ARTICLE OF CLOTHING WITH BUILT-IN BRA

Abstract: The present invention is directed to women's clothing apparel (40) including a built-in bra. In preferred embodiments, the straps of the bra are fastened to the shoulder supports (42a, 42b) of a top garment substantially along the length of the shoulder supports from the front to the back of the garment. The invention also provides novel bras which can be advantageouly used accordingly to the invention.

Description: ARTICLE OF CLOTHING WITH BUILT-IN BRA Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to women's clothing apparel, particularly garments which cover a woman's breasts. Specifically, the invention provides for fixing at least a portion of a bra to the garment under which the bra is worn. Background of the Invention Presently available women's clothing apparel generally do not include breast support. Typically, breast support systems, such as a bra, are a component separate from the shirt or dress and have a separate strap arrangement for supporting the bra and garment over a woman's shoulder. One disadvantage of having a separate strap for the bra and for the garment is that the bra strap can be displaced from being completely covered by the garment shoulder strap when a woman performs routine activities while wearing the garment/bra arrangement. Exposure of the bra strap beneath the garment strap can give an unkempt look. This can be a particular problem when the shoulder support straps of the garment are thin, i.e., about the same width as the bra strap. In addition, the independent movement of the two straps on a woman's shoulder can be constantly irritating and require repeated manual adjustment to realign the bra strap and the garment strap. One alternative is to use a single strap to provide over-the-shoulder support to both the cup portions of the bra and the garment. Such arrangements are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 4,398,538 and 4,798,557. However, in general, arrangements having a single strap for both the bra and garment do not provide the support necessary for full figured women. Another alternative is to provide the garment with a built in bra. Such arrangements are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,478,278 and 5,678,246. While these arrangements may provide adequate breast support, the bra and garment are generally fixed together over portions of the body of the bra (i.e., cups, sides and back region) and the strap region. This arrangement can be disadvantageous because the garment cannot move freely relative to the body of the bra. Clasp systems are available for fixing the garment strap and bra strap in position as illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 5,590,545. However, in addition to being unsightly, clasps generally only provide a localized point of fixation thus allowing relative displacement between the garment shoulder strap and the bra strap at regions that are not directly fixed together by the clasp. Another alternative is to not wear a bra when wearing a sleeveless or thin strapped garment. This, however, is frequently a disadvantage for full figured women or women performing sports or other physical activities. Accordingly, there is a need for women's garments, particularly garments that are sleeveless or thin strapped, that permits constant coverage of the strap of an underlying bra by the garment shoulder strap. Summary of the Invention The present invention claims priority to U.S. provisional application ser. no. 60/091,374, the entire disclosure which is incorporated herein by reference. Throughout the specification, guidance is provided through lists of examples. In each instance, the recited list serves only as a representative group. It is not meant, however, that the list is exclusive. The invention is directed to articles of clothing including a garment and a bra or bra straps. According to the invention, a garment can include a first and second garment support which extend from the front of the garment to the back of the garment. Alternatively, a garment can include a first and second garment support which extend from the front of the garment to behind the wearer's neck where the first and second garment supports attach to one another. A bra according to the invention includes a bra body and first and second bra straps. The bra body has a front, a back and sides. In a typical embodiment, the first and second bra straps are fastened to the first and second garment supports, respectively. The bra straps can be non-removable or selectively removable from the garment supports. In some embodiments, the body of the bra can be selectively detachable from the bra straps. Articles of clothing according to the invention are particularly advantageous for use with garments having garment supports which are narrow, such as "spaghetti straps." The garment of an article of clothing according to the invention can be a dress, a blouse, a tank top, halter top, tube top, bathing suit, etc. Fastening the bra straps to the garment supports provides the herein disclosed articles of clothing with an overall neater appearance. In addition, the articles provide breast support and comfort for regular use or for use during physical activity. Brief Description of the Drawings FIGs. la-lc illustrate an embodiment of a prior art garment and bra arrangement; FIGs. 2a-2c illustrate one embodiment of a garment and bra arrangement according to the invention; FIGs. 3a and 3b illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the garment is freely moveable over the body of the bra while the garment supports are fastened along a portion of the bra straps; FIGs. 