Patent ID: 6918813

Claim:
A brassiere, comprising: a pair of connected cups for supporting and shaping the breasts of the wearer, each of said cups being substantially constructed of a uni-directionally elastic material that is substantially more elastic in a first direction than in a second direction transverse to said first direction; and first and second side panels each having opposing ends, each of said side panels operatively attached at one end to a respective cup and terminating at an opposite end in a longitudinal direction, each side panel having a width extending transverse to said longitudinal direction, each side panel providing a plane of contact with a wearer, said plane of contact including longitudinal zones of contact at edges of the transverse width and at a central region of the transverse width substantially spaced away from the edges, said side panels being adapted to apply substantially uniform pressure to said wearer across said plane at least along said longitudinal zones in contact with said wearer.