Abstract:
A hospital garment for preventing removal of incontinent briefs, diapers or wound dressings including a main body that defines a front, back, top and bottom. A neck opening is formed in the top of the main body. Also, the main body forms a left arm opening and a right arm opening one each side of the neck opening. A crotch flap extends from the front of the main body. The crotch flap defines a distal end that is removably attachable to the back of the main body to establish a left leg opening and a right leg opening. In one embodiment, the bottom edge of the back of the main body is fastened to the proximal end of the crotch flap in addition to the attachment of the distal end of the crotch flap to the back of the main body.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/248,885 filed on Nov. 14, 2000, incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to hospital garments, and more particularly to a garment that prevents a person, particularly an elderly person, from removing an incontinent brief.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Background Art  
           [0005]    Sadly, bowel and bladder control is a problem suffered by many people, particularly the aged. Patients in hospitals and convalescent homes for the elderly who are incontinent may be required by their caregivers to wear incontinent briefs or diapers to prevent these patients from soiling their clothing and bedding as well as to avoid embarrassment to the patient. Unfortunately, in many cases, the patients can remove their diapers or incontinent briefs thereby defeating the purpose of the briefs and causing frustration to caregivers as well as creating repetitive unsanitary conditions requiring frequent bedding and clothing changes.  
           [0006]    Likewise, invalid patients often attempt to remove irritating dressings and bandages that have been applied to bedsores or closed wounds from operative procedures. Removal of dressings can result in a greater likelihood of infection or prolong recovery if the wound is re-opened. Accordingly, there is a need for hospital garment that prevents the removal of incontinent briefs and wound dressings. The present invention satisfies that need, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in existing garments.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    By way of example, and not of limitation, the invention includes a hospital garment according to the present invention includes a main body that defines a front panel, back panel, top and a bottom. A neck opening is formed in the top of the main body. Also, a left arm opening and right arm opening is formed in the main body on each side of the neck opening.  
           [0008]    A crotch flap extends from the front panel of the main body. The crotch flap defines a distal end that is removably attachable to the back panel of the main body. The crotch flap has a plurality of fasteners at the distal end of the flap that attach to corresponding fasteners at the back panel of the main body of the garment. The fasteners can be snaps, buttons and buttonholes, or hook-and-loop fasteners or the like.  
           [0009]    In one embodiment, the flap has a second set of fasteners disposed near the proximal end of the crotch flap. In this embodiment, the bottom edge of the back panel has a tab with a strip of fasteners, preferably heavy-duty hook-and-loop fasteners, which correspond with the proximal fasteners of the crotch flap. When the bottom edge fasteners are joined and the distal end of the crotch flap is attached to the back of the main body, a left leg opening and a right leg opening are established. Thus, the bottom edges of the front and back panels are first secured together with the proximal fasteners and then further secured as the crotch flap is tightened between the legs and distal end of the flap is fastened to the fasteners on the mid rear panel of the garment.  
           [0010]    Preferably, the hospital garment further includes a back slit that is formed in the back of the main body so that it extends downwardly from the neck opening. This facilitates the placement of the garment on a patient that has difficulty standing or has a large body. In one embodiment, the garment also includes a back flap and back flap fastener that are attached to one side of the back slit. An opposing back flap fastener is attached to the back of the main body adjacent to the second side of the slit at the neck opening. Preferably, these fasteners can be snaps, buttons and buttonholes, or hook-and-loop fasteners. Moreover, the garment is preferably made of a soft, pre-shrunk cotton material that can be repetitively washed in hot water and placed in a hot dryer thereby allowing effective cleaning.  
           [0011]    Thus it can be seen that the garment of the present invention is much like a body suit that fits snugly over the diaper or brief of the patient preventing the patient from removing the incontinent brief or diaper.  
           [0012]    An object of the invention is to provide a hospital garment that is durable and easy to sanitize.  
           [0013]    Another object of the invention is to provide a garment that restricts the access of the patient to incontinent briefs or diapers so that the briefs cannot be easily removed by the patient.  
           [0014]    Another object of the invention is to provide a garment that has a lowered neckline and armholes that are oversized for ease of use and comfort to the patient.  
           [0015]    Still another object of the invention is to provide a garment that is easily adjustable to fit the torso of patients of varying sizes and shapes.  
           [0016]    Another object of the invention is to provide a garment that is durable and of reliable construction.  
           [0017]    Another object of the invention is to provide a hospital garment that is easily and efficiently manufactured.  
