SLIP-PROOF BRA

Abstract

The present invention is a slip-proof bra comprising of a pair of bra cups being connected by a center panel, wherein each said bra cup having a concave surface being in contact with a user's body and a convex surface being in contact with an article of clothing; a pair of bra bands being connected to said pair of bra cups, each said bra band having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said inner surface being in contact with the user's body and said outer surface being in contact with said article of clothing; and a non-slipping material layer being attached to said convex surface to engage with and to prevent slipping of said article of clothing.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the clothing industry, and especially to a bra.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A strapless dress is a garment that stays around the upper body of a woman without shoulder straps, as a result a strapless dress tends to shift when a wearer is engaged in an activity.

Strapless articles of clothing tend to slide down a woman's body exposing the bra. Articles of clothing with straps made of silk, lycra, spandex and other materials tend to slide down the chest of the body exposing the bra, undergarment, swimwear, etc. As a result, women repeatedly pull up their outerwear clothing in order to prevent their undergarments from becoming exposed and causing embarrassment.

Fashion tape is a double sided tape that a woman applied directly to her skin on one side and on article of clothing on the other side. It can also be applied directly to an article of clothing such as a bra and an internal surface of a dress or a shirt. Fashion tape is one of the solutions that is already used for such a problem. Fashion tape is one time use and it may irritate the skin especially for those with sensitive skin. It also causes discomfort when people move as it may pull the skin and hair. It may leave a sticky residue on clothing which is very hard to wash and may also leave unwanted residue on the skin. Fashion tape may lose its hold when coming into contact with moisture such as perspiration.

The present invention is invented to prevent such occurrences. By placing a non-slipping material layer on an exterior surface of a bra which covers entirely or partially the exterior surface of the bra providing traction between the external surface of the bra, undergarment, swimwear, etc., and preventing the article of clothing from sliding and exposing the undergarments.

Changing social trends and new materials have increased the diversity and complexity of bra designs, and allowed manufacturers to make bras which are fashionable and functional. The functionality of the bras are one of the most challenging parts which each bra designers have dealt with. Bras are one of the most complex pieces of apparel. Gravitational force and tangential forces can be created when women walk or turn their body and they may have an effect on a bra's design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This ideal non-slip bra has a permanent silicone layer fixed onto the exterior surface of the bra, undergarment, swimwear, etc. so it may be used repeatedly. The non-slipping material layer is only located on the external surface (covering it entirely or in part) of the bra, undergarment, swimwear, etc. and will not come into contact with the skin which prevents any skin irritation and uncomfortable pulling of the skin and hair. The invention will not leave any residue on clothing or skin.

The non-slipping material layer add on is also permanent and will not come in contact with skin thereby also alleviating the previous issues mentioned. It has a peel off paper with adhesive which can permanently stick onto an exterior surface of a bra, an undergarment, or a swimwear.

The present invention adds a non-slipping material layer on the exterior surface covering it entirely or in part to provide traction between the external surface of the bra, undergarment, swimwear, etc. and the article of clothing to prevent clothes from sliding and exposing the undergarments.

The first objective of the present invention is to provide a bra having means to support strapless or any kind of article of clothing from slipping out of position.

The second objective of the present invention is to provide a bra which prevents any skin irritation and uncomfortableness.

The third objective of the present invention is to provide a bra which does not leave any residue on clothing or skin.

A slip-proof bra comprising of a pair of bra cups being connected by a center panel, wherein each said bra cup having a concave surface being in contact with a user's body and a convex surface being in contact with an article of clothing; a pair of bra bands being connected to said pair of bra cups, each said bra band having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said inner surface being in contact with the user's body and said outer surface being in contact with said article of clothing; a pair of bra straps being connected to said pair of bra cups and said bra bands, each said bra strap having an interior surface and an exterior surface, wherein said interior surface being in contact with the user's body and said exterior surface being in contact with said article of clothing and a non-slipping material layer being attached to said convex surface to engage with and to prevent slipping of said article of clothing.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated from the following description. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided for illustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments herein will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the claims, wherein like designations denote like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a bra having a non-slipping material layer around an upper edge of the exterior body of bra cups;

