US20220071312A1 - Breast Adhesive - Google Patents

Abstract

An adhesive for securing a nipple shield to a breast. The breast adhesive includes a flexible member, having a front side and a rear side, wherein the rear side can secure to both a breast and a nipple shield simultaneously. The flexible member includes U-shape with a first end and a second end disposed opposite one another, such that the first end and the second end are symmetrical about a vertical axis. An outer perimeter of the flexible member includes a plurality of curved flanges therealong that adhere to a user's breast. In operation, an inner perimeter of the flexible member is positioned interior to an outer perimeter of the nipple shield and the outer perimeter of the flexible member is to be positioned exterior to the outer perimeter of the nipple shield. In this way, the nipple shield is secured to a mother while breastfeeding.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application claims the benefit of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 16/683,818 filed on Nov. 14, 2019, and U.S. Design Patent application Ser. No. 29/719,527 filed on Jan. 6, 2020. The above identified patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to an adhesive. More specifically, the present invention relates to an adhesive having a perimeter composed of a plurality of curved sections for securing a nipple shield to a breast.
• Many women who give birth prefer to naturally breastfeed their child. However, for some women natural breastfeeding can be difficult because of potential problems regarding their nipples' ability to easily allow milk to flow from the breast, or the child may have trouble latching on to the mother's nipple. In these instances, it can be helpful for the mother to use a nipple shield to aid her in breastfeeding. The nipple shield is designed to sit atop the breast, such that a nipple of the nipple shield is aligned with the nipple of the mother's breast; in this way, the nipple shield helps ensure the baby can properly breastfeed from their mother.
• However, often the nipple shield can be difficult to keep aligned, as it is necessary for the mother to use one hand to hold the nipple shield and the other to help the baby breastfeed. This can make the mother distracted and detract from the bonding process between the baby and the mother. Additionally, it may also lead to the child losing out on potential nutrients if the nipple shield is poorly aligned. Therefore, there exists a need for an adhesive designed to adhere a nipple shield to a breast, while not obstructing the breastfeeding process.
• In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements and methods from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement for a breast adhesive. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of breast adhesives now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new breast adhesive wherein the same can be utilized for securing a nipple shield to a breast.
• It is an objective of the present invention to provide a breast adhesive a flexible member, having a front side and a rear side, wherein the rear side is configured to adhere to both a breast and a nipple shield simultaneously. The flexible member comprises a U-shape with a first end and a second end disposed opposite one another, such that the first end and the second end are symmetrical about a vertical axis. A plurality of flanges are disposed along an outer perimeter of the flexible member. A gap is formed between each flange and configured to allow independent movement of each flange.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for securing a nipple shield to a breast comprising the steps of providing a flexible U-shaped member having a plurality of flanges forming an outer perimeter thereof; adhering an inner perimeter of the flexible member interior to an outer perimeter of the nipple shield and adhering the flanges of the outer perimeter of the flexible member exterior to the outer perimeter of the nipple shield. In this way, the nipple shield is secured to a mother while breastfeeding.
• It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved breast adhesive that has all of the advantages of the known art and none of the disadvantages.
• Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
• Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
• FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first embodiment of the breast adhesive.
• FIG. 2 shows a front view of a second embodiment of the breast adhesive.
• FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a third embodiment of the breast adhesive.
• FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the breast adhesive in use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the breast adhesive. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for securing a nipple shield to a breast. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
• Referring now toFIG. 1, there is shown a front view of a first embodiment of the breast adhesive. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield comprises aflexible member11 having afront side12 and a rear side. In the illustrated embodiment, theflexible member11 has a U-shape with afirst end13 and asecond end14, wherein thefirst end13 and thesecond end14 are symmetrical about avertical axis100. In this way, an apex of thefirst end13 and an apex of thesecond end14 are aligned with one another in the illustrated embodiment.
• Theflexible member11 has aninner perimeter15 and anouter perimeter16. Theinner perimeter15 and theouter perimeter16 are concentric about a common point. In this way, theinner perimeter15 has an inner radius, as measured from the common point to theinner perimeter15 and theouter perimeter16 has an outer radius, as measured from the common point to theouter perimeter16.
