Patent Application
20220361603
The present invention relates to a gown which may be used as a personal protection equipment (PPE), preferably manufactured using a one piece woven (OPW) process.
Due to the recent viral pandemic there is a substantial increase in the demand for PPE items including facemasks, gloves and gowns. Gowns are often used in healthcare settings in order to protect the wearer from the spread of infection or illness if the wearer comes in contact with potentially infectious liquid and solid materials. Gowns may also be used to prevent the gown wearer from transferring microorganisms that could harm vulnerable patients such as those with weakened immune systems. The requirements and specifications of a gown are dependent on the end user application and compliance with various standards applicable to gowns. Gowns are classified in various categories depending upon the degree of protection provided. In Europe, specification levels of medical gowns are best described in ISO BS EN 13795 which includes test associated with microbial penetration, cleanliness, microbial/bio burden, particle release, liquid penetration and bursting strength. In North America, medical gowns are classified with respect to liquid barrier performance as Level 1-Minimal Risk (e.g. basic medical care), Level 2-Low Risk (e.g. blood draw, suturing), Level 3-Moderate Risk (e.g. arterial blood draw), and Level 4-High Risk (e.g. surgery). Each level is associated with a different set of testing and validation requirements. Another set of standards in North America is established by ASTM F2407 with requirements concerning tensile strength, tear resistance, seem strength, lint generation and water vapor transmission.
Medical gowns are further classified as non-reusable and reusable. Reusable gowns must demonstrate compliance with performance specifications after a specified number of wash cycles. In practice, were high levels of liquid barrier performance are required, gowns formed of woven materials require a surface coating, typically a polymer type. The laundering process can compromise the performance of coatings due to mechanical action (abrasion), especially in areas of the woven structure which provide local projections, waviness or peaks in the woven structure. Seamed together components of a gown also create areas where concentrated mechanical action occurs as it produces a stiffening of the fabric in those areas and results in protrusions along the seam lines, which exacerbate performance degradation over wash cycles.
Gowns formed of woven fabric materials are typically made from flat bulk woven material which is assembled in a so-called cut and sew operation. Bulk material is cut to desired shapes and then assembled along seam lines where mechanical stitching is provided to connect the fabric components. This process in general has been used to produce apparel since the earliest days of mechanical weaving and sewing processes. More recently, a new category of weaving technology has emerged often referred to as “one piece woven”) or “OPV” articles. These processes are also referenced as “3D weaving”. In these processes, in addition to the traditional 2D warp and weft threads or yarns used to make flat goods, additional stitching is provided in the “z” direction, perpendicular to the 2D plane of the fabric. These processes are capable of producing complex three-dimensional fabric articles without seaming together individual fabric components. Various types of apparel can be made in this manner as well as other fabric articles such as side curtain airbags for motor vehicle occupant protection and many other products.
There is a continued need in the field of PPE gowns to provide gowns capable of meeting high levels of protection for the wearer and which can be subject to numerous laundering cycles while continuing to meet product performance standards.
In accordance with the present invention, a PPE type gown is provided formed using OPW techniques with an outer surface coating.
Referring to
Gown 10 is produced using a fabric 12 formed by OPW technique such that all of the primary features of the gown A, B and C are formed integrally during the weaving process without the requirement of further processing needed to fasten separate fabric components by stitching. This manufacturing technique produces gown 10 without exposed seems which tend to receive substantial mechanical abrasion damage during laundering.
While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.
