CA3117146A1

CA3117146A1 - Protective device against the biting of insects

Info

Publication number: CA3117146A1
Application number: CA3117146A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Gerry Marcotte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-04-26
Filing date: 2021-04-26
Publication date: 2022-10-26

Abstract

A new, improved protective garment for use against the biting and stinging of ticks, mosquitoes and other insects and in particular the control of diseases which can be transmitted to humans by the biting action of these arthropods.

Description

PROTECTIVE DEVICE AGAINST THE BITING OF INSECTS
ABSTRACT
A new, improved protective garment for use against the biting and stinging of ticks, mosquitoes and other insects and in particular the control of diseases which can be transmitted to humans by the biting action of these arthropods.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new, improved protective device for use against the biting of ticks, mosquitoes, horseflies and other insects and specifically to be used to limit or stop the transmission of diseases, such as Lymes Disease and Malaria etc., which are transmitted to humans via the biting and sucking action of such arthropods. Additional features for comfort and convenience are added including a removable face veil, extra long frontal zipper, knee and elbow padding, specialized cuffs on forearms and ankles etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Harassment by biting insects and, to some extent, the transmission of diseases to humans by insects has been an age old concern, especially when people work outside of their urban environments, where ticks, mosquitoes, blackflies, horseflies, deer flies, chiggers and other biting insects are found in large numbers.
Malaria and more recently, West Nile Virus have been known to be transmitted to humans by biting mosquitoes and have been a serious concern for many years. A large amount of time and money his been spent to try to eradicate mosquitoes by applying pesticides, dredging low lying, wet areas and by other means. People also try to control the transmission of diseases by applying insect repellants on their skin and/or by wearing mesh type head coverings, either alone or in combination with mesh jackets of varying designs. The simple wearing of long sleeved shirts and long pants has been proven to be almost futile.
In recent years, the transmission to humans of Lymes Disease, which is carried primarily by the Black Legged Tick, has become a huge concern, especially considering the recent rapid geographical migration of the disease across North America and the long lasting effects that this disease can have on human hosts. Loss of energy, generalized pain throughout the joints and body of humans and a reduction in cardiovascular endurance are common complaints and these symptoms can last for many years. A lot of money has been spent on research to try to ameliorate these symptoms using drugs and physiotherapy etc.
Money, time and energy has also been spent, over the past decades, on clothing to try to protect vulnerable people. Mesh headgear and mesh jackets have been around for years and the application of pesticides, such as Permethrin/Pyrethrin on the legs and sleeves of common outdoor clothing have been attempted to try to thwart the transmission of Lymes Disease from ticks.
Permethrin and Pyrethrin immediately discourages the attachment of the ticks by immediately irritating and poisoning them and Page 1 of 9 , ultimately kills the ticks if they do not drop off.
These 2 methods have their limitations. For example, the pesticides applied to clothing degrades in effect due to repeated laundering and must be reapplied.
Additionally, the odour is quite noticeable to humans and animals and can impede a hunter's success. Improper handling of this pesticide is potentially hazardous as well because one is, in essence, handling a poison. The containers carrying the said pesticides are full of warning labels.
The mesh jackets and headgear methods also have their short comings. In very recent years, mesh pants have been introduced onto the market. These 3 garments (pants, jacket and head mesh) can have reduced effectiveness when the arms, legs or body is bent to the extent that the mesh material is pressed right against the bare skin. Such areas would include: the outer area of the elbows and knees, across the shoulders and across the back. Ticks, mosquitoes and the like are able to press their heads and mouth parts through the mesh in those areas and into the skin when the mesh is pressed firmly against the skin under such conditions. Openings between the headgear and the jacket, as well as openings between the jacket and pants of the protective gear can also allow biting insects an opportunity to suck blood, cause irritation and potentially to transmit diseases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above shortcomings by several means.
Firstly, it is a full body suit, covering the top of the head down to the ankles, although the hands and feet are not covered.
