Patent Application
20070061938
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to aprons, and more particularly, to an apron having removable sheets attached to a front body panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within the trades, and particularly in the caulking of windows, doors, and floors, a caulking gun is typically used to apply a bead of caulk to all of the seams in the trim. Once the caulking is in place, the worker will use a finger or other tool to run along the caulk to form a bead having a substantially concave configuration. The caulk on the worker's finger or tool is then wiped away with a paper towel or cloth rag. Some workers may use a bucket of water, a sponge, a towel, or a rag, or even their own clothing. Before long, the caulk material can cover the worker's clothing and other material will have to be used to clean the worker's hands and tools.
The disclosed embodiments of the present invention are directed to an apron that includes a body panel; straps attached to the body panel; and removable fabric sheets attached to the body panel along first and second lines of attachment, each fabric sheet having first and second lines of perforation formed therein adjacent each line of attachment to enable detachment of individual fabric sheets from the body panel.
In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the first and second lines of attachment are formed transverse across an upper and lower portion of the body panel, respectively. These lines of attachment may be formed of adhesive, zippers, snaps, buttons, and the like.
In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the first and second lines of perforation are formed substantially parallel to and adjacent to the respective first and second lines of attachment.
In accordance with another aspect of foregoing embodiment, the fabric sheets may be formed of cloth material, paper material, or other similar materials that may be absorbent, although is not necessarily so. The material may be launderable so that it can be reused. In addition removable or permanent handwipes in pre-moistened condition can be incorporated in the sheets or separately attached thereto.
In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the attachment member enables replacement of cleaned sheets back on the body panel.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, an apron is provided that includes a body panel sized and shaped to be worn over the torso of a user to substantially cover the front of the user's torso; a plurality of straps attached to the body panel to attach the body panel to the user; and a model of removable sheets attached to the body panel by attachment members, each removable sheet configured to be separately detached from the attachment members whereby when an exposed removable sheet becomes soiled, the user can remove the soiled sheet from the apron to expose a clean sheet for use by the user.
Referring to
The body panel 12 is sized and shaped to substantially cover the upper torso of a user. Although the embodiment shown in
The body panel 12 has a front surface 20 to which is attached a plurality of removable sheets 22. At least one attachment member 24 is used to attach the sheets 22 to an upper portion 26 of the body panel 12. Ideally, a second attachment member 28 is used to attach the sheets 22 to a lower portion 30 of the body panel 12. As shown in
The attachment members 24, 28 may take several forms, including adhesive material, or they may be zippers, buttons, snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, or the like that can be removed from the body panel 12. In accordance with another embodiment, a slit is formed in the body panel 12 and the attachment members 24, 28 are clipped or otherwise inserted within the slit.
Preferably, each of the fabric sheets 22 is removably connected to the attachment members 24, 28 by respective first and second lines of perforation 32, 34. Ideally, the first and second lines of perforation 32, 34 are formed substantially parallel to and adjacent the respective attachment members 24, 28. These lines of perforation 32, 34 enable a user to tear the sheet away from the apron 10 when the sheet has become unusable, such as when it is soiled with caulk material. Alternatively, means for reattaching the sheets 22 to the apron 10 may be used, such as hook-and-loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, zippers, and the like.
Ideally, each fabric sheet is formed of material that is lightweight, absorbent, and can be easily torn along the lines of perforation 32, 34. In one embodiment, the fabric sheets 22 are formed of cloth material with a process that provides the lines of perforation 32, 34 that enables a user to rather easily tear the cloth material away from the attachment members 24, 28. The sheets 22 may be formed of material that can be laundered and then reattached. In another embodiment, the fabric sheets may be formed of paper material, such as paper towels and the like, or a commercial grade material that is readily commercially available and will not be discussed in detail herein.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, a single removable sheet may be used on the body panel, or any number of a plurality of sheets may be used. The sheets may be manufactured in a module that includes the attachment members so that when all of the removable sheets have been used, the attachment members can be quickly detached from the body panel and the new module attached in place through the use of conventional attachment means, such as snaps, buttons, zippers, and hook-and-loop fasteners. Another option is to include pre-moistened towels or sheets, either incorporated into the fabric sheets or attached to the sheets or apron. In addition, the size of the sheets as illustrated can be increased to cover a greater area of the apron. For example, the length of the sheets can be longer at the bottom to cover a greater area of the lower portion of the apron itself.
All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
