FIELD
This disclosure relates to apparel for human bodies and to a method for burning calories in a human body using the apparel.
BACKGROUND
Apparel is being marketed with materials and structures for performing various functions in a human body. For example, adult and youth athletic apparel, health promoting apparel, and therapeutic treatment apparel are marketed online and in physical retail stores for performing various medical and athletic functions. The apparel can also be in the form of support garments for ankles, knees, legs, wrists, arms, elbows, waists, backs, calves, shoulders, hips, face, and head for medical and athletic functions. The functions of the apparel include providing support, increasing blood circulation, treating arthritis, increasing cellular movement, decreasing muscle load, enhancing cartilage-specific collagen growth, and treating wounds in a region of the body.
It would be advantageous for apparel to also perform the function of caloric burn in a human body. The present disclosure is directed to apparel made from a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles configured to increase burning of calories over a baseline daily caloric burn.
SUMMARY
Apparel for burning calories in a human body includes a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles. The composite fabric includes a plurality of woven threads constructed in any weaving pattern into a support garment. The woven threads include a selected percentage of composite threads containing the semiconductor nanoparticles and the carbon nanoparticles. In a first embodiment, each composite thread comprises a combination of at least three components in an integrated structure including: a base material comprising a plurality of fibers, a plurality of semiconductor nanoparticles compounded with the base material, and a plurality of carbon nanoparticles compounded with the base material. In the first embodiment, additional components can also be included in the integrated structure such as jade fibers.
In a second embodiment, the composite fabric includes at least three separate threads including a base thread, a semiconductor thread, and a carbon thread twisted together into a yarn. The twisted threads can also include other types of threads such as jade threads. In both embodiments, other separate threads, such as clastic threads or jade threads, can also be incorporated into the woven structure.
In illustrative embodiments the support garment is in the form of leggings, shorts, shirts or wraps configured to fit snuggly around a region of the body and provide a large area of contact with the skin. When the apparel is placed in contact with a region of a body, the semiconductor nanoparticles are configured to release negative ions responsive to a transdermal effect from heat in the region of the body flowing through the skin into the composite fabric for generating a micro electromagnetic field in the region of the body. In addition, the carbon nanoparticles are configured to release infrared waves responsive to the transdermal effect from the heat in the region of the body flowing into the composite fabric. The micro electromagnetic field in combination with the infrared rays increases cellular vibration, and increases blood circulation in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric resulting in an increased caloric burn over a base line caloric burn. The increased caloric burn decreases body fat levels and the weight of the body.
A method for burning calories in a human body includes the steps of: providing an apparel in the form of a support garment made from a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles, and placing the apparel in contact with a region of the body. The method also includes the step of releasing negative ions to form a micro electromagnetic field in the region of the body using a first transdermal effect from body heat activating the semiconductor nanoparticles to release the negative ions and form the micro electromagnetic field. The method also includes the step of releasing infrared rays using a second transdermal effect from body heat activating the carbon nanoparticles to release the infrared rays. The action of the negative ions, micro electromagnetic field and infrared rays increases cellular vibration in the region of the body, increases blood circulation in the region of the body and increases caloric burn in the body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a schematic drawing of a support garment in the form of leggings for burning calories in a human made from a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles;
FIG. 1B is a schematic drawing of a support garment in the form of shorts for burning calories in a human made from a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles;
FIG. 1C is a schematic drawing of a support garment in the form of a shirt for burning calories in a human made from a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles;
FIG. 1D is a schematic view of a support garment in the form of an elastic wrap for burning calories in a human made from a composite fabric having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles;
FIG. 2A is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a first embodiment thread of the composite fabric having an integrated structure;
FIG. 2B is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a second embodiment thread of the composite fabric wherein separate threads are twisted together into a yarn;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating operational characteristics of the composite fabric in which negative ions and infrared rays are released responsive to body heat;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating operational characteristics of the composite fabric in which blood circulation in a region of the body contacted by the composite fabric is increased increasing caloric burn over a base line caloric burn; and
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating steps in a method for burning calories in a human body using a support garment having the composite fabric containing embedded semiconductor nanoparticles and embedded carbon nanoparticles.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The term “burn calories” means that there is an expenditure of energy (i.e., calories) in a user wearing the apparel of the present disclosure over a baseline caloric burn. The term “base line caloric burn” means the amount of calories burned in a human body during normal activity or during sleeping or during resting. “Caloric burn” can be measured by oxygen consumption, through VO2 max measurements. “Caloric burn” can also be measured using a smart watch, such as a FITBIT or an APPLE watch using algorithms and input on the human body. The term “support garment” means a garment configured to fit snuggly and provide a level of support for a region of the body or a body part. The term “elastic thread” means a thread that exhibits stretch and recovery characteristics. For example, an elastic thread can be stretched to 100-200% of its unstretched length responsive to a tension force and then return to the unstretched length when the tension force is removed.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1D, apparel 12 is illustrated for burning calories in a human body. FIG. 1A illustrates a support garment 14L in the form of leggings for burning calories in a human made from a composite fabric 16 having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and embedded carbon nanoparticles 20. FIG. 1B illustrates a support garment 14SH in the form of shorts for burning calories in a human made from the composite fabric 16 having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and embedded carbon nanoparticles 20. FIG. 1C illustrates a support garment 14SR in the form of a shirt for burning calories in a human made from the composite fabric 16 having embedded semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and embedded carbon nanoparticles 20. FIG. 1D illustrates a support garment 14MW in the form of an elastic wrap for burning calories in a human made from the composite fabric 16 having elastic threads 22E and embedded semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and embedded carbon nanoparticles 20.
