HK40015957B - Upper-torso garment with tubular-jacquard knit structure - Google Patents

Description

Upper body garment with tubular jacquard knitted structure

Technical Field

The present application relates to an upper torso garment having a tubular jacquard knit structure.

Background

Upper-body garments (uppers) typically include a number of components configured to cover the upper-body area of the wearer. For example, upper body garments typically include a chest-covering portion and a back-covering portion. In addition, the upper body garment may include a variety of textiles and material types, sometimes selected based on a variety of properties. An example of one type of textile that may have multiple properties and that may be used to construct at least a portion of an upper torso garment is a knitted textile.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure relates to an upper body garment having a breast covering portion, the upper body garment comprising: a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion, the tubular jacquard knit region including a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another; the plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, wherein each front course of stitches of the plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of stitches of the plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking courses; each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches; in each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking crosses divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of back subsets of stitches, wherein each interlocking course comprises a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures consisting of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, front subsets of stitches and back subsets of stitches, wherein the plurality of knitted tubular structures are arranged side by side across the tubular jacquard knit area; the tubular jacquard knit area is divided into a first knit zone, a second knit zone, and an intermediate knit zone positioned between the first knit zone and the second knit zone, wherein each interlocking course includes a first subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the first knit zone, a second subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the second knit zone, and a third subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate knit zone; the first subset of the knit tubular structures and the second subset of the knit tubular structures include two or more knit tubular structures having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches; and the third subset of the knitted tubular structure comprises one knitted tubular structure comprising at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches and separating the first subset of the knitted tubular structure from the second subset of the knitted tubular structure.

In one embodiment, both the first and second yarn strands include an amount of elasticity that provides a maximum stretch of less than 200% before returning to an unstretched state.

In one embodiment, the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand each comprise the same yarn type having the same yarn composition and the same yarn size.

In one embodiment, each front stitch and each back stitch includes a stitch length in a range of about 3.00mm to about 3.30 mm.

In one embodiment, the one knitted tubular structure is a central bridge portion of the upper body garment.

In one embodiment, the one knitted tubular structure includes a number of front stitches in a range of about 20 to about 40 and a number of back stitches in a range of about 20 to about 40.

In one embodiment, the one knitted tubular structure includes a number of front stitches in a range of about 70 to about 90 and a number of back stitches in a range of about 70 to about 90.

The present disclosure also relates to an upper body garment having a breast covering portion, the upper body garment comprising: a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion, the tubular jacquard knit region including a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another; the plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, wherein each front course of stitches of the plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of stitches of the plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking courses; each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches; in each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking crosses divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of back subsets of stitches, wherein each interlocking course comprises a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures consisting of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, front subsets of stitches and back subsets of stitches, wherein the plurality of knitted tubular structures are arranged side by side across the tubular jacquard knit area; the tubular jacquard knitted zone is divided into a first knitted zone, a second knitted zone, a third knitted zone, a fourth knitted zone and a fifth knitted zone arranged in succession in a side-by-side configuration, wherein each interlocking course comprises a first subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the first knitted zone, a second subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the second knitted zone, a third subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the third knitted zone, a fourth subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the fourth knitted zone and a fifth subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the fifth knitted zone; the second subset of the knitted tubular structures and the fourth subset of the knitted tubular structures comprise two or more knitted tubular structures having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches; and the first subset of the knit tubular structure, the third subset of the knit tubular structure, and the fifth subset of the knit tubular structure each include one knit tubular structure including at least seven forward stitches and at least seven rearward stitches.

In one embodiment, the second subset of knitted tubular structures, the third subset of knitted tubular structures, and the fourth subset of knitted tubular structures extend orthogonal to a course direction, and wherein the first subset of knitted tubular structures and the fifth subset of knitted tubular structures form an angle with respect to the course direction.

In one embodiment, the one knitted tubular structure of the third subset includes a number of front stitches in a range of about 20 to about 40 and a number of back stitches in a range of about 20 to about 40.

In one embodiment, the one knitted tubular structure of the first subset and the fifth subset includes a number of front stitches in a range of about 15 to about 25.

In an embodiment, the second subset and the fourth subset each comprise a respective breast covering portion of the breast covering portions, and wherein the first subset and the fifth subset comprise an encapsulated region forming a perimeter around at least a portion of the respective breast covering portion.

In one embodiment, the third subset includes a central bridge portion of the upper body garment.

The present disclosure also relates to an upper body garment having a breast covering portion, the upper body garment comprising: a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion, the tubular jacquard knit region including a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another; the plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, wherein each front course of stitches of the plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of stitches of the plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking courses; each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches; in each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking crosses divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of back subsets of stitches, wherein each interlocking course comprises a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures consisting of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, front subsets of stitches and back subsets of stitches, wherein the plurality of knitted tubular structures are arranged side by side across the tubular jacquard knit area, and wherein each interlocking course comprises a course of interlocking tuck stitches joining the respective front course of stitches to the respective back course of stitches by interlooping with every other front stitch and every other back stitch; the tubular jacquard knit area is divided into a first knit zone, a second knit zone, and an intermediate knit zone positioned between the first knit zone and the second knit zone, wherein each interlocking course includes a first subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the first knit zone, a second subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the second knit zone, and a third subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate knit zone; the first subset of the knit tubular structures and the second subset of the knit tubular structures include two or more knit tubular structures having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches; and the third subset of the knit tubular structure comprises a single knit tubular structure comprising at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches and separating the first subset of the knit tubular structure from the second subset of the knit tubular structure.

In one embodiment, the plurality of interlocking courses includes interlocking courses that are consecutively looped over one another, and wherein in each consecutive interlocking course that is looped over one another, the courses of interlocking tuck stitches are offset from adjacent courses.

In one embodiment, the courses of the interlocked tuck stitches are constructed from a third yarn strand, and the first, second, and third yarn strands all include an amount of elasticity that provides a maximum stretch of less than 200% before returning to an unstretched state.

In one embodiment, the first, second, and third yarn strands each comprise the same yarn type having the same yarn composition and the same yarn size.

In one embodiment, each front stitch and each back stitch comprises a stitch length in a range of about 3.00mm to about 3.30mm, and wherein each tuck stitch in the course of the interlocking tuck stitch comprises a stitch length in a range of about 2.6mm to about 3.0 mm.

Drawings

The subject matter of the present disclosure is described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Fig. 1 depicts a front view of an upper torso garment in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 depicts a front perspective view of the garment depicted in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 depicts a side view of the garment depicted in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 depicts an exemplary knitting schematic in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 depicts knit-layout symbols (knit-program notations) corresponding to the knitting scheme in fig. 4.

Fig. 6A and 6B depict a knitting diagram illustrating interlocking crosses (interlocking crosses) of a front course (front course) and a back course (back course) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7A depicts a knit symbol according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7B depicts an enlarged view of a portion of the schematic of fig. 7A.

Fig. 8A-8D each depict additional knitting diagrams illustrating alternative knitting structures according to other aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 depicts another exemplary knitting diagram illustrating a tubular-jacquard knit structure with interlocking tuck joints (interlocking knit), according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 depicts a knitting layout symbol corresponding to the knitting diagram in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 depicts a knitting diagram illustrating an interlocking tuck junction in combination with interlocking intersections of front and back courses, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 depicts a knit symbol according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 depicts an upper torso garment having a plurality of tubular jacquard knit regions.

Fig. 14 depicts an upper torso garment having a tubular jacquard knit structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 depicts a perspective view of a cross-section taken along reference line 15A-15A or 15B-15B in FIG. 14.

Fig. 16 depicts a schematic of the cross-section of fig. 15.

Detailed Description

To meet statutory requirements, the subject matter is described in detail and specifically throughout this disclosure. The aspects described throughout this disclosure are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Rather, the claimed subject matter can be practiced in other ways to include different elements or combinations of elements equivalent to the ones described in this disclosure. In other words, the intended scope of the claims and other subject matter described in this specification, including equivalent features, aspects, materials, methods of construction, and other aspects, are not expressly described or depicted in this application for the sake of brevity, but would nevertheless be understood by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art to be included within this scope, based on the overall disclosure provided herein. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

In general terms, this disclosure describes an upper body garment having multiple elements, both independent of one another and in combination with one another, that facilitate the handling of the article. For example, the upper torso garment includes one or more portions constructed with a tubular jacquard knit structure. In one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more yarn strands affect the properties of the upper body garment in a manner that loops (interloops) and transfers between the front and back courses according to the tubular jacquard knit structure. Other factors may also affect the properties of the garment including, but not limited to, yarn composition and size, additional knit structure, and stitch size, as will be described in more detail in other portions of this disclosure. The tubular jacquard knit structures and other elements can contribute to, among other things, the fit and shape of the garment, as well as textile properties such as elongation, compression, breathability, elasticity, stability, support, and the like.

