U.S. patent application number 10/801046 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-15 for disposable garment with reduced particulate shedding.
Invention is credited to Meyer, Joe, Nelson, Scott, Yadav, Sudhansu S..
Application Number | 20050198726 10/801046 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34920818 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050198726 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yadav, Sudhansu S. ; et
al. |
September 15, 2005 |
Disposable garment with reduced particulate shedding
Abstract
A nonwoven disposable safety garment made by cutting at least
one sheet of nonwoven material into a safety garment pattern,
stitching the at least one to defining a garment, and hemming the
garment. All cut edges are twice folded and hemmed under to prevent
exposure of any cut edges. All stitching is characterized by a
stitch density in the range of 10 to 12 stitches per inch.
Inventors: |
Yadav, Sudhansu S.; (Carmel,
IN) ; Meyer, Joe; (Germantown, WI) ; Nelson,
Scott; (Noblesville, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BINGHAM MCHALE LLP
2700 MARKET TOWER
10 WEST MARKET STREET
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204-4900
US
|
Family ID: |
34920818 |
Appl. No.: |
10/801046 |
Filed: |
March 15, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/455 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 2400/52 20130101;
A41D 2500/30 20130101; A41D 27/24 20130101; A41D 13/02
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/455 |
International
Class: |
A41B 001/00; A41D
001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A nonwoven safety garment, comprising: a piece of cut
spunbond/melt blown/melt blown/spunbond material having at least
one cut edge; a plurality of hems stitched into the material and
defining a garment; wherein the hems are characterized by between
10 and 12 stitches per inch; wherein the at least one cut edge is
double-folded under; and wherein the at least one double-folded
edge is hemmed into place.
2. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment further includes a
plurality of snap-fasteners and wherein the garment is shaped to
form a smock.
3. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment further includes a
plurality of snap-fasteners and wherein the garment is shaped to
form a jumpsuit.
4. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment further includes an
elastic band disposed under a hem and wherein the garment is shaped
to form a shoe covering.
5. A disposable clean room safety garment, comprising: at least one
sheet of nonwoven fabric defining at least one cut edge; a
plurality of stitches formed in the at least one sheet of nonwoven
fabric to define a garment; and hems formed at the at least one cut
edge; said nonwoven fabric being formed from spunbond/meltblown
material; said plurality of stitches characterized by respective
stitch densities of between ten and twelve stitches per inch; and
said hems characterized by respective stitch densities of between
ten and twelve stitches per inch.
6. The garment of claim 5 wherein the garment further includes a
plurality of snap-fasteners and wherein the garment is shaped to
form a smock.
7. The garment of claim 5 wherein the garment further includes a
plurality of snap-fasteners and wherein the garment is shaped to
form a jumpsuit.
8. The garment of claim 5 wherein the garment further includes an
elastic band disposed under a hem and wherein the garment is shaped
to form a shoe covering.
9. The garment of claim 5 wherein the at least one sheet of
nonwoven fabric is a plurality of sheets of nonwoven fabric.
10. The garment of claim 5 wherein the hems are folded twice to
encapsulate the at least one cut edge.
11. A method of making a safety garment, comprising the steps of:
a) cutting at least one sheet of nonwoven material into a safety
garment pattern; b) stitching the at least one to defining a
garment; c) hemming the garment; wherein all cut edges are twice
folded and hemmed under to prevent exposure of any cut edges;
wherein all stitching is characterized by a stitch density in the
range of 10 to 12 stitches per inch.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
safety apparel, and more specifically to a safety garment having
reduced particulate shedding properties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Safety garments, such as disposable smocks, jumpsuits,
gloves, shoe coverings, and hair coverings, are required apparel
for the performance of many jobs. Some of the jobs requiring safety
garments are performed in clean room environments, wherein the
introduction of foreign matter must be minimalized. For example,
technicians in certain sensitive medical fields dealing with
infectious matter, aerospace researchers assembling interplanetary
probes, and material scientists developing and manufacturing
ultrapure materials all wear safety garments in clean room
environments. The safety garments perform the dual function of
protecting the wearer from the potentially hazardous materials he
is working with as well as preventing unwanted matter from the
wearer's person from contaminating his work product.