FIG. 2 shows a bra having a non-slipping material layer around whole part of the bra cups;

FIG. 3 shows a bra having a non-slipping material layer in rectangular shape attached to the exterior part of the bra cups;

FIG. 4 shows a bra having a non-slipping material layer in a fashionable design attached to the exterior part of the bra cups;

FIG. 5 shows bras having a non-slipping material layer in their bra band back in different designs;

FIG. 6 shows bras having non-slipping material layer in their bra straps;

FIG. 7 shows different gripping surface for a non-slipping material layer; and

FIG. 8 shows an algorithm to calculate and suggest a proper cut-out for a non-slipping material layer for a bra.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Bras can be sewn with many types of fabrics. Tricot, lace, satin, cotton, and Lycra are the most popular choices for bra fabrics. Because of the body curvature around the breast area, the frictional force is decreased in areas where the user's clothes is in contact with a bra. The frictional force is dependent on the coefficient of friction of the bra fabrics and the clothes on the contact surfaces.

For enhancing the coefficient of friction between a cloth and a bra, a non-slipping material can help to grab the cloth and keep it in a right place. The non-slipping material is located in the outer surface of the bra cups to increase the frictional force between an article of clothing and an outer surface of a bra cup.

By installing a non-slipping material layer on an outer surface of a bra cup, the user can move, dance and run without having the dress or shirt slide down and exposing the bra.

There are different type of fashionable bras in the market such as front fastening bra, nursing bra, full support bra, minimizer bra, sport bra, push-up bra, bandeau bra, maternity bra, bridal bra/corset, backless bra, adhesive bra, T-shirt Bra, Half cup bra, halter neck bra, strapless bra, moulded bra, balcounette bra, full cup bra, multi-way bra, vintage bra, u-plunge bra, trainer bra, mastectomy bra, front closure bra, demi bra, convertible bra, plunge bras, bathing suit and bikini. The present invention can be embodied in all of the above mentioned bras in their outer surface of the bra cups or outer surface of the bra band to keep the article of clothing in a proper position.

As shown in FIG. 1 (a-b), a bra 10 comprising of a pair of bra cups 11-12 which is connected by a center panel 13 together and a pair of bra cups 11-12 are sewn into a pair of bra bands 14-15. A non-slipping material 16-17 are sewn in an outer surface of a bra cup 11-12 for enhancing a frictional coefficient of the outer surface of the bra cup 11-12.

The configuration of the non-slipping material can be varied based on the bra cup style. The bra cup can be selected from the groups consisting of a contour cup, demi cup, full cup, minimizer cup, molded cup, padded cup, push-up cup and soft cup. The narrow layer of a non-slipping material 16-17 can be designed to fit the contour of an upper edge of the bra cups.

The width of the non-slipping material layer 16-17 can be different based on the weight of the article of clothing that user may wear. By increasing the width of the layer, the frictional area can be increased and add support for the dresses or shirts.

As shown in FIG. 2(a-b), the bra cups 11-12 can be covered totally with a non-slipping material layer 21-22 to support more weight of the article of clothing which a user may wear. If the bra cups 11-12 are covered with non-slipping material layer 21-22, the frictional force is increased at the contacting surface of the outer face of the bra and the article of clothing and thereby provides more support for the article of clothing to stay in the correct place during use.

A non-slipping material layer can be sewn to the bra cups 11-12 in a rectangular band 31-40 in series in different configurations as shown in FIG. 3(a-b). The rectangular bands 31-40 can be in different lengths and widths to cover whole or part of the bra cups 11-12.

