PROTECTIVE GARMENT HAVING IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY

Abstract

Provided in embodiments of the present invention is a water sport garment providing protection from cold water and having an improved access system for entry into or exit from the garment. In one embodiment, the water sport protective garment includes a torso portion, pant-leg portions extending from the torso portion, non-openable sleeve portions extending from the torso portion, and at least one openable seam extending from the torso portion down each of the pant-leg portions such that when the openable seam is opened a section of the torso portion and sections of the leg portions can be displaced to improve access into and egress from the protective garment.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from provisional application No. 60/803,976, filed on Jun. 5, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a protective garment having improved access, and more particularly to a water sport garment providing protection from cold water and having an improved access system for entry into or exit from the garment.

BACKGROUND

Garments that provide protection for an individual's body have existed in some form for many years as cold environmental conditions can quickly drain a body of heat. These protective garments generally provide protection in two ways: shielding the body from elements of the cold conditions, such as a shell limiting the ability of a cold breeze to reach a person, and insulating a body from cold temperatures. Because water has a very high thermal conductivity, cold water can be especially dangerous since it can quickly chill a person by stripping away body heat. This is particularly of concern when the exposure to water includes partial or total submersion in the water. In these circumstances, traditional cold weather protective garments are generally ineffective in protecting the person because the water saturates them, which compromises their insulative properties. However, two types of garments have been developed that provide significantly better protection against cold water. The first type of garment acts to seal the water away from the body so that other warm clothing can provide insulation without becoming wet. An example of this type of garment is a dry suit. The second type of garment works by allowing a small layer of water to enter between the garment and the person's body and then trapping the small layer of water so that it can be heated and provide a warm layer next to the person's body. An example of this type of garment is a wetsuit.

Dry suits typically use tight seals on the wrists and neck of the suit to prevent water from entering the space between the suit and the body of the person. These suits can further use incorporated foot booties or have additional tight seals around the ankles to prevent water from entering the space between the suit and the body of the person. The dry suit itself generally includes water impermeable material such as a synthetic rubber and sealed access zippers. However, because zippers do not provide as effective a seal as the water impermeable material, the use of zippers is generally minimized as much as possible (such as a single zipper going across the upper torso from shoulder area to shoulder area), which can make donning a dry suit a difficult chore. Additionally, because the seals around the open parts of the suit must restrict the access of water, they are generally difficult to fit through.

Wetsuits, on the other hand, typically allow some water to enter the space between the suit and the body of the person wearing the suit and then trap that water in the space between the wetsuit and the person's body. To help accomplish this basic goal, most wetsuits include a synthetic rubber material such as neoprene. This synthetic rubber provides some repellency protection from the environmental conditions, but also helps insulate an individual from the cold water by trapping a thin layer of water next to an individual's body. The thin layer of water can be heated by the body and provide a warm layer next to the individual's body. To ensure this insulative feature is effective, wetsuits are typically tight fitting so that there is only a small layer of water next to the body to heat, and have constrictive areas of material around the arm and leg cuffs to help trap this thin layer of water next to the body. However, because the effectiveness of wetsuits depends on this tight fit and constrictive cuffs, they can be very difficult to enter into or exit from, especially because most wetsuits only have a single zipper running from the neck opening of the suit to the mid section area on the front or back of the suit.

As discussed above, both of these types of protective garments, and indeed substantially all water sport protective garments, require a certain amount of mobility and dexterity to enter into or exit from the garments. Access openings are also traditionally kept to a minimum, as they are more susceptible than the garment material for allowing water in. Although the access difficulties of these types of suits do not substantially hinder most adults, they can prevent a child or person with limited mobility from being able to use the protective suit. This in turn may prevent these people from being able to safely participate in many activities in and around water. Thus, a water sport protective garment is desirable where the protective garment provides an improved access system while still maintaining its effectiveness in providing protection from cold water. These and other problems in conventional protective garments are addressed by embodiments of the present invention.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide a water sport protective garment having improved access and being structured to effectively protect a person wearing the garment from cold water when the person is at least partially submerged in the cold water. In one embodiment, the water sport protective garment includes a torso portion, pant-leg portions extending from the torso portion, and non-openable sleeve portions extending from the torso portion. To help facilitate access to the garment, the garment further includes at least one openable seam extending from the torso portion down each of the pant-leg portions such that when the openable seam is opened a section of the torso portion and sections of the leg portions can be displaced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a protective garment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates another front view of the protective garment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3a illustrates a detail view of a pant-end according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3b illustrates a detail view of a pant-end according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3c illustrates a detail view of a sleeve-end and sleeve seal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a protective garment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5a-5d illustrate side views of a protective garment showing different configurations of the openable seam according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of a protective garment according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To address the problems discussed above and other problems, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a water sport garment providing protection from cold water and having an improved access system for entry into or exit from the garment. Some of these embodiments are described below in detail, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Thus, while the present invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the present invention. Thus, the inventive principles are not limited to the specific details disclosed herein.

