Patent Publication Number: US-6708341-B1

Title: Woodcarver&#39;s apron with lap basin for retaining waste material

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an apron. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an apron that includes a flexible work area bounded by a waste retaining barrier. 
     Many crafts may be more comfortably performed while a person is sitting on a chair or couch. For example, whittlers and chip carvers often find that practicing their carving while sitting allows their arms to bend at the elbow and extend into their lap. This position is more comfortable, convenient and ergonomic than carving while standing or perching on a stool. Unfortunately, the practice of many crafts produces a steady amount of waste material which is both messy and potentially dangerous. For this reason, many people that practice crafts wear an apron or other protective garment to shield themselves. However, if a person is working while sitting down, instead of working at a table or work bench for example, then the waste material may fall to the floor or to the chair where the person is sitting. Standard aprons do nothing to prevent this situation. 
     At least one manufacturer has attempted to provide an apron that is suitable to wear while working at a craft in a sitting position and that provides a means to catch and/or contain the waste material produced. Generally, these aprons include a pouch or pocket for catching and collecting wood chips and the like. However, the pouches on these aprons were not designed with sitting anywhere other than on a stool in mind. More specifically, the pouches are attached to the front portion of the apron. If the person is perched on a stool, the pouch is aligned in a generally vertical manner so that waste material might fall into the pouch. However, if the person is in a sitting position, that is the person&#39;s thighs are perpendicular to their torso, such as when a person sits on a chair or couch, the pouch is aligned generally horizontally. In addition, the mouth or opening of the pouch usually will close when a person sits down unless an additional piece or prop is inserted into the opening. Needless to say, it is difficult to direct wood chips, shavings or other waste into such a pouch when a person is sitting in a chair or on a couch without unnecessary inconvenience. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide an apron that is specifically designed to include a flexible, convenient, and effective work area bounded by a waste retaining barrier when the wearer is in a sitting position. It is further desirable to provide such an apron that is durable and light-weight and that may be washed without losing its effectiveness. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to an apron having a lap basin that is bounded by a stiffened rim which acts as a waste retaining barrier. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a lap basin that is attached to the bottom edge of a torso section. The lap basin includes a stiffened rim and a bottom section with the stiffened rim attached to the outside edge of the bottom section so that it is positioned in a generally vertical manner. The stiffened rim is constructed by inserting a relatively stiff material, such as a polyester film, into a rim tube. The torso section includes a head loop that is attached to the top edge of a bib and two tie straps that are attached to the top of the vertical side edges of the bib. The elements that form the torso section and the bottom section and rim tube of the lap basin are constructed from a flexible, durable fabric which causes the apron to comfortably conform to a user&#39;s shape and position. When a user wearing the apron assumes a sitting position, the lap basin provides a broad, open working area that will retain waste material such as carving chips or shavings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention being worn by a user in a sitting position; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 without the user; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 without the user and with a portion of the rim tube broken away to show the stiffener inserted into the rim tube; and 
     FIG. 4 is a side sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  in FIG. 2 showing the stiffening rim and the bottom portion of the lap basin. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an apron that allows a user to sit comfortably while working at a craft, such as carving, without worrying that waste material will spill about the user&#39;s work area. Referring first to FIG. 1, the apron includes a torso section  10  and a lap basin  20  having a stiffened rim  30  that acts to retain waste material  40  within lap basin  20 . Torso section  10  includes a bib portion  50  and a head loop  60 . As shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 &amp; 3, torso section  10  also includes a first tie strap  70  and a second tie strap  80 . Lap basin  20  includes a bottom portion  90  and a stiffened rim  30 . Torso section  10  and lap basin  20  may be constructed from any durable, flexible fabric such as denim, canvas, oil cloth, leather, heavy cotton, nylon or vinyl. Also, head loop and tie straps may be formed from pre-finished webbing, heavy grosgrain ribbon or other suitable material. 
     As seen in FIG. 3, bib portion  50  of torso section  10  has a top edge  100 , two curved side edges  110  and  120 , two vertical side edges  130  and  140 , and a bottom edge (not shown). Head loop  60  has a first end  150  and a second end  160  that are attached to top edge  100  of bib portion  50  to provide a closed loop. Tie straps  70  and  80  also have a first end  170  and  180  respectively and a second end (not shown). First end  170  of tie strap  70  is attached to the top of vertical side edge  130 . Similarly, first end  180  of tie strap  80  is attached to the top of vertical side edge  140 . It should be understood that head loop  60  may be formed from two pieces similar to first tie strap  70  and second tie strap  80 . Also, it should be understood that first tie strap  70  and second tie strap  80  may be replaced by single adjustable strap. 
