US20110081827A1

US20110081827A1 - Gravity Bra

Info

Publication number: US20110081827A1
Application number: US12/573,115
Authority: US
Inventors: R. A. Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-03
Filing date: 2009-10-03
Publication date: 2011-04-07

Abstract

The Gravity Bra is a suspension-based bra design that provides adjustable, comfortable support for large breasted women through a unique diagonal strap mechanism. The adjustable strap passes along the outside and beneath the user's breasts, sliding freely in a sleeve attached to the bra cup, continuing upward diagonally and crossing unattached in the center, attaching to the strap at a user configurable point above the opposite breast. Thus, the force generated by gravity's effect on each breast creates support for the other breast. The larger the breasts, the more support they provide to one another. The distance between the cups is user adjustable and the bra moves with the user without sacrificing support.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to clothing, specifically a garment known as a brassiere or “bra”, to support the breasts of the user.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many bra designs exist. Their purpose is to support the breasts and keep them from excessive movement, however they provide cosmetic advantage. Some bras are designed specifically for large-breasted women who require more support. Support mechanism for such bras are based on either constriction or suspension. However, no bra currently available on the market provides comfort, support, convenience, and adjustability. This section will provide representative samples of the different kinds of existing support mechanisms. Each paragraph will describe a design regarded as state-of-the-art and explain why each is inadequate.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,542,881, by Ernestine P. Ries, Feb. 20, 1951. This is a constriction design. The cups in this bra design are attached to a cord or neck band plus a wraparound waist band. But the straps do not provide support to the breasts. They simply attach the cups to the body. Support is provided by constricting the user's breasts against her body, with the placement and shape of the breasts dictated by the placement and shape of the cup. The cups are sewn together and their position relative to one another cannot be changed to accommodate users with wider or narrower breast placement. The assumption seems to be that all women, regardless of age or body type, are proportioned identically simply because their rib circumference and breast size are the same.
The fixed position imposed by the cord in the Ries design is very restrictive to the user unless the straps have an elastic component, at which point the design loses what little support it possesses. Thus the implementation of the Ries design is a constant tradeoff between support and flexibility. The Gravity Bra permits both while sacrificing neither.
2005/0255790 A1, by Michelle Cassity, Nov. 17, 2005. This backless bra is not a constriction based design but a suspension based design. The breast support comes directly from the strap instead of from the binding of the breasts to the body. This therefore provides more mobility than the Ries design or any other constriction based bra. Unfortunately, no cup is provided to contain the forward spillover of the breast or to control the prominence of the nipple. Even if the design is superimposed onto a cup of some kind, breasts will move independently of one another and will therefore bounce and move from side to side in a distracting and potentially painful way. Although users will not be constrained by design to any fixed distance between cups, they will likewise not be able to control the distance. The position of their breasts will therefore follow the dictates of nature, which seldom aligns well with garment seams. The Gravity Bra, by contrast, permits the user full control over the lateral cup position.
The variation of the Cassity design in which the breasts are not supported by independent loop but by a single loop beneath both breasts compresses the breasts together in a way that enhances the size of small breasts. But this technique is inadequate for large breasts, which will be squeezed together until they lose their shape. Large breasts require separate support for each breast, with some means for supporting the inside of the breast. The Gravity Bra provides uniform support to both sides of each breast, as well as to the bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,834, by Michael D. Murray, Oct. 26, 1999. This is an adjustable underwire support bra designed for larger breasted women. The user can create a customized fit by independently adjusting inner and outer support straps. Unfortunately, as with all underwire bras, a curved piece of wire or plastic supports the portion of the breast immediately above it. Since the underwire is next to the body, only the portion of the breast next to the body receives any support from the underwire. The rest of the breast simply flops over the top of the wire, restrained to some extent by the cup. The underwire cannot be considered as anything but a means for providing cup shape. The Gravity Bra, by contrast, provides uniform support to the bottom and sides of the breast.
Cup spillover is a problem with all underwire bra designs because women's breast sizes vary due to lactation or water retention. If the bra cup becomes too small, mammary tissue will either droop below the underwire so as to cause bruising along the bottom of the breast, or overflow the sides of the underwire, causing chafing or blisters, or pop up above or to the side of the cups, creating cup spillover and the appearance of an extra set of breasts in the underarm or cleavage area. All these conditions are painful both to the user of the bra and to any viewer. The Gravity Bra design prevents cup spillover by providing a means to adjust the cup position and orientation.
In the Murray design, the cup orientation is maintained by the underwire and a variety of plastic, metal, or similarly rigid pieces of adjustment hardware. When pressed into the flesh by the weight of large breasts, these sharp-cornered, rigid bits of material will leave nasty red welts at the end of the day. The fixed cup distance also causes the shoulder straps to slip off the user's shoulder. The Gravity Bra has no sharp edges and there are no shoulder slipover issues.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,544, by Flanagan et al., Apr. 22, 1986. This is a sports bra. Its constriction design flattens the user's breasts against her body so as to more easily trap sweat between and beneath them next to the skin For a large-breasted woman, the amount of force needed to keep the breasts thus contained is such that the sports bra must be very tight. It is very difficult to don or remove such a garment, and a user with a shoulder injury or arthritis may find it painful or impossible. A subsequent improvement on this design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,005, by Renelle Braaten, Mar. 28, 1989) introduces a front zipper that makes the garment easier to don or remove, yet for a large-breasted user the zipper frequently gives way, generally in a public and embarrassing way. The zipper is also generally visible beneath other layers of clothing. Unlike the sports bra, The Gravity Bra can be easily put on and taken off, and it does not rely on elastic force or constriction to provide support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a bra that provides uniform support to the breasts while eliminating the discomfort associated with constriction based designs, underwire, cup spillover, and slippage of shoulder straps.
The Gravity Bra is a suspension-based bra design that provides adjustable, comfortable support for large breasted women through a unique diagonal strap mechanism. The adjustable strap passes along the outside and beneath the user's breasts, sliding freely in a sleeve attached to the bra cup, continuing upward diagonally and crossing unattached in the center, attaching to the strap at a user configurable point above the opposite breast. Thus, the force generated by gravity's effect on each breast creates support for the other breast. The larger the breasts, the more support they provide to one another. Because the straps cross diagonally but do not attach to each other, the distance between cups is adjustable. The present invention moves with the user without sacrificing support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the mechanism by which the strap ends encircle, but do not attach to, the vertical portion of the strap on the opposite side, thereby providing equilibrium force.

