Molded Cup Bra with Bonded Support Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing athletic bras often fail to accommodate larger band sizes and cup sizes beyond DDD, leading to a 'uniboob' appearance that lacks individual breast definition, and do not provide adequate support for larger breasted women during physical activities.
Innovation Solution
An athletic bra design featuring a band with a breast-covering section that includes molded cups and a support member with a lower, medial, and lateral sections, bonded to the inner layer, which provides encapsulation and support for breasts of various sizes, from AAA to K, while avoiding wires and zippers for comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If athletic bras use compression-only design, then support for larger breast sizes is improved, but individual breast definition is lost (uniboob appearance)
Solution Approach 1:
The bra is divided into separate cup sections that individually encapsulate each breast, rather than using a single compression layer. Each cup is formed from the inner layer fabric and can be independently shaped to accommodate different breast sizes while maintaining individual definition.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member is nested within the cup structure, with the cup formed from the inner layer and the support member positioned inside to provide additional support. This nested arrangement allows the support structure to adapt to larger breast sizes while maintaining cup shape and individual definition.
2Ease of manufacture
If athletic bras are designed for smaller sizes only, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability to various sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bra is designed with universal features including an extra-long gore that can accommodate various cup sizes, and cups that can be configured in different orientations (side-by-side or stacked) to fit different breast shapes and sizes. The support member design allows it to function effectively across a wide size range from AAA to K cups.
Solution Approach 2:
The bra incorporates dynamic adjustability through the support member configuration, where the gore can be positioned at different lengths and the cups can be arranged in different orientations. This dynamic design allows a single bra to adapt to various cup sizes without requiring multiple size variants.
3Strength
If athletic bras include wires and zippers for support, then structural strength is improved, but comfort is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional mechanical support elements (wires and zippers) are replaced with a fabric-based support system. The support member is constructed from the inner layer fabric itself, forming a wire-free structure that provides structural support through the fabric's inherent properties rather than rigid mechanical components.
Data Source
AI summary
An athletic bra to support a human wearer's breasts include a band, a breast covering section, a back section, and a pair of shoulder straps joining the breast covering section to the back section. The breast covering section includes an inner layer forming a pair of molded cups, each cup constructed to encapsulate a respective one of the breasts. A support member is bonded to the inner layer and includes a lower section extending between each of the cups and the band, and a medial section extending at least partially between the cups. The bra can accommodate band sizes of 32-50 and cup sizes of AAA-K.