Apparel apparatus – Forming – pressing – molding – and stretching – Forms
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2001-05-22
Mohanty, Bibhu (Department: 3741)
Apparel apparatus
Forming, pressing, molding, and stretching
Forms
C223S066000, C223S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234368
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to brassieres, and more particularly to a protective bra cage device for protecting a brassiere and other delicate undergarments during laundering in a washing machine.
2. Description of Related Art
Machine washing can easily damage a delicate brassiere. The garment protector of U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,013 alleviates that concern by using two domed-shaped basket members to hold the cups of the bra during laundering. After securing the cups tightly in the basket members with two hinged biasing members, the user rotates the basket members into a football-like configuration, locks them together, and proceeds to machine wash and dry the entire assembly.
Protecting the bra that way can help maintain the proper configuration of the cups without damage throughout the entire laundry cycle, but certain drawbacks exist. The hinged biasing members can put too much pressure on a delicate cup. They may not adequately adjust to and carefully hold various different bras, including sweater and pushup bras having different thicknesses of soft foam padding. The hinged biasing can introduce fabrication expense that might be avoided. Thus, consumers seek an improved device for protecting a bra during machine washing that is easier and less costly to fabricate while working better and lasting longer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention addresses the problems outlined above by providing a protective bra cage device having separate inner and outer hemispherically shaped shells (i.e., rounded cups) that snap together in spaced-apart relationship with the bra cup held between them. They combined with a third member (a cover member) that fits onto the inner shell to form a compartment for panties or other delicate clothing articles. Pressure against the bra is more easily controlled. No failure-prone hinge holds the inner and outer shells together. They are easier and less costly to fabricate. One bra cage device can receive both cups of a bra or be used with a second device, and the cover member can be added whenever desired additional clothing articles with the bra.
To paraphrase some of the more precise language appearing in the claims, a protective bra cage device constructed according to the invention includes a pair of rounded cups or hemispherically shaped shells (preferably injection molded polypropylene material) adapted to assemble together over a cup of the brassiere as a protective covering for the cup. The outer shell has a circularly shaped first rim portion and a hemispherically shaped first dome portion larger than the cup of the brassiere that extends to the first rim portion. The inner shell has a circularly shaped second rim portion and a hemispherically shaped second dome portion that extends to the second rim portion, said second dome portion having a size adapted to fit within the first dome portion of the outer shell with the first and second rim portions in concentric relationship and the cup of the brassiere disposed intermediate the first and second dome portions.
At least three pins (i.e., posts or protrusions) are included on the second rim portion of the inner shell and at least three pin-engaging structures are provided on the outer shell for engaging the pins in order to removably secure the inner shell to the outer shell with the cup of the brassiere in between. Each pin-engaging structure preferably defines a slot adapted to receive a pin in a user selected one of multiple pin positions with a friction fit sufficient to engage the pin. So configured, the device is easier and less costly to fabricate while working better and lasting longer.
A preferred embodiment includes a circularly shaped third member (a cover member) that is adapted to fit on the inner shell in order to form an auxiliary compartment between the cover member and the inner shell for at least one additional clothing article. The cover member is adapted to fit removably within the rim portion of the inner member to form the compartment. The following illustrative drawings and detailed description make the foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention more apparent.
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patent: 5556013 (1996-09-01), Mayer
patent: 5611441 (1997-03-01), Bartko
patent: 5971236 (1999-10-01), DesForges et al.
DesForges Meryl J.
Howells David O.
Hanson Loyal McKinley
Mohanty Bibhu
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