Method Of Manufacturing A Reinforced Examination Gown

Abstract

The invention disclosed is for a method and apparatus wherein means are provided for continuously inserting a reinforcing strip between tissue layers, after which the lamination may be embossed if desired. Next, the lamination is folded along the width such that a W configuration results with the reinforcing strip disposed about the central peak of the folded W. After the folding step, adhesive is intermittently applied along a line between the legs of the fold forming the folded W. Intermittent application of adhesive may be achieved by providing take-up stations before and after the adhesive application station. Following the application of adhesive, gown patterns are continuously cut into the folded W after which removal of remaining cut sections is effected. The prepared gowns are then packaged for shipment for ultimate use by the consumer.

Parent Case Text

This is a division of application Ser. No. 199,149 filed Nov. 16, 1971 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,729.

Description

The present invention relates to an improved laminated reinforced examination gown. More particularly, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for continuously preparing improved reinforced examination gowns which are disposable after use.

Numerous disposable gowns are available to the prior art for use in clinical examinations. Generally, when disposable gowns are formed of tissue paper, a tendency for tearing appears along a central front line down from the area for positioning about the patient's neck. Attempts to correct this weak area have been made with lamination of the tissue paper by a film of plastic such as polyethylene film providing one solution. However, use of a laminating layer of plastic film also increases the cost of preparing disposable gowns while providing material where reinforcement is not required. Attempts to provide limited reinforcement in disposable gown has not been available probably because of difficulties encountered in providing necessary machinery for continuous production. It has now been found that by practice of the present invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for continuous preparation of reinforced disposable gowns which overcome numerous disadvantages and expenses of that available in the prior art.

Generally stated, the present invention provides a disposable gown for medical examination of a patient. The disposable gown includes a lamination of paper tissue which when folded in a W configuration includes a reinforcing strip disposed along the central peak of the folded W. The gown further includes removed corner sections from the folded W configuration along one edge thereof having edge portions adhesively joined such that in use, the gown will have edges joined for support by the shoulder areas of a patient, with the removed sections for positioning about the neck and arms of the patient.

In the method and apparatus of the present invention, means are provided for continuously inserting a reinforcing strip between tissue layers, after which the lamination may be embossed if desired. Next, the lamination is folded along the width such that a W configuration results with the reinforcing strip disposed about the central peak of the folded W. After the folding step, adhesive is intermittently applied along a line between the legs of the fold forming the folded W. Intermittent application of adhesive may be achieved by providing take-up stations before and after the adhesive application station. Following the application of adhesive, gown patterns are continuously cut into the folded W after which removal of remaining cut sections is effected. The prepared gowns are then packaged for shipment for ultimate use by the consumer.

Practice of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the gown of the present invention as it may appear about a patient for examination;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present gown as it appears prior to use;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of the gown of FIG. 2 and illustrates the reinforcing section in position;

FIG. 4 presents the method of the present invention in block diagram;

FIG. 5 diagrammatically illustrates the apparatus of the present invention taken as a side elevational view; and

FIG. 6 diagrammatically illustrates the apparatus of the present invention taken as a top elevational view.

Referring to FIG. 1, disposable gown 20 is illustrated having ribbon securing means 22 disposed about phantom patient 24. Ribbon securing means 22 may be formed of cord, cloth, or the like provided that the material used is inexpensive, disposable, and capable of holding a knot when disposed about a patient.

FIG. 2 illustrates disposable gown 20 in folded condition as it appears prior to further folding, if desired, and packaging for shipment, with FIG. 3 illustrating in detail the folded condition of gown 20 with reinforcing strip 26 in position about what may be described as the central peak of folded W formation. The gown is configurated with removed sections 23 forming an area for positioning around the neck portion of the patient, and removed section 25 for positioning about the arm portions of the patient, with adhesive line 21 joining the folds between the legs forming the W formation with adhesive disposed from removed section 23 to removed section 25.

FIG. 4 illustrates the method and apparatus of the present invention by block diagram with Roman numerals further identified in subsequent drawings where the corresponding features are illustrated in greater detail. In FIG. 4, the method may be initiated by providing means for continuously inserting the reinforcement strip between tissue layers. The tissue layers are desirably one or more plys, preferably of facial grade tissue, and desirably having a weight of paper suitable for use in the laminate. The weight of paper depends upon the plys to be used, and if a layer is taken as a single ply of tissue, desirably a paper weight of 10-16 pounds tissue paper grade should be used. In the event that two or more plys are to be used forming a layer, tissue paper of from 10-16 pound grade should be used. Up to four plys of facial grade tissue paper may be used to form each layer as subsequently provided. Desirably, the paper layers are integrally associated in each layer forming the present garment such that the form and intact sheet composed of several layers as is conventional practice in preparing facial grade tissue. The preferred tissue paper grade is a 12 pound facial grade tissue paper.

The reinforcing strip may be formed of numerous materials including paper, fabric, or plastic as desired. It is found that plastic materials formed of nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, polyolefins and the like are usefully employed whether taken separately or when copolymerized with other monomers. Polyethylene is preferred for use as the reinforcing material for its ready availability and low cost. Preferably, the reinforcing film is polyethylene film having a thickness of at least 0.5 mil., and preferably about 1 mil., the thickness of which is dependent upon the strength of the reinforcing desired.

After the reinforcing strip has been inserted between two layers of tissue grade paper, the resulting laminate may be embossed if desired after which the laminate is folded to form a W configuration along the width of the laminate. Next, the laminate in folded condition enters a continous take-up station from which the laminate passes through a intermittent adhesive application station. The adhesive is desirably one of numerous materials conventionally employed in adhering facial grade tissues. The adhesive is disposed between the legs forming the W configuration at predetermined intervals such that upon being severed, the gown results having one adhesive line disposed near one edge thereof.

Following the intermittent application of adhesive between the folds of the W configuration, the laminate proceeds to a continuous take-up station from which material is continuously supplied to a cutter of gown pattern into the folded laminate. The continuous cutter severs corner portions of the laminate at predetermined intervals thereby providing areas for positioning about the neck and arm portions of a patient in the finally prepared gown. Next, individual gowns are severed from the continuous length of laminate after which any remaining sections may be removed as desired prior to final packaging for shipment and consumption of the gowns.

Referring to FIGS. 5-6, the apparatus of the present invention is diagrammatically illustrated with the steps further coordinated with FIG. 4 by Roman numerals.

In FIGS. 5-6, facial grade tissue is received from roll 30 and from roll 34 with reinforcement stripping received from roll 32 with lamination effected at roll 36. Rolls of tissue grade paper may be one or multiple ply as desired. The laminate from roll 36 proceeds through direction rolls 38 as desired with the lamination 37 being embossed, if desired, by embossing rolls 40 and 42. Embossed laminate 44 is passed around guide and tension rolls 46 to longitudinally folding means illustrated diagrammatically as "A" frame with direction plate 50 indicating the point of fold. From frame 48, the laminate appears with a W configuration as folded laminate 52. Desirably, between the legs forming the central peak of the W configuration is disposed cord from supply 54 which is passed through a crimping roll 56 which results in a greater length of material 58 being disposed between the folded laminate. Crimping rolls 56 also avoid tension from resulting on cord 58, thereby disrupting and severing the smooth introduction of the cord between the folded laminate. Folded laminate with cord there between proceeds as folded laminate 60 to take-up rolls 64 which provide tensioning and direction control means to laminate 60 as it proceeds to continuous take-up station illustrated by roll 66. Continuous take-up is effected by pivoting roll 66 in a substantially vertical manner such that the length of material between rolls 64 and roll 68 is included. Using this technique, material may be received into the area of rolls 64 and 66 continuously while permitting intermittent application of adhesive by adhesive discharge means 70 within openings of the W configuration provided by guides 69. Adhesive is discharged by moving adhesive applicator 70 across the length of material at a predetermined line. During application of adhesive, the laminate in the area of the adhesive station remains stationary relative to take-up station 66 thereby permitting adhesive to be disposed along the predetermined line. From adhesive station, the folded laminate proceeds over rolls 72 through tensioning rolls 74 and ultimately to a subsequent continuous take-up station 76 from which material continuously passes over rolls as required to cutting station 80 which effects severing of the corner portions near the adhesive line of the laminate. As is apparent in FIG. 6, corner sections 86 and 87 are severed by cutting station 80 with further means 82 for severing lengths of gowns as required near the adhesive line.

Because the laminate being processed is tissue paper, further compounded by high speeds, it is found desirable to include flippers 84 and 85 which, being formed of rubber, conveniently remove any remaining corners which have been severed and remain lingering unto the gowns being processed. These flippers insure removal of any remaining cut sections such as those identified as corner sections 86 and 87. Gown 20 results from the flippers having removed portion 23 serving as the neck area with removed portions 25 serving as areas to receive the arms of a patient, both sections joined by adhesive line 21. The gowns processed from FIG. 6 may then be packaged as indicated in FIG. 5 as package 86 for shipment and ultimate consumption by the user.

Although the present apparatus is generally illustrated, it is recognized that the various rolls are synchronized relative to each other with drive means conveniently provided where required. Numerous other details of construction will become apparent to those readily skilled in the art and accordingly, it is to be realized that the foregoing description is given merely by way of illustration, and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preparing a disposable gown which comprises, supplying a first and a second continuous strip of relatively wide tissue grade paper, supplying a continuous strip of relatively narrow reinforcing material about centrally between the width of said first and second strips, laminating the reinforcing strip material between the first and second strips of relatively wide tissue grade paper with the reinforcing material approximately centrally disposed relative to the width thereof, folding along the longitudinal direction the laminated paper into a folded W configuration, applying adhesive in a transverse direction along a line between legs projecting from the central peak of the folded W configuration so as to bond adjacent faces of saidfolded W along said line, said application of adhesive being effected at pre-determined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the folded W configuration, continuously cutting arcuate sections from the folded W configuration at a location subsequent and adjacent to the forward location of the said adhesive line such that each adhesive line has arcuate sections removed from opposite end portions, and severing a disposable gown from a continuous strip along a transverse line at a location preceding the location of the said adhesive line so that each gown has one adhesive line disposed near one edge thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein embossing of the laminated paper is effected prior to folding.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the cutting of arcuate sections is effected by continuously rotating means.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a ribbon of material is introduced into the bottom area of the folded W configuration prior to said severing step.