US2663872A - Brassiere - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29, 1953 G. L. DIEBOLD BRASSIERE Filed Dec: 1, 1950 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED srArss arr ()FFlCE poration of Delaware Application rit'eati 1, 1950, Serial N6. 198,641

This invention relates generally to articles of feminine apparel and more particularly to ano'v'el" type of breast support or brassiere.

Brassiere constructions as heretofore known have been characterized for the most part by the provision of a pair of breast pockets offabric or the like adapted to receive-and cover the breasts and to support the same. In general, such prior art constructions have been based on the principle of causing the breasts to fit into and con form to the predetermined shape of the breast, pockets in order to obtain either the desired breast contour or the necessary support or both; However, due to variations in breast size, shape and contour from one" woman to another and even as'between the breasts of one woman' suc'h constructions have been incapableof uniformlysatisfactory support" and proper fit; Bra'ssieres" have been provided in different sizes and shapes" as pted solution but such-fixed grad a tion of size and shape was still no answer tUthe' problem becauseof the virtual impossibility of accommodating all sizes and; shapes within and between thefixed range: Moreover, in thepref-" viously known brassieres the lifting forcesof" the" shoulder straps have not been"utilized tobest advantage,-such forces being distributed gener allythroughout the brassiere body so that 111* many instances excessive and uncomfortable tighteningof the-straps has beennecessary in order to obtain the desired support;

I-have found thatmore satisfactory results" can be realized by means-of a brassierefconstruction operating on an entirely different'principlewhich permits 1 the breast-supporting portions" thereof to conform-automatically to thesizeand shape of the breasts while at the same timeproviding the desired degree of support: A bras si-ere construction based on this latter concept; has the advantages of greater comfort'for the wearer and more natural support of the breasts without excessive binding or' restriction and hence has'a'wider range of application and use." Such construction, which comprises the essential feature of my invention, takes into consideration and provides for the variation in size and shape which is known to exist between the breasts-ofa single individual. In addition, by means of the present invention the forces exerted by the shoulder straps are transmitteddirectly to and are concentrated directly on the breast-supportingselementswhereby to permitmore" effective and more comfortable adjustment of the straps.-

Accordingly, a primary-object of thepresent invention is to provideanov l' and improved" 3 Claims. (01. 2 42) 2 brassiereconstruction based on the principleof permitting the brassiere to conformautornati} cally to a substantial extent to the size and shape of the wearers breasts, whereby to support and cover the same properly and comfortably.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel type of brassiere having means for individually supporting the breasts which, at the same time automatically conforms to a substa'n tial extent to the size and shape of the wearers breasts. V V

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel brassiere construction in which the breast-supporting portion can assume indepen'd} ently different sizes and shapes whereby to accommodate variations in size and shape between the breasts of an individual wearer. V

An additional object of the invention to provide a novel brassiere construction in which the forces of the shoulder straps are transmitted directly and effectively to the breast-engaging portions of the brassiere. I 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent de-' tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein: I Fig. 1" is'a perspective view of a brassiere embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational View of the inside of-a portion of the 'b-rassiere on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Y Fig. 4 is a plan view of one element of the. brassicre showing the shape thereof prior to assembly in the complete brassiere construction.

Referring now to the drawing, the brassiere shown therein as one specific embodiment of my invention comprises a pair of breast-receiving cups or pockets, indicated generallyat H, which, may be of fabric or like material. The pockets i it any suitable manner, in the present instance each pocket is shown, by way of example, as being formed from upper and may be constructed in lower fabric pieces or sections i2 and :3, respec'{ tively, which are" stitched together, as at is,

along a generally horizontal center line in order? to provide the desired curved contour. Each of the pockets H is also provided at the inside thereof with an internalbreast-engaging sling,

indicated generally at It; which constitutes the principle feature of my invention as hereinafter described in'detail. The breast poc'kets'll are connected together in spaced relation by means of a'triangular insert "H which mayalsdbe of substantially non-stretchable fabric,

3 fabric and which is attached by suitable stitch ing along its side edges to the inner edge portions of the pockets ll.