           [0018]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a garment that has a flap that fastens at the back such that the user cannot unfasten the fasteners and remove the garment without assistance.  
           [0019]    Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a front view of a hospital garment according to the present invention with the crotch flap shown in the open position.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is a rear view of the hospital garment of FIG. 1 with the crotch flap shown in the open position.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a rear view of the hospital garment of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 with the crotch flap shown in the closed position.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is a rear view of an alternative embodiment of the hospital garment of FIG. 1 through FIG. 3 with a back slit and with the crotch flap shown in the closed position.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a rear view of an alternative embodiment of the hospital garment of FIG. 1 through FIG. 3 with the crotch flap shown in the open position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]    Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the apparatus generally shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein.  
         [0027]    Referring first to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, an embodiment of a hospital garment  10  is shown. Preferably garment  10  is manufactured from a soft, pre-shrunk cotton material that will maintain its dimensions after multiple washings. In the front view of garment  10  in FIG. 1, it can be seen that garment  10  includes a main body portion  12  that is preferably of a pullover type construction having a front panel F and a rear panel R that are open at the bottom B, as well as a crotch flap portion  14  that extends from the bottom of front panel F in a downward direction when in the unfastened or open position. Main body portion  12  also includes a neck opening  16  at the top of main body portion  12  through which a wearer&#39;s head can extend, and left  18  and right  20  arm openings through which the wearer&#39;s arms can extend. Main body portion  12  is supported on the wearer by a pair of shoulder straps  22 ,  24 . As shown, left  18  and right  20  arm openings are separated from neck opening  16  by left shoulder strap  22  and right shoulder strap  24 , respectively. Preferably, neck opening  16  is scoop-shaped, as shown, but it is to be appreciated that neck opening  16  can be V-shaped or any other desired shape in order to promote comfort and proper fit of the garment to the user. Arm openings  18 ,  20  are preferably sized and shaped to allow the arms of the wearer to pass therethrough when initially placed upon the wearer as described below.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 also shows that crotch flap portion  14  defines a proximal end  26  and a distal end  28 . As shown, proximal end  26  extends from the bottom of front panel F of main body portion  12 . It is to be appreciated that main body portion  12  and crotch flap portion  14  can be manufactured separately and then attached to each other, e.g., by sewing. Or, in the alternative, main body portion  12  and crotch flap portion  14  may be manufactured as one integral unit.  
         [0029]    As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, at least one fastener  30  is attached to the inside face of crotch flap portion  14  at distal end  28 . Additionally, at least one opposing fastener  32  is attached to the rear panel R of the main body  12  of the garment  10 . Thus, crotch flap portion  14  can be pulled between a wearer&#39;s legs and fastened to rear panel R as shown in FIG. 3. Fastener  32  is preferably positioned at a height on rear panel R that impedes the wear from reaching behind and unfastening crotch flap portion  14 . In FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, fastener  32  is shown positioned slightly below the midpoint of rear panel R (e.g., midpoint of the wearer&#39;s back) as an example. It will be appreciated that the position can vary, but that higher positions are preferred over lower positions to thwart the wearer&#39;s ability to unfasten crotch flap portion  14 .  
         [0030]    Fasteners  30 ,  32  are preferably strips of hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro®. The size of the fasteners can vary, but typical sizes are on the order of approximately one inch to four inches in height and approximately 6 inches in length. While strips of hook and loop fasteners  30 ,  32  are preferred, it will be understood that other types of fasteners indicated as fasteners  30 ′,  32 ′ could be used instead, such as snaps, buttons and buttonholes, circular hook-and-loop fasteners or any other similar fasteners known in the art.  
         [0031]    Referring more particularly to FIG. 3, garment  10  is shown with crotch flap portion  14  fastened in place, i.e., fastener  30  on crotch flap portion  14  is engaged with the opposing fastener  32  on rear panel R. As shown, when crotch flap portion  14  is fastened in place, left  34  and a right  36  leg openings are established to the left and right sides of crotch flap portion  14 , respectively.  
