U.S. patent application number 10/949798 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-21 for tank top nursing bra.
Invention is credited to Johnstone, Haidee.
Application Number | 20050085160 10/949798 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34526487 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050085160 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Johnstone, Haidee |
April 21, 2005 |
Tank top nursing bra
Abstract
A tank top nursing bra for a nursing mother which provides
breast support and which also allows the nursing mother to easily
and discretely breast feed her baby wherein the tank top can be
worn in public without the need to be covered. The tank top nursing
bra includes an inner frame for securing the tank top on the
nursing mother and for properly positioning the tank top relative
to the breasts of the nursing mother. The inner frame includes an
elastic waist or chest band which extends about the torso of the
mother and below the breasts of the mother. The elastic band having
a front portion and a rear portion. The inner frame further
including a front sling having a pair of openings for allowing
access to the woman's breasts for nursing. The sling extending from
the elastic band to a set of shoulder straps which support the
inner frame on the shoulders of the woman. The shoulder straps
having back edges which are joined either directly or indirectly to
the elastic band. The tank top nursing bra further including at
least one breast supporting inner nursing flap having a bottom edge
joined to the elastic waistband and a top edge which is selectively
interengageable with the inner support structure. The tank top
nursing bra further including an outer tank top having a front and
back portion. The front portion of the tank top being attached to
the at least one nursing flap and the back portion being attached
to the inner frame.
Inventors: |
Johnstone, Haidee;
(Minneapolis, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Robert V. Vickers, Esq.
Fay, Sharpe, Fagan, Minnich & McKee, LLP
Seventh Floor
1100 Superior Avenue
Cleveland
OH
44114-2518
US
|
Family ID: |
34526487 |
Appl. No.: |
10/949798 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60506682 |
Sep 26, 2003 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
450/36 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41C 3/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
450/036 |
International
Class: |
A41C 003/00 |
Claims
Having thus described the invention, it is so claimed:
1. An article of clothing for a nursing mother which provides
breast support while allowing easy and discrete access to the
breasts for nursing wherein the article of clothing can be worn in
public without needing to be covered, the article of clothing
comprising: an inner frame structure for securing the article of
clothing on the woman and for properly positioning the article of
clothing relative to the woman's breasts, the frame structure
comprising a first and second adjustable straps having front and
back portions, a sling connected to the adjustable straps at sling
tops and a chest band having a front and back portion; selectively
engagable support flaps which are individually movable between a
closed position and an access position, wherein the support flaps
are connected to one another at center of the garment having a
unified bottom edge and wherein the unified bottom edge is connect
to the chest band; and an outer garment having clothing flaps which
are integrally connected to the support flaps and work in
connection with the support flaps to provide easy and discrete
access to the breasts of the nursing mother wherein the outer
garment includes a front top edge, a rear top edge and side top
edges, the front top edge defining the top edges of the clothing
flaps.
2. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the sling
provides little or no breast support and is essentially M-shaped
and comprises a center leg and two outer legs forming openings
which extend substantially about the breasts and allow full access
to the breasts.
3. The article of clothing according to claim 2 wherein the center
leg extends between the woman's breasts and two outer legs
extending about the outer edges of the woman's breasts and connect
to the center leg at sling tops positioned above the breasts so
that the sling legs form openings about the breasts and allow full
access to the breasts.
4. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the chest
band extends about the woman's chest and below the woman's breasts
and wherein center sling leg and outer sling legs are attached to
the front portion of chest band.
5. The article of clothing according to claim 4 wherein back
portions of shoulder straps extend down and attach to the back
portion of the chest band.
6. The article of clothing according to claim 5 wherein the inner
frame structure includes an inner back panel extending between the
adjustable straps and the chest band and joined to the support
flaps providing additional breast support.
7. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the unified
bottom of support flaps is connected to front portion of chest band
and the support flaps can be individually moved between a closed
position and an access position.
8. The article of clothing according to claim 7 wherein the support
flaps include first clip portions and the sling tops include second
clip portions wherein first clip portions work in connection with
second clip portions to secure flaps in a closed position providing
full breast support.
9. The article of clothing according to claim 8 wherein the outer
garment includes front clothing flaps and wherein the front top
edge of the outer garment defines an upper edge of the clothing
flaps.
10. The article of clothing according to claim 9 wherein each front
clothing flap is integrally connected to the corresponding support
flap such that the support flap and clothing flap move in unison
between an access position and a closed position.
11. The article of clothing according to claim 9 wherein front
clothing flaps are connected to first clip portions such that
clothing flaps and support flaps can be selectively moved in unison
between a closed position and an access position.
12. The article of clothing according to claim 10 wherein the
support flaps are entirely connected to the front clothing flaps
and provide full breast support while the flap is in the closed
position and provide full breast access for nursing a baby while
the flap is in the access position.
13. The article of clothing according to claim 1 wherein the outer
garment is made from a stretchy elastic material such that it may
conform to the changing shape of the nursing mother.
14. A tank top nursing bra for a nursing mother wherein easy and
discrete access to the woman's breasts is provided and the tank top
can be worn in public without needing to be covered, the tank top
comprising: an inner frame structure for securing the tank top on
the woman relative to the woman's breasts; support flaps connected
to the inner frame structure wherein the support flaps can be
individually moved between a closed position and an access
position; and an outer garment having outer flaps wherein the outer
flaps are integrally attached to the support flaps such that the
outer garment flaps and support flaps are moved in unison between
the closed position and the access position.
15. The tank top nursing bra according to claim 14 wherein the
inner frame structure comprises: adjustable shoulder straps having
a front portion and a back portion wherein the adjustable shoulder
straps are positioned over each of the woman's shoulders; an
M-shaped sling including a center leg positioned between the
woman's breasts and two outer legs positioned along the outside of
each of the woman's breasts wherein the sling provides little or no
support and full access to the breasts; an elastic chest band
having a front and a back portion wherein the chest band extends
about the woman's chest and below the woman's breasts and wherein
the sling legs are attached to the front portion of the chest band
and the back portion of the adjustable straps are attached to the
back portion of the chest band.
16. The tank top nursing bra according to claim 15 wherein the
support flaps are connected to one another at the center of the
garment forming an unified bottom edge whereby the support flaps
are connected to the front portion of the chest band and wherein
each support flap includes a clip for retaining the support flap in
a closed position.
17. The tank top nursing bra according to claim 14 wherein the
support flaps are commonly shaped to the outer garment flaps so
that a more attractive outward appearance is provided.
18. The tank top nursing bra according to claim 17 wherein the
inner support flaps and outer garment flaps have common top edges
so that the inner support flaps are essentially hidden and outer
garment is allowed to freely move relative to the inner support
structure.
19. The tank top nursing bra of claim 14 wherein the outer garment
is a unified single piece of material.
20. The tank top nursing bra of claim 14 wherein the outer garment
is made from multiple clothing panels.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/506,682, entitled "Tank Top Nursing Bra",
filed Sep. 26, 2003.
[0002] The invention of this application relates to the art of
nursing bras and, more particularly, to a combination nursing bra
and tank top which can be worn as an outer garment even though it
provides the necessary breast support and allows for access to the
breast for nursing a baby.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0003] The present invention relates to an outer garment which has
a built-in nursing bra that provides support for the breasts while
allowing easy access for nursing. In this respect, Alberts
2,679,048; Williams 4,390,024; Kunstadter 4,878,879; Weber-Unger
5,624,296; and, Pearson 6,083,079 all show nursing bra designs
which provide breast support for the nursing mother while allowing
easy access to the breast for nursing which are hereby incorporated
by reference as background material showing the same. Fildan
D412,462 shows a clip design which can be used in connection with a
nursing bra or other clothing article to selectively attach a flap
to the article and is also incorporated by reference as background
material for showing clips. Marino 3,176,692; Meyers 3,611,439;
Friedman 4,564,015; Clark 4,648,404; Witchzak 5,461,725; Vera
6,282,719; and, Loussier D462,156 show different types of clothing
articles which allow access to the breast for nursing and which are
also incorporated by reference as background material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is for an outer garment which can be
worn by a nursing mother to provide breast support and which allows
easy access to the breasts for nursing. It is, of course, well
known that a bra can be modified to allow access to the breasts for
nursing a baby. In this respect, this type of bra, namely, a
nursing bra utilizes traditional materials and designs to support
the breast, however, the bra further includes some form of
selectively securing device to allow a portion of the bra to be
moved away from the breast to provide access to the breast for
nursing a baby. Some prior art nursing bras utilize an inner
support layer which includes an inner cup frame that supports the
breast wherein the cup frame further includes a small access hole
for nursing a baby. An outer flap is utilized to selectively cover
the access hole and to provide a place to position a nursing pad,
however, the outer flap is not intended to provide support. This is
shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,048. Other nursing bras utilize an
inner sling configuration which maintains the bra relative to the
woman's chest while only providing minimal or no support for the
breast of the nursing mother. In this particular design, the
nursing bra further includes a selectively engageable flap which
covers the openings in the sling and which provides the majority of
the support for the breast. This is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
4,878,879. Even yet another design includes only an inner strap
layer to hold the nursing bra relative to the women's shoulder
wherein the flap provides all support for the breast and even helps
position the bra. This is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,296.
