Abstract:
A garment for assisting a mother in breastfeeding a child includes a shirt body having front and rear portions with a common upper edge defining a neck. A sash depends from within the shirt body and underlies the neck. The sash is below the neck and is moveable to provide access for to the breast for breastfeeding activity. The garment is arrangeable in a normal configuration, in which the sash is concealed from view, and a breastfeeding configuration, in which the neck and the sash cooperate to define a narrow slit which is sized to closely reveal a nipple therethrough for breastfeeding.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/781,784, filed Mar. 14, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to clothing, and more particularly to clothes which aid in breastfeeding. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Many mothers choose to breastfeed in public. Doing so often requires exposing one or both breasts in a manner with which some members of the public disagree. A variety of solutions have been proposed to preserve modesty during breastfeeding. Some mothers use a simple sheet draped across their shoulders and across the head of the child. However, it can be difficult to position the child under the sheet while maintaining coverage, and the sheet can be displaced easily by a nursing child&#39;s arms or the wind. Other mothers use an apron that drapes over the mother&#39;s front and often includes a rigid wire support near the top to provide structure and form and maintain a viewing window into the apron. However, these aprons must be carried with the mother whenever breastfeeding is a possibility and can be bulky to transport and cumbersome to set up. Yet other mothers simply pull their top up or down to expose the breast, position the child at the nipple, and then move the top slightly back into position. This leaves the top of the breast exposed, and some members of the public find this method to be too revealing and inappropriate. An improved system for breastfeeding a child in public is needed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    According to the principle of the invention, a garment is disclosed which has a shirt body and a sash attached to the shirt body and underlying the shirt body. The shirt body has a large neck or cowl which can be deformed and stretched. The sash underlying the shirt body drapes just above the tops of a mother&#39;s breasts. When a child wishes to nurse, the mother stretches the neck of the shirt body over one of her breasts and positions the sash across the top of the one of her breasts from which the child is about to nurse. The sash lies across the top of the breast, and the neck is extended just under, defining a narrow slit which closely exposes and reveals the nipple from which the child can nurse. From any distance, the mother appears to be fully clothed because the child&#39;s head conceals her nipple extending just through the slit, the sash is above the child&#39;s head on the top of the breast, and the neck of the shirt is below the child&#39;s head. No skin is visible which would not otherwise be visible while wearing the garment in a normal manner. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Referring to the drawings: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a breastfeeding garment constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention, including a shirt body and a sash underlying the shirt body; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the garment of  FIG. 1  with a neck of the shirt body pulled down to expose the sash; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of the garment of  FIG. 1 , as it would appear worn and arranged in a breastfeeding configuration for nursing a child. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Reference now is made to the drawings, in which the same reference characters are used throughout the different figures to designate the same elements.  FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a garment  10 , constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention, for wearing as an article of clothing and for concealing a mother&#39;s breast during breastfeeding so as to preserve the mother&#39;s modesty and not offend more sensitive or conservative members of the public. The garment  10  is a shirt or blouse, and is representative of a conventional top to be worn as clothing by a nursing mother. As such, one having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the invention may be constructed in a variety of styles, such as a shirt, blouse, Kenley, dress, sundress, jumper, tank, shell, camisole, vest, polo, sweater, sweatshirt, or other similar article of clothing that covers the front of the body. One having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the garment  10  can be constructed in any of these styles without departing from the principle of the invention, so long as the various structural elements and features described below exist in such styles. 
         [0010]    The garment  10  includes a shirt body  17  having a front  11 , an opposed back  12 , a top  13  and an opposed bottom  14 , left and right sides  15  and  16  extending from the top  13  to the bottom  14 , and left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21 . It is noted that, for convenience and clarity, the designators “left” and “right” are used from the perspective of the mother wearing the garment  10 . 
