Abstract:
An article of clothing that protects a baby&#39;s clothing, diaper or bare skin from dirt, stains, wetness and general wear and tear by providing a protective covering between the child and a surface; the protective covering comprising a backless pant, possibly having a waterproof layer, adjustable waist and ankle straps and a releasable seam along one side to facilitate the removing or placing of the protective clothing.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    As many parents know, until children are in the toddler stage, the first 12-24 months of a child&#39;s life is spent on or close to the ground when not held by the parent or placed in some variation of a baby carrier. From the initial sitting up stage to the steady walking stage, a fair amount of time is spent on a baby&#39;s knees and bottom. While a child&#39;s hands can be washed fairly easily with baby wipes or water, once their clothing has become soiled, the only real option for the parents is to change the child&#39;s clothing. This can be time consuming for the parents and can be a stressful event when strong willed children are involved. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0002]    These and other features and advantages will now be described with reference to drawings of certain embodiments, which are intended to illustrate and not to limit the present protective covering: 
           [0003]      FIG. 1  is a front view of one embodiment of the protective covering with an ankle and a waist straps attached; 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a back view of one embodiment of the protective covering; 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  is a view of one embodiment of the protective covering showing a side opening unattached; 
       
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0006]    The instant application describes, among other things, a protective covering that may protect the knees and buttocks of underlying clothing or bare skin of a child from dirt, stains or wetness. Dirt, stains and wetness are often concentrated in two main areas: knees and buttocks. Crawling by default places knees on a crawling surface which may result in dirt, stains or wetness on a child&#39;s clothing, diaper or bare skin. A sitting position may also result in dirt, stains or wetness on a child&#39;s clothing or bare skin. 
         [0007]    A protective covering may provide a layer between a child&#39;s clothing and a surface that allows for easy clean up from dirt, stains or wetness that a child may get from crawling or sitting on the ground. With a protective covering, the child can be dressed in clean clothes and then if the child goes outside or to a potentially messy environment, the protective covering may be put over the child&#39;s clothing to keep the clean clothes from dirt, stains or wetness that could end up on the clothing or child&#39;s knees and bottom. Once the child is brought back to a clean environment, the protective covering may easily be removed and the original clothing may remain clean. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, a protective covering will attach at the waist with an adjustable elastic fastener opening up to a backless pant and then attached again at ankles with adjustable elastic tabs. The protective covering will be made of flexible, waterproof materials that will allow for easy wipe down of dirt and grime from the protective covering. In another embodiment the protective covering will have a hook and loop closure system along one side of the protective covering that would allow easier dressing and undressing of the child. In yet another embodiment, the protective covering will have reinforced knees and bottoms to provide an added layer of cushioning to the child when crawling or sitting on hard or uneven surfaces. In yet another embodiment the protective covering will have a flap with a fastener that attaches from the backside of a rear trunk region to a front trunk region between a crotch to allow for diaper changes. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    The instant application describes, among other things, a protective covering that may protect the knees and buttock of underlying clothing or bare skin of child from dirt, stains or wetness. Dirt, stains and wetness are often concentrated in two main areas: knees and buttocks. Crawling by default places knees on a crawling surface which may result in dirt, stains or wetness on a child&#39;s clothing or bare skin. A sitting position may also result in dirt, stains or wetness on a child&#39;s clothing, diaper or bare skin. 
         [0010]    A protective covering may provide a layer between a child&#39;s clothing, diaper or bare skin and a surface that allows for easy clean up from dirt, stains or wetness that a child may get from crawling or sitting on the surface. With a protective covering the child may be dressed in clean clothes and then if the child goes outside or to a potentially messy environment, the protective covering may be worn over the child&#39;s clothing to keep the clean clothes from dirt, stains or wetness that could end up on the child&#39;s knees and bottom. Alternatively, the protective covering may be put over a child&#39;s bare skin, without underlying clothing, to keep the skin clean from dirt, stains or wetness that could end up on the child&#39;s knees, buttocks or diaper. Once the child is brought back to a clean environment, the protective covering may easily be removed and the original clothing or skin may remain clean. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, a protective covering will attach at a waist with an adjustable elastic fastener opening up to a backless pant and then attached again at one or more ankles with adjustable elastic tabs. The protective covering will be made of flexible, waterproof materials that will allow for easy wipe down of dirt and grime from the protective covering. In another embodiment the protective covering will have a hook and loop closure system along a side of the protective covering that would allow easier dressing and undressing of the child. In yet another embodiment, the protective covering will have reinforced knees and bottoms to provide an added layer of cushioning to the child when crawling or sitting on hard or uneven surfaces. In yet another embodiment the protective covering will have flap with a fastener that attaches from a backside of the rear trunk region to a front trunk region between a crotch to allow for diaper changes. 
