BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to contouring support bras providing reinforced elastic, self-adjusting support to a woman's breast conforming to the inframammary skinfold curve of her breasts, and a technique for fabricating bras to provide such support.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Support bras typically utilize underwire support structures located beneath the inframammary skinfold of the breasts at the juncture of women's breasts and her front thoracic torso to shape and support the breasts. [See patents in U.S. Class 450/39-43, 93 & 143.]
Alternatives to underwire support structures include, thin, flat, inelastic, flexible shaping or support panels of stable plastic or polyester materials incorporated, and bonded between fabric layers of the bra extending up from the torso band of the bra encircling the woman's thoracic torso below the inframammary skinfold to define or shape women's breasts. [See patents in U.S. Class 450/30-39.]
However, women's breasts have a myriad of different, unique shapes and inframammary skinfold curves that change with age, pregnancy, lactation, and surgical intervention. Women who desire or require contouring support for their breasts are perpetually searching (shopping) for support bras that are comfortable, and provide a natural alluring shape to their breasts without distorting their inframammary skinfold breast curves. This problem is compounded for pregnant and nursing women because of fluctuating breast volume. In short, existing contouring support bras with inelastic underwire and plastic support structures do not adequately or comfortably support breasts of many women, and, in particular pregnant and nursing women.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A contouring support bra made from soft stretchable cotton knit and light, and power-net support fabrics particularly suited for pregnant and nursing women comfortably provides an alluring, lifted tear drop breast shape with full coverage self-adjusting cups that accommodates breast size fluctuations with bias-cut fabrics that contour easily to expanding breast size and shape, and reinforced elastic breast casing seams that elastically conform to and provide support along the inframammary skinfold curve of each breast analogous to that provided by properly-fitted traditional underwire bra structures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a line drawing of a side perspective view of the wireless contouring support bra on a manikin form illustrating continuation of the stretchable elastic bands sewn to, finishing the upper sides of each fabric breast cup, the topside, end of the front fabric panels and the upper edges of the back fabric panels of the bra.
FIG. 2 is a line drawing illustrating how to the base of a fabric breast cup is attach to a stretchable front, power-net fabric panel of the bra.
FIG. 3 is a line drawing illustrating caseing seams securing the base of the fabric breast cups to the power-net fabric front panels, the various seams joining the power-net front panels, the power-net back panels and the elastic torso band of the bra together.
FIGS. 4 & 5 are line drawings illustrating how elastic fabric bands are folded over covering the over-locking stitch seams joining the breast cup and bra front panels then sewn using a zigzag and/or stretch stitch to form the reinforced elastic, contouring, breast casing seams of the bra.
FIG. 6 is a line drawing illustrating a front view of the wireless contouring support bra on a manikin form with stretchable elastic bands sewn to, finishing the upper or top sections of each fabric breast cup attaching to shoulder straps of the bra forming an expandable surface that conforms to the upper poles of the breasts.
FIG. 7 is a perspective line drawing illustrating a back or rear view of the wireless contouring support bra presented as if encircling a woman, showing the stretchable elastic bands sewn to, finishing the upper edges of the back fabric panels of the bra between the shoulder support straps and the hook-and-eye fastener panels secured at the distal ends of the elastic torso band and back fabric panels of the bra.
FIG. 8 presents an image of a wireless contouring support bra with a single front panel with self-adjusting, reinforced elastic casing seams that conform the breast cup to the inframammary curve of a manikin form.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Looking at FIGS. 1-8, the essential elements of the invented wireless contouring support bra are an elastic, power-net fabric bra front panel(s) 12 with a straight bottom edge and symmetrical right and left semicircular top edges each stretched to match and joined with a circumferentially longer bottom semicircular edge of soft knit fabric breast cups 11 by an over-locking stitch serger seam 14 reinforced with elastic strips 15 folded-over and secured to the serger seam 14 with zigzag and/or stretch stitching (FIG. 5) for providing an exterior, contouring elastic breast casing seams 13 that elastically conform to, and provides support along the inframammary skinfold curves at the juncture of a woman's breasts and her thoracic torso. (See FIG. 1)
The exterior, contouring, elastic breast casing seams 13 of the bra are fabricated by stretching the upper semicircular top edges of the power-net elastic fabric bra front panels 12 to match the circumferentially longer bottom edge of the breast cups 11 and then joining them together with a serger over-locking stitch creating an exterior seam 14 that elastically expands and contracts. Unstretched reinforcing elastic strips 15 are then folded over and securing to the respective contracted exterior over-locking stitch seams 14 of the bra using zigzag and/or stretch stitching. The exterior breast casing seams 13 are then folded down and secured along the outside, upper circumferential side edges of the respective breast cups 11 and attached with a stretch stitch to provide support conforming to the side surfaces of the breasts curving from the upper poles of the breasts to inframammary skinfold.
The invented wireless contouring support bra is conventionally finished with elastic support seams 16 joining slightly stretched elastic bands 17 to the exterior surface along the remaining cut upper front and side edges of the breast cups 11, and the top and bottom edges power-net fabric front and back panels 12 & 18 of the bra with a stretch stitch, then folded over along the respective edges and sewn to the inside surfaces of the breast cups 11 and power-net fabric front and back panels 12 & 18 of the bra with zigzag and/or stretch stitching. Shoulder strap anchor tabs 19 are sewn to the top of the respective breast cups 11 (FIGS. 1 & 6) and to appropriated located top, seamed edges of the power-net fabric back panels 18 of the bra (FIG. 7). Alternatively, adjustable shoulder straps can be sewn to directly to the tops of the finished bra cups and/or to the bra back shoulder strap anchor tabs.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, the front and back panels 12 & 18 of the bra are made from multiple power-net fabric panels with front panels 12 folded and joined by a central or sternum faggoting stitch 20 to provide double layer front panels secured to separate single layer power-net fabric back panels 18 with flat stretch stitched seams 21. A stabilizing elastic torso band 22 is secured by conventional flat stretch stitch seams to the bottom edges of the respective front and back bra panels. Conventional hook-and-eye adjustable fastener panels are 23 & 24 are attached at the distal ends of the torso band for securing the bra around the woman's thoracic torso.
As shown in FIG. 8, the front and back panels 12 & 18 of the invented wireless contouring support bra may also be formed from a single piece of one or two layers of power-net fabric finished with reinforced top, end, and a bottom elastic support seams 16 instead of a torso band as described above with conventional adjustable fasteners for securing the bra around a woman's thoracic torso across the back.
The invented wireless contouring support bra may also be constructed with conventional front or sternum hook-and-eye closure panels for allowing easy nursing access.