U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 15/810,882 and U.S. Pat. No. 9,943,120 contain a summary of the prior art relating to brassieres which is incorporated herein by reference. None, have the most essential feature of the present invention, namely a pocket that is large enough to store a large cellular phone like an iPhone 13 pro-max with a zipper opening that prevents these items from falling out during high-impact activities like running, cycling, and hiking, giving the user an added layer of security.
Other sports bras are in circulation with small pockets that can accommodate small items. However, these pockets are too small to hold varying sizes of cellular phones, making it difficult for women to carry their phones while running, hiking, or engaging in other athletic activities.
In the current design of sports brassieres, or sports bras for workouts and other athletic activities, mobile phones are stored in the upper bra areas, in front of the bra pads, under the armpit, and back of the upper bra. The most common sports bra pockets are without zipper closure and use gravity and other passive compression closure design function to keep items secure and from falling out of place.
A challenge with these pockets for storing mobile phones and other items is that there need to be operational components for keeping things fully secure and from falling out of place during fitness and physical activities. Thus, the current designs are not completely practical storage pockets for a wearer engaged in an upside-down position of physical activity where gravity can cause items to fall out of the pocket areas.
Some sports bra pocket designs do include zipper closures. However, the locations of these storage pockets for mobile phones are only partially practical for a wearer engaged in physical activity, such as running, who wants to retrieve their mobile phone easily.
In other designs, a pocket with zipper closure is located at the back of the sports bra or on a closure inside the bra. A problem with this approach is that accessibility and ease of use pose a challenge for the wearer. Moreover, the difficulty in the wearer reaching the pocket closures could, over time, compromise the condition of the closure and pocket, rendering the method less effective. Some designs feature pockets in the front area of the bra, but a problem with these designs is those pockets are not large enough to store a large portable mobile device like an iPhone 13 pro max. Therefore, a sports bra with a large and secure mobile phone pocket is needed to solve the above limitations. The problem stated above is that ease of use and secure closure is desirable for a sports bra pocket that stores a mobile phone. Still, many conventional means for sports bras storing mobile phones, such as storage locations and closures, need to provide ease of use or operation.
The inventor realized, in an inventive moment, that if during the operation of storing and retrieving a mobile phone, the pocket could be in an area where a wearer of a sports bra would easily place their hands, it would significantly improve ease of use. Therefore, after considering all the ergonomic functions and components for a mobile phone pocket on a sports bra, the inventor determined that the ideal place would be at the lower portion of the sports bra.
It is also important to have easily accessible storage for items such as phones, keys, safety whistles, or ID cards, energy bars and snacks while engaging in physical activities.
The present invention is a brassiere or bra with pockets in the lower band area and reflective materials. The pockets are designed to provide easy access to essential items while engaging in physical activities without hindering movement or adding bulkiness. The reflective materials increase visibility in low-light conditions, improving safety for the wearer. The design would require lengthening the length of a typical sports bra to more of a crop style, widening the standard width of the bra lower band. The design calls for zippered opening on one side of the pocket-a significant improvement in operational consistency results, with no impediment to motion nor complexity of use created.
The following Detailed Description of the present sports bra invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Instead, the inventor has contemplated that the claimed or disclosed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, including different steps or combinations, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. At a high level, aspects herein relate to a support garment, such as a bra, having storage pockets to meet the different preferences of the wearer.
In exemplary aspects, the mobile phone pocket on the lower-band portion comprises of at least a first, and second layer of material. The first material is made from a stretchable fabric and the second layer of material being mesh. A pocket space is formed between the inner second layer of material after it is sewn with the first layer on the outside after both layers are folded.
Although the term “bra” is used herein, it is contemplated that the term “bra” may apply to other types of support garments such as tank tops, camisoles with built-in support. Further, positional terms used herein such as “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” and the like are to be given their anatomical meaning with respect to the bra being worn by a hypothetical wearer standing in anatomical upright position.
Aspects of the present disclosure have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative aspects will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope, and a skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the invention has been described in the foregoing detail with respect to preferred embodiments, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the same art and are intended to be covered in the appended claims. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference.