Abstract:
Apparel, clothing and methods of using clothing tops with a wider front and rear necklines for patients wearing halo braces. The wider necklines and adjustable ties with slit opening allow the clothing top to be worn and removed without the patient being in pain while the brace is attached to the patient&#39;s head and body. It makes the patient look presentable as well as comfortable. It will allow individuals both men and women to be well dressed for physical therapy and any other outings.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to apparel, and in particular to apparel, clothing and methods of using adjustable shirts and clothing tops with adjustable rear necklines to provide room for patients wearing halo braces in severe pain needing to look decent for physical therapy. 
     BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART 
     Halo braces are commonly used after a neck fracture or dislocation. A halo brace is a metal brace that circles and attaches to a patient&#39;s skull and are used to keep the bones in the cervical spine (neck) from moving. Pins screwed into the skin above the eyebrows keep the halo in place. Metal rods generally connect the halo to a plastic type vest worn over the user&#39;s chest and back. Halo braces are often used after a neck fracture or dislocation. A problem occurs when the patient is using halo brace and has to go to therapy, and they have no clothing except a hospital gown because of the halo brace attached to their head 
     Regular shirts have necklines that are too small for the person with the halo brace on. The necklines do not fit, and the patients need more room to get their hands into the sleeve of the shirt since they are in pain and cannot put their hands into the sleeve of the shirt due to the width and height of the halo brace making it difficult for the patient. 
     Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide apparel with adjustable necklines for patients wearing halo braces that allows for ease in putting on shirts and clothing tops while the halo brace is attached to the patient. 
     A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide apparel and clothing for patients wearing a halo brace to be decently dressed for physical therapy. 
     The inventor created the invention when there was a complaint from the therapist for not always having appropriate clothing for patients wearing halo braces 
     In order to have more room, the subject invention with slit back of the shirt was created, to make it easier for the patient to wear the shirt without pain. 
     A clothing top such as a shirt can include a front section having a left panel completely detachable from a right panel, a plurality of first fasteners for attaching the left panel to the right panel, the front section adapted to cover an upper front torso of a patient wearing a halo device, a rear panel having closed sides which attach to side edges of the front section, the rear panel having a closed bottom, a slit opening running from an upper neckline of the rear panel downward and ending before the closed bottom, and second fasteners for adjusting the slit opening between closed and open, the rear panel adapted to cover an upper rear torso of a patient wearing the halo device. 
     The plurality of first fasteners can include buttons and corresponding button holes, which allow the left panel to be detachable from the right panel. 
     The second fasteners can include a pair of pull ties that pass through a piping in the slit opening, the pull ties being capable of being tied together in order to adjust the opening and closing of the slit opening. 
     The clothing top can include sleeves extending from upper left and upper right sides of the front section and the rear panel. 
     The front section can include a concave curved front neckline. 
     The rear panel can include a rear neckline, wherein the front neckline drops below the rear neckline. The rear neckline can include a flat lower line and angled ends. 
     Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of the novel shirt with button closed. 
         FIG. 2  is another front view of the novel shirt with button open. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear view of the novel shirt of  FIG. 1  with slit at back with ties tied. 
         FIG. 4  is another rear view of the novel shirt of  FIG. 3  with slit at back and ties opened. 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of a patient having a halo device wearing the novel shirt with a wider neckline of  FIGS. 1-2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the patient having the halo device shown in  FIG. 5  wearing the novel shirt. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 
     In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally. 
     In this section, some embodiments of the invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     A list of components will now be described.
       10  Clothing top such as a shirt.     20  Front panel of clothing top.     30  Sleeve.     40  Left front panel of clothing top.     50  Button.     60  Front neckline.     70  Rear neckline.     80  Tie piping on rear opening.     90  Rear opening (approximately 7.5 inches long.     100  Rear back of shirt.     110  Button hole on front panel.     120  Patient wearing halo device.     130  Halo device.     140  Vest of halo device.     150  Support strut of halo Device.   

       FIG. 1  is a front view of the novel shirt  10  with buttons closed.  FIG. 2  is another front view of the novel shirt  10  with buttons, front opened at neck. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , the novel shirt  10  can have a front  40  with two panels  20 , and sleeves extending therefrom. The front panels  20  can be joined together by buttons  50  that pass through button holes  110 , so that the front  40  of the shirt  10  can be separated in half. 
       FIG. 3  is a rear view of the novel shirt  10  of  FIG. 1  with tie closed.  FIG. 4  is another rear view of the novel shirt  10  of  FIG. 3  with back slit opened. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the back  100  of the shirt  10  can be a generally single panel with sides connected to outer sides of the front  40  of the shirt  10 , with the upper corners being attached to sleeves  30 . The rear neckline  70  can have angled ends and a flat midportion that is generally higher than the front neckline  60 . 
     Midway between the piping portion of the rear neckline  70  can be generally a slit (or opening)  90 , with opposite portions of the upper part of the opening having ties  80  coming out of the piping  90  that can be adjusted or tied depending on who is wearing it. 
     The novel shirt  10  can be manufactured in various colors and sizes. It can be produced easily using conventional available materials like cotton and polyester. 
       FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of a patient  120  having a halo device  130  that can include a vest  140  and support strut  150 , with the patient  120  wearing the novel shirt  10  of  FIGS. 1-2 . 
       FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the patient  120  having the halo device  130  with vest  140  and support strut  150  shown in  FIG. 5  with the patient  120  wearing the novel shirt  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , the patient  120  having the halo device  130  with vest  140  and support strut  150 , can easily take off the novel shirt  10  by unbuttoning the buttons  50  and button holes  110  on the front  40  of the shirt  10 , and untying the ties  80  on the rear  100  of the shirt. 
     Similarly, the shirt  10  can be placed on the patient  120  having the halo device  130  with vest  140  and support strut  150  by inserting the patient&#39;s arms into the sleeves  30  while the front buttons  40  are detached from the front button holes  110  and the rear opening/slit  90  is loose and the ties  80  detached from one another. After placing the shirt  10  on the patient  120 , the button holes  110  can be buttoned to corresponding button holes  110  and ties  80  can be pulled together and tied with each other to close off the slit/opening  90 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the back slit opening can be approximately 7.5 inches. An overall neckline can be approximately 38 inches. The front neckline can be approximately 12.5 inches on each half (approximately 25 inches total), and the back neckline can be approximately 6.5 inches on each half (approximately 13 inches total). The term approximately can include +/−10%. 
     While the novel clothing is shown as a shirt, other types of upper clothing can be used, such as but not limited to jackets, sweaters, and the like. 
     Although the novel shirt is shown with short sleeves, the shirt can have long sleeves. Alternatively, the shirt can be a vest. 
     While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.