U.S. patent application number 12/422842 was filed with the patent office on 2010-10-14 for disposable safety garment with reduced particulate shedding.
Invention is credited to Dana Kellum, Joe Meyer, Scott Nelson, Keith Skeel, Sudhansu S. Yadav.
Application Number | 20100257661 12/422842 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42933151 |
Filed Date | 2010-10-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100257661 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yadav; Sudhansu S. ; et
al. |
October 14, 2010 |
DISPOSABLE SAFETY 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 sheet to define a garment, and hemming
the garment. Cut edges are twice folded and hemmed under to prevent
exposure of any cut edges. Stitching is characterized by a stitch
density in the range of 10 to 12 stitches per inch.
Inventors: |
Yadav; Sudhansu S.; (Carmel,
IN) ; Kellum; Dana; (Anderson, IN) ; Meyer;
Joe; (Germantown, WI) ; Nelson; Scott;
(Fishers, IN) ; Skeel; Keith; (Yorktown,
IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BINGHAM MCHALE LLP
2700 MARKET TOWER, 10 WEST MARKET STREET
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204-4900
US
|
Family ID: |
42933151 |
Appl. No.: |
12/422842 |
Filed: |
April 13, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/456 ;
112/475.09; 2/69; 36/7.1R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 3/163 20130101;
A41D 13/0005 20130101; A41D 27/24 20130101; A41D 2400/52
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/456 ; 2/69;
36/7.1R; 112/475.09 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/00 20060101
A41D013/00; A41D 1/00 20060101 A41D001/00; A43B 3/16 20060101
A43B003/16; D05B 23/00 20060101 D05B023/00 |
Claims
1. A nonwoven safety garment, comprising: a piece of cut
spunbond/melt blown material having a plurality of cut edges; and
at least one seam connecting at least two of the plurality of cut
edges, together defining a garment; wherein, at one or more cut
edges that are not connected at the at least one seam, the cut
edges are double-folded under, then hemmed into place.
2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of hemmed
loops extending from the garment and positioned to engage a
wearer's hands.
3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the hemmed loops are
characterized by stitching that has a stitch density between ten
and twelve stitches per inch.
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 having at least one cut edge; a plurality
of stitches formed in the at least one sheet of nonwoven fabric to
define a garment with no lining; and hems formed at the at least
one cut edge; wherein the nonwoven fabric is formed from
spunbond/melt blown material; and the plurality of stitches and the
hems are characterized by stitch densities between ten and twelve
stitches per inch.
6. The garment of claim 5 wherein: the garment further includes an
elastic band disposed under a hem, and the garment is shaped to
form a shoe covering.
7. The garment of claim 5 wherein the hems are folded twice to
encapsulate the at least one cut edge.
8. The garment of claim 5, further comprising at least one
hand-engaging loop.
9. The garment of claim 8, wherein the at least one hand-engaging
loop further comprises an elongated piece of cut nonwoven fabric
defining a pair of generally parallel cut edges, and wherein the
cut edges are folded under and hemmed into place such that the cut
edges are not exposed.
10. A method of making a safety garment, comprising the steps of:
a) cutting at least one sheet of nonwoven material having at least
one cut edge into a safety garment pattern; b) stitching the at
least one sheet to define a garment; c) hemming the garment at the
at least one cut edge; and d) attaching a hand-engaging loop to the
garment; wherein all cut edges are twice folded and hemmed under to
prevent exposure of any cut edge; and wherein all stitching and
hemming is characterized by a stitch density in the range of 10 to
12 stitches per inch.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the nonwoven fabric is formed
from spunbond/melt blown material.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the garment has no lining.
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: attaching hemmed
loops to the garment that extend from the garment and are
positioned to engage a wearer's hands.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the hemmed loops are
characterized by stitching that has a stitch density between ten
and twelve stitches per inch.
15. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing an elastic
band under a hem, and wherein the garment is shaped to form a shoe
covering.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/428,728 ("APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR
PACKAGING NONWOVEN SAFETY GARMENTS"), filed Jul. 5, 2006, pending;
and its parent, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/798,646 ("DISPOSABLE
GARMENT WITH REDUCED PARTICULATE SHEDDING"), filed Mar. 11, 2004,
now abandoned. Each of these is incorporated by reference as if
fully set forth herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
safety apparel, and more specifically to a safety garment having
reduced particulate shedding properties.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 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 minimized. 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.
