Removable Garment Shield
A removable garment patch which protects the thigh portion of a pants leg. The patch has an inner surface which is secured to the thigh portion of pants, and an outer surface which provides a location that the wearer can wipe with the wwearer's hands. The wearer can remove the garment patch prior to leaving the work site. The garment patch can be a single patch, or alternatively, it can be distributed in bulk quantities, such as multiple patches attached together on a roll of patches. The garment patch can be secured to the thigh portion of the pants prior to the initiation of work. The garment patch should be secured to the thigh portion of the pants prior to beginning work activities. At the end of work activities, or at the wwearer'selection, the patch can be removed. Alternative embodiments provide discrete patches or rolls of patches which can be dispensed as needed.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to devices for protecting clothing from stains, soiling, and excessive wear. In particular, it relates to a disposable and removable temporary shield used to protect portions of a garment during work or during periods of activity which may damage garments.
2. Background
Protection of garments is a concern for many individuals. A variety of conditions effect the durability and attractiveness of garments. Physical factors such as ordinary wear and tear, more severe wear for garments used in a work environment, staining caused by perspiration or other contaminants, etc., all impact the durability and appearance of garments.
A variety of attempts have been made to address these problems. For example, perspiration shields have been developed to protect garments from the wearer' perspiration. These shields can be used on the underarm of the wearer, on the wwearer's collar, etc. By preventing staining of the garment, these devices increase the attractiveness of the garment, and increase its longevity. This type of device is useful for protecting the garment from the wwearer's body.
Another problem associated with many types of occupations is the damage to wworker's clothing that occurs during the course of the workday. This increases the cost of the work being done and interferes with the productivity of the workers. One particularly frequent problem is related to damage to the knee portions of pants. The reason for this is the large number of occupations, such as carpet installers, floor tile installers, etc., which require the worker to rest on their knees during the installation process. Since the knee portion of the garment receives the highest amount of wear, the knees of the pants frequently wear out while the remainder of the garment remains in a relatively good condition. If the knee portion of the pants were better protected, then the entire garment would last longer.
The prior art has attempted to address this problem in a variety of ways. In particular, specialized devices to protect the knees of the pants legs have been developed to extend the useful life of the pants by preventing premature wear in the knee.
One such device has been the development of removable knee pads. Of course, the primary function of removable knee pads is to protect the knees of the worker, not to protect the garment. However, these devices do provide an additional benefit in that they also provide a measure of protection for the knee portion of the wworker's pants, and as a result, the useful life of the wworker's pants is extended.
In addition to the fortuitous benefit provided by knee pads when they protect the ppants' nee in addition to the wworker's knee, the prior art has also provided devices that are primarily intended to extend the useful life of the knee portion of a wworker's pants. In particular, knee patches are commonly available devices which can be secured to the knee portion of a pair of pants. These devices can be used after the knee portion of the pants has been damaged, or before any damage has occurred. They merely provide an additional layer of material which will be subjected to the same type of wear as the original material in the pants. Unfortunately, while knee patches address the problem of damage to the knees, they are often unsightly, and give the impression that the wearer is using old, worn out, or repaired clothing.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that while knee pads and knee patches are very useful for workmen, they may also be very useful for other individuals, such as children, who tend to place high levels of wear on their garments, or individuals who are engaging in activities such as sports.
The problems and solutions related to the knee portion of pants have received substantial attention by the prior art because problems related to the knee portion are conspicuous, and because the presence of physical damage to the garment focuses attention on the problem. However, other sections of the wworker's pants have different problems which also detract from the appearance and useful life of the garment. In particular, in many work environments workers do not inflict excessive wear on the knees of the pants. For example, painters, plasterers, electricians, etc., may spend the majority of their time in a standing position. As a result, they may have little if any wear problems associated with the knee portions of their work pants.
Unfortunately, while the knee portion of the wworker's pants may remain in relatively good condition, other portions of the wworker's garments may receive substantial amounts of wear based upon the position required by their occupation. For example, when the painter or plaster is in a standing position, they may frequently wipe their hands on the thigh portion other pants the course of a dday's work. As a result, while the garment has received no impact or abrasion damage that would cause wear, the thigh portion of the wworker's pants may be severely stained or soiled. This shortens the useful life of the garment, because eventually the garment will have to be disposed of even though it is structurally sound.
