ARTICLES OF APPAREL FOR UPPER BODY

FIELD

This disclosure relates to articles of apparel with ornamental design(s) and/or features for the upper body, and more particularly, to garments for the chest and/or arm(s), including medical treatment garments. The articles of apparel of this disclosure include a wide variety of aspects, and they are not limited to the specifically disclosed examples.

BACKGROUND

Medical patients may receive medical treatments to certain parts of their bodies that are generally inaccessible during a patient's daily living routine. Whereas some body parts are generally accessible most of the time (e.g., mouth, ear, nose, hands, etc.), other body parts may be generally inaccessible most of time, such as body parts generally covered by clothing (e.g., torso, groin, waist, etc.).

For certain medical treatments, it is necessary to access target body parts that may be generally covered by clothing. To provide access for medical treatment to that target body part(s), a patient can remove the entire piece(s) of clothing from the target body part(s) where the treatment needs to be applied, but doing so may be time-consuming for patients or stressful for patients who are shy or have personal preferences or convictions (e.g., personal body privacy, religious beliefs, psychological trauma, etc.) about disrobing their clothing. Additionally or alternatively, a patient can attempt to move a portion(s) of a piece(s) of clothing from the target body part(s) where the treatment needs to be applied, without entirely disrobing that piece(s) of clothing, but attempting so may involve the patient shifting parts of his/her body into awkward or uncomfortable positions, risking injury or discomfort and risking damage (e.g., tearing, ripping, etc.) to that piece(s) of clothing. Attempting so may also introduce risk of interfering with applying the medical treatment as that portion(s) of the piece(s) of clothing may move back, partially or fully, to its original position of blocking access to the target body part(s) where the treatment needs to be applied.

Generic hospital gowns are common at medical facilities, but it is already time-consuming, and may also be already stressful, for a patient to take off their clothes and then to put on a hospital gown. Even if a patient were to attempt to enter a medical facility already wearing a hospital gown from home, the medical facility may require the patient to change into a new gown anyway, as the patient's gown from home has the unacceptable risk of being unsanitary or contaminated with unknown substances or biological agents.

SUMMARY

This disclosure is directed to articles of apparel with ornamental design(s) and/or features for the upper body. Some embodiments may include garments for the chest and/or arm(s). Some embodiments may include sleeve(s) for arm(s). Some embodiments may include methods for manufacturing articles of apparel. The articles of apparel may be directed to, but not limited to, medical treatment purposes.

Some article-of-apparel embodiments may include an article of apparel comprising: a body portion configured to cover and uncover at least a first part of an upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body; a chest area located in the body portion, the chest area corresponding to a front region of the upper body; an opening in the chest area of the body portion, the opening providing access to the first part of the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein the opening is shaped to have at least a height dimension and a width dimension; and a closure element configured to cover and uncover at least a portion of the opening in the chest area of the body portion.

In some embodiments, at least some of the opening in the chest area of the body portion is located at a right chest area of the body portion, the right chest area corresponding to a right front region of the upper body. In some embodiments, at least some of the opening in the chest area of the body portion is located at a left chest area of the body portion, the left chest area corresponding to a left front region of the upper body.

In some embodiments, the closure element comprises a chest flap, the chest flap attached to the body portion, the chest flap configured to cover and uncover at least a portion of the opening in the chest area of the body portion, so as to provide access to the first part of the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body. In embodiments, the chest flap has one or more edges or sides, the one or more edges or sides attachable to or detachable from the body portion of the article of apparel, wherein the chest flap, via the one or more edges, is configured to cover and uncover at least a portion of the opening in the chest area of the body portion, so as to provide access to the first part of the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body. In some embodiments, the chest flap has an inner side that faces the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein the chest flap comprises a flap pocket on the inner side of the chest flap.

In some embodiments, the article of apparel comprises: a front closure configured to open and close the article of apparel when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein, when the front closure opens the article of apparel, the article of apparel is divided into at least a right front portion and a left front portion. In some embodiments, the article of apparel comprises: a hood configured to cover at least a portion of a head connected to the upper body. In some embodiments, the body portion of the article of apparel comprises a thickness of 300 grams per square meter (GSM) or more.

In some embodiments, the article of apparel comprises: a sleeve configured to cover at least a first part of an arm connected to the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein the sleeve comprises: a zipper element integrated into the sleeve, the zipper element extending longitudinally along a length of the sleeve; and one or more slider elements for the zipper element, the one or more slider elements configured to open and close the zipper element, so as to provide access to the first part of the arm connected to upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body. In some embodiments, the sleeve comprises: a longitudinal seam extending along the length of the sleeve, wherein the zipper element is integrated into the longitudinal seam of the sleeve; wherein the one or more slider elements are configured to open and close the zipper element along the longitudinal seam. In some embodiments, the sleeve is attached to the body portion of the article of apparel so that the longitudinal seam faces laterally inward toward a torso portion of the article of apparel. In some embodiments, the sleeve is attached to the body portion of the article of apparel so that the longitudinal seam is rotated axially frontward from a position where a longitude of the sleeve faces laterally inward toward a torso portion of the article of apparel.

Some sleeve embodiments may include a sleeve comprising: a fabric portion configured to cover at least a first part of an arm connected to an upper body when the sleeve is worn by the arm; a zipper element integrated into the fabric portion of the sleeve, the zipper element extending longitudinally along a length of the sleeve; and one or more slider elements for the zipper element, the one or more slider elements configured to open and close the zipper element, so as to provide access to the first part of the arm connected to the upper body when the sleeve is worn by the arm.

In some embodiments, the sleeve comprises: a longitudinal seam extending along the length of the sleeve, wherein the zipper element is integrated into the longitudinal seam of the sleeve, wherein the one or more slider elements are configured to open and close the zipper element along the longitudinal seam, and wherein, when the sleeve is attached to an article of apparel for the upper body, the longitudinal seam is located at a position where the longitudinal seam faces laterally inward toward a torso portion of the article of apparel for the upper body.

In some embodiments, the sleeve comprises: a longitudinal seam extending along the length of the sleeve, wherein the zipper element is integrated into the longitudinal seam of the sleeve, wherein the one or more slider elements are configured to open and close the zipper element along the longitudinal seam, and wherein, when the sleeve is attached to an article of apparel for the upper body, the longitudinal seam is rotated axially frontward from a position where a longitude of the sleeve faces laterally inward toward a torso portion of the article of apparel for the upper body.

