Clear fastener and clear extender for use in undergarments and methods of manufacture thereof

Abstract

An extender and fastening elements for a garment and, in particular, a bra in which the parts of the extender and fastening elements are made from clear materials such as clear plastics.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to undergarments and, more particularly, to transparent fasteners and extenders for use in or with undergarments.

Undergarment manufacturers produce a wide variety of undergarments, and particularly bras, in a variety of styles, colors, patterns and textures and in an assortment of sizes. Conventional bras typically have a first cup and a second cup directly joined together, a first back band connected with the first cup and extending around a user's torso and a second back band connected with the second cup and extending around a user's torso. The first and second back bands can be coupled together using a conventional fastening assembly having a first fastening element and a second fastening element in which the first fastening element is attached to an end of the first back band and the second fastening element is attached to an end of the second back band. The first and second fastening elements are typically manufactured from a length of nylon tricot material or other fabric to which, in the case of the first element a coated metallic hook is attached, and, in the case of the second element, a coated metallic eye is attached. To make the appearance of the bra aesthetically pleasing, the color of the fabric material as well as the color of the coating on the hook and eye typically matches the color of the bra. A common problem for bra manufacturers is the requirement of having to provide fabrics, hooks and eyes in many different colors to match all bra colors being produced.

In addition, while the appearance of a bra is important, it is particularly desirable in the selection of undergarments to have a bra of an appropriate size. Bra size is a combination of a user's cup size and frame size. The frame size of a particular bra is directly proportional to the length of the first and second back bands. As can be appreciated, some cup and frame size combinations are more popular than others and are therefore produced by manufacturers and stocked by retailers in larger quantities. As a result, a common problem associated with selecting an appropriate size of a bra is a limited range of bra sizes stocked or carried by retailers. For example, a user needing a size 38A bra may not be able to purchase a bra of an appropriate size because 36 is the largest frame size carried by most retailers for an A-cup size bra. Moreover, the user may face a problem with the proper fitting of a bra she owns if the user's frame size changes and the fit of the bra becomes too tight.

To accommodate users with non-standard bra size combinations and users with changing frame sizes, bra extenders have been used as extensions or bridges between the hook and eye fastening assemblies of the bra. A bra extender allows a user to increase the length of the back bands so as to provide a better and a more comfortable fit. Like conventional bra fasteners, conventional bra extenders are manufactured from a length of nylon tricot material or other fabric to which a coupling assembly typically formed from a first coupling element, e.g. one or more hooks, and a second coupling element, e.g. one or more eyes, is attached. In this case also, the fabric material and the coating of the metallic hooks and eyes must be made to match the color of the bra. Conventional bra extenders come in various sizes, including 1-hook, 2-hook, 2-hook narrow, 3-hook and 4-hook which match the width and hook/eye arrangements of the hook and eye bra fastening assemblies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,601 discloses a fastening adaptor which is capable of functioning as a 2-hook bra extender and which comprises a flexible strap made of a flexible woven material or fabric such as nylon and a hook and loop type arrangement.

As above-indicated, in order to make the appearance of the bra aesthetically pleasing and less conspicuous under a user's clothing, the color of the bra extender needs to match the color of the bra. This requires users of conventional bra extenders to purchase a plurality of extenders to match the colors of the bras owned by the user. A common problem faced by users of conventional bra extenders is a limited choice of colors in which bra extenders are available. Particularly, the wide range of bra colors and patterns and the rapidly changing fashion make manufacturing of bra extenders in all available bra colors and patterns not practicable and uneconomical. Therefore, conventional bra extenders are typically available only in the most commonly produced colors, i.e. white, black and beige.

Another problem faced by users of conventional bra extenders is maximum length and width limitations of such extenders because conventional “hook and eye” machinery used in the manufacture of conventional bra extenders is limited to manufacturing bra extenders of particular dimensions. For example, hook and eye segments having a width greater than 4-hooks or 4-eyes may only be manufactured with one row of hooks or eyes, permitting only one level of frame size adjustment. Because some undergarments, such as long line strapless bras and body shaping girdles, are up to 15 hooks and eyes in width, manufacture of bra extenders for such undergarments is usually impractical.

Moreover, as mentioned above, the hooks and eyes of conventional bra fastening assemblies and bra extenders typically comprise coated metal elements. The coating on the hook and eye elements prevents allergic reactions that some users may have to the metal. However, this coating is often improperly applied to the metal and is frequently removed from the hook and eye elements with a prolonged use of the garment.

Accordingly, there is a need for garment fastening assemblies and garment extenders which can be used with garments, and particularly with bras, of any color, pattern or texture without appearing mismatched, particularly if worn under sheer clothing. There is also a need for extenders having a wide variety of width and length dimensions and for fastening assemblies and extenders which do not require coating of the hook and eye elements.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a garment extender and a garment fastening assembly which can be used with undergarments of any color or pattern.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hook and eye garment extender and a hook and eye garment fastening assembly which can be manufactured in a variety of dimensions and which do not require coating of the hook and eye elements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above and other objectives are realized in a garment extender for use with a garment for increasing a frame size of the garment, the garment having a garment fastening assembly with first and second fastening elements attached to first and second parts of the garment for fastening to each other and attaching the first and second garment parts, the garment extender including a clear elongated member and a clear coupling assembly attached to the clear elongated member and adapted to couple with the first and second fastening elements of the fastening assembly of the garment.

The above and other objectives of the invention are also realized in a garment fastening element adapted to attach to a part of a garment and to couple with a garment fastening element on an opposing part of the garment, the garment fastening element comprising a clear member and a clear fastener attached to the clear member. By suitable selection of the fasteners of the first and second garment fastening elements of the invention, the fastening elements can be used at opposing parts of a garment to provide an entirely clear fastening assembly for attaching or fastening these parts.

The above and other objectives are further realized in a method of fabricating the clear garment extender and clear garment fastening elements of the invention.

In the illustrative embodiments of the invention to be disclosed herein, the clear members of the garment extender and the clear members of the garment fastening elements are flexible or supple and made from clear plastic materials. The coupling assembly of the garment extender and the fasteners of the garment fastening elements, on the other hand, are substantially hard and also made of clear plastic materials. Additionally, the coupling assembly of the garment extender and the fasteners of the garment fastening elements include hook and/or eye elements. In the embodiments disclosed, the garment extender and the garment fastening element are specifically adapted for use with a bra.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a clear garment extender in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a back view of the clear garment extender of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the clear garment extender of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows the clear garment extender of FIGS. 1-3 coupled with a fastening assembly of a conventional bra;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the garment extender shown in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 shows clear garment fastening elements in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGS. 7-9 show views of another embodiment of a clear garment extender in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIGS. 10-12 show views of other embodiments of a clear garment fastener in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 13-14 show a front view and a back view of a further embodiment of a clear garment extender in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGS. 15-16 show a front view and a back view of another embodiment of a clear garment fastener in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a front view and a back view, respectively, of a clear garment extender 100 in accordance with the principles of the present invention particularly for use with undergarments such as bras. The term “clear” as used herein is intended to mean lack of color or clear opaqueness and includes within its meaning transparent (“see through”).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the extender 100 includes an elongated clear member, shown as a clear band 102, and a clear coupling assembly having clear coupling elements 104, 106. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupling elements 104 and 106 are formed, respectively, as a plurality of clear eye elements 104a and a plurality of clear hook elements 106a. In this form, the coupling elements 104, 106 are adapted to couple with a conventional fastening assembly having a first fastening element (hooks) and second fastening element (eyes) used for fastening opposing ends of a garment. The connection of the garment extender 100 to such conventional garment fastening assembly will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow.

