Abstract:
A brassiere for use by women having asymmetrical breasts which are not comfortably or properly received in and/or supported by the symmetrical breast cups as provided in the usual brassiere. The brassiere comprises a garment having a unitary body section which encircles the midriff of a woman with asymmetrical breasts, a closure for adjusting the body section of the brassiere to fit the midriff of the woman, and a pair of asymmetrical breast cups carried by the body section, the body section positioning the cups to comfortably and properly receive and support the woman&#39;s asymmetrical breasts. The brassiere may be turned inside-out to reverse orientation of the cups.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/417,994 filed Oct. 12, 2002. 

   FIELD OF INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to women&#39;s upper body garments. 
   More particularly, this invention relates to garments of the type worn by women to support their breasts, and it is specially intended for use in providing brassieres with asymmetrically sized breast receiving cups for use by women having asymmetrical sized breasts. 
   DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
   As individuals develop and grow between childhood and adulthood, it is not unusual to find in a significant percentage of people that all parts of the two sides of their bodies have not grown or developed at precisely the same rate. This is why a certain percentage of people will experience difficulty in finding a pair of shoes which comfortably fit both feet—one foot having out-grown the other. In some instances, in fact, the disparity in foot size has been known to require the purchase of two sets of shoes of the same design but of different sizes, with one shoe from each set then being worn and the other two discarded. 
   Another problem area resulting from this disparity in growth is with differences in breast size as experienced by a fairly substantial number of women. Much like the problem of finding a shoe size which is comfortable on asymmetrical feet, women with asymmetrical breasts seldom are successful in finding commercially available brassieres which comfortably fit and support both breasts. Brassieres are sold with one cup size only. They vary in midriff size and cup size, but are not available with different size cups in the same brassiere. 
   Unlike shoes, brassieres are not commonly sold in sets of two individual cup sections which would permit a woman to buy two different sized sets of two cup sections each, and then select, assemble and wear one section of each cup size. Thus, women with asymmetrical breasts, even if they might be willing to accept the double cost of and problems involved in trying to fit together two sets of brassiere sections, are not able to buy brassieres which properly fit and support their breasts. This is a particularly vexing problem in those cases where a women needs a brassiere with under wire support. 
   In the past, various proposals have been made for brassieres or like body garments intended for use by women who have had a breast removed or otherwise reduced through surgery. As shown in representative patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,269,191; 5,702,285 and 5,966,740 the prior art has suggested such arrangements as a brassiere having (a) one cup and one flat panel, (b) entirely separate cup sections, and (c) a multi-piece assembly. 
   None of these prior suggestions have been directed toward nor have they in any way provided commercially available unitary brassieres capable of solving the long standing problem experienced by many women in trying to find a comfortably fitting product for use with naturally occurring asymmetrical breasts. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   The general aim of the present invention is to provide a new and improved unitary breast support structure in a brassiere. 
   DETAILED OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
   To provide a novel brassiere particularly intended for use by women with asymmetrical breasts, such brassiere having breast cups individually sized to comfortably receive and support the breast to be positioned therein. 
   The provision of an unique brassiere comprising a unitary garment having asymmetrical breast cups and a body section for supporting such cups in position on the chest of the user, the circumference of such body section being adjustable to provide a comfortable fit over the chest of the wearer. 
   To provide a new and novel brassiere for use by a woman having asymmetrical breasts, such brassiere comprising a unitary garment having a body section adapted to encircle the chest of the woman, closure means provided by the body section and adapted to permit opening the body member for donning or removing the brassiere and for adjusting the circumference of the body member to fit the girth of the wearer, and a pair of asymmetrical breast cups carried by the body section, such body section positioning the asymmetrical cups to comfortably receive and support the asymmetrical breasts of the woman. 
   The invention also resides in the provision of a brassiere having asymmetrical breast receiving cups, the brassiere being reversible by being turned inside out to reverse the orientation of the breast cups relative to the anatomy of a woman whereby the same brassiere is usable regardless of the positioning of the breasts. 
