Engineered Flat Knit Upper Torso Bra And/Or Bra Components

This invention relates to a flat-knit fabric or bra component that has multiple support zones integrated as a unitary engineered knit panel. The component may be used in everyday, active, and/or performance bras/bralettes.

The listing or discussion of a prior-published document in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.

Contemporary upper torso garments, such as bras, may suffer from poor fit and comfort and it is difficult to provide a garment that can be adapted to fit the body of a wearer without making it overly complex and expensive to manufacture. Examples of products that suffer from one or more of the problems may include PVH true and core, Soma™ vanishing bra, VS™ knockout, Nike™ Indie bra, and the like.

Therefore, there remains a need to overcome some or all of the problems identified above.

It has been surprisingly found that it is possible to solve some or all of the problems identified above by providing the whole or part of an upper torso garment as a fully knitted structure (e.g. a bra or part thereof) in one knit. If formed as a whole bra, it is possible to shape a panel that includes engineered cups with an integrated cookie pocket and inbuilt zonal structures that can provide the garment with a four-way stretch fabric that provides fit flexibility to the wearer.

In addition, the whole or part of a garment can adapt to body changes. For example, if formed as a bra (or part thereof), the resulting bra can adapt to cup size variation of the wearer (e.g. due to the cookie pocket) or to different body shapes amongst wearers of the same size of bra. Additionally, the construction of the garment (or part thereof) may be conducted with minimal trims and operations, making the garment cost effective to manufacture, with minimal wastage, making it environmentally friendly.

Aspects and embodiments of the invention are set out in the following numbered clauses.

In embodiments of the invention, the bra may be a fully knitted bra in one knit to shape panel that includes engineered cups with an integrated cookie pocket and inbuilt zonal structures with four way stretch to offer fit flexibility. As the bra provides fir flexibility, it will give the wearer confidence to “move with me”. That is, to move more freely and trust in the bra to do its job. This may include providing a better unlined breast support and nipple concealment, which may be especially compelling for a plus-size consumer base. The bras disclosed herein may also reduce the bottom band riding up and flipping during movement, and may be comfortable for a prolonged period of over multiple activities. Additionally, the bras disclosed herein may provide comfort with seamless contouring for the backs and sides, which provides a smoothing effect (to eliminate “bra bulges”), which may be considered to be a useful feature, especially for plus size consumers.

In embodiments disclosed herein, where the wings of the bra are finished, then no bra lines will show through the outer wear. That is, the bra will appear to be invisible and smooth to the wearer and observers of the wearer.

Removable cookies may be added to the bras disclosed herein to give the wearer an option to add (or enhance) modesty/nipple concealment. The bras may provide a comfortable support across the entire size range—with the support provided to plus-size consumers being especially good.

The knit to shape upper portion of the fabric will be split into three modulus zones as the wing area, the cup area, and the strap area (). The wing areas of either sides will have the same modulus which is different compared to the cup area and the strap area.

Flat bed or a V-bed knit machine can be used to create flat knitted one piece can be used as a bra component or as a flat knitted fabric to finish an entire bra by attaching the required trims. The one piece can be created as a spacer fabric, interlock fabric, tubular fabric or as a combination of a spacer and an interlock ().

As noted hereinbefore, the current invention relates to a flat knitted fabric that has been fully or partially shaped to create a fabric to be used in a bra/bralette or as a bra component. The fabric may be a single layer knitted fabric with inbuilt zones with different knit structures and modulus zones that provides a four-way stretch to offer fit flexibility. The fabric offers a smooth effect when worn, as well as on-body contouring and support.

The fabric may be a fully shaped or partially shaped unitary panel which may or may not have an anchoring band at the bottom. When used herein the terms “anchoring band” and “bottom band” may be used interchangeably. In embodiments where there is a bottom band present in the flatknit fabric, it can extend into the upper torso area as an engineered fabric. An engineered bottom band may also help to prevent the fabric from riding up when worn. The flatknit fabric or bra-component may be applied to any part of a bra/bralette, such as bra back, wing, cradle or anchoring band and straps; it could also be used to provide the entire bra.

