US20050108803A1

US20050108803A1 - Clothing for alzheimer's patients

Info

Publication number: US20050108803A1
Application number: US10/721,238
Authority: US
Inventors: Sandy Ballard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-11-26
Filing date: 2003-11-26
Publication date: 2005-05-26

Abstract

A variety of clothing for Alzheimer's patients. The clothing include a shirt and blouse, a pair of pajamas and coveralls, a pair of pants and a dress and gown. All of the clothing have false fronts for added dignity and utilize a number of different fasteners. Provisions are also made for patients that undress themselves at inappropriate times and patients that can't raise their arms above their head.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to clothing and, more particularly, to a line of clothing designed for people afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a variety of clothing made for elderly people to accommodate their respective needs. Some older people have problems such as incontinence and trying to undress themselves at inappropriate times, and oftentimes need fulltime care and special clothing to meet their special needs. Many of these specialty clothes are reflected in the related art.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 97,980 issued to Baum on Dec. 31, 1935, outlines the ornamental design for a blouse.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 105,674 issued to Sheer on Aug. 17, 1937, outlines the ornamental design for a blouse.
U.S. Pat. No. 112,725 issued to Weiner on Dec. 27, 1938, outlines the ornamental design for a blouse.
U.S. Pat. No. 136,416 issued to Pons on Sep. 28, 1943, outlines the ornamental design for a blouse.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,009 issued to Cookman on Feb. 2, 1960, outlines the use of a pair of trousers designed for handicapped persons. The trousers have a zipper along each of its sides to allow a handicapped person to expose his or her backside for more easily using the bathroom or to more easily dress and undress himself or herself.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,330 issued to Bowcut on Apr. 2, 1974, outlines the use of garments such as jeans or leggings for use in work or sports which involve considerable action and which accommodate the requirements of these activities. These garments are concerned with having heavy duty and work jeans to be a more stylish and attractive item of apparel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4.370,757 issued to Richmond on Feb. 1, 1983, outlines the use of a garment with a modesty panel, which is designed for patients of hospitals or nursing homes. The garment has a first and second portions, which have upper and lower ends and inner and outer side edges. The first and second garment portions are joined at their upper inner side edges to form a body portion, which may be wrapped around the person to cover their lower abdomen, thighs and buttocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,756 issued to Grassick on Apr. 10, 1990, outlines the use of an article of clothing which can be readily self-donned or put on wearers, such as handicapped persons, without the necessity of executing normal dressing movements. The article is a single piece of fabric cut so as to wrap around the waist to form the outer seams, inseams and crotch area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,173 issued to Gordon et al. on Oct. 23, 1990, outlines the use of a dignity gown having a minimum number of parts including a fully closed back portion as well as an overlapping lower front portion and a top front portion that is capable of being detached temporarily via fastening means devoid any snap fasteners (but instead provided with hook and loop fasteners).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,312 issued to Holyfield on Jun. 15, 1999, outlines the use of protective clothing for the care of elderly and infirmary patients. In one embodiment, clothing is provided without any front entry but instead has a rear entry slit that has one or more protective flaps, which cover and protect fasteners from manipulation by the patient. Preferably, the garment has an elongated zipper running vertically along the center of the rear.
German Pat. No. DE 4,304,358 granted to Domine on Aug. 18, 1994, outlines the use of a special nursing garment designed like overalls with an integral top and a trouser-shaped integral bottom. A seam that extends in the crotch along the inside of the trouser legs and a closable opening in the top for pulling the garment on or off is distinguished by having a left and a right garment half, the two garment halves being connected to one another by only one seam on the inside of the legs which extend from the feet over the buttocks. There is also a seamless back part which is sewn to the two garment halves horizontally over the buttocks and laterally from the buttocks to the armpits, and two separate integral sleeve parts which are sewn to the two garment halves in the region of the armpits.
French Pat. No. FR 2,809,934 granted to Prades on Dec. 14, 2001, outlines the use of a garment made from a Jersey fabric for elasticity and comfort, which has one-piece overalls with a rear opening from the left shoulder and waist, closed by a sliding clasp fastener and two press studs at the neck, which allow the upper part of the body to be exposed without having to turn the patient on one side. There is also a double sliding clasp fastener running from the crotch to the ankles to allow an incontinent patient to be changed without removing the garment.
Website www.buckandbuck.com/cgi-bin/bbshop.pl?id=60e printed from the Internet on Oct. 10, 2003, outlines the use of a twill back zip jumpsuit with a back zipper and snap and a false zip front with two front pockets to make the jumpsuit look like a pair of standard coveralls.
Although each of these patents, publications and Websites outline the use of specialized clothing for sick and elderly people, what is really needed is a line of clothing that is specially designed for people that suffer from Alzeimer's disease. Such a line of clothing would meet an increasing demand for such clothing in the marketplace.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus clothing for Alzheimer's patients solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a variety of clothing for Alzheimer's patients. The clothing includes a shirt and blouse, a pair of pajamas and coveralls, a pair of pants, and a dress and gown. All of the clothes have false fronts and utilize a number of different fasteners. Provisions are also made for patients that undress themselves at inappropriate times and patients who cannot raise their arms above their heads.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a line of clothing for persons that suffer from Alzheimer's disease.