   These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a new and improved brassiere incorporating asymmetrical cups and other unique aspects of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2A  is a front view of the brassiere of  FIG. 1  as disposed on the figure of a woman with one panel of the front closure being open. 
       FIG. 2B  is a reduced front view of the brassiere of  FIG. 1 , with the closure closed. 
       FIG. 2C  is a reduced front view of the brassiere of  FIG. 1 , with the brassiere being turned inside out to reverse the position of the cups and the closure, with the other panel of the closure being open. 
       FIG. 3A  is an enlarged front perspective view of the closure of  FIG. 1 , showing the details of the new and unique Velcro closure used in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIGS. 3B ,  3 C and  3 D are partial top plan views showing positioning of parts of the Velcro closure of  FIG. 3A  as disposed to accommodate various sized chests or midriffs. 
       FIG. 3E  is an enlarged partial top plan view of the Velcro closure of  FIG. 3A  showing both panels closed. 
       FIG. 4A  is a front view of another embodiment of this invention, showing use of a front closure comprising a series of loops and hooks. 
       FIG. 4B  is a reduced front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 4A  showing the hooks and loops engaged and the closure closed. 
       FIG. 4C  is a reduced front view of the brassiere of  FIG. 4A  with the position of the cups and closure being reversed and with the closure open. 
       FIG. 5A  is a front view of another embodiment of this invention, showing use of a front closing closure comprising elastic fabric connectors supporting hook members which snap together. 
       FIG. 5B  is a reduced front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5A  showing the hook members of the closure as being snapped together. 
       FIG. 5C  is a reduced front view of the brassiere of  FIG. 5A  with the position of the cups being reversed and the hook members snapped together. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are front and back views of another embodiment of this invention, comprising a brassiere with a snap-together back closure, with under wires and without shoulder straps. 
       FIG. 6C  is a front view of the  FIG. 6A  embodiment, showing the brassiere and the positioning of the breast cups as being reversed. 
       FIGS. 7A ,  7 B and  7 C are front and back views of a brassiere according to the embodiment of  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B and  6 C wherein the brassiere includes use of selectively removable shoulder straps. 
       FIGS. 8A and 8B  are front and back views of another embodiment of this invention, comprising a brassiere formed of stretchable material without closure means and shoulder straps. 
       FIG. 8C  shows a brassiere according to the embodiment of  FIG. 8A , the brassiere is turned inside-out to reverse the position of the breast cups. 
       FIGS. 9A ,  9 B, and  9 C, are front and back views of the embodiment of  FIGS. 8A ,  8 B and  8 C but with removable shoulder straps attached. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Throughout this application, certain words are used for convenience only and are not to be construed as limiting. The word “brassiere” is used in its broadest sense to refer to any upper body garment that is intended to be worn by a woman to support her breasts, whether that garment normally is worn as outer clothing (e.g. a swimming suit top) or under other clothing. Also, throughout this application, common and usual details of sewing, construction and style (e.g. stitching, hems, mesh areas, lace and like fanciful edging etc.) normally involved in manufacturing brassieres are not shown or described, as this invention is not directed to such details except to the extent that they might adversely affect the comfort of a brassiere. Additionally, in the drawings, like elements in the same or different embodiments or views have been identified with like reference numerals throughout. Also, where a particular element may be shown several times in the same drawing view, it may not be numbered each time it is shown in that view, and all elements shown in one view of an embodiment may not be shown in all other views of that same embodiment. 
   First Embodiment Shown in FIGS.  1  Through  3 E. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1–3E , the brassiere  10  of this embodiment generally comprises
         a body portion  12 , including a back section  14 , side sections  16 , and front sections  18 , such body portion having therein a discontinuity releasably and selectively closed with a closure device,   shoulder straps  20 ,   closure  22 , and   asymmetrical breast cups including right cup  24  and left cup  26 .       