The fabric may be a single-layer fabric that replaces and offers seamless integration of different bra components (i.e. this may increase the flexibility afforded to designers and may also reduce or eliminate the need to attach additional components such as cups, bottom band and wing etc. separately to form a bra).

Each fabric described herein may be constructed using different knit structures and stitch sequences. The exact stitch sequences used may depend on the intended use and location of the fabric in a bra. This will be expanded on in more detail hereinbelow.

The flatknit fabric or bra-component may or may not have a three-dimensional fabric surface. This means that the fabric/bra component may have a freestanding internal volume or it may have no such volume to speak of (i.e. just being a flat panel of fabric).

The final product may be finished by assembling the knit component with trims (e.g. bra cups, hook & eye, elastics, sliders etc.) and may or may not be molded to create bra cup volume. The product may be further refined through cut and sew methods, such as stitching, linking or bonding. The knit component may also be finished using wash and dye methods to enhance aesthetic and performance values. The flat knit component may also be created with logo or branding, and this can be placed on the anchoring band, or any other placement based on the requirement.

V bed knitting allows one to create zonal knitting that can create different knit structures and modulus zones, which may be integrated seamlessly together to form a bra/bralette or a bra-component (the latter may be a single component as provided by the processed discussed herein).

As will be discussed in more details hereinbelow, an anchoring band (when present) may have a double knit structure that has more modulus than the other areas of the finished bra. This anchoring band may comprise one or more modulus zones. This offers more stability and support to the wearer. Such an engineered bottom band may also avoid the fabric from riding up especially during movement.

A further advantage to the fabrics and components (as well as finished bras) discussed herein is that the flatknit engineered fabrics disclosed herein offer unlined breast support and nipple concealment. This may be particularly important for the plus size consumer base.

Additionally, the seamlessly integrated engineered flatknit fabric with multiple modulus zones, different fabric densities, fabric weights, stitch sequences and, different knit structures disclosed herein allow one to create a fabric option that can be integrated with other methods to create a final product that offers fit flexibility, support, enhanced modesty and functionality of an existing product category (i.e. bras). The knit processed disclosed herein may also be used to reduce the number of operations and simplify the assembling process. This will reduce the utilization of trims and also trim fabrics.

The following products or knit components can be created through flat knitting to create a knitted or a hybrid bra.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by reference to the following areas of a bra that may be formed from the textile element disclosed herein. These areas may be grossly defined as:

It will be appreciated that one or more of the above components may be formed as a flat knit textile element/fabric as disclosed herein.

A flat bed or a V-bed knit machine can be used to create a flat knitted bottom band as a bra component. Said component can be knitted as a double jersey spacer fabric as claimed below using the stitch sequences shown in. This can be knitted using one or more types of a covered nylon yarn.

The bottom band may comprise at least two distinct modulus areas each having different knit loop lengths which changes both laterally and horizontally. This will create a multi modulus bottom band. For example, a first modulus zone of the bottom band may be located at the centre-adjacent to a bra cup region. A second modulus zone may be formed at either side of this central first modulus zone (so is provided as two zones with similar properties), so as to be formed below wing portions of the bra/bralette.

The ability to split the bottom band or anchoring band into two or more modulus zones enables the formation of a multi modulus knit fabric. The aforementioned zones may be created by changing the knit loop length horizontally along the x axis and along the y axis vertically. Alternatively, the two zones may be formed by changing the knit loop length both horizontally and vertically.

The bottom band can be formed using one of two different double jersey spacer knit structure options. The first spacer option offers an even fabric surface enabling better on-body comfort, while the second spacer option is formed as a rib-like knit structure that provides a better grip on the wearer's body and further adds to the aesthetic outcome of the bra/bralette. The bottom band can also incorporate one or more colours to create a jacquard logo branding or to give additional aesthetic benefits.

Additionally, the bottom band may be formed using an interlock knit structure using both front and back beds.

Furthermore, the bottom band may be created using a tubular knit structure having a hollow core which may be used to insert an elastic or a chord to fasten the bottom band to the wearer's body.

In addition to the above the bottom band can be formed as a knit to shape knit component as shown inor, the latter being a cut and sewn non-shaped flat knit component.

b. Cradle

Flat bed or a V-bed knit machine can be used to create flat knitted cradle as a bra component (). The cradle may be knitted as a double jersey fabric which can either be a combination of spacer and interlock (), fully spacer () or a fully interlock fabric (). This can be knitted using one or more types of covered nylon yarn.