Furthermore, some nursing bra designs include a combination of
these three support designs.
[0005] Outer garments or clothing articles have also been designed
which provide easy access to the breasts of the nursing mother to
allow the nursing mother to nurse her baby without removing the
garment. This can be particularly helpful for nursing in public
areas to allow the nursing mother to discretely nurse her baby.
While these clothing articles allow access to the breasts, they
rely on a nursing bra worn beneath the garment to provide breast
support. As a result, the nursing mother must still manipulate two
different articles, namely, the nursing bra and the outer garment,
to nurse her baby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, provided is a tank
top nursing bra combination for a nursing mother that provides
breast support and which allows the nursing mother to easily and
discretely breast feed her baby wherein the tank top can be worn in
public without needing to be covered. In this respect, a tank top
nursing bra in accordance with the present invention includes an
inner frame for securing the tank top on the chest of the nursing
mother and for properly positioning the tank top relative to the
breasts of the nursing mother. The tank top nursing bra further
includes a selectively engageable nursing flap secured to the inner
frame which covers and supports the breast of the nursing mother
and which can be easily moved from a closed support position to an
access position for allowing the nursing mother to quickly and
discretely nurse her baby. Furthermore, a tank top nursing bra in
accordance with the present invention has the appearance of a
traditional tank top which can be worn in public even though it
provides breast support and breast access.
[0007] The tank top nursing bra in accordance with the present
invention further includes an inner frame that utilizes a sling
configuration that provides complete access to the mother's breasts
for nursing her baby. Prior art cup frame designs, which merely
include an access hole for the mother's nipple, fail to provide
adequate access to the breast for manipulating the baby's mouth
relative to the mother's nipple. Furthermore, the sling design in
accordance with the present invention also prevents the baby's face
from engaging the clothing article during nursing which can cause
irritation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The foregoing will in part be obvious and in part be pointed
out more fully hereinafter in connection with a written description
of preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated in
the accompanying drawings in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a prior art nursing bra wherein
both breast flaps are in the closed position;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a front view of the nursing bra shown in FIG. 1
wherein one of the nursing flaps is in the access position;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side view of the nursing bra shown in FIG. 1
wherein the securing clip has been detached;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a front view of the nursing bra shown in FIG. 1
wherein both nursing flaps are in the access position;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a prior art nursing bra and tank top design
wherein both nursing flaps are in the closed position;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a front view of the garment shown in FIG. 5
wherein one nursing flap is shown in the access position;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a front view of the garment shown in FIG. 5
wherein the inner support structure, including the cup frames, is
shown in hidden lines;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the garment shown in FIG.
5;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a front view of a tank top nursing bra in
accordance with the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a front view of the tank top nursing bra shown in
FIG. 9 wherein one flap is in the access position;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a front view of the tank top nursing bra design
shown in FIG. 9 wherein both nursing flaps are shown in the access
position;
[0020] FIG. 12 is a front view of the tank top nursing bra design
shown in FIG. 9 wherein the support structure is shown in hidden
lines;
[0021] FIG. 13 is a front view of another embodiment of the present
invention which shows the support structure in hidden lines;
[0022] FIG. 14 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13
wherein one of the nursing flaps is shown in the access
position;
[0023] FIG. 15 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13
wherein both nursing flaps are shown in the access position;
[0024] FIG. 16 is a side, partially sectional view of the
embodiment shown in FIG. 13;
[0025] FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line 17-17 in FIG.
13;
[0026] FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 18-18 in FIG.
16;
[0027] FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of the clip structure used for
securing the nursing flap shown in FIG. 13; and,
[0028] FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along line 20-20 in FIG.
