WO2014000222A1

WO2014000222A1 - Brassieres, brassiere cups and methods of making same

Info

Publication number: WO2014000222A1
Application number: PCT/CN2012/077742
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wenbo Zhang
Original assignee: Regina Miracle International (Group) Limited
Priority date: 2012-06-28
Filing date: 2012-06-28
Publication date: 2014-01-03
Also published as: CN104411193A

Abstract

A breast cup 1 for an underwire brassiere is provided. The breast cup comprises: a cup core 10 which has an inner surface 14 and an outer surface 16, the inner surface being closest to the wearer's skin when worn, and an underwire 22 applied to the outer surface 16 of the cup core 10. The cup core provides a cushioning effect between the underwire and the wearer, thereby enhancing the comfort of the breast cup. An underwire brassiere which comprises at least one of such breast cup and the methods of manufacturing such breast cup and underwire brassiere are also provided.

Description

BRASSIERES, BRASSIERE CUPS AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME

The present invention relates to underwire brassieres, brassiere cups and methods of manufacturing the same.

Underwire brassieres, or underwire bras, have been used for many years and gained their popularity due to the design of having a wire, known as underwire, for supporting the wearer's breast. In a conventional underwire bra cup, the underwire, often encased within an underwire sock (thereby forming an underwire assembly), is attached to the bra cup about its lower periphery on the inner side of the bra cup. The term "inner", as opposed to the term "outer" which is also used in the present application, refers to the side which is closest to the wearer's skin when worn. The underwire or the underwire sock, if present, is normally disposed on the inner side of the bra cup. The underwire or the underwire sock, if present, is in direct contact with the wearer's skin and the pressure exerted by the underwire may make the wearer feel uncomfortable.

US 2004/0224604 A1 provides an underwire bra having a core assembly which has two layers of molded foam material and forms the main structural body of the bra. The core assembly is also provided with an underwire assembly positioned intermediate of the foam layers in the process of molding. The manufacture of the core assembly and the bra is therefore complicated. Also, the underwire assembly may still cause the wearer to feel uncomfortable by having only a thin layer of foam material between the underwire and the wearer. Further, it is difficult to adjust or fix the position of the underwire assembly.

Hence, there remains a need for improving the comfort of underwire bras and bra cups and for simplified methods of manufacturing underwire bras and bra cups.

The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems of the conventional underwire brassieres and provides breast cups for underwire brassieres, underwire brassieres and methods of manufacturing the same as claimed in appended claims.

According to the present invention, the underwire or the underwire assembly is applied to the outer side of a cup core of the breast cup and is not in direct contact with the wearer's skin. This enhances the wearer's comfort through the cushioning effect provided by the cup core. The cushioning effect can be easily adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the cup core. Also, the position of the underwire or the underwire assembly can be easily adjusted since it is positioned on the outer side of the breast cup. The underwire or the underwire assembly can also be easily joined to the outer side of the breast cup.

According to a preferred embodiment, the breast cup is provided with an outer fabric layer that covers the outer side of the underwire or the underwire assembly, if present. As such, the breast cup has a "hidden" underwire or underwire assembly, thereby enhancing the look of the breast cup.

According to another aspect of the present invention, methods of manufacturing an underwire bra cup and manufacturing an underwire bra are provided, in which the cup core is first formed and the underwire or the underwire assembly is then applied to the outer surface of the cup core. The cup core provides a cushioning effect between the underwire and the wearer thereby enhancing the wearer's comfort. Also, the cushioning effect can be easily controlled by adjusting the thickness of the cup core.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the underwire assembly is sewed to the cup core of the breast cup or applied to the cup core by adhesion and therefore the manufacture of the breast cup involves only simple steps.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a bra cup according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a bra cup according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of a bra cup according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of a bra cup according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of an embodiment of the cup core comprising fabric-foam-fabric layers.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of another embodiment of the cup core comprising foam-fabric layers.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of yet another embodiment of the cup core comprising fabric-foam layers.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, a bra cup 1 according to the invention comprises a cup core 10 having an inner surface 14 and an outer surface 16, and an underwire 22 that is applied to the outer surface 16 of the cup core 10. In the present application, the cup core 10 is the essential bit of the bra cup that defines the main structure of the bra cup, or that substantially defines the cup shape of the bra cup. In a preferred embodiment, the cup core 10 comprises a molded foam cup having a single layer or multiple layers of foam, in particular polyurethane foam, material. According to a preferred embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 5, the molded foam cup may comprise a layer of foam material 12 sandwiched between a first fabric layer 12' and a second fabric layer 12". There may be additional layers of material between the first and second fabric layers. In a preferred form, the foam cup comprises a first fabric layer 12', a middle foam layer 12 and a second fabric layer 12" all laminated together and molded to a cup shape.

