Patent Publication Number: US-10779584-B1

Title: Apparel for individuals with limited mobility

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to an apparel. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an apparel that can be used by women with limited mobility. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Women with limited mobility find it very difficult to undress while addressing their personal toilet needs. Hence there is need for an apparel that women with limited mobility can remove easily and with confidence. 
     This apparel removes many of the obstacles experienced by caregivers while assisting patients with their bathroom needs, allowing them to more effectively care for their patients. 
     Several designs for apparels for patients have been designed in the past. None of them, however, are known to be easily removable by patients with limited mobility. 
     Applicant believes that a related reference corresponds to U.S. Patent Publication No. 20040210987 filed by INGRID CARNEY. The Carney reference discloses maternity wear that accommodates the changing shape of a woman&#39;s body during pregnancy, thereby minimizing the need for maternity clothes. However, the Carney reference fails to disclose any apparel that addresses the sensitive needs of women with limited mobility. 
     Another related application is U.S. Patent Publication No. 20100017933 filed by ELIZABETH LIDE TAYLOR-BARRY. The Barry reference discloses a modular medical apparel for use by patients during medical care and treatment, which provides comfort, dignity, easy dressing and access to the body without unnecessary body exposure. However, the Barry reference fails to disclose any apparel that addresses the sensitive needs of women with limited mobility, which can be undone very easily. 
     Other documents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparel for women with limited mobility. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparel for women with limited mobility which is easy to wear as well as easy to undo. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparel for women with limited mobility wearing which the women can be comfortable without having the constant feeling that some part of their body is getting exposed, as is the case with the conventional hospital gowns in which the back of the patients is completely bare. 
     Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing any limitations thereon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  represents a schematic view of an apparel  10  for women with limited mobility which comprises an apparel body  12  having a waist securing portion  14 , and securing means  16 A,  16 B provided on the waist securing portion  14 . 
         FIG. 2  illustrates another schematic view of the apparel  10 , in which the inner surface of the apparel body  12  is seen having a pocket  18 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view illustrating the first step involved in wearing the apparel  10 , which is holding the apparel  10  such that the securing means  16 A,  16 B provided on the apparel  10  can be accessed near the abdominal area of the patient. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic view illustrating the second step involved in wearing the apparel  10 , in which half of the apparel  10  is draped on the body of the patient. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic view illustrating the second step involved in wearing the apparel  10 , in which the remaining half of the apparel  10  is draped on the body of the patient, subsequent to which the securing means  16 A,  16 B are engaged. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-5 , where the present invention is generally referred to with numeral  10 , it can be observed that an apparel for women with limited mobility  10  (hereinafter also referred to as apparel  10 ) comprises an apparel body  12 . On the apparel body  12  is provided at least one waist securing portion  14 . The waist securing portion  14  is the portion of the apparel  10  that can be secured to the waist of a woman with limited mobility or any other patient for that matter. In an embodiment, the apparel  10  is a skirt, as illustrated in  FIG. 1  thru  FIG. 5 . In an embodiment, the apparel  10  is a skirt that is either a knee length skirt or a full length skirt. The apparel  10  further comprises securing means  16 A,  16 B provided on the waist securing portion  14 . 
     In an embodiment, the waist securing portion  14  is provided on an operative top edge  12 A of apparel body  12 . In another embodiment, the waist securing portion  14  can include two or more waist bands (waist securing portion  14 ) for securely fitting onto the waist of the patient. The waist securing portion  14  further includes a resilient band  14 A. The resilient band  14 A has elastic properties, which allows the use of a single skirt on patients of different body types. 
     The securing means  16 A,  16 B, in accordance with the present invention, are means that can be fastened and unfastened with extreme ease. The purpose is to have patients with limited mobility complete freedom and ability to undress themselves without any assistance for catering their toilet needs. Even in cases where the patient is completely immobile, having such easy to fasten and unfasten securing means make the caregiver&#39;s job easy to dress and undress the patient. 
     In one embodiment, the securing means  16 A are hook and loop straps. Hook and loop straps can be provided in the form of continuous strips or intermittent strips, as per the patient&#39;s preference and application requirements. In some embodiments of the apparel  10 , only securing means  16 A in the form of hook and loop straps are provided on the waist securing portion  14 . 
     In another embodiment, the securing means  16 B is a button and button loop set. The apparel  10 , in one embodiment, can include only the securing means  16 B as means for fastening the skirt to the waist of the patient. 
     In yet another embodiment, the apparel  10  can include both the securing means  16 A,  16 B, as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . The presence of both the securing means  16 A,  16 B gives the patient an element of choice to select the securing means which they feel they are more comfortable with. Furthermore, providing two securing means  16 A,  16 B also gives a sense of security to the patient that apparel  10  has been securely worn on their bodies, with any chance of accidental removal of the apparel  10  being reduced. 
     In an embodiment, as seen in  FIG. 2 , the apparel  10  includes at least one pocket  18  provided on the inner surface of the apparel body  12 . The pocket  18  can be used to hold anything that the patient would want to have on themselves, e.g., a foley catheter. In another embodiment, a pocket can also be provided on the outer surface of the apparel body  12 . The outer pocket can be used to contain a cellphone or a caller bell. 
     In an embodiment, the apparel body  12  of the apparel  10  can be provided with a warmth providing surface on the inner side thereof. This feature provides dual functionality to the apparel  10 , i.e., the apparel  10  is a skirt as well as a blanket for the patient. The warmth providing surface can be any surface known in the art, e.g., fur. 
     Reference is now directed to  FIG. 3  thru  FIG. 5 . As seen in  FIG. 3  thru  FIG. 5 , the method of wearing the apparel  10  has been illustrated. The first step of wearing the apparel  10  involves holding the apparel  10  around the body in a manner that the securing means  16 A,  16 B can be accessed by the user around the naval or the abdominal area. The second step involves draping a first half of the skirt on the body. The third step involves draping the remaining half of the skirt on the body. The final step is to engage the securing means  16 A,  16 B provided on the waist securing portions for fitting the skirt on the body of the patient. 
     The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.