US20110136406A1

US20110136406A1 - Brassiere

Info

Publication number: US20110136406A1
Application number: US12/996,800
Authority: US
Inventors: Fabio Finocchiaro
Original assignee: PBS ITALIA Srl
Current assignee: PBS ITALIA Srl
Priority date: 2008-06-16
Filing date: 2009-06-15
Publication date: 2011-06-09
Also published as: EP2296499A1; EP2296499B1; ITFI20080032U1; WO2010004391A1

Abstract

Bra (1) comprising two cups (2) joined at the front by an intercup lace (3), the latter being joined to said cups (2) via removable fastening means (6), and at the back by at least one rear band (4).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a bra.

STATE OF THE ART

Bras are known to consist of two cups sewn together and joined laterally to respective borders which make up, once they are joined to each other, a rear band for supporting the bra.
The side borders are length-wise adjustable to provide a correct positioning thereof according to the dimensions of the wearer's bust.
The adjustment and closing of the bra occurs generally by means of a metal hook formed on the first border of the rear band, said hook being able to be fixed to a respective metal seat formed on the second border.
In particular, to obtain more than one bra's extension, two or more equally-spaced-apart seats are formed on the rear band to receive the respective hook formed on the first border.
The known bras also comprise two shoulder straps which connect the cups with the rear band and which serve to transfer the weight of the bra and breast onto the shoulders of the wearer.
Generally, the shoulder straps are also adjustable by means of sliding buckles.
As far as Italy is concerned, the bra's sizes are based on two different measuring systems which use indexes related to each other.
More specifically: the first measuring system is of numerical type, usually ranging from 1 to 8, and indicates the dimension of the bust; the second measuring system is based on letters A to G and indicates the difference, expressed in standard values, between the width taken on the breast and that taken on the bust.
The above described bras exhibit some drawbacks. A first drawback is given by the fact that the bras of known type, although providing adjustment systems, are unable to achieve an optimal adaptation to the physiognomy of any single wearer.
This drawback is particularly felt when the wearer has breast and bust dimensions disproportionate with respect to standard sizes, this being a situation demanding a substantial adaptation of the bra to the sizes of the wearer.
A second drawback stems from the fact that, with the known bras, the distance between the two cups is fixed and, therefore, also in this case, it results necessary an adaptation of the dimensions of same bra.
It is in fact known that there are several, if not infinite, types of female physiognomies, so that the distance between the two cups may vary substantially.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above indicated drawbacks by providing a bra which results fully adaptable to any wearer's physiognomy, in addition to be of easy and practical use at the same time.
A further object of the present invention is that of providing a bra making it possible, in an easy and rapid way, to vary the appearance obtained by the same.
These and further objects, which will appear more clearly by a reading of the following detailed description, are obtained, according to the present invention, by a bra having the structural and functional characteristics disclosed in the annexed independent claims, further embodiments of the same invention being set forth in the corresponding dependent claims.

The invention is discussed herebelow in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show but an exemplary and not-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a bra according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the bra according to the present invention in assembled configuration;

FIG. 3 shows a detail of a first fastening system; and

FIG. 4 shows a detail of a second fastening system.

