Foundation garments – Breast or chest – e.g. – brassieres – With means to gather peripheral edge – e.g. – drawstring
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-23
2002-06-11
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3765)
Foundation garments
Breast or chest, e.g., brassieres
With means to gather peripheral edge, e.g., drawstring
C450S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06402586
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to women's lingerie. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a brassiere for augmented breasts.
2. Description of the Related Art
The past decade has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the field of cosmetic surgery. Once the province of movie stars and other public celebrities, face lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, etc. have been adopted by the masses with such fervor that cosmetic surgery has become a multi-million dollar industry. Aside from the face lift, augmentation of the female breast is probably the most common cosmetic surgery performed.
After breast augmentation, problems have arisen involving the selection and wearing of a proper and comfortable brassiere. First, the augmented breast is substantially self supporting and does not require the uncomfortable support structure (underwire, hard elastic, etc.) incorporated in most conventional brassieres; secondly, after surgery, the breasts tend to be wider, consequently they are not completely covered by the cup sizes of conventional brassieres; third, protrusion of the nipples of augmented breasts often can be detected through an outer garment creating an unflattering image.
Examples of prior art brassieres which employ support structure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 355,294 (Bussey et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 2,132,128 (Rasch), U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,321 (Dubner), U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,269 (Weintraub) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,444 (McGuaghey).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,158 and 3,939,845, both to Guidoni, show brassieres used for bathing suits. Neither patent is concerned about masking nipple protrusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,847 (Hwang) is drawn to adjuster structure for a brassiere. There is no discussion as to the structural makeup of the brassiere per se.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,082 (Barker) discloses a brassiere having pouches to retain a breast-augmenting gel pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,672 (Woodley) discloses nipple covers to be worn by women who choose not to wear brassieres.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,272 (Herbert) shows a liner to be used by nursing mothers to avert leaking fluid from soiling the mother's clothing.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to disclose a brassiere especially designed to be worn after breast augmentation surgery as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention,to be dubbed “Sweet Bra”, is a brassiere to be worn by women whose breasts have been surgically augmented. The brassiere is fabricated from soft cotton, LYCRA, or polyester blends. Each cup is reinforced at the center and an insert is provided to ensure a smooth, opaque appearance. The brassiere is devoid of any breast supporting structure such as elastic panels and/or underwire. Adjustable, cloth straps are provided to support the brassiere from the wearer's shoulders. An elastic band passes through a hem at the bottom of each cup and through loops in the shoulder straps. The cups are dimensioned to be wider than comparable cups in conventional brassieres to accommodate the generally increased width of augmented breasts. The brassiere of the instant invention may be utilized as a swim top or a maternity bra, if desired.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a brassiere, which brassiere is adapted to be used by women who have had breast augmentation surgery.
It is another object of the invention to provide a brassiere which is comfortable to wear.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a brassiere which is devoid of any extraneous breast supporting structure.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a brassiere having an insert which will present a smooth and opaque appearance when the brassiere is worn.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2132128 (1938-10-01), Rasch
patent: 2676321 (1954-04-01), Dubner
patent: 3847158 (1974-11-01), Guidoni
patent: 3939845 (1976-02-01), Guidoni
patent: 4411269 (1983-10-01), Weintraub
patent: 4995847 (1991-02-01), Hwang
patent: 5334082 (1994-08-01), Barker
patent: D355294 (1995-02-01), Bussey et al.
patent: 5782672 (1998-07-01), Woodley
patent: 5820444 (1998-10-01), McGaughey
patent: 6074272 (2000-06-01), Hebert
Kepler Heather B.
White Krista B.
Winik Claire
Hale Gloria M.
Litman Richard C.
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