Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Garment With Interior Surface Indicator
BACKGROUND
There are many types of protective garments designed to provide barrier
properties. Such protective apparel keeps clothing clean and keeps dirt and
other
residue off of the wearer's skin. For a variety of reasons, it is undesirable
for
hazardous liquids and/or pathogens that may be carried by liquids to pass
through
protective apparel. It is also highly desirable to use protective apparel to
isolate
persons from dusts, powders, and other particulates that may be present in a
work
place or accident site. Conversely, in cleanroom, critical manufacturing, and
surgical
environments, the protective apparel protects the environment from dust and
debris
that may otherwise be carried into the environment by the wearer. For example,
in
aseptic manufacturing, various components are sterile when introduced to the
aseptic environment and are assembled in the aseptic environment such that the
resultant assembled article need not be sterilized. Such a manufacturing
process
is often found within the manufacturing and packaging of certain
pharmaceuticals.
Similar critical environments are also found in other areas such as certain
surgical
environments.
Protective garments utilized in such various environments are generally made
from protective sheet materials that are designed to minimally keep the wearer
clean
and optimally provide some degree of comfort to the wearer. In more critical
environments, such garment materials are typically designed to prevent
contaminants and/or chemicals from contacting the wearer. Additionally, in
critical
manufacturing and surgical environments, such garments are designed and
processed to substantially eliminate particles, dust and free fibers that may
contaminate the work environment. To optimally provide such protection, such
garments and their materials of construction are often designed to have
specific
interior and exterior surfaces. If incorrectly donned, such garments may not
provide
the wearer (or the particular environment) with the desired protection.
While correct donning of garments is seemingly simple, the nature of such
protective garments often makes the task difficult and cumbersome. Commonly,
garments such as protective coveralls are provided to the wearer in a compact
folded configuration in which the interior and exterior surface are often
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indistinguishable. Further compounding the issue is the fact that such
garments are
often a single color of material which makes distinguishing interior and
exterior
surfaces and distinguishing between the various components of the garment
difficult.
Finally, protective coveralls are relatively large in relation to the wearer
such that the
wearer often does not have a clear view of the entire garment while holding
the
garment at any one specific point.
Often tags are associated with the neck openings of such protective
garments (as well as with many other articles of clothing) to relay
information such
as sizing, branding, country of origin, or the like. Often such tags are
pieces of
materials attached proximate the neck opening or on a seam within the recesses
of
the garment. In some instances, such tags are merely printed on the interior
surface
of the garment proximate the neck opening. However, all such tags are
relatively
small (generally, much smaller than about 50 square centimeters) in comparison
to
the square area of material of the garment on which such a tag is utilized.
Such
small tag size helps avoid the potential discomfort of a tag on the neck of a
wearer,
but is also makes it difficult to locate such tags within the larger context
of the entire
garment. Depending on placement of such tags within the garment, how the user
grasps the garment when donning, and/or how the garment is provided to the
user
in a folded configuration, such relatively small tags may not be easily
viewable such
that the wearer can quickly and easily distinguish the interior surface from
the
exterior surface of the garment.
Such difficulties in determining the interior surface and the exterior surface
can be frustrating to the wearer and increase the amount of time used in
donning
such garments. While such donning frustration may be a mere inconvenience in
many industrial manufacturing environments, in cleanrooms, critical
manufacturing,
and surgical environments, such issues are critical.
Due to the critical, sterile character of cleanroom manufacturing and
surgical environments, stringent protocols regarding apparel and apparel
donning
are followed such that no contaminants, including things such as dead skin and
natural bacteria which may be present on workers' skin, are not accidentally
transferred to the product or patient that the environment is structured to
protect.
To prevent such contamination, workers don head-to-toe coverage, including
booties, gloves, and coveralls, to protect the environment. To ensure
cleanliness,
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workers undergo extensive training regarding the donning of such garments. The
worker is careful to don such garments without touching exterior surfaces of
the
garment while being careful that the garment does not touch the floor or other
surfaces. If either occurs, the worker must obtain another, uncontaminated,
garment to don. Such workers are not able to merely manipulate the garment to
determine which is the interior surface; they must be able to determine which
is the
interior surface before they first touch such garments.
Additionally, workers typically change their coveralls once a day, or every
other day, depending on the requirements or standards of their respective
industry.
In some situations, workers may change their protective apparel even more
frequently. After use, it can be quite costly to decontaminate, clean, and/or
sterilize
protective apparel after it has been used. Thus, it is often important that
the
protective apparel be inexpensive so as to be a disposable or limited-use
garment.
Generally speaking, protective coveralls are made from barrier
materials/fabrics
engineered to be relatively impervious to liquids and/or particulates as well
as being
low-linting. The materials used, the garment design, and garment manufacturing
are
all important factors affecting the costs of such garments. Desirably, all of
these
factors should be suited for the manufacture of protective garment, such as
coveralls, at such low cost that it may be economical to discard the garment,
if
necessary, after only a single use.
DEFINITIONS
As used herein, the term "nonwoven-based material" or "nonwoven web"
refers to a material or web that has a structure of individual fibers or
filaments which
are interlaid, but not in an identifiable repeating manner. Nonwoven webs have
been, in the past, formed by a variety of processes known to those skilled in
the art
such as, for example, meltblowing, spunbonding and bonded carded web
processes.
As used herein, the terms "sheet" and "sheet material" shall be
interchangeable and in the absence of a word modifier, refer to a material
that may
be a film, nonwoven web, woven fabric or knit fabric, or laminates made from
such
materials.
