AU2012203871B2

AU2012203871B2 - Coverall baby garment

Info

Publication number: AU2012203871B2
Application number: AU2012203871A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Meri Manojlovski; Jane Newman; Phoebe Rofail
Original assignee: Hanes Innerwear Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Hanes Innerwear Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-07-01
Filing date: 2012-07-02
Publication date: 2015-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2032-07-02
Also published as: AU2012203871A1; NZ601010A

Abstract

A coverall baby garment includes a body (11) with a neck opening (12), arms (14) and legs (16). The body is made in a first fabric being a two-way stretch terry fabric. Respective foot portions (20) are attached to the outer ends of the legs. Each of the foot portions is made of a 5 second fabric more stretchable than the first fabric, at least in the lengthwise direction of the leg and foot portion, and a releasably closable lengthwise opening (28) in the body is provided with and defined by a zip fastener (30) that traverses the first fabric from at or adjacent the neck opening to a lower end (31) adjacent or within one of the leg portions. 3o F8r3) 2'+ 2 0r Figure

Description

P100/011 Regulatbon 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Coverall baby garment The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 Coverall baby garment Field of the invention This invention relates to baby garments and more particularly to coverall baby garments of the kind having a front closable lengthwise opening. 5 Background of the invention One piece coverall garments have long been a popular clothing item for babies from newborns to early toddlers. These garments are typically made in a stretch fabric, for example a two-way stretch cotton-blend terry fabric. They have a body with a neck opening, arms and legs, the latter enclosed at their ends by foot pieces, and usually have a front opening defined by 10 spaced stud fasteners extending from the neck opening to the crotch area, often continuing part way down the inside of one or both legs. The purpose of the garment is to provide a warm snug full cover fit, especially useful when the baby begins to roll, crawl and move about, yet easily opened up and refastened to facilitate nappy changing. Coverall baby garments of this kind are widely used and have changed little over several 15 decades but parents and grandparents are well aware of a significant disadvantage, i.e. the fiddly and time consuming process of undoing and reengaging the substantial number of stud fasteners along the front opening. The disadvantage of this process increases as the baby becomes more mobile and less enamoured with lying cooperatively still while the adult undoes the stud fasteners and reengages them. The problem especially arises at the completion of the nappy 20 changing or dressing task when each stud must be individually aligned and engaged. It may have been thought that the line of stud fasteners could be replaced with one or two zip fasteners but to the knowledge of the applicant this has never been provided in a commercial product made in the two-way stretch terry fabric, probably because the presence of a lengthwise zip fastener, necessarily a low or no stretch item, would partly negate the substantial two-way 25 stretchability advantage of these garments. It is an object of the invention to at least in part alleviate the disadvantages arising from the multiple stud fasteners typical of coverall baby garments made in two-way stretch terry fabric.

3 Summary of the invention It has been realised by the present inventor(s) that the aforementioned object can be met, in a preferred embodiment, by adapting and further modifying a modified form of coverall baby garment that was released in more recent years. This garment replaced the closure foot pieces, 5 conventionally provided integrally in the same fabric as the body of the garment, with roll over/roll up foot cuffs in a different fabric. It has now been appreciated that by providing foot portions in a different more stretchable fabric than the main body of the garment adequate compensation can be provided for the loss of lengthwise stretch incurred by the presence of an extended zip fastener. 10 The invention accordingly provides a coverall baby garment including: a body with a neck opening, arms and legs, which body is made in a first fabric being a two-way stretch terry fabric; respective foot portions attached to the outer ends of the legs; and a front releasably closable lengthwise opening in the body; 15 wherein each of the foot portions is made of a second fabric more stretchable than the first fabric, at least in the lengthwise direction of the leg and foot portion, and wherein the releasably closable lengthwise opening is provided with and defined by a zip fastener that traverses the first fabric from at or adjacent the neck opening to a lower end adjacent or within one of the leg portions. 20 Advantageously, the lower end of the zip fastener is at a seam between said one leg portion of the first fabric and a respective foot portion of the second fabric. The zip fastener preferably has a longitudinally extending bind, which may be of a cotton-elastane fabric. The zip fastener is preferably a non stretch zip fastener. Preferably, the first fabric is a cotton blend terry fabric. 25 Each foot portion is preferably a cotton-elastane, and is advantageously sewn to the end of the respective leg along a continuous stitched seam.