19.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Referring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein the
showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments
of the invention only, and not for the purpose of limiting the
invention, FIGS. 1-4 show a prior art nursing bra, FIGS. 5-8 show a
prior art nursing garment, FIGS. 9-12 show a first embodiment, and
FIGS. 13-20 show another embodiment of the invention of this
application.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 1-4, shown is a prior art nursing bra 10
which includes an inner frame 12, straps 14 and 16, and a unified
front flap 20 which has a left and right flap section 30 and 40,
respectively. Section 30 is selectively engageable to strap 14 by
clip 35. Similarly, flap 40 is selectively engageable with strap 16
by clip 45. Nursing bra 10 is intended to be worn underneath either
an outer garment or even a nightwear garment to provide breast
support and to provide access to the breasts for nursing. Nursing
bra 10 is a separate clothing article from the outer garment or
nightwear and, therefore, the outer garment or nightwear must
include access for nursing or must be removed for nursing.
[0031] Nursing bra 10 utilizes flap 20 to support the breast
wherein inner frame 12 includes a sling 54 having sling openings 50
and 52 which provide full access to the mother's breast for nursing
her baby. The primary function of the sling is to position the
nursing bra relative to the woman's breasts and to maintain this
positioning. Inner frame 12 further includes an elastic waistband
56 which extends below the woman's breast and which provides a
lower structural feature for the breast support of the nursing bra.
In this respect, the bottom ends of the sling are attached to
waistband 56. In addition, the bottom edge of flap 20 is also
secured to waistband 56. Flap 20 is made from elastic material and
can extend from the elastic waistband up to the shoulder straps of
the nursing bra when in the closed position. Clips 35 and 45 retain
the nursing flap sections 30 and 40 in the closed position,
respectively, and are adjustable to provide adjustment for
differently sized women. The elastic material in the nursing flap
provides the support for the woman's breast and the flap also
covers the openings in the inner sling.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 4, the nursing flap design of nursing bra
10 allows both breasts to be exposed wherein the nursing flap can
be easily positioned out of the way. As can be further appreciated
from FIG. 4, the sling design for the nursing bra provides complete
access to the woman's breasts.
[0033] FIGS. 5-8 show a prior art version of a nursing bra design
which has been incorporated into an outer garment. This is the
design disclosed in International Application No. WO 02/030221 A3.
Clothing article 100 includes an outer garment 100A and a built-in
nursing bra wherein the invisible nursing bra is mostly internal.
In this respect, the external portion of the nursing bra includes
shoulder straps 105, nursing flaps 103, and the outer garment 100A
and 100B. Article 100 further includes an inner support structure
which includes cup frames 102 that provide support for the woman's
breasts. In this respect, it is well known in the art that there
are generally two types of support structures for bras. The first
type is a cup frame design which is designed to lift and shape the
woman's breasts based on the configuration of the cup frame. The
second is a sling design which is not intended to lift, shape and
support. The inner support structure of article 100 includes a cup
frame and is intended to support the woman's breasts while the
article is being worn and further is intended to support the
woman's breasts even during nursing. Cup frame 102 is permanently
joined between a waistband 115 and straps 105 and, therefore,
cannot be removed for nursing. The cup frame design only allows for
limited access for nursing the baby via a nursing hole. Nursing
flaps 103 merely cover the access hole in cup frames 102 and can be
utilized for holding a nursing pad. Cup frames 102 are attached to
elastic band 115 and work in connection with straps 105 to lift and
support the woman's breasts and also to maintain the positioning of
the nursing bra portion of this clothing article. As a result, the
cup frame must be made from an elastic material which is likely to
come in contact with the nursing baby's face and which can,
therefore, cause facial irritation.
[0034] FIGS. 9-12 show a first embodiment of the invention of this
application. In this respect, shown is a nursing tank top 210
having an outer garment 220 and an inner frame structure 230. Outer
garment 220 is made from a stretchy, elastic material so it can
work in connection with the inner support structure and so it can
conform to the changing shape of the nursing mother.
[0035] Inner frame structure 230 includes straps 232 and 234 which
are both adjustable. The adjustability of the straps can be any
conventional adjustment mechanism known in the art and can be
either positioned on the front or the back of the shoulder straps.
