Apparel – Garment protectors – Aprons
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-07
2001-04-24
Vanatta, Amy B. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Garment protectors
Aprons
C002S049400, C002S052000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219846
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to bibs and, more particularly, is concerned with a bib assembly with an attached towelette and a twist tie member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A bib may be useful in any of a variety of situations where people commonly eat food. One such common situation is where persons are consuming drinks and snacks while driving or riding in a vehicle. Persons in this situation, particularly, face problems of spillage onto their clothes and surfaces of the vehicle.
One prior art construction of a bib is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,489 to Dunn. The Dunn bib includes a flexible front sheet of absorbent material and a flexible rear sheet of impermeable material attached to the front sheet of absorbent material for preventing liquid absorbed by the front sheet from contacting clothes of the user underneath the bib. The Dunn bib also includes a pair of flexible tie strings affixed at a top of the front and rear sheets for encircling the neck of a user and which are tied together for securing the bib to the user's neck. The Dunn bib further includes a pocket or cuff formed along a bottom of the bib for catching debris dropped down the front of the bib.
Representative examples of other prior art bibs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,941 to Long, U.S. Pat. No. 2,859,446 to Older, U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,288 to Mack, U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,665 to Morgado and U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,609 to Ayo. While these prior art bibs may be satisfactory in use for the specific purposes for which they were designed, none of them seem to provide a completely effective solution for protecting clothes during the consumption of food and beverages. One failure of the prior art is that pockets of prior art bibs may not stay sufficiently open to catch debris dropped on the bib due to the lack of any positive structure to ensure such open condition. Another failure of the prior art is that in some situations, such as in a vehicle, it may be difficult and cumbersome for the user to tie the strings of the bib around his or her neck.
Consequently, a need remains for a bib construction which provides a more effective solution to the aforementioned problems of the prior art without introducing any new problems in place thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a bib assembly with an attached towelette and a twist tie member which are designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The attached towelette of the bib assembly positively holds a bottom cuff of the assembly open to catch debris dropped on the bib. Opposite end portions of the twist tie member of the bib assembly are easily twistable around one another for securing the bib to the neck of a user.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a bib assembly which comprises: (a) a first body comprised of a substantially flexible sheet-like material in a substantially unfolded condition; (b) first means for removably securing the first body to a user such that the first body covers a front portion of the user below a mouth of the user for preventing debris dropped from an area adjacent to and including the mouth of the user from contacting the front portion of the user; (c) a second body separate from the first body and including a substantially flexible sheet of material in a substantially folded condition and adapted to be unfolded for use in wiping debris from hands and the area adjacent to and including the mouth of the user; and (d) second means for removably securing the second body to the first body.
More particularly, in a preferred embodiment, the first body has an outer sheet for facing away from the front portion of the user and an inner sheet for facing toward the front portion of the user. The outer sheet is comprised of a substantially flexible absorbent material for absorbing liquid. The inner sheet is comprised of a substantially flexible impermeable material and is attached to the outer sheet for preventing liquid absorbed by the outer sheet from contacting the front portion of the user. In an alternative embodiment, the first body is comprised of a substantially flexible impermeable material. In another alternative embodiment, the first body is comprised of a substantially flexible absorbent material.
The first securing means includes a twist tie member comprised of a substantially twistable material and having a middle portion and opposite end portions. The middle portion is mounted to an upper edge portion of the first body. The middle portion and the opposite end portions are for encircling a neck of the user and the opposite end portions are twistable around one another for securing the twist tie member around the neck of the user and thereby for securing the first body to the user.
The second body further includes a package comprised of a substantially flexible impermeable material and having an interior chamber. The flexible sheet of material of the second body is pre-moistened, folded more than once onto itself, and disposed and sealed within the interior chamber of the package.
The second securing means is a lower edge portion of the first body folded onto itself and sealed to itself at opposite ends such that a cuff and/or a central pocket is formed that receives the second body. The second body can be releasably attached to a front side of the cuff to assist in holding the cuff open along and adjacent to the lower edge portion of the first body to catch debris dropped on the first body.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2423489 (1947-07-01), Dunn
patent: 2423581 (1947-07-01), Clark
patent: 2430941 (1947-11-01), Long
patent: 2563420 (1951-08-01), Roe
patent: 2651039 (1953-09-01), Tonkens et al.
patent: 2653324 (1953-09-01), McMahon
patent: 2674738 (1954-04-01), Mehlos
patent: 2830297 (1958-04-01), Sabee
patent: 2859446 (1958-11-01), Older
patent: 3057467 (1962-10-01), Williams
patent: 3801985 (1974-04-01), Batt
patent: 4458364 (1984-07-01), Fenninger et al.
patent: 4779288 (1988-10-01), Mack
patent: 4924528 (1990-05-01), Trombetti-dickens
patent: 5666665 (1997-09-01), Morgado
patent: 5682609 (1997-11-01), Ayo
patent: 5875490 (1999-03-01), Woodard et al.
patent: 5960471 (1999-10-01), Burton
patent: 6000056 (1999-12-01), Brady et al.
Flanagan John K.
Flanagan John R.
Flanagan & Flanagan
Vanatta Amy B.
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