MX2011001302A - Garment with interior surface indicator. - Google Patents

Abstract

A protective garment with an interior surface indicator to facilitate proper donning of the garment is described. The garment includes at least one indicia on the central portion of the interior surface of the garment to communicate to the wearer which is the interior surface of the garment. This allows the garment to be handled and donned by the wearer, without the wearer touching an exterior surface of the garment. A method of preparing a protective garment for donning is also disclosed.

Description

GARMENT WITH INTERIOR SURFACE INDICATOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a protective garment with an interior surface indicator for proper placement of the garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many types of protective garments designed to provide barrier properties. Said protective clothing preserves clean clothes and preserves dirt and other debris out of the user's skin. For a variety of reasons it is not desirable for hazardous liquids and / or pathogens that can be carried by liquids to pass through protective clothing. It is also highly desirable to wear protective clothing to isolate people from dust, pulgaradas and other particulates that may be present in a workplace or accident site. Conversely, in the sterile room, critical fabrication and surgical environments, protective clothing protects the environment from dust and debris that may otherwise be carried in the environment by the user. For example, in aseptic manufacturing, several components are sterile when introduced into the aseptic environment so that the resulting assembled article does not need to be sterilized. Said manufacturing process is commonly found within the manufacture and packaging of certain pharmaceuticals. Several critical environments are also found in other areas such as certain surgical environments.

The protective garments used in said various environments are generally made of protective sheet materials that are designed to keep the user minimally clean and optimally provide some degree of comfort to the wearer. In more critical environments, such garment materials are typically designed to prevent contaminants and / or chemicals from contacting the user. Additionally, in critical manufacturing and surgical environments, these garments are designed and processed to eliminate particles, dust and free fibers that can contaminate the work. To provide such protection optimally, such garments and their materials Construction is commonly designed to have specific interior and exterior surfaces. If they are dressed incorrectly, such garments can not provide the user (or the particular environment) with the desired protection.

While the correct placement of garments is apparently simple, the nature of such protective garments commonly makes the task more difficult and annoying. Commonly, garments such as protective coveralls are provided to the wearer in a compact bent configuration in which the interior and exterior surfaces are commonly not distinguished. Furthermore, what further aggravates the case is the fact that said garments are commonly of a single color of material which makes the distinction of the inner and outer surfaces and distinguishing between the various components of the garment difficult. Finally, the protective coveralls are relatively large in relation to the user in such a way that the user commonly does not have a clear view of the total garment while holding the garment at any specific point.

Labels are commonly associated with neck openings so that protective clothing (as well as many other items or clothing) to convey information such as size, brand, country of origin or the like. Commonly said labels are pieces of materials attached close to the opening of the neck or in a seam within the recess within the garment. In some cases, such labels are only printed on the inner surface of the garment near the neck opening. However, all such labels are relatively small (generally, much smaller than approximately 50 square centimeters) as compared to the square area of the material of the garment in which said label is worn. Such a small label size helps to avoid the potential discomfort of a label on a user's neck, but also makes it difficult to locate such labels within the larger context of the complete garment. Depending on the displacement of said labels within the garment, as the wearer holds the garment when it is put on and / or as the garment is provided to the wearer in a folded configuration, said relatively small labels can not ) easily observed so that the user can quickly and easily distinguish the interior surface from the outer surface of the garment.

Said difficulties in determining the interior surface and the exterior surface can frustrate the user and increase the amount of time spent in dressing said garments. While such frustration in dressing may be a mere inconvenience in many industrial manufacturing environments in sterile rooms, critical manufacturing and surgical environments, such problems are critical. i Due to the sterile, critical nature of the surgical and manufacturing environments of the sterile room, strict protocols are followed with respect to clothing and clothing so that no contaminants including things such as dead skin and natural bacteria may be present in the skin. Workers are not accidentally transferred to the product or the patient that the environment is structured to protect. To prevent such contamination, workers wear head-to-toe caps, including boots, gloves and coveralls to protect the environment. To ensure cleanliness, workers must undergo extensive training regarding clothing. The worker is careful to wear such garments without touching the outer surfaces of the garment while being careful that the garment does not touch the floor or other surfaces. If it happens, the worker must obtain another garment, not contaminated to dress it. These workers are not able to manipulate only the garment to determine what is the interior surface, they must be able to determine what is the inner surface before they first touch said garments.

Additionally, workers typically carry their coveralls once a day or every other day, depending on the requirements or standards of their respective industry. In some situations, workers can change their protective clothing and even more frequently. After use, it can be somewhat costly to decontaminate, clean and / or sterilize the protective clothing after it has been used. In addition, it is important that the protective clothing is cheap and thus be a garment of limited or disposable use. Generally speaking, protective coveralls are made of barrier materials / fabrics designed to be relatively impenetrable to liquids and / or particulates as well as being low frayed. The materials used, the design of the garment and the manufacture of the garment are all important factors that affect the costs of these garments. Desirably, all these factors must be adapted for the manufacture of the protective garment, said coveralls, at said low cost they can be economical to dispose of the garment, if necessary, after only a single use.

DEFINITIONS As used in this document, the term "nonwoven-based material" or "non-woven fabric" refers to a material or fabric having a structure of individual fibers or filaments that are placed by air but not in a manner of repetition identifiable Nonwoven fabrics have, in the past, been formed by a variety of processes known to those skilled in the art such as, for example, meltblowing, continuous bonding and bonded carded fabric processes.

As used herein, the terms "sheet" and "sheet material" will be interchangeable and in the absence of a word modifier will refer to a material that can be a film, a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric or a knitted or laminated fabric made of such materials.

As used herein, the term "machine direction" (hereinafter referred to as "MD") refers to the planar dimension of a material fabric that is in the direction of a material parallel to the material. your front address during processing. The term "cross machine address" (hereinafter referred to as "CD") refers to the planar dimension of a material, which is in the direction that is generally perpendicular to the machine direction.

