| JP2007154326 | BRASSIERE |
| WO/2005/063064 | A SAFE BRASSIERE FRAME |
| JP2003221705 | WOMAN'S CLOTHING |
| CLAIMS 1. A method of providing a garment, or a component of a garment, with an underwire, comprising the steps of: providing at least a portion of the underwire with a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of a garment or a component of a garment; inserting the underwire into the channel while the bonding surface is in an inactive state; and activating the bonding surface to cause the bonding surface to bond with the inside of the channel. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bonding surface is provided only at predetermined positions disposed along the underwire. 3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the bonding surface comprises one or more protrusions for engaging with fibres of the inside surface of the channel; the method further comprises the step of providing the bonding surface with a covering surface which covers the protrusions; and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises removing the covering surface from the bonding surface while the underwire is located within the channel. 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the protrusions are multidirectional. 5. A method according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the covering surface is a sheath which fits over at least the portion of the underwire having the bonding surface while the underwixe is inserted into the channel; and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises withdrawing the sheath from the channel. 6. A method according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the step of providing the bonding surface with a covering surface comprises coating the bonding surface with a dissolvable coating; and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises dissolving the dissolvable coating to expose the protrusions. 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the dissolvable coating is soluble; and the step of dissolving the dissolvable coating comprises exposing the garment or component of the garment to a liquid. 8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of dissolving the dissolvable coating comprises subjecting the garment or component of the garment to one of vibration, an electric current, a change in temperature, or radiation. 9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bonding surface comprises an adhesive material for adhering the undenvire to the inside surface of the channel; the underwire is inserted into the channel while the adhesive material is in a state that prevents formation of a bond with the inside of the channel during the insertion process. 10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive material is heat activated; and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises applying heat to the adhesive material while it is located within the channel to switch it to an adhesive state to adhere the underwire to the inside of the channel. 11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive material is chemically activated; and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises applying a chemical agent to the adhesive material while it is located within the channel to switch it to an adhesive state to adhere the underwire to the inside of the channel. 12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bonding surface comprises a meltable surface; the underwire is inserted into the channel when the meltable surface is in a solid state; and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises applying heat or a chemical agent to the meltable surface while it is located within the channel to fuse the meltable surface of the underwire to fibres of the inside surface of the channel. 13. A method of providing a garment, or a component of a garment, with an underwire, at least a portion of the underwire having a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of the garment or a component of the garment, the method comprising the steps of: inserting the underwire into the channel while the bonding surface is in an inactive state; and activating the bonding surface to cause the bonding surface to bond with the inside of the channel. 14. A method of manufacturing a garment comprising the method of any preceding claim. 15. A garment manufactured in accordance with the method of claim 14. 16. A method of preparing an underwire for a garment for insertion into a channel of the garment or a component of the garment, the method comprising the steps of: providing at least a portion of the underwire with a bonding surface for bonding the undenvire into a channel of a garment or a component of a garment, the bonding surface having an inactive state in which it is configured not to form a bond with the inside of the channel, and an active state in which it can form a bond with the inside of the channel. 17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the step of providing comprises coating the underwire with a meltable material. 18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the step of providing comprises coating the underwire with an adhesive material. 19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the bonding surface comprises one or more protrusions for engaging with fibres of the inside surface of the channel; and the method further comprises the step of providing the bonding surface with a covering surface which covers the protrusions. 20. An underwire prepared according to any of claims 16 to 19. 21. An underwire for a garment, the underwire comprising a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of the garment or a component of the garment; wherein the bonding surface has an inactive state in which it is configured not to form a bond with the inside of the channel, and an active state in which it can form a bond with the inside of the channel. 22. A garment comprising an underwire according to claim 20 or claim 21 within channel. 23. A garment comprising an underwire within a channel, at least a portion of the outside surface of the underwire having multidirectional protrusions which engage with fibres of an inside surface of the channel. |
