Abstrict A bra sport top provides enhanced posture and increased breast
support for women engaging in athletic activities. Over-shoulder
harnesses encircle each shoulder and serve to urge them back. Cross
braces interconnect the two over-shoulder harnesses in a crosswise
manner between the shoulder blades. A support belt traveling through
a slip sleeve encircles the wearer's torso below the breast and
shoulder blades. Interconnecting the over-shoulder harnesses and
the slip sleeve are breast-tensioning panels that compress and restrain
the breasts so as to prevent any damage to the breast tissue. The
left and right breast-tensioning panels may be interconnected by
a detachable coupling means or may be connected by elastic bands
or the like. Alternative embodiments allow for different directional
support of the underlying breast tissue by the breast-tensioning
panels.
Claims What I claim is:
1. A sport top for a woman that supports the woman's breasts and
enhances her posture comprising an over-shoulder harness in the
form of a pair of spaced straps located at a back of said top and
extending over the shoulders to a front of said top, at least one
cross-brace tension strap at said back of said top, said tension
strap being connected to said harness straps, breast-tensioning
and support panels at said front of said top, said panels comprising
a right panel for being over the right breast and a left panel for
being over the left breast, each of said panels having an upper
end and a lower end, each of said panels comprising a plurality
of elastic bands longitudinally secured together, said bands extending
upwardly from said lower end at a location below the breast, said
panel having a length and width for covering the breast, said panels
being connected together at a location between the breasts, said
upper end of each of said panels being secured to a respective one
of harness straps at said front of said top, and said lower straps
ends of said panels being secured to a support belt.
2. The sport top for a woman according to claim 1 wherein said
bands of material radially emanate from a point generally centered
on the woman's sternum.
3. The sport top for a woman according to claim 1 wherein said
bands of material are vertically striated.
4. The sport top for a woman according to claim 1 wherein said
bands of material radially emanate from a point below each breast.
5. The sport top for a woman according to claim 1 further comprising:
foundation material, said foundation material providing a covering
for the sport top, and said foundation material attached to said
over-shoulder harness and said support belt.
6. The sport top for a woman according to claim 1 further comprising:
detachable attachment structure for detachable coupling a right
portion of said breast-tensioning panels to a left portion of said
breast-tensioning panels, a first halt of said detachable attachment
structure coupled to said right portion of said breast-tensioning
panels and a second half of said detachable attachment structure
coupled to said left portion of said breast-tensioning panels, said
first half detachably attaching to said second half whereby said
right portion of said breast-tensioning panels is detachably attached
to said left portion of said breast-tensioning panels.
7. The sport top for a woman according to claim 6 wherein said
detachable attachment structure comprises a system of hooks and
eyes elastically coupled to said breast-tensioning panels.
8. The sport top for a woman according to claim 1 wherein said
at least one cross-brace tension strap comprises to two tension
straps cross each other to form an X, and each of said tension straps
being connected at one end to one of said harness straps and at
its other end to the other of said harness straps.
9. The sport top for a woman according to claim 8 further comprising:
adjustment structure for adjusting tension of said cross-brace
tension straps, said adjustment structure coupled to said cross-brace
tension straps.
10. The sport top for a woman according to claim 9 wherein said
adjustment means further comprises:
adjustable belts providing selectable adjustment for said tension
of said cross-brace tension straps.
11. The sport top for a woman according to claim 10 wherein said
adjustable belts further comprise hooks and eyes.
12. A sport top for a woman that supports the woman's breasts and
enhances her posture, comprising: over-shoulder harness means extending
over a front and a back of said top for harnessing the woman's shoulders;
cross-brace tension means coupled to said over-shoulder harness
means at said back of said top; breast-tensioning means coupled
to said over-shoulder harness means at said front of said top; support-belt
means coupled to said breast-tensioning means; and slip sleeve means
for providing a slideable connection between said support-belt means
and said breast-tensioning, means and, said slip-sleeve means coupled
to said support belt means and said breast-tensioning means.
13. The sport top for a woman according to claim 12 wherein said
slip sleeve members further comprise:
material formed into a loop through which said support-belt may
slide, said loop traversing along a lower portion of said breast-tensioning
panels.
14. A sport top for a woman that supports the woman's breasts and
enhances her posture, comprising:
left and right over-shoulder harnesses for fitting over and under
respective left and right shoulders of the woman,
a first cross brace, said first cross brace attached to a first
end to a top portion of said left over-shoulder harness and at a
second end to a bottom portion of said right over-shoulder harness,
a second cross brace, said second cross brace attached at a first
end to a top portion of said right over-shoulder harness and at
a second end to a bottom portion of said left over-shoulder harness,
a support belt, said support belt coupled to said over-shoulder
harnesses by a slip sleeve.