[0004] 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 would be
too high, such exposed cut edges present genuine sources of
potential particulate contamination.
[0005] 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 or a hazardous environment such as asbestos remediation
or nuclear demolition and decontamination, seam separation is not
only a potential source of particulate evolution in and of itself,
but also produces a pathway from the exterior to the interior of
the garment through which potentially hazardous material may
flow.
[0006] There thus remains a need for an improved safety garment
that is more durable and less prone to particulate shedding. The
present disclosure addresses these needs.
SUMMARY
[0007] The present disclosure 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/melt blown material. The stitching is characterized by an
optimized stitch density of between ten and twelve stitches per
inch.
[0008] One object of the present invention is to provide an
improved safety garment. Related objects and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent from the following
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety garment in a first
embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded partial view of a hemmed edge
of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a safety garment in a second
embodiment of the disclosed technology.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a safety garment in a third
embodiment of the disclosed technology.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a safety garment in a fourth
embodiment of the disclosed technology.
DESCRIPTION
[0014] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the disclosure 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 embodiments 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.
[0015] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first embodiment of the disclosed
technology, a reduced particulate shedding disposable nonwoven
safety garment 10. In this embodiment, safety garment 10 is formed
as a smock. 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 not to 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. Stitch densities of 10-12 SPI
have been found to be better than the lower range, as densities
greater than 12 SPI weaken the non-woven material via excessive
perforation and those less than 10 SPI provide a looser and weaker
hem, such that particulate shedding is not minimized.
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present
invention, a jumpsuit 14 made from spunbond/melt blown/melt
blown/spunbond (SMMS) material, spunbond/melt blown/spunbond (SMS)
material, or the like. The jumpsuit 14 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 not to be exposed. The seams 16 in this
embodiment are stitched with an increased stitch density of 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
14 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 that enters into the
environment, and might expose the wearer to environmental
hazards.
[0017] In practice, the garments 10 and 14 are made by cutting one
or more sheets of nonwoven material into a desired safety garment
pattern. Simple patterns (e.g., shoe coverings) may require a
single sheet; more complex patterns (e.g., smocks, jumpsuits, and
the like) may require two or more sheets of varying size. The
sheet(s) is/are then stitched together to define 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 in these illustrative embodiments is characterized by a
stitch density in the range of 10 to 12 stitches per inch.
[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment garment 24. The
garment 24 of FIG. 4 is similar to that described in FIG. 1, but
with the addition of loops 30 affixed to the sleeve 32 portion of
the garment 24, to engage a wearer's hands so as to keep the
garment 24 positioned about the wearer's body. In this embodiment,
as in the foregoing embodiment of FIG. 1, the safety garment 24 is
formed as a smock and is preferably made from spunbond/melt
blown/melt blown/spunbond (SMMS) material, spunbond/melt
blown/spunbond (SMS) material, or the like. The garment 10 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 loops 30 are likewise folded over
and stitched such that there are no exposed cut edges. 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.
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates a fourth embodiment, a jumpsuit 34
similar to that of FIG. 3 with the addition of loops 30 extending
from the sleeve portion 32 of the garment 34 to engage the hands of
a wearer (similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4). The jumpsuit 34 is
likewise preferably made from spunbond/melt blown/melt
blown/spunbond (SMMS) material, spunbond/melt blown/spunbond (SMS)
material, or the like. The jumpsuit 34 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 loops 30 are
likewise formed of the SMMS, SMS or the like and folded over and
stitched such that the cut edges are not exposed. The seams 16 are
stitched with 10-12 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 34 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.
[0020] The loops of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 are preferably
formed with no exposed cut edges 12. In particular, each loop 30 is
preferably formed from an elongated piece of cut nonwoven fabric
defining a pair of generally parallel cut edges 12, and wherein the
cut edges 12 are folded under and hemmed into place such that the
cut edges 12 are not exposed.
[0021] While the disclosed technology 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 near infinite number
of insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described
embodiments, and that it would be impractical to attempt to
describe all such variations in the present specification.
Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications
that come within the spirit of the disclosed technology are desired
to be protected.
* * * * *