The present invention relates to molded brassieres and particularly to breast cups having a seamless construction. Moreover, the invention relates to brassieres and breast cups intended to enhance a wearers bust by creating the illusion of a larger breast cup size.
Aside from providing support, many brassieres are designed to enhance the appearance of a wearers bust, generally by lifting the breasts up and pushing them forward or away from the wearers body, and/or toward each other to create the illusion of a more substantial cleavage. As a matter of comfort, any cosmetic enhancement should be achieved without any excessive squeezing, or other constriction of the wearers breasts which may cause discomfort.
A variety of methods have been employed to accomplish these lifting and pushing effects including the use of an under wire which runs approximately from the point at which the shoulder straps connect to each of the breast cups, and run along the lower periphery of each breast cup, and the provision of additional straps to lift the breast cups with some variations of such straps being positioned so as to pull the breast cups towards each other.
Another approach to enhancing the bust involves the use of breast pads otherwise known as “cookies” or “chicken fillets” which are inserted into each breast cup to provide padding and thereby create the illusion of a larger breast size. Such “cookies” may be formed from various resilient materials including foam and are typically positioned within the lower portion of breast cup. The “cookies” are usually substantially oval in shape, hence the synonym “chicken fillet”.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a breast cup construction which enhances the bust of a wearer of a brassiere which incorporates such a breast cup construction.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having reference to the following specification together with its drawings.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a molded breast cup comprising:
a outer panel including an outer fabric layer;
a inner panel including an inner fabric layer to be worn against a wearers skin;
a middle layer disposed between the outer panel and the inner panel and positioned within a substantial portion of the breast cup including at least a central region thereof, the middle layer comprising fill having sufficient thickness such that the outer panel corresponds to a first breast cup size being more than substantially one breast cup size above a second breast cup size corresponding to the inner panel.
Preferably, the breast cup is molded so as to apply a pushing force against an underside of the wearers breast causing the breast to be displaced into the upper region of the breast cup.
More preferably, the middle layer is substantially circular in shape.
More preferably, the middle layer comprises fibre fill.
Preferably, the outer panel further includes a memory foam layer attached to the outer fabric layer and the inner panel further includes a soft foam layer attached to the inner fabric layer.
In another embodiment, a thickness of the breast cup tapers towards a periphery of the breast cup and particularly towards an upper portion of the breast cup.
In one form of the invention, the thickest part of the breast cup is between 25 millimetres and 35 millimetres thick.
In another form of the invention, the thickest part of the breast cup is approximately 30 millimetres thick.
Preferably, the thickness around the periphery of the breast cup is between 15 millimetres and 20 millimetres thick.
Most preferably, the first breast cup size is around two sizes larger than the second breast cup size.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a molded brassiere comprising:
two molded breast cups each including:
an intermediate bridging region extending between the two breast cups; and
a back strap extending from each of the two breast cups for securing the brassiere to a torso of a wearer.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making a molded breast cup, the method comprising the following steps:
forming an outer panel including an outer fabric layer;
forming an inner panel including an inner fabric layer to be worn against a wearers skin;
trimming to size fill having sufficient thickness to provide a middle layer;
placing the middle layer on the outer panel and beneath the inner panel such that the middle layer will be positioned within a substantial portion of the breast cup including at least a central region thereof before molding the combined layers to form two breast cups; and
trimming each molded breast cup to the desired shape;
wherein the middle layer has sufficient thickness such that the outer panel corresponds to a first breast cup size being more than substantially one breast cup size above a second breast cup size corresponding to the inner panel.
The steps of forming the outer and inner panels may include laminating the respective fabric layers with a foam layer.
Preferably the step of forming the outer panel includes laminating the outer fabric layer with a memory foam.
Preferably, the step of forming the inner panel includes laminating the inner fabric layer with a soft foam.
In one form of the invention, the step of molding the combined layers to form two breast cups comprises the following steps:
performing a first molding of the outer panel to form two breast cups; and
placing the middle layer and inner panel on the outer panel such that the middle layer will be positioned within a substantial portion of the breast cup including at least a central region thereof and performing a second molding to form two breast cups.