The cradle can be broken into two distinct knit zones (as shown in); one being the bottom band, and the other the adjacent upper portion of the flatknit fabric, which connects the bottom band to the bra cups. Unless otherwise specified herein, when the term “cradle” is used, it is intended to refer to the fabric adjacent to the bottom band that connects the bottom band to the cups.

The bottom band may splits into three different modulus zones parallel to the “x” axis and the adjacent upper portion of the fabric may also be split into three different modulus zones parallel to the “x” axis.

The abovementioned three different modulus levels on the bottom band as well as the adjacent upper portion of the flatknit fabric decrease in modulus level as it moves upwards on the “y” axis. The knit loop length of a given modulus zone which changes vertically as mentioned above, will maintain the same horizontally on the “x” axis.

Based on the need to creating aesthetic appeal, double jersey or single jersey structures can be added into this area. These structures will have a different modulus compared to the rest of the fabric.

A flat bed or a V-bed knit machine can be used to create a flat knitted wing as a bra component. The wing component may be knitted as a double jersey interlock or a spacer fabric which may or may not be knit to shape. In an embodiment where it is knit to shape, the component may carry edge finishing. This can be knitted using one or more types of a covered nylon yarn.

In embodiments where an interlock double jersey fabric is formed as the wing, it can be further divided into two modulus zones which have different knit loop lengths compared to each other. For example, this may split the wing into a top and bottom zone. In this example, the bottom half of the wing portion may have a shorter loop length compared to the top half, meaning that the bottom half of the wing has a higher modulus level than the top half of the wing portion.

Based on the need of creating aesthetic appeal, double jersey or single jersey structures can be added into the wing if desired. These structures will have a different modulus compared to the rest of the fabric.

A flat bed or a V-bed knit machine can be used to create flat knitted back panel as a bra component (). The back panel may be formed as a double jersey fabric, which can either be:

The back panel may or may not be knit to shape. In an embodiment where it is knit to shape, the back panel may carry edge finishing. Depending on the requirement of the desired final bra, the back panel may be knitted as a semi-shaped knit component where edge finishing may be accomplished by attaching a foldable elastic. The back panel can be knitted using one or more types of a covered or uncovered nylon yarn.

The back panel may comprise one or more modulus zones. When there are multiple zones, one zone may be a bottom band, with the other zones formed on a unitary panel above the bottom band, which makes up the rest of the back panel. These modulus zones may be created vertically or horizontally on the unitary panel located above the bottom band. In an embodiment where the back panel is a unitary knit zone, it may be knitted as a double jersey tubular structure with the incorporation of a rib between each two of the plurality of double jersey tubular structures. Each of the modulus zones may be different from one another based on their knit structure type and/or their knit loop length.

As such, the flat knit fabric discussed in (a) to (d) above are formed as components of a fully-formed bra which may be completed by combining other knitted fabrics, moulded cups, elastics and the like.

A flat bed or a V-bed knit machine can be used to create flat knitted one piece that can be used as a bra component or as a flat knitted fabric to finish an entire bra by attaching the required trims.

The one piece can be created as a spacer fabric, interlock fabric, tubular fabric or as a combination of a spacer and an interlock (e.g. see).

This fabric may be broadly divided into three different knit modulus zones categorised as bottom band, cup area and the wing portion of a bra/bralette, each of which may carry a combination of double jersey stitch/fabric types. These three broad knit modulus zones can be further divided into fourteen different knit zones (e.g. see). For example, a first zone may be the bottom band, which has six modulus zones (e.g. see), which offers better grip and support to the wearer's body, while a second (cup area) and third (wings) modulus zones may each also further divide into four different knit modulus zones as a result of knit loop length variations.

The adjacent area to the bottom band may or may not carry the same amount of yarn ends or a different number of yarn ends when compared to the wing area on either side of the bra/bralette and the bra cup region.

In an embodiment where the one piece is knitted to shape, the component may carry edge finishing. Depending on the requirements of the desired product, this can be knitted as a semi-shaped knit component where edge finishing may be accomplished by attaching a foldable elastic.