U.S. patent application number 13/098506 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-08 for modesty camisole garment.
Invention is credited to Jandy H. Salguero.
Application Number | 20120282844 13/098506 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47090528 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120282844 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Salguero; Jandy H. |
November 8, 2012 |
MODESTY CAMISOLE GARMENT
Abstract
The present invention relates to a novel construction for a
modesty camisole comprising a tubular body portion having an opaque
or semi-opaque material and a more transparent back portion, both
portions having an elastomeric quality to them. This allows the
user to be fitted more comfortably than previous camisoles. The
addition of the lace upper portion and strap covers allow for its
use for creating a modest look with today's less modest
clothing.
Inventors: |
Salguero; Jandy H.; (Holly
Springs, NC) |
Family ID: |
47090528 |
Appl. No.: |
13/098506 |
Filed: |
May 2, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
450/31 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41B 9/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
450/31 |
International
Class: |
A41C 3/08 20060101
A41C003/08 |
Claims
1. A camisole garment for wearing about the body underneath a
woman's outer top comprising: a) a front portion comprising a
lightweight stretch material having a translucent or opaque mesh;
b) a back portion comprising a lightweight stretch material having
a semi transparent mesh; and c) a pair of shoulder straps having a
bra strap covering width front and adjustable length back; wherein
the camisole is of a length that ends under the bust and above the
waist.
2. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the stretch material is
tricot.
3. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the stretch material for
the front has a denier of between about 30 and 60.
4. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the stretch material for
the back has a denier of less than about 30.
5. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the difference in denier
between the front and the back is a denier of at least 20.
6. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the front stretch
material has a denier of 40 and the back stretch material has a
denier of 15.
7. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the stretch material for
the front and back is a stretchable warp knitted cloth.
8. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the stretch material of
the front and back are made of a material selected from the group
consisting of cotton, silk, rayon, nylon and a combination
thereof.
9. A camisole according to claim 1 which further comprises a front
top insert.
10. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the front top insert
comprises lace.
11. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the front top insert
comprises spandex polyester blend.
12. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the bra strap covering
width is a strip of lace.
13. A camisole according to claim 1 wherein the bra strap covering
width that is at least a half inch in width.
14. A camisole undergarment, the improvement being the camisole has
a front portion having a lightweight stretch material having a
translucent or opaque mesh and a lightweight stretch material back
having a semi transparent mesh.
Description
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent contains material
that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no
objection to the reproduction by anyone of the patent document or
the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark
Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all
copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a modesty camisole garment.
In particular, the present invention relates to a camisole garment
designed to be comfortable while wearing, yet provide increased
coverage for use underneath clothing.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Many styles of clothing are available for today's well
dressed woman. However, with styles ranging from very modest to
very revealing, not all styles are available for wearing by those
of more conservative dress. For example, many of today's dresses
and woman's tops are very low cut. In addition, many tops are so
revealing that they prevent use with more conservative bras which
have over the shoulder straps.
[0006] One of the ways that many women have addressed the modesty
issue is to wear a camisole underneath a revealing top. The
camisole can be fitted with a lace inset above the breast area so
that the lace shows through instead of skin when a low cut top is
worn. In addition, to deal with wearing of conservative bras, many
camisoles have an integral bra. However, the straps can still show
and over-the-shoulder styles which use elastic type materials do
not provide the decorative feature that lace provides the bust
area.
[0007] In addition, more revealing woman's tops are more likely to
be worn in warmer weather. The use of a camisole is frequently
uncomfortable because of the heat generated by the extra material
which covers a greater portion of exposed skin than the top it is
worn underneath.
[0008] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,754 there is disclosed a camisole
garment with an elastic system under tension and a ruffle which
forms an edge of the elastic structure whereby the curl-over of the
structure is minimized during use.
[0009] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,820 there is disclosed a woman's
undergarment including a full length tubular garment and an inner
support underwire bra. In US patent application publication number
2002/0022433 there is disclosed a dual-layer seamless sports bra
and camisole for use in the active wear industry and clothing to
provide support during exercise.
[0010] Various modesty camisoles are currently sold in under
garment stores and online and provide a variety of garments having
the above features such as those currently sold by Kate's Camisoles
and Mia Bellina, currently both internet sales companies.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention relates to the discovery that many of
the above problems can be overcome by combining a number of novel
features in a modesty camisole. Particularly, by having a front
that is a tight weave while the back is an open weave, bra strap
cover straps, and a short end length under the bust length, a
camisole that is more comfortable to wear, cost effective to make,
and provides modesty coverage even for bras worn underneath the
camisole, is possible.
[0012] Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention
there is a camisole garment for wearing about the body underneath a
woman's outer top comprising: [0013] a) a front portion comprising
a lightweight stretch material having a translucent or opaque mesh;
[0014] b) a back portion comprising a lightweight stretch material
having a semi transparent mesh; and [0015] c) a pair of shoulder
straps having a bra strap covering width front and adjustable
length back; [0016] wherein the camisole is of a length that ends
under the bust and above the waist.
