Mammary support

Claim 2

A mammary supportive garment to be used as a dressing on the torso of post operative mammary surgery patients comprising: a uniformly distensible body shirt having arm and neck openings therein and a pair of mammary-contoured cup means disposed on one side thereof, each said mammary-contoureD cup means consisting of upper and lower cup sections, said upper cup section being characterized by a lower terminal edge and said lower cup section being characterized by an upper terminal edge, each said upper and lower terminal edges being affixed to one another so as to define a common cup section seam which is oriented so as to minimize abrasive contact with an angularly oriented mammary incision on the patient''s torso, a circumferentially oriented body band of substantial width constructed of material distensible circumferentially but not laterally thereof and having said lower cup sections and said uniformly distensible body shirt affixed each respectively thereto; the substantial width and nondistensible characteristics of said body band constituting cooperating factors which serve to preclude creep of the garment upwardly on the patient torso and thus maintaining uniform support over the torso surface.

Claim 3

A mammary supportive garment to be used as a dressing on post operative mammary surgery patients comprising: a uniformly distensible body shirt having an arm opening on each side, the neck opening in the top which thereby defines shoulder straps and mammary cup openings in the front thereof, contoured cup means affixed in each of said cup openings, each said mammary cup means consisting of upper and lower cup sections affixed to one another along a common seam so as to minimize abrasive contact with a mammary incision, said lower cup sections being configured to resemble a truncated shape along their lower edge, a circumferentially oriented body band being characterized by a substantial width sufficient to preclude creep of the garment upwardly, said body band being constructed of material distensible circumferentially but not laterally thereof and having said lower cup sections and said uniformly distensible body shirt each affixed respectively thereto; the nondistensible characteristic of said body band in the lateral direction constituting a cooperating factor in conjunction with the substantial width thereof so as to further tend to distrain creep of the garment upwardly on the patient torso, thus maintaining uniform support over the torso surface.

Claim 4

A mammary supportive garment to be used as a dressing on post operative mammary surgery patients comprising: a uniformly distensible body shirt having an arm opening on each side, the neck opening in the top which thereby defines shoulder straps and mammary cup openings in the front thereof, contoured cup means affixed in each of said cup openings, each said mammary cup means consisting of upper and lower cup sections affixed to one another along a common seam so as to minimize abrasive contact with a mammary incision, said lower cup sections being configured to resemble a truncated shape along their lower edge, a circumferentially oriented body band being characterized by a substantial width sufficient to preclude creep of the garment upwardly, said body band being constructed of material distensible circumferentially but not laterally thereof and having said lower cup sections and said uniformly distensible body shirt each affixed respectively thereto; the nondistensible characteristic of said body band in the lateral direction constituting a cooperating factor in conjunction with the substantial width thereof so as to further tend to distrain creep of the garment upwardly on the patient torso, thus maintaining uniform support over the torso surface.

Claim 5

The mammary supportive garment of claim 1 wherein said upper cup section has a profile substantially in the shape of an elipse in which the minor axes thereof reside on a line included within a circumference of the torso on which the garment is worn, both said upper and lower cup sections being affixed in openings in the front panels of the garment.

Claim 6

The mammary supportive garment of claim 2 in which each of said shoulder straps comprise front and rear portions that carry cooperating coupling means for connecting the front portion of each strap to the rear portion thereof and, wherein said body shirt is characterized by central opening in the front thereof extending from the neck opening downwardly through the body band, said central opening including coupling means for connecting one portion of the garment to the other, said coupling means on said shoulder straps and the coupling means on said front opening all being releasable so that the garment may lie flat without overlap to itself when not worn.

Claim 7

The mammary supportive garment of claim 2 wherein said upper cup section has a profile substantially in the shape of an ellipse in which the minor axes thereof reside on a line included within a circumference of the torso on which the garment is worn.

Claim 8

The mammary supportive garment of claim 2 wherein the area of said shirt between the arm and neck openings defines respectively separable front and rear shoulder strap sections, the area of said shirt between said cup means being characterized by a separable coupling means adapted to releasably close the front of the garment on a line extending from the neck opening downwardly through the body band and, coupling means affixed to said respective shoulder strap sections for opening each of said shoulder straps, said cOupling means and said releasable closure means thereby providing for a garment which may be easily removed from a wearer and which may be laid upon a plane or surface with no section of the garment overlapping another section.

Claim 9

The garment of claim 2 wherein all of the sections thereof are affixed to one another by sewing and in which the seams are sewn flat and face outwardly away from the interior of the garment so as to thereby enhance comfort of the wearer and preclude irritation to the skin.

Claim 10

A mammary supportive dressing adapted for easy application and removal comprising; a pair of front panels detachably connected to one another, a back panel integrally connected to each of said front panels, a body band circumferentially connected to the lower end of each of said panels, said body band being extensible in the circumferential direction and inextensible laterally thereto, a breast cup integrally forming a part of each of said front panels, each of the breast cups including upper and lower cup means adapted to securely engage the body contour while applying a uniform distribution of body-directed forces, said lower breast cup means being in physical communication with said body band so that expansion or contraction forces of the breast cup are transmitted directly to said body band, which because of its inelastic characteristic in all but the circumferential direction, prevents the dressing from slipping upward on a wearer.

Claim 11

A mammary supportive dressing adapted for easy application and removal comprising; a pair of front panels detachably connected to one another, a back panel integrally connected to each of said front panels, a body band circumferentially connected to the lower end of each of said panels, said body band being extensible in the circumferential direction and inextensible laterally thereto, a breast cup integrally forming a part of each of said front panels, each of the breast cups including upper and lower cup means adapted to securely engage the body contour while applying a uniform distribution of body-directed forces, said lower breast cup means being in physical communication with said body band so that expansion or contraction forces of the breast cup are transmitted directly to said body band, which because of its inelastic characteristic in all but the circumferential direction, prevents the dressing from slipping upward on a wearer.