The present invention relates to the field of underwires for garments. Undergarments, such as corsets and brassieres, are often provided with a wire located within the fabric of the undergarment at the underside of each cup. This wire, commonly termed an underwire or stay, provides shape to the cup of the bra, provides additional support for the breasts, and helps to define the position and separation of the breasts while the undergarment is worn. The underwire typically takes the form of a relatively thin arcuate strip of rigid material such as plastic or, more usually, nylon- coated metal. Other materials can also be used. In addition to being used for brassieres or corsets, an underwired design is often used for bra-like structures in other garments such as swirriming costumes and dresses. Prior to the incorporation of underwires into an undergarment, the underwires are usually supplied in either bare metal form or coated with a material such as plastic or nylon. Bra underwires are usually made as thin as possible for the comfort of the wearer. When a bra is manufactured, the underwire is inserted into a channel that is usually of fabric construction, is an integral part of the bra, and is designed to hold the wire in place. The ends of the wires (usually approximately the end 1 to 2cm) are also usually coated with a substance such as plastic or nylon which creates a rounded end to the wire, and makes it fatter then the central portion of the underwires. These end structures are intended to help prevent the underwire breaking through the fabric of the underwire channel. Once the underwire is located within the channel, the channel is stitched closed to retain the underwire within the channel.
Owing to the need to use thin wires, and despite being coated at the ends, the ends of the underwires sometimes break through the fabric of the casing. If the bra is being worn when this happens and the wire is caused to protrude from the bra, this can injure the wearer or damage their clothing. Another problem is that bras are often washed in a washing machine rather than by hand as is usually recommended. If the wire breaks through the fabric whilst in the washing machine it can become completely separated from the bra and damage the moving components of the washing machine. A number of attempts have been made to solve these problems by preventing the tip of the wire breaking through the fabric. This has typically involved a variety of differently-shaped underwire ends, caps, or end pieces, that are placed over the underwire ends, or the use of ever stronger fabrics. Examples can be found in US2,830,300, US2,938,215, US3,599,643, US3,129,435, US3,702,614, US3,126,007, US3,799,175 and US4,306565. As will be seen from these examples, proposals have ranged from treating the tips or ends of the wires or stays with a polymeric material so as to cap the ends, to various proposals for inserting separate caps or tips on the wire ends. However, each of these proposals suffers from some disadvantages. In particular, the practice of dipping, spraying or depositing a soft material on the ends (as taught for example by US 3, 126,007) in practice encounters difficulties in retaining the soft flexible tips on the wire ends. In other words, an adhesion problem has been encountered. Similarly, the use of separate flexible tip members adapted to fit on the wire ends has encountered a problem that the flexible tip members frequently separate from the wire ends. In addition the insertion of such flexible tip members on the ends of the wire entails a separate (and additional) step resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs.
A repair product (the "Bra Angel Repair Kit") is available for repairing bras where an underwire has broken through the fabric and escaped. This product is effectively a cap that fits on to the end of an exposed underwire, which is then pushed back into the underwire channel to affect repair. It uses single direction barbs that allow the underwire to be pushed into the garment, but the underwire will not come out again because the barbs engage with the inside of the underwire channel.
It will be appreciated that there are many known types of underwires or stays having various cross-sectional configurations, including square, rectangular or oval. However, the above problems may arise irrespective of the cross sectional shape of the stay.
Viewed from one aspect, the present invention provides a method of providing a garment, or a component of a garment, with an underwire, comprising the steps of: providing at least a portion of the underwire with a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of a garment or a component of a garment; inserting the underwire into the channel while the bonding surface is in an inactive state; and
activating the bonding surface to cause the bonding surface to bond with the inside of the channel.
The previous solutions discussed above may serve to reduce the likelihood of the ends of the underwire penetrating the fabric of the channel, but these solutions fail in the event that such penetration does occur, with the result that the underwire is permitted to escape from the fabric channel of the bra.
