MULTI-PIECE BIB

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of a bib having a first surface and a removable second surface may be described. The bib may have a first surface made from a variety of cloth materials and a removable second surface that can couple to the first surface. The removable second surface can be decoupled from the first surface when stained or soiled so that a wearer may be wearing a clean bib at all times.

Description

BACKGROUND

Infants often drool, spit up, and spill food on themselves when eating. This can soil clothing and leave a mess on tables, high chairs, and other surfaces that must be cleaned up later. Commonly, babies wear bibs to prevent their clothing and surfaces from being soiled by drool, stomach contents from gastroesophageal reflux, or spilled food.

Common bibs are generally one-piece devices that must be cleaned each time they are stained or soiled. When bibs get soiled, they can look unappealing and can also have an unappealing smell, particularly if soiled by stomach contents from gastroesophageal reflux. If only one bib is available, the soiled bib can continue to be worn, or the bib can be removed, leaving a baby's clothing exposed to be soiled by drool or stomach contents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

A bib having a first surface and a second surface removably coupled to the first surface may be disclosed. Exemplary embodiments of the bib may attach around a wearer's neck using one or more straps or may be pulled onto a wearer's neck through an opening in the first surface. At least one fastener may be coupled to the first surface. A second surface may be removably coupled to the at least one fastener coupled to first surface. Exemplary embodiments of the second surface may be configured to be easily cleanable or may be disposable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments. The following detailed description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures in which:

FIGS. 1a-1b show exemplary embodiments of a bib having a first surface and a removable second surface.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a first surface of the bib having at least one fastener coupled to the side of the first surface facing away from a wearer's clothing.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a first surface of the bib having at least one fastener coupled to the side of the first surface facing the wearer's clothing.

FIGS. 4a-4c show a variety of exemplary embodiments of a removable second surface of the bib.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention are disclosed in the following description and related figures directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1a-3, exemplary embodiments of a bib having a removable absorbent surface may be disclosed. Bib 100 may be a wearable device that covers the frontal portion of a baby's clothing. Bib 100 may have a first surface 102 and a second surface 104. Second surface 104 may be removably coupled to first surface 102 using one or more fasteners coupled to first surface 102 and corresponding fasteners coupled to second surface 104 (i.e. male fasteners may be coupled to a first surface and female fasteners coupled to a second surface, or vice versa). Bib 100 may be configured to cover the torso area of the wearer's clothing. In some embodiments, bib 100 may also fully cover the shoulder area and the upper back area of the wearer's clothing. Bib 100 may be configured to fit around the neck of a wearer. In some embodiments, first surface 102 may be coupled to at least one strap 106. Each of the at least one strap 106 may have an attached fastener 108 such that bib 100 may be secured around the baby's neck or body by attaching the fastener on a first strap to the corresponding fastener on a second strap. Fasteners 108 can be hook-and-loop fasteners, hook-and-eye fasteners, buttons, snaps, or other appropriate fasteners as known in the art.

In another exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1a, first surface 102 may have a single strap 106. Strap 106 may have a fastener 108 coupled to an end portion of strap 106, and first surface 102 may have a corresponding fastener that may couple to fastener 108 to secure bib 100 around the neck of a wearer. In still further embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1b, first surface 102 may have a neck opening 110 configured to allow a wearer to wear the bib 100 without coupling straps around the neck or body, but instead allowing a person to pull the bib 100 onto the baby's neck. Neck opening 110 may be substantially the diameter of a wearer's head. Neck opening 110 may be configured to provide a snug, but not constricting, fit. In some embodiments, neck opening 110 may be made from an elastic material so as to allow neck opening 110 to stretch when being put onto a wearer's neck.

Referring now to exemplary FIG. 2, first surface 102 of bib 100 may have a plurality of fasteners 112 on an outward facing side of first surface 102. First surface 102 may be made from a variety of soft, non-chafing fabrics, including, but not limited to, cotton, terry cloth, or other appropriate fabrics as known in the art. In some embodiments, first surface 102 may be formed from two pieces of cloth that can sandwich a flexible layer of a waterproof, water resistant, or water absorbent material and couple together using a stitched edge, piped edge, or other trim as known in the art. The flexible waterproof material may be a plastic, a fabric such as neoprene, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or other appropriate or desired fabrics as known in the art. The edging or trim of first surface 102 may also be made from a variety of soft, non-chafing fabrics. In some embodiments, a plurality of fasteners 112 may be coupled to the side of first surface 102 not facing the wearer's body or clothing. Fasteners 112 may be positioned on the edging or trim of first surface 102 or may be disposed on a part or the entirety of the surface of first surface 102. In an exemplary embodiment, first surface 102 may have at least a single fastener at the top of first surface 102. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the entire edge or trim of first surface 102 may be a fastener or used for fastening (for example, the loops of a hook-and-loop fastener system).

Referring now to exemplary FIG. 3, another exemplary embodiment of first surface 102 may be disclosed. First surface 102 may have a plurality of fasteners 112 on the side of bib 100 facing the wearer's body. In some embodiments, fasteners 112 may be the loops of a hook-and-loop fastener (so as to avoid hooks from attaching to the wearer's clothing). In other embodiments, fasteners 112 may be snaps or other appropriate fasteners as known in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, first surface 102 may have at least a single fastener at the top of first surface 102. In another embodiment, first surface 102 may have fasteners positioned 112 at the corners of first surface 102.

Now referring to FIGS. 4a-4c, various second surfaces 104 of bib 100 may be disclosed. Second surface 104 may be substantially the same size as the portion of first surface 102 covering the wearer's chest. Second surface 104 may be decorated in any desired fashion. In some exemplary embodiments, second surface 104 may be made from an absorbent material. Second surface 104 may also have a waterproof backing 114 made from plastic, rubber, or any other appropriate or desired material as known in the art. The waterproof backing 114 may be coupled to first surface 102 such that an absorbent side of second surface 104 faces away from the wearer's body. It may be contemplated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that multiple second surfaces 104 could be coupled together, with one of the multiple second surfaces coupled to first surface 102.