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As used herein, the term "machine direction" (hereinafter "MD") refers to the
planar dimension of a material web, which is in the direction of a material
parallel
to its forward direction during processing. The term "cross-machine direction"
(hereinafter "CD") refers to the planar dimension of a material, which is in
the
direction that is generally perpendicular to the machine direction.
As used herein, the term "liquid resistant" refers to material having a
hydrostatic head of at least about 25 centimeters as determined in accordance
with
the standard hydrostatic pressure test AATCCTM No. 1998 with the following
exceptions: (1) the samples are larger than usual and are mounted in a
stretching
frame that clamps onto the cross-machine direction ends of the sample, such
that
the samples may be tested under a variety of stretch conditions (e.g., 10%,
20%,
30%, 40% stretch); and (2) the samples are supported underneath by a wire mesh
to prevent the sample from sagging under the weight of the column of water.
As used herein, the term "breathable" refers to the air permeability of a
material, and specifically to a material having a Frazier porosity of at least
about 25
cubic feet per minute per square foot (cfm/ft2). For example, the Frazier
porosity of
a breathable material may be from about 25 to more than 45 cfm/ft2. The
Frazier
porosity is determined utilizing a Frazier Air Permeability Tester available
from the
Frazier Precision Instrument Company. The Frazier porosity is measured in
accordance with Federal Test Method 5450, Standard No. 191A, except that the
sample size is 8" X 8" instead of 7" X 7".
As used herein, the term "particle resistant" refers to a fabric having a
useful
level of resistance to penetration by particulates. Resistance to penetration
by
particulates may be measured by determining the air filter retention of dry
particles
and can be expressed as particle holdout efficiency. More specifically,
particle
hold-out efficiency refers to the efficiency of a material at preventing the
passage
of particles of a certain size range through the material. Particle holdout
efficiency
may be measured by determining the air filter retention of dry particles
utilizing
tests such as, for example, IBR Test Method No. E-217, Revision G (1/15/91)
performed by InterBasic Resources, Inc. of Grass Lake, Michigan. Generally
speaking, high particle holdout efficiency is desirable for barrier
materials/fabrics.
Desirably, a particle resistant material should have a particle holdout
efficiency of at
least about 40 percent for particles having a diameter greater than about 0.1
micron.
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As used herein, the term "elastomeric" refers to a material or composite
which can be extended or elongated by at least 25% of its relaxed length and
which will recover, upon release of the applied force, at least 10% of its
elongation.
It is generally preferred that the elastomeric material or composite be
capable of
being elongated by at least 100%, recover at least 50% of its elongation. An
elastomeric material is thus stretchable and "stretchable", "elastomeric", and
"extensible" may be used interchangeably.
As used herein, the terms "elastic" or "elasticized" means that property of a
material or composite by virtue of which it tends to recover towards its
original size
and shape after removal of a force causing a deformation.
As used herein, the term "disposable" is not limited to single use articles
but
also refers to articles that are so relatively inexpensive to the consumer
that they
can be discarded if they become soiled or otherwise unusable after only one or
a
few uses.
As used herein, the term "garment" refers to protective garments and/or
shields including for example, but not limited to surgical gowns, patient
drapes, work
suits, coveralls, jumpers, aprons, and the like.
As used herein, the term "coverall(s)" refers to a relatively loose fitting,
one-
piece, protective garment that can be worn over other articles of clothing and
protects substantial areas of a wearer's body, typically, from the neck region
over
the trunk of the body and out to the ends of extremities, such as a wearer's
wrists
and ankles, which sometimes may include the hands and feet. In some
embodiments, the garment may include an attached head cover, such as a hood,
or
integrated gloves and socks, boots, or other footwear.
As used herein, the term "polymer" generally includes, but is not limited to,
homopolymers, copolymers, such as, for example, block, graft, random and
alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc. and blends and modifications
thereof.
Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically limited, the term "polymer" shall
include
all possible geometrical configurations of the material. These configurations
include,
but are not limited to, isotactic, syndiotactic and random symmetries.
As used herein, the term "consisting essentially of" does not exclude the
presence of additional materials which do not significantly affect the desired
characteristics of a given composition or product. Exemplary materials of this
sort
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would include, without limitation, pigments, antioxidants, stabilizers,
surfactants,
waxes, flow promoters, particulates or materials added to enhance ability to
process
of a composition.
As used herein, the term "couple" or "affix" includes, but is not limited to,
joining, connecting, fastening, linking, or associating two things integrally
or
interstitially together. As used herein, the term "releaseably affix(ed)"
refers to two
or more things that are stably coupled together and are at the same time
capable
of being manipulated to uncouple the things from each another.
As used herein, the terms "configure" or "configuration" means to design,
arrange, set up, or shape with a view to specific applications or uses. For
example:
a military vehicle that was configured for rough terrain; configured the
computer by
setting the system's parameters.
As used herein, the term "substantially" refers to something which is done to
a great extent or degree; for example, "substantially covered" means that a
thing is
at least 95% covered.
As used herein, the term "alignment" refers to the spatial property
possessed by an arrangement or position of things in a straight line or in
parallel
lines.
As used herein, the terms "orientation" or "position" used interchangeably
herein refer to the spatial property of a place where or way in which
something is
situated; for example, "the position of the hands on the clock."
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the problems discussed above, a need exists for an inexpensive
protective garment that allows for a wearer to easily identify the interior
surface of
the garment and to don the garment without touching the exterior of the
garment.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the problem of garment donning is
eased by a protective garment that is provided to the wearer including indicia
on
the interior surface in a position that is easily visible to wearer when the
garment is
in the folded configuration and during donning of such a garment.