         [0032]    Referring again to FIG. 2, rear panel R preferably includes a fastener  38  attached to the inside face of a tab  40  of garment material that extends downward from the bottom edge B of rear panel R. For example, rear panel R would be patterned for tab  40  when cut. A corresponding fastener  42  is attached to the inside face of crotch flap portion  14  near proximal end  26  as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. These opposing fasteners, which are also preferably hook and loop type fastener strips, but which could also be other types of fasteners, are preferably vertically and horizontally aligned. In this way, after the garment is placed over the head, arms and torso of the wearer, fastener strip  38  is fastened with corresponding fastener strip  42  by simply pressing the fasteners together. This results in the formation of a crotch for the garment as well as defines leg openings  34 ,  36 . As an alternative to attaching fastener  38  on the inside of tab  40 , the tab could be made longer and the fastener attached to the outside face of the tab. The tab would then be folded or rolled under rear panel R so that the fasteners are aligned for engagement.  
         [0033]    Once fasteners  38 ,  42  are engaged and the crotch area formed, the distal end  28  of crotch flap portion  14  is drawn through the legs of the wearer and pulled up the wearer&#39;s back to a final position where fasteners  30 ,  32  can be fastened together. Thus, two sets of fasteners  30 ,  32  and  38 ,  42  keep garment  10  positioned snugly over the incontinent brief of the wearer, and denies them access to the brief so as to prevent removal of the brief.  
         [0034]    Turning now to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of garment  10  with crotch flap portion  14  in the secured position is shown. This figure corresponds to FIG. 3, except that in this embodiment rear panel R includes a back slit  44  extending downwardly from neck opening  16  at the top to a point preferably below the position of the shoulders. Slit  44  will allow greater ease in the donning of garment  10  on a patient by the caregiver. The portions of rear panel R defined by slit  44  can be drawn together and secured with at least one back slit fastener  46  adjacent one edge of slit  44  that engages a corresponding fastener  48  adjacent the second edge of slit  44 . Fasteners  46 ,  48  can be snaps, buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners or any other similar fasteners well known in the art. It will be appreciated that the portions of rear panel R defined by back slit  44  can be fastened in place in order to hold the garment snugly on the wearer&#39;s body. In the embodiment shown, one side of the back slit  44  has a back flap  50  that holds one set of fasteners  48  that are configured to fasten with opposing fastener  46  on the second side of the back slit  44 .  
         [0035]    Lastly, referring FIG. 5, a rear view of the garment corresponding to the view in FIG. 2 is shown except that fasteners  30 ,  32  are larger strips of hook and loop type fasteners. Using a larger square or rectangular strip of hook and loop type fastener for fastener  32 , preferably approximately four inches in height and approximately six inches in length, allows the caregiver to fasten crotch flap portion  14  in place with less concern about aligning fasteners  30 ,  32 . This is particularly useful when the care giver is having difficulty with dressing a patient with the garment.  
         [0036]    It is to be understood that in a preferred manner garment  10  is donned while fasteners  30 ,  32  and fasteners  38 ,  42 , and fasteners  46 ,  48  (if used as in the embodiment of FIG. 4) are unfastened. Garment  10  can be placed over the wearer&#39;s torso so that his or her head protrudes through neck opening  16  and his or her arms extend through arm openings  18 ,  20 . Once the garment is over the torso of the wearer, fasteners  38 ,  40  are fastened together to join proximal end  26  of crotch flap portion  14  to tab  40 , thereby forming a crotch and leg openings. Then, crotch flap portion  14  can be pulled between the wearer&#39;s legs and fastened to rear panel R by engaging fasteners  30 ,  32 . Additionally, if present, the sides of back slit  44  can be brought together to tighten the main body  12  of the garment  10  to the wearer by engaging fasteners  46 ,  48 . As can be seen, therefore, garment  10  is worn like a body suit over an incontinent brief and any dressings over wounds such as bedsores. Since fasteners  30 ,  32 , and  46 ,  48  are on the back of the garment, and because fasteners  38 ,  42  are covered by crotch flap portion  14 , the garment cannot be easily removed and a wearer will be unable to remove an incontinent garment underneath. Also, garment  10  will prevent or minimize the likelihood of a wearer removing any dressings.  
         [0037]    It is also to be understood that garment  10  can be manufactured in various sizes, e.g., small, medium, large, extra-large, etc., in order to accommodate men, women, and children of all sizes. Also, neck opening  16 , arm openings  18 ,  20 , and leg openings  34 ,  36  are established as to maximize the comfort of the wearer. Further, it is to be understood that back slit  44  can be omitted in embodiments that have an oversized neck opening  16 .  
         [0038]    Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides a garment that can effectively restrict the removal of incontinent briefs or diapers by an invalid patient that is easy to put on and comfortable to wear. Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”