US2438771A - Garment protector - Google Patents

Description

Maxjch 30, 1948. D. ToPJlAN 2,438,771

GARMENT PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l zwar panna ffy/ if @Mlm March 30, 1948. D, TOPJlAN 2,438,771

GARMENT PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hat 3..

wzpar JMJ .20'

/ l I M a M j@ Z; 5&5

Patented Mar. 3 0, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,438,111 GABMENT PROTECTOR Daniel Topilan, Watertown, Mass. Application February 14, 1945, serial No. 517,794 s claims. (c1. a-ssi This invention relates to apparel and more especially to garment protectors, for specific example, but without limitation, dress shields of the type customarily located at the armpit portion of a dress-the present invention constituting an improvement over the arrangement disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,390,565, dated December 11, 1945, granted upon my co-pending application Serial No. 460,073, filed September 29, 1942, of which this is a part continuation.

In the aforesaid application there is disclosed a dress shield comprising a pair of wings ilexibly united along their upper edges and each designed to provide Va pocket for the reception of a removable absorbent pad, the inner wall of each wing being of a material which resists the passage of moisture and the outer wall being of open mesh material, the absorbent pad being described as consisting of an absorbent layer of cotton or the like interposed between plies of textile fabric, or in a more simple form, consisting of a layer of absorbent paper stock consisting of one or more plies. The present invention relates more especially to the absorbent pad and has for its principal object the provision of an absorbent pad capable of retaining its shape so that it does not disintegrate nor bunch up when wet, and which may be handled Without danger of tearing. A further object is to provide a removable pad which may be made so cheaply that it may be 30 discarded as soon as may be desirable after use, but which at the same time possesses the desirable characteristics just above referred to. A further object is to provide a garment protector of very simple and inexpensive type such that the entire protector may be removed from the garment and discarded whenever it becomes soiled. Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the ac companying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pad embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a modied construction;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a length of material suitable for use in forming the improved pad and indicating the mode of cutting pads from this material so as to minimize waste:

Fig. 5 is a section generally similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a further modication;

Fig. 6 is a, similar view illustrating a further modication;

Fig. 'I is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modifled form of pad;

Fig. 8 is a section on .the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan View of a further modified form of pad:

Fig. 10 is a view of the opposite side of the pad shown in Fig. 9

Fig. 11 is a section on the line i i-ii of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a pad of further modifled construction;

Fig. 13 is a view of the opposite side of the pad of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line ifi-I4 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a dress shield embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 16 is a section, .to large scale, on the line lt-i of Fig. 15.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral i designates a pad embodying the present invention in its simplest form. This pad is in the form of a sheet consisting of one or more layers 2 (Fig. 2) of absorbent material, usually fibrous in character, and usually consisting of or predominantly of a cellulosic substance, for instance cotton batting, soft absorbent paper, alpha cellulose, iiax iibers, or the like. Such sheet material may be prepared in accordance with the usual practice, for example by a cotton carding machine or by the employment of paper making machinery, and will usually be of substantially uniform thickness and of a uniform width. Obviously the sheet forming the pad i may comprise as many or as few of these plies as may be desired to provide a pad of the requisite thickness. Such plies when made of the materials above suggested, havea tendency when superposed and subjected to pressure, to cling together sumciently for the purpose and when a pad is cut from such sheet material it is usually suillciently shape-retaining when dry to permit it to be handled without diilculty.

As lillustrated in Fig. 3, the several layers 3, which may for example be of any of the materials above suggested for making the layers 2 of Fig. 2, are impregnated with a substance which tends to inhibit bacteriological or chemical change in the solid residue of the perspiration (particularly the fatty substances), which is absorbed by the pad. By the employment of such a substance it is unnecessary to interfere with the free secretion of perspiration or, on the` other hand, to try to conceal the disagreeable odor of perspiration by some overpowering perfume, since by this procedure the development of unpleasant odor is largely prevented. However, if desired, the plies I'may be impregnated with or contain some substance capable of evolving a. delicate and pleasing odor. Among the materials which may be employed for preventing the development of the disagreeable odor of perspiration, may be mentioned benzoic acid compounded with sodium benxoate and boric acid, or 2,2'dihydroxy 3,5,6,3',5',6'hexach1oro diphenyl methane. A Dad of this kind may be depended upon to absorb a very substantial quantity of the solids from perspiration before losing its efficiency and before developing any disagreeable odor. However. when it has been used for so long a period as to have become clogged with deposited solids, it may be discarded and replaced by a new pad, since the pad itself may be made very easily and inexpensively.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the formation of pads like the pad I shown in Fig. 2, from materials such as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, may be carried out in a die press, the sheet material M, which as above suggested, may comprise as many or as few plies of the unspun fibrous material as desired, being fed through the press and subiected to the action of suitably shaped dies so arranged as to cut out the pads I one after another ln succession, the shape of these pads (lune shaped) which is desirable for use in or to rform the dress shield, being such as to facilitate this operation without substantial waste.

Because a sample pad such as above described tends to bunch up and is easily 'disintegrated when wet, it is contemplated that a sheet of this material such as illustrated in Fig. 5 and comprising the superposed plies l, may be coated on one side as indicated at 5, with some moistureimpervious or resistant material, for example a thin. tough iilm of cellulose acetate or of some suitable synthetic resin or in fact any other appropriate flexible, moisture-resistant material which is not injurious to the skin. Such a coating, film or layer of tough, flexible material, coating and adhering to one side of the pad, adds substantial strength to the pad, particularly when it is wet, so that the pad does not tend to disintegrate or to bunch up during use or to tear when being handled during its removal from the shield.

In Fig. 6 a further desirable arrangement is illustrated wherein the fibrous material, shown as comprising superposed plies 8, has a coating 'I on one side, similar to the coating 5 just above referred to, and on the other side has a ply 8 of open .mesh textile fabric, for example cheese cloth. or a loose knitted material. Preferably the individual yarns of the fabric ply are of a. nonabsorbent character. This textile material may be of usual construction, consisting solely of natural or synthetic yarns, stable asl respects their response to heat or usual solvents, but on the other hand, this textile ply may, if desired, comprise recurrent yarns of a material which may be made to become sticky as for example by the application of heat or an appropriate solvent. Such a ply may be caused to adhere very firmly to the absorbent layer by causing its special yarns above referred to to bellm Stick? .75

and subjecting the fabric ply and the absorbent layer to pressure, thereby to cause them adhesively to unite. Whether or not the fabric ply be used, itis contemplated that the material constituting the absorbent layer may consist of a mixture of fibers, for example natural fibers, with l artificial fibers, the latter being initially noncementitious but having the inherent capability of becoming cementitious, as by the application of heat or a solvent. With such an arrangement these latter fibers may be so treated as to cause them adhesively to unite the other :fibers in the absorbent material without substantially decreasing the absorbent character of the latter, but on the other hand, very firmly uniting the fibers into a coherent mass whose integrity is not substantially affected by moisture. If suchan absorbent layer be associated with the fabric ply 8 in which special adhesive yarns are employed, the fabric ply may be even more rmly bonded to the absorbent layer.

In Figs. 'l and 8 a further modification is illustrated.' wherein the absorbent layer I0 is provided on one face with a marginal coating II which may be of material similar to the layer 5 above referred to. This marginal layer of flexible matel rial, unaffected by moisture, is adhesively united to one face of the layer I0, forming in effect a frame for the pad, imparting strength to the pad so that the pad may be handled when wet without falling apart, and also acting to prevent bunching or disintegration of the pad during use, but leaving the lcentral pervious.

In Figs. 9," 10 and 11 a further arrangement is disclosed, wherein the absorbent layer I2 is provided on both faces with a marginal frame Il-of a flexible, non-absorbent material adhering to the absorbent layer, the latter being also furnished on one face with a ply I4 of textile material of open mesh so as to permit free passage of moisture through it. This textile ply may be of any of the types above suggested.

In Figs. 12, 13 and 14 a further modification is illustrated wherein the absorbent layer I5, which may be a multi-ply layer such as above described, and of any of the materials above suggested, is provided on one face with a marginal border or frame I I similar to that illustrated in Fig. 8, and on the same side is furnished with a textile ply I8 of any of the types above suggested. The opposite face of' the layer I5/is provided with a lm or coating Il which may be similar to the film i above suggested, and which is adherent to the layer I5 and which prevents the passage of moisture from that side inwardly into the layer I 5.

The above pads are all designed for use in pockets of the dress shield, more fully described in the aforesaid pending application. Such pads may be made very cheaply, and they provide highly effective means for absorbing the perspiration. In the arrangements shown in Figs. 6 to 14 inclusive they provide structures which are strong enough to sustain handling while wet, and to avoid disintegration in use, and they are so inexpensive that they may be discarded freely as soon as they become soiled in the least degree.

In Figs. 15 and 16 an embodiment of the inven- I tion is illustrated wherein the entire dress shield portion of the pad I8, and the inner coatings I1 of moistureimpervious material. If this moisture-impervious material forming the coating I1 be of thermoplastic character, two such pads are very easily united along their upper margins merely by applying heat and pressure so as' to coalesce the layers I1 at the point I8, thus flexibly joining the two pads to form a shield. With this arrangement the inner films I1 which contact the dress are impervious to moisture, while the outer gauze plies Ii permit free passage of moisture from the skin into the layer I5 to be absorbed by the latter. Such a shield may be made very cheaply, may readily be applied to the garment, for example, by the common expedient of using pins, and as soon as it is in the least soiled may be discarded and replaced by a new one. While-it is suggested that the two pads may thus be united by heat and pressure, it is obvious that they might be united by other appropriate means, for instance by sewing, by the use of staples, or by treating the upper margins to solvent for the substance forming the films I1.

