The field of invention is garments designed to shape and support breasts of any size and any type as well as undergarments facilitating nursing/breastfeeding. The current state of the art for brassieres consists of expensive, hard-to-fit, sometimes rigid or not rigid enough garments which have to be broken in or sometimes worn too big or too small in order to be comfortable. There are several makers of brassieres but the technology has not evolved in the area represented by the present invention. The technology in brassieres has been mostly associated with sports or fitness-appropriate bras touting support, shock absorbency or style. Maternity or nursing bras have been stagnant in development and have not presented new technology making them more user-friendly or comfortable in recent art.
Women go through many sizes throughout life requiring different sized clothing. Beginning in puberty, women begin wearing bras and, they too, need to be adjusted to the different sizes a woman goes through in her lifetime. Further, when a woman is about to give birth or is nursing, she requires even more versatility in her bra. Women's lingerie is costly but necessary; and bras tend to be one of the more expensive items. Not only are bras costly, but they do not always fit or allow for comfortability even after all of the money spent. Bra-users tend to wear the wrong size bra for a number of reasons.
First, women tend to hold on to improperly sized bras beyond the time they should. The bra either does not fit or does not suit the purpose for which it was originally purchased. Another reason women tend to wear the wrong size bra is they have life events which cause them to “size up” or “size down” meaning change a size in either direction and because bras are so costly; women tend to just tolerate the bra they already have versus buying a new appropriately sized, better-fitting bra. Also, bras require “breaking in” which means wearing a new bra until it becomes comfortable and once comfortable; it becomes an item not easily discarded, even when it should be, as it was not easily attained.
Women also tend to establish favorite garments. For the aforementioned reasons, once a woman has established a garment or undergarment, in this case a bra, as a “favorite,” it is definitely not discarded. Thus, women, for one reason or another, tend to wear the wrong sized brassieres because they reach “favorite status” and the current invention helps provide a cost-effective solution to all of the above issues.
The present invention is an answer to the changing needs of women when facing pregnancy-induced weight gain or any short-term weight gain or loss which causes body changes enough to make the bras they have unfit because of size or purpose or both. Present invention provides a solution integrating into one garment the ability to accommodate temporary or permanent changes in the user's body size with the functionality that also facilitates nursing/breastfeeding. Present invention saves money and time by being a bra comprised of interchangeable components having both convertible and adjustable/retractable features making it fully adaptable for short-term and permanent body changes further able to facilitate breast-feeding.
Bras can be ill-fitting, cost-prohibitive, uncomfortable and sometimes unstylish. A need for a different sized bra does not always trigger bra-users to address said need. Bras have become more prominent pieces of wardrobes and can now be seen as part of an outfit, not just as an undergarment. Bras have also become functionally sound for several different purposes from nursing to exercising. Even with the evolution of the bra, there are still short comings. In the current state of the art, bras still lack adaptability for purpose and for fit at the same time in the same garment. There are bras that are singularly adaptable for style, support, fit, maternity needs or even medical reasons post-surgery; but none, however, that combine these elements to make a single option superior in purpose and fit, until present invention. Efforts in the area include the following:
Prill, U.S. Pat. No. 9,345,274, discloses a nursing device consisting of a strap used to connect the nursing bra to a nursing bra cover to facilitate nursing or breast-feeding a baby. The strap is designed to hold a nursing bra in the proper place for a nursing baby and also to provide a cover garment to shroud the baby which helps to facilitate breast-feeding. The strap means is the connector by which this invention achieves its inventive purpose.
Ives-Keeler, U.K. Patent Application No. 2,558,664, discloses a bra for use post-surgery that is more “comfortable to put on, wear and take-off, and which minimizes the risk of irritation or trauma to healing or scarred tissue.” The invention is a bra with separate parts to facilitate the ease of wearing the bra as well as putting it on and removing it.
Elyse, U.S. Patent Application No. 2019/0,008,214, discloses a support article, namely a bra, and more particularly a sports bra that is able to allow the user the ability to adjust the level of support required from the support article at any given time based on the activity level anticipated by the user. The support article can be used for activities requiring a lot of support or for day-to-day wear.
Pfister, U.S. Patent Application No. 2018/0492,710, discloses a “modular garment” with “interchangeable support configurations” for the purpose of supporting a strapless bra with a bralette for the proper support when wearing garments where showing straps may be considered an “unkempt” or “unfashionable” look, but the support of straps is still needed by the user. The subject of the invention is to provide support and style for users requiring more support even when they cannot use “unfashionable” straps by providing a bralette which is fashionable and also provides necessary support.
Chabaud, French Patent Application No. 3,082,393, discloses a “personalized bra” made to fit a user as if the bra has been “tailor-made.” The cups are designed to fit the users “morphological parameters” to avoid “negative consequences” of an ill-fitting bra. The cups of the bra are removable and have a rod extending the length of the cup from top to bottom that can be manipulated to change the cup's shape for a more or a less snug fit.
Woo, Korean Patent No. 102,082,797, discloses an adjustable bra where the spacing between the garment's cups can be changed by using a dial. This bra is able to adjust the distance between the cups to accommodate the changes a user may go through where the user's breast does not fit in the bra as is because of “hormonal changes” for instance. Changes that cause the bra to be ill-fitting can be accommodated by adjusting the fit of the bra by tightening or loosening the cups around the breasts by adding or reducing space between the cups using the dial for adjustment.
