Zippered Garment Providing Selective Access

Abstract

A zippered garment includes an abdominal body portion having a front zipper and a rear zipper extending from a neck portion to a crotch portion of the body portion. The garment has tubular legs each having a zipper along the length thereof. All four zipper have a closure member which is at the crotch portion when the garment is closed. Advantageously, mentally ill garment wearers cannot open the garment since they are used to opening zippers which close at the top. Accordingly, such patients would not be able to access their lower abdominal or crotch region. Conversely, long-term care workers can open the garment to replace an incontinence product for example. The garment may be used with adults or children alike, and may be made in one piece or multiple pieces that mate together.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A zippered garment, comprising:
 an abdominal body portion sized and shaped for encompassing the torso of a wearer, the abdominal body portion including:
 an upper portion:
 sized and shaped for encompassing the wearer's upper torso, 
 having a neck opening for receiving the wearer's neck therethrough, and 
 having formed therein arm apertures for receiving the arms of the wearer therethrough; 
 
 a lower portion:
 sized and shaped for encompassing the wearer's pelvic region, and 
 including a crotch portion; 
 
 a front zipper and a rear zipper each:
 extending from below the neck opening to the crotch portion, 
 having a closure member slidable therealong, 
 being in a closed mode when the closure member is at the crotch portion, and 
 being in an open mode when the closure member is away from the crotch portion; and 
 
   two tubular leg portions:
 connected to the lower portion of the abdominal body portion, 
 each sized for receiving and encompassing at least a top portion of the wearer's leg proximate to the wearer's torso, 
 each having a zipper extending along a length thereof and having a closure member slidable therealong, 
 each being in a closed leg mode when the closure member thereof is at the crotch portion of the lower portion, and 
 each being in an open leg mode when the closure member thereof is away from the crotch portion of the lower portion. 
   
     
     
         2 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the garment is in a fully closed mode when the front and rear zippers are in the closed mode thereof and the tubular leg portion zippers are in the closed leg mode thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The zippered garment of  claim 2 , wherein the closure members of each of the front zipper, the rear zipper and the leg zippers all meet at the crotch portion when the garment is in the fully closed mode. 
     
     
         4 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the tubular leg portions each has a lower end, and wherein the tubular leg portions are in a fully open leg mode when the closure members of the leg zippers are near the lower ends. 
     
     
         5 . The zippered garment of  claim 4 , wherein the garment is in fully open mode when the tubular leg portions are in the fully open leg mode, and when the front zipper and rear zipper are each near the neck opening. 
     
     
         6 . The zippered garment of  claim 4 , wherein the garment is in partly open mode when the closure members of the front and rear zippers are away from both the crotch portion and the neck opening, and wherein the closure members of the leg zippers are away from both the crotch portion and the lower ends. 
     
     
         7 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion has two apertures for letting the wearer's legs therethrough, and wherein the right and leg tubular portions are connected to the lower portion at the apertures for receiving the wearer's legs. 
     
     
         8 . The zippered garment of  claim 7 , wherein the tubular leg portions are connected to the lower portion by sewing. 
     
     
         9 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the tubular leg portions are integrally formed with the body portion at the lower portion thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The zippered garment of  claim 2 , further comprising a flap extendable over the closure members of the front zipper, the rear zipper and the leg zippers for impeding access to the closure members when the garment is in the fully closed mode. 
     
     
         11 . The zippered garment of  claim 10 , wherein the flap is diagonally extendable over the closure members. 
     
     
         12 . The zippered garment of  claim 10 , wherein the flap has a first end permanently connected to a first location on the abdominal body portion, and a second end which is releasably attachable to a second location on the abdominal body portion. 
     
     
         13 . The zippered garment of  claim 12 , wherein the flap is releasably attachable to the second location by one of: a loop and hook fastener, a snap fastener, and a button. 
     
     
         14 . The zippered garment of  claim 4 , wherein the tubular leg portions each includes a cuff at the lower end thereof, such that when the leg zipper closure members are in the open leg mode, the tubular leg portions are still partly held together at the lower end by the cuff. 
     
     
         15 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein both the front zipper and the rear zipper extends from the neck portion to the crotch portion such that the garment can be separated into a right side garment piece and a left side garment piece. 
     
     
         16 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the front zipper extends from the neck portion to the crotch portion whereas the rear zipper extends from below the neck portion to the crotch portion such that the abdominal body portion remains connected below the rear neck region in the fully open garment mode. 
     
     
         17 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the rear zipper extends from the neck portion to the crotch portion whereas the front zipper extends from below the neck portion to the crotch portion such that the abdominal body part remains connected below the front neck region in the fully open garment mode. 
     