[0003] Safety garments for use in clean room environments are
typically made from nonwoven disposable materials, such as from
sheets of spunbond/melt blown/melt blown/spunbond (SMMS) material
and the like. Such sheets of material are cut into patterns and
stitched together to form desired safety apparel. Typically, as
these garments are intended to be disposable and the focus is on
their functionality and not aesthetic appeal, little attention is
paid to the hemming and stitching. The "as cut" edges are thus
exposed. However, in clean room environments where contaminant
levels in the parts per million or even parts per billion are too
much, such exposed cut edges present genuine sources of potential
particulate contamination.
[0004] Moreover, as these garments are intended to be disposable,
little effort is made to provide durable stitching. The prevalent
attitude is that a garment intended to be worn for just a few hours
does not require superior stitching. However, in a clean room
situation, seam separation is not only a potential source of
particulate evolution in and of itself, but also produces a pathway
from the interior to the exterior of the garment through which
potentially hazardous material may flow.
[0005] There thus remains a need for a need for an improved safety
garment that is more durable and less prone to particulate
shedding. The present invention addresses this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention relates to a disposable clean room
safety garment, including at least one sheet of nonwoven fabric
having at least one cut edge, a plurality of stitches formed in the
sheet(s) of nonwoven fabric to define a garment; and hemming formed
at cut edges. The nonwoven fabric is preferably formed from
spunbond/meltblown material. The stitching is characterized by an
optimized stitch density of between ten and twelve stitches per
inch.
[0007] One object of the present invention is to provide and
improved safety garment. Related objects and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent from the following
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment safety
garment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded partial view of a hemmed edge
of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment safety
garment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the invention and presenting its currently understood
best mode of operation, reference will now be made to the
embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will
be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood
that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby
intended, with such alterations and further modifications in the
illustrated device and such further applications of the principles
of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would
normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention
relates.
[0012] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first embodiment of the present
invention, a reduced particulate shedding disposable nonwoven
safety garment 10. In this embodiment, the safety garment is formed
as a smock. The safety garment 10 is preferably made from
spunbond/melt blown/melt blown/spunbond (SMMS) material,
spunbond/melt blown/spunbond (SMS) material, or the like, and
includes double-folded and hemmed edges 12. The edges 12 are folded
such that all cut edges of the non-woven material are double-folded
under so as to not be exposed. Non-exposure of the edges 12 thus
greatly reduces the potential for generation of shed particles
where the material was cut. The seams 16 are stitched with an
optimization of the number of stitches per inch (SPI), increased to
10-12 SPI over the standard 6-8 SPI. 10-12 SPT has been found to be
the optimal stitch density, as more than 12 SPI weakens the
non-woven material via excessive perforation and less than 10 SPI
provides a looser and weaker hem, such that particulate shedding is
not minimized.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present
invention, a jumpsuit 10 made from spunbond/melt blown/melt
blown/spunbond (SMMS) material, spunbond/melt blown/spunbond (SMS)
material, or the like. The jumpsuit includes twice-folded and
hemmed edges 12. As in the first embodiment, the edges 12 are
folded such that all cut edges of the non-woven material are
double-folded under so as to not be exposed. The seams 16 are
stitched with an optimization of the number of stitches per inch
(SPI), increased to 10-12 SPI over the standard 6-8 SPI. The
garment also includes foot coverings 18, that are preferably
stitched to the garment but may alternately be individually formed
and attached, such as by an elastic band stitched into the hem at
the foot opening. The garment 12 further includes an excess of
material in the armpit 20 and groin/seat area 22, to minimize the
risk of accidental tearing that might generate additional
particulate matter into the environment as well as expose the
wearer to environmental hazards.
[0014] In practice, the garments 10 are made by cutting one or more
sheets of nonwoven material into a desired safety garment pattern.
Simple patters (i.e., shoe coverings) may require a single sheet;
more complex patterns (i.e., smocks, jumpsuits, and the like) may
require tow or more sheets of varying size. The sheet(s) is/are
then stitched together to defining a garment 10. The edges of the
garment 10 are then hemmed. All cut edges are twice folded and
hemmed under to prevent exposure of any cut edges that could
increase the likelihood of particulate shedding. All stitching is
characterized by an optimized stitch density in the range of 10 to
12 stitches per inch.
[0015] While the invention has been illustrated and described in
detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be
considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is
understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in
the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and
enablement requirements. It is understood that one of ordinary
skill in the art could readily make a nigh-infinite number of
insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described
embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe
all such embodiment variations in the present specification.
Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications
that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be
protected.
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