Referring initially to fig. 1-3, an exemplary upper body garment 10 is depicted, and in this description, an "upper body garment" describes any garment configured to cover the upper body of a wearer. The illustrated upper body garment 10 is a brassiere, and the style of brassiere depicted is sometimes referred to as a sports bra (sports bra), sports bra, or other similar name. While in other aspects of the present disclosure, the upper body garments may include a variety of other types of garments for women or men, including strapless bras, vests, shirts, undershirts, racing suits, and the like.

Relative terms may be used to aid in understanding the relative positions when describing various aspects of the upper body garment 10. For example, the upper torso garment 10 may be divided into a left side portion 12 and a right side portion 14. Further, the upper body garment 10 may include a back portion 16 and a front portion 18, the back portion 16 generally covering at least a portion of the wearer's back when the upper body garment 10 is in use, and the front portion 18 generally covering at least a portion of the wearer's chest when in use.

In addition, the upper torso garment 10 includes a number of components that may also be referenced in describing aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the upper body garment 10 includes shoulder straps 20 and 22, as well as arm holes 24 and 26 and a neck opening 28, the neck opening 28 forming a perimeter generally around the neck receiving hole. Further, the upper body garment 10 includes a breast covering portion 30 on the left side portion 12 and a breast covering portion 32 on the right side portion 14, and a central bridge portion 34 is positioned between the breast covering portions 30 and 32. The upper body garment 10 also includes a series of encapsulation regions (encapsulation regions) 35A, 35B, 35C, 35D, 35E, and 35F that form a perimeter around at least a portion of the breast covering portions 30 and 32. In some cases, the combination of the breast covering portion, the central bridge portion, and the encapsulated region may collectively form a breast covering portion.

Further, the upper body garment 10 includes an upper chest portion 39, a left underarm portion 36, a right underarm portion 38, a left side wing 40, and a right side wing 42. The rear portion 16 includes a bra-type rear panel having a main torso 44 with rear straps 46 and 48. Torso 44 and rear straps 46 and 48 generally form a "T" or "Y" shape, and straps 46 and 48 are connected to shoulder straps 20 and 22. Chest band 50 extends circumferentially under breast covering portions 30 and 32 and wings 40 and 42 and wraps completely around rear portion 16. Chest strap 50 is illustrated without any buckles or other releasable connectors, which may be included in alternative aspects. These opposing regions and components are not necessarily intended to demarcate precise areas of the upper body garment 10 and are provided for purposes of explanation and illustration. However, the upper body garment 10 may include structural elements that provide a logical demarcation or division, such as seams or transition zones.

The upper body garment 10 may include other components, regions, and portions not necessarily shown in fig. 1-3, such as a brace region, bra underwire (underwire), and the like. Further, as indicated above, the brassiere-type upper body garment 10 depicted in fig. 1-3 is merely illustrative of the type of upper body garment, and in other aspects of the present disclosure, the upper body garment may have sleeves, abdomen-covering portions, waist-covering portions, integral shorts or pants (e.g., such as in a full body tight), or the like.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the upper body garment 10 includes a knitted textile area, and as used in the present disclosure, "knitted textile area" generally refers to at least a portion of the upper body garment 10 that is constructed from one or more yarn strands looped around one another. For example, an exemplary knitted textile area 52 is identified in fig. 1, and additional details of the knitted textile area 52 are further depicted in an enlarged view 54, the enlarged view 54 illustrating an exemplary knitted structure 56. As depicted by the partially exploded view 58, the knitted structure 56 includes a course 60 of front stitches that loop over each other and a course 62 of back stitches that loop over each other.

For illustrative purposes to allow the description and explanation of the knit structure, knit textile area 52 is identified in fig. 1, and in other aspects of the present disclosure, upper body garment 10 includes one or more other knit textile areas that are larger than area 52 and/or positioned in other areas and components of upper body garment 10. For example, at least some front portions of the upper body garment 10 may include one or more knit structures including chest bands 50, breast covering portions 30 and 32, central bridge portion 34, enclosing bands 35A-35F, underarm portions 36 and 38, wings 40 and 42, bands 20 and 22, and any combination thereof. These components of the upper body garment 10 may be integrally knitted into a continuous knitted piece, or may be separate knitted pieces.

In aspects of the present disclosure, breast-covering portions 30 and 32 each include knitted textile areas 66 and 68. Breast-covering portions 30 and 32 include a number of features that can identify the breast-covering portion. For example, breast covering portions 30 and 32 are generally positioned above chest band 50 and below bands 20 and 22. In addition, breast-covering portions 30 and 32 are generally located on the front side of upper body garment 10, between underarm portions 36 and 38 and between wings 40 and 42. Furthermore, as indicated by fig. 1-3, the breast covering portions 30 and 32 may be separated by a central bridge 34 and may be bounded on one or more sides by enclosure regions 35A-35F. And in some other aspects, the central bridge 34 may be omitted such that the breast covering portions 30 and 32 form a single breast covering portion that spans from the anterior side to the right side wings and underarm portions. Also, in other aspects of the present disclosure, the thickness of the encapsulated regions 35A-35F may be reduced, or the encapsulated regions may be omitted. As illustrated by the side views of fig. 2 and 3, breast-covering portions 30 and 32 are dome-shaped and include a convex outer surface 70, and also include a concave inner surface that is not visible in the perspective views shown in fig. 1-3.

When the upper body garment 10 is in a use state, such as when worn by a person or manikin, the breast-covering portions 30 and 32 may cover and possibly contact the wearer's chest area. In addition, breast-covering portions 30 and 32 may provide compressive support to the corresponding breast tissue of the wearer. The size and shape of breast-covering portions 30 and 32 depicted in figures 1-3 illustrate one aspect of the subject matter described herein, and in other aspects, the size and shape may differ.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, knit textile regions 66 and 68 comprise tubular jacquard knit structures. Referring to fig. 4, a schematic diagram illustrating some features of an exemplary tubular jacquard knit structure 110 is depicted. Tubular jacquard knit structure 110 includes a plurality of front courses 112 and a plurality of back courses 114 constructed from a first yarn strand 116 and a second yarn strand 118. Further, fig. 4 depicts that one of the front courses 120 intermittently (interlittently) interlocks with one of the rear courses 122 by way of the first yarn strand 116 extending from the front course 120 to the rear course 122. In addition, a second yarn strand 118 extends from the rear course of stitches 122 to the front course of stitches 120 at a location corresponding to the first yarn strand 116 extending to the rear course of stitches 122.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the configuration in which the first yarn strand 116 extends from the front course of stitches 120 to the rear course of stitches 122 and the second yarn strand 118 extends from the rear course of stitches 122 to the front course of stitches 120 is referred to as an "interlocking crossover," which is identified by reference numeral 124. In fig. 4, another interlocking crossover 126 is illustrated, where a first yarn strand 116 extends from the back course of stitches 122 to the front course of stitches 120, and a second yarn strand 118 extends from the front course of stitches 120 to the back course of stitches 122.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, the interlocking intersections divide the front row of stitches into a subset or sub-number of front stitches. For example, the interlocking intersections 124 and 126 divide the front row of stitches 120 into a first number of front stitches 128, a second number of front stitches 130, and a third number of front stitches 132. Likewise, the rear row of stitches 122 is divided into a first number of rear stitches 134, a second number of rear stitches 136, and a third number of rear stitches 138.

In fig. 4, the first yarn strand 116 is depicted as having a different appearance than the second yarn strand 118. For example, the first yarn strand 116 may be a different color than the second yarn strand 118. In one aspect of the present disclosure, as the first and second yarn strands are intermittently switched back and forth between the front and rear courses, the difference in appearance between the two yarn strands 116 and 118 creates a banding pattern, such as the illustrative banding patterns in fig. 1-3 in the breast covering portions 30 and 32, the underarm portions 36 and 38, and the wings 40 and 42, the upper body garment 10 in fig. 1-3 is merely an example of one banding pattern that may be achieved, and in other aspects, the upper body garment may have a different pattern. Further, the first and second yarn strands may have the same or similar appearance such that a visual banding pattern is not created by toggling the first and second yarn strands back and forth between the front and back courses.

Referring now to fig. 5, an exemplary knit pattern 210 corresponding to the tubular jacquard knit structure 110 of fig. 4 is depicted. Knit map 210 includes a plurality of columns and rows. Each column represents a needle position and each row represents a yarn strand. The rows alternate between first and second yarn strands used to form the tubular jacquard knit. In each row, a stitch type is specified, along with an indication of whether the stitch is on the front bed or the back bed. The stitch symbol below the "yarn" is on the front bed and the stitch symbol above the "yarn" is on the back bed. For example, row 212C specifies stitch type and stitch location for the first yarn strand 216 at ten needle positions a-J. Stitch symbol 213 designates the stitches on the front bed and stitch symbol 215 designates the stitches on the back bed. Thus, line segment 220 would correspond to a transition from the front bed to the back bed.

With continued reference to fig. 5, each of the rows 212A-212C defines a knit structure for the first yarn strand 216 and the alternating rows 214A-214C define a knit structure for the second yarn strand 218. Rows 212A and 212B specify ten stitches of the first yarn strand 216 on the front side of the knitted structure, and rows 214A and 214B specify ten stitches of the second yarn strand 218 on the back side of the knitted structure. These rows 212A, 212B, 214A, and 214B correspond to the first two front rows of stitches and the first two back rows of stitches in fig. 4.

As previously described, row 212C specifies stitches for the first yarn strand 216, which corresponds to the first yarn strand 116 of fig. 4. Thus, row 212C sequentially specifies three stitches on the front side, a transfer to the back side (i.e., line segment 220), five stitches on the back side, a transfer to the front side (i.e., line segment 224), and two stitches on the front side. Row 214C specifies the stitches of the second yarn strand 218, which corresponds to the second yarn strand 118 of fig. 4, and thus row 214C sequentially specifies three stitches on the back side, a transfer to the front side (i.e., line segment 222), five stitches on the front side, a transfer to the back side (i.e., line segment 226), and two stitches on the back side. When executed, the branches designated 220 and 222 are converted into interlocking crosses 124, and the branches designated 224 and 226 are converted into interlocking crosses 126. Thus, the combination of stitches specified by rows 212C and 214C translates into front row of stitches 120 of fig. 4 and rear row of stitches 122 of fig. 4.

As described with reference to fig. 4, the interlocking intersections divide the courses into subsets of stitches. For example, in fig. 5 transfers 220, 222, 224, and 226 divide the interlocking course into a first number of front stitches 228, a second number of front stitches 230, a third number of front stitches 232, a first number of back stitches 234, a second number of back stitches 236, and a third number of back stitches 238.

To further illustrate the exemplary tubular jacquard knit structure 310, fig. 6A includes another schematic view of front and back courses 312 and 314, which provides an alternative visual representation of front and back courses 120 and 122 depicted in fig. 4. The front and rear courses of stitches 312, 314 are formed from a first yarn strand 316 and a second yarn strand 318, and the front and rear courses of stitches 312, 314 are intermittently interlocked to form an interlocking course 320. Interlocking course 320 includes an interlocking intersection 324 corresponding to yarn strands 316 and 318 of interlocking intersection 124 (fig. 4) and another interlocking intersection 326 corresponding to interlocking intersection 126 (fig. 4).

Further, fig. 6A illustratively depicts interlocking intersections 324 and 326 dividing the interlocking course into a first number of front stitches 328, a second number of front stitches 330, a third number of front stitches 332, a first number of back stitches 334, a second number of back stitches 336, and a third number of back stitches 338. Within the interlocking course 320, the combination of the interlocking intersections 324 and 326, the second number of front stitches 330, and the second number of back stitches 336 generally separates a space 340 between the two courses 312 and 314.

Referring to fig. 6B, when subjected to a force, the knit structure 310 operates in a variety of ways. For example, when a force is applied in a direction (e.g., 342A, 342B, or 342C) that intersects interlocking course 310, knitted structure 310 elongates in a direction (e.g., 344A and 344B) that is aligned with interlocking course 320. Further, when the force is removed, the knitted structure 320 returns to its resting state. In one aspect of the present disclosure, interlocking intersections 324 and 326 facilitate this property of knitted structure 310 by virtue of first yarn strand 316 and second yarn strand 318 mechanically changing from a more curved or curvilinear first state (e.g., fig. 6A) to a straighter second state (e.g., fig. 6B). In this sense, interlocking intersections 324 and 326 function like expansion joints (joints) between subsets of stitches.

When a knitted textile area having a knitted structure 310 is constructed into the upper torso garment 10, force may be applied to the knitted structure in a variety of circumstances. For example, when the upper body garment is worn and a portion of the wearer (e.g., breast tissue) presses against the knitted textile area, a force may be applied in a direction that intersects the interlocking courses 320. Accordingly, the knitted textile areas mechanically stretch or elongate to fit the wearer and can provide a compressive force to the wearer.

In aspects of the present disclosure, the density of the interlocking intersections included between knitted textile regions (e.g., the number of interlocking intersections in a given knitted region) is selected to achieve a certain amount of mechanical tension and elongation and compression force against the wearer's tissue (e.g., breast tissue). That is, a first interlocking course that includes more interlocking intersections between a given number of stitches will stretch more than a second interlocking course that has a fewer number of interlocking intersections in a given number of stitches when the first interlocking course and the second interlocking course are subjected to the same force. In this way, under the same conditions (e.g., garment size and wearer size), the second interlocking course may provide more compression than the first interlocking course, and the first interlocking course may mechanically elongate more than the second interlocking course. Applying these principles, one aspect of the present disclosure includes an upper body garment including one or more tubular jacquard knit structures that provide a corresponding amount of stretch based at least in part on a density of interlocking crossings.

Referring to fig. 7A, a knit diagram 710 depicts a plurality of first strand rows 712A-712G representing stitches formed with a first yarn strand 716 and a plurality of second strand rows 714A-714G defining stitches formed with a second yarn strand 718. Further, knit map 710 includes a plurality of consecutively arranged needle positions (A-AA). When executed, the corresponding first strand row (e.g., 712A) and the corresponding second strand row (e.g., 714A) are converted into a front course of stitches and a rear course of stitches, which include a density of interlocking intersections. Fig. 7B includes an enlarged view of a portion of knit diagram 710 including first yarn rows 712A-712B, second yarn rows 714A-714B, and subsets of needle positions H-Y.

The first strand stitches specified in the first strand row 712A intermittently interlock with the second strand stitches specified in the second strand row 714A to form an interlocking course 720A. In addition, interlocking course 720A includes an intra-course knit sequence that repeats along interlocking course 720A. A repeating intra-course knit sequence is outlined by block 722A (fig. 7A), and a repeating instance of the intra-course knit sequence is outlined by blocks 722B and 722C. Fig. 7B also illustrates a repeating in-course knit sequence outlined by blocks 722B and 722C. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the structure of the knitted sequence within a course and the repeating examples contribute to the density of interlocking intersections within the interlocking course.

Referring to fig. 7B, the in-course knit sequence (identified by block 722B) includes a first number of front stitches 724 formed from the first yarn strand 716 and a first number of back stitches 726 formed from the second yarn strand 718. Further, between needle positions M and N, the first yarn strand 716 is transferred from the front bed to the back bed and the second yarn strand 718 is transferred from the back bed to the front bed. The first yarn strand 716 then forms a second number of back stitches 728 and the second yarn strand 718 forms a second number of front stitches 730. The first yarn strand 716 and the second yarn strand 718 then cross back after the second number of front stitches 730 and the second number of back stitches 728 and between the needle positions P and Q. The sequence of knitting within the course is then repeated at least once in the interlocked course after the crossover return between needle positions P and Q.

In the exemplary knit diagram 710, the number of front stitches in the knitted sequence within a course is eight (e.g., the front stitches provided by needles I to P), and the number of back stitches in the knitted sequence within a course is eight. In addition, there is a single interlocking cross between the eight front stitches and the eight back stitches before the second interlocking cross begins the repeat instance of the knitting sequence in the course. The in-course knitting sequence depicted in fig. 7A and 7B is merely an example of one aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the area of the knitted textile formed according to the structure specified by knit diagram 710 includes a certain amount of stretch and compression properties that result, at least in part, from a repeating pattern of eight front stitches, eight back stitches, and interlocking intersections between the eight front and back stitches. And in other aspects of the disclosure, each respective in-course knit sequence includes a number of front stitches equal to or greater than 4 and less than or equal to 12 and a number of back stitches equal to or greater than 4 and less than or equal to 12. The number of front stitches and back stitches in the repeating sequence may be selected and adjusted based at least in part on the amount of compression provided by the area of the knitted textile that will include the repeating sequence.

In fig. 7A and 7B, knit diagram 710 depicts the symbols of a plurality of interlocking courses 720A, 720B, and 720C, and each interlocking course includes a respective intra-course knit sequence (e.g., 722A, 722D, and 722E) that repeats itself along the respective interlocking course. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the first number of front stitches, the first number of back stitches, the second number of front stitches, and the second number of back stitches are all consistent between the sequences of knitting within each respective course. For example, interlocking course 720A includes an in-course knit sequence 722B having five front stitches of the first number of front stitches 724, five back stitches of the first number of back stitches 726, three front stitches of the second number of front stitches 730, and three back stitches of the second number of back stitches 728. In a consistent manner, the other interlocking course 720B includes an in-course knit sequence (identified by block 722D) having five front stitches of the first number of front stitches 736, five back stitches of the first number of back stitches 738, three front stitches of the second number of front stitches 742, and three back stitches of the second number of back stitches 740.

In a knit structure in which each respective intrarow knit sequence positioned in a respective interlocking course (e.g., the sequence in box 722A and the sequence in box 722D) includes the same number of stitches in each of the front and rear subsets of stitches, a variety of arrangements may be implemented. For example, in fig. 7A and 7B, the interlocking intersections of interlocking courses 720A and 720B are positioned between the same pair of needle positions M and N in adjacent, mutually looped courses. Further, in all of the in-row knit sequences 722A, 722D, and 722E, the total number of front stitches and the total number of back stitches in a given in-row knit sequence (i.e., eight front stitches and eight back stitches) are divided to create subsets having different numbers of stitches in the subsets (i.e., five stitches in one of the front stitch subsets and three stitches in the other front stitch subset).

