The present invention pertains to body modification clothing, and more particularly to armor-enhanced body modification under-clothing.
Military and law enforcement personnel have employed armor-enhanced under-clothing in order to protect their bodies from gunfire, shrapnel, explosive devices and other harmful ballistic objects. Even when such under-clothing is sized according to individual specifications (for example, small, medium and large), the armor-enhanced under-clothing does not generally fit well, gets bunched up, prohibits smooth movement, results in undesirable gaps between body and under-clothing, has limited contact points with the body, and even hinders the withdrawal of firearms. Such disadvantages often result in poor performance and can encourage mis-use or even non-use of these protective devices.
Actors and other professionals have also employed body shape modification suits, which are used in the film industry to modify the wearer's physical form, i.e., body appearance. Examples of such uses include Eddie Murphy in “The Nutty Professor” and Robin Williams in “Mrs. Doubtfire”. However, body shape modification suits are not suited to include armor enhancements. Nevertheless, there is a need for individuals conducting clandestine operations to utilize armor enhancements as well as body shape modification suits in order to maintain a properly protective physical cover.
The present invention addresses the current shortcomings and more. The present invention provides a customizable, armor-enhanced body modification device that conforms substantially to the user's body, providing better protection over critical body areas as selected by the user. In this way, the user can employ as much or as little of the system of the present invention as desired or needed for a given anticipated threat level. The present invention employs compression fabric as a base material in the top (e.g., shirt) and bottom (e.g., shorts) system elements, padded elements throughout various selected parts of the base material (e.g., for body form/shape modification), and further can include one or more static fabric material harnesses. The material can be provided in different forms depending upon desired characteristics (e.g., wicking, fire resistance, temperature management, anti-microbial, etc.). Anti-ballistic panels of suitable material and thickness can be inserted into the static fabric material harness or pocket designed to carry the panels while preventing any undesirable bouncing effect. In one embodiment of the present invention, the top and bottom elements are adapted to be secured to one another using hook-and-loop fasteners or similar fasteners to facilitate comfort, intended purpose and overall fit. In another embodiment of the present invention, the top and bottom sections are integrated as a single piece or article of under-clothing. The present invention can be provided in sleeveless, short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, shorts and pants, for example.
As shown in
In various embodiments, the body suit element 17 is comprised of compression fabric material, with a front interior surface 13, a front exterior surface 81, a back interior surface 73, a back exterior surface 82, a neck portion 84 forming a head opening 85, first 86 and second 87 shoulder portions forming first 88 and second 89 arm openings, respectively, and first 61 and second 62 leg portions forming first 63 and second 64 leg openings, respectively, wherein the body suit element 17 substantially fits the form of a wearer as described above.
In various embodiments, the pocket or pockets (e.g., 16, 26) generally include an opening through with panels can be inserted and removed. This facilitates customization of the anti-ballistic properties of the present invention, as heavier and thicker panels may be needed for some engagements, while lighter and thinner panels may be needed for other engagements. In various embodiments of the present invention, the pocket or pockets 16 are constructed with panels retained therein, and then sealed so that the panels remain permanently part of the top element. The pockets can comprise a variety of materials, including compression fabric, or alternatively a static fabric material retaining greater strength and resisting movement more than compression fabric.
As shown in
As shown in the embodiment of the present invention in
In embodiments of the present invention, the material of bottom element 50 comprises a similar material and/or the same material as the compression fabric described above with regard to top element 12 of the body suit element 17.
In operation, a wearer of the present invention may select one of various previously constructed body modification suits to fit a particular purpose, including, for example, portraying a heavier person, a physically fit person or any of various other desired human shapes. The wearer can further select a shape with previously installed ballistic panels that have been selected and sewn in, or where ballistic panels are already inserted into pockets in the top and/or bottom elements of the present invention. Selections can be made according to the wearer's size (e.g., small, medium and large) and/or intended purpose. Alternatively, the wearer may select the top and bottom elements without any ballistic panels installed, put on the top and bottom elements, and then install appropriate ballistic elements in the available pockets as desired for an anticipated engagement. It will be appreciated that the pockets can be openable and sealable using hook and loop type fasteners, or other appropriate fasteners to enable quick assembly and dis-assembly. Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a protective clothing system and/or article of underclothing with a standardized set of pockets which may or may not be fully employed for a given engagement, but which do not reduce the ergonomic design and comfortable fit, regardless of whether the pockets are filled with suitable ballistic material.
The ballistic material can comprise, for example, layers of fibers that may comprise a high molecular weight polyethylene material, an aramid fiber, a combination of high performance fibers, or a non-woven thermoplastic composite. Commercially available embodiments of the ballistic material are known as Dyneema™ and Spectrashield™, for example.
The present invention allows for ballistic or fabric inserts (e.g., as assessed by potential threat) to be sewn into or placed in a pocket or sleeve, for example. The inserts and article of various embodiments of the present invention can also protect the end user from sand, ballistic fragments, etc., as a secondary layer. In one embodiment of the present invention, the tops or bottoms in any configuration will cover areas that traditional body armor does not. As such, an end user can wear the tops or bottoms of the present invention under their traditional body armor and the tops and bottoms would have extra protection in the areas that the body armor does not cover. Optionally, there may be additional protection for the lower abdominal area, arms, under arms, upper legs, etc.
As such, the present invention can conceal the armor, keep the armor or protection in the correct place, allow it to fit a great range of people, allow for multiple overlap points for extreme comfort, provide interchangeable armor components in order to adjust for size, and allow the tops and bottoms in one size to adjust within the pocket or sleeve so that the same component can permit different thickness inserts to be employed.
With regard to pockets, the chest pocket 16 shown in
The opening, which can be found underneath edge area 69 in the pocket 16 shown in
As further shown in
It will be appreciated that the pocket 26 can be a separable component that is not integrated with the interior portion 13 of the back 15 of the top element 12, but is rather connectable and disconnectable using a zipper-type connection, hook-and-loop type connection or other type of temporary connection.
In various embodiments of the present invention, only a portion of the outer perimeter of the pocket 16 and/or 26 is secured to the interior surface 13 or 73, respectively, of the body suit element. For example, with pocket 26, the top seam 90 and side seams 91 can be provided, but at least the bottom edge 98 of the pocket 26 is not secured to the body suit element 17 (i.e., no seam 92 as in
In various embodiments of the present invention, one or more cushions 23 are employed and secured at different independent and non-overlapping locations 101, 102 and 103 of the body suit element 17, as shown in
It will be appreciated that the protective clothing system and/or article of the present invention thus provides a customizable armor-enhanced clothing system and/or article that conforms more substantially to the user's body, with a body modification enhancement to alter the appearance of a user's body, and with better protection over selectable body areas. The present invention further provides such an article whereby the top element comprises an outer compression fabric layer with an inner non-compression fabric pocket and/or harness element.
The present disclosure describes numerous embodiments of the present invention, and these embodiments are presented for illustrative purposes only. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it will be appreciated that other embodiments may be employed and that structural, and other changes may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be practiced with various modifications and alterations. Although particular features of the present invention can be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments or figures that form a part of the present disclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or figures with reference to which they are described. The present disclosure is thus neither a literal description of all embodiments of the invention nor a listing of features of the invention that must be present in all embodiments.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61970056 | Mar 2014 | US |