An Improved Combined Abdominal Pad and Hose Support.
Year: 1899

page_text: Reprinted
as amended in accordance with the decision of the Comptroller-
General dated the 20th day of January 1909.
(The Amendments are shown in erased and italic type).
Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
An Improved Combined Abdominal Pad and Hose Support ".
I, ELLA FOSTER YOUNG of 3976 Cottage Grove Avenue in the City of Chicago,
County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My invention relates to abdominal pads and hose supporters and has for its
object to provide a device of this character which will serve not only to support
the hose in an efficient manner and in such a way as to avoid objections
attendant upon hose supporters as heretofore constructed, but will also serve to
aid in producing a proper carriage of the body of the wearer and in maintain-
ing the abdominal viscera in proper position.
To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features which I will now
proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of my improved hose supporter, the
elastic sections of the hose supporting straps their clasps and buckles omitted.
Figures 2 and 3 are views of the elastic sections of the straps with their clasps
and buckles; and
Figure 4 is a view showing a device applied to the person.
Referring more particularly to the said drawing, 65 indicates the abdominal
pad, which is a flat pad having a continuous integral body with a smooth un-
broken contact or bearing surface and of a size such as to cover the upper
central portion of the hypogastric region of the abdomen. This pad has secured
to its upper portion at one side thereof a strap 6, which is adapted to pass
around the waist of the wearer and to have its free end connected to the other
side of the pad 5, in any suitable manner, as, for example, by means of a
buckle 7, or other suitable fastening device, with which engages a short strap 8
connected to the upper portion of the pad 5 at that side thereof. This arrange-
ment brings the fastening device well to the front and renders it readily
accessible for connecting and disconnecting the same. To the bottom or lower
edge of the pad 5 are connected four hose supporting straps 9, 10, 11 and 12,
said straps being each provided with a clasp 13 at its lower end, suitably con-
structed to adapt it for engagement with the hose. Furthermore, in order to
adjust said straps as to their length, they are each preferably made in two
sections connected together by buckle clasps 14, so that the points of connection
between the lower sections 15 of said straps and the upper sections may be
Dies Q11

page_text: varied so as to regulate the length between the clasps 13 and the pad 5. I also
prefer to so construct these straps that each of them comprises an elastic sec-
tion, and, in the construction shown, the lower portion 15 of each strap is
made of elastic material.
In applying my improved abdominal pad and hose supporter, the pad is
placed in position with its center over the most prominent portion of the
abdomen, and the strap or band 6 is fastened around the waist in such a way
as to support the pad in this position, as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the
drawing. The outermost hose supporting straps 9 and 10 are then connected
to the top of the hose just inside of the knee, being in substantial parallelism
to each other, as shown in said Figure 3, 4 while the inside straps 11 and 12 are
passed over the outside straps and attached to the hose at the outside of the
knee, as clearly shown in said figure. The straps may obviously be lengthened
or shortened, as described, to adjust them to the requirements of each particular
case.
It will be seen that by reason of this construction the pull of the hose sup-
porting straps upon the pad serves not only to hold this latter firmly in position
and thereby depress the abdomen, and, while causing the chest to be thrown
out, prevent the corset from projecting or breaking at the waist line in front,
but also to exert a pull upon the belt at the back downward and forward, thus
tending to give an inward curvature to the spine at the waist line and to cause
the wearer to assume an upright position. Moreover, this particular mode of
connecting and locating the hose supporting straps obviates the disadvantage
attendant upon their connection at points above or back of the hips, since with
such a construction the straps draw over the hips and tend to chafe and cut the
person, a difficulty which is entirely obviated with the particular construction
which I have devised and which is shown in the accompanying drawing.
Although-I-have-shewn-and-described--a-belt--having-its--ends eonre-ted to the
upper-edge-of-the-pad-as-the-means-for-supporting the pad,-it-is-obvious-that-other
means-may-be-substituted-therefor. For example-:---The--apper-edge-of-the-pad
might-be-connected-by-a-suitable metallie-eateh -or- fastening-to-the-body-of-the
corset-or-to-one-of the-fastenings thereof,-and-I-de-not, therefore, limit-my-inven-
tion-to-a-belt-as-the-means-for-supporting-the-pad-in-position, although-the-belt-has
e-certain-advantage-sinee-by-its-use-the-red-may-be-adjusted-at-the-will--of-the
wearer-to-any-desired-position-and-the-bolt-alse-can-be-drawn-sufficiently-tight-to
decrease-the-size-of-the-body-
It will be further be observed that the pad is suspended from a band or strap
connected upheld-by-connections-made to its upper edge and that the hose straps
are connected to its lower edge. By reason of this form of connection the strain
upon the pad is exerted upon its opposite horizontal edges or in other words is
in substantially vertical lines.
My invention is to be distinguished from that class of devices known as
abdominal supporters and which are usually in the form of a belt or band
covering the entire or the greater portion of the abdomen. These devices are
usually provided with inelastic portions extending around the waist and com-
pression is effected by shortening the length of the bandage. These abdominal
belts or bandages are effective in reducing the diameter of the body but the
pressure is, of course. greatest on the longest axis which varies widely in
different persons. With such devices the pressure is distributed and cannot be
localized over a particular area.
My device operates upon a different principle and is intended for a different
purpose. It comprises a pad capable of effecting the repression of a particular
part of the body and the pressure is localized instead of being distributed. The
hose supporter co-operates in securing the result or object sought in the employ-
ment of the pad by affording means for straining the pad over the region to be
repressed and by reason of the peculiar arrangement of the connections of the
hose supporting straps the pad is prevented from lateral displacement.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is:-
1. In a combined abdominal pad and hose supporter, the combination with a
flat abdominal pad having a continuous integral body with a smooth unbroken
bearing or contact surface and of a size about equal to that of the upper central
portion of the hypogastric region, of a support in the form of a band or strap
attached to said pad at its upper edge and hose supporting straps attached to
the lower edge of said pad, whereby in use strain is applied to said pad in
substantially vertical lines and the pressure is localized, substantially as
described.
2. In a combined abdominal pad and hose supporter, the combination with a
continuous lateral integral flat body having a smooth, unbroken bearing or con-
tact surface, of a strap secured to the upper edge portion of said pad and
adapted to pass around the body and having a fastening for attaching it to
the upper edge of the pad, hose supporting straps secured to the outer lower
edge of said pad, extending thence downward in substantial parallelism and
adapted to be connected to the hose on the inner side of the leg and the other
longer hose supporting straps secured to the lower edge of the pad between the
first mentioned hose supporting straps and adapted to be carried outward across
them and to be secured to the hose on the outer side of the leg, substantially as
described.
Dated this 5th day of December. 1899
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.
Agents for the Applicant.