Abstract:
A clothing support apparatus integrated within an article of clothing and which provides ample support for expectant mothers while providing them relief from certain discomforts associated with pregnancy. The apparatus includes a set of stretchable wings which extend from a rear or back section of the apparatus to wrap around and under the expectant mother&#39;s belly, thereby providing support. Aspects of embodiments of the present invention allow for continued use of the clothing apparatus all through the expectant mother&#39;s pregnancy.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of, and is related to Applicant&#39;s provisional patent application, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/259,050 titled “CLOTHING SUPPORT APPARATUS” filed Nov. 23, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates, in general, to clothing used by expectant mothers during their pregnancy. Specifically, the present invention relates to clothing that provides them with support that is light, matches the expectant mother&#39;s contour and alleviates common pregnancy discomforts. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Current maternity clothing such as pants, skirts, shorts, dresses, etc. have no built-in support. Expectant mothers who would like extra support during pregnancy have to purchase a separate maternity support belt which oftentimes tends to be heavy, uncomfortable and expensive. These belts are also made from thick, harsh fabrics that do not feel good against the body. While these belts can offer extra support during pregnancy, many women do not purchase them because they tend to be expensive, and are uncomfortable. They also tend to be hot and bulky under clothing. It is nearly impossible for one&#39;s clothing to look smooth and seamless when wearing one of these support belts. As such, there is a need for a support apparatus that provides expectant mothers with extra support while pregnant. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention contemplate the incorporation of a support feature into maternity clothing that would provide women extra support during their pregnancies without requiring them to buy and wear a separate, bulky, and expensive belt. The object of aspects of embodiments of the present invention is to combine the functionality of the additional maternity support with a “bottom” or an article of clothing such as, without limitation: a pair of pants, a skirt, a dress, a pair of shorts, jeans, workout pants, leggings, etc. Combining a support apparatus with an article of clothing which offers extra support with a bottom, enables an expectant mother to get some extra support to help prevent against common pregnancy aliments while not wearing an extra, bulky belt on top of her clothing. In addition, the expectant mother will save money that normally would have been spent on an extra belt. Aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention provide a much more seamless and hidden support feature under clothes, allowing the expectant mother to maintain a sense of style and fashion. The extra support feature, as contemplated, could be adjusted, according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, by wearing the article of clothing and pulling the support as tight as deemed necessary. 
         [0005]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention contemplates a clothing support apparatus which includes a top section, a middle section, below and connected to the top section, where the middle section includes left and right wings, each wing respectively extending from left and right sides of the middle section. Clothing support apparatus  100  may also include a lower section, below and connected to the middle section, where the lower section is any one of: a pair of pants, a skirt, a dress, a pair of shorts, jeans, workout pants, leggings, etc. 
         [0006]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the top section may cover an area from the user&#39;s/expectant mother&#39;s chest to halfway through the user&#39;s/expectant mother&#39;s belly area. Aspects of embodiments of the present invention also contemplate different area coverage. 
         [0007]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the left wing of the middle section may extend from a position of the middle section behind the user&#39;s left hipbone while the right wing of the middle section may extend from a position of the middle section behind the user&#39;s right hipbone. 
         [0008]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the middle section may cover the lower half of a user&#39;s belly&#39;s and an area slightly below the user&#39;s waist. 
         [0009]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the lower section may include one or more pockets. 
         [0010]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the left wing may extend from a point a few inches behind the user&#39;s left hipbone and towards the user&#39;s back. In other aspects, the wings may extend from different positions. 
         [0011]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the right wing may extend from a point a few inches behind the user&#39;s right hipbone and towards the user&#39;s back. In other aspects, the wings may extend from different positions. 
         [0012]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the left and right wings each may have a part or one component of an attachment component. In one aspect, the attachment component may be a Velcro hook and loop where the left wing may include the loop component of the Velcro hook and loop and where the right wing may include the hook component of the Velcro hook and loop and vice versa. 
         [0013]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, each of the left and right wings extend at a length sufficient to reach beyond a front midpoint of the user&#39;s belly. 
         [0014]    In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, each of the top and middle sections may be made of non-rigid, stretch material which enables the invention to be worn through the mother&#39;s pregnancy as the material expands with additional growth of the expectant mother&#39;s belly and, in some instances, her body. 
         [0015]    Additional aspects, objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates a rear view of a clothing support apparatus according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates rear and side views of a clothing support apparatus according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of a clothing support apparatus according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of a clothing support apparatus showing use of support wings according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  illustrates a detailed view of part of an attachment mechanism as positioned on one of the wings of a clothing support apparatus according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 , rear and side views of a clothing support apparatus  100  is shown according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. Clothing support apparatus  100  may include a top section  102  connected to a middle section  104 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, top section  102  may extend from the expectant mother&#39;s chest area down to a halfway point of the mother&#39;s belly. 
