Patent Application
20210329984
This disclosure generally relates to garments. More particularly, the disclosure relates to robes that are worn by users for use in a restroom.
Use of a shared-access restroom is quite common place in a variety of settings (e.g., gyms, spas, college dormitories, etc.). In particular, users in such settings will typically store their outdoor attire in a secure location (e.g., a locker) and proceed to use the showers, steam room, toilets, sinks, and the like while wearing an indoor garment (e.g., a towel).
A typical inconvenience for users in the foregoing settings is storage and use of implements that are necessary to perform various hygiene-related tasks. For example, if a user wants to take a shower after a workout in the gym, he or she will have to store his or her toothbrush in a locker, take a shower, and then retrieve the toothbrush after finishing the shower.
Adding to the foregoing inconvenience, the user will typically have multiple other items that he or she will want to use to perform the hygiene-related tasks. A conventional approach is to have a tray/basket in which to carry these items from a secure location (e.g., gym locker, college dormitory room, etc.) to the sink in the shared restroom. Yet, such trays/baskets are often cumbersome to use. Firstly, the items are often quite unorganized (i.e., all of the items are typically just bunched together) because the tray/basket typically has only one open area, leaving the user with having to scour through the tray/basket for each item. For example, a small item may be positioned toward the bottom of the tray/basket, necessitating the user's removal of most of the items just to find that one small item. Secondly, the tray/basket may be too small or too bulky to accommodate all of the specific hygiene-related items particular to the user. Finally, a sink countertop may not even have enough room to accommodate the tray/basket, leaving the user with either holding the tray/basket, or placing the tray/basket on the floor, while performing hygiene-related tasks; neither of which is conducive to sanitary, effective performance of hygiene-related tasks.
Accordingly, the conventional approach of a standard robe and/or towel with a tray/basked for hygiene-related items is cumbersome and inconvenient for use in a shared-access restroom environment for the performance of hygiene-related tasks.
In one embodiment, a robe apparatus has a garment with an upper body portion, a lower body portion, a right sleeve portion, and a left sleeve portion. The upper body portion substantially surrounds a torso of a user, while the lower body portion at least partially surrounds a pair of legs of the user. Furthermore, the right sleeve portion substantially surrounds a right arm of the user, and the left sleeve portion substantially surrounds a left arm of the user.
A connector connects a right portion of the upper body portion to a left portion of the upper body portion.
Additionally, a plurality of implement-specific pockets is attached to a plurality of ease-of-access portions of an exterior of the garment. The plurality of implement-specific pockets comprises a first pocket that is positioned at a top portion of the exterior of the garment, and a second pocket that is positioned at a bottom portion of the exterior of the garment. Moreover, the first pocket has first pocket dimensions that are configured to receive a first implement such that the first implement occupies an area the first pocket that exceeds a first pocket lower threshold without exceeding a first pocket upper threshold. Also, the second pocket has second pocket dimensions that are configured to receive a second implement such that the second implement occupies an area the second pocket that exceeds a second pocket lower threshold without exceeding a second pocket upper threshold.
In another embodiment, the connector of the foregoing robe apparatus is a zipper, which connects a right portion of the upper body portion to a left portion of the upper body portion, as well as a right portion of the lower body portion to a left portion of the lower body portion. Additionally, each of the plurality of implement-specific pockets is enclosed with a corresponding enclosure mechanism. Each pocket location corresponds to each of the plurality of ease-of-access portions as determined by a shortest distance from a pocket in the plurality of implement-specific pockets to perform a hygiene-related task.
