Claims
- 1. A rear entry, protective garment comprising:
- a body piece composed of a single seamless sheet of material, said body piece including:
- a right body side and a left body side, each body side having a first and second leg edge, a torso edge and a top body side edge extending approximately half-way across each body side from the respective torso edge;
- a right sleeve portion and a left sleeve portion, each sleeve portion having a first and second sleeve edge, and a top sleeve portion edge; and
- closure means adapted to join the torso edge of right body side to the torso edge of the left body side to form a resealable opening at a rear face of the garment;
- sleeve seams joining the first sleeve edges to the second sleeve edges on each sleeve portion;
- inseams joining the first leg edges to the second leg edges on each body side; and
- a back seam joining the top sleeve portion edge of the right sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the right body side and the top sleeve portion edge of the left sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the left body side, the back seam being located at the rear face of the garment.
- 2. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the closure means is selected from a group consisting of zippers, button fasteners, clip fasteners, snap fasteners and hook and loop fasteners, resealable tapes, zip-lock fasteners, magnetic fasteners and combinations thereof.
- 3. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the closure means is adapted to join only a portion of the torso edge of right body side to only a portion of the torso edge of the left body side to form a resealable opening at a rear face of the garment, and the protective garment further includes a seam joining a portion of the torso edge of the right body side to a portion of the torso edge of the left body side, the seam being located at the rear face of the garment.
- 4. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is adapted to be liquid resistant.
- 5. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is adapted to be breathable.
- 6. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the seamless sheet of material is selected from a group consisting of a bonded carded web, a web of spunbonded fibers, a web of meltblown fibers, and a film.
- 7. The protective garment of claim 6, wherein the seamless sheet of material is formed from a polymer selected from a group consisting of polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons, polystyrenes, caprolactams, copolymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl monomer, copolymers of ethylene and n-butyl acrylate, and cellulosic and acrylic resins, and mixtures and blends of the same.
- 8. The protective garment of claim 7, wherein the polyolefin is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and butene copolymers.
- 9. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the seamless sheet of material comprises a laminate.
- 10. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein the laminate is selected from a group consisting of a laminate of at least one web of spunbonded fibers and at least one web of meltblown fibers and mixtures thereof.
- 11. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein the laminate is composed of at least one nonwoven web and at least one film layer.
- 12. The protective garment of claim 11, wherein the seamless sheet of material includes at least one film layer made of a polymer selected from a group consisting of polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons, polystyrenes, caprolactams, copolymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl monomer, copolymers of ethylene and n-butyl acrylate, and cellulosic and acrylic resins.
- 13. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the film layer is a polyolefin selected from a group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and butene copolymers.
- 14. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the laminate includes a film layer having a thickness ranging from about 0.25 mil to about 5.0 mil.
- 15. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the seamless sheet of material has a basis weight ranging from about 15 gsm to about 300 gsm.
- 16. The protective garment of claim 15, wherein the seamless sheet of material has a basis weight ranging from about 20 gsm to about 75 gsm.
- 17. The protective garment of claim 1 further comprising elasticizing means on portions of the garment.
- 18. The protective garment of claim 1 further comprising features selected from a group consisting of vents, zipper flaps, glove cuffs, boot cuffs, air inlets, hood cuffs, collars, and mechanical fastening means and devices for attaching boots, hoods and/or gloves.
- 19. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the seams are selected from a group consisting of sewn seams, stitched seams, ultrasonically bonded seams, solvent welded seams, adhesively bonded seams, taped seams, and thermally bonded seams.
- 20. A method of making a rear entry, protective garment, the method comprising:
- providing a body piece composed of a seamless sheet of material, said body piece including:
- a right body side and a left body side, each body side having a first and second leg edge, a torso edge and a top body side edge extending approximately half-way across each body side from the respective torso edge;
- a right sleeve portion and a left sleeve portion, each sleeve portion having a first and second sleeve edge, and a top sleeve portion edge; and
- folding each body side substantially in half down their lengths;
- attaching the first leg edge to the second leg edge for each body side;
- folding each sleeve portion substantially in half down its length;
- attaching the first sleeve edge to the second sleeve edge for each sleeve portion;
- attaching the top sleeve portion edge of the right sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the right body side and the top sleeve portion edge of the left sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the left body side so that a seam is located at a rear face of the garment;
- attaching closure means adapted to join the torso edge of the right body side and the torso edge of the left body side to form a resealable opening at the rear face of the garment.
