Abstrict The present invention provides a bra that can be worn under a tank
top, tube top, tank dress, tube dress, halter top or any other article
of minimal, revealing or skimpy clothing, which would normally expose
bra straps. The bra has straps that resemble an article of clothing
or match an article of clothing. In one aspect of the invention,
a bra has straps that look like an article of clothing. The straps
can be formed of a uniform material composition along the entire
length, i.e. no portion made entirely of elastic. The straps could
be wider or thinner than a normal bra strap. In another aspect of
the invention, a bra has straps that match an article of clothing,
i.e. have the same color or a color that plays off of the color
of an article of clothing, and/or contains a design that is identical
to or plays off of the color or design of an article of clothing.
Also, the straps may look like an article of clothing as opposed
to a conventional bra strap. In another aspect of the invention,
a bra is sold as a unit with an article of clothing, and the straps
of the bra match the article of clothing. Again, the bra strap may
look like an article of clothing as opposed to a conventional bra
strap. In another aspect of the invention, a bra is provided with
detachable bra straps. Two or more sets of bra straps may be provided
which bra straps can be interchanged to match an article of clothing.
Articles of clothing can be sold with matching straps, which can
be interconnected with the body of the bra so the straps match the
article of clothing.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A bra comprising:
a body portion for extending about one's body; and
straps interconnected with the body portion for extending over
one's shoulders;
wherein the straps comprise:
a uniform material including elastic as a component thereof extending
along the length thereof; and
adjustment means for adjusting the length; and
the straps resemble outerwear.
2. The bra of claim 1 wherein the straps are wider than conventional
bra straps.
3. The bra of claim 1 wherein the straps are thinner than conventional
bra straps.
4. The bra of claim 1 wherein the straps have a design formed thereon
extending along the entire length thereof.
5. The bra of claim 1 wherein the straps are of a color to match
outerwear.
6. A bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear comprising:
a bra body portion for extending about one's body;
straps interconnected with the bra body portion for extending over
one's shoulders;
an article of outerwear;
a package for maintaining the bra and article of outerwear as a
unit until sold;
wherein, the straps of the bra match the article of outerwear.
7. The bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear of claim
6 wherein the straps further comprise a uniform material along the
length thereof.
8. The bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear of claim
7 wherein the straps further adjustment means for adjusting the
length thereof.
9. The bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear of claim
6 wherein the straps are wider or thinner than conventional bra
straps.
10. The bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear of claim
6 wherein the straps are thinner than conventional bra straps.
11. The bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear of claim
6 wherein the straps comprise a material that may include elastic
as a component thereof, and which material extends throughout the
entire strap.
12. The bra sold as a unit with an article of outerwear of claim
6 wherein the straps have a design formed thereon extending along
the entire length thereof.
13. A bra comprising:
a body portion for extending about one's body;
first attachment means provided on the body;
an article of clothing and matching first bra straps sold as a
unit, the first straps for extending about one's shoulder; and
second attachment means associated with the ends of the first straps;
wherein the first attachment means on the body and the second attachment
means on the first straps coact to detachably attach the first straps
to the body to be worn under the article of clothing.
14. The bra of claim 13 further comprising second straps having
a different appearance from the first straps for attachment to the
bra in place of the first straps.
15. The bra of claim 13 wherein the first and second straps resemble
articles of clothing.
16. The bra of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of straps
of different appearance for attachment to the body to match outerwear
with which the bra is to be worn.
17. A method for matching bra straps to an article of clothing
comprising;
providing an article of clothing;
providing matching bra straps;
providing a bra body; and
detachably attaching the matching straps to the bra body.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the bra can be matched to a
second article of outerwear by detaching the matching straps from
the bra;
providing second matching straps, the second matching straps matching
the second article of outerwear; and
attaching the second matching straps to the body.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bra having straps that look
like clothing and/or match clothing. Additionally, the present invention
relates to a bra with interchangeable straps, and more particularly
to a bra having a plurality of straps that can be interchanged so
that the straps match clothing with which the bra is worn.
2. Related Art
In the present day, clothing is a highly important vehicle for
use in expressing oneself, in fitting in with various social groups,
and for conveying desired images of oneself to others. Also, it
is very fashionable to wear relatively skimpy clothing, i.e., minimal
or revealing clothing that exposes the shoulders and arms of a wearer
and has thin straps or no straps. Indeed, it has been commented
that skin is the most important article of clothing and accordingly,
what becomes important, is not the clothing, but how much skin the
clothing exposes.
