MAGNETIC SECUREMENT DEVICE FOR A GARMENT INSERT AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

A magnetic securement device for a garment insert includes a top portion having a top metal backing, a top magnet within a recess of the top metal backing, and a top silicone layer encapsulating the top metal backing and the top magnet. The top silicone layer has a dome shape. The device also includes a complementary bottom portion having a bottom metal backing, a bottom magnet within a recess of the bottom metal backing, and a bottom silicone layer encapsulating the bottom metal backing and the bottom magnet. The bottom silicone layer has a disc shape. The top portion and the bottom portion of the device are configured to secure on opposing sides of the garment insert through magnetic attractive forces to keep the garment insert in place during a washing cycle.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of magnet fasteners, and, more particularly, to a magnetic securement device for a garment insert and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Women's garments often include removable inserts and/or liners for the breast area. The inserts may include padding that are used to provide structure to the garment and otherwise supplement the aesthetics of the garment and the woman wearing it. The insert is placed in a pocket sewn inside the garment. The pocket is accessed through a relatively small slot at the side of the pocket.

A shortcoming of the inserts is that the padded inserts may become twisted, folded, and out of place during washing and/or drying of the garment. It is difficult to reposition the insert back to its original position using the relatively small slot at the side of the pocket. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements in keeping inserts in place during washing and drying.

SUMMARY

A magnetic securement device for a garment insert is disclosed. The magnetic securement device includes a top portion comprising a top metal backing having a recess, a top magnet within the recess, and a top silicone layer encapsulating the top metal backing and the top magnet. The top silicone layer has a dome shape. The device also includes a bottom portion comprising a bottom metal backing having a recess, a bottom magnet within the recess, and a bottom silicone layer encapsulating the bottom metal backing and the bottom magnet. The bottom silicone layer has a disc shape. The top portion and the bottom portion are configured to secure on opposing sides of the garment insert through magnetic attractive forces to keep the garment insert in place during a washing cycle.

The top magnet and the bottom magnet may comprise N52 magnets, and the top magnet and the bottom magnet have opposing polarities. The top magnet and the bottom magnet may comprise SmCo magnets, for example. The top metal backing and the bottom metal backing may comprise stainless steel.

The device may include a top protective cover and a bottom protective cover. The top portion is slipped within the top protective cover, and the bottom portion is slipped within the bottom protective cover. Also, the top protective cover may have a foam layer configured to protect the garment insert from a hardness of the top magnet.

In another particular aspect, a method of securing a garment insert with a magnetic device is disclosed. The magnetic device includes a top portion having a first polarity, and a bottom portion having a second polarity opposite of the first polarity. The method includes placing the top portion on an outer side of the garment insert, and placing the bottom portion on an inner side of the garment insert. The magnetic attractive forces of the top portion and the bottom portion secure the garment insert in place during a washing cycle.

In another particular aspect, a method of making a magnetic securement device for a garment insert is disclosed. The method includes inserting a top magnet within a recess of a top metal backing, and encapsulating the top magnet and the top metal backing within silicone to form a top portion. The method also includes inserting a bottom magnet within a recess of a bottom metal backing, and encapsulating the bottom magnet and the bottom metal backing within silicone to form a bottom portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aspects and the attendant advantages of the embodiments described herein will become more readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a magnetic securement device for a garment insert in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of the magnetic securement device secured to a garment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a top portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the top portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the top portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the top portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the top portion of the magnetic securement device taken in the direction of line 7-7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bottom portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the bottom portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the bottom portion of the magnetic securement device;

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of the bottom portion of the magnetic securement device; and

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the bottom portion of the magnetic securement device taken in the direction of line 13-13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Women's garments often have padded inserts and/or liners that are used to provide structure to the garment for aesthetics reasons. In particular, padded inserts are often used in the breast area of athletic tops, swimsuits, bras, and other types of women's clothing. The inserts can become twisted, folded or otherwise contorted when washed in a washing machine and dried in a dryer due to the motion. Accordingly, the magnetic securement device of the present invention that is described herein can keep the insert in place and from being damaged during the washing and drying process.

