U.S. patent application number 10/635028 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-10 for nursing garment.
Invention is credited to Polzin, Sarah.
Application Number | 20050028243 10/635028 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34116140 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050028243 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Polzin, Sarah |
February 10, 2005 |
NURSING GARMENT
Abstract
The nursing garment of the present invention includes an outer
garment and an inner garment. The outer garment can be any suitable
garment which has a tubular body for covering the upper body
region. The inner garment is disposed within the tubular body of
the outer garment and attached to the outer garment. The inner
garment can be any camisole-type garment which includes two chest
panels that overlap with one another in criss-cross fashion. The
chest panels receive and support the wearer's breasts. A nursing
mother may raise the outer garment over her chest and pull either
chest panel below her breast to make her breast accessible to her
baby.
Inventors: |
Polzin, Sarah; (Encinitas,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LITMAN LAW OFFICES, LTD.
P.O. BOX 15035 CRYSTAL CITY STATION
ARLINGTON
VA
22215
US
|
Family ID: |
34116140 |
Appl. No.: |
10/635028 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/104 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 1/215 20180101;
A41C 3/04 20130101; A41C 3/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/104 |
International
Class: |
A41D 001/20 |
Claims
1. A nursing garment to be worn by a woman for breastfeeding a
baby, comprising: an outer garment having a tubular body, the
tubular body including a neck, a shoulder portion on either side of
said neck, and a first under arm portion below each shoulder
portion; an inner garment secured within said tubular body of said
outer garment, said inner garment including two chest panels and a
front torso panel, a back panel, and a pair of shoulder straps,
each said chest panel having a lower edge secured to a top edge of
said front torso panel, said back panel having opposing side edges
contiguous with a side edge of each said chest panel and side edges
of said torso panel for encompassing the upper body of a wearer,
said shoulder straps extending between and connecting a top edge of
said back panel and an upper portion of said chest panels; and an
elastic band disposed circumferentially along an inner surface
ofthe inner garment along a bustline at a bottom edge of the chest
panels, said elastic band encircling the inner garment; whereby
said tubular body of said outer garment may be raised and each said
chest panel of said inner garment may be pulled downward under the
woman's breast to make the breast accessible to a baby while
nursing.
2. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of
said chest panels are disposed in overlapping position relative to
one another.
3. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the shoulder straps and
the chest panels are formed in one continuous piece.
4. (Cancelled)
5. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the outer garment
comprises a woman's blouse.
6. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the outer garment
comprises a woman's t-shirt.
7. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the outer garment is a
woman's tank to
8. A nursing garment to be worn by a woman for breastfeeding a
baby, comprising: an outer garment having a tubular body the
tubular body including a neck, a shoulder portion on either side of
said neck, and a first under arm portion below each shoulder
portion; an inner garment secured within said tubular body of said
outer garment, said inner garment including two chest panels and a
front torso panel, a back panel, and a pair of shoulder straps,
each said chest panel having a lower edge secured to atop edge of
said front torso panel, said back panel having opposing side edges
contiguous with a side edge of each said chest panel and side edges
of said torso panel for encompassing the upper body of a wearer,
said shoulder straps extending between and connecting a top edge of
said back panel and an upper portion of said chest panels; and a
strap looped around each shoulder strap ofthe inner garment and
affixed to the shoulder portion of the outer garment; whereby said
tubular body of said outer garment may be raised and each said
chest panel of said inner garment may be pulled downward under the
woman's breast to make the breast accessible to a baby while
nursing.
9. The nursing garment of claim 8, wherein said strap is formed
from twill tape.
10. The nursing garment of claim 8, wherein said strap comprises a
ribbon.
11. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein said first underarm
portion of the outer garment is attached to a second underarm
portion of the inner garment.
12. The nursing garment of claim 1,wherein said inner garment and
said outer garment are made from a flexible, lightweight
material.
13. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein said inner garment and
said outer garment are made from a blend of cotton and spandex
material.
14. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein said inner garment and
said outer garment are made from a fabric containing 95% cotton and
5% spandex.