As shown in FIG. 4(a-c), a non-slipping material layer can be designed and sewn into the bra cups 11-12 in fashionable shapes. A star shape 61, a heart shape 62 and a circle shape 63 are shown in FIG. 4(a-c). The possibility of designing different shapes with different geometrical elements may exist. The important part of installing such a non-slipping material layer into an outer surface of the bra cups is to provide additional frictional forces between the bra and the article of clothing of the user to keep the cloth in a proper position.

A non-slipping material layer can be sewn into a bra band 14-15 to keep the back of the article of clothing in a proper position to avoid a possibility of a strapless dress falling down at the back of a user. By having the non-slipping material layer in the bra band 14-15, the frictional force between the bra band and the back of the article of clothing increases and the non-slipping material layer can keep the back of the article of clothing in place. FIG. 5(a-d) shows bra bands 14-15 having a non-slipping material layer. Different designs for installing a non-slipping material layer into a bra band are possible, a narrow layer of non-slipping material 51, a whole bra band of non-slipping material 52, a rectangular band 53 and a fashion shapes 54-55 are shown in FIG. 5(a-d).

A non-slipping material layer can be sewn onto bra straps 91-92 to keep the article of clothing in a proper position in shoulder area. By having the non-slipping material layer on the bra straps 91-92, the frictional force between the bra straps and the back of the article of clothing increases and the non-slipping material layer can keep the article of clothing in place. FIG. 6(a-b) shows bra straps 91-92 having a non-slipping material layer. Different designs for installing a non-slipping material layer into bra straps are possible, a narrow layer of non-slipping material, whole bra straps of non-slipping material, a rectangular band and a fashion shapes. These straps can be permanently fixed on the bra, or they can be removable.

Another embodiment of the present invention is that instead of sewing the non-slipping material layer to the bra cups or bra bands are stuck on by an adhesive layer to the desirable surface in the outer surface of a bra cup and a bra band. The permanent adhesive non-slipping material layer which comes with a peel off paper layer places the adhesive side down onto the outer surface of a bra, an undergarment or a swimwear. This becomes a permanent fixture on the bra, the undergarment or the swimwear and provides a necessary friction to keep the article of clothing in a proper position.

Another embodiment of the present invention is that instead of sewing the non-slipping material layer to the bra cups or bra bands, press them by a hydraulic press under specific temperature to the desirable surface on the outer surface of a bra cup and a bra band. This becomes a permanent fixture on the bra, the undergarment or the swimwear and provides a necessary friction to keep the article of clothing in a proper position.

A non-slipping material can be selected from the group consisting of a silicone material with different gripping surfaces 61-65 and different thickness. The outer surface of the silicone layer can be any one of the surfaces 61-65 as shown in FIG. 7(a-e). A bra having a non-slipping material has a surface that can be securely gripped to prevent slipping or dropping of the article of clothing under a variety of conditions such as walking, dancing, or running.

A non-slipping material can be made of silicone, rubber or plastic material, the different gripping surfaces designed to increase the frictional coefficient of the surface. The gripping surface can be uniform or in combination of different gripping surfaces.

Silicone layers with a gripping surface have more frictional forces so by having such a gripping surface; the frictional coefficient increases and allows for keeping the clothing article in a proper place. A gripping surface can have a plurality of convex dimples 81, a plurality of cross hatched patterns 82, a plurality of bumps 83, a plurality of ridges 84 and a plurality of angled ribs 85 as shown in FIG. 7(a-e). Each of the gripping surfaces of the silicone layer of FIG. 7(a-e) have different frictional coefficients so based on the weight of the clothing and the size of the bra cup, the gripping surface can be selectable.

The thickness of the silicone layer is one of the most important factors for providing more frictional forces between the bra and the article of clothing, but there is a limitation for the thickness of the silicone layer for bra designing. The thickness of the silicone layer ideally should be up to 6 mm because more than that it may affect the appearance of the bra.

Another embodiment of the present invention is an adhesive silicone layer, rubber layer or a plastic layer which can be attached to an outer surface of a bra. The shape and dimension of the silicone layer matching a bra can be prepared in predefined shapes, which are selectable from some predefined cuts.

