The front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 is fixed flexibly to the base part 14 by being inserted into the hole of the fixing part 30. This can further improve the following capability of the gathering part 20 and the cup part 12 to the bust that moves as the wearer moves,
When the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 is not fixed to the base part 14 as in the conventional technologies, the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 is shifted toward the front side of the wearer, affecting an outerwear of the wearer. In other words, unnatural convex parts might be formed on the outerwear. In this regard, for example, the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 can be stitched directly to the front center of the base part 14. In this case, however, it might be impossible to adequately obtain the bust-gathering effect and the effect of preventing the formation of a space between the upper part of each of the cup parts and the bust.
However, according to the brassiere 1 of the first embodiment, the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 is inserted into the hole of the fixing part 30 and thereby fixed flexibly so that the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 can flexibly move between the right and left cups. As a result, the bust-gathering effect and the effect of preventing the formation of a space between the upper part of the cup part 12 and the bust can be obtained adequately. For instance, when the wearer twists his/her upper body to the right, the gathering part 20 is pulled as a result of sliding through the hole of the fixing part 30 from the left cup part 12 to the right cup part 12 in response to the twisting motion of the wearer, and thereby the left cup part 12 is pressed against the bust, preventing the formation of a space between the left cup part 12 and the bust in the vicinity of an upper edge of the left cup part 12. Furthermore, the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20 can be prevented from shifting toward the front side of the wearer, preventing the effect on the outerwear.
The gathering part 20A has a side portion 22 and a front central portion 24.
The side portion 22 covers a side portion 12a, out of the side portion 12a and a front central portion 12b, which are obtained by dividing the cup part 12 into two pieces in a horizontal direction. A side edge part 22s and lower edge part 22l of the side portion 22 are stitched to a side edge part 12s and lower edge part 12ls of the side portion 12a in the cup part 12. The other portions of the side portion 22 are unattached from the side portion 12a of the cup part 12. Note that the side portion 22 may be entirely stitched to the side portion 12a of the cup part 12. In this case, for example, the side portion 22 may be stitched in a manner as to circle around a rim of the side portion 12a.
The fabric power of the side portion 22 is stronger than the fabric power of the front central portion 24. In order to increase the fabric power of the side portion 22, a non-stretchable material or a material with low stretchability, such as a material with strong stretch recovery (a material with small SS curved slope), may be used in the side portion 22. Accordingly, the side portion 22 functions to press the side portion of the bust.
According to the present embodiment, in the cup part 12, a line that connects a portion in the vicinity of an attachment part 12d of the shoulder strap 18 to a portion in the vicinity of a lowest part 12e of the verge's line forms a border between the side portion 12a and the front central portion 12b. Therefore, the side portion of the bust that can effectively gather the bust can be pressed efficiently. The front central portion 24 is stitched to a front center of the side portion 22. Note that a single piece of fabric with a power switching function may be used instead of stitching the side portion 22 and the front central portion 24 to each other.
The front central portion 24 extends, in a tapering manner, from the side portion 22 toward the front center to form of a substantially triangle with a bottom edge formed along the verge's line. The front central portion 24 is stitched to the other front central portion of the gathering part at the front center. Note that the front central portion 24 may be configured by integrally forming the right and left front central portions using a single piece of fabric. The front central portion 24 is unattached from the front central portion 12b of the cup part 12 and is horizontally stretchable. Accordingly, the front central portion 24 functions to gather the bust toward the front center.
The fabric power of a lower edge part 241 of the front central portion 24 is stronger than the fabric power of an upper edge part 24u. In order to increase the fabric power of the lower edge part 24l, the same structure as that of the front central lower edge part 201c of the gathering part 20 described above may be adopted. In other words, a non-stretchable or stretch-resistant tape may be stitched to a rear side of the lower edge part 24l. Alternatively, an overlock stitching method may be used as a method for stitching the lower edge part 24l. Also, a material with strong fabric power may be used as the material for the lower edge part 24l.
In the second embodiment as well, the front central part 20c of the gathering part 20A is inserted into the hole of the annular fixing part 30 provided at the front center of the base part 14, and is thereby flexibly fixed to the base part 14,
According to the brassiere 1A of the second embodiment, the fabric power of the front central portion 24 of the gathering part 20A becomes stronger in order of the upper edge part 24u, the lower edge part 24l, and the side portion 22.
