Neck Engaging Hospital Gown and Method of Manufacture

Abstract

A protective garment comprising a gown and an improved collar mechanism and method of use for securing protective gowns, typically used in health care settings, around the neck of a user without the need to secure with ties, tabs, snaps or other securing devices. The collar mechanism is made pliable when fastened to the garment so as to be deformed without fracture when force is applied but with a sufficient memory when combined with the gown that allows the collar to return to its original position once the force is removed. The collar mechanism may be manufactured efficiently by using a rotary die cutting machine to created nested pairs of pieces of a two-piece embodiment arranged spirally on a stock.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12 / 580,211, filed Oct. 15, 2009, entitled “Protective Garment with Flexible Collar,” which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12 / 322,037, filed Jan. 27, 2009, entitled “Easy On and Off Collar for a Protective Garment,” which claims the priority of provisional application 61 / 137,365, filed Jul. 29, 2008, entitled “Hospital Gown with Easy On and Off Collar,” which applications are incorporated in their entirety here by this reference.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002]The present invention relates generally to the field of protective garments, and specifically, to a collar member or collar enclosure that allows for quick and easy securing of the protective garment to the wearer's neck.BACKGROUND [0003]Protective garments are used in medical settings to cover patients and health care workers alike, to isolate the patients from ambient germs found on practitioners' clothing,...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In some embodiments, the overall shape of the collar stiffener may be oval, elliptical, or teardrop shaped to improve comfort around a user's neck.

[0012]In some embodiments, the cross-sectional diameter of the collar stiffener may be modified to improve the structural integrity of the collar stiffener. In some embodiments, the collar stiffener may be flat so as to facilitate being fastenable to the outside of the protective garment around the neckline.

[0015]The present invention also covers the process for manufacturing the collar stiffener in a cost-effective manner from a stock of cardboard or plastic by minimizing waste from the stock of cardboard or plastic. The present invention may also be manufactured by injection molding.

Problems solved by technology

Tying the collar portion of the protective garment can be cumbersome and time-consuming.

Sometimes, the securing of the ties around the neck is not completely successful or not done at all.

As a result, the gown can come open causing the gown to drop off at the shoulders of the wearer at inopportune times, thereby exposing both the patient and health care worker to the other.

This device suffers because it musses hair and can get caught on jewelry.

Images