Combination brassiere
A brassiere for supporting a pair of breasts. The bra has two half portions having a distal ends and proximal ends located at the cleavage of the breasts. The half portions further comprise front latching mechanisms located on the proximal ends of said first half portion, cup portions connected to the front latching mechanisms, bands connected to the cup portions, and rear latching mechanisms located generally in the back of the wearer.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/523,771, filed 20 Nov. 2003, and entitled “Combination Brassiere.”
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to brassieres and more specifically to brassieres that may be designed with differing cup sizes.
Surgical procedures, such as mastectomies and lumpectomies, may leave a woman with breasts of different sizes. Also, some women naturally have breasts of differing sizes. Consequently, normally designed brassieres, where both cups are of the same size, may not adequately fit and support such women and may not be comfortable to wear.
While brassieres have been designed to alleviate these problems, such as Fink, IV, U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,284 and Kobayashi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,924, they generally extend around the women's chest and back. Even though the cups in these patents are contemplated for women having different breast sizes, the encircling of the chest area constricts the cups and does not allow for truly independently sized cups. Also, the brassieres do not necessarily accommodate a wide range between cup sizes that an individual wearer may encounter. Likewise, the straps or bands that circle the chest may not be the most comfortable design for the women. Thus, a brassiere is required where each of the cups may be independently sized from one another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides for a brassiere that will allow cups of differing configurations to be connected and used for the brassiere. The brassiere consists of two half brassieres that are independently fitted for each of the woman's breasts. Each half will correspond to one half of the women's chest. The two halves are connected at a women's back and also in the center of the women's chest. An adjustable shoulder strap is connected to each half. The two halves may be of any shape or size, as the connecting means for any sized brassier half will mate with the respective connecting means for any other sized brassiere half. These and other features of the invention will become apparent with the following discussion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention. Like part will use like reference numerals.
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Thus, the brassiere 10 may be designed of any materials used for manufacturing brassieres and all different shapes and styles of brassieres. For instance, one half of the invention may be an A cup, while the other half may be a D cup. The independent design of the two half portions 12 and 14 of the brassiere 10 provide greater flexibility over prior designs, and also provides for a greater range of cup sizes to be accommodated by the present invention. Furthermore, because the brassiere 10 is joined together in the front and the rear of the wearer, as opposed to either the front or rear as in previous brassieres, it allows for more flexibility for the wearer to properly position the brassiere 10.
Prior designs would use sling-style arrangements to support the individual breasts. However, such arrangements were constricting on the wearer, as they required to individual bands to be wrapped around the wearer's torso. Also, prior designs may have simply used a prosthetic to compensate for the varying cup sizes. However, these designs were cosmetic fixes, and were not intended to provide the required support for the individual breasts. The present invention overcomes these shortcomings by providing individual support for each breast without unnecessary and undo constriction and discomfort for the wearer.
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The brassiere may be designed in any desired colors or padding preferences. Thus if the wearer desires to have a brassiere of two different colors, she may do so, even if the halve are the same cup size. Not only may this benefit someone for fashionable enhancing qualities, but it also may beneficial for a wearer show may have poor eyesight and could cross coordinate each of the cup sizes to a specific color.
Likewise, even without surgery, an individual wearer may normally have breasts of differing sizes. Prior inventions did not allow for the person to receive proper individual support for each of the breasts. Furthermore, the present invention allows padding to be added to an individual cup, without interfering with the support of the breast. Thus, the wearer may confidently wear the brassiere without having to compromise support and comfort. Such an arrangement is feasible in the present invention. Any arrangement of different sized, shaped, or designed brassiere halves would fall within the present invention, provided that the halves are independently formed and designed but still fasten together to form a single brassiere.
The present invention may also be advantageous for adolescent or young females who are fashionable conscious, but would also have a brassiere that provides proper support. Many young females, during the maturation and developmental processes, have breasts that do not develop at the same rate. This may lead to uncomfortable and awkwardness for young females, especially in a group setting, such as in a physical education class. The present invention will help alleviate some anxiety while providing a supportive structure that will also be fashionable. Furthermore, as shown in
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, 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. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention.
Claims
1. A brassiere for supporting a pair of breasts, said brassiere comprising:
- a first half portion having a distal end and a proximal end, said proximal end located at the cleavage of said breast, said first half portion comprising:
- a first front latching mechanism located on said proximal end of said first half portion;
- a first cup portion being connected to said first front latching mechanism;
- a first band having a first end connected to said first cup portion, said first band having a second end terminating at said proximal end of said first half portion;
- a first rear latching mechanism located generally at said rear end of said first band; and
- a second half portion having a distal end and a proximal end, said proximal end located at the cleavage of said breast, said second half portion comprising:
- a second front latching mechanism located on said proximal end of said second half portion, said second front latching mechanism being arranged to interact with said first front latching mechanism;
- a second cup portion being connected to said second front latching mechanism;
- a second band having a first end connected to said second cup portion, said second band having a second end terminating at said proximal end of said second half portion;
- a second rear latching mechanism located generally at said rear end of said second band, said second rear latching mechanism being arranged to interact with said first rear latching mechanism.
2. The brassiere according to claim 1 further comprising:
- a first strap having a proximal end and a distal end;
- first means for securing said proximal end of said first strap to said first cup portion;
- second means for securing said distal end of said first strap to said first band;
- a second strap having a proximal end and a distal end;
- third means for securing said proximal end of second strap to said second cup portion; and
- fourth means for securing said distal end of said second strap to said second band.
3. The brassiere according to claim 2 wherein said straps are adjustable.
4. The brassiere according to claim 2 wherein said first and second straps are removably secured to said first and said second half portions, respectively.
5. The brassiere according to claim 4 wherein said distal end of said first strap is secured to said brassiere by said first securing means and said proximal end of said first strap is secured to said brassiere by said fourth securing means; and
- said distal end of said second strap is secured to said brassiere by said third securing means and said proximal end of said second strap is secured to said brassiere by said second securing means.
6. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said first and said second cup portions are of differing sizes.
7. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and said second cup portions comprises an underwire.
8. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and said second cup portions comprises a pouch, said pocket being able to receive a pad.
9. The brassiere according to claim 1, further including means for coloring the brassiere.
10. A brassiere portion for interacting with a second brassiere portion for supporting a pair of breasts, said brassiere portion comprising:
- a proximal end located near the cleavage of said breasts, and a distal end;
- a first front latching mechanism located on said proximal end of said first half portion;
- a first cup portion being connected to said first front latching mechanism;
- a first band having a first end connected to said first cup portion, said first band having a second end terminating at said proximal end of said first half portion; and
- a first rear latching mechanism located generally at said rear end of said first band.
11. The brassiere portion according to claim 10 wherein said front latching mechanism is designed to mate with a front latching mechanism on said second brassiere portion, and said rear latching mechanism is designed to mate with a rear latching mechanism located on said second brassiere portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 18, 2004
Publication Date: May 26, 2005
Inventor: Barbara Buehler (Oconomowoc, WI)
Application Number: 10/992,034