Patent Application
20210222356
The present invention relates broadly to cleaning soiled and possibly pathogen-contaminated uniforms, for students, professionals, such as health care professionals, military, etc. More particularly, the invention relates to a uniform bag adapted to safely carry, maintain separate, and operate as a washable container to clean and sanitize soiled or otherwise pathogen-contaminated uniforms, such as student athletic uniforms, service worker uniforms, hospital scrubs, etc., without limitation.
Many occupations require persons employed therein to wear uniforms, such as military, police, service workers like repair persons, or telephone persons, sanitation workers, beauticians' veterinary workers, dentistry and in particular, medical personnel. Most of these persons carry their uniform to the place or employment, change from their street clothes into their uniform, do their shift and change back again. Many times if the facility is equipped, persons not only change, but shower first. And also typically, the persons, now cleaned and dressed again in their clean clothes, have to transport home, store while waiting to be washed with other household laundry, and wash ready it for its next use, e.g., the next' day's shift. With no proper manor or way of transporting uniforms there is a great chance of cross contamination from soiled uniforms onto personal items, i.e., handbags, purses, car seats, and potentially any surface that the uniform contacts while being transported.
Thus, there is a great risk of bringing these harmful pathogens and bacteria's home to our families. And in these challenging times with the Covid-19 pandemic prevalent people are encouraged to be careful and mindful for cross contamination thus transporting uniforms and scrubs from the workplace properly is especially important in preventing the spread of Covid-19 and similar diseases that are readily spread. Accordingly, if the person wore the uniform in a setting where the person is exposed to airborne or fluid-borne pathogens, such as MRSA or Covid-19, the uniform remains infected even as the wearer has changed clothes and showered. Just carrying the possibly infected and soiled clothing raises a risk that the person carrying it can be infected.
For that matter, not all professionals who wear uniforms to perform their respective jobs wear street clothes to the job where they change into their uniforms. Some uniform-wearing professionals wear their uniforms as street clothes. For example, keeping professional uniforms such as scrubs clean in a hospital environment can be difficult when they double as your street clothes.
The present invention provides a uniform bag for carrying, maintaining separate, and cleaning and sanitizing soiled uniforms therein (“inventive uniform bag”) that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art. Please note that the inventive uniform bag is to be marketed and sold in association with a trademark Uni-bag (i.e., Uni-Bag™ uniform bags).
The inventive uniform bag keeps sterile clothes and street clothes separate and clean from soiled clothing and uniforms, including soiled clothing and uniforms that could be contaminated with pathogens that could infect persons in contact with infectious diseases, such as MRSA and Covid-19.
In a preferred embodiment, the inventive uniform bag has a main compartment, body or pouch, and one, separate zippered compartment, accessible from the bag's outer surface. The uniform bag has a separate zippered compartment for shoes or other accessories. Preferably, the inventive uniform bag includes and cooperates with three (3) “easy wash” clothing bags for organization and one (1) “easy wash” shoe bag.
During intended operation, the user simply places his/her clean clothes and clean uniforms into one or more of the easy wash clothing bag. Thus, the clean clothes/uniforms in the easy wash bags are inserted into the main compartment and maintained separately. The main compartment is closed (cinched). The clean clothes and uniforms may then be removed from the main compartment and easy wash bags, and donned at the user's destination. Also, the user may place his/her work shoes into an “easy wash” shoe bag. Like the easy wash clothing bag, the easy wash shoe bag is inserted into the main compartment or pouch, closed. In this way, the inventive uniform bag keeps your uniform (i.e., scrubs) separate and clean on one's commute to work. Then, the user changes into the clean uniform/shoes, performs his/her duties and, at the end of the work day, changes out of the used uniform/shoes, and secures the soiled uniform and shows (as the case may be) in the respective easy wash bags. The easy wash bags are then inserted into the main compartment of the inventive uniform bag, to segregate the possibly infectious uniform/shows until they can be safely washed/sanitized.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of embodiments that follows, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:
The following is a detailed description of example embodiments of the invention depicted in the accompanying drawings. The example embodiments are presented in such detail as to clearly communicate the invention and are designed to make such embodiments obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
The uniform bag 100 has a main body 102, formed from two parts of sheet-like cloth material 102a, 102b (see
Also, a cord or cords 104 is/are included for easy carrying of the uniform bag 100. The cord 104 passes through grommets 107, which are supported by grommets supports 106, in any of the sheet of materials 102a, 102b, 103a, as shown. Preferably, the cord or cords 104 passes through a channel formed at the upper edge of sheet material 102a of the main body 102. A label or tag 108 preferably is arranged on the front of the main body, also preferably on an outer surface of sheet of material 102a. Zipper 105 allows for opening and closing access to the volume provided by zippered pouch and/or compartment 103, formed with sheet of material 103a. The zippered pouch or compartment 103 may be used for extra storage i.e., toiletries, jewelry, keys etc.
Preferably, the inventive uniform bag 100 includes and cooperates with a number of “easy wash” clothing bags 152w (three (3) as shown in
The multiple separate easy wash bags and compartments are advantageous to the inventive uniform bag because they allow a user to stow soiled clothes and/or uniforms and/or shoes, separately, not only to prevent communication of pathogens therein to the person handling the uniform bag, but also to prevent cross-contamination between the soiled clothing and/or shoes, and other stored items that may not be infectious. And obviously, the main compartment of the main bag 102, and the easy wash clothing and shoe bags inherently provide for organizing one's things.
A name tag or label 108 is attached to the main body 102, a name tags 155w are attached to each of the “easy wash” clothing bags 152w and “easy wash” shoe bag 152g.
The uniform bag 100 is a complete unit with draw cord 104, and easy wash clothing and shoe bags. Preferably, the dimensions of the main body is 17 inches by 20 inches; the depth from front to back depends on what is carried, that is, when the bag is empty, its thickness is the aggregate thickness of the sheet material until something is inserted therein. As explained above, the main body 102 has a front part 102a and a back part 102b. Preferably, the zippered pouch or compartment 103 attached or provided on the main body 102 (sheet material 102a, 102b) is 17 inches by 10 inches, as shown; the cord 104 is about 72 inches and has a diameter of about 0.35 inches, but the invention is not limited thereto. Zipper 105 preferably is 16 inches, where the name tags preferably are 2.5×4 inches. The bags 150 comprise easy wash zippered clothing bags 152w and zippered show bags 152g, which preferably are polyester, respectively white and grey and preferably 13×17 inches. The easy wash bag zippers are about 16 inches and white or grey.
The uniform bag 100 is formed from a material that is porous to allow for water to pass through during washing, but preferably, also a barrier to airborne pathogens. The material need not be impervious to pathogens, but preferably should be of a nature that would not allow pathogens to pass through by merely handling the inventive bag. Otherwise, the pathogens might otherwise pass through the material sheets 102a, 102b, from a soiled uniform that was previously contaminated before being placed in an easy wash clothing bag, or contaminated shoes placed in an easy wash shoe bag, and infect a person handling the bag. Polyester is the preferred material for this purpose, which may be washed at 60 degrees Celsius. 60 degrees Celsius is the recommended temperature to kill harmful bacteria and/or viruses.
The inventive uniform bag allows anyone to stow their uniforms in the easy wash bags on the way in to school or work, such as a healthcare professional in a hospital or other institutional setting, and know that the uniform will be clean and pathogen free when they arrive at their intended destination and change into the uniform. Perhaps more importantly, when the user wears his/her uniform, and the uniform is exposed to pathogens, the user may remove the soiled uniform and place it into an easy wash bag, zip it up, and carry it home in the inventive uniform bag with the knowledge that any pathogens that might be on the soiled uniform will be maintained in the bag as the bag and uniform are washed, minimizing risk of infection.
During intended operation, a user simply places his/her clean clothes into clean easy wash bag(s) 152w, and work shoes (as the case may be) into the easy wash shoe bag 152g, then inserts the easy wash bags into the main compartment or body 102. In this way, the inventive uniform bag keeps your uniform (e.g., scrubs) and/or shoes together but separate and free of contamination on one's commute to work. Then, the user changes into the clean uniform and/or, performs his/her duties and, at the end of the work day, changes out of the used uniform and/or shoes and secures the soiled uniform and/or shoes in the inventive “easy wash” clothes and shoe bags. In this way, the used uniform and/or shoes can be transported (e.g., to home) safely and prevented from contaminating other personal items in the uniform bag. Upon arriving home, for example, these wash bags containing soiled uniforms removed from the main body and be safely stored with household laundry. Once the user has gathered a sufficient wash load, they simply remove the soiled uniforms/scrubs from their individual “easy wash” bags and place inside the washing machine along with the “easy wash” bags and launder at the desired temperature 60 degrees Celsius. Thus, both the uniform/scrubs and/or shoes and easy wash bags are once again sterile and can once again begin the cycle of keeping the uniform free form contamination on its commute to work. Please note that the easy wash bags with soiled clothing and/or shoes also may be maintained in the main body, and the main bag washed thereby washing the content of the easy wash bags.
As will be evident to persons skilled in the art, the foregoing detailed description, applications and figures are presented as examples of the invention, and that variations are contemplated that do not depart from the fair scope of the teachings and descriptions set forth in this disclosure.
This application derives the benefit of the priority under 35 USC § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/995,153, filed Jan. 16, 2020, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62995153 | Jan 2020 | US |