Described herebelow with reference to the attached figures is a bra 1 comprising, in its essential form, two cups 2 connectable at the front by an intercup lace 3 and, at the back, by at least one rear band 4.
In the solution making up the object of the present invention, the intercup lace 3 is connectable to the cups 2 via removable fastening means 6, such as slide guides, for example, as shown in FIG. 4.
The intercup 3 may be of different lengths, with the dual scope of modifying the width of the bra 1 and altering the appearance thereof.
Advantageously, a bra 1 according to the invention further comprises at least one upper band 5, so called “shoulder strap” for connecting the cups 2 to the rear band 4 and supporting the weight of the wearer's breast.
In a preferred embodiment, the bra 1 comprises two upper bands 5, each of which is disposed on a respective shoulder of the wearer.
The upper bands 5 also comprise means 7 for a removable fastening thereof to cups 2 and rear band 4, as schematically shown in FIG. 3.
The rear band 4 comprises in turn means 8 for a removable fastening thereof to the cups 2 at a side portion 2 a. Preferably, the cups 2 comprise semirigid support elements, for example made of rubber, disposed at a lower portion 2 d thereof to improve the support of the wearer's breast.
In a second embodiment of the bra 1 according to the present invention, both rear band 4 and upper bands 5 comprise means for adjusting the length thereof.
The length-adjusting means are of sliding-buckle type which is commonly used in the known bras and, thus, not to be described herein in greater detail.
Shown in FIG. 1 is a bra according to the present invention in assembled configuration.
In this configuration, the bra 1 comprises two upper bands 5, each connectable to the rear band 4 and respective cup 2 in correspondence of an upper portion 2 c thereof.
The cups 2 are connectable via the intercup lace 3 in correspondence of an inner portion 2 b thereof.
Finally, the rear band 4, besides being connectable to the upper bands 5, results connectable to the cups 2 in correspondence of side portion 2 c thereof.
Shown in FIG. 3 is a feasible embodiment of the removable fastening means 7 between an upper band 5 and the rear band 4.
In this example on the upper band 5 is formed a rigid hook 7 a, able to be inserted into a respective seat 7 b selected among a plurality of seats formed on the rear band 4. Shown in FIG. 4 is a feasible embodiment of the removable fastening means 6 between the intercup lace 3 and the cups 2.
This embodiment provides for the use of a guide 10, formed on a respective support element 6 a and counter-shaped with respect to a relevant rigid connection element 6 b. Advantageously, the support element 6 a is formed on the cup 2, and the connection element 6 b, which can be inserted into the respective guide 10 for sliding therein, is formed on the intercup lace 3.
A second aspect of the present invention is a package comprising a bra 1 as previously described and a plurality of intercup laces 3, upper bands 5 and rear bands 4 having different lengths and appearances.
A bra according to the present invention achieves major advantages.
A first advantage lies in the fact that the use of a bra 1 according to the present invention make it possible to obtain an optimal adjustment whatever the female physiognomy.
This advantage is due to the full decomposability of the bra, that is, the possibility for the user to select any single component thereof (cups 2, intercup 3, shoulder straps 5 and rear band 4) depending on her physiognomy.
This advantage is also important owing to the fact that, since the components are separable, it is possible to make up different style and chromatic combinations without the need of replacing the whole bra 1.
A second advantage lies in the fact that the use of a bra 1 according to the present invention makes it possible to change the distance between the two cups 2 by simply using different intercup laces 3.
This is a significant advantage because it is possible both to adapt optimally the bra 1 to a any wearer and to change the length of the intercup 3, thereby obtaining different aesthetical results of same bra 1.
The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it is understood that equivalent modifications could be made without departing from the scope of protection granted to the present industrial invention.

Claims

1. Bra comprising two cups joined at the front by an intercup lace and at the back by at least one rear band, said intercup lace is being joined to said cups via removable fastening means.

2. Bra according to claim 1, further comprising at least one upper band for connecting said cups to said rear band.

3. Bra according to claim 1, wherein said upper band comprises means for a removable fastening thereof to said cups.

4. Bra according to claim 1, wherein said rear band comprises means for a removable fastening thereof to said cups.

5. Bra according to claim 1, wherein said rear band comprises means for adjusting the length thereof.

6. Bra according to claim 1, wherein said upper band comprises means for adjusting the length thereof.

7. Bra according to claim 1, wherein said upper band comprises two shoulder straps connected to said cups and to said rear band.

8. Package for bras, including a bra according to claim 1, and a plurality of intercup laces having different length or different aesthetic features.

9. Package according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of upper bands having different length or different aesthetic features.

10. Bra according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of rear bands (1) having different length or different aesthetic features.