The present disclosure is directed to a protective garment with an interior
and exterior surface, front and back sides, a neck opening, and a body section
having upper, central and lower portions. A pair of legs extends from the
lower
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portion and a pair of sleeves extends from at least the upper portion. At
least one
surface indicia is positioned on the interior surface of the central portion
of the
garment. In some embodiments, such a garment may be a part of a packaged
garment in which such a garment is configured in a folded configuration,
within a
packaging member, and the packaging member is sealed.
The present disclosure is also directed to a method of preparing a protective
garment for donning. The method includes the steps of providing a garment
having
at least one surface indicia positioned on an interior surface of the garment
and
folding the garment into a folded configuration, in which the interior surface
of the
garment is present on the outer surface of the folded configuration such that
a
wearer may grasp the garment by the interior surfaces without touching the
exterior surface of the garment. Additionally, the surface indicia is present
on the
outer surface of the folded configuration such that the wearer may easily
identify
the interior surface.
The present disclosure is also directed to a protective coverall having a
first
body half and second body half; each half is made of a seamless sheet of
material.
The second body half is substantially the mirror image of the first body half.
Each
body half includes 1) a body portion with a first edge and second edge, 2) a
sleeve
portion, and 3) a leg portion. A closure means joins the first edges of each
body
portion on each body half and a vertical back seam joins the second edges of
each
body portion on each body half. Additionally, the vertical back seam includes
a
binding strip that further includes a surface indicia.
Finally, the present disclosure is also directed to a protective garment
having
interior and exterior surfaces, an upper portion, a central portion, and a
neck
opening defined by the upper portion. The garment further includes at least
one
surface indicia positioned on the interior surface of the central portion of
the
garment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of an exemplary protective garment according
to the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of an exemplary protective garment according
to the present disclosure.
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FIG. 3 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.
FIG. 4 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.
FIG. 5 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.
FIG. 6 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.
FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of an exemplary protective garment according
to the present disclosure, where the closure means is opened to show the
interior
surface of the garment.
FIG. 8 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.
FIGS. 9 ¨ 15 illustrate exemplary steps in preparing an exemplary protective
garment for donning by folding the garment into a folded configuration and
packaging the folded configuration of the garment.
Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates a top plan view of the back side of an
exemplary protective garment with the sleeves and legs in a shortened
configuration;
FIG. 10 illustrates a top plan view of the garment of FIG. 9 after the
shortened sleeves and shortened legs have been folded on to the back side of
the
garment;
FIG. 11 illustrates a top plan view of the folded garment of FIG. 10 after
folding the folded garment of FIG. 10 lengthwise;
FIG. 12 illustrates a top plan view of the folded garment of FIG. 11 after
folding the folded garment of FIG. 11 widthwise;
FIG. 13 illustrates a top plan view of the folded garment of FIG. 12 after
pulling the opening flaps about the folded garment of FIG. 12, exposing the
interior
surface of the garment;
FIG. 14 illustrates a top plan view of the folded configuration formed after a
horizontal fold of the folded garment of FIG. 13; and
FIG. 15 illustrates a top plan view of the garment in its folded configuration
within a packaging member to form a packaged garment.
FIG. 16 illustrates a rear view of an exemplary protective garment according
to the present disclosure, where the closure means is opened to show the
interior
surface of the garment.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention pertains to a protective garment having a surface
indicia to facilitate and ease the handling and donning of the garment. Such
protective garments are of particular interest to work areas and industries
such as,
for example, healthcare, home improvement do-it-yourself, chemical,
industrial,
sanitation, cleanrooms, and other similar applications. For the ease and
convenience of describing the present invention, this description uses an
exemplary protective coverall(s) garment to illustrate the inventive concept
which
may be applied to any protective garment. Terms such a "protective garment"
and
"protective coverall(s)" may be used interchangeably in the description.
However,
as would be understood by those skilled in the art, the concepts of the
present
disclosure (as illustrated for coveralls) may be applied to other protective
garments
as are well known and defined above. Thus, the following discussion should not
be
limited to application in coveralls, but may also extend to surgical gowns,
patient
drapes, worksuits, jumpers, aprons, and the like. Additionally, the following
discussion applies to both durable / reusable protective garments and to
limited-
use / disposable protective garments.
In part, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate at 10 a front view of an exemplary
protective
garment 12. The protective coveralls 12 include a first (or left) body half 14
and a
second (or right) body half 16. Each body half 14 and 16 is formed from a
seamless sheet of material. The second body half 16 is substantially a mirror
image of the first body half 14. The protective coveralls 12 contain left and
right
sleeves 18 and 20 as well as left and right legs 22 and 24. A neck opening 26
is
visible at the top of the coveralls 12. As shown in FIG. 1, a closure means 28
is
visible from a front view 10 of the coveralls 12. The garment 12 has a front
side 11
and a back side 13.
FIG. 2 illustrates at 30 a rear view of exemplary protective coveralls. The
protective coveralls 12 includes a first body half 14 and a second body half
16 (in
reversed position as the view is from the rear). The sleeves 18,20 and the
legs
22,24 are also in reversed position. As shown in FIG. 2, a vertical back seam
32
and a horizontal back seam 34 are visible from the rear view 30 of the
coveralls
12.
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The body of the garment 12 includes a torso section 72 from which the
sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24 extend. The torso section 72 includes an upper
portion 74, a central portion 76, and a lower portion 78. The upper portion 74
extends downward from the shoulder portions 63 to the central portion 76 and
will
generally include all the areas of the garment 12 over the shoulders of the
wearer
that will contact the shoulders and neck of the wearer. The neck opening 26 is
defined within the upper portion 74. The upper portion 74 generally forms the
shoulder cap of the garment 12. Additionally, the sleeves 18, 20 generally
extend
from at least a portion of the upper portion 74.