In another form of the invention, the step of molding the combined layers to form two breast cups comprises the following steps:
performing a first molding of either of the outer and inner panels to form two breast cups; and
placing the middle layer and the other of the outer and inner panels on the first molded panel such that the middle layer will be positioned within a substantial portion of the breast cup including at least a central region thereof and performing a second molding to form two breast cups.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method for making a molded brassiere, comprising the following steps:
forming an outer panel including an outer fabric layer;
forming an inner panel including an inner fabric layer to be worn against a wearers skin;
trimming to size fill having sufficient thickness to provide a middle layer;
placing the middle layer on the outer layer and beneath the inner layer such that the middle layer will be positioned within a substantial portion of the breast cup including at least a central region thereof before molding the combined layers to form two breast cups; and
trimming the molded layers to define two breast cups, an intermediate bridging region extending there between and a back strap;
wherein the middle layer has sufficient thickness such that the outer panel corresponds to a first breast cup size being more than substantially one breast cup size above a second breast cup size corresponding to the inner panel.
It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in greater detail by reference to the accompanying figures which facilitate understanding of the method according to this invention. The particularity of the figures and the related description is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the broad identification of the invention as given in the attached claims.
Referring firstly to
Referring now to
Referring back to
The thickest part of the breast cup 100 is between 25 and 35 millimetres thick. In one particular embodiment, the thickest part of the breast cup 100 is approximately 30 millimetres thick. By way of comparison, for a conventional breast cup with no “cookie”, the thickest point is typically about 3 to 7 millimetres. For a conventional breast cup with a “cookie”, the thickest point is typically about 15 to 16 millimetres.
The thickness of the breast cup 100 tapers towards a periphery 125 of the breast cup and particularly towards an upper portion 120 of the breast cup to be worn against an upper side of a wearers breast. The thickness around the periphery 125 of the breast cup 100 is between 15 and 20 millimetres thick.
Referring now to
As can be seen in
Since fibre fill alone is not as good as foam in forming a cup shape by molding and retaining the desired shape, particularly after repeated washings, a breast cup embodying the principles of the present invention will preferably include foam layer. The feel of foam is also generally more pleasing against the skin than fibre fill. In a preferred embodiment, there is a foam layer attached on the inner side (i.e., the side which is more proximate to a wearers skin) to the outer fabric layer and another foam layer attached on the outer side (i.e., the side which is more distal from a wearers skin) to the inner fabric layer. Preferably, the foam layer attached to the outer fabric layer comprises a resilient memory foam, which provides a hand feel akin to the human skin. Preferably, the foam layer attached to the inner fabric layer comprises a soft foam. Given that the inner panel is located immediately proximate to a wearers skin, the soft foam provides better comfort to the wearer.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Before the second molding, for each of the outer and inner panels, the surface of the foam layer that is not facing the fabric layer is spayed with an adhesive which will dry without sticking but will stick when heated in a mold during the molding process. After the second molding, the outer panel 410 and the middle layer or “cookie” 405 are laminated with the inner panel 415 and the breast cup shapes formed.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The present invention is also applicable to a molded one-piece bra, with or without a core assembly as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,150 which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Having performed the second molding, the whole brassiere is cut and trimmed rather than simply the individual breast cups. If a core assembly, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,150, is included, the thick “cookie” is placed between the two foam layers making up the core assembly.
The advantage of the present invention is the ability to boost the bra cup size by more than one size up, or preferably by (about) two sizes up, so that when a wearer who typically wears, for example, a “B” cup size brassiere is wearing a brassiere incorporating the breast cups of the present invention, it could achieve the illusion of, for example, a “D” cup size brassiere (i.e., the illusion of the wearer having a larger breast size), while simultaneously maintaining a good level of comfort and a natural look.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many alternative, modifications and variations in light of the foregoing description are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternative, modifications and variations as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed.