Compression garment

• US 8,784,351 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dumpson & O'Donovan Holdings Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Dumpson & O'Donovan Holdings Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: O'Donovan, Sinead, Dumpson, Carmella
• Primary Examiner(s): Bianco, Patricia
• Assistant Examiner(s): PETRIK, KARI K
• Application Number:
  US12/405,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 602 60- 61, 602/67, 223/6, 2400-401, 2403-407, 240/9, 246/6, 2 7/83, 450/155, 450100-101, 450/104, 450/123
• US Class Current: 602/67
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 1/02 Elastic corsets
• CPC Class Codes: A41C 1/10 Maternity corsets
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/21 Maternity clothing; Clothing specially adapted for persons caring for infants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/00093 tubular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/00119 elastic
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/00131 elasticity distribution
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/0028 applying of mechanical pressure; passive massage
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/00382 reconstructing the body shape prosthetic device A61F2013/00574

Abstract

A compression garment has panels of elasticized fabric joined by seams of flat lock stitching to define, when worn, specific areas of compression, areas of compression being the perineum, caesarian wound area and rectus abdominus muscles or the perineum and the pelvic joints.

Claims

1. A compression garment to be worn during or after pregnancy, comprising:

a pair of legs comprising left front and rear leg panels, and right front and rear leg panels, the rear leg panels joining together at a central seam,

a body panel attached to a top portion of the pair of legs such that the body panel in use will at least partially encircle a wearer'"'"'s body, and

a crotch panel disposed between the pair of legs and attached to the body panel at a front of the compression garment, the crotch panel being attached at front lateral seams to the two front leg panels and extending to the two rear leg panels to which the crotch panel attaches at two rear seams that converge upon the central seam so that, the frontal lateral seams and rear seams are positioned, in use, to be clear of a wearer'"'"'s perineum, and

wherein the panels of the garment are formed from an elasticized fabric, the crotch panel being formed of at least 2 ply of elasticized fabric, and the frontal lateral seams, rear seams, and the central seam are flat-lock seams to minimize line pressure at the seams of the garment to, in use, exert consistent compression across the crotch panel onto the wearer'"'"'s perineum.

2. The compression garment according to claim 1, the body panel being a waist panel joined to the rear leg panels by a horizontal seam across the bottom of the waist panel;

and the crotch panel extending downwardly from the waist panel and continuing, in use, underneath the perineum of the wearer to join the rear leg panels at the two rear converging seams to maximize compression across the crotch panel, in use, onto the wearer'"'"'s perineum.

3. The compression garment according to claim 1 wherein the body panel is a waist panel which is a belt joined by a flat-lock seam at the back, said seam forming an extension of the central seam, and being joined to the tops of both of the front and rear leg panels and in front, to the top of the crotch panel.

4. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the belt comprises two outer fabric layers over an internal lining layer of open hole mesh, and the crotch panel comprises two outer layers having an internal open mesh lining layer.

5. The compression garment according to claim 1 wherein the front and rear leg panels comprise a single layer of elasticized fabric.

6. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the body panel is a stomach panel joined to the rear leg panels by a horizontal seam across the bottom of the stomach panel;

and the crotch panel extending from the stomach panel and continuing, in use, underneath the perineum of the wearer to join the rear leg panels at the two rear converging seams, the crotch panel being joined by the frontal lateral seams to the tops of the front leg panels and to the front stomach panel to maximize compression across the crotch panel onto the wearer'"'"'s perineum.

7. The compression garment according to claim 6 wherein the stomach panel and the crotch panel comprise a layer of knitted elasticized fabric backed by a liner of open mesh elasticized fabric.

8. The compression garment according to claim 1 wherein the elasticized fabric comprises a mixture of nylon and elastan.

9. The compression garment according to claim 8 wherein the mixture is 75-85% nylon and 15-25% elastan.

10. The compression garment according to claim 1 wherein the elasticized fabric comprises a double knit fabric having a jersey stitch face.

11. The compression garment according to claim 1 wherein at least one panel is lined by a liner of open mesh, elasticized fabric.

12. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the body panel is a stomach panel which, in use, covers and compresses a caesarian wound area and the rectus abdominus muscles of the wearer.

13. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the body panel provides compression, in use, to the pelvic joints.

14. A compression garment to be worn during or post pregnancy, comprising:

a pair of legs;

a body panel attached to a top portion of the pair of legs such that the body panel in use will at least partially encircle a wearer'"'"'s body; and

a crotch panel disposed between the pair of legs and joined by flat-lock seams to the pair of legs, the crotch panel attached to the body panel at a front of the compression garment and the flat-lock seams converging together at a rear of the garment, said flat-lock seams minimizing line pressure at the seams of the garment,

wherein the panels of the garment are formed from an elasticized fabric, the crotch panel being formed of at least two ply of elasticized fabric, and wherein the seams adjoining the panels are positioned, in use, to be clear of a wearer'"'"'s perineum, and the panels are configured to, in use, apply consistent compression across the crotch panel onto the wearer'"'"'s perineum.

15. The compression garment according to claim 14, wherein the crotch panel comprises at least one outer layer of elasticized fabric and an internal liner layer of open mesh.

16. The compression garment according to claim 14, wherein the crotch panel is formed of at least three ply of elasticized fabric.

17. The compression garment according to claim 14, wherein the pair of legs comprise a single layer of elasticized fabric.

18. The compression garment according to claim 14, wherein the body panel is a stomach panel which, in use, covers and compresses a caesarean wound area and the rectus abdominus muscles of the wearer.

19. The compression garment according to claim 14, wherein the body panel is a stomach panel, the stomach panel being arranged to extend towards a chest line.

20. The compression garment according to claim 14, wherein the body panel comprises at least two ply of elasticized fabric.