US20150366272A1

US20150366272A1 - Ems garment

Info

Publication number: US20150366272A1
Application number: US14/741,727
Authority: US
Inventors: Jason James Wroblewski; Donald Michael Mekkes; Clifford Edwin Lambarth
Original assignee: Stryker Corp
Current assignee: Stryker Corp
Priority date: 2014-06-23
Filing date: 2015-06-17
Publication date: 2015-12-24

Abstract

A garment for medical emergency services (EMS) workers is provided with one or more features useful to emergency personnel. The garment may include an eyewear pocket at or near the neck of the garment and/or a pocket on the front panel of the shirt that is sized or configured to hold a card, such as an insurance card, while allowing a portion of the card to remain visible. Additional features which may be present alone or in combination with the other disclosed features include a fastener that is off-set from the shoulder seem of the garment and/or a sleeve pocket that is sized to accommodate medical gloves. The various pockets may include a material coating or lining that may increase or decrease the frictional forces between the interior of the pocket and the item retained there in order to assist in the retention of the item or assist in the removal of the item as desired.

Description

This application claims the benefit of provisional application entitled EMS GARMENT, filed Jun. 23, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 62/015,645, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a garment for use by emergency medical services (“EMS”) personnel.
Responders to emergency medical situations often need various tools and accessories while attending to a patient. However, responders do not need to use all the tools at the same time and, therefore, need to be able to store them when not in use, but also have quick access to them when they are needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a garment is provided with one or more features useful to emergency personnel in the performance of their duties.
In one embodiment, a garment includes a front panel having a neck opening and an inner panel joined to the front panel, which forms a pocket between the front panel and a wearer. The pocket has a pocket opening located at (or proximate to) a portion of the neck opening the neck opening, with the pocket is sized to accommodate eyewear.
In one aspect, the garment further includes the pocket opening formed between the front panel and inner panel.
In another aspect, the pocket dimensions include a length of between about 5 and 6 inches and a width of between about 2 and 3 inches.
In a further aspect, the inner panel forming the pocket with the front panel is a rigid material.
In yet another aspect, the pocket opening further includes a closure, for example, a duckbill closure.
In any of the above, the pocket may include an interior lined with a high friction material to facilitate retention of the eyewear in the pocket. Optionally, the lined interior includes directional elements to provide resistance to removal of the eyewear when placed in the pocket.
Further, in any of the above, the pocket may be detachable from the garment.
Another embodiment includes a garment with a front panel and a pocket on the front panel, with the pocket being sized to accommodate a card, such as a credit card or an identification card, for example, a driver's license.
In one aspect, the pocket is sized so that when the card is fully inserted into the pocket a portion of the card is still visible.
In any of the above card-sized pockets, the interior surface of the pocket may include a high friction material, so that when the card is placed in the pocket, the card is held in the pocket by the high friction material.
In another aspect, the garment may include an elastic loop so that the card may be held in the pocket by securing the loop over the card.
In yet another aspect, the pocket has a length of about 3 inches and a width of about 2.5 inches.
Accordingly to yet another aspect, the garment may include a second pocket in a stacked or staggered relationship to the first pocket. For example, the second pocket may be attached to the garment between the front panel and the first pocket. Alternately, the first pocket may be attached to the garment between the front panel and the second pocket.
According to another embodiment, a garment includes a front panel and a rear panel attached to the front panel, with a seam between the front panel and the rear panel. A fastener is offset from the seam and located at a shoulder of the garment. For example, the fastener may be adapted to receive a microphone.
In yet another embodiment, a garment for use by emergency medical services personnel includes a front panel having a neck opening and an inner panel joined to the front panel forming a first pocket between the front panel and a wearer. The first pocket is sized to accommodate eyewear with an opening of the first pocket located at (or proximate) the neck opening. The front panel includes a second pocket, which is sized to accommodate a card.
In any of the above, the garments may include a rear panel attached to a front panel, with a seam between the front panel and the rear panel, and a fastener offset from the seam and located at a shoulder area of the garment.
In any of the above garments, the garment may include at least one sleeve and a third pocket on the sleeve, wherein the third pocket optionally has a high slip interior(e.g. with a low friction surface). For example, the third pocket is sized to accommodate a glove.
In any of the above garments, the garment may include breathable panels and/or reflective strips. Further, the garment may include a sweat absorbing collar.
Accordingly, the garments provide a variety of different storage options that can assist EMS personal in organizing and/or handling their various tools and/or accessories.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a garment according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a right view of the garment;

