U.S. patent application number 12/253012 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-22 for recovery and nursing gown.
Invention is credited to Sharon Kleppe Grgich, Maria-Paz Santo.
Application Number | 20100095424 12/253012 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42107426 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100095424 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Grgich; Sharon Kleppe ; et
al. |
April 22, 2010 |
RECOVERY AND NURSING GOWN
Abstract
A patient nursing and recovery gown includes a front portion
including closable infant nursing openings covered by privacy
panels. The front and back portions each include a top seam at
which the front and back portion are joined by re-closable
fasteners. The front portion further includes a closable access
panel.
Inventors: |
Grgich; Sharon Kleppe;
(Sonoma, CA) ; Santo; Maria-Paz; (Solano,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Vierra Magen Marcus & DeNiro LLP
575 Market Street, Suite 2500
San Francisco
CA
94105
US
|
Family ID: |
42107426 |
Appl. No.: |
12/253012 |
Filed: |
October 16, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/104 ;
2/114 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 2300/30 20130101;
A41D 13/1236 20130101; A41D 1/215 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/104 ;
2/114 |
International
Class: |
A41D 1/20 20060101
A41D001/20; A41D 10/00 20060101 A41D010/00 |
Claims
1. A garment, comprising: a gown having a top edge and a bottom
edge, a first and a second nursing openings positioned on the front
portion; a first pleat associated with and covering the first
opening and a second pleat associated with and covering the second
opening; and an access panel defined on a first side by the first
opening and on the second side by the second opening, the access
panel having a top portion including a plurality of re-closable
fasteners at a top edge of the panel.
2. The garment of claim 1 wherein gown comprises a front portion
and a back portion, a top edge and a bottom edge.
3. The garment of claim 1 wherein the front portion is joined at
said top edge by said plurality of re-closable fasteners.
4. The garment of claim 1 wherein the re-closable fasteners are one
of snaps, buttons, ties or clips.
5. The garment of claim 1 wherein each opening comprises an
aperture.
6. The garment of claim 1 wherein each aperture includes at least
one re-closable fastener.
7. The garment of claim 1 wherein the access panel is made of
material of a quantity sufficient to surround an infant.
8. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment further includes a
first sleeve and a second sleeve, each sleeve including a plurality
of re-closable fasteners joining a top seam of a front portion of
the sleeve to a back portion of the sleeve;
9. A nursing and recovery gown, comprising: a gown body including a
front portion and a back portion, a top edge and a bottom edge, the
top edge including a neck opening; a first and a second nursing
apertures positioned on the front portion; a first pleat associated
with and covering the first aperture on the front portion and a
second pleat associated with and covering the second aperture; and
an access panel defined on a first side by the first aperture and
on the second side by the second aperture, the access panel having
a top portion including a plurality of closures positioned in the
front portion a distance below the neck opening.
10. The garment of claim 9 wherein the front portion comprises a
yoke portion and a main portion, and the top portion of the access
panel is positioned at a bottom end of the yoke when in a closed
position.
11. The garment of claim 9 wherein the re-closable fasteners are
one of snaps, buttons, ties or clips.
12. The garment of claim 9 wherein each aperture comprises a slit
defined by a first seam and a second seam extending from the yoke
toward the bottom edge of the gown.
13. The garment of claim 12 wherein each aperture includes at least
one re-closable fastener.
14. The garment of claim 9 wherein the access panel is made of
material of a quantity sufficient to surround an infant.
15. The garment of claim 9 further including a first sleeve and a
second sleeve adjacent to the top edge of the body, each sleeve
including an opening sufficient for a human arm to pass
through.
16. The garment of claim 9 further including a plurality of
closures positioned adjacent to the top edge of the front and back
portions, the closures joining the front and back portions.
17. A garment, comprising: a gown including a front portion and a
back portion, a top edge and a bottom edge, a first sleeve and a
second sleeve, each sleeve including an opening sufficient for a
human arm to pass through, the top edge including a neck opening
and a plurality of fasteners joining the front portion to the back
portion at said top edge; a first and a second nursing apertures
positioned on the front portion; a first pleat associated with and
covering the first aperture on the front portion and a second pleat
associated with and covering the second aperture; and an access
panel defined on a first side by the first aperture and on the
second side by the second aperture, the access panel having a top
portion including a plurality of closures positioned in the front
portion a distance below the neck opening.
18. The garment of claim 17 wherein the front portion comprises a
yoke portion and a main portion, and the top portion of the access
panel is positioned at a bottom end of the yoke when in a closed
position, and each aperture comprises a slit defined by a first
seam and a second seam extending from the yoke toward the bottom
edge of the gown.
