US2616083A - Bust support - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 4, 1952 SIALIM sA'DE EL JURI BIVI'ST SUPPORT Filed June 21, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTCIR, 1%: J04 A ain;

ATTORNEY Nov- 4, 1952 SALIM' SADE- EL JURI- BUST SUPPORT Filed June 21, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTEIR Jada aa E/JM AYTDRNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 21, 1949, Serial No. 100,473 In Argentina July 7, 1947 The present invention relates to bust supporting devices and more particularly to a bust supporting garment which may be worn by itself or in conjunction or combination with a brassiere.

This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application U. S. Ser. No. 10,470 filed on February 24, 1948 on Improvements in Brassieres, now abandoned.

By the term bust supporting garment as used in this specification I mean a garment or device which is adapted tobe worn on the body, and which has parts engaging only the lower portion of the breasts, and leaving the upper portion uncovered, in contradistinction to brassiere, which, as herein used, signifies a garment having pockets completely or substantially completely enclosing th breasts.

In providing a garment of bust supporting kind, several factors have to be considered, among the chief of which are the following. The garment should be applicable to all types of breasts, and should act efficiently to so to speak present the breasts properly contoured, while at the same time giving a maximum of comfort to the wearer. Heretofore, devices have been proposed incorporating body-encircling substantially rigid plates having cup-like breast receiving members projecting therefrom, but obviously, apart from other objections, such structures can hardly be considered as comfortable to the wearer inasmuch as they are very little flexible if at all.

Another important requirement is that the gar ment shall sit properly and perform its breast supporting and conforming functions even when the wearer is engaged in rather violent exercise, such as in playing a game of tennis, hunting and so on. 1

Known devices, whether of the more or less rigid sustaining type or of the brassiere type with or without reinforcement, have failed to satisfy this requirement and it is a commonly known defect of the more flexible type of known garment, that the breasts slip out of the pouches or cups in which they are intended to be held, when the wearer makes'certain movements.

A further highly desirable feature of a bustsupporting garment is that it shall be usable as such by itself under such other garments as evening gowns, bathing costumes, blouses and the like so as not to mar the aesthetic effect of the dress combination and alternatively shall be usable in conjunction or in combination with any known standard type of simple brassiere. Devices heretofore proposed for use as such by themselves have usually consisted of or comprised as principal portions, members of rigid or semirigid sheet 5 Claims.

described which shall have the additional advantage of avoiding sagging of the median area be and the torso of the'wearer, and breast-support;

material such as sheet metal or plastics, which, while in some instances they migh be used in conjunction with a brassiere could not readily be prior art do not fully meet this requirement, and

those known garments of the brassiere type in which stiffening members have been used in com bination with the brassiere pockets are also objectionable under this head, except of course the improved brassiere described in my copending application aforesaid, in which however the stiffening members are more truly said to be used in combination with the inner bust supporting structure than with the pockets of the brassiere portion of the garment. This is a distinction of some appear more importance as will hereinafter clearly.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a bust supporting garment which will satisfactorily meet all of the above requirements and substantially avoid all the drawbacks of known garments having a similar bust-supporting purpose.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bust-supporting garment of the kind tween the breast supporting members. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bust supporting garment of the'kind described which shall be ccmbinable or usable in conjunction with a brassiere structure in such a manner as readily topermit the upper portion of the brassiere cups to be lowered so as to expose the upper portion of the breast including the nipple when desired, as for example for nursing purposes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bust-supporting garment comprising a body-embracing belt, portion of textile material, including a front portion having an upper margin and concave arcuate'portions forming part of said margin and located to coincide with the lower part of the juncture between the breasts ing members secured to said arcuate portions of the upper margin and forming a longitudinally curved shelf-like structure making a considerable angle with the body plane of the wearer.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the detailed description of certain preferred embodiments" thereof shown in the accom panying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a rear elevation of a bust-supporting garment according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view of a bust-supporting garment according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in section along. the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a supporting member.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a stiifening insert for the supporting member of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6a and 6b are perspective views of portions of respectively a brassire and abust-supporting garment of the present invention, illustrating howthe two garments may be used in conjunction.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of the belt and supporting portion of the bust-support.