Flaherty, U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,861B1, discloses a bra with straps that can be changed based on the clothing being worn so as to make the straps match the article of clothing. The straps can be of varying material, thickness and color made to match or “play off” the color of the clothing.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-way sizing bra to accommodate a user's body throughout life-changing events. In one embodiment, the exemplary multi-way sizing bra has several components enabling user to interchange parts of the present invention for an adapted fit. In yet another embodiment, the exemplary multi-way sizing bra has several components enabling user to convert from a regular bra to a bra that facilitates nursing/breast-feeding. And in yet another embodiment, the exemplary maternity multi-way sizing bra can do both—adapt to fit and convert to a nursing bra. All present and future exemplary embodiments will reduce the cost of purchasing lingerie, namely bras, overtime; decrease wear and tear on any one component of a bra; and provide the best fit.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the multi-way sizing bra accommodates changes occurring in any part of the body corresponding to bra-wearing including a change in back size, breast size, level of support needed and function of the breast (for nursing). Further, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention it can adapt in color and style. Present invention, with reduction of costs and increase in fit as focal points, allows for interchangeable, flexible convertible bra cups, adaptable adjustable shoulder straps, integrated maternity clasps and replaceable adjustable back bands keeping it adaptable to style & function while at the same time cost-effective as well as a best-fitting bra for both specialized and daily use.
The exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a brassiere consisting of several interchangeable pieces comprising a replaceable adjustable back band, replaceable left and right adjustable shoulder straps, a maternity clasp, and flexible left and right bra cups with a convertible feature to facilitate nursing a baby connected to bra cup panels forming the bra cup panel assembly.
The bra cup panel assembly having the ability to be interchanged with other bra cup panel assemblies of varying styles, sizes and functions for the user to achieve a custom fit, over and over again but saving on the costs of new bra purchase. The exemplary embodiment has a front closure which is not a limitation on present invention.
The replaceable adjustable back band is a durable but flexible textile and elastic material made to breathe and stretch for the user's comfort. The replaceable adjustable shoulder straps, one for the left side and one for the right side of the garment are both made to adjust for the user's support, style and comfort requirements to be made with a similar if not the same durable flexible, breathable, stretchable textile as the replaceable adjustable back band and replaceable bra panel assembly; further able to change in color and style.
The two bra cup panels are comprised of a cup structure contoured to receive a breast. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the cup is affixed to the maternity multi-way sizing bra with a maternity clasp for nursing which enables the cup to partially detach as a convertible feature to expose the breast without removing the entire bra to nurse. The cup is anchored to the bra cup panel allowing for the cup to be unattached and reattached, as needed, over and over again.
There are a plurality of fasteners facilitating the maternity multi-way sizing changes possible with this garment. There are fasteners in the front of the maternity multi-way sizing bra connecting the right and left bra panel assemblies. These fasteners are located on the bra panel under the bra cup to connect the replaceable bra panel assembly at the sternum of user. There are fasteners located on the bra panel to connect the replaceable bra panel assembly to the replaceable adjustable back band under the user's armpit for a secure fit. There is a convertible fastener clasp at the top of each bra cup which can be connected to a fastener clasp to create a maternity bra. This clasp facilitates nursing.
The bra panels include fasteners in a vertical linear symmetry on the outer portion of the flexible bra panel, opposite the inner fasteners on the other portion, to align with the fasteners on the complementary band for which they are to connect to create the construction of the garment. Each adjustable connector (replaceable adjustable back band, replaceable left adjustable shoulder strap and replaceable right adjustable shoulder strap) has fasteners to connect to the maternity multi-way sizing bra in the appropriate capacity to facilitate a complete garment with proper support and fit. On each end of the replaceable adjustable strap there is a hook; one to attach to the replaceable bra panel assembly via the maternity clasp and one to attach to the back band loop. The replaceable adjustable back band has a plurality of fasteners to facilitate attachment. Each band and strap have an adjustable means which facilitates lengthening or shortening said band or strap for the user's specific fit, support and comfort level. Each strap and band have a loop to facilitate adjusting means.
Components and features of present exemplary embodiment will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration of a single embodiment and not the only embodiment, and therefore, not as a definition of limits of the present disclosure.
Referring now specifically to the figures,
As the bra 14 is fully detachable,
As the bra 14 is fully detachable,
As the bra 14 is fully assembled in the first exemplary embodiment, all of the fasteners, clasps and loops are connected to show a fully assembled maternity multi-way sizing bra 14 in
The replaceable adjustable back band 3a is illustrated in
This non-provisional patent application claims priority to provisional patent U.S. 62/838,734 filed 25 Apr. 2019 pursuant to 35 USC § 119(e) the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2706816 | Dozier | Apr 1955 | A |
3740765 | Delplace | Jun 1973 | A |
8506349 | Sobah-Wilhelm | Aug 2013 | B2 |
20060003669 | Li | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20060079153 | Davidson | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20070123148 | Heer | May 2007 | A1 |
20090258572 | Chayo | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100178847 | Buriak | Jul 2010 | A1 |
20100261410 | Hirtz | Oct 2010 | A1 |
20110081826 | Hendrickson | Apr 2011 | A1 |
20120184179 | Blitz | Jul 2012 | A1 |
20150004877 | Bailey | Jan 2015 | A1 |
20160150833 | Spicer | Jun 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20200337389 A1 | Oct 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62838734 | Apr 2019 | US |