Apparel – Garment protectors – Aprons
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-24
2001-02-06
Vanatta, Amy B. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Garment protectors
Aprons
C002S049200, C002S052000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182290
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
That application disclosed an inexpensive-to-make covering with high performance features including the ability to custom fit a covering to different neck sizes and tightness around the neck. The custom fitting was accomplished by selectively -folding a top of a covering over a transverse axis onto itself. This application discloses an invention that has the same low cost and high performance features but uses a different fitting method. The fitting is accomplished by selectively folding a top of a covering around a central vertical axis onto itself An underlying feature of both applications is that a very effective protective covering can be made from paper toweling even though that material has only an 11-inch width.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to garment protectors, specifically coverings that protect a wearer's skin and clothing from liquid and solid spills.
2. Prior Art
There are ongoing needs to protect skin and clothing in dental, industrial, medical and personal service situations. The needs are ongoing because some needs are not being met with the most cost-effective protective covering products. Some protective coverings are made from materials that are unnecessarily heavy or expensive. Coverings made from heavy materials are hot and uncomfortable to wear. Furthermore, some products have ineffective ways of adjusting the fit of the covering on the wearer.
A situation where the needs are not being met at all is the protection of skin and clothing from spills while eating and drinking. Those with the greatest needs in this area are infants, young children, people wearing clothes that cannot be spotted, people eating in vehicles and airplanes, seniors and the bedridden. With the exception of plastic coverings used in some seafood restaurants, there are no successful coverings on the market for protection against food and drink spills. The reasons for this are clear. An eating covering must be practical, effective and very inexpensive. Inventions to date have not met these requirements.
A review of prior art revealed why such desirable coverings are not on the market. Some covering designs required expensive materials. Some designs did not have the preferred characteristics of an absorbent top surface and a moisture barrier next to the wearer. Some had odd shapes that would generate scrap and thus increase production costs. Many had add-on pieces like snaps, attachment pads, adhesive strips and stitching that increase production costs. Some neglected to incorporate an effective pocket to catch and retain spills. Some disposable designs could not be reused which greatly increases the cost-per-use of such a covering.
There was a notable lack of a low cost design that included: (1) an easy means of attaching the covering (2) the ability to easily fit the covering to various neck sizes (3) the ability to easily adjust the tightness of fit around the neck (4) an easy means of releasing the attachment and (5) the ability to reattach the covering for repeated use. While attempts to meet these criteria looked good on paper, testing by the applicant proved that many were impractical. Mechanical attachments like buttons and snaps are too costly. Neck straps are hard to tie behind one's neck, are difficult to untie and pose a choking hazard while attached. Adhesives and other attachments applied to both the front and rear surfaces of a covering increase the production cost and can cause one covering to stick to another when packaged. Some designs showed exposed adhesive depositions on just one of two connecting surfaces. To adhere, that adhesive must be very tacky. This too can cause that problem of one covering sticking to another in a package. Furthermore, the required tackiness can make it difficult to release the connection. Other attachment designs did not seem suitable for repeated reuse.
A capability to adjust the fit is probably the most important feature if an inexpensive protective covering is to be successful. Most prior art designs seemed to provide an adequate means of connecting a covering to a wearer (although a significant number disclosed impractical or questionable connections). Without a custom-fitting means however, the neck opening in the covering is going to be too large or too small for many users. Thus, the coverings will not provide complete protection or they will be uncomfortably tight. With no fit adjustments, the only solution is to provide coverings with different neck hole sizes but this adds unnecessary inventory, stocking and ordering costs. Of the coverings that did disclose an adjustment feature, many just included a few words in the specification to the effect that “additional attachment points could be used to adjust the fit.” The fit adjustments were not part of the basic design in those cases and that capability was not disclosed in the drawings or claims.
How the fit is accomplished is important too. If the fitting process is awkward or time-consuming, consumers will not be interested. The fitting mechanism must provide for easy attachment, easy fit adjustment, easy detachment and easy reuse. No prior art covering designs were as effective in these areas as what is disclosed in this application.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention that will ensure the lowest cost of manufacturing and distribution are:
(a) Common and inexpensive materials such as paper toweling and plastic film can be used so material costs will be low
(b) Recycled materials can be used to further reduce material costs
(c) A rectangular design minimizes scrap costs
(d) One size can fit all so inventory, stocking and ordering costs are minimized
(e) There are no individual production operations (which are costly) because all manufacturing can be done in a continuous manner on a web of material
(f) The attachment means are located on only one side of the material so production costs are less
(g) The covering can be produced and packaged using existing production resources thus reducing capital investment costs
(h) Packaged coverings can be sold through existing retail channels thus keeping the costs of distribution low.
Furthermore, several objects and advantages of the invention that will ensure the highest performance and consumer satisfaction are:
(a) Coverings can be made from material with an I
1
-inch width so they can be sold in a roll that fits standard paper towel holders, making the coverings easy to store and dispense
(b) One size can fit both children and adults so one size can fit a family
(c) Coverings can have the desirable liquid absorbent top surface and liquid repellent bottom surface
(d) The design includes an effective pocket at the bottom to catch debris and liquids and retain them
(e) The covering is adjustable for neck size for better fit, comfort and performance
(f) The covering is adjustable for closeness of fit around the neck so it can catch spills that otherwise would run down the wearer's neck
(g) The covering is very easy to attach and detach and the design allows for repeated use even with low-cost disposable materials
(h) The difficulty of untying straps and the choking hazard associated with them is not a problem because there are no straps to tie
(i) The attachment means are on one side of the material so adjacent coverings will not stick to each other when packaged
(j) It is easy to attach the neckbands behind one's head because accurate alignment of the connecting areas is not required
(k) Connecting a covering on a wearer is a simple matter of pressing opposing neckbands together with the thumbs
(l) The fitting is accomplished with a single sliding motion using a thumb and finger to press the neckbands together along their length
(m) Detachment of a covering is particularly easy because it only requires pulling opposing neckbands apart Other objects and advantages are:
(a) Any material removed to make a neck hole makes an effective coaster or wiping rag
(b) A covering as a sheet of material makes an effective napkin for lap protection and an
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