In each of the embodiments, the support garments 14L, 14SH, 14SR, 14MW can be sized and shaped to fit snuggly around the selected region of the body or body part, such that contact can be made with the skin in the region or body part for transferring body heat 30 (FIG. 3) to the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and the carbon nanoparticles 20 using a transdermal effect.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D) includes a plurality of threads 221 (FIG. 2A) or 22T (FIG. 2B) woven together in any weaving pattern. In a first embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, an integrated thread 221 comprises a combination of at least three components in an integrated structure including: a base material 24 comprising a plurality of fibers, a plurality of semiconductor nanoparticles 18 compounded with the base material 24, and a plurality of carbon nanoparticles 20 compounded with the base material 24. In FIG. 2A, the integrated thread 221 is shown with a layered structure for illustrative purpose, however, in actual practice the three components can comprise a unitary structure. Exemplary materials for the base material 24 include cotton, nylon and polyester in fiber form. The semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and the carbon nanoparticles 20 can be made using a process such as high temperature sintering (800-1000 degrees C.) of raw materials, such as germanium pellets for the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and carbonized charcoal for the carbon nanoparticles 20, followed by grinding and filtering into nanoparticles having a selected size range, with from 1 to 100 nm being representative. The semiconductor nanoparticles 18 and the carbon nanoparticles 20 can then be compounded with the fibers of the base material 24 using a process such as doping or polymerization or resin formation. U.S. Pat. No. 12,096,809, which is incorporated herein by reference, further describes suitable fabrication processes for making the integrated thread 221, as well as relative concentrations of the materials.
In a second embodiment, the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D) includes twisted threads 22T formed as a yarn using at least three separate threads including a base thread 22B, a semiconductor thread 22S, and a carbon thread 22C twisted together into a yarn. The twisted threads 22T can also include other types of threads such as a jade thread 22J. U.S. Pat. No. 12,096,809, which was previously incorporated by reference, further describes suitable fabrication processes for making the twisted threads 22T. In addition to the twisted threads 22T (or the integrated threads 221), the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D) can also include other types of threads in the woven structure, such as elastic threads 22E (FIG. 1D).
Referring to FIG. 3, the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 are configured to release negative ions 26 responsive to a transdermal effect from body heat 30 in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric 16. The semiconductor nanoparticles 18 have a concentration in the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D) sufficient to generate a low intensity micro electromagnetic field 36 in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric 16. A preferred material for the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 comprises germanium having a size range of 1-20 nm. Alternately, other semiconductor materials, such as silicon, silicon carbide, and selenium, as well as compound semiconductor materials, can be used to construct the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D). A representative intensity of the micro electromagnetic field 36 can be from 1730-2405 ions/cm3. By way of example and not limitation, a threshold intensity of the micro electromagnetic field 36 for burning calories preferably comprises at least 2000 ions/cm3. The intensity of the micro electromagnetic field 36 on a region of the body can be measured using a commercial micro electromagnetic field sensor. One factor that affects the intensity of the micro electromagnetic field 36 is the concentration of the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 in the integrated thread 221 and in the twisted thread 22T. A representative concentration range of the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 as a weight % of the total weight of the integrated thread 221 can be from 5% to 80%.
As also shown in FIG. 3, the carbon nanoparticles 20 are configured to release infrared waves 28 responsive to the transdermal effect from the body heat 30 in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric 16. In FIG. 3, the infrared waves 28 are shown transitioning from a ground state 32 to an excited state 34 responsive to the body heat 30. A preferred material for the carbon nanoparticles 20 comprises charcoal, such as bamboo charcoal having a size range of 10-45 nm. Other suitable forms of carbon include graphite carbon and carbon black. A representative wavelength range of the infrared waves 38 can comprise mid infrared to far infrared, with from 1300 nm to 3000 nm being exemplary.
Referring to FIG. 4, operational characteristics of the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D) are illustrated. In particular, the semiconductor nanoparticles 18 increase cellular vibration of body cells 44 in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric 16, as indicated by the vibration waves 38. This increase in vibration of the body cells 44 also increases blood circulation, and blood flux, in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D), resulting in an increased caloric burn as indicated by up-arrow 40. At the same time, body fat levels and the weight of the body decrease, as indicated by down-arrow 42. In addition, the increased blood circulation provides O2 and nutrients in the region of the body contacted by the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D).
Referring to FIG. 5, steps in a method for burning calories in a human are illustrated.
Example: Proof of concept studies have been conducted at the request of Applicant by scientists to demonstrate that the composite fabric 16 (FIGS. 1A-1D) performed in vitro release of negative ions, in vitro release of midlevel and far infrared waves, and in vitro increase in blood flow. Further studies are being conducted to demonstrate that the apparel 12 (FIGS. 1A-1D) increases caloric burn over a baseline daily burn, increases caloric burn at rest in daytime, and increases caloric burn overnight while sleeping.
While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and subcombinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.
Patent Application
20250064156