It has been recognised that the real problem is not that the underwire has broken through the fabric, but is in fact that once the underwire has broken through the bra it is then likely to escape from the bra. It follows from this that if the underwire could be held within the structure of the bra the problem would be alleviated even if the fabric of the bra itself becomes compromised and penetrated by the end of the underwire. As a result, embodiments of the present invention serve to secure the underwire to the fibres on the inside of the underwire channel. In other words, embodiments of this invention seek to provide a stay or wire that once inserted into a garment will remain in place in a garment, even if an end of the wire or stay does eventually penetrate the fabric of the garment. Rather than concentrating on the ends of the wire, this is achieved by bonding either part of, or all of, the length of the wire to the garment, thereby securing the underwire to fibres on the inside of the channel.
While it is of course known to bond fabrics together to form completed garments, embodiments of the present invention are directed to bonding an underwire into a fabric channel.
While the entirety of the surface area of the underwire could form a bonding surface, preferably the bonding surface is provided only at predetermined positions disposed along the underwire. It has been found that it is not necessary for the underwire to be secured to the fabric along the whole length of the wire. If the wire is secured at one or more points it still will not be able to escape from the underwire channel. In one embodiment, the bondmg surface comprises one or more protrusions for engaging with fibres of the inside surface of the channel. In this case, the method further comprises the step of providing the bonding surface with a covering surface which covers the protrusions. In this embodiment, the step of activating the bonding surface comprises removing the covering surface from the bonding surface while the underwire is located within the channel. While the protrusions may be unidirectional, preferably plural protrusions are provided which are oriented in different directions (multidirectional protrusions) so that the underwire is inhibited from moving in either direction within the channel. In other words, some of the protrusions will be generally oriented towards one end of the underwire while other of the protrusions will be generally oriented towards the other end of the underwire. The protrusions may be micro-fine multi-directional protrusions formed by surface treating of the underwire which are shaped and dimensioned to engage the fibres on the inside of the underwire channel.
For example, the underwire may be provided with a multi-directional treated surface area that that will engage with the fibres of tihe garment along its length, either in total or in part, thus assisting the wire or stay to remain in place within the garment once the garment has been manufactured and subsequently worn.
The covering surface may be a sheath which fits over at least the portion of the underwire having the bonding surface while the underwire is inserted into the channel. In this case the step of activating the bonding surface comprises withdrawing the sheath from the channel. Alternatively, the step of providing the bonding surface with a covering surface may comprise coating the bonding surface with a dissolvable coating. In this case the step of activating the bonding surface comprises dissolving the dissolvable coating to expose the protrusions. The dissolvable coating may be soluble, in which case the step of dissolving the dissolvable coating comprises exposing the garment or component of the garment to a liquid. This exposure could take the form of a production step, or alternatively might constitute the first time the garment is washed by the end user. The dissolvable coating may be dissolvable in a chemical solution rather than in water, in which case removal of the coating would require the garment, or the component of the garment to be exposed to the necessary chemicals. Alternatively, the step of dissolving the dissolvable coating may comprise subjecting the garment or component of the garment to one of vibration, an electric current, a change in temperature, or radiation. These and other environmental factors can be used to remove (dissolve) a suitably prepared coating. In another embodiment, the bonding surface comprises an adhesive material
(bonding agent) for adhering the underwire to the inside surface of the channel. In this case, the underwire is inserted into the channel while the adhesive material is in a state that prevents formation of a bond with the inside of the channel during the insertion process. The adhesive material may be heat activated, in which case the step of activating the bonding surface comprises applying heat to the adhesive material while it is located within the channel to switch it to an adhesive state to adhere the underwire to the inside of the channel. Alternatively, the adhesive material may be chemically activated, in which case the step of activating the bonding surface comprises applying a chemical agent to the adhesive material while it is located within the channel to switch it to an adhesive state to adhere the underwire to the inside of the channel. The chemical agent may be either a natural or synthetic substance or composition.
