U.S. patent application number 17/476942 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-24 for isolation gown.
This patent application is currently assigned to Specialty Coating & Laminating, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Specialty Coating & Laminating, LLC. Invention is credited to Geoffrey M. Baldwin.
Application Number | 20220087338 17/476942 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220087338 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baldwin; Geoffrey M. |
March 24, 2022 |
Isolation Gown
Abstract
An isolation gown has enhanced neck and thorax coverage of gown
material. Also, to improve the durability of the gown, improved
waist ties are integral in the web that are engineered so that they
will not tear as easily as conventional waist ties. The head hole
cutout of garments includes a flap and/or neck shield that is
internal to a basic geometric cutout. In the conventional examples
of a uniform circle or oval head shape cutout, the present gown web
includes a flap of material, as a portion of the neck die cutout,
that extends into the area inside that circle or inside that oval
shape. This flap or neck shield provides an additional barrier area
to the neck and upper thoracic regions of the user.
Inventors: |
Baldwin; Geoffrey M.;
(Mechanicsville, VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Specialty Coating & Laminating, LLC |
Doswell |
VA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Specialty Coating & Laminating,
LLC
Doswell
VA
|
Appl. No.: |
17/476942 |
Filed: |
September 16, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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63081376 |
Sep 22, 2020 |
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International
Class: |
A41D 13/12 20060101
A41D013/12 |
Claims
1. An isolation gown comprising a web of fabric material that
includes arm portions, a front apron portion and a head hole
cutout; wherein the head hole cutout has a generally circular or
oval perimeter shape, and the head hole cutout further includes an
integral flap that extends inwardly of a hypothetical uniform
circular or oval shape as defined by the head hole cutout perimeter
other than the flap.
2. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the shape of
the flap is curved.
3. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the shape of
the flap is semicircular.
4. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the shape of
the flap is rectangular.
5. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the shape of
the flap is asymmetric.
6. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the area size
of the flap is from 5-80% of the otherwise open circular or oval
shape of the head hole cutout.
7. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the area size
of the flap is from 10-50% of the otherwise open circular or oval
shape of the head hole cutout.
8. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the area size
of the flap is from 20-40% of the otherwise open circular or oval
shape of the head hole cutout.
9. An isolation gown as described in claim 1, wherein the flap
extends into an open area of the neck hole cutout from one-half to
five inches from the hypothetical uniform circular or oval shape of
the head hole cutout.
10. An isolation gown comprising a web of fabric material that
includes arm portions, a front apron portion and a head hole
cutout; wherein the head hole cutout has a generally circular or
oval perimeter shape, and a hypothetical uniform circular or oval
shape as defined by the head hole cutout perimeter, wherein the
head hole cutout has an integral cuff around at least a portion of
an inside perimeter of a hypothetical head hole cutout having a
circular or oval shape, wherein the cuff is a supplemental fringe
of web material that has a plurality of notches at spaces around
the head hole cutout perimeter and that are approximately
perpendicular to the perimeter.
11. An isolation gown as described in claim 10, wherein the cuff is
one-quarter to four inches in width inside the perimeter of the
hypothetical head hole cutout.
12. An isolation gown as described in claim 10, wherein the
hypothetical head hole cutout has a maximum length of twelve inches
and width of ten inches.
13. An isolation gown as described in claim 10, wherein the
hypothetical head hole cutout has a maximum length of ten inches
and width of five inches.
14. An isolation gown as described in claim 10, wherein the notches
are spaced apart around the perimeter of the head hole cutout
perimeter every one to five inches.
15. An isolation gown as described in claim 10, wherein the head
hole cutout further includes an integral flap that extends inwardly
of the hypothetical uniform circular or oval shape as defined by
the head hole cutout perimeter other than the flap.
Description
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of filing of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 63/081,376, filed Sep. 22, 2020,
which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0002] The present invention is directed to a disposable isolation
gown having in one example a pullover head opening. The gown has
improved user neck coverage. Additionally, in another example, a
rugged back tie is die cut from the lower portion of the gown.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Disposable isolation gowns have become more in demand as
healthcare requires their more frequent use in dealing with
contagious diseases. The purpose of the gown is for it to serve as
a barrier to protect persons including caregivers from exposure to
deleterious microbes such as bacteria and viruses. Therefore,
maximum effectiveness demands that the gown covers as much of a
user facing the patient or source as reasonably possible.
