Abstract:
A gown dispenser system has a plurality of hospital gowns, each having a back region, the gowns folded and stacked back region facing up, such that, pulling on the back region of a gown on top of the stack removes that gown from the stack and exposes the back region of the next gown in the stack, an enclosure containing the stack of gowns, the enclosure having an opening exposing the back region of the gown at the top of the stack, enabling a user to grasp the exposed back region and pull the topmost gown from the enclosure, exposing the next gown in the stack, and an interface mechanism attached to the enclosure, enabling the enclosure to be suspended on a substantially vertical surface, with the opening facing outward from the substantially vertical surface. Gowns are drawn from the enclosure one-at-a-time, at need.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS 
       [0001]    The present patent application claims priority to provisional application 62/316,983, filed on Apr. 1, 2016, entitled, “Gown System”. Disclosure of the priority applications is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
       [0002]    The invention is in the technical area of dispensing items, such as garments, and has particular application in sanitation in medical practice, and pertains in one embodiment more particularly to providing hospital gowns to medical staff. 
       2. Description of Related Art 
       [0003]    In many technical arts, disposable items are provided for temporary use. Many example may be listed, such as gloves in both medical and food arts, aprons in food arts, and sanitary gowns in medical environments. Medical practice is a particular, but not a limiting focus, for applications of the instant invention, and is used exemplary below to describe specific examples as embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0004]    It is often necessary in medical practice for a physician, nurse or other medical practitioner to quickly don a hospital gown before entering a sanitary area. The present invention provides a quick and practical solution to this need. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a gown dispenser system is provided, comprising a plurality of sterile hospital gowns, each having a back region, the gowns folded and stacked back region facing up, such that, pulling on the back region of a gown on top of the stack removes that gown from the stack and exposes the back region of the next gown in the stack, an enclosure containing the stack of gowns, the enclosure having an opening in one surface exposing the back region of the gown at the top of the stack, enabling a user to grasp the exposed back region and pull the topmost gown from the enclosure, exposing the next gown in the stack, and an interface mechanism attached to the enclosure, enabling the enclosure to be suspended on a substantially vertical surface, with the opening facing outward from the substantially vertical surface. Gowns are drawn from the enclosure one-at-a-time, at need. 
         [0006]    In one embodiment, a pull tab is attached to the back region of each gown in the stack, providing an appendage to be grasped to pull a gown from the enclosure. Also in one embodiment of the system, the enclosure is implemented in paperboard, with a portion of the paperboard on the one surface of the enclosure perforated in a shape to provide the opening, with the paperboard within the perforated region removed. Also in one embodiment, the interface mechanism comprises one or more brackets attached to a side of the container opposite the side perforated for the opening, the brackets configured to enable hanging the container from a top edge of a door. In one embodiment, each gown, unfolded, comprises an upper portion having a front region and the back region, a left and a right sleeve, each of a length to cover an arm of a person, and an upper head opening, the back region extending to a lower extremity of the left and right sleeves, and a front apron portion, having a width from the left to the right sleeve, extending downward from the upper portion for a height to cover a major portion of a person&#39;s body below the extension of the left and right sleeves. In one embodiment, the front portion has tie extensions extending horizontally from opposite edges of the front portion, at a height for tying the front portion of the gown around the body of a user. And in one embodiment the gowns are folded by folding the left and right sleeves to the front along edges of the front portion, and a lower part of the front portion upward to the front along a substantially horizontal line, leaving the tab free at the back of the upper portion of the folded gown. 
         [0007]    In another aspect of the invention, a method for providing a sterile gown to a user from a gown-dispensing system is provided, comprising folding a plurality of sterile gowns having a back region of each gown in a stack with the back region facing up, and placing the gowns in an enclosure having a front and a back surface, the back surface having an opening exposing the back region of the top-most gown on the stack, supporting the enclosure on a substantially vertical surface by an interface mechanism with the opening in the back surface facing away from the substantially vertical surface, grasping the back region by a user and pulling a topmost gown out through the opening in the back surface, leaving a next gown in the stack having the pull tab exposed through the opening, and donning the gown. In one embodiment of the method a pull tab is attached to the back region of each gown in the stack, and the pull tab is grasped to pull a gown from the enclosure. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment of the method, each gown in the stack has an upper portion having a front region and the back region, a left and a right sleeve, each of a length to cover an arm of a person, and an upper head opening, the back region extending to a lower extremity of the left and right sleeves, a front apron portion, having a width from the left to the right sleeve, extending downward from the upper portion for a height to cover a major portion of a person&#39;s body below the extension of the left and right sleeves, and the gowns are folded by folding the left and right sleeves to the front along edges of the front portion, and folding a lower part of the front portion upward to the front along a substantially horizontal line, leaving the back region free at the back of the upper portion of the folded gown, and the method further comprises the user pulling the upper portion over the user&#39;s head and placing the head through the upper head opening, and the user stepping back away from the enclosure, pulling the balance of the sterile gown from the enclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1 a    is an illustration of a hospital gown in an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1 b    is an illustration of the gown of  FIG. 1 a    folded. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a dispenser for providing folded gowns one-at-a-time to users. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of the dispenser of  FIG. 2  hung on a door. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4 a    is an illustration showing a person about to draw a gown from the dispenser of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4 b    is an illustration illustrating a second step in withdrawing a gown from the dispenser. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4 c    is an illustration of a third step in withdrawing a gown from the dispenser. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1 a    is an illustration of a hospital gown  100  in an embodiment of the invention. In this view the gown is fully deployed (not folded) and is viewed from the back of the gown. Gown  100  has a contiguous upper portion  103  that applies over a user&#39;s shoulders, with an opening  104  for the user&#39;s head, and has a left arm portion  101  and a right arm portion  102 . It will be apparent to the skilled person that, as shown in  FIG. 1 , upper portion  103  and arm portions  101  and  102  have two layers, to fit over the shoulders, front and back, and to cover the arms when the gown is worn. 