[0017] Another embodiment of the present invention is a camisole
undergarment, the improvement being the camisole has a front
portion having a lightweight stretch material having a translucent
or opaque mesh and a lightweight stretch material back having a
semi transparent mesh.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a camisole of the
present invention having a lace insert.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of a camisole of the
present invention showing the open mesh tubular back.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a camisole without the
front top insert.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The present invention modesty camisole provides better
coverage and is more comfortable to wear than previously designed
camisoles as discussed herein.
[0022] While this invention is susceptible to embodiment in many
different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be
described in detail specific embodiments, with the understanding
that the present disclosure of such embodiments is to be considered
as an example of the principles and not intended to limit the
invention to the specific embodiments shown and described. In the
description below, like reference numerals are used to describe the
same, similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the
drawings. This detailed description defines the meaning of the
terms used herein and specifically describes embodiments in order
for those skilled in the art to practice the invention.
[0023] The terms "a" or "an", as used herein, are defined as one or
as more than one. The term "plurality", as used herein, is defined
as two or as more than two. The term "another", as used herein, is
defined as at least a second or more. The terms "including" and/or
"having", as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open
language). The term "coupled", as used herein, is defined as
connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily
mechanically.
[0024] Reference throughout this document to "one embodiment",
"certain embodiments", and "an embodiment" or similar terms means
that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described
in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one
embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of such
phrases or in various places throughout this specification are not
necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the
particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined
in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments without
limitation.
[0025] The term "or" as used herein is to be interpreted as an
inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore, "A, B
or C" means any of the following: "A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and
C; A, B and C". An exception to this definition will occur only
when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in
some way inherently mutually exclusive.
[0026] The drawings featured in the figures are for the purpose of
illustrating certain convenient embodiments of the present
invention, and are not to be considered as limitation thereto. Term
"means" preceding a present participle of an operation indicates a
desired function for which there is one or more embodiments, i.e.,
one or more methods, devices, or apparatuses for achieving the
desired function and that one skilled in the art could select from
these or their equivalent in view of the disclosure herein and use
of the term "means" is not intended to be limiting.
[0027] As used herein the phase "camisole garment" refers to a
woman's undergarment that is a sleeveless top garment designed for
wearing underneath an outer garment top. An outer garment top would
refer to a blouse, a dress, or other top outer garment, especially
an outer top garment which is low-cut or otherwise revealing. It is
also a garment designed to be worn over a bra.
[0028] As used herein a "front portion" of the camisole refers to
the front half of the camisole as viewed when facing the wearer.
The camisole is generally a tubular shape can be pulled over the
head or stepped through by stretching the material to put on rather
than other methods of wearing, such as clothing that can only be
worn by zippering or by use of Velcro. Of course, stretch material
could be combined with these other types of wearing/putting on the
camisole, the important aspect is the stretchable nature of the
material chosen for the front and back of the camisole. The entire
camisole is designed in a size (several for different size women)
that is slightly smaller than the upper chest area where a camisole
is worn and will stretch to some degree and thus, give a snug
wrinkle free fit. The terms "front" and "back" are used to
designate the relationship relative to the garment itself. The
front portion as noted is the portion that would be worn over the
breast area of the user while the back is the side of the camisole
that would, when properly worn, be on the back of the wearer over
where the bra is normally fastened.
[0029] As used herein a "lightweight stretch material having a
translucent or opaque mesh" refers to material which has the
properties of being stretchable to accomplish the fit goals above
and is not so see through that if seen would provide some degree of
modesty coverage. A tighter weave material can be used for this
use. While the exact mesh may differ from material to material, the
front material would have a dernier of about 30 or greater. One
type of weave of the present invention is a tricot or stretchable
warp knitted cloth having a denier that meets the above criteria.
In one embodiment, it has a denier of at least 30, or between about
30 and 60, and in one embodiment is a denier of 40. Materials that
can be made into a tricot type weave are cotton, silk, rayon, and
nylon, as well as combinations of these materials. When referring
to these types of weaves, it includes other materials blended into
the fabric for reasons of strength or the like. Other stretchable
materials, such as spandex, elastic, or the like, could also be
used within the scope of the present invention. The back material
is designed to breathe, be lighter weight than the front, and allow
air to circulate more readily.
[0030] Accordingly, a more open mesh that is more of a see though
type material is used. While, once again, the denier of such a
material will vary from material to material, one embodiment of the
invention is a material of a denier of less than 30. Likewise,
tricot type materials and other materials as used for the front
could be used just at a more open mesh or lower denier. In one
embodiment the tricot has a denier of about 15 for the back
portion. In one other embodiment the front material is at least 20
denier greater than the back.
[0031] The stretch material can be one directional stretch material
or suitable two-direction material as desired. This might include
one or two layer materials as desired as well as reversible
materials. The direction of stretch is normally in the horizontal
direction, but materials such as tricot, which stretch in a
vertical direction as well as a horizontal direction, can be used
as well. The amount of stretch in the material is in each direction
of stretch from about 10 percent stretch to about 500 percent
stretch when fully stretch or elongated. Upon release of tension
these materials recover at least about 50 percent of the elongation
up to full recovery of the elongation during use of the garment
camisole. In one embodiment the material is an 80 percent nylon 20
percent spandex type material.