The extender band 102 is formed from a flexible or supple clear material such as a flexible or supple clear plastic tape and has a front surface 108 and a back surface 110. The eye elements 104a and hook elements 106a, in turn, are formed from a substantially hard clear material such as a clear hard plastic. As shown, the eye elements 104a are formed on the front surface 108 of the band member 102, while the hook elements 106a are formed on the back surface 110 of the band member 102.

The dimensions of the extender 100 will vary depending on the size of the garment fastening assembly with which the extender 100 will be used and based on the number of frame size adjustments desired. In the illustrative example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the extender 100 has a 4-eye length and a 2-hook/2-eye width. In particular, the eye elements 104a are disposed on the front surface 108 along the length 102a of the band member 102 to form four vertical rows 104b of eye elements. Each vertical row 104b of eye elements provides a different frame size adjustment for the garment with which the extender is to be used. In the case shown, four frame size adjustments are possible corresponding to the four vertical rows. However, the extender 100 can be formed with a smaller or larger number of vertical rows, in which case the number of frame size adjustments realizable with the extender will decrease or increase.

As also shown, the extender 100 includes a vertical row of two hook elements 106a on the back surface 110. The hook elements 106a are aligned with the two horizontal rows of eye elements 104a extending along the length 102a of the front surface 108 of the band member 102. As can be appreciated, the number of eye elements 104a in a vertical row 104b and the number of hook elements 106a can be varied to meet the requirements of the first (hook) and second (eye) fastening elements of the conventional garment fastening assembly with which the extender 100 is to be used. In the present case, the extender 100 is adapted to be used with a garment fastening assembly having a vertical row of two hooks for the first fastening element and a vertical row of two eyes for the second fastening element. Typically, such a garment would be of a moderate length, such as, for example, a standard bra having standard back bands. For longer garments, including long line strapless bras and body shaping girdles, the number of hook elements 106a and the number of eye elements 104a in a vertical row would, of course, be increased to accommodate the increased number of eye fasteners and hook fasteners of the fastening assembly of the garment.

In general, the number of hook elements 104a and eye elements 106a in a vertical row should be equal to those of the eye fasteners and hook fasteners of the fastening assembly of the garment being used with the extender. Additionally, the arrangement of the eye and hook elements 104a and 106a can be other than in a vertical row to match the format or arrangement of the hook fasteners and the eye fasteners of the fastening elements of the garment.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the extender 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the plurality of eye elements 104a form a plurality of eyes or loops on the front surface 108 of the band member 102. The hook elements 106a extend from the band member 102 to form hooks on the back surface 110 of the band member 102. In the illustrative example shown in FIGS. 1-3, the hook elements 106a are located near or at the edge 105 of the band member 102. However, as can be appreciated, the position of the hook elements may be varied depending on the circumstances and the particular application. As can also be appreciated, the sizes of the eye elements 104a and hook elements 106a of the extender 100 are such that they can be fastened with the metallic hook and eye fasteners, respectively, of the conventional garment fastening elements of the garment.

FIG. 4 shows the extender 100 of FIGS. 1-3 coupled with or fastened to the hook and eye fasteners 112a, 114a of the conventional hook and eye garment fastening elements 112 and 114. The hook and eye fasteners 112a and 114a are attached to fabric lengths 112b and 114b of the fastening elements 112 and 114. The fabric lengths 112b and 114b, in turn, are attached by sewing, for example, to the ends 116b of the back bands 116a of a conventional bra 116. The elements 112a and 114a fasten to each other to connect the back bands 116a, 116b together in conventional fashion in the absence of the garment extender 100. When using the extender 100, the frame size of the bra 116 can be increased to accommodate larger frame sizes.

When the extender 100 is used, the front surface 108 of the band member 102 of the extender faces away from the user's skin and the back surface 110 is placed against the user's skin. The hook elements 106a of the extender are inserted into the eye fasteners or loops 114a of the garment fastening element 114, while the hook fasteners 112a of the fastening element 112 are inserted into one of the vertical rows of eye elements 104a of the extender 100. The user can select the row which provides a frame size for the bra which best suits the user.

As discussed above and described in further detail below, the band member 102, the eye elements 104a and the hook elements 106a of the extender 100 are all formed from clear plastic materials. Various plastic molding processes can be used to form the elements and member and to integrate them to form the extender 100. Illustrative methods of manufacturing the extender will now be described.

In these illustrative methods, the extender 100 is manufactured from two types of clear plastic materials, one type for the eye and hook elements 104a, 106a, and another type for the band member 102. More particularly, the plastic material for the eye and hook elements is a clear plastic material which exhibits hardness when molded to provide the needed durability for the elements. Using this type of clear plastic material, the hook and eye elements are fabricated using a conventional injection molding process.

The second type of clear plastic material is flexible or supple and skin friendly, and also may be elastic. This material is molded, using standard injection molding techniques, into a tape to form the band member 102. More particularly, in one method, the tape is molded so as to have receiving areas, e.g. recesses, in pre-selected areas of the tape for partial insertion of the formed clear plastic hook and eye elements. The latter elements are then integrated into the appropriate receiving areas of the tape by using heat and pressure. The result is the clear band member 102 with the clear eye elements 104a and clear hook elements 106a incorporated or partially embedded into the band member.

In another method, two tapes are formed by molding the clear flexible plastic material. In this case, a first tape forms the front surface 108 of the extender 100 and includes a plurality of eye element receiving areas, e.g. recesses, formed when injection molding the tape and used for receiving injection molded clear plastic eye elements 104a. The second tape serves as the back surface 110 of the extender and is formed to have hook element receiving areas, e.g. recesses, in this instance for receiving the injection molded clear plastic hook elements 106a. The tapes are then joined together and to the eye and hook elements using heat and pressure to form the one-piece extender 100. In this procedure, instead of recesses for the hook elements in the second tape, the hook elements can be partially inserted between the first and the second tapes at common edges and then when heat and pressure are applied become joined to the tapes as the tapes are joined to each other.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the extender 100 fabricated using the latter process. As shown, the extender 100 includes a band member 102 comprising two clear flexible tapes or layers 102a and 102b. The first layer 102a forms the front surface 108 of the extender 100 and partially encloses the molded hook elements 104a. The second layer 102b forms the back surface 110 of the extender 100 and is joined together with the first layer 102a to form the band member 102. As also shown, the clear plastic hook elements 106a are partially inserted between the first and second layers 102a, 102b of the band member 102. The partial encasing of the hook elements 106a and eye elements 104a by the band member 102 strengthens the bond created between the band member 102 and the hook and eye elements.