For example, the underwire may be covered with a substance that enables the wire to be bonded with the fibres of the garment along its length, either in total or in part, thus assisting the wire or stay to remain in place within the garment once the garment has been manufactured and subsequently worn.
In another embodiment, the bonding surface comprises a meltable material. The meltable material may take the form of a nylon coating for example. In this case, the underwire is inserted into the channel when the meltable material is in a solid state, and the step of activating the bonding surface comprises applying heat or a chemical agent to the meltable surface while it is located within the channel to fuse the meltable material to fibres of the inside surface of the channel. Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a method of providing a garment, or a component of a garment, with an underwire, at least a portion of the underwire having a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of the garment or a component of the garment, the method comprising the steps of: inserting the underwire into the channel while the bonding surface is in an inactive state; and
activating the bonding surface to cause the bonding surface to bond with the inside of the channel.
It will be appreciated that the above techniques may form part of a manufacturing process for manufacturing an underwired garment. Such a manufacturing method and garments manufactured in accordance with such a method are therefore envisaged as aspects and embodiments of the present invention.
Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a method of preparing an underwire for a garment for insertion into a channel of the garment or a component of the garment, the method comprising the steps of:
providing at least a portion of the underwire with a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of a garment or a component of a garment, the bonding surface having an inactive state in which it is configured not to form a bond with the inside of the channel, and an active state in which it can form a bond with the inside of the channel. Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides an underwire for a garment, the underwire comprising a bonding surface for bonding the underwire into a channel of the garment or a component of the garment;
wherein the bonding surface has an inactive state in which it is configured not to form a bond with the inside of the channel, and an active state in which it can form a bond with the inside of the channel.
Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a garment comprising an underwire within a channel, at least a portion of the outside surface of the underwire having multidirectional protrusions which engage with fibres of an inside surface of the channel.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates an underwired brassiere, with the underwires being shown separately;
Figure 2 schematically illustrates an underwire in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 schematically illustrates an end portion of an underwire in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 schematically illustrates an end portion of an underwire in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 5 A and 5B schematically illustrate techniques for permitting the insertion of the underwire shown in Figure 4 into a fabric channel of a garment;
Figure 6 schematically illustrates the various stages of insertion of an underwire into a fabric channel of a garment;
Figure 7 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figure 3 into a fabric channel;
Figure 8 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figure 3 using a meltable nylon coating;
Figure 9 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figures 4 and 5 A into a fabric channel; and
Figure 10 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figures 4 and 5B into a fabric channel.
Referring to Figure 1, an underwired brassiere 10 is schematically illustrated. The brasserie comprises two cups 12, 13 for providing support for the wearer's breasts, two shoulder straps 14, 15 for passing over the wearer's shoulders and side straps (not shown) for passing around the back of the wearer. The shoulder straps and side straps together secure the brassiere in place and to the wearer's body. At the bottom of each of the cups 12, 13 is a respective fabric channel 16, 17 for receiving an imderwire. More particularly, the fabric channel 16 is intended to receive the similarly shaped and dimensioned underwire 18, and the fabric channel 17 is intended to receive the similarly shaped and dimensioned underwire 19. In Figure 1 the underwires 18 and 19 are shown outside of the brassiere. When secured within the fabric channels 16, 17, the underwires 18, 19 provide structure to the brassiere and additional support for the wearer's breasts. Refening to Figure 2, an underwire 20 which can be secured within the fabric channels of a brassiere is schematically illustrated. The underwire 20 comprises a main body 22 which may for example be of metal or plastic construction. In the case where the main body 22 is of a metal construction, a nylon coating may be provided thereon to protect the metal from corrosion and to provide a smoother surface. At a first end of the main body 22, a first bonding surface 24 is provided. At a second end of the main body 22, distal from the first end, a second bonding surface 26 is provided. When the underwire 20 is located within a fabric channel of a brassiere, the first and second bonding surfaces 24, 26 may be caused to bond with tihe inside of the fabric channel to secure the underwire 20 within the fabric channel, and thus within a garment.