19. The garment of claim 18 wherein the access panel is made of
material of a quantity sufficient to surround an infant.
20. The garment of claim 19 wherein each aperture includes at least
one re-closable fastener.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Numerous types of patient recovery gowns are in use in
hospitals and other medical facilities. Typically, patients staying
in a hospital are provided with a gown, as patient apparel, by the
hospital. Gowns commonly have a number of different openings
allowing access to the patient for procedures, while also allowing
some modicum of privacy.
[0002] Several types of infant nursing gowns allow new mothers to
nurse newborn infants while recovering from the birth process.
Again, in many designs, an effort is made to provide some privacy
for the mother during the nursing process, while also allowing easy
access to the breast for the nursing process.
SUMMARY
[0003] A patient nursing and recovery gown which combines unique
accessibility and privacy is provided. The gown includes a front
portion including closable infant nursing openings covered by
privacy panels. The front and back portions each include a top seam
at which the front and back portion are joined by re-closable
fasteners. The front portion further includes a closable access
panel.
[0004] In a further aspect, a garment comprising a gown is
disclosed. The gown has a top edge and a bottom edge, and a first
sleeve and a second sleeve. Each sleeve includes a plurality of
re-closable fasteners joining a top seam of a front portion of the
sleeve to a back portion of the sleeve. The front of the gown
includes nursing openings and pleats covering the openings. A
center access panel is defined on a first side by the first opening
and on the second side by the second opening. The access panel has
a top portion including a plurality of re-closable fasteners at a
top edge of the panel.
[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of
the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 depicts a first, closed view of a patient nursing and
recovery gown.
[0007] FIG. 2 depicts a second view of the patient nursing and
recovery gown illustrating the nursing panel pulled aside to expose
a breast for nursing.
[0008] FIG. 3 depicts a third view of a patient nursing and
recovery gown illustrating the front access panel open.
[0009] FIG. 4 depicts an open, enlarged nursing panel.
[0010] FIG. 5 depicts an alternative embodiment of a patient
nursing and recovery gown.
[0011] FIG. 6 depicts a back view of the patient nursing and
recovery gown.
[0012] FIG. 7 depicts a second alternative of a back view of a
patient nursing and recovery gown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] A patient nursing and recovery gown which combines unique
accessibility and privacy elements is provided. The gown includes a
front portion including closable infant nursing apertures covered
by privacy pleats. The front and back portions each include a top
seam at which the front and back portion are joined by re-closable
fasteners. The front portion further includes a closable torso
access panel. The gown provides superior privacy for the patient
while allowing access to various portions of the patient's body
during treatment.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a gown 100 which
includes a front portion 102 and a rear portion 104 (FIG. 4, FIG.
6), a top portion 110 defined by a closable seam 111, a bottom
portion 167 defined by a seam 168, a first sleeve 125a and a second
sleeve 125b, each having an end seam 127a and 127b, respectively.
The front and back sections are coupled by double-needle cover
stitch side seams 105a and 105b (FIG. 6). Each is also coupled to
sleeve 125a and 125b. Gown 100 may be manufactured from a fabric
comprising cotton or a cotton blend, or any of a number of
synthetic fabrics. It should be understood that while double-needle
cover stitching is specified, other types of stitching may be used.
As illustrated in the Figures, single needle stitching is used for
neck seam 105, seams 127a and 127b and bottom seam 168. Each such
seam may comprise double needle stitching or other forms of
stitching.
[0015] The front portion 102 includes a yoke section 102a and a
main front body section 102b. The main front body section 102b
includes a first nursing aperture 140 and a second nursing aperture
142 covered by box pleats 170 and 172, respectively. Each aperture
is formed by a first seam 168a, 168b and second seam 169a, 169b
(shown in FIG. 3). It should be recognized that while each aperture
appears as a slit when closed, the size and shape of each aperture
140, 142 may vary.
[0016] Each box pleat is formed by supplying sufficient fabric to
provide a folded layer of material (folded over to form each pleat)
over each respective aperture and the material surrounding the
apertures. This allows the apertures 140, 142 to be covered. Double
needle stitching at seam 145 secures the fold of each pleat and the
main section 102b to the yoke 102a. The front yoke 102a and main
front body section 102b are coupled to the sleeves 125a and 125b at
seams 115a and 115b respectively.
[0017] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the apertures and pleats allow
exposure of a patient's breast 50 to allow an infant to nurse while
maintaining complete privacy of the other areas of a patient's
body. The nature of the pleats allows the existence of the
apertures to be hidden until breast exposure is required. One, two
or any number of closures, or re-closable fasteners such as snaps,
may be placed to secure the apertures when closed. Optionally, no
closures need be used. Each closure may comprise a projection or
"male" portion and a respective receiving section which secures the
projection portion in place. Each protection portion is generally
positioned across from its counterpart receiving section, allowing
the fastener to be closed. It will be recognized that any form of
closure may be used, including snaps, ties, clips, buttons or other
known fasteners.
