Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CHEST BINDER
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to US Provisional
Application
Serial No. 63/217,918 filed on July 2, 2021 and to U.S. Patent Application No.
17/701,765 filed March 23, 2022.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to chest binders and, more
particularly, to a
chest binding system having enhanced comfort and wearability.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] Chest binding is the process of compressing breasts for a
flatter
appearance and is an important contributor to the wellbeing and mental health
of many
transgender and non-binary people. Chest binding helps create a more masculine
silhouette and reduce gender dysphoria, distress related to the misalignment
between
physical sex and gender identity. However, 97 percent of the users of binding
systems
report negative physical symptoms related to binding. The negative symptoms
range from
relatively minor, such as occasionally itching and back pain, to severe, such
as rib
fractures.
[0004] There are a variety of binding methods: wearing a tight sports bra;
layering sports bras or shirts; wrapping the chest in bandages, plastic wrap,
or duct tape;
or wearing a purpose-built binder. Bandages, plastic wrap, and duct tape are
high-risk
binding tools discouraged in many transgender health and popular sources.
There is no
regulation on binder designs and there are many areas of concern: there is no
clear
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evidence of medical consultation in the design process; some popular binders
were
designed for male bodies and may fit transgender and non-binary users poorly
(e.g.
compression tops to disguise gynecomastia in cisgender men); and there is no
known
anthropometric data on transgender and intersex people available to the design
community. For instance, binders developed using normative female
anthropometrics
may not fit female-to-male (I-TM) transgender people taking testosterone
hormone
therapy, and long-term binding could result in changes to posture and muscle
tone that
would impact fit.
[0005] Conventional binding systems often involve the use of
compression
garments that must be stretched over the head and then the body of the user
and
positioned in place. These systems often fit poorly and can be difficult to
put on and take
off, particularly for users with physical disabilities or medical conditions.
Accordingly,
there is a need in the art for a chest binding system that provides the
desired result
without any negative symptoms.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is a comfortable chest binder that
includes limited
stretch regions that allow for binding of breast tissue and flexible regions
that enhance
wearer comfort. More specifically, the binder comprises a torso formed from a
flexible
first layer of fabric to define an inner space for the body of a wearer. A
limited stretch
second layer of fabric is adhered to at least a portion of the torso proximate
to any breast
tissue of the wearer. A pair of straps are connected at one end to the torso
and extend
laterally about the torso so that the opposing ends of the straps are
releasably attachable
to the torso to selectively narrow or widen the inner space. The first layer
is dimensioned
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to encompass a central abdomen area of a wearer and can also be dimensioned to
encompass a pair of hips of a wearer. The second layer extends to be proximate
to a
lower abdomen area of a wearer. The second layer can also extend to be
proximate to a
pair of hips of a wearer. The chest binder may further comprise a pair of
shoulder straps
positioned to form a V-neck. The pair of shoulder straps may be formed from
the first
fabric. The first fabric may be cotton jersey, wool, bamboo, linen, elastane,
or
combinations thereof. The second fabric may be canvas.
[0007] Accordingly then, in one aspect, there is provided a chest
binder,
comprising: a torso formed from a first layer of a first fabric that defines
an inner space
for the body of a wearer, wherein the first fabric can stretch at least fifty
percent; a
second layer of a second fabric adhered to at least a portion of the torso
proximate to any
breast tissue of the wearer, wherein the second fabric will not stretch more
than thirty
percent; and at least one strap connected at one end to a side of the torso
and extending
laterally about the torso, wherein an opposing end of the strap is releasably
attachable to
the torso to selectively narrow or widen the inner space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0008] The present invention will be more fully understood and
appreciated by
reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the
accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a breast binder according to the present
invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a back view of a breast binder according to the
present invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a breast binder
according to the
present invention shown positioned on a user;
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-09
[0012] FIG. 4 is a side view of a breast binder according to the
present invention
shown positioned on a user; and
[0013] FIG. 5 is rear perspective view of a breast binder according
to the present
invention shown positioned on a user.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to
like parts
throughout, there is seen in FIGS. 1 through 5 a chest binder 10 according to
the present
invention. Binder 10 is a wearable garment having a torso 12 that forms an
inner space
14 for the wearer. Torso 12 is formed by a first layer 16 of a stretch fabric,
such as
jersey, and second layer 18 formed by non-stretch or limited stretch fabric,
such as
canvas. First layer 16 may be short and just encompass the central abdomen, or
longer to
extend to contact or cover the hips of a wearer. In FIG. 1, second layer 18 is
shown in
phantom as it is preferably positioned on the inside of first layer 14. In a
preferred
embodiment, second layer 18 is confined to a panel that extends over the
portion of torso
12 that is located proximately to the breast tissue when binder 10 is worn by
a user and a
corresponding panel extending over the opposing side of torso, as seen in FIG.