It is another object of the invention to provide a line of clothing for persons who undress themselves at inappropriate times.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a line of clothing for persons with Alzheimer's disease that preserves a person's dignity and respect while wearing the clothing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a line of clothing for elderly wearers that can't reach above their head or raise their arms up due to their respective health problems.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a blouse and shirt for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of a blouse and shirt for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of overalls or pajamas for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of overalls or pajamas for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of a pair of pants for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of a pair of pants for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of a dress or gown for Alzheimer's patients.
FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of a dress or gown for Alzheimer's patients.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a shirt and a blouse 10 for Alzheimer's patients. FIG. 1A depicts the front side of the shirt and blouse 20 and FIG. 1B depicts the backside of the shirt and blouse 30. The shirt and the blouse 10 are functionally similar, except that one is designed for men (the shirt) and the other is designed for women (the blouse) and are otherwise the same.
Both the shirt and blouse 10 comprise a false front on the front side of the shirt and blouse 20 to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of a shirt and blouse 20. The front side of the shirt and blouse 20 includes false pockets 22 and false buttons 24, as are depicted in FIG. 1A. There is also a means for fastening the shirt and blouse 10 located on the back side of the shirt and blouse 30. The means for fastening include a plurality of buttons 32, a zipper (not shown), a plurality of clasps (not shown), a hook and loop fastener (not shown) and a plurality of ties (not shown). These are all common means for fastening clothing articles and are well-known to those schooled in the related art.
There is also a pair of elongated straps 40 that extend from the shirt and blouse 10 that can be tied together to secure the shirt and blouse 10 to an Alzheimer's patient (not shown). In addition, there are also removable zip-off sleeves 50 that can be removed in hot weather and added in cold weather for added comfort. These features are also depicted in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B.
FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B depict a pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 for Alzheimer's patients. The pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 has a front side 70 and a backside 80 that are structurally the same with a one-piece top and bottom construction. Like the shirt and blouse 10, the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 comprises a false front on the front side 70 to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of a pair of pajamas and coveralls. This is to preserve the dignity of the Alzheimer's patient wearing the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 so that the wearer does not look funny wearing the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 backwards. The false front includes a false zipper 72 and false buttons 74, as well as false pockets 78. Other features of the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 include a pair of zip-off legs 100 and a pair of zip-off sleeves 110 for comfort.
The pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 further comprises a means for fastening the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60 located on the back side of the pair of pajamas and coveralls 80. The means for fastening include a zipper 90, a plurality of buttons (not shown), a plurality of clasps (not shown), a hook and loop fastener (not shown) and a plurality of ties (not shown).
FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B depict a pair of pants 120 for Alzheimer's patients. The pair of pants 120 has a front side 130 and a back side 140 and like the shirt and blouse 10, the pair of pants 120 comprises a false front on the front side 130 to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of a pair of pants. This is to preserve the dignity of the Alzheimer's patient wearing the pair of pants 120 so that the wearer does not look funny wearing the pair of pants 120 backwards. The false front includes a false zipper 132 and a false button-fly 134, as well as false pockets 136 and a false belt and belt-buckle 138. Other features of the pair of pants 120 include a pair of zip-off legs 160 and a plurality of belt loops 170.
The pair of pants 120 further comprises a means for fastening the pair of pants 120 located on the backside of the pair of pants 140. The means for fastening include a zipper 180, a plurality of buttons (not shown), a plurality of clasps (not shown), a hook and loop fastener (not shown) and a plurality of ties (not shown).
FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B depict a dress and gown 190 for Alzheimer's patients. The dress and gown 190 have a front side 200 and a back side 210, comprising a false front on the front side 200 to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of the dress and gown 190. The false front includes false buttons 220 and pockets 230. Like the pair of pants 120 and the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60, the dress and gown 190 further comprise a number of means for fastening on its back side 210. These include a plurality of buttons 240, a zipper (not shown), a hook and loop fastener (not shown), a plurality of clasps (not shown) and a plurality of ties (not shown). There is also a pair of zip-off sleeves 250 provided for added comfort.
Use of the shirt and blouse 10, the pair of pajamas and coveralls 60, the pair of pants 120 and the dress and gown 190 are straightforward. All of the embodiments open from the back of the respective garments and have false fronts to give the wearer added dignity and respect. All of the embodiments are made of stain resistant and wrinkle free material that comes in a variety of styles and colors and are easily washable.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A shirt and blouse with a front side and a back side, comprising:

a false front on the front side to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of the shirt and blouse;

a means for fastening the shirt and blouse located on the back side of the shirt and blouse;

a pair of elongated straps that extend from the shirt and blouse that can be tied together to secure the shirt and blouse to the Alzheimer's patient; and

a pair of zip-off sleeves for added comfort.

2. The shirt and blouse according to claim 1, wherein the false front includes false pockets.

3. The shirt and blouse according to claim 2, wherein the false front includes false buttons.

4. The shirt and blouse according to claim 1, wherein the means for fastening is a zipper.

5. The shirt and blouse according to claim 1, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of buttons.

6. The shirt and blouse according to claim 1, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of clasps.

7. The shirt and blouse according to claim 1, wherein the means for fastening is a hook and loop fastener.

8. The shirt and blouse according to claim 1, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of ties.

9. A pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls with a front side and a backside, comprising:

a false front on the front side to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of the pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls;

a means for fastening the pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls located on the backside of the pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls;

a plurality of belt loops to hold and support a belt;

an elastic waistband for comfort, and

a pair of zip-off legs for comfort.

10. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 9, wherein the false front includes a false zipper and a false button-fly.

11. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 10, wherein the false front includes a false belt buckle and false pockets.

12. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 9, wherein the means for fastening is a zipper.

13. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 9, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of buttons.

14. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 9, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of clasps.

15. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 9, wherein the means for fastening is a hook and loop fastener.

16. The pair of pants, pajamas and coveralls according to claim 9, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of ties.

17. A dress and gown with a front side and a back side, comprising:

a false front on the front side to aestetically give an appearance of an actual front side of the dress and gown;

a means for fastening the dress and gown located on the back side of the dress and gown; and

a pair of zip-off sleeves for added comfort.

18. The dress and gown according to claim 17, wherein the false front includes false buttons.

19. The dress and gown according to claim 18, wherein the false front includes pockets.

20. The dress and gown according to claim 17, wherein the means for fastening are a plurality of buttons.

21. The dress and gown according to claim 17, wherein the means for fastening is a zipper.

22. The dress and gown according to claim 17, wherein the means for fastening is a hook and loop fastener.

23. The dress and gown according to claim 17, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of clasps.

24. The dress and gown according to claim 17, wherein the means for fastening is a plurality of ties.