[0018] Main section 102b also includes an access panel 150,
comprising a portion of the fabric defined on a first side by seam
168a (aperture 140) and a second side by seam 168b (aperture 142).
The top of the panel is secured to the yoke 102a by closures 162,
163, 164, 166 along a top seam 160. Seam 160 may be provided with a
twill tape backing material and one portion (male or female) of the
snaps, while a lower portion of yoke 102a along seam 145 includes
the male portion of the snaps. It will be recognized that any form
of closure or fastener may be used to secure the access panel.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows the access panel 150 in an opened state. It
will be recognized that during use the panel need not be fully
opened as depicted in FIG. 3, and that the use of one to four snaps
along seam 160 allows varying degrees of openness for the panel.
Thus, the panel need only be opened to the degree necessary to
perform procedures on a patient, leaving the balance of the panel
closed for privacy. Access panel 150 is defined at a lower edge by
a fold 165 when the panel 150 is in a fully opened state as shown
in FIG. 3. The size of the access panel may likewise vary.
[0020] A unique feature of the access panel 150 in the opened or
partially opened state is that it may be used to wrap an infant.
This is particularly when nursing or holding an infant. FIG. 4
illustrates the access panel uncoupled from closures 162, 163, 164,
166. In this uncoupled state, the panel can cover or wrap around an
infant. It should be noted that the panel may be sized and made of
sufficient material to cover and/or surround a newborn infant human
being.
[0021] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, further selective access to
a patient is provided by selectively opening the fasteners at the
top end 110 of the gown. The top opening portion is formed by back
portion 104, sleeves 125a and 125b and yoke 102a. A top seam 111 is
formed by applying twill tape on the edge of each respective seam,
into which fasteners 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128,
and 130 are provided, and applying double needle cover stitching
135. Again, alternative forms of stitching may be utilized. In FIG.
1, five fasteners per shoulder and sleeve are used. However more or
fewer fasteners may be uses as needed depending on the overall size
of the gown. As shown in FIG. 5, one or more of the fasteners can
be opened to selectively allow treatment to a patient wearing the
gown. The left and right sleeves are symmetrical, so that one may
close the sleeves by mating each projection portion of a closure
with its counterpart receiving. In a one embodiment, five snap
closures are provided each shoulder and sleeve, though more or
fewer closures, and alternative types of closures may be
utilized.
[0022] While FIGS. 1-5 show a garment with a plurality of fasteners
on the top seam 111, in an alternative embodiment, the top seam 111
is sewn without fasteners to join the respective front 102 and back
104 portions.
[0023] A neck opening 105 is made wide enough that a human head can
comfortably fit through, eliminating the need to unfasten one or
more snaps to allow the gown to be put on. The gown may be
manufactured in different sizes. The gown should be appropriately
sized in length to extend to the thighs of the patient. The gown
should be appropriate sized in width to allow the pleats to fold
generally vertically along the midsection of a patient. Exemplary
dimensions include; a chest width, measured 1'' below the armhole
total (with pleat folded) of about 48'' and a front length from the
front length seam high point shoulder 106 to bottom hem 168 of
about 435/8''.
[0024] As discussed herein, seams 105, 125, 168, 169, 145, and 115
are formed by double fold, coverstitch binding. However,
alternative forms of stitching may be used. Seam joints may be bar
tacked for comfort. Various numbers and types of fasteners may be
used. In one embodiment, fastener spacing at the top seam 111 is
3.5 inches, but alternative spacing may be used.
[0025] A pocket 180 may be affixed to pleat 172. It will be
recognized that the pocket may be attached by any of a number of
conventional stitching methods and may be sized appropriately for
use in holding hospital telemetry.
[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 6, back portion 104 may be made of a
single solid piece of material coupled to sleeves 125a and 125b.
This is generally referred to as a closed back design. FIG. 7
illustrates an alternative, open back design wherein back 104 is
comprised of portion 104A and portion 104b. A top seam 190 is
coupled at a tie 192 to secure overlapping portion 104b over
portion 104a. The open back design allows medical personnel
additional access to the patient.
[0027] The gown disclosed herein allows medical personnel to
examine and/or treat a patient easily and conveniently by
unsnapping any of the various closures and fold back any of the
various openings; in addition, a nursing mother is provided with
the convenience and privacy of the nursing apertures and pleat
covers.
[0028] Although the subject matter has been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended
claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described
above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims.
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