Garment for males
A garment/undergarment for males configured to provide support to the male genitalia during activity, particularly athletic or strenuous activity, the garment/undergarment comprising a moulded cup and comprising seams configured to be substantially invisible underneath tight clothing and wherein the seams are not stitched.
1 . A garment for males configured to provide support to the wearer's genitalia during athletic or strenuous activity, the garment comprising:
a moulded supportive structure comprising a moulded foam cup that maintains the genitalia in a supported and positioned configuration against the lower abdominal area during dynamic movement, independent of compression from a waistband;
wherein the moulded foam cup has a thickness profile that varies across the cup to provide both structural support to the genitalia and concealment of the form of the wearer's genitalia when worn underneath tight-fitting clothing;
wherein the moulded foam cup comprises edge regions in predetermined locations that are rounded to reduce friction and discomfort in areas of higher friction during movement, and tapered in other predetermined locations to blend substantially seamlessly with adjacent fabric of the garment; and
wherein the garment comprises low-profile seams that are bonded and configured to be substantially invisible underneath tight-fitting outer garments.
2 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the moulded supportive structure is a moulded foam cup.
3 . The garment of claim 2 , wherein the seams are formed from a folded bond, ultrasonic-fused bond or overlap-bonded seam.
4 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the moulded supportive structure is formed from a foam material comprising:
polyurethane foam;
polyester foam; or
ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam.
5 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the moulded supportive structure is configured to support the genitalia of the male wearer.
6 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the garment is an undergarment.
7 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the moulded supportive structure comprises regions having a highly tapered edge to blend with the fabric of a waistband of the garment.
8 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein regions of the edges of the moulded supportive structure are smoothly varying between highly tapered and rounded.
9 . The garment of claim 1 , further comprising a receiving pouch adapted to receive a moulded protective cup formation formed of a rigid material adapted to provide impact protection to the wearer's genitalia.
10 . The garment of claim 9 wherein the moulded protective cup formation is formed from a rigid protective material such as, for example, hard plastic, carbon fibre or Kevlar material.
11 . The garment of claim 9 , wherein the moulded protective cup formation is formed from a non-Newtonian material.
12 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the moulded protective cup comprises a rigid over-cup formed of a rigid material configured to encase the moulded cup, the rigid over-cup being adapted to provide impact protection to the wearer's genitalia.
13 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the garment is either a brief, trunks, shorts, or mid-length or full-length tights to be worn during athletic or strenuous activity.
14 . The garment of claim 1 , wherein the edge regions smoothly vary along their length between the rounded configuration in the predetermined higher-friction locations and the tapered configuration in the predetermined waistband-blending locations.