Patent ID: 8516616

Claim:
An article of apparel, comprising: a garment structure for covering at least a lower back portion of a human torso, wherein the garment structure includes one or more fabric elements forming a shirt, and wherein the garment structure is structured and arranged so as to provide a close fit to at least the lower back portion; and a lower back position feedback system at the lower back portion, wherein the lower back position feedback system includes at least: (a) a first region in the lower back portion having a higher compressive force application capability than a compressive force application capability of the fabric element making up a largest proportion of the garment structure, wherein a largest dimension of the first region extends across the lower back portion of the garment structure in a direction from a first side of the garment structure toward a second side of the garment structure and across a spinal portion of the garment structure, and (b) a second region in the lower back portion having a higher compressive force application capability than the compressive force application capability of the fabric element making up the largest proportion of the garment structure, wherein the second region is located below the first region in the garment structure, and wherein a largest dimension of the second region extends across the lower back portion of the garment structure in the direction from the first side toward the second side and across the spinal portion of the garment structure, wherein the lower back position feedback system extends across the lower back portion of the garment structure and partially around the sides of the garment structure such that the lower back position feedback system terminates at or before portions of the garment structure that cover a side portion of a human torso, wherein the lower back position feedback system includes: (a) a first material layer providing the higher compressive force application capability, (b) a second material layer engaged with the first material layer, wherein the second material layer has a lower compressive force application capability than the first material, and (c) a third material layer, wherein the second material layer is sandwiched between the first material layer and the third material layer, and wherein the third material layer of the lower back position feedback system directly contacts at least one fabric element making up the garment structure to thereby engage the lower back position feedback system with the garment structure.