As used herein, the term "liquid resistant" refers to a material having a hydrostatic head of at least about 25 centimeters as determined in accordance with the standard AATCCTM No, 1998 hydrostatic pressure test with the following exceptions: (1) larger than usual samples are mounted on an expandable frame that is clamped at the cross machine direction ends of the sample, such as samples can be tested under a variety of expansion conditions (eg, expansion of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%) and (2) the samples are supported below a wire mesh to prevent the sample from curving under the weight of the water column.

As used herein, the term "breathable" refers to a material that has a Frazier porosity of at least about 25 cubic feet (0.71 cubic meters) per minute per square inch (cfm / ft2). For example, the Frazier porosity of a breathable material can be from about 25 to more than 45 cfm / ft2 (approximately more than 22.9 cm3 / s / cm2). Frazier porosity is determined using a Frazier Air Permeability Tester available from the Frazier Precision Instrument Company. Frazier porosity is measured in accordance with Federal Test Method 5450, Standard No. 191 A, except that the sample size is 8 inches x 8 inches (20.3 cm x 20.3 cm) instead of 7 inches x 7 inches (17.8 cm x 17.8 cm).

As used herein, the term "particle resistant" refers to a fabric having a useful level of resistance to penetration of particulates. The resistance to penetration of particulates can be measured by determining the retention of the air filter of the dry particles and can be expressed as the efficiency in the delay to access the particulates. More specifically, the efficiency in the delay to access particulates refers to the efficiency in preventing the passage of particles of a certain size range through the material. The efficiency in the access delay of the particulates can be measured by determining the retention of the air filter of the dry particles using the tests, such as, for example, Test Method IBR No. E-217, Revision G (1/15) 91) performed by InterBasic Resources, Inc. of Grass Lake, Michigan. Generally speaking, the efficiency in the delay to access high particulates is desirable for the fabrics / barrier material. Desirably, a particulate resistant material must have an efficiency in the delay to access particulates of at least about 40 percent of the particles having a diameter greater than about 0.1 microns.

As used herein, the term "elastomeric" refers to a material or compound that can be extended or extended by at least 25% of its relaxed length and that will cover, in the release of applied force, at least 10% of its prolongation. It is generally preferred that the elastomeric material or compound be capable of being extended by at least 100%, recovering at least 50% of its extension. An elastomeric material is also extensible and "stretchable", "elastomeric" and "extensible" that can be used interchangeably.

As used herein, the terms "elastic" or "elasticized" mean the property of a material or composite by virtue of which it tends to recover its original size and shape after the removal of a force causing deformation.

As used herein, the term "disposable" is not limited to single use items but also refers to being relatively inexpensive for the consumer that can be disposed of if they become dirty or otherwise are no longer usable after use. only one or more than a few uses.

As used herein, the term "garment" refers to protective garments and / or covers that include, but are not limited to, surgical gowns, patient gowns, workwear, coveralls, jumpers, aprons, and garments. Similar.

As used herein, the term "overalls (s)" refers to a relatively loose, one-piece protective garment that can be worn over other articles of clothing and protect the substantial areas of a user's body, typically from the region of the neck on the trunk of the body and outside the ends of the extremities, such as the user's wrists and ankles, which can sometimes include the hands and feet. In some embodiments, the garment may include a bonded head covering, such as a hood or integrated gloves and socks, boots or other footwear.

As used herein, the term "polymer" generally includes but is not limited to homopolymers, copolymers, such as, for example, random and alternative copolymers, graft, block, terpolymers, etc. and mixtures and modifications thereof. Therefore, unless specifically limited in another way, the term "polymer" will include all possible geometric configurations of the material. These configurations include but are not limited to isotactic, syndiotactic and random symmetries.

As used herein, the term "consisting essentially of" does not exclude the presence of additional materials that do not significantly affect the desired characteristics of a given composition or product. Exemplary materials of this type would include without limitation, pigments, antioxidants, stabilizers, surfactants, waxes, flow promoters, particles or aggregate materials to improve the processability of a composition.

As used herein, the term "couple" or "fix" includes but is not limited to joining, connecting, attaching, linking or associating two rings integrally or interstitially together. As used herein, the term "connect (connect) releasably" refers to two or more things that are stably coupled together and are at the same time capable of being manipulated to decouple things from one another.

As used herein, the term "configure" or "configuration" means design, accommodate, establish or conform to a view to specify the applications or uses. By example: a military vehicle that was set up for winding terrain; configured the computer by setting the system parameters.

As used herein, the term "substantially" refers to something that is done to a large extent or degree, for example, "substantially covered" means a thing that is at least 95% covered.

As this document is used, the term "alignment" refers to the spatial property that is possessed by an arrangement or position of things in a straight line or in parallel lines.

As used herein, the terms "orientation" or "position" used interchangeably in these documents refer to the spatial property of a place where or by means of which something is situated; for example, "the position of the hands on the clock".

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In light of the above-stated problems, there is a need for a cheap protective garment that allows a user to easily identify the inside surface of the garment and to wear the garment without touching the outside of the garment. According to the present disclosure, the problem of dressing the garment is simplified by a protective garment that is provided to the user that includes indicia on the inner surface in a position that is easily visible to the wearer when the garment is in a folded configuration and during the carrying of said garment.

The present disclosure is directed to a protective garment with an inner and outer surface, front and back sides, a neck opening and a body section having upper, lower and central portions. A pair of legs extending from the lower portion and a pair of sleeves extending at least the upper portion. At least some indicia on the surfaces are positioned on the inner surface of the central portion of the garment. In some embodiments, said garment may be a portion of a packaged garment in which said garment is configured in a folded configuration within a packaging member and the packaging member is sealed.

