US2897821A - Buoyant bathing brassiere - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1959 L. E. LERNER BUOYANT BATHING BRASSIEIRE Filed July 21, 1958 z E Z. i 0 Z United States Patent f 2,897,821 BUOYANT BATHING BRASSIERE Lovie E. Lerner, Edwardsburg, Mich.

Application July 21, 1958, Serial No. 749,966

8 Claims. c1. 128-479) This invention relates to improvements in buoyant bathing brassieres, and more particularly to brassieres which may be worn by water skiers and bathers to render them buoyant and to protect them against submersion in water even when in an unconscious state.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a 2,897,821 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 formed of synthetic resin, such as a vinyl type material,

and each has a cellular internal structure with its cells separated and sealed from each other so as to provide uniformly dispersed non-communicating voids. The material is light in weight, unicellular, buoyant, flexible in any selected direction, but resistant to simultaneous flexing in brassiere of this character which is simple in construction,

inexpensive, and is not objectionable when worn from the standpoint of its size or prominence.

A further object is to provide a brassiere of this character which can be formed from a plurality of sheets of buoyant unicellular flexible sheet material in an inexpensive manner to provide an attractive appearance.

A further object is to provide a brassiere of this character which permits a bather to dive and yet possess adequate buoyancy to hold a bather face up in the water and which fits upon the bather in a manner to insure against displacement thereof during diving.

A further object is to provide a brassiere of this character with a filler of buoyant sheet material of unicellular character normally resisting bending or flexing thereof simultaneously in two or more directions, which is constructed in a simple manner to provide cup portions and a restricted intervening portion having an attractive appearance.

, Dther objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing: a

Fig. 1 is a view of the brassiere in front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a view of the brassiere in rear elevation;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a modified construction;

1 Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a plan "view of a filler blank employed in the device; a

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a second filler blank used in the device; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary face view illustrating the formation of a cup portion in the end part of a blank illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

. Referring to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates the front or body portion of a brassiere having securing means extending across the back of the wearer. In the form shown, bands 12 formed of fabric or elasticized fabric or any other suitable material, and of a length adapted to overlap when worn, are secured to opposite ends of body 10. Suitable fasteners, such as snap fasten ers 14, are carried by the bands 12 and are adapted to be separably connected for the purpose of defining a body encircling unit which can be donned and removed easily and quickly. In the preferred form, some body suspension support is provided, such as a pair of shoulder straps 16, each of which is connected at one end 18 to a band 12 at one side of the garment and is suitably connected at more than one direction in its sheet form and tends to normally retain its shape. One type of such material is as Ensolite, being manufactured presently by United States Rubber Company in sheets of difierent thicknesses. I prefer to use this material in sheets of thicknesses of from one-eighth inch or less to three-fourths inch or more. The blanks 24 and 26 are both characterized by a generally elongated shape with its opposite end portions symmetrical. The longitudinal central portion 28 of each sheet is of reduced width compared to enlarged end portions 30. The enlarged end portions are of modi fied ov'al shape, having rounded top end and bottom contours or'edges, with the bottom edges being interrupted by central V-shaped cuts 32 extending substantially centrally in each portion 30 with the axes or center line of each cut being substantially parallel to the center line of the other cut inthe opposite end portion of the blank. While the preferred shape of the blanks is substantially as illustrated in-Figs. 6 and .7 itwill he understood that variations from the specific shape shown can be made, depending upon the desired configuration of the brassiere in its finished form. It will also be observed that, where two or more fillers are employed, such as fillers 24 and 26, the same will be of different sizes and may be of different thicknesses, although of substantially the same general shape or outline, and, further, it will be observed that the spacing between the cuts 32 in the two blanks will be substantially equal. Where multiple blanks are provided, they will be superimposed upon each other with the notches or cuts 32 substantially in register with one another, as at the inner ends of theV-shape cuts 32.

The buoyant filler has its ends formed to cup shape by drawing together the edges of the cuts 32 and maintaining the end portions in this cup-forming shape by any means found suitable. Thus the edges of the cuts 32 may be 'abutted and cemented or otherwise bonded together,

or they may be held in abutting relation by stitching or sewing thereof the adjacent filler parts to one another, or by sewing the adjacent filler parts to fabric, such as v liner members backing and confining such fillers. Fig.

8 illustrates the conformation of an end portion of a filler blank after the cup has been formed from the flat sheet thereof by anchoring the edges at the cut 32 into engagement. 7

The bouyant filler is confined within a sheath formed of fabric or any other suitable sheet material such as an elasticized cloth, and including an inner or liner member 36 and an outer or cover member 38. The sheet members 36 and 38 are marginally stitched together at 40 and may vhave suitable tucks or darts formed therein;

as at 42, for decorative purposes. Also, for decorative purposes, a. folded portion or outlining band or flap portion 44 ofmaterial may be stitched across the top and extend forwardly outwardly over the top portion of the outer, sheath part 38, ormay extend continuously around the margin of the body, in which case the inner margin of the flap part 44 will preferably be formed of elasticized material to insure that it will lie flat against the body 10. Flap part 44 is useful to camouflage the thickness of the brassiere, and also to conceal the laminer character of the filler.

