Convertible Sports Bra

Abstract

The convertible sports bra of the present invention comprising of a top portion, a bottom portion and coupling means to attach and detach said top and said bottom portion. The convertible sports bra of the present invention utilizes a coupling means comprising of either a zipper, hook and fastener, clip on, or other similar coupling means that allow for the easy attaching and detaching of the top portion from the bottom portion of the convertible sports bra.

Description

This invention is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/383,716 field on Jan. 21, 2011.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The field of the invention is related to sport bras for women. In particular, the invention relates to a sports bra top that can be converted into a variety of interchangeable designs providing the user a variety of options to modify the sports bra.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

Sports bras have been in use for many years and are popular among women who are active and desire extra support for comfort. Modernly, sports bras have become more fashionable having different designs and configurations. One can appreciate that there have been other undergarments that may be visibly worn such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,823 to Broadwin which discloses a woman's bathing suit intended to be visible when worn and having the top and bottom sections detachably joined by overlying waistbands. However, Broadwin does not disclose or suggest in any way that the top portion of the bathing suit can be worn by itself, rather the intention of Broadwin is to provide a unitary garment where the top and bottom may be of different sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,538 to Alleyne discloses a wrap-around sports bra, however it does not disclose or suggest in any way that a panel or bottom can be attached to and below the sports bra. Other prior art provide various multiple-piece undergarments including U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,637,840 (Volk), 1,917,908 (Stolz), 1,971,669 (Wyckoff), 2,053,165 (Pruett), 2,213,757 (Barnes) and 2,391,770 (Cangelose). However, neither of these prior art disclose a convertible sports bra that can be converted into a variety of interchangeable designs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of sport bras and visibly wearable undergarments and means now present in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a convertible sports bra that has the ability to attach and detach a variety of bottom portions that allow the sports bra to be converted into a wide range of clothing configurations and/or designs for different occasions.

All referenced patents, applications and literatures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. The invention may seek to satisfy one or more of the above-mentioned desire. Although the present invention may obviate one or more of the above-mentioned desires, it should be understood that some aspects of the invention might not necessarily obviate them.

In these respects, the convertible sports bra according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides a convertible sports bra that is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art sports bras or visibly wearable undergarments either alone or in combination thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that allows a bottom to be easily attached and detached;

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that is easy to modify and customize to fit a particular occasion;

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that allow interchangeable straps that are easily attached and detached;

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that is comfortable to wear for multiple occasions;

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that is inexpensive to manufacture;

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that allows a variety of different bottoms to be coupled with the top;

Another object of the present invention is to provide a convertible sports bra that has a coupling means to attach the top portion and bottom portion.

To attain this, the present invention in one embodiment generally comprises of a convertible sports bra that contains a top portion, a bottom portion and a coupling means to combine the top portion and bottom portion. In another embodiment, the convertible sports bra of the present invention contains straps that are interchangeable and easily attached and detached to the convertible sports bra to provide additional customization and modification of the convertible sports bra for multiple occasions.

In typical use, the convertible sports bra of the present invention is worn by a woman as one would wear a normal sports bra. In one contemplated embodiment, the user will wear just the top portion of the convertible sports bra as normal without the bottom portion attached. For example, a woman working out would adorn the top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention as she would normally wear a sports bra. However, after working out, the woman could choose to attach the bottom portion of the convertible sports bra to make a skirt or dress more appropriate for a public occasion or if the woman wants to be appear more presentable. The convertible sports bra of the present invention utilizes a coupling means including but not limited to a zipper, hook and fastener, clip on, or other similar coupling means that allow for the easy attaching and detaching of the top portion from the bottom portion of the convertible sports bra. In another embodiment, the coupling means can be in a variety of different colors and designs which can add to the aesthetic appearance of the convertible sports bra of the present invention.

In another embodiment, the material of the bottom portion of the convertible sports bra can be identical to the top portion of the convertible sports bra to create a unified one piece appearance or be different to allow the user to mix match between different tops and bottoms.

In another embodiment, the convertible sports bra contains straps that are interchangeable and can be easily attached and detached to add additional support and aesthetic appearance to the convertible sports bra of the present invention.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting. To accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the convertible sports bra of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a back view of embodiment of the top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of one embodiment of the convertible sports bra of the present invention whereas the top portion is being coupled to a bottom portion that covers the user's mid-section;

FIG. 4 is a back view of one embodiment of the convertible sports bra of the present invention whereas the top portion is being coupled to a bottom portion that covers the user's mid-section;

FIG. 5 is a front view of one embodiment of the convertible sports bra of the present invention whereas the top portion is being coupled to a bottom portion that is in the form of a skirt or dress;

FIG. 6 is a back view of one embodiment of the convertible sports bra of the present invention whereas the top portion is being coupled to a bottom portion that is in the form of a skirt or dress;