The lower portion 78 extends upward from the crotch 86 to the central
portion 76 and will generally include all the areas of the garment 12 that
will
contact the waist area of the wearer. The legs 22, 24 extend from the lower
portion
78.
The central portion 76 extends between the upper and lower portions 74, 78
and generally will include the areas of the garment 12 corresponding to the
chest
and midsection of the front of the wearer, generally including the collarbone
of the
wearer. Additionally, the central portion 76 also generally extends from the
shoulder blades to the small of the back on the back side of the wearer,
generally
including the shoulder blades and the small of the back of the wearer. For the
garment 12 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the upper portion 74 extends over
and
downward from the shoulder portions 63 to a point between neck opening 26 and
horizontal back seam 34. The lower portion 78 extends upward from the crotch
86
to a point generally corresponding to the elastic waistband 84 and
circumferential
waist of the garment 12. The central portion 76 accounts for the remainder of
the
torso section 72 of the garment 12 and is illustrated as extending from a
horizontal
line above the horizontal back seam 34 and extending down to the elastic waist
band 84. Each of the portions 74, 76, 78 include parts of the front side 11
and back
side 13 of the garment 12 and collectively account for all of the surfaces of
the
torso of the garment from which the limbs (legs/sleeves) extend.
FIG. 7 illustrates the inside of the garment 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The left and
right opening flaps 80, 82 of the closure means 28 are opened and pulled back
to
reveal the interior surfaces 101 of the garment 12. The vertical back seam 32
and
the horizontal back seam 34 are visible on the interior surface 101 of the
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13 of the garment 12. Additionally, an elastic waist band 84 may be present on
the
interior surface 101 of the back side 13 to provide the garment 12 with
enhanced
waist fit.
Desirably, the garment 12 may include at least one surface indicia 92 on the
interior surface 101 of the garment 12, to help the wearer easily identify the
interior
surface 101 when donning the garment 12. Such a surface indicia 92 may be any
sensory cue that communicates to the wearer which is the interior surface 101
of
the garment 12. Typically, the sensory cue will be some form of visual cue
(color,
shape, text, symbol, graphic, or the like) that the wearer can see. However,
it is
contemplated that such sensory cues may be visual, tactile, olfactory,
gustatory,
auditory, or combinations of such sensory cues.
In the garment 12 illustrated in FIG. 7, a surface indicia 92 is associated
with the vertical back seam 32 and extends from proximate the neck opening 26
to
proximate the crotch 86 along the interior surface 101 of the back side 13 of
the
garment 12. In this particular embodiment, the vertical back seam 32 is a
bound
seam 732 where the binding strip 734 of the bound seam 732 is made of a
material having a color that is visually distinct from the color of the
seamless sheet
36 that makes up the garment 10. Thus, the indicia color will be distinctly
different
than the color of the interior surface 101 to easily identify the interior
surface 101
by contrast. For example, for a garment 12 that is primarily made of a
seamless
sheet 36 that is white, the binding strip 734 may be a blue strip of material
that is in
contrast to the white background of the interior surface 101. Similarly,
instead of
being only associated with the vertical back seam 32, the surface indicia 92
may
be associated with the horizontal back seam 34, or with both a vertical back
seam
32 and a horizontal back seam 34.
Alternatively, the surface indicia 92 may be other similar visual cues. For
example, the surface indicia 92 may be repeating contrasting colored shapes
printed on the interior surface 101. For garments that are constructed without
a
vertical back seam 32, the surface indicia 92 may be a colored strip that
extends
down the central back spine of the garment (generally located along the line
where
the vertical back seam 32 is located in the garment 12 of FIG. 7). Such a
colored
strip may be printed directly on the interior surface 101 or may be an
additional
strip of colored material that is associated with the interior surface 101. In
another
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embodiment, the surface indicia 92 may be large text printed (or otherwise
placed)
on the interior surface 101, such as "OK" or "INSIDE SURFACE". The surface
indicia 92 may be a symbol such as a check mark or a thumbs-up symbol.
Similarly, such text or symbols may be repeated across the entire interior
surface
101, or some smaller portion thereof. The surface indicia 92 may be a
holographic
image present on the interior surface 101. In some embodiments, stitching only
present on the interior surface 101 may be made using a stitching color that
is a
contrasting color to the that of the material being stitched together.
The surface indicia 92 is desirably present in at least the central portion 76
of the interior surface 101 as the central portion 76 makes up a large area of
the
visible torso section 72 of the garment 12 when the garment 12 is being
handled
for donning. In some embodiments, the surface indicia 92 may extend into the
upper portion 74, into the lower portion 78, or may be positioned in all of
the
portions of the torso section 72. However, presence of the surface indicia 92
in at
least a portion of the central portion 76 is believed to provide the most
reliable
minimal indicator to a wearer that handles and dons such a garment 12.
The surface indicia 92 may additionally, or alternatively, include a material
having a texture that is distinct from the textures of the surrounding
surfaces,
which then may be used by the wearer to identify the interior surface 101 by
touch.
Similarly, the surface indicia 92 may additionally, or alternatively, include
a material
that produces a unique sound when handled. For example, the surface indicia 92
may include metalized nylon, foil, biaxially-orientated PET film, or other
similar
material that produces an audible crinkling sound when handled that is
distinct
from the sound of handling the sheet material the makes up the remainder of
the
garment 12.
