US20030179959A1

US20030179959A1 - Wash aid for long bandages and wrapping materials

Info

Publication number: US20030179959A1
Application number: US10/395,962
Authority: US
Inventors: Judith Nishi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-03-25
Filing date: 2003-03-25
Publication date: 2003-09-25

Abstract

A wash aid for washing and drying long bandages and wrapping materials, such as those used to wrap the legs of horses, made out of a mesh material having openings sized to allow water or warm air to flow through the wash aid and retain the bandages and wraps therein. The wash aid is configured into multiple compartments by one or more dividers disposed between the sides of the wash aid. An opening on the front of the wash aid allows access into the cavity within the compartments. Alternatively, each compartment has its own opening. One or more closure mechanisms close the opening or openings to retain the bandages inside the wash aid during the washing and drying so as to reduce the likelihood of the bandages tangling or being damaged by contact with each other or the washing/drying machines.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/366,793 filed Mar. 25, 2002.[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The field of the present invention relates generally to devices used to effectively wash dirty or soiled materials in a manner that keeps the materials separated from each other to avoid tangling and unnecessary wear of the materials during the washing process. More particularly, the present invention relates to wash aid devices that are can be used to wash lengthy bandaging material, such as wrapping used for horses, in a washing machine without tangling and rubbing the wrapping during the wash process.

B. Background

Bandages and wrapping materials come in all sizes and types for many different uses and are made from all types of materials. Some bandages are used to cover a small area or injury. Other bandages, particularly of the wrap type, are relatively long, narrow strips of bandage material that are used to wrap a large area (such as a leg) or to use in multiple layers over a relatively small area to provide support (i.e., wraps for the knee or elbow). If long enough, the bandage can be used to both wrap and support a large area. One commonly known type of wrap bandage is available from ACE Bandage and are referred to as Ace Bandages™. These types of bandages, made from an elastic cloth material, are used by hospitals, doctors, sport trainers and at home to treat and protect injuries.

Sometimes, the bandage or wrap material is made to be disposable (i.e., not for reuse). Most commonly, however, bandages and wraps are made of materials that are intended to be repeatedly reused. Because the bandage or wrap material is likely to be exposed to blood, sweat and other bodily fluids, it is important that the materials are thoroughly cleaned between uses, particularly if used on different people. Even if the same person will be reusing the bandage or wrap material, it is still necessary to periodically clean the material for sanitary and aesthetic purposes. As is well known, the most common, cost and time efficient manner of washing and drying bandages is to utilize standard clothes washing and drying machines.

One common use for long, elongated bandage or wrap materials is to treat injured horses. Horse bandages are long strips of material that are frequently made from a combination of fleece and polyester. Horse bandages are available in the three basic types of bandages: (1) polo wraps; (2) track bandages; and (3) stable bandages. These bandages are typically used on the horse's leg. The basic purpose of horse bandages is to keep swelling down by reducing the amount of fluid going to the injury and to provide support for the leg while at rest, and during work or exercise. Another purpose of these bandages is to keep any underlying wound clean to avoid infection and to prevent stretching of the wound and any stitches that have been applied to the injury.

A problem that is particular to long, elongated bandages or wraps, whether used for people or animals, is that the process of cleaning the bandages has some inherent difficulties. These difficulties include tangling of the bandages and unnecessary wear of the bandages. These problems are even more acute when multiple bandages are washed or dried together at the same time and in the same washing or drying machine. The tumbling and spinning process of the washing and drying machines results in the bandages becoming tangled and ending up in a knotted mess that takes unnecessary time and effort to untangle in order to be able to reuse the bandages. In addition, the standard washing and drying processes causes the bandages to rub against each other, which results in unnecessary wear of the bandages. The wear problem is more acute for those bandages, such as horse bandages, that utilize soft fleece or other similar material that does not withstand rubbing well.

Any device that is utilized to assist with the washing and drying of bandages and/or wraps in standard washing and drying machines must be configured so as not to damage the interior of these machines or to damage other materials being washed or dried in the machines. In addition, the device itself must be constructed so as to not be easily damaged by the washing and drying processes and be sufficiently durable so as not to be frequently replaced.