Fig. 8 is an inside view of a bust-supporting garment combined with a brassiere.

' Fig. 9 is a section through a breast cup of the combined garment of Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the combined garment.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have therein shown my bust-supporting garment, denoted generally by reference numeral II, as comprising a body engaging belt 13, including left and right side portions I5, H made of textile web, preferably of two plies l9. 2| (Fig. 3) sewn together at their margins and further strengthened by longitudinal rows of stitches 23 as is well known in the art.

Between two side portions l5, I! I provide a vertical double pocket structure 25 in which are removably inserted a pair of stifiening strips 21, 29 of suitable material having sufiicient stiffness and resiliency to remain normally straight under light flexing loads and to recover their normal condition if flexed under heavier loads. For such stiffening strips I may use whalebone or imitations of or substitutes therefor or the like.

Said pocket structure 25 defines the front median zone of the garment and is adapted to extend between the breasts in body engaging relationship with the wearer.

The outer ends 3|, 33 of the belt l3 are provided with. cooperating fastening means. Preferably said fastening means include elastic mem-- bers such as the elastic loops 35, 3! passing respectively through an eye member 39 and a hook member 4|.

The advantage of including elastic means in the'fastening devices, is that such elastic means maintain the belt 13 in close body-engaging relationship in spite of movements, such as deep breathing, bending and the like, tending to expand or contract the portion of the wearers torso encircled by the belt I3.

It will be noted that the belt portion is of appreciable width. In fact I prefer to make it wide enough so that when properly positioned with respect to the breasts (as will be hereinafter explained) the lower margin 43 of the belt will extend somewhat below the sternum of the wearer. .It will. also be observed that, as shown, the; arms of the elasticloops 35, 31 aresecured to,

the upper and lower extremities 45, 41 and 49, 5| respectively of the outer ends 3| and 33. The purpose of this construction is to ensure that the tension in the belt I3 shall not be confined to the lower margin but rather distributed transversely of the belt in as even a manner as possible. Whatever fastening devices are used they should for optimum results; give a similar distribution of the tension in the belt when worn.

The two features just noted, namely the width of the belt and the distribution of the tension coact: to maintain the pocket structure 25, stiffened by the members 2] and 29, in body-engaging relationship betweenthe breasts, whatever position the wearer may assume. Thus, I avoid sagging away from the body, of the median portion of my novel' garment, when the wearer adopts a position,- e.- g. bending over forwards, in which gravity would normally cause sagging, such as occurs in'known brassires.

The. appreciable width. of the belt l3 acts to 3 are much larger than. the height or width of the median. zone. of the belt. as happens when my bust-supporting garment is combined with, that. is to say, permanently incorporated in, abrassiere.

7 structure. (as distinguished from mere temporary separable association or use. in conjunction with a brassiere), as will hereinafter appear.

The outer ends 31, 3:3 of the belt B, are preferably narrower than, the median zone. in other words, they-are narrower than the pocke s ruc: ture 25 is high.

The narrowing is: effected by maintaining the lower margin 43 of belt 13. st aight and inclining the upper margins 53, of the side portions l5 and H downwardly and outwardly, from. a. point corresponding to a place on the outside of the contour of the. respective breast.

As regards the beltstructure,v said point. is defined by the outer ends of; concave arcuate mar-v ginal, portions 51, 59 of the respective side portions 15 and 11, said concave arcuate marginal portions extending outwardly from the outer edges of the pocket structure 25, a sufficientdis.- tance to embrace a substantial part of the contour of the lower portion of a breast substantially at, the line of junction of the breast with the torso.

Hence the actual extent of, the arcuate marginal portions as well as. their exact shape will vary with the size and model of the garment.

