The present invention relates generally to clothing accessories for women.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a brassiere for women with
children who are addicted to breastfeeding and/or are reluctant to receive
5 nourishment through other means than breastfeeding.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Milk of a lactating mother offers several benefits to a newborn child,
including supply of nutrients in a form that is easy to digest for a newborn child
and several antibodies that the immune system of the child may not be able to
10 generate on its own, in the early stages of development. However, breastfeeding is
generally recommended up to the age of twelve months for a child, post which the
child needs to gradually transition to animal milk, such as that extracted from
cows, buffaloes, sheep, and goats, etc., or formula milk that is prepared by a
predesigned concoction of nutrients, in powdered form, adapted to be dissolved in
15 water to generate the formula milk.
[0003] While most children can make the transition to other sources of nutrition,
post the age of twelve months, some find the process difficult either due to
addiction with breast milk and/or due to reluctance or skepticism towards what at
that time would be a rather unknown source of nutrition. Such addiction and/or
20 reluctance, however, pose several challenges to a mother. Naturally, the milk
production within the body of the mother ceases after a finite amount of time,
causing a lack of nutrition available for the child. Moreover, it might not be
possible for the mother to be available for breastfeeding at every whim of the
addicted child. There is also an element of physical injury, especially after the
25 child has grown teeth, in addition to social embarrassment for the mother
encountering such a situation.
[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a solution that solves or at least
partially ameliorates the challenges for the mother in such a situation as discussed
in the aforementioned discussion.
3
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the
disadvantages of the prior art by providing a nursing brassiere that mimics the
mammary glands of a woman.
5 [0006] Another object of the present invention is that the aforementioned nursing
brassiere is convenient to wear, use and recycle.
[0007] Also, an object of the present invention is that the aforementioned nursing
brassiere is safe and hygienic to use for both the mother and the child.
[0008] The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will become
10 readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the
embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
nursing brassiere for feeding fluids to a child, the nursing brassiere comprising a
15 first cup including a first reservoir, a first fluid inlet, and a first fluid outlet, the
first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet being fluidically connected with the first
reservoir, wherein the first reservoir is adapted to store the fluid received through
the first fluid inlet and dispense the fluid through the first fluid outlet, a second
cup including a second reservoir, a second fluid inlet, and a second fluid outlet,
20 the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet being fluidically connected with
the second reservoir, wherein the second reservoir is adapted to store the fluid
received through the second fluid inlet and dispense the fluid through the second
fluid outlet. Also, the first and the second fluid inlets are located at respective
upper portions of the first and the second cups, respectively, and the first and the
25 second fluid outlets are adapted to be conforming in shape and locations of
nipples of mammary glands of a user.
[0010] In one embodiment of the invention, the first fluid inlet and the second
fluid inlet have been provided with a first valve and a second valve, respectively.
4
[0011] In one embodiment of the invention, the nursing brassiere comprises a
conduit fluidically connecting the first and the second reservoirs, the conduit
being adapted to allow transfer of the fluids between the first and the second
reservoirs.
5 [0012] In one embodiment of the invention, the first and the second reservoirs are
fluidically connected with a pump adapted to create at least a partial vacuum
within the first and the second reservoirs.
[0013] In one embodiment of the invention, the first and the second reservoirs are
made up of food-grade silicone materials.
10 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the present
invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the
invention, briefly summarized above, may have been referred by embodiments,
some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however,
15 that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention
and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may
admit to other equally effective embodiments.
[0015] These and other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like reference
20 numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
[0016] Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a nursing brassiere for feeding
fluids to a child, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] Fig. 2 illustrates a front view of the nursing brassiere of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
25 [0018] While the present invention is described herein by way of example using
embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that
the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described
5
and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further,
some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in
certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the
embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and
5 the detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the
particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all
modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claim.
[0019] As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a
10 permissive sense (i.e. meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory
sense, (i.e. meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and
the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned.
Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein are solely used for
descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language
15 such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and
variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed
thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not
intended to exclude other additives, components, integers, or steps. Likewise, the
term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or
20 "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents, acts,
materials, devices, articles, and the like are included in the specification solely for
the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or
represented that any or all these matters form part of the prior art base or were
common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.