In some embodiments, the sleeve comprises: a longitudinal seam extending along the length of the sleeve, wherein, when the sleeve is attached to an article of apparel for the upper body, the longitudinal seam is located at a first position where the longitudinal seam faces laterally inward toward a torso portion of the article of apparel for the upper body, wherein the zipper element is integrated into the fabric portion of the sleeve along a longitude of the sleeve that is located axially frontward from the first position where the longitudinal seam is located, and wherein the one or more slider elements are configured to open and close the zipper element along the longitude of the sleeve that is located axially frontward from the first position where the longitudinal seam is located.

Some method-of-manufacturing embodiments may include a method of manufacturing an article of apparel, the method comprising: providing a body portion configured to cover and uncover at least a first part of an upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body; determining a chest area located in the body portion, the chest area corresponding to a front region of the upper body; forming an opening in the chest area of the body portion, the opening providing access to the first part of the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein the opening is shaped to have at least a height dimension and a width dimension; and attaching a closure element configured to cover and uncover at least a portion of the opening in the chest area of the body portion.

In some embodiments, the closure element comprises a chest flap, the chest flap attached to the body portion, the chest flap having one or more edges or sides, the one or more edges or sides attachable to or detachable from the body portion of the article of apparel, wherein the chest flap, via the one or more edges, is configured to cover and uncover at least a portion of the opening in the chest area of the body portion, so as to provide access to the first part of the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body.

In some embodiments, the method comprises: attaching a sleeve to the article of apparel, the sleeve configured to cover at least a first part of an arm connected to the upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein the sleeve comprises: a longitudinal seam extending along the length of the sleeve, a zipper element integrated into the longitudinal seam of the sleeve, the zipper element extending along the longitudinal seam; and one or more slider elements for the zipper element, the one or more slider elements configured to open and close the zipper element along the longitudinal seam, so as to provide access to the first part of the arm connected to upper body when the article of apparel is worn by the upper body, wherein the sleeve is attached to the body portion of the article of apparel so that the longitudinal seam is rotated axially frontward from a position where a longitude of the sleeve faces laterally inward toward a torso portion of the article of apparel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure is to be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings exemplifying embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings, however, should not be taken to limit the disclosure to the specific exemplary embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a right side view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a left side view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a chest area of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 9 illustrates a right arm sleeve area of an embodiment of a garment.

FIG. 10 illustrates a left arm sleeve area of an embodiment of a garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is not limited to the particular garments, designs, and features described, as these may vary. The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope. Various exemplary embodiments are described. This description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these exemplary embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will understand, however, various embodiments may be practiced without many of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art will also understand that embodiments can include many other features not described in detail herein. Additionally, well-known features or aspects may not be shown or described in detail herein, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description.

For certain medical treatments, the target treatment application location on the patent may be target body parts generally covered by the patient's clothing. Instead of requiring the patient to entirely disrobe a piece(s) of clothing from the target body part(s) or requiring the patient to move a portion(s) of the piece(s) of clothing from the target body part(s), the patient can wear a garment that is designed to facilitate medical treatments at the target treatment application location(s).

As an example, a medical facility may attach an infusion pump to a chemotherapy patient and then send the patient home with the pump for an extended period of time, such as 6-24 hours or several days. The pump may be attached to an access port that has been surgically inserted into the patient's chest, such as below the collarbone, parallel to the middle of the right or left shoulder, towards the sternum, and above the level of the heart. The port may provide access to the patient's circulatory system via a certain blood vessel, e.g., a large vein.

A medical staff member, like a hospital nurse, may perform the attaching of the infusion pump to the access port. When worn on the patient's body, most clothing (including common hospital gowns) block access to the port. To access the port, the nurse needs to have the patient entirely disrobe the piece(s) of clothing blocking access to the port, e.g., at the patient's torso, or move a portion(s) of that piece(s) of clothing, in order to unblock access to the access port. For example, when such a patient is wearing a sweater over his/her torso, the sweater's chest area clothing material is covering the port. Thus, in order to connect tubing from the infusion pump to the port, the nurse needs to insert tubing from the sweater's bottom opening or neck opening, all of which can be awkward for the nurse and/or the patient.

To insert tubing from the sweater's bottom opening and access the port, the nurse needs to have the patient's sweater lifted up, as the nurse further inserts a needle into the port to attach the tubing. Alternatively, to insert tubing from the sweater's neck opening and access the port, the nurse needs to have the patient's sweater material pulled down from the neck, as the nurse further inserts a needle into the port to attach the tubing. Thus, in both cases, the nurse needs to see and carefully interact with the port to properly attach the tubing; it would be insufficient for the nurse to feel for the port without seeing it.

For many or most chemotherapy patients, a sweater is common clothing to wear during infusion pump chemotherapy treatment, because sweaters can help retain body heat for the patient's comfort. For example, some chemotherapy treatments can increase patients' sensitivity to coldness, e.g., platinum-based chemotherapy treatments. Most t-shirts and dress shirts with buttons are thinner than sweaters, so patients may tend to avoid them during infusion pump chemotherapy treatment.

After the port is attached to the tubing to the infusion pump, the patient can leave the medical facility with the pump functioning for an extended period of time, such as 6-24 hours or several days. The patient may carry the pump in a large pocket, e.g., a pocket of a shoulder-strap pouch.

During the extended period of time that the infusion pump is operating to inject medication into the patient's body, the patent must not disconnect the pump from the tubing or from the port. Indeed, patients are instructed that the only people who should ever access the port are chemo injection personnel. Many patients desire to disrobe or change clothes at some point within that extended period of time, e.g., disrobing to take a shower or a bath, changing from casual clothing into sleepwear, changing into different clothing for the next day, etc.

Thus, such patients may desire to wear clothing designed such that it is easy to disrobe while keeping the pump connected to the tubing and the port. Some patients may wear front-opening shirts or sweaters (e.g., flannel shirts with front buttons, light hoodie sweater with front zipper, etc.) during the extended period of time that the infusion pump is operating to inject medication into the patient's body, but there is a minimum length of tubing that stays inside such clothing and next to the patient's skin, because such clothing have no opening at or near the location of the port. That minimum length of tubing inside such clothing and next to the patient's skin can cause discomfort as an intrusive object inside the clothing and/or as an uncomfortably cool or cold object to the skin. Additionally, more than the minimum length of tubing inside the clothing, there may be extra slack tubing that can help a nurse have increased maneuverability when attaching the pump's tubing to the patient's port, but that extra slack tubing can increase snag risk to the patient after the attachment is complete. There seems to be little or no clothing available that are designed to address the above concerns.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of a garment. FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a garment. The garment 100 may have a design feature 120 at the right chest area or a design feature 140 at the left chest area or both. Design feature 120 may include a right chest flap 122 that can open at right-flap corner 124 and along right-flap top edge 126 and along right-flap side edge 128. In FIGS. 1 and 2, right chest flap 122 has an L-shape formed by right-flap corner 124, right-flap top edge 126, and right-flap side edge 128. In other embodiments, right chest flap 122 may have different shapes, e.g., one or more rounded convex-outward edges, one or more rounded concave-inward edges, a single curve with no corner, a partial ellipse or circle with no corner, etc. Design feature 120 may be a right-side pattern that is part of the fabric of garment 100 or on the fabric of garment 100, where the pattern can have the visual appearance of any embodiment of right chest flap 122 but is actually an ornamental pattern that does not open or lift off from the fabric of garment 100 in any functional manner or that has no functionality.

Design feature 140 may include a left chest flap 142 that can open at left-flap corner 144 and along left-flap top edge 146 and along left-flap side edge 148. In FIGS. 1 and 2, left chest flap 142 has an L-shape formed by left-flap corner 144, left-flap top edge 146, and left-flap side edge 148. In other embodiments, left chest flap 142 may have different shapes, e.g., one or more rounded convex-outward edges, one or more rounded concave-inward edges, a single curve with no corner, a partial ellipse or circle with no corner, etc. Design feature 140 may be a left-side pattern that is part of the fabric of garment 100 or on the fabric of garment 100, where the pattern can have the visual appearance of any embodiment of left chest flap 142 but is actually an ornamental pattern that does not open or lift off from the fabric of garment 100 in any functional manner or that has no functionality.

Garment 100 may open at its front via front closure 110. In FIGS. 1 and 2, front closure 110 includes a zipper 112. In other embodiments, garment 100 may open (partially or fully) at its front via any other clothing closure, e.g., buttons, fasteners, hooks, pins, tapes, toggles, snap buttons, snap fasteners, studs, press studs, poppers, magnets, loop fasteners, laces, grommets, frog closures, fabric ties, eyelets, clasps, buckles, brooches, hook-and-loop fastener(s) (e.g., VELCRO), etc. Front closure 110 may also be any combination of any clothing closures. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have no front closure 110 at all.

Garment 100 may have one or more fabric structures 190 on its front side on the torso portion. In FIGS. 1 and 2, one or more fabric structures 190 includes a right front patch pocket 192 and a left front patch pocket 196. In other embodiments, garment 100 may have one or more other fabric structures, e.g., a single front kangaroo patch pocket when there is no front closure 110, two set-in pockets with or without flaps, any combination of any kinds of pockets, any combination of any kinds of decorative objects, etc. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have no fabric structure 190 at all. In FIGS. 1 and 2, right front patch pocket 192 has a closed top edge, a closed right side edge, a closed left side edge, a closed bottom edge, and an open curved edge 195, which form an oblique-oriented opening for right angled entry, and left front patch pocket 196 has a closed top edge, a closed left side edge, a closed right side edge, a closed bottom edge, and an open curved edge 199, which form an oblique-oriented opening for left angled entry. In some embodiments, a pocket may have a combination of open and closed edges to form a vertical-oriented opening for side entry or a horizontal-oriented opening for top entry.

Garment 100 may have a right arm sleeve 160 and a left arm sleeve 170. In FIGS. 1 and 2, right arm sleeve 160 includes a right arm zipper 162, and left arm sleeve 170 includes a left arm zipper 172. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have a right arm zipper 162. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have a left arm zipper 172. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have both right arm zipper 162 and left arm zipper 172, where they have the same or different zipper lengths. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have no arm zippers. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have a right arm sleeve 160. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have a left arm sleeve 170. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have both right arm sleeve 160 and left arm sleeve 170. In some embodiments, one or both of right arm sleeve 160 and left arm sleeve 170 may be short-sleeve or partial-sleeve. In some embodiments, one or both of right arm sleeve 160 and left arm sleeve 170 may be long-sleeve. In some embodiments, garment 100 may have no arm sleeves.

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear view of an embodiment of a garment. Garment 100 may have no features on its rear side, only the garment's clothing material. Garment 100 may have one or more of any features on its rear side, including any visual design, any visual pattern, any attached object, and/or any fabric structure (e.g., pocket(s), flap(s), hole(s), opening(s), etc.).

FIG. 4 illustrates a right side view of an embodiment of a garment. FIG. 5 illustrates a left side view of an embodiment of a garment. Right arm sleeve 160 is visible in the right side view of FIG. 4. Left arm sleeve 170 is visible in the left side view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a garment. Garment 100 may include one or more neck-area features 180. In FIG. 6, one or more neck-area features 180 includes a hood 182. The one or more neck-area features 180 may also include hood drawstrings 184 shown in FIG. 1 for hood 182 shown in FIG. 6. Drawstrings 184 may be end parts of a single cord or string that is threaded into a drawstring casing located along or near the edge of hood 182, where the cord or string is freely slidable inside the drawstring casing. Drawstrings 184 may be end parts of two respective cords or strings that are threaded into a drawstring casing located along or near the edge of hood 182, where each cord or string is fixed or fastened to a fixed portion of the drawstring casing or to a fixed material within the drawstring casing. The wearer of garment 100 can pull on one or more of drawstrings 184 to close or narrow the face opening of hood 182. In some embodiments, hood 182 may be detachable from garment 100 along a neckline of garment 100 by a clothing closure, e.g., one or more zippers, one or more buttons, one or more snap buttons, etc. In some embodiments, hood 182 may be stowable into a hood pouch in a collar along a neckline of garment 100. In other embodiments, garment 100 may have no hood. In some embodiments, instead of hood 182, one or more neck-area features 180 may include any kind of neckline (e.g., v-neck, crew, turtleneck, mock turtleneck, shawl, cowl, banded, scoop, etc.), any kind of collar, button, zipper, fastener, and/or any combination thereof.