To the said arcuate marginal portions 51, 59

.are secured as bystitching; breast supporting members 6!, 63. As best seen inFig. 4 these supporting members consist essentially of textile ma. terial, which is advantageously stiffened as will be hereinafter explained, and before assemblyare flat and have a compound contour comprising a convex arcuate portion and a substan-. tially straight portion 61 forming a chord to the arcuate portion. When assembled to thebelt l3,

with the straight portion 61 secured to the respective arcuate marginal portion 51, 59, said supporting members adopt a longitudinally curved shape, as best seen in Fig. 2, and project out-.-. wardly (that is to say away from the body-.en-...'

gaging face) of the belt I 3 at an appreciable angle with the plan of the belt which may be taken to correspond to the. plane of the body of the wearer, as best seen in. Figs. 3 and 2. Thus, said supporting members; 6! and 63 form a sort of hollow shelf concave when viewed from above,

a in which the breasts of the wearer may rest their lower portions, without. being unduly constrained or subjected to rubbing or cutting by ridge-like hard surfaces.

As stated above, to assist in supporting the breasts and at the same time so to speak gathering or molding them so that they will have a desired proper appearance, the supporting members 6| and 63 are preferably stiffened.

The stiffening maybe achieved in any of the various manners known in themselvesyas by doubling and stitching together of plies of fabric, or by impregnating the fabric with a suitable impregnant or by interleaving a sheet of suitably impregnated fabric.

However I prefer to stiffen the supporting members by the addition of separable plates 69 (Fig. 5) f flexible non-textile sheet material, preferably non-metallic, e. g. plastic material. To this end, the supporting members, as illustrated by the supporting member 6|, Fig. 4 and as also seen in section in Fig. 3 and in assembled condition in Fig. 7, are made in the form of pouches having a mouth H along the straight margin 61, said mouth being shorter thansaid margin. For instance I may make the supporting members of an inside ply 13, to which is applied against the outer face thereof a lining T5 of another for example coarser and/or stiffer textile material. Preferably these two plies are secured together by rows of stitches 11 to produce a somewhat firmer combination. To the inside compound wall :3, 15, an outside wall 79 preferably consisting of a single ply of textile is stitched along the arcuate margin 65 thereby forming a pocket. It should be noted that the straight margin 61a. (Fig. 4) of the outside wall i is properly finished that is to say, a proper hem is provided as indicated at 8! in Fig. 3. The straight margin 81!) of the compound inside wall of the supporting member lies outside. of the straight margin 61a, of the outer wall, and the marginal portion 83 thus provided is used for securing the supporting member to the belt structure. As best seen in Fig. 3, the said marginal portion 83 is inserted between the plies l9 and 2! of the corresponding side portion, say the portion 15, of the belt i3 and secured between said plies by stitching as usual.

The mouth H of the supporting structure 6!, formed between the straight margin 61a, of the outer wall 19 and the compound inner wall I3, 15, is stopped off at each end, as by stitches 8-5 to provide retaining means for holding in a separable insert 69 of flexible relatively stiff material which may conveniently be plastic, and is shown in Fig. 5 as having a shape similar to the supporting structure. Hence the insert has a periphery comprising an arcuate peripheral portion 86 corresponding to the arcuate margin 65, and a straight peripheral portion Bl which may be regarded as a chord to the arcuate peripheral portion 86-, and is similar to the straight marginal portion 61 of the supporting structure.

It will thus be readily appreciated that the supporting members 6| of the present invention, when attached to the belt 13 to form my novel bust support, take the shape of small shelves, so to speak, which are curved longitudinally with a rather flattened curvature and thus, while acting tosupport, mold and'present the breasts, do not constrain the breasts laterally toany appreciable extent, neither do the supports confine or enclose the breasts, by far the greater part whereof is completely exposed.

Although the bust supporting structure so far described will fulfil its purpose in. practice, still 6.- toensure against the danger of the belts slipping down towards the waist, I prefer to include in the bust supporting garment a shoulder strap structure which as best seen in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises for each side portion l5, IT a guard strap 89 in the form of an inverted V the apex 9| of which is located substantially over the central portion of the concave margin 51, or 59, and the ends of which are secured as by stitching the one to the pocket structure and the other to the belt l3 outside of the corresponding supporting member. This last mentioned end may conveniently extend to the lower margin 43 of the belt and the portion 93 of said end thus crossing the belt is preferably stitched thereto throughout the extent of the crossing.