With clothing such as tank tops or tube tops, which have become
increasingly stylish as part of a retro movement where people are
re-adopting styles from the 1970's, a lot of skin is shown. While
these styles typically do not present a problem for women with small
or average size breasts, who can wear a top without the need for
the support that is provided by a bra, it becomes very problematic
for women having larger breasts. Often times, such women have no
choice but to wear bras underneath the clothing, which is generally
unattractive in that it exposes the bra straps, which detracts from
the look that the person is trying to achieve. Even women with smaller
breasts may prefer to wear a bra under outerwear.
If, however, the bra straps were made to look like an article of
clothing, and/or to match an article of clothing, the look would
be much more attractive and would allow women having relatively
large breasts to wear the skimpier clothing because the bra would
look like an article of clothing and not like a bra. For example,
a woman wearing a bra underneath a tank top might appear to be wearing
two tank tops as opposed to a bra and a tank top, and it is believed
that such a look would be desirable. However, heretofore no one
has provided a bra with straps that look like clothing, and/or a
bra with straps that match outer clothing.
Efforts in this area include the following:
Hall, U.S. Pat. No. 5211598 discloses an exercise brassiere
having an outer layer adapted to fit over the wearer's upper torso
and shoulders. The inner layer and the outer layer are constructed
of lightweight, stretchable fabrics. The inner layer has cut-outs
for receiving the breasts of the wearer. A middle layer may be provided
for extra comfort. A covering layer may be included to cover the
outer layer. The covering layer may be constructed of a decorative
fabric, suitable to the taste of the wearer, so that the exercise
brassiere can be worn alone as a top. A decorative fabric ruffle
may be attached along the seam extending about the neck opening.
Hughes, U.S. Pat. No. 4528699 discloses an article of clothing
for a breast feeding woman. The article of clothing includes an
upper member having a loose lower edge and a lower member having
an upper edge of a resilient material that can be positioned upward
to cover the breasts or can be pulled down to make one of the breasts
accessible to a baby. The upper and lower members may be attached
together or may be separate pieces to allow a single lower member
to be worn with a variety of interchangeable upper members of different
styles, and vice versa. The upper member includes straps that extend
about a shoulder which may take any form such as straps across the
shoulders in a sundress or to the back of the neck in a halter or
any other style.
Koenig, U.S. Pat. No. 5416928 discloses a garment attachment
that can be attached to clothing. The garment attachment is a decorative,
flexible panel that can be attached to clothing. The device is attached
to clothing by plurality of snap fasteners.
Bergman, U.S. Pat. No. 4909771 discloses a brassiere made of
a stretchable fabric that does not include seams, darts, moldings
or shaping, but rather stretches around and generally conforms to
the wearer's breasts to hold them against the body. The bra does
not include clips or buckles, but does include a wide midriff portion
in the front, sides and back for improved support. This patent points
out that conventional bras worn under sleeveless leotards and sleeveless
sports tops, such as tennis or running tops, tend to expose the
bra strap, and this visibility of the bra is aesthetically undesirable.
The whole of the bra, including the shoulder straps, are made of
the same fabric. The bra includes shoulder straps spaced widely
apart that can be readily worn under sleeveless leotards and sleeveless
sports tops such as tennis running tops which are normally fairly
low or wide cut around the neck, without the straps being visible.
Also, the bra can be worn as outerwear.
Laudick, U.S. Pat. No. 5842230 discloses a halter top made from
a portion of a pair of pants. The connecting straps are formed from
material removed from the pants and attached in a configuration
such that the former back pockets from the pants make up the cups
of the halter top or bra and cover the wearer's breasts. The shoulder
and side straps are trimmed to a desired length from the seam of
the pants.
Hopps, U.S. Pat. No. 4957466 discloses a support garment having
a multi-layered rectangular front panel and a back panel and two
adjustable shoulder straps interconnecting the front panel and the
back panel and extending about a wearer's shoulder. The supporting
garment can be worn in place of a bra, or over existing clothing
or even as an outer garment. The straps are of a wide design to
help disburse strain. The straps may be adjustable. The straps are
fixed to the back panel and are provided with hook and loop fasteners
to interconnect with matching hook and loop fasteners located on
the interior surface of the front panel.
Price, U.S. Pat. No. 4686715 discloses a patient gown having
front and back panels which are identical so that the gown segments
are interchangeable from the left side to the right or front to
back to alleviate sorting problems in supply rooms.
Gionfriddo, International Patent WO 98/26683 discloses a bra provided
with attaching or fastening elements on the shoulder straps which
can be used to interconnect shoulder pads having matching fastening
elements.
Laage, International Patent CH 442186 discloses a bra with matching
dress and/or matching underwear.
It is also known to provide strapless bras, i.e. bras with a body
portion but no straps, as well as tank tops with adjustable straps.