FIG. 7 is a front view of one embodiment of the top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention depicting at least one strap that is interchangeable;

FIG. 8 is a back view of one embodiment of the top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention depicting at least one strap that is interchangeable;

FIG. 9 is a front view of one embodiment of the convertible sports bra of the present invention whereas the top portion is being coupled to a bottom portion to form a full-body outfit;

FIG. 10 is a back view of one embodiment of the convertible sports bra of the present invention whereas the top portion is being coupled to a bottom portion to form a full-body outfit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, which are provided by way of illustration and example, and wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding elements among the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1, the top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention 1 is shown. The top portion of the convertible sports bra of the present invention comprising a top portion 3, and a coupling means 7 to attach and detach the top portion 3 and the bottom portion 5 (not shown) of the convertible sports bra of the present invention. FIG. 2 depicts a back view of the convertible sports bra showing again the top portion 3 and the coupling means 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the top portion 3 is coupled to the bottom portion 5 by a coupling means 7. In one embodiment, the coupling means 7 is selected from a group consisting of a zipper, hook and loop fastener, snap button, loop fasteners, clip-on and button. In another embodiment, the coupling means 7 can be made in a way to be aesthetically pleasing by allowing the coupling means 7 to be decorated, including coloring, in a way to match or be in contrast of the colors and design of the top portion 3 and bottom portion 5. FIG. 4 shows the back view of the convertible sports bra of the present invention with the top portion 3 and bottom portion 5 being attached by the coupling means 7.

One of the protean aspects of the convertible sports bra of the present invention is the ability to interchange different top portions 3 and bottom portions 5 to create different configurations and appearances based upon the desired needs of the user. As clearly seen in FIG. 5, another embodiment of the bottom portion 5 of the convertible sports bra of the present invention shows that it can be in the form of a skirt or dress that can be attached to the top portion 3 by the coupling means 7. FIG. 6 depicts a back view of the alternate embodiment of the bottom portion 5 of the convertible sports bra of the present invention. As seen in FIG. 7, at least one strap 9 can be attached onto the top portion 3 of the convertible sports bra 1 which can provide further support. The said at least one strap 9 can be interchangeable and be customized and decorated into different designs to change up and/or modify the appearance of the top portion 3 of the convertible sports bra of the present invention 1. The at least one strap 9 can be attached to the top portion 3 of the convertible sports bra 1 of the present invention by a variety of coupling means such as clip-on, snap on, button, loop fastener, hook and loop fastener, tie-string and similar simple attachment means. FIG. 8 provides a back view of the convertible sports bra 1 with at least one strap 9 in one present embodiment.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show yet another embodiment of the convertible sports bra 1 of the present invention with a bottom portion 5 to allow the convertible sports bra 1 to be converted into more of a full-body outfit.

In an example of a typical use, the user, in this example a woman, would use the top portion 3 of the convertible sports bra 1 as a normal sports bra and when desired, choose to attach a variety of bottom portions 5 depending on the type of appearance that the user wants to arrange and wear. Depending how the user wants to convert the sports bra, she can add straps 9 to the top portion 3 of the convertible sports bra 1 to add further support and decoration to the overall appearance of the convertible sports bra 1.

Thus, specific embodiments and applications of the convertible sports bra have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

Claims

1. A convertible sports bra, comprising:

a top portion;

a bottom portion;

coupling means to attach and detach said top portion to said bottom portion;

2. The convertible sports bra of claim 1 wherein said coupling means is selected from a group consisting of a zipper, hook and loop fastener, snap button, loop fasteners, clip on and button.

3. The convertible sports bra of claim 1 wherein said coupling means can be decorated to be aesthetically pleasing;

4. Said bottom portion of the convertible sports bra of claim 1 which is selected from a group consisting of a skirt, dress, pants, leggings and shorts.

5. The convertible sports bra of claim 1 containing at least one strap that is interchangeable and which can be decorated;

6. A method of wearing a convertible sports bra; the method comprising:

a. providing the convertible sports bra having a top and bottom portion;

b. coupling said top and bottom portion wherein said coupling means is selected from a group consisting of a zipper, hook and loop fastener, snap button, loop fasteners, clip on and button.

7. Said method of wearing a convertible sports bra of claim 1 comprising of at least one strap that is interchangeable and which can be decorated.

8. Said bottom portion of said method of wearing a convertible sports bra of claim 1 which is selected from a group consisting of a skirt, dress, pants, leggings and shorts.

9. A sports bra comprising:

a. a main portion that can be convertible into a plurality of different configurations;

b. said configurations selected from a group consisting of a skirt, dress, pants, leggings and shorts.

10. Said sports bra of claim 9 comprising of at least one strap that is interchangeable and which can be decorated.