A pair of elongated fabric body portions or sides l8 are stitched to the outer edges of the breast pockets ii for encircling the body of the wearer and are adapted to be detachably connected at the rear of the article by conventional means not shown. A pair of shoulder straps is are secured to the body portions It at the rear of the bra-ssiere and are adjustably connected to the tops of the breast pockets H at the front of the article by means of a pair of friction clips or retainers M of the usual type- Eorr'etaining the breast pockets H firmly againstuthe \vearers body and for facilitating the supporting effect of the pockets, a band 22 of elastic material is provided below each of the pockets H and is stitched at its opposite ends to the centerinsert l1 and to the adjacent end of the corresponding body portion IS. The bands 22 may be loosely connected along their upper longitudinal edges to the adjacent lower edges of the pockets ii by suitable means such as the loose mesh stitching indicated at 23.

As pointed out above, the prior art brassieres have for the most part been constructed with breast pockets of predetermined size and shape into which the breasts of the wearer must fit without any provision for accommodating the breast-supporting portions of the brassiere to the size and shape of the breasts of the particular wearer. However, by means of the breast-enga ing elements or slings it) of my device, I am able to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art constructions by providing for automatic conformity or self-adjustment of the breastengaging portions of the brassire whereby to permit such portions to conform to a substantial degree to the size and shape of the individuals breasts.

Broadly speaking, the slings 16 comprise generally cup-like or annular members disposed at the inside of the breast pockets H and adapted to encircle the breasts in supporting relation whereby to provide the necessary breast support substantially independently of the outermost breast pockets. An important feature of the sling construction is that the bottom portion thereof which engages the underside of the breast is substantially non-stretchable and is secured at its ends to the body of the brassire whereby to insure firm support and uplift below the breast. An equally important feature of the sling construction is that each sling is attached to its corresponding breast pocket only at spaced peripheral points so that the major portions of the sling are absolutely free and unattached whereby to permit automatic adjustment thereof to conform to the size and shape of the breast. Although the entire sling may be formed from a in the preferred embodiment of the invention, as described below, the side and top portions of the sling are made of elastic material to provide a yielding or self-expanding effect thereby further facilitating the automatic conformation of the sling to the breast contour.

It will be apparent that each sling it can be formed as a one-piece unit or, if desired, may be constructed from a plurality of pieces of different or like material. However, I have found that a particularly convenient and economical construction is obtained by means of a one-piece construction utilizing elastic material. Consequently, I have selected this latter form of my invention for purposes of illustration in the drawing, but it will be understood that the broad principles of the invention may be embodied in different constructions as suggested above.

As shown in the drawing, each of the breastengaging elements or slings i5 is formed from a single piece of elastic material which, prior to assembly in the completed brassiere, has the configuration indicated generally in Fig. l wherein one of the slings i8 is illustrated in flattened-out and unattached condition. The elastic material from which the slings iii are formed is preferably of the type having stretchability in substantially only one direction. Thus, it will be seen from Fig. 4 by the direction of the elastic threads that the section of elastic as viewed therein is stretchable only in a generally vertical direction and not in ahorizontal direction. It is also possible to utilize a two-way stretch elastic material for the slings it, but it willbe seen hereinafter that certain important advantages may be realized by the use of the one-way stretch material. Moreover, as hereinbefore pointed out, it is also within the scope of my invention to make the entire sling out of non-elastic material so that the sling is substantially non-stretchable throughout.

'As seen in Fig. 4, the section of elastic. material constituting one of the slings l6 has a generally U-shaped configuration wherein th base or bottom portion is designated by the reference numeral 24 and the legs or side portions of the section are indicated at 26 and 21. The outer ends of the side portions 26 and 2? are provided with straight end edges, as at 28, which are adapted to abut when the sling is secured within a breast pocket. The ends of the side portions 26 and 2i may also be formed with a pair of slanting end edges, as at 29, in order to facilitate the attachment of the sling to the breast pocket.

