US20200107588A1

US20200107588A1 - Post-surgery medical bra garment

Info

Publication number: US20200107588A1
Application number: US16/152,304
Authority: US
Inventors: Veronica C. Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-10-04
Filing date: 2018-10-04
Publication date: 2020-04-09

Abstract

A post-surgery medical bra garment is described for implant based, breast constructions, and reconstructions involving mastectomies, and mammoplasty procedures constructed on symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panels.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims all benefits applicable under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/568,103 filed by the Applicant on Oct. 4, 2017 entitled “POST-SURGERY MEDICAL BRA GARMENT” and incorporates U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/568,103, in its entirety, by reference into this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to bras providing postoperative support for implant based breast constructions and reconstructions following mastectomies and mammoplasty enhancements.

Description of the Prior Art

In her U.S. Pat. No. 8,328,598 entitled “Elastic Reinforced Inframammary Curve Bra”, applicant Veronica C. Smith describes and claims a contouring support bra made from soft stretchable cotton knit and light power-net support fabrics particularly suited for pregnant and nursing women for comfortably providing an alluring, lifted tear drop breast shape. The claimed bra includes semicircular, soft knit fabric breast cups, elastically fastened to a semicircular elastic power-net fabric cut-out having shorter circumferential lengths for creating tear shaped pouches with bases conforming to the wearer's inframammary skinfold.
Related U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,666,059 and 8,262,434, G. Falla et al, respectively describe and claim molded bra garments, and methods for molding such garments that include a support fabric and a “lofted material.”
In her U.S. Pat. No. 8,784,347 “Entitled High-Back Gluteal Shaping Compression Garment” applicant Veronica C. Smith observes that as the hexagonal cells of a molded power-net fabric dome uniformly expands in circumference toward the top the dome during the forming process that, after “heat setting” retain significant elasticity properties. She points out that as the area encompassed by a power-net cell increases, the magnitude of compressive transferred to the underling tissue decreases. In effect, molded power-domes establish a pressure gradient in the underlying tissues that will decrease toward the top of the dome for contouring, while supporting an anatomical surface of the tissue mass that provides desired therapeutic structural, and cosmetic benefits. [Col. 4, II. 4-15]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A post-surgery medical bra garment is described for implant based, breast constructions, and reconstructions involving mastectomies, and mammoplasty procedures constructed on symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panels.
The primary features of the described post-surgery medical bra garment include:

- Inside bilateral underarm pockets;
- Adjustable hook & eye shoulder straps;
- Front locking zipper with an underlying hook & eye protective guard tape;
- Adjustable multi-row shoulder support and back hook & eye closures.
- Wireless, soft, molded, cotton-knit encased, power-net reinforced breast cup domes.
- Symmetrical foundation elastic power-net panels; and
- Detachable constructed symmetrical power-net panels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 presents a front perspective view of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 2 presents an open, front ‘outside’ perspective view of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 3 presents an open back ‘inside’ perspective view of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIGS. 4A & 4B present perspective views depicting details of the molded, cotton-knit encased, power-net reinforced breast cup domes of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 5 presents a perspective view of the bra garment showing details of the front closure components joining the front vertical, closure tabs of the medical post surgery bra garment.

FIG. 6 presents a side perspective view of the left inside underarm pockets of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 7 presents a perspective back view of the bra garment showing details of the back, closure components joining the back vertical, closure tabs of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 8 is a modeled front image of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 9 is a modeled side image of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 10 is a modeled side image of the post-surgery medical bra garment illustrating the hook and eye coupling of the front and back shoulder anchor tabs of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

FIG. 11 is a modeled back image of the post-surgery medical bra garment illustrating the hook and eye coupling of the vertical back anchor tabs of the post-surgery medical bra garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF THE POST-SURGERY MEDICAL BRA GARMENT

The post-surgery medical bra garment is specifically designed for facilitating healing of implant based, breast constructions, and reconstructions following mastectomies, and mammoplasty procedures. The medical bra garment features coupled, symmetrical constructions on separate, underlying left and right elastic power-net fabric panels.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 each elastic power-net fabric panel has top edge cutouts above a straight edge bottom namely:

- (i) a front chest cutout above the bottom of the power-net panel for establishing a vertical, bottom front closure tab, that tapers inwardly establishing a front edge of a front shoulder power-net closure tab,
- (ii) a central U-shaped underarm cutout above the bottom of the power-net panel tapering outwardly establishing:
  - (A) a back edge of the front shoulder closure tab and;
  - (B) an inside, front tapering edge of a back shoulder closure tab;
- (iii) a top concave underarm pocket section elevated vertically above the bottom base of the power-net panel, and
- (iv) a back cutout above the bottom of the power-net panel for establishing a vertical, bottom back closure tab, that tapers inwardly establishing a back edge of a back shoulder closure tab.

