Abstract: A gathering gauge for assisting in the fabrication of a gather in a sewn article of manufacture. The gathering gauge is used to evenly distribute a given length of a fabric over a selected gather length, thereby eliminating guess work normally associated with such task. The gathering gauge is an elongated member defining a first slit for receiving and holding one end of a thread used to gather the fabric. A plurality of second slits is provided for receiving and holding a further portion of the thread. The second slits are disposed along the length of the gathering gauge at pre-selected distances from the first slit. A measuring guide is provided for determining the distance between the first slit and each individual second slit. Thus, depending upon the length of the fabric to be gathered, and either the length of the gather or the amount of gather desired, a particular second slit is selected.

Abstract: An underwater drysuit has a zipper along the front of the drysuit. The zipper extends from one shoulder to the other and to the back side of the drysuit. The zipper has a middle section at chest level. The middle section is curved downward to form an upwardly facing extended U-shape. The ends of the zipper form reverse bends beneath the front of the shoulders. The reverse bends continue on a downward turn to the sides of each arm. The ends of the zipper terminate about midway between the shoulder and the elbow on the side of the arms.

Abstract: An eye protection device is formed of an elongated strip of translucent material. The length of the elongated strip of translucent material is such that it will encircle the wearer's head, with strap-like portions overlapping at the back of a wearer's head and being secured to each other. The elongated strip of translucent material is formed with two enlarged eye protection portions spaced apart by a nose bridging portion, with strap-like portions extend from each of the enlarged eye protection portions. A cushioning material encircles the eye protection area and nose bridging portions, somewhat in the shape of a figure eight. Complementary securing means are applied adjacent the ends of the strap-like portions so as to engage each other at the back of a wearer's head to retain the eye protection device over a wearer's eyes. For the comfort of a user, cushioning pads are provided on the strap-like portions in the regions where the strap-like portions pass behind a users ears.

Abstract: A watertight suit is capable of properly discharging air within the suit and safely maintaining a diver's position in the water. The suit includes an air outlet valve provided in an end section of a leg part, the air outlet valve functioning to discharge air from the inside of the leg part. Another air outlet valve can also be provided in an upper body part of the suit. An air inlet introduces air into the watertight suit as necessary to equalize external pressure. Where an automatic air outlet valve is provided, air in excess of external pressure is vented through the outlet valves automatically as warranted by the diving conditions, keeping an even balance of pressure even when air is excessively supplied form the air source through the inlet valve.

Abstract: A goalkeeper's glove inner hand portion, including four front finger regions, a thumb region, a hand region, and wrist region, the four front finger regions and the thumb region having fingertip pieces, a carrier layer covering the inner hand portion, and an external latex layer put on the carrier layer, with the external latex layer having thickenings provided in regions of the fingertip pieces of the front finger regions, the thumb region, along an outer side of the thumb region, along a hand edge line of the hand region, and in a transition region between the hand and wrist regions, with the thickness of respective thickenings increasing in directions from the hand region toward the wrist region and toward free ends of the finger and thumb regions, respectively, and with the thickness of the respective thickenings diminishing from a predetermined ridge line toward ends of the fingertip pieces of the front finger regions, and the thumb region, toward the hand edge line, and toward the outer side of the thum

Abstract: Combination head and eye-protective apparatus including a head-protective helmet provided with a brim including a rearward brim portion, and goggles including an elastic member and a mounting member mounted to the elastic member and for wedgedly engaging the rearward brim portion to mount the goggles to the helmet. Goggles including a frame having outer portions, eye-protective lens mounted in the frame, an elastic member having outer ends and a rearward central portion and a mounting member mounted to the rearward central portion of the elastic member, the outer ends of the elastic member mounted to the outer end portions of the frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for piercing severed yarn to a sliver in a spinning machine in a manner to prevent formation of an excessively long or frail piecing portion by passing leading yarn Y' through a twist device T; driving draft rollers 1, 2, which have been stopped following severance of the yarn to remove the thinned, tapered tip of sliver 6 from the front roller 4; and then introducing sliver for piecing into the twist device while removing a portion of the fibers constituting such a sliver to make the piecing portion thereof more nearly as thick as the leading yarn.

Abstract: An upper body or chest protector includes a pad having a case occupied by a block of cellular foam adapted to be compressed upon receipt of impact loading. Neck and body girth straps are employed to detachably retain the pad in place on the chest of the user. The body girth straps may include a pair of support straps that downwardly depend from the pad and loop about a waist belt.

Abstract: A braiding machine comprises a frame, a plurality of rotors on the frame and rotatable about rotor axes arranged about a braiding axis, drive gears for rotating adjacent ones of the rotors in opposite directions, and a plurality of strand shuttles which are driven by the rotors along a sinuous path in a given direction about the braiding axis. Adjacent ones of said rotors have transfer points for sequentially transferring a shuttle from a preceding rotor to a succeeding rotor with respect to the direction of the path, and the rotors and shuttle include interengaging retaining and escapement members by which the shuttle is moved with the preceding rotor toward the transfer point and then with the succeeding rotor away from the transfer point.

Abstract: A device for support and protection in the practice of snowboarding and carving. An essentially ellipsoidal shaped element has a holding structure arranged within the element and essentially parallel to its main axis.

Abstract: An air doffing system for a fiber-processing machine which includes an air plenum associated with a carding roll. A doffing blade initiates lifting of fibers from a carding roll, and a laminar airflow pulls the fibers through the plenum. The airflow is pulled through a perforated roll on the opposite end of the plenum. The perforated roll operates in connection with a smooth roll to form a roller pair which work the fibers collected on the perforated into a web. The web is then formed into a sliver by a trumpet and a calendar roll pair.

