Patent Application
20180042314
The present invention relates generally to sports apparel. The present invention relates particularly, though not exclusively, to ultraviolet radiation blocking sports apparel. The present invention relates more particularly, though not exclusively, with ultraviolet radiation blocking shirts.
Being outside has always been an essential part of life. People go outside to travel, people go outside as part of their jobs, and people go outside for leisure. Being outside allows people to enjoy the warmth of the sun and its health benefits. Vitamin D is activated in a person's body when their skin is exposed to sunlight. Recent medical studies suggest that just a half hour or more of exposure to sunlight will cause an enormous amount of the vitamin to circulate in your bloodstream, which is crucial for bone and immune system health. However, too much sunlight can be deadly.
As people spend more and more time outside, they are being exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation. Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes certain effects to the skin, the most common being a skin tan. Skin tans occurs when an increase in the dark pigment inside skin cells called melanocytes occurs, and is an automatic response mechanism of the body to sufficient exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or from artificial sunlamps. Short-term overexposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation causes a skin burn. However, long-term overexposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation may have even more severe effects and is known to be associated with the development of skin cancer, skin aging, immune suppression, and eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
Too much sun, either from cumulative daily exposure, or intermittent, intense exposure put people at extreme risk of permanently damaging their skin, causing skin cancer, even life-threatening versions. The damage caused by lying in the sun is cumulative, that's why cancers tend to occur later in life, and why overexposure to ultraviolet radiation beginning early in our lives can have such a dramatic impact on our chances of developing skin cancer. Melanoma is the sixth most common fatal skin malignancy in the United States, responsible for 4% of all cancer deaths and 6 of every 7 skin cancer-related deaths. One in five Americans will develop some form of skin cancer in their lifetimes, which means that each year there are at least one million new cases in the U.S. alone. Non-melanoma skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are also on the rise, with two million new cases every year.
Even though there are harmful effects to prolonged exposure to sunlight, people are spending more and more time outdoors. Popular among people is tanning, where people purposefully expose themselves to prolonged periods of sunlight to achieve the darkening of their skin. People also spend time doing outdoor activities and as a result they are exposed to prolonged periods of sunlight. Outdoor sports such as baseball, soccer, football, and golf are played outdoors and require them to be in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time; anywhere from an hour to six hours. Dependent on the sport being played, the uniform may help block some of the skins exposure from the sun. However, it is often that the uniforms do a poor job of protecting the skin. Particularly, uniforms do not adequately block ultraviolet radiation from reaching the skin. Additionally, uniforms are not made to protect the back of the neck. Shirts are made with neck openings that stop at the neckline leaving the entirety of the neck exposed. Shirts with collars do not provide any meaningful blocking of the sunlight from reaching the entirety of the neck.
In light of the above, it would be advantageous to provide apparel capable of blocking sunlight. It would further be advantageous to provide apparel capable of blocking sunlight from a user's neck without being obtrusive to the wearer. It would further be advantageous to provide a shirt capable of blocking sunlight from a user's neck.
The present invention is a shirt having an ultraviolet (“UV”) protection collar. The UV protection collar of the shirt is designed to protect the back of the neck of a user from harmful UV radiation. The UV protection collar includes a top collar, a top collar band, an under collar, and an under collar band. The top collar and the under collar together form the collar and the top collar band and under collar band together form the collar band. The collar is tallest at the center and tapers towards the edges. The collar is attached to the collar band to create the UV protection collar, which is attached to the shirt. The shirt and the UV protection collar is constructed of fabric having at least a UPF 50 rating, four-way stretch capabilities, and moisture wicking properties. The UV protection collar is made up of multiple layers of the fabric to enhance its UV protection properties.
As the UV protection collar is folded, the shape of the top collar allows the collar to make a substantially straight edge where the collar folds down from the collar band. The center of the collar is the tallest and allows the back portion of the collar to span the majority of the back of the neck of the person when folded down. The collar provides complete coverage of the back of the neck to protect the neck from UV radiation. As the collar is folded down, the collar overlaps the collar band. This provides four layers of UV protection: the top collar, the under collar, the top collar band, and the under collar band. Further, the material used for the top collar, the under collar, the top collar band, and the under collar band has at least a UPF 50 rating for sun blocking thereby providing unequalled UV radiation blocking when compared with a single layer of fabric.