The lower corners of each of the elastic sections comprising the slings 16 are preferably cut at an angle or truncated, as at 3|, for a similar purpose.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that each section of elastic material is assembled by pulling together the sides or legs 25 and zl' until the end edges 28 are in abutment and then stitching the ends together, as at 3 2, to

define a cup-like or annular member having a substantially circular central opening 33. Each of the slings I6 is then secured atthe inside of one of the breast pockets H by stitching the end edges 29 to the upper edge of the pocket It and by stitching the truncated corner edges 3i to the brassiere along the junctures of the breast pocket ii with the adjacent body portion iii and the center insert 11. The manner of this attachment will be quite clear from Fig. 2 of the drawing.

With the slings secured in this manner atthe inside of the breast pockets, it will be seen from Fig. 3 that each sling I6 is disposed in breastengaging and supporting position within its pocket H with the central opening 33 of the sling being spaced rearwardly from the front of the breast pocket ll. Thus, the sling I6 is adapted to engage and encircle the breast with the forward portion of the breast extending through the opening 33 into the space defined between the opening 33 and the front of the breast pocket ll.

feature of my construction resides in the fact that ach sling I6 is securedto the brassire. by attachment at only. three spaced points, namely, at the. top and at the opposite sides. .Thus, the bottom portion 24 and th side portions 26,,and 27 of the sling are absolutely free and unattached between the aforementioned three spaced points of attachment. This will be apparent from Fig. 3 wherein an intermediate point of the bottom portion 24 is shown to be free and slightly spaced from the outermost fabric section It of the breast pocket II. The side portions 26 and 21 are similarly disposed in free and unattached condition intermediate the attached ends thereof.

As a result of the three-point attachment of the sling It in the manner just described and as a result also of the stretchability of the elastic material comprising the slings IE, it will be readily seen tht when the device is in use the slings it will snugly engag and encircle the wearers breasts while at the same time expanding or stretching slightly in one direction or another in order to accommodate themselves to the size and shape of the breasts. With a oneway stretch elastic material as illustrated in the drawing, it will be understood that the side portions 25 and 2'! of the sling l6 are stretchable longitudinally thereof to provide substantial conformation of the slings to the breast at the top and sides thereof, while the bottom portion 24 is substantially non-stretchable longitudinally thereof. As a result of this lack of expansion or stretchability at the bottom of the slings [6, very effective support is given to the under sides of the breasts where such support is most vital and the expansible or self-conforming characteristics of the slings is confined for the most part to the portions 26 and 2! which extend around the sides and over the tops of the breasts. Consequently, by the use of a one-way stretch elastic material in the manner shown, I am able to realize all the benefits and advantages of permitting the breast-engaging elements to accommodate themselves to the size and shape of the breasts while at the same time obtaining completely effective breast support. Moreover, it will be apparent that the use of unitary sections of elastic for forming the slings results in a very simpl and highly economical construction.

The three-point attachment of the slings I6 at the top and sides thereof serves to hold the slings in open breast-supporting position and also to prevent collapse or sagging thereof. Thus, the bottom portions 24 being substantially nonstretchable longitudinally thereof and being firmly attached at their ends to the body of the brassire, there is no tendency toward undesirable sagging of the slings l6 and consequent elongation of the breasts. In addition to the importance of the spaced point attachment of the slings IE, it will also be understood that the free and unattached condition of the portions 24, 26, and 21 of the slings between their points of attachment to the brassiere body is also very important in order to permit the unattached portions of the slings to stretch automatically and conform readily without restriction to the size and shape of the wearers breast.

