Patent Application
20190159531
Certain sports such as wrestling involve significant bodily contact between athletes during both practice and competition. Athlete bodies are also exposed to surface contact with equipment and competition surfaces such as floor and wall mats. As a result, an athlete's skin can be highly vulnerable to the interpersonal and environmental transmission of microbial, bacterial, fungal, and viral skin conditions and diseases.
In particular, skin-to-skin contact between athletes is considered the greatest vector for the transmission of skin conditions and diseases during activities such as wrestling, martial arts, and other similar sports. Microbe transmission and subsequent infections can become pronounced and increasingly problematic when moisture, and especially bodily fluids such as perspiration, are present and exchanged during training and contests. The general recognition of this problem has led several athletic associations such as those governing wrestling to adopt strict rules and procedures for the dermatological examination of athletes prior to wrestling matches. Following the identification or diagnosis of communicable conditions or diseases, such rules and procedures often further require physician certifications before infected athletes are permitted to resume training or competition.
Unfortunately, such regulations and procedures are not always effective as some skin lesions or inflammations may go unnoticed during an examination. In other instances, an underlying skin condition or disease may already be at a communicable stage but not yet past a visually apparent incubation stage. In such cases, existing athletic outfits such as wrestling singlets and competition uniforms offer minimal skin-to-skin protection as they are primarily designed to minimize restrictions to athletic movement and therefore usually include substantial openings that allow for the wide range of movement of the arms, legs, and head. Such outfits may also be constructed of a non-absorbent polymer or other material that is largely ineffective for removing or allowing for the quick evaporation of sweat or other moisture from an athlete's skin.
A full skin surface coverage body garment is therefore needed to protect skin from damage from continued routine training activities. Protecting skin from such damage allows skin to be better prepared to defend against skin conditions and diseases presented during training sessions, practices, and competitions.
An athletic garment includes a body covering that completely covers the torso of a wearer's body and also covers at least all parts of the wearer's body between the wearer's torso and the wearer's neck, between the wearer's torso and both of the wearer's ankles, and between the wearer's torso and both of the wearer's wrists. The body covering at least partially includes a moisture absorbent, antimicrobial fabric to improve wicking of perspiration and moisture removal from the wearer's body and to prevent the contact of the wearer's skin against the skin of other individuals. The body covering also includes material reinforcement where the garment covers the wearer's body in at least two of the wearer's crotch, the wearer's knees, the wearer's elbows, and the wearer's forearms.
The garment can be a part of a hygienic system that includes at least one hygienic towel and a dispenser located on the garment for storing and dispensing the hygienic towel, the dispenser having an impermeable layer to inhibit the loss of moisture from the hygienic towel while the towel is stored within the dispenser. The dispenser is located at a position on the garment to allow the wearer to retrieve the hygienic towel and disinfect the wearer's hands, fingers, and objects located on or near the wearer while the wearer wears the garment. Such reinforcement increases overall garment durability and enhances the garment's suitability for wrestling, mixed martial arts, and other person-to-person combative activities.
The athletic garment system can also include a water permeable bag, such as a mesh bag, sufficiently large to accommodate the garment and to allow the garment to be sanitized in a washing machine and be further sanitized and dried in a dryer while the garment remains inside said water permeable bag. The water permeable bag also allows the garment to be easily transported by the wearer to and from the athletic practice or activity, disinfected, and be quickly returned to the next athletic practice or activity with minimal preparation or effort.
For a more complete understanding and appreciation of this invention, and its many advantages, reference will be made to the following Detailed Description of the Invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, some reference numerals are used to designate the same or corresponding parts through several of the embodiments and figures shown and described. Variations in corresponding parts are denoted in specific embodiments with the addition of lowercase letters. Subsequent variations in components that are depicted in the figures but not described are intended to correspond to the specific embodiments mentioned earlier and are discussed to the extent that they vary in form or function. It will be understood generally that variations in the embodiments could be interchanged without deviating from the intended spirit and scope of the invention.
Referring to
With further reference to
The compression top and pants 12a and 14a of the garment 10a are constructed of an absorbent fabric compression material capable of removing moisture through wicking to enhance skin-to-skin and skin-to-surface protection and reduce potential infection. Suitable fabrics can include any of several durable and commercially available materials such as Lycra and Spandex, garment materials sold under the UNDER ARMOUR™ or HEATGEAR™ trademarks, or other like materials that support sufficient wicking. It is further contemplated that the materials utilized also inherently contain antimicrobial properties or be treated with chemicals or cidal materials to possess such properties. For example, an especially suitable fabric possessing such antimicrobial properties is that sold under the GRAPPLETC™ trademark as is available from Caro Wrestling, LLC of Erie, Pa. GRAPPLETECT™ Fabric is treated with polyhexamethylene (PHMB) to enhance its antimicrobial properties.
When an athlete is fully dressed in the full garment 10a with the compression top 12a and compression pants 14a secured via the VELCRO™ waist fabric belt 22a and waist tabs 28a, the athlete's arms, legs, and body are almost completely covered by the fabric compression material, thereby shielding most of the body from skin-to-skin or environmental contact. The body covering 11a completely covers the torso of the wearer's body and covers all parts of the wearer's body between the wearer's torso and the wearer's neck, between the wearer's torso and both of the wearer's ankles, and between the wearer's torso and both of the wearer's wrists.