Laundry bags for washing various materials are disclosed in several related art patents. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,312 to Milstein discloses a laundry bag that is made from fine gauge nylon net that is formed into a generally trapezoidal configuration for secure machine washing and/or drying of “delicate” articles, such as hosiery, lingerie and the like. This device utilizes an open upper end having cloth bands affixed to the net material with hook and thistle closure arrangements (i.e., Velcro®) on the cloth bands to seal the bag during use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,967 to Tsuyoshi, et al. discloses a laundry bag made of net material having a slider mechanism to close the bag opening. The laundry bag is formed into an octahedron to permit water to flow through the bag no matter which way it faces with respect to the water and to prevent the slider mechanism from damaging other articles in the washer or dryer. Although the above and other related art describes laundry bags of various fabrics and closure mechanisms for similar uses, none provide the benefits of the wash aid device of the present invention for long, elongated bandages and wrapping materials.

What is needed, is a relatively inexpensive and easy to use wash aid device for washing multiple long, elongated bandages and wraps that prevents the bandages and wraps from becoming tangled and being subjected to unnecessary wear. Such a device would simplify the procedure for reusing these types of bandages by reducing or eliminating the time and effort required to sort out and unknot the bandages. In addition, such a device would reduce wear of the bandages by reducing the amount of rubbing the bandages are subjected to during the washing and drying process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The wash aid device of the present invention solves the problems identified above. That is to say, the present invention discloses a wash aid device that prevents bandages, particularly of the long, elongated type used to wrap horse legs, from becoming tangled and being subjected to unnecessary wear during the conventional washing and drying process. The wash aid device of the present invention provides a simple, easy to use and relatively inexpensive wash aid for washing and drying bandages and wraps. The wash aid device of the present invention is suitable for effectively washing and drying such bandages and wraps in conventional washing and drying machines.

In one configuration, the wash aid of the present invention is formed from a mesh material bag that is closed at its top, bottom and sides. The mesh material of the bag has a plurality of openings that are sized and configured to allow water and air to flow through the bag and yet prevent the bandages from passing therethrough. One or more dividers are disposed between the sides so as to form two or more compartments. Each of the compartments has a cavity for receiving one of the bandages therein. An opening on the front of the bag is in communication with at least one of the cavities in the compartments and is sized for inserting the bandages into the cavities and removing the bandages from the cavities. A closure mechanism across the opening is used to close the opening so as to retain the bandages in the cavities during the washing and drying of the bandages. In the preferred embodiment, the opening and closure mechanism is located near the top bag (on its front) and the closure mechanism is either a zipper or a tie. The wash aid can be configured such that the dividers are in generally equally spaced relation between the first side and the second side such that the compartments are of substantially equal size. In another configuration, each compartment has its own opening and closure mechanism, such that the opening and closure mechanism does not cross the dividers, for placing a bandage or wrap inside the compartment cavity.

Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that overcomes the disadvantages associated with the conventional washing and drying of such bandages and wraps.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that is particularly suited for use with long, elongated bandages and wraps, such as those used for wrapping the legs of horses.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that effectively washes and dries long, elongated bandages and wraps in standard washing machines and driers.

It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that can be made relatively inexpensively and which is easy to use.

