US20080139085A1

US20080139085A1 - Hollow bra cup

Info

Publication number: US20080139085A1
Application number: US11/634,207
Authority: US
Inventors: Shi-Min Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-12-06
Filing date: 2006-12-06
Publication date: 2008-06-12

Abstract

A hollow cup to help improve the shape of the breast and to save cost of material in production is essentially comprised of a thicker outer layer and a thinner inner layer both made of foamed plastic materials and bound to each other on their respective peripherals; a thickened portion with a proper convex being disposed in the lower part inside the outer layer to help support the bra; and the remaining portion of the outer layer indicating a recess to keep direct contact of both layers thus to define a hollow space for saving the material.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a hollow bra cup, and more particularly, to one comprised of an inner layer and outer layer made of foamed plastic material with a spacing defined between to achieve its function to maintain firm and beautiful shape for the breasts while reducing the production cost of the bra.
(b) Description of the Prior Art:
Particularly for the oriental women, the size of their breasts are generally smaller due to poor development possibly resulted from differences in inherited physique and diets when compared to women from the western world. However, with the invasion of the western culture and fashion, oriental men gradually accept the idea of appreciating the beauty of plump breasts. When so affected, more and more women set their minds of having a pair of plump breasts as the objective of a perfect figure. They even spend a lot of money in having plastic surgery, taking medicines or relying upon aids to try achieving the purpose of having a pair of plump breasts and great figure to improve self-confidence and human interaction while satisfying the aesthetic expectance from others.
However, the plastic surgery, breast boost medicines or fitness equipment means not only having to spent a lot of money, but also winds up poor effects. Either way, it generally involves direct injection or implantation of a foreign matter into the breasts; and that is doing significant injury to the body. Therefore, most of the women either for fears of causing negative impacts on the body or for financial concerns still fails to gather enough courage to try plastic surgery or taking medicines to develop a superb pair of breasts; instead, they just have to live up with the facts of having a pair of smaller breasts.
To satisfy the desire and actual need of those women who develop smaller breasts, the manufacturing industry of bra provides a solution that gives the same “plump” appearance for the breasts without doing any harm to the body. Essentially, the bra is padded or thickened plus with styling treatment so that when the woman wears it would take advantage of such padded or thickened parts of both cups of the bra as a remedy for the smaller breasts for them to present plump visual effects.
However, the additional padded or thickened part of the cup though may serve its expected results does not meet the economic benefit in the production cost. Particularly, in the thickening process, thicker foamed plastic or foamed material must be used, and thicker cup means higher cost of raw material to result in significant increase production cost at the expense of its industrial utility value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a hollow bra cup containing a hollow space to achieve the thickening purpose for better visual effects and lower production cost.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a hollow bra cup that withstands repeated washing without deformation that while providing a hollow space defined by an inter and an outer layers of foamed plastic material, both of the inner and outer layers are respectively attached with a net to further maintain the structural strength and shape of the cup.
To achieve those purposes described above, the present invention is comprised of the inner and the outer layers made of foamed plastics material; both layers are bound to each other allowing a thickened part formed in a proper convex disposed in the lower part inside the outer layer of the cup to support the outer layer and to allow a space defined between the upper portions of both layers for saving the materials while providing the cup a thickening effects to maintain the breasts in firm and attractive shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the structural relation among components of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structural relation between the cup and the human body.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the structural relation among components of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the structural relation among components of another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the structural relation among components of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the structural relation among components of another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the preferred embodiment is essentially comprised of a cup including an outer layer (10) and an inner layer (20) bound to each other. Wherein, both layers (10, 20) are made of foamed plastic materials. The outer layer is made in a cup shape with thicker foamed plastic material using thermoplastic process, and a thickening part (11) provided with a proper convex is formed in the lower part inside the outer layer (10) to cause the remaining part of the outer layer (10) to indicate a recess (12) so that when the thinner inner layer (20) is bound to the inner side of the outer layer (10) with the peripherals from both layers (10, 20) thermally set, the thickened part (11) of the outer layer (10) supports the lower portion of the inner layer (20). Accordingly, the upper portion of the inner layer (20) is prevented from binding to the recess (12) of the outer layer (10) to keep a proper spacing between the inner layer (20) and the recess (12) of the outer layer, thus to define a hollow space (1) between the inner layer (20) and the outer layer (10). The thickened part (11) helps boost the visual effect of the breast while the hollow space (1) allows significant reduction of production cost when compared to the single layer structure of the prior art.
While allowing the benefits of savings in material and cost, the hollow space (1) defined by the inner and the outer layers of foamed plastic materials (20, 10) makes the cup lighter and thinner compared to that of the prior art to give even better air permeability and much more comfortable to wear. Furthermore, the presence of the hollow space (1) and the thinner internal layer (20) gives a proper allowance of deformation for the inner layer (20) to cope with the different sizes of the breasts without affecting the general appearance of the cup. The wearer enjoys the comfort of wearing the bra made of the cups of the present invention by adjusting the status of the cup to hold and cover the breast depending on the individual size of breast to avoid the uncomfortable squeezing effects possibly resulted from the single layer construction of the cup of the prior art.
As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, another preferred embodiment is also comprised of the outer layer (10) and the inner layer (20) bound to each other on their peripherals. The thickened part (11) provided with a convex is formed in the lower portion in the inner side of the outer layer (10) while the other portions of the outer layer (10) is disposed with a recess (12) so to define the hollow space (1) between both of the inner and the outer layers (20, 10) as supported by the thickened part (20) when the inner layer (20) is bound to the inner side of the outer layer (10). To avoid incurable collapse of the foamed plastic material during the wash, a piece of net (13) is attached to the inner side of the outer layer (10) and another piece of net (21) is attached to the outer side of the inner layer (20). Both pieces of the nets (13, 21) are made of elastic yarns women into a net of various meshes. Both nets (13, 21) provide reinforced structure to prevent deformation without affecting the ventilation of the cup.
In another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer layer (10) is comprised of two sheets (10, 10′) of foamed plastic material bound to each other and a piece of net (14) is sandwiched between both sheets (10, 10′) of the outer layer (10). Another piece of net (22) is attached to the outer side of the inner layer (20). Both nets (14, 22) reinforce the structure of both of the inner and the outer layers (20, 10) to maintain the hollow space configuration of the cup.
Now referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 for another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention, two pieces of lining (15, 21) are further respectively attached to the outer side of the outer layer (10) and to the inner side of the inner layer (20) to improve the appearance of the cup to cope with various production requirements while both pieces of lining (15, 23) help maintain the structural strength of the cup to avoid deformation due to wash.
In another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, a piece of net (16) is attached to the inner side of the outer layer (10) (or alternatively, an interlayer is disposed), and another piece of net (24) is attached to the outer side of the inner layer (20) to maintain the structural strength and shape of the cup. Furthermore, two pieces of lining (17, 25) are respectively attached to the outer side of the outer layer (10) and to the inner side of the inner layer (20) to improve the appearance of the cup.
As described above, the hollow cup of a bra of the present invention is essentially taking advantage of the thicker outer layer made of foamed plastic material thermally set in a cup shape adapted at its lower portion with a thickened part (11) in a proper convex shape while the rest portions of the outer layer (10) is made a recess (12). When the thinner layer (20) is bound to the inside of the outer layer (10) on their respective peripherals, the thickened part (11) helps support the inner layer (20) and limit the inner layer (20) in position to prevent it form contacting the recess (12) so to define the expected hollow space (1). Accordingly, the thickened part (11) helps boost the breast and the hollow space (1) helps reduce material cost while allowing better air permeability and meeting the economic benefits and industrial utility.
Furthermore, net or decoration fabric may be attached to the inner or outer side of the inner and the outer layers of the cup to improve the structural strength of the cup thus to maintain its attractive appearance. Foamed materials other than plastic material may be used to provide the same hollow space in the bra and shall be included within the teaching of the present invention.
The present invention by providing a hollow space defined between an inner layer and an outer layer made of foamed plastic material bound to each other on their respective peripherals to reduce the cost of material in the production, and a thickened part in the lower portion inside the outer layer for the cup to help support the breast to show a better shape achieves excellent industrial utility value; therefore, this application is duly filed.

