Abstract:
A system for protecting the appendage of a user from contamination and water seepage while bathing or outdoors during inclement weather. The system includes a protective cover and a sleeve. The protective cover is sized and configured for placement about the hand and arm or the foot and leg of a user. The cover includes a slit with a zipper closure and may include a closure flap at the upper end of the slit. The cover may include securing straps for retaining the cover securely about the appendage of the user. The sleeve extends over and covers the open end of the cover to provide an additional barrier against contamination and seepage.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a protective covering for a bandage or a cast, or more specifically to a protective covering with an opening for inserting an appendage and a slit extending longitudinally from the opening to provide a larger opening to make it easier for the user to place the covering over their appendage. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     There are other protective devices designed for cast/bandage coverings. While these protective devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described. 
     Therefore it is felt that a need exists for a two-part protective covering for a bandage or cast that can be used in conjunction with each other to prevent water damage and contamination to the bandage/cast. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a protective covering for a bandage or cast allowing the user to take a shower and to travel in inclement weather without contaminating or damaging the bandage or cast. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective bandage or cast covering having an opening for inserting an appendage. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a seal member about the opening so that the where the covering is in place on the user&#39;s users appendage the opening is sealed about the appendage. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective covering having a longitudinal slit with a closure mechanism positioned along the slit. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a protective bandage or cast covering where the closure mechanism is a slider for opening and closing the longitudinal slit. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective bandage or cast covering having a mitten shape portion to receive the user&#39;s hand and allow use of the hand, such as when taking a shower. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a protective bandage or cast covering having a foot shaped portion to receive the user&#39;s foot where the foot shaped portion has at one non-slip surface. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sleeve with elastic ends and optional sealing members where the sleeve is used in conjunction with the protective bandage or cast covering to further seal the protective bandage or cast from damage. 
     Another object of the present invention is to optionally provide the sleeve with a slit and integral closure mechanism. 
     Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
     The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a system for protecting a bandage or cast from contamination and damage including a protective covering and a sleeve. The protective covering has a sealing member lining an aperture that receives the user&#39;s appendage and includes a slit extending longitudinally along the covering from the opening and incorporates a closure mechanism for opening and closing the slit in a relatively water tight seal. The sleeve is provided as a secondary sealing member over the open end of the protective cover. The sleeve has elastic ends where each end is provided with a sealing member where one seals against the user&#39;s users appendage and the other seals against the protective cover to act as a secondary seal about the users appendage. The sleeve optionally provided with a zippered slit similar to that of the protective covering. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustrative frontal view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective frontal view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a frontal view of a second embodiment of the present invention for use on legs. 
         FIG. 7  is a frontal view of a second embodiment of the present invention for use on legs. 
         FIG. 8  is a detailed view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is an illustrative view of a third embodiment of the present invention for use on arms. 
         FIG. 10  is an illustrative view of a third embodiment of the present invention having a zipper closure. 
         FIG. 11  is an illustrative view of a third embodiment of the present invention having Velcro® straps for closure. 
         FIG. 12  is a partial view of the sleeve showing a sealing member. 
         FIG. 13  is a partial view of the cover showing a sealing member. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     With regard to reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the drawings.
           10  Appendage covering system     12  Appendage cover     14  Sleeve     16  Opening     18  Slit     20  Zipper     22  Slider     24  Elastic band     26  Closure flap     28  Hook and loop strips     30  Foot portion     32  Hand portion     34  Bandage     36  User     38  Sealing member     40  Leg     42  arm     44  Anti-slip material     46  Securing strap       

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will be described more fully hereafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention as shown. This invention may, however be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like components throughout, and some dimensions and thicknesses may be exaggerated for clarity. 
     Referring now to the drawings, the appendage covering system  10  of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 13 . The appendage protection system of the present invention includes an appendage cover  12  and a sleeve  14 . These items are shown on a user prior to entering the shower in  FIG. 1 . The appendage cover  12  is an enclosure or garment for placement over an appendage of the user  36 . The appendage cover  12  encloses a cast, bandage  34 , or fixation device on the user&#39;s  36  appendage to protect them from contamination or damage. The appendage cover  12  is made of an impermeable (i.e. waterproof) plastic material shaped to fit the leg or arm of the user  36 . The plastic may be a polymer or a copolymer or blends thereof and may employ a single layer or multiple layers. The cover  12  has an opening  16  (i.e. open end) for receiving the user&#39;s  36  appendage there through. The cover  12  is preferably provided with a slit  18  extending from the opening  16  to provide a larger access opening for the user&#39;s  36  appendage where the slit  18  may be closed by a zipper  20 . 