The above and other objectives of the present invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and the description of the preferred embodiment which follows. As set forth herein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, mode of operation and/or combination of processes presently described and understood by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings which illustrate the best modes presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: [0019]
FIG. 1 is a preferred wash aid device of the present invention having four compartments and utilizing a zipper-type of closure mechanism for each compartment; [0020]
FIG. 2 is a side view of the wash aid shown in FIG. 1 with a bandage shown inside the cavity of the wash aid; and [0021]
FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the wash aid device of the present invention with six compartments and utilizing a tie-type of closure mechanism for each compartment.[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures where like elements have been given like numerical designations to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present invention, and particularly with reference to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are set forth below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wash aid for long bandages and wrapping materials of the present invention, identified as [0023] 10, generally comprises elongated, mesh-type bag 11 having a top 12, bottom 14, opposing first side 16 and second side 18 with one or more compartment separators 20 dividing device 10 into multiple compartments 22, each of which is sized to hold a long, elongated bandage or wrap (collectively referred to as “bandage” and shown as 23 in FIG. 2) during the washing and drying process. Bag 11 is closed at top 12, bottom 14, first side 16 and second side 18 to prevent bandages 23 from passing therethrough. As shown in FIG. 2, wash aid device 10 of the present invention has a front 24 and back 26 to form compartments 22 into separate enclosed cavities 28 for receiving and retaining the long, elongated bandage 23 therein. Bandage 23 is placed inside cavity 28 through opening 30 located on the front 24 near top 12 of compartment 22 of wash aid 10. To secure the bandage 23 inside cavity 28 during the washing and drying processes, closure mechanism 32 is utilized to close opening 30. In one configuration, such as shown in FIG. 1, opening 30 and closure mechanism 32 extend across two or more compartments 22. In another configuration, such as shown in FIG. 3, each compartment 22 has its own separate opening 30 and closure mechanism 32.
In the preferred embodiment, wash [0024] aid 10 is made from a mesh material having weaves 34 with a plurality of flow-through openings 36 disposed therebetween to allow cleaning fluid (i.e., soap and water) in and dirt, dirty fluid and the blood, sweat and other fluids on bandages 23 out. A preferred material for wash aid 10 of the present invention is a mesh material made of 100% polyester netting. The material can be stretchable or non-stretchable. Certain characteristics of materials are preferably suited for use for wash aid 10 of the present invention. The mesh material of bag 11 for wash aid 10 should be selected such that it will not unduly wear against bandages 23 during the washing and drying process. Although bandages 23 will be inside separate compartments 22 in wash aid 10 and will not rub against each other, there will be some rubbing between bandages 23 and wash aid device 10. Therefore, the material selected for bag 11 should be of the type that will not harm bandage 23, particularly those that utilize fleece material. Although the material selected must be of the type that will not harm bandages 23, wash aid 10 should be of a material able to withstand multiple washing and drying cycles without resulting in undue amount of wear to wash aid device 10. Preferably, the material should also be of the type that will not unduly stick to or connect with the Velcro®) or other types of connectors used on many bandages 23. Materials that the inventor has found suitable for wash aid device 10 include polyester netting and thread.
As stated above, the preferred materials are made in a mesh-type of design or some other configuration that allows the cleaning fluids and rinse fluids in and the dirt, blood, sweat, etc. and dirty fluid out. With the material of bag [0025] 11 made in a properly designed mesh configuration, comprising weave 34 and openings 36, bandages 23 will remain in wash aid 10 during the washing and drying process. Therefore, openings 36 must be configured to be small enough to keep bandages 23 in the individual compartments 22, yet not so small as to impede the transfer of clean or dirty fluids. The mesh openings 36 can be of any shape. One type of mesh material the inventor has found to be suitable for the intended purpose of wash aid device 10 is mesh having openings that are round shaped and are approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch in size.
Was [0026] aid device 10 of the present invention should be made into multiple compartments 22 for washing and drying multiple bandages 23, with one bandage 23 per compartment 22. For instance, wash aid device 10 of FIG. 1 has four compartments 22 for separately holding four bandages 23 (i.e., one in each compartment 22) and wash aid device of FIG. 3 has six compartments 22 for holding six bandages 23. Depending on the size and usage of bandages 23, more or less compartments 22 may be appropriate. In one configuration, compartments 22 can be made by merely stitching divider 20 across an elongated bag with thread. Alternatively, compartments 22 can be formed by attaching compartment dividers 20, made out of other materials, on the bag to divide bag into compartments 22. Dividers 20 can be in generally equal spaced apart relation between first side 16 and second side 18 such that each of the compartments 22 are of substantially equal size. For usage with horse bandages, which are relatively long, the use of four compartments 22 is appropriate because the owner can wash one set of bandages 23 (one for each leg) at the same time and keep the bandages 23 together as a group. This facilitates even wear and reduces time after the wash and dry process to sort bandages 23 by color, etc. Because of the size of the horse bandages, the inventor has found that compartments 22 sized eleven inches by fifteen inches is generally suitable. Depending on the desired overall size of the wash aid device 10, more compartments 22 can be used if the bandages 23 are smaller. Alternatively, the overall size of the wash aid can be increased. For instance, FIG. 3 shows a wash aid device 10 having six compartments 22 that can be made narrower and less deep than the four compartments 22 in FIG. 1. Many other configurations of wash aid device 10 are possible with varying number and size of compartments 22. Although wash aid device 10 can be configured for specific uses, it can also be configured to be more versatile (i.e., average size for a variety of bandages) for general usage.
To keep the bandages in the their [0027] respective compartments 22, the wash aid device 10 should be provided with one or more closure mechanisms 32 to close each compartment 22 so as to retain the bandages 23 in cavity 28. One such closure mechanism 32, shown in FIG. 1, is a zipper 38 having serrated teeth 40 that runs the entire length of wash aid device 10 and one or more zipper pulls 42 to open or close all compartments 22 at the same time. Alternatively, each of the four separate compartments 22 can have their own zipper 38 or other closure mechanism 32. If zipper 38 is used, it should be of the type that will not damage bandages 23 or wash aid 10. For instance, zipper 38 can be a nylon or some other relatively soft material instead of the standard metal zipper. The inventor has found that two #5 nylon zippers 38 opening and closing from near the middle of wash aid device 10 works well as closure mechanism 32.
Instead of zipper [0028] 38, other types of closure mechanisms 32 can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the closure mechanism can be a tie 44 at the opening 30 for each compartment 22. Although not shown, closure mechanism 32 could also be snaps, Velcro®, buckles, buttons or other type of closing devices. As with zipper 38, ties 44 (or other closure mechanism 32) can be for each compartment 22 or there can be less closure mechanisms 32 that close one or more (or all) of the compartments 22 at one time. Closure mechanism 32 should be chosen to be of the type that will not damage bandages 23, wash aid device 10 or the interior of the washing and drying machines.
While there are shown and described herein certain specific alternative forms of the invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but is susceptible to various modifications and rearrangements in design and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, it should be noted that the present invention is subject to modification with regard to the dimensional relationships set forth herein and modifications in assembly, materials, size, shape, and use. For instance, there are numerous components described herein that can be replaced with equivalent functioning components to accomplish the objectives of the present invention. [0029]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A wash aid for use in washing one or more bandages in a washing machine and drying said bandages in a drying machine, said wash aid comprising:

