GB2304268A - Wearable article with external seams - Google Patents

Abstract

Wearable article, eg for medical use, such as a sock, sleeve, hat, pair of trousers or medical mitten 20, comprises an external overlock seam 141, no internal seam, and possibly only one seam. The overlock seam extends wholly around the article apart from any openings and folds therein. Tying tapes 162,182 are attached via the seam 141. The mitten 20, tapes 162,182 and possibly the thread are made from pure combed cotton jersey material that is unbleached and undyed. A method of making the article uses an overlock machine to cut the material to form an edge 26 and to overlock-stitch the edge, as it is formed, to form the seam 141 (see also Figs. 7 to 9). A medical sleeve (Fig. 12) and a pair of trousers (Fig. 13) with overlocked external seams, are also described.

Description

"A MEDICAL MITTEN OR LIKE ARTICLE" [BRA/1] BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION This invention relates to a medical mitten or like article, e.g. sock, sleeve, or even trousers.

A medical mitten is one used for covering the hands, e.g. in a case of eczema or severe skin damage, e.g. due to burning, or if the skin is allergic or may be used for babies or young children to prevent them from scratching themselves. Such articles are used particularly (but not exclusively) at night-time or when the subject is asleep, e.g. to avoid unconscious scratching or damage to the affected skin area.

The prior art is described now with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Such a mitten has been made by bringing together two edges 10, 12 of material and stitching them together with an overlock stitch 14 (shown diagrammatically) to form an external seam as seen in Figure 1. The article is then everted to form an internal seam of the stitching 14 as seen in Figure 2. Tying tapes 16, 18 are included as shown in Figure 3, and these clearly have to be external, as shown. This requires that the tapes be folded somehow internally inside the article when the external seam is being formed before the article is everted, as shown in Figure 4.

THE INVENTION The present inventor has found that the internal seam is uncomfortable and that the whole article can be made more comfortable and with a great saving of labour, time and cost by making the seam external.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a medical mitten or like article, characterised in that the finished article comprises an external overlock seam. For comfort, this should also comprise no internal seam. For efficiency of manufacture, the article should comprise only one seam, if possible. This can be effected if the article comprises an external edge portion that extends wholly around said article apart from any openings and folds, and if said seam extends wholly along said portion. The article may not comprise tying tapes (and might not even be medical) but if it does, then efficiency of manufacture is obtained if the article comprises tying tapes externally attached by means of said seam. Rather than the usual materials, the article should comprise pure combed cotton jersey material that is unbleached and undyed.This more natural material is not only cheaper than the usual materials, but is less likely to affect the skin or irritate an affected area thereof, as also if the article is being used to cover the skin because it is allergic.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a medical mitten or like article, that comprises using an overlock machine to machine material by (a) cutting it to form an edge and (b) overlockstitching the edge as it is formed, which use is herein intended by the term "machining as herein defined", characterised in that it comprises machining as herein defined to form a seam of the article that will be an external seam of the finished article, which machining is herein intended by the term "seaming as herein defined". This is a particularly useful and efficient method of producing the external seam, since it can at the same time be used to shape the article from a larger blank. It is to be noted that such machining and seaming cuts the material.Although for some purposes the seaming can be done from an edge into the material and from another edge into the first seam, it is generally more economical if the method comprises seaming as herein defined from an edge portion of the material to another edge portion of the material.

The method is much more economical of labour, time and cost if it comprises folding the material in a fold that intersects an edge portion of the material and seaming as herein defined from the edge portion, adjacent the fold, to another edge portion of the material. More particularly the method has these advantages especially (but not exclusively) in the case of the article being a mitten, sock, hat or other closed item, if the two edge portions are parts of a single edge and the seaming from the edge portion adjacent the fold is done in a loop back to the edge.

The whole article is more durable and comfortable if at least one of said edge portions is overlock-stitched and the method is highly advantageous as to economy and ease of manufacture, e.g. in forming it from a larger blank, if the method includes the step of machining as herein defined at least one of said edge portions to provide the overlock-stitching thereof.

For the reasons explained above in connection with the tying tapes, the method is advantageous if, in it, a separate strip of material is placed externally across the intended line of the external seaming whereby said seaming attaches said strip into the article as tying tapes. For this purpose, a single strip of material can be folded and the seaming as herein defined will cut it into two tapes, which can make manufacture easier.

Thus, an advantageous method (e.g. useful for closed arlicles) comprises machining as herein defined an edge of the material, folding the material with a fold that intersects the stitched edge, and seaming as herein defined in a loop from a portion of said edge adjacent the fold to another portion of the stitched edge.

Similarly, another advantageous method (e.g. applicable to making an open tubular article) comprises machining as herein defined two edges of the material, folding the material with a fold that intersects both of the stitched edges, and seaming as herein defined the material from one of the stitched edges to the other to give a tubular form to the article. In either case, the method is usefully improved by placing on the folded material at least one separate strip of material across the intended line of the seaming to be attached by the seaming and form external tying tapes.

Reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 4 are diagrammatic cross-sections of a prior art mitten before everting it; Figures 2 and 3 are corresponding cross-sections after everting the prior art mitten to form the finished article; Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 4 but illustrates an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic cross-section that illustrates the cutting part of seaming as herein defined; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of a blank for a mitten embodying the invention; Figure 8 is a corresponding view of the same after folding; Figure 9 is a corresponding view of the same with the seaming partly, completed, showing the tying tape/s in position but not yet attached by the seaming; Figure 10 is a corresponding view of the same showing the finished medical mitten;; Figure 11 is a diagrammatic plan view which shows a blank for a medical sleeve embodying the invention after opposite edges have been overlock-stitched; Figure 12 is a diagrammatic plan view which shows the same folded and with tying tapes in place just prior to seaming as herein defined to attach the same; and Figure 13 is a view corresponding to Figure 12 of another tubular article at the Figure 12 stage but without tying tapes and intended to be formed into trousers.

