Detachable and Interchangeable Activewear Top

Abstract

A detachable and interchangeable activewear top that includes a sports bra that has fasteners/closures located on the bra band with an overlay flap that makes the fasteners/closures not visible when down but easily accessible when flipped up, and a lower panel that encircles the torso below the breasts and flows downward to the belly and/or beyond and may contain elastic around the top opening of the lower panel as well as fasteners/closures around the top opening that corresponds to the fasteners/closures on the sports bra. The sports bra and the lower panel can be attached, detached and interchanged via a non-permanent fastening system.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a detachable and interchangeable activewear top that can transform from a sports bra to a variety of activewear tops e.g. sports tanks, crop tops and back to a sports bra.

2. Description of Related Art

When a user purchases an activewear top, they are limited to certain styles, silhouettes, and color combination created by the fashion designer/manufacturer. The user may like the sports bra part of the top to have a racerback or a strappy back but may prefer the lower part of the top to have a cropped, or fitted or semi-fitted or flowy silhouette, however they cannot pick and choose what type of top and bottom combination they want.

The user is also limited to the manufacturer's color combination. They may want the upper part of the activewear top, the sports bra part, to be pink and the lower part to be green, but the manufacturer may have only made a sports tank that is completely pink or completely green. Presently the user has a limited amount of styles and color combinations and their individuality does not standout.

In addition, the user may purchase a beautiful sports bra that's perfect in color, perfect in size, and has great detail elements such a strappy back, caged neckline, or keyhole neckline or back, and it looks great on her. It enhances her best assets and hides her flaws. In her eyes, it's perfect for the gym but when she arrives to the gym, the gym's “No sports bra” or “No exposed belly” dress code forces her to pull on a tank or t-shirt over her cute, stylish, trendy sports bra. And while there may be cute sports tanks available, most of the time, the bra section of the sports tank is pretty simple and doesn't offer a lot of cute detail elements like sports bras.

Therefore, what is clearly needed is an activewear top that solves the problems mentioned above.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention a detachable and interchangeable activewear top is provided comprising a sports bra that has fasteners/closures located on the bra band with an overlay flap that makes the fasteners/closures not visible when down but easily accessible when flipped up, and a lower panel that encircles the torso below the breasts and flows downward to the belly and/or beyond and may contain elastic around the top opening of the lower panel as well as fasteners/closures around the top opening that corresponds to the fasteners/closures on the sports bra, wherein the sports bra and the lower panel can be attached, detached and interchanged via a non-permanent fastening system.

Also in one embodiment the sports bra can be worn without the lower panel as a sports bra. Also in one embodiment the sports bra has an overlay flap that when worn without the lower panel hides or camouflage the fasteners/closures on the bra band. Also in one embodiment when the sports bra is worn with the lower panel attached, the overlay flap camouflages the area where the sports bra and the lower panel is connected giving the appearance of one article of clothing instead of two. Also in one embodiment the sports bra can come in many different styles such as but not limited to racerback, tank, strappy and cami as well as many different patterns, colorways, solids, color block, prints (e.g., floral, checks, plaids, stripes, polka dots, etc.). Also in one embodiment the lower panel can come in many different silhouettes such as but not limited to fitted, semi-fitted, flowy, loose fitting, cropped, and high low, as well as different patterns, colorways, solids, color block, prints (e.g., floral, checks, plaids, stripes, polka dots, etc.). Also in one embodiment the sports bra and the lower panel can be mixed and matched, attached and detached and allow the wearer to custom design their activewear top because of the unlimited possible combinations. Also in one embodiment the ability to attach the lower panel to the sports bra also allows the wearer to cover up more when required without sacrificing the stylish look of the sports bra. Also in one embodiment the fasteners/closures may comprise of any combinations of buttons and/or button holes, zippers, snaps, and/or hook and eye but not limited to.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

For clarity, the lower panel refers to a section of the activewear top that starts just below the breasts and encircles the torso and extends toward or beyond the belly button.

FIG. 1A is a front elevation view of a sports bra with a lower panel missing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a rear elevation view of the sports bra of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the sports bra of FIG. 1A with the overlay flap lifted, exposing the fasteners/closures that would attach to missing lower panel.

