Patent ID: 7615021

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: (a) clothing including a permanent tubular portion designed to fit and completely surround a portion of a body; and (b) an expandable and recoverable framework permanently attached directly to said tubular portion of said clothing; (c) wherein, (i) said framework is flexible, elastically stretchable and comprises an integrally molded network of interconnected, elastomeric segments, (ii) a first plurality of said interconnected, elastomeric segments define a perimeter of said framework, (iii) a second plurality of said interconnected, elastomeric segments define a plurality of permanent openings located within said perimeter of said framework, (iv) none of said interconnected, elastomeric segments of the first plurality are part of the second plurality, (v) said framework is configured such that it would be capable of lying generally flat if not attached to said tubular portion of said clothing, and (vi) said framework extends over but does not extend beyond said clothing.