Throughout this disclosure, the term water sport protective garment is used to describe the garment that is the subject of the present invention. Although this garment may be embodied in many different forms, two of the most common methods of structuring water sport protective garments are as wetsuits and dry suits. It will be noted below in the discussion of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention if a certain embodiment is particularly well suited for either of these types of protective garments.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate front views of a water sport protective garment according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a first front view of the protective garment 100 in a closed state and FIG. 2 illustrates a second front view of the protective garment 100 in an open state. Although, this exemplary embodiment may be implemented in several types of garments, it may be particularly well suited as a wetsuit because of the lack of sealing around the neck area.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a protective garment 100 includes a torso portion 110, sleeve portions 120, and pant-leg portions 130. The sleeve portions 110 are integrated with the torso portion 110 and extend from the torso portion 110 to sleeve-ends 125. The sleeve-ends 125 may just be the end of the sleeve material and simply hemmed. However, the sleeve-ends 125 may also include separate material attached to the sleeve material. The sleeve-ends 125 may also be formed to have a cuff of thicker material. Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show the sleeve portions 110 as relatively long sleeves, the sleeve portions 110 may extend only a short distance from the torso portion 110, such as only extending a small distance down the upper arm of a person wearing the protective garment 100, or they may extend for a relatively long distance, such as down to the wrist of a person wearing the protective garment 100. Sleeve seals 128 may be arranged at the sleeve-ends 125 so as to be integrated with the sleeve-ends 125. Additional details about the sleeve seals 128 are discussed below with respect to FIG. 3c.

The pant-leg portions 130 are also integrated with the torso portion 110 and extend from the torso portion 110 to pant-ends 135. Similar to the sleeve-ends 125, the pant-ends 135 may just be the end of the pant-leg material or include separate material attached to and integrated with the pant-leg material. Further, the pant-end 135 may have a hemmed finish or be formed in a cuff arrangement. Additionally, the pant-leg portions 130 may extend only a short distance from the torso portion, such as extending a small distance down the upper leg of a person wearing the protective garment 100, or they may extend for a relatively long distance, such as down to the ankle of a person wearing the protective garment 100.

The torso portion 110 has a front section, a back section, and side sections. Additionally, the torso portion 110 has an upper section that includes a neck opening 115 and a lower section. The sleeve portions 120 extend from the upper section of the torso portion 110 and the pant-leg portions 130 extend from the lower section of the torso portion 110. The torso portion 110, the sleeve portions 120, and the pant-leg portions 130 may include a material that is water impermeable. This material may be a synthetic rubber, such as neoprene.

The system by which the protective garment 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be accessed includes a plurality of openable seams that extend from the neck opening 115 of the torso portion 110 to the pant-ends 135 of the pant-leg portions 130. In this embodiment, the openable seams may include a first zipper track 150 operable with a first zipper 155 and a second zipper track 151 operable with a second zipper 156. The use of the term “zipper” may refer to a zipper track, a zipper slider, or both mechanisms. Although the openable seam is embodied as a zipper in these embodiments, any type of resealable continuous closure mechanism may be used. In the present embodiment, the first zipper track 150 extends from the neck opening 115 down a first one of the pant-leg portions 130 to a first one of the pant-ends 135 and the second zipper track 151 extends from the neck opening 115 down a second one of the pant-leg portions 130 to a second one of the pant-ends 135. The zippers 155 and 156 are respectively operable along the first and second zipper tracks 150 and 151 to provide access to the protective garment 100.

FIG. 1 illustrates the protective garment 100 in a closed state. That is, the zippers 155 and 156 are operated to fully engage the zipper tracks 150 and 151. The zippers 155 and 156 may be configured to be fully engaged when they are near the neck opening 115 as illustrated in FIG. 1 or they may be configured to be fully engaged near the pant-ends 135 as illustrated by the phantom lines in FIG. 1. Further, zippers 155 and 156 may comprise a dual zipper configuration where each zipper track 150 and 151 has two sliders operating on it. This dual zipper configuration may allow for additional flexibility in providing access to the protective garment 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates the protective garment 100 in an open state. That is, the zippers 155 and 156 are operated to fully disengage the zipper tracks 150 and 151. As shown in FIG. 2, when the protective garment 100 is in an open state, a section of the torso portion 110 and sections of the pant-leg portions 130 may be displaced to ease entry into and exit from the protective garment 100. In particular, because sections of the torso and pant-leg portions 110, 130 can be displaced, a child or person with limited mobility may easily step into the protective garment, put their arms through the sleeve portions 120, and zip up the zippers 155 and 156.