Reference is now made to the drawings. In the various embodiments, references having the same first pair of digits denote members that have a similar function and some of these may not be mentioned herein explicitly, or their function detailed, where this notation makes their function obvious.

A method of manufacturing a medical mitten or like article 20, Figure 10, comprises using an overlock machine to machine material 22 by (a) cutting it at point 24, Figure 6, to form an edge 26, Figure 10, and (b) overlock-stitching the edge as it is formed (i.e. just behind and after the cutting) so as to form a seam 141 of the article 20 that will be an external seam of the finished article. The seaming is done from an edge portion 28, Figure 8, of the material 22 to another edge portion 30 of the material 22.

In the material 22, Figure 7, along a line 32, there is machined as herein defined an edge portion to provide overlock-stitching thereof. The material 22 is folded in a fold 34 that intersects the overlock-stitched edge portion along line 32 to give the configuration shown in Figure 8 and this is then seamed as herein defined along a line 36 from the edge portion 28 adjacent the fold 34 to a point 38 when a single separate strip 161 of material is folded at point 40, Figure 9, end to end and placed across the rest of the intended line 36 of the seaming to be attached by the seaming and thus form external tying tapes 162, 182, Figure 10.

As is apparent from Figure 8, the edge portions 28, 30 are parts of a single edge and the seaming from the edge portion 28 adjacent the fold is done in a loop along line 36 back to the edge at edge portion 30.

To make a tubular article, a blank 221, Figure 11, is machined as herein defined to form overlock-stitched edges at lines 321, 322, the material 221 is folded at line 341 with a fold that intersects both of the stitched edges at lines 321, 322, and the material 221 is seamed as herein defined, opposite the fold line 341, along a line 361 extending from one of the overlock-stitched edges along lines 321, 322 to the other, to give a tubular form to the article, which in this case has two sets of tying tapes 163, 183 and 164, 184, so that it can be used as a sleeve, though in some other case it may only be necessary to have one set of tying tapes.

Such a tubular article, without the tying tapes and suitably larger, can be further manufactured into trousers by seaming as herein defined along a line 362, Figure 12, cutting out a waste portion 42.

Thus, the method manufactures a medical mitten or like article 20 which, in the finished article, comprises an external overlock seam 26, no internal seam, and in fact only one seam. It has an external edge portion that extends wholly around said article, along line 36, apart from any openings and folds, and said seam extends wholly along said portion. It comprises tying tapes 16, 18 externally attached into the article by means of said seam along line 36.

The article 20 (both the blank and the tying tapes) is made from pure combed cotton jersey material that is unbleached and undyed, for the reasons given above.

The thread may also be made of pure unbleached, undyed cotton.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, that features of the different embodiments disclosed herein may be omitted, selected, combined or exchanged and the invention is considered to extend to any new and inventive combination thus formed.

Claims (22)

1. A medical mitten or like article, characterised in that the finished article comprises an external overlock seam.

2. An article as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the finished article comprises no internal seam.

3. An article as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the finished article comprises only one seam.

4. An article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the finished article comprises an external edge portion that extends wholly around said article apart from any openings and folds, and said seam extends wholly along said portion.

5. An article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it comprises tying tapes externally attached by means of said seam.

6. An article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that it comprises pure combed cotton jersey material that is unbleached and undyed.

7. A medical mitten or like article, substantially according to any embodiment hereinbefore described.

8. A medical mitten or like article, substantially according to any embodiment hereinbefore described with reference to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of manufacturing a medical mitten or like article, that comprises using an overlock machine to machine material by (a) cutting it to form an edge and (b) overlock-stitching the edge as it is formed which use is herein intended by the term "machining as herein defined", characterised in that it comprises machining as herein defined to form a seam of the article that will be an external seam of the finished article, which machining is herein intended by the term "seaming as herein defined".

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that it comprises seaming as herein defined from an edge portion of the material to another edge portion of the material.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that it comprises folding the material in a fold that intersects an edge portion of the material and seaming as herein defined from the edge portion, adjacent the fold, to another edge portion of the material.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the two edge portions are parts of a single edge and the seaming from the edge portion adjacent the fold is done in a loop back to the edge.

13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12, characterised in that at least one of said edge portions is overlock-stitched.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, characterised in that it comprises the step of machining as herein defined at least one of said edge portions to provide the overlock-stitching thereof.

15. A method as claimed in any one claims 9 to 14, characterised in that a separate strip of material is folded and placed externally across the intended line of the external seam whereby said seaming attaches said strip into the article as tying tapes.

16. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that it comprises machining as herein defined an edge of the material, folding the material with a fold that intersects this stitched edge, and seaming as herein defined in a loop from a portion of this edge adjacent the fold to another portion of this edge.

17. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that it comprises machining as herein defined two edges of the material, folding the material with a fold that intersects both these stitched edges, and seaming the material from one of these edges to the other to give a tubular form to the article.

18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or 17, characterised in that it comprises placing on the folded material at least one separate strip of material across the intended line of the seaming to be attached by the seaming to form external tying tapes.

19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 18, characterised in that said article is an article as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6.

20. A method of manufacturing a medical mitten or like article, substantially according to any example hereinbefore described.

21. A method of manufacturing a medical mitten or like article, substantially according to any example hereinbefore described with reference to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

22. A medical mitten or like article, characterised in that it is manufactured by a method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 21.