         [0017]    Upper portion  103  has an extension  106 , extending from the layer of portion  103  to the back of the gown, which serves as a pull-tab in deploying the gown for use, as is described in enabling detail below. A single layer lower portion  105  extends below the upper portion to a lowermost extremity, and is contiguous with the front of upper portion  103 . If one were to grasp tab  106  and pull in the direction out of the figure, upper portion  103  would open, presenting opening  104  for the user&#39;s head, and the gown could be donned by pulling upper portion  103  over the head, and down so the user&#39;s head passes through opening  104 , which would leave lower portion  105  to the user&#39;s front. 
         [0018]    Gown  100  further comprises two extensions as tie-tabs  107  and  108 , laterally to each side in  FIG. 1 a   . These tie-tabs act as ties once the user dons the gown, to tie lower portion  105  around the user&#39;s torso. Further,  FIG. 1 a    illustrates fold lines  109 ,  110 , and  111 , which are lines along which the gown may be folded to be placed in a dispenser in an embodiment of the invention described in enabling detail below. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1 b    is an illustration of gown  100  of  FIG. 1 a    folded along fold lines  109 ,  110  and  111 . Each of tie-tabs  107  and  108  has a fold line at the edge of lower portion  105 , but these fold lines are not shown in  FIG. 1 a   . Sleeves  101  and  102  are folded along fold lines  109  and  110  respectively, to the front (into the plane of the figure), to lie against the front of the gown as shown in  FIG. 1 b   . Tie-abs  107  and  108  are also folded to the front to lie against the front of the gown. Lastly the portion of the gown below fold line  111  is also folded up to the front along fold line  111 , to lie against the front of the gown. After these operations, the folded gown is as seen in  FIG. 1   b.    
         [0020]    In alternative embodiments, the tie-tabs might be in different positions on a gown, and in one embodiment two tie-tabs may be joined to the gown on the same side. The position, length, and use of the tie-tabs in ties on a gown after the gown is donned is related to specific practice in particular circumstances, and the tie-tabs are not limiting in their position, length and the like. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a dispenser  201  for providing folded gowns one-at-a-time to users. Dispenser  201  comprises a container  202  with one or more interfaces  203  for suspending the container from a vertical surface, such as a wall or a doorway. A plurality of folded gowns, folded according to  FIG. 1 b    in one embodiment, is enclosed in a stack in container  202 . Container  202  has an opening  204  on one major surface for allowing gowns to be presented to users, and for gowns to be withdrawn and donned by users. 
         [0022]    It is emphasized that mounting on a vertical surface, such as a wall or a doorway, is a convenience and an option, not a limitation in the invention. In some cases, a dispenser may be mounted to a chair back, simply placed on a table or other supporting surface, or provided in many other ways. The important issue is that a user must be able to access a gown from the dispenser and don the gown in a sanitary fashion. 
         [0023]    A stack of folded gowns within container  202  is positioned such that, when opening  204  is provided, in a manner described below, tab  106  of a topmost gown in the stack is presented, and is physically accessible to a user, such that the user may grasp the tab and pull, to at least partially dispense the connected gown from the container. The neck opening  104  of the topmost folded gown in the stack of gowns in container  202  is seen in dotted outline in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0024]    In some embodiments of the invention it is important to certain persons to know when there is a limited number of gowns left in the dispenser. For this purpose, in one embodiment, the last few gowns in a dispenser container, for example the last five, may have a specific indicator, like a red dot, or other visible indicia, so users know there are only a limited supply left. In one embodiment radio-frequency identification (RFID) may be used to track the number of gowns in a container, and to alert when the number falls to a critical number. In this method, electronically-discoverable tags are attached, one to each gown. RFID uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track the tags attached to gowns. The tags contain electronically stored information. Passive tags collect energy from a nearby RFID reader&#39;s interrogating radio waves. In such an embodiment, the RFID reader may be a part of the container, or placed near the container, and may have a transmitter to send an alert to an external device, which may be as simple as a cell phone of a person responsible for being sure gowns are available. 