These steps may also be carried out with the help of an assistant such as a parent or friend. If the zippers 155 and 156 fully disengage the pant-leg portions 130 such that the pant-ends 135 open, a child or person with limited mobility may be laid in the protective garment 100, insert their arms in the sleeve portions 120, and have an assistant engage the zippers 155 and 156 to zip up the protective garment 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sleeve portions 120 of the protective garment 110 do not open. That is, the sleeve portions 120 do not have a separate zipper access system. This is in part because as mentioned above, zippers or other openable seams tend to let in more water than the insulative material itself. Second, zippers can be more costly to implement than just providing fully formed sleeves. Also, children and people with limited mobility generally have an easier time guiding their arms and hands through sleeves than in donning a complete tight fitting garment because they are generally used to inserting their arms through sleeves. Additionally, the sleeves may be formed to fit more loosely on the person and then have cinching mechanisms (discussed with respect to FIGS. 5a-5d) that can help tighten the fit after the person has inserted their arms into the sleeve portions 120.

FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate detailed views of embodiments of the pant-ends and sleeve ends. FIG. 3a illustrates a detail view of a pant-end according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3a, each pant-end 235 may be structured so that the zipper track 250 extends to the end of the fabric. In this configuration, the zipper 255 may fully disengage the zipper track 250 such that the pant-end 235 completely opens up. The configuration of this embodiment may have the advantage of allowing access to persons that may have difficulty guiding their legs through a tight cuff or seal, such as a young child or a person with limited mobility in their legs.

FIG. 3b illustrates a detail view of a pant-end according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3b, each pant-end 335 may be structured so that the zipper track 350 does not extend to the end of the fabric. Thus, in this embodiment, the pant-end 335 remains partially closed even when the zipper track 350 is completely disengaged. Each pant-end 335 may also have a pant-leg seal 338 integrally formed with the pant-end 335. The pant-leg seal 338 may include a rubber or synthetic rubber gasket that limits or completely prevents water from entering the protective garment. In a wetsuit configuration, this seal 338 may also help prevent the thin layer of warmed water from leaving or interchanging with new cold water. The configuration of this embodiment may have the advantage of providing improved sealing functionality and improved warmth. Also, this embodiment may be easier to operate with children that squirm or move while the suit is being donned. That is, it can be very difficult to engage a zipper that is on two separate sections of material, especially when one or both of the sections of material is being displaced by a moving body.

FIG. 3c illustrates a detail view of a sleeve-end and sleeve seal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3c, each sleeve portion 120 may have a sleeve seal 128 integrally formed with the sleeve-end 125. Similar to the pant-leg seal 338 shown in FIG. 3b, the sleeve seal 128 may be formed of a separate piece of material and attached to the sleeve-end 125. The sleeve seal 128 may include a rubber or synthetic rubber gasket that limits water from entering the protective garment. A sleeve-seal 128 that completely prevents water from entering the protective garment is necessary for dry suits. On the other hand, in a wet suit configuration, the sleeve-seal 128 may help prevent the thin layer of warmed water form leaving or interchanging with new cold water. While this seal may make donning the sleeve portions 120 of the protective garment more difficult, it will also make the garment more effective in providing insulating protection. Thus, the use of seals in specific embodiments may be dependent on the physical capabilities of the person the garment is designed for.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a protective garment according to another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 is similar in many ways to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, elements that are similarly structured and/or have similar functionality will not be described again. This embodiment may again be better implemented as a wetsuit because of the lack of a seal in the neck and upper torso areas.

Referring to FIG. 4, protective garment 400 includes a torso portion 410, sleeve portions 420 extending to sleeve ends 425, and pant-leg portions 430 extending to pant-ends 435. The protective garment 400 also includes an access system that features zipper tracks 450 and 451 operable by zippers 455 and 456. The operation of this access system is similar to the one discussed above with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, however, the sleeve-portions 420 include hand flap folds 480 formed adjacent to the sleeve-ends 425. The hand flap folds 480 may be structured to be able to fold over the corresponding sleeve-ends 425 and sleeve seals 428 if present. The hand flap folds 480 may help improve the overall warmth of the protective garment 400 by protecting the hands of the person wearing the protective garment 400 from direct contact with cold water. Each hand flap fold may be formed by stitching along the sides and end adjacent to the sleeve-end 425 while leaving the end facing the torso portion 410 loose. This arrangement allows the flap to be folded over the sleeve-end 425 to cover the sleeve-end 425. The right sleeve illustrated in FIG. 4 shows the hand flap fold 480 in an unused state, while the left sleeve of the protective garment 400 shows the hand flap fold 480 folded over the sleeve-end 425.

