Shaped anti-roll supports and garments incorporating such supports
View Patent ↗A shaped support for a body-shaping garment, including a foundation garment, such as a brassiere or girdle, is formed from a single or from multiple layers of a plastic material having certain flex modulus and perpendicular and in-plane apparent stiffnesses, such as a polyester film with a thickness in the range of from 15 to 35 mil. The shaped support is incorporated into the structure of the body-shaping garment, preferably by adhering the support directly to the fabric comprising the body-shaping garment using a film or hot melt adhesive. The shaped support preferably has an asymmetric shape and readily conforms to various body curvatures for increased wearing comfort, but has sufficient stiffness to provide desired lifting or holding support.
1. A shaped support for a body-shaping garment, comprising:
a plastic material having a perpendicular apparent stiffness in the range of from 3.1 kg-cm 2 to 39 kg-cm 2 and an in-plane apparent stiffness in the range of from 1936 kg-cm 2 to 4517 kg-cm 2 that is formed into a shape with at least one thickness, said shape having a length and having a proximal end and a distal end and a midpoint between the proximal end and distal end, and said shape having a first surface defining a first plane.
2. The shaped support of claim 1 , wherein the plastic material is selected from the group consisting of: polyesters, polyolefins, polyamides, polyimides, and fluoropolymers or composites thereof.
3. The shaped support of claim 1 , wherein the plastic material has a plurality of thicknesses along its length.
4. The shaped support of claim 1 , wherein the shape has a first width at its proximal end and a second width at its distal end, and wherein the first width is greater than the second width.
5. The shaped support of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive for attaching the plastic material to a fabric, wherein the fabric is a component of the body-shaping garment.
6. A body-shaping garment, comprising:
an inner fabric layer;
an outer fabric layer having a front face and a rear surface; and
a shaped support comprising a plastic material having a perpendicular apparent stiffness in the range of from 3.1 kg-cm 2 to 39 kg-cm 2 and an in-plane apparent stiffness in the range of from 1936 kg-cm 2 to 4517 kg-cm 2 attached to the rear face of the outer fabric layer and covered by the inner fabric layer.
7. The body-shaping garment of claim 6 , wherein the shaped support is attached with an adhesive.
8. The body-shaping garment of claim 7 , wherein the shaped support is attached to the outer fabric layer without seams.
9. The body-shaping garment of claim 6 , wherein the shaped support is formed into a shape with at least one thickness, said shape having a length and having a proximal end and a distal end and a midpoint between the proximal end and distal end, and said shape having a first surface defining a first plane, wherein said shape is substantially asymmetrical about an axis lying in the first plane and extending through the midpoint of the shape.
10. The body-shaping garment of claim 6 , wherein the plastic material is selected from the group consisting of: polyesters, polyolefins, polyamides, polyimides, and fluoropolymers or composites thereof; the outer fabric layer is a cotton/spandex single jersey knit and the inner fabric layer is a cotton/polyester blend knit.
11. The body-shaping garment of claim 6 , wherein the garment is a brassiere or bathing suit.
12. A method of making a body-shaping garment, comprising:
providing a plastic material having a perpendicular apparent stiffness in the range of from 3.1 kg-cm 2 to 39 kg-cm 2 and an in-plane apparent stiffness in the range of from 1936 kg-cm 2 to 4517 kg-cm 2 ;
forming the plastic material into a shape with a desired thickness, length and width;
providing a first fabric layer having a front face and a rear face;
attaching the plastic material to the rear face of the first fabric layer, said first fabric layer to form an outer layer of the body-shaping garment; and
covering the plastic material with a second fabric layer having a front face and a rear face.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising attaching the plastic material to the rear face of the second fabric layer.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plastic material is a film and the plastic material is formed into a shape by cutting.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plastic material is attached to the rear face of the first fabric layer with an adhesive.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plastic material is formed into a shape with at least one thickness, said shape having a length and having a proximal end and a distal end and a midpoint between the proximal end and distal end, and said shape having a first surface defining a first plane, wherein said shape is substantially asymmetrical about an axis lying in the first plane and extending through the midpoint of the shape.
17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising embossing a pattern into the plastic material.
18. The shaped support of claim 1 , wherein the plastic material shape is substantially asymmetrical about an axis lying in the first plane and extending through the midpoint of the shape.
19. The body-shaping garment of claim 11 , wherein the shaped support is formed into a shape with at least one thickness, said shape having a first surface defining a first plane where the garment is not worn, wherein said shape flexibly conforms about a curved portion of a wearer's body when the garment is worn.