The present disclosure also addresses a method for preparing a protective garment for carrying it. The method includes the steps of providing a garment having at least one indicia on the surface positioned on an inner surface of the garment and bent the garment into a folded configuration, in which the inner surface of the garment is present on the surface outer of the configuration bent so that a user can hold the garment on the upper surfaces without touching the outer surface of the garment. Additionally, surface indicia are present on the outer surface of the bent configuration so that the user can easily identify the interior surface.

The present disclosure is also directed to a protective coverall having a first half body and the second half body, each half being made of a seamless sheet of material. The second half body is substantially the mirror image of the first half body. Each half body includes 1) a body portion with a first edge and a second edge, 2) a sleeve portion, and 3) a leg portion. A closure means joins the first edges of each body portion in half a body and a vertical back seam joins the second edges of each body portion in each half body. Additionally, the vertical rear seam includes a tie strip that also includes indicia of a surface.

Finally, the present disclosure is also directed to a protective garment having inner and outer surfaces, an upper portion, a central portion and an opening for the neck defined by the upper portion. The garment further includes at least one indicia of surface positioned on the inner surface of the central portion of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates a front view of an exemplary protective garment according to the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates a rear view of an exemplary protective garment according to the present disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.

Figure 4 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.

Figure 5 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.

Figure 6 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.

Figure 7 describes a front view of an exemplary protective garment according to the present disclosure, wherein the closure means is opened to show the inner surface of the garment.

Figure 8 illustrates a detail of an exemplary protective garment.

. I Figures 9-15 illustrate exemplary steps in the preparation of an exemplary protective garment for dressing by folding the garment into a folded configuration and packing the folded configuration of the garment.

Specifically, Figure 9 illustrates a top plan view of the back side of an exemplary protective garment with the sleeves and legs in a shortened configuration.

Figure 10 illustrates a top plan view of the garment of Figure 9 after the shortened sleeves and shortened legs have been folded on the back side of the garment.

Figure 11 illustrates a top plan view of the folded garment of Figure 10 after folding the folded garment of Figure 10 longitudinally.

Figure 12 illustrates a top plan view of the folded garment of Figure 11 after folding the folded garment of Figure 11 across.

Figure 13 illustrates a top plan view of the folded garment of Figure 12 after pulling the opening flaps near the folded garment of Figure 12, Figure 14 illustrates a top plan view of the folded configuration formed after a horizontal fold of the folded garment of Figure 13 and Figure 5 illustrates a top plan of the garment T? Its configuration folded into a packing member to form a packaged garment.

Figure 16 illustrates a rear view of an exemplary protective garment in accordance with the present disclosure, wherein the closure means is opened to show the inner surface of the garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention belongs to a protective garment that has surface signs to facilitate the handling and carrying of the garment. Said protective garments are of particular interest for work areas and industries such as, for example, for health care, home improvements made by oneself, chemical, industrial, sanitary, sterile rooms and other similar applications. . For ease and convenience in describing the present invention, this description uses an exemplary protective overalls garment to illustrate the inventive concept that may be applicable to any protective garment. Terms such as "protective garment" and "protective overalls" may be used interchangeably in the description. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art, the concepts of the present disclosure (as illustrated for overalls) can be applied to other protective garments as well as those known and defined above. In addition, the following disclosure should not be limited to the application in overalls, but also extends to surgical gowns, work suits, jumpers, aprons and the like. Additionally, the following disclosure applies to both reusable / durable protective clothing and limited use / disposable protective clothing.

In part, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate at 10 a front view of an exemplary protective garment 12. Protective coveralls 12 include a first half body (or left) 14 and a second half body (or right) 16. Every second half body 16 is substantially a mirror image of the first half body 14. The protective coveralls 12 contain right and left sleeves 18 and 20 as well as right and left legs 22 and 24. A neck opening 26 is visible in the upper part of the coveralls 12. As shown in Figure 1, a closure means 28 is visible from a front view 10 of the coveralls 12. The garment 12 has a front side 11 and a rear side 13.

Figure 2 illustrates at 30 a rear view of exemplary protective coveralls. The protective coveralls 12 include a first half body 14 and a second half body 16 (in reverse position as seen from the rear). Sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24 are also in reverse position. As shown in Figure 2, a vertical rear seam 32 and a horizontal rear seam 34 are visible from the rear view 30 of the coveralls 12.

The body of the garment 12 includes a torso section 72 of which the sleeves 18, 20 and. the legs 22, 24 extend. The torso section 72 includes an upper portion 74, a central portion 76 and a lower portion 78. Upper portion 74 extends downwardly from back portions 63 to central portion 76 and generally includes all areas of garment 12 on the shoulders of the wearer that will contact shoulders and neck of the user. The opening of the neck 26 is defined within the upper portion 74. The upper portion 74 generally forms the shoulder cover of the garment 12. Additionally, the sleeves 18, 20 generally extend from at least a portion of the upper portion 74.

The lower portion 78 extends upwardly from the crotch 86 to the central portion 76 and generally includes all areas of the garment 12 that will contact the area of the garment 12 that will contact the wearer's waist area. The legs 22, 24 extend from the lower portion 78.

The central portion 76 extends between the upper and lower portions 74, 78 and will generally include the areas of the garment 12 corresponding to the midsection of the front of the wearer, generally including the clavicle of the wearer. Additionally, the central portion 76 also extends generally from the shoulder blades to the small part of the user's lateral back, generally including the shoulder blades and the small part of the user's back. For the garment 12 illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 7, the upper portion 74 extends above and below the shoulder portions 63 to a point between the opening of the neck 26 and the seam of the horizontal back 34. The portion lower 78 extends up from crotch 86 to a point which generally corresponds to the band of elastic waist 84 and the circumferential waist of garment 12. Central portion 76 counts for the rest of the torso section 72 of the garment 12 and illustrated as extending from a horizontal line above the seam of the horizontal back 34 and extending below the elastic waist band 84. Each of the portions 74, 76, 78 includes portions of the front side 11 and the side rear 13 of garment 12 and collectively count for all torso surfaces of the garment from which the extremities (legs / sleeves) extend.