Inner frame structure 230 further includes sling 240 which is
essentially M-shaped having a center leg 242 and outer legs 244 and
246 thereby forming openings 250 and 252. Outer leg 244 is
connected to center leg 242 by sling top 260 which is connected to
strap 232. Similarly, outer leg 246 is connected to center leg 242
at sling top 270 which is in turn attached to strap 234. Inner
frame 230 further includes a chest band 280 which extends about the
chest of the woman below the woman's breasts. Sling legs 242, 244
and 246 are attached to elastic band 280. Furthermore, straps 232
and 234 can also extend downwardly and connect with elastic band
280 to complete the inner frame structure. Essentially, the inner
frame structure secures the clothing article on the woman in the
proper position. Furthermore, it maintains the position of the
clothing article relative to the woman's breasts and provides only
minimal support.
[0036] Tank top nursing bra 210 further includes support flaps 290
and 292 that are joined to one another at the center of the garment
thereby having a unified bottom edge 293 which is connected to
elastic band 280. Support flaps 290 and 292, in connection with
inner frame structure 230, provide the support for the woman's
breast when in the closed position. Tank top 210 can further
include an inner back panel extending between the straps and the
elastic band which is also joined to flaps 290 and 292 thereby
providing additional support. Support flaps 290 and 292 further
include first clip portions 294 and 296, respectively, of clips 295
and 297, which are attached to flap top 298 and 300. Clips 295 and
297 can be any clips know in the art for selectively attaching a
clothing flap. Clips 295 and 297 further include second clip
portions 302 and 304, respectively. First clip portions 294 and 296
work in connection with second clip portions 302 and 304,
respectively, to secure flaps 290 and 292 in the closed position
and complete the support structure of the garment. Flaps 290 and
292 are similar to left and right flap sections 30 and 40 of
nursing bra 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4. However, flaps 290 and 292 are
integrally connected to outer garment 220 which will be discussed
in greater detail below.
[0037] Outer garment 220 includes a front top edge 320, a rear top
edge 322 and side top edges 324 and 326. Front edge 320 defines an
upper edge of front clothing flaps 330 and 332. Support flaps 290
and 292 are secured to clothing flaps 330 and 332, respectively so
that the support flaps and the clothing flaps move in unison
between the access position and the closed position. In order to
minimize the appearance of support flaps 290 and 292, they can be
connected to clothing flaps 330 and 332 by also connecting clothing
flaps 330 and 332 to first clip portions 294 and 296, respectively,
of clips 295 and 297. In another embodiment, clothing flap 330 and
332 can be stitched to support flaps 290 and 292 at or near upper
flap portions 260 and 270, respectively. FIG. 9 shows the clothing
article with both flaps in the closed position while FIG. 10 shows
the clothing article with one flap in the closed position and one
in the access position. FIG. 11 shows both flaps in the access
position. By connecting flaps 290 and 292 to flaps 330 and 332,
respectively, one clip for each flap can be utilized to uncover
both the clothing flap and the supporting flap thereby making
access easier for the nursing mother. Furthermore, by utilizing
flaps and 290 and 292 which provide full support, a sling design
can be used with the inner frame structure to allow full access to
the woman's breasts and comfortable nursing for the baby.
[0038] Rear edge 322 defines the upper limits of a back panel 340
which is secured to straps 232 and 234 to support the rear portion
of the clothing article. Top edge 324 defines the upper limits of
side 342 and, similarly, top edge 326 defines the upper limits of
side 344. Sides 342 and 344 do not need to be directly connected to
the inner frame structure.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 13-20, shown is a second embodiment that
includes an inner frame structure which still provides the
necessary support and access while being even more hidden from the
outward appearance of the garment. In this respect, shown is a tank
top nursing bra 410 having an outer clothing article 420 and an
inner frame structure 422 similar to the tank top 210. However,
tank top 410 includes support flaps 430 and 432 which have inner
support layers which are shaped and constructed similarly to the
outer visible layers. This configuration provides a more attractive
outward appearance for the clothing article.
[0040] This more attractive outward appearance is accomplished by
utilizing support flap 430 which includes an outer flap layer 434
and a commonly shaped inner flap layer 436. Support flap 432 also
includes an outer flap layer 438 and a commonly shaped inner flap
layer 440. Outer flap layers 434 and 438 are part of article 420
while inner flap layers 436 and 440 are part of inner frame
structure 422. More particularly, outer garment 420 extends between
a base edge 450 and top edges 452, 454, 456, and 458. Outer garment
420 can be a unified piece of material or can be made from multiple
clothing panels such as a front panel and a rear panel. The
clothing article for this application will be described as having a
front panel 460 and a rear panel 462 wherein front panel 460
extends between bottom edge 450 and top edge 452 and rear panel
extends between bottom edge 450 and top edge 454. With respect to
the flaps, outer and inner flap layers 434 and 436 of support flap
430 have common top edges which are a portion of top edges 452 and
456. In similar fashion, outer and inner flap layers 438 and 440 of
support flap 432 have common top edges which are a portion of top
edges 452 and 458. This configuration essentially makes the support
layer hidden when the flaps are in the closed position. This is
especially true since outer garment 420 is allowed to freely move
relative to inner frame structure 422 except for the connection at
the top edges.
