Oh, patents - Lululemon criss-cross back tank top

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

This strappy, Lululemon, criss-cross back tank top, with a built-in bra, is a patented design. The US design patent, USD791438S, titled Tank top, was granted on July 11th 2017. The patent was awarded to Brenda Marie Holmes, and assigned to Lululemon Athletica Canada, Inc. The design was launched in February 2012 as a flattering women’s workout piece, which is now out of stock.

The patent Figure 2 below depicts a rear view of the design, with the strappy criss-cross back and built-in bra. An image of a model wearing the marketed strappy, criss-cross tank top is shown below the patent figure.

References
Lululemon – Corporate.
https://corporate.lululemon.com/our-business 
Lululemon
https://shop.lululemon.com

Oh, patents! Lululemon Define jacket

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The timeless Lululemon Define jacket, is a super formfitting, hip-length, casual jacket with thumbhole cuffs to keep your hands warm. The zipper is also equipped with a “garage” to prevent neck chaffing. Accordingly, such special design features of the Lulumenon Define jacket are patented. 

The US design patent, USD639023S, titled Jacket, was granted on June 7^th 2011, to Antonia Amartino and  Natalie Martz. The patent was assigned to Lululemon Athletica Canada, Inc., in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

The patent Figure1 depicts a front view of the Lululemon Define jacket, with zipper garage, folded thumbcuffs, and form-fitting seams across the garment and lengthwise. Below the patent Figure 1, an image of the marketed Define jacket in the color demim blue.

References

Lululemon – Corporate.

https://corporate.lululemon.com/our-business

Lululemon

https://shop.lululemon.com

Oh, patents! Lululemon shorts

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Lululemon, short for Lululemon Athletica Canada Inc., is a Canadian athleisure, healthy lifestyle, apparel company, headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company has a large (>350) portfolio of US garment patents, both design and utility.

The US design patent, USD711626S, titled Shorts, was granted on August 26, 2014, to Shannon Savage, and assigned to Lululemon Athletica Canada Inc. A US design patent covers the ornamental aspects of an invention, or how the invention looks. In contrast, a US utility patent covers how an invention works, or is manufactured.

The patent Figure 7 below depicts a rear view of the shorts. Specifically, the Figure 7 depicts the Lululemon iconic zippered back pocket, the curved rear shape of the shorts, designed both to hug your body and to keep the garment’s shape. The Lululemon registered trademark logo, appearing on the lower left side, also forms part of the claimed design. An image of a peach-colored marketed product is included beneath the patent Figure 7. The Lululemon logo appears above.

References
Lululemon – Corporate
https://corporate.lululemon.com/our-business
Lululemon
https://shop.lululemon.com

Oh, patents! Sheertex indestructible pantyhose

Copyright© Françoise Herrmann

Ladies! If you have been dreaming of indestructible pantyhose, try Sheertex (originally called Sheerlu Genius)! They are made from the same fibers as bulletproof vests, guaranteed run-and pile-resistant. The only catch is that Sheertex will be resuming orders on September 1, 2019, after a new production cycle. The company completely sold out of its stock.

Katherine Homuth (Hague), the Founder and CEO of Sheertex, and inventor of the Sheerly Genius pantyhose is both thankful for the business, and quite astonished that such run, tear and pile resistant pantyhose were not invented any earlier.

Listed by Time Magazine as one of the 50 best inventions in 2018, the Sheertex pantyhose invention is disclosed in the patent application US20180368483A1 titled Rip resistant, non-pilling fine knit garments. A patent application which also presents an extensive list of definitions [0027-0047], so that the terms used to describe the invention do not invoke legal ambiguities or confusion with the more widely understood meanings of certain terms. For example, the term "non-additive", defined in paragraph [0044], in reference to coloring or dying processes, implies a process that does not change the total apparent or non-apparent Denier of the fiber. Similarly, the term "sheer" is defined in paragraph [0027], according to industry standards, as a knit with an appearance that is 30 Denier or less. The distinction between "apparent Denier" and Denier is also explicitly defined as "the total denier of visible fibers used in the knit" [0042], excluding the clear fibers, considered non-apparent within the context of the invention.

The Sheertex invention arises in a prior art situation where Denier, the measurement of the linear mass density of fibers per of 9000 meters of fiber is traditionally inversely correlated with the sheerness of a knitted garment (e.g.; hosiery). Sheerness is a measure of how much light can travel through a  garment. Thus, the higher the density of the fiber the less light can pass through. For hosiery, sheerness is also associated with low tensile strength or resistance to tearing (i.e.; the maximum amount of stress before a garment loses its elasticity). Thus, low Denier (between 1 and 30) is associated with sheerness (a high amount of light passing through the hosiery), resulting in a fragile garment considered disposable. Denier between 31 and 100 is semi-opaque hosiery with little light passing through, and above 100 Denier is no light passing through and completely opaque hosiery, resulting in relatively more resistant hosiery.

In response to the prior art, the Sheertex invention offers a product that is sheer, elastic and high tear-resistant, using an UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) fiber, in combination with a clear Spandex (i.e. elastic) fiber. The clear Spandex fiber makes it possible to produce 32 Denier hosiery with the appearance of 30 Denier. The combination of fibers also has increased moisture-wicking and anti-microbial properties, and it is possible to obtain hosiery of different colors using a non-additive process. 

Finally, the invention pantyhose also have “abrasion pads” knitted in areas of high friction such as heels and thighs to prevent the appearance of “bald spots”. Pantyhose bald spots are those areas where the knit thins out and loses elasticity, due to wear of the less resistant clear Spandex fiber, relative to the indestructible (bulletproof) UHMWPE fiber.

For pantyhose stuffed and dragged on asphalt behind a car to mimic a fall, wearing pantyhose, as part of a variety of Gizmodo-organized testing, performed independently of Sheertex, the Sheertex pantyhose were found destructible. However, in comparison to regular pantyhose which are destroyed on impact, Sheertex pantyhose were definitely found “a helluva lot” more resistant (Song, 2019).

Thus, ballistic-fiber Sheertex pantyhose finally fulfill the dreams of many women for pantyhose that are both sheer and highly resistant to tearing, wear, rip and run, even if it comes at the higher price of $99.

Included below, the abstract of the Sheertex pantyhose invention, together with the patent application Figure 1 drawing. The Figure 1 drawing shows an exemplary embodiment of the invention tights 10, front and back, including abrasion pads on heels 60 and thighs 62.

The present invention relates to knits that can be used to make rip - resistant sheer hosiery or similar garments, using a specific combination of UHMWPE fiber and stretch fiber, such as spandex. The knit has rip - resistant and anti - microbial properties. Details are provided to avoid problems with pilling and the appearance of bald spots during use. A variation of the knit is useful for activewear. [Abstract US20180368483A1]

References

Sheertex

https://sheertex.com/

Song V. (2-26-2019) We destroyed the 'Unbreakable' pantyhose, but they still beat every other kind

https://gizmodo.com/we-destroyed-the-unbreakable-pantyhose-but-they-still-1832734259

The 50 best inventions in 2018
https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2018/