         [0022]    Extending from two positions along middle section  104  are left wing  106 A and right wing  106 B. Wings  106 A and  106 B may, in one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, be made of stretchable material which enable the wings to be stretched around the expectant mother&#39;s waist and around her belly to provide support. This support feature may be made from comfortable, wicking fabric and soft Velcro. The wings may be made of stretchy, breathable fabric and have parts of a Velcro attachment mechanism  110  on both—the Velcro hook on one side and the loop on the other. Wings  106 A and  106 B can be attached together by the Velcro on the bottom half of the pregnant belly, and adjusted based on how tight the user wants the belt to be, depending on how much support the woman would like. 
         [0023]    Middle section  104  may be connected to lower section  108 . In different aspects of embodiments of the present invention, lower section  108  may be any one of a pair of pants, a skirt, a dress, a pair of shorts, jeans, workout pants, leggings or any other article of clothing. The different sections of clothing support apparatus  100  may be connected as discussed above by way of stitching or other ways of attaching clothing sections together as known in the art. 
         [0024]    In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, wings  106 A and  106 B of clothing support apparatus  100  may each be a piece of fabric that is sewn, at or beginning at a connection point, ( 104 A for left wing  106 A or  104 B for right wing  106 B) with a seam on both sides of the rear of the article of clothing. In an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, when the article of clothing, as contemplated, is in use, either or both connection points  104 A and  104 B may be located or start approximately from a position or a certain distance measured from the expectant mother&#39;s hipbone towards her back. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, this distance may be 4 inches toward the back from either hipbone. In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, connection points  104 A and  104 B may be located or may start at a point further back instead of at the expectant mother&#39;s hipbones. This configuration provides the extra support the expectant mother needs, while also allowing the article of clothing to reach its desired functionality of offering support. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3-5 , different front views of the clothing support apparatus  100  and its attachment mechanism  110 A &amp;  110 B are shown according to aspects of embodiments of the present invention. As shown and discussed above, clothing support apparatus  100  may have two “wings” or “connection sections” also known as left wing  106 A and right wing  106 B which extend (respectively beginning from connection points  104 A and  104 B, according to one aspect) from either side of middle section  104  above the article of clothing  108 . Connection sections  106 A and  106 B may together have an attachment mechanism  110  (i.e. components  110 A and  110 B together) for connecting wings  106 A and  106 B together to provide the support function as contemplated by an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, each connection section may have Velcro on both sides of each respective front of each connection section—with the Velcro hook on one side and loop on the other side. 
         [0026]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, attachment mechanism  110  may be Velcro. In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, each of wings  106 A and  106 B may have a length of 8-10 inches of Velcro on both sides in the front, with the Velcro loop on one side, and the corresponding hook on the other side. This feature of the support apparatus enables the wearer to pull the support apparatus as tight as she may like and fasten it with the Velcro attachment mechanism to get extra support and to ensure that clothing support apparatus  100  fits her unique body. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, wings  106 A and  106 B may be 4 inches wide. Clothing support apparatus  100  may also be configured to be thick enough to both stay fastened in place and provide support. It may also be a piece of fabric that goes under the belly. 
         [0027]    In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, wing  106 A may comprise of a part of attachment mechanism  110 , part  110 A at its end while wing  106 B may also comprise of a part of attachment mechanism  110 , part  110 B at its end. Both  110 A and  110 B may be complimentary parts of attachment mechanism  110  which when brought in contact with one another, secure wings  106 A and  106 B together. In one aspect, where attachment mechanism  110  is a Velcro hook and loop, part  110 A may be the hook (not shown) while part  110 B may be the loop. 
         [0028]    Clothing support apparatus  100  is a unique piece which is different from what is currently on the market. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, wings  106 A and  106 B may be adjustable as a result of their stretchy material and Velcro closure. When pulled under the belly, wings  106 A and  106 B can offer extra support to the expectant mother to help protect against many common discomforts of pregnancy. Because clothing support apparatus  100  is part of the article of clothing, it is more seamless for the wearer as it is not easily seen under clothing, and it is not bulky and uncomfortable like existing support belts. Clothing support apparatus  100  works in conjunction with the article of clothing to offer seamless extra support for the wearer. 
         [0029]    Clothing support apparatus  100  distinguishes itself as an article of outer clothing in that it is not an undergarment or stand-alone support belt. Clothing support apparatus  100  presents a built-in adjustable supportive belt which includes left wing  106 A and right wing  106 B on either side of middle section  104  of apparatus  100 . Wings  106 A and  106 B may, in one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, be attached (by sewing) to the back of the garment and can be wrapped around to the front of the garment. 
         [0030]    The support aspects of clothing support apparatus  100  is truly integrated into the clothing by, in one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, being attached to the back panel of an article of clothing. In this aspect, wings  106 A and  106 B may be connected to lower section  108  (e.g. pants, dress, shirt, shorts, jeans, leggings, etc.) by being sewn into the back panel of the lower section  108 . This eliminates the need for a bulky additional support belt, if the user needs light to medium support. When wings  106 A and  106 B are attached together by attachment mechanism  110 A and  110 B in the front of the garment, it provides light-to-medium support that can be adjusted to fit comfortably through the entire duration of pregnancy, because of the elastic fabric of wings  106 A and  106 B and attachment mechanism  110 A and  110 B closure of the wings which allows the expectant mother to adjust how tightly the wings close around her belly. 
         [0031]    The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.