IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,745,808
Granted Patent B2
US 12,745,808 · App. 19/008,595 · Granted Sep 29, 2026

Support garment

Inventors: Andrew L. DePew (Portland, OR); Iustinia Koshkaroff (Mount Angel, OR); Ariana S. Levitt (Portland, OR); Yuan Mu (Portland, OR)
Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
A41C3/0014
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,745,808
App. No.
19/008,595
Granted
Sep 29, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A support garment (e.g., upper-torso support garment, such as a bra) includes a mesh textile that is integrally formed and that is lightweight and breathable with zonal properties. For example, the mesh can include elongated members, which intersect with one another at nodes to form a grid of cells, and the mesh can continuously extend throughout one or more multiple portions of the support garment. In at least some instances, the mesh construction and/or the elongated members can vary from one portion of the support garment to another portion of the support garment, and the variation of the mesh and/or the elongated members can contribute to zonal properties.

Claims (43)

1 . An upper-torso support garment comprising:

a main body and an underband;

the underband comprising an upper portion coupled to the main body and comprising a lower portion opposite the upper portion; and

the underband comprising a first elongated member that extends from the upper portion to the lower portion and that comprises a waveform,

wherein the first elongated member comprises an upper segment closer to the upper portion, a lower segment closer to the lower portion, and a middle segment between the upper segment and the lower segment; and

wherein a first amplitude of the waveform in the middle segment is smaller than a second amplitude of the waveform in the upper segment; or wherein the first amplitude is smaller than a third amplitude of the waveform in the lower segment; or wherein the first amplitude is smaller than both the second amplitude and the third amplitude.

2 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 1 , wherein:

the underband further comprises a second elongated member that is separate from the first elongated member and extends from the upper portion to the lower portion and that comprises a second waveform;

the second elongated member comprises an upper segment closer to the upper portion, a lower segment closer to the lower portion, and a middle segment between the upper segment and the lower segment; and

a fourth amplitude of the middle segment of the second elongated member is larger than the first amplitude of the waveform of the middle segment of the first elongated member.

3 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 2 , wherein the main body comprises a front portion comprising a center, and wherein the first elongated member comprises a first position in the underband that is, as compared to a second position of the second elongated member, closer to the center.

4 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 2 , wherein the upper-torso support garment comprises a front portion and a back portion; wherein the underband comprises an underband fastener positioned in the back portion; and wherein the second elongated member is, as compared to the first elongated member, closer to the underband fastener.

5 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 2 , wherein the second elongated member comprises a second position in the underband that is, as compared to a first position of the first elongated member, closer to a back portion of the upper-torso support garment.

6 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 3 , wherein the underband comprises a lengthwise orientation; wherein the first elongated member and the second elongated member extend transverse to the lengthwise orientation; wherein the upper-torso support garment further comprises a third elongated member that longitudinally extends in the lengthwise orientation and intersects with the first elongated member and with the second elongated member; and wherein the third elongated member comprises a third waveform.

7 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 6 , wherein the third elongated member comprises a first segment that intersects with the first elongated member and a second segment that intersects with the second elongated member; and wherein a fifth amplitude of the first segment is smaller than a sixth amplitude of the second segment.

8 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 6 , wherein the first elongated member, the second elongated member, and the third elongated member comprise a homogenous material.

9 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 1 , wherein the first elongated member comprises a unitary elongated member.

10 . An upper-torso support garment comprising:

a main body and an underband;

the underband comprising an upper portion coupled to the main body and comprising a lower portion opposite the upper portion; and

the underband comprising:

a first elongated member that extends from the upper portion to the lower portion and that comprises a first waveform; and

a second elongated member that is separate from the first elongated member and is spaced apart from the first elongated member along the underband, wherein the second elongated member extends from the upper portion to the lower portion and comprises a second waveform, and wherein a first amplitude of the first elongated member is different than a second amplitude of the second elongated member.

11 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 10 , wherein the first elongated member comprises an upper segment closer to the upper portion, a lower segment closer to the lower portion, and a middle segment between the upper segment and the lower segment; and wherein the first amplitude is in the middle segment.

12 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 10 , wherein the main body comprises a front portion comprising a center, and wherein the first elongated member is, as compared to the second elongated member, closer to the center.

13 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 10 , wherein the upper-torso support garment comprises a front portion and a back portion; wherein the underband comprises an underband fastener positioned in the back portion; and wherein the second elongated member is, as compared to the first elongated member closer to the underband fastener.

14 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 10 , wherein the second elongated member is, as compared to the first elongated member closer to a back portion of the upper-torso support garment.

15 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 10 further comprising, a third elongated member that intersects with the first elongated member and with the second elongated member; wherein the third elongated member comprises a third waveform.

16 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 15 , wherein the third elongated member comprises a medial segment that intersects with the first elongated member and a lateral segment that intersects with the second elongated member; and wherein a third amplitude of the medial segment is smaller than a fourth amplitude of the lateral segment.

17 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 16 , wherein the first elongated member, the second elongated member, and the third elongated member comprise a homogenous material.

18 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 10 , wherein the first amplitude is smaller than the second amplitude.

19 . An upper-torso support garment comprising:

a main body and an underband;

the underband comprising an upper portion coupled to the main body and comprising a lower portion opposite the upper portion;

the underband comprising widthwise orientation extending from the upper portion to the lower portion and a lengthwise orientation; and

the underband comprising a first elongated member that longitudinally extends in the lengthwise orientation and that comprises a first waveform, wherein the first elongated member comprise a first segment and a second segment; wherein the first segment is, as compared to the second segment, closer to a midpoint of the underband on a front of the upper-torso support garment; and wherein the first segment of the first elongated member comprises a first amplitude and the second segment of the first elongated member comprises a second amplitude, which is different from the first amplitude.

20 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 19 , wherein the first amplitude is smaller than the second amplitude.

21 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 20 , wherein the first elongated member comprises a third segment that is positionally between the first segment and the second segment and that is larger than the first amplitude and smaller than the second amplitude.

22 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 19 , wherein the underband comprises a fastener on a back of the upper-torso support garment; and wherein the second segment is, as compared to the first segment, closer to the fastener.

23 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 19 , wherein the underband comprises a second elongated member that longitudinally extends in the widthwise orientation and that intersects with the first elongated member.

24 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 23 , wherein the second elongated member comprises a second waveform.

25 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 24 , wherein the second elongated member comprises an upper segment closer to the upper portion, a lower segment closer to the lower portion, and a middle segment between the upper segment and the lower segment; and wherein a fourth amplitude of the second waveform in the middle segment is smaller than a fifth amplitude of the second waveform in the upper segment or is smaller than a sixth amplitude of the second waveform in the lower segment or any combination thereof.

26 . The upper-torso support garment of claim 25 , wherein the first elongated member and the second elongated member comprise a homogenous material.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2025
From: DEPEW, ANDREW L.; KOSHKAROFF, IUSTINIA; LEVITT, ARIANA S.; MU, YUAN
To: NIKE, INC.
Reel/Frame 071866/0292 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 63720539 · Nov 14, 2024
Provisional Application 63618071 · Jan 5, 2024
Related Publication 20250331579A1 · Oct 30, 2025
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