Gown with Integrated Mask to Prevent the Spread of Disease While Allowing Access to the Head and Hair
A protective garment with an integrated mask or face shield allowing for protection from bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens while allowing access to a wearer's head and hair for medical or grooming activities. The protective garment provides enhanced protection from the transmission of disease while engaging in these activities. The protective garment may include masks for face shields that are replaceable or interchangeable, and also includes a type of face shield or mask that does not require any headband, ties, or other obstructions around the back of the wearer's head.
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/084,430, filed Sep. 28, 2020, entitled “Gown with Integrated Mask to Prevent the Spread of Disease During Personal Care While Allowing Access to the Head and Hair;” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the field protective garments. More specifically, the invention is in the subfield of garments and equipment for the prevention of the spread of disease.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAirborne diseases, such as COVID-19, present a danger of transmission in public settings where people may not be able to socially distance from one another. To discourage the spread of disease, it is often necessary for people to wear masks or face shields in public places where they will come into close contact with others including salons, barbershops, nursing homes, hospitals, and the like. However, while masks and face shields may help prevent the spread of contagious diseases, they may not be practicable in particularly close confines or when other garments or equipment are worn, such as when a wearer receives personal services such as a haircut, styling, hair wash, or medical services. When people are in close contact with one another, personal protective equipment such as a mask or face shield may help prevent the transfer of infectious disease, but may also prevent a wearer from receiving a service such as a haircut or other grooming procedures. For example, in a setting such as a salon or nursing home, personal protective equipment may not allow a worker or other professional full access to the head and hair of the wearer during a haircut, styling, or dyeing procedure. Nursing homes or care facilities may also require personal protective equipment for service professionals, patients, or both for certain types of care treatments. There is therefore a need in the art for personal protective equipment that may be worn during grooming or medical procedures that does not interfere with those procedures, particularly when access to the head and hair is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a cape or gown with an integrated mask or face shield that may be worn during certain services or medical procedures that require access to the hair, head, or neck areas of a patient or client. This integrated piece of personal protective equipment may be of particular use when a wearer is in close contact with a worker or other service professional. For example, the cape or gown with an integrated mask or face shield may be worn during a hair styling procedure, such as cutting, washing, or dyeing of the hair, while providing enhanced protection to the wearer and any nearby service professionals. The integrated personal protective equipment may also be beneficial in certain medical settings, such as neurosurgery, where a number of medical professionals may be in close proximity to a patient but access to the patient's head is required for the procedure.
An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention also provides for a cape or gown with an integrated mask or face shield that may be removed and replaced. The replaceable mask or face shield may allow for cleaning or disposal of a used mask or face shield while the remainder of the garment remains available for use, either for a subsequent procedure or a subsequent user. In certain embodiments, the face mask may include extensions that allow it to brace against a chair, requiring no additional support or attachment points about the head of the wearer.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the instant specification, illustrate several aspects and embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description herein, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are provided only for the purpose of illustrating select embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.
A user may wear the protective garment 1 with integrated face mask 14 during a haircut, styling procedure, dyeing procedure, or other medical or grooming procedures that require a worker or other service professional to have access to the head and hair of the wearer. The service professional may also wear a protective garment 1 with integrated face mask 14 while providing care services in addition to, or in place of, the person receiving the care services. The protective garment 1 may be applied to the wearer as normal, and the integrated face mask 14 raised to cover the nose and mouth of the wearer.
Referring to
A user may don the protective garment 1 by placing the headband 26 and crown 24 at or about their brow or forehead and drape the side panels 28, rear panel 30, and cape 10 around and about their body. With the protective garment 1 in place, the face shield 22 may be seated at the crown 24 at or about the forehead of the wearer, while the side panels 28 and rear panel 30 provide protection from viruses, bacteria, or other disease vectors or pathogens from entering the facial area of the wearer from the sides or back of the face shield 22. The cape 10 may also provide protection to the wearer from hair clippings, debris, fluids, or other materials, and may provide enhanced protection from viruses, bacteria, or other disease vectors or pathogens. It should be appreciated that in certain embodiments, the protective garment 1 may only omit one or more of the side panels 28 or rear panel 30. In such an embodiment, the upper portion of the face shield 22 may be held in place by the crown 24 and head band 26 and it may be affixed or otherwise attached to the cape 10 via the neck flange 12 and collar 13 at its lower edge.