Additionally, it is known to provide tank tops with removable straps
so that the tank top can be converted to a tube top. Also, it is
known to provide a bra with straps which are detachable from the
bra body at the back end, and attachable together to form a "halter"
style bra. It is submitted, however, that none of these works of
others disclose all of the elements of the present invention, nor
do they disclose all of the benefits of the present invention.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bra
with straps, which bra and straps look like an article of outerwear
clothing.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide
a bra with straps, which straps look like an article of outerwear
clothing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bra
with straps, which when worn under clothing, looks like a first
article of outerwear clothing worn under a second article of outerwear
clothing.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide
a bra with straps which matches an article of outerwear clothing
worn thereover.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide
a bra with straps wherein the straps match an article of outerwear
clothing worn thereover.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide
a bra that can be worn underneath a tank or tube top and which looks
like an article of clothing rather than a bra.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bra
with straps that are made of the same material along the length
thereof and do not have a visible elastic portion along the length
thereof.
It is even a further object of the present invention to provide
a bra with straps which straps are attachable and detachable from
the bra.
It is even a further object of the present invention to provide
a bra and a plurality of straps, which are attachable and detachable
to a bra, and which can be matched with an article of clothing.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide
a bra and a plurality of straps wherein straps can be interconnected
with the bra by any known attachment means.
It is even an additional object to provide a bra that can be worn
under any clothing including skimpy clothing.
The present invention provides a bra that can be worn under a tank
top, tube top, tank dress, tube dress, halter top or any other article
of minimal, revealing or skimpy clothing, which would normally expose
bra straps. The bra has straps that resemble an article of clothing
or match an article of clothing. In one aspect of the invention,
a bra has straps that look like an article of clothing. The straps
can be formed of a uniform material composition along the entire
length, i.e. no portion made entirely of elastic. The straps could
be wider or thinner than a normal bra strap. In another aspect of
the invention, a bra has straps that match an article of clothing,
i.e. have the same color or a color that plays off of the color
of an article of clothing, and/or contains a design that is identical
to or plays off of the color or design of an article of clothing.
Also, the straps may look like an article of clothing as opposed
to a conventional bra strap. In another aspect of the invention,
a bra is sold as a unit with an article of clothing, and the straps
of the bra match the article of clothing. Again, the bra strap may
look like an article of clothing as opposed to a conventional bra
strap. In another aspect of the invention, a bra is provided with
detachable bra straps. Two or more sets of bra straps may be provided
which bra straps can be interchanged to match an article of clothing.
Articles of clothing can be sold with matching straps, which can
be interconnected with the body of the bra so the straps match the
article of clothing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other important objects and features of the invention will be apparent
from the following Detailed Description of the Invention taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a conventional bra with conventional straps.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bra accordingly to the present
invention wherein the straps look like an article of clothing.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bra with straps of the present
invention which match an article of clothing.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bra with detachable straps according
to the present invention. showing a plurality of straps for matching
different articles of clothing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a highly functional bra which
can be worn in connection with outerwear (shirts, tops, blouses,
dresses, etc.). The bra does not resemble a conventional bra. Rather,
the bra is preferably made with bra straps that resemble clothing.
If the straps are exposed, they appear to be an article of clothing
rather than an undergarment. As such, the bra straps can be made
of a material that resembles an article of outerwear and can be
of a color or design such that it resembles outerwear. Additionally,
the bra straps can be designed to have a pattern that matches, is
identical to, is complimentary to, or coordinates with an article
of outer clothing. Indeed, the bra can be sold together with an
article of outerwear as a package. In another embodiment of the
present invention, a bra is provided with detachable straps and
any desired straps with appropriate attachment means can be interconnected
therewith such that one bra can be worn with different straps to
match or compliment different articles of outerwear. In this case,
a bra can be sold with a plurality of straps having different colors
or having different designs thereon, and straps can be sold alone,
or with articles of outerwear, to allow one to form a complete ensemble.
Referring to FIG. 1 a bra according to the prior art is shown.
The bra, generally indicated at 10 includes a body portion 12 and
straps 14. The straps 14 are interconnected with the bra 10 at seams
16 typically by being sewn or stitched thereto. The bra 10 typically
includes strap adjustment, which has been indicated as 18. Conventionally,
the bra straps 14 are formed of an elastic material 17 that extends
at least partially along the length of the strap 14 the remaining
portion of the strap 14 being a blend of a natural or synthetic
material and elastic. The elastic portion 17 is interconnected at
one end with the bra body 12 and the other end with the remaining
portion of the strap by means of clip, loop or other attachment
means 15. It is desirable that the straps are visually unobtrusive
when worn under outerwear. However, a problem with the bras of prior
art occurs when an individual wears a skimpy outer garment which
may include thin straps in the form of a tank top, or straps known
as spaghetti straps, or when worn with a tube top that has no straps.