Figure 7 illustrates the inner part of the garment 12 of Figures 1 and 2. The right and left opening flaps 80, 82 of the closure means 28 are opened and pulled back to reveal the inner surfaces 101 of the garment. 12. The vertical back seam 32 and the horizontal back seam 34 are visible on the inner surface 101 of the back part 13 of the garment 12. Additionally, an elastic waist band 84 may be present on the inner surface 101 from the back 13 to provide the garment 12 with improved waist adjustment.

Desirably, the garment 12 can include at least a hint of surface 92 on the inner surface 101 of the garment 12 to assist the user in easily identifying the inner surface 101 when the garment 12 is worn. Said surface indicia 92 can be any key sensorial that communicates to the user that it is the inner surface 101 of the garment 12. Typically, the sensory key will be some form of visual key (color, shape, text, symbol, graphic or the like) that the user can see. However, it is contemplated that said sensory keys may be visual, tactile, olfactory, taste, auditory or combinations of said sensory keys.

In the garment 12 illustrated in Figure 7, a surface indicia 92 is associated with the vertical back seam 32 and extends from the proximal neck opening 26 to the proximal crotch 86 together with the inner surface 101 of the back 13 of the garment 12. In this particular embodiment, the vertical back seam 32 is a joined seam 732 wherein the attachment strip 734 of the attached seam 732 is made of a material having a color that is visually distinct from the sheet no seam 36 constituting the garment 10. In addition, the color of the indicia will be distinctly different than the color of the interior surface 101 to easily identify the interior surface 101 in contrast. For example, for a garment 12 that is made first of a seamless sheet 36, which is white, the bonding strip 734 may be a blue strip of material that is in contrast to the white background of the interior surface 101. Similarly, instead of being associated only with the vertical back seam 32, the surface indicia 92 may be associated with the horizontal back seam 34 or with both a vertical back seam 32 and a horizontal back seam 34.

Alternatively, the indicia on the surface 92 may be other similar visual cues. For example, the indicia of the surface 92 may be repeated colored contrasting forms printed on the interior surface 101. For garments that are constructed without a vertical back seam 32, the indicia of the surface 92 may be a colored strip extending toward down behind the garment column (generally located along the line where the vertical back seam 32 is located in the garment 12 of Figure 7). Said colored strip may be printed directly on the interior surface 101 or may be an additional strip of colored material which is associated with the interior surface 101. In another embodiment, the indicia of the surface 92 may be printed in large text (or otherwise placed) on the interior interior surface 101, such as "OK" or "INTERNAL SURFACE". The surface indicia 92 may be a symbol such as a check mark or thumbs up symbol. Similarly, said text or symbols may be repeated through the entire interior surface 101 or some smaller portion thereof. The indicia of the surface 92 may be a holographic image on the interior surface 101. In some embodiments, the seam only present on the interior surface 101 may be made using a seam color that is a contrasting color to that of the material being sewn together.

The surface indicia 92 are desirably present in at least the central portion 76 of the inner surface 101 as the central portion 76 forms a large area of the visible torso section 72 of the garment 12 when the garment 12 is being handled to be worn. In some embodiments, the surface indicia 92 may extend within the upper portion 74, in the lower portion 78 or may be positioned in all portions of the torso section 72. However, the presence of the surface indicia 92 in the minus a portion of the central portion 76 is believed to provide the most reliable minimum indicator for a user who handles and carries such a garment 12.

The surface indicia .92 may additionally or alternatively include a material having a texture that is distinct from the textures of the surrounding surfaces, which may subsequently be used by the user to identify the interior surface 101 by touching it. Similarly, the indicia of the surface 92 may additionally or alternatively include a material that produces a unique sound when handled. For example, indicia of surface 92 may include metallized nylon, aluminum foil, biaxially oriented PET film, or other similar material that produces an audible click sound when handled which is distinct from the sound of handling the sheet material that conforms the rest of the garment 12.

In some embodiments, the indicia of the surface 92 present on the inner surface 101 may be the absence of a particular sensory key relative to the rest of the surfaces of the garment 12. For example, the garment 12 may include colored circles only on the outer surface 103 of the garment 12. The indicia of the surface 92 of said The garment may be the absence of any of said circles printed on the interior surface 101. Again, the indicia of the surface 92 may be any sensory key that may be used to communicate to the user the distinction between the interior surface 101 and the exterior surface 103 of the garment 12.

Additionally, the garment 12 may include a secondary indication 94 as illustrated in Figure 7. As the surface indicia 92, the secondary indicia 94 may be any sensory key that communicates a desired message to the user. Secondary signs 94 may be an alternate indicator of the interior surface 101 or may be used to convey a different message. In Figure 7, the secondary indicia 94 is a shape on the inner surface 101 that both indicate the inner surface 101 and the proper orientation of the garment 12. Such secondary indicia 94 can help to communicate instructions to the user such as by where the user it will secure the garment 12 on its inner surface 101 for optimal carrying.

One skilled in the art would understand that various types of sensory keys and the execution of said keys could be used in combination to assist the user in identifying the interior surface 101, assisting the user in carrying the garment and / or providing the user with additional information.