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of an embodiment of a garment. Garment 100 may include any kind of bottom end 105. In FIG. 7, bottom end 105 includes a folded hem 107 with a zipper stop 114 for zipper 112. In various embodiments, garment 100 may include any kind of bottom end (e.g., ribbed hem, garter hem, split hem, etc., and/or any combination thereof), with or without front closure 110.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, zipper 112 is a separating zipper with a zipper stop 114 at bottom end 105, where zipper 112 closes as zipper head 116 goes up and opens as zipper head 116 goes down. In various embodiments, any kind of zipper may be used (e.g., chain, coil, one-way open-ended, two-way open-ended, etc.), where that zipper can open as its (upper) zipper head goes down away from the neck area of garment 100. That zipper can open partially, or open fully at bottom end 105.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, right arm zipper 162 and left arm zipper 172 are sewn into right arm sleeve 160 and left arm sleeve 170, respectively, so that they close as their respective zipper heads go toward right arm cuff 164 and left arm cuff 174, respectively. In various embodiments where an arm zipper does not extend to open the arm cuff, any kind of zipper may be used (e.g., chain, coil, invisible, one-way, two-way head-to-head, two-way tail-to-tail, etc.), where that zipper has at least one closed end. In various embodiments where an arm zipper does extend to open the arm cuff, any kind of zipper may be used (e.g., chain, coil, one-way, etc.), where that zipper can close as its zipper head goes from its closed end toward the arm cuff. Right arm zipper 162 may be located in a longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160. Left arm zipper 172 may be located in a longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170. An arm sleeve can be designed so that its longitudinal seam line is located at any longitudinal location of the arm sleeve, so that an in-seam arm zipper is also located at any longitudinal location of the arm sleeve.

FIG. 8 illustrates a chest area of an embodiment of a garment according to some embodiments. In embodiments where design feature 120 includes a right chest flap 122 that can open, the garment 100 can include one or more right-flap elements 130. In FIG. 8, one or more right-flap elements 130 includes right-flap top snap tape 132, right-chest top snap tape 133, right-flap side snap tape 134, right-chest side snap tape 135, and right-flap pocket 136. Right-flap top snap tape 132, right-flap side snap tape 134, and right-flap pocket 136 may be integrated into flap 122 via stitching, sewing, fastening, or any other fabrication method or technique. Right-flap top snap tape 132 is attachable with right-chest top snap tape 133. Right-flap side snap tape 134 is attachable with right-chest side snap tape 135. Right-chest top snap tape 133 and right-chest side snap tape 135 may be integrated into the chest area of garment 100 via stitching, sewing, fastening, or any other fabrication method or technique. In some embodiments, one or more right-flap elements 130 includes only one of right-flap top snap tape 132 and right-flap side snap tape 134, not both. In some embodiments, right-flap top snap tape 132 and right-flap side snap tape 134 may be integrated into a single piece of snap tape. In some embodiments, right-chest top snap tape 133 and right-chest side snap tape 135 may be integrated into a single piece of snap tape. In some embodiments, where right chest flap 122 has a different shape (e.g., one or more rounded convex-outward edges, one or more rounded concave-inward edges, a single curve with no corner, a partial ellipse or circle with no corner, etc.), that flap 122 may include one or more pieces of snap tape in an arrangement that follows the flap's shape. In some embodiments, right chest flap 122 can open via one or more or all of its edge(s) or sides(s), where one or more or all of the edge(s) or side(s) may be attachable to or detachable from garment 100. In some embodiments, when opened, right chest flap 122 may remain connected to garment 100 via any connection, e.g., fabric(s), string(s), leash(es), chain(s), lace(s), etc. In some embodiments, design feature 120 may have zero openable edges or sides. In some embodiments, design feature 120 may be primarily ornamental and have a pattern for the purpose of ornamenting where the pattern is part of the fabric of garment 100 or on the fabric of garment 100, where the pattern can have the visual and ornamental appearance of any embodiment of right chest flap 122 but is actually an ornamental pattern that does not open or lift off from the fabric of garment 100 for any functional design purpose or that has no functional characteristics.

In some embodiments, instead of snap tape, one or more right-flap elements 130 may include any other closure element that can close right chest flap 122 onto the chest area of garment 100, for example, one or more zippers, one or more buttons, one or more fasteners, one or more pins, one or more hooks, hook-and-loop fastener(s) (e.g., VELCRO), hook and eye fastener(s), etc. In embodiments, one or more right-flap elements 130 may include any grabbable, pushable, pullable, and/or otherwise manually manipulable elements usable to open the right chest flap 122, for example, fabric material or object (e.g., plastic, metal, etc.) at right-flap corner 124 (e.g., at L-shaped corner, at curve-shaped corner, as extra pull-tab extending from corner or around the corner, etc.), fabric material or object (like plastic or metal) along top edge of right chest flap 122 (e.g., along right-flap top snap tape 132, as extra pull-tab extending from top edge of right chest flap 122, etc.), fabric material or object (like plastic or metal) along side edge of right chest flap 122 (e.g., along right-flap side snap tape 134, as extra pull-tab extending from side edge of right chest flap 122, etc.), etc. In some embodiments, one or more or all edges of any embodiment of right chest flap 122 can have one or more pull-tabs usable to open the right chest flap 122. In some embodiments, right chest flap 122 may have zero pull-tabs.

In FIG. 8, right-flap pocket 136 includes a horizontal patch pocket where the pocket opens near the top of right chest flap 122 under and adjacent to right-flap top snap tape 132. In some embodiments, the horizontal patch pocket opens at the top of right chest flap 122, and there is no right-flap top snap tape 132 and no right-chest top snap tape 133, so that flap 122 has no closure at its top edge. In some embodiments, the opening edge 137 of the horizonal patch pocket can be located at any vertical level of flap 122, e.g., 25%, 33%, 50%, 66%, 75%, within 0-100%, etc.