Another embodiment of the present invention for selecting a cut-out of the silicone layer is that a user can select the predefined shape of the silicone layer by answering to a questionnaire on a website. The website based on the responses of the user selects a suitable cut-out of the silicone layer, rubber layer or a plastic layer.

The website has a strong data base with the configuration, size and style of bra cups and bra bands of all bra manufacturers, and based on the information that website has, it is able to respond to a questionnaire by a user. The website can suggest the proper cut-out of silicone layer, rubber layer or a plastic layer which is different in size, thickness and width to the user. The user can cut the silicone layer by scissors and attach the cut-out to the bra.

An example of the website questionnaire algorithm 71 of the website is shown in FIG. 8. As mentioned in the FIG. 8, the user enters some information to select the best cut-out of the silicone layer for the bra. The information comprises of a bra size 72 to determine the size of the breast and calculate the gravity forces and frictional forces related to the breast size, a clothing type 73 to determine the area which is in contact with a bra and weight of the clothing, a bra cup style 74 to select the configuration of the bra cup edges for matching the silicone layer, and a type of activity 75 to select the different gripping surface and different width for the silicone layer to keep the clothing article in the proper place. The algorithm 71 calculates 76 the suitable silicone layer shape, thickness, gripping surface and the configuration of the edges based on the information that the user provides and sending a proper cut-out to the user 77. The user can use the drawing which algorithm 71 designed and cut the silicone layer by putting the drawing as a shablon and then stick the adhesive silicone layer to the bra.

The adhesive silicone layer, rubber layer or a plastic layer can be permanently attached to the bra or can be one time use. Depending on the quality of the silicone layer, rubber layer or a plastic layer and the adhesive layer strength, the user can use the silicone layer, rubber layer or a plastic layer permanently.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum relationships for the parts of the invention in regard to size, shape, form, materials, function and manner of operation, assembly and use are deemed readily apparent and obvious to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A slip-proof bra comprising:

a. a pair of bra cups being connected by a center panel, wherein each said bra cup having a concave surface being in contact with a user's body and a convex surface being in contact with an article of clothing;

b. a pair of bra bands being connected to said pair of bra cups, each said bra band having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said inner surface being in contact with the user's body and said outer surface being in contact with said article of clothing;

c. a pair of bra straps being connected to said pair of bra cups and said bra bands, each said bra strap having an interior surface and an exterior surface, wherein said interior surface being in contact with the user's body and said exterior surface being in contact with said article of clothing; and

d. a non-slipping material layer being attached to said convex surface to engage with and to prevent slipping of said article of clothing.

2. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material being selected from the group consisting of silicone, rubber and plastic.

3. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material further being connected to said outer surface of the bra bands.

4. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material further being connected to said exterior surface of the bra straps.

5. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material further having a plurality of gripping surfaces to increase the frictional coefficient between said non-slipping material and the article of clothing.

6. The slip-proof bra of claim 3, wherein said gripping surfaces being any one of or any combination of convex dimples, cross hatched patterns, bumps, ridges and angled ribs.

7. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein the thickness of said non-slipping material being up to 6 millimetres.

8. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material partially or totally covers the convex surface of the bra cups.

9. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material comprising of a silicone layer in a fashionable shape being attached to said convex surface of said bra cups and said outer surface of said bra bands.

10. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material comprising of a silicone layer in a rectangular shape having a length and a width, wherein said rectangular shape being attached to said convex surface of said bra cups and said outer surface of said bra bands.

11. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material having an engaging area to engage with the article of clothing, wherein said area being predefined based on the weight of the article of clothing.

12. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material having an engaging area to engage with the article of clothing, wherein said area being predefined based on a bra size.

13. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material having an engaging area to engage with the article of clothing, wherein said area being predefined based on a bra cup style.

14. The slip-proof bra of claim 1, wherein said non-slipping material having an engaging area to engage with the article of clothing, wherein said area being predefined based on the type of activity which a user desires to do.