GB2352959A - An article of protective clothing - Google Patents

Abstract

An article of clothing includes ventilation fabric 10 with three layers; an inner layer 14 which faces the wearer, an intermediate air circulating layer 16, and an outer facing layer 18. The fabric may be a conventional warp knitted structure with the air circulation layer 16 made up of polyester yarns 20 that are sufficiently stiff to keep the inner and outer facing layers 14 and 18 apart. Air is allowed to circulate along the intermediate air circulation layer 16, thereby cooling the wearer of the garment. The article of clothing preferably includes protective panels 24 (eg. bullet proof panels) outside the ventilation fabric 10.

Description

2352959 AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING This invention relates to an article of

clothing, particularly but not limited to, an article of security clothing. Also, this invention relates to a method of allowing air to circulate in an article of clothing worn by a user.

A previous article of security clothing, which comprises thick, semi-rigid and heavy protective panels (eg. bullet proof panels) has disadvantages in that the clothing soon becomes very uncomfortable because it is difficult for heat from the user to dissipate through the garment. These disadvantages result in the user being disinclined to wear the garment, which could seriously compromise the wearer of the garment.

It is an object of the present invention to address the above mentioned disadvantages.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a garment, which may be a security garment, which provides a wearer with a reduced risk of heat fatigue.

According to a first aspect of the present invention an article of clothing includes a ventilation section which has an air circulation layer located between a base layer and an upper layer, in which the air circulation layer comprises a plurality of filaments that extend between the base layer and the upper layer, the filaments being sufficiently stiff to maintain a separation of the base and upper layers under the weight of one or more layers of the article of clothing outside the upper portion.

2 The article of clothing may be an article of security clothing. The security clothing may include one or more protective layers outside the said ventilation section.

The protective panels may be bulletproof panels, and/or may be stabproof panels. The panels may be flame proof and/or heat resistant panels. The panels may be chemical resistant.

The stiffness of the filaments in the air circulation layer may be chosen to maintain the separation of the base and upper layers under the weight of the or each protective layer.

The filaments may be between about 20 denier and about lmm in size. Preferably, the filaments are between about 40 denier and 50 denier. The filaments may be made of a monofilament yarn, preferably polyester yarn.

The base layer may be arranged, in use to face towards the body of a wearer of the article of clothing. The base layer may include a plurality of openings, to allow air to enter the air circulation layer, said air may be warm air from a wearer of the article of clothing. The base layer may resist extension, preferably in at least one direction, to deter compression/thinning of the ventilation section due to stretching thereof.

The ventilation section may be produced by knitting. The air circulation, base and upper layers may be produced simultaneously during a knitting operation. The filaments of the air circulation section may be pinched between 3 yarns of the upper and base layers, preferably in bundles of said filaments.

According to another aspect of the present invention a 5 method of allowing air to circulate in an article of clothing worn by a user comprises providing a garment having a ventilation section which has an air circulation layer located between a base layer and an upper layer, in which the air circulation layer comprises a plurality of filaments that extend between the base layer and the upper layer, the filaments being sufficiently stiff to maintain a separation of the base and upper layers under the weight of one or more layers of the article of clothing outside the upper portion, wherein the air circulation layer receives warm air from the user via the base layer and said warm air is able to leave the garment and thereby cool the user.

The invention also extends to a fabric adapted for use in 20 an article of clothing having the features of the ventilation section described in the first aspect.

All of the above aspects can be combined with any of the features described herein, in any combination.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a garment 30 comprising an air circulation layer of fabric beneath a protective panel; Figure 2 is a schematic partial view of a lower face of the air circulation layer of the fabric; and 4 Figure 3 is a schematic partial view of an upper face of the air circulation fabric.

A ventilation fabric 10 for use in an article of clothing or garment 12 comprises three layers: an inner facing layer 14, an intermediate air circulation layer 16 and an outer facing layer 18. The intermediate air circulation layer 16 is made up of polyester yarns 20 that are sufficiently stiff to keep the inner and outer facing layers 14 and 18 apart. Air is allowed to circulate along the intermediate air circulation layer 16, thereby cooling the wearer of the garment. The article of clothing preferably includes protective panels 24 outside the ventilation fabric 10.

In more detail, the fabric 10 which forms the part of the article of clothing 12 is produced by a knitting operation, which knits the inner facing layer 14, intermediate air circulation layer 16 and outer facing layer 18 together.

The inner facing layer is a fabric which is knitted to have a plurality of openings 22 (see figure 2) through which hot air from a user wearing the garment may pass into the intermediate air circulation layer 16.

The outer facing layer 18 is a mesh fabric which simply provides a facing layer onto which the polyester yarns 20 of the intermediate air circulation layer 16 may be secured during the knitting operation. The outer facing layer 18 may abut the protective panels 24 which are a part of the article of clothing 12.