15. A nursing garment for a woman nursing an infant, comprising: a
pullover blouse made from a soft, stretchable fabric and having a
tubular body including a pair of shoulders defining armholes and a
torso portion; an undergarment made from a soft, stretchable fabric
having: a back panel having opposing side edges, a top edge and a
bottom edge; a left breast panel and a right breast panel, each
breast panel having a bottom edge, a side edge attached to the
corresponding side edges ofthe back panel, and a shoulder strap
attached to the top edge of the back panel; a front torso panel
having a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges attached
to the side edges of the back panel; and an elastic band, the
elastic band being sewn across the back panel and along a seam
joining the bottom edge ofthe breast panels and the top edge ofthe
front torso tube, the elastic band forming a gather beneath a
bustline ofthe undergarment and encircling the undergarment,
whereby the undergarment forms a camisole with built-in nursing
bra; a left strap and a right strap, the straps being attached to
the shoulders ofthe blouse and defining a loop, the shoulder strap
ofthe left and right breast panels passing through-the loops formed
by the left and right straps, respectively, the undergarment
further being attached to the blouse beneath the armholes; whereby
the woman may raise the blouse, lower one ofthe breast panels to
nurse the infant, and lower the blouse to cover any exposed portion
of her breast for modesty, the front torso panel of the
undergarment covering the woman's torso. 6
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to garments, and
particularly, to a fashionable nursing garment which permits a
mother to nurse her child discreetly.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In the past, nursing garments have failed to sufficiently
conceal a woman's breasts or lower torso while she is nursing, or
have included too many obvious functional features which detract
from the appearance of the garment and make it obvious that the
woman is wearing a nursing garment. Additionally, nursing garments
have generally been limited to only a few particular styles.
[0005] One such style is the slit-type garment. Slits require
either cumbersome adjustment of clothing and do not sufficiently
cover the wearer's breasts while nursing. Also, a slit does not
lend itself to any type of form-fitting design as it must be
incorporated into an A-line type loose garment.
[0006] Another example of nursing garment is the covering-element
type of garment in which patches and flaps are used to cover the
wearer's breasts. Patches and flaps, however, are also cumbersome
and often require manipulation of connecting elements such as
buttons, zippers, or hook and loop fasteners for exposure of the
breasts, which takes time to do and can get complicated when the
mother is trying to hold onto a hungry baby while undoing the
fasteners. Due to their location, the buttons and zippers detract
from the appearance of the garment. The flaps are often unsightly,
giving the front of the garment a strange appearance, and readily
reveal the garment's function, which may be embarrassing.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,018, issued Sep. 3, 1991 to Anna M.
Costanzo, discloses a camisole embodying brassiere cups joined with
a separate stretchable strip laterally placed at the base of
brassiere cups and body of the camisole. The camisole combined with
brassiere cups can be used to improve the appearance of the wearer
and can be worn in place of a plurality of inner garments.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,725, issued Oct. 31, 1995 to P. A.
Witczak, discloses a garment featuring stretchable, resilient
straps and a bodice. The straps are sufficiently resilient and
suitably stretchable so that when a women wearing the garment pulls
down the bodice, she can expose a breast for nursing and when
through, she can return the bodice to its original position
covering the breast.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,067, issued Apr. 22, 2003, to J. B.
Force, discloses a brassiere garment for use in nursing. The
brassiere portion of the garment is provided with cups which can be
opened and closed without having to unfasten a brassiere garment
from a wearer.
[0010] Other patents relating to nursing garments include U.S. Pat.
No. 1,664,214, issued Mar. 27, 1928 to I. G. Hudson (inner garment
with V-shaped sections detachably secured to the garment); U.S.
Pat. No. 3,449,763, issued Jun. 17, 1969 to G. F. Grate (inner
garment with self-contained means for exposing one or both breasts
for nursing an infant); U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,439, issued Oct. 12,
1971 to P. L. Meyers (gown includes pair of breast-covering
panels); U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,593, issued Mar. 20, 1979 to S. D.
Timmons (garment with panel hinged at top to cover open breast
area); U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,743, issued Jun. 24, 1980 to L. S.
Whitcraft (gown with apertures proximate each arm); U.S. Pat. No.
4,280,228, issued Jul. 28, 1981 to D. J. Sulzmann (nursing blouse
with openings concealed by overlapping portions of the blouse);
U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,699, issued Jul. 16, 1985 to S. D. Hughes
(nursing blouse with separable sections to make breast accessible
to baby); U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,404, issued Mar. 10, 1987 to S. A.
Clark (coordinated slip and bra); U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,813, issued
Feb. 2, 1993 to J.E. Booze (nursing garment with pleats); U.S. Pat.
No. 5,611,086, issued March 18, 1997 to K. R. Eggen (nursing
garment including vest); U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,111, issued Dec. 19,
2000 to S. L. Heroff (women's clothing apparel including a built-in
bra); U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,784 B1, issued Jan. 30, 2001 to J. W.