Referring now to fig. 8A, an alternative aspect is depicted in which the tubular jacquard knit structure includes a first interlocking course 820A interlooped to a second interlocking course 820B. The interlocking courses are interlooped with each other by means of mutual looping of the front course and of the rear course. The first and second interlocking courses 820A and 820B include respective intra-course knit sequences 822A and 822B that repeat in the respective interlocking course. Similar to the knitting diagrams in fig. 7A and 7B, the first number of front stitches 826A and 826B, the first number of back stitches 824A and 824B, the second number of front stitches 828A and 828B and the second number of back stitches 830A and 830B are all identical between each of the knitting sequences within the respective courses. And in an alternative aspect depicted in fig. 8A, intersection 832 in first interlocking course 820A (which would form an interlocking intersection) is positioned at a different needle location than intersection 834 in second interlocking course 820B. Even though the interlocking crosses are positioned between different pairs of adjacent needle positions, interlocking courses 820A and 820B include the same density of interlocking crosses between knit sequences within a given number of repeat courses, and thus, interlocking courses 820A and 820B have similar stretch and compression properties when constructing a portion of a knitted textile area. For example, between 16 needle positions, comprising two sets of repeating intra-course knit sequences, interlocking courses 820A and 820B each comprise three interlocking crosses.

Referring now to fig. 8B, another alternative aspect is depicted in which the tubular jacquard knit structure includes a first interlocking course 840A that is interloopingly coupled to a second interlocking course 840B, and the first and second interlocking courses include respective intra-course knit sequences 842A and 842B that repeat in the respective interlocking course. The knit diagram of fig. 8B is similar to the knit diagram of fig. 7B in that the total number of stitches in the knit sequence within the respective course is the same (i.e., eight front stitches and eight rear stitches). However, the knit diagram of fig. 8B differs from the knit diagrams of fig. 7B and 8A in that the subset of front stitches and the subset of back stitches are divided differently in each of the intra-row knit sequences 842A and 842B. For example, the first number of front stitches 844A of intrarow knit sequence 842A is different than the first number of front stitches 844B of intrarow knit sequence 842B. Even though the front and back subsets of stitches are divided differently between interlocking courses 840A and 840B, the interlocking courses 840A and 840B include the same density of interlocking intersections between the sequences of knitting within a given number of repeating courses. For example, interlocking courses 840A and 840B both include three interlocking crossings between two repeated instances of knitting sequences within the respective courses, which also correspond to the knitting diagrams in fig. 7B and 8A. As such, interlocking courses 720A, 820A, and 840A may have similar elongation and compression properties when constructing a knitted textile area.

Referring now to fig. 8C, another alternative aspect is depicted in which the tubular jacquard knit structure includes a first interlocking course 850A interlooped to a second interlocking course 850B, and the first and second interlocking courses include respective intra-course knit sequences 852A and 852B that repeat in the respective interlocking courses. The knit figure of fig. 8C is similar to the knit figures of fig. 7B, 8A and 8B, in which the total number of stitches in the knitting sequence within the corresponding course is the same (i.e., eight front stitches and eight rear stitches). The knit diagram of fig. 8C is different, however, because the first yarn strand is configured with the same number of front stitches and back stitches (i.e., four) as the second yarn strand (i.e., four) in the knit sequence within each course. As indicated previously, when comparing the interlocking courses of fig. 8C with the interlocking courses of fig. 7B, 8A, and 8B, the interlocking courses include the same density of interlocking crosses between repeated instances of the knit sequence within a given number of courses because the total number of stitches in the knit sequence within each respective course is the same (i.e., eight front stitches and eight back stitches) and the number of interlocking crosses is the same. As such, interlocking courses 720A, 820A, 840A, and 850A may have similar elongation and compression properties when constructing a knitted textile area.

Fig. 8D illustrates a knit diagram similar to fig. 8C, and in each course knit sequence 862A and 862B, the first yarn strand constructs the same number of front and back stitches (i.e., four) as the second yarn strand (i.e., four). But in contrast to knit sequences 852A and 852B of fig. 8C, knit sequences 862A and 862B within a course include corresponding interlocking intersections between different adjacent pairs. However, for the same reasons described with reference to fig. 8A, because the density of interlocking intersections is similar, the elongation and compressibility properties may be similar.

The multiple intra-row knitting sequence illustrated by and described with reference to fig. 7A, 7B, and 8A-8D includes eight front stitches and eight rear stitches, and a single interlocking intersection between the eight front stitches and the eight rear stitches. In addition, the interlocking crosses are positioned immediately before and immediately after the knitted sequences within the courses. In this sense, the intrarow knit sequences are interspersed end-to-end by interlocking crosses (book-ended). The illustration of eight front stitches and eight back stitches is an example of one aspect of the present disclosure, and in other aspects, the in-course knit sequence in knitted textile areas 66 and 68 includes a number of front stitches equal to or greater than four and equal to or less than twelve. In these other aspects, the same principles described with reference to fig. 7A, 7B and 8A-8D apply equally such that the interlocking intersections of the sequence of knitting within a single course may be arranged between different adjacent pairs to divide the front and rear stitches into subsets of different sizes. For example, an in-row knitting sequence with 12 front stitches and 12 back stitches may break into two groups of 6, one group of 5 and one group of 7, one group of 4 and one group of 8, etc. Further, the interlocking intersections can be positioned between the same adjacent pairs from one interlocking course to the next, or can be positioned at different adjacent pairs, such as between courses that loop around each other.

The plurality of knit structures specified by fig. 7A-8D include a density of interlocking intersections between a defined number of stitches (e.g., a defined set of needle positions). For example, each of the knitting structures in fig. 7B to 8D includes two front courses, each having 13 front stitches between the needle positions H and T, and two rear courses, each having 13 rear stitches between the needle positions H and T. Furthermore, the number of front stitches combined with the number of rear stitches produces a number of stitches of 26. Thus, a ratio may describe a number of interlocking crosses versus a number of stitches in a defined knitted textile area. For example, in each of the knitting sequences described by the knitting diagrams of fig. 7B to 8D, comprising two courses with 13 needle positions, the ratio of the number of interlocking crosses to the number of stitches is 3: 13. Thus, in one aspect of the present disclosure, the ratio of the number of interlocking crosses to the number of stitches can be used to assess and adjust the amount of stretch in a knitted textile area.

As indicated above, fig. 7B-8D are merely examples of some different in-course knitting sequences having a number of eight front stitches and eight back stitches, and in other cases, the in-course knitting sequences may include from four to twelve stitches. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the same principle of characterizing a knitted textile area by the ratio of interlocking crosses to stitches is applied, which is in the range of about 1:4 to about 1: 13.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, in addition to the tubular jacquard knit structure, other properties of the knit textile areas (e.g., 66 and 68) contribute in part to the amount of elongation and compression provided by the knit textile areas. For example, in one aspect, both the front and rear yarn strands comprise an inelastic yarn type (also sometimes referred to as an undrawn yarn) that includes an amount of elasticity that provides less than 200% of the maximum stretch under load before returning to the undrawn state when the load is removed. In a further aspect, the inelastic yarn type of the first and second yarn strands provides a maximum stretch of less than 100%. Examples of non-elastic yarn types include nylon and polyester. In one aspect of the present disclosure, both the first and second yarn strands include both ends of nylon 2/78D/68 (i.e., 2 plies, each of which is 78 dtex with 68 filaments). In contrast, elastic yarn types provide greater than 200% maximum stretch under load before returning to a non-stretched state when the load is removed, and some elastic yarns provide about 400% maximum stretch. Examples of elastic yarns include spandex, elastane, lycra, and the like.

When the first and second yarn strands comprise non-elastic yarn types, a certain amount of elongation of the knitted textile sheet can be achieved with mechanical elongation provided by the interlocking intersections. Other solutions may include more elastic yarn types to achieve a certain amount of elongation without this aspect of using inelastic yarn types in the present disclosure.

According to another aspect of the invention, the stitch length may contribute to the amount of elongation provided by the knitted textile area in addition to the elongation properties provided by the tubular jacquard knit structure. For example, the stitch length of the front and back stitches of the knitted textile area may be in the range of about 3.00mm to about 3.30 mm. And in one aspect of the invention the stitch length is 3.15 mm. These stitch lengths are merely examples of one aspect of the present disclosure, and in other aspects, smaller or larger stitch lengths may be used.