As can be seen from Figure 2, two small bonding surfaces are provided which in this case wrap around the circumference of the main body 22 of the underwire 20 at the portions shown. However, it will be appreciated that larger or smaller bonding surfaces could be provided, and indeed the entire surface area of the underwire 20 could be used as a bonding surface. In practice, having a bonding surface covering most or all of the underwire may be possible with pre-shrunk fabrics (that is, fabrics which will not shrink when washed). However, if a bonding surface which extends along most or all of the length of the underwire is used with a fabric which has a high shrink rate, then when the fabric of the garment shrinks during washing, the fabric of the channel which is bonded to the underwire will be inhibited from shrinking. This may cause significant stresses on the fibres of the channel which are bonded to the underwire, and may result in tension between the underwire and the fabric of the garment which causes the underwire to be twisted and distorted and/or the fabric of the garment to be stretched. In either case this may result in the garment being deformed and becoming unwearable.
It has been found that it is not necessary for the underwire to be secured to the fabric along the whole length of the wire. If the wire is secured at one or more points this may still be sufficient to prevent the underwire from escaping from the fabric channel.
Referring now to Figure 3, one end of an underwire 30 is schematically illustrated in cross section. The underwire 30 comprises a main body 32, which may for example be a convention nylon coated metal underwire. The illustrated end of the main body 32 is covered by an end coating 34, which may be a standard end protection coating. Adjacent to the end coating is an adhesive surface 36. A similar structure may be provided at the other end of the underwire 30. The adhesive surface 36 may be caused to bond to the inside of the fabric channel when the underwire 30 is located therein. The adhesive surface 36 has an active state in which it may adhere to a surface which it comes into contact with, and an inactivate state in which it will not adhere to a surface which it comes into contact with. In the present example, the adhesive surface 36 comprises heat-activated glue. The heat-activated glue is in it's inactivate state at room temperature (for example), and is caused to enter the active state when heat is applied, for example using a heat gun. As a result, the underwire 30 shown in Figure 3 can be inserted into a fabric channel of a garment at room temperature without the insertion process being inhibited by the adhesive properties of the adhesive surface 36. Then, when the underwire is located within the fabric channel, heat can be applied to the fabric channel to cause the adhesive surface 36 of the underwire 30 to adhere to the inside of the fabric channel.
Referring now to Figure 4, one end of an underwire 40 is schematically illustrated. The underwire 40 comprises a main body 42, the end of which is covered by an end coating 44. Adjacent to the end coating is an area 46 which is provided with multidirectional protrusions 47. A similar structure may be provided at the other end of the underwire 40. The protrusions 47 may be caused to engage with the fibres on the inside of the fabric channel when the underwire 40 is located therein. The protrusions may be formed by surface treating of the underwire 40. A single protrusion might in some cases suffice, but generally a plurality of protrusions would better serve to retain the underwire 40 within the fabric channel. The protrusions should be small enough not to protrude through the fabric of the garment - this might cause damage to other garments or injury or discomfort to the wearer. The protrusions must however be large enough to engage with the fibres of the fabric. For example, the protrusions may have a size of order 0.5mm. A problem with the above described structure is that the protrusions will tend to snag on the inside of the fabric channel during the insertion process, making insertion either difficult or impossible, and potentially causing damage to the garment. One solution to this problem would be to use unidirectional protrusions, which would permit the underwire to be inserted into the fabric channel, but not to be removed. However, it is preferable for the underwire to be inhibited from moving in either direction witbin the channel, to inhibit escape of the underwire from either end of the channel. This cannot be readily achieved using unidirectional protrusions. Referring to Figure 5A, a first technique for permitting insertion of the underwire 40 of Figure 4 is schematically illustrated. The structure of Figure 4 is also visible in Figure 5A, but reference numerals are omitted for clarity. In Figure 5A, an insertion tube or sheath 48 is shown which covers the end coating 44 and the area 46 which is provided with multidirectional protrusions. It will be appreciated that the