Apparel – Body garments – Shirts
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-05-29
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Body garments
Shirts
C002S069000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237153
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to garments in general, and more particularly to gowns worn by hospital patients for medical examination or treatment.
2. Preliminary Discussion
The typical garment, whether designed to cover the upper or lower portion of the body, can only be worn in one orientation or position, and usually covers the body with a single layer of fabric such as cotton, wool, and the like. In particular, the standard hospital or examination gown is usually made from flimsy single layered panels having flaps in the back that are held together by metal fasteners or cloth ties.
Such prior art gowns are used by hospitals for several reasons. First, hospitals are under constant pressure to control or cut costs, and the standard gown is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and launder. Second, medical personnel need to have substantially unencumbered access to areas of the body that have been injured and need to be examined or treated, and the gown must be loose enough so that bulky dressings such as, for example, a heavy bandage or a cast on a broken bone, can be easily applied and tended to and will fit under the gown. Third, hospital gowns must be easily put on or removed, since many patients are at least partially immobilized and incapable of dressing themselves without the assistance of a nurse or other hospital staff. In addition, bedridden patients that require the use of a bed pan need a gown that is adaptable to their needs.
Although the standard hospital gown has some practical advantages, it has an even greater number of drawbacks. First, hospital gowns are notorious for providing only a modicum of covering and dignity for patients. The rear flaps of most gowns often tend to be pulled or split apart as the patient moves around while performing simple normal activities such as walking to the bathroom or moving to a different examination area and the like. As a result, patients wearing the standard gown are often unknowingly or even knowingly subjected to embarrassing exposure. In addition, many hospitals or examination areas are often uncomfortably cold, either due to a need for continual air-conditioning, which usually cannot be regulated by the patient, or, in colder climates, the heat might be kept at a relatively low level to save on heating costs. The flimsy box-like construction of the standard gown provides little or no warmth to patients in drafty and cold hospitals or convalescent homes, and patients often are unable to or are prohibited from wearing any additional clothing.
Standard hospital gowns also often do not provide easy access to the front or shoulder parts of the body without necessitating undue exposure, since the only opening in such gowns is in the back, and if the gown is reversed, excessive exposure of the front, particularly of female patients, inevitably ensues. For instance, a patient with a wound on his or her shoulder would necessarily have to remove practically the entire gown during examination. In addition, patients are often subjected to unnecessary exertion due to the lack of adaptability of such gowns to various treatments required in nursing. For example, due to the clumsy design and construction of the standard gown, a mother suffering from exhaustion following the birth of a child would be forced into undue exposure of other portions of her body in order to expose her breast while nursing. In addition, nerve shock caused by critical operations, severe accidents and prolonged periods of pain often causes the body to be extremely sensitive to air and the touch of human hands irrespective of how gentle an effort is made to administer any necessary treatment and assistance. The present garment now in use requires undue manipulation and exacts a wholly unnecessary toll from such patients.
Numerous attempts have been made to overcome the disadvantages of the standard hospital gown by providing a gown that gives the patient some additional covering while still allowing for easy access to the body for examination and medical treatment. However, in general these attempts have not been successful, either because such gowns are too expensive to manufacture or are too impractical or complicated in design. Thus, the problems associated with the standard gown still exist, and such gowns are still in widespread use in hospitals, nursing homes, and the like. Some cultures are particularly sensitive to exposure, and family members often aid their relatives in activities that require dressing and undressing, such as taking baths and the like, rather than relying on aid from hospital personnel or attendants. In fact, hospital gown comfort and coverage has become such an important issue in some communities that a bill was recently sponsored in one legislature that would require hospitals to give admitted patients the option of wearing “dignity gowns,” which completely cover the patient from neck to knees, unless a standard hospital gown is medically necessary for patient treatment and care. However, hospitals have objected to the bill since it would significantly increase their costs, which increase would ultimately be passed to consumers. Thus, while many hospitals have been made aware of the need for an alternative gown that allows their patients, often now referred to as clients, to retain their integrity and affords them the dignity and respect they deserve, there is still a need for an alternative to the standard hospital gown that is practical, relatively inexpensive, and overcomes the disadvantages associated with the standard gown.
The present inventor has met the challenge and designed a hospital gown that overcomes the described problems and is both simple and inexpensive. The present inventor departs from the construction of the standard garment by providing a three or tri-panelled gown wherein one of the panels is sandwiched between the other two. While one of the outer panels is split or openable similar to the flaps on the standard hospital gown, the present inventor has added a solid or unitary panel between the two outer panels. The addition of a middle or central panel gives the wearer the option of wearing the gown with his or her body positioned either between two solid panels or between one solid panel and one openable or split panel. In addition, by using hook & loop type or equivalent closures on the shoulder area, the gown may be unhooked and easily slipped on or removed from the body of the wearer with a minimum amount of physical effort to the patient. The shoulder of the patient can also be easily attended to without exposing other portions of the body. Thus, the patient may easily slip either between or from the two solid or unitary panels almost as easily as opening the split panel in putting on or taking off the gown. Furthermore, while the two unitary panels do not usually require fastenings on the openable side, because of the split flaps on the outside, securing means may be provided, if desired, to attach the side of the middle or central panel to the other unitary panel.
When the patient desires a closed gown or a “dignity gown,” the garment may be positioned with his or her body between the two relatively unopenable or solid panels. Such orientation not only protects the patient against unwanted and embarrassing exposures, but also provides additional warmth and protection from drafts and the cold. On the other hand, when the patient expects to be examined or treated in a manner necessitating that the gown be openable, the gown can be worn with the body between the central unopenable panel and the outer openable or split panel, with the split panel facing or covering either the front or back of the patient as required.
The gown of the present inventor is designed to meet all requirements of post-operative care, and allows access for applying dressings, bandaging, intravenous feeding, blood transfusions, blood tests, and intravenous anesthesia. When abdominal or chest examination or treatment is necessary, the gown may be worn with the split panel covering the f
Hale Gloria M.
Wilkinson Charles A.
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