Permanently Embedded Protective Covering for Articles of Clothing

Abstract

The present invention involves a method for manufacturing an article of clothing with a permanently embedded protective covering over at least one predetermined portion of the clothing that can be worn by infants, children and adults. The protective covering is made from a thermoplastic material that is applied to and thermally bonds or co-mingles with the outermost fabric fibers of the clothing article creating a permanently embedded liquid impermeable, non-porous protective covering that retains the same flexibility as the underlying fabric of the clothing article. The protective covering can be positioned across the top front portion of the clothing article and extend downward to a lower portion of the front of the clothing article creating an easy to clean particle and dirt resistant covering for the clothing article.

1 . A method of manufacturing an article of clothing having a non-porous impermeable protective covering permanently embedded into a portion of the article of clothing comprising the steps of:
 providing an article of clothing to be worn by an infant, child or adult, said article of clothing having exterior and interior surfaces;   applying a thermoplastic material to at least one predetermined area of the exterior of the article of clothing at increased temperature and pressure for a period of time sufficient for the thermoplastic to penetrate only into the outermost fibers of the fabric of the article of clothing;   cooling the thermoplastic material immediately following said period of time to create a permanent non-porous impermeable protective covering embedded into and interweaved with the outermost fibers of the predetermined area of said article of clothing without penetrating to the interior surface thereof, said protective covering retaining the flexibility of the underlying article of clothing.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one predetermined area of the article of clothing for embedding the protective covering is selected from the group consisting of the upper front portion, the upper and mid front portions, the lower arm portions, and the lower and mid arm portions. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said permanently embedded protective covering is non-toxic, moisture impervious, and flame retardant. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic material may be a plastisol ink. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic material may have color, translucency, or be substantially transparent. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said temperature to thermally bond the thermoplastic material to the underlying fabric of the article of clothing is in a range between 150° F. to 330° F. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said temperature is preferably in a range between 150° F. to 200° F. 
     
     
         8 . The article of clothing according to  claim 1 , wherein said article of clothing comprises a woven fabric. 
     
     
         9 . The article of clothing according to  claim 1 , wherein said article of clothing comprises a non-woven fabric.