• In the illustrated embodiment, a tangent line of theinner perimeter15 is cotangent to a tangent line of theouter perimeter16, such that a distance between theinner perimeter15 and theouter perimeter16 is consistent between thefirst end13 and thesecond end14. However, in other embodiments, the distance between theinner perimeter15 and theouter perimeter16 may taper inwardly from the vertical axis towards thefirst end13 and thesecond end14, respectively.
• In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality offlanges18 form the outer perimeter, wherein each flange extends outwardly such that the plurality offlanges18 extend away from theouter perimeter16. In this way, theouter perimeter16 comprises a plurality of flanges. In the shown embodiment, one pair of theflanges18 includes a wing19, each wing19 disposed proximate to thefirst end13 and thesecond end14, respectively. In the shown embodiment, each wing19 has a rectangular shape, so as to adhere to the nipple shield effectively.
• Additionally, in the shown embodiment, theflanges18 extend intermittently along theouter perimeter16, such that eachflange18 is disposed evenly from one another with agap17 therebetween. In this way, theflexible member11 uses eachflange18 as an adhesive point to adhere to the nipple shield to the breast. In the illustrated embodiment, eachflange18 comprises a semi-circular shape, however in other embodiments, eachflange18 comprises a different shape configured to include thegap17 between a first andsecond flange18. Thegap17 formed between each flange is configured to allow for independent movement of each flange. In this way, when the flange is adhered to the breast, if the skin or nipple shield is jostled or moved in any way, the breast adhesive will not pull on a user's skin, preventing pain, discomfort, and irritation to the breast.
• In the shown embodiment, theinner perimeter15 of theflexible member11 is configured to be positioned interior to an outer perimeter of the nipple shield while theouter perimeter16 of theflexible member11 is configured to be positioned exterior to the outer perimeter of the nipple shield. In this way, the inner perimeter overlaps the nipple shield and the flanges of the outer perimeter overlap the breast, thereby aiding in adhering the nipple shield to the breast.
• Referring now toFIG. 2, there is shown a front view of a second embodiment of the breast adhesive. In some embodiments, atab31 is disposed along the nadir of the outer perimeter of the flexible member. Thetab31 is configured to facilitate removal of the breast adhesive after use. In the illustrated embodiment, thetab31 is rectangular and comprises a width and height great than a width and/or height of aflange32,33 extending from theouter perimeter18. In some embodiments, a rear side of thetab31 is void of adhesive backing. In this way, thetab31 is easily lifted from the skin with a pincer grasp or single finger after the mother has finished using her nipple shield.
• Referring now toFIG. 3, there is shown an exploded view of a third embodiment of the breast adhesive. In some embodiments, the breast adhesive is composed of a plurality of layers. In the illustrated embodiment, the breast adhesive is composed of three layers, wherein thefront side12 of theflexible member11 comprises a first layer, forming the topmost layer. In the shown embodiment, a second layer is anadhesive backing20, wherein theadhesive backing20 has an adhesive thereon such that it is configured to removably secure to a plurality of objects, such as the nipple shield and the breast. In the illustrated embodiment, theadhesive backing20 is coextensive with the flexible member, such that theadhesive backing20 comprises the rear side of the flexible member opposite thefront side12.
• In the shown embodiment, aremovable backing21 is removably secured to theadhesive backing20. In this way, theremovable backing21 can be removed immediately prior to use, thereby ensuring the adhesive on theadhesive backing20 is preserved until an individual decides to utilize the breast adhesive. In the illustrated embodiment, theremovable backing21 is coextensive with the flexible member. Theremovable backing21 comprises a same perimeter outline as the second layer in order to entirely cover the adhesive.
• In the shown embodiment, thefront side12 is composed of a waterproof material, such that any liquids disposed thereon do not soak through theflexible member11 to the nipple shield or breast. Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the flexible member is composed a bacteria resistant material, such that bacterial growth in inhibited on thefront side12, theadhesive backing20, and theremovable backing21.
• Referring now toFIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view of a third embodiment of the breast adhesive in use. A method of use for the breast adhesive includes placing thenipple shield70 atop the breast, such that the nipple of the nipple shield is aligned with the nipple of thebreast71. The method of use for the breast adhesive then includes removing the removable backing from the rear side of theflexible member11, and placing theflexible member11 atop thenipple shield70. In this way, theflexible member11 is disposed such that the inner perimeter of theflexible member11 is positioned interior to an outer perimeter of thenipple shield70 and the outer perimeter of theflexible member11 is positioned exterior to the outer perimeter of thenipple shield70. The user is then able to use herfingers71 to press the flanges along the outer perimeter of theflexible member11 to removably secure the breast adhesive to the nipple shield.
• Thus, the user is no longer confined to always use one hand to secure the nipple shield, and can instead use the breast adhesive to prevent the nipple shield from becoming dislodged during use. In this way, she is free to use both hands while nursing her child.
• It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
• Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

