US3521642A

US3521642A - Brassiere construction

Info

Publication number: US3521642A
Application number: US713116A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jules L Jordan
Original assignee: JULES L JORDAN
Current assignee: JULES L JORDAN
Priority date: 1968-03-14
Filing date: 1968-03-14
Publication date: 1970-07-28
Anticipated expiration: 1987-07-28

Description

July 28, 1970 J. L. JORDAN BRASSIERE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 14, 1968 m r w L a W J INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,521,642 BRASSIERE CONSTRUCTION Jules L. Jordan, 59 Alta Drive, LaSelva Beach. Calif. 95076 Filed Mar. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 713,116 Int. Cl. A41c 3/10 US. Cl. 128-479 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A brassiere construction having a laterally extending tunnel forming attachment extending from the breast cup seam or the lateral border of the pectoralis major muscle toward the axilla so as to relieve pressure over the lateral thoracic artery therefore allowing free flow of blood through the underlying blood vessels which form the external supply of blood to the mammary gland.

The use of brassieres results in various advantages such as supporting and shaping the;breasts.'*However, by their very nature, brassiers restrict the flow of blood due to applying pressure to the exterior surface areas of the chest cavity,-'mammary glands and associated areas. For example, the edge of the breast cup which is disposed laterally and along the outer surface of the mammary gland which has the chest; encircling strap or band at-' border of the'pectoralis major muscle and-extend lateral- 1y toward-the axilla with'the'device having a flat periphery, a concave undersurface and a convex outer surface which tapers to the end of the device remote from the brassiere cup to provide support for the outer periphery of the brassiere cup and the adjacent portions of the chest strap from surfaces of the body spaced from the lateral thoracic artery thereby reducing pressure thereon and permitting free flow of blood through the underlying vessels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for relieving pressure on the lateral thoracic artery which may be incorporated in the brassiere at the time it is manufactured and may vary in shape and size governed by the size and shape of that portion of the mammary gland which extends beyond the border seam of the brassiere cup. The device may be constructed of various materials although it has been found that shapesustaining but yet flexible plastic materials may be employed so that the brassiere may be laundered in the usual manner and stored in the usual manner.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere construction with the attachment of the present invention incorporated therein which is simple in construction, easy to incorporate into the brassiere construction at any time, etfective for its particular purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a brassiere with the present invention incorporated therein;

3,521,642 Patented July 28, 1970 FIG. 2 is a detailed, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3-3 of FIG. 2 illustrating the supporting relationship of the device incorporated into the brassiere;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one form of the pressure relieving device; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another form of the pressure relieving device.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the brassiere construction of the present invention which may be any suitable type of conventional brassiere which includes a pair of breast cups 12 supported by a chest strap 14 and a pair of shoulder straps 16. The particular construction of the

straps

14 and 16 as well as the cups 12 may vary and the specific structural features thereof form no particular part of the present invention except for the relationship of the insert device therewith. As illustrated, the front of the chest strap 14 which extends under the breast cup 12 may be provided with an elastic insert 18 and a center seam 20 interconnects the breast cups 12. The rear of the chest strap 14 is provided with the usual detachable fasteners and the shoulder strap 16 may be detachable or adjustable by buckle structures 22 or the like. As is well known, the periphery of the cups 12 designated by numeral 24 where they are attached to the chest encircling strap 14 exert pressure on the exterior surface of the body of the wearer 26 with the pressure area generally being designated by numeral 28 in FIG. 2. This pressure at the area where the mammary gland extends outwardly from the-body surface of the wearer includes the lateral thoracic artery and the pressure exerted by the cup seam or edge 24 and the adjacent portion of the chest strap 14 exerts external pressure on the thoracic artery thus reducing blood flow to the mammary gland designated by numeral 30.

