AU2006100584A4

AU2006100584A4 - Wetsuit

Info

Publication number: AU2006100584A4
Application number: AU2006100584A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Scott Neville Boot
Original assignee: GSM Operations Pty Ltd
Current assignee: GSM Operations Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-07-13
Filing date: 2006-07-13
Publication date: 2006-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2014-07-13
Also published as: JP2008019548A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION Invention Title: Wetsuit :Applicant: GSM (Operations) Pty Ltd The invention is described in the following statement.

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WETSUIT

Cc FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a wetsuit.

00 BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION t Wetsuits are widely used in a number of water sports, such as surfing, body IDboarding, body surfing, snorkeling, swimming and the like. Wetsuits are normally made Sfrom neoprene, which is a stretchy, elastic material that incorporates a closed cell foam.

Neoprene is available in a number of different thicknesses. Generally, thicker neoprene is used for wetsuits that are designed for use in colder waters.

Desirably, wetsuits are easy to put on and take off and do not restrict the movement of a wearer whilst wearing the wetsuit. To facilitate fitment of wetsuits, many wetsuits have long rear zips extending down from the neck of the wetsuits. To fit the wetsuits, the zip is fully unzipped and the user pulls the wetsuit up over his or her body.

When fully pulled up, the zip is closed. Long zips allow the wetsuit to be easily fitted by the wearer. However, balanced against that, longer zips tend to restrict freedom of movement of the wearer. Furthermore, zips tend to allow leakage therethrough which is also undesirable.

In order to combat leakage through zips, some wetsuits have been provided with an underlying sheet of material that is joined to both sides of the zip. These underlying sheets of material are typically a stretchy, lightweight neoprene material. Although such underlying sheets of material are effective to prevent water leaking through the zip to come into contact with the wearer, the underlying sheet does make it more difficult put on and take off the wetsuit as it restricts the distance that the respective sides of the zip can be separated from each other.

The applicant does not concede that the prior art discussed in this specification forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

Throughout this specification, the term "comprising" shall be taken to have an inclusive meaning unless the context of use requires otherwise.

_BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Cc In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a wetsuit having a neck opening, a zip arranged to enable opening of the zip to enlarge the neck opening, an external flap attached to the rear of the wetsuit, the flap having a flap opening to allow the 00 5 flap to be fitted over the head of a wearer of the wetsuit, the flap further having O attachment means to releasably attach the flap to the front of the wetsuit, wherein in use the flap fully covers the zip when the flap is properly fitted by the wearer and the flap opening forms a seal around the head or neck of the wearer.

In one embodiment, the zip extends from the neck opening.

In one embodiment, the neck opening has opposed ends and the opposed ends of the neck opening are releasably closed by a closure or a fastener.

The wetsuit will be made from a material. Typically, the material will be neoprene. Any other material that may be used to make a wetsuit may also be used in the present invention.

In one embodiment, the zip has one row of teeth connected to one edge of material and another row of teeth connected to another edge of material, and there is no underlying sheet of material connected to the one edge and to the other edge of the material.

The neck opening of the wetsuit may be defined by a neck portion and the neck portion may have a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end abutting when the zip is closed or overlapping each other to a small degree only. For example, the first and second ends of the neck portions may overlap by an amount of up to 20mm to A closure may be provided to close the first and second ends of the neck portion.

The closure may comprise a hook and loop type fastener, such as the hook and loop fastener sold under the trade mark VELCRO. The closure may overlie an upper end of the zip to thereby assist in maintaining the zip in a closed position when the zip is closed and the closure is closed.

When the wetsuit of the present invention is worn by a wearer, an upper edge of the neck opening desirably rests on a lower part of the neck or even slightly below the neck. For example, the upper edge of the neck opening may rest on or near the collarbones of the wearer when the wetsuit is fitted and the zip is closed.

O) 5 The neck opening may be formed from a lightweight material, such a lightweight O neoprene. This allows for enhanced stretching of the neck opening during fitment and O removal of the wetsuit by the wearer. It also allows for enhanced comfort whilst the

NO

wetsuit is being worn. Desirably, a lightweight material is used to form the neck opening and the neck opening includes minimal overlapping portions of material. This not only simplifies manufacture of the wetsuit, it also results in the neck opening being more comfortable, less restrictive to movement and more resistant to water entry via the neck opening (particularly when punching through waves when surfing) than known wetsuits that have bulky neck openings with large overlapping regions of neoprene and hook and loop fastener material.

The flap opening may suitably comprise a collar that rests against the neck of the wearer when the flap is properly fitted. The collar of the neck opening may be a relatively short collar, such as 20mm to 50mm in length. The collar of the flap opening suitably rests against the neck of the wearer, more suitably rests against the lower part of the wearer's neck. This further assists in minimizing water entry into the wetsuit.