The fabric utilized for the UV protection collar also has moisture wicking and four-way stretch capabilities. Since the UV protection collar covers the entirety of the back of the neck, the moisture wicking capabilities of the material will allow the perspiration to be absorbed by the UV protection collar and evaporate. The evaporation of the perspiration by the UV protection collar will cool the neck of the user due to evaporative cooling and also remove any discomfort caused by excess perspiration lingering on the skin. The four-way stretch capability of the fabric used in the UV protection collar provides a collar that is comfortable for the wearer. The UV protection collar is not overly stiff and allows for the uninhibited movement of the neck. Since the UV protection collar may lie on the back of the neck when the shirt with UV protection collar is worn, the stretch material will stretch or rotate with the neck when the person rotates their neck.
By having the collar being its tallest at the center and tapering towards the edges, the unique shape of the collar provides for a taller collar at the back and for edge dimensions similar to those of standard collars. The visuals of the collar from the front are visually similar to that of a shirt with regular sized collar without any defining indications of the taller back portion of the collar.
The objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more clearly perceived from the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
Referring initially to
Attached to each of the two armholes 320, are the sleeves 330. Sleeves 330 is a single piece of fabric sewn together to form a tubular shape with sleeve armhole circumference 332 (not shown) equal to armhole circumference 322 of the body 302 at one end and tapering to sleeve opening 334 at the opposite end. The sleeve 330 has sleeve length 336 and at approximately the midpoint of the sleeves 330 is bicep width 338. The placket 340 is attached to the front of the body 302 and includes an inner layer 342 (not shown) and an outer layer 344. The inner layer 342 and outer layer 344 of placket 340 has a length 346 and width 347. The outer layer 344 is formed with button holes 348 and buttons 349 are attached to the inner layer 342. Attached to the body 302 at the neck opening 316 is the UV protection shirt collar 100.
The shirt 300 including the body 302, sleeves 330, and placket 340 are constructed of fabric having at least a UPF 50+ rating, four-way stretch capabilities, and moisture wicking properties. Ultraviolet Protection Factor or UPF represents the ratio of the average effective UV radiation irradiance transmitted and calculated through air to the average effect UV radiation irradiance transmitted and calculated through fabric. Standard summer fabrics have a UPF rating of approximately six and sun protective clothing typically have a UPF rating of approximately 30, which means that only 1 out of approximately 30 units of UV radiation will pass through (approximately 3%). The fabric material used for the shirt 300 including the body 302, sleeves 330, and placket 340, and collar 100 has at least a UPF rating of 50+, which is almost double the rating of standard sun protective clothing. By using the fabric with at least a UPF rating of 50+, only 1 out of approximately 50 units of UV radiation will pass through (approximately 2%).
The fabric also has moisture wicking and four-way stretch capabilities. Since the shirt 300 covers the entirety of the torso, the moisture wicking capabilities of the material will allow the perspiration of the torso to be absorbed by the fabric and evaporate. The evaporation of the perspiration will cool the torso of the user due to evaporative cooling and also remove any discomfort caused by excess perspiration lingering on the skin. The four-way stretch capability of the fabric provides a shirt that is comfortable for the wearer.
In a preferred embodiment, the fabric used in the shirt with UV protection collar 10 has a greater than UPF 50+ rating for UV protection. The fabric is a knitted fabric made of 87% polyester and 13% elastane. The fabric has a mean UPF of 920 with a standard deviation of 69.0 in dry conditions. In dry conditions the fabric has a UV-A percent transmittance of 0.31% and UV-A percent blocking of 99.69% with a UV-B percent transmittance of 0.08% and UV-B percent blocking of 99.92%. The fabric has a mean UPF of 861 with a standard deviation of 76.7 in wet conditions. In wet conditions the fabric has a UV-A percent transmittance of 0.32% and UV-A percent blocking of 99.68% with a UV-B percent transmittance of 0.09% and UV-B percent blocking of 99.91%.
Another fabric that may be used in the shirt with UV protection collar 10 is a knitted fabric made of 90.5% polyester and 9.5% elastane. The fabric has a mean UPF of 1898 with a standard deviation of 150.5 in dry conditions. In dry conditions the fabric has a UV-A percent transmittance of 0.03% and UV-A percent blocking of 99.97% with a UV-B percent transmittance of 0.05% and UV-B percent blocking of 99.95%. The fabric has a mean UPF of 1494 with a standard deviation of 185.2 in wet conditions. In wet conditions the fabric has a UV-A percent transmittance of 0.03% and UV-A percent blocking of 99.97% with a UV-B percent transmittance of 0.06% and UV-B percent blocking of 99.94%.
Another fabric that may be used in the shirt with UV protection collar 10 is a knitted fabric made of 92% polyester and 8% elastane. The fabric has a mean UPF of 109 with a standard deviation of 12.8 in dry conditions. In dry conditions the fabric has a UV-A percent transmittance of 1.2% and UV-A percent blocking of 98.80% with a UV-B percent transmittance of 0.88% and UV-B percent blocking of 99.12%. The fabric has a mean UPF of 87 with a standard deviation of 0.7 in wet conditions. In wet conditions the fabric has a UV-A percent transmittance of 1.48% and UV-A percent blocking of 98.52% with a UV-B percent transmittance of 1.11% and UV-B percent blocking of 98.89%.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Attached to the under collar fabric panel 212 are collar stay facings. Adjacent to the right edge 222 of the under collar fabric panel 212, right collar stay panel 238 with length 235 is attached. The right collar stay panel 238 is attached to the under collar fabric panel 212 with a constructed opening for a right collar stay slit 239. Adjacent to the left edge 226 of the under collar fabric panel 212, left collar stay panel 236 with a length equal to length 235 is attached. The left collar stay panel 236 is attached to the under collar fabric panel 212 with a constructed opening for a right collar stay slit 237.
The under collar fabric panel 212 is substantially similar to the top collar fabric panel 112 and may be sized smaller or larger than the top collar fabric panel 112. The under collar fabric panel 212 and the top collar fabric panel 112 are attached together to form the collar 180. The double layer of fabric allows for the construction of a stiff and flexible collar 180. The additional collar stay panels 238 and 236 adjacent the right edge 222 and left edge 226, respectively, further stiffens the edges of the collar 180. The addition of collar stays 270 in the collar stay slits 237 and 239 further stiffens the edges and prevents them from curling up. Additionally, the double layer of material used to form the collar 180 provides double the protection against UV radiation. In the preferred embodiment of the under collar 210, the under collar center back distance 234 is 3.25 inches, the right edge length 224 is 2.5 inches, the left edge length 228 is 2.5 inches, and the top edge length 230 and bottom edge length 230 may vary. Alternatively, the under collar center back distance 234 is 3.25 inches, the right edge length 224 is 2.25 inches, the left edge length 228 is 2.25 inches, and the top edge length 230 and bottom edge length 230 may vary.
Referring now to
The under collar band fabric panel 242 is substantially similar to the top collar band fabric panel 142 and may be sized smaller or larger than the top collar band fabric panel 142. The under collar band fabric panel 242 and the top collar band fabric panel 142 are attached together to form the collar band 280. The double layer of fabric allows for the construction of a stiff and flexible collar band 280. In the preferred embodiment of the under collar band 240, under collar band center back distance 264 is 2.5 inches.
Referring now to
The bottom edge 118 of the top collar fabric panel 112 is attached adjacent to the top edge 144 of the top collar band fabric panel 142, in between the top collar band fabric panel 142 and the under collar band fabric panel 242 of the collar band 280. The top edge length 160 and the bottom edge length 162 of the top collar band fabric material 142 is longer than the top edge length 130 and the bottom edge length 132 of the top collar fabric material 112, leaving the right edge 152 and the left edges 156 of the top collar band fabric material 142 free of the top collar fabric material 112 where a button hole 172 can be formed adjacent the left edge 156 and a button 174 to be attached adjacent the right edge 152. The double layer of material used to form the collar 180 provides double the protection against UV radiation.
Referring now to
Referring now to
By having the top collar 110 and under collar 210 being its tallest at the center and tapering towards the edges, the collar 180 is also tallest at the center and tapering towards the edges. The unique shape of the collar 180 resulting from the dimensions of the top collar 110 and under collar 210 being its tallest at the center and tapering towards the edges provides for a taller collar 180 at the center and provides for edge dimensions that are similar to those of standard collars. The visuals of the collar 180 from the front (shown in
As the collar 180 is folded down, the collar 180 overlaps the collar band 280. Due to the shorter back neck drop 226 which brings the shirt body 202 higher up the back, the collar band 280 also covers the majority of the neck with the portion of the collar 180 dedicated to forming the bend covering the remaining exposed area of the neck. This provides four layers of UV protection: the top collar 110, the under collar 210, the top collar band 140, and the under collar band 240. Further, with the material used for the top collar 110, the under collar 210, the top collar band 140, and the under collar band 240 has at least a UPF 50+ rating for sun blocking thereby providing unequalled blocking when compared with a single layer of fabric. By having four overlapping layers of UPF 50+ rated fabric, only 1 out of approximately 200 units of radiation will pass through (approximately 0.5%) whereas a single layer of UPF 50+ rated fabric will allow 1 out of approximately 50 units of UV radiation will pass through (approximately 2%).
The fabric utilized for the UV protection collar 100 also has a moisture wicking capability. Since the UV protection collar 100 covers the majority of the back of the neck and is in contact with the neck, the moisture wicking capabilities of the material will allow the perspiration to be absorbed by the UV protection collar 100 and evaporate. Due to the UV protection collar 100 having the collar 180 and the collar band 180, the volume of material available to absorb the perspiration of the neck is at least doubled compared to a single layer of material. Additionally, the exposed surface area of the UV protection collar 100 available for the absorbed perspiration to evaporate is at least double the surface area of the neck that it is in contact with. This provides for quicker evaporation of the perspiration compared to the neck alone, or with a material that has an exposed surface area only equal to the surface area of the neck. The evaporation of the perspiration by the UV protection collar 100 will cool the neck of the user due to evaporative cooling and also remove any discomfort caused by excess perspiration lingering on the skin. Since the carotid arteries are located in the neck close to the surface of the skin, cooling the back of the neck will cool the blood circulating through the carotid arteries. The cooled blood in the carotid arteries is then circulated throughout the body providing a cooling affect for the entire body. Due to the minimal decrease in its UV blocking capabilities when wet and the use of multiply layers of material, the UV protection collar 100 still provides UPF 50+ protection.
The fabric utilized for the UV protection collar 100 also has a four-way stretch capability. The four-way stretch capability of the fabric used in the UV protection collar 100 provides a collar that is comfortable for the wearer. The UV protection collar 100 is not overly stiff and allows for the uninhibited movement of the neck 22. Since the UV protection collar 100 may lie on the back of the neck 22 when the shirt with UV protection collar 10 is worn, the stretch material will stretch or rotate with the neck 22 when the person 20 rotates their neck 22.
The UV protection collar 100 of the shirt with UV protection collar 10 is designed to cover the majority of the back of the neck 22 of the person 20 wearing the shirt with UV protection collar 10. The average length of a human neck is 3.9-4.7 inches. The UV protection collar 100 covers 67-84 percent of the back of a human neck. It is contemplated that the UV protection collar 100 can cover up to 100 percent of the back of the neck of a person. In a preferred embodiment of the UV protection collar 100, the top collar center back distance 134 is 3.25 inches, the right edge length 124 is 2.5 inches, and the left edge length is 2.5 inches. Alternatively, the top collar center back distance 134 is 3.25 inches, the right edge length 124 is 2.25 inches, and the left edge length 128 is 2.25 inches. Correspondingly, the top collar center back folded distance 134A may be 3.15 inches depending on the folded area of the collar 180. It is contemplated that the top collar center back folded distance 134A may be between 3.00 inches and 5.00 inches, depending on the length of the top collar center back distance 134 and the folded area of the collar 180. The UV protection collar 100 provides almost complete coverage of the back of the neck 22 of the person 20 and protects the neck 22 from UV radiation.
The collar band 280 and the collar 180 when folded over the collar band 280 provide four layers of protection against the sun for the neck 22 of the person 20. The shorter right edge length 124 and left edge length 128 provides for front edge dimensions and visuals that are similar to those of standard collars without any defining indications of the taller back portion of the UV protection collar 100. The UV protection collar 100 provides a visual illusion of a regular sized collar when viewed from the front, while providing almost full coverage of the majority of the back of the neck 22 of the person 20 to protect from harmful UV radiation.
Referring now to
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While the shirt with UV protection shirt collar 10 of the present invention as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages herein before stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as described in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/374,608 entitled “Shirt with UV Protection Collar,” filed Aug. 12, 2016.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62374608 | Aug 2016 | US |
