Wet Chap
A protective cover for covering a leg of a user may include an elongated tubular protective covering for covering a portion of the leg and shoe of the user, the protective covering including a passageway for the leg and shoe of the user, a first material gathering portion corresponding to the ankle of the user, a second material gathering portion corresponding to the upper edge of the protective covering and a third material gathering portion corresponding to the lower edge of the protective covering. The first gathering portion may be positioned on the front of the protective covering, and the first gathering portion may be substantially horizontal. The second gathering portion may extend around the periphery of the protective covering, and the third gathering portion may extend around the periphery of the protective covering. The protective cover may be formed from water impervious material, and the first gathering portion may include elastic.
The present invention relates to articles for protecting a user's pants and shoes from soiling and more particularly pertains to a lower leg and foot cover for covering the knee and lower leg regions of a user's pants and the front of the user's shoes from soiling and soaking.
BACKGROUNDThe use of articles for protecting a user's pants and shoes from soiling is known in the prior art. More specifically, articles for protecting a user's pants and shoes from soiling heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,924 discloses an elongated tubular protective cover for a cast enclosed body limb portion is provided and at least one end of the protective cover is open and includes an elongated flexible seal band of water impervious material carried by one end of the cover and for wrapping about that end and the adjacent limb portion disposed outwardly of the cover in an edge overlapping spiral manner in order to form a fluid tight seal between the cover and the adjacent limb portion. The cover includes inner and outer telescopingly engaged tubular member constructed of flexible fluid impervious material and the inner tubular member includes features rendering it pervious to air flow therethrough. Also, at least one moisture absorptive spacing member is disposed between the outer and inner surfaces of the inner and outer tubular members. A first form of cover is closed at the end thereof remote from the flexible seal band whereby the terminal end portion of a body limb may be fully enclosed within the cover and a second form of cover is open at both ends with each end equipped with a flexible seal band.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,555 discloses a lower leg and foot cover for covering the knee and lower leg regions of a user's pants and the front of the user's shoes from soiling and soaking. The lower leg and foot cover includes a knee cover which is coupled to an upper end of a flexible lower leg cover. A flexible shoe cover is coupled to a lower end of the lower leg cover. Flexible straps are provided for securing the knee cover and the lower leg cover to the wearer's leg.
SUMMARYA protective cover for covering a leg of a user may include an elongated tubular protective covering for covering a portion of the leg and shoe of the user, the protective covering including a passageway for the leg and shoe of the user, a first material gathering portion corresponding to the ankle of the user, a second material gathering portion corresponding to the upper edge of the protective covering and a third material gathering portion corresponding to the lower edge of the protective covering.
The first gathering portion may be positioned on the front of the protective covering, and the first gathering portion may be substantially horizontal.
The second gathering portion may extend around the periphery of the protective covering, and the third gathering portion may extend around the periphery of the protective covering.
The protective cover may be formed from water impervious material, and the first gathering portion may include elastic.
The invention may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
In hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities that care for the elderly and sick, caregivers may have to provide for washing of the patients. It is usually unwieldy and may be unsafe for these patients to be placed in a bathtub to be washed. Likewise, these patients may not be able to stand by themselves in a shower in order to be washed. Under these circumstances, a typical procedure is to place the patient in a chair in a shower or other area that may be drained. The caregiver may use a hose which may be flexible and which is connected to a water supply on one end and connected to a showerhead on the other end. The caregiver is now able to apply soap and water on all sides of the patient. While this procedure may be satisfactory for the patients, the resulting splash from the patient may adversely affect the caregivers clothes, particularly, the lower surface of pants and the upper surface of the shoes of the caregiver.
Since the safety of the caregiver should be given consideration, the bottom surface of the sole of the shoe of the caregiver should be able to contact the floor/shower floor (the support surface) in order to avoid slipping on the wet and soapy floor. Extending a protective cover over the bottom surface of the sole of the shoes of the caretaker may result in a tripping hazard. The present invention provides an elongated flexible tubular protective cover 100 that may be adapted to allow the sole of the shoe of the caregiver to contact the floor of the area where the shower is being given. The protective cover 100 may extend to the lower leg region or alternatively may extend above the knee. The protective cover 100 may be for protecting the wearer's lower leg region and the wearer's shoe from soiling and splatters such as from soap, water, splashes, precipitation, paint over-spray, and even cement and plaster splatters and spills. The protective cover 100 may be formed from flexible or semi-rigid, water impervious material such as plastic or other appropriate material. The protective member 100 may be substantially L-shaped when being used as illustrated in
The present invention may be used to cover a cast positioned on the leg or foot or both.
The tubular elongated protective cover may be formed from a sheet of plastic or other water impervious material, and the sides of the sheet of plastic may be welded or joined together by a appropriate device to form a hem which may extend horizontally on the back side of the protective cover.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed.
Claims
1) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user, comprising:
- an elongated tubular protective covering for covering a portion of the leg and shoe of the user;
- the protective covering including a passageway for the leg and shoe of the user;
- a first material gathering portion corresponding to the ankle of the user;
- a second material gathering portion corresponding to the upper edge of the protective covering; and
- a third material gathering portion corresponding to the lower edge of the protective covering.
2) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the first gathering portion is positioned on the front of the protective covering.
3) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the first gathering portion is substantially horizontal.
4) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the second gathering portion extends around the periphery of the protective covering.
5) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the third gathering portion extends around the periphery of the protective covering.
6) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the protective covering is formed from water impervious material.
7) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the first gathering portion includes elastic.
8) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the second gathering portion includes elastic.
9) A protective cover for covering a leg of a user as in claim 1, wherein the third gathering portion includes elastic.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 14, 2009
Publication Date: Jun 16, 2011
Inventors: Latessa Morris (Walling, TN), Victoria A. Cogdill (Hohenwald, TN)
Application Number: 12/637,606