Marley Jr. (knit criss-cross brassiere); U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,719,
issued Sep. 4, 2001 to C. A. Vera et al. (combination nightgown and
bra); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,805, issued Sep. 3, 2002 to K.
Kirkwood (bra shelf and application thereof).
[0011] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either
singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention
as claimed. Thus a nursing garment solving the aforementioned
problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The nursing garment of the present invention includes an
outer garment and an inner garment. The outer garment can be any
suitable garment which has a tubular body for covering the upper
body region. The inner garment is disposed within the tubular body
of the outer garment and attached to the outer garment. The inner
garment can be any camisole-type garment which includes two chest
panels that overlap with one another in criss-cross fashion. The
chest panels receive and support the wearer's breasts. A nursing
mother may raise the outer garment over her chest and pull either
chest panel below the breast to make her breast accessible to her
baby.
[0013] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to
provide a nursing garment that may take on any one of countless
attractive styles and be embodied in any number of different types
of wearing apparel without inhibiting the freedom of the woman to
nurse as frequently as may be required.
[0014] It is another object of the invention to provide a nursing
garment which allows the wearer to nurse a child without removing
the garment.
[0015] It is a further object of the invention to provide a nursing
garment which allows the wearer to nurse a child while keeping her
breasts substantially covered.
[0016] Still another object of the invention is to provide a
nursing garment which incorporates important functional features
without detracting from styling or aesthetic considerations.
[0017] It is an object of the invention to provide improved
elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which
is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its
intended purposes.
[0018] These and other objects of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification
and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a nursing
garment according to the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is an environmental front view of the nursing garment
according to the present invention, particularly showing the outer
garment.
[0021] FIG. 3 is an environmental front view of the nursing garment
according to the present invention, the outer garment being raised
to show the inner garment.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective, partly exploded view of the inner
garment, the left chest panel being detached and the front of the
torso being folded back to show details of the interior of the
inner garment.
[0023] FIG. 5 is an environmental rear view of the nursing garment
according to the present invention, the outer garment being raised
to show the inner garment.
[0024] FIG. 6 is an environmental front view the nursing garment
with the collar or neckline of the outer garment pulled back to
show a shoulder strap and shoulder portion of the nursing garment
according to the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a front view of the nursing garment according to
the present invention with the outer garment raised and the left
chest panel lowered to expose a breast of the wearer.
[0026] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] The present invention relates to a nursing garment,
generally designated as 10 in the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the
nursing garment 10 includes an outer garment 12 and an inner
garment 14 which is attached to the outer garment. The nursing
garment allows a nursing mother to breastfeed her child without
undesired exposure of her body.
[0028] The outer garment 12 can be any suitable garment or women's
clothing apparel that covers the upper body region, including the
breasts, for example, dresses, blouses, t-shirts, tank tops, etc. .
. . Preferably, however, the outer garment 12 is a woman's shirt
having a tubular body 13 with a neck 16, a shoulder portion 18 on
either side of the neck 16, and a first underarm portion 20 below
each shoulder portion 18, as shown in FIG. 2. The outer garment 12
may optionally include a pair of sleeves 22, disposed at opposite
sides of the tubular body 13 being attached at the armhole opening
defined by each shoulder portion 18 and underarm portion 20.
[0029] The outer garment 12 is completely smooth with no obvious
openings to the breasts. An outer garment which opens down the
front and is buttoned, zipped, or otherwise fastened is not
preferred, because (1) it takes time to unfasten and may be
difficult to manipulate while trying to hold a hungry baby; and (2)
a garment which opens down the front renders it difficult to cover
the exposed portion of the breast for modesty while nursing the
infant. For this reason, the outer garment 12 is preferably a
pullover type of shirt or blouse, which may be lifted to expose the
breast and then lowered to discreetly cover the upper portion of
the breast after the infant has attached himself or herself to the
nipple.
[0030] FIG. 3 depicts a front view of the nursing garment 10 with
the outer garment 12 raised to reveal the inner garment 14. As is
shown, the inner garment 14 is disposed within the tubular body 13
of the outer garment 12. The inner garment is configured as a
camisole or other similar garment. In this view, two chest panels
24, also referred to as breast panels, and a front torso panel 26
of the inner garment 14 can be seen. Preferably, a horizontal seam
28 is sewn to attach a bottom edge of the two chest panels 24 to a
top edge of the front torso panel 26. As can be seen, the chest
panels 24 partially overlap with one another, in criss-cross
fashion.