15. The sport top for a woman according to claim 14 further comprising:
left and right breast restraints coupled respectively to said left
and right over-shoulder harnesses and coupled to said support belt.
16. The sport top for a woman according to claim 14 wherein said
slip sleeve further comprises:
material formed into a loop through which said support belt may
slide, said loop traversing along a lower portion of said left and
right breast restraints.
17. The sport top for a woman according to claim 14 wherein said
first and second cross braces are adjustable.
18. A sport top for a woman that supports the woman's breasts and
enhances her posture, comprising:
over-shoulder harness means
cross-brace tension means, said cross-brace tension means coupled
to said over-shoulder harness means;
left and right breast-restraining means, said breast-restraining
means coupled to said over-shoulder harnesses and a support belt,
each of said left and right breast-restraining means comprising
bands of material;
said support-belt means coupled to said breast-restraining means;
slip-sleeve means for providing a slideable connection between
said support-belt means and said breast-tensioning means, said slip-sleeve
means coupled to said support-belt means and said breast-tensioning
means and comprising material formed into a loop through which said
support-belt means may slide, said loop traversing along a lower
portion of said breast-restraining means;
foundation material, said foundation material providing a covering
for the sport top, said foundation material attached to said over-shoulder
harnesses and said support belt;
adjustment means for adjusting tension of said cross-brace tension
means, said adjustment coupled to said cross-brace tension means
and comprising adjustable hooks and eyes; and
a hook-and-eye system elastically coupled to said left and right
breast-restraining means, said hook-and-eye system providing detachable
attachment of said right breast-restraining means with said left
breast-restraining means.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to athletic clothing and, more particularly,
to a sport top for a woman that enhances her posture and provides
breast support.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several attempts have previously been made to provide breast and
back support for women. Such support is desirable as enhanced posture
allows for better physical functioning of the human body and prevents
damage that might otherwise afflict the breasts.
A lack of skeletal support for women's breasts allow them to bounce,
causing sudden and abrupt collisions with the chest. These collisions
may bruise and/or otherwise strain the breast tissues, causing damage
that may be permanent. While such stresses may be distributed over
the entire breast as a whole, repeated collisions serve to cumulatively
bruise and damage the breast tissue. Such collisions often occur
during exercise such as aerobics or jogging. As physical exercise
is most physically helpful and healthful when performed several
times a week, it is best to prevent any physical injury from happening,
at least to the greatest extent possible.
Concerns with respect to breast-tissue trauma from vigorous physical
exercise may be held by those women who are large breasted, or well
endowed. The damage or injury that might otherwise not afflict the
breast tissue may give such women pause before engaging in vigorous
physical exercise.
In the past, attempts have been made to address the aforementioned
problems of back and breast support. Generally, the prior art has
not focused well upon these dual purposes. More often, the prior
art addresses cosmetic breast support, as a foundation for other
clothing, or addresses the protection of the breasts from impact
during exercise or sports, such as soccer. Some of the related art
is set forth in the brief descriptions below.
L. Lockwood, et al,. U.S. Pat. No. 3465754
This reference is directed to a brassiere which does not have any
front connection between the brassiere cups. Referring to FIG. 4
the brassiere is supported by a pair of arm members 24R, 22R and
a pair of cross-members 30 32. However, there is no disclosure
of a belt member in combination. Further, there is no disclosure
of the brassiere cups 26 and 28 having any types of spokes.
M. N. Moy Au. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5244432
This reference is directed to a sports-type brassiere having protective
inserts. As shown in FIG. 6 the brassiere includes a pair of cross-strap
members 19 which extend between the respective cups and a belt member.
C. Wirth, U.S. Pat. No. 4741719
This reference is directed to a garment having breast supports
for use during athletic activities. As shown in FIG. 7 the garment
includes a pair of arm members defined by the shoulder straps 14a,
14b, a pair of cross members defined by the tendons 32a' and 32b',
and a belt 34.
R. Braaten, U.S. Pat. No. 4816005
This reference is directed to a sports bra adapted to provide for
support of the breasts and back of the wearer. As best seen in FIGS.
3 and 4 the sports bra 10 is provided with a pair of arm members
60 a pair of cross members 50 and 52 and a belt member 22 on the
back of the device.
With respect to the structure of bra cups, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2915067
and 3163167 disclose cup structures having vertically directed
"spokes" for supporting the breasts. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4632118
4453549 5167566 and 2701362 disclose cup structures having
radially directed "spokes" for supporting the breasts.
