US1605323A - Abdominal supporter - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 2 1926.

M. F. BECK ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER Filed April 25, 1924.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 2, 1926. 1,605,323

M. F. BECK ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER Filed April 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mn): 1 4114 III w gwuwnto z MIT Beck.-

Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

MARCIA F. BECK, OF LA GRANDE, OREGON.'

ABDOMINAL SUPPOR TER. 7

Application filed April 25, 1924. Serial No. 708,972.

This invention relates to improvements in abdominal supporters and more particularly to a supporter especially adapted for use after childbirth, the primary object of the present invention being to provide a supporter which, when worn, will support the lax abdominal muscles and assist in the contraction and restoration to normal condi tions, of the pelvic organs.

Another object of the invention is to. provide, in a supporter of this class, a pad so positioned and arranged as to adapt it to exert a desirable degree of pressure against the lower abdomen for the purposes previously explained, the supporter embodying means whereby it may be initially adjusted to conform to the contour of the wearer and fit snugly about the abdomen and this means being so positioned with relation to the pad as to prevent contact of the body therewith so that the pad serves not only as a means for exerting pressure where required, but also as (i-protecting means to prevent any irritation or inconvenience which might otherwise be caused through direct contact of the adjusting means with the body.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the supporter may be initially adjusted in the manner above stated, and, in connection therewith, an auxiliary closing means adapting the supporter to be readily and quickly applied and removed without in any way disturbing the initial adjustments obtaine Another object of the invention is to provide, in conjunction with the auxiliary closing means, a protecting means for preventing the said closing means or the component elements thereof coming in contact with the body and causing inconvenience or irritation.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view looking at the front of the supporter embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view looking at the rear of the supporter;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the supporter looking-toward the front thereof;

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The supporter embodying the invention includes a body encircling band which is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and which is, as usual,"made of cloth and is preferably of a single ply thickness. The body bandmay be made up of any required number of pieces cut to shape so as to adapt the band to conform snugly to the contour of the body, and in this respect, the construction of the band is immaterial, so far as the present invention is concerned. The band is, so to.speak, open at its front, and at one side of its open front it is provided with a vertically extending hem 2 carrying a correspondingly extending row of eyelets 3. The numeral 4 indicates a section of the band which is in the nature of a strip of the cloth of which the band is formed, stitched to provide hems 5 and 6 at its opposite vertical edges, the hem 5 being provided with a correspondingly extending series of eyelets 7, and the hem 6 carrying'a correspondingly extending series of hooks indicated by the numeral 8. The body band at the opposite side of its open front is provided with a hem 9 carrying a vertically extending series of eyelets 10 with which the hooks 8 are engageable as illustrated clearly in Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings. hooks and eyes is herein illustrated and described as the connecting means between the body section or strip 4 and the last-mentioned open side of the body band 1, it will be While the use of e,

understood, of course, that other fastening or connecting devices embodying relatively separable elements, may be made use of at this point, the object being to provide means whereby the last-mentioned open side of the body band may be readily connected with and disconnected from the strip 4, and vice versa. The numeral 11 indicates a lacing which is passed back and forth through the eyelets 3 and 7 and constitutes a means whereby the supporter may, be initially drawn together at its open front so as to adapt the body band of the supporter snugly to the contour of the body. After this initial adjustment has been made, the knot 12 in the lacing 11 may be left undisturbed, the hooks and eyes 8 and 10, or the other fastening elements employed in lieu thereof, then constituting a means whereby the body band may be readily 'openedor closed in the removal and application of the supporter from and to the body. I r

Referen e is above made to the fact that the supporter is open at the front and this is in one sense true and this statement is made in order that the article may be de- 2 necasas scribed with more particularity. However, as will be observed by reference to Figure 4 of the drawings, there is provided an insert, at the front of the supporter, indicated by the numeral 13, this insert being in the nature of a substantially rectangular piece of cloth stitched at one vertical margin, as'

at 14, to the inner side of the body band 1 along a line parallel to and spaced inwardly from the hem 2, the said insert being stitched, as at 15, along its other vertical edge to the inner side of the strip 4 and thus extending across the space between the hem 2 at one side of the open front of the supporter and the said band 4: and in rear of the lacing 11 so as to, in the absence of other means to be presently described prevent contact of the lacing with the body of the wearer. This insert 13 will be of sufficient width to provide for a wide latitude of adjustment of the supporter to the body and therefore it will have a greater or less fullness when the lacing 11 is drawn or tightened to cause the body band 1 to snugly fit the body.

In. order that no irritation or annoyance will be caused to the wearer of the supporter due to the presence of the hooks 8 and eyes 10, it is preferable that the eyes 10, instead of being secured directly to the hem 9. be carried by a separate hem strip 16 stitched to the outer side of the body band 1 in front of the hem 9 and spaced slightly inwardly from the said hem, so that the hem will extend beyond the edge of the said hem strip 16 and will lie between the hooks 8 and eyes 10 and the body of the wearer. It will be understood at this point that all of the devices which are of a metallic nature and likewise the lacing 11, are so covered that none of them can come in contact with the body of the wearer to cause annoyance or irritation.

It is preferable to employ, in connection with the body band and the open front thereof, a pressure pad indicated by the numeral 17. This pad preferably comprises a plurality of plies 18 of soft cloth which are relatively thick, and the plies are united at their margins by a binding 19, the pad as a whole being of substantially oblong rectangular form and being arranged vertically at the inner side of the so-called open front of the supporter and detachably connected at its upper end with the upper marginal portion of the insert 13 by means of a safety pin or the like indicated by the numeral 20. The pad is thus suspended, as clearly shown in Figure 3, immediately in rear of the open front of the supporter and due to the presence of this pad within the supporter, when the body band 1 is suitably adjusted to the body of the wearer, the pad will exert a desirable degree of pressure against the lower portion of the abdomen. However, due to the soft and padded nature of the member 17, its presence will not discomfort the wearer of the supporter.

Reinforcements 21 are arranged at the opposite sides of the open front of the body band 1 near the lower margin thereof and safety pins or the like indicated by the numeral 22 may be secured through these reinforcements and the said body band and constitute suspension means for the garters 23, it being understood that the provision of a suspension means for a pair of garters at this point is of decided advantage in view of the fact that the garters, when connected at their lower ends to the stockings, constitute means for yieldably and yet more or less positively exerting a downward pull upon the front portion of the body band so as to adapt the same to more correctly fit the abdomen and insure against displacement.

In order that the device may be adapted for the support of a sanitary pad, reinforcements 24 are provided at the front and rear of the body band, the rear one being united directly to the outer side of the body band and the front one being united to the outer side of the insert 13. Safety pins 25 may be connected to the band at the point of location of the said reinforcements 2 1.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

An abdominal bandage comprising an elongated pliable band adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer with its ends spaced from each other and at one end provided with vertically spaced eyelets, a flap secured against the outer face of the other end por tion of said band in spaced relation to its end edge, a vertically disposed strip provided at one side with vertically spaced eyelets, means for detachably securing said strip to said flap, an insert formed of soft fabric, said insert extending between said strip and the first-mentioned end portion of said band and covering said eyelets and secured against the inner faces of the strip and band, lacings threaded through the eyelets of the strip and band, and a pad detachably secured against the inner face of said insert and of a length approximately corresponding to the height of said band and of sufficient width to overlap the end portions of the band.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa' ture.

MARCIA F. BECK. [Ls]

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