The gown 11 may include a neck flange 12 extending up from the collar 13 of the gown 11 and connecting, attaching, or otherwise affixing the mask 14 to the gown 11. The mask 14 may then include one or more tie straps 34 to secure the mask 14 around or about the face of the wearer. In certain embodiments, the mask 14 may include ear loops, bands, snaps or other mechanisms for holding and positioning the mask 14 over the face of the wearer. It should be appreciated that the mask 14, face shield 22, cape 10, and gown 11 as described in
Referring to
Still referring to
Still other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from reading the above-recited detailed description and drawings of certain exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that numerous variations, modifications, and additional embodiments are possible, and accordingly, all such variations, modifications, and embodiments are to be regarded as being within the spirit and scope of this application. For example, regardless of the content of any portion (e.g., title, field, background, summary, abstract, drawing figure, etc.) of this application, unless clearly specified to the contrary, there is no requirement for the inclusion in any claim herein or of any application claiming priority hereto of any particular described or illustrated activity or element, any particular sequence of such activities, or any particular interrelationship of such elements. Moreover, any activity can be repeated, any activity can be performed by multiple entities, and/or any element can be duplicated. Further, any activity or element can be excluded, the sequence of activities can vary, and/or the interrelationship of elements can vary. Unless clearly specified to the contrary, there is no requirement for any particular described or illustrated activity or element, any particular sequence or such activities, any particular size, speed, material, dimension or frequency, or any particular interrelationship of such elements. Accordingly, the descriptions and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. Moreover, when any number or range is described herein, unless clearly stated otherwise, that number or range is approximate. When any range is described herein, unless clearly stated otherwise, that range includes all values therein and all sub ranges therein. Any information in any material (e.g., a United States/foreign patent, United States/foreign patent application, book, article, etc.) that has been incorporated by reference herein, is only incorporated by reference to the extent that no conflict exists between such information and the other statements and drawings set forth herein. In the event of such conflict, including a conflict that would render invalid any claim herein or seeking priority hereto, then any such conflicting information in such incorporated by reference material is specifically not incorporated by reference herein. It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Claims
1. A protective garment comprising:
- a cape having a collar;
- a neck flange in communication with said collar of said cape; and
- a facial covering in communication with said neck flange;
- wherein said neck flange is disposed between said collar of said cape and said facial covering.
2. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein said facial covering comprises a mask; and
- further comprising an attachment mechanism in communication with said mask, wherein said attachment mechanism is configured to engage a wearer.
3. The protective garment of claim 2, wherein said attachment mechanism is selected from the group consisting of at least one ear loop or at least one tie strap.
4. The protective garment of claim 2, wherein said mask is removably affixed to said neck flange.
5. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein said facial covering comprises a face shield and a headband;
- wherein said headband is in communication with said face shield and configured to engage a wearer.
6. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein said face shield is removably affixed to said neck flange.
7. The protective garment of claim 5, further comprising:
- a first side of said face shield and a second side of said face shield, wherein said first side of said face shield is disposed opposite said second side of said face shield;
- a first side panel in communication with a first side of said face shield and a second side panel in communication with said second side of said face shield;
- a crown in communication with said face shield; and
- a rear panel in communication with said headband;
- wherein said first side panel, said second side panel, and said neck flange define an opening in said protective garment and said face shield is disposed within said opening.
8. The protective garment of claim 5, further comprising:
- a frame comprising a first side, a second side, and a frame slot; and
- a first side panel and a second side panel;
- wherein said first side panel engages said first side of said frame, said second side panel engages said second side of said frame, said frame is in communication with said neck flange, and said face shield may removably engage said frame through said frame slot.
9. A protective garment comprising:
- a gown comprising a collar and at least one sleeve;
- a neck flange in communication with said collar of said gown; and
- a facial covering in communication with said neck flange;
- wherein said neck flange is disposed between said collar of said gown and said facial covering.
10. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein said facial covering comprises a mask; and
- further comprising an attachment mechanism in communication with said mask, wherein said attachment mechanism is configured to engage a wearer.
11. The protective garment of claim 10, wherein said attachment mechanism is selected from the group consisting of at least one ear loop or at least one tie strap.
12. The protective garment of claim 10, wherein said mask is removably affixed to said neck flange.
13. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein said facial covering comprises a face shield and a headband;
- wherein said headband is in communication with said face shield and configured to engage a wearer.
14. The protective garment of claim 13, wherein said face shield is removably affixed to said neck flange.
15. The protective garment of claim 13, further comprising:
- a first side of said face shield and a second side of said face shield, wherein said first side of said face shield is disposed opposite said second side of said face shield;
- a first side panel in communication with a first side of said face shield and a second side panel in communication with said second side of said face shield;
- a crown in communication with said face shield; and
- a rear panel in communication with said headband;
- wherein said first side panel, said second side panel, and said neck flange define an opening in said protective garment and said face shield is disposed within said opening.
16. The protective garment of claim 13, further comprising:
- a frame comprising a first side, a second side, and a frame slot; and
- a first side panel and a second side panel;
- wherein said first side panel engages said first side of said frame, said second side panel engages said second side of said frame, said frame is in communication with said neck flange, and said face shield may removably engage said frame through said frame slot.
17. A protective garment comprising:
- a body comprising a collar;
- a first side panel and a second side panel; and
- a face shield comprising a first extension and a second extension;
- wherein said first side panel and said second side engage a first side of said face shield and a second side of said face shield, wherein said first side of said face shield is opposed to said second side of said face shield; and
- wherein said first extension of said face shield and said second extension of said face shield are configured to extend over and down a wearer's shoulder and between a chair and the wearer's shoulder.
18. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein said body comprises a cape.
19. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein said body comprises a gown, and wherein said gown comprises at least one sleeve.
20. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein said face shield is in removable communication with said protective garment.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 28, 2021
Publication Date: Mar 31, 2022
Inventors: Marla Vanessa Jones (Atlanta, GA), Melanie Helaine Few (Atlanta, GA)
Application Number: 17/488,162