In a further aspect of the invention, first and second garment fastening elements of a garment fastening assembly are formed in accordance with the principles of the invention. These fastening assemblies are to be attached to opposing ends of a garment and when attached to each other attach the garment ends. In accord with the invention, the first and second garment fastening elements are each formed as a clear element from clear plastic materials. In the discussion below, the first garment fastening element comprises a clear flexible or supple plastic member for attachment to an end of a first back band of a bra and a clear hard plastic fastener in the form of a clear hard plastic eye element connected to the clear member, while the second clear garment fastening element comprises a clear flexible or supple member for attachment to a second back band of the bra and a clear hard plastic fastener in the form of a clear hard plastic hook element connected to the clear member. As can be appreciated, however, the clear fasteners of the invention can be made other than as hook and eye fasteners and the fastening elements can be used for garments other than bras such as, for example, for girdles.

FIG. 6 shows a garment fastening assembly 200 utilizing first and second clear garment fastening elements 200a and 200b designed in accordance with the invention. The garment fastening assembly 200 serves to connect the opposing ends 301b of the back bands 301a of the bra 301 to each other. In accord with the invention, and as stated above, the garment fastening elements 200a and 200b of the assembly 200 are each formed as clear elements from clear plastic materials.

More particularly, the fastening element 200a includes a clear elongated segment or member 202a which carries clear fasteners, shown as clear hook elements 204a. As shown, three vertical rows 204b of fasteners 204a are used to provide the fastening assembly 200 with three frame size adjustments. The fastening element 200b, on the other hand, includes a clear elongated segment or member 202b which carries clear fasteners, in the form of a single vertical row of hook elements 206a. The vertical row of hook elements 206a is aligned and adapted to engage or couple with a vertical row of eye elements 204a of the fastening element 200a. In this way, the fastening elements 200a and 200b can be connected together, thereby connecting the back bands 301a together.

In the present case, the eye elements 204a of the fastening element 200a are arranged on the front surface 208a of the member 202a. The hook elements 206a of the fastening element 200b, in turn, are arranged on the back surface 210b of the member 202b. When the fastening elements are connected, the front surface 208a of the element 202a is placed away from the user's skin and the back surface 210a of the member 202a is placed against the user's skin. The front surface 208b of the element 202b is also placed away from the user's skin, while the back surface 210b faces the user's skin. In particular, the back surface 210b of the fastening element 200b is situated so that the hook elements 206a overlap and are inserted into the eye elements of one of the vertical rows of eye elements 204a on the front surface 208a of the fastening element 200a. This joins the fastening elements and, therefore, the bra bands 301a of the bra 301 together.

The clear members 202a and 202b of the fastening elements 200a and 200b can be made of the same clear plastic material used for the band 102 of the garment extender 100, and the eye and hook elements 204a and 206a can be made from the same clear plastic materials used to make the eye and hook elements 104a and 106a. Likewise, the members 202a and 202b can be fabricated using similar molding processes as discussed for the band 102, to result in clear flexible or supple plastic members. Similarly, the eye and hook elements 204a and 206a can be formed by molding like the elements 104a and 106a to result in clear hard plastic elements. Joining of the eye and hook elements to their respective members can again be accomplished using procedures similar to the procedures used to join the band, eye and hook elements of the extender 100, to thereby result in the completed fastening elements 200a and 200b

Additionally, each of the fastening elements 200a and 200b can be attached to the respective end 301b of the back bands 301a by conventional techniques. Thus, for example, the ends of the elements can be sewn to the respective back band ends.

As above-indicated, when the fastening assembly 200 is in a fastened state, the second fastening element 200b is coupled with the first fastening element 200a by inserting the hook elements 206a into the eye elements 204a situated in one of the vertical rows 204b. Each vertical row 204b of eye elements 204a corresponds to one frame size and, as above-mentioned, the user can by selecting different rows adjust the fastening assembly 200 to the frame size best suited for the user. As can be appreciated, with the assembly 200, three frame sizes are possible, corresponding to the three rows 204b of eye elements 204a.

It should be noted also that the garment fastening elements 202a and 202b can be modified to include more or less eye elements and more or less hook elements. Moreover, these elements can be arranged in other than rows.

FIG. 7 shows another illustrative embodiment of a clear garment extender 300 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the extender 300 comprises a clear flexible or supple outer member 302 forming an outer casing of the extender 300. The outer member 302 can be formed by molding a clear plastic material such as used for the band 102 of the extender 100. An example is a soft and flexible or supple resin material. The extender 300 also comprises a clear coupling assembly 303 formed as a frame having a coupling element 304 with eye elements 304a and a coupling element 306 with hook elements 306a. These elements are adapted to couple with first (hook) and second (eye) fastening elements of a conventional garment assembly similarly to the garment extender 100 of FIGS. 1-4. The coupling assembly 303 can be formed also by a molding process using a substantially hard clear plastic material of the type used to form the eye and hook elements of the extender 100. A suitable material is a polycarbonate resin.

As shown in FIG. 7, the clear outer member 302 partially encases the clear coupling assembly 303 such that the eye elements 304a and the hook elements 306a remain uncovered by the outer member 302. More particularly, the assembly 303, which is described in more detail below, has a row of hook elements 306a, which project from an edge 305 of the outer member 302. The outer member 302 also includes a plurality of openings 307, each of which exposes one or more eye elements 304a of the coupling assembly 303. As shown, the thickness of the coupling assembly 303 allows it to be situated within the outer member 302 so that the eye elements 304a become aligned with the openings 307 of the outer member 302.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the extender 300 of FIG. 7. As can be seen, the coupling assembly 303 is encased by the outer member 302 with the hook elements 306a extending from the edge 305 of the outer member 302. As can be observed from FIG. 8, in this illustrative embodiment, the eye elements 304a do not extend outward of the openings of the outer member 302 and thus do not protrude from the surface of the outer member 302, particularly when the extender is not coupled with a garment fastening assembly.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, in the case shown, the coupling assembly 303 has four hook elements 306a such that the extender 300 can be used with a four-hook, four eye bra fastening assembly. The coupling assembly also has sixteen eye elements 304a arranged in four vertical rows 304b of four eye elements per vertical row. This provides the extender 300 with four levels of frame size adjustment. The eye elements 304a also form two horizontal rows which are aligned with and correspond in number to the hook elements 306a. As can be appreciated, as with the extender 100, the number and arrangement of the hook elements 306a and the eye elements 304a of the coupling assembly 303 can be varied to meet the requirements of the garment fastening assembly with which the extender 300 will be used and also based on the number of desired levels of frame size adjustment.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer member 302 includes eight openings 307 arranged in four vertical rows with two openings per row. The vertical rows of openings are aligned with vertical rows of eye elements 304a so that each opening is aligned with and exposes two eye elements. As can be appreciated, however, the number and the arrangement of the openings 307 can be varied, such that, for example, each opening 307 aligns with more or less than two eye elements 304a.

FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of the coupling assembly 303 of the extender 300 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown, the coupling assembly 303 comprises a frame 303a which includes the coupling elements 304 and 306. As illustrated, the frame 303a has end rails 309a and 309b and side rails 309c and 309d so as to give the frame a substantially rectangular shape. The end rail 309a supports the hook elements 306a which project therefrom. The end rail 309b is formed into one row 304b of eye elements 304a and the additional rows 304b of eye elements 304a are arranged parallel to the end rails and extend between the two side rails 309c and 309d of the frame 303a.

As shown in FIG. 9, the frame 303a also includes a support bracket 303b extending parallel to the side rails 309c and 309d at a position between the second and third rows 304b of the eye elements 304a. While one support bracket is shown, more than one support bracket can be used depending on the width of the frame. Also, for frames with a small width, the support bracket may not be needed.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate another embodiment of a clear garment fastening assembly 400 in accordance with the invention. The fastening assembly 400 has parts similar to those shown in FIGS. 7-9 for the clear garment extender 300. As shown in FIG. 10, the clear fastening assembly 400 comprises a first clear fastening element 400a and a second clear fastening element 400b adapted to be coupled to or connect with the first element. The first fastening element 400a comprises a first outer clear flexible or supple member 402a and a first clear fastener 403a having clear eye fasteners 404a, while the second fastening element 400b comprises a second outer clear flexible or supple member 402b and a second clear fastener 403b having clear hook fasteners 406a for coupling with the eye fasteners 404a. As shown, the first outer member 402a encases the first fastener 403a and includes a plurality of openings 407 for exposing the eye fasteners 404a arranged in vertical rows of four fasteners per row. The second outer member 402b partially encases the second fastener 403b such that an end rail 409a carrying the hook fasteners 406a extends from a side 405 of the outer member 402b.

When used with a conventional bra, the first fastening element 400a of the fastening assembly 400 is joined with a first end of a bra back band and the second fastening element 400b is joined with a second end of the back band. The elements may be joined to the back band by sewing the outer members 402a and 402b to the end of the respective back band. When the fastening assembly 400 is in a coupled or fastened state, the hook fasteners 406a are inserted into the eye fasteners 404a of one of the vertical rows.

FIG. 11 shows a detailed view of the first fastener 403a of the first fastening assembly 400a shown in FIG. 10. The fastener 403a comprises a frame 403aa with end rails 409a and 409b and side rails 409c and 409d forming a substantially rectangular shape. The end rails 409a and 409b are each formed into a row of eye fasteners 404a, while additional rows of eye fasteners 404a are arranged parallel to the end rails and between the side rails 409c and 409d. As shown, the frame 403aa also includes a support bracket 403ab extending parallel to the side rails and connected between the second and third eye elements in each row.

FIG. 12 shows a detailed view of the second fastener 403b of the second fastening assembly 400b. The second fastener 403b also includes a frame 403ba having end rails 411a, 411b and side rails 411c and 411d forming a substantially rectangular shape. One end rail 411a supports or carries the hook fasteners 406a which project therefrom.

As previously discussed, the component parts of the bra extender of FIGS. 7-9 and the bra fastening assembly 400 of FIGS. 10-12 are all formed of clear plastic materials. An illustrative example of a method of manufacture of the extender 300 will now be described. The fastening assembly 400 can be fabricated in a like manner as the extender 300.

In manufacturing the extender 300, the coupling assembly 303 is first formed from a hard clear plastic material using a conventional injection molding technique. Plastic materials suitable for preparing the coupling assembly 303 include resins having the required hardness, strength and clarity, such as polycarbonate resins. The formed assembly 303 is then inserted into the cavity of a mold used to form the outer member 302. The mold cavity is arranged so that when closed on the coupling assembly it creates void areas around the eye elements 304a of the coupling assembly so as to restrict the flow of material to these areas. A clear flexible or supple plastic material is then injected into the mold cavity. The injected plastic flows around the coupling assembly except for the void areas around the eye elements 304a. This creates the desired openings 307 aligned with and exposing the eye elements 304a. Clear flexible plastic materials suitable for this purpose include soft flexible or supple resins such as thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers. After a pre-determined period of time, the injected plastic shrinks onto the coupling assembly 303 bonding thereto to form the outer member 302 with the openings 307 as previously described

As above-mentioned, the aforesaid method can be likewise used to form the constituent parts of the fastening assembly 400. In particular, the fasteners 403a and 403b can be formed by injection molding a clear hard plastic material. Each fastener can then be placed into an appropriate mold and a soft flexible or supple plastic resin injected into the mold to form the respective outer member 402a or 402b.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show a further illustrative embodiment of a garment extender 500 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 13 shows a front view of the garment extender and FIG. 14 shows a back view of the extender 500. The front view in FIG. 13 shows a front surface 508 of the extender 500 which faces away from a user's skin when used together with a conventional garment fastening assembly, while FIG. 14 shows a back surface 510 of the extender, which is placed against the user's skin. The extender 500 comprises an elongated clear band member 502 and a coupling assembly having coupling elements 504, 506. The band member 502 includes an eyelet area 502a of the coupling element 504 and the coupling element 506 includes a hook area 502b. As shown, an end portion 502aa of the eyelet area 502a overlaps and is joined together with an end portion 502ba of the hook area 502b. In particular, the end portions 502aa, 502ba may be of decreased or reduced thickness so that the overlap formed by these end portions has the same thickness as the overall thickness of the band member 502 and the coupling element 506. Moreover, the end portion 502ba of the hook area 502b may include through openings 507, while the end portion 502aa of the eyelet area 502a may include protrusions 509 adapted to fit into the through openings 507 of the hook area end portion 502ba. The through openings 507 may include a beveled area 507a about the periphery of the openings 507 on the front surface 508 of the end portion 502ba. The protrusions 509 are fitted into the through openings 507 and the beveled area 507a about the openings 507. The beveled area 507a engages the protrusions 509 with the openings 507 so as to form a mechanical bond between the end portions 502aa, 502ba and to prevent their separation from one another.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the coupling elements 504 are formed in the eyelet area 502a as eye elements 504a for coupling with conventional hook fasteners of a conventional fastening assembly for fastening opposing ends of a garment. Particularly, each eye element 504a includes a through opening 512a and a recessed segment 512b on the back surface 510 of the extender 500, as can be seen in FIG. 14. The recessed segment 512b is adjacent to the through opening 512a so that when a conventional hook is coupled with the eye element 504a, the hook passes through the opening 512a and extends within the recessed portion 512b. In an illustrative example described herein, the band member 502 and the coupling element 506 each has an overall thickness of about 0.06 inches, while the thickness of the recessed portions is about 0.03 inches. As shown in FIG. 13, the eye elements 504a may optionally include one or more protrusions or rails 512c to prevent the hooks of the conventional garment fastener from disengaging from the eye elements 504a as described in more detail below.

