Patent Application
20160345645
The present disclosure is related to a co-owned U.S. nonprovisional patent application filed on even day herewith, entitled ADJUSTABLY SIZED MEDICAL GOWN having named inventors George Daniel Reese and Donna L. Reese, with Docket Reference No. PRES-006, referred to herein as “Related Application,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates generally to medical gowns and, in particular, to a medical gown having adjustable tie straps.
Medical gowns for use by various health care workers, as well as by hospital visitors, are well-known in the art. Such protective wear may be designed to provide various levels of protection depending on the particular use and potential contaminants that the health care worker may be exposed to. At the least, a medical gown should shield the wearer's clothes and skin from direct contact with any bodily fluids or medical waste that may be contaminated with germs or viruses. To insure that the wearer does not transfer any germs or viruses to the wearer's clothes or person, a medical gown is commonly affixed in place on the wearer using ties. Preferably, the medical gown is appropriately fitted on the wearer for use, such that no portions of the gown may loosely drape or inadvertently contact contaminated surfaces or substances. The ties themselves, however, can be a source of potential contamination if they inadvertently dangle onto a floor or other surface harboring germs or viruses. This is a difficult problem to avoid, particularly since the ties that are provided on the gown also need to be long enough to secure around healthcare workers of larger stature and short enough not to dangle on the ground when secured around persons of smaller stature.
A need exists, therefore, for medical gowns that minimize the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants. A need also exists for medical gowns that decrease the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants while also being adjustable in size to accommodate health care workers of varying stature.
Features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of this disclosure.
The present disclosure is directed to a medical gown that decreases the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants. The present disclosure is also directed to a medical gown that minimizes the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants while also being adjustable in size to accommodate health care workers of various stature.
In aspects, the present disclosure is directed to a medical gown that includes a torso portion comprising a front portion and a left and a right side portion connected to opposing sides of the front potion. An upper portion extends upward from the torso portion. The upper portion includes a left arm member and a right arm member configured to cover a left and right arm, respectively, of a wearer of the medical gown. The upper portion further includes an opening configured to fit around a wearer's neck.
The upper portion further includes a tie member extending on one end from one of the left and right side portions, with a section of the tie member folded over lengthwise. A portion of the folded section is detachably connected to one of the left and right arm members that is proximate the one end. Once detached by a wearer from the one of the left and right arm members, the tie member is operable to unfold and elongate for tying around a waist of the wearer.
In one aspect, the tie member includes a first section and a second section, which are joined to form a folded edge. The tie member is lengthwise folded and unfolded along the folded edge.
The folded edge may be formed from bonding ends of the first section and the second section together.
In another aspect, the tie member is a first tie member extending from the left side portion proximate the left arm member. The first tie member is detachably connected to the left arm member. The medical gown further includes a second tie member extending from the right side portion proximate the right arm member. A section of the second tie member is folded over lengthwise. A portion of the folded section of the second tie member is detachably connected to the right arm member. Upon being detached from the right arm member by the wearer, the second tie member is operable to unfold and elongate for tying around the wearer.
Each of the first tie member and the second tie member may be operable to extend around the left and the right side portions and to tie together to form a closure around the wearer. A size of the closure is adjustable by unfolding one or both of the first tie member and the second tie member being tied together.
In still another aspect, the detachably connected portion is formed from a perforated section of material connecting the one of the left and the right arm members to the tie member.
In yet another aspect, the detachably connected portion is formed from one of a weak seam, an adhesive, and loose stitches connecting the one of the left and the right arm members to the tie member.
In a further aspect, the upper portion includes a back side and a front side, wherein the right and the left arm members are formed by joining a portion of a bottom edge of each of the back side and the front side to form an enclosure for covering a wearer's arms.
The tie member may include a first section and a second section, which are joined to form a folded edge. The tie member is lengthwise folded and unfolded along the folded edge.
A top edge of the first section may be detachably connected along the bottom edge of the front side and a top edge of the second section may be detachably connected along the bottom edge of the back side.
In another aspect of the medical gown, no portion of the detachably connected tie member on the medical gown donned by a wearer, before being detached from the one of the left and right arm members, hangs below a bottom edge of the torso portion.
The medical gown, in aspects, may be formed of a material comprising polyethylene coated spunbond polypropylene.
In some aspects, the medical gown is formed of a material and of a construction to provide fluid resistant protection to a wearer of the medical gown.
The material may further include an antimicrobial agent.
Each of the right and left arm members in aspects of the gown is a full-length sleeve for fitting a wearer's arm therethrough and having an opening for at least a portion of a wearer's hand.
