HK40006932B - Medical gown with easy tie strap - Google Patents

Description

Medical gown with easy-to-use tying band

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an open-back gown, such as a medical gown, having a band for easily tying the gown to close a back opening without a wearer having to reach his/her back. The gown allows the use of ergonomic motions that do not cause stretch, strain or other potential medical problems, and allows a user who is tall/big/obese or has problems/injuries to the neck, back and shoulders to properly close the waistband without the assistance of others.

Background

Gowns such as medical gowns are well known and have long been used to provide personal protection to wearers including patients, medical personnel, healthcare workers, hospital visitors, and others. Common gown designs include a closed front and an open rear, which allows a user or wearer to pass their arms through arm holes or sleeves and then tie straps to the rear of the gown to close the open rear. Some gowns are also strapped behind the user's neck using straps on the top of the back of the gown, or use a hook and loop closure. Some gowns use a waistband on the back or sides of the gown, which can be fastened around the front or sides of the gown for fastening. All of these prior art gown designs using waist straps require the person wearing the gown to manipulate to reach their back to grasp the waist straps and then to tie the straps to close the back of the gown and secure the gown. These procedures are time consuming and can be difficult or painful, particularly for people with back, neck, shoulder injuries or problems. Obese people may also have difficulty reaching behind to grasp a conventional tie. In some cases, the assistance of a colleague may be required, who may pass the belt from behind the patient's back to the front to fasten the gown, which requires additional time and disables the colleague from doing other tasks or caring for another person or patient.

Therefore, there is a need for a quick and simple gown design that allows a patient or healthcare professional or staff to wear their own gown without the assistance of others and without reaching short of their back.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a gown having a waistband that can be easily grasped by the person wearing the gown and manipulated to close the gown short of their back.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a medical gown having a pair of straps that can be easily accessed by the wearer to attach the gown on the front or sides.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gown having a waist strap that is temporarily and releasably secured adjacent the shoulders of the gown so as to extend upwardly from the rear edge over the shoulders and then downwardly to allow the wearer to easily grasp the gown from the front of the waist or chest.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a gown having an elongated waist strap that extends upward from the back edge of the gown over the wearer's shoulders and downward along the front of the gown for gripping by the person or assistant wearing the gown.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an open-back medical gown having a waist strap that can be grasped at the front of the gown and pulled over the wearer's head and then passed over and down to be tied down in front of the gown without the wearer having to reach over their back.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an open-back medical gown that can be quickly and easily tied off on the front or sides to close the open back without reaching the back.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a quick-tie medical gown that is simple and cost-effective to manufacture, durable, safe, and protective in use.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

Disclosure of Invention

The gowns of the present invention may be used for medical or other purposes. The gown includes a closed front and an open rear with sleeve or arm holes and a neck opening. The back of the gown includes a vertical opening to allow a person to extend their arms through the arm holes and the neck into the neck opening. An elongated strap has a first end secured to one edge of the rear opening adjacent the waist portion. The strap extends up over the shoulder of the wearer and is temporarily attached to the shoulder portion of the gown, with the free or unsecured end of the strap hanging down in front of the person, generally at waist-to-chest height. The person wearing the gown or an assistant standing in front of the wearer of the gown can easily grasp the free end of the strap without reaching behind the person. The free end of the strap is then pulled upward to release the strap from the shoulder attachment. The strap is then pulled over the top of the person's head and neck and then pulled down to wrap around the person's torso. A second, shorter strap has a first end secured to a side or front portion of the gown adjacent the waist portion and can be grasped by the other hand of the person. The two straps are wrapped in opposite directions and tied to the person's front, thereby closing the open back and securing the gown to the person's torso.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a rear view of a first embodiment of the gown of the present invention, wherein the gown has an open-back or over-the-head design with the neck closure open.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of an alternative gown with a triangular rear portion with an open neck closure or over head design in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a third embodiment of a gown design according to the present invention, with an open neck closure or over head design.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of a fourth embodiment of a gown design with a fully open rear according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of a fifth gown embodiment according to the present invention with a half open rear design.

Fig. 6 is a front view of any of the gowns shown in fig. 1-5, with a pair of straps for closing the rear opening of the gown.

FIG. 7 is a front view similar to FIG. 6 showing the straps tied together.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the gown shown in fig. 1-5 are identified by reference numerals 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D and 10E, respectively. All gowns have the same basic structure, including a front portion 12 and a rear portion 14 with an opening 15. The gowns 10A-E may have long or short sleeves 16, or may be sleeveless, but all have arm holes through which a person's arms extend when the gown is worn. The front and back portions 12, 14 define a neck opening 18, and the neck opening 18 may include a strap (not shown) to attach the top of the gown to the back of a person's neck, or alternatively may include an elastic band 20 as shown in fig. 1, or as shown in fig. 4 and 5, including portions of material to allow the gown to be placed on the head of the wearer. The rear of each gown 10A-E has opposite left 22 and right 24 hand edges that define the rear opening 15. The open rear allows a person to quickly and easily don the gown. Each gown 10A-E also has a left shoulder portion 26 and a right shoulder portion 28. The gowns 10A-E preferably extend continuously from one back edge 22,24 laterally around to the front and then laterally around to the other back edge 22,24 so as to substantially cover the torso of the wearer with the front portion 12, the back portion 14, and opposite sides between the front and back portions.

The above-described construction of the gowns 10A-E is conventional and forms no part of the present invention.

The present invention is directed to a waist strap that allows a person to close the rear opening 15 of the gown. More specifically, the first elongate band 30 has a first end 32 secured to the back portion 14 of the gown adjacent one of the right or left edges 24, 22. While the figures show the first end 32 of the first strap 30 secured to the right edge of the gown, it will be appreciated that the first end 32 of the strap 30 may be secured to the left edge of the gown, using a mirror image. The strap 30 first extends upwardly over one of the shoulder portions 26, 28 on the same left or right side as the edges 22,24 to which the first end 32 is secured. The strap 30 includes a fastener 34, which fastener 34 temporarily and releasably holds the middle portion of the strap 30 or fastens it to the shoulder portions 26, 28 of the gown on the same side as the fixed end 32 of the strap 30. Alternatively, the fastener 34 may be on the shoulder portion 26 or 28 of the gown. For example, the fastener 34 may be one half of a hook and loop fastener (Velcro) with the other half on the strap 30. Alternatively, the fasteners 34 may be clips, snaps, adhesives, or other means of releasably attaching the band 30 before the gown is worn. As shown in FIG. 6, the free or unsecured end 38 of the strap 30 extends over the shoulder of the person and down to a position in front of the person and adjacent his/her waist.

As shown, the shorter second strap 40 is preferably attached to the gown at approximately waist height on the same side as the first end 32 to which the long strap 30 is secured and below the sleeve 16. The free or unsecured end 44 of the second strap 40 is readily accessible by a second hand of the person.

In use, the gowns 10A-E can be placed on a person from the front by opening the back portion 14 and sliding the arms through the sleeves 16 or arm holes of the sleeveless gown. The person wearing the gown can then grasp the unsecured end 38 of the first strap 30 with one hand, preferably the hand opposite the shoulder attachment mechanism 34. For example, in the drawings, a person wearing the gown can preferably use their left hand to grasp the free end 38 of the band 30, which is suspended on the front of the gown, near their stomach. The person can then lift his left hand and pull the strap 30 to release from the attachment mechanism 34. The person can then move his left hand in front of and over his head, then to the left, pulling the central portion of the strap behind his neck, then down along his left side, then over his body front, pulling the right edge 24 of the rear portion 14 to the left, closing the opening 15. The person may then grasp the unsecured end 44 of the second strap 40 with his right hand, pulling the straps 30 and 40 in opposite directions across the front of his torso to be tied in a centered or off-center position adjacent the waist. Thus, the wearer can easily grasp the unsecured end 38 of the strap 30 short of behind his back or neck and pull the strap in a semi-circular motion to close the opening 15 of the gowns 10A-E.

It should be understood that a second person is not generally needed, but if desired, the second person may help put the gowns 10A-E on the first person and grasp the unsecured ends 38, 44 of the straps 30, 40 and close the back of the gown with a semi-circular motion similar to that described above for the first strap 30, without reaching short behind the person wearing the gown.

Releasable attachment mechanisms or fasteners 34 prevent the long straps 30 from hanging over ground or floor that may be dirty or unsanitary, especially for larger sized gowns with longer straps.

The invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiments, and it should be understood that many modifications, substitutions and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention at least achieves all of its stated objects.

Claims (16)

1. A medical gown worn by a person, comprising:

the front part of the frame is provided with a front part,

a first side portion and a second side portion that are opposed,

a rear portion having opposing left and right edges defining a vertical opening therebetween;

the side portion is located between the front portion and the rear portion;

each portion having a top edge and a bottom edge;

the front and rear portions joined together to form a neck opening and opposing shoulders;

a first strap having a first end secured to the rear portion adjacent one of the left and right edges and a free second end;

a releasable fastener for temporarily retaining a section of the first strap on one of the shoulders with the free second end depending downwardly along the front portion; and

a second strap having a first end secured to one of the side portions or the front portion;

wherein the free second end of the first strap is held by the person and pulled to release the first strap from one of the shoulders and pulled to close the opening in the back without reaching behind the person's back.

2. The medical gown of claim 1, wherein the first and second straps are pulled in opposite directions by the person to be tied together near the person's stomach.

3. The medical gown of claim 1, wherein the first end of the second strap is secured to the side portion between the front portion and the one edge to which the first end of the first strap is secured.

4. The medical gown of claim 1, wherein the fastener has at least one hook.

5. The medical gown of claim 1, wherein the fastener includes an adhesive.

6. A gown worn by a person, comprising:

a front panel and a rear panel having a neck opening and left and right arm openings;

the rear panel has a vertical opening with opposing side edges;

a first strap having opposing first and second ends, wherein the first end is attached to the back panel adjacent to one of the edges;

a second strap attached to the front panel; and

a fastener for temporarily attaching a section of the first strap adjacent the front panel, wherein the second end of the first strap hangs forward over a person's shoulder.

7. The gown of claim 6 wherein the first and second straps are tied to the front of the person to close the vertical opening in the rear panel.

8. The gown of claim 6, wherein the front and rear panels define left and right lateral halves, and the first and second straps each have a first end secured to the same lateral half of the front and rear panels.

9. The gown of claim 6 wherein the unsecured end of the first strap does not pass behind the back of the person at any time the gown is worn.

10. The gown of claim 6 wherein the first strap is pulled around a person's neck, then pulled downward, then pulled forward to close the vertical opening.

11. A method of tying a gown having a closed front portion and an open rear portion and having a strap with a fixed end attached to the rear portion of the gown and a free end, the method comprising:

placing the gown on a person with the front portion adjacent the front of the person and the back portion adjacent the back of the person;

temporarily extending a first strap upwardly from the rear portion such that an intermediate section of the first strap passes over the shoulders of the person and then downwardly, a free end of the first strap being located in front of the person;

grasping the free end with one hand and then pulling the free end over the head toward the opposing shoulder such that the first strap passes around the back of the person's neck and then is pulled down and forward to a position in front of the person;

grasping the free end of the second strap with the other hand and pulling to a position in front of the person; then the

Pulling the first and second straps in opposite directions to a position in front of the person to close the open rear of the gown; then the

The unfixed ends are tied together.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising temporarily securing the first strap to a shoulder of the gown prior to placing the gown on a person.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein pulling the free end of the first strap releases the first strap from tightening at the shoulder.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising moving the free end of the first strap in a semi-circular motion over the person's head such that the strap passes behind the person's neck.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the free ends of the first and second straps are grasped by a person wearing the gown without reaching behind the back thereof.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the free ends of the first and second straps are grasped by an assistant standing in front of the person without reaching behind the back of the person.