The magnetic securement device resolves the problem of pads/liners in sports bras, bras, swim suits, athletic tops etc. from coming completely detached from the top or folding over/crinkling up in the top as a result of a washing machine and/or dryer. The magnetic securement device holds the inserts completely in place with strong magnetic force on either side of the insert. The magnetic securement device may be constructed of a strong waterproof N35 magnet or N52 magnet, for example, and stainless steel metal behind the magnet to redirect the magnetic force from the opposite side of magnet to avoid attraction to other magnets in the washing machine and/or dryer. In addition, the metal backing prevents the device from attaching to the interior of the washing machine and/or dryer. The magnetic securement device includes a coating of waterproof silicone material to avoid rusting as well as giving the device a softer aesthetic to avoid making loud noises while in the washing machine and/or dryer.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a typical women's garment 104 with a padded insert 106 is shown in a partial cross-sectional view. The padded insert 106 generally fits over the breast area and is positioned within a pocket sewn on the inside of the garment. The padded insert 106 may comprise foam or other flexible material.

A magnetic securement device of the present invention is generally designated 102 and is shown holding the padded insert and/or liner 106 in place. In particular, the magnetic securement device 102 includes a top portion 108 and a bottom portion 110. The top portion 108 is placed on the outside of the garment 104 and the bottom portion 110 is placed on the inside of the garment 104 as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the magnetic forces between the top portion 108 and the bottom portion 110 are strong enough to firmly sandwich the padded insert 106 and/or liner in place so that it cannot move within the pocket during a washing cycle.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a first magnetic securement device 102a and a second magnetic securement device 102b are secured to the woman's garment 104 over the breast areas. The garment 104 is now ready to be washed and/or dried without concern that the padded inserts 106a, 106b may be twisted or contorted in any way.

The top portion 108 of the device 102 is shown in FIGS. 4-8. The top portion 108 is generally dome shaped and having a flat lower surface as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an exploded view of the top portion is shown. The top portion 108 includes a metal backing 116 that may be ring shaped and have a recess that is configured to surround a periphery and top of the magnet 118. This helps to direct the magnetic forces downward towards a bottom portion 110 as explained below. The metal backing 116 and the magnet 118 may be encapsulated in a silicone layer 114 or other similar material, where the silicone layer 114 defines the dome shape of the top portion 108. The dome shape of the silicone layer 114 helps to cushion and prevent loud noises and damage to the washer/dryer from the metal backing 116 and magnet 118. The dome shape is also important to spatially distance the magnet 118 from the metal sidewalls of the washer/dryer to eliminate the magnetic attraction thereto.

In addition, the top portion 108 is configured to be slipped inside a removable top protective cover 112 using slit 115. The slit 115 is shown in FIG. 6.

An elevational view of the top portion 108 with the protective cover 112 is shown in FIG. 7, which also shows the dome shape of the top portion 108.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a cross sectional view of the top portion 108 is shown. The top protective cover 112 may comprise a fabric having a foam or silicone layer 117. The protective cover 112 does not interfere with the magnetic forces between the top portion 108 and the bottom portion 110, but serves to prevent the magnet 118 of the top portion 108 from making an indentation into the padded insert and/or liner 106. The layer 117 provides a cushion against the hardness of the magnet 118.

The magnet 118 is secured within the recess of the metal backing 116 as shown in FIG. 8 and encapsulated by the silicone 114.

The bottom portion 110 is shown in FIGS. 9-13. The bottom portion 110 has a similar construction to the top portion 108 with a metal backing 122 and a magnet 124 encapsulated in a silicone layer 120 as shown in the exploded view of FIG. 10. However, the bottom portion 110 has a different shape and is disc shaped as best shown in FIG. 9. This makes it easier for the user to distinguish between the top portion 108 and the bottom portion 110 when installing over the padded insert 106 and/or liner. The user will easily know what positive polarity goes to what negative polarity and will not inadvertently attempt to put two positives or two negatives together that do not attract.

