Patent Grant
8430715
The present invention generally relates to methods for encasing underwires for brassieres and manufacturing brassieres with such encased underwires. The improved methods for encasing such underwires minimizes the manufacturing time required to encase underwires, minimizes the time to manufacture brassieres made with such encased underwires, and minimizes the likelihood that such an underwire will poke through the encasing material.
The use of underwires in brassieres is well known in the prior art. Common complaints from wearers of underwire brassieres include poor fit, pinching due to the interaction of the underwire and fabric components of the brassiere, and the need to dispose of such a brassiere because the underwire has poked through the fabric encasing the underwire. It is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved brassiere that overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
A need exists for improvement in the field of brassieres that incorporate underwires and the methods for encasing such underwires and manufacturing brassieres using such underwires. This and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.
There are numerous methods for encasing underwires, and numerous methods for affixing such encased underwires to brassiere cups and/or the fabric belt of the brassiere. Regardless of the methods used, there is a tendency for the ends of the underwire to poke through the encasing fabric and for the underwire to break the stitching that keeps the underwire encased. While the cups and belt of such a brassiere may remain in wearable condition, the damage caused by the underwire often causes the wearer to discard the brassiere prematurely.
Typical prior art underwires are sewn into a brassiere after the remainder of the brassiere is assembled. That is, the fabric belt is typically assembled first, the cups (if separate) are sewn in next, and then a sandwich comprising a layer of lining fabric, an underwire, and a backing fabric are sewn to the fabric belt. The sewing starts with a bar-tack at the top (shoulder strap attachment point) of the belt, and then the sandwich is stitched to the bottom of the belt and a cup using a double needle sewing machine. The stitching proceeds towards the center of the belt.
The above sewing means results in several points where the finished garment is fairly thick due to the number of fabric components and the number of stitching operations. This can create bulges and inflexible fabric bunching, which can be unsightly and uncomfortable for the wearer. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to minimize the number of sewing operations to minimize cost, reduce fabric waste, and allow for the manufacture of brassieres that are more attractive and more comfortable. Prior art underwires are also prone to poke through the fabric encasement due to the interaction of the underwire, its encasing fabric, and the related stitching, as the wearer's breasts move during normal motion. Such movement can cause the underwire to abrade the encasing fabric and stitching, eventually causing the encasement to fail and the underwire to poke through. The uncovered end of the underwire can be very uncomfortable for the wearer and can create unsightly bulges under the wearer's clothing. The result is that the wearer typically will discard an otherwise useable brassiere. The encased underwire of the present invention is encased in a fabric enclosure or tube, said tube being closed longitudinally with a single stitched edge, prior to assembly with the remaining components of a brassiere.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an underwire that is fully encased in a fabric enclosure as a separate assembly. The encased underwire of the present invention may have a fabric extension or tab at each end that can be easily sewn in to the top or center of a brassiere belt. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an encased underwire that is sealed at each end, thereby eliminating the need to bar-tack the ends to the belt of a brassiere belt.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an encased underwire that can be sewn into the belt of a brassiere starting from the center and ending at the back.
The underwire of the present invention accomplishes the above objectives as described below.
A first aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing an underwire assembly for attachment to other components of a brassiere, the underwire assembly including a fabric layer and an underwire. The method comprises creating a fabric enclosure having a sealed side and first and second open ends by bringing together opposite side ends of the fabric layer and fastening the opposite side ends to one another substantially along a length thereof. The method further comprises inserting the underwire into the first open end of the fabric enclosure and continuing to pass the underwire through the fabric enclosure until a first end and a second end of the underwire are completely housed within the fabric enclosure. The method further comprises sealing the first and second open ends of the fabric enclosure such that the underwire is encased within the sealed side and first and second sealed ends of the fabric enclosure.
In one embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the opposite side ends of the fabric layer are fastened together by stitching. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention the opposite side ends of the fabric layer are fastened together by adhesive. In yet another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention the opposite side ends of the fabric layer are fastened together by ultrasonic welding.
