Disposable bib

A blank is provided for forming a disposable bib which can be dispensed from a roll or identical bibs. The blank is a sheet-like structure which has a neck portion forming an upper end thereof and an identical lower projecting portion forming a lower end thereof. Two selvedge portions form the side of the sheet-like structure, the inner boundaries of the selvedge being perforated so that when the perforation is broken, the selvedge portion ties around the neck of the user. The remainder of the blank forms the principal portion of the bib for catching food and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to bibs, and more particularly, to a 
plurality of disposable bibs stamped from a continuous web of stock. 
2. Discussion of the Related Art 
Bibs which are known in the art take on a variety of different forms. 
Disposable bibs, which are used in restaurants, for example, are often 
stamped from a length of continuous stock so that a plurality of bibs may 
be formed from a continuous length of material. The stock is then wound 
around a spool and sold as a roll. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,440 discloses a bib wherein a plurality of 
bibs are stamped on a length of material and wound into a roll. The bibs 
have upper extending portions stamped from the sides of the preceding bib 
which then form the neck tie portion of the successive bib. A similar 
design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,698. 
The disadvantage of these designs is that, because of the long upwardly 
extending neck ties, it is difficult to pull the bib off the roll without 
tearing the neck ties. Also, since the neck tie portion extends far into 
the next bib, the roll must be unwound each time thereby exposing at least 
two bibs. 
U.S. Pat. No. 232,276 discloses a bib having downwardly extending neckties. 
However, the bib does not appear to be formed from a continuous length of 
material. Furthermore, the bib is formed with a straight top and bottom 
portion, which does not very easily conform to the shape of the user's 
neck. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bib 
which can be dispensed from a roll of continuous stock. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bib design 
wherein no material is wasted. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bib design 
wherein the bib can easily be dispensed from a roll without tearing the 
bib. 
The foregoing and additional objects are attained by providing a blank for 
forming a disposable bib which can be dispensed from a roll of identical 
bibs. The blank is a sheet-like structure which has a neck portion forming 
an upper end thereof and an identical lower projecting portion forming a 
lower end thereof. Two selvedge portions form the side of the sheet-like 
structure, the inner boundaries of the selvedge being perforated so that 
when the perforation is broken, the selvedge portion ties around the neck 
of the user. The remainder of the blank forms the principal portion of the 
bib for catching food and the like. 
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from the specification and drawings which follow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, the a first preferred embodiment of present invention 
contemplates a plurality of disposable bibs 10 which are stamped from a 
continuous web of sheet-like material 12. The sheet-like material 12 may 
advantageously be formed of an upper liquid-absorbent layer facing away 
from the user and a lower non-absorbent layer facing the user. The 
non-absorbent layer keeps the user dry and adds strength to the bib. The 
bibs 10 may be separated from each other along perforation 14 and neck 
perforation 16. 
A single bib after removal from the length of material 12 is shown in FIG. 
2. As can be seen, the bib is symmetrical about an axial centerline. A 
neck portion 18 forms an upper end of a bib, while a lower projecting 
portion 20 forms a lower end of the bib. As can be seen, the lower 
projecting portion and upper neck portion are of identical shape and 
dimension. The reasons for this are obvious: as seen from FIG. 1, the 
lower projecting portion and upper neck portion are coterminous both being 
formed from the same perforation 16, thereby defining the same shape. 
Two identical neck tying portions 22 are formed from what would otherwise 
be the selvedge of the piece of material. Thus, no material is wasted. The 
inner boundary of the selvedge tie portion, as well as the outer boundary 
of the principal portion of the bib 10, are formed from a perforation 24. 
The perforation 24 extends from termination point 26 of the lower 
projecting portion to an upper point 28 spaced from the neck portion 18 of 
the bib. 
As seen in FIG. 3, when the selvedge tie portion 22 is separated along 
perforation 24, the outer boundary 30 of the major portion of the bib 10 
is separated from the inner boundary 32 of the selvedge tie portion 22. 
The selvedge tie portion 22 may then be tied around the user's neck. 
The construction according to the first preferred embodiment of the present 
invention provides a simple bib design which is inexpensive to produce. 
The cost savings are further enhanced by the fact that no material is 
wasted. Also, the construction of the present invention allows the 
individual bibs to easily be pulled from a roll without ripping the 
selvedge tie portion or any other portion from the remainder of the bib. 
Furthermore, due to the compact design of the present invention, only one 
bib length need be pulled from the roll at a time. 
FIG. 4 shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. A 
plurality of bibs 30 are formed from a continuous sheet-like substrate 32. 
The substrate 32 is preferably biodegradable and, for the same reasons as 
the first preferred embodiment, may advantageously be formed form an upper 
liquid-absorbent layer facing away from the user and a lower non-absorbent 
layer facing the user. The non-absorbent layer keeps the user dry and adds 
strength to the bib. The bibs 30 may be arranged in a roll and separated 
from each other along perforations 34. 
Each bib 30 has a neck portion 36 formed therein, which is bounded by 
perforations 38. The part of the bib 30 forming the neck portion 36 may be 
removed prior to arranging the bibs in a roll or may be removed by the 
user when an individual bib is removed from the roll. Extending from the 
neck portion 36 are a plurality of extension perforations. The embodiment 
shown in FIG. 4 includes a back extension perforation 40 and two shoulder 
perforations 42. The sum of the length of the back extension perforation 
and the width of the neck portion should be sufficient to allow passage of 
the user's head therethrough. These extension perforations allow the same 
bib construction to be used on children of different ages and sizes. 
In use, the bib 30 is detached by the user from a subsequent bib along 
perforation 34. If not already removed, the user removes the neck portion 
36 by perforating along line 38. The user then tears the extension 
perforations 40 and 42 as needed to allow passage of the head through the 
hole formed by the removal of the neck portion 36. The lower half 44 of 
the bib 30 drapes over the front of the user, while the upper half covers 
the user's back. 
It will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that the 
present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments shown and 
described.