FIG. 2B is a rear elevation view of the sports bra of FIG. 1A with the overlay flap lifted, exposing the fasteners/closures that would attach to missing lower panel.

FIG. 3A is a front elevation view of a lower panel according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a rear elevation view of the lower panel of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a front elevation view of a sports bra with a lower panel attached creating a sports tank according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a rear elevation view of the sports tank of FIG. 4A

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a sports tank of FIG. 4A with the overlay flap lifted exposing how a lower panel is attached to the sports bra.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The various embodiments and variations thereof illustrated in the accompanying figures and/or described herein are merely exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is to be appreciated that numerous variations of the invention have been contemplated as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure. The present invention is described in enabling detail using following examples, which may describe more than one relevant embodiment falling within the scope of the present invention.

In FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, an embodiment of a sports bra 100 is shown. FIG. 1A illustrates the front of the sports bra 100 and FIG. 1B illustrates the back of the sports bra 100. A top portion 101 of the sports bra 100 covers and supports the breast and may cover the upper back. The top portion 101 of the sports bra 100 may contain removable cups or non-removable cups that aids in supporting the breasts and covering the nipples. A bottom portion 102, referred to as an overlay flap 102, of the sports bra 100 encircles the torso just below the breasts and covers a bra band 103 of FIG. 2A and fasteners/closures 104 of FIG. 2A of the sports bra 100. The top portion 101 may have armholes and a neck hole.

The sports bra 100, although illustrated as a racerback, may come in many other styles such as strappy back, high neck, camisole-style, V-neck, halter neck, scoop neck, backless but not limited to.

FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the sports bra 100 of FIG. 1A with the overlay flap 102 lifted, exposing a sports bra band 103 and fasteners/closures 104. The fasteners/closures 104 will allow attachment of a sports bra 100 to a lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A.

Although the fasteners/closures 104 are illustrated as buttons, the fasteners/closures 104 may include any combinations of buttons and/or button holes, zippers, snaps, and/or hook and eye but not limited to. The sports bra 100 can be worn alone as a sports bra 100 or with the attachment of a lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 2B is a rear elevation view of the sports bra 100 of FIG. 1A with the overlay flap 102 lifted, exposing a sports bra band 103 and fasteners/closures 104. The fasteners/closures 104 will allow attachment of a sports bra 100 to a lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3A is a front elevation view of a lower panel 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention. An upper segment 302 of the lower panel 300 may encase elastic which helps the lower panel 300 grip the torso just below the breast as well as the sports bra band 103 of FIG. 2A. The upper segment 302 may have fasteners/closures 301 that correspond with fasteners/closures 104 of FIG. 2A. This allows the lower panel 300 to attach to the sports bra 100 and transform the sports bra 100 to a sports tank 400 of FIG. 4A. The fasteners/closures 301, although represented as button holes 301, may include any combinations of buttons and/or button holes, zippers, snaps, and/or hook and eye but not limited to. A lower segment 303 extends down from the upper segment 302, encircles the torso and may cover the upper body from the ribs to the hips. The lower panel 300 may come in different silhouettes including fitted, semi-fitted, flowy, cropped, high low, but not limited to. They may come in different colors, solids, prints (e.g., plaids, checks, florals, stripes, polka dots, abstracts, etc.), color-blocked or any combination.

FIG. 3B is a rear elevation view of a lower panel 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The upper segment 302 of the lower panel 300 may encase elastic which helps the lower panel 300 grip the torso just below the breast as well as the sports bra band 103 of FIG. 2A. The upper segment 302 may have fasteners/closures 301 that correspond with fasteners/closures 104 of FIG. 2A. This allows the lower panel 300 to attach to the sports bra 100 and transform the sports bra 100 to a sports tank 400 of FIG. 4A. The fasteners/closures 301, although represented as button holes 301, may include any combinations of buttons and/or button holes, zippers, snaps, and/or hook and eye but not limited to. The lower segment 303 extends down from the upper segment 302, encircles the torso and may cover the upper body from the ribs to the hips. The lower panel 300 may come in different silhouettes including fitted, semi-fitted, flowy, cropped, high low, but not limited to. They may come in different colors, solids, prints (e.g., plaids, checks, florals, stripes, polka dots, abstracts, etc.), color-blocked or any combination.

