US623413A

US623413A - Breast-shield

Info

Publication number: US623413A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1899-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1916-04-18

Description

No. 623,4l3. Patented Apr. l8, I899. E. MURRAY.

BREAST SHIELD.

(Applicatiou man Kay 5, 1898.;

(No Model.)

A 77'OHNEYS.

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'NITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

EBEUEZER MURRAY, OF DEADVOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA.

BREAST-SHIELD.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 623,413, dated April 18, 1899.

Application filed May 5, 1898. Serial N0- 679,815. (No model.) I I To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EBENEZER MURRAY, of Deadwood, in the county of Lawrence and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Breast-Shield, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a breast-shield which will serve to keep the breasts warm and protect them against cold drafts, thereby insuring the wearer against caked breast-s, which is often the result of sudden exposure to the air.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the breast-shield that it will be simple, economic, easily applied, and worn with comfort, the shield serving to prevent the breasts from sagging, enabling the milk-ducts to retain their proper position.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the breast shield that openings therein will be provided for the nipples, which openings will be covered by removable or hinged caps, the said caps preventing a loss of milk and at the same time providing a convenient means of access to a nipple without disturbing the shield proper.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the breast shield applied to the person; and Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the breast-shield, drawn on a larger scale than shown in Fig. 1 and detached from the person.

The shield consists of two cup-shaped covers A and A, adapted to fit over the breasts and close to the body. These covers may be of any suitable or approved material, a fabric or chamois being preferably employed, and each cover A and A may be made from a single piece, if desired, although usually in the construction of these covers they are made up of a number of sections 10. Each breast-cover A and A is provided with horizontal tabs at opposite sides said tabs being designated as 11 and 12. Each breast-cover is also provided with a central opening 13 of sufiicient size to fit around the nipple in a convenient manner, and the opening 13 of each breast-cover is normally closed by a cap 14, having a hinged connection with the cover and held over the opening it is designed to close by means of a button 15,'secured to the breast-cover, the said button being adapted to pass through a buttonhole in the cap; but other forms of fastening devices for the caps and the breast-covers may be employed, if desired.

The vertical hinge shown is particularly advantageous, since'even in case the cap should become detached accidentally from the fastening device the cap will have practically no tendency to move and chafe the breast.

A body-strap 16 is secured to the outer tabs 11 of the breast-covers, the said body-strap being adapted to pass beneath the arms and around the back, and shoulder-straps 17 are secured to the back portion of the body-strap and to each of the breast-covers, as is best shown in Fig. 2. The breast-covers are connected by means of lacings 1a or an equivalent, the lacin-g when employed being passed through suitable eyelets made in the inner tabs 12.

The device is exceedingly simple. It is durable and it is economic, as stated, and will prove of considerable benefit to nursing mothers, especially those having loose pendent breasts, and the device may also beadvantageously employed forbuilding up the figure when the tissues of the breast are delicient. The device will also serve to protect such clothing as would usually be brought di rectly in contact with the breasts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A breast-shield, comprising two cup-shaped breast-covers having diametrically opposite horizontal tabs in line with their centers, and central apertures for the passage of the nipples, a cap hinged to each cover at the side of said aperture about a vertical axis, a detachable connection between the inner or adjoining tabs of the breastcovers, a body-strap connecting the outer tabs and extending es sentially in the horizontal line of the centers of the breast-covers, and shoulder-straps connected with said body-band and with the breast-covers.

EBENEZER MURRAY.

Witnesses:

NORMAN T. MAsoN, B. B. SHEPHERD.