Brassiere Shoulder Strap Angling for Under-Belt Tension

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional sports bras compress breasts excessively during exercise, leading to potential damage to Cooper's ligaments, sagging, and increased compression on internal organs like the heart and lungs, while also causing skin chafing due to overlapping with large skin strain areas.

Innovation Solution

A sports bra design with shoulder straps angled to pass through the center of the cup at a diagonal position, reducing overall breast compression and minimizing overlap with skin strain areas by applying tension to the under-belt sides, thereby suppressing breast movement without excessive compression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the compression of the cup parts and under belt is increased to suppress breast movement, then the movement suppression function is improved, but compression on internal organs such as heart and lungs increases causing harmful effects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebreast movement suppressionVSAvoidcompression on internal organs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the compression function into two separate zones: the cup parts that provide minimal compression to allow breast movement, and the under belt that provides strong compression to suppress movement. This segmentation allows the brassiere to suppress breast movement while avoiding excessive compression on internal organs by localizing the compressive force to the under-bust area rather than the breast area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different compression characteristics to different parts of the brassiere. The cup parts are designed with minimal compression to maintain comfort and avoid organ compression, while the under belt is designed with strong compression to effectively suppress breast movement. This local differentiation of compression quality resolves the contradiction between movement suppression and organ protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If the shoulder straps are attached at a substantially right angle to the under-bust line, then the structure is simple and stable, but the brassiere overlaps with large skin strain areas causing chafing during exercise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshoulder strap attachment structureVSAvoidskin chafing
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the shoulder strap attachment from a right angle (90 degrees) to an oblique angle that is asymmetric relative to the under-bust line. This asymmetric angular configuration repositions the shoulder straps to avoid overlapping with the large skin strain areas that occur during exercise, thereby preventing chafing while maintaining structural stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The patent modifies the attachment geometry by changing the angle dimension of the shoulder straps relative to the under-bust line. Instead of a perpendicular attachment, the straps are attached at an oblique angle, which shifts their position in the spatial dimension to avoid contact with high-friction skin areas during movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If the cup parts are designed to compress breasts extensively, then movement suppression is improved, but the range of compression on internal organs increases causing harmful effects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebreast movement suppressionVSAvoidcompression range on internal organs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the compression function so that the cup parts provide minimal compression with limited coverage area, while the under belt provides strong compression to suppress movement. This segmentation reduces the overall area of compression on internal organs while maintaining movement suppression effectiveness through the under belt's action.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies compression locally to specific areas rather than extensively across the entire breast region. The cup parts are designed to minimize compression area, while the under belt concentrates compression force at the under-bust level, thereby suppressing movement without increasing the overall compression range on internal organs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2692257B1brassiere
Publication Date: 2018.08.08 ASICS CORP
  • EP2692257B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1C
  • EP2692257B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2692257B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~4B

AI summary

In order to produce an effect of suppressing movement of breasts while limiting a range in which the breasts are compressed, to thereby reduce compression on various parts of internal organs such as a heart and lungs, the breasts, and the like and, at the same time, prevent chafing of a skin, provided is a brassiere including: a brassiere main body I made of a front body for covering a chest and a back body for covering a back; right and left shoulder straps 12 provided between upper end edges of the front body and the back body; an under belt 14 that is provided at a lower end edge of the brassiere main body 11 with an intermediation of an under-bust line 13; and a pair of right and left cup parts 17 provided in the front body. An attachment angle θ of the shoulder straps 12 to the brassiere main body 11 is defined by such an angle that an intermediate line 18 of each shoulder strap 12 extends to pass through a central portion of the cup part 17 at a diagonal position of the shoulder strap 12 and reach a range including an inferior point 19 of a bust point and inferior point 20 of an anterior axilla point on the under-bust line 13.