Abstract:
A nursing enclosure which protects the modesty of a nursing mother and provides a nursing child with a defined enclosure separating it from the immediate environment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to devices useful to protect the modesty of a nursing mother and to provide a nursing child with a defined enclosure separating it from the immediate environment. 
   Prior art devices for such use by nursing mothers are almost all of the bib type wherein a panel of material is secured around the mother&#39;s neck and draped over the nursing child. The present invention, which is secured around the neck of the nursing mother, not only drapes over the nursing child, but provides means for enclosing the mother&#39;s arms and, in so doing, more fully encapsulates the child, separating it from the immediate environment. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In the present invention, an enclosure is formed by a fabric front panel having dimensions sufficient to extend from the area of the nursing mother&#39;s neck to the area of her waist, which is bordered by a neckline edge, a bottom edge and two spaced-apart side edges extending from the neck edge to the bottom edge. A fabric back panel extends from the side edges and the bottom edge and terminates in an elastic expandable, generally u-shaped back panel edge. A pair of straps extending from either end of the neckline edge provide a means for securing the enclosure of the invention around the mother&#39;s neck. 
   Once the enclosure of the invention is secured around the neck of the nursing mother and the nursing child is cradled in one of the mother&#39;s arms, the expandable edge of the back panel is drawn around the back of the mother&#39;s supporting arm and then around the other arm so that both arms and the nursing child are covered by the front panel, which is held in place by the elasticity of the back panel expandable edge. 
   By securing the neckline edge around the mother&#39;s neck loosely, the nursing child can be easily observed by the mother by using the free hand to gently push the neckline edge away from the mother&#39;s neck area. 
   Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric enclosure for a nursing baby which protects the mother&#39;s modesty and provides the child with an enclosure that separates it from the immediate environment. 
   This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of the enclosure of the present invention showing the front panel and the securing straps; 
       FIG. 2  is a back view of the enclosure of the present invention showing the back panel and its expandable, generally u-shaped edge; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the invention taken along the lines  3 — 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a front perspective drawing of a nursing mother and nursing child with the nursing enclosure of the present invention deployed; and 
       FIG. 5  is a side view showing the enclosure of the present invention deployed in connection with a nursing mother and a nursing child. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , the enclosure  11  has a fabric front panel  12  having dimensions sufficient to extend from the area of a woman&#39;s neck to the area of her waist and bordered by a neckline edge  13 , a bottom edge  14  and spaced-apart side edges  16  and  17  which extend from neckline edge  13  to bottom edge  14 . While the fabric front panel  12  is illustrated as having a generally rectangular shape, which is the preferred embodiment, variations of that shape, including round and oval, will not depart from the scope of the invention, as will be readily appreciated from what follows. A cuff  18  extending from the neckline edge  14  is a common way to finish the neckline, although it is not essential to the invention. 
   Extending from either end of neckline  13  are securing straps  21  and  22  which provide a means for securing the enclosure  11  around the neck of a nursing mother, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
   The straps  21  and  22  can be secured by simply tying in a bow or the like, as shown in  FIG. 5 , or can include any other well known securing means, such as Velcro, snaps, loop and hook, buttons, etc. Whatever securing means are used in connection with straps  21  and  22 , they should permit the neckline  13  to hang loosely about the neck of the nursing mother so that it can be pushed away from the mother&#39;s neck in order for the mother to observe the nursing child, as best illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , a fabric back panel  26  extends from the side edges  16  and  17  and bottom edge  14  of front panel  12 . The back panel  26  terminates in a generally u-shaped edge  27  which is elastically expandable. The elastically expandable character of the back panel edge  27  is formed by any one of several known ways for making the edge of a fabric piece expandable, such as by sewing into the edge an elastic band while gathering the edge during the sewing. In this way, the edge  27  can expand when drawn over an object, such as the arms of a nursing mother, and then contract to hold the enclosure in place. 
   In the preferred embodiment, the front panel  12  and the back panel  26  are formed from the same piece of fabric and are therefore contiguous. Thus, while the invention has been described as having side edge  16  and  17  and bottom edge  14 , in order to describe the front and back panels of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that no discernable edges  14 ,  16  or  17  may exist when the front and back panels are sewn from a single piece of fabric. 
   As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the elasticity of the back panel edge  27  causes its lower portion  27   a  to be drawn up above the bottom edge  14  and its side portions  27   b  and  27   c  to be drawn inward of side edges  17  and  16 , respectively, to form a pouch  31 . 
   As best seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the enclosure  11  is secured around the neck  32  of a nursing mother  33  cradling a nursing baby  34  in her right arm  36 , and the back panel edge  27  is drawn around and secured behind arm  36  and the left arm  37 , the child  34  is contained within the pouch area  31  and thereby more securely separated from the immediate environment than it would be if the enclosure  11  were of the drape type and terminated at the front panel edges  14 ,  16  and  17 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , by securing the enclosure  11  loosely around the neck  32  of the nursing mother  33 , the neckline edge  13  can be pushed outwardly by the non-baby supporting arm  37  so that the nursing mother  33  can easily view the nursing child  34 . 
   While numerous fabrics are suitable for making the invention, including cotton, wool, silk, linen, synthetics, blends and combinations thereof, in one preferred embodiment, the fabric is light weight cotton which is easily laundered and reducible to a small package which is convenient to carry. 
   Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. As such, it is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.