ARTICLE OF CLOTHING

Abstract

The invention relates to a clothing item (1′), in particular a jacket or a pair of trousers, in particular a motorcycle jacket for motorcyclists, including a chamber (4′) for accommodating a body part (2′) of a wearer of the clothing item (1′), in particular a leg or an upper body, and including an outer material (3′) which encloses the chamber (4′) externally at its circumference, and including a substantially breathable, wind-resistant and waterproof membrane (5′, 6′) which is arranged at the internal side of the outer material (3′), wherein the membrane (5′, 6′) is fastened with a fixed membrane portion (5, 5′) internally on the outer material (3, 3′) and extends with the fixed membrane portion (5′) over part of the circumference of the chamber (4′). It is proposed that the membrane (5′, 6′) with a loose membrane portion (6′) is not fastened to the outer material (3′).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a clothing item, in particular a jacket or a pair of trousers, preferably a motorcycle jacket or motorcycle trousers.

From the prior art, there are known clothing items having a multi-layered construction with an externally situated outer material (e.g. leather or textile) and an internally situated membrane (e.g. Gore-Tex®), which is breathable, wind-resistant and waterproof. When a clothing item of this type is used in rain, the membrane ensures the waterproofing of the clothing item. However, the use of a clothing item of this type in warm outside temperatures is problematic, since the breathability of the membrane depends on the temperature difference between the internal side and the external side and increases with the size of the temperature difference. At high external temperatures, the breathability of the membrane is therefore relatively small, such that the wearer of the clothing item can sweat, which is undesirable.

In order to solve this problem, clothing items are known in which the membrane can optionally be inserted into the clothing item or removed. When the clothing item is used in rain, the membrane is inserted into the clothing item, whereas the membrane is removed when the clothing item is used in high outside temperatures and dry air. However, clothing items of this type with a removable membrane are impractical since the membrane has to be removed or inserted in a relatively complex way. Moreover, the removed membrane must then be taken along in a separate pocket in the jacket or in a special luggage item.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a suitably improved clothing item. This object is achieved with a clothing item according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention encompasses the technical teaching of providing a clothing item with a breathable, wind-resistant and waterproof membrane, wherein the membrane is firmly bound to the clothing item, but can be adjusted between different settings in order, during rain, to offer sufficient waterproofing and nevertheless, during warm outside temperatures without rain, to prevent sweating of the wearer.

The clothing item according to the invention has a chamber for receiving a body part of the wearer of the clothing item, wherein said body part can be, for example, the leg or the upper body of the wearer. The clothing item according to the invention can thus be, for example, a jacket or a pair of trousers.

Furthermore, the clothing item according to the invention comprises an outer material which externally encloses the chamber at the circumference of the chamber. For example, the outer material can be leather, artificial leather or a fibrous textile wherein the outer material can also have a plurality of different layers which lie over one another and are firmly connected to one another.

Furthermore, the clothing item according to the invention comprises a membrane which is breathable, wind-resistant and waterproof, wherein such membranes are known from the prior art and therefore do not need to be described in detail. For example, membranes of this type are sold commercially under the Gore-Tex® brand.

In the clothing item according to the invention, the membrane is arranged on the internal side of the outer material and is fastened internally on the outer part with a fixed membrane portion, wherein the fixed membrane portion extends over a part of the circumference of the chamber.

The clothing item according to the invention is distinguished in that the membrane with a loose membrane portion is not fastened to the outer material.

The loose membrane portion can thus alternatively be in contact with the internal side of the outer material or with the internal side of the fixed membrane portion. If the loose membrane portion is in contact with the internal side of the outer material, the chamber is surrounded over its entire circumference by the membrane, which results in good waterproofing. If, however, the loose membrane portion is in contact with the internal side of the fixed membrane portion, then two membrane layers lie over one another there, whereas no membrane portion is present on the opposite side. On this side without a membrane portion, the clothing item is therefore relatively wind-permeable, which prevents sweating by the wearer.

The loose membrane portion is therefore preferably adjustable between a rain setting and a ventilation setting. In the rain setting, the loose membrane portion is in contact with the internal side of the outer material so that the chamber is surrounded by the membrane over its entire circumference. In the ventilation setting, however, the loose membrane portion is in contact with the internal side of the fixed membrane portion, so that the chamber is then surrounded by the membrane only over a part of its circumference.

In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the fixed membrane portion is arranged on the rear side of the clothing item. In a jacket, this means that the fixed membrane portion is situated in the back region of the jacket. In the case of a pair of trousers, however, this means that the fixed membrane portion is situated at the leg rear side.

