A garment and method of manufacturing a garment

Abstract

We provide a garment ( 100 ) for covering a portion of a patient's chest during a medical examination, the garment comprising a sheet of material forming: a neck portion ( 108 ) defining an aperture ( 110 ) for receiving a head of the patient, and a left covering part ( 104 ) depending from the neck portion ( 108 ), configured to cover a substantial portion of a left breast of the patient, and a right covering part ( 106 ) depending from the neck portion ( 108 ), configured to cover a substantial portion of a right breast of the patient, the left and right covering parts being separated at respective lower ends ( 138,140 ).

1 . A garment for covering a portion of a patient's chest during a medical or radiological examination, the garment comprising a sheet of material forming:
 a neck portion defining an aperture for receiving a head of the patient,   a left covering part depending from the neck portion, configured to cover a substantial portion of a left breast of the patient, and   a right covering part depending from the neck portion, configured to cover a substantial portion of a right breast of the patient,   the left and right covering parts being separated at respective lower ends.   
     
     
         2 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the neck portion is extensible so as to increase the perimeter of the aperture. 
     
     
         3 . A garment according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of a back part, a left side part and a right side part of the neck portion is extensible between a first configuration in which the part is folded on itself in a compact formation, and a second configuration in the which the part is unfolded in an extended formation. 
     
     
         4 . A garment according to  claim 3 , in which the folds are tightly crimped so as to be releasably secured in the first configuration. 
     
     
         5 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the left covering part and right covering part has a respective upper portion with a first width, and a lower portion having a second width that is greater than the first width. 
     
     
         6 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the left covering part is joined to the right covering part at their respective upper portions adjacent a front part of the neck portion. 
     
     
         7 . A garment according to  claim 6 , wherein the front part of the neck portion is formed integrally with the upper portions of the left and right covering parts. 
     
     
         8 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the front part of the neck portion comprises a connection part secured between the upper portions of the left and right covering parts. 
     
     
         9 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the garment defines a slit formed as an inverse-V-shape between its left and right covering parts. 
     
     
         10 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the left and right covering parts are configured such that in use, the lower ends of the left and right covering parts may be drawn around the respective left and right sides of the body of the patient and secured to one another. 
     
     
         11 . A garment according to  claim 10 , wherein the lower ends of the left and right covering parts include securing formations adapted to be secured to one another to secure the ends of the left and right parts in front of the patient. 
     
     
         12 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the garment is formed of a single piece of material. 
     
     
         13 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the left and right covering parts are formed with pleats, extensible width-wise from a first configuration in which each part is folded on itself in a compact formation, and a second configuration in the which the part is unfolded in an extended formation. 
     
     
         14 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing a garment for covering a portion of a patient's chest during a medical or radiological examination, the garment being of the type comprising a sheet of material forming:
 a neck portion,   a left covering part depending from the neck portion, configured to cover a substantial portion of a left breast of the patient, and   a right covering part depending from the neck portion, configured to cover a substantial portion of a right breast of the patient;   the method comprising cutting each of:
 an outline of the garment from the sheet of material; 
 an aperture for receiving a head of the patient within the neck portion; and 
 a slit between the left and right covering parts so as to separate the left and right covering parts at their respective lower ends. 
   
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16 , further including:
 folding by tightly crimping at least one of a back part, a left side part and a right side part of the neck portion to a first configuration in which the part is folded on itself in a compact formation.   
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 17 , wherein tightly crimping the part includes providing sufficient compression to the folds so as to releasably secure the part in its first configuration. 
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein cutting the slit between the left and right covering parts includes cutting a slit along the entire lengths of the left and right covering parts so as to separate the left covering part from the right covering part at the neck aperture, and the method includes the step of securing a connection part between the upper portions of the left and right covering parts. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein cutting the slit between the left and right covering parts comprises cutting a slit formed as an inverse-V-shape between the left and right covering parts. 
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 16 , further including attaching securing formations to each of the ends of the left and right covering parts. 
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 16 , including forming pleats in the left and right covering parts, each fold line lying substantially lengthwise of the garment, and folding the pleats to a configuration in which each part is folded on itself in a compact formation. 
     
     
         23 - 28 . (canceled)