US741521A - Body-support. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED 00T. 13

BODY SUBPORT.- AP-PLSIO'ATION FILED APB. 2B. 1902.

IN1/NMR I r r AYTOIPNEX mnuonms Pains co, wnufaumo., wsnms'roN, n. c.

ivo. 741,521.

UNITED STATES Patented October 13,

PATENT OFFICE.

BODY-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent o. 741,521, dated October 13, 1903.

' Application tiled April 28, 1902.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

. Be it known that I, WILLIAMU. G. MARTIN, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented'a certain new and useful Body-Support; and I do hereby'declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawingsjn which like nn merals refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved body-support, a leading feature of which consists of a support for the upper part of the legs and a connection between that and a support for the upper part of the body, especially the shoulders, whereby they will hold each other in place and also hold in proper place intermediate body-supports, suchas hip-supports, abdominal supports, and bustsupports. A r

The novel features ,ofsaid improvedbodysupport will be understood from the accom-V panying drawings and following description Vand claims. l Y` f In the drawings, Figure l-is a rear elevation of the body-support-in place on a human figure, which is partly shown in outline. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 `is a detail view of a portion of the shoulder-support and adjacent portion of the bust-support with the lacing omitted. Fig. 4 is a detailed `view of the front portion of the bust- .support, showing the sides separated slightly. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a portion'of the abdominal support, showing the two sides separated somewhat.

In describing said body-support attention will irstbe given to the leg-support portion thereof. The leg-supports are two bandsone surrounding each leg immediately below the hip and consisting. of a non-elastic portion 10, that extends around the'sides and front of the leg, and an elasticportion 11, which extends across the rear of thek ieg. The elastic portion 11 is preferably formed of two parallel elastic strips connected, respectively, to the upper and lower margins of the adjacent ends of the non-elastic portion of said support. The purpose of the elastic portion 11 is to cause the leg-supports to yield to the bend of the body and to support comfortably the portion of the body immediately above said elastic support, and the comfort of such serian. 105,017. me man.) d

elasticv portion is increased by forming it of I two parallel elastic strips, so that 'they may independently yield insupporting the body. The non-elastic portions of the leg-supports are provided with stays 12 on both the out' side and inside of the legs to maintain the proper width and shape of the leg-support. At the outside of the legs said support is separable, the ends being united bythe lacings.

' said leg-supports upward diagonallyacross the hips to a saddle 16 in the middle of the back. Said hip-supports are elastic,the lower portion being divided into two elastic strips that diverge from the buckle 7 6 and are considerably separated at the lower ends and secured by stitching or otherwise to the nonelastic portions of the leg-supports, one of said strips being on each side of the lacing 13. By dividing the hip-supports the two strips become independently elastic and yield better to the portions of the body which they support during the various movements of the body, and they also give a more extended support to the exterior sides of the leg-sup.- ports. The upper ends of the Vhip-supports consist of single elastic strips extending from the buckle 16 to the buckle 17, whereby the length ofthe hip-supports is adj usted. The

buckle 17 is carried in the loop or fiap 18 at the lower end of the saddle 16.

The saddle 16 is made preferably of two layers lof leather with a vertical stay between them, said stay being shownl in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The loops 18 are integral ears at the lower end of the saddle that are extended through the buckles 17 and turned upward and back and secured to the saddle by means j of a ball-and-socket fastening at 19.

. layers of the saddle, the strip of leather form- IOO ing said saddle being inserted through the loop before the leather strips are stitched together to form the saddle. The shouldersupport consists of the following portions: the vertical elastic portion 2l, the elastic portion 22, that extends over each shoulder, the nonelastic portion 23, that extends in front and under each arm, and the elastic portions 24, extending horizontally across the back. The elastic vertical portion 2l has a leather lower end 25, that extends through the met-al loop 20 and is turned up and is connected with the upper portion of the latter by a ball-andsocket fastening 2b'. A strip of leather 27 is secured to the upper end of the vertical portion 2l, that extends through a metal loop 28, secured to the lower united ends of the shoulder-pieces 22 and whereby the length of the shoulder support or brace may be increasedordiminished. Theelastichorizontal portion 24 of the shoulder-support is stitched or secured to the lower end of the portion 23. The two horizontal portions 24 are connected by the intermediate leather piece 29. It has an eye in it that fits over the ball in the balland-socket fastening 2G, whereby the lower rear ends of the nou-elastic portions 23 of the shoulders-support are united, and the length of the connection between them is rendered adjustable by the buckles 30, which secure the free ends of the elastic portions 24 after they have been extended through the metal loops 31, that are secured in the intermediate leather pieces 29.

From the foregoing description it is seen that the shoulders-support holds the leg-supports and hip-supports in their proper position and,on the contrary, the leg-supports and hip-supports hold the shoulders-support in the proper position, the support for the lower portion of the body and the support for the upper portion of the body acting against each other to hold each other in proper position, and yet the supports are so made as to yield comfortably to the various movements ofthe body and be readily adjustable in length. The leg-supports, combined with the hip-supports, held in the position indicated are of great value to corpulent people. Combined with the foregoing are elastic hose-supports 33, which are secured at their upper ends to the non-elastic portion of the leg-supports and preferably at a point about opposite the lower end of one of the strips of the hip-supports on each leg.

