Patent Publication Number: US-6212690-B1

Title: Fiber glass particle resistant body garment

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The building industry including home construction involves fiber glass material being used as insulation above the ceilings and in the walls. This insulation can be either blown in place or sheet laid. The insulation material in either case produces particles injurious to a person&#39;s skin, nose, lungs and eyes. Conventionally, protection against the fiber glass particles involves the workman wearing goggles and rubber gloves on the hands. This procedure does not work satisfactorily as the particles can contact the unprotected part of the workman&#39;s body and seep behind the goggles through small openings. The rubber gloves interfere with finger gripping of tools and building materials. 
     What is needed is a garment that will fully protect the person&#39;s body but yet allow for complete vision and use of the hands including the fingers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first garment is provided that is open at one end and closed at the other and is pulled down over the head and torso with the arms and hands being inserted into sleeves that include protection for the hands and fingers. The material in the garment is thin and stretchable such that it matingly fits all surfaces of the person&#39;s body. The thinness of the material also allows the person to see through it to allow working with the fiber glass material. 
     Various materials may have properties allowing for sufficient stretch and be thin enough to see through while preventing fiber glass particles from penetrating through the material. One material that has been found acceptable is the stretchable nylon material used in women&#39;s pantyhose such as made by Hanes Hosewear, Osage, Iowa, or Jockey International, Inc., Kenosha, Wis. The material used in this garment varies from 75 percent nylon, 25 percent Lycra® spandex to 85 percent nylon, 15 percent Lycra® spandex (20 denier). As the material is stretched over the body including the eyes, it becomes thinner allowing for clear vision. The material lightest in color will provide for the best vision. This material will also allow air to flow freely through it, thus allowing the person to breathe freely. 
     The nature of this material and the way it fits over the face is such that in an extreme case tobacco products could even be used. The garment is also stretchable to allow fitting over the workman&#39;s normal work clothing. A second garment is provided for the waist down and overlaps with the upper garment at the waist, thereby protecting the entire body against skin contact with fiber glass particles. 
     Removal of the garments is performed in such a way that the fiber glass particles attached to the outside surface of the garments are trapped in the garment as the upper garment is pulled upwardly over the torso turning the garment inside out. The same removal step is performed with the lower garment, i.e., it is pulled downwardly turning inside out thereby trapping the fiber glass particles in the garment which is then discarded. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a person feeding loose fiber glass insulation on a construction job site. 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the workman laying fiber glass sheet material as an insulation material in a wall. 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a one piece upper body garment covering the head, arms, hands and torso. 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a lower body garment from the waist down over the legs. 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a person wearing both upper and lower garments over conventional work clothing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The body garment of this invention is referred to in FIG. 4 by the Reference  10  and includes an upper body garment  12  and a lower body garment  14  as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     The upper body garment  12  is one piece and matingly fits over the head  16 , neck  18 , arms  20 , and hands  22  including fingers  24 . As seen in FIG. 4, the garment material matingly fits over the eyes  26 , nose  28 , and mouth  30 . 
     It is further seen in FIG. 4 that the upper garment  12  fits over the workman&#39;s work clothes including a shirt  32 . An elastic band  34  at the waist seen in FIG. 2 assures a tight fit. 
     The lower body garment  14  also has an elastic waist  36  and elastic  38  is provided at the ankles of the legs  40 . As seen in FIG. 4, the upper garment  12  overlaps the lower garment  14  at the waist. 
     In use, the upper garment  12  is pulled down over the head  42  with the arms  20  positioned in the sleeves  44 . When the garments  12  and  14  are to be removed after working with the fiber glass construction material, the lower open end is pulled upwardly turning the garment inside out, thereby capturing the fiber glass materials inside the garment and preventing any contact with the workman&#39;s skin. The lower garment  14  is also rolled downwardly inside out, thereby protecting the workman against the fiber glass material contacting the skin. 
     Since the workman is fully protected, he is free to lay loose fiber glass insulation  46  as seen in FIG. 1 being fed from a feeder tube  48  or apply sheet insulation material  50  in a wall  52  as seen in FIG.  1 A.