2. Second
layer 18 serves as a compression layer that can flatten the breast tissue of
the wearer
while first layer 16 provides enhanced comfort and wearability of binder 10
over the rest
of binder 10. Panels of second layer 18 can be sized and located accordingly
for a
particular fit or size of the wearer, and additionally located in other areas
such as the
lower abdomen or hips for additional sculping of the wearer. Second layer 18
may be
laminated to first layer 14, sewn together, or adhered to each other using any
number of
conventional methods. For the purposes of the present invention, the term
"limited
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-09
stretch" refers to fabrics or regions that have less than a 30 percent
stretch, with 20
percent stretch found to be acceptable. The term "flexible" refers to higher
stretch
fabrics, such as those having 50 percent stretch or more.
[0015] As further seen in FIG. 1, a pair of opposing straps 22 and
24 are
positioned on either side of torso 12 and fixedly attached at one end to torso
12. Straps
22 and 24 extend laterally about torso 12 and can be releasable attached by
their opposing
ends to a second location on torso 12 using conventional hook and loop type
fastener
pads 26 and 28 positioned on straps 22 and 24 and torso 12. As seen in FIGS. 1
and 2,
the area between the fixed attachment point of straps 22 and 24 and fastener
pads 26 and
28 are formed exclusively from flexible first layer 16. Straps 22 and 24 allow
the user to
easily adjust binder 10 for a comfortable fit through the period when binder
10 is worn
and also allow binder 10 to be more easily put on and taken off. Opposing
straps 22 and
24 may be one piece or include individual fingers for more targeted
compression.
Fastener pads 26 may be larger in area than corresponding pads 28 to provide
for a larger
area of adjustment.
[0016] Binder 10 includes a pair of shoulder straps 30 and 32 that
form a low V-
neck so that binder 10 can be worn discretely under most conventional garments
including sleeveless tops and V-neck shirts. Straps 30 and 32 may be formed
from the
same material as flexible first layer 16. The particular size and positioning
of shoulder
straps 30 and 32 and shape and size of the resulting V-neck may be varied for
the
purposes of hiding under sleeveless tops as long as opposing straps 22 and 24
do not
pinch under the arms of the wearer or compress the shoulder blades.
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[0017] Binder 10 includes a pair of shoulder straps 30 and 32 that
form a low V-
neck so that binder 10 can be worn discretely under most conventional garments
including sleeveless tops and V-neck shirts. Straps 30 and 32 may be formed
from the
same material as flexible first layer 16. Binder 10 spreads pressure across
the ribs, so it is
more evenly distributed and removes pressure from the abdomen so that the
wearer can
more easily breath. Binder 10 also removes pressure from the shoulders and
upper back
to help avoid pain and pressure ulcers on the shoulder blades.
[0018] First layer 16 is preferably formed from cotton jersey knits,
but may also
be made from other natural fabrics such as wool, bamboo, and linen that are
knit for
stretchiness, as well as artificial fabrics such as elastane (LYCRA or
SPANDEX ),
and blends thereof. Second layer 18 is preferably formed from woven materials
such as
canvas, but may also be formed from natural and artificial fibers provided
they are woven
in such a manner to limit the amount of stretch as described above.
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