Abstract: A composite fabric sheet loading and unloading machine and its method of operation is described for loading and unloading a composite fabric sheet into a computer controlled stitching and laser cutting machine. The composite fabric sheet is restrained on a rectangular contour support frame of a transport platform which is displaceably and guidingly transported into the stitching and laser cutting machine where programmed pattern fabric pieces are formed in the restrained fabric sheet. The transport platform is then unloaded and transferred back to its original position where the pattern pieces and trimmings are separated and a new composite sheet is positioned and restrained on the flat top surface to repeat the operation. A transport platform is provided on opposed sides of the computer controlled stitching and die cutting machine wherein after the unloading of the transport platform another transport platform is loaded into the stitching and laser cutting machine from the opposed side.

Abstract: An article of apparel is comprised of an outer fabric shell defining a body portion and arm portions. The body portion has a back panel section and one or two front panel sections. A thermally insulating liner is secured to the back panel section and the one or two front panel sections by tack fasteners which may form permanent or detachable connections and these connections are positioned at predetermined locations along peripheral edges of the liner. The connections provide for the liner to have large un-attached peripheral areas to provide free floating displacement of the liner with respect to the outer fabric shell when worn by a wearer person to reduce restraint of movement of the wearer person's arms and body by the outer shell and liner and thereby enhancing the wearer person's freedom of movement.

Abstract: A composite light weight, flexible and energy efficient, thermal source energy transfer assembly for the transfer of thermal energy in articles of warmth or cold and its method of construction is described. The assembly comprises a thermal energy generating membrane having opposed top and bottom surfaces. A first thermally insulating flexible down material sheet is secured to the top surface. A second thermally insulating flexible down material sheet is secured to the bottom surface and wherein the first thermally insulating flexible down material sheet has a thermal insulating value superior to the second thermally insulating flexible down sheet to thermally insulate the thermal energy generating membrane from an ambient temperature side of the thermal source energy transfer assembly when retained adjacent a surface area of a user person to be heated or cooled by heat or cold released by the thermal energy generating membrane.

Abstract: A body monitoring sensor system is described and wherein a sensor module is attachable to a thermally insulated article of warmth, such as an article of apparel, having a thermal insulation of a known clo index value and wherein the sensor system has various sensors to produce various atmospheric and body condition signals to feed a computer having a processor. The processor is programmed to perform calculations to generate a output signals indicative of the corrective action required based on the protection offered by the clo index of the thermal insulation of the article of warmth and taking into account the calculated wind chill temperature and humidity as well as the wearer person's body temperature and humidity conditions to provide warmth and comfort to the user person under the actual atmospheric conditions.

Abstract: A thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure which is comprised solely of down feather material mixed with binding material which is heat fused together to form a homogeneous sheet core. The method of fabricating the homogeneous thermally insulating sheet to form the down core structure is described. This novel method restrains the down clusters and binding material during the process of mixing, depositing, conveying and heat fusing to form a homogeneous down core sheet. The down core structure is subjected to two separate heat treatments which produces a down core sheet having at least some of its outer surfaces being of higher bond density than the inside of the core.

Abstract: A thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure which is comprised solely of down feather material mixed with binding material which is heat fused together to form a homogeneous sheet core. The method of fabricating the homogeneous thermally insulating sheet to form the down core structure is described. This novel method restrains the down clusters and binding material during the process of mixing, depositing, conveying and heat fusing to form a homogeneous down core sheet. The down core structure is subjected to two separate heat treatments which produces a down core sheet having at least some of its outer surfaces being of higher bond density than the inside of the core.

Abstract: A down-fill pillow structure is formed by a fabric pouch in which is captively retained in close fit therein, one or more down feather sheet of predetermined density and substantially even thickness in which the down feathers are bound together by a binding agent. The down feather sheet has a memory which exhibits rebounding properties. A shaped core body may be inserted in the fabric pouch and encapsulated by the down feather sheet or sheet portions. The down-fill pillow may also be constructed as an ergonomic or non-allergenic pillow.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for forming a down feather sheet is described and wherein a mixture of down feathers and a binder material is fused together by injecting hot air under pressure into the mixture. A plurality of hot air injection needles are caused to penetrate into a layer of the mixture as it is conveyed along a conveyor and to release hot air at a temperature sufficient to cause the binder material to fuse together and to the down causing the down and the binder material to be trapped into the layer. The displacement of the hot air injection mechanism is synchronized to the conveying speed and the projection of the needles into the layer is adjusted to the thickness of the layer being conveyed.

Abstract: A composite fabric sheet loading and unloading machine and its method of operation is described for loading and unloading a composite fabric sheet into a computer controlled stitching and laser cutting machine. The composite fabric sheet is restrained on a rectangular contour support frame of a transport platform which is displaceably and guidingly transported into the stitching and laser cutting machine where programmed pattern fabric pieces are formed in the restrained fabric sheet. The transport platform is then unloaded and transferred back to its original position where the pattern pieces and trimmings are separated and a new composite sheet is positioned and restrained on the flat top surface to repeat the operation. A transport platform is provided on opposed sides of the computer controlled stitching and die cutting machine wherein after the unloading of the transport platform another transport platform is loaded into the stitching and laser cutting machine from the opposed side.

Abstract: An air/gas filter medium is comprised of a substantially homogeneous core layer of feather down clusters held together by a binder to form a 3-dimensional interconnected filament structure throughout the core. The filament structure forms air pocket and connect and trap the feather down clusters which form minute air pockets between its filaments and hairs in which undesirable substances from an air/gas flow therethrough are captured. An air permeable scrim sheet is retained on a surface of the down cluster core. The down cluster core is compressed to a predetermined density to modify the average size of said minute air pockets to trap known undesirable substances from the air/gas flow.

Abstract: A composite down feather sheet is comprised of an insulating core of down feathers bound together by a chemical binding agent or binding fibers or combination thereof. The core of down feathers is of substantially constant thickness and defines opposed flat faces to which is bonded a web of stretchable elastic adhesive. The method of fabricating the composite down insulating fabric sheet is also described as well as the method of bonding the composite down insulating fabric sheet to an outer shell fabric and a liner fabric to provide a composite sheet which facilitate the manufacture of down feather insulated fabric articles.

Abstract: A ventilated article of footwear, a boot or a shoe, has a disconnectable footwear portion partly detachably connected to the outer contour portion of the sole of the article of footwear. One or more connectors are secured on the top surface of the sole outer contour portion adjacent the disconnectable footwear portion and actionable to disconnect and reconnect the disconnectable footwear portion to the sole outer contour portion to permit the entrance of air between the sole outer contour portion and a lower edge of the disconnectable footwear portion to ventilate at least a portion of a users foot.

Abstract: A body monitoring sensor system is described and wherein a sensor module is attachable to a thermally insulated article of warmth, such as an article of apparel, having a thermal insulation of a known clo index value and wherein the sensor system has various sensors to produce various atmospheric and body condition signals to feed a computer having a processor. The processor is programmed to perform calculations to generate a output signals indicative of the corrective action required based on the protection offered by the clo index of the thermal insulation of the article of warmth and taking into account the calculated wind chill temperature and humidity as well as the wearer person's body temperature and humidity conditions to provide warmth and comfort to the user person under the actual atmospheric conditions.

Abstract: A method of forming a single piece, shaped, down feather thermally insulating article having different thermal insulating sections is described. A mold is formed with a cavity defining a non-uniformed prescribed shape and having sections of different shapes and depths. Down feather clusters or a mixture thereof is mixed with a binding material and is injected into the mold which is then heated with a suitable heat source to cause the binding material to soften and fuse the mixture together. After cooling the mold, there is formed a single piece, shaped, down feather article which is comprised of sections having different thermal insulating values for use in a product where parts of the product provide different thermal insulating properties.

Abstract: A thermally insulating article of warmth such as an article of apparel is described and includes removable thermally insulating flexible panels disposed and removably secured between the outer shell fabric and the inner lining fabric. The thermally insulating panels are inserted through an opening having a closure and is retained in position between the outer fabric shell and inner liner by detachable fasteners. The panels are removed to change them with panels having different thermal values or properties to adapt to different climatic conditions or to wash the article without the insulation. By removing the insulation panels the article is less bulky to wash and dry and takes less time for washing and drying while preventing damage to the insulation, particularly if constructed of insulating material which absorbs humidity and has a tendency to form clumps when subjected to impact and stretching forces by the action of a washing and drying machine by being removable.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for forming a down feather sheet is described and wherein a mixture of down feathers and a binder material is fused together by injecting hot air under pressure into the mixture. A plurality of hot air injection needles are caused to penetrate into a layer of the mixture as it is conveyed along a conveyor and to release hot air at a temperature sufficient to cause the binder material to fuse together and to the down causing the down and the binder material to be trapped into the layer. The displacement of the hot air injection mechanism is synchronized to the conveying speed and the projection of the needles into the layer is adjusted to the thickness of the layer being conveyed.

Abstract: A ventilated article of footwear, a boot or a shoe, has a disconnectable footwear portion partly detachably connected to the outer contour portion of the sole of the article of footwear. One or more connectors are secured on the top surface of the sole outer contour portion adjacent the disconnectable footwear portion and actionable to disconnect and reconnect the disconnectable footwear portion to the sole outer contour portion to permit the entrance of air between the sole outer contour portion and a lower edge of the disconnectable footwear portion to ventilate at least a portion of a users foot.

Abstract: A zipper closure facilitator assembly for use with articles of apparel to permit a user person with limited arm reach and movement, such has with old age or incapacitated persons, or anyone, ease of access to the slider of the zipper closure. One of the twin bands to which complimentary zipper teeth are secured, has a free short bottom section which is not sewn to the article of apparel but removably attached thereto by magnetic attraction for ease of access to the slider. Closure facilitators using superimposed magnetic strips provides ease of engagement and removal of articles of footwear.

Abstract: A thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure which is comprised solely of down feather material mixed with binding material which is heat fused together to form a homogeneous sheet core. The method of fabricating the homogeneous thermally insulating sheet to form the down core structure is described. This novel method restrains the down clusters and binding material during the process of mixing, depositing, conveying and heat fusing to form a homogeneous down core sheet. The down core structure is subjected to two separate heat treatments which produces a down core sheet having at least some of its outer surfaces being of higher bond density than the inside of the core.

Abstract: A light weight composite thermally insulating sheet is comprised of down insulation mixed with binding fibers and plant-based material fibers. The plant-based material fibers maintain their original state during heat treatment to bind the core material together. As the binding fibers soften, they bind together at their crossing and also attach to the plant-based material fibers which remain in their original state creating an inner bonded support fiber structure made of plant-based material fibers and binding fibers. This fiber structure maintains the loft in the core by resisting to heat deformation of the binder material during the heat treatment to reduce compression of core material. The plant-based material fibers also act as wicking conductors to conduct moisture out of the down material and providing a faster drying of the thermally insulating sheet. Carbon fibers may be added to the core mixture of the scrim sheets, if used, may be formed of charcoal yarn to absorb odors.