Wearable article to protect clothing from hot ash

Abstract

A wearable clothing protector comprising a bib portion, neck straps, and a removable ash catcher. The bib portion is made of a flexible composite sheet that may be multilayered, heat-resistant, fire-resistant, and odor-resistant, and is configured to cover the front torso of a wearer to protect clothing from hot ash, embers, and smoke. The neck straps secure the protector around the user's neck. A U-shaped ash catcher is removably mounted on the front surface of the bib portion to collect falling ash, embers, food crumbs, and other debris, and may also serve as a storage compartment for small items such as cigarette lighters or packets. The ash catcher is detachable for easy cleaning and may be made from fire-resistant rigid materials. The clothing protector is washable, reusable, and available in various designs and colors

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wearable article for protecting a wearer from hot ashes fallen from a smoking article, the wearable article comprises:
 a bib portion configured to cover a front torso region of the wearer; and   an ash catcher removably mounted to a front surface of the bib portion, the ash catcher configured to collect fallen ash, embers, and/or debris from the smoking article.   
     
     
         2 . The wearable article of  claim 1 , wherein the wearable article further comprises:
 a pair of neck straps extending from a top side of the bib portion and configured for securing the wearable article around a neck of the wearer.   
     
     
         3 . The wearable article of  claim 2 , wherein the ash catcher is removably mounted to the bib portion through an engaging fastening mechanism. 
     
     
         4 . The wearable article of  claim 3 , wherein the engaging fastening mechanism comprises a hook and loop fastener. 
     
     
         5 . The wearable article of  claim 1 , wherein the bib portion is made of fire resistant and odor absorbing materials. 
     
     
         6 . The wearable article of  claim 1 , wherein the ash catcher comprises left, right, and bottom sides, each side made formed as a U-shaped channel, wherein the fallen ash, embers, and/or debris are collected within the U-shape channel. 
     
     
         7 . A method of protecting clothing from ash, embers, and/or smoke while smoking, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a wearable article comprising:
 a bib portion configured to cover a front torso region of a wearer, 
 an ash catcher removably mounted to a front surface of the bib portion, the ash catcher configured to collect fallen ash, embers, and/or debris from a smoking article, and 
 a pair of neck straps extending from a top side of the bib portion and configured to secure the wearable article around a neck of the wearer; 
   placing the bib portion over the front torso region of the wearer;   securing the wearable article around the neck of the wearer using the pair of neck straps;   collecting falling fallen ash, embers, and/or debris from the smoking article into the ash catcher during smoking; and   removing the ash catcher from the bib portion for emptying or cleaning.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of attaching the ash catcher to the bib portion using a fastening mechanism selected from the group consisting of hook-and-loop fasteners, snap buttons, and magnetic closures.