US2696005A - Brassiere structure utilizing pliant cup - Google Patents

Description

'* q m ATTaQA/EX Dec. 7, 1954 T. B. SCHAUMER BRASSIERE STRUCTURE UTILIZING PLIANT CUP Filed Sept. 18, 1951 United States Patent 2,696,005 BRASSIERE STRUCTURE UTILIZING PLIANT CUP Theo B. Schaumer, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 18, 1951, Serial No. 247,140

8 Claims. (Cl. 242) This invention relates to brassieres, and particularly to the breast cups of such brassieres.

This application is a continuation in part of an application filed on May 18, 1951, under Serial Number 228,583, and entitled Brassiere Construction.

The conventional type of brassiere is well adapted to enhance the appearance of the female figure by appropriate uplift and support of the breasts. Nevertheless, when the breasts are underdeveloped, such brassieres are of little help. Accordingly, various expedients have been used to cover such breasts with a well rounded, ideally shaped, artificial breast form.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide breast cups that artificially simulate not only the appearance of natural, well formed breasts, but also their yielding characteristics.

It is another object of this invention to provide such breast cups (capable of being permanently installed in brassieres or removably inserted in the fabric breast cups) that are inexpensive to manufacture, and yet that do not absorb moisture, are light in weight, comfortable to wear, and capable of repeated laundering without deterioration.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a simple, integral unit capable of use as a breast cup, and in which a skeletonized resilient structure is embedded.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects'which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. For this purpose, there are shown a few forms in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a brassiere incorporating the invention, the brassiere being in extended position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a cup incorporating the invention, a part of the outer covering being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of the cup.

The brassiere structure is shown as provided with the body- encircling side members 1 and 2 joined to a central member 3. The central member 3 and the side members 1 and 2 are joined, as by stitching, to the cups 4 and 5.

The brassiere may be provided with the usual adjustable shoulder straps 6 extending from the top of the cups 4 and to the side members 1 and 2. These side members may be provided at their ends with appropriate fastening means, such as the hooks 7, and a short strap 8 which is provided with a plurality of eyes 9.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate a cup structure that may be permanently attached to the side member 1 and central member 3, or that may be merely inserted into the fabric forming the cups. Thus, there is a spiral member 10 having a tip 11 from which the turns proceed outwardly toward the base turn 12. This member is made from thin, resilient, flexible, plastic material, such as a polyvinyl or polyethylene material, which is flexible, but substantially unstretchable for the magnitude of forces encountered in a structure of this character. The wide surfaces of these turns cooperate to define the contour of the cup.

The member 10 is entirely encased in a rubber or rubber-like enclosure. This can be appropriately accomplished by a molding operation, or by spraying. The rubber body 13 is quite thin, and extends through the spaces between the turns 10. The body or enclosure 13 has a flange extension 14 for providing an edge to which the members 1 and 3 may be sewn.

In use, the breast cup forms a simulated well formed breast, which is flexible in response to pressure and yet which has sufiicient resiliency to assume the predetermined contour as defined by the member 10. The rubber layer or body 13 assists this action. No further covering is required for the cups, since the body 13 may be made of appropriate color.

In the form shown in Fig. 4, a pair of spaced bands 15 and 16, of material similar to that described in connection with the member 10, is provided. These bands are joined by angularly spaced members 17, 18, etc., to provide a spider-like construction. The center portion 19 is cupped to correspond to the apex of the breast cups. The wide surfaces of the bands 15 and the members 17, 18 correspond to the cup contour.

A rubber enclosure 20 is provided, and which is made in the same way as body 13. The cup shown in Fig. 4 may be attached to the side members and the center member, as before.

In this form of the invention, the cup is pliable, as in the first form, and has sufficient resilience to return to the desired contour when freed from pressure.

The rubber body 10 or 20 is not affected by moisture and, accordingly, it may be washed or cleaned in a simple manner. The cup members may be used as inserts in brassiere cups.

The inventor claims:

1. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassieres, formed of a plurality of spaced elements of gradually reduced diameter and made from plastic material that is resilient, flexible, but substantially unstretchable, and a rubber-like cup-shaped casing entirely embedding said elements and extending through the space between the elements.

2. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassieres, formed of plastic material that is resilient, flexible, but substantially unstretchable, said material being thin in a direction through the cup and having integrally joined arcuate portions of decreasing diameters ending at an apex region; said arcuate portions having substantial width in a direction corresponding to the cup contour; and a rubber-like cup-shaped casing entirely embedding said portions and extending through the space between the portions.

3. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassieres, formed. of a plurality of spaced turns of plastic material that is resilient, flexible, but substantially unstretchable, the material being thin in a direction through the cup, the

- material having an exterior surface corresponding to the cup contour; said surface of each turn being wide in a direction corresponding to the cup contour; and a rubberlike cup-shaped casing entirely embedding said turns and extending through the space between the turns.

4. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassieres, formed of a spiral of spaced turns, expanding toward the base of the cup, and made from thin, fiat material, the wide surface corresponding to the cup contour; and a rubber-like cup-shaped casing entirely embedding said elements and extending through the space between the turns.

5. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassieres, formed of a spiral of spaced turns, expanding toward the base of the cup, and made from resilient, flexible plastic material, the wide surface corresponding to the cup contour; and a rubber-like cup-shaped casing entirely embedding said elements and extending through the space between the turns.

6. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassires, including a series of annular bands made from thin, fiat material, the wide surfaces corresponding to the cup contour, and angularly spaced members of thin material connecting said bands and having the wide surfaces also corresponding to the cup contour; and a rubber-like cupshaped casing entirely embedding said bands and members and extending through the spaces between the bands and members.

7. A breast cup, for use in connection with brassires, including a series of bands made from thin, fiat resilient, flexible material, and: angularly spaced members ofathin, flat resilient, flexible .-plasticzmaterial joining said bands, the wide :surfaces of the bands and. members 4 corresponding to-the cup contour; and a rubberdike -eup shaped casing entirely embedding said elements and extending through the spaces between thebands and members.

8. A breast cup, for. use in connection with brassires, including an integral member of resilient materialhaving spaced'portions defining openings, themember havinga Widesurface, said memberbbeing thin in a direction transverse to said-surface, saidv member being capable of retaining a cup shape in which the-wide surface corresponds tothe-desired cup'contour; and a cup-shapedencasing member fully embedding said integral member-and-extending through the openings, said encasing member being unadefrom aresilient rubber-like-material, said integral member having a greater resistance to fiexure than said encasing member to reinforce said encasing member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 43,321 Marshall June 28, 1864 2,294,589 Waterbury Sept. 1, 1942 2,425,673 Ferguson Aug. 12, 1947 2,524,621 Cadous Oct. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 969,259 France May 17, 1950

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