In some embodiments, the surface indicia 92 present on the interior surface
101 may be absence of a particular sensory cue relative to the remainder of
the
surfaces of the garment 12. For example, the garment 12 may include colored
circles printed only on the exterior surface 103 of the garment 12. The
surface
indicia 92 of such a garment may be the absence of any such printed circles on
the
interior surface 101. Again, the surface indicia 92 may be any sensory cue
that
may be used to communicate to the wearer the distinction between the interior
surface 101 and the exterior surface 103 of the garment 12.
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Additionally, the garment 12 may include a secondary indicia 94 such as
illustrated in FIG. 7. Like the surface indicia 92, the secondary indicia 94
may be any
sensory cue that communicates to the wearer a desired message. The secondary
indicia 94 may be an alternative indicator of the interior surface 101 or may
be used
to convey a different message. In FIG. 7, the secondary indicia 94 is a shape
on the
interior surface 101 that both indicates the interior surface 101 and the
proper
orientation of the garment 12. Such secondary indicia 94 may be helpful to
communicate instructions to the wearer such as where on the garment 12 the
wearer should grab hold of the interior surface 101 for optimal donning.
One skilled in the art would understand that various types of sensory cues
and execution of such cues could be used in combination to help the wearer
identify
the interior surface 101, aid the wearer in donning the garment, and/or
provide the
wearer with additional information.
The manufacture of such garments 12 may be in accordance with known
automated, semi-automated, or hand assembly procedures. It may be desired that
the protective garment 12 contain the fewest practical number of panels,
portions or
sections in order to reduce the number of seams in the garment for better
barrier
properties and to simplify the manufacturing steps. However, it is
contemplated that
the protective garment 12 may contain sections, panels, or portions of barrier
fabrics
that may have different degrees of strength to customize the coverall for a
particular
application. For example, the sleeves 18, 20 or other portions (e.g., leg
portions,
shoulder portions or back portions of the coveralls) may include double layers
of
barrier fabrics with very high levels of strength and toughness. Examples of
the type
of garments 12 contemplated may be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,487,189 to Bell,
and in those garments available from Kimberly-Clark Corporation (Roswell, GA)
sold
under the KLEENGUARDO brand.
The assembly of an exemplary garment 12 is illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown at 36 a seamless sheet of material
used to
form the first body half 14. The first body half 14 includes a body portion 38
having a
first edge 40, a second edge 42 and a top edge 44. The top edge 44 extends
approximately half-way across the body portion 38 from the second edge 42. The
first body half 14 includes a sleeve portion 46 having a top sleeve edge 48
and
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bottom sleeve edge 50, a top edge 52, and a segment 54 of the second edge 42
of
the body portion 38. The first body half 14 also includes a leg portion 56
having a
front leg edge 58 and a rear leg edge 60.
A sleeve 18 of the first body half 14 may be constructed by folding the
sleeve portion 46 along line 62 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Next, the body
portion 38
and leg portion 56 are folded along line 64 as illustrated in FIG. 5. After
these two
folds are made, the top edge 52 of the sleeve portion 46 is attached to the
top
edge 44 of the body portion 38 producing a horizontal back seam 34 which can
be
seen in FIG. 1. Referring again to FIG. 5, the sleeve portion 46 is closed
into a
sleeve 18 by attaching the top sleeve edge 48 to the bottom sleeve 44 edge
producing a sleeve seam 66 running from point 68 to point 70.
Generally speaking, this operation would be performed on the second body
half 16 following exactly the same procedure as it would apply to the mirror
image
shape. Referring to FIG. 6, the first body half 14 is attached to the second
body
half 16 (i.e., the mirror image of the first body half 14). The body halves
are joined
by attaching the respective second surfaces 42 and 42' of the body portions 38
and 38'. A closure means (e.g., zipper, button fasteners, clip fasteners, snap
fasteners, hook and loop fasteners and the like) 28 is attached to the
respective
first surfaces 40 and 40'. The leg portions are closed by attaching the front
leg
edge 58 to the back leg edge 60 and the front leg edge 58' to the back leg
edge
60' on each body half.
At this point other features may be added such as, for example, a collar,
hood, boots and/or elastic cuffs at the wrists and/or ankles of the coveralls.
Desirably, the left sleeve 18 may be an integral part of the first body half
14
(i.e., the first body half 14 cut to form a left sleeve 18), such as for the
garment
discussed above. It is contemplated that the left sleeve 18 may be a separate
piece of material that may be joined to the first body half 14 by a seam (not
shown). In the same way, it is desirable that the right sleeve 20 may be an
integral
part of the second body half 16 (i.e., the right body panel 16 cut to form a
right
sleeve 20). It is contemplated that the right sleeve 20 may be a separate
piece of
material that may be joined to the upper right body panel 28 by a seam (not
shown). Additionally, In the garment 12 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the
sleeves
18, 20 are shown as extending outward from the body 14, 16 substantially
parallel
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with the shoulder portions 63. However, other designs are possible. For
example,
the sleeves may be designed to extend upward from the general plane of the
shoulder portions 63.
Desirably, the legs 22, 24 are formed in a way similar to the formation of the
sleeves 18, 20. Desirably, the left leg 22 may be an integral part of the left
body
panel 14 (i.e., the left body panel 14 cut to form a left leg 22), such as for
the
garment discussed above. It is contemplated that the left leg 22 may be a
separate
piece of material that may be joined to the first body half 14 by a seam (not
shown). In the same way, it is desirable that the right leg 24 may be an
integral
part of the second body half 16 (i.e., the right body panel 16 cut to form a
right leg
24). It is contemplated that the right leg 24 may be a separate piece of
material
that may be joined to the right body panel 16 by a seam (not shown).
