Abstract:
A strapless camisole undergarment has a front upper portion which is detachably affixable to each of the fold-down cup cover flaps of a standard, top-opening nursing bra. Attachment is made just below the clasp on each fold-down cover flap. Intended to be worn beneath any front-opening or pull-over blouse or shirt, the undergarment enables a woman to discreetly breastfeed an infant maintaining her lower torso covered while her outer shirt is lifted or open. Thus, a woman desiring to nurse her child need only open or raise the outer shirt, unhook a cup cover flap, and lower both the flap and the attached undergarment in order to access a breast. When the child has finishing nursing on that breast, the woman raises the flap and reattaches it—along with the attached undergarment—to the hook at the top of the bra cup.

Description:
This is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/537,249, which was filed on Aug. 6, 2009 now abandoned by the same named inventor. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to nursing undergarments and, more specifically, to an undergarment which directly attaches to the fold-down cup cover flaps of any standard top-opening, nursing brassiere (hereinafter, also “bra”). 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional nursing apparel suffers from a number of drawbacks. Most nursing shirts typically require a woman to go through multiple layers, slits or flaps in order to gain access to her breasts. This can be somewhat cumbersome. A typical article of clothing for nursing is a camisole, tank top or undershirt permanently attached to a nursing bra with fold-down cups. A drawback to such a combination clothing item is that each tank top or undershirt is inseparably sewn to the nursing bra. Because the number of clothing items, which combine both an undershirt and a bra, is much more limited than the number of both undershirts and bras available separately, the use of combination clothing items for a nursing woman severely limits her choice of color, style, fit and design of not only the undershirts, but also of the incorporated nursing bras, as well. In addition, because of the rather specialized nature of such combination garments, they are typically more expensive than the combined cost of individual items of comparable quality (i.e., the cost of an undershirt plus the cost of a nursing bra). Thus, a woman who desires to nurse her child and, at the same time, have a varied wardrobe, must—at considerable cost—purchase a number of these combination clothing items. The cost problem is exacerbated by a further complication: The built-in nursing bras in off-the-shelf combination nursing garments Women may not suit a particular woman. The bra may not have certain features important to the woman, such as adequate support, under-wire construction, or a particular color, level of padding, shape, desired fabric, level of adornment, or style. The selection of a bra, whether it be one having fold-down cups for nursing, or one without such a feature, is a very personal decision. The current state of the art in nursing apparel severely limits a woman&#39;s choice in the selection of both undershirts and brassieres. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention eliminates the problems associated with the prior art nursing brassieres and attached undergarments. The invention provides a specialized nursing undergarment—in the form of a camisole, tank top or under shirt—an upper portion of which is detachably affixable to the top of the fold-down cup cover flaps of any standard top-opening nursing bra. The specialized undergarment is intended to be worn beneath any front-opening or pull-over blouse or shirt that is not designed specifically for nursing mothers. Because the invention attaches to the cup cover flaps of a nursing bra, the mother does not have to open and close additional layers in order to gain access to her breasts. When a woman utilizing the invention desires to nurse her infant, she need only open or raise the outer shirt, and, then, unhook and lower one of the cup cover flaps on the nursing bra to access a breast. When the infant has finishing nursing on that breast, the woman raises the fold-down cup cover flap and reattaches it—along with the attached undergarment—to the hook at the top of the bra cup. The invention enables a woman to discreetly breast feed an infant, as the undergarment attached to the nursing bra enables her to maintain her lower torso covered while her outer shirt is lifted or opened for the feeding. The invention works with practically any standard nursing bra available in the marketplace. 
     This invention simplifies breastfeeding procedures because the undergarment of the present invention is attached directly to the cup cover flaps of a nursing bra and need not need to be detached from the bra in order to nurse. Thus, a woman would simply lower the fold-down cup cover flap of a nursing bra, with the attached undergarment releasing with the cup cover flap, as if the nursing bra and undergarment were a combined clothing article. It remains attached to the cover flap of the bra cup as long as the woman desired to wear that combination of undergarment and nursing bra. 
