Cover garment with inner garment access option

Improved cover garment is disclosed providing an inner garment access option. For applications requiring a high degree of barrierness, openings are not desired, and the garment is used in its original condition. For other applications where it is desired to obtain access to an inner garment, a weakened line is provided adjacent at least one area of the inner garment where access may be desired. By application of stress to the area of the weakened line, the garment material separates providing a hand hole. The material from which the garment is made is preferable a nonwoven fabric containing thermoplastic fibers, and the weakened line is preferably formed by application of heat and pressure. Garments of the invention find applications as cover garments for clean rooms, hospitals and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention is directed to cover garments intended to be worn 
over pocket containing inner garments. Such cover garments find wide 
applications in clean rooms such as laboratories, hospitals, and the like, 
as well as other environments such as machine shops, garages and 
manufacturing facilities. They may take a wide variety of forms, such as 
coveralls, lab coats, aprons, frocks, gowns, and the like hereinafter 
referred to collectively as "garments". All such may be either made of 
durable fabrics intended for multiple uses or of low cost materials such 
as nonwoven fabrics and the like intended for a single use. The present 
invention is particularly suited for such garments that are disposable and 
made from nonwoven fabrics containing thermoplastic fibers. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Cover garments are well known, and such garments, if intended for single 
use, are often made from thermoplastic fiber containing nonwoven fabrics. 
For cost considerations, many such disposable garments do not include 
pockets which is a source of inconvenience to the wearer, particularly 
when the garment is worn for an extended period. Thus the wearer of the 
prior art gowns has many times been forced to cut openings in a disposable 
gown to permit access to pockets of his inner garments or incur the 
expense of using gowns with pockets for the situations where pockets are 
desired. On the other hand, many of the more demanding applications for 
such cover garments require that the garment be essentially free from 
holes which could pass contamination other than those necessary to don it. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to an outer garment adapted to serve both 
the very demanding applications requiring essentially a barrier as well as 
those applications where it is appropriate to provide access to pockets of 
the inner garment. The wearer, thus, has the option in a single garment of 
working in either environment. In accordance with the invention, this 
result is obtained by providing a garment, preferably made from a web 
containing thermoplastic fibers, with a weakened area adjacent a location 
that would cover at least one inner garment area to which access may be 
desired such as an inner garment pocket area. This weakened line has 
sufficient strength to maintain its integrity during use should the use 
demand barrier properties. On the other hand, by applying some stress, the 
line readily separates forming a hand hole and convenient access to the 
inner garment pocket. Thus, this single garment embodiment will serve both 
the very demanding clean room applications as well as the more 
conventional coverall applications, both at costs consistent with 
disposability.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the cover garment of the 
present invention may take a wide variety of apparel forms. While a 
coverall garment is illustrated, examples of other garments include, 
without limitation, lab coats, aprons, hospital gowns, and all manner of 
clean room apparel. In general, it is contemplated for use wherever it is 
desirable to wear a cover garment over inner, pocket containing apparel 
and protect either the wearer from the environment or the environment from 
the wearer. In either case, the outer garment acts as a barrier to 
transfer of contamination. The need for barrier properties will vary 
depending upon the particular application. For many clean room 
applications such as for some hospital uses for example, it will be 
important that the barrier properties be as complete as possible and that 
no holes be found in the garment except as may be essential for donning 
it. On the other hand, for many other applications such as garages, 
machine shops, and the like, these requirements are less rigid and means 
for obtaining access to the inner garment through the outer garment are 
not objectionable and a desired convenience. In accordance with the 
present invention, a single outer garment having features making it 
uniquely adaptable to this wide range of applications is provided by 
presenting an outer garment which is essentially free from holes except 
those necessary for donning, but which contains means for easily providing 
access to the inner garment pockets in those applications where it is 
appropriate. 
While the present invention in its broadest concept could be applicable to 
at least the initial wearing of reusable textile cover garments, it finds 
its primary application as a feature of disposable cover garments. Because 
of the nature of the inner garment access option, once it has been opened 
for a particular garment, the option no longer exists. For a reusable 
garment, once the inner garment access opening has been made, the future 
uses of the garment will be limited to those for which the opening is 
acceptable. Therefore, the present invention is particularly suited for 
disposable garments which will have single or limited use so that each 
time a garment is worn the option will be available. 
The base material for the manufacture of the cover garment of the present 
invention may be selected from a wide variety of fibrous webs considering 
both the cost and intended use of the garment. For most disposable 
applications, however, nonwoven webs containing thermoplastic fibers are 
preferred. Many known processes are available for forming such nonwoven 
webs, including, for example, a spunbonded process as described in U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appel and Mormon entitled "Apparatus for Forming 
Nonwoven Webs" dated July 20, 1982. For improved barrier properties, 
laminates of such webs with meltblown webs may be used, including those 
described in U. S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock and Meitner, dated Aug. 9, 
1977. Both of these patents are incorporated herein by reference in their 
entirety. Webs formed from mixtures of thermoplastic fibers with other 
fibers may be used, but for purposes of the preferred means for obtaining 
the inner garment entry option, the material will contain at least about 
15% thermoplastic fibers, preferably about at least 50%. Such 
thermoplastic fibers may include, by way of example and not limitation, 
polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyesters such as 
polyethylene terephthalate and polyamides such as nylon as well as blends 
of any of these with thermoplastic or other components. 
Turning to FIGS. 1 through 4, the invention will now be described with 
specific reference to a coverall garment. As shown in FIG. 1, coverall 
garment 10 generally includes essentially neck to ankle coverage with neck 
opening 12, wrist opening 14, and ankle opening 16. While shown in side 
view, it will be understood that corresponding wrist and ankle openings 
are present on the opposite side as well and the view from the opposite 
side may be identical. Including reference now also to FIGS. 2 and 3, the 
inner garment access means 18 comprises an embossed line 20 shown somewhat 
exaggerated for detail. The length of line 20 will be sufficient to permit 
the wearer's hand to pass through when opened, but will otherwise be kept 
to a minimum to avoid exaggerating the resulting opening. As shown, the 
embossed line 20 weakens fabric 22 in the embossed line area as indicated 
by the substantially reduced thickness at line 20. While a continuous 
embossment is shown for line 20, other means for weakening the line area 
may be employed such as perforations. However, the continuous line of 
embossment is preferred since it minimizes openings in fabric 22 should 
the application demand a complete barrier without the pocket opening. 
Turning to FIG. 4, garment 10 is shown with the inner garment access option 
exercised and the embossed line 20 opened to provide access aperture 24 
which will permit the wearer's hand to pass into the inner garment 
pockets. While the embodiment illustrated shows access to the side pants 
pocket, it will be recognized that the present invention is equally 
adaptable to providing access to hip pants pockets and shirt pockets as 
well. Should access to other inner garment areas be desired, additional 
alternative weakened lines may be appropriately located. 
Means for obtaining the weakened line inner garment access option 
preferably include the application of heat and pressure, especially 
through the use of sonic energy. In this manner, the embossed line may be 
formed either in the base material for garment 10 prior to construction or 
after the garment has been formed as part of the sewing or bonding 
operation. By passing the line area of the garment between a sonic bonding 
horn and an anvil of the desired line shape and application of sonic 
energy, the line may be formed. In order to maintain the barrier for those 
cases desired, the line, after embossing, should have a strip tensile 
strength as measured by Federal Test Method Standard No. 191, Method 5102 
(Dec. 31, 1968) of at least about 10 pounds, preferably at least about 12 
pounds. However, the tensile strength is preferably not greatly in excess 
of this range particularly above about 20 pounds since opening then would 
be of increased difficulty. If desired, the embossment may be formed by 
other means such as a patterned calendar roll or by perforating, although, 
for the reasons above stated, perforation is not the preferred means. Each 
of these means may be adapted to continuous operation in the garment 
forming process or may be performed as an additional step. 
In use, the garment on the wearer presents the opportunity to maintain it 
in its initial condition as a substantially complete barrier for 
contamination free application or upon applying stress to the weakened 
area will open in that area providing access to the inner garment pockets 
should the wearer desire such access. Thus, in accordance with the 
invention, a cover garment of widely varying applications requiring 
different degrees of barrier properties has been presented that is capable 
of low cost manufacture consistent with disposability. As a result it is 
apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, a 
cover garment that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages set 
forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with 
specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, 
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art 
in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to 
embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall 
within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.