[0041] Inner frame structure 422 comprises front sling 470, elastic
chest band 480, and a portion of straps 490 and 492. Straps 490 and
492 are adjustable for adjusting the frame structure 422 to fit
women of different sizes. While straps 490 and 492 can be any known
adjustable strap known in the art, and can even have the adjustable
portion on the front or the rear of the straps, straps 490 and 492
are shown to have adjustment portions 494 and 496 respectively.
Front edges 500 and 502 of straps 490 and 492, respectively, can be
secured to sling 470 by clips 506 and 508 or stitched directly to
sling 470.
[0042] Sling 470 is M-shaped and includes a center sling leg 510
and outer sling legs 512 and 514. Sling leg 512 and center leg 510
are joined to one another by a first sling top apex 520. Center leg
510 is joined to outer leg 514 by second sling top apex 522. Center
sling 510 has a bottom 511 which is joined to elastic chest band
480. In similar fashion, outer sling leg 512 has a bottom 513 and
outer sling 514 has a bottom 515 which are both connected to chest
band 480. Sling leg 512, sling top 520, center sling 510 and a
portion of chest band 480 define a first sling opening 530.
Similarly, center sling 510 together with sling top 522, outer
sling leg 514 and a portion of chest band 480 form second sling
opening 532.
[0043] Straps 490 and 492 further include a back edge 542 and 544
which can be directly connected to the back portion of chest band
480. Sling 470, chest band 480, and straps 490 and 492 essentially
make up the inner frame structure 422 for garment 410. However,
frame structure 422 can further include inner back panel 550
extending between strap back edges 542 and 544 and chest band 480.
This particular structure, which is shown in FIGS. 13-20,
eliminates strap show-through of straps 490 and 492 when they
extend to chest band 480. Back panel 550 is connected to at least
top edge 454 of back panel 462. Furthermore, back panel 550 can
extend about the side of the woman and can engage inner flap layers
436 and 440 to provide additional support which is the preferred
configuration.
[0044] With particular reference to FIGS. 13-15, inner frame
structure 422 secures and positions the tank top nursing bra 410
relative to the woman's breasts, however, the breasts are fully
exposed for nursing in the access position (FIG. 15) In the access
position, the tank top nursing bra is providing little or no
support of the breasts in order to provide complete breast access
and to minimize the contact between the nursing baby's face and the
material of the garment. While both breasts can be exposed, the
individual flaps can be operated separately for exposing each
breast independently (FIG. 14). Referring to FIG. 13, the flaps are
shown in a closed position wherein the flaps provide the majority
of the support for the breast while the mother is not nursing her
baby.
[0045] In another embodiment of the present invention, the fabric
of outer garment 420 is a stretchable fabric. In this respect, as
can be appreciated, due to the weight changes associated with
pregnancy, it is desirable to have nursing garments which are made
from elastic material to conform with the changing shape of the
nursing mother. As a result, elastic materials, such as,
cotton/lycra, nylon, microfiber, or similar stretchable fabrics can
be used in connection with clothing worn by the nursing mother to
help the clothing article change its shape. It has been found that
this elastic material can also be used to provide additional breast
support. This helps create a more lightweight and comfortable
garment even though it provides adequate support for the breast of
the nursing mother. More particularly, both inner flap layers 436
and 440 and outer flaps layers 434 and 438 are made from the same
or similar elastic material. By utilizing elastic material for the
outer garment, a lightweight comfortable clothing article is
created which is capable of providing the necessary breast support
while having a good outward appearance. Furthermore, the clothing
article will conform to the shape of the nursing mother as her body
changes. By incorporating the support feature in the flaps, a more
natural look is also achieved by the more lightweight design.
[0046] While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred
embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein, it
will be appreciated that other embodiments can be made and that
many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without
departing from the principals of the invention. Accordingly, it is
to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter
is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and
not as a limitation.
* * * * *