Protective Gown Neck Shielding for Zone A Coverage Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disposable, non-surgical gowns often fail to maintain coverage over the critical zone A (upper front torso region) due to poor fit and material bunching, leading to exposure and potential contamination from infectious droplets, and self-inoculation during patient care.
Innovation Solution
A medical gown with a neck protector extending from the neckline, featuring a shielding strip that wraps around the neck and secures with rear positioning mechanisms, ensuring continuous coverage over critical zone A without additional seams or increased manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If disposable non-surgical gowns are made in one-size-fits-all universal sizes, then manufacturing cost and inventory management are improved, but fit and coverage of critical zone A deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The gown is segmented into distinct size regions (small, medium, large) with different dimensional characteristics. Each region is optimized for specific body types, allowing the single gown to adapt to different wearers without requiring multiple size inventories. The segmentation is achieved through strategic placement of seams and elastic components that create adjustable fit zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The gown design incorporates variable parameters in its construction, including graduated waist-to-hip ratios, adjustable elastic tension zones, and multi-position closure systems. These parameter changes allow the same gown to accommodate different body measurements while maintaining proper coverage of critical zone A through mechanical adjustment rather than manufacturing different sizes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If gowns are made voluminous to accommodate all body sizes, then adaptability improves, but fit and coverage maintenance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The gown incorporates dynamic elements including elasticized waistbands, adjustable drawstrings, and flexible closure systems that can be tightened or loosened based on the wearer's body size. These dynamic components allow the gown to adapt to different body volumes while maintaining consistent coverage of critical zone A through adjustable tension rather than fixed voluminous construction.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the gown have different degrees of flexibility and adjustability. The waist and hip areas incorporate elastic and drawstring mechanisms for size adaptation, while the critical zone A (front torso and neck area) maintains structured, non-stretch fabric with fixed closures to ensure consistent coverage. This local differentiation of material properties allows adaptability where needed while preserving coverage reliability where critical.
3Adaptability or versatility
If gowns use extra material to fit all wearers, then adaptability improves, but material bunching and exposure risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gown uses segmented construction with strategic seam placement that distributes excess material away from critical zone A. Rather than allowing bunching at the neckline and front torso, seams are positioned to channel extra fabric toward the back and lower portions of the gown, preventing contamination risk while maintaining adaptability for different body sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The design extracts the size-adjustment function from the critical zone A areas and relocates it to non-critical regions. Adjustable features such as drawstrings and elastic are concentrated at the waist and back, removing the source of material bunching from the front torso and neck area. This extraction eliminates the contamination risk associated with bunching while preserving the ability to fit different wearers.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and devices include a personal protection gown to provide frontal protection for the user. The personal protection gown includes a neck protector extending from a front neckline of a body portion of the personal protection gown. The neck protector partially couples to the front neckline such that a separation gap between the neck protector and the body portion is formed (e.g., on either side of the partial coupling and around the back of the neck). Extension straps of the neck protector are pulled around a neck of the user and form a knot to secure the neck protector and the personal protection gown in place. The separation gap provides flexibility in how tightly the neck protector is pulled such that the personal protection gown effectively provides zone A coverage (e.g., as defined by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) for different body shapes and sizes.