Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6183339
-
Patent Number
6,183,339
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Date Filed
Tuesday, June 20, 200024 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, February 6, 200124 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 450 1
- 450 86
- 002 109
- 002 110
- 002 781
- 002 90
- 002 55
- 002 106
- 002 115
- 002 125
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A ladies' sleeved undergarment is provided for concealing or covering a wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer. The garment comprises a conventional brassiere with sleeves attached thereto. A principle object of this invention is to provide a ladies' sleeved undergarment that will conceal any flabbiness, wrinkles, or age spots that may exists on the arm of the wearer without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ladies' sleeved undergarments, and more particularly to such an undergarment wherein the sleeves are capable of covering a wearers' arm without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is natural for skin flabbiness and wrinkles to develop in the upper arms and forearms of a person due to muscle aging and excess weight. As a result, many people feel that their arms are heavy or unattractive, especially when wearing sleeveless apparel. At the present time, the primary option available to conceal one's arms when wearing sleeveless apparel is to wear a bulky sleeved undershirt beneath the sleeveless garment. However, many sleeveless garments on the market, such as tank-tops and form fitting dresses, are not designed to be worn such undershirts.
The present invention is able to conceal or cover a wearer's arms by use of a novel sleeved undergarment wherein the sleeves serve to cover the wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer. In addition to improving the physical appearance of the wearer, the unique garment allows for increased versatility to one's wardrobe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A ladies' sleeved undergarment is provided for concealing a wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer. The undergarment comprises a conventional brassiere with sleeves attached thereto. The undergarment can further include a jersey covering over the brassiere, and the sleeves can include an elasticized portion along the under-arm of the intended wearer to further prevent undue bulkiness.
A principle object of the present invention is to provide a ladies' sleeved undergarment that will conceal any flabbiness, wrinkles, or age spots that may exists on the arm of the wearer without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ladies' sleeved undergarment that provides the support of a brassiere while covering the wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer to thereby add versatility to wearer's wardrobe.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate front and back views of a ladies' sleeved undergarment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3 and 4
illustrate front and back views of another embodiment of the present invention including a jersey covering.
FIGS. 5 and 6
illustrate front and back views of yet another embodiment of the present invention including tight fit under-arm regions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings in detail, and initially to
FIGS. 1-2
thereof, a novel sleeved ladies' undergarment
10
is provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The undergarment
10
generally comprises a traditional brassiere
10
a
with sleeves
11
and
11
′ attached thereto. The sleeves
11
and
11
′ can be long (not shown) or short, and can be shaped in any manner to achieve the desired coverage and appearance. For instance, the sleeves can be fitted around the wearer's arms for a sleek look (see FIGS.
1
and
2
), or they can be loose and contoured or flared for a more formal look (see FIGS.
3
and
4
).
The traditional brassiere
10
a
includes two breast-shaped cups
12
and
12
′, which are preferably substantially identical. Cups
12
and
12
′ attach to shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ along top attachment portions
14
and
14
′, and attach to a lower midriff edge
27
a
of a portion of back support
27
(shown in
FIG. 2
) along lower attachment portions
15
and
15
′. Shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ preferably include anterior edges
16
and
16
′ encircling the shoulder of the wearer which terminate in sleeves
11
and
11
′. The sleeves can be permanently attached to the shoulder supports, or alternatively can be removable.
Cups
12
and
12
′ can be formed from any suitable material known in the art including, but not limited to, lycra, spandex, cotton, or a combination thereof. Of course, other stretchable, or non-stretchable, fabrics can be employed. Cups
12
and
12
′ can further include underwires or any other conventional support features (not shown). Shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ and back support
27
can be formed from any materials known in the art and can be adjustable or unitary, as is known in the art.
In
FIG. 2
, the ladies' undergarment
10
depicted in
FIG. 1
is shown in a rear view. Brassiere
10
a
includes the back portions of shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ which terminate in sleeves
11
and
11
′ along anterior edges
16
and
16
′ and connect at their lower attachment portions
17
and
17
′ to a back strap
27
in a generally conventional manner. Back strap
27
encircles the wearer's mid-torso region and fastens in a conventional manner using, for instance, hook-and-eye fasteners. Alternatively, back strap
27
and shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ could be configured as a unitary construction similar to conventional sports-bras (not shown).
With reference to
FIG. 3
, an undergarment
10
similar to that depicted in
FIG. 1
is shown. In the embodiment of
FIG. 3
, the sleeves
11
and
11
′ are loose and contoured for a more formal look. Further, brassiere
10
a
includes a jersey covering
20
which is attached to lower midriff edge
27
a
of back strap
27
, and extends from lower midriff edge
27
a
to neckline
28
along the outer surface of brassiere
10
a
. The lateral edges
21
and
21
′ of jersey covering
20
extend to the anterior edges
16
and
16
′ of shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ and attach to sleeves
11
and
11
′ at anterior edges
16
and
16
′. Alternatively, jersey covering
20
can attach directly to shoulder supports
13
and
13
′, which in turn can attach to sleeves
11
and
11
′.