The structures depicted in fig. 7A-8D and that may be incorporated into various knitted regions of an upper body garment include a tubular jacquard knit structure constructed with first and second yarn strands. Further, each of the knit structures of fig. 7A-8D and the knit textile regions (e.g., 66 and 68) of the upper body garment into which they are incorporated can include additional, unitary knit structures. For example, referring to fig. 9, a tubular jacquard knit structure 910 is depicted having a plurality of front courses and a plurality of back courses. Furthermore, front courses 912A and 912B intermittently interlock with back courses 914A and 914B, similar to the tubular jacquard knit structure described with reference to fig. 4-8D. Thus, front row of stitches 912A and back row of stitches 914A form an interlocking row. In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, each interlocking course further comprises a course of interlocking tuck stitches that further joins the respective front course of stitches 912A to the respective rear course of stitches 914B by looping with every other front stitch and every other rear stitch. As depicted in fig. 9, the third yarn strand 916 forms a tuck stitch 918 in the rear course of stitches 914A and then transfers to the front course of stitches 912A to form another tuck stitch 920. In addition, the third yarn strand 916 is transferred back and forth in a sinuous manner between the front and back courses 912A, 914A to form tuck stitches at every other front and back course. To avoid overcrowding of the illustration in fig. 9, other courses of interlocking tuck stitches are not depicted (e.g., in the course formed by front course 912B and rear course 914B), but in other aspects of the disclosure, other courses of interlocking tuck stitches may combine front course 912B with rear course 914B and other front and rear courses. In addition, another course of interlocking tuck stitches may be offset from the course of interlocking tuck stitches joining front course of stitches 912A with rear course of stitches 914A.

Referring to fig. 10, knit diagram 1010 depicts a knit symbol that, when executed, will result in a knit structure similar to tubular jacquard knit structure 910 of fig. 9. For example, knit pattern 1010 depicts rows 1012 that define knit structures for third yarn strand 1014. As described with reference to fig. 9, the row indicates that the third yarn strand 1014 forms a tuck stitch 1016 on the back side, and then the third yarn strand 1014 will be transferred 1018 to the front side. The third yarn strand 1014 then forms a tuck stitch 1020 on the front side and will be transferred 1022 to the back side. This pattern repeats as the third yarn strand 1014 is transferred back and forth between the front and back sides, while tucking stitches at every other front stitch and every other back stitch.

Fig. 11 provides another illustrative schematic view of a tubular jacquard knit structure 1110 that corresponds to the front and rear courses 912A, 912B of fig. 9 and includes first, second, and third yarn strands 1112, 1114, and 1116. The first and second yarn strands 1112, 1114 are knitted to form a structure similar to the knitted structure 310 of fig. 6, including a front course of stitches 1118 and a back course of stitches 1120 that intermittently interlock to form interlocking courses. In addition, the third yarn strand 1116 joins the front and rear courses of stitches 1118, 1120 by constructing a series of interlocking tuck stitches at every other front stitch and every other rear stitch.

To further illustrate how courses of interlocking tuck stitches may be constructed into a knitted textile sheet, another knit pattern 1210 is illustrated in fig. 12. Knit figure 1210 is similar in some respects to knit figure 710 of figure 7A. For example, knit figure 1210 depicts a series of first yarn rows 1212A-1212E showing stitch types and locations for first yarn strands 1216 and a series of second yarn rows 1214A-1214E showing stitch types and locations for second yarn strands 1218. Further, similar to fig. 7A, first yarn strand 1216 and second yarn strand 1218 are configured in similar interlocking courses, with the repeating in-course knit sequence having eight front stitches, eight back stitches, and a single interlocking crossover between the eight front and eight back stitches. Knit figure 1210 further depicts a series of third yarn rows 1220A-1220E that define interlocking tuck stitches in each course alternating from front bed to back bed and configured with every other front stitch and every other back stitch. Further, knit figure 1210 indicates that successive courses of interlocking tuck stitches (e.g., 1220A and 1220B) are offset from one another. Thus, a needle that is skipped in row 1220A and does not include tuck stitch will include tuck stitch in the next consecutive row 1220B.

Knit stitch 1210 of figure 12 is an example of one knit structure that includes interlocking tuck joints. In other aspects of the present disclosure, each of the various knit structures depicted in fig. 8A-8D may also be supplemented to include offset courses of interlocking tuck stitches. Moreover, each of the additional possible knitting combinations described with reference to fig. 7A-8D may also include an offset course of interlocked tuck stitches including an in-course knitting sequence having at least four front and back stitches and less than or equal to twelve front and back stitches. In another aspect, as described in other portions of the present disclosure, a tubular jacquard knit structure having interlocking tuck joints may include a smaller or larger subset of front stitches and back stitches.

In a further aspect, the third yarn strand used to construct the interlocking tuck stitch includes properties similar to the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand. For example, the third yarn strand comprises an inelastic yarn type (also sometimes referred to as a non-stretched yarn) that includes an amount of elasticity that provides a maximum stretch of less than 200% under load before returning to a non-stretched state when the load is removed. In a further aspect, the inelastic yarn type of the first and second yarn strands provides a maximum stretch of less than 100%. Examples of non-elastic yarn types include nylon and polyester. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the third yarn strand includes both ends of nylon 2/78D/68 (i.e., two plies, each of which is 78 dtex with 68 filaments).

The interlocking tuck joints add a number of properties to the knitted textile areas having the tubular jacquard knit structures described in this disclosure. For example, the interlocking tuck bonds hold the front and rear courses of stitches together to produce a flatter piece of knitted textile that is thrown (turned) or pushed wider. In addition, the bonds help to promote tighter knitting of the textile pieces. For example, in one aspect, the stitch length of the tuck is in the range of about 2.6mm to about 3.0 mm. The properties conveyed by the courses of the interlocking tuck stitches are achieved by the smaller spacing of the tuck stitches and the yarn composition (e.g., un-stretch) and size. The course of the interlocking tuck stitches is different from some other types of additional knitting structures that may be added to the knitting structure, such as spaced knitting structures, which typically space the tuck stitches farther apart, utilize a wider needle bed pitch, and incorporate larger yarns.

The previously described portion of the present disclosure with respect to fig. 4-12 describes a plurality of tubular jacquard knit structures that can construct the knit textile areas 66 and 68 depicted in fig. 1-3. As previously described, these tubular jacquard knit structures provide a certain amount of stretch to knit textile areas 66 and 68 based at least in part on the density of the interlocking crosses, yarn composition, yarn size, stitch length, or any combination thereof. Thus, in aspects of the present disclosure, the amount of elongation is converted to an elastic modulus that provides an amount of support and compression for the underlying tissue (e.g., breast tissue). As such, the knitted textile areas 66 and 68 can be sized to include a portion or all of the breast-covering portions 30 and 32, and the size can be determined in a variety of ways, some of which can be related to the size of the upper body garment, breast-covering portion, or a combination thereof. The modulus of elasticity can be determined in a variety of ways, and in one aspect, the test method specified by ASTM D4964-96 can be used.

Aspects of the present disclosure include an upper torso garment having dimensions and dimensional specifications. For example, the upper body garment may be a brassiere having a chest band with a size equal to or greater than 30 inches and equal to or less than 42 inches, and cup sizes in the range of a to E. In addition, the brassiere may have a size that is small, medium, large, oversized, etc. Breast-covering portions 30 and 32 may also have a variety of sizes. For example, at the bottom peripheral edge of breast covering portions 30 and 32, where the bottom peripheral edge intersects chest band 50, the bottom peripheral edge of one of breast covering portions 30 and 32 may have a length in the range of about 3 "inches to about 5" inches. In another aspect, the bottom peripheral edge of each of the breast covering portions may have a number of stitches in a range of about 90 stitches to about 120 stitches. For example, breast covering portions 30 and 32 in fig. 1-3 each include about 104 stitches along the bottom peripheral edge that intersects chest band 50. Further, the inner peripheral edge of each of the breast covering portions 30 and 32 that interfaces with the central bridge 34 can include a length in the range of about 3.5 "inches to about 5.5" inches. And in another aspect, the medial peripheral edge of each of breast-covering portions 30 and 32 may include a number of courses in the range of about 150 to about 240.

Having described some exemplary dimensions and dimensional specifications for upper body apparel, another aspect of the present disclosure relates to the dimensions of knitted textile areas 66 and 68, knitted textile areas 66 and 68 comprising tubular knitted textiles and being positioned in breast-covering areas 30 and 32. Such a relative dimension between the knitted textile pieces 66 and 68 and the breast-covering portions 30 and 32 may determine, at least in part, the degree to which the elongation properties provided by the knitted textile pieces are transferred to the breast-covering portions 30 and 32.