In some embodiments, right-flap pocket 136 includes a vertical patch pocket where the pocket opens leftward near the side of right chest flap 122 adjacent to right-flap side snap tape 134. In some embodiments, the vertical patch pocket opens at the side edge of right chest flap 122, and there is no right-flap side snap tape 134 and no right-chest side snap tape 135, so that flap 122 has no closure at its side edge. In some embodiments, the opening edge 137 of the vertical patch pocket can be located at any horizonal level of flap 122, e.g., 25%, 33%, 50%, 66%, 75%, within 0-100%, etc. In some embodiments, any of these patch pockets may have its own closure for opening and closing the patch pocket, e.g., buttons, fasteners, hooks, pins, tapes, toggles, snap buttons, snap fasteners, studs, press studs, poppers, magnets, loop fasteners, laces, grommets, frog closures, fabric ties, eyelets, clasps, buckles, brooches, hook-and-loop fastener(s) (e.g., VELCRO), etc.

In embodiments, right-flap pocket 136 includes a pocket of any shape and/or any orientation. For example, pocket 136 may have an angled opening edge 137 that opens in a 45-degree angle upward and leftward (from the POV of the garment-wearer). In some embodiments, the angled pocket opens at the top of right chest flap 122 and there is no right-chest top snap tape 133, so that flap 122 has no closure at its top edge. In some embodiments, the angled pocket opens at the side edge of right chest flap 122 and there is no right-chest side snap tape 135, so that flap 122 has no closure at its side edge. In other examples, pocket 136 may have an opening edge 137 that is non-straight and/or non-uniform, e.g., curved, sawtooth, irregular, split, etc.

In embodiments where design feature 140 includes a left chest flap 142 that can open, the garment 100 can include one or more left-flap elements 150. In FIG. 8, one or more left-flap elements 150 includes left-flap top snap tape 152, left-chest top snap tape 153, left-flap side snap tape 154, left-chest side snap tape 155, and left-flap pocket 156. Left-flap top snap tape 152, left-flap side snap tape 154, and left-flap pocket 156 may be integrated into flap 142 via stitching, sewing, fastening, or any other fabrication method or technique. Left-flap top snap tape 152 is attachable with left-chest top snap tape 153. Left-flap side snap tape 154 is attachable with left-chest side snap tape 155. Left-chest top snap tape 153 and left-chest side snap tape 155 may be integrated into the chest area of garment 100 via stitching, sewing, fastening, or any other fabrication method or technique. In some embodiments, one or more left-flap elements 150 includes only one of left-flap top snap tape 152 and left-flap side snap tape 154, not both. In some embodiments, left-flap top snap tape 152 and left-flap side snap tape 154 may be integrated into a single piece of snap tape. In some embodiments, left-chest top snap tape 153 and left-chest side snap tape 155 may be integrated into a single piece of snap tape. In some embodiments, where left chest flap 142 has a different shape (e.g., one or more rounded convex-outward edges, one or more rounded concave-inward edges, a single curve with no corner, a partial ellipse or circle with no corner, etc.), that flap 142 may include one or more pieces of snap tape in an arrangement that follows the flap's shape. In some embodiments, left chest flap 142 can open via one or more or all of its edge(s) or sides(s), where one or more or all of the edge(s) or side(s) may be attachable to or detachable from garment 100. In some embodiments, when opened, left chest flap 142 may remain connected to garment 100 via any connection, e.g., fabric(s), string(s), leash(es), chain(s), lace(s), etc. In some embodiments, design feature 140 may have zero openable edges or sides. In some embodiments, design feature 140 may be primarily ornamental and have a pattern for the purpose of ornamenting where the pattern is part of the fabric of garment 100 or on the fabric of garment 100, where the pattern can have the visual and ornamental appearance of any embodiment of chest flap 142 but is actually an ornamental pattern that does not open or lift off from the fabric of garment 100 for any functional design purpose or that has no functional characteristics.

In some embodiments, instead of snap tape, one or more left-flap elements 150 may include any other closure element that can close left chest flap 142 onto the chest area of garment 100, for example, one or more zippers, one or more buttons, one or more fasteners, one or more pins, one or more hooks, hook-and-loop fastener(s) (e.g., VELCRO), hook and eye fastener(s), etc. In embodiments, one or more left-flap elements 150 may include any grabbable, pushable, pullable, and/or otherwise manually manipulable elements usable to open the left chest flap 142, for example, fabric material or object (e.g., plastic, metal, etc.) at left-flap corner 144 (e.g., at L-shaped corner, at curve-shaped corner, as extra pull-tab extending from corner or around the corner, etc.), fabric material or object (like plastic or metal) along top edge of left chest flap 142 (e.g., along left-flap top snap tape 152, as extra pull-tab extending from top edge of left chest flap 142, etc.), fabric material or object (like plastic or metal) along side edge of left chest flap 142 (e.g., along left-flap side snap tape 154, as extra pull-tab extending from side edge of left chest flap 142, etc.), etc. In some embodiments, one or more or all edges of any embodiment of left chest flap 142 can have one or more pull-tabs usable to open the left chest flap 142. In some embodiments, left chest flap 142 may have zero pull-tabs.

In FIG. 8, left-flap pocket 156 includes a horizontal patch pocket where the pocket opens near the top of left chest flap 142 under and adjacent to left-flap top snap tape 152. In some embodiments, the horizontal patch pocket opens at the top of left chest flap 142 and there is no left-flap top snap tape 152 and no left-chest top snap tape 153, so that flap 142 has no closure at its top edge. In some embodiments, the opening edge 157 of the horizonal patch pocket can be located at any vertical level of flap 142, e.g., 25%, 33%, 50%, 66%, 75%, within 0-100%, etc.

In some embodiments, left-flap pocket 156 includes a vertical patch pocket where the pocket opens rightward near the side of left chest flap 142 adjacent to left-flap side snap tape 154. In some embodiments, the vertical patch pocket opens at the side edge of left chest flap 142, and there is no left-flap side snap tape 154 and there is no left-chest side snap tape 155, so that flap 142 has no closure at its side edge. In some embodiments, the opening edge 157 of the vertical patch pocket can be located at any horizonal level of flap 142, e.g., 25%, 33%, 50%, 66%, 75%, within 0-100%, etc. In some embodiments, any of these patch pockets may have its own closure for opening and closing the patch pocket, e.g., buttons, fasteners, hooks, pins, tapes, toggles, snap buttons, snap fasteners, studs, press studs, poppers, magnets, loop fasteners, laces, grommets, frog closures, fabric ties, eyelets, clasps, buckles, brooches, hook-and-loop fastener(s) (e.g., VELCRO), etc.

