Claims
- 1. A brassiere comprising:
- two breast receiving cups each having an inner edge, an outer edge, and a bottom edge;
- cup framing means peripherally extending about said cups;
- body encircling means affixed laterally outward of said framing means;
- shoulder straps extending upward of said cup framing means;
- said cup framing means comprising:
- a non-stretchable bottom portion connected directly to said bottom edge of a respective cup, and secured at its outer edge to a respective body encircling means;
- a plurality of frame panels of multi-directional stretchable material for each cup extending along the inner and outer edge of said cups; and
- transition means interconnecting said frame panels and the inner and outer edge of said cup for providing a transition between the cup and the multi-directional stretchable frame panels.
- 2. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said transition means includes a non-stretchable open material hingable along axis parallel to the edge of said cup.
- 3. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said transition means includes open material hingable along axis parallel to the edge of said cup.
- 4. The brassiere according to claim 3 wherein said open material is stretchable only along an axis perpendicular to the edge of said cup.
- 5. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said transition means comprises at least one transition panel for each cup, said transition panel of each cup extending below said bottom edge of said cup.
- 6. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said transition means comprises at least one transition panel for each cup wherein said transition panel interconnects said plurality of frame panels.
- 7. The brassiere according to claim 6 wherein said frame panels comprise an inner frame panel and an outer frame panel, said inner and outer frame panels interconnected by said transition panel.
- 8. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of frame panels comprises an inner frame panel extending along the inner edges of said cups and an outer frame panel extending along the outer edges of said cups.
- 9. The brassiere according to claim 8 wherein said inner and outer panel is cut so that the portion adjacent said outer edge of said cup is more readily stretchable along an axis substantially parallel to the outer edge of said cup and the portion adjacent said inner edge of said cup is more readily stretchable along an axis substantially perpendicular to the inner edge of said cup.
- 10. The brassiere according to claim 8 wherein said inner and outer frame panel is narrow adjacent the top portion of the inner and outer edges of said cup to restrict the stretching in these regions to provide support and the portion of said frame panels between the top of the cup and the attachment of the shoulder straps is freely stretchable.
- 11. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said bottom portion extends laterally beyond the inner and outer edges of said cups.
- 12. The brassiere according to claim 1 wherein said bottom portion comprises an underwire extending along the bottom edge of said cup and the lateral edge of said frame panels.
- 13. The brassiere according to claim 12 wherein said bottom portion further comprises a non-stretchable panel extending between the adjacent segments of said underwires.
- 14. The brassiere according to claim 13 wherein said body encircling means are connected to said underwires.
- 15. The brassiere according to claim 1 including means for restricting vertical movement along a vertical medial line between each cup.
- 16. The brassiere comprising:
- two breast receiving cups of substantially non-distensible material, each having an inner edge, an outer edge, and a bottom edge;
- cup framing means peripherally extending about said cups;
- body encircling means affixed laterally outward of said framing means;
- shoulder straps extending upward of said cup framing means;
- a bottom portion of said cup framing means connected to the bottom edge of a respective cup and said bottom portion being non-distensible;
- a base elastic band attached along the bottom edge of said bottom portion and of said body-encompassing means, said bottom panel restricting the distensibility of said base elastic band below said cups;
- a pair of top elastic bands attached along the upper edge of said framing means of each cup and terminating at one end at the area to which the shoulder strap is attached to said framing means;
- a first transition panel connected along the inner and outer edge of a respective cup;
- a plurality of second transition panels connected between said first transition panel and said top elastic bands;
- said first and second transition panels having different distensible characteristics from each other and from said base elastic band and said cup to isolate the cups and the top elastic bands from each other.
- 17. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said first transition panel includes a non-stretchable open material hingable along axes parallel to the edge of said cup.
- 18. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said first transition panel includes open material hingable along axes parallel to the edge of said cup.
- 19. The brassiere according to claim 18 wherein said open material is stretchable only along any axis perpendicular to the edge of said cup.
- 20. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said transition panel extends below said bottom edge of said cup.
- 21. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said first transition panel comprises at least one transition segment to interconnect said plurality of second transition panels.
- 22. The brassiere according to claim 21 wherein said plurality of second transition panels comprises an inner frame panel and an outer frame panel, said inner and outer frame panels interconnected by said at least one transition segment.
- 23. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said plurality of second transition panels comprises an inner frame panel extending along the inner edge of said cups and an outer frame panel extending along the inner edge of said cups and an outer frame panel extending along the outer edge of said cups.
- 24. The brassiere according to claim 23 wherein said second transition panels comprises a plurality of pieces of material cut so that the portion adjacent said outer edge of said cup is more readily stretchable along an axis substantially parallel to the outer edge of said cup and the portion adjacent said inner edge of said cup is more readily stretchable along an axis substantially perpendicular to the inner edge of said cup.
- 25. The brassiere according to claim 23 wherein said plurality of second transition panels are narrow adjacent the top portion of the inner and outer edges of said cup to restrict the stretching in these regions to provide support and the portion of said second transition panels between the top of the cup and the attachment of the shoulder straps is freely stretchable.
- 26. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said bottom portion extends laterally beyond the inner and outer edges of said cups.
- 27. The brassiere according to claim 16 wherein said bottom portion of said framing means comprises an underwire extending along the bottom edge of said first and second transition panels.
- 28. The brassiere according to claim 27 wherein said bottom portion of said framing means further comprises a non-stretchable panel extending between the adjacent segments of said underwires.
- 29. The brassiere according to claim 28 wherein said body encircling means are connected to said underwires.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a continuation-in-part of the patent application filed June 2, 1981, Ser. No. 269,916 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,322.