The intermediate air circulation layer comprises a plurality of polyester yarns 20 which separate the inner and outer facing layers 14 and 18. The thickness of the yarns 20 is important. If the yarns have a denier value of less than 20 then the inner and outer facing layers 14 and 18 will be easily pushed together, thereby collapsing the intermediate air circulation layer 16, with the disadvantage that air will not be able to circulate. Thus, 20 denier polyester yarns provide a notional lower limit for the size of yarn.

If the polyester yarns 20 have a diameter of about 1mm or more, then the yarns will be too stiff to permit the knitting of the fabric 10, with obvious disadvantages.

Thus, a polyester yarn diameter of approximately 1mm provides an upper limit.

With the above in mind, a polyester yarn having a denier of approximately 40 to 50 provides a preferred range for the production of the fabric 10.

To maintain the spacing of the inner and outer facing layers 14 and 18, the polyester yarns 20 extend in small looped bundles between the inner and outer facing layers 14 and 18. The looped bundles are pinched together in the knitted material of the inner facing layer 14 and the outer facing layer 18.

Polyester yarns are suited to the manufacture of the fabric 10 because they are relatively stiff, compared to their diameter. This allows the intermediate air circulation layer 16 to have a volume which is predominantly made up of air space, rather than polyester 6 yarns 20. This allows greater air circulation through the intermediate air circulation layer 16 than would otherwise be possible.

The polyester yarns 20 for an article of security clothing must be sufficiently stiff to support the weight of relatively heavy protective panels 24 without the intermediate air circulation layer 16 suffering significant compression.

The types of protective panel 24 which can be used with the garment are bulletproof panels, stabproof panels, or combinations thereof. Also, rigid blunt trauma protection panels, such as knee pads, chest pads, etc may be used.

The fabric 10 described herein is already known from its use by Mothercare (RTM) in their Sleepright (RTM) mattress cover for use in a baby's cot. However, the use of this material in articles clothing has not previously been described.

In use, a user will become hot from wearing a garment 12 which includes protective panels 12 outside all ventilation fabric 10. However, warm air from the user will enter the fabric 10 and pass upwards through the intermediate air circulation layer 16, because warm air rises. The warm air leaves the garment from an upper part thereof. Cooler air is drawn in lower parts of the garment, in a "chimney effect" ventilation, thus cooling the user.

The fabric 10 when used in articles of clothing 12 has significant advantages over previous articles of clothing, 7 particularly security clothing, because the intermediate air circulation layer 16 in the fabric allows significant air circulation compared to previous fabrics. This results in a wearer of the garment being considerably more comfortable. Further significant advantages arise over previous garments (which a user would be disinclined to wear), because of the risks of over heating and the greater discomfort resulting therefrom. Those disadvantages are considerably reduced in the articles of clothing which use the fabric 10 described herein.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

8 The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment (s). The invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

9

Claims (17)

CLAIMS:

1. An article of clothing includes a ventilation section which has an air circulation layer located between a base layer and an upper layer, in which the air circulation layer comprises a plurality of filaments that extend between the base layer and the upper layer, the filaments being sufficiently stiff to maintain a separation of the base and upper layers under the weight of one or more layers of the article of clothing outside the upper portion.

2. An article of clothing according to claim 1, wherein the article of clothing is an article of security clothing.

3. An article of clothing according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein the security clothing includes one or more protective layers outside the said ventilation section.

4. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the stiffness of the filaments in the air circulation layer is chosen to maintain the separation of the base and upper layers under the weight of the or each protective layer.

5. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the filaments are between about 20 denier and about lmm in size.

6. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the filaments are between about 40 denier and 50 denier.

7. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the filaments are made of a monofilament yarn.

8. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the base layer is arranged, in use, to face towards the body of a wearer of the article of clothing.

9. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the base layer includes a plurality of openings, to allow air to enter the air circulation layer, said air being warm air from a wearer of the article of clothing.

10. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the base layer resists extension, in at least one direction, to deter compression/ thinning of the ventilation section due to stretching thereof.

11. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the ventilation section is produced by knitting.

12. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the air circulation, base and upper layers are produced simultaneously during a knitting operation.

13. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim, wherein the filaments of the air circulation section are pinched between yarns of the upper and base layers.

14. A method of allowing air to circulate in an article of clothing worn by a user comprises providing a garment having a ventilation section which has an air circulation layer located between a base layer and an upper layer, in which the air circulation layer comprises a plurality of filaments that extend between the base layer and the upper layer, the filaments being sufficiently stiff to maintain a separation of the base and upper layers under the weight of one or more layers of the article of clothing outside the upper portion, wherein the air circulation layer receives warm air from the user via the base layer and said warm air is able to leave the garment and thereby cool the user.

15. A fabric adapted for use in an article of clothing having the features of the ventilation section described in any of claims 1 to 14.

16. An article of clothing substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A method of allowing air to circulate in an article of clothing substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.