The bottom portion 110 is configured to be slipped inside a removable bottom protective cover 126 using slit 128, as shown in FIG. 11, similar to the top portion 108 as described above. The bottom protective cover 126 may comprise a fabric material.

An elevational view of the bottom portion 110 with the protective cover 126 is shown in FIG. 11, which also shows the disc shape of the bottom portion 110.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a cross sectional view of the bottom portion 110 is shown with the protective cover 126. The magnet 124 is secured within the recess of the metal backing 122 as shown in FIG. 13 and encapsulated by the silicone layer 120. The magnet 124 has an opposite polarity to the top magnet 118 as those of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate. The magnets 118, 124 may be a SmCo magnet, N52 magnet or other magnet able to generate sufficient magnetic forces for the device 102 to function properly.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope possible consistent with the principles and novel features as defined herein.

Claims

1. A magnetic securement device for a garment insert, the device comprising: a top portion comprising, a top metal backing having a recess,a top magnet within the recess, anda top silicone layer encapsulating the top metal backing and the top magnet, the top silicone layer having a dome shape; anda bottom portion comprising, a bottom metal backing having a recess,a bottom magnet within the recess, anda bottom silicone layer encapsulating the bottom metal backing and the bottom magnet, the bottom silicone layer having a disc shape;wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are configured to secure on opposing sides of the garment insert through magnetic attractive forces to keep the garment insert in place during a washing cycle.

2. The magnetic securement device of claim 1, wherein the top magnet and the bottom magnet comprise N52 magnets.

3. The magnetic securement device of claim 1, wherein the top magnet and the bottom magnet have opposing polarities.

4. The magnetic device of claim 1, wherein the top magnet and the bottom magnet comprise SmCo magnets.

6. The magnetic device of claim 1, wherein the top metal backing and the bottom metal backing comprise stainless steel.

7. The magnetic securement device of claim 1, further comprising a top protective cover, wherein the top portion is slipped within the top protective cover.

8. The magnetic securement device of claim 7, further comprising a bottom protective cover the bottom portion, wherein the bottom portion is slipped within the bottom protective cover.

8. The magnetic securement device of claim 7, wherein the top protective cover has a foam layer configured to protect the garment insert from a hardness of the top magnet.

9. The magnetic securement device of claim 7, wherein the top protective cover has a slit configured to insert or remove the top magnet therein.

10. A method of securing a garment insert with a magnetic device comprising a top portion having a first polarity, and a bottom portion having a second polarity opposite of the first polarity, the method comprising: placing the top portion on an outer side of the garment insert; andplacing the bottom portion on an inner side of the garment insert;wherein magnetic attractive forces of the top portion and the bottom portion secure the garment insert in place during a washing cycle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the top portion comprises a top metal backing having a recess, a top magnet within the recess, and a top silicone layer encapsulating the top metal backing and the top magnet.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the bottom portion comprises a bottom metal backing having a recess, a bottom magnet within the recess, and a bottom silicone layer encapsulating the bottom metal backing and the bottom magnet.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion comprise N52 magnets.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the top silicone layer comprises a dome shape.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the bottom silicone layer comprises a shape different than the top portion.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the top portion comprises a top protective cover.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bottom portion comprises a bottom protective layer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the top protective layer has a foam layer to protect the garment insert from a hardness of the top magnet.

19. A method of making a magnetic securement device for a garment insert, the method comprising: inserting a top magnet within a recess of a top metal backing, and encapsulating the top magnet and the top metal backing within silicone to form a top portion; andinserting a bottom magnet within a recess of a bottom metal backing, and encapsulating the bottom magnet and the bottom metal backing within silicone to form a bottom portion;wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are configured to secure on opposing sides of the garment insert through magnetic attractive forces to keep the garment insert in place during a washing cycle.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising slipping the top portion within a top protective cover, and slipping the bottom portion within a bottom protective cover.