4a and 4b illustrate a front and back view of a garment with a bra beneath, in phantom lines, wherein the bra straps are fastened substantially along the garment supports; FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a bra according to the invention; FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a garment and bra arrangement according to the invention including the bra of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of an alternative embodiment of an article of clothing according to the invention; FIG. 8 illustrates a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of an alternative embodiment of an article of clothing according to the invention; FIG. 10 illustrates a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 illustrates a front view of an alternative embodiment of an article of clothing according to the invention; and FIG. 12 illustrates a back view of the embodiment of FIG. 11. Detailed Description The present disclosure is directed to women's garments, worn with a bra underneath, that provides substantial, continuous coverage of the strap of the bra. In a preferred embodiment, the garment is mobile relative to the body of the bra. As used herein, the term "garment" refers to women's clothing apparel that covers the upper body region including the breasts, for example, dresses, blouses, t-shirts, tank tops, bathing suits, halter tops, tube tops, etc. The "garment shoulder support" or "garment support" refers to that region of the garment that extends from the front of the garment to the back of the garment in the shoulder region to support the garment on a woman's shoulder (i.e., over-the-shoulder-support). The garment support can be narrow or broad. According to the invention, narrow and broad garment supports include the supports of all sleeveless garments. Narrow and broad support garments may include lateral extensions such as long or short sleeves. The over-the-shoulder supports of a garment having narrow shoulder supports (e.g., straps), may sometimes be referred to as "spaghetti straps." As used herein, the term "bra" refers to common breast support systems which fall under the term "bra" and which have a "bra strap" that extends from the front of the bra over a woman's shoulder to the back of the bra. The "body" of the bra includes the front, back and sides of the bra. The "front" of the bra includes that portion of the bra which directly surrounds or supports the breasts (e.g., cups). The "back" of the bra refers to that region of the bra that passes across a woman's back. The back of the bra often includes a clasp or other similar arrangement to facilitate putting on and taking off the bra. The "sides" of the bra are between the front and the back and in use are generally positioned under a woman's arm pits. As used herein, the "body" does not include the bra straps which typically support the bra in place over a woman's shoulder. Examples of bras suitable for the invention include, underwire bras, push-up bras, padded bras, pocket bras with removable padding, wireless bras, lace bras, etc. In a typical embodiment of the invention, the bra straps can be attached to the garment support substantially along the length of the bra strap from the front to the back of the garment. According to the disclosure, the bra straps can be fastened to the garment shoulder supports using fasteners such as hook and loop (e.g., VELCRO ® ), snaps, zippers, buttons, loops, stitched thread, pattern (e.g., continuous, discontinuous, etc.), etc. Fastening the bra straps to the garment supports, substantially along the length of the bra strap underlying the garment support, provides a neat appearance without constant visualization of the bra straps protruding outside the garment shoulder supports. By fastening the bra to the garment supports only in the over-the- shoulder regions, preferred embodiments of the herein disclosed articles of clothing also provide free movement of the garment relative to the body of the bra. Although not presently preferred, in some embodiments, the bra strap and garment support may be fastened only in the region from the front of the garment to the top of the shoulder or from the back of the garment to the top of the shoulder. According to this embodiment, in the former arrangement (i.e., fastened from front of garment to top of shoulder), the bra strap and garment support could extend to the back of the garment (or bra) not fastened to one another. In some embodiments, the garment supports may not extend to the back of the garment. For example, the garment supports may extend from the front of the garment and attach to one another behind the wearer's neck. In these embodiments, the garment supports and bra straps can be fastened together starting at about the front of the garment and extend together along the length of the garment support to a region of the garment support which in use would be positioned at, or behind, the wearer's neck. At this point, the support straps can be attached to one another by tying (e.g., a halter top) or using known clasping arrangements. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the disclosure provides for wearing a bra beneath a garment having narrow shoulder supports, such as "spaghetti straps." In a preferred embodiment, the garment is freely moveable relative to the body of the bra but fastened from the front to back of the garment along substantially the length of the garment shoulder support. As used herein, the term "substantially" is used to indicate some variation in, for example, the location of a fastener, but the variation still providing the function within the scope and principles of the invention. As will be disclosed below, the bra straps of the invention can be fastened to the garments to provide for removal of the bra from the garment. In some embodiments, the body of the bra can be detached from the straps, regardless of whether the straps are removable or non-removable from the garment supports. This feature advantageously provides for using the bra, or body of the bra, with different garments or the same garment with different bras or bra bodies. This aspect of the invention provides for articles of clothing to be available which have bra straps fastened to the garment supports, but no bra body. A selectively detachable bra body would be available separately. Alternatively, an article of clothing can be available with garment supports which include a fastener capable of fastening a removable bra, but no bra. Separate removable bras would also be available. These embodiments allow the consumer to mix and match garments and bras, or bra bodies. Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment FIGs. la-lc illustrate one example of a problem with prior art arrangements of a bra and garment which is addressed by the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, tank top 10 has garment supports 11a and 1 lb which are narrow and may be relatively displaced so as not to cover the bra straps 12a and 12b of the bra beneath the tank top 10. FIG. lb is a side view and FIG. lc is a back view of the same garment arrangement as FIG. la. FIGs. 2a-2c illustrate one embodiment of a clothing article 40 according to the invention comprising a tank top 41 having garment supports 42a and 42b which are fastened to the bra straps (not visible) substantially along the length of the bra straps in the region of the garment supports. Referring to FIGs. 3a and 3b, in one preferred embodiment, garment shoulder supports 42a and 42b of clothing article 40 and bra straps 51a and 51b (not visible in this view), of bra 50 are fastened together substantially from the front end 55a of bra strap 51a, to the back of garment 41. FIG. 3b illustrates that in preferred embodiments, the region of the garment 41 which covers the body 54 of bra 50 can be freely removable from the body 53 of the bra. FIGs. 4a and 4b illustrate a front and back view of another embodiment of a clothing article 55, such as a drape neck top 56, showing the body 60 of bra 61 in phantom lines. The body 60 of bra 61 includes a front 62, a back 63 and sides 64a and 64b. The front 62 of bra 61 includes cups 65a and 65b. The bra straps 66a and 66b (phantom lines) are fastened to the garment supports 67a and 67b of top 56 by fastener 68a and 68b which is represented in the illustration by diagonal lines. The fastener can provide for the bra to be non-removable from the garment such as by a threaded stitch, an adhesive, etc. or selectively removable by using, for example, hook and loop (VELCRO®), zipper, snaps, buttons, clasps, etc. If a threaded stitch is used, one or more rows of a continuous or intermittent stitch pattern can be used. The back 63 of bra 61 includes a centrally located clasp 69 to facilitate putting on and taking off bra 61. In addition, an adjustment arrangement 70a and 70b can be provided for adjustment of the length of bra straps 66a and 66b, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the body 60 of bra 63 is not fastened to the top 56. However, bra straps 66a and 66b are fastened to garment supports 67a and 67b substantially along the length of the garment supports 67a and 67b from the front 71 to the back 72 of garment 56. Thus, the body 60 of bra 61 is freely moveable beneath top 56 for comfort and neat appearance. The unkempt appearance of the bra straps 66a, 66b displaced from beneath the garment supports 67a, 67b is eliminated. FIGs. 5 and 6, illustrate one embodiment of a bra of the invention wherein the body of the bra is selectively detachable from the bra straps. This embodiment permits interchangeability of bra bodies and garments. Referring to FIG. 5, bra 110 includes a body 100, comprising front 101, sides 102a, 102b, back 103, and straps 104a, 104b. Front 101 of bra 110 comprises first cup 150a and second cup 150b. In this embodiment, cups 150a and 150b include a base region 151a, 151b and an apex region 152a, 152b. The tear-drop shape of cups 150a and 150b provides for positioning front attachments 106a and 106b at apex region 152a, 152b to provide even and comfortable support for the wearer. This bra cup configuration also provides a smoother appearance under a garment without a visible defining line at the top edge of the bra. In this embodiment, body 100 is attached to the bra straps 104a, 104b by strap attachment arrangement 105 which provides for selectively attaching and detaching the bra straps 104a, 104b to the front 101 and back 103 of the body 100 of bra 110. According to this embodiment, strap attachment arrangement 105 can include front attachments 106a, 106b which are the same or different than back attachments 107a, 107b. In the illustrated embodiment, front attachments 106a, 106b each include a hook members 108, mounted at the front ends 109a, 109b of straps 104a, 104b, to selectively attach and detach from loop members 11 la, 11 lb at the front 101 of bra 110. Back attachments 107a, 107b each also include hook members 108 mounted at the back ends 112a, 112b of straps 104a, 104b which can selectively attach and detach from loop members 113a, 113b at the back 103 of bra 110. It will be appreciated that the relative locations of the hook members and loop members can be the inverse of that illustrated. Also, other strap attachment arrangements 105, which provide for selective detachability of the body of the bra from the straps, such as hook and loop (VELCRO®), buttons, snaps, clasps, zippers, etc., can be used. As illustrated, an adjustment arrangement 120a and 120b can be included for adjusting the length of bra straps 104a, 104b. Suitable adjustment arrangements are known in the art. FIG. 6 illustrates that the feature of selective detachability of body 100 of bra 110 from straps 104a and 104b (not visible) still permits for the bra 110 to be freely moveable beneath a garment 160. In addition, as described previously for other embodiments, a clothing article including a strap attachment arrangement 105 for selective detachment of the bra body 100 can include a fastener 161 which provides for the bra straps to be removably or non-removably fastened to the garment supports. FIGs. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of an article of clothing 200 according to the invention. According to this embodiment, garment 201 includes garment supports 202a, 202b which attach to each other using a garment support attachment 203 behind the wearer's neck. As illustrated in phantom lines, bra 204 includes a body 205 having a front 206, sides 207a, 207b and back 208. Article of clothing 200 includes fastener 209a and 209b (diagonal lines) to fasten bra straps 210a and 210b (hatched line) to garment supports 202a, 202b from the front 220 of the garment 201 to near the garment support attachment 203 using previously described removable or non-removable fasteners. Also, as described for other embodiments, bra 204 can include a body 205 which is selectively detachable or non-selectively detachable to bra straps 210a and 210b. Referring to FIGs. 9 and 10, in another embodiment, a halter top 300, including a removable or non-removable, detachable or non-detachable bra 301, is illustrated. According to this embodiment, the bra straps 302a, 302b of bra 301 are fastened by a fastener 303 a, 303b (diagonal lines) along a portion of garment supports 304a, 304b, preferably extending at least a distance along the support straps 303a, 303b to near the wearer's neck. The bra straps 302a, 302b can extend to the end of ties 305a, 305b (i.e., garment supports) or stop at or near the wearer's neck as illustrated. In another embodiment of a halter top 400, shown in FIGs. 11 and 12, a bra 401 lacking bra straps may be used. According to this embodiment, small triangular shaped regions 402a, 402b at the front 403 of bra 401, near each of the apexes 404a, 404b, are attached to the garment 405. The small regions 402a, 402b of attachment can also be used in clothing articles wherein bra straps are present and fastened to the garment support. The disclosed arrangements provide for the bra straps to fully support the body of the bra without relative displacement of the bra straps from beneath the garment supports. Thus, an article of clothing according to the invention eliminates the need for repeated rearrangement of the garment support and the bra strap to keep the bra strap hidden beneath the garment support. Also, unlike safety pins, clasps or other devices that provide a point fixation between the garment support and the bra strap, the fasteners of the present invention not only maintain the relative position of the garment support to the bra strap but also eliminate visualization of the bra strap in regions away from single point fixation when bending, turning or performing some other movement that can cause the bra strap to separate from the garment support if only fixed together at a single point. Fixation of the bra strap to the garment shoulder support is advantageous for use with sleeveless garments, and particularly garments with a narrow (thin) shoulder supports (e.g., spaghetti straps) for providing a neater appearance. Fastening the bra strap to the garment support according to the invention is particularly beneficial to women needing a B-cup bra or larger as well as women needing an A-cup who may wish to include padding within the bra. It will be appreciated that an article of clothing according to the invention can include bras having varied cup sizes, thicknesses, with or without underwires, pads, push-ups or any other components which may be used with or as a part of the bra. The articles of clothing according to the invention advantageously provide breast support with increased comfort for regular use or for jogging, running, skiing or other physical activity with a feeling of security and without the pain which can be associated with un-supported breasts. The entire disclosure of all patents cited in this disclosure are incorporated herein by reference. From the foregoing detailed description it has been shown how the objects of the invention have been obtained in a preferred manner. However, modifications and equivalence of the disclosed concepts such as those which would occur to one of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims: WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. An article of clothing comprising: - a garment including a first garment support having a first length and a second garment support having a second length; a bra, the bra comprising: (i) a body having a front, a back and a side; and (ii) a first bra strap attached to the front and back of the body of the bra and a second bra strap attached to the front and back of the body of the bra; and a fastener which fastens the first bra strap substantially along the length of the first garment support and the second bra strap substantially along the length of the second garment support. 2. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the fastener provides for selectively removing the bra straps from the garment supports. 3. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the bra and garment are not fastened at any one of the front, back and side of the body of the bra. 4. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the first and second garment supports are spaghetti straps. 5. The article of clothing according to claim 4 wherein the garment is a dress. 6. The article of clothing according to claim 4 wherein the garment is a tank top with spaghetti straps. 7. The article of clothing according to claim 4 wherein the garment is a blouse. 8. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the fastener is a stitch pattern. 9. The article of clothing according to claim 8 wherein the fastener is a continuous stitch pattern. 10. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the first and second bra straps include a strap attachment arrangement for selectively detaching the first and second bra straps to the body of the bra. 11. The article of clothing according to claim 10 wherein the strap attachment arrangement includes a plurality of hook members and loop members. 12. The article of clothing according to claim 2 wherein the fastener is hook and loop. 13. A bra, the bra comprising: a body having a front, a back and a side, the front comprising first and second cups, each cup having a broad base and a narrow apex; - a first and second bra strap; and a strap attachment arrangement for selectively attaching the first bra strap to the apex of the first cup and the back of the body of the bra and the second bra strap to the apex of the second cup and back of the body of the bra. 14. The bra according to claim 13 wherein the strap attachment arrangement comprises a plurality of hook members and loop members. 15. The bra according to claim 12 wherein the bra is an underwire bra. 16. An article of clothing comprising: an outer garment including a first garment support having a first length and second garment support having a second length; a bra, the bra comprising: (i) a body having a front, a back and a side; and (ii) a first bra strap selectively detachable to the front and back of the body of the bra and a second bra strap selectively detachable to the front and back of the body of the bra; and a fastener which fastens the first bra strap to the first garment support and the second bra strap to the second garment support. 17. The garment according to claim 16 wherein the bra and garment are not fastened at any one of the front, back and side of the body of the bra. 18. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the fastener fastens the first bra strap to the first garment support substantially from the front to the back of the body of the bra and the second bra strap to the second garment support substantially from the front to the back of the body of the bra. 19. The article of clothing according to claim 18 wherein the fastener provides for selectively removing the bra from the garment. 20. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the first and second garment supports are spaghetti straps. 21. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the garment is a tank top. 22. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the garment is a dress. 23. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the garment is a blouse. 24. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the garment is a halter top. 25. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the fastener is a stitch pattern. 26. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the fastener is hook and loop. 27. The article of clothing according to claim 16 wherein the first and second bra straps include a plurality of hook members and loop members for selectively detaching the first and second straps to the front and back of the bra. 28. The article of clothing according to claim 20 wherein the bra includes an underwire breast support. 29. The article of clothing according to claim 25 wherein the fastener fastens the first bra strap substantially along the length of the first garment support and the second bra strap substantially along the length of the second garment support. 30. The article of clothing according to claim 16, wherein the front of the bra comprises a first and second cup, each cup having a broad base and a narrow apex. 31. An article of clothing comprising: an outer garment including a first garment support having a first length and a second garment support having a second length; and - a first bra strap fastened to the first garment support and having a first and second strap attachment arrangement at a first and second end, respectively, of the first bra strap; a second bra strap fastened to the second garment support and having a first and second strap attachment arrangement at a first and second end, respectively, of the second bra strap. 32. A method for providing breast support in an article of clothing for women comprising: selecting a garment that covers a woman's breasts, the garment having a first garment support extending from a front to back of the garment and a second garment support extending from the front to the back of the garment; selecting a bra for supporting the woman's breasts wherein the bra includes: (i) a body having a front and back; (ii) first and second bra straps; and fastening the first and second bra straps to the first and second garment supports, respectively, from the front to the back of the garment.

Inventors: HEROFF STEPHANIE L, HEROFF, STEPHANIE, L.
Applicants: HEROFF STEPHANIE L, HEROFF, STEPHANIE, L.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A41C
IPC codes: A41C3, A41D7, A41F1