Nursing bra with replaceable cup unit

Abstract

A nursing bra with a replaceable cup unit and a support garment is shown and described. The support garment includes an anterior exposure section that leaves the area between the nipples substantially fully exposed when the support garment is donned without the replaceable cup unit. When the replaceable cup unit is attached to the support garment, and the nursing bra is donned by a wearer, the area between the nipples is substantially fully exposed to the cup unit. In certain examples, the breasts are substantially fully exposed to the cup unit. In certain other examples, the replaceable cup unit includes two cups comprised of a cup material and an attachment feature formed from an attachment feature fabric. The replaceable cup unit's cups are fixedly attached to a cup holder, which comprises a fabric that includes attachment features formed from an attachment feature fabric.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cup unit for a nursing bra, comprising:
 first and second cups fixedly connected to one another by a cup holder, wherein the first and second cups are liquid absorbent, and the cup holder comprises a cup holder fabric, wherein each cup includes a respective cup attachment feature, and each respective cup attachment feature is spaced apart from the cup holder.   
     
     
         2 . The cup unit of  claim 1 , wherein the disposable cup unit is removably attachable to a support garment. 
     
     
         3 . The cup unit of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first cup attachment feature and the second cup attachment feature is formed from a cup attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         4 . The cup unit of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second cups are formed from a cup material, and the cup attachment feature fabric is the cup material. 
     
     
         5 . The cup unit of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second cup attachment features comprise first and second loops formed from the cup attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         6 . The cup unit of  claim 1 , wherein the cup holder includes a plurality of cup holder attachment features formed from a cup holder attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The cup unit of  claim 6 , wherein the cup holder attachment features comprise openings formed in the cup holder attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         8 . The cup unit of  claim 1 , wherein the first cup has a bottom perimeter section, and an inner perimeter section, the second cup has a bottom perimeter section and an inner perimeter section, and the cup holder is attached to the bottom perimeter section of the first cup, the bottom perimeter section of the second cup, and the inner perimeter sections of the first and second cups. 
     
     
         9 . The cup unit of  claim 1 , wherein the disposable cup unit does not include mechanical fasteners. 
     
     
         10 . A nursing bra, comprising:
 the disposable cup unit of  claim 1 , and a support garment to which the disposable cup unit is removably attached.   
     
     
         11 . The nursing bra of  claim 9 , wherein the support garment has a back section, a pair of spaced apart straps, and a bottom perimeter section, the straps are spaced apart in a first direction along at least a portion of the length of the straps, the straps are attached to the back panel and the bottom perimeter section, and the support garment includes an anterior exposure section such that when a wearer dons the support garment with the disposable cup unit removed, the breasts are located in the anterior exposure section, and the region of the breasts between the nipples is substantially fully exposed. 
     
     
         12 . The nursing bra of  claim 9 , wherein the distance between the spaced apart straps varies along the length of the straps. 
     
     
         13 . The nursing bra of  claim 12 , wherein the bottom perimeter section of the support garment has an anterior region connected to the pair of spaced apart straps and a posterior region connected to the back section, and as the lengths of the straps are traversed starting from the bottom perimeter anterior region of the support garment in a direction away from the bottom perimeter of the support garment, the distance between the straps increases. 
     
     
         14 . The nursing bra of  claim 9 , wherein when a wearer dons the nursing bra with the disposable cup unit removably attached to the support garment, the area between the wearer's nipples is substantially fully exposed to the cup unit. 
     
     
         15 . The nursing bra of  claim 9 , wherein when a wearer dons the nursing bra with the disposable cup unit removably attached to the support garment, the wearer's breasts are substantially fully exposed to the disposable cup unit. 
     
     
         16 . A cup unit for a nursing bra, comprising:
 first and second cups formed from a cup material, wherein each of the first and second cups includes a respective cup attachment feature formed from at least one cup attachment feature fabric;   a cup holder comprising a cup holder fabric having a plurality of attachment features formed from a cup holder attachment feature fabric, wherein the respective first and second cup attachment features are spaced apart from the cup holder, and the cup unit is selectively attachable to a support garment.   
     
     
         17 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one cup attachment feature fabric is the cup material. 
     
     
         18 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup holder attachment feature fabric is the cup holder fabric. 
     