     The undergarment of the present invention is advantageous because a woman may choose any combination of outer blouse or shirt and nursing brassiere. In addition, the woman may choose from any nursing bra available in the marketplace for use in combination with the specialized nursing undergarment of the present invention. She is no longer limited to purchasing one of much fewer nursing bras which have a nursing undergarment permanently attached. 
     While primarily intended for use by nursing mothers, this invention can also be used by non-nursing women. The undergarment of the present invention can also be attached to the uppermost portion of the cups or to the straps of any standard, non-nursing, brassiere. When used in this manner, the undergarment functions as a layering undershirt worn beneath a blouse or outer shirt. A front-opening blouse can even be left unbuttoned or open, thereby presenting the same general appearance as a regular camisole under the shirt. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of an undergarment manufactured in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear elevational view of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of oval region  3  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of oval region  4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged top plan view of a silicone rubber O-ring used as a first of two alternative strap attachment devices in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged top plan view of a strap attachment clip used as a second of two alternative strap attachment devices in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a front elevational view of a female mannequin torso and neck that is wearing a convention nursing brassiere, with fold-down cup flaps, beneath the undergarment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an upper front edge of which is releasably secured to an uppermost portion of each cup flap; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of circular region  8  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of circular region  9  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of circular region  10  of  FIG. 7 , but with the undergarment attached to the fold-down cup cover flap with the silicon rubber O-ring, rather than with the strap attachment clip; and 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged view of circular region  11  of  FIG. 7 , but with the undergarment attached to the fold-down cup cover flap with the strap attachment clip, rather than with the silicon rubber O-ring. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention will now be described in detail, with reference to drawing  FIGS. 1 to 4 . It should be understood that the drawings are meant to be merely illustrative of the invention, and may not be drawn to precise scale. The invention includes both an undergarment product and a method of making the undergarment product. Although a presently preferred embodiment of the undergarment product looks much like a strapless camisole, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that other types of sleeveless undergarments, such as tank tops, can either be manufactured as a new item in accordance with the present invention, or an already-made undergarment can be modified to achieve the same function. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a presently preferred embodiment nursing undergarment  100  has the appearance of a strapless, sleeveless, bare-shoulder camisole. A presently preferred embodiment of the undergarment  100  has a garment body that is sewn together from two pieces of fitted, warp-knit fabric that is a blend of a 95% cotton fibers and 5% spandex fibers; a front panel  101  and a rear panel  201 , which are sewn together in vertical side seams below the arm pits of the wearer. The undergarment  100  has a bottom seam  102  and preferably sufficient length to at least completely cover the wearer&#39;s midriff. Though a cotton/spandex blend is the presently preferred fabric for the undergarment  100 , a combination of spandex fibers with other fibers is also contemplated. For example, the cotton component may be replaced with modal, linen, flax (i.e., linen), jute, hemp, wool, silk, polyester, nylon or acrylic fibers. In addition, spandex fibers may be combined with two or more of the other listed fibers. 
     Because of the importance of using stretchable knit fabric in the manufacture of the present invention, and because spandex—a manmade organic compound—is a primary component of most stretchable fabrics, a brief description of the material is deemed appropriate. Spandex (an anagram of the word “expands”), or elastane, as it is more commonly known in Europe, is a synthetic copolymer that is made into fibers known for their exceptional elasticity. Chemically, spandex is made up of a long-chain polyglycol combined with a short diisocyanate, and contains at least 85% polyurethane. It is an elastomer, which means it can be stretched up to a certain amount without sustaining any appreciable molecular damage. When released, it recoils to its original dimensions. These fibers are superior to rubber because they are stronger, lighter, and more versatile. In fact, spandex fibers can be stretched to almost 500% of their length. First formulated by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont&#39;s Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia in the early 1950s, it revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry after it was first incorporated into fabrics in 1959. For clothing, spandex is usually mixed with cotton or polyester, and may account for as little as two percent of the final fabric by weight. Clothing incorporating small amounts of spandex therefore retains most of the look and feel of the more prevalent fibers. In North America it is rare in men&#39;s clothing, but prevalent in women&#39;s. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , when laid out on a flat surface, the vertical side seams  103 R and  103 L, which join the front panel  101  to the rear panel  201 , are on the outer vertical edges of the undergarment  100 . The front panel  101  is shaped like that of a conventional camisole, having a bilaterally-symmetrical wave pattern upper edge consisting of two spaced-apart peaks  104 R and  104 L, a central trough  105  joining the peaks  104 R and  104 L, and arcuate half-troughs  106 R and  106 L on the outer sides of the peaks  104 R and  104 L, respectively, which transition to the rear upper edge  202  of the undergarment  100 . A major difference between the undergarment  100  of the present invention and a conventional camisole is an absence of a strap which would otherwise interconnect each peak  104 R and  104 L to the rear upper edge  202  of the undergarment  100 . 