The compression properties of the material combined with the elastic collar 18a, elastic cuffs 20a, elastic leg cuffs 30a, and stirrups 32a, as well as the interlocking of the waist fabric belt 22a and waist tabs 28a, all allow for the garment 10a to remain in place to shield the athlete's skin during both strenuous wrestling, martial arts, and other athletic contests as well as during less strenuous conditioning and training exercises, especially where skin-to-skin or environmental body contact is prolonged. The compression fabric of the garment 10a, having full skin surface coverage, also allows for the wearing of traditional practice clothing over the garment 10a. In such cases, the garment 10a acts as an additional protective layer to the athlete's skin, allowing the skin to retain its maximum effectiveness in providing protection for the athlete.
Although the invention has been shown and described using VELCRO™ material to construct openable seams, it will be appreciated that other similar devices such as zippers, drawstrings, button or snaps, and other fastening devices can also be implemented within the anticipated scope of the invention.
Further, although the invention has been shown and described with dressing openings along the garment waist, it will be appreciated that other types of openings are also within the contemplated scope of the invention. For example,
It will be further appreciated that in some contemplated embodiments, additional reinforcement can be added to improve wear resistance of the garment. Referring now to
Anticipated embodiments of the invention would include such material reinforcement in at least two areas of the garment, such as those areas adjacent the wearer's elbow, forearm, knees, and crotch.
For example,
In addition to reinforcement, additional material can also be added for wearer support. For example, cross stitching 56 can be provided behind the wearer's calf to help avert cramping during athletic activities. Although shown and described in this location in
The invention further contemplates such athletic garments can be integrated into a hygienic and disinfection system to further protect wearers from microbial-based infections and skin diseases. Referring now to
The outer impermeable layer 60g of the dispenser 48g is constructed of a material to prevent moisture loss. For example, the impermeable layer 60g may be constructed to include a lining of 60GSM Yarn fused with 0.015 mm clear thermoplastic Urethane, as available from the CMS China Company of Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Such a construction would typically inhibit moisture loss and preserve the usable life of a disinfectant cloth (not shown) for approximately two hours or for the duration of a wrestling, martial arts, or other athletic training session. Such a duration would also be expected when using hygienic wipes sold under the MATGUARD™ trademark. Although the invention has been shown and described using such impermeable wipes in conjunction with specific impermeable layer materials for a dispenser itself it will be appreciated that other moisture resistant fabrics or dispenser materials can also be appropriately implemented within the intended scope of the invention. Such dispensers can be located at a position on the garment to allow the wearer to retrieve the hygienic towel and disinfect objects located on or near the wearer while the wearer wears the garment.
It will be further appreciated that additional variations in dispenser construction are also possible within the contemplated scope of the invention. For example,
It is also contemplated that additional closure means may be desired to further reduce or inhibit moisture loss by the dispenser. For example,
Referring now to
During normal use, and to minimize bodily contact with a garment 10a-k after use during a practice or athletic event, a wearer will stuff the garment 10a-k inside the permeable bag 76, close the bag 76 with drawstrings 84 and drawstring lock 86, and transport the garment 10a-k to the location of laundering. The bag 76 would then be put into a washing machine and washed with the garment 10a-k still contained within the bag 76. The garment 10a-k would also be dried in a dryer while still in the bag 76. During washing, antiseptic or antimicrobial detergent could also be utilized to enhance disinfection. Machine drying would also contribute to the disinfection process.
The rolled-up or ball stuffing of the garment 10a-k during laundering cycles would also contribute to the preservation of the garment 10a-k by preventing machine-caused damage from each washing and drying machine cycle. The bag 76 prevents overexposure of the garment 10a-k to heat and minimizes fabric wear and tear during washing and drying cycles. Optimally, the bag 76 would be sized to maximize a ball-like shape during laundering when a garment 10a-k is contained therein. For example, it has been determined that for a normal youth through adult sized garment 10a-k of the invention, a 17″×17″ mesh bag will tend to retain an optimal ball-like shape during laundering for this purpose. After drying, the garment 10a-k would then be immediately ready for use and transport by the wearer to the next practice or athletic event without further sanitizing or preparation. In this way the system would allow the garment 10a-k to be laundered and sanitized with minimal preparation and effort, minimal wear or damage to the garment 10a-k, and minimal risk of disease transmission from contact with the garment 10a-b before sanitizing.
Those skilled in the art will realize that this invention is capable of embodiments different from those shown and described. It will be appreciated that the detail of the structure of the disclosed apparatuses and methodologies can be changed in various ways without departing from the invention itself. Accordingly, the drawings and Detailed Description of the Invention are to be regarded as including such equivalents as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2017/027002 | 4/11/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62321285 | Apr 2016 | US | |
| 62435766 | Dec 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29588075 | Dec 2016 | US |
| Child | 16093147 | US |