The seams used to form the garment may be any type of seam that is
appropriate in forming such garments. Such seams must be appropriate for the
materials used in forming the garment, the strength required, and the level of
security and protection that is desired. Typical seams used for such garments
include serged, sewn, bound, taped, welded, and heat sealed seams. Bound
seams 732 (such as shown in FIG. 8) are often used in protective garments.
Such
bound seams 732 use a binding strip 734 that reinforces the serged seam
(formed
by two material edges 740 being seamed) for strength and tear resistance as
well
as covers the raw edges of the materials being joined, to further reduce the
possibility of introducing free fibers into the environments in which such
garments
are to be used.
Such a protective garment 12 may be packaged by any means and/or
method that allows for the wearer to easily access the garment 12 for donning,
while ensuring that the wearer does not touch an exterior surface 103 of the
garment 12. One exemplary method of preparing the garment 12 for donning is
shown in FIGS. 9 to 15. The method shown includes the first step of laying the
garment 12 with the front side 11 face-down on a surface, opening the closure
means 28, and shortening the sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24 of the garment 12.
A
garment 12 in such a resultant shortened limb configuration (with shortened
sleeves 218 and shortened legs 222) is illustrated in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG.
9,
the sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24 may be shortened by tucking the ends of
such
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legs and sleeves back up into such sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24. Such
shortened sleeves 218 and/or shortened legs 222 may be releaseably attached on
the inside surface 101 of the garment 12 to hold the garment 12 in the
shortened
configuration of FIG. 9.
Next, with the front side 11 of the garment 12 laying against a table, the
shortened sleeves 218 may be folded, along the fold line 95, toward the back
side
13 of the garment. Similarly, the shortened legs 222 may then be folded up,
along
the fold lines 97, toward the back side 13 of the garment 12. As seen in
folded
garment of FIG. 10, the front side 11 of the shortened legs 222 and shortened
sleeves 218 now rest (facing up) on the back side 13 of the garment 12.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the initially folded garment may be folded
lengthwise in thirds, along the fold lines 99, to form the folded garment
illustrated in
FIG. 11. Specifically, the left side edge 114 is folded along line 99 toward
the
center of the back side 13 of the folded garment of FIG. 10. Then, the right
side
edge 116 is folded, along line 99, towards the center of the garment and on
top of
the previously folded over left side edge, to form the folded garment of FIG.
11.
The bottom edge 118 of the folded garment of FIG. 11 may then be folded
upwards along fold line 111 and then again upwards along fold line 113 to form
the
folded garment of FIG. 12.
As seen in FIG. 12, a portion of the interior surface 101 (within the opened
closure means 28) is now facing upwards, along with portions of the left and
right
opening flaps 80, 82. In a next step, the portions of the left and right
opening flaps
80, 82 that lie underneath the folded garment of FIG. 12 (not visible) may be
pulled
around from underneath to on top of the folded garment of FIG. 12. By doing
so,
the interior surface 101 of the garment 12 are exposed on the outer surfaces
of the
folded garment, as shown in FIG. 13. Finally, the garment may be folded upward
along fold line 115 to form the final folded configuration 140 illustrated in
FIG. 14.
As seen in FIG. 14, such a folded configuration 140 desirably provides the
interior surfaces 101 of the garment 12 readily available for the wearer to
grasp
when donning the garment 12. Additionally, and more specifically, the central
portion 74 of the back side 13 is provided on the outer surface 142 of the
folded
configuration 140. Thus, the surface indicia 92 present on the interior
surface 101
of the central portion 74 is clearly visible to the wearer and serves as
further
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confirmation that the outer surface 142 of the folded configuration 140 is the
interior surface 101. The outer surface 142 being the surface forming the
exterior
of the folded configuration 140 and thus includes all of the surfaces that may
be
potentially touched when handling the garment 12 in such a folded
configuration
140. As shown in FIG. 14, substantially all of the outer surface 142 of the
folded
configuration 140 is made up of the interior surface 101 of the garment 12. In
other
potential folding methods, the folded configuration 140 may include a lesser
percentage of the outer surface 142 being made of the interior surface 101.
However, to ensure that the wearer only handles the garment 12 by the interior
surfaces 101 it may be desirable to fold the garment such that a majority
(greater
than 50 percent) of the outer surface 142 of the folded configuration 140 is
made
up of the interior surfaces 101 of the garment 12.
This illustrated method of folding of the garment 12 is only one potential
method of folding the garment 12. Other methods that fold the garment 12 such
that the surface indicia 92 and the interior surface 101 are made available to
the
wearer during subsequent unfolding and donning are also contemplated. One
skilled in the art would see how a different order of folding steps, numbers
of folds,
desired final folded dimensions, and other such considerations, may contribute
to
different methods of folding up the garment 12.
Additionally, such garments 12 may be laundered and dried to remove any
excessive particulates that may be present from the garment manufacturing
process. This step would likely need to occur before the folding steps.
Once folded, the garment 12 may be packaged by any method as known to
package such garments 12 to form a protective garment package 810 to be
delivered to the wearer. Typically, as shown in FIG. 15, the folded
configuration
140 of the garment 12 may be placed within packaging member 800 and the
packaging member 800 sealed to form a packaged garment 810. For example,
such a packaging member 800 may be a bag, a pouch, film layers, or the like.
It
may be desired that the packaged garment 810 be sterilized by any
sterilization
method as is known for such products. Additionally, it may be desirable that
the air
within the packaging member 800 be removed during packaging, such that the
garment 12 is vacuum-packed, prior to such sterilization.