4 The fabric of the foot portion may be a jersey style fabric. Each foot portion may be a roll over/roll up style foot cuff, for example of a kind that allows the foot to be selectively protruding from or enfolded by the foot portion. As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and 5 variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to exclude further additives, components, integers or steps. Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 10 Figure 1 is a front view of a coverall baby garment according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a rear view of the garment shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a foot portion; Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlargement of the garment showing the zip fastener partly 15 open;and Figure 5 is a cross-section of the line 5-5 in Figure 4. Detailed description of the embodiments The coverall baby garment, or baby suit 10, illustrated in the drawings, includes a body 11 formed in a two-way stretch cotton-blend terry fabric. Body 11 has a neck opening 12 with a 20 narrow collar piece 13, and respective arms 14 and legs 16. The body may be integrally knitted in one piece or, as illustrated, the arms may be raglan-style sleeves 13 joined to the torso portion of the garment at seams 15 that extend collar to collar via the armpits. Sewn to the respective outer ends of the legs along stitched seams 18 are respective foot portions 20 formed in a cotton-elastane fabric which is more stretchable than the terry fabric of 25 body 11, at least and indeed especially in the lengthwise direction of the leg and foot. These foot portions 20 in this embodiment have roll over/roll up foot cuffs 22 and the cotton-elastane fabric is provided in a jersey style.

5 Each cuff 22 (Figures 2 and 3) is an additional outer half-cylindrical layer of the fabric folded back and sewn to the main tube 24 of the foot portion along two seams 26, 27 at opposite sides of tube 24. In the position shown in Figures 2 and 3, cuff 22 simply overlies tube 24, which is open at its end 25 so that the baby's foot may protrude through. Alternatively, cuff 22 5 can be folded over the open end 25 to close it so that the baby's foot is enfolded by the foot portion 20. A similar arrangement is provided by way of a roll over cuff mitten 40 in a cotton elastane jersey-style fabric at the end of each arm 14. Extending at the front of garment 10 from neck opening 12 to the seam 18 of the left leg 10 is a releasably closable lengthwise opening 28 that is provided with and defined by a zip fastener 30 behind a longitudinally extending jersey bind 38 of cotton-elastane fabric. The clasp tab 32 of the zip fastener lies at the neck opening 12 when the zip fastener is closed (Figure 1) and is drawn downwardly to open the garment for its removal from the wearer, or for the purpose of placing it on a baby, or for gaining access to change the wearer's nappy or other underlying 15 garment. The zip fastener assembly includes a rear overlie panel 39 (Figures 4 and 5) of substantially non-stretch material fixed along one side to one side 37 of the zip fastener: this panel provides protection between the zip fastener and the baby and is turned over at the top and tapered off 39b to form a flap 39a that covers and hides the. clasp tab 32 in its zip-closed 20 position. When closed, as depicted in Figure 1, the zip fastener 30 extends centrally at the front of garment 10 from the neck 12 to the crotch region 35 and then diverts along the inside of one leg 16 to an inner end 31 at the stitched seam 18. In alternative embodiments, the lower end 31 of zip fastener 30 and lengthwise opening 28 may be in the crotch region 35 adjacent the legs 16, or 25 part way along and within a leg 16. It will be appreciated that the presence of the zip fastener 30, which would typically have limited or no longitudinal stretch and is preferably non-stretch, tends to counter and diminish the lengthwise stretchability of the terry fabric of the body 11. This is compensated for by the provision of the foot portions 20 in a more stretchable cotton-elastane fabric which enhances the 30 overall lengthwise stretchability of the combination of the foot portion and the leg and its inbuilt portion of the zip fastener. It is also found that the seam boundary 18 between the leg and the 6 foot portion is advantageous as a secure and effective location for the lower end 31 of zip fastener 30.

Claims

1. A coverall baby garment including: a body with a neck opening, arms and legs, which body is made in a first fabric being a two-way stretch terry fabric; 5 respective foot portions attached to the outer ends of the legs; and a front releasably closable lengthwise opening in the body; wherein each of the foot portions is made of a second fabric more stretchable than the first fabric, at least in the lengthwise direction of the leg and foot portion, and wherein the releasably closable lengthwise opening is provided with and defined by a zip fastener that 10 traverses the first fabric from at or adjacent the neck opening to a lower end adjacent or within one of the leg portions.

2. A coverall baby garment according to claim 1 wherein the lower end of the zip fastener is at a seam between said one leg portion of the first fabric and a respective foot portion of the second fabric. 15

3. A coverall baby garment according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the zip fastener has a longitudinally extending bind.

4. A coverall baby garment according to claim 3 wherein the longitudinally extending bind is of a cotton-elastane fabric.

5. A coverall baby garment according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the zip 20 fastener is a non stretch zip fastener.

6. A coverall baby garment according to any one of claims I to 5 wherein the first fabric is a cotton blend terry fabric.

7. A coverall baby garment according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein each foot portion is a cotton-elastane. 25 8. A coverall baby garment according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein each foot portion is sewn to the end of the respective leg along a continuous stitched seam.

8

9. A coverall baby garment according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the fabric of the foot portion is ajersey style fabric.

10. A coverall baby garment according to any one of claims I to 9 wherein each foot portion is a roll over/roll up style foot cuff. 5

11. A coverall baby garment according to claim 10 wherein the roll over/roll up style foot cuff is of a kind that allows the foot to be selectively protruding from or enfolded by the foot portion.