25 [0020] In this disclosure, whenever a composition or an element or a group of
elements is preceded with the transitional phrase “comprising”, it is understood
that we also contemplate the same composition, element, or group of elements
with transitional phrases “consisting of”, “consisting”, “selected from the group of
consisting of, “including”, or “is” preceding the recitation of the composition,
30 element or group of elements and vice versa.
6
[0021] The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments
with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein reference numerals used in
the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the
description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms
5 and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather,
the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete
and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the
following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various
aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be
10 treated as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In
addition, several materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the
implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not
intended to limit the scope of the invention.
[0022] In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, a nursing brassiere is
15 being proposed, which includes fluid reservoirs in the cups of the brassiere for
storing fluids that are envisaged to be fed to an otherwise reluctant child or a child
addicted to breastfeeding. Such fluids may include, but are not limited to, animal
milk, formula milk, Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS), medicinal solutions,
sterile water, and combinations thereof. In addition, unlike normally available
20 brassieres, the proposed nursing brassieres are envisaged to include nipples with
fluid outlets, for the brassieres to mimic mammary glands of a mother, to the child
being fed. Referring to the drawings, the invention will now be described in more
detail.
[0023] Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a nursing brassiere 100 for feeding
25 a fluid to a child, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As
illustrated in Fig. 1, the nursing brassiere 100 includes a first cup 102 and a
second cup 112. The first cup 102 includes a first reservoir 104 (shown by dashed
lines). A first fluid inlet 106, and a first fluid outlet 108 have also been provided
with the first cup 102. The first fluid inlet 106 and the first fluid outlet 108 are
30 fluidically connected with the first reservoir 104. In that manner, the first reservoir
7
104 is adapted to store the fluid received through the first fluid inlet 106 and
dispense the fluid through the first fluid outlet 108. Similarly, the second cup 112
includes a second reservoir 114 (shown by dashed lines). A second fluid inlet 116,
and a second fluid outlet 118 have also been provided with the second cup 112.
5 The second fluid inlet 116 and the second fluid outlet 118 are fluidically
connected with the second reservoir 114. In that manner, the second reservoir 114
is adapted to store the fluid received through the second fluid inlet 116 and
dispense the fluid through the second fluid outlet 118.
[0024] Further, it has been illustrated in Fig. 1, that the first 104 and the second
10 114 reservoirs have been located internally between an outer layer 101 of fabric
and an inner layer 103 of the fabric of the nursing brassiere 100. In that regard, the
inner layer 103 is envisaged to be in contact with the mammary glands of a user,
while the outer layer 101 is envisaged to be directed towards the ambient. In
several embodiments, it is envisaged that the outer layer 101 may be dyed or
15 colored to mimic the skin color of the user, for making the nursing brassiere more
acceptable to the child during feeding. It is further envisaged that the first 104 and
the second 114 reservoirs be made up of food-grade silicone materials. The
silicone materials while being soft and pliable, also inherently have resistance to
degradation due to temperature and several chemicals, thereby preventing the
20 stored fluid from being contaminated or disintegrated, while also providing
comfort to the user wearing the nursing brassiere 100.
[0025] Further, the first cup 102 has been provided with a first nipple 110 and the
second cup 112 has been provided with a second nipple 120 to mimic the
mammary glands of the user. In that regard, the first fluid outlet 108 is located at
25 an ambient facing end of the first nipple 110 and the second fluid outlet 118 is
located at an ambient facing end of the second nipple 120. As a consequence, the
first 108 and the second 118 fluid outlets are adapted to be conforming in shape
and locations of nipples of the mammary glands of the user. In several
embodiments of the invention, such as the one illustrated in Fig. 1, a conduit 122
30 fluidically connects the first 104 and the second 114 reservoirs. The conduit 122
8
has been adapted to allow transfer of the fluids between the first 104 and the
second 114 reservoirs, to maintain a continuous flow of the fluid, should the level
of fluid drop in one of the first 104 and the second 114 reservoirs during the
utilization of the nursing brassiere 100.
