SURGICAL GOWN AND METHOD OF FOLDING

• US 3,721,999 A
• Filed: 01/24/1972
• Issued: 03/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James E. Sill, Tamotsu Goya
• Original Assignee: James E. Sill, Tamotsu Goya
• Inventors: Goya, Tamotsu, Sill, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schroeder, Werner H.
• Application Number:
  US05/220,259
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 2/114,DIG.7,DIG.2 206/63.2
• US Class Current: 2/114
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1209 Surgeons' gowns or dresses

Abstract

A gown particularly adapted for use in surgical and medical procedures, folded in such a manner that only its interior surfaces are exposed to the surrounding environment, assuring sterility of its exterior surfaces. The hands and arms of the wearer may be placed inside the sleeve portions of the gown prior to unfolding to move the gown from place to place without danger of accidental unfolding and consequent loss of sterility. Also disclosed is a process of folding a surgical gown having a body portion and integral sleeve portions by folding the body portion longitudinally toward the center; drawing said sleeve portions partially inside-out forming arm openings at their outer end and placing them parallel and adjacent one another along an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the gown; folding the body portion upwardly from its bottom in a plurality of sections; folding the section of the body portion underlying the parallel sleeve portions downwardly over the previously folded sections while tucking the collar points of the neck of the body portion under this section; folding the arm openings of the sleeve portions toward the center of the gown; and, finally, folding the gown in half at its center so that the arm openings face in the same direction.

Claims

1. A folded surgical gown having only its interior surfaces exposed while in a folded condition before use, said gown having a body portion and sleeve portions integral therewith, said body portion including a front panel and two back panels and a belting means attached thereto, said back panels having creased flaps folded inwardly along the edges of said back panels, said flaps being maintained in folded position by attachment through aseptic gown closure means to complementary flap closure means disposed near the top of said gown, each of said back panels being folded longitudinally inwardly toward the center of said gown upon themselves, said sleeve portions being drawn inwardly through themselves so that a length of said sleeve portions lies in inside-out fashion parallel and adjacent one another and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said gown, the body portion of said gown being folded upwardly upon itself in a plurality of sections, the top edge of the last section so folded lying adjacent the armpits of said sleeve portions, the remaining section of said gown being folded downwardly upon said plurality of sections folded upwardly, the collar points of said body portion of said gown being tucked between said remaining section and said plurality of sections, said sleeve portions and said body portion underlying them being folded toward the center of the gown, and said gown being folded in half in such a manner that the openings for the arms of the gown wearer formed by said inwardly drawn sleeve portions face in the same direction, so that said gown may be grasped within said openings and moved from place to place without danger of inadvertently unfolding.

2. The folded gown of claim 1 wherein said aseptic closure means includes complementary snap means disposed near the top of each of said creased flaps of said back panels so that said back panels may be overlaid and attached to one another at their upper ends after said gown is unfolded, thEreby effectively closing said gown and enclosing the body of the wearer.

3. The folded gown of claim 1 wherein said aseptic closure means includes Velcro strips disposed near the top of each of said creased flaps of said back panels so that said back panels may be overlaid and attached to one another at their upper ends after said gown is unfolded by pressing one Velcro strip to the other, thereby effectively closing said gown and enclosing the body of the wearer.

4. The folded gown of claim 1 wherein said belting means includes an overwrap containing a folded sterile belt, said overwrap and said belt being folded inside the gown in such a manner that they are not exposed to the surrounding environment, said belt being attached at one end to the material of said gown, said belt being extractible from said overwrap when said gown is unfolded and put on by the wearer by grasping said overwrap and moving it around the body of the gown wearer, thereby pulling and unfolding said belt from within said overwrap.

5. The folded gown of claim 1 wherein said gown has pressure-sensitive means disposed on the interior portion of at least one of said back panels, said pressure-sensitive means being effective to temporarily attach said back panel to the body of the wearer, thereby holding the gown in position to facilitate closing of aseptic closure means and belting of said gown.

