IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,690,412
Granted Patent B2
US 11,690,412 · App. 17/367,120 · Granted Jul 4, 2023

High impact and high support bras

Inventors: Brett Roddis (Berkeley, CA); Melissa Lawrence (San Francisco, CA); John Kelly (San Francisco, CA); Zachary Michael Goldberg-Poch (San Francisco, CA); Philip Isaac Oaks (Berkeley, CA); Carolina Isabel Rodriguez (Berkeley, CA); H. William Smith, IV (Mill Valley, CA); Daniel Ross Tachibana (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: The Gap, Inc.
A41C3/12A41C3/0057A41C5/005
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,690,412
App. No.
17/367,120
Granted
Jul 4, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Bras for high impact, high support activities are provided. A bra comprises a band that wraps around a torso. The band includes first and second cup regions, and a channel that runs below the collective cup regions. A gore is formed above the channel and between the respective cup regions, adjoining the respective cup regions. A molded cradle is fitted into the channel. For each cup region, a tessellated encapsulating bra cup is fitted therein. Each tessellated encapsulating bra cup includes a plurality of tiles. Respective tiles in the plurality of tiles that are further away from the cradle are larger in size than respective tiles in the plurality of tiles that are closer to the cradle. Each tessellated encapsulating bra cup has a generally concave first inner face and a generally convex first outer face. The tessellated encapsulating bra cups collectively contribute cantilevered support to the bra.

Claims (37)

1. A bra comprising:

a band configured to wrap around a torso, wherein the band comprises:

a first cup region;

a second cup region;

a first tessellated encapsulating bra cup fitted into the first cup region, wherein

the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup comprises a first plurality of tiles, and

the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup has a first generally concave inner face and a first generally convex outer face; and

a second tessellated encapsulating bra cup fitted into the second cup region, wherein

the second tessellated encapsulating bra cup comprises a second plurality of tiles, and

the second tessellated encapsulating bra cup has a second generally concave inner face and a second generally convex outer face.

2. The bra of claim 1 , wherein respective tiles in the first plurality of tiles that are further away from a bottom portion of the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup are larger in size than respective tiles in the first plurality of tiles that are closer to the bottom portion of the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup.

3. The bra of claim 1 , wherein the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup and the second the second tessellated encapsulating bra cup collectively contribute cantilevered support to the bra.

4. The bra of claim 1 , further comprising

a channel running below the first cup region and the second cup region, the channel formed between an inner fabric and an outer fabric; and

a molded cradle fitted into the channel, wherein the molded cradle has a least a first curvature in a first plane.

5. The bra of claim 1 , wherein each respective tile in at least a subset of the first plurality of tiles is a hollowed structure.

6. The bra of claim 1 , wherein each respective tile in at least a subset of the first plurality of tiles is a solid structure.

7. The bra of claim 1 , further comprising:

an outer textile layer, and

an inner pad layer, and wherein the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup is arranged into the first cup region between the outer textile layer and the inner pad layer.

8. The bra of claim 1 , wherein the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup further comprises an embroidery on an exterior portion of the first cup region.

9. The bra of claim 1 , wherein respective tiles in the first plurality of tiles comprise an incision into a material of the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup.

10. The bra of claim 1 , wherein the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup further comprises a corresponding outer boundary, and wherein each respective tile in the respective plurality of tiles that is contacting, at least in part, the outer boundary is formed in a first shape.

11. The bra of claim 10 , wherein each respective tile in the first plurality of tiles that is not contacting the outer boundary is formed in a second shape that is different from the first shape.

12. The bra of claim 1 , further comprising a gore between the first cup region and the second cup region.

13. The bra of claim 1 , wherein the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup and the second tessellated bra cup are an individual molded piece.

14. The bra of claim 1 , wherein a first textile strip is affixed to an inner facing surface of an upper portion above the first cup region and the second cup region, wherein the first textile strip adheres to a surface of a torso when the first textile strip is damp.

15. The bra of claim 14 , wherein the first textile strip is between 0.5 centimeters (cm) and 2.0 cm wide.

16. The bra of claim 1 , wherein the bra further comprises:

a first bra pad fitted over at least a portion of the first generally convex outer face, and

a second bra pad fitted over at least a portion of the second generally convex outer face.

17. The bra of claim 1 , further comprising a first textile strip attached to an upper portion of the first cup region and the second cup region.

18. The bra of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second textile strip attached to a first upper portion of the first cup region, and

a third textile strip attached to a second upper portion of the second cup region.

19. The bra of claim 1 , wherein the first tessellated encapsulating bra cup comprises a compressible auxetic polymeric foam having a negative Poisson's ratio.

20. The bra of claim 19 , wherein the negative Poisson's ratio is between −0.05 and −0.75.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 23, 2023
From: RODDIS, BRETT; LAWRENCE, MELISSA; KELLY, JOHN; GOLDBERG-POCH, ZACHARY MICHAEL; OAKS, PHILIP ISAAC; RODRIGUEZ, CAROLINA ISABEL; SMITH, H. WILLIAM, IV; TACHIBANA, DANIEL ROSS
To: THE GAP, INC.
Reel/Frame 062459/0368 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 16564873 · Sep 9, 2019
Continuation 16297473 · Mar 8, 2019
Provisional Application 62731592 · Sep 14, 2018
Related Publication 20220053841A1 · Feb 24, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,225,949