The coupling element 506 has in the hook area 502b a plurality of hook elements 506a adapted to couple with conventional eye fasteners of a conventional garment fastening assembly. In the illustrative example shown, the hook elements 506a project from the back surface 510 of the hook area 502b along an edge 505. A through opening may be formed adjacent to each hook element 506a with the hook element 506a projecting over the opening 514. These openings 514 provide ventilation for the user of the extender in the hook area 502b. As can be seen in FIG. 14, each hook element 506a may also include a protrusion or a bump 516 formed on its inner surface 516a protruding into a space formed between the hook element 506a and the through opening 514.

The eyelet area 502a band member 502, including the coupling elements 504, of the extender 500 can be formed from a clear plastic material such as a flexible or supple clear plastic material. Clear plastic materials such as those used for the extender band 102 of the extender 100 can be employed. The hook area 502b and the hook elements 506a of the coupling element 506 can be formed from a substantially hard clear material such as a clear hard plastic. Plastic materials used for the coupling elements 106 of the extender 100 can be employed for forming the hook area 502b and the hook elements 506a. The hook area 502b with the hook elements 506a may be manufactured by using a conventional injection molding technique as described above with respect to the other embodiments of the extender. A mold cavity is used to form the eyelet area 502a of the band member 502 including the coupling element 504. The mold cavity is arranged to create void areas corresponding to the through openings 512a of the eye elements 504a. The mold cavity may also create additional void areas to form one or more through openings 503 along the length 502c of the eyelet area 502a of the band member 502. These through openings 503 provide ventilation to users' skin. The band member 502 is formed by placing the end portion 502ba of the hook area 502b into a portion of the mold cavity used to form the end portion 502aa of the eyelet area 502a. A clear flexible or supple material is then injected into the mold cavity, where it flows around the hook end portion 502ba so as to create a secure chemical bond between the hook end portion 502ba and the eyelet area end portion 502aa formed thereby. In addition, the injected plastic material flows into the through openings 507, including the beveled areas 507a around the through openings 507 in the hook area end portion 502ba, forming the protrusions 509 engaged with the through openings 507. As discussed above, the engagement of the through openings 507 and the protrusions 509 with one another forms a mechanical bond between the two portions 502aa, 502ba.

As discussed above with respect to the first embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of the extender 500 will vary with the size of the fastening assembly with which the extender 500 will be used and the desired number of frame size adjustments. As illustratively shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the extender 500 has a 4-eye length and a 4-hook/4-eye width. The eye elements 504a are disposed along the length 502c of the member 502 to form four vertical rows 504b of eye elements 504a, each of such vertical rows 504b providing a different frame size adjustment. The four hook elements 506a are disposed in a vertical row along the width 502b of the band member 502 near the edge 505 and are aligned with four horizontal rows of eye elements 504a extending along the length 502c of the member 502. As can be appreciated, the number of eye elements 504a in a vertical row 504b and the number of hook elements 506a can be varied to meet the requirements of the hook and eye fastening elements of the conventional fastening assembly with which the extender will be used. Additionally, as mentioned above, the number of hook elements 506a and eye elements 504a in a vertical row typically should equal to the number of eye fasteners and hook fasteners of the fastening assembly of the garment.

The eye elements 504a and the hook elements 506a are adapted to be coupled to conventional hook and eye portions, respectfully, of conventional garment fasteners and to prevent disengagement of the conventional fasteners from the extender 500. As mentioned above, the hook elements 506a include protrusions 516 on their inner surface 516a. When the hook element 506a is coupled with an eye portion of a conventional garment fastener, the inner surface 516a of the hook element 506a abuts the eye portion of the garment fastener, and the protrusion 516 prevents the hook element 506a from sliding out of the eye portion with which it is coupled. In this way, the protrusion 516 prevents the hook element 506a from easily disengaging from the eye portion of the garment fastener.

As also discussed above, the eye elements 504a include protrusions or rails 512c on the front surface 508 of the member 502. These protrusions 512c are adapted to interlock with bump portions formed on a conventional hook fastener. Namely, the bump portions in conventional hook fasteners are typically formed on a band of the fastener and are aligned with the conventional hook portions so as to project from the band toward a lip of the conventional hook portion. When the conventional hook fastener is coupled with the eye element 504a of the extender 500, the bump on the fastener slides past the protrusion 512c, which prevents the hook from sliding out of the eye element 504a and thereby prevents disengagement of the hook from the eye element 504a.

FIGS. 15-16 illustrate a further embodiment of a garment fastening assembly 600 in accordance with the invention. The fastening assembly 600 has parts similar to those shown in FIGS. 13-14 for the garment extender 500. FIGS. 15 and 16 show a front surface 608 and a back surface 610, respectively, of the fastening assembly 600. When the assembly is used for fastening opposing ends of a garment, the front surface 608 faces away from the user's skin, while the back surface 610 of the assembly 600 is placed against the user's skin.

As shown in FIGS. 15-16, the fastening assembly 600 comprises a first clear fastening element 600a and a second clear fastening element 600b adapted to be coupled to the first fastening element 600a. The first fastening element 600a includes a clear elongated band member 602a with clear fastening elements formed as eye elements 604a. Each eye element 604a comprises a through opening 612a and a recessed segment 612b adjacent to the through opening 612a on a back surface 610a of the first fastening element 600a, as shown in FIG. 16. In an illustrative example described herein, the first and second fastening elements 600a, 600b have an overall thickness of about 0.06 inches, while the thickness of the recessed segments 612b in the first fastening element 600a is about 0.03 inches.

The first fastening element 600a shown here includes four vertical rows 604b of eye elements 604a which provide the fastening assembly 600 with four adjustment levels. The second fastening element 600b includes a clear elongated member 602b which carries clear fastening elements formed on a back surface 610b of the second fastening element 600b as a vertical row of hook elements 606a. The hook elements 606a are aligned with and adapted to couple with a vertical row of eye elements 604a of the first fastening element 600a. To connect the first and second elements together, the back surface 610b of the second fastening element 600b is situated so that the hook elements 606a overlap with and are inserted into the through openings 612a of one of the vertical rows of the eye elements 604a. The hook elements 606a are then coupled with the eye elements 604 by sliding the hook elements 606a along the recessed segments 612b of the eye elements 604a so that the hook elements 606a extend in the recessed segments 612b.