[0004] The maximum coverage of an isolation gown must be balanced
with the comfort of the user of the gown. The gown is preferably
not too heavy or too hot on a user and can be made from materials
that "breathe" water vapor to make the user more comfortable. Also,
because of the disposable nature of the gown, it is preferred that
there must not be so much raw material that forms the gown as to be
expensive for frequent disposal.
[0005] The result of the foregoing considerations is a common gown
formed of a single sheet. The sheet includes portions adapted for
overlapping to form arm sleeves and also a pair of integral tie
straps. There is included a round or oval head opening that allows
the gown to slip over the head of the user. Because a person's head
is larger in diameter than their neck, there is exposure around the
neck and upper thorax as a result of the pullover opening. This
condition also exists on current three-piece gowns where the
sleeves are attached. The result can be seen in FIG. 5 where a
caregiver is shown in a prior art gown with a conventional round
hole that exposes her neck and upper thorax.
SUMMARY
[0006] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
overcome the foregoing shortcomings in existing gowns by providing
gowns with enhanced neck and thorax coverage of gown material.
Also, to improve the durability of the gown, improved waist ties
are integral in the web that are engineered so that they will not
tear as easily as conventional waist ties.
[0007] In one example, an isolation gown comprises a web of fabric
material that includes arm portions, a front apron portion and a
head hole cutout; wherein the head hole cutout has a generally
circular or oval perimeter shape, and the head hole cutout further
includes an integral flap that extends inwardly of a hypothetical
uniform circular or oval shape as defined by the head hole cutout
perimeter other than the flap. The shape of the flap may be curved
or semicircular or rectangular or asymmetric. The area size of the
flap may be from 5-80%, or alternatively from 10-50%, or still
further alternatively from 20-40% of the otherwise open circular or
oval shape of the head hole cutout. The flap may extend into an
open area of the neck hole cutout from one-half to five inches from
the hypothetical uniform circular or oval shape of the head hole
cutout.
[0008] In another example, an isolation gown comprises a web of
fabric material that includes arm portions, a front apron portion
and a head hole cutout. The head hole cutout has a generally
circular or oval perimeter shape, and a hypothetical uniform
circular or oval shape as defined by the head hole cutout
perimeter, wherein the head hole cutout has an integral cuff around
at least a portion of an inside perimeter of a hypothetical head
hole cutout having a circular or oval shape. The cuff is a
supplemental fringe of web material that has a plurality of notches
at spaces around the head hole cutout perimeter and that are
approximately perpendicular to the perimeter. The cuff may be
one-quarter to four inches in width inside the perimeter of the
hypothetical head hole cutout. The hypothetical head hole cutout
may have a maximum length of twelve inches and width of ten inches,
or alternatively, a maximum length of ten inches and width of five
inches. The notches may be spaced apart around the perimeter of the
head hole cutout perimeter every one to five inches. The head hole
cutout may further include an integral flap that extends inwardly
of the hypothetical uniform circular or oval shape as defined by
the head hole cutout perimeter other than the flap.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a top view of a web cutout for an example of an
isolation gown.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a top view of a web cutout for a second example of
an isolation gown.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a top view of a web cutout for a third example of
an isolation gown.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a top view of a web cutout for a fourth example of
an isolation gown.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a person wearing a prior art
isolation gown.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a person wearing an
isolation gown as discussed herein.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a top view of an example of an isolation gown head
hole cutout as described herein.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a top view of a second example of an isolation
gown head hole cutout as described herein.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a top view of a third example of an isolation gown
head hole cutout as described herein.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a top view of a fourth example of an isolation
gown head hole cutout as described herein.
[0019] FIG. 11 is a top view of a fifth example of an isolation
gown head hole cutout as described herein.
