Bras, inserts, and underwires, and methods of forming such bras, inserts, and underwires

Abstract

An insert configured to modify an appearance of a breast comprises a flexible bladder comprising a gelatinous elastomer and a flowable material disposed within the flexible bladder. A bra may comprise at least one insert and a shell configured to cover the breast and the at least one insert. An underwire comprises an elongated body comprising an elastomeric material having a Shore A durometer hardness of about 1 or greater. A shell may be connected to the underwire and configured to cover a breast. A method of forming a bra comprises forming an underwire and securing the underwire to a shell. Another method of forming a bra comprises forming a flexible bladder comprising a gelatinous elastomer, disposing a flowable material within the flexible bladder to form an insert, and securing the insert to a shell.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bra, comprising:
 at least one insert configured to modify an appearance of a breast, the at least one insert comprising:   a flexible bladder comprising a gelatinous elastomer; and   a flowable material disposed within the flexible bladder; and   
       a shell configured to cover the breast and the at least one insert. 
     
     
         2 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one insert is configured to increase an apparent size of the breast. 
     
     
         3 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one insert is configured to raise the breast. 
     
     
         4 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the flowable material comprises another gelatinous elastomer, the another gelatinous elastomer having a composition different from a composition of the gelatinous elastomer of the flexible bladder. 
     
     
         5 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one insert is removably attached to the shell. 
     
     
         6 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one insert comprises a first insert and a second insert, the second insert having at least one dimension different from the first insert. 
     
     
         7 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible bladder comprises an A-B-A triblock copolymer. 
     
     
         8 . The bra of  claim 7 , wherein the A-B-A triblock copolymer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of styrene ethylene propylene styrene (SEPS), styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS), and styrene ethylene ethylene propylene styrene (SEEPS). 
     
     
         9 . The bra of  claim 7 , wherein the flexible bladder comprises a plasticizer, and wherein a ratio of the plasticizer to the A-B-A triblock copolymer by weight is in a range extending from about 1-to-1 to about 30-to-1. 
     
     
         10 . The bra of  claim 1 , wherein the flowable material comprises another gelatinous elastomer and a filler, the another gelatinous elastomer comprising:
 about 96 wt % glycerin; and   about 4 wt % flocculant.   
     
     
         11 . The bra of  claim 10 , wherein the flowable material has a bulk specific gravity of from about 0.30 to about 0.50. 
     
     
         12 . An insert configured to modify an appearance of a breast, the insert comprising:
 a flexible bladder comprising a gelatinous elastomer; and   a flowable material disposed within the flexible bladder.   
     
     
         13 . The insert of  claim 12 , wherein the flowable material comprises a plurality of microspheres. 
     
     
         14 . The insert of  claim 12 , wherein the flowable material comprises a fluid selected from the group consisting of air; a gas; water; mineral oil; vegetable oil; silicone fluid; gel putty; a mixture of glycerin and a flocculant; a mixture of glycerin, a flocculant, and a filler; and another gelatinous elastomer. 
     
     
         15 . The insert of  claim 12 , wherein the gelatinous elastomer of the flexible bladder is formulated to limit permeation by the flowable material. 
     
     
         16 . The insert of  claim 12 , wherein the gelatinous elastomer comprises:
 an elastomeric polymer; and   a plasticizer mixed with the elastomeric polymer.   
     
     
         17 . The insert of  claim 16 , wherein the elastomeric polymer comprises a material having a melt mass-flow rate in a range of about 2 g/10 min or less. 
     
     
         18 . The insert of  claim 16 , wherein a ratio of the plasticizer to the elastomeric polymer by weight is in a range extending from about 1-to-1 to about 30-to-1. 
     
     
         19 . The insert of  claim 12 , wherein the gelatinous elastomer comprises an antioxidant. 
     
     
         20 . A bra, comprising:
 an underwire comprising an elastomeric material having a Shore A durometer hardness of about 1 or greater; and   a shell connected to the underwire and configured to cover at least one breast.   
     