As with the brassiere 1 of the first embodiment, the brassiere 1A of the second embodiment also can obtain the same benefits because the fabric power of the lower edge part 24l of the front central portion 24 of the gathering part 20A is stronger than the fabric power of the upper edge part 24u.
In addition, according to the brassiere 1A of the second embodiment, the side portion of the bust can be pressed by the side portion 22 because the fabric power of the side portion 22 of the gathering part 20A is stronger than the fabric power of the front central portion 24. Therefore, the spread of the bust to the sides thereof can be reduced. Moreover, the pulling force obtained from the front central portion 24 can be transmitted efficiently from the side portion 22 to the side portion of the bust, improving the formability for shaping the bust.
The main body part 10B is different from the main body part 10 in having a cup part 12B in place of the cup part 12. The other configurations of the main body part 10B are the same as those of the main body part 10.
The cup part 12B has the side portion 12a and the front central portion 12b, which are obtained by dividing the cup part 12B into two pieces in the horizontal direction. The fabric power of the side portion 12a is stronger than the fabric power of the front central portion 12b. For example, the cup part 12B is configured by stitching an ornamental fabric to the surface side of the cup part 12, wherein the fabric power of the side portion 12a of the ornamental fabric is stronger than the fabric power of the front central portion 12b of the ornamental fabric. In order to increase the fabric power of the side portion 12a of the ornamental fabric, a non-stretchable material or a material with low stretchability, such as a material with strong stretch recovery (a material with small SS curved slope), may be used in the side portion 12a of the ornamental fabric. Accordingly, the side portion 12a of the cup part 12B functions to press the side portion of the bust.
Note that a method for increasing the fabric power of the side portion 12a of the cup part 12B is not limited to the one described in the present embodiment. For instance, a combination of different parts with different materials may be used for forming the cup part itself,
In cup part 12B of the present embodiment as well, a line that connects a portion in the vicinity of the attachment part 12d of the shoulder strap 18 to a portion in the vicinity of the lowest part 12e of the verge's line forms a border between the side portion 12a and the front central portion 12b. Therefore, the side portion of the bust that can effectively gather the bust can be pressed efficiently.
Note that, according to the brassiere 1B of the third embodiment, the fabric power becomes stronger in order of the upper edge part 20u of the gathering part 20, the front central lower edge part 201c, and the side portion 12a of the cup part 12B.
As with the brassiere 1 of the first embodiment, the brassiere 1B of the third embodiment can also obtain the same benefits due to the presence of the gathering part 20.
In addition, according to the brassiere 1B of the third embodiment, the side portion of the bust can be pressed by the side portion 12a because the fabric power of the side portion 12a of the cup part 12B is stronger than the fabric power of the front central portion 12b. Therefore, the spread of the bust to the sides thereof can be reduced, improving the formability for shaping the bust.
The main body part 10C is different from the main body part 10B in having a cup part 12C in place of the cup part 12B. The other configurations of the main body part 10C are the same as those of the main body part 10B.
The cup part 12C is divided into two pieces in the horizontal direction to configure the side portion 12a and the front central portion 12b, which are further divided into two pieces in a vertical direction. In other words, the cup part 12C has a side upper portion 12au, a side lower portion 12al, a front central upper portion 12bu, and a front central lower portion 12bl, which are obtained by dividing the cup part 12C into four pieces in the horizontal and vertical directions. The fabric power of the cup part 12C becomes stronger in order of the front central upper portion 12bu, the front central lower portion 12bl, the side upper portion 12au, and the side lower portion 12al.
For example, the cup part 12C is configured by stitching an ornamental fabric same as that of the cup part 12B, which is an ornamental fabric that has stronger fabric power in the side portion 12a than the front central portion 12b, to a surface side of the cup part, This ornamental fabric is used as a stitched cup part in which the fabric power of a lower part thereof is stronger than the fabric power of an upper part of the same. For example, the cup part may be configured by forming a combination of parts with different materials in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the fabric power of the cup part 12C can be distributed into the four stages in the horizontal and vertical directions.
Note that a method for distributing the fabric power of the cup part 12C into the four stages in the horizontal and vertical directions is not limited the one described in the present embodiment. For example, a combination of parts with four different materials may be used for forming the cup part itself. Alternatively, four different materials may be used for forming the ornamental fabric itself.
As with the brassiere 1 of the first embodiment, the brassiere 1C of the fourth embodiment can obtain the same benefits due to the presence of the gathering part 20.
