Patent Application
20250127243
The present invention relates generally to the field of burping clothes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a burping garment device that covers a user's upper body while burping an infant. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.
Burping a baby is a crucial step in ensuring the baby's comfort and well-being after feeding. This process helps to release any trapped air that may have been swallowed during feeding, which, if left unchecked, can cause discomfort or lead to the baby spitting up. By reducing the likelihood of regurgitation, burping plays an essential role in supporting the baby's digestion and preventing distress. Typically, after a baby is burped, they are often placed down for a nap or rest. However, the process of burping is not without its challenges for caregivers.
Standard burping cloths, while designed to protect against spit-up, are often prone to slipping off the caregiver's shoulder. This can be problematic, as the cloth might fall at an inconvenient moment, potentially disrupting the baby just as they are being placed in their crib. In addition to causing disturbances, burping can sometimes result in spit-up that soils both the caregiver's clothing and the environment around them. This can lead to more frequent clothing changes and additional laundry.
For caregivers, the hassle of dealing with spit-up doesn't stop there. A single burping cloth may need to be washed daily, or even multiple times a day, depending on the frequency of spit-up episodes. This continuous cycle of cleaning adds to the overall workload and creates a recurring inconvenience. Therefore, the act of burping, while essential, comes with a variety of challenges that caregivers must navigate to ensure the baby remains comfortable and their environment stays clean.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved burping cloth. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a burping garment device. More specifically, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a burping garment device that more adequately covers a user's upper body while worn than existing burping clothes. In addition, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a burping garment device that more adequately covers a user's upper body while worn than existing burping clothes, wherein the device need not be washed as frequently as existing burping cloths.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a burping garment device. The device is designed to be worn on a user's upper body, comprising a body with a U-shaped front section covering the shoulders and upper chest and a square or rectangular rear section covering the back. The body is constructed from an absorbent top layer and a waterproof bottom layer, ensuring effective containment of liquids, such as infant spit-up, while preventing penetration to the user's clothing. The front and rear sections are removably attached using fasteners for easy cleaning. Additionally, a weighted perimeter edge prevents slippage during use. A method of using the device is also described, including steps for attachment, placement on the user, and infant burping.
In this manner, the burping garment device of the present invention accomplishes all the forgoing objectives and provides an improved burping cloth. More specifically, the device more adequately covers a user's upper body while worn than existing burping clothes. In addition, the device need not be washed as frequently as existing burping cloths.
The following presents a simplified summary to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a burping garment device. The device is comprised of a body designed to be worn on the user's upper body, with a front section that covers the shoulders and upper chest, and a rear section that covers the back. This configuration is intended to protect the user from spit-up during the process of burping an infant, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the upper body.
The body may be comprised of various fabric materials, including an absorbent top layer made from options such as organic cotton, bamboo, or microfiber. Additionally, the body includes a waterproof bottom layer made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or polyurethane laminate (PUL), which prevents liquid from penetrating through to the user's clothing. In one embodiment, the top layer may also be waterproof, allowing the entire body to resist liquids and enabling easy cleaning without the need for frequent washing.
The front section of the body is generally U-shaped to effectively cover both shoulders and the upper chest, while the rear section is square or rectangular to ensure complete coverage of the back. These two sections are connected by removable fasteners, such as hook-and-loop fasteners, snap buttons, magnets, or similar fasteners, allowing for easy detachment and reattachment for cleaning purposes.
In one embodiment, the perimeter edge of the body is weighted to prevent it from slipping off the user's upper body during use. This weighted edge may be achieved using any suitable weighted material.
The method of using the device involves first providing the body, attaching the front and rear sections via the fasteners, and placing the body on the user's upper body with the front section covering the shoulders and chest, and the rear section covering the back. The user then places an infant on either side of the front section to burp the infant, with the device protecting the user from spit-up.
Accordingly, the burping garment device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it provides an improved burping cloth. More specifically, the device more adequately covers a user's upper body while worn than existing burping clothes. In addition, the device need not be washed as frequently as existing burping cloths. In this manner, the burping garment device overcomes the limitations of existing burping cloths known in the art.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved burping cloth. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a burping garment device. More specifically, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a burping garment device that more adequately covers a user's upper body while worn than existing burping clothes. In addition, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a burping garment device that more adequately covers a user's upper body while worn than existing burping clothes, wherein the device need not be washed as frequently as existing burping cloths.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of a burping garment device. The device is comprised of a body designed to be worn on the user's upper body, with a front section that covers the shoulders and upper chest and a rear section that covers the back. This design effectively protects the user from spit-up during infant burping, providing full upper-body coverage.
The body may be made from various fabric materials, including an absorbent top layer such as organic cotton, bamboo, or microfiber. Additionally, the body features a waterproof bottom layer, such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or polyurethane laminate (PUL), which prevents liquids from seeping through to the user's clothing. In one embodiment, the top layer may also be waterproof, making the entire body liquid-resistant and easier to clean without frequent washing.
The front section is generally U-shaped to cover both shoulders and the upper chest, while the rear section is square or rectangular to ensure complete back coverage. These sections are connected by removable fasteners, including hook-and-loop fasteners, snap buttons, magnets, or similar mechanisms, allowing for easy detachment and reattachment for cleaning.
In one embodiment, the perimeter edge of the body is weighted to prevent it from slipping off during use. Any suitable weighted material may be used to achieve this.
The method of using the device involves first providing the body, attaching the front and rear sections with fasteners, and placing the body on the user's upper body. The front section covers the shoulders and chest, while the rear section covers the back. The user then positions the infant on the front section for burping, with the device protecting against spit-up.
Thus, the burping garment device offers improved upper-body coverage compared to conventional burping cloths. Additionally, it requires less frequent washing, overcoming the limitations of existing products.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The body 110 may be comprised of any suitable fabric material known in the art. This construction includes a top layer 120 as seen in
As mentioned above, the front section 140 of the body 110 is generally U-shaped, which allows it to effectively cover each shoulder and the upper chest area of the user, as seen in
In one embodiment, a perimeter edge 160 of the body 110 is weighted. This prevents the body 110 from falling off of a user's upper body during use. The edge 160 may be weighted via any weighted substance.
The present invention is also comprised of a method of using 200 the device 100, as seen in
U-shaped front section 140 and a generally square or rectangular rear section 150 [Step 202]. Then, the front section 140 can be attached to a rear section 150 via attaching a fastener 142 of the front section 140 to a fastener 152 of the rear section 150 [Step 204]. Then, a user can place the body 110 onto their upper body such that the front section 140 covers their shoulders and upper chest and the rear section 150 covers their back [Step 206]. Finally, a user can place an infant on either side of the front section 140 and burp the infant [Step 208].
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “burping garment device” and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the burping garment device 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the burping garment device 100 of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, and material of the burping garment device 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the burping garment device 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the burping garment device 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the burping garment device 100 may be of any size, shape, and/or configuration that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/592,613, which was filed on Oct. 24, 2023, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63592613 | Oct 2023 | US |