FIG. 3 is left view of the garment;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the garment;

FIG. 5 is a front view the garment just illustrating the eyewear pocket;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the garment illustrating the eyewear pocket;

FIG. 7 is a similar view to FIG. 6 with eyewear shown in the pocket;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view a garment with another embodiment of the pocket for eyewear;

FIG. 9 is a similar view to FIG. 8 with eyewear in the pocket;

FIG. 10 is a rear detailed view of another embodiment of the eyewear pocket;

FIG. 11 a is a side detailed view of the eyewear pocket of FIG. 10 in a closed position;

FIG. 11 b is a side detailed view of the eyewear pocket of FIG. 10 in an open position;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the garment illustrating just the card pocket;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the garment of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a detailed view of the card pocket of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a detailed view of another embodiment of the card pocket;

FIG. 16 a is a detailed view of a third embodiment of the card pocket;

FIG. 16 b is a cross-section of the detailed view of FIG. 16 a;

FIG. 17 is a detailed view of a staggered card pocket;

FIG. 18 is a detailed view of another embodiment of a staggered card pocket;

FIG. 19 is a front view according to the garment illustrating a fastener;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the embodiment of the garment shown in FIG. 19; and

FIG. 21 is a detailed view of the fastener of FIG. 19.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the numeral 10 generally designates a garment. As will be more fully described below, garment 10 may include one or more features, such storage spaces or structures, that can be valuable for a medical emergency responder.
As best seen on FIG. 2, garment 10 includes a front panel 12 and a rear panel 13. A neck opening 14 is formed between the front panel 12 and rear panel 13, which may be partially or fully framed with a collar 15. Garment 10 may include one or a combination of features to aid in the carrying or support of items commonly present when providing medical aid. For example, garment 10 may include an eyewear pocket 18 as a convenient carrying space for eyewear, such as sunglasses or spectacles. Additionally or alternatively, the garment 10 may have a front panel pocket 20 which can be sized to accommodate an insurance card, or the like, while leaving a portion of the card visible when it is in front panel pocket 20. The garment 10 may also include a fastener 30 useful, for example, to fasten a radio microphone or similarly sized item or equipment to garment 10. Sleeves 40 of the garment 10 may also have pockets 42, 46. Pocket 42 may be sized to accommodate one or more gloves, while pocket 46 may be sized to accommodate a writing utensil, such as a pen or pencil.
As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, eyewear pocket 18 may be provided between a front panel 12 of the garment 10 and a wearer 50 of the garment 10. Pocket 18 may be formed by an inner panel 16 that is joined to the front panel 12 to thereby form the pocket 18 between the front panel 12 and wearer 50. Eyewear pocket 18 may be sized to accommodate eyewear 19, such as sunglasses, reading, or prescription glasses. Inner panel 16 may be constructed of a pliable material so that the pocket 18 may lay flat against the garment front panel 12 when the pocket is empty but can expand to accommodate the eyewear 19 when the eyewear is placed in the pocket 18.
In an alternate embodiment, garment 10 may include an eyewear pocket 180 constructed from at least two inner panels 160, 162. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, inner panels 160, 162 may be pliable, or one or both inner panels 160, 162 may be rigid so that the pocket 180 remains roughly the same shape whether or not the eyewear 19 is present in the pocket 180.
In both embodiments, eyewear pocket 18, 180 may be placed at or near a neck opening 14 of the garment to allow easy placement of the eyewear 19 into the pocket 18, 180. The ease with which the eyewear 19 may be placed in the pocket may be enhanced for wearers 50, accustomed to hanging an arm of their eyewear over their shirt front. Specific dimensions for the pocket may vary. Generally, a length of the pocket 18, 180 may be about 5 to 6 inches and a width of about 2-3 inches may easily allow eyewear 19 to be carried in the pocket 18, 180. While the pocket 18, 180 is sized to accommodate eyewear 19 the pocket is also suitable for holding or carrying other smaller or similarly sized items such as, but not limited to, a smartphone, gloves, a writing utensil, paper, a radio, a headset, and keys, etc.
In order to gain access to each eyewear pocket 18, 180, a pocket opening 65, 165 may be provided. The pocket opening 65, 165 may be flexible if the panel 16, 160 is of pliable material, or may be a more set or fixed shape if the panel 16 or inner panels 160, 162 are made of rigid material.
