Patent Application
20180146727
The present invention relates to evaporative cooling clothing accessories that keep a user cool by water evaporation.
The present invention provides an evaporative neck cooling device, comprising: a plurality of circular fabric bands, wherein each of the circular fabric bands is formed from a continuous circle of material and are physically separated from one another, and wherein each of the circular fabric bands is stacked on top of one another; and a pair of clasps, each clasp wrapping around the stacked plurality of circular fabric bands, wherein each clasp is made of a fabric strand tied in a nail knot around the stacked plurality of circular fabric bands, and wherein each of the clasps is placed at opposite sides of the stacked plurality of circular fabric bands.
Preferably, the clasps and the circular fabric bands are all made of the same fabric which is preferably cotton cut from parallel sections of a torso of a T-shirt in 10 to 25 circular bands that are each from ¼ to 1½ inches thick.
Advantageously, the use of a nail knot provides a smooth wearable surface with no sharp knot ends or edges pressing against the user's neck.
Advantageously as well, the separate circular fabric bands provide increased surface area to enhance evaporation. However, having separate fabric bands covering one another at different times also slows the speed of evaporation. Therefore, having the separate fabric bands jostle around one another on the user's neck permits the surfaces of different bands be exposed to the air (to thereby enhance evaporation) while other bands are covered by one another at different times (to thereby prolong the evaporative effect). The present invention thus provides an optimal combination of fabric bands and an optimal design to hold these bands together such that cooling effectiveness is itself optimized.
Neck cooling device 10 is made from a plurality of separate circular fabric bands 20 that are stacked one on top of another. The stack of fabric bands 20 are then held together by a pair of fabric clasps 30 positioned at opposite sides of the stack of fabric bands 20.
In operation, a user simply wets device 10 (for example by pouring water on it) or by holding it underwater. At such time each of the fabric bands 20 will now be dripping with water. The user then places the device around their neck and as the water evaporates from fabric bands 20, the device will keep the user cool. The present cooling device is thus ideally suited to outdoor activities on hot summer days.
The fabric bands 20 are only tied together at opposite sides of the device. Each of the fabric bands 20 is cut from a continuous circle of material (such as an old T-shirt) and are physically separate from one another. Simply put, each fabric band 20 is a single continuous circular loop of material.
As a result, fabric bands 20 jostle around one another when placed on the user's neck such that different bands cover one another at different times. The advantage of having each of the fabric bands 20 cut from separate portions of fabric and thus be physically separate from one another is that it increases the cumulative evaporative surface area of the whole cooling device. Conversely, the advantage of having the fabric bands 20 held together in a stack (by clasps 30 on opposite sides) is that different bands are exposed to the ambient air (thereby increasing evaporation) and different bands are covered by one another at different times (thereby prolonging evaporation). What the present invention has achieved is the optimal balance between these two opposing factors—increasing surface area of evaporation (by using separate fabric strips/bands) while decreasing the overall speed of evaporation (by periodically covering one band with another as the device is jostled around).
Advantageously as well, clasps 30 are each tied together in a nail knot. The advantage of a nail knot is that it provides a smooth, comfortable surface for the wearer.
In preferred aspects, the present invention provides an evaporative neck cooling device 10, comprising: a plurality of circular fabric bands 20, wherein each of the circular fabric bands 20 is formed from a continuous circle of material and is physically separate from one another, wherein each of the circular fabric bands 20 is stacked on top of one another; and a pair of clasps 30, each clasp 30 wrapping around the stacked plurality of circular fabric bands 20, wherein each clasp 30 is made of a fabric strand tied in a nail knot around the stacked plurality of circular fabric bands 20, and wherein each of the clasps 30 is placed at opposite sides of the stacked plurality of circular fabric bands 20.
Preferably, the clasps 30 and the circular fabric bands 20 are all made of the same fabric. Most preferably, the fabric is cotton. Ideally, the plurality of circular fabric bands 20 are each cut from parallel sections of a torso of a T-shirt.
In various preferred embodiments, each of the plurality of circular fabric bands 20 has a width from ¼ to 1½ inches; and between ten to twenty five circular fabric bands 20 can be stacked on top of one another to form the device. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention also encompasses different dimensions and numbers of fabric bands.
