Abstract:
A fold-down convertible nursing bra with front and back reconfigurable straps is described. The cups of the bra are secured with a clip at the top of the shoulder strap that can be unclipped with one hand and folded down to nurse, then clipped back into the original position. A strip of fabric inside the cup remains attached to both the cup and the shoulder strap while the cup is folded down so that the bra remains secure and the clip can be easily accessed in order to reattach the cup. The bra also has back reconfigurable shoulder straps attached with a clip that can be removed and reattached in different positions such that the bra may be worn, for example, in a halter or racerback configuration.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the clothing arts, and more specifically to a maternity or nursing bra having interchangeable straps that allow the bra to be worn in a variety of configurations. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, a bra is an article of clothing that covers, supports and raises the breasts. Traditional bras have two cups to hold the breasts, shoulder straps connected to each of the cups, and a band encircling the torso under the breasts. They are often made of fabric, such as cotton or polyester, and may or may not have underwire support in the cups. Traditional bras provide numerous advantages, for example, to support the breasts, to improve the perceived shape or size of the breasts, to minimize movement of the breasts, to preserve modesty by covering the breasts, and to enhance cleavage. 
     Traditional bras, however, fail to meet the specific needs of nursing mothers, whose milk-filled breasts may be heavier and difficult to manipulate for breastfeeding. Thus, nursing bras were created that provide additional support for heavier breasts and permit comfortable breastfeeding without removal of the bra. Breastfeeding may be accomplished by opening specialized bra cups that expose the nipple, while still supporting the breast. Some specialized cups include flaps of fabric over the cup that can be unclipped and pulled down to expose the breast. Other cups are made of stretchable fabric that can be pulled to the side for access to the breast. 
     Despite these advances, many nursing bras still do not offer the full flexibility, style, and comfort of traditional, non-nursing, bras, due to the advanced needs of nursing mothers. Nursing mothers are often limited to a small selection of traditional nursing bra styles that require, for example, full-coverage post-partum clothing to cover the bra. Thus, nursing mothers are unable to express themselves by wearing stylish clothing of the woman&#39;s choice, such as racerback or halter top styles with conventional nursing bras. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus, there is a need in the art for a convertible nursing bra that allows a mother to alter the configuration of the shoulder straps to accommodate many different styles of clothing, without showing the straps of the bra. Therefore, several objects and advantages of the present invention are: (a) to provide alternate placement of the shoulder straps to accommodate different shirt styles, (b) to provide for one-handed fastening and unfastening of the bra cups for easy and discreet nursing, (c) to provide variable adjustment of the shoulder straps and back band to accommodate the natural changes in a post-partum mother&#39;s body. 
     Still other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a number of exemplary embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. The present invention also is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details can be modified in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only. 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a nursing bra; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the first embodiment of the nursing bra shown in  FIG. 1  in an open position; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of the nursing bra; and 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of a third embodiment of the nursing bra. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A nursing bra is described. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments. It is apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate various views of the convertible nursing bra in a traditional configuration, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The nursing bra has cups  10   a  and  10   b  connected to each other via front band  28  and configured to hold and support the breasts. Cups  10   a  and  10   b  may be any conventional size (A, B, C, D, DD, etc.), or may be variably sized, in order to accommodate the varying breast sizes of nursing mothers. In one embodiment, cups  10   a  and  10   b  have underwire  12   a  and  12   b  located within the lower portion of the cups. In another embodiment, cups  10   a  and  10   b  are wire-free (not shown). Cups  10   a  and  10   b  may also be configured to accommodate a nursing pad. For example, cups  10   a  and  10   b  may each have a nursing pad pocket (not shown). The nursing pad pockets are interior to cups  10   a  and  10   b , and are configured to hold a nursing pad in front of the nipple in any fashion. 
     The nursing bra has dual shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b . Shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  may be of any width, but are preferably of a sufficient width to distribute the weight of the mother&#39;s breasts across the shoulders without cutting into the skin. Shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  may be made of one or more of any suitable materials, including, for example, knit fabric, cotton, silk, polyester, foam, elastic, microfiber, satin, Lycra™, nylon, spandex, lace, rubber, or plastic. Shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  may be any color or pattern to accommodate personal preferences, style, and other factors. 
     Dual shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  are detachably connected to cups  10   a  and  10   b  via fasteners  16  and  17 . Fasteners  16  and  17  may be of any type, including clasp elements, clamp elements, or any other suitable strap fastener. Preferably, fasteners  16  and  17  are of a type that can be unhooked with one hand or otherwise with minimal effort so as to facilitate the easy release of the cup for breastfeeding. 
