U.S. patent application number 10/595708 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-28 for neoprene bib with material face.
Invention is credited to Paul Brown.
Application Number | 20070143904 10/595708 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34657579 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070143904 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brown; Paul |
June 28, 2007 |
Neoprene bib with material face
Abstract
A bib, and particularly a bib with a pocket, comprising of
neoprene sheet with material on at least one face.
Inventors: |
Brown; Paul; (Cambridge,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ELMAN TECHNOLOGY LAW, P.C.
P. O. BOX 209
SWARTHMORE
PA
19081
US
|
Family ID: |
34657579 |
Appl. No.: |
10/595708 |
Filed: |
October 22, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
October 22, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB04/04486 |
371 Date: |
October 6, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/49.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41B 13/103
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/049.1 |
International
Class: |
A41B 13/00 20060101
A41B013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 5, 2003 |
GB |
0325795.3 |
Dec 15, 2003 |
GB |
0328974.1 |
Feb 12, 2004 |
GB |
0403065.6 |
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. A baby bib comprising of the material neoprene with at least
one side of the neoprene being covered in a material facing.
13. A baby bib as claimed in claim 12 wherein the neoprene material
has a material facing on both sides.
14. A baby bib as claimed in claim 12 wherein the material facing
is nylon.
15. A baby bib as claimed in claim 12 which additionally comprises
a pocket.
16. A baby bib as claimed in claim 15 wherein the pocket is formed
by attaching a small piece of neoprene to a larger piece of
neoprene by sewing, mainly along the bottom edges so that, in one
mode, the two pieces of neoprene are flat against each other but,
by turning the pieces in-side-out, it forms a naturally extended
and open pocket on the other side.
17. A baby bib as claimed in claim 16 wherein the sew line is less
than 9.5 mm from the edges of the bib.
18. A baby bib as claimed in claim 15 wherein the pocket is
permanently formed in the open position on one face by the fact
that the width of the pocket part is wider than the base material
until sewn on causing it to protrude outwards.
19. A baby bib as claimed in claim 12 which additionally comprises
one or more absorbent materials sewn to the front face.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a bib, as used by babies
and toddlers, and the material the bib is constructed of and, in
particular, bibs with pockets for catching spilt food and
drink.
[0002] Many different types of baby bibs exist, and are well known.
More specifically, many types of designs of bibs with pockets exist
but each suffers from the disadvantages described accordingly
forthwith with each bib type. It is particularly reusable bibs that
are relevant, and that are discussed, in relation to the present
invention; the present invention being of the reusable type.
[0003] Types of bib include injection moulded plastic bibs which
use a relatively rigid plastic material all over for the
construction. Plastic moulded bibs are wipe-clean and, being quite
rigid, are only suitable for meal times. As the pocket is an
integrated part of the moulding it is therefore also quite rigid,
with only slight flex possible. Because the pocket is permanently
protruding out, permanently wide and generally inflexible it makes
it difficult for the child to reach the table and can hinder body
movement, particularly the arms when feeding or playing. The
plastic is generally quite uncomfortable on the skin around the
neck.
[0004] Other types of bib include rubber injection moulded bibs,
also with permanently formed pockets. Although rubber bibs have
more flexibility than plastic ones the permanently formed pocket
protruding both forward and width-ways can still be annoying to the
child at play and partially hinder arm movement. Rubber bibs are
not particularly elastic and so can become mis-shaped after time,
particularly if rolled up for storage, causing further annoyance if
they do not rest against the chest naturally, but spring outwards.
Again, rubber can be uncomfortable to the child's skin around the
neck as the grade of rubber is normally quite dense, quite firm and
its high friction surface can feel clammy to the touch.
[0005] Known rubber bibs include those in patents referenced GB
2334200 A, Jephson Robb and EP 1090560 A3, The Robbo Company
Limited.
[0006] Others include bibs made up of either solely, or a mixture
of, thin flexible materials such as plastic sheet, woven nylon or
polyester sheet, terry toweling and cotton sheet. The pockets on
these are normally simply a piece of one of the aforementioned
materials sewn onto the front of the main bib around the sides and
bottom edges, producing a predominantly flat pocket which, while is
less obtrusive to the child, results in a limited opening that is
unlikely to catch many spillages. Several devices have been
patented, although few are on the market, that aim to address this
issue, such as springs, clips and insert parts and generally are
not elegant solutions with the disadvantages that they can be
easily mislaid, broken or add expense. A further problem with these
types of bibs is that the thin plastic and woven nylon sheet
backings, acting as a waterproof layer, can degrade and split over
time, particularly if tumble dried, so these bibs generally have a
limited lifetime. Bibs without a waterproof backing, such as just
toweling or cotton bibs, suffer from the problem that the child's
chest can become wet if spilt drinks or excess dribble soaks
through.