It should also be mentioned that during its intended use, the clothing item is preferably subject to an airflow. In the case of a motorcycle jacket or a pair of motorcycle trousers, this airflow is created by the speed of travel of the motorcycle. In such a clothing item, the fixed membrane portion is preferably arranged on the side of the clothing item which, during its intended use, faces away from the airflow. This is advantageous since, in the ventilation setting of the clothing item, the airflow can penetrate into the clothing item, so that sweating by the rider is prevented.

It has already been mentioned that, in the ventilation setting, the loose membrane portion lies over the fixed membrane portion so that two membrane layers lie over one another, so that the breathability of the membrane is reduced. This disruptive effect of the double-layeredness of the membrane at this point can be compensated for in that the loose membrane portion is coated areally on the side facing away from the fixed membrane portion with an air-permeable spacer (e.g. three-dimensional textile). Situated then between the body of the wearer and the loose membrane portion is the air-permeable spacer (e.g. three-dimensional textile) so that sweating by the wearer is prevented despite the double-layeredness of the membrane at this site.

In the ventilation setting of the loose membrane portion, the air-permeable spacer therefore enables an airflow between the body part in the chamber and the loose membrane portion.

It should also be mentioned that the loose membrane portion and the fixed membrane portion preferably each extend over 30-70%, 40-60% or substantially 50% of the circumference of the chamber.

It should also be mentioned that the membrane with the loose membrane portion and the fixed membrane portion can be constructed integrally. However, alternatively, the possibility also exists that the loose membrane portion and the fixed membrane portion are separate parts which are only then joined to one another.

It was briefly mentioned above that the membrane can be a commercially available membrane, for example, a Gore-Tex® membrane. In order to achieve the sufficient breathability, the membrane has a plurality of pores with a large pore density, wherein the pore density is preferably at least 100,000/cm², 200,000/cm², 500,000/cm² or 1,000,000/cm². The size of the individual pores is preferably substantially smaller than a water drop and substantially larger than a water molecule.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the clothing item is preferably a motorcycle jacket or a pair of motorcycle trousers. However, with regard to the type of clothing item, the invention is not restricted to these examples but can also be realized with other types of clothing items.

Other advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims or are described below in greater detail together with the description of the preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, making reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view through a leg of a pair of motorcycle trousers according to the invention in a rain setting,

FIG. 1B shows the trouser leg of FIG. 1A in a ventilation setting,

FIG. 2A shows a cross-sectional view through a motorcycle jacket according to the invention in the region of the upper body in a rain setting, and

FIG. 2B shows the motorcycle jacket of FIG. 2A in a ventilation setting.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an exemplary embodiment according to the invention of a pair of motorcycle trousers 1, wherein the two drawings each show a cross-sectional representation of a trouser leg in the region of a leg 2.

FIG. 1A shows a “rain setting” which offers optimum waterproofing and is used when riding during rainfall.

FIG. 1B, however, shows a “ventilation setting” which offers optimum ventilation with reduced waterproofing and is used, for example, when riding during summer in high outside temperatures without rainfall.

The motorcycle trousers 1 comprise an outer material 3 which can be constructed in conventional manner and can consist, for example, of leather, fibrous textile or a plurality of different layers of different materials.

The outer material 3 encloses a chamber 4 which accommodates the leg 2, which is per se known from the prior art and therefore need not be described in detail.

Mounted on the internal side of the outer material 3 is a membrane which consists of a fixed membrane portion 5 and a loose membrane portion 6.

The fixed membrane portion 5 is fastened by means of an adhesive layer 7 to the internal side of the outer material 3, specifically on a rear side 8 of the motorcycle trousers 1. The fixed membrane portion 5 extends herein approximately over half the circumference of the chamber 4.

Alternatively to the adhesive layer 7, the possibility also exists that situated between the fixed membrane portion 5 and the internal side of the outer material 3 is an air layer. The fixed membrane portion 5 can thus be fastened to the outer material 3 in another way, for example by point-wise sewing.

The loose membrane portion 6 is integrally connected to the fixed membrane portion 5 and is situated at a front side 9 of the motorcycle trousers 1. It is important herein that the loose membrane portion 6 is not connected to the outer material 3. The loose membrane portion 6 can therefore assume different settings, specifically firstly, the rain setting shown in FIG. 1A and secondly, the ventilation setting shown in FIG. 1B.

In the rain setting shown in FIG. 1A, the loose membrane portion 6 is folded forward and then is in contact with the internal side of the outer material 3 at the front side 9 of the motorcycle trousers 1, so that the chamber 4 is surrounded over its entire circumference by the fixed membrane portion 5 or by the loose membrane portion 6, which causes optimum waterproofing and rain resistance.

In the ventilation setting shown in FIG. 1B, the loose membrane portion 6 is folded backwardly against the internal side of the fixed membrane portion 5. Then, no membrane at all is situated at the front side 9 of the motorcycle trousers 1, so that the airflow there can penetrate relatively easily through the relatively wind-permeable outer material 3 into the chamber 4, in order thereby to ventilate the leg.

