Breast support garment
A support garment for providing targeted, localized compression in a medial, medial-caudal, or medial-cephalad direction to the breasts of a wearer. The garment includes cups for receiving breasts of a user, a rear panel, and left and right wings connecting the left and right cups to a rear panel. The wings can contain a pocket therein for receiving a pad through a pocket opening in the wings. The pads, when present within the pockets, provide localized, targeted compression in a medial and/or medial-caudal and/or medial cephalad direction to the breasts. Medial compressors including one or more straps also, or alternatively, provide targeted compression in a medial and/or medial-caudal and/or medial-cephalad direction to the breasts. Alternatively, a removable sleeve having an inner pouch with a pad therein can be provided to attach to any garment to provide desired targeted, localized compression to the breasts.
1 . A support garment comprising:
a left cup configured to receive a left breast when said support garment is worn by a user, said left cup having a base and a left cup length projection;
a right cup configured to receive a right breast when said support garment is worn by a user, said right cup having a base and a right cup length projection;
a rear panel;
a left wing connecting said left cup to said rear panel, said left wing having a pocket therein, said pocket including a pocket opening configured to receive therethrough a pad; and
a right wing connecting said right cup to said rear panel, said right wing having a pocket therein, said pocket including a pocket opening configured to receive therethrough a pad, wherein:
at least one of the pocket of the left wing or the pocket of the right wing is located between a midline axis of said support garment and a point that is anteriorly spaced from said midline axis a distance equal to approximately 60 percent of the left cup length projection or the right cup length projection, respectively; and
at least one of the pad received in the pocket of the left wing or the pad received in the pocket of the right wing is substantially planar with a relatively constant thickness and having an overall shape selected from the group consisting of polygonal, circular, oval, cupped, and anatomically curved, and such that said overall shape further comprises a cutout on an end of the respective pad.
2 . The support garment of claim 1 wherein a first end of said at least one of the pad received in the pocket of the left wing or the pad received in the pocket of the right wing is located between said midline axis and a point that is approximately 6 cm anteriorly spaced from said midline axis.
3 . The support garment of claim 2 wherein a second end of said pocket of said at least one of the pad received in the pocket of the left wing or the pad received in the pocket of the right wing is located between said base of said left cup or said base of said right cup, respectively, and a point that is anteriorly spaced from said midline axis a distance equal to approximately 60% of the left cup length projection.
4 . The support garment of claim 1 , wherein said at least one of the pad received in the pocket of the left wing or the pad received in the pocket of the right wing is configured to impart a targeted, localized compression force having a medial component thereof to the left breast or the right breast, respectively, of a user when said support garment is worn by the user.
5 . The support garment of claim 1 further comprising a closure mechanism configured to alternately connect and disconnect two portions of said support garment.
6 . The support garment of claim 5 wherein said closure mechanism is located at said rear panel.
7 . The support garment of claim 1 further comprising a center panel connecting said left cup to said right cup.
8 . The support garment of claim 7 further comprising a closure mechanism located at said center panel.
9 . The support garment of claim 1 further comprising a lower band connecting said left wing, said right wing, and said rear panel.
10 . A support garment comprising:
a left cup configured to receive a left breast when said support garment is worn by a user, said left cup having a left cup length projection;
a right cup configured to receive a right breast when said support garment is worn by a user, said right cup having a right cup length projection;
a center panel further comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein said first portion includes a first closure mechanism portion thereon and wherein said second portion includes a second closure mechanism portion thereon configured to mate with said first closure mechanism portion and to thereby selectively couple and decouple said second portion to said first portion;
a rear panel;
a left wing connecting said left cup to said rear panel;
a left strap connecting said left cup to said rear panel and spaced away from said left wing in a cephalad direction to create a first arm hole therebetween;
a right wing connecting said right cup to said rear panel; and
a right strap connecting said right cup to said rear panel and spaced away from said right wing in a cephalad direction to create a second arm hole therebetween, wherein:
said left wing further comprises a pocket therein located between a midline axis of said support garment and a point that is anteriorly spaced from said midline axis a distance equal to approximately 60 percent of the left cup length projection, said pocket including a pocket opening configured to receive therethrough a pad;
said right wing further comprises a pocket therein located between a midline of said support garment and a point that is anteriorly spaced from said midline axis a distance equal to approximately 60 percent of the right cup length projection, said pocket including a pocket opening configured to receive therethrough a pad; and
at least one of the pad received in the pocket of the left wing or the pad received in the pocket of the right wing is substantially planar with a relatively constant thickness and having an overall shape selected from the group consisting of polygonal, circular, oval, cupped, and anatomically curved, and such that said overall shape further comprises a cutout on an end of the respective pad.
11 . The support garment of claim 10 , wherein said at least one of the pad received in the pocket of the left wing or the pad received in the pocket of the right wing is configured to impart a targeted, localized compression force having a medial component thereof to the left breast of a user when said support garment is worn by the user.
12 . A method of supporting a breast within a garment, comprising the steps of:
providing a garment having a left cup configured to receive a left breast of a user, a right cup configured to receive a right breast of a user, a rear panel, a left wing connecting said left cup to said rear panel, and a right wing connecting said right cup to said rear panel; wherein said left wing further comprises a left wing pocket therein configured to receive a pad through a left wing pocket opening, and wherein said right wing further comprises a right wing pocket therein configured to receive a pad through a right wing pocket opening;
selecting a first pad, wherein said first pad is substantially planar with a relatively constant thickness and having an overall shape selected from the group consisting of polygonal, circular, oval, cup-shaped, anatomically curved, and wherein said overall shape further comprises a cutout on an end of said pad;
inserting said first pad through said left wing pocket opening into said left wing pocket; and
placing said support garment on a user's body in a manner such that the user's left breast is received in said left cup; the user's right breast is received in said right cup; and said first pad is located on a lateral side of the user's left breast between a midline axis of said support garment and a point that is anteriorly spaced from said midline axis a distance equal to approximately 60 percent of a left cup length projection.
13 . The method of supporting a breast within a garment according to claim 12 , further comprising the steps of:
selecting a second pad; and
inserting said second pad through said right wing pocket opening into said right wing pocket.
14 . The method of supporting a breast within a garment according to claim 13 , wherein the placing step further comprises:
placing said support garment on a user's body in a manner such that said second pad is located on a lateral side of the user's right breast between said midline axis of said support garment and a point that is anteriorly spaced from said midline axis a distance equal to approximately 60 percent of a right cup length projection.