From the above, it can be seen that the prior art has not well
addressed the concerns of athletic women regarding support for the
back and breasts. Attaining such support in an athletic sport top
for women would provide greater enjoyment of sports and other activities
while reducing injury and enhancing the healthful nature of such
activity through better posture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resides in a bra sport top that provides
several means by which back and breast support are created and maintained.
Two shoulder harnesses serve to pull the woman's shoulders back.
One shoulder harness encircles each of the woman's shoulders. Cross
braces interconnect the two shoulder harnesses to further pull the
woman's shoulders back. A support belt encircles the woman's midriff
just below her breasts and shoulder blades. Intermediating the space
between the shoulder harnesses and the support belt are left and
right breast-restraining means that cover and restrain the respective
left and right breasts of the woman. Buckles, clasps, hooks and
eyes, or other means serve to connect the left and right breast-restraining
means. A slip sleeve present below the breast-restraining means
serves to allow the slideable articulation of the support belt so
that there is some degree of freedom between the breast-restraining
means and the support belt.
In alternative embodiments, bands or strips of material can be
used to provide directional support to the underlying breasts. These
strips may be centered upon the woman's sternum, at a point below
each breast, or may be vertically striated.
To enhance the adjustability of the present invention, the cross
braces may be made adjustable so as to allow the tension upon the
cross braces and the attached shoulder harnesses to be adjustable
according to the wearer's preferences.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide better back
support for women engaged in athletic activity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resilient
breast support for women engaged in athletic activity.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide simultaneous
back and breast support for women engaged in athletic activities.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide
breast and back support for women engaged in athletic activities
by means of a bra sport top that can flexibly and resiliently provide
support to a woman's upper torso during strenuous exercise.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention
will be apparent from a review of the following specification and
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a rear elevational view of a first embodiment of the
bra sport top of the present invention. The wearer is shown in phantom.
Stitching is indicated by the dashed lines.
FIG. 2 shows a front elevational view of the bra sport top of FIG.
1. The wearer is shown in phantom.
FIG. 3 shows a front elevational view of a second embodiment of
the bra sport top of the present invention. The wearer is shown
in phantom.
FIG. 4 shows a front elevational view of an additional embodiment
of the present invention. The wearer is shown in phantom.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The bra sport top 10 of the present invention provides enhanced
posture and increased breast support for the athletic woman wearer
W. By pulling the shoulders back and by resiliently restraining
the breasts, the bra sport top 10 of the present invention allows
women to engage in vigorous physical activity while maintaining
good posture and protecting their breasts from collateral damage.
The bra sport top 10 has a pair of over-shoulder harnesses 12
14. The left over-shoulder harness 12 encircles the left shoulder
while the right over-shoulder harness 14 encircles the right shoulder.
These two over-shoulder harnesses serve to establish a foundation
upon which a breast and back support may be established. The over-shoulder
harnesses fit snugly about the shoulders without constricting, gathering,
or pinching and allow free movement of the arms.
At the back of the bra sport top 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is a pair
of cross braces 16 18. The cross brace 16 attached at the top of
the right shoulder harness is designated as the right cross brace
16. The other cross brace 18 that attaches to the top of the left
over-shoulder harness 12 is designated the left cross brace 18.
The right cross brace 16 is attached at the top of the right over-shoulder
harness 14 and descends between the shoulder blades of the woman
wearer W to the lower portion of the left over-shoulder harness
12. At the connection 20 between the right cross brace 16 and left
over-shoulder harness 12 the right cross brace 16 merges with the
left over-shoulder harness 12. The same is similarly true for the
left cross brace 18. The left cross brace 18 is attached to the
top of the left over-shoulder harness 12 and traverses the back
of the woman wearer W between the shoulder blades to connect and
merge with the right over-shoulder harness at the connection between
them 22.
Individually, the two over-shoulder harnesses serve to restrict
the forward articulation of the individual's shoulders. As connected
by the cross braces 18 20 the over-shoulder harnesses 12 14 serve
to pull both shoulders back and somewhat toward each other across
the spine thereby pulling the shoulders back farther.
The right and left cross braces 16 18 may be adjustable so that
the tension exerted by them can be selectively altered. FIG. I shows
one such embodiment where hooks and eyes 19 are used to allow adjustment
of the cross braces 16 18. By such adjustability of the cross braces
16 18 the wearer W can achieve a most comfortable but effective
tension.
At the bottom of FIG. 1 the support belt 22 is shown partially
encircling the wearer W below the shoulder blades. The support belt
22 is generally made of elastic material that can endure the rigors
of vigorous exercise.