     In this configuration, as shown in  FIG. 3 , shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  are detachably connected on the opposite end to back bands  14   a  and  14   b , respectively, via back fasteners  20  and  21 . Back fasteners  20  and  21  may be of any type, including clasp elements, clamp elements, or any other suitable strap fastener. Preferably, back fasteners  20  and  21  are of a type that is flat and lays against the skin, so as to prevent back fasteners  20  and  21  from being visible under clothing. 
     Back band  14   a  can be detachably connected to back band  14   b , or vice versa (not shown). As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , in one embodiment, back band  14   a  has hook panel  26   a , and back band  14   b  has eye panel  26   b . In order to close the bra, one or more eye elements positioned on eye panel  16   b  are inserted into one or more hook elements positioned on hook panel  26   a . Hook panel  26   a  may include one or more columns of hook elements positioned spatially on back band  14   b  in order to adjust the band size of the bra for fit and comfort. Hook panel  26   a  may also have one or more rows of hook elements, depending on the width of back bands  14   a  and  14   b . Although hook and eye closures are illustrated in this embodiment, any other suitable closures may be used to detachably connect back band  14   a  to back band  14   b , such as, for example, snaps, clasps, clamps, clips, buttons, ties, or zippers, and can be made of plastic, metal, fabric, or any other suitable material. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, back bands  14   a  and  14   b  are constructed continuously and are not detachable (not shown). In this embodiment, front band  28  has a fastening element, e.g., hook panel  26   a  and eye panel  16   b , as described previously, such that the bra may be opened and closed from the front instead of the back. Alternatively, both front band  28  and back bands  14   a  and  14   b  can have a fastening element, e.g., hook panel  26   a  and eye panel  26   b  (not shown), in order that the nursing bra can be opened and closed in either the front, the back; or both. 
     Cups  10   a  and  10   b , front band  28 , and back bands  14   a  and  14   b  may be made of one or more of any suitable materials, including, for example, knit fabric, cotton, silk, polyester, foam, elastic, microfiber, satin, Lycra™, nylon, spandex, or lace. Cups  10   a  and  10   b , front band  28 , and back bands  14   a  and  14   b  may be any color or pattern, to accommodate personal preferences, style, and other factors. 
     Shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  include strap adjustor elements  18   a  and  18   b , respectively, for adjusting the length of shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  for fit and comfort. Strap adjustor elements  18   a  and  18   b  function by overlapping the shoulder strap onto itself in order to lengthen and shorten the strap. Strap adjustor elements  18   a  and  18   b  may be composed of plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. 
       FIG. 2  shows a frontal view of a convertible nursing bra according to an embodiment the present invention. In this embodiment, fastener  17  has been separated into fasteners components  17   a  and  17   b , and cup  10   b  has been folded down in order to facilitate nursing. Retaining strap  24   b , interior to cup  10   b , is exposed while nursing, and connects strap  22   b  to cup  10   b  so that strap  22   b  remains in position while nursing. Cup  10   b  may be reaffixed to strap  22   b  after nursing is complete by reattaching fastener components  17   a  and  17   b . As shown in  FIG. 4 , retaining strap  24   a  is also present and is located interior to cup  10   a . A mother may fold down either or both of cups  10   a  or  10   b  for nursing from either or both breasts, depending on the mother&#39;s comfort, ability, preference, or other factors. 
     Shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  are convertible and interchangeable among positions. To alter the configuration of the bra among various positions, back fastener  20  is separated into complementary fastener components  20   a  and  20   b , and back fastener  21  is separated into complementary fastener components  21   a  and  21   b . The complementary fastener components  20   a ,  20   b ,  21   a ,  21   b  are configured (i.e., shaped) in such a way as to engage one another to alter the configuration of the bra. In particular, each of the complementary fastener components  20   a ,  20   b ,  21   a ,  21   b  may include an interlocking tab and a recess portion. The interlocking tab of one complementary fastener component  20   a ,  20   b ,  21   a ,  21   b  slides and secures (i.e. snaps) into the recess portion of a second complementary fastener component  20   a ,  20   b ,  21   a ,  21   b , creating an engagement therebetween. Complementary fastener component  20   a  can then be connected, for example, to complementary fastener component  21   b  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), complementary fastener component  21   a  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ), or to complementary fastener component  20   b  to create back fastener  20  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). Complementary fastener component  21   a  can be connected, for example, to complementary fastener component  20   b  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), complementary fastener component  20   a  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ), or to complementary fastener component  21   b  to create back fastener  21  (as shown in  FIG. 4   
       FIG. 5  illustrates a convertible nursing bra of the present invention in a racerback configuration. This configuration is created by attaching back complementary fastener  20   a  to back complementary fastener  21   b , and back complementary fastener  21   a  to back complementary fastener  20   b . This configuration allows for a nursing mother to wear a racerback style shirt or top while keeping shoulder straps  22   a  and  22   b  fully covered for style, modesty, propriety, and other purposes. 
     Moreover, other implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Various aspects and/or components of the described embodiments may be used singly or in any combination. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.