         [0011]    The garment  10  is preferably constructed from a front portion  22  and an opposed rear portion  23 , which are separate panels at the front  11  and back  12  and are sewn or otherwise joined together to form the shirt body  17 . The garment  10  has numerous free edges that define openings into the garment  10 . Attached to the shirt body  17  are left and right sleeves  24  and  25  having arm openings  30  and  31 , respectively, through which a mother&#39;s arms would extend when worn. It is noted that the left and right sleeves  24  and  25  are shown as mid-length sleeves in  FIG. 1 , though one having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the left and right sleeves  24  and  25  may be full-length sleeves without departure from the nature of the invention. A trunk opening  32  is at the bottom  14  of the garment  10  for receiving and accommodating the mother&#39;s torso about the waist and hips. The front and rear portions  22  and  23  terminate at the top  13  along a common upper edge  33  defining a neck opening  34  at the top  13  of the garment  10 . The neck opening  34  is defined and bounded by a neck  35  continuously encircling the neck opening  34  at the top  13  of the garment  10  and extending just inboard of the upper edge  33  a short distance. The neck  35  is formed and defined by the common upper edge  33  of the front and rear portions  22  and  23 , and is generally elliptical in shape when worn. The neck  35  is preferably constructed of a loose material having shape-memory characteristics, and may be constructed of an elastic fabric material. The neck opening  20  is for receiving and accommodating the mother&#39;s neck. The arm opening  30  defines a right arm opening for receiving the mother&#39;s right arm, and the left shoulder area  20  defines a piece of material for wearing over the mother&#39;s right shoulder between the mother&#39;s neck and right arm. The arm opening  31  defines a left arm opening for receiving the mother&#39;s left arm, and the right shoulder area  21  defines a piece of material for wearing over the mother&#39;s left shoulder between the mother&#39;s neck and left arm. The trunk opening  32  is constructed of fabric that is preferably loose, and in some embodiments may be constructed of an elastic fabric. 
         [0012]    Left and right breast areas  40  and  41  are located proximate to the left and right sides  15  and  16 , respectively, so as to overlie the left and right breasts of the mother when worn. The left and right breast areas  40  and  41  are designated generally with broken line in both  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The left and right breast areas  40  and  41  flank the neck  35  and are disposed generally vertically centered on the bottom of the neck  35  along the front portion  22  of the shirt body  17 , so that the neck  35  dips just to the top of and between the left and right breast areas  40  and  41 . 
         [0013]    The garment  10  is generally constructed from panels of smooth, pliant, and thin material having deformable and elastic material characteristics, which, when joined together, include and form an inner surface  42  and an opposed outer surface  43 . The panels are preferably joined by stitching, but may also be joined with adhesive, heat welding, or like fastening means. The inner surface  42  bounds and defines a torso space  44  for receiving and accommodating a mother&#39;s trunk, including her waist, breasts, back, and shoulders. 
         [0014]    The garment  10  is constructed of a stretchable and resilient textile or combination of textiles such as cotton, spandex, nylon, rayon, polypropylene, or the like. The garment  10  is designed to fit comfortably on the mother&#39;s torso, though other styles of tops will fit in their own respective ways according to the cut and fashion of the style. 
         [0015]    The neck  35  of the garment  10  has a middle portion  45  which is located at a generally intermediate and central location between the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21  on the front  11  of the garment  10 . The middle portion  45  of the neck  35  drapes down below and between the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21 . 
         [0016]    As shown in broken line in  FIG. 1 , a sash  50  depends between the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21  behind the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  in the torso space  44 . The sash  50  underlies the front portion  22  and lies flat against the inner surface  42  of the shirt body  17  at the front  11 . The sash  50  is a thin, flat, elongate piece of material and has opposed ends  51  and  52  which are fixed to the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21 , respectively. Preferably, the ends  51  and  52  carry members of releasable engagement assemblies  56  and  57 , respectively, such as snap closures, buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners, or other like fasteners. The ends  51  carry members of the engagement assemblies  56  and  57 , and the inner surface  42  at the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21  carry complemental members of the engagement assemblies  56  and  57 , so that the sash  50  is releasable, removable, and replaceable. In other embodiments, the ends  51  and  52  are sewn to the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21 . The sash  50  further includes a middle portion  58  defined in a location generally intermediate to the ends  51  and  52 . The sash  50  has an upper edge  53  and an opposed lower edge  54 , each extending between the ends  51  and  52 , and an outer surface  55  and opposed inner surface. The outer surface  55  is directed outwardly away from the torso space  44  and toward the inner surface  42  of the middle portion  45  of the neck  35 . 