The buoy-ant filler parts are confined within the sheath 36, 38, and may be secured thereto in any suitable manner, if desired. Thus the innermost or rearmost filler V lamination may stitched to the inner or rear sheet 36, or may be bonded to the inner sheet. Where multiple layers of the buoyant filler material are used, they may be secured together in proper centered registering relation by bonding, adhenng, stitching, stapling, or any other suitable securing means. Also, in order to taper the overall contour of the unit, one or more of the multiple buoyant filler laminations may be skived or doubled at its edges. The arrangement of the filler laminations may vary as desired by the manufacturer for the purpose of securing different appearances. Thus, in Fig. 3 a comparatively small lamination 26 is positioned outermost adjacent the outer sheath 38, and the comparatively large lamination 24 is positioned innermost in engagement with the inner sheath part 36. However, this position is not essential, and a reverse arrangement may be made, as illustrated in Fig. 4, with the large lamination 24 outermost and the small lamination 26 innermost. In the Fig. 4 construction, observe that the lapping marginal portions 25 of the large blank 24 are infolded around the edges of the small blank 26 at the cup portion.

In order to facilitate the cup formation at the ends of the body to produce an attractive appearance and to accommodate conformation of the outline of the body 10 to the body of the wearer at the central portion thereof, and, further, to impart an attractive appearance to the garment, a fabric tie or loop member 50 may encircle the central part of the body. In one form, the loop 50 may be of a size to flex the fillers to substantially C-shape in cross-section, as illustrated in Fig. 5, at the restricted parts 28. The member 50 is here shown as a tie having free end portions 52 projecting from a knot portion 54, but it will be understood that such an arrangement is not necessary and that the member 50 may constitute any loop preferably formed of flexible material which is capable of holding the central portions 28 in the desired configuration.

Fhe brassiere is easily donned and removed and is held in place effectively by shoulder straps 16 and the back band 12. The garment fits the wearer snugly, and this fit may be facilitated by connection of the ends of an elastic band 52 to the lower margins of the opposite cup portion below the tie 50. The garment will permit full freedom of the wearer when swimming, water skiing and engaging in other activities. Likewise, the garment will permit diving without danger of displacement. The cup portions have a suction-like adherence which resists displacement when worn.

Sufficient buoyant material can be incorporated in the' garment to render buoyant even those persons known as sinkers, that is, persons not having the usual amount of body buoyancy. The garment is so positioned that even if a wearer should be rendered unconscious incident to a fall in skiing, or the like, the body of the wearer will assume a position in the water with the face uppermost to protect against drowining. In this connection it will be observed that the brassiere will be worn about the upper part of the body and, in the case of an unconscious wearer, the unbalanced lower portion of the body will tend to rotate the body in the water about the buoyant brassiere so as to turn the body face uppermost even if an unconscious wearer strikes the water face down. 7 While the garment has been illustrated as an individual garment, it may be a part of a complete bathing suit by connecting a pair of swimming trunks at the lower front portion thereof.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that lchanges in construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a back strap extending between opposite ends of said body when worn, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced width and similar end portions having rounded bottom edges, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof and interrupting the rounded bottom edge thereof, and means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concave-convex shape.

2. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to opposite ends of said body, said filler constitut'- ing an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced width and similar substantially oval end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, and means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concavo-convex shape, said notches being formed in the lower central portions of said filler end portions.

3. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to opposite ends of said body, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced width and similar enlarged end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, and means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concave-convex shape, and a loop encircling the reduced width central portion of said body and of a circumferential dimension less than the perimetral dimension of the central portion of said body when flat, whereby said central portion is of C-shape in crosssection.

4. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to opposite ends of said body, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced width and similar end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concave-convex shape, and means for holding the central portion of said body in bent form in crosssection with its edges projecting inwardly 'when worn.

5. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to opposite ends of said body, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced 'width and similar end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, and means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concave-convex shape, said filler comprising a plurality of laminations of difierent sizes superimposed in centered relation and having similar notches spaced similarly and substantially in register.

6. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to opposite ends of said body, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced width and similar end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, and means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concavo-convex shape, said filler comprising a plurality of laminations of different areas and similar shapes having similar notches in each which are similarly spaced, said laminations being adhered in face engagement in substantially centered relation.

7. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to opposite ends of said body, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced width and similar end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, and means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes 6 concavo-convex shape, said sheath including a flap portion extending longitudinally along at least a part of the margin of said body and sewn to the outer part of the sheath at its rear margin, the front edge of said flap portion being free of said body.

'8. A buoyant bathing brassiere comprising a body portion, including a buoyant filler and a confining sheath, a two-part back strap having separable fasteners and secured to oppositte ends of said body, said filler constituting an elongated normally flat unicellular sheet of substantially uniform thickness having a central portion of reduced Width and similar end portions, each filler end portion having a substantially V-shaped notch formed therein and extending substantially to the center thereof, means holding the confronting edges of said notches in engagement, whereby each filler end portion assumes concavo convex shape, means for holding the central part of said body flexed in substantially C-shape with its upper and lower edges projecting rearwardly, and a strap connecting lower marginal portions of said body adjacent to and below the level of said central body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,429,308 Cooper Oct. 21, 1947 2,440,466 Freedman Apr. 27, 1948 2,507,745 Wilkenfeld et al. May 16, 1950 2,727,278 Thompson Dec. 20, 1955

Images