     As seen in FIG. 2, bottom portion  90  of lap basin  20  has a curved inside edge  190  and a curved outside edge  200 . Preferably, inside edge  190  has a radius and length that approximates the radius of the user&#39;s waist. This feature allows the apron to fit comfortably and naturally against the user when the user is in a sitting position. The bottom edge of bib  50  is attached to inside edge  190  of bottom section  90  to form a seam  210  (shown in FIG.  1 ). Thus, it should be understood that the length of the bottom edge of bib  50  and inside edge  190  of bottom portion  90  are equal and long enough that seam  210  extends past the hips of the user. 
     Stiffened rim  30  is attached to outside edge  200  of bottom portion  90 . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, stiffened rim  30  includes a stiffener  220  inserted inside a rim tube  230 . Preferably, stiffener  220  is formed from a polyester film, such as Mylar™, that has a thickness of between ten and twenty millimeters. For example, in one preferred embodiment, approximately 15 millimeters of Mylar™ was used to form stiffener  220 . In addition to being only relatively rigid and light-weight, polyester film provides the advantages of being both water-proof and crush-resistant which allows the user to wash the apron without causing the rim to lose its stiffness. Additional material, such as various plastics, paperboard, or corrugated cardboard, are also suitable and included within the scope of this invention. When polyester film is used, the height of stiffened rim  30  preferably is three to four inches. This height ensures that rim  30  does not sag and allows the user&#39;s arms to fall naturally towards his or her lap without interference. 
     To produce the present invention, head loop  60 , tie straps  70  and  80 , bib portion  50 , rim tube  230  and bottom portion  90  are cut from a durable, flexible fabric. Preferably, these elements are constructed from two identical pieces of fabric to improve their durability and the apron&#39;s aesthetic appearance, so for each element two pieces of fabric are cut. It should be understood that the pieces may be cut from different fabrics. Head loop  60 , tie straps  70  and  80  and rim tube  230  have a generally rectangular shape, while bottom portion  90  and bib portion  50  have the shapes shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively. Stiffener  220 , which is also rectangular, is cut from a stiff material so that its length is equal to outside edge  200  of bottom portion  90  of lap basin  20  and, preferably, its width is equal to between three and four inches. 
     Next, the ends  150  and  160  of head loop  60  are sewn onto top edge  100  of bib portion  50 , and the first ends  170  and  180  of tie straps  70  and  80  are sewn onto the top of vertical side edges  130  and  140  respectively. Thereafter, the bottom edge of bib portion  50  is sewn to inside edge  190  of bottom portion  90  to form seam  210 . It should be appreciated that since bib portion  50  and bottom portion  90  preferably are each formed by layering two pieces of similarly shaped fabric, that a single layer of bib portion  50  and a single layer of bottom portion  90  are sewn together before the remaining layers are sewn to their respective mates so that the seams are completely enclosed inside the apron. 
     To construct stiffened rim  30 , rim tube  230  is formed first. In the preferred method, rim tube  230  is made by sewing together two pieces of fabric as shown in FIG. 4 so that a longitudinal cavity is formed. This method of sewing rim tube  230  has the advantage of providing seams that give additional support to stiffener  220 . Thereafter, stiffener  220  is inserted into one end of the cavity and advanced throughout its length. Finally, rim tube  230  is sewn to bottom portion  90 . As shown in FIG. 4, if bottom portion  90  is constructed of two pieces of fabric, then the bottom end  240  of rim tube  230  is sewn between the two pieces of fabric that make up bottom section  90 . 
     To use, a person first inserts his or her head into and through the loop formed by head loop  60 . Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the person ties first tie strap  70  and second tie strap  80  together in a releasable knot  250 . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, when the person assumes a sitting position, lap basin  20  is positioned naturally in the lap of the person and provides a working area that will retain waste material such as carving chips or shavings. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, all matter shown in the accompanying drawings or described hereinabove is to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description.