Patent Publication Number: US-9833046-B2

Title: Thin garment closure

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the filing benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/165,851, filed 22 May 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention pertains generally to fasteners, and more particularly to a thin garment closure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,604 describes a brassiere front closure which is easily manipulated by inserting a bar of a male member into a trough of a female member when the members are oriented orthogonally, and rotating the members to a coplanar position to lock the closure. The improved closure disclosed herein includes novel features which permit easier alignment of the members for simplified manipulation. The novel structure enables an extremely thin closure for improved comfort and visual appearance. In addition, a single female closure member accepts various sizes of male closure member, enabling a garment system with readily detachable and interchangeable components. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a thin garment closure for lingerie, brassieres, swimwear, and the like. The closure includes male and female members which couple by insertion of a bar of the male member into a trough of the female member with the members in a transverse orientation, followed by a rotation of one member to lock the members in a substantially coplanar orientation. The male and female members each have a flat surface which contacts the flat surface of the mating member when the closure is closed, enabling a thin and narrow closure. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the closure, the male member has a male exterior side connected to a first end of a garment, a bar with a ball on at least one end, and a flat front surface between the male exterior side and the bar. The female member has a female exterior side connected to a second end of the garment, a trough shaped complementary to the bar, a flat rear surface at least partially surrounding the trough, and a detent means. The bar is positionable in the trough when the male member and the female member are in a substantially transverse orientation. When the bar is positioned in the trough and the male member is rotated so that the male member and the female member are substantially coplanar, the flat front surface of the male member contacts the flat rear surface of the female member and the first and second ends of the garment are connected. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, the bar of the male member has a ball on both ends. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, the trough of the female member is open on both ends. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, the trough has sidewalls with curved ends which guide the ball of the bar into position in the trough. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, the closure has a tensile strength of between about 20 pounds and about 30 pounds. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, the bar is positionable in the trough when the male member and the female member are oriented at an angle of between about 75 degrees and about 105 degrees. 
     Other embodiments, in addition to the embodiments enumerated above, will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the garment closure and method of use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a reduced partial front elevation view of a thin garment closure connected to a garment. 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the closure. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of a female member of the closure. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the female member. 
         FIG. 6  is a left side elevation view of the female member. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear elevation view of the female member. 
         FIG. 8A  is a cross-sectional view along the line  8 A- 8 A of  FIG. 4 ; and  FIG. 8B  is a cross-sectional view along the line  8 B- 8 B of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9A  is a front perspective view of the female member; and  FIG. 9B  is a rear perspective view thereof. 
         FIG. 10  is a front elevation view of a male member of the closure. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view along the line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view along the line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 13  is a front perspective view of the male member. 
         FIGS. 14A-B  are cross-sectional views of the closure in partially closed positions. 
         FIGS. 15A-C  are side views of the closure in partially coupled positions. 
         FIG. 16A  is a reduced front elevation view of another embodiment of the closure;  FIG. 16B  is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B of  FIG. 16A ;  FIGS. 16C-F  are reduced front elevation, bottom plan, left side elevation, and rear elevation views, respectively, of the female member of the closure;  FIG. 16G  is a cross-sectional view along the line G-G of  FIG. 16C ;  FIG. 16H  is a reduced front elevation view of the male member of the closure; and  FIGS. 16I-J  are, respectively, cross-sectional views along the lines I-I and J-J of  FIG. 16H . 
         FIG. 17A  is a reduced front elevation view of another embodiment of the closure;  FIG. 17B  is a reduced front perspective view thereof;  FIGS. 17C-D  are cross-sectional views along the lines C-C and D-D of  FIG. 17A ;  FIGS. 17E-F  are reduced front elevation and perspective views, respectively, of the male member of the closure; and  FIGS. 17G-H  are, respectively, cross-sectional views along the lines G′-G′ and H-H of  FIG. 17E . 