     
         21 . The bra of  claim 20 , wherein a first cross-section of the underwire generally perpendicular to a major axis of the underwire has a first area at a first position along a length of the underwire, and a second cross-section of the underwire generally perpendicular to the major axis of the underwire at a second position along a length of the underwire has a second area different from the first area. 
     
     
         22 . The bra of  claim 20 , wherein a cross-section of the underwire generally perpendicular to a major axis of the underwire has an area of about 20 mm 2  or larger. 
     
     
         23 . The bra of  claim 20 , wherein the underwire has at least one tapered edge. 
     
     
         24 . The bra of  claim 20 , wherein the underwire is sewn to the shell. 
     
     
         25 . The bra of  claim 20 , wherein the elastomeric material has a Shore A durometer hardness of about 100 or less. 
     
     
         26 . The bra of  claim 20 , wherein the elastomeric material comprises an A-B-A triblock copolymer, and a plasticizer, and wherein a ratio of the plasticizer to the A-B-A triblock copolymer by weight is in a range extending from about 0.5-to-1 to about 12-to-1. 
     
     
         27 . The bra of  claim 26 , wherein the A-B-A triblock copolymer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of styrene ethylene propylene styrene (SEPS), styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS), and styrene ethylene ethylene propylene styrene (SEEPS). 
     
     
         28 . An underwire for a bra, comprising:
 an elongated body comprising an elastomeric material having a Shore A durometer hardness of about 1 or greater.   
     
     
         29 . The underwire of  claim 28 , wherein the elastomeric material has a Shore A durometer hardness of about 100 or less. 
     
     
         30 . The underwire of  claim 28 , wherein the elastomeric material comprises an A-B-A triblock copolymer having a melt mass-flow rate in a range of about 2 g/10 min or less. 
     
     
         31 . The underwire of  claim 28 , wherein the elongated body further comprises a plasticizer, and wherein a ratio of the plasticizer to the elastomeric polymer by weight is in a range extending from about 0.5-to-1 to about 12-to-1. 
     
     
         32 . The underwire of  claim 28 , wherein a first cross-section of the elongated body generally perpendicular to a major axis of the elongated body has a first area, and a second cross-section of the elongated body generally perpendicular to the major axis of the elongated body has a second area different from the first area. 
     
     
         33 . The underwire of  claim 28 , wherein a cross-section of the elongated body generally perpendicular to a major axis of the elongated body has an area of about 20 mm 2  or larger. 
     
     
         34 . The underwire of  claim 28 , wherein the elongated body further comprises a plurality of microspheres. 
     
     
         35 . A method of forming a bra, comprising:
 forming an underwire comprising an elastomeric material, wherein the elastomeric material has a Shore A durometer hardness of about 1 or greater; and   securing the underwire to a shell configured to cover at least one breast.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein forming an underwire comprising an elastomeric material comprises mixing an A-B-A triblock copolymer with a plasticizer, wherein a ratio of the plasticizer to the A-B-A triblock copolymer by weight is in a range extending from about 0.5-to-1 to about 12-to-1. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein forming an underwire comprises extruding the elastomeric material through a die. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein forming an underwire comprises injection molding the elastomeric material into a mold. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein securing the underwire to the shell comprises passing a fiber through a portion of the underwire and through a portion of the shell. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein securing the underwire to the shell comprises heating at least one of the underwire and the shell to fuse the underwire to the shell. 
     
     
         41 . A method of forming a bra, comprising:
 forming a flexible bladder comprising a gelatinous elastomer;   disposing a flowable material within the flexible bladder to form an insert configured to modify an appearance of a breast; and   securing the insert to a shell configured to cover the breast.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein forming a flexible bladder comprises combining an elastomeric polymer with a plasticizer, wherein a ratio of the plasticizer to the elastomeric polymer by weight is in a range extending from about 1-to-1 to about 30-to-1. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein securing the insert to the shell comprises disposing the insert between two portions of the shell and sewing the two portions together. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein securing the insert to the shell comprises removably affixing the insert to the shell.