In embodiments, left-flap pocket 156 includes a pocket of any shape and/or any orientation. For example, pocket 156 may have an angled opening edge 157 that opens in a 45-degree angle upward and rightward (from the POV of the garment-wearer). In some embodiments, the angled pocket opens at the top of left chest flap 142 and there is no left-chest top snap tape 153, so that flap 142 has no closure at its top edge. In some embodiments, the angled pocket opens at the side edge of left chest flap 142 and there is no left-chest side snap tape 155, so that flap 142 has no closure at its side edge. In other examples, pocket 156 may have an opening edge 157 that is non-straight and/or non-uniform, e.g., curved, sawtooth, irregular, split, etc.

FIG. 9 illustrates a right arm sleeve area of an embodiment of a garment. Right arm zipper 162 may be located in a longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160. Right arm sleeve 160 may be attached to the torso of garment 100 such that a seam line of right arm sleeve 160 (with right arm zipper 162) is located to face forward. Compared to other right arm sleeves where their longitudinal seam lines are located to face laterally inward (e.g., in designs where a sleeve's longitudinal seam line is located at the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface), right arm sleeve 160 and its longitudinal seam line (with right arm zipper 162) may be rotated axially frontward. In such an axially frontward location, the right arm zipper 162 may be located advantageously for facilitating certain purposes; for example, the right arm zipper 162 may open to provide access to the inner face of the wearer's right arm directly over its medial (center) line, such as where a medical staff member may perform a medical procedure (e.g., drawing blood from a vein, injecting medication into a vein or muscle, accessing an arm port). For a standard adult-sized upper body, the sleeve's longitudinal seam line (including the in-seam right arm zipper 162) may be located within 1-3 inches (or 2.54-7.62 cm) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. For a smaller size (e.g., child sizes) or a larger size (e.g., extra large sizes), the sleeve's longitudinal seam line (including the in-seam right arm zipper 162) may be located proportionally less (for child sizes) or more (for extra large sizes) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. Right arm sleeve 160 may be designed so that its longitudinal seam line is located at any longitudinal location of the right arm sleeve 160, so that an in-seam right arm zipper 162 is also located at any longitudinal location of the right arm sleeve 160. Right arm zipper 162 may have a length that runs in and along some (not all) of a longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160. In FIGS. 1 and 2, right arm zipper 162 runs near but not to the end of right arm sleeve 160, but other embodiments may have right arm zipper 162 run to the end of right arm sleeve 160 so that the right arm cuff 164 can open.

Alternatively, right arm sleeve 160 may be attached to the torso of garment 100 such that a longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160 is located to face laterally inward toward the torso of garment 100, e.g., in designs where the sleeve's longitudinal seam line is located at the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface. In such a laterally inward-facing location, the longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160 may be located advantageously for facilitating certain purposes; for example, when such a right arm sleeve 160 lies on a flat surface, the sleeve's fabric can crease neatly and precisely along the longitudinal seam line, which can be an easier sleeve design to manufacture than when the longitudinal seam line is axially rotated away from such a laterally inward-facing location. A manufacturing machine may stitch or sew together the two ends of fabric to form the sleeve's longitudinal seam, and that machine does so when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface. When the sleeve's longitudinal seam line is at the sleeve's bottom fold crease line (when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface), the manufacturing machine can perform the stitching or sewing in an arrangement or orientation that has the lowest risk of errors, such as missed stitches or missed sewing that result in holes and/or uneven stitching/sewing in the seam. When the sleeve's longitudinal seam line is located away from the sleeve's bottom fold crease line (when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface), the manufacturing machine may need to perform the stitching or sewing in an arrangement or orientation that has an increased risk of such errors, e.g., due to fabric stiffness pulling the fabric away from the stitch/sew line that is off the bottom fold crease line. In some embodiments, right arm zipper 162 may be located in the longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160, so that right arm zipper 162 faces laterally inward toward the torso of garment 100, or right arm zipper 162 may be located in adjacent to and parallel to the longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160, so that right arm zipper 162 faces forward. As mentioned above, when facing forward, the right arm zipper 162 may be located advantageously for facilitating certain purposes, such providing access to the inner face of the wearer's right arm directly over its medial (center) line for a medical staff member to perform a medical procedure. For a standard adult-sized upper body, the sleeve's off-seam right arm zipper 162 may be located within 1-3 inches (or 2.54-7.62 cm) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. For a smaller size (e.g., child sizes) or a larger size (e.g., extra large sizes), the sleeve's off-seam right arm zipper 162 may be located proportionally less (for child sizes) or more (for extra large sizes) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. Independent of the location of the longitudinal seam line, right arm zipper 162 may be located at any longitudinal location of the right arm sleeve 160, in-seam or off-seam. Right arm zipper 162 may have a length that runs adjacent to and parallel to some (not all) of a longitudinal seam line of right arm sleeve 160. Right arm zipper 162 may run near but not to the end of right arm sleeve 160, but other embodiments may have right arm zipper 162 run to the end of right arm sleeve 160 so that the right arm cuff 164 can open.

FIG. 10 illustrates a left arm sleeve area of an embodiment of a garment. Left arm zipper 172 may be located in a longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170. Left arm sleeve 170 may be attached to the torso of garment 100 such that a seam line of left arm sleeve 170 (with left arm zipper 172) is located to face forward. Compared to other left arm sleeves where their longitudinal seam lines are located to face laterally inward (e.g., in designs where a sleeve's longitudinal seam line is located at the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface), left arm sleeve 170 and its longitudinal seam line (with left arm zipper 172) may be rotated axially frontward. In such an axially frontward location, the left arm zipper 172 may be located advantageously for facilitating certain purposes; for example, the left arm zipper 172 may open to provide access to the inner face of the wearer's left arm directly over its medial (center) line, such as where a medical staff member may perform a medical procedure (e.g., drawing blood from a vein, injecting medication into a vein or muscle, accessing an arm port). For a standard adult-sized upper body, the sleeve's longitudinal seam line (including the in-seam left arm zipper 172) may be located within 1-3 inches (or 2.54-7.62 cm) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. For a smaller size (e.g., child sizes) or a larger size (e.g., extra large sizes), the sleeve's longitudinal seam line (including the in-seam left arm zipper 172) may be located proportionally less (for child sizes) or more (for extra large sizes) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. Left arm sleeve 170 may be designed so that its longitudinal seam line is located at any longitudinal location of the right arm sleeve 170, so that an in-seam right arm zipper 172 is also located at any longitudinal location of the right arm sleeve 170. Left arm zipper 172 may have a length that runs in and along some (not all) of a longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170. In FIGS. 1 and 2, left arm zipper 172 runs near but not to the end of left arm sleeve 170, but other embodiments may have left arm zipper 172 run to the end of left arm sleeve 170 so that the left arm cuff 174 can open.