         [0025]    Container  202  may be constructed of a variety of materials, such as plastic, but in one embodiment a preferred material is paperboard of a thickness and strength to maintain its shape when handled, and when hung on a door or a wall. In various embodiments opening  204  may be shaped differently than shown in  FIG. 2 , and some shapes may facilitate feeding of individual gowns from the container. In addition, interfaces  203  may be provided in a variety of ways. 
         [0026]    In one embodiment, wherein container  202  is constructed of paperboard, opening  204  is closed, but the outline seen in  FIG. 2  is perforated in the material of the container, such that a user may remove the covering over the opening, presenting gowns accessible through the opening. 
         [0027]    In an alternative embodiment, a separate outside container or support structure may be provided, made of more rigid material, like plastic or metal, and may be structured for a paperboard or other container of gowns to be placed in the outside container. 
         [0028]    In the circumstance of a paperboard container, the container itself may be throwaway, so when the last gown is withdrawn, the container is just discarded, and a new container full of gowns is placed for service. In another embodiment, gowns may be replaceable in pre-stacked groups, perhaps in a sanitary covering that may be removed. In this circumstance container  202  may be of more sturdy construction, and may have a side opening that may be opened to allow a new stack of gowns to be inserted for use. In this circumstance the container may be designed to be cleanable, to be kept in sanitary condition. In some cases, the opening for a new stack of gowns may be in the top or bottom edge, or anywhere else, such that the stack of gowns may be inserted. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  illustrates container  202  suspended on a door  301  by interfaces  203  engaging the top of the door. Opening  204  faces outward, away from door  301 , positioned at a height between 5 and 6 feet in one embodiment. Opening  204  height is shown, and tab  106  may be seen extending out from opening  204 , such that a user may easily grab and pull on the tab. 
         [0030]      FIG. 4 a    illustrates a user  402 , who may be a doctor or nurse, for example, reaching for and grasping tab  106  of a topmost gown in container  202  hung on door  301 . In this example, it may be assumed that the door is entry to a hospital room or an operating theatre where a gown may be mandatory. 
         [0031]      FIG. 4 b    illustrates user  402 , having pulled a gown  100  partly from container  202 , and having pulled the gown over his/her head, with the head now projected upward through opening  104  at the top of the upper portion of the gown. The folding of gown  100  and placement into container  202  presents the tab  106  at a convenient height for the user to grasp the tab and pull the gown, and the placement of the gown with back facing outward allows the step of pulling the gown over the user&#39;s head. 
         [0032]      FIG. 4 c    illustrates a third step, wherein the user, with his or her head through opening  104  of the gown, releases the gown with the hand that grasped the tab, and simply steps backward one or two steps, away from the dispenser, which action causes gown  100  to fully draw out of the dispenser. At this point the front of the gown may fall down in front of the user, and the user may easily put his/her arms into the sleeves of the gown, and then tie the gown around the torso. This final step is not shown, but will be fully apparent to the skilled person. 
         [0033]    In one embodiment, the dispenser, including container  102 , and gowns in or to be placed into the container, are provided fully sterilized, and protected in sterile form, into a sterile environment, such as an operating theatre. In yet another embodiment gowns in this invention may have a tie tab from one gown physically connected to a portion of a next gown in a stack. This version is useful in a procedure for donning gowns, that may be used in a sterile environment to prevent contamination in the process of donning a gown. 
         [0034]    It is emphasized as well that gowns, to be compatible with aspects of this invention, need not be exactly the form and folding shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , but may be made in some cases considerably differently. In one embodiment gowns provided for use in aspects of this invention have thumb holes in the ends of the sleeves, in a position that a wearer can pass his or her thumb through this opening, beforehand coverings are applied, which prevents the arms of the gown from riding up when the wearer is busy in performing tasks. 
         [0035]    It will also be apparent to the skilled person that the embodiment described above with regard to  FIGS. 1-4   c  is an example, and not limiting. The examples provided above are just that, examples, exemplary of specific implementations of the invention, and not limiting. The invention has application far beyond provision of sterile gowns in a hospital setting. Further, the gowns may be plastic or fabric of many sorts, and may be designed and implemented in a variety of ways, and also folded in a variety of ways. There are many alterations to the gown, the container, the openings, and the placement of the dispenser on a vertical surface that will fall within the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, the interfaces to the vertical surface may vary, both in form and number. In some embodiments, the opening in the container to present a gown for withdrawal may be different in shape and size. There are many options within the scope of the invention.