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US 12,677,890 B2Granted
Apparatus and method of manufacturing multi-piece open-back isolation garments
AssigneeCurt G. Joa, Inc.
InventorsRobert E. Andrews, Samuel E. Darcy, Scott A. Roehrborn, Jeffrey W. Fritz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for executing a method of manufacturing multi-piece open-back isolation garments (10) includes machinery for creating discrete torso web pieces (12) from a continuous torso web (14), combining the discrete torso pieces with a continuous shoulder web having neck openings (37) therein, and cutting the combined torso and shoulder web structure to form the isolation garments. The isolation garments may be used as protection from potentially hazardous or unclean materials in a variety of different environments.
Claims21
An apparatus for manufacturing multi-piece open-back isolation garments, the apparatus comprising:
- a neck cutting unit configured to cut neck openings in a continuous shoulder web;
- a first bonding unit configured to create underarm seams between first shoulder web panels and second shoulder web panels overlapping each other in the continuous shoulder web, the underarm seams extending at substantially the same angle from a bottom edge of each of the first and second shoulder web panels to a position offset from a top edge of each of the first and second shoulder web panels, the underarm seams defining first and second wrist openings on opposing sides the continuous shoulder web;
- a torso cutting unit configured to cut discrete torso web pieces from a continuous torso web;
- a transfer unit configured to transfer the discrete torso web pieces onto the first shoulder web panels of the continuous shoulder web such that a top edge of each discrete torso web piece overlaps the bottom edge of the first shoulder web panels in an area of the first shoulder web panels that is uncovered by the second shoulder web panels;
- and
- a second bonding unit configured to bond the discrete torso web pieces to the first shoulder web panels in the area uncovered by the second shoulder web panels to create a continuous isolation garment web.
3 more elements
A method of manufacturing multi-piece open-back isolation garments, the method comprising:
- cutting neck openings in a continuous shoulder web traveling in a machine direction;
- forming a first shoulder web panel and a second shoulder web panel overlapping each other in the continuous shoulder web, the first shoulder web panel having a bottom edge offset from a bottom edge of the second shoulder web panel to create an area on the first shoulder web panel that is uncovered by the second shoulder web panel;
- creating right and left underarm seams between the first and second shoulder web panels, the right and left underarm seams extending at substantially the same angle from the bottom edge of each of the first and second shoulder web panels to a position offset below a corresponding top edge of each of the first and second shoulder web panels, the underarm seams defining left and right wrist openings between the top edge of each of the first and second shoulder web panels and the corresponding underarm seam on opposing right and left sides the continuous shoulder web;
- cutting a continuous torso web into a discrete torso web piece;
- transferring the discrete torso web piece onto the first shoulder web panel such that a top edge of the discrete torso web piece overlaps the bottom edge of the first shoulder web panel in the area of the first shoulder web panel that is uncovered by the second shoulder web panel;
- and
- bonding the discrete torso web piece to the first shoulder web panel in the area that is uncovered by the second shoulder web panel to create a continuous isolation garment web.
4 more elements
A multi-piece garment comprising:
- a shoulder web piece comprising:
- a first shoulder web panel comprising:
- a bottom edge;
- and
- a pair of underarm edges extending out from the bottom edge;
- and
- a second shoulder web panel overlapping the first shoulder web panel and comprising:
- a bottom edge offset from the bottom edge of the first shoulder web panel to create an area on first shoulder web panel that is uncovered by the second shoulder web panel;
- a pair of underarm edges extending out from the bottom edge of the second shoulder web panel and substantially aligned with the pair of underarm edges of the first shoulder web panel;
- and
- a pair of underarm seams joining the first and second shoulder web panels at adjacent underarm edges of the first and second shoulder web panels to form first and second sleeves in the shoulder web piece, the underarm seams extending at substantially the same angle from the bottom edges of each of the first and second shoulder web panels to a position offset from a top edge of each of the first and second shoulder web panels, the underarm seams defining first and second wrist openings on opposing sides the first and second shoulder web panels;
- and
- a neck opening formed in the first and second shoulder web panels across from the bottom edges of the first and second shoulder web panels;
- and
- a torso web piece comprising a top edge overlapping the bottom edge of the first shoulder web panel of the shoulder web piece in the area uncovered by the second shoulder web panel of the shoulder web piece, the torso web piece attached to the first shoulder web panel via a seam positioned between the top edge of the torso web piece and the bottom edge of the first shoulder web panel.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.