[0020] FIG. 12 is a top view of a sixth example of an isolation
gown head hole cutout as described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The isolation gown described in one example herein is a
single sheet of web material having a pullover opening or a tie
opening for a user's head and a web around that opening. Also, the
single web has waist tie straps integral with the web and cut into
the web.
[0022] The web may be any type of fabric material. The web may be
knitted, woven, nonwoven or a plastic sheet, each of which may be
coated or noncoated. The webs may have different degrees of barrier
properties including porous and breathable materials for some
applications. Alternatively, in a healthcare setting, it is
typically desirable to have a heightened degree of liquid
impermeability from some limited degree of permeability down to
essentially completely impermeable.
[0023] In one example, the web includes a nonwoven fabric that has
antimicrobial and/or anti-viral agents coated onto it. For the
purposes of this discussion, antimicrobial includes, but is not
limited to, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. Alternatively,
an antimicrobial/antiviral agent may be mixed into the barrier
coating or fiber polymers themselves that make up the nonwoven
material. A primary example is the treatment of an existing fabric
having known permeability appropriate for an intended use. Intended
uses for this nonwoven fabric include, but are not limited to, as a
wearable garment as described herein.
[0024] Importantly, the antimicrobial and antiviral additive must
not materially reduce the fluid impermeability and vapor
permeability performance characteristics of the fabric. At the very
least, a coating must reduce those characteristics an acceptable
amount. Qualitatively speaking, the liquid coating must be very
thin, and the particle coating must include small particles.
[0025] The coated fabrics may be widely used for purposes of
isolation from microbial hazards. The sheets of fabric may be used
in a conventional way to make the garments described herein. The
coated fabric sheets may be cut and sonically welded, or heat
sealed or impulse sealed to form a garment. In this example, the
antimicrobial and antiviral must be chosen so that it does not
reduce the ability of that fabric web to be sonic welded or heat
sealed. The very thin antimicrobial coating does not interfere with
downstream processing, nor does the internal mineral content of the
coatings diminish the heat seal properties of the fabric alone or
an already extrusion coated nonwoven base web.
[0026] Examples of the shape of the single web sheet of material
are shown in the attached drawings. The web is a single sheet of
material. The arm sections fold over onto each other and are welded
or glued or sewn together to form sleeves. Small holes at the ends
of the sleeves are thumb holes for a user to put their thumbs
through. (In use, the user puts their thumbs through the holes and
then puts on latex gloves over the sleeves that stay under the
gloves because of the use of the thumb holes.) In the center of the
web, there is a cutout for the user to push their head into the
open and pull over their head so that the opening ends up being the
neckline of the gown. The lower portion of the web is the skirt of
the gown. Slits are cut into each side of the gown skirt to form
ties so that the gown may be tied around the waist of the user.
[0027] The head hole cutout of garments of the present invention
includes a flap and/or neck shield that is internal to a basic
geometric cutout. In the conventional examples of a uniform circle
or oval head shape cutouts, which have lengths and widths of about
3 to 10 inches in width by about 6-12 inches in length, the present
gown web includes a flap of material, as a portion of the neck die
cutout, that extends into the area inside that hypothetical uniform
circle or inside that hypothetical uniform oval shape. This flap or
neck shield provides an additional barrier area to the neck and
upper thoracic regions of the user. This flap may result in a
kidney shape modification of an otherwise oval shape, as shown in
the drawings. The flap may be a curved or semicircular and
extending into a larger circle or oval shape. The flap may be
rectangular or asymmetric. The size of the flap, in terms of its
cross-sectional area, may be as low as 5% of the otherwise open
hypothetical geometric shape of head cutout. The cutout could be as
much as 80% of the larger open, ordinary cutout area. The size may
be anywhere in between this range of 5-80%, or alternatively 10-50%
or 20-30%. From the hypothetical imaginary line of a regular oval
or circle, the flap may extend upwardly into the open circular/oval
space from one-half to five inches, or about 1-3 inches. Examples
of alternative size and shape flaps/neck shields are shown in FIGS.
1-4 and 7-10 which illustrate possible alternative neck hole cutout
portions of a gown. FIGS. 1-4 show a curved, semicircular or oval
shape. FIG. 7 illustrates a generally trapezoidal shape flap/neck
shield. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate relatively shorter and taller
rectangular flap/neck shield cutouts respectively. FIG. 10
illustrates a triangular shape flap/neck shield.
