Protective apparel with angled stretch panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10863783-B2
Application number	US-73573807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2007
Priority date	Apr 16, 2007
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A disposable protective apparel garment having an angled elastomeric panel present on the back side of the garment is described. The garment, such as protective coveralls, includes an elastomeric panel in a V-shaped configuration that extends from the lower back upwardly toward the underarms and along the sleeves. Such an elastomeric panel allows the wearer a greater degree of movement when wearing such a garment.

First claim

We claim:

1. A disposable protective garment for a wearer, the disposable protective garment comprising: a body comprising a body portion formed from a barrier fabric having a holdout efficiency of at least 40% for particles having a diameter greater than 0.1 micron, the body portion comprising a front side, a back side comprising a central back seam and a lower back portion, and an upper portion, and a neck opening; a right leg and a left leg, both legs extending from the body portion, a crotch formed at a point where each of the right leg and the left leg meet the front side and the back side of the body portion; a closure extending from the neck opening on the front side of the body portion toward the crotch; a right sleeve and a left sleeve, both the right sleeve and the left sleeve extending from the body portion, both sleeves comprising an underside, both sleeves being attached to and extending from the upper portion, a left underarm formed where the underside of the left sleeve is joined to the upper portion, and a right underarm formed where the underside of the right sleeve is joined to the upper portion; and a V-shaped elastomeric strip comprising an apex and a first extension and a second extension, the V-shaped elastomeric strip positioned on the back side of the body portion, the apex being positioned no lower than the lower back portion and substantially in alignment with the central back seam, the first extension of the V-shaped elastomeric strip extending from the apex toward the left underarm and the second extension of the V-shaped elastomeric strip extending from the apex toward the right underarm, wherein the V-shaped elastomeric strip permits the wearer to reach and bend; wherein the first and second extensions of the V-shaped elastomeric strip have been attached to the body portion of the garment while being held in a stretched configuration and then allowed to retract after attachment; and wherein the barrier fabric forming at least the entire front side of the body portion is non-elastomeric.

2. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the V-shaped elastomeric strip is formed from an elastomeric nonwoven laminate.

3. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the V-shaped elastomeric strip is comprised of a laminate including a nonwoven material joined to an elastomeric film or nonwoven web.

4. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the V-shaped elastomeric strip comprises a stretch-bonded laminate.

5. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the V-shaped elastomeric strip comprises a necked-bonded laminate.

6. The garment of claim 1 , where the V-shaped elastomeric strip is a continuous strip of elastomeric material without a seam spanning across the strip.

7. The garment of claim 1 , where the V-shaped elastomeric strip is between 2 and 6 inches wide and has an elastic elongation between 25 percent and 400 percent.

8. The garment of claim 7 , where the V-shaped elastomeric strip is between 2 and 4 inches wide.

9. The garment of claim 1 , where the V-shaped elastomeric strip is oriented upon the garment such that, when the garment is held flat, an angle formed by the first extension and the second extension of the V-shaped elastomeric strip is between 83 degrees to 155 degrees.

10. The garment of claim 1 , where one the second extension extends to the right underarm and along the underside of the right sleeve, and where the first extension extends to the left underarm and along the underside of the left sleeve.

11. The garment of claim 10 , where the second extension extends along the underside of the right sleeve to a right wrist, and where the first extension extends along the underside of the left sleeve to the left wrist.

12. The coverall of claim 1 , where the second extension extends along the back side of the right sleeve, and where the first extension extends along the back side of the left sleeve.

13. The coverall of claim 1 , where the second extension extends along the upper edge of the right sleeve, and where the first extension extends along the upper edge of the left sleeve.

14. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the front side of the body portion is divided into a right side and a left side, further wherein the garment comprises a right panel and a left panel, the right panel comprising the right leg and the right side of the front side of the body portion formed from a seamless sheet of the barrier fabric, the left panel comprising the left leg and the left side of the front side of the body portion formed from a seamless sheet of the barrier fabric.

15. The garment of claim 14 , wherein the right panel and the left panel are substantially mirror images of each other.

16. The garment of claim 14 , wherein the right panel further comprises the right sleeve and the left panel further comprises the left sleeve.

17. A disposable protective garment for a wearer, the disposable protective garment comprising: a body comprising a body portion having a left body panel and a right body panel, both the left body panel and right body panel having a front side, a back side, and an upper portion, where a central back seam joins the back side of the left body panel to the back side of the right body panel, and where the left body panel and the right body panel define a lower back portion and a neck opening; a right leg extending from the right body panel and a left leg extending from the left body panel, a crotch formed at a point where the right leg, the left leg and the body portion meet on both the front side and the back side of the left body panel and the right body panel; a right sleeve and a left sleeve, the right sleeve extending from the right body panel and the left sleeve extending from the left body panel, both sleeves comprising an underside, both sleeves being attached to and extending from the upper portion, a left underarm formed where the underside of the left sleeve is joined to the upper portion of the left body panel, and a right underarm formed where the underside of the right sleeve is joined to the upper portion of the right body panel; and a V-shaped elastomeric strip comprising an apex and a first extension and a second extension, the V-shaped elastomeric strip positioned on the back side of the right body panel and the back side of the left body panel, the apex being positioned no lower than the lower back portion and substantially in alignment with the central back seam, the first extension of the V-shaped elastomeric strip extending from the apex toward the left underarm and the second extension of the V-shaped elastomeric strip extending from the apex toward the right underarm; wherein a single closure extends from the neck opening on a front side of the garment toward the crotch, so as to join the left body panel to the right body panel; and wherein at least the entire front side of the left body panel and the right body panel is formed from a non-elastomeric barrier fabric.

18. The garment of claim 17 , wherein the single closure is a single zipper extending continuously from the neck opening towards the crotch.

19. A disposable protective garment for a wearer, the disposable protective garment comprising: a body comprising a body portion formed from a barrier fabric having a liquid hydrohead resistance of from 15 millibars up to 200 millibars, the body portion comprising a front side, a back side comprising a central back seam and a lower back portion, and an upper portion, and a neck opening; a right leg and a left leg, both legs extending from the body portion, a crotch formed at a point where each of the right leg and the left leg meet the

Assignees

• Gatto Jeanne Marie
• Chingren Seward Christina Mae
• Kimberly Clark Co

Inventors

• Gatto Jeanne Marie
• Chingren Seward Christina Mae

Classifications

• A41D13/02 Primary

  Overalls {, e.g. bodysuits or bib overalls} (sweating suits A61H36/00) · CPC title

• A41D2300/22

  Elastic inserts · CPC title

• A41D13/015

  with shock-absorbing means (A41D13/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A41D2400/52

  Disposable · CPC title