In one embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention sealing the first and second open ends of the fabric enclosure creates first and second extension ends extending outwardly from the first and second sealed ends of the fabric enclosure respectively. The method further includes attaching the first extension end to a second portion of the brassiere and the second extension end to a third portion of the brassiere to further secure the underwire assembly to the brassiere.
In another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention includes attaching a side of the fabric enclosure opposite the sealed side substantially along a length of the side to a first portion of the brassiere in order to secure the fabric enclosure to the brassiere with the sealed side facing away from the side being attached to the brassiere.
In yet another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, sealing the first and second open ends of the fabric enclosure seals the inner fabric layer substantially around the first and second ends of the underwire.
In still yet another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, sealing the first open end of the fabric enclosure creates a first space between the first end of the underwire and the sealed first end of the fabric enclosure and a second space between the second end of the underwire and the sealed second end of the fabric enclosure.
In one embodiment of a second aspect of the present invention, an underwire is encased in a fabric enclosure or tube. The fabric tube may be formed by laminating a lining layer, such as a layer of polyester tricot, to a second fabric layer made of any suitable material. The two fabric layers may be laminated by an adhesive, by a film, or by other means. The laminated fabric is preferably wrapped around the underwire with the lining layer facing the underwire, and the second layer facing outwards. The tube is then closed longitudinally about the underwire by stitching the edges by conventional means. The ends of the tube are then closed by sealing each end along a sealing area. A small gap may be left between the ends of the underwire and the sealing area to account for longitudinal shrinkage of the fabric tube. The ends may be sealed by an adhesive, by ultrasonic welding, by RF welding, or other similar means. Sealing the ends in this manner ensures that the sealed ends are smoother due to the low profile as compared to a prior art underwire that uses a folded fabric and a bar-tack sewing stitch. An extension or tab of fabric is preferably left at each end of the assembled encased underwire. The tabs are then used to further secure the underwire assembly to the brassiere belt. The underwire of the present invention may be sewn into the brassiere belt prior to completion of the sewing steps that create the top and back of the belt. The fabric tabs of the encased underwire can therefore be easily hidden under the top and back trim tapes of the brassiere belt during the sewing steps that are employed to complete the assembly of the belt.
One or more preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same elements are referred to with the same reference numerals.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (an “Ordinary Artisan”) that the present invention has broad utility and application. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention, and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended to, nor is to be construed to, limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the appended claims rather than the description set forth herein.
Referring now to the drawings, one or more embodiments of the present invention are described. The following description of one or more embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its implementations, or uses.
When a brassiere incorporating such a prior art encased underwire 21 is worn, the weight of the wearer's breast generally applies pressure to the interface between the underwire 21 and the stitched edge 23 of the fabric. This pressure may cause abrasion between the underwire 21 and the stitching as the underwire moves with the movement of the wearer's breast and can cause the stitching to abrade and fail.
When a brassiere incorporating the underwire 31 of the present invention is worn, the weight of the wearer's breast generally applies pressure to the interface between the underwire 31 and the folded edge 32 of the fabric. Since there are no stitches at this interface, in contrast to the prior art underwire encasement described in
A conventionally encased underwire, such as underwire 21, is generally sewn into the encasing fabric during the sewing of the brassiere. The top and back of the brassiere belt are generally completed before the cups and underwires are attached. The end of the encased underwire 21 is typically bar-tacked to the top of the brassiere belt (the top being the attach point for the shoulder strap in the front of the brassiere) and one cup, the underwire is positioned in the fabric tube 3, and the fabric tube is sewn shut along edges 23 and to a brassiere cup and to the brassiere belt at the same time. This is generally a difficult sewing operation and requires a skilled sewing machine operator to perform. The sewing is made more difficult towards the center of the belt as the two underwires and the cups are in close proximity at this point in the sewing operation, and further limits the types of brassieres that can be sewn on a particular sewing machine. Once the tube is completely sewn along the edges 23, the end of the tube is bar-tacked to affix the end of the underwire 21 to the brassiere belt and a cup, and to prevent the underwire from being displaced from the fabric tube during use or laundering. The end of the fabric tube is preferably then cut away as scrap, and a finish tape may be applied to cover the cut end. Due to the number of fabric layers and stitching layers at the top edge (the tube bar-tack and the finish tape), the finished garment may be somewhat thick. This can create lumps in the garment and also be uncomfortable for the wearer.