Other suitable forms of the foam cup include a first fabric layer 12' laminated with an inner foam layer 12, thereby forming the outer surface of the foam cup as illustrated in FIG. 6; an outer foam layer 12 laminated with a second fabric layer 12" which forms the inner surface of the foam cup as illustrated in FIG. 7; and a single foam layer.

The foam layer 12 may be a single layer or multiple layers of foam material that are joined together. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the cup core 10 comprises two layers of foam material 12A and 12B. Of course, the cup core may comprise any other suitable number of layers of foam material or other material such as thermoplastic polyurethane, polyurethane gel or fibrefill, or component such as fluid pad or gel pad.

The underwire 22 may be encased within an underwire sock 24 thereby forming an underwire assembly 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The underwire sock 24 may be in the form of a casing or a channel. The underwire sock 24 may comprise fabric material. Underwire socks are desirable where the underwire is formed of metallic material since such underwire may adversely pierce adjacent fabric and/or foam layers of the bra cup. However, underwire socks may not be necessary where the underwire is made, for example, of rigid plastic which, unlike a metallic underwire, does not require a sock to contain it in order to prevent piercing of the underwire through adjacent layers of material. When an underwire sock 24 is present, the underwire 22 is encased within the underwire sock 24 and the underwire sock 24 is attached to the outer surface 16 of the cup core 10. When an underwire sock 24 is absent, the underwire 22 is attached directly to the outer surface 16 of the cup core 10.

According to an embodiment, the underwire sock 24 which contains the underwire 22 is attached to the cup core 10 through sewing as illustrated by the dotted line 23 in FIG. 3. This attachment involves a simple manufacturing step. In another embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 4, the underwire sock 24 of the underwire assembly 20' is attached to the cup core 10 through lamination, for example, with the application of heat, pressure and adhesives during the process of molding the foam cup.

In yet another embodiment, the underwire sock may also be attached to the cup core 10 by applying an adhesive 25 between the underwire sock and the foam cup.

The bra cup 1 may comprise an optional top (or outermost) fabric layer 30. The outermost fabric layer 30 may be joined to the cup core 10 around the lower periphery of the cup core 10 to cover at least the underwire 22 and the underwire sock 24, if present. The outermost fabric layer 30 may extend beyond the underwire and the underwire sock and cover the entire outer surface of the cup core 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4. In an alternative embodiment, the outermost fabric layer 30 does not cover the entire outer surface of the cup core and may only cover the underwire 22 and the underwire sock 24, if present. Suitable patterns and materials including laces may be used to form the outermost fabric layer 30 to hide or conceal the underwire assembly 20 (or the underwire 22) and the attachment, such as the sewing thread, between the underwire assembly 20 (or the underwire 22) and the cup core 10, and/or to enhance the appearance of the bra cup.

The outermost fabric layer 30 is preferably joined to the cup core 10 at only the periphery or a part of the periphery of the foam cup 10. Thus, preferably, the outermost fabric layer 30 is not joined to, and hence remains loose with respect to, the main body or substantially the main body of the cup core 10.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate embodiments in which the outermost fabric layer 30 is joined to the upper edge of the foam cup 10 by hemming. With this hemming method, the outermost layer 30 is folded about the upper edge of the foam cup. The folded portion 34 (the "hem") is joined to the inner side of the foam cup by, for example, applying an adhesive or the use of a double- sided adhesive tape and possibly with the application of heat. FIG. 2 shows the inner side of the bra cup with a hem 34.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the cup core comprises a single fabric layer or multiple layers of fabric material joined together to form the cup. In this embodiment, there is no foam layer in the cup core and the cup core does not need to be molded. The fabric layer may comprise a single piece of fabric or multiple pieces of fabric that are joined together. In manufacturing, the cup core 10 such as a foam cup as illustrated in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is first formed, for example, by molding the layers forming the foam cup to a cup shape, for example, using the molding process described in US 2004/0224604 A1 . Lamination of the layers occurs during the molding process through the application of heat, pressure, and adhesives.

In the embodiment in which an underwire sock 24 is provided, the underwire sock 24 is joined to the foam cup about its lower periphery and on the outer side of the foam cup. This joining may be carried out during the molding process of the foam cup by means such as lamination with the application of heat, pressure and adhesives, or may be carried out after the molding process of the foam cup by means such as sewing. The dotted line 231 in FIG. 3 shows the sewing thread for such sewing. Although FIGS. 3 and 4 show a "flange" 19 at the lower periphery of the foam cup, this flange 19 is not necessarily present.