I claim:

1. A breast adhesive for a nipple shield, comprising:

a flexible member, having a front side and a rear side;

the flexible member having a U-shape with a first end and a second end disposed opposite one another;

the flexible member having an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter, wherein the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter are concentric about a common point;

a plurality of flanges forming the outer perimeter;

wherein the inner perimeter of the flexible member is configured to be positioned interior to an outer perimeter of the nipple shield and the outer perimeter of the flexible member configured to be positioned on a breast exterior to the outer perimeter of the nipple shield.

2. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein the rear side comprises an adhesive coating thereon, configured to removably secure to a plurality of objects.

3. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 2, further comprising a removable backing removably affixed to the rear side, such that the adhesive coating disposed on the rear side is preserved until the removable backing is removed.

4. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein the front side composed of a waterproof material.

5. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein the first end and the second end are symmetrical about a vertical axis.

6. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein one of the plurality of flanges serves as a tab extending from a nadir of the outer perimeter, wherein the nadir is disposed opposite to an open end of the flexible member.

7. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 6, wherein the tab is void of an adhesive backing.

8. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein each flange comprises a semi-circular shape.

9. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of flanges are formed continuously around the outer perimeter.

10. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein each flange is configured to move independently from one another.

11. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 1, wherein the distal ends of the breast adhesive are configured to be positioned above a nipple of the breast when secured to the nipple shield.

12. A breast adhesive for a nipple shield, comprising:

a flexible member, having a front side and a rear side;

the flexible member having a U-shape with a first end and a second end disposed opposite one another, wherein the first end and the second end are symmetrical about a vertical axis;

the flexible member having an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter, wherein the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter are concentric about a common point;

a plurality of flanges forming the outer perimeter, wherein each flange comprises a semi-circular shape;

wherein the plurality of flanges are formed continuously around the outer perimeter;

wherein the inner perimeter of the flexible member is configured to be positioned interior to an outer perimeter of the nipple shield and the outer perimeter of the flexible member configured to be positioned on a breast exterior to the outer perimeter of the nipple shield.

13. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 12, wherein the rear side comprises an adhesive coating thereon, configured to removably secure to a plurality of objects.

14. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 13, further comprising a removable backing removably affixed to the rear side, such that the adhesive coating disposed on the rear side is preserved until the removable backing is removed.

15. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 12, wherein the front side composed of a waterproof material.

16. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 12, wherein one of the plurality of flanges serves as a tab extending from a nadir of the outer perimeter, wherein the nadir is disposed opposite to an open end of the flexible member.

17. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 16, wherein the tab is void of an adhesive backing.

18. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 12, wherein each flange is configured to move independently from one another.

19. The breast adhesive for a nipple shield ofclaim 12, wherein the distal ends of the breast adhesive are configured to be positioned above a nipple of the breast when secured to the nipple shield.

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