- 21. The method of making a protective garment of claim 20, wherein the step of attaching closure means joins only a portion of the torso edge of right body side to only a portion of the torso edge of the left body side to form a resealable opening at a rear face of the garment, and wherein the method further includes the step of attaching the remaining portion of the torso edge of the right body side to the remaining portion of the torso edge of the left body side so that a seam is at a rear face of the coverall.
- 22. The method of a making protective garment according to claim 20, further comprising the steps of attaching features selected from a group consisting of a collar, a hood, boots, expandable back, vents, elastic cuffs, zipper flaps, glove cuffs, boot cuffs, air inlets, hood cuffs, and mechanical fastening means and devices for attaching boots, hoods and/or gloves.
- 23. The method of making a protective garment according to claim 20, wherein the attaching technique is selected from a group consisting of sewing, stitching, taping, ultrasonic bonding, solvent welding, adhesive bonding and thermal bonding.
- 24. A protective garment comprising:
- a body piece composed of a single seamless sheet of material, said body piece including:
- a right body side and a left body side, each body side having a first and second leg edge, a torso edge and a top body side edge extending approximately half-way across each body side from the respective torso edge;
- a right sleeve portion and a left sleeve portion, each sleeve portion having a first and second sleeve edge, and a top sleeve portion edge; and
- a seam joining the torso edge of right body side to the torso edge of the left body side, the seam being located at a rear face of the garment;
- sleeve seams joining the first sleeve edges to the second sleeve edges on each sleeve portion;
- inseams joining the first leg edges to the second leg edges on each body side;
- a back seam joining the top sleeve portion edge of the right sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the right body side and the top sleeve portion edge of the left sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the left body side, the back seam being located at the rear face of the garment; and
- closure means defining an opening at a front face of the garment and adapted to resealably join the edges of the opening together.
- 25. A method of making a protective garment, the method comprising:
- providing a body piece composed of a seamless sheet of material, said body piece including:
- a right body side and a left body side, each body side having a first and second leg edge, a torso edge and a top body side edge extending approximately half-way across each body side from the respective torso edge;
- a right sleeve portion and a left sleeve portion, each sleeve portion having a first and second sleeve edge, and a top sleeve portion edge; and
- folding each body side substantially in half down their lengths;
- attaching the first leg edge to the second leg edge for each body side;
- attaching the torso edge of the right body side and the torso edge of the left body side to form a seam at the rear face of the garment;
- folding each sleeve portion substantially in half down its length;
- attaching the first sleeve edge to the second sleeve edge for each sleeve portion;
- attaching the top sleeve portion edge of the right sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the right body side and the top sleeve portion edge of the left sleeve portion at approximately the top body side edge of the left body side so that a seam is located at a rear face of the garment; and
- attaching closure means adapted to define an opening at a front face of the garment and adapted to resealably join the edges of the opening together.
Parent Case Info
This Appln claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Appln. Ser. No. 60/056,984 filed Aug. 26, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (20)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0672357A2 |
Sep 1995 |
EPX |
1577493 |
Aug 1969 |
FRX |
2 199 233 |
Jul 1988 |
GBX |
9412065 |
Jun 1994 |
WOX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (4)
Entry |
Abstract; Patent DE 3900 694 A; Greenfog GMBH; Dated: Jul. 19, 1990. |
Abstract; Patent DT 25 43 046; Seidl L.; Dated: Apr. 7, 1977. |
Abstract; Patent DT 27 03 538; Porner M.J.; Dated: Aug. 11, 1977. |
PCT Counterpart International Search Report mailed Nov. 19, 1998. |