   As will be noted from  FIGS. 1–2B , the left breast cup  26  is larger than right breast cup  24 , an arrangement intended to fit a woman with asymmetrical breasts in which the right breast is larger than the left breast. In  FIG. 2C , however, it will be seen that the position of the cups has been reversed relative to the body of a wearer, with the smaller cup  24  being positioned to the left. Such reversal may be accomplished, of course, during manufacture of the brassiere. In this embodiment, however, such reversal is accomplished very simply—by turning the brassiere inside-out (hereinafter generally characterized as “reversible” or “reversed”). Thus, to accommodate women with the same chest size but oppositely positioned asymmetrical breasts, the manufacturer would have to manufacture and the retailer would have to carry only one brassiere of a given style or price range for each combination of cup sizes. For instance, a reversible brassiere with a chest size of 28″ and one C and one D cup would properly and comfortably fit any women with a midriff of about 28″ and asymmetrical C and D size breasts regardless of the positioning of the breasts. 
   Shoulder straps  20  are provided with strap adjusting means  28 , preferably positioned forwardly of the shoulders where they are easily accessed for length adjustment after the brassiere has been donned. The adjusting means  28  may be comprised of any one of several types now used widely and well known in the art. 
   As will be obvious to those in the art, manufacture of a reversible brassiere of the nature described above requires that care be taken to select materials, sewing methods, cup construction, and seam size and positioning to assure that the brassiere not only reverses readily but that it provides a smooth and comfortable feel regardless of the side contacting the wearer&#39;s skin. 
   Front closure  22  provides a new and novel arrangement which not only is particularly useful in connection with reversible brassieres in accordance with this invention but provides a definite improvement in the degree of adjustment available in selecting the most comfortable point of closure of body portion  12  around the chest. 
   As best seen in  FIGS. 3A–3E , closure  22  comprises a center panel  30  formed of a smooth flexible fabric or like material which is attached at one end to one of the brassiere&#39;s front sections  18  and provided on each side at its distal free end with a relatively narrow band of Velcro hook material  32 . Attached to the other front section  18  is a receptor unit comprising two coextensive flexible receptor panels  34 , each of which has a smooth exterior surface and an interior surface lined with Velcro Loop material  36 . In adjusting closure  22  after donning brassiere  10 , the user merely
         separates the receptor panels  34  by bending the outer panel back as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A, and  3 A,   pulls the center panel  30  and receptor panels  34  toward each other until reaching a position which is comfortable on her chest,   presses the center panel  30  back to engage the hook material  32  on the back side thereof with the loop material  36  on the inner receptor panel  34 , and   then folds the outer receptor panel  34  inwardly to engage the loop material  36  thereon with the hook material  32  on the outer side of center panel  30 .       

   Removal of the brassiere merely involves reversal of the above steps. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 3B–3D , it will be seen that the user of the brassiere  10  has a considerable range for placement of the center panel  30  relative to receptor panels  34  in adjusting the body portion  12  to provide a comfortable fit around her upper body. It also will be seen that, whether or not reversed, at no time is the hook material  32  or loop material  36  ever exposed either to view or for contact with the skin of the wearer. 
   Alternate Embodiment Shown in FIGS.  4 A– 4 C 
   The alternate embodiment  38  shown in  FIGS. 4A–4C  is similar to the embodiment described above, including
         a body portion  40  comprising a back section (not shown), side sections  42  and front sections  44 ,   shoulder straps  46  extending upwardly from front sections  44 ,   closure means  48 , and   asymmetrical breast cups  48  and  50  provided in front sections  44 .       

   As shown in  FIG. 4A , the left breast cup  50  is larger than the right cup  48 , thus providing a brassiere suitable for use by a woman having asymmetrical breasts, of which the right breast is the larger. Depending upon the extent of this size difference, a brassiere providing a difference of one cup size may be adequate, but in some cases more or less than one cup size difference may be desirable. Thus, to accommodate all possible needs, it may be desirable to provide a line of asymmetrical brassieres offering cup size differences of one half, one, and one and one half. 
   The closure  48  of this embodiment is of a well known type, consisting of
         a generally rectangular panel  54  attached to one of the front sections  44  and provided with three parallel vertically disposed columns of relatively small wire loops  56  and   a second panel  58  attached to the other front section  44  and provided with one vertically disposed column of wire hooks  60 .       