[0007] Others bibs include those made up of a composite of
impervious materials with a piece of the same material bonded flat
on the back face by an adhesive around the side and bottom edges
whereby when it is folded inside out it forms a more open pocket on
the front face due to the width and stiffness of the beading of
adhesive, with the benefit that the bib is flat and thin when it
folded back flush. This type, however, has the same problem as the
plastic bibs in that the adhesive is required to dry relatively
stiff to create the desired material formation effect for the
pocket, thus creating a rigid structure to the pocket area of the
bib that can, again, annoy the child and hinder arm movement. These
bibs also require the stiff adhesive bonding line to be quite wide,
spanning from the edge of the bib to at least three eights of an
inch (9.5 mm) from the edge to the to achieve the formation effect.
This width not only exacerbates the stiffness problem but creates
an undesirably large upstanding lip inside the pocket, This wide
and quite inflexible lip also does not allow the pocket to fold
neatly around the corners placing stress on the bond. These types
of bib use a composite of different materials bonded together to
form the sheet material. This has the disadvantage of requiring an
extra production process to create the lamination, which adds
expense, and has the risk of delaminating during use, particularly
during washing and tumble drying.
[0008] An object of this invention is to provide a bib, and
particularly a bib with a pocket, whereby, in a bib with a pocket,
the pocket can be stored flat on the back face of the bib, to allow
the child full arm movement if, for instance, wearing the bib
whilst playing and hence not needing the food catcher, but which
can be quickly turned in-side-out to naturally form a narrow front
protruding open pocket for snack or meal times, and which uses a
soft, flexible, waterproof, long-life and robust material and
ajoining method that results in the formed bib and pocket being
soft and pliable, with flexibility constant throughout its
structure, with a small lip for the pocket for increased
flexibility, using a material that is gentle on the child's skin
and can deflect easily and comfortably if pushed by the child's
arms or squashed up against a table edge, yet return to its
original formed pocket shape and/or its flat state every time by
its elastic properties.
[0009] Accordingly, this invention provides a bib, and particularly
a bib with a pocket, made up of neoprene sheet covered in a
material facing on at least one side, as typically used for making
wetsuits, whereby the bib with a pocket is constructed by one small
piece of neoprene being sewn flat onto the back face of another
larger piece of neoprene, around the bottom and side edges, which
can be turned in-side-out to form an open, yet soft and pliable
pocket on the opposite face by the fact that the neoprene material
maintains a firm yet flexible shape and has a constant bend
characteristic with natural elasticity of which the ease of
deformation is complimented by the use of sewing with naturally
soft thread for the join line, along a line less than three eighths
of an inch (9.5 mm) from the edge for a conveniently small lip.
[0010] The use of neoprene sheet, covered in a material facing on
at least one side, to make the bib and bib pocket according to the
present invention is what gives the present invention so many
advantages over the prior art described bibs.
[0011] Neoprene meets the objectives of the present invention well
in that it is very flexible, soft to the child's skin, waterproof,
elastic (so it always returns to its original shape), readily
cleanable, is a long life and robust material and maintains a good
form throughout its structure which enables such a well formed
in-side-out pocket to be made, as described above.
[0012] The use of neoprene is ideal for creating the bib pocket in
the open position in that the neoprene bends gently in a generally
constantly curved manner, thus creating a smooth flowing form from
the child's shoulders to the tip of the pocket. This smooth pocket
formation naturally and automatically narrows the width of the bib
near the front pocket area and thus creates more space for the
child's arms to move each side of the bib. Even if the child
squashes the formed bib pocket sideways with their arm, or pushes
it forward up against the table edge, the material will gently and
comfortably deflect and spring back into its original shape.
[0013] The use of sewing and the small size of the lip of the join
area, achievable by the fact that the distance from the sew-line to
the edge is less than three eighths of an inch (9.5 mm), also means
the bib has good flexibility through the sewn join line area as
well as in the main neoprene areas.
[0014] The flexibility, elastic and stretchy characteristic of the
neoprene combined with the flexible join is what allows the bib and
pocket to naturally create and maintain their form so well. This
characteristic also allows the whole bib to readily return to its
flat state when folded back by the fact that there is little stress
on any parts of the bib material or the joint area.
[0015] In an alternative embodiment of the aforementioned present
invention the sew line could be any distance from the edge, to suit
the desired flexibility of construction. It could also be more than
one sew line.