The manufacture of said garments 12 may be in accordance with known manual, automated or semi-automated assembly methods. It may be desirable that the protective garment 12 contain the least practical number of panels, portions or sections to reduce the number of seams in the garment for better barrier properties and to simplify the manufacturing steps. However, it is contemplated that the protective garment 12 may contain sections, panels or portions of barrier fabrics that may have different degrees of strength to adapt the overalls to a particular application. For example, sleeves 18, 20 or other portions (e.g., leg portions, shoulder portions or back portions of coveralls) can include double layers of barrier fabrics with very high levels of strength and hardness. Examples of the type of garments 12 contemplated can be found in Bell US Patent No. 5,487,189, which is incorporated herein by reference and in those garments available from Kimberly-Clark Corporation (Roswell, GA) sold under the trademark KLEENGUARD®.

The assembly of an exemplary garment 12 is illustrated in Figures 3 to 6. Now with reference to Figure 3, a seamless sheet of the material used to form the first half body 14 is shown at 36. The first half body 14 includes a body portion 38 having a first edge 40, a second edge 42 and an upper edge 44. The upper edge 44 extends approximately half a half through the body portion 38 of the second edge 42. The first half body 1 includes a sleeve portion 46 having an upper sleeve edge 48 and lower sleeve edge 50, an upper edge 52 and a segment 54 of the second edge 42 of the body portion 38. The first half body 14 also includes a leg portion 56 having a front leg edge 58 and a rear leg edge 60.

A sleeve 18 of the first half body 14 can be constructed by bending the portion of the sleeve 46 along the line 62 as illustrated in Figure 4. Followed by the body portion 38 and the leg portion 56 are bent as along the line 64 as illustrated in Figure 5. After two bends are made, the upper edge 52 of the sleeve portion 46 joins the upper edge 46 of the body portion 38 producing a horizontal back seam 34 which can be seen in Figure 1. Again with reference to Figure 5, the sleeve portion 46 is closed in a sleeve 18 by joining the upper sleeve edge 48 to the edge of the lower sleeve 44 producing a sleeve seam 66 running from point 68 to point 70.

Generally speaking, this operation would be performed in the second half body 16 by following exactly the same procedure as it would apply to the mirror image form. With reference to Figure 6, the first half body 14 is joined to the second half body 16 (ie the mirror image of the first half body 14). The half bodies are joined by joining the respective second surfaces 42 and 42 'of the body portions 38 and 38'. A closure means (e.g., fastener, button fasteners, snap fasteners, hook and loop fasteners and the like) 28 join the respective first surfaces 40 and 40 '. The leg portions are closed by attaching the front leg edge 58 for the rear leg edge 60 and the front leg edge 58 'for the rear leg edge 60' on each half body.

At this point other features may be added such as, for example, a collar, hook, boots and / or elastic cuffs on the wrists and / or ankles of the coveralls.

Desirably, the left sleeve 18 can be an integral part of the first half body 14 (ie, the first half body 14 is cut to form a left sleeve 18), such as for the garment described above. It is contemplated that the left sleeve 18 may be a separate piece of material that may be attached to the first body means 14 by a seam (not shown). In the same way, it is desirable that the right sleeve 20 can be an integral part of the second half body 16 (ie, the right body panel 16 is cut to form a right sleeve 20). It is contemplated that the right sleeve 20 may be a separate piece of material that can be attached to the right upper body panel 28 by a seam (not shown). Additionally, in the garment 12 illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 7, the sleeves 18, 20 are shown as extending outwardly from the body 14. 16 substantially parallel with the shoulder portions 63. However, other designs are possible. . For example, the sleeves may be designed to extend upwards from the general plane of the shoulder portions 63.

Desirably, the legs 22, 24 are formed in a manner similar to the formation of the sleeves 18, 20. Desirably, the left leg 22 can be an integral part of the left body panel 14 (i.e., the left body panel 14 is cut off to form a left leg 22), as for the garment described above. It is contemplated that the left leg 22 may be a separate piece of material that can be joined to the first half body 14 by a seam (not shown). In the same way, it is desirable that the right leg 24 can be an integral part of the second half body 16 (i.e., the right body panel 16 cut to form a right leg 24). It is contemplated that the right leg 24 may be a separate piece of material that can be attached to the right body panel 16 by a seam (not shown).

The seams used to form the garment can be of any type of seam that is appropriate to form said garments. Said seams may be appropriate for the materials used in forming the garment, the required strength and the level of security and protection desired. Typical seams used for such garments include sewed, sewn, bonded, bonded, welded and heat bonded seams. The joined seams 732 (as shown in Figure 8) are commonly used in protective garments. Said joined seams 732 use a tie strip 734 that reinforces the serged seam (formed by two edges of material 740 being sewn) for resistance to tearing and strength as well as covering the edges without sewing of the materials being joined, otherwise reducing the possibility of introducing free fibers in the environments in which said garments will be used.

J Said protective garment 12 can be packaged by any means and / or method that allows the user to easily enter the garment 12 to carry it, while ensuring that the user does not touch an exterior surface 103 of the garment 12. An exemplary method for preparing the garment 12 for carrying it is shown in Figures 9 to 15. The method shown includes the first step of placing the garment 12 with the front part 11 face down on a surface, opening the closure means 28 and shortening the sleeves 18, 20 and the legs 22, 24 of the garment 12. A garment 12 in which a configuration of resultant shortened ends (with the shortened sleeves 218 and the shortened legs 222) is illustrated in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 9, the sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24 can be shortened by folding the ends of said legs and sleeves back into said sleeves 18, 20 and legs 22, 24. Said shortened sleeves 218 and / or shortened legs 222 can be joined together. e) on the inner surface 101 of the garment 12 to secure the garment 12 in the shortened configuration of Figure 9.

Then, with the front side 1 1 of the garment 12 placed against a table, the shortened sleeves 218 can be folded, along the fold line 95, towards the rear side 13 of the garment. Similarly, the shortened legs 222 can later be bent upward along the fold lines 97 towards the back side 13 of the garment 12. As seen in the folded garment of Figure 10, the front side 11 of the shortened legs 222 and the shortened sleeves 218 now rest on the back side (confronting upwards) 13 of the garment 12.