         FIGS. 18A-E  are partial front elevation views of the elements of a garment system including differently shaped or sized male closure members. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           20  closure
         30  male member
             32  bar     33  ball     34  flat front surface     36  male exterior side   
             40  female member
             42  trough     43  concave region     44  flat rear surface     46  female exterior side     47  sidewall     48  curved end     49  female front surface   
             50  detent     60  flange     62  alignment bar     63  reinforcement bar     70  recesses   
     
           500  garment
         510  first end     520  second end   
     
           600  primary garment piece 
           700  secondary garment piece 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a reduced front elevation view of a thin garment closure  20  in a closed position and connected to a garment  500 . Closure  20  includes a male member  30  and a female member  40  (see also  FIGS. 4 &amp; 10 ). Garment  500  has a first end  510  and a second end  520  which are connectable by means of closure  20 . Closure  20  is particularly suited for use with garments such as brassieres, lingerie, and swimwear, however its utility is not limited to these applications. In an embodiment, the closure is a front closure for a brassiere, where first and second ends  510  and  520  of garment  500  are to be joined between two brassiere cups. In another embodiment, the closure is a brassiere shoulder strap fastener and first and second garment ends  510  and  520  include one end of a brassiere shoulder strap and one of either material above a brassiere cup or material at the top of a brassiere back strap. In another embodiment, the closure is a back closure for a brassiere, where first and second ends  510  and  520  of garment  500  are two ends of a back strap. 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of closure  20  and  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . Male member  30  and female member  40  have, respectively, male and female exterior sides  36  and  46 . First end  510  of garment  500  is connected to male exterior side  36  and second end  520  is connected to female exterior side  46  (see also  FIG. 1 ). In the shown embodiment, ends  510  and  520  are connected, respectively, to exterior sides  36  and  46  of closure  20  by feeding the fabric of each garment end through a loop in the corresponding exterior side and stitching the fabric of the garment end to itself (as indicated by the dashed lines of  FIG. 1 ). Ends  510  and  520  of garment  500  may be connected to exterior sides  36  and  46  of closure  20  by other methods well known in the art, including simply passing the end through the opening for attachment elsewhere on the garment, as in the case of an adjustable length brassiere shoulder strap. 
       FIGS. 4-9  of female member  40  of closure  20  give, respectively, front elevation, bottom plan, left side elevation, rear elevation, cross-sections along lines  8 A- 8 A of  FIGS. 4 and 8B-8B  of  FIG. 7 , and front and rear perspective views. Female member  40  is preferably unitarily formed by molding and comprised of a high performance polymer such as polyoxymethylene (POM) or polyamide (PA). The tensile strength of closure  20  when made in engineering plastics such as POM or PA is between about 20-30 lbs. Female member  40  generally lies in the plane F shown in  FIG. 8A . When a garment including closure  20  is worn, the rear of female member  40  faces the body of the wearer. Female member  40  has a trough  42  in the rear face which is preferably oriented longitudinally and substantially parallel to and offset from female exterior side  46 . Trough  42  is shaped complementary to a bar  32  of male member  30  (see discussion of  FIGS. 10-13 ), so that trough  42  may receive bar  32  of male member  30 . Female member  40  also has one or more flat rear surfaces  44  which adjoin and at least partially surround trough  42 . Female member  40  has a female front surface  49  which may have various shapes such as rectangular or ovate, and may include various decorations or logos. 
       FIGS. 10-13  of male member  30  of closure  20  give, respectively, front elevation, cross-sections along lines  11 - 11  and  12 - 12  of  FIG. 10 , and front perspective views. Male member  30  is preferably unitarily formed in the manner and of materials as described above for female member  40 . Male member  30  generally lies in the plane M shown in  FIG. 12 . Male member  30  has a bar  32  which is preferably oriented longitudinally and substantially parallel to and offset from male exterior side  36 . Bar  32  is shaped to be received in trough  42  of female member  40 . In the shown embodiment, bar  32  has two ends and each end terminates in a ball  33 . Ball as used herein means a rounded protuberance. The diameter of ball  33  is preferably greater than the thickness of bar  32 , in other words the ends of bar  32  are enlarged. In another embodiment, bar  32  has a ball  33  at only one end. Each ball  33  corresponds to a complimentary shaped concave region  43  on the ends of female trough  42 . The rear of male member  30  faces the body of the wearer when worn. Male member  30  has one or more flat front surfaces  34  located between male exterior side  36  and bar  32 . Bar  32  of male member  30  may have various shapes including cylindrical, rectangular, polygonal, or of tapered width as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
       FIGS. 14A and 14B  are cross-sectional views of male member  30  and female member  40  in partially coupled states. Cross-sections of members  30  and  40  are as shown in  FIGS. 8A and 12 . To couple male and female members  30  and  40 , the members are oriented such that planes M and F are substantially transverse and bar  32  of the male is aligned with trough  42  of the female. Bar  32  is inserted into trough  42 , and one or both of the closure members are rotated until planes M and F are substantially coplanar; ends  510  and  520  of garment  500  are thereby connected. When closure  20  is fully closed, flat rear surface  44  of female member  40  contacts flat front surface  34  of male member  30  (see also  FIG. 17D ). Flat rear surface  44  of female member  40  allows female member  40  to be coupled with male members  30  of various sizes and shapes, as long as bar  32  and trough  42  are complementary shaped. The contacting flat surfaces  34  and  44  also enables a thin overall closure, with the complete assembly thickness substantially equal to the thickness of either the male or female members alone. 