In addition to shortening garment life, it also inconveniences the wearer because the wearer may feel uncomfortable when work is interrupted for activities such as lunch, etc. In particular, the individual may feel uncomfortable because of their appearance, and may therefore, avoid frequenting desirable establishments. It would be desirable to have a method of protecting selected portions of a garment, such as the thigh portion of pants, or other garments or portions of garments. Further, it would also be desirable to have a method of protecting selected portions of a garment on a temporary basis.
While the prior art has provided solutions to several problems related to the protection of garments, it has failed to provide a method of shielding particular areas of a garment, such as the thigh portion of a pants leg, in such a manner that the shield can be easily attached, or easily removed.
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONThe present invention provides a removable garment patch which is designed to protect the thigh portion of a pants leg. The removable garment patch has an inner surface which is secured to the thigh portion of pants, and an outer surface which provides a location that the wearer can wipe with the wwearer's hands. The wearer can remove the garment patch prior to leaving the work site. The garment patch can be a single patch, or alternatively, it can be distributed in bulk quantities, such as multiple patches attached together on a roll of patches. The garment patch can be secured to the thigh portion of the pants prior to the initiation of work. The garment patch should be secured to the thigh portion of the pants prior to beginning work activities. At the end of work activities, or at the wwearer'selection, the patch can be removed. Alternative embodiments provide discrete patches or rolls of patches which can be dispensed as needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Prior to a detailed discussion of the figures, a general overview of the system will be presented. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a removable patch which used to protect the thigh portions of an iindividual's pants. The patch uses an adhesive which will temporarily secure the patch to the thigh portion of an iindividual's pants. At the start of the work day, the individual removes the backing from the patch to expose the adhesive. Then the patch is installed onto the thigh portion of the iindividual's pants.
The patch is constructed such that while the adhesive secures the patch to the thigh portion of the wwearer's pants, the selected adhesive is not strong enough to prevent the patch from being removed when desired. The patch is intended to be fabricated from an inexpensive material which will allow it to be removed as often as desired. For example, a painter may remove the patch prior to going to lunch. After lunch, an individual such as painter would merely attach a new patch to protect garment prior to going home from work. Because of the nature of use associated with the invention, a typical work site would maintain a supply of patches.
One preferred embodiment envisions discrete patches that are separately packaged. Alternatively, multiple patches can be stored together such that they can be easily dispensed to a group of individuals.
As a result of using the patch, an individual can look more presentable while simultaneously protecting the condition of the garment.
Having discussed the features and advantages of the invention in general, we turn now to a more detailed discussion of the figures.
In
In
Another advantage of the invention is that it allows the user to select patches having a variety of patterns or ornamental designs for use in conjunction with their garments.
The material used to make the patch 4 can be any suitable material. The shield 5 can resemble the garment to which it is being applied, or alternatively, the appearance of the shield 5 can vary dramatically from the garment it is being attached to. Likewise, any suitable adhesive 6 can be used. The only requirement is that it must be suitable for its intended purpose. The peelable cover layer 7 protects the layer of adhesive 6 prior to use.
In addition to the use of the patch 5 as described in the foregoing embodiments, it can also be used for other applications. For example, it can be fabricated in a large size that would allow it to be used as a drop cloth.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that any type of suitable ornamental design can be imprinted on these devices.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the garment shield disclosed herein can be fabricated in a variety of ways. For example, it can be made from cloth, plastic, paper, etc. It can be biodegradable, it can be absorbent, and/or it can have padding. Likewise, it can also be reusable.
In
This embodiment of the invention is intended to avoid the situation where a garment 1 is exposed to a high degree of soiling, such as fishing, hunting, etc. For example, when a sportsman cleans a fish, he will often lay the fish on his thighs during the cleaning process. Further, the fisherman will often wipe his hands off on his pants after cleaning a fish or baiting a hook. As a result, the material in the thigh 2 portion of the garment 1 may be soaked with body fluids from the fish.
In addition to providing benefits to fisherman, the patch 4 also provides significant benefits to hunters. Of course, the patch 4 will help keep the hhunter's garments clean in the same manner as it does for fisherman. However, it can simultaneously provide additional benefits. In particular, it can be fabricated from camouflage fabrics to assist during the hunting process. Alternatively, it can be fabricated from highly visible or reflective material as a safety measure (to protect the hunter from other hunters.) The highly visible or reflective embodiment can also be used in any situation where someone may be exposed to danger. For example, workers engaged in roadside construction, children at play, joggers, bicyclists, skaters, etc.