It will be understood that, in most embodiments, during use, the neck opening of the wetsuit will rest against the lower end of the neck of the wearer or even slightly below the lower end of the neck and the flap opening or the collar on the flap will have a top edge that is higher up the neck than the neck opening.

The collar of the flap opening is desirably made from a stretchy or elastic material that stretches when pulled over the head of the wearer and then relaxes to fit snugly against the neck of the wearer. The collar may be made from neoprene.

The flap may be a flap that is permanently attached at one end of the flap to the rear of the wetsuit. The flap is sufficiently long such that the free end of the flap can be moved such that the flap opening fits over the head or neck of the wearer and the free end of the flap abuts with the front of the wetsuit. The free end of the wetsuit is then releasably attached to the front of the wetsuit by appropriate attachment means. Suitable attachment means include hook and loop type fasteners (such as the product sold under the trade mark Velcro), buttons, clips or zips. A hook and loop attachment means is most suitably used.

00 5 The flap may be permanently attached to the rear of the wetsuit. In these embodiments, the zip is also desirably fitted to the rear of the wetsuit.

N The flap may be permanently attached to the wetsuit by means of sewing, by means of use of a suitable adhesive, or by any other means known to a person skilled in the art for attaching a flap of material to a wetsuit.

In desirable embodiments, the zip is quite short, for example, from 150mm to 250mm in length. This is much shorter than normal zips used on wetsuits, which typically have a length falling from the range of from 450mm to 750mm. It will be understood that larger sized wetsuits will typically use longer zips. For example, an XS size wetsuit may use a 150mm long zip whereas an XXL size wetsuit may use a 250mm long zip.

The wetsuit may be provided with a hood for use in colder waters. The hood may be attached to the flap, for example by sewing. In this embodiment, the hood may comprise a collar portion that rests on the wearer's neck and a head portion that contacts the wearer's head. Alternatively, the hood may comprise a separate hood that may be pulled onto the wearer's head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a front view of a wetsuit in an embodiment of the present invention with the flap in an open position; Figure 2 shows a rear view of the wetsuit shown in figure 2 with the flap in an open position; Figure 3 shows a front view of the wetsuit shown in figure 1 but with the flap in a closed position; and IN -6- SFigure 4 shows a rear view of the wetsuit shown in figure 3, with the flap being in a closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0It will be understood that the drawings attached to this specification have been 00 t 5 provided for the purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

_Thus, it will be appreciated that the present invention should not be considered to be limited to the features as shown in the attached drawings.

The wetsuit 10 shown in figures 1 to 4 includes a trunk 12, arms 14, 16 and legs 18, 20. The wetsuit 10 shown in figures 1 to 4 has long sleeves and long legs. However, it will be appreciated that the wetsuit may also have short sleeves and/or short legs. The wetsuit 10 is suitably made from neoprene and may be made from a number of panels joined together, such as by sewing. The skilled person will readily appreciate how the wetsuit may be constructed.

The wetsuit 10 also includes a neck opening 22. A zip 24 extends downwardly from the neck opening 22.

The neck opening 22 has an edge 26. The edge 26 defines a periphery of neck opening 22. Edge 26 includes a first end 28 and a second end 30. A closure flap 32, in the form of a hook and loop type fastener, such as the hook and loop fastener material sold under the trade mark Velcro, is positioned on the second end 30 of the edge 26 of neck opening 22. In use, the closure flap 32 sits over the closed zip and assists in keeping the zip in the closed position.

Suitably, in the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 4, the closure flap 32 overlaps with the first end 28 of edge 26 to only a small degree. In this fashion, a large overlapping region of double thickness neoprene around the neck of the wetsuit is avoided. It is believed that such large overlapping regions provide locations at which leakage of water into the suit can occur. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a lightweight neoprene or other elastic fabric is used to form the neck opening and the neck opening includes minimal overlapping portions of material. This has many benefits, including simplified manufacture of the wetsuit, the neck opening being more comfortable and less restrictive to movement and the neck opening more resistant to water entry via the neck opening (particularly when punching through waves when surfing) than known wetsuits that have bulky neck openings with large overlapping regions of neoprene and hook and loop fastener material.

00 5 In order to facilitate closing the zip 24, a cord 34 is attached to the zip.

_As can be seen from figure 1, the edge 26 of neck opening 22 defines a relatively IDwide neck opening that will suitably sit low on the neck of the wearer, or even slightly below the neck of the wearer. For example, the edge 26 of the neck opening may suitably sit near the collarbones of the wearer when the wearer is wearing the wetsuit. This is believed to minimise chafing caused by the edge 26 of the neck opening 22.

