Patent Application
20240407489
The present disclosure relates to apparel for the treatment of various sensory and neuro-divergency medical conditions.
People with sensory, mental health and various neurodivergent needs, such as ADHD, ASD, ADD, Sensory and Psychological disorders affecting the skin, Behavioral or psychological disturbance, Depression, and Anxiety. may experience tactile hypersensitivities to various types of clothing. These issues can cause physical, cognitive, and psychosocial limitations that leave these individuals seeking mechanisms to provide comfort, which can include certain articles of clothing. Discussions and work surrounding the mental health needs of the greater society gained significant exposure during the pandemic. Addressing social isolation and experiences individuals weathered during the pandemic illuminated society's needs for addressing individual emotional well-being and mental health, which includes individuals with already previously diagnosed or identified limitations. The development of garments that seek to heal and assist individuals with emotional regulation and provide connection to self and others is a relatively new concept (Meinert, 2023). Products have been developed over the years to address the needs of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The pivotal work by Dr. Temple Grandin identified the calming effects that deep pressure touch on children with ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) provided (Meinert, 2023). Research has identified the benefits of self-soothing sensory friendly apparel, however, each person has a unique set of symptoms and ailments that may not be addressed adequately by a single article of sensory clothing (Meinert, 2023).
Many of the currently available options are visually distinguishable by the general public, which may create a potentially negative stigma for the wearer of sensory clothing items. Additionally, some sensory garments may only address one or two symptoms, limiting their effectiveness for a wearer who would be best treated with multiple sensory issues. The conceptualization of Sensory Hoodie was identified by a parent seeking to develop a sensory garment to assist a family member suffering from emotional dis-regulation, sensory, mental health and other neurodivergent issues.
The overall goals of Sensory Hoodie are improving the health and well-being of wearers with the overall aim to address a majority of the well-known sensory limitations experienced by individuals with sensory differences associated with mental health and neurodivergent limitations and focusing on style and quality of materials while simultaneously aimed at reducing social stigma The present invention is a sensory soothing garment to serve as an aid and coping mechanism that may be used and worn in public while maintaining a sense of privacy and dignity for the wearer who may not wish to disclose their limitations to others.
The present invention incorporates elements, including but not limited to: hoodie with weighted inserts (weights can vary according to needs of individual), sleeve inserts constructed with compression fabric, mechanisms for the easy adjustment of compression of the garment, food-grade silicone coated hoodie strings for safe chewing, oversized hood for the reduction of friction against the body, flat felled, serged, and lined seams to prevent irritation of skin from seams, thumbholes for additional comfort and grip, invisible seams to hide weighted panel inserts, hidden silicone toys for fidgeting inside front pocket, loop attachment points to customize fidget toy placement, reflective logos for safety purposes and nighttime wearing, heat transfer labels to prevent itching. Further, specialty features such as the flat felled seams are sewn with seams finished on the outside of the garment, instead of on the inside, which prevents possible irritation of the wearer's skin. Serged seams have a clean finish on the raw edges by using multiple threads on a five thread overlock machine.
An object of one embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an adjustable garment for compression, weightedness and fidget relief to relieve various mental health conditions.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide discreet relief for sensory disorders that cannot easily be identified by third parties.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide multiple forms of relief for sensory disorders in a single garment resulting in a garment that can be used by persons with various ailments.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a durable garment that withstands chewing and other potentially destructive behaviors by the wearer.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an adjustable garment that can be modified for different users and well as different needs of a single user.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a garment that provides a sense of solitude for a user with an optional hoodie rise face covering.
The present invention relates to an adjustable and modifiable garment for the treatment of sensory and neuro-divergency conditions, the “Sensory Hoodie”. The Sensory Hoodie combines the traditional elements, hoodie with drawstrings, torso covering, sleeves, and hem band, with adjustable elements to address sensory and neuro-divergency conditions. This particular embodiment of the Sensory Hoodie incorporates elements, including but not limited to: hoodie with weighted inserts of variable weights; sleeve inserts constructed with compression fabric; adjustment mechanisms for the compression or tightness of the garment; food-grade silicone coated hoodie strings for safe chewing; oversized hood; flat felled, serged, and fully lined seams to prevent irritation; thumbholes for additional comfort and grip; invisible seams to hide weighted panel inserts; hidden silicone toys for fidgeting inside front pocket; loop attachment points to customize fidget toy placement, reflective logos for safety purposes; and heat transfer labels to prevent itching. However, it is to be understood that the same systems may be utilized for other items of clothing and apparel.
The head/face portion of the present invention, the portion of the garment above the shoulder area, includes an oversized hood, hood face opening with hood rise, hood drawstrings, lining, ribbon loop for fidget toy attachment, and food grade silicone coated drawstring tips for safe chewing. The oversized and loose hood prevents friction between the wearer's head and the fabric of the garment. However, a user may pull on the drawstrings of Sensory Hoodie to make the head portion tighter. The hood face opening is constructed with a hood rise, which is constructed with an angled hood rise that the user can pull up further inside the hoodie face opening and over the wearer's face to provide additional privacy in a public space. The hood drawstrings are of a high-quality material that will withstand pressure, friction and chewing. The hoodie drawstring tips are made of food-grade silicone or a similar material to prevent destruction of the tips from the hoodie wearer's chewing. The hoodie head portion also includes loops, which may serve as fidget devices themselves or as an attachment material for an external fidget device. The remaining portion of this Sensory Hoodie garment is comprised of the torso section and the sleeves.
The arm/sleeve portion of the present invention includes a pair of sleeves, zip openings along upper arm with removable compression inserts, zipper pulls for invisible sleeve openings, sleeve thumb holes, sleeve hem. To increase the compression inside the Sensory Hoodie, a wearer may choose to insert the arm compression bands or panels inside the Sensory Hoodie sleeve. The sleeve may be opened by pulling the zipper pull of the sleeve to open the sleeve. Once opened, the arm compression panel may be snapped into the interior portion of the sleeve and the zipper pull used to close the sleeve section of the Sensory Hoodie. The arm panels use connectors on the sleeve seam with a wide knit compression band inside the arm panel. The wearer can choose to leave the arm panel without the compression band for an oversized fit, or insert through an invisible zipper seam (which is opened by tugging on the zipper pull) and secure with a snap to wear the additional sleeve for desired compression around the arm area as needed.
The wrist opening at the exterior edge of each arm panel may contain thumb openings to add additional security and comfort for the wearer. Users may experience comfort by covering the majority of their hand with the arm panel and revealing only their thumb through the thumb opening. The wrist openings or sleeve hems of the sleeves are made of oversized elastic to prevent tightness or friction against the user's skin.
The torso portion of the present invention has distinct elements at the upper torso (hidden weight insert and sleeve/arm compression attachment) and the lower torso area (front pocket area). The Sensory Hoodie torso portion includes front torso covering, back torso covering, invisible zippers, weighted yoke inserts on chest between self (outside fabric) and lining (fabric inside garment) and lower section pocket with fidget loops, bottom hem band, bottom hem band drawstrings. The weighted inserts on the front torso covering and back torso covering may be placed inside the lining of the sensory hoodie through an invisible zipper seam on the outside of the torso covering and attached to the torso covering through hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro, on the lining of the torso covering and the weighted insert itself to prevent shifting within the torso covering. The weighted panel inserts are constructed of stitched or quilted pockets filled with beads that are of equal measurement in each pocket, adding up to the total amount of weight per insert. The inserts are engineered to have reinforced attachment to withstand long term use for the wearer.
The arm sleeve panels are attached to the torso portion of the Sensory Hoodie. The arm sleeve panel may be opened by wearer tugging on the zipper pull located at the Sensory Hoodie arm sleeve panel's seam. Once the arm sleeve panel is open, the wearer or another person may insert the arm compression sleeve inside the arm sleeve panel. The arm compression sleeve may be attached via an attachment mechanism, a snap device in this embodiment, to the torso section of the Sensory Hoodie. At any time, the wearer may unzip the arm sleeve and remove the arm compression sleeve from the arm panel sleeve. There is a snap inside each arm sleeve of the Sensory Hoodie for securing an arm compression panel to provide additional comfort to the wearer.
The Sensory Hoodie torso front pocket is attached via stitching or other securing means to the forward-facing surface of the front torso covering. While this embodiment utilizes the single needle top stich, similar attachment methods may also be used. The interior of front pocket may contain any variety of fidget toys or gadgets, such as a beaded loop textured materials made of plastics or fabrics, rings, strings or silicone beads. Ribbon loops are located along the neckline seam, inside the hoodie torso pocket, and on the hemline seam to serve as attachment points for the fidget toys, customizable to the wearer's sensory output needs as well as potential discreetness. The drawstrings may be pulled to create a snugger fit for the wearer. The drawstring tips may be chewed without fear of destruction. The ribbon loops, outside the front pocket and hidden inside the front pocket, may be used as fidget toys or as an attachment means for fidget toys.
Additionally, flat felled and fully lined seams prevent itching and scratching of the wearer's skin by being fully encased in the garment. Flat felled seams are constructed by keeping the raw edge of the fabric finished on the outside of the garment, therefore preventing irritation. Fully lined areas of the hoodie, such as the torso and hoodie conceal the raw edges of the seams by encasing them in a soft, breathable fabric. The fidget toys included in the Sensory Hoodie are hidden inside the front torso front pocket. Inside the top stitched pocket, a fabric loop with silicone fidget beads may be sewn to act as a discreet fidget toy as needed by the wearer. The Sensory Hoodie is constructed with a hoodie rise, that aids in covering the Sensory Hoodie wearer's face. The wearer may choose to pull the hoodie rise further up into the face opening to cover more of the wearer's face. The weighted inserts are inserted using the hidden invisible zipper seams on the front and back torso panels, and secured inside the lining of the garment using hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro. The weighted inserts will be offered to the customer in varying weights depending on the need of the wearer. Users may purchase additional inserts for their Sensory Hoodie at any time. The compression element of the hoodie is customizable to the wearer depending on how tight they pull the drawstring mechanism on the hip, if they wear the removable compression sleeve insert, and if they adjust the hoodie drawstrings utilizing the three-inch neckline rise as a face covering. Additionally, logos on the exterior of the Sensory Hoodie for brand management may be rubberized and reflective as sensory components for fidget management and visual sensory support. Further, tags inside the Sensory Hoodie may be heat transfer in place of traditional sewn tags, to eliminate itching and irritation, for a wearer, traditionally caused by sewn tags.
For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present disclosure is an apparel item with various elements incorporated to address sensory and neurodivergent needs of the wearer.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63471301 | Jun 2023 | US |