In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 a-b, a pocket 280 may include two inner panels 260, 262 and an opening 265 that may form a duckbill closure 267.
Each pocket 18, 180, 280 may include an interior surface 70, 170, 270 that is lined or coated with material that can increase the friction between the eyewear 19 and the interior surfaces 70, 170, 270 to aid in the retention of the eyewear 19 or other item placed in the pocket 18, 180, 280. The lined or coated surface may include for example, but are not limited to, a material with directional fibers oriented to retain objects in the pocket, or may be a tacky or static, or semi-tacky or static coating that aid in securing items in the pocket 18, 180, 280. The lining or coating, if present, may provide additional frictional forces that are readily overcome by manually grasping the eyewear 19 or other item contained in the pocket 18, 180, 280 and moving the eyewear 19 or item through the pocket opening 65, 165, 265.
Further, each pocket 18, 180, 280 may be detectable from the garment. For example, the pocket 18, 180, 280 may be removably fixed to the front panel by coupling pocket fasteners 91, 191, 291 to front panel fasteners 92, 192 (none shown for pocket 280). The pocket fasteners and the front panel fasteners may be any type of fastener suitable for this purpose. Suitable fasteners may include, but are not limited to, snaps, Velcro, pins and the like.
During emergency medical situations it is frequently necessary for emergency medical personnel to obtain evidence of identification, proof of insurance, and/or blood type, etc. for a person requiring attention. The attending medical professional may, for a short time, need or desire to retain the card until the person requiring attention is transferred to the care of another attendee or caregiver. In these often fast-pasted transactions, the emergency medical personnel who has retained the card may overlook the card and retain it while the person being treated moves to another location. By providing a pocket on the garment of EMS personnel that is configured to allow at least a portion of the card or cards to remain visible, the likelihood of separating a person from their identifying information may be decreased.
Referring now to FIGS. 12-16 b, an another embodiment of a garment 300 is shown, which includes a pocket 318, 418, or 518 for holding one or more cards such as but not limited to, an insurance card, blood donor card, a driver's license, an identification card, a credit card, or a debit card, etc. Each pocket 318, 418, 518 may be sized so that the card is at least partially visible when it is completely inserted into the pocket 318, 418, 518. As illustrated in FIGS. 11-13, the pocket 318 may include a large pocket panel 320 and a small pocket panel 322 attached to the front panel 312 of the garment 300. The small pocket panel 322 may be attached to the garment front panel 312 above the large pocket panel 320 creating a pocket opening 324 between the large panel 320 and small panel 322. The card 330 may be inserted through the pocket opening 324 between the larger pocket panel 320 and garment front panel 312 leaving a portion of the card visible above the larger pocket panel 320. The small pocket panel 322 may be positioned to cover a part of the card 330 thereby diminishing, but not completely obscuring, the visible portion of the card 330. If desired, the smaller pocket panel may be eliminated.
For example, card pocket 418 as shown in FIG. 15 includes a pocket panel 420 attached to the garment front panel 412. The card 430 may be inserted into the pocket 418 through the pocket opening 424 and remain partially visible. The large pocket panel 320 and the pocket panel 420 may be any shape and may include dimensions of about 3 inches in length and about 2.5 inches in width.
Alternatively, the card may be secured in the pocket by a loop. As shown in FIGS. 16 a and 16 b, the card pocket 518 may be formed between the garment front panel 512 and a pocket panel 520. The card 530 may be inserted into the pocket through the pocket opening 524. When fully inserted into the pocket 518, a loop 522 fixed to the garment front panel 512 above the pocket panel 520 may be provided to releasably attach to the pocket panel 520. The loop may secure the card 530 in the pocket 518 by securing the loop 522 around the end of the card 530. The loop 522 may be constructed from an elastic material. One end 527 of the loop 522 may include a fastener 526 that joins with a fastener 528 on the outside of the pocket panel 520. The fasteners 526, 528 may be any suitable fasteners for this purpose. Suitable fasteners may include, but are not limited to, snaps, Velcro, pins and the like.