FIG. 3 is a view of the best use of the invention as employed by a wearer.

FIG. 4 is a view of an alternate use of the invention in which the strap is longer, crossing across the user's back instead of using her neck as a suspension point.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the alternate use as shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for an adjustable suspension based support bra ideal for large breasted women.
Referring to FIG. 1:
The bra consists of a strap 1 of some non-elastic fabric or material, which is the primary means of support for the breasts. The strap is approximately 1″ wide, although the width may be permitted to vary.
The strap 1 extends symmetrically such that each end passes down through the loop 2 made by the opposite end of the strap, continuing downward 3 toward the breast area, and through a sleeve 4 stitched into a fabric or foam cup 5.
The bra contains two cups 5 that are made of a flexible but supportive material. Each cup may be constructed of a single piece of material, or it may be made of multiple pieces and layers. It may be ornamented or decorated. It may contain a pocket for the insertion of pads to enhance the appearance of the breasts. The cups as presented in the present invention are characterized by sleeves 4, 6 as shown. These sleeves hold the strap in place. Within them, there is no impediment to the movement of the strap, except for the friction provided by the strap and sleeve material. The sleeves of the cups 6 may be divided in multiple sections to facilitate adjustment of cup shape by the user.
After the strap has passed beneath its breast cup, it emerges from the sleeve to cross diagonally 7 into another separate sleeve on the upper edge of the opposing cup 8. This sleeve likewise permits the strap to move freely if desired. The strap continues upward, emerging from the sleeve 9 to terminate by wrapping around the vertical portion of the strap on the opposite side 10. It does not attach to the vertical strap, but doubles back upon itself to form a loop.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2:
The end of the strap 10 loops around the strap on the opposite side. The end 11 doubles back to reattach at some point 12 between the vertical strap and the top edge of the cup. Here a hook and eye attachment is shown. Other mechanisms for attachment are possible. It is also possible to create a fixed loop and to make the strap adjustable in length at some point not covered by the cup sleeves.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3:
FIG. 3 displays the Best Mode of this invention. When the bra is worn by the user, the breasts fit into the cups, and the pull of gravity creates downward force on the vertical portion of the strap above that breast 3, but also on the diagonal ascending end of the strap 7, 9 and transfers its force to the vertical strap of the other breast 10. Each breast is therefore held in equilibrium by three vectors: one from the vertical strap above it 13 a which in this application passes behind the user's neck, one from the strap that continues outside and below the user's breast to connect to the strap on the opposite side 13 b, and one from the end of the strap coming from beneath the opposite breast 13 c, which provides support to the inside of the breast and also lateral stabilizing force. The weight of each breast thus provides the lateral stabilizing force for the other breast. The heavier the user's breasts, the more they support one another.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5:
An Alternate Mode of this invention is to extend the strap so that, instead of passing behind the user's neck, it continues down her back 14, crossing in the middle 15, and continuing beneath her arm and breast on the opposite side 16, passing around her body 17 to fasten in front 18, possibly with some mechanism for strap length adjustment. The position of this strap is user selectable. Note that the strap, when passed around the rib cage of the user in this application 17, 18, is not attached to the cups.

Claims

1. The invention for which the inventor seeks patent protection is a bra, comprising:

a single strap that supports both breasts by passing symmetrically outside and beneath them, crossing between the breasts and continuing diagonally upward such that each end attaches to the strap at a point above the opposite breast;

a sleeved cup mechanism such that the position of the cup is not fixed relative to the support strap, but may be adjusted.

2. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the strap contains a means for adjusting length.

3. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the strap includes a plurality of linked and/or connected straps.

4. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ends of the strap terminate in loops.

5. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ends of the strap terminate in some mechanism by which the strap may loop back and be connected with itself.

6. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the strap of the bra varies in width, thickness, and/or composition along its length.

7. The bra is set forth in claim 1, wherein the sleeve on one or both bra cups is divided into a plurality of sections.

8. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bra comprises at least in part synthetic material.

9. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bra comprises at least in part natural material.

10. The bra as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cup, sleeve, or strap of the bra includes elasticized material.

11. The bra as set forth in claim 1, such that vertical support for the breasts comes from the center of the strap as positioned around the user's neck.

12. The bra as set forth in claim 1, such that vertical support for the breasts comes from the center of the strap as positioned around some part of the user's torso;

13. The invention for which the inventor seeks patent protection is a suspension based support system for the breasts such that the weight of each breast provides direct horizontal shaping and positioning force to the other breast.

14. The bra as set forth in claim 13, such that vertical support for the breasts comes from the center of the strap as positioned around the user's neck with lateral support provided by the crossing straps as per claim 1.

15. The bra as set forth in claim 13, such that vertical support for the breasts comes from the center of the strap as positioned around some part of the user's torso with lateral support provided by the crossing straps as per claim 1.