Abstrict An activity bra comprising a shield that is inserted into a harness
having pockets that receive the shield. The harness has an adjustment
device that allows the shield to be pulled against the breasts to
compress the breasts of the wearer. A process for producing a suitable
shield is described.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A process of producing an activity bra comprising the steps
of: producing a shield having a right cup and a left cup, wherein
said right cup and said left cup are joined and connected by a center
section, providing a harness comprising a right pocket and a left
pocket, said harness having at least one adjustment device, and
inserting said right cup of said shield into said right pocket of
said harness and inserting a left cup of said shield into said left
pocket of said harness, wherein shield is retained within said right
pocket and said left pocket, and tightening said harness by manipulation
of said at least one adjustment device, wherein said harness pulls
said shield, and said shield compresses breasts of a wearer.
2. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
1 wherein said shield is a unitary member.
3. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
1 wherein said shield is formed of a material having a hardness
and a resiliency of polyethylene.
4. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
1 wherein said shield is formed of a material having a hardness
and a resiliency of polyethylene that is 0.05 inches to 0.20 inches
thick.
5. A process of producing an activity bra comprising the steps
of: producing a shield by a process comprising the steps of compressing
a left breast and a right breast of a model having a known cup size,
covering said left breast while compressed and said right breast
while compressed with a moldable material, producing a mold from
moldable material, forming the shield from said mold, said shield
having a right cup and a left cup, wherein said right cup and said
left cup are joined by a center section, providing a harness comprising
a right pocket and a left pocket, said harness having at least one
adjustment device, and inserting said right cup of said shield into
said right pocket of said harness and inserting a left cup of said
shield into said left pocket of said harness, wherein shield is
retained within said right pocket and said left pocket, and tightening
said harness by manipulation of said at least one adjustment device,
wherein said harness pulls said shield, and said shield compresses
breasts of a wearer.
6. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
5 wherein said shield is a unitary member.
7. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
5 wherein said shield is formed of a material having a hardness
and a resiliency of polyethylene.
8. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
5 wherein said shield is formed of a material having a hardness
and a resiliency of polyethylene that is 0.05 inches to 0.20 inches
thick.
9. A process of producing an activity bra comprising the steps
of: producing a shield by a process comprising the steps of placing
a bra having a known cup size over breasts of a model having the
same known cup size, tightening the bra to materially compress the
breasts of the model, covering the bra with a moldable material
and allowing the moldable material to set, thereby producing an
impression, producing a mold from the impression, forming the shield
from the mold, said shield having a right cup and a left cup, wherein
said right cup and said left cup are joined by a center section,
providing a harness comprising a right pocket and a left pocket,
said harness having at least one adjustment device, and inserting
said right cup of said shield into said right pocket of said harness
and inserting a left cup of said shield into said left pocket of
said harness, wherein shield is retained within said right pocket
and said left pocket, and tightening said harness by manipulation
of said at least one adjustment device, wherein said harness pulls
said shield, and said shield compresses breasts of a wearer.
10. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
5 wherein said shield is a unitary member.
11. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
5 wherein said shield is formed of a material having a hardness
and a resiliency of polyethylene.
12. A process of producing an activity bra as described in claim
5 wherein said shield is formed of a material having a hardness
and a resiliency of polyethylene that is 0.05 inches to 0.20 inches
thick.
Description FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of breast and chest
protectors for women and is more particularly directed to a method
of producing a breast and chest area protector for women who play
team sports or are otherwise involved in activities that involve
a high degree of bodily movement and physical contact.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Increasing numbers of women are becoming involved in team sports
and other physical activities. These activities subject women to
risks of injuries. Some of these risks are unique to women. Frequently,
women athletes are not adequately protected from direct impact to
the breast or chest area. Such impact may result in serious bruising,
or long-term medical problems. Different types of athletic activities
have different levels of bodily movement and physical contact. Although
the sports of soccer, basketball and even baseball are considered
non-contact sports, there is still a high degree of dynamic contact,
especially in basketball and soccer when multiple players are rushing
to a single ball in play. Impact to the breast and chest area from
a flying ball may also cause serious injury to a female athlete.
This is particularly true in the games of softball and baseball
where the ball is hard and travels at high speeds. In addition to
injuries caused by physical contact, injuries may also arise from
rigorous bodily movement even from non-contact activities such as
aerobics.
