Adjustable Nursing Bracelet for One-Handed Garment Securing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for holding a woman's garment during breastfeeding or pumping are often cumbersome, difficult to operate with one hand, and do not allow for easy switching between breasts or remembering which breast was last used.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable slidable nursing bracelet that encircles the wrist, forming a closed loop to hold the garment's bottom hem above the breast, allowing one-handed operation and easy repositioning without detaching from the garment, and serving as a reminder of which breast was last used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fastening device such as a pin or spring-loaded clip is used to hold the garment away from the breast, then the garment can be secured during breastfeeding or pumping, but the device may be uncomfortable near the child's face and difficult to operate with one hand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cord or lace as an intermediary element between the garment and the user's hand. This soft, flexible intermediary replaces hard fastening devices like pins and clips, allowing the garment to be secured comfortably near the child's face while enabling easy one-handed operation. The cord can be easily manipulated with one hand to tie and untie the garment during breastfeeding or pumping activities.
2Reliability
If a cord or lace is used to tie the garment, then the garment can be held away from the breast, but both hands are needed to operate the fastening device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic fastening system using a cord or lace that can be easily tied and untied with one hand. Unlike static fastening devices that require two hands to manipulate, the cord-based system allows for dynamic, flexible operation where the user can quickly secure or release the garment during breastfeeding or pumping activities while holding the child with both hands.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the neckline of the garment is small, then the garment structure is maintained, but the bottom hem cannot be pulled down far enough to expose the breast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent solves the limitation of a small neckline by operating in a different dimension - instead of trying to pull the garment down from the neckline (vertical dimension), the user pulls the bottom hem upward (horizontal dimension relative to the garment's hanging position). The cord or lace is threaded through the bottom hem and used to draw the garment upward away from the breast, effectively bypassing the neckline size constraint while maintaining the garment's overall structure.
4Ease of operation
If the bottom hem of the garment is pulled upwards to expose the breast, then the breast can be exposed for feeding, but the garment may fall downwards onto the child or interfere with the breast pump
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by using the cord or lace to pre-position and secure the garment's bottom hem in the desired location before breastfeeding or pumping begins. The cord is threaded through the bottom hem and tied to hold the garment upward, preventing it from falling down onto the child or interfering with the breast pump during the feeding process. This preliminary securing action ensures the garment remains in the correct position throughout the activity.
Data Source
AI summary
A nursing bracelet includes an adjustable elongate flexible band with a first fastener on a first side near a first end and a complementary second fastener on a second side opposite the first side at a second end. The nursing bracelet may be formed into a closed loop to hold a garment away from a woman's breast during breastfeeding or while using a breast pump to collect breast milk. The nursing bracelet may be worn on a wrist to remind a woman which breast was last used for breastfeeding a child or for collecting breastmilk, or alternately as a reminder about which breast is to be used for the next breastfeeding or breastmilk collection.