FIG. 4A is a front elevation view of a sports tank 400. The sports tank 400 is a combination of a sports bra 100 of FIG. 1A with a lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A attached according to the embodiment of the present invention. The overlay flap 102 covers the sports bra band 103 of FIG. 2A and the fasteners/closures 104 of FIG. 2A. along with the upper segment 302 of FIG. 3A and the fasteners/closures 301 of FIG. 3A. The overlay flap 102 camouflages the attachment of the sports bra 100 of FIG. 1A and the lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A to give the appearance of one unit of clothing referred to as the sports tank 400. Although the upper segment 302 of FIG. 3A is not visible, the lower segment 303 is and appears as the lower part of the sports tank 400. In this illustration, the lower segment 303 is semi-fitted but it may have many different silhouettes and/or color combination. The sports bra 100 of FIG. 1A and the lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A are interchangeable with other sports bras 100 of FIG. 1A and other lower panels 300 of FIG. 3A, which allows one to create their own unique sports tank 400. They even have the ability to wear the sports bra 100 of FIG. A1 without the lower panel 300 of FIG. 3A because the overlay flap 102 will discreetly cover up the sports bra band 103 and the fasteners/closures 104 when worn alone.

FIG. 4B is a rear elevation view of the sports tank 400 of FIG. 4A

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the sports tank 400 of FIG. 4A with the overlay flap 102 lifted exposing how a lower panel 300 is attached to a sports bra 100.

The activewear tops according to the embodiment of the invention may be made from a variety of materials that offer stretch such as cotton, cotton blends, polyester, poly blends, spandex, spandex blends, nylon, nylon blends and the like.

It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that the activewear top of the invention may be provided using some or all of the mentioned features and components without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will also be apparent to the skilled artisan that the embodiments described above are specific examples of a single broader invention that may have greater scope than any of the singular descriptions taught. There may be many alterations made in the descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention

Claims

1. A detachable and interchangeable activewear top comprising:

a sports bra that has fasteners/closures located on the bra band with an overlay flap that makes the fasteners/closures not visible when down but easily accessible when flipped up; and

a lower panel that encircles the torso below the breasts and flows downward to the belly and/or beyond and may contain elastic around the top opening of the lower panel as well as fasteners/closures around the top opening that corresponds to the fasteners/closures on the sports bra, wherein the sports bra and the lower panel can be attached, detached and interchanged via a non-permanent fastening system.

2. The sports bra in claim 1 can be worn without the lower panel in claim 1 as a sports bra.

3. The sports bra in claim 1 has an overlay flap in claim 1 that when worn without the lower panel in claim 1, hides or camouflage the fasteners/closures on the bra band.

4. When the sports bra in claim 1 is worn with the lower panel in claim 1 attached, the overlay flap in claim 1 camouflages the area where the sports bra and the lower panel is connected giving the appearance of one article of clothing instead of two.

5. The sports bra in claim 1 can come in many different styles such as but not limited to racerback, tank, strappy and cami as well as many different patterns, colorways, solids, color block, prints (e.g., floral, checks, plaids, stripes, polka dots, etc.).

6. The lower panel in claim 1 can come in many different silhouettes such as but not limited to fitted, semi-fitted, flowy, loose fitting, cropped, and high low, as well as different patterns, colorways, solids, color block, prints (e.g., floral, checks, plaids, stripes, polka dots, etc.).

7. The sports bra in claim 1 and the lower panel in claim 1 can be mixed and matched, attached and detached and allow the wearer to custom design their activewear top because of the unlimited possible combinations.

8. The ability to attach the lower panel in claim 1 to the sports bra in claim 1 also allows the wearer to cover up more when required without sacrificing the stylish look of the sports bra.

9. The fasteners/closures in claim 1 may comprise of any combinations of buttons and/or button holes, zippers, snaps, and/or hook and eye but not limited to.