Claims

1. A hollow cup comprised of a thicker outer layer and a thinner inner layer; a thickened part being disposed in the lower portion inside the outer layer; the remaining portion of the outer layer being made a recess; both layers being bound to each other on their respective peripherals; the thickened part supporting and limiting the inner layer to prevent it from contacting the recess; and a hollow space being defined between both layers.

2. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein the thickened part disposed in the lower portion inside the outer layer is provided with a preset convex.

3. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein both of the inner layer and the outer layer are made of foamed plastic materials.

4. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein a piece of net is attached to the outer side of the inner layer to help maintain its structural strength to make sure of not vulnerable to deformation.

5. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein two pieces of net are respectively attached to the inner side of the outer layer and to the outer side of the inner layer to help maintain the structural strength of the cup to make sure of not vulnerable to deformation.

6. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein an interlayer is disposed to the outer layer to contain a piece of net; a piece of net is attached to the outer side of the inner layer to maintain the structure strength of the cup to prevent it from being vulnerable to deformation.

7. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein two pieces of lining are respectively attached to the outer side of the outer layer and the inner side of the inner layer to improve the appearance of the cup.

8. The hollow cup of claim 1, wherein two pieces of net are respectively attached to the inner side of the outer layer and the outer side of the inner layer; and two pieces of lining are respectively attached to the outer side of the outer layer and the inner side of the inner layer to maintain structural strength and improve appearance of the cup.