In the pocket arrangements shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the card pocket is in a stacked or staggered relationship to another pocket. Specifically, FIG. 17 depicts the card pocket 618 stacked on an auxiliary pocket 650 that is attached to the garment front panel 612. The card 630 may be inserted into the card pocket 618 which may be defined by an outer surface of the auxiliary pocket 650 and a pocket panel 619. The card 630 may remain partially visible when completely inserted into the card pocket 618.
Another stacked or staggered relationship is shown in FIG. 18. The card pocket 718 is similar to that depicted in FIG. 15. Here, the pocket panel 720 is attached to the garment front panel 712. The card 730 may be inserted into the pocket 718 through the pocket opening 724 and remain partially visible when in the pocket 718. Included over the card pocket 718 of FIG. 18 is an auxiliary pocket panel 750 that forms a primary pocket 752 which may at least partially cover the card pocket 718.
Any of the card pockets 318, 418, 518, 618, 718 described herein may include an interior surface material. The surface material may have a construction and/or coating that increases the frictional forces between the card 330, 430, 530, 630, 730 and the pocket so that, when the card is placed in the pocket 318, 418, 518, 618, 718 the interior surface material aids in retaining the card in the pocket. The increased frictional forces created if the interior surface material is present may be readily overcome by manually grasping the card 330, 430, 530, 630, 730 in the pocket 318, 418, 518, 618, 718.
It may be useful for EMS personnel to be provided a garment with a fastener. The fastener may enable items that are needed or desired during the performance of their duties to be kept ready for use while allowing hands to remain free. Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, a garment 800 includes a front panel 812 and rear panel 813. The front panel 812 and rear panel 813 may include a front sleeve portion 814 and rear sleeve portion 815, respectively. The front panel 812 and the front sleeve portion 814 may be joined to the rear panel 813 and the rear sleeve portion 815. The front panel 812 and sleeve portion 814 may be joined directly to the rear panel 813 and sleeve portion or may be indirectly joined through intermediate garment panel 816 and intermediate sleeve portion 817. Whether the front panel 812 and sleeve portion 814 is joined directly or indirectly to the rear panel 813 and sleeve portion 815, a seam 819 may be formed at or near a shoulder area 820 of the garment 800. Off-set from the seam there may be provided a fastener 830 to secure items, such as, for example, a radio and/or microphone to the garment 800.
The fastener 830, as shown in FIG. 21, may be a loop with a base portion 835 that can be secured to the front panel 812 or front sleeve portion 814 by stitching or pinning, for example. The fastener 830 may have one or more flexible arms 832, 834 with connectable ends 836, 838. The connectable ends may include Velcro, snaps or other attachment devices so that the fastener 830 may be repeatedly opened and closed to secure and release a device as desired.
Any of the features of the garment described herein may be included alone or in combination with other of the features in an EMS garment. For example, the eyewear pocket shown in FIGS. 5-8 may be included on a garment with the card pocket of FIGS. 12-18. The garment may include either or both of eyewear pocket and card pocket along with the fastener of FIGS. 19-21.
Additional other features of the garment may include a sleeve pocket 42 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. The interior of the sleeve pocket 42 may include a high slip interior surface to aid in the removal of gloves from the pocket. As stated herein above, the pocket 42 may be sized to accommodate one or more gloves such as latex, nitrile, or acrylic based gloves which provide barrier protection to medical workers. Gloves of this type may tend to adhere to the interior of the pocket 42 such that the gloves are unable to readily slip from the pocket when needed in an urgent situation. In order to lessen the hindrance of removal of the gloves from the pocket 42, one or more panels that define the pocket 42 may be treated or coated with a material, film or other substance that will allow the gloves to more easily slip from the pocket 42.
Referring again to FIGS. 1-4, any of the garments described herein may also include breathable panels 22 of material and/or reflective strips 24. The collar 15may be a sweat absorbing collar.
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features that are described in concert and that might cooperatively provide a collection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to only those embodiments that include all of these features or that provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly set forth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
Directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” are used to assist in describing the invention based on the orientation of the embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional terms should not be interpreted to limit the invention to any specific orientation(s).

