US690096A - Shoulder-braces. - Google Patents

Description

No. 690,096. Patented Dec. 3!, I90l. L. A. BOWER.

SHOULDER BBACES.

[Application filed May 18, 1901.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT @EEICE.

LUCY ALIDA BOWER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOULDER-BRACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,096, dated December 31, 1901. Application filed May 18, 1901. Serial No. 60,828. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCY ALIDA Bowen, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Braces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,'clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to braces for holding the shoulders in their natural position, for restoring symmetry to the figure and erectness of carriage, and for correcting faults caused by indulging the tendency to stoop and contract the chest.

The object of the improvements is to produce shoulder-braces which shall be simple and economical in construction and comfortable to wear and that may be quickly and easily adjusted and loosened or tightened at will without removing them and without assistance.

The invention will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front View of my improved shoulder-braces as worn on the body. Fig. 2 is a rear View of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the shoulder-braces and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View of the same, taken on line a: 00 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a a are two strips or pieces of non-elastic webbing, and b is a strip of elastic webbing, the latter being sewed to the ends 0 o of the non-elastic webbing, so that a continuous strip is formed,with an elastic section in the middle. Loops (Z cl are sewed to the piece I) at about the point where its ends are joined to the pieces ca, and the strips a a are crossed at the back, and their ends 6 e are passed through these loops and brought together and buckled or otherwise fastened at the front. Between the points where the strips cross each other at the back and the elastic piece 1) these strips are formed into shoulder-straps ff, which can be enlarged or reduced to fit the shoulders by drawing the pieces a a more or less through the loops (Z d and lapping the ends 6 e and buckling them together. The shoulder-straps are also retained in proper relation to each other by means of the loops 9 g, one end of the former loop being sewed to the piece at below the piece I) and the other end above piece a, where it crosses the piece a, and one end of the other loop being sewed to piece a below the piece I) and its other end sewed to the piece a above the loop g, which it crosses. These loops 9 g permit the shoulder-straps or the parts of the pieces a a that form them to move freely in the direction of their length without separating.

To put the braces on, the arms are thrust through the shoulder straps, so that the crossed parts and the elastic piece will be at the back, as seen in Fig. 2. The ends are then carried around to the front and buckled together at the waist, as seen in Fig. 1.

The parts a ll of the shoulder-pieces, that bear against the front of the shoulders and pass under the arms, are padded.

The construction of these braces is such that being made of flat webbing or other simi lar suitable material they lie flat against the person and take up but little room under the clothing, and owing to the diagonal or crossed back-pieces being held in position by loops only, which allow free play, the natural motions of the body are unrestricted, and at the same time the shoulders are held back firmly in their proper position. The braces can be readily loosened or tightened without removing the clothing, and they can be adjusted, by means of the slide h or other contrivance at the front, to any form. Furthermore, the back-pieces bear against and hold the corset down fiat at the back. The braces are comfortable to the person, durable, and economical.

As stated, the several designated parts may be made from strips or pieces of materialwebbing, for example; but I do not restrict myself to making them in that way, as the parts may each be made of a separate piece and the several pieces afterward fastened together, if preferred.

The ends 6 c of the pieces a a are fastened together and the brace tightened up by means of the bucklej.

I claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture shoulder-braces consisting of the pieces a a, b tween the ends a c of the pieces a a and the formed in a continuous strip, the loops dd loops d d fastened to the elastic piece I) and connected with the piece I), and the loops g g through which the pieces a a are passed, subconnected with the pieces a a, the pieces a a stantially as specified.

being crossed and the ends passed through In testimony that I claim the invention theloopsddthus forming the shouldenstraps above set forth I affix my signature in presff substantially as specified. ence of two Witnesses.

2. In shoulder-braces the combination of LUQY ALIDA BOWER.

the non-elastic strips a a crossed to form the v shoulder-straps ff and held in position by the loops 9 g, the elastic piece I) inserted be- Witnesses:

F. O. 'ZOTTARELLY, WILTON O. DONN.

Images