To each of the apices 9|, is secured the end of a shoulder strap 95 the other end of which is secured as by stitching to a point on the belt l3 near the respective outer end 3!, 33 thereof.

The shoulder straps 95 are provided with length adjustment means 91 of any desired type but I prefer to leave the guard straps 89 unprovided with adjustment means so as to avoid the possibility of shifting of the relative position of the apices 9%. If these are displaced app eciably to the inside or the outside of the central position, the guard straps will pull the breast over laterally and thus not only define a zone of undesired pressure on the breast, but also give the breast an unnatural appearance. For certain purposes to be hereinafter explained, I may provide on the portion of the shoulder strap near the apex 91, a small button 99. It is also to be understood that the shoulder strap proper need not have its end secured directly to the uard strap but that I may provide an intermediate extension or loop HH, in which event the button would be mounted on such extension. Preferably the button is located at a portion corresponding to the tip of the apex 9 I.

As hereinbefore indicated, my novelbust support so far described may be used as such my itself under suitable outer garments, such for example as a swimming suit, but it may be utilized in conjunction with a conventional brassiere, for example if for any particular reason on a given occasion it is desired to have the breasts covered.

In such instances, the conventional brassire, such as the brassire I03, Fig- 6a, may be applied over the bust support Ha (Fig. 6b) as a completely separate garment, and it will be noted that the bust support owing to its supporting and molding action will, so to speak, present the breasts in such a way that they may readily be entered into the cups or pockets I05 of the bras-' siere.

As indicated at fill in Fig. 6d, at the central part of the upper margins H39 of pockets or cups Hi5 loops or the like button-hole forming members may be provided so that such upper margins may be releasably secured to the guard straps 89' by means of buttons 99, so thatfor normal wear the cups 35 will be properly maintained in breast covering position but may readily have their upper portions lowered to expose the nipples, as for nursing purposes.

It will be observed that by the conjoint use of my novel bust support and a conventional brassiere, the latter need not have shoulder straps and that if the type chosen for use should have shoulder straps, these need not be removed but may be used in parallel as it were, with the straps or the bust support.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the inside and in Fig. 9 a section through a breast pocket and breast support, of a combined garment comprising a substantially conventional brassire section I II and a bust supporting garment I lb of the present invention, the difference between this combination and the conjunction of Figs. 6a and 6b being that in the structure of Figs. 8 and 9 the two garments are permanently secured together, the fixing area being the double pocket structure 25?) of the bust support. Additionally I may also secure the outer or rear ends 3Ib, 33b of the bust support to the corresponding ends II3, I I of the brassiere, and if the structure is adopted the connection should be made through the elastic portions 35b, 37b of the bust support which portions may for instance be anchored to the ends of the brassire by fastening tapes I II. It is of some importance that the elasticity of the belt |3b of the bust support be maintained as thereby a close fit thereof is assured whereby the following advantages are obtained which are equally applicable to the conjoint use illustrated in Figs. 6a and 617.

As hereinbefore stated, the belt I3 and I31) is firmly but yieldingly held against the body so that in spite of the wearers movements very little if any displacement of the bust supporting garment relatively to the wearer's body takes place so that there is practically no rubbing action of the inner face of the belt I3 against the skin. Hence the belt acts to protect the skin also against chafing by the margins of the brassiere, which is freer to move since it is attached to the bust support at only one or at most at three points as hereinabove explained.

It is also to be understood that, as shown at 350 in Fig. 10, the rear ends 3Ic, 330 of the belt may be permanently or inseparably connected together by elastic means 350, and that, alternatively the elastic means whether they are separable or not may be integral with the belt, which would then comprise stretchable elastic material, as for instance rubber filaments woven into the web of the belt in known manner.

The fact that the belt I3 is of appreciable width has the further advantage that it tends to smooth out or prevent the formation of the roll of flesh which frequently forms below the bust, especially in persons inclined to obesity.