[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates a gown made from a cutout as shown for
instance in FIGS. 1 and 2 on a person with the neck shield clearly
providing more frontal thoracic and neck coverage for the user.
[0029] Another possible modification of a gown web cutout is a cuff
around the perimeter of the head hole cutout of the isolation gown.
(See FIGS. 3 and 4). The cuff is an additional fringe of the
barrier web material inside the perimeter of the hypothetical
standard head hole cutout. The cuff is notched at spaces around the
perimeter approximately perpendicular to the perimeter (within 30
degrees of perpendicular, or alternatively 15 degrees of
perpendicular). A user pulls the gown over their head, and the cuff
tears along the notches to create cuff segments. These cuff
segments form additional coverage to the user's neck and thorax
areas.
[0030] The cuff may be one-half inch to three inches or one-quarter
to four inches in width inside the perimeter of the hypothetical
regular head opening cutout. FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate relatively
shorter and taller cuffs respectively. The notches in the cuff are
a length similar to or the same as the width of the
cuff--one-quarter to four inches. The notches are spaced apart
around the regular head open perimeter one-five inches or two-three
inches. As shown in the drawings, the cuff can be about one inch in
width. Visually, the cuff forms a "turtle neck" look around the
head cutout of the gown.
[0031] While the isolation gowns described herein are often used as
disposable, single-use gowns, they may alternatively be reused.
Depending on the standard size of a neck hole and the size of a
user's head and the care with which the gown is removed, the neck
hole can be relatively easily torn. This can render the gown
unusable after the single use. To help solve this issue, a slit may
be cut into the web (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). Neck ties, shown
in FIGS. 3 and 4 are heat-welded or otherwise attached or adhered
to each side of this access slit to enable a user to tie and untie
the gown around their neck. This way, a neck hole is better
preserved for reuse. The neck ties are cut out of the die anywhere,
but shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 adjacent the waist tie strips. The neck
ties can be easily removed and installed as neck ties during the
manufacturing process.
[0032] The integral tie strips are formed by die cuts on each side
of the gown. Integral waist tie strips are part of many existing
gown constructions. Existing tie strips are usually straight up and
down and create sharp angles such as perpendicular (90 degrees)
with the tethered/uncut end of the strip. These sharp angles may
result in unintended tears in the strips so that a user will not be
able to tie off the gown around their waist without failure
especially if used multiple times. As shown in all four of the
drawings, the present gown has die cut curves at the tethered,
uncut end of the strips. Each tethered end has a top end cut and a
bottom end cut. The bottom end cut moves from essentially vertical
along the gown skirt until at its top near the waist of the gown,
the cut turns toward the middle of the gown in a curved J-pattern.
This curve allows the "pull" direction of the tie to be generally
parallel versus perpendicular during use. The top end cut defines
the outside of the gown skirt. At the top end, the cut curves in
toward the waist and then curves back outwardly to form the
under-arm of the gown. This section of the tie strap does not have
any sharp right angles or tighter angles that might form a stress
point for tearing of the tie strap when pulled in use. In FIGS. 1
and 2 the J-curve cut ends at the end of a slit. In use, this end
point may serve as a beginning of a tear if the straps are pulled
too hard. To help reduce this tearing problem, in FIGS. 3 and 4,
the J-curve cut ends at a one-quarter inch hole punch. This means
that the end of the J-curve cut does not end at a single point, but
rather at the circle, which is much stronger against a tear
initiation. This circle can be anywhere from one-sixteenth of an
inch up to an inch or one-eighth of an inch to one-half of an
inch.
[0033] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 5 as noted earlier is a
perspective view of a person wearing a prior art isolation gown
120. It is readily apparent that the head hole cutout perimeter 122
leaves a considerable exposure of the neck 124 and thorax of the
wearer of the gown 120. In FIG. 6 however, a person is wearing an
isolation gown 130 as described herein. This gown 130 has a head
hole cutout perimeter 132 that defines a flap 134 to better cover
the neck 136 and thorax of this wearer. Gowns similar to gown 130
will now be discussed in more detail.