The size of knitted textile areas 66 and 68 can be determined by a number of metrics. For example, knitted textile areas 66 and 68 can include a polygonal shape with measured sides, and in one aspect knitted textile areas 66 and 68 are at least 1 "by 1" square. And in another aspect, the knit textile pieces 66 and 68 include dimensions corresponding to at least some of the dimensions of the breast covering areas 30 and 32 such that the base peripheral edge adjacent the chest band is in the range of about 3 "to about 5" and the medial edge adjacent the intermediate area is in the range of about 3.5 "to about 5.5". These dimensions are exemplary of one aspect of the invention, and in other aspects the dimensions of the knitted textile area can be less than the listed ranges. These dimensional specifications for the knitted textile regions can also be greater than the listed ranges.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the size of knitted textile areas 66 and 68 may be based on the number of courses and stitches. For example, in one aspect, knitted textile areas 66 and 68 include a number of interlocking courses in a range of about 40 courses to about 120 courses, each interlocking course including a front course of stitches and a rear course of stitches. In further aspects, such as when the knitted textile panel includes dimensions corresponding to the medial edges of the breast-covering portions 30 and 32, each knitted textile area 66 and 68 includes a number of courses in the range of about 150 courses to about 240 courses. In addition, each of these number of courses includes a respective knitted in-sequence that repeats along the interlocking course. Another dimensional specification for the knitted textile piece may be determined based on the total number of stitches in the respective course based on the size of the knitting sequence within the course (e.g., between four to twelve stitches) and based on the number of times the knitting sequence is repeated within the course. For example, as indicated previously, the in-course knit sequence may have a number of stitches equal to or greater than four and less than or equal to twelve, and the sequence may be repeated between five and ten times. Using these exemplary numbers, the width of the knitted textile area may be between 20 stitches and 120 stitches. And in further aspects, such as when the knitted textile piece includes dimensions corresponding to the bottom peripheral edges of breast-covering portions 30 and 32, each knitted textile area 66 and 68 may include a number of stitches in the range of about 80 to about 120.

As described elsewhere in this disclosure, the number of interlocking intersections in a course or in a knitted textile sheet can be increased or decreased to alter the elongation properties (e.g., modulus of elasticity). Accordingly, aspects of the present invention include an upper torso garment that includes a first knitted region having a first modulus of elasticity and a second knitted region having a second modulus of elasticity that is greater than the first modulus of elasticity. Furthermore, the first knitted zone is comprised of a first tubular jacquard knit structure and the second knitted zone is comprised of a second tubular jacquard knit structure. The first tubular jacquard knitted structure and the second tubular jacquard knitted structure each comprise a plurality of front courses of stitches which are intermittently interlocked with a plurality of rear courses of stitches. However, the density of the interlocking crossovers in the second tubular jacquard knit structure is lower than the density of the interlocking crossovers in the first tubular jacquard knit structure, and the lower density increases the modulus of elasticity by reducing the elongation provided by the fewer number of interlocking crossovers. This aspect of the disclosure allows different areas of the upper body garment to be constructed from the same yarn type, the same yarn size, the same stitch structure, and different area properties based on the density of the interlocking intersections.

Referring now to fig. 13, an upper torso garment 1310 includes a first knitted zone 1312 having a first tubular jacquard knit structure in the breast-covering portion, a second knitted zone 1314 having a second tubular jacquard knit structure in the wing portion, and a third knitted zone 1316 having a third tubular jacquard knit structure in the central bridge portion. Tubular jacquard knit structures are represented by respective knit diagrams 1313, 1315, and 1317, and it should be understood that knit diagrams 1313, 1315, and 1317, when executed, will construct respective tubular jacquard knit structures.

As indicated by knit diagram 1313, the first tubular jacquard knit structure includes a first plurality of front courses and a first plurality of back courses constructed from a first yarn strand 1320 and a second yarn strand 1322. Each front row of stitches of the first plurality of front rows of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back row of stitches of the first plurality of back rows of stitches to form a plurality of first interlocking rows 1324A and 1324B. Each first interlocking course 1324A and 1324B of the plurality of first interlocking courses includes a first set of consecutive needle positions 1326 having a number of needles (e.g., 14). In addition, each first interlocking course 1324A and 1324B includes three interlocking intersections 1328A through 1328C of first and second yarn strands 1320 and 1322 positioned between a first set of consecutive needle locations 1326. First set of consecutive needle positions 1326 are uniform throughout the plurality of first interlocking courses 1324A and 1324B.

With continued reference to fig. 13, the second tubular jacquard knit structure depicted by knit diagram 1315 includes a second plurality of front courses and a second plurality of back courses constructed from third yarn strand 1330 and fourth yarn strand 1332. Each front course of the second plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of the second plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of second interlocking courses 1334A and 1334B, and each second interlocking course 1334A and 1334B includes a second set of consecutive needle positions 1336 having the same number of needles as identified in knit diagram 1313 (e.g., 14). The second interlocking course includes less than three interlocking intersections of the third yarn strand and the fourth yarn strand positioned between the second set of consecutive needle positions 1336. In this way, the second tubular jacquard knitted structure will exhibit a smaller elongation and a higher modulus of elasticity due to the interlocking crossings compared to the first tubular jacquard knitted structure. Accordingly, when between two knit regions 1312 and 1314, the same yarn may pass through the entire two regions, and different elongation properties may be imparted by constructing interlocking crosses of different densities between the two regions.

Third knit diagram 1317 is associated with a third tubular jacquard knit structure and the interlocking crosses that couple the front courses to the back courses are spaced farther apart than the number of needle positions depicted in knit diagram 1317. For example, the interlocking crossover connecting the front and back courses in the third tubular jacquard knit structure, which is outside the portion depicted by third knit figure 1317, may be located closer to or along the transition from the central bridge to the breast covering portion. Thus, the front and back courses of stitches form interlocking courses, but within this number of needle positions 1338, the third tubular jacquard knit structure does not include any interlocking crossovers. The third tubular jacquard knitted structure may have a lowest elongation and a highest modulus of elasticity due to the interlocking crossings, compared to the first and second tubular jacquard knitted structures.

The knit diagram in fig. 13 is merely an example of one aspect of the present disclosure. In other aspects, the density of interlocking intersections in each of the knit zones can be less or greater, but the knit zones can still include different densities, which results in regional differences in elongation properties. Further, the in-row knit sequence depicted in the figures may alternatively include any of the in-row knit sequences depicted in fig. 8A-8D, the offset interlocking tuck joints described with reference to fig. 9-12, or any of the stitch principles described with reference thereto (e.g., a subset of stitches of multiple sizes) may be applied. For example, interlocking crosses in a knitting sequence within a course may divide the front and back stitches into subsets having equal numbers of stitches or having unequal numbers of stitches. Further, the interlocking intersections in one course may be aligned (by needle position) with the interlocking intersections in an adjacent course, or the interlocking intersections in one course may be offset (by needle position) from the interlocking intersections in an adjacent course. Furthermore, the courses of the offset interlocking tuck stitches may also be configured as first, second, and third tubular jacquard knit structures, and the structures will still include regional differences in modulus of elasticity based on the respective differences in density of the interlocking crosses.

Further, the dimensions of the knit pattern in FIG. 13 are provided for illustrative purposes and include two interlocking courses having 18 needle positions. And in other aspects, each of the knit zones can be larger (i.e., more than two courses), such that the knit zones provide a larger portion of the knit textile having different elongation properties based on the tubular jacquard knit structure. For example, each knit zone can include a number of knit courses in a range of at least forty interlocking courses and less than 120 interlocking courses. And in other aspects, the knit region can include more than 120 interlocking courses.

In addition, other areas of the upper body garment may also include zones having different tubular jacquard knit structures, which results in different elastic moduli. For example, the underarm area, upper chest area, enclosed area, and straps may also include knitted regions having a tubular jacquard knit structure. Thus, in one aspect of the present disclosure, portions of the upper body garment, including the breast-covering region, the central bridge portion, the containment region, the upper chest region, the underarm portions, and the wing portions, are each constructed of tubular jacquard knit structures with interlocking tuck joints, and in each portion, the elongation properties can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of interlocking intersections.

Referring now to fig. 14-16, aspects of the present disclosure relate to positioning a tubular jacquard knit textile region having a lower interlocking cross-over density around at least a portion of breast covering portions 30 and 32 so as to provide one or more encapsulated regions 34, 35A, 35B, 35C, 35D, 35E, and 35F. That is, the encapsulated region includes a higher modulus of elasticity relative to the breast covering portions 30 and 32 based on the encapsulated region exhibiting a lower degree of elongation from a lower density of interlocking intersections.

By way of further illustration, fig. 14 includes an enlarged view 1410 showing a tubular jacquard knit structure 1412 positioned in a breast-covering portion. The tubular jacquard knitted area comprises a plurality of front courses 1414 which are looped continuously with one another. The tubular jacquard knitted area further comprises a plurality of rear courses 1416 which are looped in succession with each other. The plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand 1418 and a second yarn strand 1420. Additionally, each front row of stitches of the plurality of front rows of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back row of stitches of the plurality of back rows of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking rows (e.g., 1422).

Each interlocking course (e.g., 1422) in the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking intersections. For example, interlock bar 1422 includes four interlock intersections 1424, 1426, 1428, and 1430 (depicted as dashed lines in the figure to avoid overcrowding). Each interlocking intersection includes a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand that intersect each other to change position between a respective front course of stitches and a respective back course of stitches. In each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking intersections divide the respective front course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of back subsets of stitches, such as 1432, 1434, 1436, 1438, 1440, 1442.