   As will be obvious, after the brassiere has been donned, the panels  54  and  58  are to be drawn together to the point where the body portion  40  fits comfortably, and the hooks  60  then engaged with the closest column of loops  56 . 
   It might be observed at this point that, while the hook/loop closure of this embodiment is generally adequate for many wearers, it would not be as responsive to the need for a comfortable fit as closure  22  of the earlier embodiment since closure  22  can be engaged at any point along receptor panels  34  and is not limited to three predetermined positions. 
     FIG. 4B  shows the closure  48  in a closed position, and  FIG. 4C  shows the brassiere  38  with the closure  48  open and as having the cups  50  and  52  reversed to accommodate a woman with a smaller breast on her left side. 
   Should it be desired to make brassiere  38  reversible, it would be preferable to add to the closure  48  an extra panel which would cover any exposed loops  56  when positioned toward the body of the wearer. 
   Alternate Embodiment Shown in FIGS.  5 A– 5 C 
   The alternate embodiment  62  shown in  FIGS. 5A–5C  is similar to the embodiments described above, including
         a body portion  64  comprising a back section (not shown), side sections  66  and front sections  68 ,   shoulder straps  70 ,   closure  72 , and   asymmetrical breast cups  74  and  76 .       

   The left breast cup  74  is shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  as being larger than the right cup  76 , thus providing a brassiere adapted for reception and support of asymmetrical breasts, of which the left breast is the smaller. Depending upon the extent of this size difference, a brassiere providing a difference anywhere between one half and one and one half sizes may be appropriate. 
   The closure  72  of this embodiment is of a known type, consisting of a plastic latch member  78  connected to each front section  68  by a panel of elastic material  80 . As will be noted, particularly from  FIG. 5A , the latch members  78  are facing in opposite vertical directions. To operate closure  72  after donning the brassiere  62 , latch members  78  are first hooked together vertically and then pressed rotatively to snap them together to secure body portion  64  around the chest of the wearer. 
   As with the earlier described embodiment of  FIGS. 4A–4C , while the snap closure of this embodiment is generally adequate for many wearers, it would not be as responsive to the need for a comfortable fit as either closure  22  or closure  48  of the earlier embodiments since it is limited to one predetermined closure position. However, elastic panels  80  or similar panels installed elsewhere in the body portion  64  normally will provide enough “give” to compensate to a great extent for this limitation. 
     FIGS. 5B and 5C  show the closure  72  in a closed position, with  FIG. 5C  also showing the cups  74  and  76  as being reversed to accommodate a woman with a smaller breast on her right side. Here again, if care is used in the selection of the fabrics, stitching, hems, etc. involved in the manufacture of cups and other components of this brassiere, it too would be readily reversible. 
   Alternate Embodiments Shown in FIGS.  6 A– 6 C and  7 A– 7 C 
   These embodiments are quite similar, except that the embodiment of  FIGS. 6A–6C  does not include the use of shoulder straps whereas the embodiment of  FIGS. 7A–7C  does provide for use of shoulder straps which are selectively removable from the brassiere. 
   More particularly, the embodiment of  FIGS. 6A–6C  shows a strapless brassiere  84  including
         a body portion  86  comprising back sections  88 , side sections  90 , and front section  92 ,   back closure  94 ,   elastic panels  96     asymmetrical breast cups  98  and  100 , and   underwires  102  and  104 .       

   The right breast cup  98  is shown in  FIG. 6A  as being larger than the left cup  100 , thus providing a brassiere adapted for reception and support of breasts, of which the right breast is the smaller. As in earlier embodiments, depending upon the extent of this size difference, a brassiere  84  providing a cup difference anywhere between one half and one and one half sizes may be appropriate. 
   In the event that a fairly significant size difference (e.g. one or one and one half) between the asymmetrical cups of this or other embodiments described herein might be great enough to be noticed under a sweater or other somewhat snug garment, the smaller of the two cups  100  could readily be provided with a cup shaped outer cover produced from a relatively thick or padded material capable of providing a profile equaling that of the larger cup when positioned on the chest of the wearer. 