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Another embodiment of a protective garment including a surface indicia 92
for identifying the interior surface 101 of the garment, is illustrated in
FIG. 16. The
garment illustrated in FIG. 16 is the rear view 30 of a rear-opening gown
garment
120, such as may be used in a surgical or laboratory environment. The garment
120 is shown with the closure means 28 (on the back side 13 of the garment
120)
opened and the left and right opening flaps 80, 82 pulled back to reveal the
interior
surfaces 101 of the garment 120.
The garment 120 includes an upper portion 74, a central portion 76, and a
lower portion 78. The upper portion 74 extends downward from the shoulder
portions 63 to the central portion 76 and will generally include all the areas
of the
garment 120 over the shoulders of the wearer that will contact the shoulders
and
neck of the wearer. A neck opening 26 is defined within the upper portion 74.
The
upper portion 74 generally forms the shoulder cap of the garment 120.
Additionally,
the sleeves 18, 20 generally extend from at least a portion of the upper
portion 74.
The lower portion 78 extends upward from the bottom opening edge 122 to the
central portion 76 and will generally include all the areas of the garment 120
proximate the waist 85 of the garment 120 down to the bottom opening edge 122.
The central portion 76 extends between the upper and lower portions 74, 78 and
generally will include the areas of the garment 120 corresponding to the chest
and
midsection of the front of the wearer, generally including the collarbone of
the
wearer. Additionally, the central portion 76 also generally extends from the
shoulder blades to the small of the back on the back side of the wearer,
generally
including the shoulder blades and the small of the back of the wearer.
A surface indicia 92 is shown in the garment 120 of FIG. 16 extending along
the interior surface 101 of the front side 11 of the garment 120. As discussed
above, the surface indicia 92 may be any sensory cue that enables the wearer
to
distinguish the interior surface 101 from the exterior surface 103 of the
garment.
Generally speaking, the manufacture and packaging of such garments may
be in accordance with known automated, semi-automated, or hand assembly
procedures. For example, attachment of the various portions of the garment may
be achieved utilizing sewing or stitching, ultrasonic bonding, solvent
welding,
adhesives, thermal bonding and similar techniques. The order of manufacturing
and packaging steps described above is believed to provide an efficient
process
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for fabricating and packaging protective garments. However, it is contemplated
that
changes in the order of these steps may be made without departing from the
scope
of the present invention.
Additionally, it is contemplated that additional helpful features may also be
included on the garment 12. For example, the neck opening 26 may be fitted
with a
collar and/or hood. Sleeve and leg portions extending from the body portion
may be
fitted with elastic cuffs and/or other elastic means to ensure that they fit
snugly
against a wearer. Additionally, structures such as thumb loops and stirrups
may be
added to wrist and/or leg cuffs to aid in donning of the garment 12. Piping
may be
added to the garment 12, to allow for attachment of badges to the garment
without
breaching the integrity of the garment material. Such piping may additionally,
or
alternatively, be included for aesthetic purposes. Other features such as
pockets are
also considered. The garment 12 may additionally include re-sealable openings
to
allow a wearer to access the interior of the garment 12 without having to
remove the
garment 12.
The closure means 28 of the garment 12 may include any type of fastener as
are common for such protective garments. Desirably, the closure means 28 will
be a
mechanical closure device, such as a standard zipper for barrier protection.
However, it is contemplated that other fasteners such as hook-and-loop
fasteners,
snaps, re-sealable tapes, or other similar fasteners may be used, depending on
the
level of protection required of the garment 12. Additionally, the closure
means 28 of
the garment 12 may include a closure flap that covers the closure means 28.
Such a
closure flap may be secured by a variety of fasteners.
The garment 12 may alternatively incorporate an obliquely oriented opening
with an associated fastener, across the front torso region of the garment,
instead of
a conventional vertical opening for entry into the garment. For example, a
zipper
may start at the shoulder and proceed diagonally across the torso down to the
upper
thigh region. This allows the torso of the garment to be opened wide. An
angled
zipper that starts away from the neck of the wearer may be less irritating.
In addition to surface indicia 92 and secondary indicia 94, it may be desired
to communicate additional messages or information to users. Colors, symbols,
words, logos, or other such indicia may be employed to communicate a
particular
message, such as the relative level of protection, sterility or non-sterility,
or to
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provide distinctive appearance as a style element. Colors may be applied to
the
material of the entire garment 12, individual portions of the garment 12, or
as fabric
piping along seams, around pockets or leggings, or in distinctive patterns. A
logo
denoting branding or level of protection may be located on the garment 12.
Color
may be added to the closure means for communication and appearance purposes.
All materials used in the protective garment 12 have barrier properties that
meet industrial standards for their respective designated level of protection.
The
garment materials are generally breathable and liquid resistant barrier
materials.
The breathability of the material increases the comfort of someone wearing
such a
garment, especially if the garment is worn under high heat index conditions,
vigorous physical activity, or long periods of time. Various suitable woven
and non-
woven barrier materials are known and used in the art for garments such as
surgical
gowns, coveralls, industrial protective garments, and the like. All such
materials are
within the scope of the present disclosure.
The material used to form the garment may be one or more bonded carded
webs, webs of spunbonded fibers, webs of meltblown fibers, webs of spunlaced
fibers, webs of other nonwoven materials, one or more knit or woven materials,
one or more films, and combinations thereof. The material may be formed from
polymers such as, for example, polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyvinyl
alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons, polystyrenes,
caprolactams, copolymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl monomer,
copolymers
of ethylene and n-butyl acrylate, and cellulosic and acrylic resins, and
mixtures and
blends of the same. If the material is formed from a polyolefin, the
polyolefin may
be polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene
copolymers and butene copolymers.