Claims

1. A garment comprising:

a front panel having a neck opening;

an inner panel joined to said front panel forming a pocket between said front panel and a wearer; and

said pocket having a pocket opening located at or proximate a portion of said neck opening, and said pocket is sized to accommodate eyewear.

2. The garment of claim 1 wherein said pocket opening is formed between said front panel and said inner panel.

3. The garment of claim 2 wherein said pocket comprises a length of between about 5 and 6 inches and a width of between about 2 and 3 inches.

4. The garment of claim 1 wherein said inner panel is a rigid material.

5. The garment of claim 1 wherein said pocket opening comprises a closure.

6. The garment of claim 5 wherein said closure is a duckbill closure.

7. The garment of claim 1 wherein said pocket includes an interior, said interior being lined with a high friction material to facilitate retention of the eyewear in said pocket.

8. The garment of claim 7 wherein said lined interior includes directional elements to provide resistance to removal of the eyewear when placed in said pocket.

9. The garment of claim 1 wherein said pocket is detachable from said garment.

10. A garment comprising:

a front panel;

a pocket on said front panel, said pocket being sized to accommodate a card, said pocket further being sized so that when the card is fully inserted into the pocket, a portion of the card is visible; and

said pocket includes an interior with a surface material, said surface material being a high friction material, and wherein when the card is placed in said pocket, the card is held in said pocket by said high friction material.

11. The garment of claim 10 wherein said surface material is an elastic loop, and wherein the card is held in said pocket by securing said loop around the card.

12. The garment of claim 10 wherein said pocket has a length of about 3 inches and a width of about 2.5 inches.

13. The garment of claim 10 wherein said pocket comprises a first pocket, said garment further comprising a second pocket, and wherein said second pocket is in a staggered relationship to said first pocket.

14. The garment of claim 13 wherein said second pocket is attached to said garment between said front panel and said first pocket.

15. The garment of claim 13 wherein said first pocket is attached to said garment between said front panel and said second pocket.

16. A garment for use by emergency medical services personnel, said garment comprising:

a front panel having a neck opening;

an inner panel joined to said front panel forming a first pocket between said front panel and a wearer, said first pocket sized to accommodate eyewear;

said first pocket having an opening located at or proximate said neck opening; and

said second pocket on said front panel, and said second pocket being sized to accommodate a card.

17. The garment of claim 16 further comprising:

a rear panel attached to said front panel;

a seam between said front panel and said rear panel; and

said garment having a shoulder and a fastener offset from said seam and located on said shoulder.

18. The garment of claim 17 further comprising:

at least one sleeve; and

a third pocket on said sleeve, and said third pocket having a high slip interior.

19. The garment of claim 18 wherein said third pocket is sized to accommodate a glove.

20. The garment of claim 19 wherein said high slip interior aids in the removal of the glove from said third pocket when the glove is in said third pocket.

21. The garment of claim 18 further comprising breathable panels and reflective strips.

22. The garment of claim 18 further comprising a sweat absorbing collar.