PONCHO HAVING HEATING AND COOLING PROPERTIES

Abstract

A wearable poncho for allowing a user exposed to an extreme temperature, whether extreme heat or extreme cold, to selectably cover their body or a body part so as to allow the user to obtain protection from said extreme temperature. The wearable poncho comprises a modified poncho base having a watertight outer nylon layer, an insulation layer disposed inside said nylon layer, and a gel layer disposed inside said insulation layer, wherein the poncho base includes a receiving opening adapted to receive a head, a head covering hood disposed near said receiving opening, and an elongated sealable closure. This structure allows the wearable poncho to provide portable protection from not just precipitation and cold, but from extreme cold and extreme heat, without having to be preheated or pre-cooled by some external means.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to wearable protective garments and, more particularly, to a removable poncho which has both heating and cooling properties.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The dangers which can result from prolonged, unprotected exposure to extreme temperatures are well known. Prolonged, unprotected exposure to extreme heat can cause one to suffer from ailments such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, while prolonged, unprotected exposure to extreme cold can lead to injuries such as frostbite and Hypothermia. As such, it is typically a necessity for individuals who will be exposed to extreme temperatures to keep items with them which can provided protection from the extreme temperature. In this sense, coats or blankets (including heating blankets) are often useful for protection in extreme cold while shading or cooling implements are often useful for protection in extreme heat.

Ponchos are well known as an outer garment designed to keep the body warm or, if made from a watertight material, to keep dry during rain. A poncho is essentially a single large fabric having at least a head receiving opening disposed near the center and a piece of fabric adapted to cover the head. As such, it is not uncommon for a poncho to be used to in circumstances where a user is seeking protection from relatively cold temperatures.

A problem which still exists, however, is that existing items for providing protection when one will be exposed to extreme heat or extreme cold are typically limited to providing protection from either heat or cold. In other words, items designed for protection from extreme cold are typically not useful for protection from extreme heat while items designed for protection from extreme heat are typically not useful for protection from extreme cold. For customary ponchos, this problem is embodied by their typical ability to provide some protection from cold and inability to provide protection from extreme heat. It is further noted, that ponchos are not typically adapted to provide protection from extreme cold. Furthermore, all existing items for providing ambient temperature related protection often require external heating or refrigeration implements, sometimes in provided in advance, for them to provide their optimal efficacy.

Thus, there remains a need for a single wearable item which could provide protection from extreme heat and extreme cold temperatures. It would be desirable for such a wearable item to be easily portable so as to be available to be used in emergency situations to treat injuries from extreme heat or extreme cold. It would be helpful if such a single wearable item could be wrapped and sealed around a person. It would be additionally desirable for such a wearable item to not at any point require external heating or refrigeration in order to provide their optimal efficacy.

The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a wearable poncho adapted to provide protection to a user from either extreme heat or extreme cold. The primary components of Applicant's wearable poncho are a poncho base having a receiving opening adapted to receive a head and an elongated sealable closure which include a watertight outer layer, an insulation layer, and a gel layer. When in operation, the wearable poncho allows a user exposed to extreme heat to obtain protection said heat and a user exposed to extreme cold to obtain protection said cold, all without requiring external heating or refrigeration. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by existing wearable temperature protection items are removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wearable poncho for allowing a user exposed to an extreme temperature, whether extreme heat or extreme cold, to selectably cover their body or a body part so as to allow the user to obtain protection from said extreme temperature. The wearable poncho comprises a modified poncho base having a watertight outer nylon layer, an insulation layer disposed inside said nylon layer, and a gel layer disposed inside said insulation layer, wherein the poncho base includes a receiving opening adapted to receive a head, a head covering hood disposed near said receiving opening, and an elongated sealable closure. This structure allows the wearable poncho to provide portable protection from not just precipitation and cold, but from extreme cold and extreme heat, without having to be preheated or pre-cooled by some external means.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wearable poncho which could provide protection from extreme heat and extreme cold temperatures.

It is another object of this invention to provide a wearable poncho which is easily portable so as to be available to be used in emergency situations to treat injuries or wounds from extreme heat or extreme cold.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a wearable poncho which can be wrapped and sealed around a person.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a wearable poncho which does not at any point require external heating or refrigeration in order to provide their optimal efficacy.