Moreover, according to the brassiere 1C of the fourth embodiment, the side lower portion 12al and the side upper portion 12au that have relatively strong fabric powers in the cup part 12C press the side portion of the bust, reducing the spread of the bust to the sides thereof. In addition, the side lower portion 12al and the front central lower portion 12bl that have relatively strong fabric powers in the cup part 12C can push the bust from the bottom up. Therefore, the formability for shaping the bust can be improved.
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made thereto. For example, in the present embodiment, the left and right gathering parts of the gathering parts 20, 20A are formed integrally; however, the right and left gathering parts of the gathering part 20 may be configured to be engaged with each other at the front center by means of a front-hook method using a hook or a ribbon (double hook type).
The present embodiment illustrates a brassiere having the cup wire 40; however, as described above, the characteristics of the present embodiment can be applied to a non-wire type brassiere that does not have a cup wire.
The present embodiment illustrates a brassiere in which the rear ends of the back belt parts 16 are hooked; however, the characteristics of the present embodiment can be applied to a front-hook type brassiere in which the base part 14 is divided into right and left portions and the right and left portions are hooked with each other at the front center.
The characteristics of the present embodiment can be applied to all types of brassieres, including full-cup brassieres, ¾-cup brassieres, and ½-cup brassieres.
The characteristics of the present embodiment can be applied to, not only brassiere, but also all types of garments that have cup parts, such as bra slips, bra camisoles, body suits, teddies with cups, and swimsuits.
The brassiere 1 of the first embodiment shown in
In this evaluation, a wearer wore Example 1 and the conventional product, turned his/her upper body 90 degrees to either the right or left, and turned the upper body back to normal. Thereafter, the size of a space that was formed between the upper part of each cup part and the bust of the wearer as a result of the turning motion was observed.
According to the results of the evaluation, it was confirmed that, compared to when having the wearer wear the conventional product, Example 1 can prevent the formation of a space between each cup part 12 and the bust that is caused due to the turning motion. This is considered due to the fact that the following capability of the cup parts 12 to the bust moving with the motion of the wearer can be improved by the configuration in which the fabric power of the front central lower edge part 20lc of the gathering part 20 is stronger than the fabric power of the upper edge part 20u.
The brassiere 18 of the third embodiment shown in
According to the results of the evaluation, it was confirmed that, compared to when having the wearer wear the conventional product, Example 2 can reduce the spread of the bust to the sides thereof, whereby the bust-gathering effect is improved. This is considered due to the fact that the side portions 12a can press the side portions of the bust by means of the configuration in which the fabric power of the side portions 12a of the cup parts 12B is stronger than the fabric power of the front central portions 12b.
Moreover, according to the results of the evaluation, it was confirmed that, compared to when having the wearer wear the conventional product, Example 2 can raise the upper part of the bust. This is considered due to the fact that the fabric power of the front central lower edge part 20lc of the gathering part 20 is stronger than the fabric power of the upper edge part 20u and that the bust-gathering effect and the bust push-up effect can be improved by the gathering part 20.
1, 1A, 1B, 1C . . . Brassiere (garment with cup parts), 10, 10B, 10C Main body part, 12, 12B, 12C . . . Cup part, 12a . . . Side portion of cup part, 12b . . . Front central portion of cup part, 12al . . . Side lower portion of cup part, 12au . . . Side upper portion of cup part, 12bl . . . Front central lower portion of cup part, 12bu . . . Front central upper portion of cup part, 12d . . . Attachment part of shoulder strap, 12e . . . Lowest part of verge's line, 12ls . . . Side lower edge part of cup part, 12s . . . Side edge part of cup part, 14 . . . Base part, 16 . . . Back belt part, 18 . . . Shoulder strap, 20, 20A . . . Gathering part, 20c . . . Front central part of gathering part, 20lc . . . Front central lower edge part of gathering part, 20ls . . . Side lower edge part of gathering part, 20s . . . Side edge part of gathering part, 20u . . . Upper edge part of gathering part, 22 . . . Side portion of gathering part, 22l . . . Lower edge part of side portion of gathering part, 22s . . . Side edge part of side portion of gathering part, 24 . . . Front central portion of gathering part, 24l . . . Lower edge part of front central portion of gathering part, 24u . . . Upper edge part of front central portion of gathering part, 30 . . . Fixing part, 40 . . . Cup wire.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-177995 | Jul 2009 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2010/062814 | 7/29/2010 | WO | 00 | 2/28/2012 |