While various desirable embodiments of the invention have been herein described as illustrative of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to these precise embodiments, but is to be regarded as broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a single, luneshaped, leaf-like, uniformly thick sheet of unspun fibrous cellulosic material which is highly absorbent of moisture, said sheet being easily disintegrated when wet, and a thin film of tough, exible normally non-adhesive material adherent to the marginal portion of one face of said sheet thereby to strengthen the sheet and preserve the shape of the pad when wet, the outer edge of said marginal film registering with the outer edge of said leaf-like sheet.

2. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a single, luneshaped, leaf-like, uniformly thick sheet of unspun fibrous cellulosic material which is highlyI absorbent of moisture, said sheet being easily disintegrated when wet, and a thin, narrow band of tough, flexible moisture-resistant material extending along the margins of said sheet and forming a frame for the latter, said band being adherent to the sheet of cellulosic material, the outer edge of said narrow band registering with the outer edge of said leaf-like sheet.

3. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a single, luneshaped, leaf-like sheet of uniform thickness and of unspun, unwoven fibrous material which is highly absorbent of moisture, said sheet being easily disintegrated when wet, and a thin, reinforcing film of tough, flexible material, substantially unaffected by moisture, coextensive with said fibrous sheet and adherent throughout its entire area to one face of said sheet, said film being of a normally non-adhesive material.

4. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a single, luneshaped, leaf-like multi-ply sheet of uniform thickness whose constituent layers are all of unspun, unwoven fibrous material which is highly absorbent of moisture, said sheet being easily disintegrated when wet, a reinforcing film of tough, normally non-adhesive, flexible material, which is substantially unaffected by moisture, coextensive with said sheet and adherent to one face of said sheet, and a ply of open mesh textile fabric covering and adhering to the other surface of said sheet, said textile ply being pervious to moisture.

5. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a lune-shaped, leaf-like sheet of uniform thickness and of a fibrous cellulosic material which is highly absorbent sheet.

6. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a single luneshaped, leaf-like, moisture-absorbent, fibrous sheet of substantially uniform thickness and comprising a substantially homogeneous mixture of fibers, said mixture including natural cellulosic fibers which are highly absorbent of moisture, and also including synthetic fibers of a substance which may be made to become sticky and which adhesively bind together the entire fibrous mass, and a ply of gauge co-extensive with and covering one face of the fibrous sheet, said gauze comprising recurrent, initially non-cementitious synthetic yarns which are of a material capable of being made to become sticky, said gauze being adhesively united to the fibrous sheet throughout its entire extent by said recurrent initially noncementitious yarns.

7. A dress shield consisting of a pair of substantially lune-shaped wings flexibly united along their concavely curved edges, each wing consisting of a single leaf-like moisture-absorbent brous sheet having a ply of moisture-pervious material coextensive therewith and adherent to one of its surfaces, said sheet also having one surface coated throughout its entire extent with a normally non-adhesive, moisture-impervious reinforcing film, the margins of the coated surfaces of the two wings being disposed in face-to-face contact along the concavely curved edges of the wings, and means uniting said contacting margms. 8. A dress shield comprising a pair of substantially lune-shaped wings fiexibly united along their concavely curved edges, each Wing comprising a leaf-like sheetformed of a substantially homogeneous mixture of natural cellulosic fibers intermingled with artificial fibers capable of being made sticky, and a gauze ply covering one face of said sheet, said gauze ply comprising recurrent synthetic yarns capable of being made sticky, the natural cellulosic fibers of said sheet being adhesively bound together by the artificial fibers thereby to provide a sheet which is highly absorbent but shape-retaining when wet, and the gauze ply being adhesively united to the fibrous sheet by its synthetic yarns, the margins of the wings along their concavely curved edges being disposed in face-to-face contact, and means uniting said contacting margins.

9. A removable absorbent pad for use in a garment shield, said pad comprising a reinforcing film of tough, fiexible, normally non-adhesive, moisture-impervious material which is substantially unaffected by moisture, a sheet of unspun, unwoven fibrous material of substantial uniform ture but which is easily disintegrated when wet I unless reinforced, said sheet of unspun ilbrous material being coextensive with and adherent throughout substantially its entire area to one face-of said reinforcing 111m, and a ply of moisture-pervious textile material substantially coextensive with said moisture-absorbent sheet, the pad being of substantially uniform thickness,

leaf-like and lune shaped.

' DANIEL TOPJIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name 'Date White L Oct. '11, 1887 Warner May 19, 1896 Catzen Sept. 2, 1902 Ferguson Jan. 6, 1903 Kamm June 9, 1925 Conoyer ...May 30, 1933 Marsh June 18, 1935 Mullen Mar. 21, 1944 Lippmann Oct. 24, 1944

Images