The present invention relates generally to brassieres and more particularly to a brassiere constructed to increase comfort by individual adjustability while providing support.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,971 issued Oct. 24, 1972 to William C. Hittel et al and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed a brassiere, the cups of which are framed by distensible inner, outer and under bust panels. As discussed in the Hittel patent, the foundation garments have been standardized using a numerical notation for the girth size and an alphabetic notation for the bust cup size. However, it is recognized that both the girth of the female dorsal at the bust and the volumetric capacity of the bust vary or change within each class of standardized size designation as well as varying for a given woman in response to body breathing, movement, and to a certain extent, depending upon the given time of the month with respect to the woman's menstrual cycle.
To accommodate for these variations in girth size and volumetric capacity, the Hittel et al patent provided a three panel frame for the cup with the top inner and outer panels being stretchable. The distensible frame panels of the brassiere permit ease of breathing, movement and advantageously tend to be non-restrictive in the critical anatomical areas, for example, along the outer side edge of the cups which is the area of blood supply to the breasts. The distensibility of the various frame members also dissipates the various forces applied to the garment during the movement of the wearer and particularly the vertical forces which are especially acute along the outer edges during the lifting of the arms. By use of individual panels, the direction of distensibility can be controlled along each edge of the cups by the separate and distinct panels. The inner panels provide stretch along a line traverse to the cup edge with no stretch parallel to the cup edge. The outer panel primarily is stretched along an axis parallel to the edge of the cup.
The inner and outer top panels are seamed together above the top or apex of the cup. This joinder effectively eliminates distensibility at the top edge of the cup and provides support for the cup. Thus the forces that are relieved by the framing elements are transmitted through this non-distensible area to the edge of the cup and cause an acute transition between the cup and the frame.
The elasticity of the frame of some brassieres are not sufficiently controlled and thus do not provide sufficient support for the breasts. Since the weight of the breasts is concentrated along the lower section of the cup, the cup is urged downward. With the cup projecting outward of the body, this downward force is experienced in the lower cup area not only as a vertical downward force but also as a horizontal force across the curvature of the cup. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,818, issued on July 29, 1975 to Jack J. Locascio and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, means are provided to selectively restrict certain areas of the cup frame and through the implementation of the selective restriction provide a construction which enables variation in the shape of the cup perimeter while maintaining the appropriate support. The restriction is produced by adding an overlapping panel to selectively restrict the vertical distensibility of the inner panels as they extend along the upper inner edge of each of the cups and restrict horizontal distensibility of the inner panel between the cups. Although Locascio has provided an improvement in support, the edges of the base of the cup are not isolated from the frame and thus forces applied to the brassiere cause the cups to move and have an acute transition with the frame.
Efforts to isolate the cup from the tensions of the yoke or periphery of the brassiere have included attaching the cup to a multi-directional distensible material. For example, in the West German Offenlegungsschrift 2,438,089 issued Feb. 19, 1976, the cup 6 is surrounded from the front central seam to the back with a single piece of multi-directional stretchable material 3,4. Since the body-encompassing portion or dorsal portion is unitary with the cup framing portion, and the major direction of stretch is selected for expansion horizontally because of the dorsal panel, the appropriate direction of stretch and support along the frame portion of the cup is not provided.
Another attempt to isolate the cup from the framing yoke is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,192,929 to Guberman issued July 6, 1965. Each cup is attached to an inverted U-shape elastic member 11 which is seamed about its periphery to a non-distensible yoke 2. The frame is surrounded on its periphery by non-elastic tapes 4,5 and 6. Although Guberman provides an isolation frame material 11, it required the second non-distensible material or yoke 2 to provide the appropriate support with the non-elastic tapes 4,5 and 6. The dimension and positioning of the framing elements 11, although isolating the cup, does not provide sufficient support as described above. Also, the non-distensible yoke 2 provides a restriction along the upper, inner and outer edges of the breasts which is undesirable as indicated previously.
Thus, it can be seen that the prior art is concerned with optimizing support and comfort and has continued to desiqn brassieres for different segments of users which stress one of these over the other.
An object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere which provides finer balance of support and comfort than prior art brassieres.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere with a frame which isolates the cups from each other to allow individual adjustability while providing support.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an adaptable brassiere which allows each cup to separately fit the wearer and adjust naturally to cyclic anatomical variations.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere which provides support while allowing each cup to individually fit the wearers having different amounts of separation between breasts.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere having a cup frame which isolates the cup from the peripheral yoke while providing appropriate support for the cup.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a support frame for a substantially non-distensible brassiere cup which provides support as well as isolation.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by providing a non-distensible bottom frame portion connected to the bottom of the cup to restrict vertical and horizontal movement of the bottom of the cup and a plurality of multi-directional stretchable frame panels along the inner and outer top sides of the cup and connected thereto by a narrow transition panel. The frame panels may be cut to provide a maximum stretch along the outer edge of the cup, maximum stretch traverse to the inner edge of the cup, and maximum multi-directional stretch in the area above the top of the cup. The transition panel has an open pattern and is hingable about an axis parallel to the edge of the cup. The distensible frame panels and the transition panel isolate the cup from the top elastic bands or yoke which run along the outer edge of the frame panel. The bottom frame portion may include non-distensible panels by themselves or in combination with an underwire.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
US Referenced Citations (3)
| Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
|
1882023 |
Malnick |
Oct 1932 |
|
|
3699971 |
Hittel et al. |
Oct 1974 |
|
|
4372322 |
Stern et al. |
Feb 1983 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
269916 |
Jun 1981 |
|
Patent Grant
4444192