     Still referring to drawing  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the entire front upper edge (including components  104 R,  104 L,  105 ,  106 R and  106 L) and the entire rear upper edge  202  are hemmed by wrapping them with bias binding ribbon made of the same cotton-spandex blend as the front and rear panels  101  and  201 . A front bias binding ribbon  107  is used to hem the edge of the central trough  105 , while a much longer rear bias binding ribbon  203  is used to hem not only the rear upper edge  202 , but also the edges of the arcuate half-troughs  106 R and  106 L, as well. As the rear bias binding ribbon  203  is sewn to both the rear upper edge  202  and the arcuate half-troughs  106 R and  106 L, it reinforces the top of each vertical side seam  103 R and  103 L. Though the undergarment  100  shown and described in  FIGS. 1 and 2  has a scooped neckline, the basic design is adaptable to many other neckline styles, such as horizontal, V-neck, and buttoned faux vertical slit. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , which are enlarged views of region  3  of  FIG. 1  and region  4  of  FIG. 2 , respectively, it will be noted that each peak  104 R and  104 L on the upper edge of the front panel  101  is equipped with a plurality, i.e. two, fold-down cup cover flap attachment devices: a silicone rubber O-ring  301  and a strap attachment clip  302 . The strap attachment clips  302 , which must be fairly rigid, are preferably stamped from sheet metal, such as brass, stainless steel, or aluminum (which is then can be heat treated for durability and anodized for corrosion resistance). The clips are preferably coated with a polymeric plastic compound, such as nylon or polyvinylchloride. The color of the coating can be selected to match the fabric color of the undergarment  100 . The plurality of attachment devices (i.e., O-ring  301  and the strap attachment clip  302 ) are attached to their associated peak  104 R or  104 L with a small loop formed by an end of the rear bias binding ribbon  203 . That is to say, each of the opposite ends of the rear bias binding ribbon  203  passes through a silicon rubber O-ring  301  and through an attachment slot  401  in the strap attachment clip  302 , is folded behind the front panel  101  (i.e., to the inside surface of the undergarment  100 ), thereby forming a loop  402  of generally minimum diameter. The rear bias binding ribbon  203  is trimmed to leave a short tail  403 , which is sewn to a front portion  303  of the rear bias binding ribbon  203 , to an end portion  304  of the front bias binding ribbon  107 , and also to the stretch fabric of the front panel  101 , on the inside of the undergarment  100 . Although the strap attachment clip  302  works fine for standard thickness fold-down cup cover flaps, the O-ring  301  is more easily able to accommodate fold-down cup cover flaps which somewhat thicker (i,e., more heavily padded). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the O-ring  301  is shown unconnected to the under garment  101 . When not subjected to distorting forces, the O-ring  301  has a toroidal shape. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a strap attachment clip  302  is shown unconnected to the undergarment  100 . As previously stated, the strap attachment clips  302  should be fairly rigid, and preferably stamped from a stiff sheet metal. Though brass, heat-treated anodized aluminum and brass can be used successfully in this application, stainless steel is considered the preferred metal. The strap attachment clips  301  are preferably also coated with a polymeric plastic compound, such as nylon or polyvinylchloride. The color of the coating can be selected to match the fabric color of the undergarment  100 . 
