BRASSIERE

The present invention relates to a brassiere.

Many brassieres are commercially available to meet various manufacturing and user requirements, that may be aesthetic, therapeutic or sports-related. In general, from the point of view of the user, the characteristics that a brassiere must have are aesthetic and above all functional, i.e., correct support of the breast from an anatomical point of view.

From the producers' point of view, the manufacture of traditional bras has some operations that are difficult to automate, such as for example the sewing of the cups to the frame, and therefore production costs are relatively high for this garment.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a brassiere which is advantageous for the user in terms of fit and from an aesthetic point of view.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a brassiere which is advantageous from the production point of view while maintaining all the qualitative characteristics of the best traditional types of brassiere.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brassiere which offers a real economic advantage.

A further object is to provide a brassiere which can be manufactured with materials and equipment that are already available in the field. This aim and these and other objects, that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a brassiere comprising a frame with which two cups are associated, characterized in that said cups are detachably associated with said frame.

Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the following detailed description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the brassiere according to the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged-scale partial perspective view of the brassiere, showing in detail the means for associating the cup with the frame; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a first step of association of a cup with the frame;

Figure 4 is a view, similar to Figure 3, of the cup applied to the frame;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the brassiere with both cups applied, during use;

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 5, of the brassiere in the condition for use with other cups; Figure 7 is a view, similar to Figure 6, of the brassiere in the condition for use with yet other cups.

With reference to the cited figures, a brassiere according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1 , comprises a frame 2, which is constituted by a band which has a rear fastening 3 and, optionally, shoulder straps 4, that have one end 5 associated with the frame 2, at the rear, and the other end 6 associable with the frame or with cups 7 at the front.

According to the present invention, the cups 7 are detachably associated with the frame 2 and are interchangeable.

Each cup 7 is associated with the frame 2 by means of a temporary association means, preferably constituted by a hook-and-loop fastener device, of the type commonly known by the trade name "Velcro", aided by a pair of snaps 10.

The hook-and-loop fastener has, in a per se known manner, a portion with hooks 8, which is associated with the frame 2, and a portion with loops 9, which is associated with the cup 7. The portion with hooks 8 is preferably obtained by die-cutting, so that it is semicircular and applied to the frame 2 by adhesive bonding, sewing or any other suitable system.

The portion with loops 9 can be applied to the cup 7 by adhesive bonding, sewing or any other suitable system, or can be constituted by the very material of the cup 7.

The snaps 10 are preferably small snaps made of nylon or similar anallergic, stainless and lightweight material.

Each cup 7 can have an eyelet 1 1 for connection to the front end 6 of the shoulder strap 4.

The brassiere according to the present invention, manufactured with the frame 2, which fits on the chest, separately from the cups 7, that fit the breasts, can be assembled by the user and also allows cup interchangeability.

This offers several advantages from both functional and manufacturing points of view.

Functionally, the brassiere according to the invention offers a better fit, because the user can use the cups that best suit the specific requirement. It is in fact possible to fit on the same frame cups that are different in terms of size and type, strapless, band, push- up, et cetera.

Since different cups can be fitted to the same frame, the user can purchase a single frame and various types of cup, that can be easily and quickly replaced according to the requirements of the moment.

The advantages from the manufacturing point of view relate to the fact that only the frames, that are highly industrialized, are produced on a dedicated line, while the cups are produced on different lines, avoiding the step of assembling the cups to the frame, which, from the production point of view, is the most manual and therefore error-prone step, such errors affecting the final appearance of the product and entailing long production times. The production advantages lead to an economic advantage for the consumer, who can purchase a product which is superior to traditional brassieres but at a reduced price.

Another advantage for the consumer is that any worn or damaged cups can be thrown away and replaced with new cups to be fitted to the frame without having to throw away the entire product as occurs with traditional bras, in which it is essentially the cups, especially if they are of the padded type, that wear rapidly, while the frame portion lasts longer.

In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, a brassiere having been provided which is versatile and has optimum fit at an extremely advantageous cost. This application claims the priority of Italian Patent Application No. MI2006A001524, filed on August 1 , 2006, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.