Odor absorbing system and method

• US 20050278820A1
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunburst Chemicals
• Original Assignee: Sunburst Chemicals
• Inventors: Newman, Anthony E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,260,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/69
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 2400/36 Deodorising or perfuming
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 9/00 Undergarments corsets A41C1/00; brassières A41C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2300/20 Inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2400/36 Deoderising or perfuming
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/00 Materials specially adapted for outerwear

Abstract

An odor absorbing system for use by a person to reduce odor emanation from the person into an environment surrounding the person includes an article of clothing that is configured to be worn by the person and an odor absorbing insert removably attached to the article of clothing. The article of clothing includes a base layer that is adapted to substantially surround a portion of the person wearing the article of clothing. The base layer includes a vent. The odor absorbing insert is configured to cover the vent and includes a layer of breathable material and an odor absorbing agent on the layer of breathable material.

Claims

1. A odor absorbing system comprising:

an article of clothing configured to be worn by a person including a base layer adapted to substantially surround a portion of the person wearing the article of clothing, the base layer including a vent; and

an odor absorbing insert removably attached to the article of clothing and configured to cover the vent, the insert including a layer of breathable material and an odor absorbing agent on the layer of breathable material.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the article of clothing includes a breathable pocket attached to the base layer adjacent the vent, the breathable pocket including first and second layers of breathable material spanning the vent and defining an interior chamber, wherein the odor absorbing insert is removably receivable within the interior chamber.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the odor absorbing insert is removably contained within the interior chamber of the breathable pocket.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the odor absorbing insert is sized to lay substantially flat within the interior chamber of the breathable pocket.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the breathable pocket is removably attached to the base layer at a perimeter of the vent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the odor absorbing agent is selected from a group consisting of activated carbon, charcoal, chlorophyll, baking soda, activated alumni, soda, lime, zeolite, calcium oxide, potassium permanganate, and cyclodextrin.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the odor absorbing insert and the base layer of the article of clothing includes an anti-microbial agent.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the base layer of the article of clothing includes a torso section and arm sections each connected to the torso section, the torso and arm sections respectively configured to substantially cover a torso and arms of the person wearing the article of clothing.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the vent is located within an armpit section of the base layer that is adjacent the torso and arm sections and is configured to be positioned adjacent an armpit of the person wearing the article of clothing.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the vent is within a shoulder section of the base layer that is adjacent a junction between the torso and arm sections and is configured to be located adjacent a shoulder of the person wearing the article of clothing.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the vent is located below a neckline of the torso section of the base layer and is configured to overlay an upper chest of the person wearing the article of clothing.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the vent is located below a neckline of the torso section of the base layer and is configured to overlay an upper back of the person wearing the article of clothing.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the article of clothing includes a neckline attached to the torso section and configured to squeeze a neck of the person wearing the article of clothing.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the article of clothing includes a waistline attached to the torso section of the base layer and configured to squeeze a waist of the person wearing the article of clothing.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the article of clothing includes a pair of cuffs each attached to an end of one of the arm sections of the base layer and configured to squeeze a wrist of the person wearing the article of clothing.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the base layer of the article of clothing is formed of a non-breathable material, whereby airflow is directed through the vent.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the base layer of the article of clothing includes a cap section configured to cover a top of a head of the person, and a face cover configured to cover a mouth of the person; and

the vent is located in within at least one of the cap section and the face cover.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the base layer includes a cap section configured to cover a top of a head of the person, and a neck flap extending from the cap section and configured to overlay a neck of the person; and

the vent is located within one of the cap section and the neck flap.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the base layer of the article of clothing includes pant leg sections each configured to substantially surround a leg of the person wearing the article of clothing, and a crotch section configured to substantially surround a crotch area of the person; and

the vent is located within at least one of the pant leg sections and the crotch section.

20. The system of claim 1 including a container having a sealed interior chamber, wherein the odor absorbing insert is contained in the sealed interior chamber.

21. A odor absorbing system comprising:

an article of clothing configured to be worn by a person including a base layer adapted to substantially surround a portion of the person wearing the article of clothing, the base layer including a plurality of vents; and

a plurality of odor absorbing inserts removably attached to the article of clothing, each insert configured to cover one of the vents and including a layer of breathable material and an odor absorbing agent on the layer of breathable material.

22. The system of claim 21 including a plurality of breathable pockets each including first and second layers of breathable materials spanning one of the vents and defining an interior chamber, wherein each of the odor absorbing inserts is removably receivable within one of the interior chambers of the breathable pockets.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the odor absorbing inserts is removably contained in one of the interior chambers of the breathable pockets.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one breathable pocket is removably connected to the base layer at a perimeter of one of the vents.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the odor absorbing agent is selected from a group consisting of activated carbon, charcoal, chlorophyll, baking soda, activated alumni, soda, lime, zeolite, calcium oxide, potassium permanganate, and cyclodextrin.

