Patent Application
20150309219
Not applicable to this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to clothing and more specifically it relates to a UV reflective and cooling system for effectively reflecting UV light to provide a cooler temperature for a person.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Sunlight is comprised of visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light and infrared (IF) light. Ultraviolet light is damaging to the skin of humans and also generates heat. Infrared light is believed to also be damaging to the skin of humans and also generates heat. When humans are exposed to the sun, they are exposed to health risks such as, but not limited to, sunburn and heat stroke.
The visible light spectrum for humans extends only between 400 nm to 700 nm. The light spectrum above 700 nm to 1 mm is mostly not visible to humans and is comprised of infrared light (a.k.a. infrared radiation). The light spectrum below 400 nm is also not visible to humans and is comprised of ultraviolet light (a.k.a. ultraviolet radiation). Ultraviolet (UV) light is usually identified by three general regions: UVA (310 nm to 400 nm), UVB (290 nm to 310 nm) and UVC (light below 290 nm).
UVA radiation from the sun is not absorbed by the atmosphere and passes through the atmosphere to the surface of the earth. UVA radiation is harmful to humans when they are exposed to UVA radiation for extended periods of time (e.g. sunburns, skin cancer, premature aging of the skin). UVB radiation is partially absorbed by the atmosphere but some UVB radiation still reaches the surface of the earth. UVB radiation is also harmful to humans similar to UVA radiation. UVC radiation is substantially absorbed by the atmosphere without reaching the surface of the earth. It is therefore important for individuals to protect themselves from UVA radiation to reduce the chances of potentially adverse health effects.
One way that humans protect themselves from UVA radiation is to use sunscreen (a.k.a. sunblock, suntan lotion). One type of sunscreen absorbs UV light and another type of sunscreen reflects UV light to protect the skin of the user from being damaged by the UV light.
Unfortunately, clothing is comprised of a natural or artificial fibers that are dyed a preferred color which typically absorb ultraviolet light (particularly darker colors) making the clothing hot to wear in the sunlight. While conventional clothing does absorb a portion of sunlight including ultraviolet light, conventional clothing does not reflect a significant portion of the ultraviolet light and by absorbing the ultraviolet light the temperature of the clothing is increased when exposed to sunlight making the clothing uncomfortable for the user to wear for extended periods of time.
Some commercially available products (e.g. spray on liquids) that absorb ultraviolet light are sold to hunters because they reduce the reflection of ultraviolet light that is viewable to waterfowl. In addition, clothing will sometimes have water proofing chemicals applied to the exterior surface of the clothing to waterproof the clothing. Some water proofing chemicals applied to clothing block ultraviolet light but this is incidental and not directed at blocking UV light from contacting the individual.
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved UV reflective and cooling system for effectively reflecting UV light to provide a cooler temperature for a person.
The invention generally relates to clothing which includes a clothing item having UV light reflective properties incorporated to reflect UV light away from the person wearing the clothing. The clothing includes at least one increased reflective zone to reflect an increased amount of UV light away from the user. For a shirt, the increased reflective zone is within the upper portion of the shirt which protects the body of the user that would normally experience the most UV light exposure.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views,
The present invention may be utilized upon various types of clothing such as, but not limited to, shirts, short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, Henley shirt, polo shirt 10, tank tops, T-shirts, sweaters, vests, overalls, pants, jeans, shorts, swim trunks, bathing suits, hats, baseball hats, dresses, skirts, blouses, socks, shoes, gloves, face masks, jackets, coats and any other clothing item that may be worn by a human. The ultraviolet light reflective material may be applied to the fabric material 12 of the clothing in various manners such as, but not limited to, dyeing, printing on the exterior surface of the fabric material 12, manual printing, screen printing, digital printing and the like.
The term “fabric material” as used herein refers to any natural fiber (e.g. cotton, wool, silk, linen, flax, ramie), synthetic fiber (e.g. nylon, polyester, acrylic, lycra) or semi-synthetic fiber (e.g. rayon, modal) commonly used to construct clothing including all textiles and cloth. The fabric material 12 may be formed using various types of well-known methods such as, but not limited to, weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting and pressing fibers together (e.g. felt).
As illustrated in
The torso portion 20 includes a front torso surface 22 and a rear torso surface 24 opposite of the front torso surface 22 as illustrated in
The right sleeve includes a front right surface 32 and a rear right surface 34 which correspond to the front torso surface 22 and the rear torso surface 24 as illustrated in
The shirt 10 includes one or more ultraviolet light reflective zones 90 that reflect a substantial portion (i.e. over 50%) of ultraviolet light received from sunlight to prevent the ultraviolet light from contacting the skin of a user beneath the shirt 10 and to reduce the amount of heat received by the user from sunlight. It is further preferable that the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 reflects over 80% of the ultraviolet light.
The ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is comprised of a fabric material 12 that reflects at least ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is further preferably comprised of a fabric material 12 that reflects both ultraviolet light and infrared light. The ultraviolet reflective zone is preferably comprised of a fabric material 12 that does not reflect a significant portion of visible light.
The ultraviolet reflective zone may be comprised of the entire or a majority of the shirt 10 as illustrated in
The at least one ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 has preferably the same visual appearance to humans as a remaining portion of the shirt 10. Hence, while the shading pattern in
The ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is preferably within the upper portion of the shirt 10 as discussed previously. It is preferable that the at least one ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 does not extend below a front neck portion 26 of the shirt 10 as illustrated in
The ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is preferably comprised of a right reflective zone 92 on an upper surface of the shirt 10 and a left reflective zone 94 on the upper surface of the shirt 10 as illustrated in
The ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 may be located in one or more different locations within the shirt 10. It is preferable that the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is located within an upper surface of the shirt 10. It is preferable that the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is located within the upper torso portion 20 of the shirt 10 which experiences a significant amount of the sunlight when the user is outdoors. The ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 may also be located within the rear torso surface 24 and/or the front torso surface 22. It is preferable that the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is located within at least the upper torso portion 20 of the rear torso surface 24. It is further preferable that the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is located within at least the upper torso portion 20 of the rear torso surface 24 and the front torso surface 22 as illustrated in
It is further preferable that the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 is located within at least the upper torso portion 20 of the rear torso surface 24 and the front torso surface 22 along with the upper portions of the right sleeve portion 30 and the left sleeve portion 40 as further illustrated in
The ultraviolet light reflective material used for the ultraviolet light reflective zone 90 may be comprised of any fabric material 12 or fabric material 12 combined with an ultraviolet light reflective material that reflects a significant portion of the ultraviolet light (and preferably infrared light) received from sunlight. The ultraviolet light reflective material may be embedded within or printed on the fabric material 12 of the shirt 10. For example, the ultraviolet light reflective material may be comprised of a dye with UV reflective properties.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described above. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.
I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section 119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/983,280 filed Apr. 23, 2014. The 61/983,280 application is currently pending. The 61/983,280 application is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61983280 | Apr 2014 | US |