6. The folded gown of claim 1, particularly adapted for use in obstetrical surgical procedures, minor surgery and medical examinations not requiring maximum sterility precautions, including a belting means having free hanging ties disposed in corresponding positions along each of said back panels, said ties being contained inside said gown in folded position so that they are not exposed to the surrounding environment, and hanging freely in position for tying to one another to bring the gown into fully closed position when said gown is unfolded.

7. In a surgical gown, including a body portion having a front panel and two back panels and sleeve portions and belting means attached to said body portion, a method of folding said gown to expose only its interior surfaces after folding and to permit movability before use without danger of unfolding, characterized by the steps of:

folding creased flaps disposed along the edges of said back panels of said body portion inwardly;

attaching said flaps at their upper end by aseptic gown closure means to flap closure means disposed at the top of said gown;

folding said back panels longitudinally inwardly upon themselves toward the center of said gown;

drawing said sleeve portions inwardly through themselves so that a length of said sleeve portions lies in inside-out fashion parallel and adjacent one another and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said body portion;

folding said body portion of said gown from its bottom upwardly upon itself in a plurality of sections until the top edge of the last section so folded lies adjacent to the armpits of said sleeve portions;

folding the remaining section of said body portion of said gown downwardly upon said plurality of the sections previously upwardly folded;

tucking the collar points disposed near the top of said body portion of said gown between said remaining section and said plurality of sections;

folding each of said sleeve portions and the folded part of said body portion underlying said sleeve portions inwardly toward the center of the gown so that the openings formed in said sleeve portions to receive the arms of the wearer are placed opposite and facing one another; and

folding said gown in half at its center backwardly upon itself so that said arm openings in said sleeve portions face outwardly in the same direction to receive the arms of the wearer.

8. The method of folding a surgical gown set forth in claim 7 wherein said sleeve portions are drawn inwardly through themselves to lie in inside-out fashion priOr to the folding longitudinally inwardly of said back panels upon themselves toward the center of the gown.

9. The method of folding a surgical gown set forth in claim 7 wherein said collar points disposed near the top of said body portion of said gown, defining the ends of the collar of said gown, are folded downwardly on top of said sleeve portions of said gown before said remaining section of said gown is folded downwardly upon the sections previously folded upwardly from the bottom of said gown.

10. The method of folding a surgical gown set forth in claim 7 wherein said aseptic gown closure means includes complementary snap means disposed near the top of each of said creased flaps of said back panels so that said back panels may be overlaid and attached to one another at their upper ends after said gown is unfolded, thereby effectively closing said gown and enclosing the body of the wearer.

11. The method of folding a surgical gown set forth in claim 7 wherein said aseptic gown closure means includes Velcro strips disposed near the top of each of said creased flaps of said back panels so that said back panels may be overlaid and attached to one another at their upper ends after the gown is unfolded by pressing one Velcro strip to the other, thereby effectively closing said gown and enclosing the body of the wearer.

12. The method of folding a surgical gown as set forth in claim 7 wherein said belting means includes an overwrap containing a folded sterile belt, said overwrap and said belt being folded inside the gown in such a manner that they are not exposed to the surrounding environment, said belt being attached at one end to the material of said gown, said belt being extractible from said overwrap when said gown is unfolded and put on by the wearer by grasping said overwrap and moving it around the body of the gown wearer, thereby pulling an unfolding said belt from within said overwrap.

13. The method of folding a surgical gown as set forth in claim 7 wherein said gown has pressure-sensitive means disposed on the interior portion of at least one of said back panels, said pressure-sensitive means being effective to temporarily attach said back panel to the body of the wearer, thereby holding the gown in position to facilitate closing of aseptic closure means and belting of said gown.

14. The method of folding a surgical gown as set forth in claim 7, said gown being particularly adapted for use in obstetrical surgical procedures, minor surgery and medical examinations not requiring maximum sterility precautions, including a belting means having free hanging ties disposed in corresponding positions along each of said back panels, said ties being folded inside said gown so that they are not exposed to the surrounding environment, and hanging freely in position for tying to one another to bring the gown into fully closed position when said gown in unfolded.