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

"The present invention is a protective garment, such as a hospital or medical gown, with a collar stiffener or collar member for placement inside or outside of the hem of the collar or neckline of the gown. The collar stiffener is made of a pliable material that can move with the application of force and has a memory to return to its original shape once the force is released. The collar stiffener can be oval, elliptical, or teardrop shaped to improve comfort around the wearer's neck. The cross-sectional diameter of the collar stiffener can be modified to improve its structural integrity. The method of quickly securing a gown around a wearer's neck involves sewing the collar stiffener into the gown, gripping the neck, expanding the gown around the neck, and releasing the collar stiffener. The collar stiffener can be made in a cost-effective manner from a stock of cardboard or plastic by minimizing waste."

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.

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