Wis. Creator of Pocket Bra Claims Patent Infringement

A Wisconsin woman who created a bra with pockets for carrying small objects is suing another woman who had the same idea.

Tammy Pintor owns TJ Secret in Menomonee Falls. She has a patent for a brassiere that holds and conceals electronic devices, cosmetics, money or other items. Pintor sent a cease-and-desist letter to Leslie Van Dorf of Nashotah after learning about her launch of a company called Purse-Les. Van Dorf says she ignored the letter. Pintor followed up with a federal patent infringement lawsuit filed in Milwaukee.

Van Dorf says her Purse-Les sport top and tank with pockets doesn’t come close to infringing on Pintor’s patent. Van Dorf tells the Journal Sentinel she created a top, not a bra.