[0016] Preferably the shape of the bottom of the bib is to be
rounded to create a more flowing form from top to bottom when in
the open mode. The avoidance of hard corners will also allow easier
cleaning and less stress on the joint area when being folded in and
out.
[0017] Neoprene also offers the benefits that it can be wiped clean
relatively easily and is naturally waterproof so is ideal to
prevent moisture reaching the child's chest. Neoprene is also ideal
as a liquid spill catcher pocket material. Simply sewing the pocket
part onto the main neoprene part is enough to make the pocket
watertight, so no glue is needed, although glue could added if
required.
[0018] Neoprene is also ideal as it is not a composite of
laminations, although normally it has a woven material facing on
one or both faces for a soft feel, and is strong for long term use
and particularly robust when washed and dried in washing and tumble
drier machines. The material facing also has the advantage that it
allows the neoprene rubber to be a softer grade of rubber than
prior art described plain rubber bibs and thus the softer rubber
and material facing increases overall comfort for the child in
terms of the bib having better flexibility, better elasticity, a
lower weight and more friendly feel on the skin. The material
facing on the neoprene is particularly important in the purpose of
baby bibs in terms of safety as it adds significant strength to the
soft rubber neoprene and, crucially, prevents the child biting off
chunks of rubber that could otherwise choke the child. The material
facing is preferably woven nylon, although it may be any other
suitable material, such as woven polyester, and may be any other
suitable material that is woven or non-woven.
[0019] Preferably the edges of the neoprene would be finished with
an edging strip, typically of cotton sheet bias binding, for
protection, increased softness on the child's skin and to improve
the appearance.
[0020] Preferably the main and larger piece of neoprene would be
cut to a shape that includes strips that allow the bib to be
positioned over the shoulders and around the neck and, accordingly,
would include fixing devices, such as snap-fixings, to ensure the
bib is connected around the child's neck securely. This is
preferable to a straight through hole to put the child's head
through which has the problem that it does not adjust to different
head crown diameters, which could potentially cause distress to the
child when putting on or taking off that type of bib.
[0021] Further details may be added to the bib such as absorbent
material sewn to the front face to absorb dribble and drinks
spillages.
[0022] Other embodiments of the present invention are possible and
include using a material for the pocket part other than neoprene,
such as woven nylon. Another embodiment could include sewing the
pocket onto the main neoprene part in a permanently formed state by
the fact that the width of the pocket part is wider than the base
material part until sewn together, causing it to protrude outwards.
In this latter version the pocket part could be held flat, when not
needed, by fixings between the two parts and pulled outwards when
needed, or folding back on itself to become relatively flat.
[0023] Further more, another embodiment would be to use the
advantages of neoprene, i.e. soft and comfortable around the neck,
flexible, easily cleanable, robust and waterproof, but without the
pocket feature. This neoprene bib without a pocket would be
considered for a lower cost version of the present invention.
[0024] It should be noted that the description of `front` and
`back` faces of the bib are relative as it may be preferable for
the pocket to be in the open position on a side of the bib that is
not considered the front, i.e. the front face may be considered the
one with branding or with absorbent toweling, yet it may be
desirable to have the open pocket on the opposite face, normally
called the back, and simply turn the bib over so that the open
pocket is now on the front. This present invention relates to both
scenarios.
[0025] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 shows the rear view of the bib with the pocket in the
flat position,
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the bib with the pocket in the
flat position,
[0028] FIG. 3 shows the front view of the bib with the pocket
folded in-side-out to form an open pocket.
[0029] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the bib with the pocket folded
in-side-out to form an open pocket
[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the bib comprises of a main part of
neoprene 1 with neck loop shape 6 leading to a fastening device 4,
a smaller piece of neoprene 2 to create the pocket, an edging
material 3 and stitching 5 to secure the edging material 3 around
all edges of the bib material and also to fix the pocket material 2
to the main part 1 around the bottom and side edges. The top edge
of part 2 remains unattached to part 1. The stitching 5 is
preferably a single row of stitched thread for maximum
flexibility.
[0031] A bib according to the present invention but without a
pocket would appear similar to the drawing of FIG. 1 but would not
include the pocket material 2 or the pocket's top edging material
3.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a side view of the bib showing the fastening
device 4 and with the pocket material 2 in the flat position.
[0033] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the bib with the pocket 2
formed into the open mode by folding in-side-out. Note how this
view shows how the bib becomes conveniently narrower automatically
as the pocket is formed, which gives the child more sideways arm
space for feeding themselves or reaching out.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the open pocket mode
clearly. This view shows how smoothly the main material 1 naturally
flows into the pocket material 2.
* * * * *