The outermost fabric layer 30, if present, is then joined to the lower periphery of the foam cup. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outermost fabric layer 30 is sewn to the foam cup on the inner side 14 and then folded out 32 to the outer side 16 to then cover the underwire 22 and the underwire sock 24. The dotted line 23 in FIG. 3 shows the sewing thread for such sewing. It can be seen that a portion of the folded-out outermost fabric layer 30 covers both sewing threads 23 and 231 so that the sewing threads 23 and 231 are not visible whether on the inner side or on the outer side of the cup core 10 or the bra cup 1 .

In other embodiments, the outermost fabric layer 30 may be joined to the lower periphery of the foam cup by other means such as hemming, ultrasonic welding, or sewing on the outer side of the foam cup without folding out.

The underwire 22 may then be inserted into the underwire sock 24. The outermost fabric layer 30 may then also be joined to the upper periphery of the foam cup, if the outermost fabric layer 30 covers the entire foam cup. The outermost fabric layer 30 may be joined to the upper periphery of the foam cup by hemming, as mentioned above and illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The outermost fabric layer 30 may also be joined to the upper periphery of the foam cup by, for example, sewing or ultrasonic welding.

In accordance with the invention, the underwire or underwire assembly (comprising an underwire and an underwire sock encasing the underwire) is on the outer side of the bra cup and is not in direct contact with the wearer's skin. The foam cup which comprises foam, which is positioned between the underwire and the wearer's skin, provides a cushioning effect, thereby enhancing the wearer's comfort. Molding of the foam cup could be suitably adjusted, for example, by varying the spacing between an upper mold portion and a lower mold portion of the molding device at a location corresponding to the lower periphery of the foam cup, to increase or control the thickness of foam about the lower periphery, thereby enhancing or controlling the cushioning effect of the foam cup at the lower periphery.

Thus, desired cushioning effect can be achieved by controlling the thickness of the cup core, which in the most preferred form is a foam cup comprising a middle foam layer 12 sandwiched between a first fabric layer 12' on the inner side and a second fabric layer 12" on the outer side. In contrast, the cup core assembly of US 2004/0224604 A1 has only one of the thin foam layers positioned between the underwire assembly and the wearer's skin and therefore provides limited cushioning effect; also, adjusting the thickness of the foam layer is more difficult since that would increase the entire thickness of the core assembly and may be unacceptable aesthetically or for wearing.

The outermost fabric layer, if present, "hides" or "conceals" the underwire and the underwire sock, if present, and can provide desired aesthetic effects through the use of various possible patterns and materials such as laces. In a preferred embodiment, the outermost layer 30 is joined to the lower periphery, for example, through sewing with folding out of the outermost layer as shown in FIG. 3, as well as to the upper periphery, for example, through hemming of the foam cup as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, which provides a "seamless" bra cup. In this case, no seam is visible or felt on both the outer and inner side of the foam cup, which gives a "seamless" look and feel.

The present invention also provides an underwire bra that has a first breast cup and a second breast cup joined by an intermediate bridging member and at least one of the two beast cups is as described above. The underwire bra may also comprise a chest band 40 for each of the first and second breast cups. The underwire bra may further comprise a shoulder strap for one or each of the two breast cups. The present invention also provides methods of manufacturing such underwire bras including the steps of making the breast cup as mentioned above.

While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternate embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1 . A breast cup for an underwire brassiere, the breast cup comprising:

a cup core, the cup core having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface being closest to the wearer's skin when worn; and

an underwire applied to the outer surface of the cup core.

2. A breast cup of claim 1 , wherein the cup core comprises a single layer of foam material or multiple layers of foam material.

3. A breast cup of claim 2, wherein the cup core comprises a first fabric layer that forms the outer surface of the cup core.

4. A breast cup of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the cup core comprises a second fabric layer that forms the inner surface of the cup core.

5. A breast cup of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the layers of the cup core are laminated together.

6. A breast cup of any preceding claim, wherein the underwire is encased within an underwire sock and wherein the underwire sock is applied to the outer surface of the cup core.

7. A breast cup of claim 6, wherein the underwire sock is in the shape of a casing or a channel.

8. A breast cup of claim 6 or 7, wherein the underwire sock comprises a fabric material.

9. A breast cup of any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the underwire sock is attached to the outer surface of the cup core by at least one of sewing, lamination, and adhesion.

10. A breast cup of any preceding claim, wherein the breast cup further comprises an outer fabric layer joined to the cup core at least around a lower periphery of the cup core and adapted to cover at least the underwire and, if the underwire sock is present, the underwire sock.

1 1 . A breast cup of claim 10, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to at least part of the cup core by hemming in which the outer fabric layer is folded about at least part of the periphery of the cup core and the folded portion is then joined to the inner surface of the cup core.

12. A breast cup of claim 11 , wherein the folded portion of the outer fabric layer is joined to the inner surface of the cup core by adhesive or by a double-sided adhesive tape, with or without the application of heat.