     
         19 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second cup attachment features comprise first and second loops formed from the at least one cup attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         20 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup holder attachment features comprise openings formed in the cup holder attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         21 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second cups are fixedly attached to the cup holder. 
     
     
         22 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup unit does not include mechanical fasteners. 
     
     
         23 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup material includes a first side that is permeable to breast milk. 
     
     
         24 . The cup unit of  claim 23 , wherein the cup material includes a second side that is impermeable to breast milk. 
     
     
         25 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup holder is selectively attachable to a support garment. 
     
     
         26 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein each of the first and second cups is selectively attachable to a support garment. 
     
     
         27 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup holder and each of the first and second cups are selectively attachable to a support garment. 
     
     
         28 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cups are made exclusively from one or more fabrics. 
     
     
         29 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup holder is made exclusively from one or more fabrics. 
     
     
         30 . The cup unit of  claim 16 , wherein the cup holder is made exclusively from a first one or more fabrics, and the cups are made exclusively from a second one or more fabrics. 
     
     
         31 . A nursing bra, comprising:
 the cup unit of  claim 16 ;   a support garment to which the cup unit is removably attached.   
     
     
         32 . The nursing bra of  claim 31 , wherein the support garment comprises a first strap, a second strap, and a bottom perimeter section, each of the first strap and the second strap is connected to the bottom perimeter section, each of the first cup and the second cup is removably attached to a respective one of the first and second straps, and the cup holder is removably attached to the bottom perimeter section of the support garment. 
     
     
         33 . The nursing bra of  claim 32 , wherein the first strap comprises a first shoulder strap section attached to a first support strap section, and the support garment comprises a first strap attachment feature that is connected to the first strap and removably engaged with a loop formed in the first cup. 
     
     
         34 . The nursing bra of  claim 33 , wherein the second strap comprises a second shoulder strap section attached to a second support strap section, and the support garment comprises a second strap attachment feature that is connected to the second strap and removably engaged with a loop formed in the second cup. 
     
     
         35 . The nursing bra of  claim 32 , wherein the support garment comprises a single-piece back section extending from the bottom perimeter section to the first and second straps. 
     
     
         36 . The nursing bra of  claim 31 , wherein the support garment comprises a bottom perimeter section having a plurality of connectors, each of which is removably engaged with a corresponding one of the plurality of cup holder attachment features. 
     
     
         37 . The nursing bra of  claim 36 , wherein the connectors in the plurality of connectors are buttons. 
     
     
         38 . A method of nursing an infant, comprising:
 providing a nursing bra comprising a replaceable cup unit and a support garment, wherein the replaceable cup unit comprises first and second cups fixedly attached to a cup holder formed from a cup holder fabric, and the first and second cups are formed from an absorbent cup material,   donning the support garment such that the wearer's breasts are substantially fully exposed in the region between the nipples; and   removably attaching the replaceable cup unit to the support garment such that the region between the wearer's nipples is substantially fully exposed to the cup unit.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the step of attaching the replaceable cup unit to the support garment such that the region between the wearer's nipples is substantially fully exposed to the cup unit comprises attaching the replaceable cup unit to the support garment such that the wearer's breasts are substantially fully exposed to the replaceable cup unit. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the step of removably attaching the replaceable cup unit to the support garment comprises removably attaching the first and second cups to the support garment and removably attaching the cup holder to the support garment, and the method further comprises detaching the first cup from the support garment without detaching any of the second cup and the cup holder from the support garment, thereby exposing the first breast. 
     
     
         41 . The method of nursing an infant of  claim 38 , wherein the replaceable cup unit is a first replaceable cup unit, and the method further comprises:
 discharging breast milk into at least one of the first and second cups;   detaching the first replaceable cup unit from the support garment; and   disposing of the first replaceable cup unit.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein first replaceable cup unit does not include mechanical fasteners. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the first replaceable cup unit comprises first and second cup attachment features formed from a cup attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein cup holder comprises a plurality of cup holder attachment features formed from a cup holder attachment feature fabric. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the first and second cups are formed from a cup material, the first and second attachment feature fabric is the cup material, the cup holder attachment feature fabric is the cup holder fabric, and the plurality of cup holder attachment features comprises openings in the cup holder attachment feature fabric.