In some aspects, the sleeves further include a second opening for fitting a wearer's thumb therethrough.
In additional aspects, each of the first and second tie members upon being detached and unfolded, is sufficiently long to extend around the left and right sides, respectively, to the back of the medical gown, and further around the right and left sides, respectively, to tie together along the front side of the medical gown.
The present disclosure is also directed to a medical gown that includes a torso portion and an upper portion extending upward from the torso portion. The torso portion includes a front portion and a left and a right side portion connected to opposing sides of the front portion. The upper portion includes a left arm member and a right arm member configured to cover a left and right arm, respectively, of a wearer of the medical gown. The upper portion further includes an opening configured to fit around a wearer's neck. The medical gown also includes a left tie member extending on one end from the left side portion proximate the left arm member, and a right tie member extending on one end from the right side portion proximate the right arm member. A second end of the left tie member is detachably connected to the left arm member, and a second end of the right tie member is detachably connected to the right arm member. The left and right tie members are extendable, upon being detached, around the left and right sides to a back of the medical gown for tying together to form a closure around a waist of a wearer.
In an additional aspect, each of the left and right tie members upon being detached is sufficiently long to not only extend around the left and right sides, respectively, to the back of the medical gown, but to also further extend around the right and left sides, respectively, to tie together along the front side of the medical gown.
In one aspect, a section of each of the left and right tie members is folded over lengthwise. A portion of the folded section of the left tie member is detachably connected to the left arm member and a portion of the folded section of the right tie member is detachably connected to the right arm member. Each of the right and left tie member is operable upon being detached to unfold and elongate for adjustably sizing the closure securing the medical gown on the wearer.
In another aspect, each tie member includes a first section and a second section, which are joined to form a folded edge. Each tie member is lengthwise folded and unfolded along the folded edge.
In still another aspect, the folded edge is formed from bonding ends of the first section and the second section together.
In addition to the above aspects of the present disclosure, additional aspects, objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the embodiments presented in the following description and in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The drawings constitute a part of this disclosure and include examples, which may be implemented in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances, various aspects of the disclosure may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate understanding. The teaching of the disclosure can be readily understood by considering the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below.
The various aspects of the present disclosure mentioned above are described in further detail with reference to the aforementioned figures and the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments.
Particular illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments provided herein are illustrative only and not limiting, having been presented by way of example only. All features disclosed in this description may be replaced by alternative features serving the same or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Therefore, numerous other embodiments of the modifications thereof are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present disclosure of a medical gown as defined herein and equivalents thereto. Well-known functions or constructions and repetitive matter are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary or redundant detail. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting. In this description, as well as in the drawings, like-referenced numbers represent elements which may perform the same, similar, or equivalent functions.
Throughout the description, where items are described as having, including, or comprising one or more specific components or features, or where methods are described as having, including, or comprising one or more specific steps, it is contemplated that, additionally, there are items of the present disclosure that consist essentially of, or consist of, the one or more recited components or features, and that there are methods according to the present disclosure that consist essentially of, or consist of, the one or more recited processing steps.
The present disclosure is directed to a medical gown that may reduce the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants. The present disclosure is also directed to a medical gown that may reduce the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants while also being adjustable in size to accommodate health care workers of various stature. The embodiments described herein are directed to improvements to a type of a medical gown which may be referred to as a “personal protection gown.” Although the medical gown of the embodiments shown does not fully cover a wearer's back, as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the present disclosure is not, however, limited thereto. Accordingly, the gown of the present disclosure may be constructed with a full back layer and other features, for example, to comply with different levels of AAMI (“Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation”) protection. In embodiments, the medical gown of the present disclosure may include gowns of varying lengths, as well as gowns that fully cover the back as well as the front of a wearer, and, optionally, the head. In addition, while the embodiments described are directed to a gown that is donned over the wearer's head, the scope of the claims is not limited to the particular configuration shown. For example, the medical gown of the present disclosure may include, but is not limited to, personal protection gowns, surgical gowns, isolation gowns, and so on, including gowns formed of the appropriate materials and of the appropriate construction as to provide the desired level of fluid resistant and/or fluid impervious protection to the wearer. The medical gown of the present disclosure may also be formed of a material that comprises antitoxins and/or antimicrobials.
“Ties,” “tie straps,” and “tie members” are used interchangeably herein to refer to a long narrow strip of material used for binding or securing the medical gown on a wearer by tying.