To assist in these advantageous results, I prefer that when my novel bust support is combined or used in conjunction with a brassiere, the overall length of the belt I3 be somewhat shorter than the overall length of the corresponding marginal portion of the brassire so that the brassire shall be somewhat more loosely applied than the bust support.

Another advantage due to the use of the bust support of the present invention in the case of the combined garment, is that the pocket structure 25 with the stiffening members holds close to the body the median portion I IS (see Fig. of the brassiere, since said median portion is secured to the pocket structure as already explained, and thus prevents undesired sagging forward of the median portion I I9 when bending forward. This action likewise tends to prevent the breasts from slipping out of the cups or pockets I051) (Figs. 8 and 10) Moreover, if, as indicated in Figs. 8 and 10, the median portion H9 of the brassire is, as it usually will be, appreciably higher than the height of the median portion of the bust support, I may use longer stiffening members 21b and 23b, the upper portions of which will still act efficiently to hold the median portion 8 H9 of the brassiere against the body, owing to the fact that the belt I3b is of appreciable width.

The pocket structure 25, as hereinbefore described, is an integral part of the bust supporting device. In fact, it is formed by suitable stitching I2I between the outer and inner plies I9, 2|, Fig. 3, of the belt I3, the stitching being best seen in Fig. 1. The pocket structure 25 is to be regarded as in all cases being an integral part of said bust support, and may, in all cases, be made as just described. However, it should be noted that, when a combined garment, of the type shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, is made, the outer face or wall of the pocket structure may be, and conveniently is made of the median portion of the brassire.

Although as already expressed, a conventional brassiere may be combined with my novel bust support, I may somewhat modify such brassire particularly by elongating downwardly the lower body-engaging portion thereof. This feature is best seen in Fig. 10, and can be likewise understood from the sectional view of Fig. 9. In these figures, the downward elongation has been indicated by the reference numeral I23, and it will be noted that, as shown, the lower margin I25 thereof, substantially coincides with the lower margin 43?) of the bust support. Said lower margin I25 while it may be made so as to lie above the lower margin 43b, should not be located therebelow, as such a position would tend to reduce the protective action of the belt I312 against chafing.

It will also be clear to those skilled in the art that when the outer ends of the belt I3 are not attached to the corresponding portions of the brassiere, each of the parts forming the combination, that is to say the brassiere member and the bust support, may and preferably will have its own means for completing the enoirclement of the torso and that such means may be separable or not, as hereinabove indicated for the belt I3.

From Fig. 10 it can also be clearly seen how little of the breasts is engaged by the supporting members fiIb, 63b, and how these do project at a substantial angle from the plane of the body, by comparing the size and position of said supporting members with the size and position of the brassiere cups 1%.

When my novel bust support is combined with a brassiere as hereinabove indicated to provide a novel and advantageous combination, the strap structure comprising the guard straps 89 and shoulder straps may be omitted altogether from the bust supporting structure and instead I may provide conventional shoulder straps 951) secured at one end to the upper central marginal portion of the cups or pockets of the brassiere, and at the other end to the body-encircling portion of the brassire. Such an embodiment, although simpler and more economical, will not give the entire advantages of the preferred construction hereinbefore described.

For the purposes of the present specification, I have shown my novel bust supporting device as embodied in certain preferred examples, but it is to be understood that I do not intend to be limited thereby, but that I may make such changes and modifications therein as may lie within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bust support comprising a body encircling uplift member having a stiffened median portion and a pair of laterally extending bands disposed on each side of said median portion and extending from the longitudinal edges of said median portion, each of said bands having a front portion and a side portion, said front portion being adjacent said median portion, the front portion of each band terminating in an upper concavely arcuate marginal portion, the front portion of each band having secured thereto at said upper marginal portion and projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom a flexible but stiffened shelflike bust-supporting member for supporting the underside of each breast, said breast-supporting member including a flexible pocket portion extending from said uplift member, and a stiffening element disposed in each of said pocket portions, and means for holding said bust support on the body of the wearer, said means including straps secured to said median portion and straps secured to said bust support at a securing portion outside of each of said marginal portions.