The recessed segments 612b of the eye elements 604a may also optionally include protrusions or rails 612c on their surface, similar to the protrusions 512c of the extender 500. The protrusions 612c on the eye elements 604a of the fastening assembly 600, however, are provided on the back surface 610a of the first fastening element 600a, as can be seen in FIG. 16. Each of the hook elements 606a may also include a protrusion or a bump 616 formed on its inner surface 616a, similar to the protrusions 516 formed on the hook elements 506a of the extender 500. When the hook elements 606a are coupled with the eye elements 604a, the protrusions 616 on the hook elements 606a slide past the protrusions 612c on the surface of the recessed segments 612b of the eye elements 604a so as to lock the hook elements 606a with the eye elements 604a. This prevents disengagement of the hook elements 606a from the eye elements 604a when a garment with which the fastening assembly is used is worn by a user.

The fastening elements 600a and 600b can be attached to the respective ends of the back band by conventional techniques such as sewing. Because some plastic materials suitable for manufacturing the first and second members 602a, 602b may be difficult to sew onto fabric of a garment with which they will be used, attachment ends 601a, 601b of the band members may be of decreased or reduced thickness. In particular, as shown in FIG. 15, the first fastening element 600a includes a stepped-down attachment segment 618a at the attachment end 601a, this segment 618a having a smaller thickness than the overall thickness of the first fastening element 600a. The second fastening element 600b likewise includes a similar stepped-down attachment segment 618b at the attachment end 601b as shown in FIG. 16. The thickness of the attachment segment 618b is smaller than the overall thickness of the second fastening element 600b. In addition, the attachment segments 618a, 618b may optionally include through openings 620a, 620b, respectively, for ease of attachment of the segments to the respective ends of the garment.

The first member 602a of the fastening element 600a, including the coupling elements 604 formed on the first member 602a, can be made from the same material as the clear plastic supple material used to make the eyelet area 502a of the garment extender 500. The second member 602b and the coupling elements 606 can be formed from a hard clear plastic material such as the hard plastic materials used for the hook area 502b of the band member 500 and for the coupling elements of the other embodiments of the invention. The first member 602a, including the coupling elements 604, the second member 602b and the coupling elements 606 can be formed by using the injection molding techniques described above.

Garment fastening assemblies in accord with the invention can be used with conventional garments made from fabric, either woven or knitted, comprising natural or synthetic fibers such as cotton, nylon, polyester or combinations thereof. The fastening assemblies described above are adapted to be connected with standard end portions of such conventional garments. These end portions typically include a spandex or a nylon band intended for attachment of the respective fastening assembly by sewing or other standard attachment methods. It is also understood that the fasteners may be used with garments made from any other suitable material.

Moreover, although the materials from which the extenders and the fasteners are manufactured are described as hard plastic materials and flexible or supple plastic materials, it is within the scope of the invention that it is sufficient that the former materials be harder relative to the latter. Additionally, in the practice of the invention, hard plastic materials having a hardness between 100 and 120 Rockwell R scale 5, and supple plastic materials having a hardness between 60 and 70 durometer Shore A scale may be used.

Clear garment extenders and clear garment fastening assemblies in accord with the invention can be used with a garment of any color, eliminating the need for separate extenders for each color garment. Thus, for example, a user who owns several bras of different colors, each of which uses a 2-hook fastener, will only need one clear 2-hook extender to complement each of the bras she owns. Moreover, undergarment retailers offering for sale clear garment extenders can reduce their inventory of extenders by at least three times as they would no longer need to stock extenders in multiple colors.

Thus, while the garment extenders and garment fastening assemblies of the invention have advantages when made from clear plastic materials, it is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the extenders and the fastening assemblies can also be made from colored plastic materials. It is also contemplated within the scope of the invention that the extenders and the fastening assemblies can be adapted for use with a variety of garments, such as, for example, swimsuits.

In all cases it is understood that the above-described arrangements are merely illustrative of the many possible specific embodiments which represent applications of the present invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with the principles of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. An extender for use with a garment having a fastening assembly with first and second fastening elements attached to first and second parts of the garment, said extender comprising a clear elongated member and a clear coupling assembly attached to the clear elongated member and adapted to couple with said first and second fastening elements of said fastening assembly.

2. An extender in accordance with claim 1, wherein said clear elongated member comprises a clear supple material and at least a part of said coupling assembly comprises a clear hard material.

3. An extender in accordance with claim 2, wherein said clear supple material is a first clear plastic material and said clear hard material is a second clear plastic material.

4. An extender in accordance with claim 3, wherein said first clear plastic material has a hardness in a range of 60 to 70 durometer Shore A scale and said clear plastic hard material has a hardness is in a range of 100 to 120 Rockwell R scale 5.

5. An extender in accordance with claim 3, wherein said first clear plastic material is a polyurethane elastomer and said second clear plastic material is a polycarbonate resin.

6. An extender in accordance with claim 3, wherein said coupling assembly comprises first and second coupling elements adapted to couple, respectively, with said first and second fastening elements of said fastening assembly.

7. An extender in accordance with claim 6, wherein: said first and second fastening elements comprise, respectively, one or more hook elements and one or more eye elements; said first and second coupling elements comprise, respectively, one or more eye elements and one or more hook elements; said one or more hook elements of said first fastening element are arranged in one or more rows containing one or more hook elements; said one or more eye elements of said second fastening element are arranged in one or more rows containing one or more eye elements; said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are arranged in one or more rows containing one or more eye elements; said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are arranged in at least a first row containing one or more hook elements; said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are spaced along the length of said elongated member and said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element is arranged along the length of said extender spaced from said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element; said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are arranged to be engageable from a first surface of said extender and said one or more hook elements of said first row of one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are arranged to be engageable from one of said first surface of said extender and a second opposing surface of said extender.

8. An extender in accordance with claim 7, wherein said first coupling element and said second coupling element are integrated with said clear elongated member.

9. An extender in accordance with claim 8, wherein said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and said one more hook elements of said second coupling element each comprise said clear hard material.

10. An extender in accordance with claim 9, wherein said clear elongated member comprises a layer in which said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are partially embedded.

11. An extender in accordance with claim 9, wherein said clear elongated member comprises first and second layers and said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are partially embedded in said first layer and said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element is held between said first and second layers.

12. An extender in accordance with claim 9, wherein: said clear elongated member is formed as a casing having first and second opposing surfaces forming said first and second surfaces, respectively, of said extender, said casing having one or more openings from said first surface; and said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are arranged in a frame situated in said casing so that said one or more eye elements of said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element align with one or more of said one or more openings so as to be engageable from said first surface and so that said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements extend outward of an end of said casing so as to be engageable from said second surface.

13. An extender in accordance with claim 12, wherein: said frame has first and second end rails and first and second side rails, said first end rail being formed as said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling assembly; and the one or more eye elements in each of said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element being interconnected and each interconnected row of eye elements being connected between said side rails of said frame.