Multiple layers of seamless sheet material may be joined into a seamless
laminate and used to form garments having desirable barrier properties.
Laminates
can be formed by combining layers of seamless sheet materials with each other
and/or forming or depositing layers of such materials on each other. For
example,
the material may be a laminate of two or more nonwoven webs. As a further
example, the material may be a laminate of at least one web of spunbonded
fibers
and at least one web of meltblown fibers and mixtures thereof.
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For example, useful multi-layer materials may be made by joining at least
one web of meltblown fibers (which may include meltblown microfibers) with at
least one spunbonded continuous filament web. An exemplary multi-layer
seamless material useful for making the protective garment of the present
invention is a nonwoven laminated fabric constructed by bonding together
layers of
spunbonded continuous filaments webs and webs of meltblown fibers (which may
include meltblown microfibers) and may also include a bonded carded web or
other nonwoven fabric. Such materials may generally be produced inexpensively
such that they may be considered to be disposable. An exemplary three-layer
fabric having a first outer ply of a spunbonded web, a middle ply of a
meltblown
web, and a second outer ply of a spunbonded web may be referred to in
shorthand
notation as SMS. Such fabrics are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,041,203,
4,374,888, and 4,753,843, all of which patents are assigned to the Kimberly-
Clark
Corporation, the assignee of the present invention.
Another exemplary material which may be used for the manufacture of a
protective garment 12 is a laminated fabric constructed by bonding together at
least one layer of a nonwoven web with at least one layer of a film. Generally
speaking, the film layer may range in thickness from about 0.25 mil to about
5.0
mil. For example, the film may have a thickness ranging from about 0.5 mil to
about 3.0 mil. Desirably, the film will have a thickness ranging from about
1.0 mil to
about 2.5 mil.
Such films may be applied by extrusion coating the substrates and then
passing the superposed materials through the nip of smooth calender rolls. The
films may be formed so they would create a layer on the substrate having a
desired thickness (excluding the substrate). Exemplary film layers include
films
formed from polymers which may include polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters,
polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons,
polystyrenes, caprolactams, copolymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl
monomer, copolymers of ethylene and n-butyl acrylate, and cellulosic and
acrylic
resins. If the film layer is made of a polyolefin, the polyolefin may be
polyethylene,
polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and
butene copolymers and blends of the above.
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The seamless sheet material of the garment 12 may have a basis weight
ranging from about 15 gsm (i.e., grams per square meter) to about 300 gsm. For
example, the seamless sheet material may have a basis weight ranging from
about
20 gsm to about 100 gsm. Desirably, the material may have a basis weight
ranging
from about 20 gsm to about 75 gsm. Although the basis weight of the laminate
will
vary depending on the materials used, lower basis weight materials are
desirable
for comfort and conformability, and higher basis weight materials are
desirable for
toughness and durability. A film-nonwoven web laminate construction may permit
combinations of materials providing high strength at relatively low basis
weights
and the design of the coveralls allows such strong and relatively unyielding
materials to be used in a comfortable garment.
Such garments often need to be designed with materials adapted to protect
the wearer in hazardous and general, non-hazardous environments. Examples of
uses for hazardous environments include protection against water-based acids,
bases, salts and splashes of certain liquids, such as pesticides and
herbicides.
The garments may provide a reliable barrier against exposure to harmful dry
particles, such as lead dust, asbestos and particles contaminated with
radiation.
Non-hazardous, industrial uses include wearing the garments for "dirty jobs"
at
factories, workshops, engineering plants, farms and construction sites.
The resistance hydrostatic pressure (hydrohead) of the protective articles
will depend, in part, on the particular kind of material from which the
article is
constructed. The garment may be designed to have a liquid hydrohead resistance
of at least about 15, 17 or 20 millibars, up to about 180, 187, or 200
millibars,
inclusive of all range combinations thereinbetween. More commonly, the garment
may have a hydrohead resistance of about 25 or 30 to about 115 millibars,
preferably between about 45 to about 110 millibars, and more preferably
between
about 50 millibars to about 95 millibars of pressure.
The air permeability of the garment materials may be designed to be within
the range from at least about 2 cubic feet per meter (cfm) up to about 47 or
50 cfm,
inclusive of all range combinations thereinbetween. More typically, the air
permeability may be in the range from about 5 or 10 cfm to about 43 or 45 cfm,
and preferably between about 15, 17, 20, or 25 cfm to about 40 or 42 cfm.
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The garment may be designed to have a moisture vapor transmission rate
(MVTR) of up to about 4700 g/m2/24hours, more typically about between about
2700 or 3600 MVTR to about 4500 or 4600 MVTR. The protective garment may
protect the wearer resistance of about 9 - 100`)/0 against dry particle
barrier
intrusion of a particle size of 0.3 - 05 microns.
The garment may be made from a material that provides a barrier to dust and
microparticulates (e.g., ranging in size from about 0.05 - 0.10 microns or
larger (see,
e.g., U.S. Patent No. 5,491,753) or light-splash fluids. The materials of the
garment
may also be electret-treated to generate a localized electrostatic charge
within the
fibers of the nonwoven web (e.g., U.S. Patent 5,401,446 to Tsai). For example,
these materials may be treated with compositions such as Zepel and Zelec ,
available from E. l. du Pont De Nemours, located in Wilmington, Del.
The present invention has been described in general and in detail by way of
examples. Persons of skill in the art understand that the invention is not
limited to
the specific embodiments disclosed. Modification and variations of the general
concept may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as
defined
by the following claims or equivalents, including, equivalent components.
23
