Patent ID: RE38853

Claim:
A substantially seamless brassiere, comprising: a body-covering portion constructed from a circularly knit fabric tube having circumferentially extending courses running in a coursewise direction of the fabric tube, wherein the fabric is manipulated into a two- ply structure and operated upon to form said body - covering portion having an inner ply and an outer ply integrally knit to each other at a bottom edge of the body - covering portion, said body - covering portion defining a pair of breast cups spaced apart in said coursewise direction , a central panel integrally knit to and extending between the breast cups, and a torso-encircling portion integrally knit to outer edges of the central panel and to the breast cups; and a pair of shoulder straps attached to the body-covering portion; wherein the breast cups and the torso-encircling portion are resiliently stretchable, and the central panel has a greater resistance to stretching than the breast cups and torso-encircling portion.