14. An extender in accordance with claim 13, wherein said frame includes a support member extending from said second rail and connected to said interconnected rows of eye elements.

15. An extender in accordance with claim 8, wherein said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element each comprise said clear hard material.

16. An extender in accordance with claim 15, wherein: said clear elongated member has first and second opposing surfaces forming a part of said first and second opposing surfaces, respectively, of said extender, said clear elongated member further having one or more openings from said first surface to said second surface forming said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and so as to be engageable from said first surface of said extender; and said second coupling element includes a further member having opposing first and second surfaces forming a further part of said first and second opposing surfaces, respectively, of said extender, said further member being attached to said clear elongated member and said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element extend outward from said second surface of said further member so as to be engageable from said second surface.

17. An extender in accordance with claim 16, wherein: said second surface of said clear elongated member adjacent each of said through openings has a recessed area.

18. An extender in accordance with claim 17, wherein: said first surface of said clear elongated member adjacent each said opening has a protrusion; and each of said hook elements of said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements has a protrusion facing said second surface of said further member.

19. An extender in accordance with claim 18, wherein: said further member has an opening in facing relationship to each of said hook elements of said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements; and said clear elongated member has one or more elongated further openings, each elongated further opening being situated between successive eye elements of successive rows of eye elements.

20. An extender in accordance with claim 16, wherein: said further member has an end area of reduced thickness with through openings; and said clear elongated member has an end area of reduced thickness with protrusions; said end area of said elongated clear member overlapping with said end area of said further member so that said protrusions in said end area of said clear elongated member are situated in and engage the openings in said end area of said further member.

21. An extender in accordance with claim 8, wherein said garment comprises a fabric comprised of one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

22. An extender in accordance with claim 21, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

23. An extender in accordance with claim 23, wherein said garment is one of a bra and a swimsuit.

24. An extender in accordance with claim 1, wherein said garment comprises a fabric comprised one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

25. An extender in accordance with claim 24, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

26. An extender in accordance with claim 25, wherein said garment is one of a bra and a swimsuit.

27. An extender for use with a garment having a fastening assembly with first and second fastening elements attached to first and second parts of the garment, said extender comprising a plastic elongated member and a plastic coupling assembly attached to the elongated plastic member and adapted to couple with said first and second fastening elements of said fastening assembly.

28. An extender in accordance with claim 27, wherein said plastic elongated member comprises a plastic supple material and at least a part of said plastic coupling assembly comprises a plastic hard material.

29. An extender in accordance with claim 28, wherein said plastic supple material has a hardness in a range of 60 to 70 durometer Shore A scale and said plastic hard material has a hardness is in a range of 100 to 120 Rockwell R scale 5.

30. An extender in accordance with claim 28, wherein said plastic supple material is a polyurethane elastomer and said plastic hard material is a polycarbonate resin.

31. An extender in accordance with claim 28, wherein: said coupling assembly comprises first and second coupling elements adapted to couple, respectively, with said first and second fastening elements of said fastening assembly; said first and second fastening elements comprise, respectively, one or more hook elements and one or more eye elements and said first and second coupling elements comprise, respectively, one or more eye elements and one or more hook elements; said one or more hook elements of said first fastening element are arranged in one or more rows containing one or more hook elements; said one or more eye elements of said second fastening element are arranged in one or more rows containing one or more eye elements; said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are arranged in one or more rows containing one or more eye elements; and said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are arranged in at least a first row containing one or more hook elements; said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are spaced along the length of said extender and said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element is arranged along the length of said elongated member spaced from said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element; said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element are arranged to be engageable from a first surface of said extender member and said one or more hook elements of said first row of one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are arranged to be engageable from one of said first surface of said extender and a second opposing surface of said extender; and said first coupling element and said second coupling element are integrated with said plastic elongated member.

32. An extender in accordance with claim 31, wherein said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and said one more hook elements of said second coupling element each comprise said plastic hard material.

33. An extender in accordance with claim 32, wherein: said plastic elongated member is formed as a casing having first and second opposing surfaces forming said first and second opposing surfaces, respectively, of said extender, said casing having one or more openings from said first surface; and said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element are arranged in a frame situated in said casing so that said one or more eye elements of said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element align with one or more of said one or more openings so as to be engageable from said first surface and so that said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements extend outward of an end of said casing so as to be engageable from said second surface; and said frame has first and second end rails and first and second side rails, said first end rail being formed as said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling assembly; and the one or more eye elements in each of said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element being interconnected and each interconnected row of eye elements being connected between said side rails of said frame.

34. An extender in accordance with claim 31, wherein said one or more hook elements of second coupling element each comprise said plastic hard material.

35. An extender in accordance with claim 34, wherein: said plastic elongated member has first and second opposing surfaces forming a part of said first and second opposing surfaces, respectively, of said extender, said plastic elongated member further having one or more openings from said first surface to said second surface forming said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said first coupling element and so as to be engageable from said first surface of said extender; and said second coupling element includes a further member having opposing first and second surfaces forming a further part of said first and second opposing surfaces, respectively, of said extender, said further member being attached to said plastic elongated member and said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements of said second coupling element extend outward from said second surface of said further member so as to be engageable from said second surface.

36. An extender in accordance with claim 35, wherein: said second surface of said plastic elongated member adjacent each of said through openings has a recessed area.

37. An extender in accordance with claim 36, wherein: said first surface of said plastic elongated member adjacent each said opening has a protrusion; each of said hook elements of said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements has a protrusion facing said second surface of said further member; said further member has an opening in facing relationship to each of said hook elements of said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements; and said plastic elongated member has one or more elongated further openings, each elongated further opening being situated between successive eye elements of successive rows of eye elements.

38. An extender in accordance with claim 37, wherein: said further member has an end area of reduced thickness with through openings; and said plastic elongated member has an end area of reduced thickness with protrusions; said end area of said plastic elongated member overlapping with said end area of said further member so that said protrusions in said end area of said plastic elongated member are situated in and engage the openings in said end area of said of said further member.

39. An extender in accordance with claim 27, wherein said garment comprises a fabric comprised of one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

40. An extender in accordance with claim 39, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

41. An extender in accordance with claim 40, wherein said garment is one of a bra and a swimsuit.

42. An extender in accordance with claim 27, wherein said extender is one of clear and colored.

43. A fastening assembly adapted to attach to a first part of a garment and to couple with a garment fastening element on a second part of the garment, the fastening assembly comprising a garment fastening element comprising a member which is clear and a fastener which is clear and plastic attached to the member.

44. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 43, wherein said member comprises one of a supple material and a hard material and said fastener comprises one of a supple material and a hard material.

45. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 44, wherein said supple material is a first plastic and said hard material is a second plastic.

46. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 45, wherein said first plastic material has a hardness in the range of 60 to 70 durometer Shore A scale and said second plastic material has a hardness in the range of 100 to 120 Rockwell R scale 5.

47. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 45, wherein said first plastic material is a polyurethane elastomer and said second plastic material is a polycarbonate resin.

48. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 45, wherein: said fastener comprises said second plastic material and is formed of one or more hook elements arranged in at least a first row of one or more hook elements; said first row of said one or more hook elements of said fastener is arranged at a first end area of said member and is engageable from one of first and second opposing surfaces of said member.

49. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 48, wherein said one or more hook elements of said first row of one or more hook elements of said fastener have a part which faces said second surface.

50. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 48, wherein said member is of reduced thickness at a second end area of said member.

51. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 50, wherein said member has through openings in said second end area.

52. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 48, wherein said one or more hook elements of said fastener are integrated with said member.

53. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 52, wherein said member comprises a layer and said one or more hook elements of said fastener are embedded in said layer.

54. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 52, wherein said member comprises said first plastic material and is formed as a casing having said first and second opposing surfaces, said first row of said one or more hook elements of said fastener are arranged in a frame situated in said casing so that said one or more hook elements of said first row of said one or more hook elements of said fastener extend outward of an end of said casing so as to be engageable from said second surface.

55. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 54, wherein said frame has first and second end rails and first and second side rails, said first end rail being formed as said first row of said one or more hook elements of said fastener.

56. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 48, wherein said member comprises said second plastic material; and said one or more hook elements of said first row of hook elements extend outward from said second surface of said member so as to be engageable from said second surface.

57. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 56, wherein each of said hook elements of said first row of one or more hook elements has a protrusion facing said second surface; and said member has an opening in facing relationship to each of said one or more hook elements of said first row of hook elements of said fastener.

58. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 97, wherein said member and fastener are colored.

59. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 48, wherein said garment is comprised of a fabric comprised one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

60. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 59, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

61. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 60, wherein said garment is a one of a bra and a swimsuit.

62. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 45, wherein said fastener comprises one or more eye elements arranged in one or more rows spaced along the length of said member; and said one or more eye elements of said fastener are arranged to be engageable from one of first and second opposing surfaces of said member.

63. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 62, wherein said member is of reduced thickness at an end area of said member.

64. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 62, wherein said member has through openings in said second end area.

65. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 62, wherein said one or more eye elements of said fastener are integrated into said member.

66. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 65, wherein said member comprises a layer in which said one or more eye elements of said fastener are partially embedded.

67. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 65, wherein: said member comprises said first plastic material and is formed as a casing, said casing having one or more openings from said first surface; said fastener comprises said second plastic material; and said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said fastener are arranged in a frame situated in said casing so that said one or more eye elements align with one or more of said one or more openings so as to be engageable from said first surface of said member.

68. fastening assembly in accordance with claim 67, wherein: said frame has first and second end rails and first and second side rails; and the one or more eye elements of each of said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said fastener being interconnected and each interconnected row of eye elements being connected between said side rails of said frame.

69. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 68, wherein each of said end rails forms an interconnected row of eye elements.

70. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 69, wherein said frame includes a support member extending from said second end rail and connected to said interconnected rows of eye elements.

71. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 65, wherein: said member and said fastener each comprise said first plastic material; and said member has one or more openings from said first surface to said second surface forming said one or more rows of said one or more eye elements of said fastener and so as to be engageable from one of said first and second surfaces of said member.

72. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 70, wherein: said second surface of said member adjacent each of said through openings has a recessed area.

73. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 72, wherein: each said recessed area has a protrusion.

74. An extender in accordance with claim 62, wherein said garment is comprised of a fabric comprised of one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

75. An extender in accordance with claim 74, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

76. An extender in accordance with claim 75, wherein said garment is one of a bra and a swimsuit.

77. An extender in accordance with claim 43, wherein said garment is comprised of a fabric comprised of one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

78. An extender in accordance with claim 77, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

79. A fastening assembly in accordance with claim 78, wherein said garment is one of a bra and a swimsuit.

80. A bra comprising: first and second bra straps; and a fastening assembly including a first fastening element connected to an end of said first bra strap and a second fastening element connected to an end of said second bra strap, said first fastening element comprising a first member which is clear and a first fastener which is clear connected to said first member, and said second fastening element comprising a second member which is one or mere of clear and plastic and a second fastener which is one or more of clear and plastic connected to said second member.

81. A bra in accordance with claim 80, wherein said first and second members each comprise one of a supple material and a hard material said first and second fasteners each comprise one of a supple material and a hard material.

82. A bra in accordance with claim 81, wherein said supple material is a first plastic material and said hard material is a second plastic material.

83. A bra in accordance with claim 82, wherein said clear plastic is a polyurethane elastomer and said second plastic is a polycarbonate resin.

84. A bra in accordance with claim 81, wherein said first fastener comprises one or more hook elements arranged in one or more rows and said second fastener comprises one or more eye elements arranged in one or more rows.

85. A bra in accordance with claim 84, wherein said hook elements comprise said second plastic material and said eye elements comprise one of said first plastic material and said second plastic material.

86. A bra in accordance with claim 84, wherein said first member has a first end area of reduced thickness connected to the end of said first bra strap and said second member has a second end area of reduced thickness connected to the end of said second bra strap.

87. A bra in accordance with claim 80, wherein said first and second bra straps comprise a fabric comprised of one or more of natural and synthetic fibers.

88. A bra in accordance with claim 87, wherein said fabric comprises one or more of cotton, polyester and nylon.

89. A method of making the extender of claim 12, comprising:

providing said first and second plastic materials;

and supplying said plastic materials to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said extender.

90. A method of making the extender of claim 16, comprising:

providing said first and second plastic materials;

and supplying said plastic materials to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said extender.

91. A method of making the extender of claim 33, comprising:

providing said first and second plastic materials;

and supplying said plastic materials to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said extender.

92. A method of making the extender of claim 35, comprising:

providing said first and second plastic materials;

and supplying said plastic materials to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said extender.

93. A method of making the fastening assembly of claim 54, comprising:

providing said first and second plastic materials;

and supplying said plastic materials to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said fastening assembly.

94. A method of making the fastening assembly of claim 56, comprising:

providing said second plastic material;

and supplying said plastic material to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said fastening assembly.

95. A method of making the fastening assembly of claim 67, comprising:

providing said first and second plastic materials;

and supplying said plastic materials to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said fastening assembly.

96. A method of making the fastening assembly of claim 71, comprising:

providing said first plastic material;

and supplying said plastic material to one or more molds and applying heat and pressure to form said fastening assembly.

97. A fastening assembly adapted to attach to a first part of a garment and to couple with a first garment fastening element on a second part of the garment, the first garment fastening element having a first member and a first fastener attached to the first member, the fastening assembly comprising a garment fastening element comprising a member which is one or more of clear and plastic and a fastener which is one or more of clear and plastic attached to the member, the fastener being of a different hardness than the first fastener.