Then, as shown in Figure 10, the initially bent garment can be folded longitudinally in thirds, along the fold lines 99 to form the folded garment illustrated in Figure 11. Specifically, the left side edge 114 is folded along with the line 99 towards the center of the back side 13 of the folded garment of Figure 10. Subsequently, the right side edge 116 is folded, along the line 99, towards the center of the garment and at the top of the previously folded over the left side edge to form the folded garment of Figure 11. The lower edge 118 of the folded garment of Figure 11 can then be folded up along the folded line 111 and then back up again along the fold line 113 to form the folded garment of Figure 12.

As seen in Figure 12, a portion of the inner surface 101 (within the open closure means 28) is now confronted upward together with the portions of the left and right opening flaps 80, 82. In a later stage , the portions of the right and left opening flaps 80, 82 that fall below the folded garment of Figure 12 (not visible) can be pulled around under the top of the folded garment of Figure 12. By doing that, the inner surface 101 of the garment 12 is exposed on the outer surfaces of the folded garment, as shown in Figure 13. Finally, the garment can be folded up along the folded line 115 to form the folded configuration end 140 illustrated in Figure 14.

As seen in Figure 14, such a bent configuration 140 desirably provides the interior surfaces 101 of the garment 12 readily available to the wearer to secure them when the garment 12 is worn. Additionally, and more specifically, the central portion 74 of the garment 12 back 13 is provided on the external surface 142 of the bent configuration 140. Furthermore, the surface indicia 92 present on the inner surface 101 of the central portion 74 is clearly visible to the user and further serves as confirmation that the external surface 142 of the bent configuration 140 is the inner surface 101. The outer surface 142 being the surface forming the exterior of the bent configuration 140 which also includes all of the surfaces that may potentially touch when the garment 12 is handled in said bent configuration 140. As shown in Figure 14, substantially all of the outer surface 142 sie However, to ensure that the user only handles the garment 12 by the interior surfaces 101, it is desirable to fold the garment so that the majority (more than 50 percent) of the outer surface 142 of the bent configuration 140 is composed of the interior surfaces 101 of the garment 12.

This illustrated method of folding the garment 12 is only a potential method of folding the garment 12. Other methods that bend the garment 12 such as the surface indicia 92 and the inner surface 101 are made available to the wearer during the subsequent unfolding. and the placement are also contemplated. One skilled in the art would observe how a different order of fold stages, number of folds, desired doubled end dimensions and other considerations can contribute to different methods of folding the garment 12.

Additionally, said garments 12 can be washed and dried to remove any excessive particulate that may be present from the manufacturing process of the garment. This stage would seem to be necessary to occur before the bending stages.

Once folded, the garment 12 can be packaged by any method as known to pack said garments 12 to form a protective garment pack 810 to be sent to the wearer. Typically as shown in Figure 15, the bent configuration 140 of the garment 12 can be placed inside the packing member 800 and the sealing member 800 sealed to form a packed garment 810. For example, said packing member 800 can be a bag, film layers, a backpack or the like. It may be desired that the packaged garment 810 be sterilized by any sterilization method as is known for such products. Additionally, it may be desirable for the air within the packing member 800 to be removed during packaging, so that the garment 12 is vacuum packed prior to said sterilization.

Another embodiment of a protective garment including a surface indicia 92 for identifying the inner surface 101 of the garment is illustrated in Figure 16. The garment shown in Figure 16 is the rear view 30 of an open-toed gown garment. posterior 120, so that it can be used in a laboratory or surgical environment. The garment 120 is shown with the closure means 28 (on the rear side 13 of the garment 120) open and the opening flaps right and left 80, 82 pulled back to reveal the interior surfaces 101 of the garment 120.

The garment 120 includes an upper portion 74, a central portion 76, and a lower portion 78. The upper portion 74 extends downwardly from the shoulder portions 63 to the central portion 76 and will generally include all areas of the garment 120 on the shoulders. shoulders of the user that will contact the user's shoulders and neck. A neck opening 26 is defined within the upper portion 74. The upper portion 74 generally forms the shoulder cover of the garment 120. Additionally, the sleeves 18, 20 generally extend at least a portion of the upper portion 74. The lower portion 78 extends upwardly of the lower opening edge 122 for the central portion 76 and will generally include all areas of the garment 120 next to it. the waist 85 of the garment 120 below the lower opening edge 122. The central portion 76 extends between the upper and lower portions 74, 78 and will generally include the garment 120 areas corresponding to the chest and the mid section of the front of the garment. user, generally including the user's clavicle. Additionally, the central portion 76 also generally extends from the shoulder blades to the small part of the back on the side of the user's back, generally including the shoulder blades and the small part of the user's back.

A surface indicia 92 is shown on the garment 120 of Figure 16 extending along the interior surface 101 of the front side 11 of the garment 120. As previously disclosed, the surface indicia 92 can be any sensory key that allows the user distinguishes the interior surface 101 from the exterior surface 103 of the garment.

Generally speaking, the manufacture and packaging of said garments can be in accordance with known, automated, semi-automated assembly methods. For example, the joining of the various portions of the garment can be achieved using sewing or gluing techniques, ultrasonic bonding, solvent welding, adhesives, thermal bonding and similar techniques. The order of the manufacturing and packaging steps described above is believed to provide an efficient process for manufacturing and packaging protective garments. However, it is contemplated that changes in the order of these steps may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. / Additionally, it is contemplated that additional assist features may also be included in the garment 12. For example, the neck opening 26 may be fitted with a collar and / or hook. The leg and sleeve portions extending from the body portion can be adjusted with elastic cuffs and / or other elastic means to ensure that they fit comfortably against a wearer. Additionally, structures such as stirrups and thumb curls can be added to the leg cuffs and / or wrists to aid in the placement of the garment 12. The bias can be added to the garment 12 to allow the attaching of badges to the garment without breaking the integrity of the material of the garment. Said biases may be included additionally or alternatively for aesthetic purposes. Other features such as bags are also considered. The garment 12 may additionally include re-sealable openings to allow the user to enter the interior of the garment 12 without having to remove the garment 12.