The encased underwire 31 of the present invention may be encased prior to the assembly of the underwire and the brassiere cups and belt. A fabric tube of great length may be formed by stitching the edges 33 of fabric 3. In one embodiment, a fabric tab 44 of a given length can be measured, a first end of the fabric tube can be sealed along a sealing area 42, and the finished length (accounting for a sealing area 42 and tab 44 at the second end) can be measured and cut. An underwire 41 can be inserted into the tube, and the second end can then be sealed. In another embodiment, a first end of an underwire can be inserted into a first open end of a fabric enclosure until the first end and a second end of the underwire is completely housed within the fabric enclosure. First and second open ends of the fabric enclosure may then be sealed, creating first and second sealed ends. The finished encased underwire assembly can then be attached to the brassiere belt and a cup in a single operation. Since the underwire 41 is pre-encased in an assembly, it can be sewn to the brassiere belt and a cup by starting from the center of the belt and sewing towards the back of the brassiere belt. This is an easier sewing operation and can be performed more quickly than with a prior art underwire. This also minimizes fabric waste, allows for a lower profile stitch, and maximizes sewing efficiency for lower sewing cost.
As further shown in
Sealing first and second open ends 145, 147 of fabric enclosure 140 creates first and second extension ends 160, 162 extending outwardly from the first and second sealed ends 146, 148 of the fabric enclosure 140 respectively. Sealing the first and second open ends 145, 147 of the fabric enclosure 140 seals an inner surface of the fabric layer 100, now enclosure 140, substantially around the first and second ends 122, 124 of the underwire 120. In sealing the first open end 145 of the fabric enclosure 140, a first space 165 is created between the first end 122 of the underwire 120 and the sealed first end 146 of the fabric enclosure 140. In sealing the second open end 147 of the fabric enclosure 140, a second space 167 is created between the second end 124 of the underwire 120 and the sealed second end 148 of the fabric enclosure 140.
First and second spaces 165, 167 are small gaps left between the ends 122, 124 of the underwire 120 and the sealed ends 146, 148 to account for longitudinal shrinkage of the fabric enclosure 140 during sealing of sealed ends 146, 148. Based on specifications of the brassiere, the shape, size, and area of first and second spaces 165, 167 may be altered. Sealed ends 146, 148 may be sealed by an adhesive, by ultrasonic welding, by RF welding, or other similar means. Sealing the ends in this manner preferably ensures that the sealed ends 146, 148 are smooth due to the low profile as compared to using a folded fabric and a bar-tack sewing stitch.
The shape of inner perimeter 170, 172 of sealed ends 146, 148 respectively, adjacent first and second ends 122, 124 of underwire 120, is preferably determined by the fastening means used to seal sealed ends 146, 148. As shown in
The method of manufacturing an underwire assembly 100 for attachment to other components of a brassiere, preferably further includes attaching the side 154 of the fabric enclosure 140 opposite the sealed side 150 substantially along a length of the side 154 to a first portion of the brassiere in order to secure the fabric enclosure 140 to the brassiere with the sealed side 150 facing away from side 154 being attached to the brassiere. Preferably, first extension end 160 is attached to a second portion of the brassiere and second extension end 162 to a third portion of the brassiere to further secure the underwire assembly 100 to the brassiere. Underwire assemblies 200, 300, and 400 can be attached to a brassiere in a similar manner as described above with respect to underwire assembly 100.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/232,118 filed Aug. 7, 2009, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5215494 | Flanagan | Jun 1993 | A |
| 6071578 | Richardson et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
| 7207861 | Martini | Apr 2007 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110034105 A1 | Feb 2011 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61232118 | Aug 2009 | US |
