Abstract:
An apron having a body panel with removable fabric sheets attached thereto along first and second lines of perforation. The removable sheets may be formed of cloth or paper material and can be disposable or configured for laundering and reuse. Attachment members attach the sheets to the body panel in a manner that allows for easy replacement of a module of fabric sheets.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention is directed to aprons, and more particularly, to an apron having removable sheets attached to a front body panel.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Within the trades, and particularly in the caulking of windows, doors, and floors, a caulking gun is typically used to apply a bead of caulk to all of the seams in the trim. Once the caulking is in place, the worker will use a finger or other tool to run along the caulk to form a bead having a substantially concave configuration. The caulk on the worker&#39;s finger or tool is then wiped away with a paper towel or cloth rag. Some workers may use a bucket of water, a sponge, a towel, or a rag, or even their own clothing. Before long, the caulk material can cover the worker&#39;s clothing and other material will have to be used to clean the worker&#39;s hands and tools.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The disclosed embodiments of the present invention are directed to an apron that includes a body panel; straps attached to the body panel; and removable fabric sheets attached to the body panel along first and second lines of attachment, each fabric sheet having first and second lines of perforation formed therein adjacent each line of attachment to enable detachment of individual fabric sheets from the body panel.  
         [0006]     In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the first and second lines of attachment are formed transverse across an upper and lower portion of the body panel, respectively. These lines of attachment may be formed of adhesive, zippers, snaps, buttons, and the like.  
         [0007]     In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the first and second lines of perforation are formed substantially parallel to and adjacent to the respective first and second lines of attachment.  
         [0008]     In accordance with another aspect of foregoing embodiment, the fabric sheets may be formed of cloth material, paper material, or other similar materials that may be absorbent, although is not necessarily so. The material may be launderable so that it can be reused. In addition removable or permanent handwipes in pre-moistened condition can be incorporated in the sheets or separately attached thereto.  
         [0009]     In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the attachment member enables replacement of cleaned sheets back on the body panel.  
         [0010]     In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, an apron is provided that includes a body panel sized and shaped to be worn over the torso of a user to substantially cover the front of the user&#39;s torso; a plurality of straps attached to the body panel to attach the body panel to the user; and a model of removable sheets attached to the body panel by attachment members, each removable sheet configured to be separately detached from the attachment members whereby when an exposed removable sheet becomes soiled, the user can remove the soiled sheet from the apron to expose a clean sheet for use by the user. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an apron formed in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged partial view of a portion of the apron of  FIG. 1 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , shown therein is an apron  10  formed in accordance with the present invention. The apron  10  includes a body panel  12  having a plurality of straps  14  attached thereto, each strap  14  having a first end  16  attached to the body panel  12  and a free end  18  that enables the strap to be tied around the neck and waist of the user.  
         [0014]     The body panel  12  is sized and shaped to substantially cover the upper torso of a user. Although the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  has only a front body panel  12 , it is to be understood that the apron may be sized and shaped to completely wrap around the torso of the user or to extend below the waist of the user. In a preferred embodiment, the body panel  12  is approximately 25 inches in height and approximately 13 inches in width. Preferably, the body panel is formed of a cloth material that enables the apron  10  to be laundered when it is soiled.  
         [0015]     The body panel  12  has a front surface  20  to which is attached a plurality of removable sheets  22 . At least one attachment member  24  is used to attach the sheets  22  to an upper portion  26  of the body panel  12 . Ideally, a second attachment member  28  is used to attach the sheets  22  to a lower portion  30  of the body panel  12 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the attachment members  24 ,  28  are preferably formed transverse across the upper and lower portions  26 ,  30  of the body panel  12 . However, these attachment members may be positioned at other orientations as desired.  
         [0016]     The attachment members  24 ,  28  may take several forms, including adhesive material, or they may be zippers, buttons, snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, or the like that can be removed from the body panel  12 . In accordance with another embodiment, a slit is formed in the body panel  12  and the attachment members  24 ,  28  are clipped or otherwise inserted within the slit.  
         [0017]     Preferably, each of the fabric sheets  22  is removably connected to the attachment members  24 ,  28  by respective first and second lines of perforation  32 ,  34 . Ideally, the first and second lines of perforation  32 ,  34  are formed substantially parallel to and adjacent the respective attachment members  24 ,  28 . These lines of perforation  32 ,  34  enable a user to tear the sheet away from the apron  10  when the sheet has become unusable, such as when it is soiled with caulk material. Alternatively, means for reattaching the sheets  22  to the apron  10  may be used, such as hook-and-loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, zippers, and the like.  
         [0018]     Ideally, each fabric sheet is formed of material that is lightweight, absorbent, and can be easily torn along the lines of perforation  32 ,  34 . In one embodiment, the fabric sheets  22  are formed of cloth material with a process that provides the lines of perforation  32 ,  34  that enables a user to rather easily tear the cloth material away from the attachment members  24 ,  28 . The sheets  22  may be formed of material that can be laundered and then reattached. In another embodiment, the fabric sheets may be formed of paper material, such as paper towels and the like, or a commercial grade material that is readily commercially available and will not be discussed in detail herein.  
         [0019]     While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, a single removable sheet may be used on the body panel, or any number of a plurality of sheets may be used. The sheets may be manufactured in a module that includes the attachment members so that when all of the removable sheets have been used, the attachment members can be quickly detached from the body panel and the new module attached in place through the use of conventional attachment means, such as snaps, buttons, zippers, and hook-and-loop fasteners. Another option is to include pre-moistened towels or sheets, either incorporated into the fabric sheets or attached to the sheets or apron. In addition, the size of the sheets as illustrated can be increased to cover a greater area of the apron. For example, the length of the sheets can be longer at the bottom to cover a greater area of the lower portion of the apron itself.  
         [0020]     All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.  
         [0021]     From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.