Hospital Garment

Abstract

An improved hospital garment comprising a body with a plurality of hinged flaps, enabling selective access while maintaining coverage. The garment includes cutouts concealed by flaps, providing access to the chest, thighs, back, and lower back. The flaps are secured using adjustable fasteners such as adhesives, hook-and-loop fasteners, or zippers. The hospital garment features an external pocket with wire-access holes, and an accessible side closure for easy access to larger portions of the body of the user. Additionally, the garment includes an external thigh pocket and interior hooks for medical equipment attachment.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to wearable garments. Specifically, the present invention is a hospital garment.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Hospital garments and other patient garments can often be uncomfortable and inconvenient for the wearer. Existing typical hospital garments are often unflattering, unnecessarily revealing, and require frequent donning and doffing of the garment during medical examination and procedures. All of these factors can lead to patient discomfort.

[0003] The present invention aims to solve this problem by providing an improved hospital garment having a plurality of detachably attachable flaps. One or more flaps are present on the garment that are detachably attachable or hingedly attached to the garment. This allows the flaps to be easily removed or pulled down to allow access to the patient's body while allowing the patient to continue wearing the garment. Furthermore, the flaps may have attachment points, such as pockets, loops, and other holes to allow medical devices and wires to be attached to the patient while the garment remains worn. A garment opening may run from the collar to the underarm area of the garment, allowing the garment to be easily removed even from patients with limited mobility.

[0004] In some embodiments, the plurality of panels and / or the body of the garment may be adapted to receive screen printing, such that a company or sponsor may print logos or advertisements on the garment to allow hospitals and medical facilities to defray the cost of the garment by acquiring a sponsorship or advertising deal using the garment.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention.

[0006] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the present invention.

[0007] FIG. 3 is a chart of the various embodiments of the hospital garment.

[0008] FIG. 4 is a chart of the material properties of the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 5 is an alternate front view of the present invention showing the plurality of cutouts.

[0010] FIG. 6 is an alternate rear view of the present invention showing the plurality of cutouts.

[0011] FIG. 7 is a diagram of the flap and attachment mechanism of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 8 is a chart of the attachment mechanism embodiments of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 9 is a front view of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 10 is an alternate front view of the present invention showing the plurality of holes through at least one of the flaps.

[0015] FIG. 11 is a diagram of the internal portion of the present invention, showing the at least one hook.DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

[0016] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0017] As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0018] Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

[0019] Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein-as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term-differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

[0020] Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”

[0021] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods.

[0022] Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.

[0023] Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

[0024] Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,”“outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.

[0025] The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in the context of a improved as, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention is a hospital garment 1 comprising a body 10 and a plurality of flaps 20. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the body 10 of the hospital garment 1 is a garment that covers at least a portion of a patient's body and the plurality of flaps 20 are attached to the body 10 such that each of the flaps are at least partially removable. Furthermore, within the context of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the hospital garment 1 may be selected from one of: a hospital gown 101, a torso covering 102, a head covering 103, an arm covering 104, a leg covering 105, a foot covering 106, and a hand covering 107. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hospital garment 1 is a hospital gown 101. In the context of the present invention, “at least partially removable” as used to describe the flaps is synonymous with hinged such that each flap of the plurality of flaps 20 are able to be opened, while maintaining attachment to the body of the hospital garment 1. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, each flap is rectangular wherein one of the four sides of the flap is sewn onto the body 10. Additionally, within the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hospital garment 1 is a garment which comprises a neck opening 114a, a plurality of sleeves 114b, and a bottom opening 114c such that a user's neck extends through the neck opening 114a, a user's arms extend through the plurality of sleeves 114b, and a user's legs extend through the bottom opening 114c, thereby covering the shoulder 113a, torso 113b, and thigh 113c portions of a user. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hospital garment 1 is composed of a material 12. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material 12 is a moisture wicking material. In some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the material 12 is selected from materials comprising at least one of the following properties including: breathability 12a such that “breathability” is defined as being permeable to air (and gas); moisture wicking 12b, wherein “moisture wicking” is defined as being water impermeable; anti-microbial 12c; anti-static 12d; odor resistant 12e; stain resistant 12f; durable 12g, wherein durable is defined as being resistant to deformation and degradation; temperature regulating 12h; and combinations thereof 12i.