For reducing this pressure, this invention includes an insert device 32 constructed of shape-sustaining material such as plastic or the like which may be rigid or sufficiently flexible to enable laundering thereof. The insert device 32 includes an elongated main body 34 having an arcuate configuration and provided with a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface designated by

numerals

36 and 38 respectively and tapers from an open end to a closed end designated by numeral 40'. Peripherally of the insert is a fiat peripheral flange 42 which extends around the closed end 40 and up to the open end of the insert device thus providing an open ended tunnel in which the open end thereof is disposed in alignment with the inner border of the outer cup seam or edge 24 in overlying relation to the lateral border of the pectoralic major muscle so that pressure exerted along the area 28 on the lateral thoracic artery is relieved and the support for the chest strap is provided by engagement of the flange 42 with the wearer 26 along an area generally designated by numeral 44 in FIG. 3 with it being noted that the area of the body between the flanges 42 in FIG. 3 is relieved of pressure thus enabling free flow of blood through the underlying vessels which form the external supply of blood to the mammary gland 30.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the insert device generally designated by the numeral 46 which includes a main body panel 48 having a convex outer surface 50 and a concave inner surface 52 with the closed end and side edges thereof being generally in the form of a semi-circle with a peripheral flange 54 provided thereon so that the free edge of the main body panel is spaced away from the surface of the body of the wearer. In

3 this construction, the edge of the main body panel 48 as designated by 56 is arcuate generally conforming With the arcuate curvature of the periphery of the breast cup.

The insert device is constructed so that it can be easily incorporated into a brassiere at the time it is being manufactured or after it has been completed..The insert device will be placed so that its open end will align with the inner border of the cup seam and the lateral border of the pectoralic major muscle and extend laterally toward the axilla. The size and shape of the insert device is governed by the size and shape of that portion of the mammary gland which extends beyond the border seam of the brassiere cup which is generally that area indicated by dotted line in FIG. 1.

This device assures that the portion of the mammary gland which it covers is free from the pressure that can be applied to it by a conventional brassiere, this relief of pressure in turn guarantees that underlying blood vessels such as the thoracic artery are not impinged upon.

This insert device can be constructed of any shape retaining material that will Withstand frequent laundering or the like and in effect forms a tunnel which has a peripheral flat surface that defines a supporting base. The main body of the device is concave from the undersurface and convex on the outer surface with the open end shaped in an upward angle so as to blend with the angle of the mammary gland as it grows outward from the chest wall. The device will be placed in the brassiere generally occupying the area indicated by dotted line in FIG. 1 which also represents the extension of the mammary gland beyond the brassiere cup 12.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described with a brassiere having shoulder straps, it is within the purview of this invention to incorporate the tunnel forming construction into strapless brassieres and other types of breast supporting and shaping devices.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a brassiere having breast supporting cups and a chest encircling band attached thereto, an insert device comprising a shape-sustaining shallow channel forming member having one edge thereof substantially aligned with a portion of the periphery of the breast cup where it is attached to the chest band and extending laterally away from said breast cup and underlying a portion of said chest band to support a portion of the chest band away from the body surface to relieve pressure on the mammary gland and underlying blood vessels such as the lateral thoracic artery disposed thereunder.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said insert device is constructed of shape retaining material capable of being laundered without damage and including a flat periphery around the portion of the device disposed laterally of the brassiere cup to engage the body surface and support the chest band therefrom.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said insert device is transversely arcuate provided with a concave undersurface and convex outer surface and tapering from an open end aligned with the periphery of the breast cup to a closed end thereby defining an open-ended tunnel extending laterally outwardly from the periphery of the breast cup for supporting the periphery of the breast cup and chest strap in such a manner to relieve pressure from that portion of the mammary gland which extends laterally beyond the breast cup and the underlying blood vessels.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said insert device is substantially semi-circular in configuration with the open-ended edge thereof being concavely arcuate.

5. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said insert device is substantially semi-elliptical in configuration with the open end thereof being substantially straight.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,764,759 10/1956 Gazelle 128462 2,896,623 7/1959 Fitzgerald 128-280 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.