The bust-support consists of a side nonelastic portion 34, (see Fig. 4,) a central nonelastic portion 35, and an intermediate elastic portion 36. The bust-support is connected with the non-elastic portion 23 of the shoulders-support on each side by laces 37 and is provided with vertical stays 38 to hold the bust-support in the propersize and shape. The elastic portion 36 is preferably formed of horizontal elastic strips of varying widths, the narrow one being preferably above and the wider ones below, whereby the bust-support will conform more comfortably and accurately to the Varying sizes of busts and especially accommodate the bust in its various movements during breathing and movements ofthe shoulders. The lower elastic strips are preferably wider than the others to furnish a sufficient and comfortable supportl to the weight of the bust above. The front portions 35 of the bust-supportare provided with fasteners 3S), of a common type, whereby the sup- 'port may readily be put on and taken off. In order to support properly the weight of the bust, thelowerborder of the bust-support is held and drawn into place by a horizontal strap 40, which is non-elastic and connected to one side of the bust-support at its lower margin and passes under the lower part of the shoulders-support at the center of lthe back and is connected by a buckle 4l to an elastic strap 42, that is secured to the other side of the bust-support. This latter is a means for adjusting and tightening and loosening the lower part of the bust-support independently of the portions 23 and 24 of the shoulders-support that extend horizontally across the back and by which the bust-support as a whole may be tightened.

The abdominal support consists of the main non-elastic portion 43 and elastic strips 44, which connect the non-elastic portions 43 with the saddle 1G. The elastic strips 44 extend through metallic loops 45, held by leather pieces 46, secured by laces to the saddle, and the strips 44 are connected at their free ends to buckles 48, whereby the strips are rendered adjustable. There are two of these strips 44 for each side of the abdominal support, one secured to the upper margin and one at the lower margin, and b v being independently adjustable the upper and lower margins of the abdominal support are divided to accommodate the various sizes and forms of abdomens. This means of adjustment is aided materially also by gores in the upper and lower margins of the abdominal support that are provided with lacings 49, whereby the upper and lower margins are further adjusted. The abdominal support is provided in front with vertical stays 50 for maintaining its proper shape and fasteners 5l for readily putting said abdominal support on and off the body. Where needed or desired, the abdominal support is held down in position by the cords 52, running through eyes in the lower part of the abdominal support and the upper part of the leg-supports, as shown in Fig. 2. The cords 52 permit the adjustment of these two supports with relation to each other.

The body-support herein described is readily put on the body or removed by merely fastening or unfastening the fasteners for the front of the bust and abdominal supports. The legs are iirst inserted through the legsupports in placing the support on the body.

Then the arms are inserted through the shoulders-support and the bust and abdominal supm IOO IIO

ports fastened in front, the entire sides of the body-support being separated from each other by releasing the fasteners for the bust and abdominal supports in front.

What I claim as my invention is' l. In an article of the class described, supports surroundin g the legs, each consisting of a non-elastic portion on the sides and front of the leg and an elastic portion across the rear of the leg, vertical stays in the non-elastic portion onthe inside and outside of each leg, hip-supports extending upward from said leg-supports, and means on the body above the hips with which the hip-supports are connected.

2. In an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, each consisting of a non-elastic portion on the sides and front of the leg and an elastic portion across the rear of the leg, said non-elastic portion being separated on the outside of the leg and the separate portions thereof connected by lacings, hip-supports extending upward from .said leg-supports, and means on the body above the hips with which the hip-supports are connected. v

3. In` an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, elastic supports.

for the hips with the lower ends spread and separately secured to said leg-supports, and means on the body above the hips with which the hip-supports are connected at their upper ends.

4:. In an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, hip-supports eX- tending upward therefrom, each hip-support consisting of asingle upper portion and a divided lower portion secured at the lower end to said leg-supports, a support on the body above the hips, and a connection between Y.said upper support and the hip-supports.

5. In an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, hip-supports extending upward therefrom, a support for the shoulders, a saddle connecting the hip-supports and shoulders-support, a bust-supportdetachably connected with said shoulderssupport, and an independent means across the back for tightening the lower margin of the two sides of the bust-supports.

6, In an article of the classdescribed, supports 'surrounding' the legs, hip-supports extending upward therefrom, a support for the shoulders, a saddle connecting the hip-sup-v ports and the shoulders-support, a bust-support detachablyconnected with Said shoulders-support, said bust-support consisting of non-elastic portions and elastic portions, said elastic portions being formed of horizontal elastic strips.

7. In an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, hip-supports extending upward therefrom, a support for the shoulders, a saddle connecting the shoulderssupport and the hip-supports, an abdominal support connected at the rear with said saddle, and means for connecting the lower front portion of the abdominal support to said legsupports. Y

8. In an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, hip-supports extending upward therefrom, a support for the shoulders, a saddle connecting the shoulderssupport and the hip-supports, an abdominal support with an adjustable connection at the rear of both its upper and lower margins with said saddle, and laced gores in both the upper and lower margins in the front portion of the abdominal support.

9. In an article of the class described, supports surrounding the legs, hip-supports extending upward therefrom, a support for the shoulders, a saddle connecting the shoulderssupport at the back with said hip-supports, a bust-support with the two sides connected with the shoulders support, an `abdominal support with the sides thereof connected with the saddle at the back, said abdominal and bust supports being each separated vertically in thefront, and means for detachably uniting said separated portions of said abdominal and bust supports for holding the article as a whole on the bodyor removing the same.

In witness whereof I have hereunto aiiixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named. t v

- WILLIAM U. G. MARTIN.

FLORENCE E. BRYANT, V. H. LooKwooD.

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