Abstract: A method for construction of a large diameter braided rope. The rope is formed of high strength, low elongation synthetic fibers which are twisted together at a twist factor in the range from about 125 to about 145 to form a plurality of comparatively small diameter yarns. The small diameter twisted yarns are then braided together at a pick multiplier in the range from about 1.0 to about 2.0 so as to form a plurality of braided strands, and the strands, in turn, are braided together with a pick multiplier of about 2.0-3.6 so as to form the large diameter braided rope. The braiding of the strands imparts a degree of coherence which permits a lower twist factor to be used in the yarns. This results in a significant increase in translational efficiency over conventional twisted-strand construction, by avoiding the over twisting of low elongation fibers which occurs when forming large diameter yarns.

Abstract: An adjustable, resealable and reusable elastic strap worn on the outside of a soccer sock and used for locking the shin guard in its intended protective position. This external shin guard strap includes a piece of woven, braided or knitted elastic material and matched pieces of hook and loop material (e.g., Velcro.RTM.) attached at its ends. The elastic material is provided in different lengths to accommodate use at either the ankle, midpoint of the or knee position and for different sizes of the leg. The elastic material is compatible with inks, dyes or pigments for permanently labeling and/or coloring the device.

Abstract: A protective garment 10 for a limb, such as a limb of a horse, includes a covering 12 configured and dimensioned to wrap at least part way around the limb. A remoulded thermoplastic sheet 14 is retained within the covering 12. The covering 12 includes a front sheet 20 and a back sheet 22 which are fastened together about their periphery by a ribbon 24. The back sheet 22 is of a smaller size and the front sheet 20 is made of an elastic material. As a result, the bulk sheet 22 is in a stretched state when the garment 10 is unwrapped. When the garment 10 is applied to a limb, the back sheet 22 contracts onto the limb to form a substantial seal to prevent ingress of foreign material including water. The thermoplastic sheet 14 can be remoulded insitu, to a shape complimentary to a portion of the limb over which it is disposed. A foam sheet 28 is placed between the thermoplastic sheet 14 and back sheet 22 to provide improved cushioning and comfort.

Abstract: An item of wearing apparel for allowing the convenient viewing of a wrist watch comprising a main body portion forming a main space adapted to encompass the torso of a wearer and with two laterally disposed long sleeves for the arms of a wearer. Each sleeve has an opening at the top for communicating with the main body portion and an opening at the bottom for the wrist of a wearer. An aperture is formed in at least one of the sleeves adjacent to the bottom of the sleeve.

Abstract: A triangular shape neck tie clasp with tie end receiving apertures located on a top portion of two side edges of the triangular tie clasp body, and wherein the apertures are interconnected with channels passageways which are in communication with a back surface of the tie clasp by the use of a continuous groove. The grooves and channels provides a means for placing one end of the tie through one side edge aperture and extending that end to the bottom aperture while at the same time extending the other end of the tie through the other side edge aperture and extending through the same bottom aperture, the tie ends are then adjusted for length and the neck tie clasp adjusted for placement. Decorative surfaces are easily attached to a decorative surface portion of the tie claps body by a central decorative surface attachment means. Decorative outer surfaces are provided with numerous decorative finishes including gold, silver, jewels, cloth or any other decorative surface desired.

Abstract: Protective padding primarily intended for use in sports gear. The pads include flexible, outer casings of porous, breathable, inelastic material overfilled with resilient, discrete beads of elastic material. The beads are initially in compressed states within the casing and place the outer, inelastic casing in tension. When a blow or force is applied, the beads are further compressed to absorb and dissipate the impact. Additionally, the applied blow or force will increase the tension in the outer casing to even further compress the elastic beads for better absorption and dissipation of the impact. In use, the porous pads are compressed and rebound to create a pumping effect that circulates air into and out of the pads drawing heat and perspiration from the athlete's body and keeping the athlete cool and dry. If desired, the pad can be secured directly to the athlete's jersey to enhance this pumping effect as well as the dissipation of the force of any impact.

Abstract: A high performance hearing protection or communications earcup and seal is disclosed that takes advantage of the facts that a characteristic acoustic impedance mismatch at a boundary will reflect a large portion of impinging energy rather than absorb it, and the "pumping" action on an elastomeric boundary from cyclic acoustic pressure can be damped by placing damping materials adjacent to that boundary. The preferred embodiment of the hearing protection earcup seal of the instant invention interleaves damping materials between the plurality of concentric ring structures of the instant invention and places thinned edges on individual concentric ring structures to enhance seal conformation with obstacles such as eyeglass temple pieces. An elastomeric semi-annular tensile plate supports the concentric ring structures of the instant invention. Both the earcup and earcup seal of the instant invention are readily manufacturable with conventional tooling.

Abstract: A protective assembly, which can be used as a protective garment, including a plurality of protective stripe assemblies being connected to one another to form a protective surface, each one of the plurality of protective stripe assemblies including a plurality of protective elements being aligned stripewise adjacent one another, the protective elements being shaped and arranged such that a concave-convex interface is formed between adjacent protective elements of a protective stripe assembly, rendering the protective surface flexible.

Abstract: A braiding machine which operates to deliver a first set of yarns about a vertical axis along a first plane to a braiding point and a second set of yarns about the vertical axis along a second plane located above the first plane to the braiding point and a third set of yarns stationarily arranged about the vertical axis for delivery along a third plane intermediate of the first and second planes to the braiding point. The machine includes an interlacing mechanism which is associated with each yarn of the third set of yarns and including a rotating interlacing member.