sheath may in some cases extend along the entirety or the majority of the length of the underwire, particularly where protrusions are present at both ends of the underwire. When the sheath 48 is in place, the protrusions 47 are in an inactivate state in which they cannot engage with the inside of the fabric channel. The underwire 40 is therefore inserted into the fabric channel while the sheath 48 is in place. Then, the sheath 48 is removed from the fabric channel, exposing the multidirectional protrusions 47 which are then free to engage with the fibres of the inside of the fabric channel. In other words, the removal of the sheath 48 switches the area 46 of protrusions 47 into an active state. It will be appreciated that where two areas of protrusions are provided, one area could have protrusions which are generally oriented towards one end of the underwire while the other area could have protrusions which are generally oriented towards the other end of the underwire. The underwire as a whole would still in this case be provided with multidirectional protrusions which together inhibit movement of the underwire in both directions within the fabric channel. In this case it may only be necessary to cover one area of the protrusions, with the orientation of the protrusions in the other area being such that they would not resist insertion of the underwire into the fabric channel. Referring to Figure 5B, a second technique for permitting insertion of the underwire 40 of Figure 4 is schematically illustrated. The structure of Figure 4 is also visible in Figure 5A, but reference numerals are omitted for clarity. In Figure 5B, a dissolvable coating 49 (shown in cross section) is used to cover the protrusions 47 in the area 46 of the underwire. It will be appreciated that for reasons of manufacturing simplicity it may be that the entire surface area of the underwire 40 is provided with the dissolvable coating 49. In the present case, the dissolvable coating 49 is a water soluble coating. The dissolvable coating 49 may be applied to the underwire 40 in liquid form, and may then dry to form a relatively smooth surface. Accordingly, while the dissolvable coating 49 is present on the underwire, the protrusions 47 are not able to engage with the inside of the fabric channel. Accordingly, the underwire 40 may be mserted into the fabric channel while the protrusions 47 are in an inactive state by virtue of the coating 49 without the insertion process being inhibited by the protrusions 47. Then, when the underwire is located within the fabric channel, the fabric channel, or the garment as a whole, can be exposed to water to dissolve the dissolvable coating 49. This could be done either as part of the manufacturing process itself, or could take place when the end user washes the garment for the first time.
Figures 6 A to 6C schematically illustrate the insertion of an underwire 50 into a fabric channel 60. More specifically, Figure 6A schematically illustrates the underwire 50 outside of the fabric channel 60. At this time, the underwire 50 is treated with, or has been formed with, a bonding surface which will permit the underwire to be bonded into the fabric channel 60. Figure 6B schematically illustrates the underwire 50 at a stage of partial insertion into the fabric channel 60. At this stage, the bonding surface of the underwire 50 is in an inactive state (as described previously) to enable the underwire to be readily inserted into the fabric channel 60, without substantial bonding occurring between the underwire 50 and the fabric channel 60. Finally, Figure 6C schematically illustrates the underwire 50 fully inserted within the fabric channel 60. At this stage, the bonding surfaces of the underwire can be switched to an active state to permit the underwire to be bonded to the inside surface of the fabric channel. It will be appreciated that the underwire will usually at this stage also be stitched into the fabric channel.
Figure 7 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figure 3 into a fabric channel. At a step SI, an adhesive coating (for example a thin layer of hot melt glue) is applied to some or all of the exterior surface area of an underwire. As shown in Figure 2 for example a small portion of the surface at each end of the underwire may be provided with an adhesive coating. At the time the adhesive coating is applied to the underwire it may be in an active (sticky) state. For example, the adhesive may be heat activated and may therefore be applied to the underwire under influence of heat. The adhesive coating would then be permitted to cool into an inactive (non-sticky) state. At a step S2, the underwire - complete with adhesive coating - is inserted into a fabric channel of a garment. At the time of insertion the adhesive is in its inactive state (for example it may have dried and hardened after application to the underwire) to permit insertion to take place cleanly and with no bonding (or with very little bonding) of the underwire to the fabric channel occurring.