[0031] As is depicted in FIG. 4, the nursing garment 10 further
includes a back panel 30 having a top edge 30a, a bottom edge 30b,
and opposing upper and lower side edges, 30c and 30d. A side edge
24b of each chest panel 24 is attached to one of the upper side
edges 30c of the back panel 30. A shoulder strap 32 extends from an
upper portion of each chest panel and is attached to the top edge
30a of the back panel 30, to define armholes 34. The shoulder
straps 32 and the chest panels 24 may be integrally connected
together, as is shown, or made from separate pieces. Constructing
the chest panel 24 and shoulder strap from a single, continuous
piece of fabric does have the advantage of eliminating shear stress
at the junction of the breast panel 24 and strap 32 from repeated
lowering of the breast panel 24, as well as preventing unsightly
bulges from seams or tenderness from rubbing a metal ring or other
link against the breast. It simply becomes easier and more
comfortable to manipulate the chest panel 24 and shoulder strap 32
when they are made as a continuous unit.
[0032] Opposing side edges 26b of the front torso panel 26 are
attached to the lower side edges 30d of the back panel 30, forming
a torso tube 36. The torso tube 36 is configured to completely
surround and cover the lower torso of the wearer.
[0033] An elastic band 38 is disposed circumferentially along an
inner surface of the inner garment 14 at a level just below the
chest panels 24 or bustline of the inner garment 14. Attachment of
the elastic band across the back panel 30 generally defines the
upper side edge 30c and lower side edge 30d. The elastic band 38 is
attached to the horizontal seam 28 which joins the chest panels 24
and the front torso panel 26 and to a corresponding portion of the
back panel 30. The elastic band 38 serves to gather the chest
panels 24 around a wearer's breasts so that the chest panels 24 may
better receive and support the wearer's breasts. The elastic band
38 forms a shelf bra effect, raising and extending the breasts
forward to enhance the attractiveness of the nursing garment 10,
and providing a degree of independence from the torso panel 26, so
that the chest panels 24 are not lowered by movement of the torso
panel 26. The positioning of the elastic band across the back panel
can be seen more clearly in FIG. 5.
[0034] The inner garment 14 and the outer garment 12 may be
attached together by any suitable means at any suitable position.
FIG. 6 depicts the outer garment 12 with the neck outstretched to
reveal one shoulder strap 32 of the undergarment 14. As shown, it
is preferable to join the shoulder straps 32 of the inner garment
14 to the shoulder portions 18 of the outer garment 13. Preferably,
a strap 40 of suitable material is configured to loop around each
shoulder strap 32 and attach to each shoulder portion 18. While any
suitable material may be used, the strap 40 is preferably twill
tape or ribbon. Additionally, the first underarm portions 20 of the
outer garment 12 are attached to a second underarm portion 42 below
each armhole 34 of the inner garment 14 by sewing.
[0035] The nursing garment 10 can be made from any suitable
lightweight fabric that is also flexible and breathable.
Preferably, both the outer garment 12 and the inner garment 14 are
made from a blend of cotton and spandex material, such as
Lycra.TM.. A fabric containing 95% cotton and 50% Lycra.TM. is
particularly suitable for achieving the desired degree of
flexibility and breathability. The inner garment 14 and the outer
garment 12 may also be of the same color, enhancing the
attractiveness of the nursing garment 10.
[0036] By wearing the nursing garment 10 of the present invention,
a nursing mother can easily nurse a child with minimal exposure of
her body. After raising the outer garment 12 above her chest, a
nursing mother may pull one of the chest panels 24 downwardly
beneath her breast to make her breast accessible to the baby as can
be seen in FIG. 7. The chest panels 24 lack any foam padding or
stiffening material used to form bra cups, so that the chest panels
are completely flexible, the spandex allowing the chest panels to
be easily lowered to expose the breast without undoing any
fasteners, while being sufficiently resilient to support the
breasts, but not being tight enough to bind the breasts. The cotton
material is soft for comfort, while being somewhat absorbent to
wick up small amounts of moisture without staining the outer
garment 12. While the wearer is breastfeeding, any part of the
breast which is not concealed by the child's head may be covered by
lowering the outer garment the outer garment 12. The wearer's
stomach and back also remain hidden from public view since the
torso tube 36 of the inner garment 14 remains in place.
[0037] Consequently, the nursing garment 10 of the present
invention provides a comfortable, attractive, functional garment
for nursing mothers.
[0038] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and
all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *