Patent Application
20190223526
The present invention generally relates to outerwear garments, and more particularly to outerwear garments that provide for flotation and insulation.
Garments intended to be worn outdoors generally may be referred to as outerwear. Outwear garments may be designed and constructed for use in many different environments and for many different purposes. Some outerwear garments are used in cold weather, making it advantageous if they include insulation. Some outerwear garments are used in the presence of a body of water, making it advantageous if they provide for flotation. For an individual who is ice fishing, working or otherwise present at a body of water and in cold weather, it may be particularly advantageous to don an outerwear garment system that includes an upper body portion, such as in the form of a parka or jacket to cover the upper body, and a lower body portion, such as pants or bibs (bib overalls) to cover the lower body, with both portions providing flotation and insulation.
Unfortunately, to date, outwear garments that provide flotation and insulation have been somewhat cumbersome for the user. The insulation for the outerwear garments generally is provided via layered material which usually employs a quilted construction. The quilted construction is used to introduce pockets of air, for enhanced insulation. However, the quilted construction presents two drawbacks.
First, regardless of whether it is sewn in a diamond, square or other pattern, the stitching has bi-directional components that extend to some degree both horizontally and vertically. While materials chosen for flotation or insulation purposes may tend to stretch or move without great restriction, once they are sewn in a quilted pattern, introducing bi-directional stitching that forms pockets, the stitching tends to negate the ability of the material to stretch and move freely, such as in the horizontal and vertical directions. This directly and negatively impacts a user's comfort and ease of movement.
Second, moisture that is emitted by the user's body will tend to travel outward to the colder outer shell of the garment, where it may evaporate. However, the pockets created by the quilted stitching pattern in the layered insulation material do not tend to efficiently transmit the moisture from the user to the outer shell. The moisture can become trapped in the quilted pocket formations, without an efficient path to drain from the garment. This moisture retention can impact the comfort of the garment and can create issues with respect to the ability of the outerwear garment to thoroughly dry after use, potentially inviting bacterial growth or mold.
A third drawback of existing outwear garments that provide flotation and insulation also relates to dissipation of moisture. Beyond retention of moisture within the pockets in the insulation layers, the garments generally do not provide additional adequate pathways to transmit moisture from the user to the outer shell of the garment, where it can evaporate. This tends to negatively impact the comfort of the garment because sweat or moisture is not able to be dissipated and leaves the user feeling damp or wet.
The purpose and advantages of the invention will be set forth in and apparent from the description and drawings that follow, as well as will be learned by practice of the claimed subject matter.
In one aspect, this disclosure provides a flotation and insulated outerwear garment that includes an outer shell portion, a flotation and insulation portion, and an inner liner portion. The outer shell portion further includes material that is at least water resistant. The flotation and insulation portion further includes primary areas defined by a plurality of layers of material that provide flotation and insulation, with the plurality of layers of material that provide flotation and insulation being connected to each other by parallel lines of stitching that form channels that facilitate gravity-based drainage of moisture from between the layers. The flotation and insulation portion further includes at least one secondary area defined by at least one layer of a different material that is more breathable than each of the plurality of layers of flotation and insulation material. The flotation and insulation portion and the inner liner portion are connected to the outer shell portion.
This disclosure generally provides a flotation and insulated outerwear garment that overcomes drawbacks that are commonly found in known products. The present disclosure provides an outerwear garment that may be provided in a configuration that includes a jacket or parka to cover the upper body, or in a configuration that includes pants or bibs (bib overalls) to cover the lower body. Each garment provides for flotation and insulation, and they may be used together as a system. While each outerwear garment features an outer shell portion, a flotation and insulation portion and an inner liner portion, the jacket or parka configuration optionally also may include a further removable inner jacket disposed adjacent the inner liner portion.
When the outerwear garment is in the configuration of a jacket or parka, the flotation and insulation portion includes a vest portion and two sleeve portions. The vest portion and two sleeve portions may be constructed of different numbers of layers and types of flotation and insulation material. The vest portion and sleeve portions also incorporate areas having a different material that is more breathable than the layers of flotation and insulation material. The primary areas of the vest portion and two sleeve portions additionally are connected together but some of the areas of connection further include use of secondary areas having a more breathable material.
The layers within the vest portion and within the sleeve portions are stitched together, but the construction utilizes purposeful unidirectional stitching of the layers in a given area, with the generally parallel lines of stitching forming channels in the flotation and insulation portion. Unlike the quilted construction in prior art garments, the parallel lines of stitching do not create isolated pockets of air. Also, the generally parallel stitching lines allow the material to stretch more freely in a direction perpendicular to the stitching lines. The stitching may be in a direct vertical orientation, such as in the vest portion, leg portions or in parts of the sleeve portions, but generally is oriented to contribute to, as opposed to obstruct, stretching of the material. This results in an outerwear garment that provides for greater comfort via improved ability of the outerwear garment to stretch and more easily move with the user.