Women having smaller breasts can wear such outerwear without the
need for wearing a bra thereunder, but women having larger breasts
require the support of a bra. Also, many women, even those with
smaller breasts, may feel uncomfortable wearing a shirt without
a bra thereunder. However, when skimpy outerwear is worn, the bra
straps can be seen and may look unattractive. The present invention
addresses this problem in a number of ways.
Referring to FIG. 2 a bra 110 is shown according to the present
invention. This bra 110 also includes a bra body 112 and straps
114. The straps 114 are interconnected with the bra body 112 by
means of stitching 116 or any other means known in the art. As
can be seen by comparing the straps 114 shown in FIG. 2 with the
straps 14 shown in FIG. 1 the straps 114 are designed to appear
like straps associated with outerwear, as opposed to bra straps.
As such, straps 114 could be made wider than conventional straps.
Alternatively, the straps 114 could be the same size or even smaller
than conventional bra straps. The straps may be adjustable by means
of strap adjustments 118.
Further, straps 114 could be formed such that they are not entirely
elastic along a portion of the strap 114 but rather are formed
of a uniform material or fabric along the entire length, i.e. the
entire strap is made of the same material. Accordingly, any desired
fabric or blend of fabric, or even different fabrics for different
portions, can be used for the straps 114 but preferably, no portion
of the strap 114 is formed entirely of an elastic material. Rather,
preferably, the material used is a material conventionally associated
with outerwear. Using such a material, rather than using elastic
for the portion of the length of the straps 114 allows the straps
114 to resemble an article of outerwear. Likewise, the straps 114
can have a design thereon which can match outerwear, or could be
of a color that matches or compliments outerwear in connection with
which it is worn. Importantly, the affect of the straps 114 is that
when they are worn under a skimpy outerwear, and can be seen, the
straps resemble clothing as opposed to a bra strap.
As shown in FIG. 3 the bra 110 with straps 114 shown in FIG. 2
could be worn with an outer garment generally indicated at 130 having
a body 132 and straps 134. As can be seen, the outer garment 130
is relatively skimpy and the straps 134 can move around when a person
wears it such that, if worn with a conventional bra, the straps
would likely show and therefore, the overall appearance may be unattractive.
However, with the bra 110 of the present invention, the straps 114
appear to be outer garment type straps and when the bra 110 is worn
with the outerwear 130 and the outerwear straps 134 move about
and expose the bra straps 114 it still presents a very attractive
look. Indeed, bra 110 can be packaged together and sold as a unit
with outerwear 130 such that when one buys an article of outerwear,
one can have a bra with matching straps 114 therefore.
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. A bra
generally indicated at 200 includes a body portion 212 and straps
214. In this embodiment, the body 212 has attachment means which
coacts with attachment means formed on the straps 214 to detachably
attach the straps 214 to the body 212. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 4 a material loop 220 is formed on the body 212 and a hook
222 is attached to the lower ends of the straps 214 such that the
hooks 222 coact with the loops 220 to attach the strap 214 to the
body 212. As can be understood, any known attachment means can be
used to interconnect the straps with the bra, including, but not
limited to, buttons, hook and pile fastener assemblies, any sort
of hook and loop system or any other attachment system known in
the art. Importantly, in this embodiment of the invention, the straps
214 can be attached and detached to the body 212 such that any desired
straps, of a plurality of straps, can be utilized with the body
of the bra. For example, straps 314 or 414 each of which contain
fastening means 322 and 422 respectively, can be substituted for
straps 214 to provide a bra with straps of a desired design or color
for matching or complimenting an outer garment.
T he bra with attached detachable straps can be sold with a single
body portion 212 and a plurality of different colors or straps 214
314 414 having different designs thereon. Alternatively, the bra
body 212 can be sold individually and straps 214 314 414 etc.
can be sold individually such that one can buy a body and whatever
straps one wishes. Alternatively, the straps 214 314 or 414 can
be specifically designed to match outer garments and can be sold
as a unit with such outer garments. Any of the straps 214 314
414 etc. used in connection with the body 212 can be formed in
accordance with the discussion set forth herein with respect to
other embodiments of the invention, specifically, the straps can
be designed to appear like outer clothing as opposed to bra straps.
Having thus described the invention in detail, it is to be understood
that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit
and scope thereof. What is desired to be protected by Letters Patent
is set forth in the appended claims.
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