When the imderwire is fully located within the fabric channel, the fabric channel is stitched closed at a step S3, and then the adhesive is activated at a step S3. In the case of heat activated glue, a heat source will be applied to the garment when the bonded underwire is in place. This will cause the adhesive coating to be activated into an adhesive state, thereby adhering the underwire to the inside of the fabric channel. The heat source does not have to be applied by a hot metal surface, it may instead be a blast of hot air, use of a heat gun or other method of heating the glue and bonding the underwire to the fabric. The garment and glue will then be allowed or caused to cool. It will be appreciated that while in Figure 7 the step S3 (stitching) is shown to be conducted prior to the step S4 (bonding), it will be appreciated that the steps S3 and S4 could be performed in either order.
Figure 8 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figure 3 using a meltable nylon coating. At a step SI 1, a nylon coatmg is applied to a metal underwire (for example) in a manner known in the art. Then, at a step SI 2, the nylon-coated underwire is inserted into a fabric channel of a garment. At the time of insertion the adhesive is in a solid (inactive) state.
When the underwire is fully located within the fabric channel, the channel is stitched closed at a step S13, and then the nylon coating is melted (activated) at a step SI 4. In this way, the underwire is bonded to the garment by fusing the material of the garment to the nylon coating of the underwire itself. Naturally this should be done very discretely. The nylon could be melted by application of heat, chemicals or any other method. While in Figure 8 the step SI 3 is shown to be conducted prior to the step SI 4, it will be appreciated that the steps S13 and S14 could be performed in either order.
Figure 9 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of ώοοφοητιη^ the underwire of Figures 4 and 5 A into a fabric channel. At a step S21, protrusions are formed at predeterrnined locations on the surface of the underwire. A number of different techniques could be used to achieve this. For example, the protrusions could be formed by surface treating using a physical (for example scoring) or chemical (for example etching) process. Alternatively, an additional layer could be applied to the existing surface of the underwire, the additional layer being provided with multidirectional protrusions.
At a step S22, the protrusions, or possibly the entirety of the underwire, are covered with a sheath. At a step S23, the underwire, along with the sheath, is inserted into the fabric channel. The sheath in this case inhibits the protrusions from engaging with fibres on the inside of the fabric channel during the step of insertion. Then, at a step S24, the sheath is removed from the channel, thereby exposing the protrusions which are then able to engage with fibres on the inside of the fabric channel. Once the sheath has been removed, the fabric channel is stitched closed at a step S25.
Figure 10 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a method of incorporating the underwire of Figures 4 and 5B into a fabric channel. At a step S31, protrusions are formed at predetermined locations on the surface of the underwire. As with Figure 9, various different techniques could be used to achieve this. At a step S32, a dissolvable coating is formed over the protrusions, or possibly over the entirety of the underwire. The dissolvable coating may be a water soluble coating, for example a sugar coating. At a step S33, the underwire is inserted into the fabric channel. The dissolvable coating inhibits the protrusions from engaging with fibres on the inside of the fabric channel during the step of insertion. Then, at a step S34, the fabric channel is stitched closed. Finally, the dissolvable coating is removed from the underwire at a step S35 by for example immersing the garment in water, thereby exposing the protrusions which are then able to engage with fibres on the inside of the fabric channel. In Figures 7 to 10, at the time of insertion, the fabric channel may or may not form part of an assembled garment. In other words, the underwire may be inserted into the fabric channel either at a time when the fabric channel forms part of an assembled brassiere or the like, or alternatively at an earlier stage of manufacture before the garment has been assembled.
Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.