[0032] The fabric can also be treated with conventional means such
as treatments to repeal dirt and water to improve use of the
garment during wearing of the garment. Refastenable body seams also
could be used to advantageously allow use of the garment without
needing to pull the garment up from the feet or over the head
during the initial putting on of the camisole.
[0033] A "front top insert" refers to an optional insert replacing
the upper portion of the top front portion of the camisole (as
shown in the drawings) usually of a different material than the
front and being made of an opaque material of a tricot, spandex
polyester blend, lace, or a lace like material. Lace like material
would include those types of material with a pattern or texture
done so for design the of it and the like, such that should the
camisole stick out from the undergarment, the pattern would be
acceptable. Essentially, lace is non elastomeric although a very
small amount of stretch is acceptable. In one embodiment the lace
is non-elastomeric. The insert in other embodiments is elastic and
includes spandex and spandex blends. It could also include multiple
layers, such as lace outside and spandex blend inside. In general,
the top front portion will be from about 1 to about 4 inches in
height and essentially be the width of the front portion of the
camisole. In one embodiment the height is about 2 to 3 inches. The
exact height will depend on the size of the camisole to be made
based on individual sizes, but in general should be of a height
that covers from the top of the breast to just below the collar
bone. This creates a neckline that is high enough to be exposed as
a decorative alternative to exposed skin which would occur with a
lower cut neckline top worn over the camisole.
[0034] As used herein, shoulder straps are positioned one for each
side as in a normal strapped camisole. However, in the present
invention the front portion extending from the front to about the
top of the strap is a material wide enough to cover a bra strap. In
one embodiment the strap is at least a half inch wide while in
another embodiment it is at least about 1 inch wide. It could be
lace or another material that would cover the bra strap or in one
embodiment the same material as the front of the camisole. While
the material for the strap can be reinforced, essentially a half
inch to two inches wide strip of material for the front part of the
strap gives modesty cover for the on the shoulder strap of a bra
worn under the camisole. In order to provide adjustment, the back
of the strap is a standard strap with adjustment means, however,
since modesty issues are usually with the front of the top or
dress, the need for material all the way to the back of the
camisole is usually not necessary. Means for adjusting the straps
in the back part of the straps are well known in the art of sewing.
In addition, the various parts of the camisole would be sewn
together as various parts. Other means for attaching the parts are
also within the scope of the present invention, for example, gluing
or melting various parts together as well as any other method for
attaching pieces of cloth together. Likewise, the present invention
could have various different color lace inserts, front material or
back material which are removable, for example, via Velcro so that
the same camisole can be worn with different color tops and the
lace portion changed for color reasons with the changing top of the
camisole wearer. Edging for hiding seams and edges of cut cloth can
also be used and are within the scope of the present invention as
well.
[0035] Now referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a front perspective
view of an embodiment of the present invention. Camisole 1 depicted
in a front view consists of semi-opaque or opaque front panel 2 of
the front portion of the invention which has a high denier compared
to the back panel of the camisole as described above. A seam 3 on
both left and right edges of the front panel 2 attaches the front
panel 2 to the back panel, not seen in this view. In the area above
the front 2 is the optional insert 5 (lace in this embodiment)
which is attached to the top of the front panel 3 by sewing the
corresponding edges together. In this view the strap fronts 7 are
shown as lace and are attached to the top edge of the insert 5. As
noted, it can be seen in this view that pieces can be sewn together
or cut from one piece of cloth. One notes that the length of the
particular camisole is just below bust length and thus, leaves a
bare midriff with no camisole instead of a full length camisole
which would extend to the waist or top of the pants area.
[0036] FIG. 2 depicts a rear perspective view of a camisole 1 of
the present invention. In this view the back panel 8 of the
camisole is depicted. As can be seen this is a see through mesh. As
described above this portion of the camisole of the invention is a
thinner mesh than the front panel, for example, below 20 denier is
semi-transparent to transparent in nature to allow the user's skin
to breathe in an area that is covered during the camisole's use.
From this view the back of the lace insert 5 can be seen as well as
the back portion of the lace strap 7. In this view, however, the
back part of the strap 11 can be seen which was hidden in the front
view in FIG. 1. The back part of the strap in this view is a
standard thin strap with a length adjustment buckle 12 for
adjusting the length of the back portion. Because the front of the
strap is not adjustable in length when used as the strap, this back
portion of the shoulder strap allows for adjustment while keeping
the hiding front strap free of adjustment means.
[0037] FIG. 3 depicts a front view of an embodiment of the present
invention without the top front insert 7 shown in FIG. 1. In this
view the front 2 and bra width straps 17 are a single piece of the
same material. The camisole 1 is sewn in the same manner and this
embodiment would have the same back 8 and adjustable straps 11 as
shown in FIG. 2.
[0038] The above examples are not intended to be limiting. One
skilled in the art will be able to substitute various materials,
laces, straps, sewing means, and the like, within the scope of the
teaching of the present invention. Selection by the particular
example above is clearly meant as a specific example of the
construction of the camisole of the present invention. Accordingly,
the claims which follow should be given an appropriately broad
scope.
* * * * *