Many occupations, in addition to those already discussed, can benefit from the patch 4. For example, chefs and other kitchen workers (and sometimes diners) frequently wipe their hands on their trousers. In addition to restaurant workers, restaurant patrons can also benefit from the patch 4. For example, it can be structured as a lobster bib, as a cover for the ddiner's lap, etc. Artists are another occupation that can benefit from the patch 4. Artists, such as sculptors, may often wipe their hands on their pants legs during the process of creating a new art work.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that in addition to providing practical benefits, the patch 4 can be fabricated solely for aesthetic or social purposes. This may take the form of colors, designs, written messages, political statements, religious statements, etc.
In addition to protecting garments 1, the invention can be used for other applications that require a work surface which should be protected. For example, it can be used for medical examination tables. Currently, medical examination table are covered with paper strips that tend to slide, and as a result, are often inconvenient for a patient. The patch 4 can be sized to fit the surface of a medical examination table and removably attached such that it is secured in place until it is intentionally removed. In a similar manner, the patch 4 can also be used for massage tables.
Since the patch 4 is envisioned as a disposable device, the preferred embodiment fabricates the patch 4 from biodegradable material. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the patch 4 can also be fabricated from washable and renewable material.
While the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit, scope, and teaching of the invention. For example, the material used to construct the patches may be anything suitable for its purpose, the size and shape of the patch can vary, the type of adhesive can vary, etc. Accordingly, the invention herein disclosed is to be limited only as specified in the following claims.
Claims
1. A disposable and removable patch, further comprising:
- a layer of material having a size suitable to cover a portion of the thigh on a pair of pants such that the portion of the thigh is protected from soiling;
- a layer of adhesive on one surface of the layer of material, the adhesive suitable for the removable attachment of the layer of material to the thigh portion of the pants;
- a peelable cover removably attached to the layer of adhesive, such that the layer of adhesive is prevented from being contaminated;
- whereby the disposable layer of material protects the pants.
2. A patch, as in claim 1, wherein:
- the layer of material is absorbent.
3. A patch, as in claim 2, further comprising:
- a layer of nonporous material between the layer of material and the adhesive.
4. A patch, as in claim 3, wherein:
- the layer of material includes ornamental designs.
5. A patch, as in claim 3, further comprising:
- a peelable layer that is removably attached to the layer of adhesive such that it can be detached from the adhesive prior to attachment of the patch to the thigh portion of a pair of pants.
6. A disposable patch, comprising:
- a layer of material sized such that a substantial portion of the front surface of an individual is covered when the patch is secured to the individual;
- a layer of adhesive attached to the layer material such that the layer of material is held in place by the adhesive;
- a peelable layer that is removably attached to the layer of adhesive such that it can be detached from the adhesive prior to attachment of the patch to a garment.
7. A patch, as in claim 6, wherein:
- the patch is sized such that it can be used as an apron.
8. A patch, as in claim 7, wherein:
- the layer of material is absorbent.
9. A patch, as in claim 8, further comprising:
- a layer of nonporous material between the layer of material and the adhesive.
10. A patch, as in claim 9, wherein:
- the layer of material includes ornamental designs.
11. A patch, as any claim 7, further comprising:
- a pocket located near the bottom of the apron.
12. A patch, as in claim 6, wherein:
- the patch is sized such that it can be used as a bib.
13. A patch, as in claim 12, wherein:
- the layer of material is absorbent.
14. A patch, as in claim 13, further comprising:
- a layer of nonporous material between the layer of material and the adhesive.
15. A patch, as in claim 13, wherein:
- the layer of material includes ornamental designs.
16. A patch, as any claim 12, further comprising:
- a pocket located near the bottom of the apron.
17. A disposable patch, comprising:
- a layer of material sized such that a substantial portion of the top surface of a work surface is covered when the layer of material is placed on it;
- a layer of adhesive attached to the layer material such that the layer of material is held in place by the adhesive;
- a peelable layer that is removably attached to the layer of adhesive such that it can be detached from the adhesive prior to attachment of the patch to the work surface.
18. A patch, as in claim 17, wherein:
- the work surface is a mattress, a massage table, or a medical examination table.
19. A patch, as in claim 18, further comprising:
- a layer of nonporous material between the layer of material and the adhesive.
20. A patch, as in claim 19, wherein:
- the layer of material includes ornamental designs.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 24, 2004
Publication Date: Jan 19, 2006
Inventors: Michael Tse (West Palm Beach, FL), Chris Spirou (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
Application Number: 10/710,181
International Classification: A41D 27/08 (20060101);