Patent Publication Number: US-9883701-B2

Title: Air bra

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to adjustable brassieres, more particularly, to a brassiere having an air intake pump operated by pressing to draw air in the chamber or air pockets embedded in the brassiere so that the user can exactly adjust the air pockets to the required size. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known that a brassiere is worn to protect and to prevent breasts from drooping but since it primarily comprises an elastic band, the conventional brassiere strongly presses against the chest of a wearer. So, if a wearer wears the conventional brassiere for a long time, she feels uncomfortable because of the pressure of the elastic band and also because the ventilation of the brassiere is not good. Accordingly, the above such effects badly affect the wearer&#39;s skin. The conventional brassiere provides the above stated functions only to breasts of the female. However, females who wear brassieres in practice require other functions such as to complement the shape of small breasts or drooped breasts and the like. 
     There have been many prior art patents that solve the above described problem relating to adjustable brassiers as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,332A issued to Lee discloses a push-up bra having an envelope between the front panel and the rear panel of the bra cups, that receives a flexible pouch containing a mixture of water and a hygroscopic agent such as 70% glycerine—30% water. The hygroscopic agent will draw moisture into the envelope preventing the volume of liquid from decreasing. U.S. Pat. No. 8,047,891 issued to Nikita discloses a brassiere having air bags or the like which can provide apparent enhancement without the need for surgery, or for use after surgical loss of breast tissue. The brassiere can also be used by women who desire breast enlargement. U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,037 issued to Lee discloses an improved brassiere which complements the shape of small breasts and drooped breasts and at the same time makes the wearer feel good by providing ventilation and enhancing hygiene of the brassiere. U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,760 issued to Dai discloses an air intake pump operated by pressing to draw external air bags imbedded therein so that the user can exactly adjust their bags which may be deflated for adjustment or storage by pressing the air bags. 
     Therefore, the prior art teaches that apparatuses and methods of inflation of air bag type brassieres are inconvenient and time consuming. Moreover, it is very inelegant to adjust the brassiere in public places extemporaneously. Private and fast adjustment cannot be achieved. Therefore a need exists for a simple and inexpensive method of providing brassiere having an extra safety feature from force (like from being inadvertently hit by a ball during sports), by incorporating an extra chamber for pumping air inside the brassiere. 
     SUMMARY 
     A brassiere for breast enhancement and breast safety in women is disclosed. The brassiere has two cups which are at least partially comprised of stretchable material and house an air-tight chamber inserted into either one or both of the cups, a pump or tube for inflating and deflating air in the chambers using an air valve and a press button. The chambers are located preferably at the top of either of the cups of the bra. The brassiere of the present invention uses the air chamber(s) to protect the chest area of a woman from impact and is used for enlarging and beautifying the breast of a woman. Additionally, the air chambers are provided with an air valve internally connected to a pump located under the arm pits as a means for inflating and deflating air. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an air bra that is filled air in air tight pockets by using a flapping action of arms of the wearer of the bra, which leads to pumping of air inside the chamber or pocket according to the desired amount by the wearer. 
     In is another object of the present invention to provide an air bra having pockets or air tight chambers made up of stretchable material such as spandex, nylon, cotton and/or a mixture thereof. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an air bra having a press button provided in the bra to press and release, to push the air valve and discharge the air in the airtight chamber thereby deflating the cups; thereby adjusting a size of said brassiere. 
     It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide an air bra that provides the advantage of protecting the chest area from frontal forceful impact from a ball during playing sports like rugby, football, and the like. 
     With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following description should be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in like fashion. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a brassiere having air chambers and pump according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1  there is shown and illustrated a brassiere  10  having airtight chambers  20  and a pump  30  in accordance with the present invention. By way opf example, but not of limitation, the brassiere shown and described will be a sports bra  12 . In a preferred embodiment the airtight chambers  20  are embedded in two cups  14 ,  16 , respectively, of the sports bra  12  wherein each of the air-collecting pockets or chambers  20  is provided with an air valve  22  being internally connected to a pump  30  located under the arm pits as a means of inflating and deflating air. Further, in the sports bra  12  the airtight pockets  20  are inflated with flapping action of arms of the wearer of the bra  12 , which leads to pumping of air inside the chamber or pocket  20  according to the desired amount by the wearer. The pockets or air tight chambers  20  may be fabricated from stretchable material such as spandex, nylon, cotton and/or a mixture thereof. Lastly, chambers  20  are located preferably at the top of either of the cups of the bra  12 . The press button provided in the bra is pressed and released to push the air valve and discharge the air in the air-tight chamber thereby deflating the cups; thereby, adjusting a size of said brassiere. 
     Turning once again to  FIG. 1 , the pump  30  is pre-mounted on an inner face of the bra  12  around or under the armpit, thereby facilitating the air filling by simple manual up and down motion of the wearer&#39;s hands, similar to the flapping of hands, thereby making the pump  30  hand-operated. The pump  30  includes a first one-way inlet valve which also acts as a second one-way outlet valve, an air inlet communicated with the air chambers  20 , an air outlet communicated with the air chambers  20  and a normally closed air outlet valve  23 . The pump  30  allows inflation of air into and deflation of air out of the air chambers  20  through manual operation. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, an airtight chamber  20  is embedded in two cups  14  and  16  thereof, each of said air-collecting pockets or chambers  20  are provided with an air valve  23  located under the arm pits being internally connected to a tube  22  as a means for inflating and deflating air. Further in the bra  12  the air tight pockets or chambers  20  are inflated with the tube  22  and air is filled manually by the wearer inside the chamber or pocket  20  according to the desired amount. The chamber  20  is located preferably at the top of either of the cups of the bra  12 . The press button  32  provided in the bra is pressed and released to push the air valve  23  and discharge the air in the airtight chambers  20  thereby deflating the cups  14 ,  16  therewith; thereby adjusting a size of the brassiere  10 . 
     In another preferred embodiment the chamber or pockets that are provided in the bra are located in the entire cups. Further the air chambers may also be placed in the entire front region of a shirt of a sportsman for full protection against the frontal impact from a ball during play. Further the chamber is designed to be made in an inner layer lying adjacent to the skin surface of the wearer and an outer layer lying further away from the skin surface with the inner layer being stiffer than the outer layer such that the chamber is capable of holding the air filled in without posing any pressure on the skin of the user. The material used for the chamber construction is of stretchable material to accommodate the amount of air filled inside the chamber without it tearing apart. In another preferred embodiment the brassiere there are other possible replacements to the valve used for controlling an amount of air in the air chamber. The normally closed valve is mounted in the bra, allowing inflation of air into the air chamber or release of air out of the air chamber. The valve includes a valve seat, a valve stem, a valve plug, and a spring. 
     It is contemplated within the scope of the disclosure described herein that any other type of bra may also be incorporated with the air filled chamber or pocket, including but not limited to sports bras or regular bras with the location of the chamber at the top of the cups and/or any other suitable location as per the requirement of the user. 
     In summary, the present invention is directed to a brassiere for breast enhancement and breast safety in women by providing a brassiere having two cups which are at least partially comprised of stretchable material, an airtight chamber inserted into either one or both of the cups, a means for inflating and deflating air; an air valve and a press button. The brassiere as disclosed in the present invention is embodied with air chambers for protecting the chest area from impact and is used for enlarging and beautifying the breast of women. The advantages of the brassiere is that it protects the chest area from frontal forceful impact froa a ball while playing sports like rugby, football, and the like. The air chamber technique as used herein can be successfully employed for men&#39;s shirts and the protection from impact for sportsman. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.