Jersey covering
20
can be formed from any material known in the art depending on the aesthetic qualities desired. For instance, cotton can be used for a more casual look, or sheer materials can be used for a more formal look. The jersey covering
20
can be formed from the same material as sleeves
11
and
11
′, or can be a different material if so desired. Neckline
28
can be shaped in any fashion known in the art, but preferably is square (shown in FIG.
3
), crew, scoop, flat (shown in FIG.
5
), or “v-neck” in shape.
The back portion of jersey covering
20
can likewise be configured in a variety of ways, depending on the aesthetic qualities desired. For instance, the back portion of jersey covering
20
can vary in the extent of coverage and the back-neckline
28
′ shape. More particularly, the back portion of jersey covering
20
can extend from back strap
27
to just below the neck line of the wearer (as shown in FIG.
4
), or can only extend from back strap
27
to a mid-region of the wearer's back (as shown in FIG.
6
). Further, the back-neckline
28
′ can be shaped in any conventional manner, including square, crew (shown in FIG.
4
), scoop (shown in FIG.
6
), square, or “v-neck” in shape. Any combination of neckline or jersey covering configuration is possible and within the scope of the present invention.
Again, the lateral edges
21
and
21
′ of the back portion ofjersey covering
20
extend to the anterior edges
16
and
16
′ of shoulder supports
13
and
13
′ and attach to sleeves
11
and
11
′ at anterior edges
16
and
16
′. Alternatively, jersey covering
20
can attach directly to shoulder supports
13
and
13
′, which in turn can attach to sleeves
11
and
11
′. The back portion of jersey
20
can fasten together using any type of conventional faster
22
, including, but not limited to, hook-and-loop fasteners, hook-and-eye fasteners, snaps, or buttons.
As discussed above, the ladies' sleeved undergarment according to the present invention allows for the cover or concealment of a wearer's arms without the addition of undue bulkiness about the torso of the wearer. The term “undue bulkiness” is intended to mean bulkiness which significantly inhibits the free movement of the wearer, or significantly detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the wearer, as readily understood by one of skill in the art. This is accomplished by providing a conventional brassiere with sleeves attached thereto. In order for a wearer to conceal one's arms, the wearer need only wear the ladies' sleeved undergarment of the present invention rather than a brassiere in conjunction with an bulky undershirt, as previously known.
Undue bulkiness is also prevented by virtue of the cropped form of the sleeved undergarment of the present invention. For example, the sleeved undergarment does not extend below the lower midriff edge of the back strap of the brassiere, thereby eliminating any bulk about the lower portion of the torso of the wearer.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, bulkiness can be further prevented by providing sleeves
11
and
11
′ with portions of tight fitting material
11
a
and
11
a
′ along the under-arm region between the front and back anterior edges
16
and
16
′ of shoulder straps
13
and
13
′, as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
. In this preferred embodiment, bulkiness is reduced by providing for a snug fit along the under-arm region of the wearer to thereby result in a smoother look when worn. The material used in this tight fitting area can be any elasticized or stretchable material known in the art, but preferably is the same material used in forming the cups of the brassiere.
While the present invention has primarily been described with reference to concealing the arm's of the wearer, it should be understood that the garment can be worn in any situation where the wearer desires to expand the versatility of their sleeveless apparel. For instance, wearer's of all ages could use the sleeved garment of the present invention in situations where sleeveless apparel might otherwise be inappropriate or undesirable, such as cooler weather. As such, the sleeved garment of the present invention can be used under any circumstances where the wearer desires to obtain the support of a brassiere and cover their arms, all without undue bulkiness about their torso.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been described and shown, the invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular construction, arrangement, or specific embodiment disclosed herein, or any specific method or operation or use, since the same may be modified in various particulars, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention herein shown, the scope of which is set forth in the claims.
Claims
- 1. A ladies' sleeved undergarment for covering an intended wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the intended wearer comprising:a brassiere including a pair of support cups, a pair of shoulder supports having anterior edges which encircle the arms of the intended wearer, and a back strap which encircles the mid-torso region of the intended wearer, a pair of sleeves extending from the anterior edges of the shoulder supports for covering the intended wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the intended wearer, and a jersey covering over the surface of the brassiere.
- 2. The ladies' sleeved undergarment of claim 1 wherein each of the sleeves include an elasticized portion along the under-arm region of the intended wearer to further prevent undue bulkiness about the torso of the intended wearer.
- 3. The ladies' sleeved undergarment of claim 1 wherein said sleeves are permanently attached to said shoulder supports.
- 4. A ladies' sleeved undergarment for covering an intended wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the intended wearer comprising:a brassiere including a pair of support cups, a pair of shoulder supports having anterior edges which encircle the arms of the wearer, and a back strap which encircles the mid-torso region of the intended wearer, and a pair of sleeves extending from the anterior edges of the shoulder supports for covering the intended wearer's arms without adding undue bulkiness about the torso of the intended wearer, wherein each of the sleeves include an elasticized portion along the under-arm region of the intended wearer to further prevent undue bulkiness about the torso of the intended wearer.
- 5. The ladies' sleeved undergarment of claim 4 further comprising a jersey covering over the surface of said brassiere.
- 6. The ladies' sleeved undergarment of claim 4 wherein the sleeves are permanently attached to the shoulder supports.
US Referenced Citations (18)