Textiles: knitting – Fabrics or articles – Articles
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-01-30
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3741)
Textiles: knitting
Fabrics or articles
Articles
C450S092000, C066S176000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178784
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to a substantially seamless brassiere, and a blank and method for making the brassiere. More specifically, the invention relates to a substantially seamless criss-cross brassiere which can be readily and easily manufactured, to have a variety of visual appearances.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brassieres are generally designed to be close-fitting, and can represent a source of significant discomfort to the wearer. For example, in addition to being constrictive, the seams and narrow straps often forming a part of the brassieres can tend to press uncomfortably into the wearer's flesh, particularly after they have been worn for a length of time or when the wearer has been physically active.
Because societal norms generally require that such garments should be worn, and many women must rely on them to provide a degree of support and coverage, the discomfort associated with them is typically viewed as something which must simply be tolerated. Furthermore, because the production of brassieres is generally a labor intensive process, their manufacturing costs can be relatively high. Therefore, manufacturers have attempted to find ways for simplifying the production of brassieres in order to reduce the costs associated therewith, in addition to looking for ways to improve wearer comfort.
For example, commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,479,791 and 5,553,468 to Osborne, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference, describe circularly knit brassieres which, in addition to being capable of simplified manufacture, also provide enhanced wearer comfort. To this end, the brassieres described in the Osborne patents are each produced from a substantially seamless circularly knit tubular blank having a turned welt at one end thereof, with portions of the tubular portion of the blank being removed to define neck and arm openings, and the front and back sections of the tubular portions of the blank being sewn together at the shoulders. Banding is then provided at the neck and arm openings to form a finished brassiere.
Another brassiere is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,525 to Richards. The Richards patent describes a brassiere blank made on a circular knitting machine and having a torso portion with a pair of breast cups and straps knit integrally with the torso portion and having turned welt portions at each end of the cylindrical blank. The tubular blank is slit on one side, laid flat for cutting neck and arm openings, and seamed at each side to form a brassiere. The brassieres described in this patent therefore have side seams which can tend to cause discomfort to the wearer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention provides a brassiere which has only a minimal number of seams, and which can be readily and easily manufactured. In addition, the instant invention enables the individual support of each of the breasts of the wearer, thereby providing unique comfort and support. Furthermore, the instant invention enables the provision of unique visual and aesthetic properties to the brassieres.
Initially, it is to be noted that while the garment is referred throughout this application as being a “brassiere”, this term is meant in a broad sense to thereby encompass any type of relatively close-fitting upper torso covering garment. For example, the brassiere can be worn under other items of clothing in the form of an undergarment, as a camisole, athletic top, bathing suit top, dancewear, shirt, halter top, or the like.
The instant invention desirably has a crisscross construction, and is capable of being produced without side seams (which might bear uncomfortably on the wearer). In fact, in one aspect of the invention, the brassiere has two shoulder straps (one for covering each of the respective shoulders of the wearer), and only a single seam is provided along each of the shoulder straps, thereby resulting in a substantially seamless brassiere. As will be discussed more fully below, the seams can be provided to correspond to the tops of the wearer's shoulders, or they can be offset from the tops of the wearer's shoulders (such as by making the front strap portions longer than the rear strap portions or vice versa), so that when the ends of the strap portions are joined together, the seams are offset from the tops of the wearer's shoulders and positioned forwardly or rearwardly thereof.
The substantially seamless brassiere is achieved by way of the blank being circularly knit in a substantially continuous manner to include a first series of knit courses defining a first tubular portion, a second series of courses integrally knit with the first series of courses and forming a cylindrical tubular portion (e.g., in the form of a turned welt), and a third series of courses defining a second tubular portion knit to the second series of courses. The resulting blank is in the form of an elongate, generally continuous tubular structure having a cylindrical welt extending outwardly from a central portion of the tube to thereby encircle the tubular structure.
Portions of each of the first tubular portion and the second tubular portion are then removed to define right and left body covering portions, and one of the right and left body covering portions is inverted so that each of the right and left body covering portions extends from the cylindrical welt in generally the same direction. In order to minimize material waste in these portions which are to be removed during transformation of the blank into a brassiere, the portions designed to be removed are, in some aspects of the invention, formed so as to require less material input. For example, the stitches in these areas can be lengthened to produce a meshy fabric in the areas which will become waste, a less expensive yarn could be used to knit those areas, etc.
Edges of the right and left body portions are finished, to thereby form a brassiere. As mentioned above, in one form of the invention, the right and left body covering portions include both front and rear portions, with these front and rear portions being secured together to form shoulder straps for the brassiere. In another aspect of the invention, the right and left body covering portions could include front covering portions which are adapted to cover both of the wearer's breasts, and which are adapted to be secured together to form a generally halter-shaped structure. Also, it is to be noted that the steps of inverting and finishing of the edges of the right and left body covering portions can be performed in any order found to be efficient by the manufacturer, within the scope of the instant invention.
The blank can also include regions which are knit differently from other regions, to form discrete regions with more or less stretch than other of the regions of the respective blank portion, to provide select regions of more or less support. Furthermore, the first tubular portion can be knit so as to be visually distinct from the second tubular portion, for example, by using yarns of different colors in each of the regions, knitting in a visual pattern in one of the tubular portions, varying the knit stitch pattern or the like, etc., such that one breast cup of the brassiere has a different visual appearance from the other breast cup. Also, plating of the yarns could be used to provide different visual characteristics to each of the respective first and second tubular portions, whereby brassieres can be produced having different visual characteristics on each of the right and left sides. For example, one tubular portion could be knit to have stripes, while the other is knit as a solid color, to thereby produce a brassiere having a striped first breast covering side and a solid second breast covering side. As a further alternative, a spandex yarn could be plated while knitting the first and second tubular portions, such that when one of the portions is inverted to form the finished brassiere, one side has a shimmery effect due to the spandex appearing on the outer fabric surface of that side o
Alba-Waldensian, Inc.
Alston & Bird LLP
Worrell Danny
LandOfFree
Knit criss-cross brassiere, blank and method for making same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Knit criss-cross brassiere, blank and method for making same, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Knit criss-cross brassiere, blank and method for making same will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2540837