The above-mentioned features of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and in which:
A robe is provided with implement-specific pockets for use in a shared-access restroom environment. In particular, the robe is a garment that is specifically configured to have a plurality of pockets that have specific dimensions to allow for implements (e.g., hygiene-related tools, optometric tools, makeup tools, medical supplies, etc.) to be snugly fit within the robe without much movement. By minimizing movement of the implements, the robe allows for more comfortable movement of the user. Furthermore, the implement-specific pockets may be positioned (e.g., sewn, stitched, adhered) to the robe in a manner that allows for optimal ease-of-access to perform a particular hygiene-related task. For example, a contact lens pocket may be positioned toward the top portion of the robe to allow a user to access the contact lenses for placement on his or her eyes, while minimizing the possibility of the contact lens or the contact lens case falling if it were positioned further away from the eyes of the user, such as toward the bottom of the robe. Additionally, the robe may have non-implement-specific pockets to allow for miscellaneous items to be positioned within the robe. As a result, the robe provides flexibility to the user of having optimally positioned pockets for specific implements, while also having pockets for miscellaneous items.
Furthermore, the implement-specific pockets may have specific dimensions for the particular implements that they are configured to receive. By having such dimensions, the implement-specific pockets reduce the movement between the implements and the interior of the pockets; such reduced movement reduces the pressure applied to the body of the user (i.e., intermittent contact with the user while walking, additional weight pulling the robe downward, etc.), as well as potential noise, during movement of the user.
In practical terms, the user may use the robe for storage when in use or not in use. For example, the user may be a college student that stores his or her hygiene-related items in the robe when not in use in his or her dormitory room. The user may then conveniently wear the robe, along with the stored hygiene-related items, during the walk from his or her room to the shared-access restroom. If the user chooses to take a shower, the user may hang the robe, with the items, in proximity to the shower, rather than having to store the items in a locker or another secure location during the shower. The user may then wear the robe and walk to a sink for convenient performance of hygiene-related tasks. As opposed to having to rely on a tray/basket, which may not fit within a sink area, the user may comfortably remove items as needed from the pockets of the robe while performing the hygiene-related tasks.
As another example, the robe may be conveniently stored in a travelling container (e.g., suitcase) for storage of the implements. For instance, the user may store the implements in the pockets of the robe, fold the robe, and place it in luggage for travel.
Additionally, the robe may be particularly helpful for the elderly. Rather than having to make accentuated gross motor movements, the robe allows the elderly to conveniently carry items for performing hygiene-related tasks with significantly less effort than needed when carrying a tray full of unorganized, and potentially heavy when stored in a tray, items.
The robe 100 has a plurality of implement-specific pockets that are utilized to hold specific implements, such as hygiene-related products, while minimizing movement of those implements. In one embodiment, the implement-specific pockets are positioned on the robe 100 for optimal ease-of-access to perform the given hygiene-related task. For example, an eyeglasses pocket 106 may be positioned toward the top of the upper body portion 150 given that such location is proximate to the head of the user 101 on which eyeglasses are to be positioned. Furthermore, in another embodiment, subsets of the plurality of implement-specific pockets are grouped together to provide further convenience for a particular task. For example, a contact lens pocket 108 may be grouped with the eyeglasses pocket 106 to allow a user to conveniently remove his or her contact lenses and proceed with use of his or her eyeglasses. As another example, a toothbrush pocket 116 may be positioned next to a toothpaste pocket 114 to allow the male user 101 to conveniently perform the task of brushing his teeth, all from the same region of the robe 100.
Other examples of pockets in the upper body portion 150 include a contact lens solution pocket 112 being positioned in proximity to the contact lens pocket 108, as well as a deodorant pocket 110 being positioned in proximity to an armpit of the user 101.
Furthermore, an implement-specific pocket may be positioned on one of the upper body portion 150, the lower body portion 151, the right sleeve portion 152, and the left sleeve portion 153 based on weight of the particular implement. For example, a shampoo pocket 124, a conditioner pocket 126, and a cologne pocket 128 may be positioned in the lower body portion 151 to minimize the weight-bearing load of the heavier items on the back of the user 101. Additional pockets, which may not fit well in the upper body portion 150, may also be positioned in the lower body portion 151. For example, a comb pocket 118, a cotton swab pocket 120, and a shaving cream pocket 122 may be positioned in the lower body portion 151, although these pockets potentially could be positioned elsewhere on the robe 100.
