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.
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.
Looking at
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 (
As illustrated in
As shown in
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.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110300774 A1 | Dec 2011 | US |