IMPROVED BRASSIERE

Abstract: A brassière in which each cup (1, 2), connected to both an elastic band (4) and a respective shoulder strap (7, 8), consists, in its lower and lateral parts, of a continuous band (3, 3') made of low-stretch fabric.

Description: IMPROVED BRASSIERE. The present invention relates to the brassie¬ res and particularly to an improved brassiere. It is known that, in order to obtain a parti- c lar effectiveness in both supporting and contai¬ ning the breasts, several types of brassieres are provided with a so called underwire. This consists of a support, made either of metal or a different substantially rigid material, arranged at the base of the brassiere cups, whereby each cup can be strained only within the limit of the geometric shape imposed by the underwire itself. In such a way, the push exerted by the breasts is completely borne by the underwire and therefore the containing forces act on horizontal planes. The main drawback of the brassieres provided with an underwire is that they are very uncomforta¬ ble due to the presence of a substantially rigid element pressed on the thorax at the base of the breasts. A greater comfort is vice versa ensured by the brassieres being completely made of fabric but ha¬ ving, on the other hand, a poorer supporting and containing action. In fact, while a substantially rigid element like an underwire can bear, through a bending, the strain exerted on the fabric of each cup, with consequent pulling and compression of the internal structure of the underwire, this is not possible for the only fabric which can effectively bear only pulling stresses. Therefore said pulling stresses spread, in an usual brassiere, to the who¬ le fabric, with both a consequent dispersion of them and less effective support and containment of the breasts. Thus the object of the present invention is to provide an article of lingerie which is effective both in supporting and containing the breasts and, at the same time, particularly easy-fitting and comfortable to be worn. Such an object is attained by a brassiere com¬ prising two cups connected to both anelastic band and respective shoulder straps, in which each cup consists, in its lower and external lateral parts, of a continuous band made of low-stretch fabric. The brassiere according to the present inven¬ tion has also the advantage of allowing the adju¬ stment at will of the breast-supporting effect. In fact, as it will be clear in the following, the two bands made of low-stretch fabric form a preferen- tial way for the disribution of the breast-suppor¬ ting stress and therefore, by varying the tension of the brassiere straps directly connected to said bands, the support degree of the respective cups can be adjusted. These and other advantages of the improved brassiere according to the present invention will be clear from the following detailed description with reference to the attached sole drawing which shows a front schematic view of a preferred embodi¬ ment of this article of lingerie. The brassiere consists of two cups 1,2 connec¬ ted, in correspondence with respective bands 3,3' made of low-stretch fabric, to an elastic band 4 as well as to respective shoulder straps 7,8. Said bands 3,3' made of low-stretch fabric form both the lower part and lateral part of each brassiere cup 1,2 and constitute a particular element of conti¬ nuity between each cup and the respective strap. By virtue of this element of continuity, in this kind of brassiere, a new scheme for both the di¬ stribution and the transferring of the stresses is realized. In fact, the continuity of the stiffe¬ ning in the lateral and lower parts of each cup en- sures the transmission, along the low-stretch band, of the mechanical tension due to both the respecti¬ ve strap and the elastic band 4, thus ensuring a particular support and lateral containment, as schematically shown by respectively the arrows 5,6 and 5' ,6 « . As the band made of low-stretch fabric is less elastic than the remaining fabric of the cups, it completely bears the strain due to the tension of the shoulder straps which is schematically repre- sented by the arrows 9,9', whereby each cup results to be contained in a stiffened structure, similarly to what happened in the normal brassieres by using the underwire. Actually, in the brassiere accor¬ ding to the present invention the real rigid ele- ent has been eliminated and the characteristic of rigidness has been transferred to a suitably manu¬ factured fabric band. It is clear that in this ca¬ se the bending stress typical of the underwire does not apply, and that the supporting and containing effects are exclusively obtained by means of pul¬ ling stresses, which represent the best operating conditions for a fabric. It should be pointed out the importance for the two bands 3,3' to be formed by a continuous fabric in order to obtain a preferential way for spreading the stress, which constitutes the main feature of the brassiere according to the present invention. The two bands 3,3' made of low-stretch fabric thus form a ring-like structure around the breasts with breast-supporting and containing effects similar to those of the usual brassieres provided with an underwire, but obtained with a much more comfortable as well as easy-fitting bras¬ siere. This article of lingerie moreover allows to obtain different degrees in the breast-supporting action which can be adjusted at will by either slackening or tightening the shoulder straps, the¬ reby varying the mechanical tension on the low- stretch fabric bands. The bands 3,3' made of low-stretch fabric and forming a respective part of the cups 1,2 are pre¬ ferably made in "FIBER-FILL" laminated by "JERSEY COTTON" but they can be made of whatever material is suitable to this purpose. Clearly, each of said bands made of low-stretch fabric can be wider or narrower depending on the article size and it is also possible for a band to have a varying width along its lenghth from the lower part of the re- spective cup to the corresponding shoulder strap. It is particularly preferable, for obtaining a bet¬ ter breast-supporting action, that each band has a greater width in the lower part of the respective cup. The bands made of low-stretch fabric can also either completely or partially form the respective shoulder strap of the brassiere, and they can pos¬ sibly be connected to each other in correspondence with the front part of the elastic band 4, thus forming a single band. It is further possible to make frontally closed brassieres having the impro¬ vement of the present invention, as well as bras¬ sieres of the type having padded cups. The pecu¬ liar feature of the present invention can be also applied to the brassieres for breast feeding which therefore will have each cup and corresponding band suitable to be opened. It is also possible to rea¬ lize brassieres according to the present invention in which, to allow the wearing of particularly low cut dresses, the part of each cup consisting of normal fabric is eliminated, whereby each cup is reduced to the sole band which both laterally and below surrounds the breasts. It is finally possible to employ a brassiere according to the present invention as a component part of complex underwear such as girdles, bodies, body-shapers and the like.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A brassiere comprising two cups (1,2) con¬ nected to both an elastic band (4) and respective shoulder straps (7,8), characterized in that each cup (1,2) consists, in its lower and lateral exter- nal parts, of a continuous band (3,3') made of low-stretch fabric. 2. A brassiere according to claim 1, characte¬ rized in that each continuous band (3,3*) made of low-stretch fabric has a variable width along its length. 3. A brassiere according to claim 1, characte¬ rized in that each continuous band (3,3*) made of low-stretch fabric has a greater width in a lower part of the respective cup (1,2). 4. A brassiere according to one of the prece¬ ding claims, characterized in that each cup is li¬ mited to only the respective continuous band (3,3') made of low-stretch fabric. 5. A brassiere according to one of the prece- ding claims, characterized in that the continuous bands (3,3') made of low-stretch fabric are linked to each other in correspondence with the front zone of the elastic band (4), said zone being comprised between the cups (1,2). 6. A brassiere according to one of the prece¬ ding claims, characterized in that the continuous bands (3,3*) are made in "FIBER-FILL" laminated by "JERSEY-COTTON". 7. An article of lingerie, characterized in that its upper part consists of a brassiere accor¬ ding to one of the preceding claims.

Inventors: MODENA GIOVANNA, MODENA, GIOVANNA
Applicants: LOVABLE ITALIANA SPA, MODENA GIOVANNA, LOVABLE ITALIANA S.P.A.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: A41C3
IPC codes: A41B3, A41C3