The channels formed by the generally parallel and generally vertically oriented stitching lines in the flotation and insulation portion also provide for improved gravity-based drainage of moisture that would otherwise be trapped between layers of the flotation and insulation material. Thus, moisture that wicks or otherwise makes its way to a location between two layers of the flotation and insulation material is provided a direct path to move downward under the influence of gravity, until the moisture reaches and exits the bottom of the outerwear garment.
The use of different, more breathable material in secondary areas of the vest portion and in the two sleeve portions, as well as where there are connections of the sleeve portions to the vest portion, greatly enhances the comfort by providing selected more direct pathways for transmission of moisture from the upper body of the user to the outer shell of the outerwear garment. This also is true of its use in the pants or bibs configuration. The more breathable material of the secondary areas provides for more direct passage of moisture through the inner liner portion and secondary areas, to the outer shell portion for evaporation. This more active transmission of moisture in strategic locations, reduces the tendency of the user to feel sweaty, damp or wet, and thereby keeps the user dryer, enhancing the comfort of the outerwear garment.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and provided for purposes of explanation only, and are not restrictive of the subject matter claimed. Further features and objects of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent in the following description of the preferred embodiments and from the appended claims.
In describing the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures wherein like parts have like reference numerals, and wherein:
It should be understood that the drawings are not to scale. While some details of example outerwear garments have not been included, including mechanical fasteners or closures, other plan and section views of the examples shown, and views of examples that may have alternative configurations, such details are considered well within the comprehension of those of skill in the art in light of the present disclosure. It also should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the example embodiments illustrated.
For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this disclosure. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
Referring generally to
Turning to the example embodiment of an outerwear garment shown in
The flotation and insulation portion 14 further includes primary areas P1, P2, P3 defined by a plurality of layers L of material that provide flotation and insulation, so they may be constructed of various sheet materials, typically that include some form of foam, such as polyethylene foam, neoprene or a suitable preferably lightweight, pliable alternative. The inner liner portion 16 may be constructed of various fabric/sheet materials, such as polyester, nylon or other suitable materials. The inner liner portion 16 generally is for comfort and preferably is of thinner construction than the outer shell portion 12.
In the flotation and insulation portion 14, the plurality of layers L of material that provide flotation and insulation are connected to each other by parallel lines of stitching 20 that form channels 22 that facilitate gravity-based drainage of moisture from between the layers L. The layers of foam or other insulation material L may be gathered between two layers T of scrim, taffeta or other suitable material, for ease of construction, such passing the materials through a sewing machine to form the parallel lines of stitching 20. The flotation and insulation portion 14 further includes at least one secondary area S1, S2, S3 defined by at least one layer of a different material that is more breathable than each of the plurality of layers L of flotation and insulation material, such as a fleece material, preferably a stretch fleece, or other suitable alternative fabric in the form of sheet material that is breathable and permits transmission of moisture. Also, the flotation and insulation portion 14 and the inner liner portion 16 are connected to the outer shell portion 12, such as at the arm pits and shoulders, and the flotation and insulation portion 14 is captured between the outer shell portion 12 and inner liner portion 16 by a stretchable mesh 18 that connects the outer shell portion 12 to the inner liner portion 16 at the bottom of the garment, and which includes apertures 24 for drainage, as best seen in
The material in the primary areas P1, P2, P3 preferably includes layers L of polyethylene foam sheet material, with each layer L roughly having a thickness within a range of 0.010-0.12 inches, and preferably with each layer L having a thickness of 0.012 inches. However, it will be appreciated that alternative materials and thicknesses may be used. The different more breathable material in the secondary areas S1, S2, S3 preferably includes a fleece material, such as stretch fleece, or other suitable alternative fabrics in the form of a sheet material that is breathable and permits transmission of moisture.
The outerwear garment 10 is shown in a jacket or parka configuration in
With more specific reference to the areas of the flotation and insulation portion 14 of this example, at least one secondary area S1 of the more breathable material of the vest portion 30 extends down a rear of the vest portion 30. In this example, the at least one secondary area S1 is between and connected to the at least two primary areas P1 in the center of the rear of the vest 30, as best seen in
The flotation and insulation portion 14 may be connected to the outer shell portion 12 at selected locations, to help keep the two portions in registration with each other. While this can be helpful when donning or doffing the outerwear garment 10, to avoid restricting movement, it is preferable to only be connected to the outer shell portion 12 in limited areas, such as along short sections of the seams that are otherwise present in the outer shell portion 12. These points of connection may occur, for example, at the top of the shoulders, along the sides of the body, leading down a sleeve or at other positions where minimal lengths of stitching will still tend to keep the flotation and insulation portion 14 in registration with the outer shell portion 12. The inner liner portion 16 may be connected to the outer shell 12 at peripheral positions and may be connected to the flotation and insulation portion 14 at particular locations to help the inner liner portion 16 stay adjacent to and in registration with the flotation and insulation portion 14 for ease of donning and doffing the outerwear garment 10.