         [0017]    The neck  35  has a curvature from the left shoulder area  20  down to the middle portion  45  and up to the right shoulder area  21 . The neck  35  has a circumferential length along that curvature between the left and right shoulder areas  20  and  21 , and the middle portion  45  hangs at a distance H below the top  13 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The sash  50  has a length which is greater than the length of the neck  35 , and has a curvature from the end  51  at the left shoulder area  20  down and up to the end  52  at the right shoulder area  21 . The curvature of the sash  50  is larger than the curvature of the neck  35 , which means that the curvature is deeper and longer on the sash  50  than the neck  35 . The neck  35  and sash  50  are preferably constructed from the same materials having same the material characteristics, such as elasticity and fabric weight. The neck  35  and sash  50  also preferably are the same color or carry the same decorative pattern or ornamentation, such that the sash  50  is camouflaged and indistinguishable from the neck  35  when it is visible. In some embodiments, however, the sash  50  may have a heavier weight than the neck  35 , and less elasticity, which in part would cause it to hang below the neck  35  with a greater curvature. The sash  50  hangs to a distance S below the top  13 , which is further than the distance H. The distance S locates the sash  50  is above the nipples of the mother, on top of the breasts at the left and right breast areas  40  and  41 . 
         [0018]    With reference now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , the garment  10  is used to clothe the torso of a mother including her waist, breasts, back, shoulders, and arms. The garment  10  will preferably be worn over a bra, nursing bra, or bare skin, and one having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate as much. The garment  10  is advantageous in that, despite the fact that it is a breastfeeding garment useful for breastfeeding, the sash  50  lies flat underneath the front portion  22  of the shirt body  17  and is completely concealed and unnoticeable, so that the garment  10  appears as a conventional shirt from onlookers. Further, the garment  10  is advantageous in that the sash  50  is removable so that the garment  10  can be worn after the mother has ceased breastfeeding, allowing the mother to derive continued use from the garment  10 . To easily apply the garment  10  to the mother from a free condition, as shown in  FIG. 1 , to a worn, normal configuration on the torso of the mother, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the garment  10  is taken up, such as by hand, and the trunk opening  32  is held open so as to present the trunk opening  32  to receive the arms and head of the mother. The left and right arms are applied hands-first through the trunk opening  32  as the garment  10  is pulled downward in a longitudinal direction over the head of the mother. The left arm is passed through the left shoulder area  20  and through the arm opening  30 , and the right arm is passed through the right shoulder area  21  and through the arm opening  31 , as the mother continues to pull the garment  10  downward. The sash  50  is maintained in a forward position against the inner surface  42  of the front  11  of the garment  10 , preferably against the middle portion  45  of the neck  35 , so as to not interfere with application of the garment  10  to the mother&#39;s torso and not become entangled during application. The garment  10  is further advanced until the garment  10  is drawn over the breasts of the mother. The mother ensures that the sash  50  is located above and on top the breasts across the left and right breast areas  40  and  41 , and pulling continues to advance the trunk opening  32  over the waist. Pulling further continues until the trunk opening  32  is applied over the hips or between the hips and the waist, as the mother desires, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Although this process of moving the garment  10  from the free condition to the normal configuration is presented and described above as a series of sequential steps, one having ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that the application and arrangement of the garment  10  on the mother is preferably accomplished in a single, smooth, continuous motion. 
         [0019]    The garment  10  is thereby placed in the normal configuration with the mother&#39;s torso now received in the torso space  44 , and the neck  35  is placed below the mother&#39;s neck and above the mother&#39;s breasts, concealing the breasts. The middle portion  45  of the neck  35  extends across the mother&#39;s chest between her shoulders, and may drape or hang slightly for aesthetics and fashion at height H. The sash  50  is fully concealed by the front portion  22  of the shirt body  17  at the neck  35 . The sash  50 , hanging at height S, is behind and below the middle portion  45  of the neck  35 , and is disposed between the neck  35  and the mother&#39;s chest. The sash  50  lies flat against the mother&#39;s chest, with the inner surface of the sash  50  received in flat contact against the upper portion of the mother&#39;s breasts between ends  51  and  52 , and the outer surface  55  of the sash  50  against the inner surface  42  of the front  11  of the garment  10 . With the sash  50  laying flat against the mother, no wrinkles, creases, or bumps are formed in the sash  50  which may be seen through the front  11  of the garment  10 . The garment  10  thus appears to ordinary observers as a conventional top. 
         [0020]    The garment  10  is useful for providing a nursing child with quick access to the mother&#39;s breasts while maintaining modesty and coverage over the mother&#39;s breasts. When the mother is wearing the garment  10  and not breastfeeding, the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  is in a relaxed state at height H and above the breasts. When the mother needs to breastfeed the child, she sits and adjusts the garment  10  to the position shown in  FIG. 3 , which is herein referred to as a breastfeeding configuration. 