     
         18 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , further comprising a pair of sleeve portions connected to the arm apertures for encompassing at least a portion of the wearer's arms proximate to the torso. 
     
     
         19 . The zippered garment of  claim 18 , wherein the sleeve portions have a length such that they fully encompass the arms of the wearer down to the wrists. 
     
     
         20 . The zippered garment of  claim 1 , wherein the tubular leg portions have a length such that they fully encompass the legs of the wearer down to the ankles. 
     
     
         21 . A zippered garment, to be used by a wearer, the garment comprising:
 a right garment piece having:
 a right abdominal portion including:
 an upper right portion forming a right neck half-opening at a top end thereof, 
 a lower right portion having a right crotch portion, 
 a left-facing straight edge extending from the right neck half-opening downwardly to the right side crotch portion on both a front and a rear side thereof, and 
 a right portion of a zipper fastener attached along the left-facing straight edge thereof on both the front and rear sides; 
 
 a right tubular leg portion:
 extending downwardly from the lower right portion for receiving and encompassing the wearer's right leg, and 
 having a left-facing longitudinal slit extending downwardly along a length thereof from the right crotch portion in the direction of a lower end thereof; and 
 
 a right zipper fastener:
 disposed along the left-facing longitudinal slit, and 
 including a closure member sliding therealong for defining a closed right leg position when the sliding closure member is at the right crotch portion and an open right leg position when the sliding closure member is slid towards the lower end of the right tubular leg portion; and 
 
   a left garment piece having:
 a left abdominal portion including:
 an upper left portion forming a left neck half-opening at a top end thereof, 
 a lower left portion having a left crotch portion, 
 a right-facing straight edge extending from the neck half-opening downwardly to the left side crotch portion on both a front and a rear side thereof, and 
 a left portion of a zipper fastener attached along the right-facing straight edge thereof on both the front and rear sides; 
 
 a left tubular leg portion:
 extending downwardly from the lower left portion for receiving and encompassing the wearer's left leg, and 
 having a right-facing longitudinal slit extending downwardly along a length thereof from the left crotch portion in the direction of a lower end thereof; and 
 
 a left zipper fastener:
 disposed along the right longitudinal slit, and 
 including a closure member sliding therealong for defining a closed left leg position when the closure member is at the left crotch portion and an open left leg position when the sliding closure member is slid towards the lower end of the left tubular leg portion; 
 
 wherein the right and left portions of the zipper fasteners of the left and right abdominal sections cooperate to fasten the right garment piece and left garment piece together, at both the front and rear sides of the left and right abdominal portions, to form a closed garment; and 
 wherein a front and a rear zipper closure members, at the front and rear of the fastened right and left abdominal portions, is each slidable between a closed garment position in which the front and rear zipper closure members are at a crotch position of the garment, and an open position in which the front and rear zipper closure members are slid away from the crotch position of the garment. 
   
     
     
         22 . The zippered garment of  claim 21 , wherein the garment is in a partly open mode when the front and rear zipper closure members are away from both the crotch position and the right and left neck half-portions, and when the left and right zipper fastener closure members are away from both the left and right crotch portions, respectively, and the left and right zipper fastener closure members are away from the lower ends of the left and right tubular leg portions, respectively. 
     
     
         23 . The zippered garment of  claim 21 , further comprising a flap extendable over the closure members of the front zipper, the rear zipper and the leg zippers for impeding access to the closure members when the garment is in the closed garment position. 
     
     
         24 . The zippered garment of  claim 23 , wherein the flap is diagonally extendable over the closure members of the front zipper, rear zipper, right zipper and left zipper for impeding access to the closure members when the garment is in the fully closed mode. 
     
     
         25 . The zippered garment of  claim 23 , wherein the flap has a first end permanently connected to a first location on one of: the right garment piece and the left garment piece; and a second end, which is releasably attachable to a second location on the other one of: the right garment piece and the left garment piece. 
     
     
         26 . The zippered garment of  claim 25 , wherein the flap is releasably attachable to the second location by one of: a loop and hook fastener, a snap fastener, and a button. 
     
     
         27 . The zippered garment of  claim 21 , wherein the tubular leg portions each includes a cuff at the lower end thereof, such that when the leg zipper closure members are in the open leg mode, the tubular leg portions are still partly held together at the lower end by the cuff. 
     
     
         28 . The zippered garment of  claim 21 , further comprising a pair of sleeve portions connected to the arm apertures for encompassing at least a portion of the wearer's arms proximate to the torso. 
     
     
         29 . The zippered garment of  claim 28 , wherein the sleeve portions have a length such that they fully encompass the arms of the wearer down to the wrists. 
     
     
         30 . The zippered garment of  claim 21 , wherein the tubular leg portions have a length such that they fully encompass the legs of the wearer down to the ankles.