     In a preferred embodiment, male member  30  will couple with female member  40  when planes M and F are offset from orthogonal by up to about 15 degrees in either direction. In other words, planes M and F do not need to be oriented at an angle of substantially 90 degrees, but coupling will be possible when planes M and F are oriented between about 75 degrees and about 105 degrees relative to one another. This feature is illustrated by the range of angles marked θ in  FIG. 14B . A smaller range of angles is also possible (e.g. +/−10 degrees, +/−5 degrees). 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 6, 7, and 9B , female trough  42  has two longitudinal sidewalls  47  which extend rearward past flat rear surface  44 . One or both of sidewalls  47  do not extend the full length of female member  40  but are somewhat shorter at one or both ends. Sidewalls  47  have tapered or curved ends  48 , which curve from the rearmost surface of the sidewall to flat rear surface  44 .  FIGS. 15A-C  are side views of the closure in partially coupled positions. A curved end  48  guides a ball  33  of bar  32  into a concave region  43  of trough  42  (shown in hidden lines in  FIGS. 15A-C ) in the event that bar  32  and trough  42  are mis-aligned when being coupled. For example, if bar  32  and trough  42  are longitudinally offset ( FIG. 15A ), one of the members may be shifted longitudinally relative to the other while bar  32  contacts sidewall  47  until ball  33  meets a curved end  48  of sidewall  47 . When the longitudinal shift is continued past this point ( FIG. 15B ), curved end  48  will guide ball  33  toward trough  42  until bar  32  is positioned in trough  42  and members  30  and  40  are coupled ( FIG. 15C ). 
     At least one of closure members  30  and  40  includes detent means, such as located on trough  42  or bar  32 , for resiliently retaining the closure members in their coplanar positions when coupled. Examples of a detent  50  which locks the two members in their coplanar positions are shown in  FIGS. 3 and 7-10 . Protrusions, for example thin strips, on sidewalls  47  of trough  42  partially overhand the rearmost access to trough  42 , restricting the width of at least a portion of trough  42  (see  FIGS. 7, 8A, and 9B ). A detent  50  on male member  30  ( FIG. 10 ) is for example a bump which protrudes along the width of at least a portion of bar  32 . When closure  20  is closed ( FIG. 3 ), male detent  50  is retained under one or more of female detents  50 . The detent resists decoupling of closure  20  by twisting or pulling toward or away from the wearer&#39;s body. When the closure is decoupled by rotating male member  30 , the male detent may be forcibly passed by the resilient female detent. This action may cause an audible click. 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 16A-J , male and female exterior sides  36  and  46  do not include a loop but have a flange  60  for attachment to garment ends by sewing or welding. The preferred method of welding is an ultrasonic weld as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,025 to Fildan, et al. Each closure member may be attached to one or more fabric layers by a similar ultrasonic weld or by simply sewing or the like. Male member  30  includes an alignment bar  62  which aligns with the fabric when welding. Male member  30  also includes one or more reinforcement bars  63  to provide strength and resist bending. Female member  40  includes recesses  70  complementary to male alignment bar  62  and reinforcement bar  63 . 
     These combined features enable this closure to be the thinnest available on the market. In an embodiment, closure  20  has an overall thickness of about 3.2 mm, compared to prior art closures which are about 4.5 mm thick (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,604). The thickness of the closure end (male or female exterior side with garment attached) is 3 mm in the loop embodiment and 2.1 mm in the welding flange embodiment. The closure itself is therefore comparable in thickness to the ends where it is joined to the fabric, enabling an extremely flat garment assembly. The present closure is also more narrow between garment ends than comparable prior art closures, due the flat front and rear surfaces  34  and  44 . 
       FIGS. 17A-G  are views of another embodiment of closure  20 , wherein male and female exterior sides  36  and  46  are differently sized and shaped. This embodiment is one example of how a variety of differently shaped male members  30  may be coupled with female member  40 . 
     Further provided is a garment system comprising a primary garment piece including one of a male or female member  30  or  40  of closure  20 , and a plurality of secondary garment pieces  700  each including the other of a male or female member  30  or  40  of closure  20 .  FIGS. 18A-E  show the garment system where a female member  40  of closure  20  is attached to a brassiere cup (primary garment piece  600 ). The secondary garment piece  700  is a shoulder strap. The shoulder straps shown in each of  FIGS. 17A-E  include differently shaped or sized male closure members  30 , which interchangeably attach to the same female member  40 . In this manner, a variety of shoulder straps are readily exchanged on a single brassiere. For example, wide, comfortable straps may be worn during the day, then removed and replaced with small, elegant straps or transparent straps in the evening. 
     Further provided is a garment including one or more of the described closure. 
     The embodiments of the thin garment closure described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, combinations, variations, and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve an equivalent result, all of which are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims. Further, nothing in the above-provided discussions of the closure should be construed as limiting the invention to a particular embodiment or combination of embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.