   The closure  94  of this embodiment is a snap closure of the same basic type as discussed in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIGS. 5A–5C , consisting of plastic latch members  106  connected to each back section  88  by a panel of elastic material  96 . 
   As with the earlier described embodiment of  FIGS. 5A–5C , while body portion  86  with snap closure  94  of this embodiment is generally adequate for many wearers, elastic panels  96  connecting back sections  88  to back closure  94  normally will provide body portion  86  with sufficient “give” to fit comfortably around the wearer&#39;s chest  FIG. 6C  shows the cups  98  and  100  and underwires  102  and  104  as being reversed to accommodate a woman with a smaller breast on her left side. Here again, if care is used in the selection of the fabrics, stitching, hems, etc. involved in the manufacture of this brassiere  84 , it too will be readily reversible and comfortable in either mode. 
   Also, if the brassiere is intended to be of the reversible type, the underwires  102  and  104  should provide sufficient resiliency to accommodate the slight curvature reversal that would be involved. Further, the wires should be encased in a pocket formed in the lower seam of the cup. 
   The  FIGS. 7A–7C  embodiment is the same as the  FIGS. 6A–6C  embodiment except for the addition of removable and adjustable shoulder straps  108 . Each strap  108  preferably includes length adjusting means  110 , which may be any one of several devices now known and used for adjusting the length of such straps. Each end of each strap is provided with a hook member  112  which is removably positioned in a short open ended channel  114  (see  FIG. 7B ) formed in the body portion  84  at the positions shown in the drawings. 
   Excluding the matter of the shoulder straps  108 , all descriptions and comments concerning the embodiment of  FIGS. 6A–6C  apply to the embodiment of  FIGS. 7A–7C . 
   Alternate Embodiments Shown in FIGS.  8 A– 8 C and  9 A– 9 C 
   These two embodiments are quite similar, except that the embodiment of  FIGS. 8A–8C  does not include the use of shoulder straps whereas the embodiment of  FIGS. 9A–9C  does provide for use of shoulder straps which are selectively removable from the brassiere. 
   More particularly, the embodiment of  FIGS. 8A–8C  shows a strapless brassiere  116  including
         a unitary body portion  118  comprising a back section  120 , side sections  122 , and front section  124 , and   asymmetrical breast cups  126  and  128 .       

   The right breast cup  128  is shown in  FIG. 8A  as being smaller than the left cup  126 , thus providing a brassiere adapted for reception and support of asymmetrical breasts, of which the left breast is the smaller. As in earlier embodiments, depending upon the extent of the size difference, a brassiere  116  providing a cup difference anywhere between one half and one and one half sizes may be appropriate. 
   This embodiment does not require any type of closure as the unitary body portion  118  is made as a continuous band of an elastic material with expandable stitching which will stretch enough to permit its being pulled into place over the head and shoulders of the wearer while still providing a comfortable fit around her chest and adequate support for her breasts. Because of its flexible nature, this embodiment is readily reversible to position the breast cups  126  and  128  as illustrated in  FIG. 8C . 
   The  FIGS. 9A–9C  embodiment is the same as the  FIGS. 8A–8C  embodiment  132  except for the addition of removable and adjustable shoulder straps  134 . Each strap  108  preferably includes length adjusting means  136 , which may be any one of several devices now known and used for adjusting the length of such straps. Each end of each strap is provided with a hook member  138  which is removably positioned in a short open ended channel (not shown) formed in the body portion of the brassiere at the positions shown in the drawings. 
   Excluding the matter of the shoulder straps  134  all descriptions and comments concerning the embodiment of  FIGS. 8A–8C  apply to the embodiment of  FIGS. 9A–9C . 
   SUMMARY 
   While it will be clear from the preceding descriptions that the present invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative structures, it should be understood that applicant has no intention of limiting this invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative structures and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
   From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention brings to the art new, improved and long needed innovations which will be welcomed be those women who, for many years, have been troubled, inconvenienced and in many instances subjected to pain and discomfort because of the inability of the garment industry to provide unitary brassieres capable of properly and comfortably receiving and supporting asymmetrical breasts.