As described with reference to fig. 6A, the front subset of stitches (e.g., 1432), the back subset of stitches (e.g., 1438), and a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses (e.g., 1424 and 1426) at least partially separate the space (e.g., 1444) between the front and back courses of stitches such that a knit tubular structure is formed. Figure 15 represents a perspective view of a cross-section taken at reference line 15A-15A or reference line 15B-15B in figure 14, and for purposes of illustration, the cross-section of figure 15 has been depicted as relatively straight, although the front surface of the breast-covering portion in figure 14 includes multiple curves. Further, for purposes of illustration, the knit structure of fig. 15 is shown without interlocking tuck bonds being explicitly depicted, but in other aspects, the knit structure of fig. 15 may also include interlocking tuck bonds.

Fig. 15 provides an illustrative schematic showing this tubular nature in more detail. That is, each interlocking course comprises a plurality of side-by-side knitted tubular structures, and when the plurality of interlocking courses are connected in loops with one another, the more elongated knitted tubular structures 1512, 1514, 1516, 1518, and 1520 of fig. 15 are formed and arranged side-by-side across the tubular jacquard knit regions. Although all knitted tubular structures are composed of respective subsets of front and rear stitches, the number of stitches in these subsets affects the width of the knitted tubular structure. For example, the subset of the front stitches that make up the knit tubular structure 1512 have more stitches than the subset of the front stitches that make up the knit tubular structure 1514, as evidenced by the wider depiction of the knit tubular structure 1512.

In fig. 15, the tubular jacquard knit region is divided into a first knit zone 1522, a second knit zone 1524, a third knit zone 1526, a fourth knit zone 1528 and a fifth knit zone 1530, and each knit zone includes a respective subset of knit tubular structures. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the width of the knitted tubular structure in each knitted zone affects the elongation properties of the knitted zone. Furthermore, the width of the knitted tubular structure is determined by the spacing of the interlocking crosses and the final number of stitches in the front and rear subsets of stitches.

In further aspects, the first knitted zone 1522 constitutes at least a portion of an encapsulated region 35A and/or 35B, the second knitted zone 1524 constitutes at least a portion of a breast covering portion 32, the third knitted zone 1526 constitutes at least a portion of a central bridge portion 34, the fourth knitted zone 1528 constitutes at least a portion of another breast covering portion 30, and the fifth knitted zone 1530 constitutes at least a portion of another encapsulated region 35E and/or 35F. In this way, the second and fourth knitted zones may comprise a subset of front stitches and back stitches that is smaller than the first, third and fifth knitted zones. And in one aspect of the disclosure, the knit tubular structures in the second and fourth zones comprise two or more knit tubular structures, each having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches. Each of the first, third and fifth zones comprises a single knit tubular structure having at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches.

The number of knit tubular structures in the second and fourth zones can vary depending on the location of the knit zones, and the second and fourth zones are depicted with dashed lines to illustratively show that the repeating pattern can have a different number of knit tubular structures. For example, if the knitted zones are aligned with the cross sectional reference lines 15A-15A, the number of knitted tubular structures in the second and fourth zones will be less than if the knitted zones are aligned with the cross sectional reference lines 15B-15B. More specifically, the band in fig. 14 indicates that at line 15A-15A, the second and fourth zones may each include about 16 to 18 knit tubular structures, and at line 15B-15B, the second and fourth zones may each include about 35 or 36 knit tubular structures. In addition, the number of forward and aft stitches in the third knitted zone will increase along lines 15A-15A to construct a wider knitted tubular structure across both breast-covering portions 30 and 32.

Fig. 14 and 15 depict the knit tubular structure as aligned with the needle locations and extending substantially orthogonal to the courses. And in other aspects, the interlocking intersections can be offset from course to course such that a diagonal, zig-zag, or other shaped knit tubular structure is formed. For example, the wrapping bands 35A-35F extend at an angle relative to the transverse direction to form a polygonal perimeter around the breast-covering portions 30 and 32. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the angled joints 37A, 37B, 37C, and 37D help to resist movement of breast tissue when the upper body garment is worn. For example, the angled joints 37A, 37B, 37C, and 37D may resist rotation or circular motion of the breast tissue as compared to a more curved perimeter envelope region.

Further, the in-course knit sequence set forth in fig. 14 and 15 is merely exemplary, and in other aspects, the knit tubular structure can be constructed using any of the in-course knit sequences depicted in fig. 8A-8D and the offset interlocking tuck joints described with reference to fig. 9-12. For example, interlocking crosses in a knitting sequence within a course may divide the front and back stitches into subsets having equal numbers of stitches and having unequal numbers of stitches. Furthermore, the courses of the offset interlocking tuck stitches may also be configured to form the front and back courses of the elongated knit tubular structure, and the structure will still include regional differences in elongation properties based on the differences in the respective tube widths. For example, fig. 16 provides a schematic illustration of an interlocking row 1610 having dashed lines and regions 1622, 1624, 1626, 1628, and 1630 similar to those depicted in fig. 15. Fig. 16 further illustrates a third yarn strand 1612 that forms a course of interlocking tuck stitches with interlocking course 1610. As described elsewhere in this disclosure, adjacent courses may also include a course of interlocking tuck stitches that are offset from the course formed by the third yarn strand 1612.

The upper body garment having one or more aspects described in this disclosure may be constructed in various ways. For example, a flat bed knitting machine having a front needle bed and a rear needle bed, such as a commercially available V-bed knitting machine, may be used. A knitting machine having multiple bed sizes (bed gauges) may be used and, in one aspect, a size 18 bed is used to construct the upper body garment. Further, multiple sizes of needles may be used, such as gauge 14, gauge 16, gauge 18, and the like, and in one aspect, gauge 16 needles are used on gauge 18 needle beds.

The entire upper body garment may be knitted as a single unitary piece that is then joined together at specific locations to create left and right side portions, a front portion, and a back portion. Further, certain portions of the upper body garment may be knitted separately from one another and then coupled to form the upper body garment. In one aspect, the front portion with the band is separately constructed from the back portion, and then the two panels are joined to form the upper torso garment. For example, at least a portion of the front portion may be constructed with all of the inelastic yarns, while the elastic yarns may be knit into the back portion. The front portion may then be coupled to the rear portion. These manufacturing aspects are merely exemplary, and a variety of other techniques may also be used.

Having described various aspects illustrated in fig. 1-16, as well as alternative aspects, some additional aspects will now be described that mirror one or more of the illustrated or alternative aspects. For example, in one aspect, upper body garments for women and men (e.g., brassieres, vests, sleeveless garments (tank), undershirts, shirts, full body suits for racing, etc.) include a chest coverage area constructed from tubular jacquard knit structures. The tubular jacquard knit structure includes interlocking crosses that at least partially contribute to elongation properties, which allow the breast covering area (e.g., breast covering area) to stretch and recover regardless of whether the breast covering area is constructed from elastic or non-elastic yarns. In further aspects, the density of interlocking intersections can be varied in different regions of the upper body garment to adjust the elongation properties and provide regions with different elastic moduli. Thus, the upper body garment may include the same yarn in different zones having different elongation properties, the different zones having different numbers of interlocking intersections in a given zone. In further aspects, the breast covering portion can be constructed with an encapsulated region, band, etc. that traverses a front portion of the upper torso garment. For example, the breast covering portion may include a subset of front stitches and back stitches.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure relate to an upper torso garment having a breast covering portion and a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion. The tubular jacquard knitted area comprises a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over each other and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over each other. The plurality of front courses and the plurality of back courses are constructed from the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand, wherein each of the plurality of front courses is intermittently interlocked with a back course of the plurality of back courses to form a plurality of interlocked courses. Each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches. In each interlocking course, a plurality of interlocking intersections divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective rear course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of rear subsets of stitches. Each interlocking course includes a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures being comprised of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, a front subset of stitches, and a back subset of stitches. The knit tubular structures are arranged side-by-side across the tubular jacquard knit region. In addition, the tubular jacquard knitted area is divided into a first knitted zone, a second knitted zone and an intermediate knitted zone positioned between the first knitted zone and the second knitted zone. Each interlocking course includes a first subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the first knitted zone, a second subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the second knitted zone, and a third subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate knitted zone. The first subset of knitted tubular structures and the second subset of knitted tubular structures include two or more knitted tubular structures having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches. The third subset of the knit tubular structure includes a single knit tubular structure having at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches and separating the first subset of the knit tubular structure from the second subset of the knit tubular structure.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes an upper body garment having a breast covering portion and a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion. The tubular jacquard knitted area comprises a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over each other and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over each other. The plurality of front courses and the plurality of back courses are constructed from the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand, and each of the plurality of front courses is intermittently interlocked with a back course of the plurality of back courses to form a plurality of interlocked courses. Each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches. In each interlocking course, a plurality of interlocking intersections divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective rear course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of rear subsets of stitches. Each interlocking course includes a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures being comprised of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, a front subset of stitches, and a back subset of stitches. The knit tubular structures are arranged in parallel across the tubular jacquard knit region. Furthermore, the tubular jacquard knitted area is divided into a first knitted zone, a second knitted zone, a third knitted zone, a fourth knitted zone and a fifth knitted zone, which are arranged consecutively in a side-by-side configuration. Each interlocking course includes a first subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the first knitted zone, a second subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the second knitted zone, a third subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate zone, a fourth subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the fourth knitted zone, and a fifth subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the fifth knitted zone. The second subset of knitted tubular structures and the fourth subset of knitted tubular structures include two or more knitted tubular structures having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches. Further, the first subset of knitted tubular structures, the third subset of knitted tubular structures, and the fifth subset of knitted tubular structures each include a single knitted tubular structure including at least seven forward stitches and at least seven rearward stitches.