[0034] FIG. 1 is a top view of an isolation gown cutout 10 of web
material that would be used to form an isolation gown. The cutout
10 has a shoulder portion 12, arm portions 14 and a front apron
portion 20. The arm portions 14 have edges 16 that are folded onto
one another as shown by the arrows 17 and adhered or heat welded or
otherwise attached as described earlier herein. The arms 14 have a
thumb hole 18 on their ends for a user to place their thumbs in to
keep the arms extended and safely covering the arms of a user.
[0035] The isolation gown cutout 10 also has a skirt portion 22 and
waist portion 24 that is an indent in the cutout in approximately
the middle of the isolation gown. The sides of the skirt 22 define
straps 26 that are cut out of the web up to the waist 24. These
straps 26 are used to tie the gown 10 around a user. The top ends
of the straps 26 adjacent the waist 24 include a j-curve cut which
is an improved connection with the gown 10 to improve tear
resistance when a user pulls on the straps to tie behind their
back.
[0036] FIG. 1 also illustrates a head hole cutout 40. The head hole
cutout 40 has a generally oval shape and further includes a flap
44. On the bottom of the head hole cutout 40 is shown a dotted line
42 which shows the hypothetical complete and uniform oval shape of
a prior art head hole cutout, for instance. The head hole cutout 40
has a length 48 and width 46 as shown.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates an isolation gown cutout 50 of web
material similar to the gown cutout 10 in FIG. 1. The gown cutout
50 includes a shoulder portion 52 with a generally oval head hole
cutout 54. Inside the head hole cutout 54 is a cuff 56 with cuff
notches 58. The cuff notches 58 are generally perpendicular to the
head hole cutout 54. On the front or lower side as seen in FIG. 2,
there is shown flap 59 which is similar in size and function as
flap 44 in FIG. 1. The head hole cutout 54 has a length 62 and
width 60. The remaining features of FIG. 2 are the same as shown in
FIG. 1.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates an isolation gown cutout 70 with a
shoulder portion 72 and skirt portion 88. The arm portions and
front apron portion (unnumbered) are the same as seen in FIGS. 1
and 2. The shoulder portion 72 includes an access slit 86 which
allows a user to tie the gown around their neck rather than pull
over their head. The access slit 86 is open to the back and
connects to the open head hole cutout 74. In this example, the gown
cutout 70 includes neck tie strips 92 found on the side of the
waist ties 90 on the skirt portion 88. These neck ties 92 can be
removed and attached on opposite sides of the access slit 86 to
allow the user to tie a gown around their neck.
[0039] The head hole cutout 74 includes a flap 80 and a cuff 76.
The cuff 76 includes cuff notches 78 generally perpendicular to the
head hole cutout 74. In this example of FIG. 3, there are four cuff
notches 78 shown. The head hole cutout 74 has a length 84 and width
82.
[0040] The skirt portion 88 of the gown 70 includes waist ties 90
cut into the sides of the skirt portion. The waist ties 90
terminate in the waist 89 of the gown 70. The top of the ties 90
define the sides of the curved waist 89. The bottom side of the
ties 90 terminate with a J-curve cut 94 like in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Additionally, however, a small hole 96 is the terminus of the
J-curve 94. Terminating the J-curve 94 in a round hole 96 means
that the waist ties 90 do not end in a sharp cut that can be the
beginning of a tear that might result in pulling the strap from the
waist 89 altogether. By terminating in the circular hole 96, the
initial tear possibilities are reduced and the straps 90 will have
greater durability. Reuse of the gown 70 is made more possible as
the waist ties 90 can be retied and reused for longer as noted
earlier herein.
[0041] FIG. 4 is similar to the gown 70 shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4,
the gown 100 includes a shoulder portion 102. In this shoulder
portion 102 of the gown 100 there is a head hole cutout 104 with a
flap portion 106 which is the portion of the gown that extends
inside a regular oval shape of the head hole 104 as delineated in
broken lines 108. The head hole cutout 104 has a length 110 and
width 112. As in FIG. 3, there is an access slit 114 cut through
the shoulder portion 102 in the garment back of the head hole
cutout 104. The unnumbered portions of the gown 100 are the same as
shown in FIG. 3.