The wetsuit 10 further includes a flap 36. Flap 36 may be made form a single piece of material or it may be made from a number of pieces of material joined together, such as by sewing. The flap 36 shown in the Figures is made from four panels of material sewn together. Flap 36 is sewn or otherwise permanently joined to the rear of the wetsuit about its lower edge 38. Sewing suitably extends from the point marked as 38A on figure 4, around lower edge 38 and up to the point marked as 38B on figure 4. The person skilled in the art will readily understand how the flap 36 is sewn onto the wetsuit. In lieu of sewing, other joining methods, such as use of a suitable adhesive, may be used.

The flap 36 has a free end 40. The flap 36 also has a flap opening 42. Flap opening 42 is sized such that the flap opening 42 can be pulled over the head of the wearer of the wetsuit. In this regard, it will be appreciated that flap 36 is suitably made from a neoprene material. Neoprene is a stretchy, elastic material. As the flap opening 42 is pulled over the head of the user, the flap opening 42 stretches or expands to fit over the head of the user. Once the flap opening 42 has been pulled down over the user's head, it will assume its relaxed shape and fit snugly around the neck of the wearer.

The flap 36 is of a length that allows the flap opening 42 to be pulled over the head of a user and the free end 40 to extend to the front of the wetsuit. In this regard, in the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 4, the lower edge 38 is permanently attached to the rear of the wetsuit 10. The flap 36 is sufficiently long such that it can be fitted over the -8head of the user such that the free end 40 is moved to the front of the wetsuit. This is clearly shown in figure 3.

As best shown in figure 1, the free end 40 of flap 36 carries attachment means 44, which act with complementary shaped attachment means 46 attached to the front of the 00 5 wetsuit. For example, attachment means 44 and 46 may comprise a hook and loop O fastener system such as that sold under the trade mark Velcro. In this fashion, the free O end 40 of the flap 36 can be attached to the front of the wetsuit when the flap is in the asworn position.

As best shown in figures 3 and 4, the flap 36 includes a collar 48. Collar 48 may at least partly define the flap opening 42. Collar 48 is designed to extend up the neck from a lower end of the neck of the wearer. In this fashion, collar 48 assists in forming a seal around the neck of the wearer. This assists in preventing the ingress of water through the neck region of the wetsuit. The collar 48 is suitably a neoprene collar. It may be made from a separate piece of neoprene that is sewn onto the flap 36 at a position adjacent to the flap opening 42. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, when compared to figures 3 and 4, collar 48 will sit higher on the neck of the wearer than neck opening 22.

As can best be seen from figure 4, the lower edge 38 of flap 36 extends below the lower end of the zip 24. In this fashion, when the flap 36 is in the fitted position (as shown in figures 3 and the flap 36 covers the full extent of the zip and this assists in preventing ingress of water into the wetsuit through the zip.

A further benefit of the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 4 is that the neck opening 22 sits low on the neck or even sits slightly underneath the neck. Thus, the neck opening 22 can be somewhat larger than a neck opening that would sit on the neck. The neck opening can be enlarged even more by undoing the zip 24. This facilitates entry into the wetsuit by the wearer. Furthermore, as an underlying sheet of material connecting both sides of the zip is not required to minimize or prevent water ingress through the zip, a wide neck opening can be obtained with the use of a relatively short zip. Indeed, the zip 24 may have a length that is approximately 150 250mm. This is a relatively short zip and thus the zip only provides minimal movement restriction to the wearer.

IsO -9- -The wetsuit in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention is comfortable, relatively easy to put on and take off and has minimal leakage around the neck and the zip.

The embodiment of the wetsuit shown in the drawings has the zip fitted to the rear 00 5 of the wetsuit. It will be appreciated that the zip may also be fitted to the front of the wetsuit. In the latter case, the free end of the flap may be pulled over the zip to cover the 0 zip.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It will be understood that the present invention encompasses all such variations and modifications that fall within its spirit and scope.

Dated this 13th day of July 2006 GSM (Operations) Pty Ltd By the Patent Attorneys for the Applicant CULLEN CO.

Claims

2. A wetsuit having a neck opening, the neck opening having an upper edge arranged to rest on a lower part of the neck or even slightly below the neck of a wearer wearing the wetsuit, a zip arranged to enable opening of the zip to enlarge the neck opening, an external flap attached to the wetsuit, the flap having one end attached to the rear of the wetsuit and a free end, the one end being attached to the wetsuit such that a lower edge of the one end is located below a lower end of the zip, the flap having a flap opening to allow the flap to be fitted over the head of a wearer of the wetsuit, the flap further having attachment means to releasably attach the free end of the flap to of the front of the wetsuit, wherein in use the flap fully covers the zip when the flap is properly fitted by the wearer and the flap opening forms a seal around the head or neck of the wearer.
3. A wetsuit as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the flap includes a collar that rests on the neck of a wearer during use..
4. A wetsuit as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein the neck opening of the wetsuit is defined by a neck portion and the neck portion has a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end abutting when the zip is closed or overlapping each other to a small degree only. A wetsuit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.