However, there are then two membrane layers of the loose membrane portion 6 and of the fixed membrane portion 5 on the rear side of the leg 2, so that the breathability there is reduced. In order to prevent sweat formation at the rear side of the leg 2, the loose membrane portion 6 is therefore coated at its front side with an air-permeable spacer 10. The air-permeable spacer 10 enables air flow at the rear side of the leg 2 between the leg 2 and the front side of the backwardly folded loose membrane portion 6.

The exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B largely matches the exemplary embodiments described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, so that for the avoidance of repetition, reference is made to the above description, wherein corresponding details are identified with the same reference signs with an apostrophe.

A peculiarity of this exemplary embodiment lies therein that the clothing item is a motorcycle jacket 1′.

Otherwise this exemplary embodiment matches the above described exemplary embodiment.

The invention is not restricted to the above-described preferred exemplary embodiments. Rather a plurality of variants and derivations is possible which also make use of the inventive concept and therefore fall within the scope of protection.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

• 1 Pair of motorcycle trousers
• 1′ Motorcycle jacket
• 2 Leg
• 2′ Upper body
• 3, 3′ Outer material
• 4, 4′ Chamber
• 5, 5′ Fixed membrane portion
• 6, 6′ Loose membrane portion
• 7, 7′ Adhesive layer or air layer between outer material and membrane
• 8, 8′ Rear side of the motorcycle trousers
• 9, 9′ Front side of the motorcycle trousers
• 10, 10′ Air-permeable spacer

Claims

1. A clothing item comprising: a) a chamber for accommodating a body part of a wearer of the clothing item,b) an outer material which encloses the chamber externally at a circumference of the chamber, andc) a substantially breathable, wind-resistant and waterproof membrane which is arranged on an internal side of the outer material, wherein the membrane is fastened with a fixed membrane portion internally on the outer material and extends with the fixed membrane portion over part of the circumference of the chamber,d) wherein with a loose membrane portion, the membrane is not fastened to the outer material.

2. The clothing item according to claim 1, wherein the loose membrane portion can alternatively be placed in contact with the internal side of the outer material or with an internal side of the fixed membrane portion.

3. The clothing item according to claim 2, wherein a) the loose membrane portion is adjustable between a rain setting and a ventilation setting,b) in the rain setting, the loose membrane portion is in contact with the internal side of the outer material so that the chamber is surrounded by the membrane over its entire circumference, andc) in the ventilation setting, the loose membrane portion is in contact with the internal side of the fixed membrane portion so that the chamber is surrounded by the membrane only over a part of its circumference.

4. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein the fixed membrane portion is arranged on a rear side of the clothing item.

5. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein a) during its intended use, the clothing item is subject to an airflow, andb) the fixed membrane portion is arranged on a side of the clothing item which, during its intended use, faces away from the airflow.

6. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein the loose membrane portion is areally coated on a side facing away from the fixed membrane portion with an air-permeable spacer.

7. The clothing item according to claim 6, wherein in the ventilation setting of the loose membrane portion, the air-permeable spacer enables an airflow between the body part and the loose membrane portion.

8. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein the loose membrane portion and the fixed membrane portion each extend over 30%-70% of the circumference of the chamber.

9. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein the membrane is configured integrally.

10. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein the loose membrane portion is connected to the fixed membrane portion so that the membrane is gaplessly continuous over the circumference of the chamber.

11. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein the outer material comprises at least one of the following materials: a1) leather,a2) artificial leather, anda3) fibrous textile.

12. The clothing item according to claim 11, wherein the outer material has a plurality of layers lying over one another.

13. The clothing item according to claim 12, wherein the outer material is more wind-permeable than the membrane is.

14. The clothing item according to claim 13, wherein the outer material is more wear-resistant than the membrane.

15. The clothing item according to claim 14, wherein the outer material is less waterproof than the membrane.

16. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein a) the membrane is microporous, andb) the membrane has pores with a pore density of at least 100,000 cm−2, andc) individual pores of the membrane have a pore size which is substantially smaller than a water drop, andd) individual pores of the membrane have a pore size which is substantially larger than a water molecule.

17. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein a) the clothing item is a motorcycle jacket and the body part is an upper body, andb) in the rain setting, the loose membrane portion lies in at least one of a chest region and an abdomen region of the wearer, andc) in the ventilation setting, the loose membrane portion lies in a back region of the wearer.

18. The clothing item according to claim 3, wherein a) the clothing item is a pair of trousers and the body part is a leg, andb) in the rain setting, the loose membrane portion is in contact with a front side of the leg, andc) in the ventilation setting, the loose membrane portion is in contact with a rear side of the leg.