a bag having a top, a bottom, a first side and an opposing second side and a front and an opposing back, said bag closed at said top, said bottom, said first side and said second side, said bag made from an open mesh material having a plurality of openings therein, said openings sized and configured to prevent said bandages from passing therethrough;

one or more dividers on said bag, said one or more dividers disposed between said first side and said second side so as to form two or more compartments, each of said compartments having a cavity for receiving one of said bandages therein;

an opening on said front of said bag, said opening in communication with at least one of said cavities in said compartments, said opening sized for inserting said bandages into said cavities and removing said bandages from said cavities; and

closure means at said opening for closing said opening so as to retain said bandages in said cavities during the washing and drying of said bandages.

2. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said opening is located near said top of said bag.

3. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said closure means is a zipper.

4. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said closure means is a tie.

5. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said one or more dividers are in generally equally spaced relation between said first side and said second side so said compartments are of substantially equal size.

6. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said wash aid has at least four compartments.

7. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said closure means operates across two or more compartments.

8. A wash aid for use in washing one or more bandages in a washing machine and drying said bandages in a drying machine, said wash aid comprising:

one or more dividers on said bag, said one or more dividers disposed between said first side and said second side so as to form two or more compartments, each of said compartments having a cavity for receiving one of said bandages therein and an opening in communication with said cavity, said opening located on said front of said bag and sized for inserting one of said bandages into said cavity and removing said bandage from said cavity; and

closure means at each of said openings for closing said openings so as to retain said bandage in said cavity during the washing and drying of said bandage.

9. The wash aid according to claim 8, wherein said opening is located near said top of said bag.

10. The wash aid according to claim 8, wherein said closure means is a zipper.

11. The wash aid according to claim 8, wherein said closure means is a tie.

12. The wash aid according to claim 8, wherein said one or more dividers are in generally equally spaced relation between said first side and said second side so said compartments are of substantially equal size.