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Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using sameRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, General Structure, Stiffening Or StayingGarment support member with foam support layer and method of using same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060230499, Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to garment support members and methods and, in particular, to garment support members and methods for adhering a garment to a user's body. [0002] Clothing manufacturers produce a variety of strapless garments for women, and in particular strapless dresses. In the selection of a strapless garment, it is desirable that the garment provide a comfortable fit to the user while remaining in place without exposing more of the user's body than intended. Particularly, a common problem associated with conventional strapless dresses is the slipping down, or the riding down, of the garment as a result of gravity and user's body movement. In addition, since most strapless, and especially strapless and backless, dresses cannot be worn with conventional bras, strapless dresses must also provide support to the user's breasts. Providing adequate support for the user's breasts and prevention of riding down of the dress are of a particular importance to the user when wearing a heavy strapless dress, such as a gown with a lot of ornamentation including beads or sequins. [0003] In some conventional strapless dresses, bra cups have been incorporated into the dress with the intention of providing support for the user's breasts similar to the support provided by a corset or a long-line strapless bra. However, a typical strapless dress does not have the same engineering properties as a corset or a strapless bra, which are typically engineered with up to thirty different elements to ensure proper performance and sufficient support. Therefore, incorporation of bra cups into the garment has not been successful in providing adequate support for the user's breasts. [0004] To reduce these problems, garment manufacturers have also employed boning in their garments to provide additional support for the upper torso of the user. In particular, boning in conventional strapless garments takes the form of stiff tube-shaped members placed vertically within the garment. Another conventional method of preventing riding down of strapless garments is to create a tighter than usual fit of the garments. [0005] These conventional methods, however, suffer from a variety of disadvantages. For example, stiff boning is not suitable for use with many materials and strapless garment designs. In addition, stiff boning materials in the garments or the tight fit of the garments often cause great discomfort to the user, particularly during social occasions, and make it difficult for the user to sit or dance. In addition, these conventional methods are not always successful in preventing riding down of the garment, thus causing the user to constantly pull the garment upwardly so as to avoid baring more than intended. [0006] Another technique which has been used by women to prevent shifting of certain garment fabrics is to use a double-sided adhesive tape. Conventional double-sided adhesive tape comprises a thin clear film coated with adhesive on both surfaces. This tape has been used to adhere selected portions of revealing clothing, such as a blouse, to the user's body to prevent opening or shifting of the clothing. However, the adhesive tapes used to date are not suitable for supporting strapless garments because the thin clear film lacks sufficient mechanical strength and holding power to overcome the force of gravity. For example, the gravitational force applied by a strapless dress to such a tape will cause the tape to disengage from the user's skin, to curl and to adhere onto itself. [0007] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a garment support member having sufficient mechanical strength and power to support a strapless garment and to prevent riding down of the garment. [0008] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of using such a support member. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above and other objectives are realized in a garment support member for supporting a garment on a user's body comprising a support layer having first and second opposing surfaces, first and second adhesive layers disposed on the first and second opposing surfaces of the support layer, and wherein the support layer is formed of a foam material able to support a garment to a user's body. The support member also includes a first backing layer releasably affixed to the first adhesive layer and, preferably, a second backing layer releasably affixed to the second adhesive layer. [0010] In further aspect of the invention, the support layer has undulations in proceeding along its length to give additional strength to the support member. In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of using the support member is disclosed in which one of the first and second adhesive layers is adhered to one of the garment and the user's body and the other of the first and second adhesive layers is adhered to the other of the garment and the user's body so as to adhere the garment to the user's body. [0011] In the embodiment of the invention to be disclosed hereinafter, the foam material is a porous or a non-porous polyurethane foam having a thickness in the range of 1/32 to 1/8 inches, and the first and second adhesive layers comprise non-sensitizing medical grade adhesive. The first and second backing layers comprise coated paper having a smooth surface and each may be of the same size as the support layer or, alternatively, one may be of the same size and the other of greater size as the support layer so that it can serve as a backing for the support layers of more than one garment support member. [0012] Also, in the embodiment disclosed the support layer is formed from two integrated chevron-shaped segments so that along its length it has a first undulation directed in a first sense, then a second undulation directed in the opposite sense and then a third undulation also directed in the first sense. The first, second and third undulations form first, second and third vertex areas, respectively, each of which may have an increased width and be rounded to provide additional mechanical strength to the support layer. [0013] In addition, in the disclosed method, one of the adhesive layers is adhered to a surface of the garment abutting the user's skin when the garment is worn by the user in a first adhering step, and the other adhesive layer is adhered to the user's skin in a second adhering step. The adhesive layer can be adhered to the garment along a top edge portion of a torso area of the garment or along a side of a torso area of the garment. The method further includes removing one of the first and second backing layers to expose the respective one of the adhesive layers prior to the first adhering step and removing the other one of the backing layers to expose the other one of the adhesive layers prior to at least the second adhering step. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] The above and other features and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [0015] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a garment support member for use in supporting a strapless garment in accordance with the principles of the present invention; [0016] FIG. 2 shows a front view of the garment support member of FIG. 1; [0017] FIG. 3 shows an arrangement of a plurality of garment support members of FIGS. 1 and 2 disposed on a common backing layer; and [0018] FIG. 4 shows an illustrative positioning of the garment member of FIG. 1 on a strapless garment; [0019] FIG. 5 shows another illustrative positioning of the garment member of FIG. 1 on a strapless garment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0020] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a garment support member 1 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As shown, the garment member 1 comprises a support member 2 having a foam support layer 3 with first and second opposing surfaces 3a and 3b. A first adhesive layer 5 is disposed on the first surface 3a of the support layer 3 and a second adhesive layer 7 is disposed on the second surface 3b of the support layer 3. Continue reading about Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using same... Full patent description for Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using same patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using same or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Anti-creep waist-clothing stay device and method of reinforcing crotch-adjacent inner-seam areas Next Patent Application: Festive garment with fasteners Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Garment support member with foam support layer and method of using same patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.4511 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Accenture , Agouron Pharmaceuticals , Amgen , AT&T , Bausch & Lomb , Callaway Golf 174 |
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