US3544106A - Spring type female bustline muscle exerciser - Google Patents

Description

United Statesv Patent Inventor John J. Barrett 10803 E. 16th Ave., Spokane, Washington 99206 Appl. No. 792,641

Filed Jan. 21, 1969 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 SPRING TYPE FEMALE BUSTLINE MUSCLE EXERCISER 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figs.

272/79 Int. Cl A63b 21/00 Field of Search 272/83, 7890,-

llll 3,544,106

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 I 8,242 4/1906 Geisel 272/79 3,174,343 3/1965 Kasulis 272/80X Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne Anomey- Keith S. Bergman ABSTRACT: A muscle stimulating device providing han-' dlelike stimulators maintained at spaced distance by an elongated body having two medially positioned slideably mounted handles spring-biased to one particular spaced position. The exerciser may be positioned between the medial joints of the folded arms to by appropriate body manipulations stimulate the muscles underlying the female breasts. The spaced medial grips may be moved against their bias for exercise of the upper appendages.

Patented Dec. "1, 1970 Emmi Emmi 7 W v @EBQQ N QZZQI ATTORNEY.

SPRING TYPE FEMALE BUSTLINE MUSCLE EXERCISER BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention This invention relates generally to an exercising device for muscles underlying the female breasts and more particularly to such a device that may be placed between the folded arms of the user to stimulate by appropriate manipulation the desired muscles and also one that provides secondary exercising facilities.

2. Description of Prior Art Since times immemorial, the development or over development of secondary sexual characteristics in human beings has been a desired accomplishment, at least by certain classes of the culture. The desire reaches its apex in the development of the female breasts and many devices and processes have heretofore become known to fulfill it.

Anatomically the female breasts are substantially protuberances of glandular connective tissue covered by the skin and having little muscle tissue, except about the nipple. The brest structures are underlain principally by muscle tissue about the thoracic cavity which supports and positions them upon the skeleton. With this anatomical structure in mind, devices to enlarge or shape the breasts may beclassified into two groups, a first encompassing device or process associated with or acting upon the glandular or connective tissue of the breast structure itself, and a second encompassing those acting upon the underlying muscle tissue.

Devices of the first group have not proven particularly satisfactory as they generally involve direct surgical activity to physically change the breast structure in some fashion or processes causing physiological activity which may have secondary deleterious'effects upon the general body physiology Such devices and processes generally require expert medical assistance and are complex, costly, and dangerous. The group members may be quite readily distinguished from those of the second group on this basis.

The second group devices seek to build the muscle tissue underlying and supporting the breast structure to thereby secondarily modify the configuration of the breasts by enlargement or change of the structure to a more aesthetically pleasing configuration.

Devices that have become known to accomplish these ends are of the general nature of exercisers and may be divided into a first subclass of exercisers per se and'a second subclass of stimulator-type exercisers. Members of the first subclass generally provide spaced handles of one sort or another either fixedly spaced or movably to mechanically biased positions. Many devices of this nature are known and the instant invention provides secondary facilities for such exercising activities.

My invention is properly within the second subclass, however, by principally providing means for stimulation of muscles underlying the breast structure. These muscles may be readily activated to exercise by various physiological stimuli, principal among which are either electric current or mechanical pressure. Electrical stimulators have not proven to successful because in stimulation of the desired muscles other muscles, especially in the arm structure, are generally also activated and by the time the muscles underlying the breast structure develop sufficiently, the arm muscles are overdeveloped and this gives a generally undesirable appearance in the female. The instant invention provides means for mechanical stimulation of the muscles underlying the breasts by appropriate positioning and bodily manipulation without extensive activity of the arm muscles and is distinguished from the known art in this respect. Exercising devices of a configuration similar the instant invention are known, but these known devices have had a different purpose-mechanical muscle exercise rather than stimulation-and because of this difference in purpose, the known devices have provided structure and configurations differing from those of the instant invention, thought secondarily the instant invention may be used to fulfill many of the same exercise functions of the known devices if it should be desired to use the device for this purpose.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The instant invention provides paired-opposed stimulator ends at appropriately spaced distance to be positioned between the medial joints of the interfolded arms to stimulate the muscle tissue underlying the female breasts, upon appropriate bodily manipulation, and secondarily it provides moveable, biasedly spaced grips for other similar exercise activities.

To accomplish this objective, I provide an elongate rodlike body spacedly positioning stimulator ends having concave outwardly extending surfaces. The body slidably carries, between stimulator ends, spaced grips with mechanical means biasing the grips to a particular spaced position. In the instant embodiment the mechanical biasing means comprise compression springs carried about the body structure and extending between the adjacent exercise elements.