The protective garment 400 may also include an integrated hood 470. The hood 470 my be integrally formed with a least a section of the torso portion 410 near the neck opening 415. As a substantial amount of body heat can be lost through the head, a hood 470 may be desirable in situations where the water temperature is especially cold, or there is a likelihood of prolonged exposure to the cold water. The hood 470 may be donned after the person is in the protective garment 400 with the zippers 455 and 456 fully engaged in a closed state. Additionally, the hood 470 may be donned during entry into the protective garment 400.

The pant-leg portions 430 of the protective garment may also include booties 490 integrally formed with the pant-ends 435. The booties 490 can be made of a moderately flexible material to fit a variety of foot sizes and may include traction patterns (not shown) on the bottom parts for improved grip while standing or walking. In this embodiment, the zipper tracks 450 and 451 do not extend all the way to the integrated booties. To don the protective garment 400 with booties 490, a person would have to slip his or her feet into each of the booties, insert their arms into the sleeve portions, and use the zippers 455 and 456 to fully engage the respective zipper tracks 450 and 451. Having integrated booties 490 may be advantageous in providing additional warmth, as a pant-leg cuff or seal is not required, and may be helpful in providing general foot protection without the need for separate footwear.

FIGS. 5a-5d illustrate side views of a protective garment showing different configurations of the openable seam according to embodiments of the present invention. Each of FIGS. 5a-5d illustrate an embodiment similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. However, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5a-5d illustrate various openable seam or zipper configurations. In addition to illustrating various openable seam or zipper configurations, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5a-5d include a cinching mechanism 560. The cinching mechanism may allow for a tighter and more customized fit of the wet suit. Although only one cinching mechanism 560 is shown in each of these embodiments, a plurality of cinching mechanisms 560 may be present to further customize the fit of each protective garment 500. Cinching mechanisms 560 may be especially useful where the protective garments are made for children because children tend to quickly outgrow garments that have a set limited size. The cinching mechanisms 560 may include fasteners such as Velcro straps, string ties, buttons, loops, cinchable bungee cords, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 5a, the openable seams or zippers 550a are formed on a back section or back panel 512 of the torso portion 510 and back sections of the pant-legs 530. Here, it may be difficult for a single person with limited mobility to don the suit by himself or herself, but it may be easier if the person has an assistant and can lie face down in the suit to don the protective garment 500a.

Referring to FIG. 5b, the openable seams or zippers 550b are formed on a front section or front panel 511 of the torso portion 510 and a front section of the pant-legs 530. Here, it may be easier for a single person with limited mobility to don the suit by himself or herself, but the openable seams or zippers 550b may interfere with a use of the suit, such as in surfing where a person typically paddles out to waves with the front part of their torsos on their surfing boards.

Referring to FIG. 5c, the openable seams or zippers 550c are formed from the neck opening 515 partially down the back 512 of the torso portion 510 and then continuing down the sides 513 of the torso portion 510 and sides of the pant-leg portions 530. This configuration may allow for even greater access as compared to the embodiments of FIGS. 5a and 5b because a greater section of the torso and pant-leg portions will be displaced, which in turn may make it easier to don the protective garment 500c.

Referring to FIG. 5d, the openable seams or zippers 550d are formed from the neck opening 515 partially down the front 511 of the torso portion 510 and then continuing down the sides 513 of the torso portion 510 and sides of the pant-leg portions 530. Again, this configuration may allow for even greater access as compared to the embodiments of FIGS. 5a and 5b because a greater section of the torso and pant-leg portions will be displaced, which in turn may make it easier to don the protective garment 500d.

FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of a protective garment according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Thus, elements that are similar in both embodiments will not be further described. This embodiment may be implemented as a wetsuit or a dry suit because the neck area could be sealed.

Referring to FIG. 6, the protective garment 600 includes a single openable seam 650 having zippers 655 and 656 that extend from the torso portion 610 of the protective garment 600 down each of the pant-leg portions 630 to pant-ends 635. Although this embodiment is shown having two zipper sliders 655 and 656, a single zipper slider configuration is also possible. The openable seam may additionally be a water tight sealed zipper, which is typically used with dry suits to prevent all water from entering the space between the protective garment 600 and the person wearing the protective garment 600. However, because these zippers are often fairly delicate, wetsuits usually use a more robust but less water-proof zipper as a little water entry into the space between the person and the protective garment 600 is allowable.

In addition to having the simplicity of only a single openable seam 650, this embodiment is advantageous because a neck seal 617 may be integrally formed with the neck opening 615 such that substantially no water can enter the protective garment 600. This is especially necessary where the protective garment 600 is a dry suit, as all water should be prevented from entering the space between the protective garment 600 and the person. Because of the need for dryness within a dry suit, these types of protective garments 600 require strong gasket seals on all portions of the protective garment 600 that provide a barrier along the skin of the person wearing the protective garment 600. The protective garment 600 may also have integrated booties as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4.

Having described and illustrated the principles of the invention in embodiments thereof, it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. I claim all modifications and variations coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A wetsuit having improved access for persons with limited mobility, the wetsuit comprising:

a torso portion having a neck opening;

un-openable sleeve portions extending from the torso portion to sleeve-ends;

first and second pant-leg portions extending from the torso portion respectively to first and second pant-ends;

a first zipper extending from the neck opening of the torso portion to the first pant-end of the first pant-leg portion; and

a second zipper extending from the neck opening of the torso portion to the second pant-end of the second pant-leg portion.

2. The wetsuit of claim 1, where the first and second pant-ends respectively open by use of the first and second zippers.

3. The wetsuit of claim 1, further comprising first and second pant-leg seals respectively integrated with the first and second pant-ends, the first and second pant-leg seals being fixed and un-openable.

4. The wetsuit of claim 1, further comprising first and second booties respectively integrated with the first and second pant-ends.

5. The wetsuit of claim 4, further comprising hand flap folds attached to each of the sleeves adjacent to the sleeve-ends, each hand flap fold arranged such that it can fold over the corresponding sleeve-end.

6. The wetsuit of claim 5, further comprising a hood integrated with at least a portion of the neck opening of the torso portion.

7. The wetsuit of claim 6, further comprising at least one cinching mechanism.

8. The wetsuit of claim 1, where the first and second zippers are arranged on front panels of the torso and pant-leg portions.

9. The wetsuit of claim 1, where the first and second zippers are arranged on back panels of the torso and pant-leg portions.

10. The wetsuit of claim 1, where the first and second zippers are arranged on side panels of the pant-leg portions, and side panels and a front panel of the torso portion.

11. The wetsuit of claim 1, where the first and second zippers are arranged on side panels of the pant-leg portions, and side panels and a back panel of the torso portion.

12. The wetsuit of claim 1, further comprising sleeve seals integrated with the sleeve-ends.

13. A water sport protective garment structured to protect a person wearing the garment from cold water when the person is at least partially submerged in the cold water, the protective garment comprising:

a torso portion;

pant-leg portions extending from the torso portion;

at least one openable seam extending from the torso portion down each of the pant-leg portions such that when the openable seam is opened a section of the torso portion and sections of the leg portions can be displaced to ease access into and egress from the protective garment; and

non-openable sleeve portions extending from the torso portion.

14. The protective garment of claim 13, where the openable seam extends partially down the pant-leg portions such that a section of the pant-leg portions remains unopened when the openable seam is opened.

15. A water sport protective garment comprising:

a torso portion having an integrated front section, an integrated back section, integrated side sections, an upper section having a neck opening, and a lower section:

first and second sleeve portions integrated with the upper section of the torso portion, each sleeve portion extending from the torso portion to sleeve-end sections;

first and second pant-leg portions integrated with the lower section of the torso portion, each pant-leg portion extending from the torso portion to pant-end sections;

sleeve seals formed at each sleeve-end section, each sleeve seal being fixed and un-openable; and

at least one openable seam extending from the ends of the pant-end sections to the upper section of the torso portion such that at least a portion of the torso portion and portions of the first and second pant-leg portions can be displaced to facilitate entry into and exit from the protective garment.

16. The protective garment of claim 15, where the openable seam includes a single zipper track extending from the first pant-end section to the upper section of the torso portion and continuing to extend from the upper section of the torso portion to the second pant-end section.

17. The protective garment of claim 16, further comprising a neck seal formed at the neck opening of the upper section of the torso portion, the neck seal being fixed and un-openable.

18. The protective garment of claim 17, where the sleeve seals and neck seal are structured so that a person wearing the protective garment while at least partially submerged in water remains dry under the protective garment.

19. The protective garment of claim 18, further comprising leg seals formed at each pant-end section, each leg seal being un-openable and structured so that the person wearing the protective garment while at least partially submerged in water remains dry under the protective garment.

20. The protective garment of claim 18, further comprising booties integrally formed with each pant-end section.