     The zipper  20  may be provided with a slider  22  to make it easier for the user to open and close. It is envisioned that the zipper may be in the form of a rib and groove closure similar to those found on storage bags. One possible zipper is found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,321 to Madsen, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The rib and groove strips may be formed in one piece with the cover or they may be on strips separate from the cover where the strips are then secured to the slit on the cover. The interlocking rib and groove closures provide an excellent leak proof seal. The zipper  20  need not be a rib and groove closure but may be any closure that is capable of providing a leak proof or water tight seal. The opening  16  or open end is provided with an elastic band  24  to seal around the user&#39;s limb or appendage, preventing water from entering. The purpose of the system  10  of the present invention is to allow patients with wounds, casts, or fixation devices the freedom to take showers and go into inclement weather (rain or snow) without damaging the cast or contaminating their dressing. The appendage cover  12  may be provided with a fastener at its open end to form a more effective seal against water seepage. The fastener may be in the form of a closure flap  26  with hook and loop strips  28  (i.e. Velcro, see  FIG. 3 ). The open end of the cover  12  may be provided with a sealing member  38  on the interior surface thereof to aid in sealing between the cover  12  and the user&#39;s  36  appendage (see  FIG. 13 ). In  FIG. 13  the protective cover is shown without the closure flap and the zipper for clarity. The sealing member may be made of a resilient foamed plastic, silicone, rubber, or other suitable material. This material may be secured to the cover  12  by heat sealing, adhesive or other suitable methods. 
     The appendage cover  12  may be used in lieu of or in combination with a sleeve  14 . The sleeve  14  is made of an impermeable (i.e. waterproof) plastic material and has elastic bands  24  at each end. The sleeve  14  may be formed of the same material as the cover or a different material. The sleeve  14  has openings  16  at each end to allow the appendage of the user to pass there through. The sleeve  14  is placed over the open end of the appendage cover  12  (see best in  FIGS. 3 ,  7 , and  10 ) so that one end seals against the appendage cover  12  and the other end seals against the appendage of the user  36 . The sleeve  14  provides an additional barrier against water seepage. At least one open end of the sleeve  14  may be provided with a sealing member  38  on the interior surface thereof (see  FIG. 12 ) to aid in sealing about the appendage of the user  36  and the cover  12 . It is envisioned that each open end may be provided with a sealing member  38 . The sealing members  38  may be made of a resilient foamed plastic, silicone, rubber, or other suitable material. This material may be secured to the sleeve  12  by heat sealing, adhesive or other suitable methods. The sleeve may be made of a tubular plastic extrusion (i.e. seamless) or the sleeve may be made of a sheet material with a seam. The seam is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6  by the dotted line. The ends of the sheet may be joined together at the seam by heat sealing, adhesive or any other suitable means provided that it produces a water tight seam. 
     One way of deploying the system of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . The user  36  has first placed the sleeve  14  over their leg  40  (see  FIG. 2 ) that has a bandage  34  covering a wound. Once the sleeve  14  is in place, the user  36  then inserts their foot and leg  40  into the protective cover  12 . Once the zipper  20  on the slit  18  is closed and the closure flap  26  at the opening  16  (i.e. open end) is secured, the user  36  lowers the sleeve  14  over the open end of the cover  12  (see  FIG. 3 ). The foot portion  30  of the protective cover  12  may be provided with anti-slip material  44  (see  FIGS. 4 ,  7 , and  8 ) to provide the user with traction on wet and or slippery surfaces. The anti-slip material  44  may be provided in strips on the bottom surface of the foot portion or it may cover the entire bottom surface of the foot portion. The anti-slip material  44  may be made of a resilient plastic, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, silicone, thermoplastic elastomers, or other suitable materials. As seen in  FIGS. 1-8 , one form of the protective cover  12  is for the foot and leg  40  of a user  36 . Another form of the protective cover is shown in  FIGS. 9-11 , which is for the hand and arm  42  of the user  36 . The protective cover  12  has a closed end that is opposite the opening  16 . The closed end is formed into either a foot portion  30  (see  FIG. 8 ) or a hand portion  32  (see  FIG. 10 ). 
     The protective cover  12  of the present invention  10  may be provided with at least one or more securing straps  46  for maintaining the cover  12  about the appendage of the user  36 . These straps  46  are seen in  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  9 , and  11  and may be provided on either form of the present invention (i.e. foot and leg cover or hand and arm cover). The securing straps  46  shown are provided with hook and loop strips  28  (commonly referred to as Velcro®). The present invention may employ other fastening mechanisms on the securing straps  46 . These may include but are not limited to snaps, buckles, or any other suitable fastening mechanism. 
     The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.