Alternatively, left arm sleeve 170 may be attached to the torso of garment 100 such that a longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170 is located to face laterally inward toward the torso of garment 100, e.g., in designs where the sleeve's longitudinal seam line is located at the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface. In such a laterally inward-facing location, the longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170 may be located advantageously for facilitating certain purposes; for example, when such a left arm sleeve 170 lies on a flat surface, the sleeve's fabric can crease neatly and precisely along the longitudinal seam line, which can be an easier sleeve design to manufacture than when the longitudinal seam line is axially rotated away from such a laterally inward-facing location. A manufacturing machine may stitch or sew together the two ends of fabric to form the sleeve's longitudinal seam, and that machine does so when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface. When the sleeve's longitudinal seam line is at the sleeve's bottom fold crease line (when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface), the manufacturing machine can perform the stitching or sewing in an arrangement or orientation that has the lowest risk of errors, such as missed stitches or missed sewing that result in holes and/or uneven stitching/sewing in the seam. When the sleeve's longitudinal seam line is located away from the sleeve's bottom fold crease line (when the sleeve is lying flat on a flat surface), the manufacturing machine may need to perform the stitching or sewing in an arrangement or orientation that has an increased risk of such errors, e.g., due to fabric stiffness pulling the fabric away from the stitch/sew line that is off the bottom fold crease line. In some embodiments, left arm zipper 172 may be located in the longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170, so that left arm zipper 172 faces laterally inward toward the torso of garment 100, or left arm zipper 172 may be located in adjacent to and parallel to the longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170, so that left arm zipper 172 faces forward. As mentioned above, when facing forward, the left arm zipper 172 may be located advantageously for facilitating certain purposes, such providing access to the inner face of the wearer's left arm directly over its medial (center) line for a medical staff member to perform a medical procedure. For a standard adult-sized upper body, the sleeve's off-seam left arm zipper 172 may be located within 1-3 inches (or 2.54-7.62 cm) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. For a smaller size (e.g., child sizes) or a larger size (e.g., extra large sizes), the sleeve's off-seam left arm zipper 172 may be located proportionally less (for child sizes) or more (for extra large sizes) above the sleeve's bottom fold crease line when lying flat on a flat surface. Independent of the location of the longitudinal seam line, left arm zipper 172 may be located at any longitudinal location of the right arm sleeve 170, in-seam or off-seam. Left arm zipper 172 may have a length that runs adjacent to and parallel to some (not all) of a longitudinal seam line of left arm sleeve 170. Left arm zipper 172 may run near but not to the end of left arm sleeve 170, but other embodiments may have left arm zipper 172 run to the end of left arm sleeve 170 so that the left arm cuff 174 can open.

Garment 100 may be manufactured from one or more of any fabrics and any combinations or blends thereof. Garment 100 may have any range of thickness at any location of the garment.

A garment with one or both of right chest flap 122 and left chest flap 142 may provide a medical treatment garment. Such a medical treatment garment may address some or all of the concerns discussed above. When a hospital nurse performs the attaching of the infusion pump to the access port on the patient's torso, e.g., at the right chest area, the nurse can conveniently open right chest flap 122 to access the port, without inserting any tubing from the medical treatment garment's bottom opening or neck opening. It is unnecessary for the patient to lift up any garment material from its bottom opening. It is unnecessary for the patient to pull down any garment material from the neck opening. Thus, the nurse and/or the patient can avoid the awkwardness of attempting to insert tubing at one or both of those locations. It is also unnecessary for the patient to remove any entire piece(s) of clothing from the torso where the port is located, thus saving time and/or reducing or avoiding stress for patients who are shy or have personal preferences or convictions about disrobing their clothing. Additionally, because the right chest flap 122 can open at or near the port, the tubing can exit directly at right chest flap 122, so no or little tubing needs to stay inside the medical treatment garment. Thus, the patient can avoid the discomfort of an intrusive object inside some clothing and/or the discomfort of an uncomfortably cool or cold tubing touching the skin. When in a closed position, right chest flap 122 can provide one or more openings (e.g., along top edge of right chest flap 122, along side edge of right chest flap 122) though which the tubing (e.g., 2 in. or more between fasteners, 5 cm or more between fasteners, variable spacings between fasteners, etc.) can fit and exit (e.g., in between adjacent or non-adjacent snaps of snap tape for right chest flap 122, in between adjacent or non-adjacent buttons or fasteners for right chest flap 122, through an unzipped zipper(s) for right chest flap 122, etc.). Furthermore, the size and two-dimensional shape of right chest flap 122 can form an opening that is larger than the size of the infusion pump, so that the pump can easily fit through that opening when the patient is disrobing or removing the medical treatment garment off the patient's body. Infusion pumps can be fairly sizeable, e.g., 1.6×3.8×4.4 in (4.1×9.5×11.2 cm) in size, which may require the medical treatment garment to provide a correspondingly larger opening. In contrast, for example, a mere horizontal slit in a garment's left or right chest area may provide some kind of a slit opening, but that slit opening would be too narrow to fit an infusion pump through the garment with comfortable ease or too narrow to physically fit an infusion pump through the garment at all.

In some embodiments, a medical treatment garment of this disclosure includes a front enclosure 110. The garment can be opened to control or regulate the patient's body temperature, e.g., to a comfortable temperature level. In some embodiments, a medical treatment garment of this disclosure includes a hood 182, which a patient can put on or take off to control or regulate the patient's body temperature, e.g., to a comfortable temperature level.