Moreover, an implement-specific pocket may be positioned on one of the upper body portion 150, the lower body portion 151, the right sleeve portion 152, and the left sleeve portion 153 based on safety of the user 101. For example, a razor pocket 102 may be positioned on the right sleeve portion 152, or potentially on the left sleeve portion 153, to prevent the razor from pressing against the body of the user 101.
Additionally, an implement-specific pocket may be positioned on one of the upper body portion 150, the lower body portion 151, the right sleeve portion 152, and the left sleeve portion 153 based on use of the implement while stored in the robe 100. For example, a smartphone pocket 104 may be positioned on the left sleeve portion 153, and may have a transparent material that allows for use of the smartphone by the user 101 while being stored within the smartphone pocket 104. In one embodiment, the smartphone pocket 104 is waterproof.
Various types of enclosure mechanisms (e.g., zippers, magnets, clips, hook-and-loop fasteners, etc.) may be used to enclose the various implements within the pockets. Alternatively, the pockets may remain in an open state.
The pockets may be configured to have dimensions to receive an implement such that the implement occupies an area of the pocket that exceeds a particular pocket's lower threshold without exceeding the pocket's upper threshold. For example, the lower threshold may be the amount of space necessitated to accommodate the minimum size of the conventional implement; whereas the upper threshold may be the amount of space necessitated to accommodate the largest size of the conventional implement. As an alternative, the upper threshold may be established to ensure that some additional room is present within the pocket. For example, the upper threshold may be established to be a percentage of the pocket area (e.g., eighty to ninety percent of the pocket), to allow some room in the pocket for a user to reach into the pocket and remove the item, as well as for different sized implements.
Optionally, a belt 140 may be utilized to close the robe 100. Alternatively, or additionally, a connection mechanism may be utilized to connect a portion of the right side of the robe 100 to a portion of the left side of the robe 100.
Furthermore, some pockets may be non-implement-specific. For example, a pocket may be positioned in the lower portion 151 to allow for the storage of miscellaneous items. Additionally, although the pockets illustrated in
The implements illustrated herein are provided only as examples. Various other types of pockets and implements may be utilized.
Additionally, as examples, the robe 200 may have additional pockets, such as a soap pocket 216, a deodorant pocket 219, a toothpaste pocket 220, a toothbrush pocket 222, a perfume bottle pocket 230, a shampoo pocket 232, a conditioner pocket 234, a shaving cream pocket 236, a razor pocket 202, and a smartphone pocket 204. Furthermore, the robe 200 may have various holsters, such as a brush holster 224 and a hairdryer holster 228. (Various partial enclosures (e.g., holsters) or full enclosures (e.g., pockets) may be used in place of one another.)
Although some different pockets are illustrated on the men's robe 100 as opposed to the women's robe 200, such pockets may be utilized on the other robe, and vice versa. For example, the soap pocket 216 positioned on the women's robe 200 may be positioned on the men's robe 100.
Optionally, a belt 240 may be utilized to close the robe 100. Alternatively, or additionally, a connection mechanism may be utilized to connect a portion of the right side of the robe 200 to a portion of the left side of the robe 200.
Additionally,
Although various connectors are described herein, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, for adhering one portion of the robe to another, other types of connectors may be utilized. For example, connectors such as zippers, buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners, or the like may be used instead of the connectors.
Moreover, users of the robes 100 or 200 potentially may perform hygiene-related tasks from the robes 100 or 200 themselves. For example,
Furthermore, the robe described herein is not limited to use in a shared-access restroom. For instance, a user may want to use the robe in the convenience of his or her own home when using his or her own private restroom.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various adaptations and modifications of the embodiments of the apparatuses described herein may be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the present apparatuses. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the present apparatuses may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