         [0012]    A protective covering may cover a child&#39;s buttock and front half of legs from the trunk body down to ankles. The protective covering may provide protection from a surface on one or more areas on the child which comes in contact with the ground, for example the knees and buttocks. The protective coverings may be used for either gender and may be used to protect various clothing styles including but not limited to pants, dresses, shorts, diapers or bare skin. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  shows an example of one embodiment of a protective covering ( 100 ) that provides a layer between a child&#39;s clothing or bare skin and a surface. The protective covering ( 100 ) may help keep a child&#39;s clothing or bare skin clean from dirt, stains or wetness. 
         [0014]    In order to help keep a child&#39;s clothing or bare skin clean from dirt, stains or wetness, the protective covering ( 100 ) may be made of impermeable waterproof materials and have a waist opening ( 120 ) and two ankle openings ( 130 ). The waist opening ( 120 ) of the protective covering ( 100 ) may be comprised of elastic material ( 150 ). The ankle openings ( 130 ) of the protective covering ( 100 ) may also be comprised of elastic material ( 155 ). Having elastic material ( 150 ) at the waist opening ( 120 ) may allow the protective covering ( 100 ) to stay in the waist position on a child without sliding too high up or down the torso. Similarly, having the ankle openings ( 130 ) comprised of elastic material ( 155 ) may prevent the protective covering ( 100 ) from slipping off the child&#39;s foot or sliding too high up the child&#39;s leg. 
         [0015]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the waist opening ( 120 ) is comprised of an adjustable waist strap ( 125 ) that could allow for varying sizes of children and for growth of a child. The adjustable waist strap ( 125 ) may use various fastening devices which may include, by way of example and not limitation, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps. 
         [0016]    Similarly in  FIG. 1 , the ankle opening ( 130 ) is comprised of an adjustable ankle strap ( 135 ) that could allow for varying sizes of children and for growth of a child. The adjustable ankle strap ( 135 ) may use various fastening devices which may include, by way of example and not limitation, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps. 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the protective covering ( 100 ) has a front trunk portion ( 105 ) that is attached to two leg portions ( 106 ). The leg portions ( 106 ) cover at least the front and part of the sides of the legs. The leg portions ( 106 ) may either be connected with the front trunk portion ( 105 ) as one continuous piece of material or it may be connected with a non-releasable seam ( 195 ) opposite a leg opening ( 138 ). 
         [0018]    The protective covering ( 100 ) in  FIG. 1  has a flap portion ( 170 ) that connects a front trunk ( 105 ) to a rear trunk ( 140 ) at a crotch ( 110 ) using a fastening device ( 180 ) which may include, by way of example and not limitation, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps. The flap portion ( 170 ) would allow a child&#39;s diaper to be changed without removing the protective covering ( 100 ). 
         [0019]    Additionally, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the protective covering ( 100 ) may also have padded material ( 160 ) added to the leg portion ( 106 ) in an area of one or more knees. The padded material ( 160 ) may provide extra cushioning to the child&#39;s knees as well as provide reinforcement to the areas that have higher proportion of contact with the surface areas. The padded material ( 160 ) may be comprised, by way of example and not limitation, of corduroy, denim, leather or canvas. 
         [0020]    In  FIG. 1 , the protective covering ( 100 ) may have a releasable seam ( 190 ) from the waist opening ( 120 ) to the leg opening ( 138 ). The releasable seam ( 190 ) may be comprised, by way of example and not limitation, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps. The releasable seam ( 190 ) may provide an easier means of removing or placing the protective covering ( 100 ) on a child. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2 , shows an example of the back view of one embodiment of the protective covering ( 100 ). The rear trunk ( 140 ) comprises a buttock region from the waist opening ( 120 ) to the leg openings ( 138 ) and includes a flap portion ( 170 ) that connects to the front trunk ( 105 ) at the crotch ( 110 ). 
         [0022]    The protective covering ( 100 ) in  FIG. 2  has a flap portion ( 170 ) that connects the front trunk ( 105 ) to the rear trunk ( 140 ) at the crotch ( 110 ) using a fastening device ( 180 ) which may include, by way of example and not limitation, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps. The flap portion ( 170 ) would allow a parent to change a child&#39;s diaper without removing the protective covering ( 100 ). 
         [0023]    Additionally, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the protective covering ( 100 ) may also have padded material ( 165 ) added to the rear trunk portion ( 140 ) in the area of the buttocks. The padded material ( 165 ) would provide extra cushioning to the child&#39;s buttocks as well as provide reinforcement to the areas that have higher proportion of contact with the surface areas. The padded material ( 165 ) may be comprised, by way of example and not limitation, of corduroy, denim, leather or canvas. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows an example of one embodiment of the protective covering ( 100 ) with the releasable seam ( 190 ) unfastened. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rear trunk ( 140 ) has a flap portion ( 170 ) that when unfastened would hang behind and between the child&#39;s legs.