The closure means 28 of the garment 12 can include any type of fastener as are common to said protective garments. Desirably, the closure means 28 will be a mechanical closure device, such as a standard closure for barrier protection. However, it is contemplated that other fasteners such as eyelet and crochet fasteners, pressure fasteners, re-sealable tapes or other similar features may be used, depending on the level of protection required of the garment 12. Additionally, the closure means 28 of the garment 12 may include a closure flap covering the closure means 28. Said closure flap may be secured by a variety of fasteners.

The garment 12 can alternatively incorporate an obliquely oriented opening with an associated fastener, through the region of the front torso of the garment, instead of a conventional vertical opening for entering the garment. For example, a closure can start at the shoulder and proceed diagonally through the torso down the region of the upper thigh. This allows the torso of the garment to open wide. An angled closure that starts out from the user's bottom can be less irritating.

In addition to the surface indicia 92 and the secondary indicia 94, it may be desired to communicate messages or additional information to the users. Colors, symbols, words, logos or other cues can be used to communicate a particular message, such as the relative level of protection, sterility or non-sterility or to provide distinctive appearance as an element of style. The colors can be applied to the material of the complete garment 12, the individual portions of the garment 12 or as fabric biases along the seams, around the bags or legs or in distinctive designs. A logo showing the brand or level of protection can be located on the garment 12. Color can be added to the closure means for communication and appearance purposes.

All the materials used in the protective garment 12 have barrier properties that meet the industrial standards of their respective designated level of protection. The materials for the garment are generally barrier materials resistant to liquids and breathable. The breathability of the material increases the comfort of someone wearing that garment, especially if the garment is worn under conditions of high heat index, vigorous physical activity or large periods of time. Various nonwoven barrier materials and appropriate fabrics are known and used in the art for garments such as surgical gowns, coveralls, industrial protective garments and the like. All such materials are within the scope of the present invention.

The material used to form the garment can be a woven or more bonded carded fabrics, spun-bonded fiber fabrics, melt-blown fiber fabrics, spin-spin-woven fabric, woven fabrics of other non-woven materials, one or more woven materials or knitted, one or more films and combinations thereof. The material can be formed of polymers such as, for example, polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons, polystyrenes, caprolactams, ethylene copolymers and at least one vinyl monomer, ethylene and acrylate copolymers. of n-butyl and acrylic and cellulose resins and mixtures of combinations thereof. If the material is formed of a polyolefin, the polyolefin can be polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and butene copolymers.

The multiple layers of the seamless sheet material can be joined in a seamless laminate and used to form garments having desirable barrier properties. The laminates can be formed by combining layers of sheet materials without seams with one another and / or forming or depositing layers of said materials on top of each other. For example, the material may be a laminate of two or more non-woven fabrics. As a further example, the material can be laminated from at least one spunbonded fiber fabric and at least one meltblown fiber fabric and mixtures thereof.

For example, useful multilayer materials may be made by joining at least one fabric of meltblown fibers (which may include meltblown microfibers) with at least one continuous filament fabric. joined with yarn. An exemplary multi-layered seamless material useful for making the protective garment of the present invention is a non-woven laminated fabric constructed by joining together the layers of the fabrics of the continuous filaments attached with spinning and the fabrics of the meltblown fibers ( which may include meltblown microfibers) and may also include a bonded carded fabric or other non-woven fabric. Said materials can generally be produced without being very expensive so that they can be considered disposable. A three-layer fabric having a first outer sheet of a yarn-bound fabric, a middle sheet of a binding fabric continues and a second outer sheet of a yarn-bound fabric can be referred to as in the abbreviated SMS annotation (by its acronym in English). Said fabrics are described in detail in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,041, 203; 4,374,888 and 4,753,843 all of said patents were assigned to Kimberly Clark Corporation, the assignee of this invention.

Another exemplary material that could be used for the manufacture of the protective garment 12 is a laminated fabric constructed by joining together at least one layer of a non-woven fabric with at least one layer of a film. Generally speaking, the film layer can range in thickness from about 0.25 mil to about 5.0 mil. For example, the film will have a thickness ranging from about 0.5 mil to about 3.0 mil. Desirably, the film will have a thickness ranging from about 1.0 mil to about 2.5 mil.

Said films can be applied by extrusion coating the substrates and later passing the materials on posts through the tip of the soft calendering rolls. The films can be formed so as to create a layer on the substrate having a desired thickness (excluding the substrate). Exemplary film layers include films formed of polymer which may include polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons, polystyrenes, caprolactams, ethylene copolymers and at least one vinyl monomer, ethylene copolymers and n-buryl acrylate and acrylic and cellulose resins. If the film layer is made of a polyolefin, the polyolefin may be polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and butene coppoiomers and mixtures thereof.

The seamless sheet material of the garment 12 can have a basis weight ranging from about 15 gsm (ie grams per square meter) to about 300 gsm. For example, the seamless sheet material may have a basis weight ranging from about 20 gsm to about 100 gsm. Desirably, the material can have a basis weight ranging from about 20 gsm to about 75 gsm. Although the The base weight of the laminate will vary depending on the materials used, the lower weight basis materials are desirable for comfort and conformation, and the higher basis weight materials are desirable for durability and hardness. A construction of the nonwoven film fabric laminate can allow combinations of materials that provide high strength at relatively low base weights and the design of the coveralls allows such strong and relatively unbreakable materials to be used in a comfortable garment.

