Medical clothing

• US 6,460,187 B1
• Filed: 05/26/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marilyn R. Siegel
• Original Assignee: Marilyn R. Siegel
• Inventors: Siegel, Marilyn R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanatta, Amy B.
• Application Number:
  US09/320,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 604/174, 604/179, 604/345, 211/4, 2 9/4, 2 5/1, 210/2, 224/7, 2 4/8, 211/1, 211/2, 210/6, 2 4/91, 2 4/93, 2 4/92, 2 8/3, 2 6/9, 224/9, 225/0, 225/1, 2 5/2, D 2/863, D 2/864, D 2/720, 128/DIG.26, 600/388, 600/389
• US Class Current: 2/114
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1245 for the upper part of the body

Abstract

Multipurpose medical clothing, such as a gown or robe, that safely accommodates medical appliances attached to a patient, affords privacy, and thus encourages the patient to be up and ambulatory. The illustrated gown embodiment includes rectangular front and back panels open at the sides, belting, inside and outside pockets, and inside and outside hangers. The panels are of equal width greater than average human shoulder width to provide sleeves when worn. The belting extends from the back panel around the sides lower and is tied in front. The front panel is slightly shorter than the back panel so that the panels are of about the same height when the gown is worn and belted. The pockets are attached to the inside and outside of the front panel below the belt line at substantially the same height and in transversely spaced relation to each other. The hangers are attached to the inside and outside of the front panel respectively below the inside and outside pockets. The gown accommodates various medical appliances such as: a telemetry transmitter with its sensors attached to patient and its leads passing under the tied belting to relieve the pressure on the sensors; a catheter unit hung from either the inside or outside hangers, and thus below the patient'"'"'s bladder, with its tubing coiled and supported on the hangers; and IV tubing threaded through one of the loops formed by a hangers and thus supported between an adjacent mobile stand and the patient.

Claims

1. A medical gown, comprising:

a garment including opposed substantially rectangular front and back panels each having upper and lower edges and opposite side edges, each panel having opposite inside and outside surfaces, the panels being joined at their upper edges but not at their side edges, the garment providing a head opening adjacent to said upper edges, the panels defining side openings allowing access to said inside surfaces from exteriorly of the garment, the length of the back panel from the upper edge to the lower edge being longer than the corresponding length of the front panel;

belting mounted on the back panel and having end portions long enough to enable them to be extended along a belt line across the side openings and transversely of the outside surface of the front panel so as to be tied in front of the front panel;

a pocket attached to one of the surfaces of the front panel below said belt line; and

a hanger attached to one of the surfaces of the front panel below said belt line.

2. The clothing of claim 1,

wherein there are inside and outside pockets and hangers.

3. The clothing of claim 2,

wherein the inside and outside pockets and hangers are on the opposite sides of a longitudinal centerline extending from the upper edge to the lower edge midway between the side edges.

4. The clothing of claim 1,

wherein the hanger is located below the pocket and constitutes means for supporting the bag of a catheter unit below the bladder of a patient wearing the gown.

5. A medical gown, comprising:

a garment including opposed front and back panels each having a top and a bottom and opposite sides, each panel having opposite inside and outside surfaces, the panels being joined at their tops but not at their sides, the garment providing a head opening adjacent to said tops, adjacent sides of the panels defining side openings allowing access to said inside surfaces from exteriorly of the garment;

belting mounted on the back panel and having end portions long enough to enable them to be extended along a belt line across the side openings and transversely of the outside surface of the front panel so as to be tied in front of the front panel;

a front outside pocket attached to the outside surface of the front panel below said belt line;

a front inside pocket attached to the inside surface of the front panel below said belt line and positioned on the panel in transversely spaced relation to the outside pocket although on the opposite side of the front panel from the outside pocket;

a front outside hanger attached to the outside surface of the front panel below the front outside pocket and having a hanger portion spaced from the outside surface of the front panel; and

a front inside hanger attached to the inside surface of the front panel below the front outside pocket and having a hanger portion spaced from the inside surface of the front panel.

6. The gown of claim 5,

wherein the hangers are releasably attached to the front panel.

7. The gown of claim 5,

wherein each hanger has a central portion and opposite end portions extending from the central portion,

wherein the central portion of each hanger is fastened to front panel intermediate the end portions of its respective hanger;

and

wherein there are releasable fasteners on the end portions of the hangers and the front panel.

8. The gown of claim 7,

wherein each fastener is a releasable snap having a male member on one of the hanger and the panel and a female member on the other of the hanger and the panel.

9. The gown of claim 7,

wherein there is more than one fastener member on each end portion of the hangers and corresponding fastener members on the front panel.

10. The gown of claim 5,

wherein the tops of the front and back panels have upper edges that are fastened together;

wherein the bottoms of the panels have lower edges;

wherein the sides of the panels have opposite side edges;

wherein the widths of the panels from one side edge to the other are substantially equal;

wherein the width of each panel is sufficient to wrap at least more than half way around the patient wearing the clothing; and

wherein the length of the back panel from its upper edge to its lower edge is longer than the length of the front panel from its upper edge to its lower edge.

11. A medical gown, comprising:

a garment including opposed front and back panels, each panel having upper and lower edges, opposite side edges, and opposite inside and outside surfaces, the panels being joined at their upper edges but not at their side edges, the garment providing a head opening adjacent to said upper edges, the panels defining side openings allowing access to said inside surfaces from exteriorly of the garment;

belting mounted on one of the panels and having end portions long enough to enable them to be extended along a belt line across the side openings and transversely of the panels so as to be tied adjacent to one of the panels;

a pocket attached to one of the surfaces of one of the panels below said belt line; and

a hanger attached to one of the surfaces of one of the panels below said belt line.

12. The gown of claim 11,

wherein the hanger is below the pocket.

13. The gown of claim 11,

wherein there is a pocket and a hanger attached to each of said inside and outside surfaces of one of the panels.

14. The gown of claim 11,

wherein a hanger is positioned immediately below each pocket, and

wherein each pocket and its adjacent hanger are spaced from a longitudinal centerline extending from the upper edge to the lower edge midway between the side edges.

15. The gown of claim 11,

wherein each hanger has a central portion and opposite end portions extending from the central portion,

wherein the central portion of each hanger is fastened to the front panel intermediate the end portions of its respective hanger;

and

wherein there are releasable fasteners on the end portions of the hangers and the front panel.

16. The gown of claim 15,

wherein each fastener is a releasable snap having a male member on one of the hanger and the panel and a female member on the other of the hanger and the panel.

17. The gown of claim 15,

wherein there is more than one fastener member on each end portion of the hangers and corresponding fastener members on the front panel.

18. A medical gown, comprising:

a garment including opposed front and back panels of substantially the same width, each panel having upper and lower edges, opposite side edges, and opposite inside and outside surfaces, the panels being joined at their upper edges but not at their side edges, the garment providing a head opening adjacent to said upper edges, the panels defining side openings allowing access to said inside surfaces from exteriorly of the garment,

adjacent side edges of the front and back panels being releasably overlapped at each side of the garment,

belting mounted on one of the panels and having end portions long enough to enable them to be extended along a belt line across the side openings and transversely of the panels so as to be tied adjacent to one of the panels, the belting defining a belt line that circumscribes the garment between the upper and lower edges;

a pocket attached to one of the surfaces of one of the panels below said belt line; and

a hanger attached to one of the surfaces of one of the panels below said belt line.

19. The garment of claim 18,

wherein the back panel is longer than the front panel,

wherein the lower edge of the back panel is at about the same distance from the belt line as the lower edge of the front panel with the belting tied.