In order to supplement the effect of the bottom portions Z 'l of the slings in preventing sagging or elongation of the breasts, I prefer to secure the front ends of the shoulder straps is directly to the top portions of the slings l6 as well as to the top of the breast pockets ii. To this end I secure a pair of small loop portions 34 (Fig.

rcctly by the shoulder straps. It will be seen that when the straps is are tightened the slings [6 connected directly thereto will be pulled into snug supporting engagement with the wearers breasts. Moreover, when the shoulder straps are adjusted by the wearer, the adjusting forces are applied primarily to the slings it rather than being distributed throughout the brassire so that the wearer may more readily achieve the position thereof giving most support and comfort without excessive tightening of the straps.

It will be understood that with my brassiere construction, the major breast-supporting effect is contributed by the slings is which are in direct engagement with the breasts. The breast pockets l I serve as an outermost covering for the breasts but at the same time the pockets I! will also contribute a reinforcing and supporting effect on the breasts inasmuch as in actual use the slings iii will expand slightly and engage the inner surfaces of the fabric sections !2 and 13 comprising the breast pockets ll.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific structural embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as described by appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a brassire having a pair of breast pockets, means for independently supporting the breasts and conforming to a substantial extent to the size and shape thereof, said means comprising a pair of self-adjusting annular breastengaging members disposed at the inside of the breast pockets and adapted to extend circumferentially completely around the breasts of the wearer in breast-conforming relation, said members each being securely fastened to its corresponding breast pocket at three spaced points adjacent the top and opposite side edges thereof whereby the remaining unattached portions of said members are free to move and conform to the size and shape of the wearers breasts and whereby said members are retained in open breast-suppcrting position during use without collapse and sagging thereof and said members having substantial resistance to stretching in a generally horizontal direction at the bottom portions thereof whereby to provide a firm support below the breasts and being readily stretchable in a generally vertical direction at the side portions thereof to conform to a substantial extent to the size and shape of the breasts.

2. In a brassire having a pair of breast pockets, means for independently supporting the breasts and conforming to a substantial extent to the size and shape thereof, said means comprising a pair of breast-engaging slings secured to the inside of the breast pockets, said slings being adapted to encircle completely the wearers breasts in uninterrupted supporting relation therewith and being fastened to the breast pockets at a plurality of spaced points adjacent the top and opposite side edges of the slings Whereby to provide unattached portions in said slings intermediate said spaced points of attachment for free yielding expansion and self-conformity, and each of said slings being substantially nonstretchable in a generally horizontal direction at the bottom portion thereof and being stretchable in a generally vertical direction at the side portions thereof whereby to conform to a substantial extent to the size and shape of the wearers breasts while at the same time providing effective support below the breasts.

3. In a brassiere having a pair of breast pockets, means for independently supporting the breasts and conforming to a substantial extent to the size and shape thereof, said means comprising a pair oi elastic breast-engaging members'secured to the inside of the breast pockets, said members each being formed from a generally U- shaped section of one-way stretch elastic material having an elongated bottom portion and elongated outwardly extending side portions, said side portions being secured together at the top of the member to define a cup-like sling having a central opening and said sling being fastened at spaced points adjacent its top and side edges at the inside of the corresponding breast pocket, said sling 'being adapted to encircle the wearer's breast with the unattached portions of said sling intermediate the points of attachment being free for yielding expansion and self-conformity, and the one-way stretch elastic material of which the sling is formed-being so arranged that the bottom portion of thesling is substantially nonstretchable longitudinally thereof whereby to provide firm support below the breast and the side portions of the sling" are stretchable longitudinally thereof whereby to conform to a substantial extent to the size and shape of the wearers breasts.

GEORGE L. DIEBOLD.

attest-bees Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,175,676 Walters Oct. 10,1939 2,362,974 Cohen Nov. 21, 1944 2,470,847 -Gluckin May 24, 1949 2,485,313 Rabinowitz Oct. 18, 1949 2,497,324 Schenkman Feb. 14, 1950 2,501,860 Becker Mar. 28, 1950 2,506,172 Plehn 1 May 2, 1950 2,508,037 La Roe May 16, 1950

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