5 [0026] In several embodiments of the invention, the first 104 and the second 114
reservoirs are fluidically connected with a pump 124 adapted to create at least a
partial vacuum within the first 104 and the second 114 reservoirs. The partial
vacuums will ensure a negative pressure within the first 104 and the second 114
reservoirs, thereby preventing the fluid from escaping into the ambient. The pump
10 124 in that regard may be made up of exceptionally lightweight materials and
maybe relatively miniature so as not to cause discomfort to the user. The vibration
that may be caused due to the operation of the pump 124 may be damped by
layers of fabric constituting a major portion of the materials used in the nursing
brassiere 100. The nursing brassiere 100 also includes several straps 126,
15 adjusting clips 128, and a locking buckle 130 for fastening the nursing brassiere
100 onto the body of the user.
[0027] Fig. 2 illustrates a front view of the nursing brassiere 100 of Fig. 1. It has
been illustrated in Fig. 2, that the first 106 and the second 116 fluid inlets are
located at respective upper portions of the first 102 and the second 112 cups.
20 Moreover, the first fluid inlet 106 and the second fluid inlet 116 have been
provided with a first valve 210 and a second valve 220, respectively. In several
embodiments of the invention, the first 210 and the second 220 valves are
envisaged to be non-return valves. The first 102 and the second 112 cups are
further envisaged to be connected through a stretchable fabric 230 allowing the
25 nursing brassiere to be comfortably and snugly worn by the user.
[0028] The position of the first 106 and the second 116 fluid inlets, and
consequently, the first 210 and the second 220 valves at the respective upper
portions of the first 102 and the second 112 cups ensures that the fluid, stored
inside the first 104 and the second 114 reservoirs, does not leak from the inlet
30 side. Also, the first 210 and the second 220 valves are envisaged to act as
9
breathers, since when a child will draw milk through suction from the first nipple
110 or the second nipple 120 the partial vacuum inside the first 102 and the
second 112 cups would not allow extraneous amounts of the fluid to spill out.
[0029] Installing the first 210 and the second 220 valves at the respective upper
5 portions of the first 102 and the second 112 cups would also facilitate the air to
easily come out and go into the first 104 and the second 114 reservoirs allowing
proper functioning and ventilation of the nursing brassiere 100. The first 210 and
the second 220 valves may also be used for washing, flushing, and/or cleaning of
the nursing brassiere 100 for maintaining proper hygiene. Moreover, the location
10 of the first 210 and the second 220 valves at the respective upper portions of the
first 102 and the second 112 cups would keep the first 210 and the second 220
valves away from the bodies of the user as well as the child, and interference with
the first 210 and the second 220 valves can be easily avoided, and nursing of the
child may be performed comfortably.
15 [0030] Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled
in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles
associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other
embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the 5
embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing
20 the broadest scope consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive
features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to
hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within
the scope of the present invention and appended claims.

We Claim:
1. A nursing brassiere (100) for feeding fluids to a child, the nursing
brassiere (100) comprising:
a first cup (102) including a first reservoir (104), a first fluid inlet
5 (106), and a first fluid outlet (108), the first fluid inlet (106), and the first
fluid outlet (108) being fluidically connected with the first reservoir (104),
wherein the first reservoir (104) is adapted to store the fluid received
through the first fluid inlet (106) and dispense the fluid through the first
fluid outlet (108);
10 a second cup (112) including a second reservoir (114), a second
fluid inlet (116), and a second fluid outlet (118), the second fluid inlet
(116), and the second fluid outlet (118) being fluidically connected with
the second reservoir (114), wherein the second reservoir (114) is adapted
to store the fluid received through the second fluid inlet (116) and dispense
15 the fluid through the second fluid outlet (118); and
wherein the first (106) and the second (116) fluid inlets are located
at respective upper portions of the first (102) and the second (112) cups,
respectively, and the first (108) and the second (118) fluid outlets are
adapted to be conforming in shape and locations of nipples of mammary
20 glands of a user.
2. The nursing brassiere (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first fluid
inlet (106) and the second fluid inlet (108) have been provided with a first
valve (210) and a second valve (220), respectively.
3. The nursing brassiere (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a conduit
25 (122) fluidically connecting the first (104) and the second reservoirs (114),
the conduit (122) being adapted to allow transfer of the fluid between the
first (104) and the second (114) reservoirs.
11
4. The nursing brassiere (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first (104)
and the second (114) reservoirs are fluidically connected with a pump
(124) adapted to create at least a partial vacuum within the first (104) and
the second (114) reservoirs.
5 5. The nursing brassiere (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first (104)
and the second (114) reservoirs are made up of food-grade silicone
materials.