Patent Application
20080282443
Protective or hazardous duty garments are used in a variety of industries and settings to protect the wearer from hazardous conditions such as heat, smoke, cold, sharp objects, chemicals, liquids, fumes and the like. Such protective or hazardous duty garments are often used in adverse conditions, such as high temperatures, exposure to flame, smoke, chemicals and the like. In addition, the wearers of such garments are typically placed under physical strain by carrying heavy gear and equipment. Wearers seek to avoid fatigue to remain mentally sharp and physically ready to carry out tasks.
Protective garments are often constructed from sturdy and stiff materials to provide sufficient protection to the wearer. However, the stiffness of these materials may prevent the garment from freely moving and flexing, and the weight of the garment can fatigue the wearer. Accordingly, there is a need for a protective garment that can reduce stress upon the wearer. There is also a need for a protective garment with relative little hemrise to ensure adequate protection to the wearer.
In one embodiment, the invention is a protective garment including a body portion having a front and a back, and a sleeve. The sleeve is coupled to the front of the body portion by a raglan seam and coupled to the back of the body portion by an inset seam.
In another embodiment, the invention is a method for making a protective garment including the step of providing a body portion having a front and a back. The method further includes the step of coupling a sleeve to the front of the body portion by a raglan seam and to the back of the body portion by an inset seam.
The coat 10 may include various layers through its thickness to provide various heat, moisture and abrasion resistant qualities to the coat 10 so that the coat 10 can be used as a protective, hazardous duty, and/or firefighter garment. For example, in one embodiment the coat 10 may include an outer shell 26, a moisture barrier 28 located inside of and adjacent to the outer shell 26, a thermal liner or barrier 30 located inside of and adjacent to the moisture barrier 28, and an inner liner or face cloth 32 located inside of and adjacent to the thermal liner 30.
The outer shell 26 may be made of or include a variety of materials, including a flame, heat and abrasion resistant material such as a compact weave of aramid fibers and/or polybenzamidazole fibers. Commercially available aramid materials include NOMEX and KEVLAR fibers (both trademarks of E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del.), and commercially available polybenzamidazole fibers include PBI fibers (a trademark of PBI Performance Fabrics of Charlotte, N.C.). Thus, the outer shell 26 may be an aramid material, a blend of aramid materials, a polybenzamidazole material, a blend of aramid and polybenzamidazole materials, or other appropriate materials. If desired, the outer shell 26 may be coated with a polymer, such as a durable, water repellent finish (i.e. a perfluorohydrocarbon finish, such as TEFLON® finish sold by E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilimington, Del.). The materials of the outer shell 26 may have a weight of, for example, between about 5-10 oz/yd2.
The moisture barrier 28 and thermal liner 30 may be generally coextensive with the outer shell 26, or spaced slightly inwardly from the outer edges of the outer shell 26 (i.e., spaced slightly inwardly from the outer ends of the sleeves 24, the collar 34 and from the lower edge of the coat 10) to provide moisture and thermal protection throughout the coat 10. The moisture barrier 28 may include a semi-permeable membrane layer 28a and a substrate 28b. The membrane layer 28a may be generally moisture vapor permeable but generally impermeable to liquid moisture.
The membrane layer 28a may be made of or include expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (“PTFE”) such as GORE-TEX or CROSSTECH materials (both of which are trademarks of W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. of Newark, Del.), polyurethane-based materials, neoprene-based materials, cross-linked polymers, polyamid, or other materials. The membrane layer 28a may have microscopic openings that permit moisture vapor (such as water vapor) to pass therethrough, but block liquids (such as liquid water) from passing therethrough. The membrane layer 28a may be made of a microporous material that is either hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or somewhere in between. The membrane layer 28a may also be monolithic and may allow moisture vapor transmission therethrough by molecular diffusion. The membrane layer 28a may also be a combination of microporous and monolithic materials (known as a bicomponent moisture barrier), in which the microporous or monolithic materials are layered or intertwined.
The membrane layer 28a may be bonded or adhered to a substrate 28b of a flame and heat resistant material to provide structure and protection to the membrane layer 28a. The substrate 28b may be or include aramid fibers similar to the aramid fibers of the outer shell 26, but may be thinner and lighter in weight. The substrate 28b may be woven, non-woven, spunlace or other materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the membrane layer 28a is located between the outer shell 26 and the substrate 28b. However, the orientation of the moisture barrier 28 may be reversed such that the substrate 28b is located between the outer shell 26 and the membrane layer 28a.
The thermal liner 30 may be made of nearly any suitable material that provides sufficient thermal insulation. In one embodiment, the thermal liner 30 may include a relatively thick (i.e. between about 1/16″- 3/16″) batting, felt or needled non-woven bulk or batting material 30a which can include aramid fiber batting (such as NOMEX batting), aramid needlepunch material, an aramid non-woven material, an aramid blend needlepunch material, an aramid blend batting material, an aramid blend non-woven material, or foam (either open cell or closed cell) materials. The batting 30a may trap air and possess sufficient loft to provide thermal resistance to the coat 10.
The batting 30a is typically quilted to a thermal liner face cloth 30b which can be a weave of a lightweight aramid material. Thus, either the batting 30a alone, or the batting 30a in combination with the thermal liner face cloth 30b, may be considered to constitute the thermal liner 30. In one embodiment, the thermal liner 30 (or the coat 10 as a whole) may have a thermal protection performance (“TPP”) of at least about twenty, and/or the coat 10 as a whole may have a TPP of at least about thirty-five. If desired, the thermal liner 30 may be treated with a water-resistant or water-repellent finish. In the illustrated embodiment, the batting 30a is located between the outer shell 26 and the thermal liner face cloth 30b. However, the orientation of the thermal liner 30 may be reversed such that the thermal liner face cloth 30b is located between the outer shell 26 and the batting 30a. Moreover, although the moisture barrier 28 is shown as being located between the outer shell 26 and the thermal liner 30, the positions of the moisture barrier 28 and thermal liner 30 may be reversed such that the thermal liner 30 is located between the outer shell 26 and the moisture barrier 28.
The face cloth 32 may be the innermost layer of the coat 10, located inside the thermal liner 30. The face cloth 32 can provide a comfortable surface for the wearer and protect the thermal liner 30 and/or moisture barrier 28 from abrasion and wear.
Each layer of the coat 10, and the coat 10 as a whole, may meet the National Fire Protection Association (“N.F.P.A.”) 1971 standards for protective firefighting garments (“Protective Clothing for Structural Firefighting”), which are entirely incorporated by reference herein. The NFPA standards specify various minimum requirements for heat and flame resistance and tear strength. For example, in order to meet the NFPA standards, the outer shell 26, moisture barrier 28 and thermal liner 30 must be able to resist igniting, burning, melting, dripping and/or separation at a temperature of 500° F. for at least five minutes. Furthermore, in order to meet the NFPA standards, all combined layers of the coat 10 must provide a thermal protective performance rating of at least thirty-five.
Each sleeve 24 may be attached to the body portion 12 along a seam, generally designated 36. Each seam 36 may be a combined/hybrid raglan and inset sleeve design. In particular, each seam 36 may include a raglan seam or seam portion 36a on the front of the coat 10, and an inset seam or seam portion 36b on the back of the coat 10. Each raglan seam portion 36a may begin at the center of the underarm portion 38 of the coat 10, and extend upwardly towards the collar 34 along the front of the coat 10 in a generally “quarter-circle” or 90 degree arc or shape. In other words, in front view, each raglan seam portion 36a may define an arc that extends from the underarm portion 38, generally upwardly and toward the collar 34, and is generally parallel to a shoulder of the garment 10 as the raglan seam portion 36a approaches the collar 34.
A first connecting seam portion 36c begins at the ending point 41 of the raglan seam portion 36a (see
On the back side of the body portion 12 (
A pleat 40 (
The pleats 40 thus allow freedom of movement for the user. For example, when a user extends his or her arms upwardly and/or forwardly, the pleats 40 may unfold and increase the ease of the forward reach. Since the pleats 40 tend to return to their folded position the pleats 40 provide addition material that is not bunched or hanging loose when the pleats are not expanded. The ease of movement and reduced stress provided by the pleats 40 during forward arm movement can be significant in repetitive motion activity, particularly given the weight and stiffness of the coat 10.
The raglan sleeve seam portion 36a allows for reduced use of material, and also provides freedom of movement and reduces hemrise. More particularly, the when a user wearing a standard coat lifts his or her arms upwardly, particularly above the shoulder, such movement can cause the lower edge or hem of the coat 10 to rise upwardly. The upward movement can reduce or even eliminate the overlap between the coat 10 and a wearer's trousers, thereby providing an easier path of entrance for heat, gases, fluids and the like. Sufficient hemrise in a typical coat can cause the hem to lift up above the trousers, which of course can undesirably expose the wearer to the environment. In contrast, since the raglan sleeve seam portion 36a approaches the underarm 38 of the coat 10 at an angle, when a wearer of the coat 10 lifts his or her arms, the stresses from lifting tend to be directed towards the body 12 of the coat 10, and not strictly vertically. Thus the raglan seam portion 36a tends to direct stresses from vertical arm movement in a lateral direction to reduce hemrise.
The inset sleeve seam portion 36b on the back 18 of the coat 10 allows placement of the pleats 40 in the desired position (i.e. adjacent to the sleeves 24). For example, if a raglan sleeve seam portion were to be used on the back of the coat 10, the back raglan sleeve seam portion would interfere with, or overlap with, the placement of the pleats 40 in the desired position. Thus, the raglan sleeve seam portion 36a, inset sleeve seam portion 36b, and pleats 40 all cooperate together to provide a coat 10 with reduced hemrise (i.e. the user can reach upwardly with confidence), and also provide freedom and ease of arm movement in the forward direction.
If desired, only one layer of the coat 10 (i.e. the outer shell 26) may have the hybrid seam 36 and/or pleats 40 described above. In this case the moisture barrier 28, thermal liner 30, and face cloth 32 (and any other layers) may be formed using sleeve seams different from the seam 36 on the outer shell 26. However, if desired one, some, or all of the inner layers 28, 30, 32 (or other layers) may also be made to have the seams 36 and/or pleats 40 and described herein.
In some cases, a shoulder cap (not shown) in the form of a patch of material (i.e. the same material as the outer shell 26) may be positioned on or adjacent to the shoulder of the coat to provide additional protection to the coat 10.
Although the invention is shown and described with respect to certain embodiments, it should be clear that modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, and the present invention includes all such modifications.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/938,760, filed on May 18, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This application relates to garments, and more particularly, to a sleeve seam for protective garments.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60938760 | May 2007 | US |