It will be appreciated that a front of the outer shell portion 12 of the jacket or parka further includes a reclosable opening 40, to permit the outerwear garment 10 to be donned and doffed. The reclosable opening 40 may include a flap of overlapping material to conceal fasteners that may include snaps, hook and loop fasteners and/or a zipper or the like. The example outerwear garment 10 also may include additional liners or layers, whether permanently connected or constructed to be removable. For instance,
Turning now to a second example embodiment of an outerwear garment shown in
The outerwear garment 110 of the second example is shown in a pants or bibs (bib overalls) configuration. The flotation and insulation portion 114 of the pants or bibs includes at least one torso portion 130 and two leg portions 132. The at least one torso portion 130 and the at least two leg portions 132 each include at least one primary area P101, P102, respectively, wherein at least one secondary area S101 connects the at least one torso portion 130 and two leg portions 132, as best seen in
The materials used in the second example outerwear garment 110 preferably are similar to those described for the first example outerwear garment 10, but as noted, it will be appreciated that alternative materials and thicknesses may be used. Thus, the material for the primary areas P101 and P102 preferably includes layers of polyethylene foam sheet material, with each layer roughly having a thickness within a range of 0.010-0.12 inches, and preferably with each having a thickness of 0.012 inches. The different more breathable material in the at least one secondary area S101 may include a fleece material, and preferably includes a stretch fleece, or other suitable alternative fabric in the form of sheet material that is breathable and permits transmission of moisture. It will be appreciated that the more breathable material may be used in strategic locations, such as is shown at the crotch and inseam of the pants or bibs, and/or other desired locations. Also, similarly to the first example embodiment, the channels 122 formed in the flotation and insulation portion 114 are in fluid communication with drainage apertures 124 at the bottom edge of the outerwear garment 110 to permit drainage and promote more thorough drying after use. Thus, the flotation and insulation portion 114 may be captured between the outer shell portion 112 and inner liner portion 116 by a stretchable mesh 118 that connects the outer shell portion 112 to the inner liner portion 116 at the bottom of the garment, and which includes apertures 124 for drainage, with the stretchable mesh 118 shown in an enlarged view in
The flotation and insulation portion 114 may be connected to the outer shell portion 112 at selected locations, to help keep the two portions in registration with each other. While this can be helpful when donning or doffing the outerwear garment 110, to avoid restricting movement, as with the first example embodiment, it is preferable to have the flotation and insulation portion 114 only be connected to the outer shell portion 112 in limited areas, such as along short sections of the seams that are otherwise present in the outer shell portion 112. These points of connection may occur at the top of the torso portion 130, along the sides and/or at or near the bottom of the leg portions 132, or at other positions where minimal lengths of stitching will still tend to keep the flotation and insulation portion 114 in registration with the outer shell portion 112. Also, the inner liner portion 116 may be connected to the outer shell 112 at peripheral positions and may be connected to the flotation and insulation portion 114 at particular locations to help the inner liner portion 116 stay adjacent to and in registration with the flotation and insulation portion 114 for ease of donning and doffing the outerwear garment 110.
With more specific reference to the areas of the flotation and insulation portion 114 of this example, the at least one primary area P101 of the torso portion 130 includes two layers L of the flotation and insulation material and the at least one primary area P102 of each of the two leg portions 132 includes three layers L of the flotation and insulation material. The at least one secondary area S101 extends down from a front of the at least one primary area P101 of the torso portion 130 and between the at least one primary area P102 of each leg portion 132. It will be appreciated that the outerwear garment 110 may include reclosable openings for convenience of bodily access or for pockets. As noted with respect to the first example, such reclosable openings may include a flap of overlapping material to conceal fasteners that may include snaps, hook and loop fasteners and/or a zipper or the like. The example outerwear garment 110 also may include releasable shoulder straps 150 connected to the torso portion 130, to assist in keeping the outerwear garment 110 securely connected to the user.
From the above disclosure, it will be apparent that outerwear garments of various configurations may be constructed in accordance with this disclosure, and that such outerwear garments may include a number of structural aspects that provide numerous advantages over conventional flotation and insulated outer garments. The example materials and specific constructions shown herein may exhibit one or more of the above-referenced potential advantages, depending upon the specific design chosen. Any variety of suitable materials of construction, configurations, shapes and sizes for the components and methods of connecting the components may be utilized to meet the particular needs and requirements of an end user. It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed example embodiments, but rather, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements include within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Thus, the description and drawings should be considered illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, which is limited only by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