These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a wearable poncho bar built in accordance with the present invention having sealable closure closed.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a wearable poncho bar built in accordance with the present invention having sealable closure open.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the structure layers of a wearable poncho bar built in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1, a wearable poncho 10 is shown as a garment body 11 having a receiving opening 12 adapted to receive a head, a head covering hood 13 disposed near said receiving opening (shown in a down position), and an elongated sealable closure 14. The garment body 11, along with the hood 13 when in an up position is sized and structurally configured to fully cover the upper body and substantially cover the lower body of a wearer in a manner similar to conventional ponchos. In the preferred embodiment, garment body measures 56″ by 90.″ In addition the hood 13 includes a drawstring which allows the size and fit of the hood to be selectively adjusted by the user.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the wearable poncho 10 is shown with the elongated sealable closure 14 partially open. The sealable closure 14 is defined by an elongated opening in the garment body 11 having a hook and loop fastener system which, when engaged, can be covered by a flap. Consequently, the garment body 11 can be split open along the elongated opening to allow for easy putting on or removing of the poncho 10 while still allowing the garment body 11 to form a complete cover around a wearer. When the sealable closure 14 is open, a first side 14a and a second side 14b of the garment body 11, both created by the split in the garment body 11 surface which defines the sealable closure 14, is visible. Along the edge of both the first side 14a and the second side 14b are opposing portions of the hook and loop fastener system so as to allow the edge of the first side 14a and the second side 14b to securely engage to fasten the first side 14a and the second side 14b together and to be pulled apart to open first side 14a and the second side 14b.

The poncho 10 is typically put on by a wearer by first opening the sealable closure 14 and splitting open the garment body 11 and sliding the poncho 11 over the user's head. Once on, the sealable closure 14 is closed. It is understood, however, that the poncho can also be slid over many users from the head down to put on and slid up and off many users. The hood 13 can be flipped into an up position and selectively worn and tightened or kept down as desired or required by the user.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the garment body 11 is defined by three discrete layers of material. A watertight outer nylon layer 15 is the outside layer visible from the outside of the poncho 10. The nylon 15 layer provides for the watertight nature of the garment body 11. An insulation layer 16 is disposed inside said nylon layer 15. The insulation layer 16 is a polyester material adapted to insulate heat or cold temperatures inside the poncho 10. A gel layer 17 is disposed inside said insulation layer 16. The gel layer 17 is a non-toxic silica gel which when squeezed, produces a cooling effect. As a result, when the poncho 10 is worn for protection from extreme heat, the gel layer 17 can be activated by squeezing the gel in the gel layer 17 so as to produce cooling, and much of such cooling is kept inside the poncho 10 by the insulating layer 16. In contrast, when the poncho 10 is worn for protection from extreme cold, gel layer 17 adsorbs any moisture from the user's body while the insulating layer 16 keeps the user's body heat inside the poncho and causes the moisture in the gel layer 17 to be heated.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the garment body 11 includes arm openings sized to allow the arms of a user wearing the poncho 10 to be positioned outside of the poncho 10.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A wearable poncho to be worn by a wearer comprising:

a garment body having a receiving opening adapted to receive the head of the wearer and allow the head to be positioned outside the poncho while the poncho is being worn so that it covers the body of the wearer, wherein said garment body is defined by an outer layer of waterproof material, an intermediate layer of insulating material disposed inside said outer layer, and an inner layer of material adapted to cool down when squeezed and disposed inside said outer layer.

2. The wearable poncho of claim 1, wherein said garment body additionally includes a hood adapted to cover the head of the wearer of the wearable poncho.

3. The wearable poncho of claim 2, wherein said hood includes a drawstring configured to allow the hood to be selectively tightened and loosened.

4. The wearable poncho of claim 1, wherein said garment body additionally includes an elongated sealable closure defined by an elongated split in the garment body and a first side and a second side of the garment body, wherein the first side and the second side each include an opposing portion of a fastener so as to allow the first side to be removably sealed to the second side.

5. The wearable poncho of claim 4, wherein the fastener is a hook and loop fastener.

6. The wearable poncho of claim 1, wherein the outer layer is nylon.

7. The wearable poncho of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is polyester.

8. The wearable poncho of claim 1, wherein the inner layer is non-toxic silica gel.

9. The wearable poncho of claim 1, wherein said garment body additionally includes arm openings sized to allow the arms of a user wearing the poncho to be positioned outside of the poncho while the poncho is being worn.

10. A wearable poncho to be worn by a wearer comprising:

a garment body having a receiving opening adapted to receive the head of the wearer, a hood adapted to cover the head of the wearer of the wearable poncho, and an elongated sealable closure defined by an elongated split in the garment body and a first side and a second side of the garment body, wherein the first side and the second side each include an opposing portion of a fastener so as to allow the first side to be removably sealed to the second side;

wherein said garment body is defined by an outer layer of waterproof material, an intermediate layer of insulating material disposed inside said outer layer, and an inner layer of material adapted to cool down when squeezed and disposed inside said outer layer;

wherein said hood includes a drawstring configured to allow the hood to be selectively tightened and loosened;

wherein the fastener is a hook and loop fastener; and

wherein the outer layer is nylon, the intermediate layer is polyester, and the inner layer is non-toxic silica gel.