Patent Application
20220175052
During pregnancy expecting mothers may experience low back pain during. Lower back pain is due to the weight of a growing belly of the expecting mother. This additional weight pulls on the lower back of the expecting mother. Like clothing, maternity clothing does not provide any additional support to relieve pressure off the lower back of an expecting mother. Over the course of the pregnancy extended back pain may cause expecting mothers to lay down, sit down, or rest to relieve the pain. Current systems and methods are expensive, bulky, hot, uncomfortable, inflatable, and do not hold up to machine washing. The system disclosed below reduce and/or prevent lower back pain y providing expecting mothers an affordable accessory that relieves their lower-back pain with a comfortable, seamless design that can be worn under any outfit, stays in place all day, breathes like cotton, and is machine washable.
These drawings illustrate certain aspects of the presented disclosure and should not be used to limit or define the disclosure.
The present disclosure is directed to a system to provide support to expecting mothers by utilizing strategically places straps attached to a stabilizing spine. These straps are pulled across parts of the back and abdomen and attached in places that pull the belly back towards the spine in a safe and supportive nature. The spine and straps are made of a durable, breathable, and elastic fabric that may be adjusted as the belly grows and can be washed and dried after every use. When worn, the system lays flat and seamless against the body, allowing the expecting mother to wear it with virtually any outfit. The system described below is referred to as a cradle below.
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The flexible, stretchable material of maternity band 101 may have a weight (also referred to as fabric density) ranging from 190 grams/square meter to 330 grams/square meter (gm/m2). Maternity band 101 may be manufactured from a piece of circularly knitted fabric such as a single knit or double knit. In examples, maternity band 101 is manufactured using an electronic circular knitting machine or electronic warp knitting machine for seamless products, such as the single jersey, double jersey, or warp seamless machines. In examples, maternity band 101 may be a single piece that is pulled over the woman 104 and disposed over midsection 102, where midsection 102 is where a baby bump is located. In other examples, not illustrated, maternity band 101 may be formed from one or more pieces that attach to each other. In this case, the woman 104 may wrap maternity band 101 around midsection 102 before securing the pieces of maternity band together.
Maternity band 101 may be formed of stretchable material, as discussed above, and may be designed such that one size fits most users, although two or more different sizes may be provided, for different sizes of women. Sizes may be designated by numbers or letters. For example, maternity band 101 may be available in different sizes, such as sizes 0-4, wherein size 0 is the smallest available garment with the smallest measurement and size 4 is the largest garment with the largest measurement. Alternatively, sizes may be designated by letters such as “S/M” indicating a small to medium sized garment, “M/L” indicating a medium to large sized garment, and “L/XL” indicating a large to extra-large sized garment. It is intended that a maternity band 101 of a single size will fit a particular pregnant woman throughout the period of time when she cannot wear her normal clothing or is too small for maternity wear.
In examples maternity band 101 is of knit fabric, in basic colors typical of bottom-half clothing today such as black, khaki, denim-color blue, and white. Maternity band 101 may also be made in various and seasonal patterns and colors if desired. Maternity band 101 may also be textured or adorned with any decoration known in the art such as lace, beads, or decorative stitching.
The knit fabric may be any knit fabric known in the art such as double-knit fabric, single knit fabric, baby rib knit, interlock knit, fleece, stretch velvet, or textured novelty knit. In one embodiment, the knit fabric is jersey fabric. The garment may be seamless (or it can be seamed) and of a stretchable, knit nylon/spandex (elastane) blend. The knit fabric nylon/spandex blend may include 75-95% nylon and 5-25% spandex. For example, the nylon/spandex blend may include 79% nylon and 21% spandex, 80% nylon and 20% spandex, 82% nylon and 18% spandex, 84% nylon and 16% spandex, 85% nylon and 15% spandex, 87% nylon and 13% spandex, 89% nylon and 11% spandex, 90% nylon and 10% spandex, 93% nylon and 7% spandex, or 95% nylon and 5% spandex. In another embodiment, the band garment 10 is made of a knit fabric such as a cotton spandex blend or an organic cotton spandex blend. For example, the knit fabric cotton blend may be 90% cotton and 10% spandex, 95% cotton and 5% spandex, or 95% organic cotton and 5% spandex. In other embodiments, the band garment 10 may be made of other suitable fabrics known in the art such as polyester, nylon, lyocel, rayon, polyamide, or viscose.
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Improvements of cradle 100 include lifting weight of the spine of an expecting mother. This may be done through one or more straps 106 that are attached to a support structure 112, which is attached to maternity band 101. Top straps 114 may be disposed below midsection 102, where the baby bump is located, and bottom straps 116 may be disposed above midsection 102. The one or more straps 106 pull midsection 102 closer to the spine of the expecting mother, which reduces weight, and ultimately pain, along the lower back of the expecting mother.
The preceding description provides various examples of the systems and methods of use disclosed herein which may contain different method steps and alternative combinations of components. It should be understood that, although individual examples may be discussed herein, the present disclosure covers all combinations of the disclosed examples, including, without limitation, the different component combinations, method step combinations, and properties of the system. It should be understood that the compositions and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components or steps, the compositions and methods may also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces.
All numerical values within the detailed description and the claims herein modified by “about” or “approximately” with respect to the indicated value is intended to take into account experimental error and variations that would be expected by a person having ordinary skill in the art.
For the sake of brevity, only certain ranges are explicitly disclosed herein. However, ranges from any lower limit may be combined with any upper limit to recite a range not explicitly recited, as well as, ranges from any lower limit may be combined with any other lower limit to recite a range not explicitly recited, in the same way, ranges from any upper limit may be combined with any other upper limit to recite a range not explicitly recited. Additionally, whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range are specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values even if not explicitly recited. Thus, every point or individual value may serve as its own lower or upper limit combined with any other point or individual value or any other lower or upper limit, to recite a range not explicitly recited.
Therefore, the present examples are well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular examples disclosed above are illustrative only, and may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Although individual examples are discussed, the disclosure covers all combinations of all of the examples. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative examples disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of those examples. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent(s) or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted.