One or more slip sleeves 24 surround the support belt 22 as the
support belt 22 travels from the back of the wearer W to the front.
The slip sleeve 24 may have an angled edge 26 into which the support
belt 22 travels. The angled edge prevents any catching of the support
belt on the slip sleeve 24 as it stretches and moves about or within
the slip sleeve 24.
Referring now to FIG. 2 the front of the bra sport top 10 of the
present invention is shown with the over-shoulder harnesses 12
14 and the cross braces 16 18 portrayed to the rear of the figure.
Intermediating the space between the over-shoulder harnesses 12
14 and the slip sleeve 24 are two breast-tensioning panels 26 28.
The right breast-tensioning panel traverses the distance over the
wearer's W right breast between the right over-shoulder harness
14 and the slip sleeve panel 24. The same is similarly true for
the left breast-tensioning panel 28. The left breast-tensioning
panel traverses the distance over the wearer's W left breast between
the left over-shoulder harness 12 and the slip sleeve 24.
As shown in FIG. 2 each of the breast-tensioning panels is composed
of a series of bands, or strips, that are attached to one another
so as to provide directional support for the underlying breast.
As shown in FIG. 2 the strips are centered upon points generally
adjacent the sternum of the wearer W.
Also as shown in FIG. 2 detachable coupling means are present
that provide detachable attachment of the left and right breast-restraining
panels 26 28. One half of the detachable coupling means 32 may
have buttonholes, loops, eyes, or the like 34. The other half of
the detachable coupling means 36 may have a series of buttons, hooks,
or posts 38 that snugly fit in the buttonholes 34 in order to detachably
attach, for example, the left 36 and right 32 halves of the detachable
coupling means and the bra sport top 10 as a whole. By means of
the detachable coupling means, the wearer W may more easily don
the bra sport top 10.
In order to provide a more comfortable or cosmetically attractive
bra sport top 10 foundation material 40 may be used to cover the
structures of the bra sport top 10 or may underlie the same. The
foundation material 40 provides a cover for the woman's upper torso
and can serve to either overlie and cover the supporting structures
of the bra sport top or may serve as a cushion intermediating the
contact between such structures and the wearer W. If the foundation
material 10 overlies the supporting structures, it may be fashioned
so as to have a pleasing external appearance in the colors and styles
currently of fashion.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show two alternative embodiments of the present invention.
Reference is made to similar structures by using similar reference
numbers.
Referring now to FIG. 3 the bra sport top 10 has individual breast-tensioning
panels 30 centered upon points immediately below each breast. The
right breast-tensioning panel has its panels emanating from a point
immediately below the right breast with the same being similarly
true for the left breast-tensioning panel 28. Elastic bands or the
like 50 interconnect the right and left breast-tensioning panels
26 28. Such elastic bands 50 allow the wearer to slip the bra sport
top on, flexing it wider in order to slip into the bra sport top
10.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the individual breast-tensioning
panels 30 are vertically striated so as to provide directional support
to the underlying breasts. As for the embodiment shown in FIG. 3
the vertically striated embodiment of FIG. 4 has a unitary slip
sleeve without any detachable attachment means between the right
and left breast-tensioning panels 26 28. The absence of the detachable
coupling means is achieved by use of the elastic bands 50 and allows
the slip sleeve 24 to entirely traverse the front portion of the
bra sport top 10. The support belt 22 similarly encircles the entire
upper torso just below the breasts, traveling entirely through the
slip sleeve 24.
Construction of the bra sport top 10 is generally achievable by
means currently known in the art for the stitching and sewing of
athletic apparel. The fabrics and materials of which the bra sport
top 10 is constructed are known to those familiar with the art.
Generally, those structures of the bra sport top serving to establish
or enhance support should be made of materials of sufficient strength
to achieve such support. With respect to the right and left breast-tensioning
panels 26 28 these should be fabricated so that the breasts are
not overly compressed to the point of discomfort but instead provide
as much support as possible without interfering with the athletic
activities of the wearer W. Generally, the entire bra sport top
may be made of elastic materials. Materials having greater elasticity
should be used for the breast-tensioning panels 26 28. Materials
of lesser flexibility may be used for the remaining structures of
the bra sport top 10. As it is the support belt 22 which serves
to attach the lower portion of the bra sport top 10 to the wearer
W, the slip sleeve 24 may be made of the least flexible or even
non-flexible material so as to provide a more rigid support.
While the present invention has been described with regards to
particular embodiments, it is recognized that additional variations
of the present invention may be devised without departing from the
inventive concept.
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