In some further exemplary embodiments, second surface 104 may be reusable. A reusable removable portion 104 may be configured to easily cleaned, for example, by the use of materials that can be machine washed and tumble dried. Alternatively, and in other embodiments, second surface 104 may be disposable. A disposable second surface 104 may include a waterproof backing made from plastics or other appropriate materials as known in the art and one or more absorbent layers made from paper or other appropriate materials as known in the art coupled to the waterproof backing 114. In a still further exemplary embodiment, removable second surface 104 may include a plurality of disposable absorbent layers. In an exemplary embodiment, second surface 104 may have a binding 116 and a plurality of disposable absorbent layers 118 removably coupled to the binding. When the outermost disposable absorbent layer 118 is stained or soiled, a user may tear off the soiled layer from binding 116 and expose a clean layer without having to remove a soiled layer and attach another disposable layer to the bib.

In some exemplary embodiments, any number of fasteners 120 may be coupled to waterproof backing 114. The positioning of fasteners 120 may be keyed to the positioning of corresponding fasteners on first surface 102. Fasteners 120 may couple to fasteners 112 on first surface 102 to allow removable portion 104 to be removably coupled to first surface 102. In other embodiments, waterproof backing 114 may be coupled to a layer of nonpermanent adhesive. The adhesive may be used to removably couple removable portion 104 to first surface 102.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, removable portion 104 may have a plurality of fasteners coupled to a plurality of protrusions 122, which may then be coupled to the body of removable portion 104. In some embodiments, protrusions 122 may be made from the same material as removable portion 104; in other embodiments, protrusions 122 may be made from a non-absorbent material. Fasteners 120 may be attached to protrusions 122, and protrusions 122 may be aligned to allow each fastener 120 to couple with a corresponding fastener 112 on first surface 102. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the plurality of protrusions 122 may be configured to wrap around an edge of first surface 102 such that each fastener 120 can couple with a corresponding fastener 112 on the back of first surface 102.

In some exemplary embodiments, bib 100 may have a width of, for example, between 8 and 10 inches (20 and 27 centimeters) and a height of between 13 and 17 inches (33 and 40.5 centimeters), although bibs of any size and shape are envisioned. The part of first surface 102 covering the torso of the wearer may have a width and height of between 8 and 10 inches (20 and 27 centimeters). In embodiments having a neck opening 110, neck opening 110 may be sized between, for example, approximately 4 and 5 inches (10 and 12.5 centimeters) in diameter. In embodiments having a plurality of straps 106, each strap 106 may be, for example, a generally curved member between 1 and 2 inches (2.5 and 5 centimeters) in width and a length appropriate to provide a neck opening of between 4 and 5 inches in diameter. The removable second portion 104 may be sized substantially similarly to the part of the first surface 102 covering the torso of the wearer, which is to say that second portion 104 may be between 8 and 10 inches in width and in height.

The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A bib, comprising:

a first surface with a first size configured to substantially cover a chest region of a wearer;

at least one second surface with a second size substantially the size of the first size and removably coupled to the first surface,

at least one attachment strap coupled to the first surface; and

a fastener coupled to each of the at least one strap to removably couple the bib around a wearer's neck.

2. The bib of claim 1, further comprising at least one fastener coupled to the first surface.

3. The bib of claim 2, wherein at least one fastener is coupled to an outward-facing edge of the first surface.

4. The bib of claim 2, wherein at least one fastener is coupled to an inner-facing side of the first surface.

5. The bib of claim 1, wherein the first surface and at least one second surface is made from a machine-washable material.

6. The bib of claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises a first layer of absorbent material, a waterproof layer attached to the first layer of absorbent material, and a second layer of absorbent material attached to the waterproof layer.

7. The bib of claim 1, wherein the second surface further comprises at least one protrusion coupled to a perimeter of the second surface and a fastener coupled to at least one of the protrusions coupled to the second surface.

8. The bib of claim 1, wherein the second surface has a waterproof backing.

9. The bib of claim 1, wherein the second surface is a single-use absorbent, disposable material.

10. The bib of claim 1, wherein the second surface comprises a binding and a plurality of single-use absorbent disposable surfaces removably coupled to the binding.

11. A bib, comprising

a first surface with a first size configured to substantially cover a chest region of a wearer;

an opening in the first surface configured to allow the bib to be pulled onto the wearer's neck; and

at least one second surface with a second size substantially the size of the first size and removably coupled to the first surface.

12. The bib of claim 11, further comprising at least one fastener coupled to the first surface.

13. The bib of claim 12, wherein at least one fastener is coupled to an outward-facing side of the first surface.

14. The bib of claim 12, wherein at least one fastener is coupled to an inward-facing side of the first surface.

15. The bib of claim 11, wherein the first surface and at least one second surface is made from a machine-washable material.

16. The bib of claim 11, wherein the first surface comprises a first layer of absorbent material, a waterproof layer attached to the first layer of absorbent material, and a second layer of absorbent material attached to the waterproof layer.

17. The bib of claim 11, wherein the second surface further comprises at least one protrusion coupled to a perimeter of the second surface and a fastener coupled to at least one of the protrusions coupled to the second surface.

18. The bib of claim 11, wherein the second surface has a waterproof backing.

19. The bib of claim 11, wherein the second surface is a single-use absorbent, disposable material.

20. The bib of claim 11, wherein the second surface comprises a binding and a plurality of single-use absorbent surfaces removably coupled to the binding.