     Referring now to both  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , which is an enlarged view of region  8  of  FIG. 7 , a conventional nursing brassiere  701 , having fold-down cup flaps  702 R and  702 L, and partially open cups  703 R and  703 L, has been strapped to a female mannequin torso  704 . The undergarment  100  has been pulled over the mannequin torso  704  so as to cover the nursing brassiere  701  and a lower portion of the torso  704 . The right peak  104 R of the front upper edge of the undergarment  100  has been secured to an uppermost portion of the right cup flap  702 R and the left peak  104 L of the front upper edge of the undergarment  100  has been secured to an uppermost portion of the left cup flap  702 L with a strap attachment clips  302 . The left cup flap  702 L has been unsnapped from the left cup  703 L and partially folded down. Each bra cup  703 R and  703 L has a central aperture  705 R (not shown) and  705 L, respectively, that exposes the nipple and areola of the respective breast. The fold-down cup cover flaps  702 R and  702 L can be positioned so as to either cover or expose central apertures  705 R and  705 L, respectively. In the view of  FIG. 7 , the right fold-down cup cover  702 R is covering right central aperture  705 R, while the left fold-down cup  702 L, in its folded-down position, has exposed the left central aperture  705 L and an upper portion of the female mannequin&#39;s left breast  706 L. The right and left over-the shoulder straps  707 R and  707 L, respectively, of the nursing brassiere  701  are permanently and adjustably secured to a top aperture  708  of a plastic link  709 R or  709 L. A bottom aperture  710  of each plastic link  709 R or  709 L is permanently secured to an uppermost portion of its associated bra cup  703 R or  703 L, which is folded rearward to make a loop  711  of minimum diameter, and then secured with stitches  712  to the rear of the bra cup  703 R or  703 L near the very top thereof. The central body  713  of each plastic link  709 R or  709 L incorporates an upwardly angled hook  714 , to which an eye member  715 , that is secured to the uppermost portion of each cup cover flap  702 R and  702 L, releasably attaches. The apex  716  of each cup cover flap  702 R and  702 L passes through an aperture  717  in the eye member  715  and is folded down to form a loop  718 , also of minimum diameter, with the apex  716  being sewn to the back of its respective cup cover flap  702 R and  702 L near the very top thereof. Each eye member  715  has a rectangular eye  719 , which snaps over the upwardly angled hook  714  of its respective plastic link  709 R or  709 L. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , the undergarment  100  is shown covering the same conventional nursing brassiere  701  on the same female mannequin torso  704  as in  FIG. 7 . The differences are that the left fold-down cup flap  702 L has been raised to its fully-closed position, with the eye member  715  snapped to the upwardly angled hook  714  of plastic link  709 L, and the right peak  104 R of the front upper edge of the undergarment  100  has been secured to an uppermost portion of the right cup flap  702 R with the O-ring  301 , rather than with the strap attachment clip  302 , as in  FIG. 7 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a close-up view is shown of the right peak  104 R attached to fold-down cup cover flap  702 R with the silicon rubber O-ring  301 . The associated strap attachment clip  302  has been folded behind the peak  104 R of the undergarment  100 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , a close-up view is shown of the left peak  104 L attached to fold-down cup cover flap  702 L with a strap attachment clip  302 . The associated O-ring  301  remains unused and has been folded down on the front of the peak  104 L of the undergarment  100 . 
     It should be understood that the rear upper edge  202  of the undergarment  100  is positioned just below the level of the wearer&#39;s armpits, and retain retains its vertical position on the torso because the garment  100  is fitted to the woman&#39;s body, and because the rear upper edge  202  is coupled to the arcuate half-troughs  106 R and  106 L, which are secured at the peaks  104 R and  104 L, respectively, to the woman&#39;s brassiere, which in turn is help up by the right and left over-the shoulder straps  707 R and  707 L, respectively. A woman dresses herself by strapping on her nursing brassiere  701 , then pulling the undergarment  100  over her head and over the nursing bra  701 . Each peak  104 R and  104 L of the undergarment  100  is then secured to an uppermost portion of each fold-down cup cover flap  702 R and  702 L of the nursing bra  701  using either the attached rubber O-ring  301  or the strap attachment clip  502 . 
     Though only a single embodiment of an undergarment that attaches to a top-opening nursing brassiere have been heretofore disclosed and described, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.