A breast cup dome is molded in a front chest section of each symmetrical power-net panel located between the front and back edges of the respective left and right front shoulder closure tabs of each power-net panel for establishing a concave hemispherical inframammary perimeter bridging between the top of the vertical, bottom front closure tab and an underarm pocket section above the bottom of each power-net panel.
The inside and outside soft-knit fabric panels each have a molded breast cup dome corresponding in size, configuration and position as the power-net breast cup dome, encase the front chest section of each symmetrical power-net panel. In particular, the bottom hemispherical edges of the molded soft-knit fabric breast cups are elastically stitched along the concave, hemispheric bottom perimeter of the power-net molded breast cup dome for elastically creating and supporting symmetrical, concave, inframammary skinfold curve.
Symmetrical (left and right), underarm elastic, power-net pocket pieces are stitched to the inside surface of the corresponding pocket sections of the power-net panels for providing an inside, open-top, underarm pocket that allows for insertion and removal of medical and sculpturing dressings including palliative warming/cooling packets.
In particular, each power-net pocket piece has a horizontal bottom edge elastically stitched to the underlying inside bottom edge of the corresponding (left or right) pocket section. The vertical side edges of the inside power-net pocket pieces are stitched between the bottom and top of the corresponding (left or right) pocket sections. The open top edges of the respective inside power-net pieces are positioned slightly below, with an edge that conform to the concave top pocket section of the respective pocket sections of the power-net panels for easing access to the inside pocket.
An elastic fabric band is elastically stitched to the bottom of each of the symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panels. The top perimeter edges of the symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panels are finished with elastic binding tapes.

Claims

I claim:

1. A post-surgery medical bra garment for implant based, breast reconstructions following a mastectomy or a mammoplasty enhancement comprising, in combination,

a) symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panels each having a top, a bottom, a front chest section, and a back section wherein:

(i) a molded breast cup dome having a circular perimeter centrally located within the front chest section of each panel above the bottom of the panels,

(ii) a front chest cutout above a vertical, bottom front closure tab tapering inwardly and upwardly around a bottom front quadrant of the molded breast cup dome establishing a front edge of a front shoulder anchor tab of the bra garment,

(iii) a back section having a bottom, vertical back closure tab and a cutout tapering inwardly and upwardly from the vertical back closure tab for establishing a back edge of a back shoulder anchor tab of the bra garment,

(iv) an underarm cutout for establishing:

(A) a front section tapering upwardly and outwardly above a top quadrant of the molded breast cup dome providing a back edge of the front shoulder anchor tab of the bra garment, and

(B) a concave curved underarm pocket section above the bottom of the panel bridging between a hemispheric perimeter of the breast cup and a back section, tapering outwardly providing a front edge of the back shoulder anchor tab of the garment;

b) conforming symmetrical (left and right) underarm elastic, power-net pocket pieces with bottom edge, sides elastically stitched to the bottom, and sides of each pocket section of each symmetrical elastic power-net fabric panel creating left and right underarm power-net pockets;

c) inside and outside, symmetrical soft knit fabric (left and right) panels each having molded breast cup dome corresponding in size and position as the power-net breast cups are elastically fastened along bottom perimeter quadrants of the respective molded power-net breast cups and the molded inside and outside, soft knit fabric panels for establishing an inframammary curve that extends upward between the front and back edges of the tapering front shoulder anchor tabs;

d) a bottom elastic fabric band elastically fastened to the bottom of each symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panel;

e) a front locking zipper with an underlying top and bottom hook and eye fasteners with an underlying protective tape for joining the front vertical, closure tabs of the bra garment;

f) a vertical row array of hook and eye fasteners with underlying protective tape for adjustably joining the back closure tabs of the bra garment;

g) a horizontal row array of hook and eye fasteners with underlying protective tape for adjustably joining the front and back shoulder anchor tabs of the bra garment; and

h) elastic binding finishing tape securing top edges of the symmetrical (left and right) elastic power-net fabric panels.