Referring to
Referring still to
In embodiments, each tie member is detachably connected to its respective proximate arm member. Referring to
Referring still to
In embodiments, the detachably connected portions 45 are formed from a perforated section of material connecting the tie member to the respective (proximate) arm member. In particular embodiments described below, detachably connected portions 45 include front 36 and back portions 40, which, as shown in
In other embodiments, the detachably connected portions 45 may be formed from a weak seam, an adhesive, or loose stitches connecting the tie member to the respective (proximate) arm member.
Referring to
In the embodiments shown in
As shown in
The medical gown 10 of the present disclosure may also include cut-outs to aid in fitting the gown around the wearer. For example, curved cut-outs 44 may be provided in the torso portion 12 proximate the ends 30, 34 of the tie members. When the wearer extends the tie members back around the side portions 16, 18, the side portions separate from the arm members along cut-outs 44, so that the side portions 16, 18 can wrap around the sides and back of a wearer.
Although not shown, the side portions may be weakly tacked to the front portion 14 along the cut-outs 44. For example, a few, small, scattered points of continuity between the front portion 14 and proximate side portion 16, 18 may be provided along the cut-out 44. The side portions 16, 18 easily break away along the cut-outs 44 upon donning the gown 10 and/or when the wearer extends the tie members back around the side portions 16, 18 for tying.
Referring still to
Referring also to
In embodiments, the tie members are preferably sufficiently long, once unfolded, to extend around each of the left and right sides, respectively, to the back of the medical gown, and to further extend back around each of the right and left sides, respectively, back to the front of the gown. In this configuration, most wearers can optionally advantageously tie the straps together in the front of the medical gown. This affords great flexibility to the user in adjusting the fit of the gown, and in adjusting the amount of excess strap length after tying.
In embodiments, a medical gown may also include a single (folded in two as shown in the figures) or multiple folded tie member detachably connected proximate either a left or right arm member in accordance with the present disclosure. Once unfolded, the tie member is long enough to extend entirely around the gown for tying its loose end 58 back onto itself, for example, back onto the end 30, 34 that extends from the side portion 16, 18. Optionally, a loop (not shown) may be provided on the front portion 12, around which the loose end 58 may be tied.
In some embodiments, each of the folded sections 56 and 64 is separately attached to the bottom edge 60, 66, of the back 62 and front sides 68, respectively, of the tie members, as also shown in
Referring to
In some embodiments, the sections 56 and 64 of each tie member are bonded together at one end to form the folded edge 55. Accordingly, sections 56 and 64 may be formed from separate strips of material.
In embodiments, sections 56 and 64 are bonded together with an adhesive.
In embodiments of a medical gown of the present disclosure, referring to
In further embodiments, each of the right 22 and left arm members 24 is a full-length sleeve for fitting a wearer's arm therethrough, and includes an opening 74 for at least a portion of a wearer's hand. Preferably, a second opening 76 is also provided for fitting a wearer's thumb therethrough.
In other embodiments, an elasticized cuff around the wrist area, or any other appropriate means may be employed instead of the thumb opening shown to keep the arm members and gown in place on a user.
The medical gown may be formed of any suitable material. In embodiments, the medical gown is formed of a synthetic material.
In embodiments, the material comprises polyethylene coated spunbond polypropylene.
The material, along with the construction of the gown, may provide a fluid resistant gown. Higher levels of protection may be provided as described above by appropriate choice of materials and construction.
In other embodiments, at least portions of the medical gown is formed of a natural or nonsynthetic material.
In some embodiments, the material may further include an antimicrobial or antitoxin agent.
The medical gown of the present disclosure can be manufactured using any suitable method known in the art. For example, starting with a single layer of material cut into an appropriate shape for forming the front and back of the gown and arm members, a section of the material is folded along the neck line to create the two layers that will comprise the front and back of the gown. This two layer section will then be bonded as needed (along line 70 as shown in the figures, for example) to create the arm sleeves and the attachment strap(s). Bonding of the materials can be achieved by the use of adhesives, heat and pressure, ultrasonics, or any other suitable means. In this way, portions of the folded section below the seam 70 form the extendable strap(s), which are then die cut by commercially available means such as flatbed die cutting, power knife system or similar means. Using any methods known in the art, perforations may also be added along the bottom edge 60, 66 of each of the back side 62 and the front side 68 to enable easier separation of the straps for use.
While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing is illustrative only and not limiting, having been presented by way of example only. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting. Numerous other embodiments of a medical gown are contemplated as falling within the scope of the accompanying claims and equivalents thereto.