         [0021]    Arrangement of the garment  10  into the breastfeeding configuration will be discussed with respect to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The neck  35  is capable of being stretched, as shown in  FIG. 2  to a maximum circumference defined by the elastic material characteristics of shirt body  17 .  FIG. 2  depicts the neck  35  stretched to this maximum circumference. In this position, the neck  35  is below the sash  50 , exposing a wide slot between the lower edge  54  of the sash  50  and the upper edge  33  of the neck  35 . However, because of the elastic material characteristics, the neck  35  cannot be maintained in this position; the neck  35  is urged to return to its normal size and shape in the normal configuration of the garment  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0022]    To move the garment  10  into the breastfeeding configuration, the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  is taken up, such as by hand, and pulled over and then beyond either the left or right breast, just below the nipple. For the purposes of consistency with  FIG. 3 , the discussion will refer to the neck  35  being drawn beyond the right breast, but one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the neck  35  may be drawn over and beyond either; the middle portion  45  may be pulled to either the left or right breast to provide the child with nursing access to either the left or right breast. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the middle portion  45  is drawn to below the right breast at the right breast area  41 . The material characteristics of the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  allow the neck  35  to be stretched and drawn below the breast, and the shape-memory characteristics of the neck  35  allow the neck  35  to return to its original shape after breastfeeding. When drawn and released, the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  is constricted against the lower portion of the breast just below the nipple, and is held in place by the breast. When drawn to below the breast, the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  is at a distance H′ from the top  13  of the garment  10 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The height H′ is longer than the heights H and S, and as such, the sash  50  is exposed above the breast. The mother moves the middle portion  58  of the sash  50  to the right breast area  41  so that the sash  50  overlies the top of the right breast, just above the nipple. The sash  50  is partially exposed by the now downwardly-pulled neck  35  proximate to the right side  16  and is partially concealed by the neck  35  proximate to the left side  15 . An aperture or slit  60  is formed through the garment  10  between the neck  35  and sash  50  proximate to the right side  16  (not visible in  FIG. 3 ), at which slit  60  the nipple of the breast is exposed and made available for nursing. The slit  60  is a narrow, slender gap between the lower edge  54  of the sash  50  and the upper edge  33  of the neck  35 , and the slit  60  is so narrow that it closely reveals the nipple for the child to nurse at without exposing much other skin. 
         [0024]    When the neck  35  is extended beyond the right breast area  41  to expose the sash  50  under the front portion  22  of the shirt body  17  at the right breast area  41  as in  FIG. 3 , the middle portion  45  is pulled beyond the right breast and so the neck  35  is deformed toward the right breast. When this occurs, the left breast, at the left breast area  40 , is concealed. The maximum circumference of the neck  35  allows the neck  35  to be stretched so that the middle portion  45  is at and over the right breast area  41 , but the neck  35  will not simultaneously also extend beyond the left breast area  40 , due to the material characteristics of the neck  35  and the shirt body  17 , which prevent elastic stretching to that extent. Thus, only one breast can be exposed at at time while maintaining the slit  60  and proper arrangement of the garment  10  in the breastfeeding configuration as herein described. 
         [0025]    Generally, a mother will sit to breastfeed her child in a nursing position. In the nursing position, the mother will position the child across her lap or to her side, draw the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  down over and beyond the right breast, position the child&#39;s mouth over the nipple, adjust the sash  50  so that the bottom of the sash  50  is at or just above the child&#39;s head, and begin breastfeeding. In this nursing position, the sash  50  conceals the upper portion of the right breast above the nipple, the middle portion of the neck  35  conceals the right breast below the nipple, and the child&#39;s head conceals the nipple closely revealed by the slit  60 . The skin of the breast immediately around the nipple is not exposed, as the garment  10  provides substantial coverage of the entirety of the breast and still provides the child with access to the nipple. 
         [0026]    When the child has finished nursing or is ready to move to the other breast, the mother delatches the child from the nipple, and, while holding the child&#39;s head close to the mother, draws the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  back to conceal the breast, such as by taking the middle portion  45  up by hand and pulling it slightly out and over the breast. The shape-memory characteristics of the neck  35  move the neck  35  to its original position in the normal configuration of the garment  10 . The child is then adjusted, such as by picking the child up and reversing his or her position or by placing him or her on the mother&#39;s other side, and the process is repeated. The middle portion  45  of the neck  35  is drawn down beyond the other breast, the child&#39;s mouth is positioned over the nipple, and the sash  50  is adjusted so that the bottom of the sash  50  is at or just above the child&#39;s head. When breastfeeding has concluded, the middle portion  45  of the neck  35  is returned to its original position as described above. 
         [0027]    The present invention is described above with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made in the described embodiment without departing from the nature and scope of the present invention. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof.