Abstract:
A reversible, multi-purpose bib exhibits a polyester layer on one side for use in absorbing drool, a vinyl layer on an opposing side for use when feeding solid food, and a removable overlying cotton or cotton polyester blend layer atop the vinyl layer for use when formula feeding.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     A provisional application describing this invention was filed Aug. 6, 2004 and assigned Ser. No. 60/599,158. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.  
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX NOT APPLICABLE  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0004]     This invention relates to the field of bib construction, in general, and to a fast drying bib especially useful for teething and feeding infants and toddlers.  
         [0005]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0006]     As is understood, bibs are sometimes worn by feeding adults in a nursing home setting, and are almost always worn by feeding infants and toddlers. With infants and toddlers, it is not unusual to have to change the bibs up to 10-15 times a day—not only because of the food which drips upon the bib, but because teething infants and toddlers, tend to drool almost all the time. As will be appreciated, such regular changing of bibs is necessary in order to keep the infant&#39;s or toddler&#39;s underclothes dry and to keep the infant or toddler from becoming unduly wet. This is particularly important in cold weather locations. Because infants and toddlers tend to teethe for many months, beyond one-year of age, the situation becomes quite frustrating for a mother to continue to have to wash the infant&#39;s or toddler&#39;s clothes and body over-and-over again because of the limited protection conventional bibs offer.  
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is an object of the invention to provide a fast drying bib for teething and feeding infants and toddlers.  
         [0008]     It is an object of the present invention, also, to provide such a bib which can be kept on all day without the child developing a rash from sitting or lying in moisture.  
         [0009]     It is a further object of the invention to provide such a bib which can be sized to fit the child from birth through the toddler years.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention encompasses a bib design which both absorbs moisture and dries very fast. Such characteristics, first of all, minimize any tendency for drool to flow right off the bib, onto clothing. By quickly drying, the bib can be reused throughout the day, enabling it to be simply washed at night in the kitchen, before being used again. Absorption of any drool deposited on the surface of the bib thus follows, to the extent that the construction set out could also be employed for placemats, floor mats and other instances where high absorption and quick drying is advantageous—although the present invention is particularly beneficial, more easily understood and more universally needed when utilized in bib design.  
         [0011]     As will be seen from the following description, the highly absorbent/quick drying bib of the invention in its simplest form includes a top layer of polyester, a bottom layer of vinyl and an intermediate layer of one of cotton and polyester cotton adhesively laminated at a top surface thereof to the top layer of polyester and at a bottom surface thereof to the bottom layer. First means are included to join together overlapping edge surfaces of the layers when lain atop one another in bib configuration with the neck encompassing section extending from a body section, and second means are included on one of the top and bottom layers for selectively closing and opening the neck section for the wearing and removal of the bib. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, with the bib worn with its top layer of polyester facing out, drool can be absorbed, but with quick drying without any penetration of the clothing being worn. With the bib being worn with the bottom layer of vinyl facing out, formula and/or solid foods run down the surface of the layer, without absorption.  
         [0012]     In a second embodiment of the invention, to be described, an auxiliary layer of a 100% cotton or cotton polyester blend is removably secured to the bottom layer of vinyl for absorbing formula when the vinyl layer is otherwise worn facing out—with the cotton or cotton polyester blend layer then being removed when it is time for solid feeding.  
         [0013]     As will be appreciated, a multi-purpose bib results, from the reversible nature of the bib construction. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0015]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate two separate modes of manufacturing compositions for the bib embodying the teachings of the invention;  
         [0016]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are front and rear views of the basic construction of the bib, with the top layer of polyester and the bottom layer of vinyl, respectively;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a modified view of the vinyl side of the bib of  FIG. 4 , illustrating the additional auxiliary layer of a cotton or cotton polyester blend; and  
         [0018]      FIGS. 6-8  depict illustrations of animal head shapes which may be utilized as the cotton or cotton polyester blend layer of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     In the  FIG. 1  embodiment, a trilaminate of materials are employed, while in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , a quad-laminate is utilized. In each, a bottom layer (to be worn against the clothing of the body) is shown at  10 , being composed of a primarily vinyl type material, such as one of polyvinylchloride composition  12  with a non-woven polyester backing  14 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , adhesively laminated to the bottom layer  10 , at the backing  14 , is an intermediate layer  16  of 100% cotton or polyester cotton. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , on the other hand, a further layer  18  is interspersed between the bottom layer  10  and the layer  16 —composed like the bottom layer  10  of polyvinylchloride and non-woven polyester, with a non-woven polyester backing  20  of the layer  18  being joined with the backing  14  of the layer  10 , and with the layer  18  being adhesively laminated to the cotton or polyester cotton layer  16 . In each of the  FIGS. 1 and 2  embodiments, a further layer  24  of 100% polyester is adhesively laminated to the layer  16 . As will be understood, the 100% polyester layer  24  faces outwardly, away from the clothing and skin.  
         [0020]     In these respects, the top polyester layer  24  is both highly absorbent and fast drying. Any moisture that might pass through the layer  24 , however, is then absorbed by the cotton or polyester cotton layer  16 , which also gives body and strength to the bib fabric. The bottom layer  10  absorbs any moisture that might pass through the layer  16 —while the intermediate layer  18  when employed further ensures that the wetness does not pass through to the clothing and skin. At the same time, such second vinyl-polyester layer  18  gives added strength to the structure—and a nicer, smoother join follows by aligning the two non-woven polyester backings  14 ,  20  adjacent one another. When fabricating the bib of such construction, any appropriate trim can be employed, such as a polyester-cotton mix, or just a cotton trim alone, being sewn on. While a Velcro adhesive-and-loop join can be utilized in hanging the bib around the infant&#39;s (or adjust&#39;s) neck, to minimize any irritation the might result, a snap or button closure may be used instead.  
         [0021]     Any type of adhesive lamination may be employed in forming the trilaminate or quad-laminate constructions, and any manner of carrying out the laminating steps could be employed. Whether the bottom layer  10  is first laminated to the layer  16  before the layer  16  is laminated to the layer  24  in the  FIG. 1  embodiment, or vice versa, or whether it is first laminated to the intermediate layer  18  before that layer  18  is laminated to the layer  16  in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , for example, is irrelevant to the end result of the present construction&#39;s having a highly absorbent, quick drying material useful as a bib for adults or, particularly, teething infants.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates the laminate construction of the invention formed as a bib  110 . Reference numeral  112  represents the neck encompassing section of the bib, while reference numeral  114  represents the body section of the bib. First means  116  joins together the overlapping edge surfaces of the layers when lain atop one another, as by sewing. Understanding that the body section  114  here displays the top layer of polyester  24 , second means, preferably in the form of a hook-and-loop Velcro adhesive couple between opposing portions of the neck encompassing section  112  to fit the neck opening to size. One component of the hook-and-loop adhesive coupling is shown at  118  in  FIG. 3 , whereas the second component of the adhesive coupling is shown at  120  in  FIG. 4 . In  FIG. 4 , moveover, it will be appreciated that the body section  114  is that of the layer of vinyl  10 .  
         [0023]     As will be understood, in the bib construction of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , infant drool would be absorbed by the top layer of polyester  24 . As the child progresses to the toddler stage, and is fed formula, the bib  110  is worn with the vinyl layer  10  of  FIG. 4  facing outwardly, and none of the formula that runs down is absorbed. In the configuration of  FIG. 5 , on the other hand, an auxiliary layer of 100% cotton or cotton polyester blend  122  is removably secured to the vinyl layer  10 , through a like hook-and-loop Velcro adhesive coupling at its underside to absorb such formula run-off. As the child progresses to solid food, the cotton or cotton polyester blend layer  122  can be peeled off to fully expose the underlying vinyl layer  10 , and can instead be used to wipe the child&#39;s face. While  FIG. 5  illustrates only the top portion of the body section  114  being covered, leaving a “catch pocket”  130 , the cotton or cotton polyester blend layer  122  could alternatively overlie the entire vinyl layer  10 . After feeding solid food, the vinyl portion can again be easily wiped clean.  
         [0024]     While  FIG. 5  illustrates the cotton or cotton polyester blend layer  122  as being in the configuration of an animal&#39;s head, any desired shape could be used instead. Animal head shapes as in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8  have been accepted as being recognizable by a growing child, and each with a Velcro coupling to the vinyl layer  10  presents an interchangeable auxiliary coupling so that a dry bib is always available at a mother&#39;s disposal.  
         [0025]     From a standpoint of marketing the bib of the invention, a package has been determined to be attractive for sales including the bib along with a plurality of these interchangeable auxiliary layers of cotton or cotton polyester blend in recognizable shapes. An inclusion of three such shapes as in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8  has been found to be highly acceptable. As will be understood, with the cotton or cotton polyester blend inclusion, one bib a day can be seen to be all that is required to keep the moisture away from the child, from birth through the toddler years. By having the two component Velcro adhesive coupling design  118 ,  120 , the bib can be sized to fit from birth onward. Available under the Trademark “Dribble Bibble”, the bib of the invention will be seen to have a multi-purpose use, while keeping the underlying clothing dry.  
         [0026]     While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.