A further aspect relates to an upper body garment having a breast covering portion and a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion. The tubular jacquard knitted area comprises a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over each other and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over each other. The plurality of front courses and the plurality of back courses are constructed from the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand, wherein each of the plurality of front courses is intermittently interlocked with a back course of the plurality of back courses to form a plurality of interlocked courses. Each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches. In each interlocking course, a plurality of interlocking intersections divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective rear course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of rear subsets of stitches. Each interlocking course includes a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures being comprised of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, a front subset of stitches, and a back subset of stitches. The knit tubular structures are arranged side-by-side across the tubular jacquard knit region. In addition, each interlocking course includes a course of interlocking tuck stitches joining the respective front course of stitches to the respective rear course of stitches by interlooping with every other front stitch and every other rear stitch. In addition, the tubular jacquard knitted area is divided into a first knitted zone, a second knitted zone and an intermediate knitted zone positioned between the first knitted zone and the second knitted zone. Each interlocking course includes a first subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the first knitted zone, a second subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the second knitted zone, and a third subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate knitted zone. The first subset of knitted tubular structures and the second subset of knitted tubular structures include two or more knitted tubular structures having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches. The third subset of the knit tubular structure includes a single knit tubular structure having at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches and separating the first subset of the knit tubular structure from the second subset of the knit tubular structure.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this subject matter is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible variations and substitutions may be made to the present subject matter without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims (18)

1. An upper body garment having a breast covering portion, the upper body garment comprising: a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion, the tubular jacquard knit region including a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another; the plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, wherein each front course of stitches of the plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of stitches of the plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking courses; each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches; in each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking crosses divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of back subsets of stitches, wherein each interlocking course comprises a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures consisting of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, front subsets of stitches and back subsets of stitches, wherein the plurality of knitted tubular structures are arranged side by side across the tubular jacquard knit area; the tubular jacquard knit area is divided into a first knit zone, a second knit zone, and an intermediate knit zone positioned between the first knit zone and the second knit zone, wherein each interlocking course includes a first subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the first knit zone, a second subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the second knit zone, and a third subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate knit zone; the first subset of the knit tubular structures and the second subset of the knit tubular structures include two or more knit tubular structures each having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches; and the third subset of the knitted tubular structure comprises one knitted tubular structure comprising at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches and separating the first subset of the knitted tubular structure from the second subset of the knitted tubular structure.

2. The upper torso garment of claim 1, wherein the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand both include an amount of elasticity that provides a maximum stretch of less than 200% before returning to an unstretched state.

3. The upper torso garment of claim 2, wherein the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand each comprise the same yarn type having the same yarn composition and the same yarn size.

4. The upper torso garment of claim 1, wherein each front stitch and each back stitch comprises a stitch length in a range of 3.00mm to 3.30 mm.

5. The upper torso garment of claim 1, wherein the one knit tubular structure of the third subset of knit tubular structures is a central bridge portion of the upper torso garment.

6. The upper torso garment of claim 5, wherein the one knitted tubular structure of the third subset of knitted tubular structures includes a number of front stitches in a range of 20 to 40 and a number of back stitches in a range of 20 to 40.

7. The upper torso garment of claim 1, wherein the one knitted tubular structure of the third subset of knitted tubular structures includes a number of front stitches in a range of 70 to 90 and a number of back stitches in a range of 70 to 90.

8. An upper body garment having a breast covering portion, the upper body garment comprising: a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion, the tubular jacquard knit region including a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another; the plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, wherein each front course of stitches of the plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of stitches of the plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking courses; each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches; in each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking crosses divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of back subsets of stitches, wherein each interlocking course comprises a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures consisting of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, front subsets of stitches and back subsets of stitches, wherein the plurality of knitted tubular structures are arranged side by side across the tubular jacquard knit area; the tubular jacquard knitted zone is divided into a first knitted zone, a second knitted zone, a third knitted zone, a fourth knitted zone and a fifth knitted zone arranged in succession in a side-by-side configuration, wherein each interlocking course comprises a first subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the first knitted zone, a second subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the second knitted zone, a third subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the third knitted zone, a fourth subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the fourth knitted zone and a fifth subset of knitted tubular structures corresponding to the fifth knitted zone; the second subset of the knitted tubular structures and the fourth subset of the knitted tubular structures comprise two or more knitted tubular structures each having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches; and the first subset of the knit tubular structure, the third subset of the knit tubular structure, and the fifth subset of the knit tubular structure each include one knit tubular structure including at least seven forward stitches and at least seven rearward stitches.

9. The upper torso garment of claim 8, wherein the second subset of knitted tubular structures, the third subset of knitted tubular structures, and the fourth subset of knitted tubular structures extend orthogonal to a course direction, and wherein the first subset of knitted tubular structures and the fifth subset of knitted tubular structures form an angle with respect to the course direction.

10. The upper torso garment of claim 8, wherein the one knitted tubular structure in the third subset comprises a number of front stitches in a range of 20 to 40 and a number of back stitches in a range of 20 to 40.

11. The upper torso garment of claim 10, wherein the one knit tubular structure of the first and fifth subsets includes a number of front stitches in a range of 15 to 25.

12. The upper torso garment of claim 8, wherein the second and fourth subsets each include a respective breast-covering portion of the breast-covering portions, and wherein the first and fifth subsets include an encapsulated region that forms a perimeter around at least a portion of the respective breast-covering portion.

13. The upper body garment of claim 12, wherein the third subset includes a central bridge portion of the upper body garment.

14. An upper body garment having a breast covering portion, the upper body garment comprising: a tubular jacquard knit region positioned in the breast covering portion, the tubular jacquard knit region including a plurality of front courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another and a plurality of rear courses of stitches that are continuously looped over one another; the plurality of front courses of stitches and the plurality of back courses of stitches are constructed from a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, wherein each front course of stitches of the plurality of front courses of stitches intermittently interlocks with a back course of stitches of the plurality of back courses of stitches to form a plurality of interlocking courses; each interlocking course of the plurality of interlocking courses includes a plurality of interlocking crosses, each interlocking cross of the plurality of interlocking crosses including the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand that cross each other to change a position between the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches; in each interlocking course, the plurality of interlocking crosses divide the respective front course of stitches and the respective back course of stitches into a plurality of front subsets of stitches and a plurality of back subsets of stitches, wherein each interlocking course comprises a plurality of knitted tubular structures, each knitted tubular structure of the plurality of knitted tubular structures consisting of a pair of adjacent interlocking crosses, front subsets of stitches and back subsets of stitches, wherein the plurality of knitted tubular structures are arranged side by side across the tubular jacquard knit area, and wherein each interlocking course comprises a course of interlocking tuck stitches joining the respective front course of stitches to the respective back course of stitches by interlooping with every other front stitch and every other back stitch; the tubular jacquard knit area is divided into a first knit zone, a second knit zone, and an intermediate knit zone positioned between the first knit zone and the second knit zone, wherein each interlocking course includes a first subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the first knit zone, a second subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the second knit zone, and a third subset of knit tubular structures corresponding to the intermediate knit zone; the first subset of the knit tubular structures and the second subset of the knit tubular structures include two or more knit tubular structures each having at least two and less than seven front stitches and at least two and less than seven back stitches; and the third subset of the knit tubular structure comprises a single knit tubular structure comprising at least seven front stitches and at least seven back stitches and separating the first subset of the knit tubular structure from the second subset of the knit tubular structure.

15. The upper torso garment of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interlocking courses includes interlocking courses that are consecutively looped over one another, and wherein in each consecutive interlocking course that is looped over one another, the courses of the interlocking tuck stitch are offset from adjacent courses.

16. The upper torso garment of claim 14, wherein the courses of the interlocking tuck stitches are constructed from a third yarn strand, and the first, second, and third yarn strands all include an amount of elasticity that provides a maximum stretch of less than 200% before returning to an unstretched state.

17. The upper torso garment of claim 16, wherein the first, second, and third yarn strands each comprise the same yarn type having the same yarn composition and the same yarn size.

18. The upper torso garment of claim 14, wherein each front stitch and each back stitch comprises a stitch length in a range of 3.00mm to 3.30mm, and wherein each tuck stitch in the course of the interlocking tuck stitch comprises a stitch length in a range of 2.6mm to 3.0 mm.