[0042] FIGS. 7-12 illustrate several alternative head hole cutouts
with various flap shapes and cuff variations. In these examples,
the head hole cutouts are generally oval in shape. It is equally
possible that the head hole cutouts could be generally circular in
shape as well. Also, the sizes of the cutouts may vary with the
different sizes of gowns (i.e., male and female, small medium and
large) that may be sized and sold. While FIG. 1-4 illustrate a
curved upward shape of the flaps 44, 59, 80, and 106 respectively,
the flap may have other shapes including semicircular, rectangular,
asymmetric and otherwise, and moreover different sizes (length and
width) as explained earlier herein.
[0043] FIG. 7 illustrates a head hole cutout 140 with a generally
oval shape perimeter 142 that defines the hole 144 therein. Broken
lines 150 illustrate the hypothetical regular oval shape of the
perimeter 142. A flap 148 has a generally trapezoidal shape outline
146 that extends into the space of the head hole 144. Furthermore,
the head hole perimeter 142 has a length 152 and width 154.
[0044] FIG. 8 illustrates a head hole cutout 160 with a generally
oval shape perimeter 162 that defines the hole 164 therein. Broken
lines 170 illustrate the hypothetical regular oval shape of the
perimeter 162. A flap 168 has a generally short rectangular shape
outline 166 that extends into the space of the head hole 164.
Furthermore, the head hole perimeter 162 has a length 172 and width
174.
[0045] FIG. 9 illustrates a head hole cutout 180 with a generally
oval shape perimeter 182 that defines the hole 184 therein, Broken
lines 190 illustrate the hypothetical regular oval shape of the
perimeter 182. A flap 188 has a generally tall rectangular shape
outline 186 that extends into the space of the head hole 184. As is
subjectively evident, the tall flap 188 in this FIG. 9 is larger
(taller) than the flap 168 in FIG. 8. The sizes of the flaps in all
of the figures may vary in size as described earlier herein.
Furthermore, the head hole perimeter 182 has a length 192 and width
194.
[0046] FIG. 10 illustrates a head hole cutout 200 with a generally
oval shape perimeter 202 that defines the hole 204 therein. Broken
lines 210 illustrate the hypothetical regular oval shape of the
perimeter 202. A flap 208 has a generally triangular shape outline
206 that extends into the space of the head hole 204. Furthermore,
the head hole perimeter 202 has a length 212 and width 214.
[0047] FIG. 11 illustrates a head hole cutout 220 with a generally
oval shape perimeter 222 that defines the hole 224 therein. Broken
lines 230 illustrate the hypothetical regular oval shape of the
perimeter 222. A flap 228 has a generally oval or partially
semicircular shape outline 226 that extends into the space of the
head hole 224. Furthermore, the head hole perimeter 222 has a
length 232 and width 234. There is additionally shown a cuff 242
and cuff notches 244. Subjectively seen in FIG. 11, the cuff 242
extends a short way into the head hole cutout 224. Also, four cuff
notches 244 are shown. More or fewer notches 244 may be used.
[0048] FIG. 12 illustrates a head hole cutout 250 with a generally
oval shape perimeter 252 that defines the hole 254 therein. Broken
lines 260 illustrate the hypothetical regular oval shape of the
perimeter 252. A flap 258 has a generally oval or partially
semicircular shape outline 256 that extends into the space of the
head hole 254. Furthermore, the head hole perimeter 252 has a
length 262 and width 264. There is additionally shown a cuff 272
and cuff notches 274. Subjectively seen as compared with the cuffs
242 in FIG. 11, the cuff 272 of FIG. 12 extends a farther or more
tall way into the head hole cutout 254. Also, four cuff notches 274
are shown as in FIG. 11. More or fewer notches 274 may be used.
[0049] Other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent
to those skilled in the art from consideration of the
specification. It is intended that the specification and figures be
considered as exemplary only.
* * * * *