The stimulator is used by placing it between the inwardly facing surfaces of the lower parts of the upper arms immediately above the medial joints. With the invention in this position and with the forearms interlocked, by appropriate bodily manipulation the muscles of the forward chest wall underlying the breast structure may be stimulated. The grips carried on the body structure may be moved from their biased position to provide muscular exercise of the type heretofore known.

To provide such a device it is:

A principal object of my invention to create a muscle stimulator having fixedly positioned, paired opposed, properly configured stimulator elements at an appropriately spaced distance to be placed against the lower parts of the upper arms of a user, with interfolded forearms, to aid in stimulating the muscle tissue underlying the female breasts upon appropriate bodily manipulation.

A further object of my invention to provide such a device that upon appropriate bodilymanipulation causes selective stimulation of muscles under both breasts or under either breast, while not stimulating or exercising to any substantial degree the other muscles of the arms or shoulders.

A still further object of my invention to provide a stimulator of the nature aforesaid that may secondarily be used in the habitually familiar fashion as an exerciser having spaced grips biased to a particular position but moveable against the bias therefrom.

A still further object of my invention to provide such a device that is of new and novel design, of rugged and durable nature, of simple and economic manufacture, and one otherwise well adapted to the uses and purposes for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following specification and accompanying drawings which form a part of this application. In carrying out the objects of my invention, however, it is to be understood that its essential features are susceptible of change in design or structural arrangement with only one preferred and practical embodiment being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers refer to similar parts throughout:

FIG. 1 is an orthographic side view of my invention showing its various parts, their configuration and relationship.

FIG. 2 is a partial elongate cross-sectional view through the end part of the device illustrated in FIG. 1, taken on the line 2-2 thereon in the direction indicated by the arrows, to show the internal structure and relationship of the various elements.

FIG. 3 is a traverse cross-sectional view through the handle structure of FIG. 1, taken on line 3-3 thereon in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a traverse cross-sectional view through the stimulator end of FIG. 1, taken on the line 4-4 thereon in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the method of use of my invention to stimulate the muscle tissue underlying the breast structures of a female.

FIG. 6 is a similar diagrammatic illustration showing the use of my invention in the habitually familiar fashion as a normal exerciser.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in more detail and particularly that of FIG. 1, it will there be seen that my invention generally comprises elongate body 10 communicating between opposed stimulator ends 11 and slideably carrying spaced moveable grips 12 maintained in their normal position by biasing means 13.

Body 10 comprises elongate rod 14 of appropriate length to maintain the stimulator ends 11 at a proper distance. The opposed ends of the rod are provided with diametrical holes 15 to aid in fastening the stimulator ends thereon. The rod must be configured to allow sliding motion of moveable grips l2 thereon and must be of a reasonably rigid, durable nature; to fulfill these requirements I prefer one formed ofmetal.

Stimulator ends 11 are similar paired opposed structures structurally carried on the end parts of body 10 and extending for some distance perpendicularly to the longer dimension of the body. Exteriorly each grip comprises cylinderlike body 16 with enlarged end caps 17. The outwardly facing surface 18 of body 16 is formed to the concave shape illustrated to aid in maintaining the device in proper stimulating position and provide selective contact with the arm structure.

Internally the structure of stimulator ends 11 is illustrated in FIGS, 2 and 4, where it is seen that cylinderlike body 16 is formed with relatively thin peripheral walls appropriately configured to give the desired external shape. End-caps 17 are provided with a smaller fastening portion 19 adapted to fit within the end parts of body 16 and larger top portion 20 terminating in a peripheral protrubance adapted to aid in maintaining proper position of the stimulator. Each cap is provided with appropriate inwardly facing hole 22 to receive rod 23 ofa diameter adapted to fit within this hole and hole 15 in body rod 14. With this structure then the stimulator ends may be assembled as illustrated in FIG. 2 by appropriate positioning of the parts, with mechanical fastening, such as by adhesives to provide the stimulator end illustrated.

In the structure of the stimulator end illustrated, I prefer to use plastic materials. It is to be noted, however, that the only important feature of the stimulator end is its external configuration and rigidity, so obviously other materials such as wood, metal, or the like, might be adapted to this purpose, if not so conveniently. The particular plastic material was chosen because oflow cost, durability, and simplicity ofmanufacture.

Movable grips 12 include body 24, ofa diameter that can be comfortable gripped by a user, with elongate hole 25 axially alined therein and configured to provide a slideable fit upon body rod 14. The external surface of grip 12 preferrably is provided with four finger protrubances 26, such as illustrated, to aid a user in more securely gripping the body structure 24. Plural spaced smaller gripping ridges 27 are provided about part of the external periphery of the body to further aid a user in maintaining a secure grip about the body periphery. I again prefer to form the moveable grips of plastic.