A need exists for a breast and chest protector for women that will
reduce the risk of injury from contact. The device must reduce movement
of the breasts, since movement of the breasts while running increases
the likelihood of injury to the breasts. Further the device must
compress the breasts, since compressed breasts are more resistant
to injury from impact or trauma. However, breast sizes vary greatly
from woman to woman. Accordingly, the breast and chest protector
must be made by a process that will provide for compression of breasts
of various sizes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide adequate
protection to women athletes from significant impact to the breast
and chest area. It is further an objective of this invention to
provide a breast and chest protector for women that provides compression
for individual breasts and which is sized to provide compression
for various sizes of breasts.
The bra comprises a shield. The shield is inserted into a harness
having pockets that receive the shield. The harness has adjustment
means that allows the shield to be pulled against the breasts to
compress the breasts. The shield is molded to a known cup size and
formed to materially compress the breasts of that cup size.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is the bra of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is the shield that is inserted in the harness.
FIG. 3 demonstrates the shield being inserted into the harness,
with the harness shown as being turned inside out.
FIG. 4 is a sectioned view of a portion of the bra, with the shield
in place, and the cups of the harness shown.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The primary object of the invention is to provide a bra that compresses
female breasts to make the breasts more resistant to injury from
movement, contact or trauma. The bra of the invention may be comprised
of a unitary shield having a first cup and a second cup. "Unitary"
means that the shield is formed as a single unit that comprises
a left cup, a right cup and a center member that connects the cups,
and is not formed of a left cup and a right cup that are connected
only by a separately formed piece or part. The shield is inserted
into a textile harness having pockets in the cups of the harness
that receive the shield. The harness has adjustment means that allows
the shield to be pulled against the breasts to compress the breasts.
To form the shield, a bra, such as a sports bra, may be used to
compress the breasts of a live model. A moldable material is then
used to obtain an impression of the breasts. The moldable material
is placed over the sports bra and allowed to form. The moldable
material is allowed to harden. A second moldable material fills
the first moldable material, and is allowed to harden. The second
moldable is removed from the first moldable material and is sanded
smooth to form a mock up. A mold for plastic forming, such as vacuum
forming is them prepared from the mock up. The shield is then vacuum
formed from an appropriate material. This process is performed to
create shields of various sizes according to the size of breasts
to be protected. The shield is then inserted into a harness having
a first cup and a second cup, with each cup having a pocket that
receives the shield.
The shield of the preferred embodiment is formed of a hard, but
resilient and flexible, material. The material may be a plastic,
and may be a low density polyethylene. The shield is preferred to
have a thickness of 0.05 inches to 0.20 inches, with the thickness
depending upon the application. A thinner shield may be used to
form a bra for non-contact activities, such as aerobics, while a
thicker shield is preferred for sports involving contact and impact,
such as soccer, softball or basketball.
A plastic shield may be formed by vacuum means. However, other
methods of plastic forming may be used. It is imperative, however,
that whatever molding or forming method is used, that the shield
and harness produced by the invention provide a bra which materially
compresses the breasts.
To create a mold for the shield, a model, such as a live model,
having a known bra cup size (for example, cup size B), is fitted
with a bra having a high degree of elasticity in the cups. Sports
bras, as known in the art, typically have a high degree of elasticity
when such bras are new, before significant washing. Accordingly,
it is preferred to use a new sports bra. Further, the bra to be
used should not have exterior decoration, and should not be padded.
Sports bras typically meet these requirements. A sports bra which
is manufactured by CHAMPION.RTM. may be used.
The sports bra of the appropriate cup size for the model, for example
cup size B, is fitted to the model. The sports bra is adjusted by
means of adjustable straps so that it fits tightly, and compresses
the breasts as completely as possible. After the sports bra is fitted,
a formable material is placed completely over the cup portion of
the bra. The preferred formable material is plaster. Plaster bandages,
such as those used to form plaster casts, may be used. M-Pact of
Eudora, Kans., sells plaster bandage material of a type that may
be used.
Strips of the plaster bandage are cut to fit an area that extends
from underneath one arm of the model to underneath the opposite
arm. A sufficient number of strips are cut to completely cover the
cups of the bra from top to bottom and from underneath one arm to
underneath the opposite arm. The plaster bandage strips are then
dipped in water according to the manufacturers instructions for
the plastic bandage, and then removed. Excess water is squeezed
out, and the bandage is applied so as to contact all contours of
the bra cups. After the bra cups are completely covered top to bottom,
and from underneath one arm to underneath the opposite arm, the
plastic bandage is allowed to set. After the plaster bandage is
set, the bra and plaster bandages are removed. The bra is subsequently
separated from the plaster bandage.
The impression provided by the plaster cast is modified by applying
additional strips of plaster bandage to the sides that are opposite
the portion of the impression that was underneath the wearer's arms,
so that an enclosed bowl is formed. A mold is formed from the plaster
bandage impression.
In one embodiment, a mock up for the mold may be formed from molding
clay. Molding clay is placed into the impression to fill the impression.
The molding clay is allowed to set. The impression formed of the
plaster bandages is separated from the clay so that a mock up results.
The mock up is then sanded to remove lines that may be formed in
the mock up from the bra. A skilled mold maker may then prepare
a mold for plastic forming the shield by known means. The mold so
formed may be suitable for vacuum forming, injection molding or
other known plastic forming means.
This process is repeated for each cup size desired. While the shield
may be formed for A-cups, B-Cups, C-cups, etc., the shield may also
be formed for any intermediate size, or for a combination of cup
sizes. For example, a left portion of the shield may be the size
of an A-cup, and the right portion may be the size of a B cup, according
to the required application.
The resulting shield 2 is a unitary member having a left cup 4
and a right cup 6 connected by a center section 8 that may cover
the sternum area. FIG. 2. The shield completely covers the breasts,
and is formed to the contours of the breast of the wearer, so that
when the shield is inserted into the sports bra as described below,
the shield will adequately compress and shield the breasts, to resist
injury.
The shield is inserted into a specially designed harness that has
a pocket formed in the left cup and a pocket formed in the right
cup that will receive and hold the shield. The shield is inserted
into the pockets, and is retained within the pockets. FIG. 3. The
retention means may be a result of elasticity in the fabric, wherein
the fabric is stretched to insert the shield, and then retracts
to hold the shield within the pocket. Alternatively, the shield
may be retained within the pocket by fasteners, such as zippers,
snaps, hooks, buttons, hook and loop material, or other fasteners
that are known and used in clothing applications.
The harness has a left shoulder strap 14 a right shoulder strap
16 and a back strap 18. FIG. 1. The shoulder straps are be capable
of adjustment, that is, they should have adjustment means 12 which
will allow the harness to be tightened against the wearer, such
as by reducing the effective length of the straps. The back strap
should either have a significant elastic property which will cause
the cups to be pulled toward the wearer, or to alternatively, should
have adjustment means which will allow the effective length of the
back strap to be reduced to tighten the back strap. The harness
is preferred to be formed of high quality woven cotton/Lycra.TM.,
which "breathes" but has sufficient elasticity to pull
the shield against the breasts and retain the shield to compress
the breasts as required by the invention.
The harness having the shield in place is fitted to the wearer.
The straps are tightened so that the cups of the sports bra, with
shield in place, are pulled tightly against the breasts, and the
shield compresses the breast as it is pulled against the breast
and toward the wearer by the straps of the sports bra.
The shield and harness are formed to the contours to compress the
breasts to limit movement and provide support. Movement of the breasts
while running or moving is a singular motion due to the unitary
structure of the shield.
In summary, the activity bra of the preferred embodiment is comprised
of a unitary shield having a first cup and a second cup. The shield
is inserted into a harness having pockets in the cups of the harness
that receives the shield. The harness has adjustment means that
allows the shield to be pulled against the breasts to compress the
breasts. The shield is prepared from an impression of a bra that
compresses the breasts of a model. A moldable material is then used
to obtain an impression of the breasts by placing the moldable material
over the sports bra and allowing it to form. A second moldable material
fills the first moldable material, and is allowed to harden. The
second moldable is removed from the first moldable material and
is sanded smooth to form a mock up. A mold for plastic forming is
prepared from the mock up. The shield is then formed from an appropriate
material. This process is performed to create shields of various
sizes according to the size of breasts to be protected. The shield
is inserted into a harness having a first cup and a second cup,
with each cup having a pocket that receives the shield. The bra
so formed is fitted to a user, with the harness pulling the shield
tightly against the breasts of the wearer to compress the breasts.
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