[0027] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the body 10 of the hospital garment 1 comprises a plurality of cutouts 30. In the context of the present invention, the plurality of cutouts 30 provide access to the interior 60 (shown in FIG. 9) of the hospital garment 1, thereby enabling an individual to have access to the body of a user wearing the hospital garment 1. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of flaps 20, when in a closed configuration, conceal the plurality of cutouts 30, such that each flap covers a respective cutout. Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hospital garment 1 comprises a chest cutout and a respective chest flap 21, a thigh cutout and a respective thigh flap 22, a back cutout and a respective back flap 23, and a lower back cutout and a respective lower back flap 24. Moreover, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each flap comprises a connected edge 202 wherein said connected edge 202 is fixedly attached to the body 10 of the hospital garment 1, enabling each flap to fold or hinge about the respective connected edge 202. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when in the closed configuration, the plurality of flaps 20 are held in place through an attachment mechanism 25. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attachment mechanism 25 is an adjustable attachment mechanism such that a user may selectively detach and reattach each respective flap to the body 10, thereby exposing and concealing the body of the user, selectively, through the plurality of cutouts 30. In the context of the present invention, the attachment mechanism 25, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is selected from an adhesive 25a, a hook and loop fastener 25b, a zipper mechanism 25c, a snap mechanism 25d, a button mechanism 25e, an at least one hook 25f, an at least one tie 25g, combinations thereof 25h, and a fastener mechanism of the like 25i.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 9, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one flap of the plurality of flaps 20 comprises an insignia 203. In the context of the present invention, the insignia 203 is a marking, a decoration, an at least one alphanumeric character, a logo, combinations thereof, and markings of the like.

[0029] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chest flap 21 further comprises a pocket 26, as shown in FIG. 9, wherein said pocket 26 is externally positioned on the chest flap 21. In such embodiments of the present invention wherein the chest flap 21 comprises the pocket 26, the chest flap 21 further comprises an at least one hole 211 through the chest flap 21, as shown in FIG. 10, wherein said pocket 26 conceals the at least one hole 211. In some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one hole 211 of the chest flap 21 comprises a first hole and a second hole wherein said holes are offset from each other such that the first hole is offset left of the second hole. In the context of the present invention, the pocket 26 enables equipment to be contained within the pocket 26, while the at least one hole 211 enables a user to feed wires, hoses, chords, conduits, and structures of the like from the pocket 26 to interior 60 of the hospital garment 1 and thus the body of the user.

[0030] Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the body 10 of the hospital garment 1 is composed of a front panel 111 and a rear panel 112, wherein said front panel 111 and rear panel 112 cover the front of a user's body and a rear of a user's body, respectively. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front panel 111 and the rear panel 112 are secured together along lateral sides such that one of the lateral sides, an accessible edge 50, is adjustably coupled together, enabling a user to open the body 10 of the hospital garment 1 by disconnecting the front panel 111 and the rear panel 112 along the accessible edge 50. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accessible edge 50 secures the front panel 111 to the rear panel 112 by a connection member. In the context of the present invention, the connection member is selected from an adhesive, a hook and loop fastener, a zipper, and a connection member of the like. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accessible edge 50, and thus the connection member, traverses the entirely of the lateral side of the body 10 of the hospital garment 1.

[0031] Moreover, in some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, in the preferred embodiment, the body 1 further comprises an external pocket 40. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the external pocket 40 is positioned on the thigh section 113c of the body 10. In some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, the interior portion 60 of the hospital garment 1 further comprises an at least one hook 14. In the context of the present invention, the at least one hook 14 enables attachment of equipment such as urine bags, colostomy bags, and equipment of the like, such that said equipment is concealed within the interior portion 60 of the hospital garment 1.

[0032] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A hospital garment comprising:a body;a plurality of flaps;a plurality of cutouts;wherein:the body being a garment wherein the plurality of cutouts are disposed amongst a front portion and a rear portion of the body;the plurality of flaps adjustably concealing the plurality of cutouts such that each flap adjustably conceals a respective cutout; andone of the flaps of the plurality of flaps comprising a pocket.

2. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flap comprising the pocket further comprises an at least one hole such that the at least one hole extends through the respective flap and said hole is concealed within the pocket.

3. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:the plurality of flaps comprises:a chest flap;a thigh flap;a back flap; anda lower back flap; andthe plurality of cutouts comprises:a chest cutout;a thigh cutout;a back cutout; anda lower back cutout;wherein:the chest flap, the thigh flap, the chest cutout, and the thigh cutout are disposed on a frontward portion of the body;the back flap, the lower back flap, the back cutout, and the lower back cutout are disposed on a rearward portion of the body;the chest flap being attached adjacent to the chest opening such that the chest flap adjustably conceals the chest opening;the thigh flap being attached adjacent to the thigh opening such that the thigh flap adjustably conceals the thigh opening;the back flap being attached adjacent to the back opening such that the back flap adjustably conceals the back opening; andthe lower back flap being attached adjacent to the lower back opening such that the lower back flap adjustably conceals the lower back opening.

4. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pocket is disposed on the chest flap.

5. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 1, composed of a material comprising at least one material property from a list consisting of:breathability;moisture wicking;anti-microbial;anti-static;odor resistant;stain resistant;durable;temperature regulating; andcombinations thereof.

6. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is composed of a front panel and a rear panel;the front panel and the rear panel are coupled along opposing lateral edges;the front panel and the rear panel are joined at an accessible edge wherein said accessible edge removably couples the front panel to the rear panel along one of the lateral edges.

7. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the accessible edge comprises a connection member wherein said connection member is selected from a hook and loop fastener mechanism and an adhesive.

8. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of flaps are removably coupled to the body through an attachment mechanism.

9. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 8, wherein the attachment mechanism is selected from an adhesive, a hook and loop fastener, a zipper mechanism, a snap mechanism, a button mechanism, an at least one hook, an at least one tie, and combinations thereof.

10. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body further comprises an external pocket.

11. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an at least one hook wherein said hook is disposed on an inwardly portion of the body.

12. A hospital garment comprising:a body;a plurality of flaps;a plurality of cutouts; andan accessible edge;wherein:the body being a garment wherein the plurality of cutouts are disposed amongst a front portion and a rear portion of the body;the plurality of flaps adjustably concealing the plurality of cutouts such that each flap adjustably conceals a respective cutout;one of the flaps of the plurality of flaps comprising a pocket;the accessible edge traversing laterally along the body; andthe accessible edge comprising a connection member wherein said connection member facilitates the opening and concealment of the body along the accessible edge.

13. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the flaps of the plurality of flaps are attached to the body adjacent to a respective cutout of the plurality of cutouts.

14. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of flaps are permanently attached to the body on a single connected edge;each of the plurality of flaps further comprising an attachment mechanism; andsaid attachment mechanism removably coupling each respective flap to the body such that disengagement of the attachment mechanism enables said respective flaps to fold about the connected edge.

15. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pocket is an outwardly facing pocket.

16. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one flap comprises an at least one hole wherein said at least one hole is concealed within the pocket.

17. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 12 wherein the body further comprises a pocket wherein said pocket is disposed on a thigh portion of the body.

18. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 12 wherein the body further comprises an at least one loop wherein said loop is disposed on an inwardly portion of the body.

19. A hospital garment comprising:a body;a plurality of flaps;a plurality of cutouts; andan accessible edge;wherein:the body being a garment wherein the plurality of cutouts are disposed amongst a front portion and a rear portion of the body;the plurality of flaps adjustably concealing the plurality of cutouts such that each flap adjustably conceals a respective cutout;at least one of the flaps of the plurality of flaps comprising a pocket;the accessible edge traversing laterally along the body;the accessible edge comprising a connection member wherein said connection member facilitates the opening and concealment of the body along the accessible edge;the at least one flap comprising the pocket further comprising an at least one hole such that said at least one hole is concealed within said pocket; andthe body and the plurality of flaps being composed of a material such that said material comprises an at least one property selected from a list consisting of:breathability;moisture wicking;anti-microbial;anti-static;odor resistant;stain resistant;durable;temperature regulating; andcombinations thereof.

20. The hospital garment, as claimed in claim 19 wherein the plurality of flaps is removably coupled to the body through an attachment mechanism; such that said attachment mechanism is selected from an adhesive, a hook and loop fastener, a zipper mechanism, a snap mechanism, a button mechanism, an at least one hook, an at least one tie, and combinations thereof.

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