Biasing means 13, maintaining grips 12 in a particular spaced position, comprise lateral compression springs 28 slideably fitting upon body 10 and extending between the lateral end part of each moveable grip and the outwardly positioned stimulator end. Medial compression spring 29, similarly slideably mounted upon body 10, extends between the two inward surfaces of the moveable grips. The compressive force required to deform the springs may be adjusted to the physical characteristics of the user by appropriate configuration and sizing. With this arrangement of springs it is to be noted that grips 12 will be normally maintained in their spaced position and can be moved therefrom either toward or away from each other only against the bias of one of the compression springs.

Having thusly described in my invention, its operation may now be understood, keeping in mind a bit of anatomy and physiology concerning the female breast structure. It is to be remembered that the mammary glands or breasts protrude from the exterior thoracic area without substantial muscular support except from the muscles forming the exterior thoracic wall, chiefly the pectorales major. The glands per se are chiefly fatty tissue separated into lobes by connective partitions. Each glandular lobe has an excretory duct which radiates toward a common duct that communicates with the nipple. The only active muscular tissue in the exterior breast structure surrounds the nipple and provides no particular support for the mammary gland itself. With this structure it is to be noted that firming and enlarging of the breasts may be accomplished by building the muscles underlying, and to some degree, surround them. These muscles are most difficult if not impossible of voluntary stimulation without aid of some mechanical device and my invention provides such a mechanical device to selectively stimulate these muscles without substantial activity of other bodily muscles, especially in the arms and shoulders.

My invention is firstly formed according to the foregoing specification, of appropriate size and configuration to be accepted by a particular female. To use the device as a stimulator the users arms are positioned as illustrated in FIG. 5, with the fingers of one hand locking about the forearm of the opposite limb and my invention extending horizontally in front of the body between the lower portions of the upper arms, immediately above the medial joint. The concave lateral surface of stimulator ends 11 are required for this function, firstly, to allow the device to be properly maintained in this position and, secondly, to provide an appropriate surface adapted to selectively stimulate only the particular muscles desired.

With the invention in the position, the upper arms may be voluntarily moved very slightly toward each other, or at least the appropriate muscles tensed to cause such a motion, and thereupon the motor nerves will be stimulated to excite activity in, and develop toneness of, the exterior thoracic muscles underlying the breast structure. By appropriate positioning of my invention, appropriate angling of the arms to move the exerciser body angularly to the horizontal and appropriate manipulation of the forearms and the upper arms relative the body, various of the individual breast girdle muscles may be exercised and various groups may be exercised to a greater or lesser degree relative other groups.

A similar but somewhat less effective stimulation of the breast girdle muscles may be accomplished by sitting with legs apart, bending over with the trunk nearly horizontal and placing my exerciser between medial positions on the two downwardly dangling forearms. In this position the arms be moved toward each other to create pressure upon the exerciser and stimulation will be had of themotor nerves acting on breast girdle muscles, though not so effectively as in the first exercise described.

My device may secondarily be used for traditional exercises heretofore accomplished with either immoveably or moveably mounted grips. One exercise with the moveable grips is illustrated in FIG. 6 where the device is manually held by the moveable grips and the grips move against their bias, either toward each other or away from each other to accomplish an exercising function. Other traditional exercises with devices of this nature as heretofore known may be accomplished in the habitually familiar fashion.

It is to be noted, however, with this later type of exercise that many voluntary muscles are involved. The muscle structure' of the arms, especially the upper arms, and shoulders is developed to the same or a greater extent than any other muscles. This normally accomplishes an undesirable result in developing an excessive muscular structure in the arms and shoulders with insufficient effect on the bust girdle muscles.

It is to be particularly noted from the foregoing description that although my invention provides exercising means somewhat similar to prior art devices, it s principal purpose is to create a muscle stimulator which by appropriate pressure will stimulate the motor nerves controlling muscles of the breast girdle and thereby cause appropriate exercise and resultant development in these muscles without the excessive development of the muscles of the arm. It is further to be noted that because of this difference in purpose, the structure of my invention necessarily required to accomplish this purpose is essentially different from that of the prior art devices.

The foregoing description of my invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of it might be set forth as required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of detail, rearrangement and multiplication of parts may be restored to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope.

lclaim:

1. A stimulator type exerciser of the nature aforesaid for muscles underlying the female breasts comprising, in combination:

an elongate body of length appropriate to fit between the lower portion of the upper arms of a user when the fingers of the hand of each arm be interlocked about the forepart of the other arm;

similar opposed parallel stimulator ends carried by the end parts of the body structure, with concave lateral surfaces, the stimulator ends comprising tubular body elements having removable enlarged caps in each end, the caps carrying a rod extending therebetween and through a hole in the end of the elongate body projecting within the tubular body element to fasten the stimulator end to the elongate body; V

paired opposed grips slideably carried by the body and configured to be conformably held by the hand of the user; and

mechanical means biasing the paired opposed grips to a particular spaced position.

Images