Such garments commonly need to be designed with materials adapted to protect the user in general, non-hazardous and dangerous environments. Examples of uses for hazardous environments include protection against water-based acids, bases, salts and splashes of certain liquids, such as pesticides and herbicides. Garments such as lead dust, asbestos and particles contaminated with radiation. Non-hazardous industrial uses include carrying garments for "dirty jobs" in factories, workshops, engineering plants, construction sites and farms.

The hydrostatic resistance (water permeability) of the protective articles will depend, in part, on the particular kind of material from which the article is constructed. The overalls can be designed to have a liquid water permeability resistance of at least about 15, 17 or 20 millibars, to more than about 180, 187 or 200 millibars, inclusive of all combinations of ranges therebetween. More commonly, the garment may have a water resistance of about 25 or 30 to about 115 millibars, preferably between about 45 to about 10 millibars and more preferably between about 50 millibars to about 95 millibars of pressure.

The air permeability of the garment materials can range from at least 2 cubic feet per minute per square foot (cfm / ft2) (0.57 cubic meters per minute per foot x 0.3 square meters) to more than approximately 47 or 50 cfm / ft2 (approximately 1.02 to more than 23. 9 or 25.4 cm3 / s / cm2), inclusive of all ranges of combinations between them. More typically, the air permeability can be in the range of from about 5 or 10 cfm / ft2 (2.54 or 5.08 cm3 / s / cm2) to about 43 or 45 cfm / ft2 (21.8 or 22.9 cm3 / s / cm2), and preferably between about 15, 17, 20, or 25 cfm to about 40 or 42 cfm / ft2 (7.62, 8.64, 10.2 or 12.7 to about 20.3 or 21 .3 cm3 / s / cm2).

The garment can have a moisture vapor transmission ratio (VTR) of more than about 4700 g / m2 / 24 hours, more typically about between about 2700 or 3600 MVTR to about 4500 or 4600 MVTR. The protective garment can protect the user resistance of approximately 9-100% against intrusion of the barrier for dry particles with a particle size of 0.3-0.5 microns.

The garment can be made of a material that provides a barrier to dust and microparticulates (i.e., ranging in size from about 0.05-0.10 microns or greater (see U.S. Patent No. 5,491, 753) or light splash fluids. Garment materials can also be treated with electret to generate a localized electrostatic charge within fibers of the non-woven fabric (e.g., U.S. Patent No. 5,401, 446 to Tsai.) For example, these materials can be treated with compositions such as Zepel® and Zelec®, available at EI du Pont De Nemours, located in Wilmington, Del.

The present invention has been described in general and in detail by means of examples. The experts in. the art will understand that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. The modification and variations of the general concept may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims or their equivalents, including equivalent components.

Claims (19)

1. A method for preparing a protective garment for dressing, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a garment comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper portion, a central portion, a lower portion, a neck opening defined by the upper portion and at least a surface indicia, wherein at least one indicia of surface is positioned on the inner surface of the central portion and b) folding the garment in a folded configuration, wherein in the beaded configuration the inner surfaces are positioned on an outer surface of the folded configuration so that a user can hold the garment on the inner surface without touching the outer surface of the garment , and wherein in the folded configuration at least one surface indicia is present on the outer surface of the folded configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: c) placing the folded configuration on a packaging member and sealing the packaging member and d) sterilizing the packing member containing the bent configuration.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in step (c) substantially all the air is removed from the packing member before sealing the packing member.

4. A protective garment comprising: an interior surface and an exterior surface; an upper portion, a central portion and a lower portion; a neck opening defined by the upper portion and at least one indicia of surface positioned on the inner surface of the central portion.

5. The method or protective garment according to any of the preceding claims, the protective garment further comprising: a torso section comprising the upper portion, the central portion and the inner portion; a right leg and a left leg, where both legs extend from the lower portion and a right sleeve and a left sleeve, wherein both sleeves extend from at least the upper portion.

6. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, the protective garment further comprises a back side and a front side, wherein at least one surface indicia is positioned on the back side.

7. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one surface indicia extends from the central portion in the upper portion.

8. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one surface indicia extends from the central portion in the lower portion.

9. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one surface indicia comprises a strip of indicia extending from the opening of the neck through the central portion and in the lower portion.

10. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one surface indicia comprises a seam.

11. The method or protective garment according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the protective garment further comprises: a first half body and a second half body, each composed of a sheet without seams of the material, said second half body being substantially a mirror image of said first half body and each half body comprising: a body portion comprising a first edge and a second edge; a portion of manga and a leg portion; closing means joining the first edges of each body portion in each half body; a vertical back seam joining the second edges of each body portion in each half body; wherein the vertical back seam further comprises a tie strip, wherein the tie strip comprises at least one surface indicia.

12. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, the protective garment further comprising at least a secondary indicia positioned on the inner surface. ^

13. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one surface indicia comprises a color indicia, wherein the inner surface comprises an interior surface color and wherein the color of the indicia is different. that the color of the inner surface.

14. The method or protective garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective garment is a disposable protective overall.

15. A packaged garment comprising: the protective garment according to any of claims 4 to 14, wherein the protective garment is folded in a folded configuration, wherein in the folded configuration the inner surface of the garment is present on an external surface of the folded configuration and wherein at least one surface indicia is present to the user on the outer surface of the folded configuration and a packaging member, wherein the packaging member contains the folded configuration and wherein the packing member containing the bent configuration is sealed.

16. The packaged garment according to claim 15, wherein the packaged member containing the folded configuration is vacuum packed.

17. The garment packaged according to any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the sealed packing member containing the folded configuration is sterilized.

18. The garment packaged according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the inner surface of the garment comprises a majority of the outer surface of the folded configuration.

19. The packaged garment according to claim 18, wherein the inner surface of the garment comprises all of the outer surface of the folded configuration.