26. The article of clothing of claim 21, wherein at least one of the odor absorbing inserts and the base layer of the article of clothing includes an anti-microbial agent.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the base layer of the article of clothing includes a torso section configured to substantially cover a torso of the person, arm sections connected to the torso section and configured to substantially cover arms of the person;

the vents include a pair of armpit vents each located at an armpit section of the base layer that is adjacent the torso section and one of the arm sections and is positioned to be located at an armpit of the person wearing the article of clothing; and

the plurality of odor absorbing inserts include a pair of odor absorbing inserts is covering one of the armpit vents.

28. The system of claim 27 including a pair of breathable pockets each including first and second layers of breathable material spanning one of the armpit vents and defining an interior chamber, in which one of the odor absorbing inserts is removably contained.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the article of clothing includes a neckline attached to the torso section of the base layer and configured to squeeze a neck of the person wearing the article of clothing.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the article of clothing includes a waistline attached to the torso section of the base layer and configured to squeeze a waist of the person wearing the article of clothing.

31. the system of claim 27, wherein the article of clothing includes a pair of cuffs each attached to an end of one of the arm sections of the base layer and configured to squeeze a wrist of the person wearing the article of clothing.

32. The article of clothing of claim 21, wherein the base layer of the article of clothing is formed of a non-breathable material, whereby airflow is directed through the vent in the base layer.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the base layer of the article of clothing includes a cap section configured to cover a top of a head of the person, and a face cover configured to cover a mouth of the person; and

at least one vent is located within one of the cap section and the face cover.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the base layer includes a cap section configured to cover a top of a head of the person, and a neck flap extending from the cap section and configured to overlay a neck of the person; and

at least one of the vents is located within one of the cap section and the neck flap.

35. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the base layer includes pant leg sections each configured to substantially a leg of the person wearing the article of clothing, and a crotch section configured to substantially surround a crotch area of the person; and

at least one of the vents is located within at least one of the pant leg sections and the crotch section.

36. A method of reducing odor emanation from a person into an environment surrounding the person comprising steps of:

a) providing an article of clothing configured to be worn by a person including a base layer having a vent;

b) providing an odor absorbing insert having a layer of breathable material and an odor absorbing agent on the layer of breathable material;

c) covering the vent with the odor absorbing insert; and

d) wearing the article of clothing such that the base layer substantially surrounds at least a portion of the person.

37. The method of claim 36 including containing the odor absorbing insert in an interior chamber of a breathable pocket, wherein the breathable pocket includes first and second layers of breathable material spanning the vent and defining the interior chamber.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein at least one of the odor absorbing insert and the base layer includes an anti-microbial agent.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein:

the base layer of the article of clothing includes a torso section and arms sections each connected to the torso section; and

the wearing step d) includes surrounding a torso of the person with the torso section of the base layer and inserting arms of the person into the arm sections of the base layer.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein:

the vent within the base layer is located at an armpit section that is adjacent the torso and arm sections; and

the wearing step d) includes positioning the vent at an armpit of the person thereby placing the odor absorbing insert adjacent the armpit of the person.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein:

the vent in the base layer is located at a shoulder section that is adjacent a junction between the torso and arm sections of the base layer; and

the wearing step d) includes positioning the vent adjacent a shoulder of the person thereby placing the odor absorbing insert adjacent the shoulder of the person.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein:

the vent in the base layer is located below a neckline of the torso section; and

the wearing step d) includes positioning the vent such that is overlays an upper chest of the person.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein:

the vent in the base layer is located below a neckline of the torso section of the base layer; and

the wearing step d) includes positioning the vent to overlay an upper back of the person.

44. The system of claim 36, wherein:

the base layer of the article of clothing includes at least one primary opening through which a portion of the person wearing the article of clothing extends; and

the method includes restricting airflow through the primary opening when the article of clothing is worn by the person.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein:

the article of clothing includes a neckline attached to the base layer;

the wearing step d) includes positioning the neckline around a neck of the person; and

the restricting step includes squeezing the neck of the person with the neckline.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein:

the article of clothing includes a waistline attached to the torso section of the base layer;

the wearing step d) includes positioning the waistline around a waist of the person; and

the restricting step includes squeezing the waist of the person with the waistline.

47. The method of claim 36, wherein:

the providing step b) includes providing the odor absorbing insert in sealed package; and

the covering step c) includes removing the odor absorbing insert from the sealed package.