2. A bust support comprising a body encircling uplift member having a stiffened median portion and a pair of laterally extending bands disposed on each side of said median portion and extending from the longitudinal edges of said median portion, each of said bands having a front portion and a side portion, said front portion being adjacent said median portion, the front portion of each band terminating in an upper concavely arcuate marginal portion, the front portion of each band having secured thereto at said upper marginal portion and projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom a flexible but stiffened shelf like bust-supporting member for supporting the underside of each breast, said breast-supporting member including a flexible pocket portion extending from said uplift member, and a stiffening element disposed in each of said pocket portions, and means for holding said bust support on the body of the wearer, said means including a guard strap in the form of an inverted v attached to each of said bands, one of the ends of each guard strap being secured to said median portion and the other end to a laterally extending band at a securing portion outside of said concavely arcuate marginal portion and remote from said median portion, and a shoulder strap for each guard strap, each shoulder strap having one end secured to the guard strap.

3. A bust support comprising a body encircling uplift member having a stiffened median portion and a pair of laterally extending bands disposed on each side of said median portion and extending from the longitudinal edges of said median portion, each of said bands having a front portion and a side portion, said front portion being adjacent said median portion and secured to said median portion, the front portion of each uplift band terminating in an upper concavely arcuate marginal portion, a stiffened shelf-like breastsupporting member having a lower marginal portion stitched to the upper marginal portion of each band to provide a chord with respect to the arc of the upper arcuate portion of each band, each of said shelf-like breast-supporting members projecting upwardly and outwardly from each uplift band, and means for holding said bust support on the body of the wearer, said means including straps secured to said median portion and straps secured to said bust support at a securing portion outside of each of said marginal portions.

4. In combination with an external envelope of pliable material provided with a pair of breastreceiving cups, a bust support comprising a body 10 encircling uplift member secured to said envelope and having a stiffened median portion and a pair of laterally extending bands disposed on each side of said median portion and extending from the longitudinal edges of said median portion, each of said bands having a front portion and a side portion, said front portion being adjacent said median portion and secured to said median portion, the front portion of each band terminating in an upper marginal portion, the front portion of each band having secured thereto at said upper marginal portion and projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom a flexible but stiffened shelf -1ike bust-supporting member for supporting n the underside of each breast, the front portion of each band being disposed at the lower portion of each breast-receiving cup, and means for holding said bust support on the body of the wearer, said means including straps secured to said bust support at a securing portion outside of each of said marginal portions.

5. In combination with an external envelope of pliable material provided with a pair of breastreceiving cups, a bust support comprising a body encircling uplift member secured to said envelope and having a stiffened median portion and a pair of laterally extending bands disposed on each side of said median portion and extending from the longitudinal edges of said median portion, each of said bands having a front portion and a side portion, said front portion being ad acent said median portion and secured to said median portion, the front portion of each band terminating in an upper marginal portion, the front portion of each band having secured thereto at said upper marginal portion and projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom a flexible but stiffened shelf-like bust-supporting member for supporting the underside of each breast, the front portion of each band being disposed at the lower portion of each breast-receiving cup, and means for holding said bust support on the body of the wearer, said holding means including a guard strap in the form of an inverted V attached to each of said body-encircling bands, one of the ends of each guard strap being secured to said median portion and the other end to a laterally extending body encircling uplift band at a secur ng portion outside of said concavely arcuate marginal portion and remote from said median portions, and a shoulder strap for each guard strap, each shoulder strap having one end secured to the guard strap.

SALIMI SADE EL JURI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record file of this patent: m the UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 1,886,742 Rose uo a issz 2,061,402 Hollar Nov. 17' 1936 2,101,710 Kunstadter Dec 7 1937 2,149,819 Rubinstein Mar: 7 1939 2,284,382 Elberfeld May 26' 1942 2,420,472 Freedman May 18' 1947 2,429,680 Goddard Oct. 28 1947 2,457,989 Ettleson Jan. 4, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 496,77 7 Great Britain De g l938 663.295 Germany Aug. 17, 1938

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