In some embodiments, a garment of this disclosure includes heat-retaining or heat-insulating properties. The garment may be manufactured from heat-retaining or heat-insulating fabric, e.g., wool, fleece, nylon, hemp, cashmere, cotton, feather down, corduroy, flannel, Gore-Tex, silk, other synthetic and/or natural fibers, etc., and any combinations or blends thereof. The medical treatment garment may have a minimum thickness that promotes heat retention or heat insulation, like the thickness of a sweater (e.g., 300 grams per square meter (GSM) or more weight thickness) more than a thinner t-shirt (e.g., 180 GSM or less) of a common material like cotton or fabric blends based on cotton. Based on the garment's fabric material, the minimum thickness may be less for fabric material that has higher heat-retention or higher heat-insulation properties (e.g., wool, goose down, nylon) than the minimum thickness for fabric material that has lower heat-retention or lower heat-insulation properties (e.g., polyester mesh).

In some embodiments, a garment of this disclosure may be worn directly on the garment-wearer's skin. The garment may be manufactured from materials that are comfortable for wearing on skin, e.g., fleece, cotton, flannel, linen, silk, cashmere, flax, hemp, merino wool, nylon, etc.

In some embodiments, a garment of this disclosure includes one or more chest-flap pockets, like right-flap pocket 136 and/or left-flap pocket 156. In such a chest-flap pocket, a medical treatment garment of this disclosure can conveniently hold extra tubing that goes from an access port (on a patient's chest) to an infusion pump (carried in another pocket, e.g., a front right or left pocket of a hoodie sweater, a pocket of a fanny waist pack, a pocket of a backpack or purse, etc.). Extra slack tubing may be useful to provide increased maneuverability to a nurse when attaching the pump's tubing to the patient's port, but that extra slack tubing can be a snag risk to the patient after the attachment is complete. When the patient continues a daily routine, that extra slack tubing can increase the risk that the pump's tubing can snag onto any variety of objects that come near the patient, e.g., hands, arms, fingers, car door corners, food utensils, hand tools, pets, etc. Extra slack tubing can be rolled up and held in place in such a chest-flap pocket of a medical treatment garment of this disclosure, so that there is little or no slack in the tubing extending from the chest-flap pocket to the pump carried in another pocket; thus, the patient can continue a daily routine more safely with a lower snag risk to the pump's tubing. A chest-flap pocket of a garment of this disclosure is not limited in usage to medical treatment scenarios; the chest-flap pocket may carry any other object, regardless of scenario.

In some embodiments, a garment of this disclosure includes one or both of right arm sleeve 160 with right arm zipper 162 and left arm sleeve 170 with left arm zipper 172. With such an arm zipper, a medical treatment garment of this disclosure can permit a medical staff member (e.g., a hospital nurse, a blood technician, etc.) to unzip the arm zipper and separate the sleeve's fabric around the arm zipper, in order to conveniently access some location along the anterior surface of the patient's corresponding arm to perform a medical procedure (e.g., drawing blood from a vein, injecting medication into a vein or muscle), without requiring the patent to roll up a sleeve. Alternatively, the patient's arm can go through the opening formed in the sleeve when the arm zipper is unzipped, and a medical staff member can access the patient's arm outside of the sleeve. Additionally, one or more arm zippers can be opened and closed in order to control or regulate body temperature of the patient. In some embodiments, an arm zipper opens completely at the cuff or opens before the cuff. Using an arm zipper may be easier in a sleeve where the zipper only opens before the cuff, because the garment wearer's hand in the sleeve can easily grab the cuff to provide a force (towards the cuff) that straightens the sleeve and the arm zipper and that opposes the direction of a moving zipper head (away from the cuff). In a sleeve where the zipper is opened completely at the cuff, the garment wearer's hand in the sleeve may have to twist or stretch more to grasp a part of the opened cuff, in order to hold the zipper stable for use by the other hand. An arm zipper of a garment of this disclosure is not limited in usage to medical treatment scenarios; the arm zipper may be opened and closed for any other reason, regardless of scenario.

In some embodiments, a garment of this disclosure includes one or more pockets on its front side on the torso portion, like a single front kangaroo patch pocket, right front patch pocket 162, or a left front patch pocket 164. With such a pocket, a medical treatment garment of this disclosure can carry medical equipment, like a chemotherapy infusion pump, so that the weight of the medical equipment is distributed across the whole garment. In contrast, medical equipment issued with a shoulder strap loads its weight on a patient entirely on the patient's shoulder, which can be tire the patient so that the patient switches it to the other shoulder periodically; such localized weight on a shoulder and switching shoulders can tire the patient and/or increase the risk of dropping and damaging the medical equipment and ruining the medical treatment in process. Such a pocket may have a vertical-oriented opening for side entry, a horizontal-oriented opening for top entry, or an oblique-oriented opening for angled entry. Due to having closed side edges that can prevent sideway drops out of the pocket, an angled-entry pocket and a top-entry pocket may hold medical equipment more safely and securely than a side-entry pocket. A pocket(s) on the front size of a garment of this disclosure is not limited in usage to medical treatment scenarios; the pocket(s) may carry any other object, regardless of scenario.

In some embodiments, a garment of this disclosure includes one or both of right chest flap 122 and left chest flap 142 with the corresponding right-flap pocket 136 and/or left-flap pocket 156, and also one or both of right arm sleeve 160 with right arm zipper 162 and left arm sleeve 170 with left arm zipper 172. For some chemotherapy patients, their medication is delivered, not through an access port at a chest location, but though an entry point at an arm location (e.g., arm port, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line in arm, etc.), such as in the upper right arm on the anterior surface of the right arm, which may also be referenced as under the right arm. With an entry point in the right arm, the patient can wear a medical treatment garment of this disclosure on the day of starting chemotherapy and then enter the medical facility. A medical staff member, like a hospital nurse, can open right arm zipper 162 to conveniently access the right-arm entry point. The nurse can open the garment's right chest flap 122 and insert an infusion pump's tubing into flap 122 to enter right arm sleeve 160. The nurse can grab the inserted end of the tubing via the opened right arm zipper 162 and pull the tubing through in order to handle it for attaching to the right-arm entry point. The infusion pump can be placed into a pocket (e.g., a front right or left pocket of the garment, a pocket of a fanny waist pack, a pocket of a backpack or purse, etc.). Any extra slack tubing can be rolled up and tucked into right-flap pocket 136, reducing the risk that the pump's tubing can snag onto an object.

Exemplary embodiments are shown and described in the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the embodiments are capable of use in various other combinations and environments and are capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the concepts as expressed herein. Such variations are not to be regarded as departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

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