Bath & Body Works has been granted a patent for a bra cup design that includes an inner layer facing the wearer’s breast, an outer layer facing away from the wearer, and a thin polymer web on the outer face of the inner layer. The patent also covers the method of manufacturing the bra cup. GlobalData’s report on Bath & Body Works gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Bath & Body Works, Nanoemulsion cosmetics was a key innovation area identified from patents. Bath & Body Works's grant share as of September 2023 was 86%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Patent granted for a bra cup with a thin polymer web
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11771144B1) describes a new design for a bra cup that aims to improve comfort and support for wearers. The bra cup consists of an inner layer of material that faces the wearer's breast, an outer layer of material that faces away from the wearer, and a thin polymer web that is placed on the outer face of the inner layer.
The thin polymer web is made up of interconnected geometrical shapes formed by a plurality of line segments. The majority of these line segments have a width ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, with a specific width of about 1.0 mm being preferred. Additionally, a majority of the geometrical shapes formed by the line segments are triangles.
The thin polymer web is made using an aqueous polyurethane dispersion, which includes a prepolymer consisting of a glycol, an isocyanate, and a diol compound. This web can be applied to the entire outer face of the inner layer of material or only to specific portions that lie adjacent to the underside or laterally outer part of the wearer's breast.
The patent also describes a bra that incorporates these bra cups. The bra includes first and second bra cups, each consisting of a mesh layer facing the wearer's breast and a lace layer facing away from the wearer. The thin polymer web is applied to either the outer face of the mesh layer or the inner face of the lace layer of each bra cup.
The method of manufacturing the bra cup involves providing the inner and outer layers of material, applying the thin polymer web to the outer face of the inner layer, and then coupling the two layers together. The thin polymer web can be applied using screen printing with the aqueous polyurethane dispersion, followed by air drying and heat pressing or oven curing. The layered inner and outer layers of material are then placed in a mold and molded together.
Overall, this patent presents a new design for a bra cup that incorporates a thin polymer web to enhance comfort and support for wearers. The use of interconnected geometrical shapes and an aqueous polyurethane dispersion in the web adds structural integrity to the cup. The method of manufacturing ensures proper application and integration of the web into the bra cup design.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