13. A breast cup of claim 10, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to the cup core around the lower periphery of the cup core by sewing on the inner surface of the cup core,

14. A breast cup of claim 13, wherein the outer fabric layer is folded out about the lower periphery of the cup core such that at least a portion of the folded-out outer fabric layer covers the sewing thread on the inner surface of the cup core.

15. A breast cup of claim 10, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to at least part of the cup core by sewing on the outer surface of the cup core without folding out.

16. A breast cup of claim 10, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to at least part of the cup core by ultrasound welding.

17. A breast cup of any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the outer fabric layer extends beyond the underwire and, if the underwire sock is present, the underwire sock and covers the entire outer surface of the cup core.

18. A breast cup of any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined only to the periphery or a part of the periphery of the cup core.

19. A breast cup of any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the outer fabric layer has at least one of suitable patterns including laces.

20. A breast cup of claim 1 or any one of claims 6 to 18 when dependent on claim 1 , wherein the cup core has a single layer of fabric or multiple layers of fabric joined together.

21 . An underwire brassiere comprising a first breast cup and a second breast cup joined by an intermediate bridging member, at least one of the two beast cups being in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. An underwire brassiere of claim 21 , comprising a chest band for each of the first and second breast cups.

23. An underwire brassiere of claim 21 or claim 22, comprising a shoulder strap for one or each of the two breast cups.

24. A method of manufacturing a breast cup for an underwire brassiere, comprising the steps of:

forming a cup core, the cup core having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface being closest to the wearer's skin when worn; and

applying an underwire to the outer surface of the cup core.

25. A method of claim 24, wherein forming a cup core comprises molding a cup core having a single layer of foam material or multiple layers of foam material.

26. A method of claim 25, wherein the cup core comprises a first fabric layer that forms the outer surface of the cup core.

27. A method of claim 25 or claim 26, wherein the cup core comprises a second fabric layer that forms the inner surface of the cup core.

28. A method of any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein forming the cup core comprises laminating the layers of the cup core together.

29. A method of claim 28, wherein the layers of fabric and foam are laminated together during the process of molding the cup core.

30. A method of any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein applying an underwire to the outer surface of the cup core comprises attaching an underwire sock to the outer surface of the cup core and inserting the underwire into the underwire sock.

31 . A method of any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein applying the underwire to the outer surface of the cup core comprises attaching an underwire sock to the outer surface of the cup core during the process of molding the cup core and inserting the underwire into the underwire sock.

32. A method of claim 30 or claim 31 , wherein the underwire sock is attached to the outer surface of the cup core by at least one of sewing, lamination, and adhesion.

33. A method of any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein the underwire sock is in the shape of a casing or a channel.

34. A method of any one of claims 30 to 33, wherein the underwire sock comprises a fabric material.

35. A method of any one of claims 24 to 34, comprising joining an outer fabric layer around a lower periphery of the cup core to cover at least the underwire and, if the underwire sock is present, the underwire sock,.

36. A method of claim 35, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to at least part of the cup core by hemming in which the outer fabric layer is folded about at least part of the periphery of the cup core and the folded portion is then joined to the inner surface of the cup core.

37. A method of claim 36, wherein the folded portion of the outer fabric layer is joined to the inner surface of the cup core by adhesive or by a double-sided adhesive tape, with or without the application of heat.

38. A method of any one of claims 35 to 37, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to the cup core around the lower periphery of the cup core by sewing on the inner surface of the cup core,

39. A method of claim 38, wherein the outer fabric layer is folded out about the lower periphery of the cup core such that at least a portion of the folded-out outer fabric layer covers the sewing thread on the inner surface of the cup core.

40. A method of claim 35, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to at least part of the cup core by sewing on the outer surface of the cup core without folding out.

41 . A method of claim 35, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined to at least part of the cup core by ultrasound welding.

42. A method of any one of claims 35 to 41 , wherein the outer fabric layer covers at least the entire outer surface of the cup core.

43. A method of any one of claims 35 to 42, wherein the outer fabric layer is joined only to the periphery or a part of the periphery of the cup core.

44. A method of any one of claims 35 to 43, wherein the outer fabric layer is formed with at least one of suitable patterns including laces.

45. A method of claim 24 or any one of claims 29 and 31 to 44 when dependent on claim 24, wherein forming a cup core comprising forming a cup core having a single layer of fabric material or multiple layers of fabric material joined together.

46. A method of manufacturing an underwire brassiere, comprising the steps of providing first and second breast cups, at least one of the breast cups being provided in accordance with the method of any one of claims 24 to 45, and joining the two breast cups by a bridging member.

47. A method of claim 46, further comprising providing a chest band for each of the first and second breast cups.

48. A method of claim 46 or 47, further comprising providing a shoulder strap for one or each of the first and second breast cups.

49. A breast cup for an underwire brassiere substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

50. An underwire brassiere as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.