Hikers, hunters, fishermen and wildlife biologists etc. typically have a preference as to the type of footwear and gloves that they choose to wear and so footwear and gloves are not covered in the present invention. The full body suit, analogous to a pair of coveralls, effectively eliminates the potential for a space to be inadvertently created, either between the jacket and the pants, or between the headpiece and the jacket, typically done when the person is bending over etc.
As we will discuss later, the present invention/full body suit is also unique because it is comprised of select panels or sections of fine mosquito netting sewn in combination with other panels of solid textile material. In fact, the majority of the suit's surface is covered with a more impenetrable and solid textile material. The alternation of the solid textile panels and the fine mesh panels creates a micro-environment where the human body is substantially protected from insect attacks while, at the same time, significantly ventilated by a cross breeze of cooler ambient air.
Protection and comfort can be achieved at the same time.
In this invention, the fine mesh panels are incorporated in the areas behind the knees and calves as well as under the arms and along the sides of the torso. The head piece is, of course, entirely comprised of fine mesh material. The inescapable need to bend the arms and legs makes it necessary for this invention to have solid textile material along the back and upper sections of the arms, where the material will be pressed against the skin during bending motions, while having, at the same time, the fine mesh incorporated in the frontal sections of the elbows where slack and spacing between the skin and mesh are created by the bending of the arms. The same concept is applied to the back of the legs, where a fine mesh is incorporated. As with the arms, the front of the legs and knees are protected from bites by the incorporation of a heavier, impermeable textile.
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Additionally, it is possible to construct this full body suit using 2 layers of breathable, mesh material along the 2 sides of the torso, underneath the arms and behind the legs, whereby the outer layer of mesh is comprised of a heavier material to reduce the possibility of tearing by sharp branches as the wearer pushes his/her way through heavy brush. The inner layer of mesh could be finer, with smaller openings, ensuring that even the smallest insects cannot penetrate the garment right to the wearers skin.
Of course, the finer mesh material would be more fragile than the outer layer.
That way, a wearer has both the luxury of protection from smaller biting arthropods while being protected against common tearing of materials by dense brush. A torn mosquito jacket with its subsequent, localized exposure to mosquitoes etc. will very likely shorten the persons stay in the dense woods.
This can be very inconvenient when the hiker/hunter/lumberjack is focused on accomplishing an important task in a mosquito infested area.
Additionally, it is possible to construct this full body suit using spacing materials between the 2 layers of breathable, mesh as described above. Spacers between the inner fine mesh and the outer course mesh could consist of strips of woolen, coursely weaved mesh material or strips of rubber tubes or button-like contraptions etc. which can create a spacer between the inner and outer meshes. These types of designs are extensively discussed in the prior arts and so will not be described any further.
Thirdly, the present invention provides for a temporary facial opening to allow for eating, drinking, smoking, socializing, or simply better visibility. The opening, vent or veil section in front of the face is temporarily sealed against insect attacks by means of two (2) vertical articulated, integrated closure devices (ie. zippers) along the 2 sides (left and right) of the veil and sealed along the bottom section by means of VELCRO TM closures. The 2 zippers can be opened up when needed, and the veil lifted up and out of the way, being substantially and temporarily attached to the top of the headpiece by means of other VELCRO TM strips or snaps etc., thereby allowing for convenience and freeing of the hands to do other things. As such, most of the head and neck area is never exposed to biting arthropods.
Fourthly, the present invention incorporates a long, articulated, integrated closure device (ie.
zipper) which extends from the front of the neck area and down the front of the garment, then continuing around under the crotch area and then up the back of the garment for a short distance. The purpose of this "double ended zipper" is to allow access to any inner shirt pockets in the front and also access to the buttocks/crotch area of the user should that person need to relieve themselves. A common problem that hikers, campers and lumberjacks etc. share is having to urinate or have a bowel movement in the woods in a cloud of voracious, biting arthropods such as mosquitoes or black flies. This can be a most stressing and painful situation, not to mention, of course, the possibility for the said hiker etc. to be attacked by a potential disease carrier such as a mosquito or tick.
Fifthly, the present invention incorporates a densely woven, slippery and light coloured material in the wrist and ankle areas of the wearer, such that ticks and other blood sucking arthropods can be quickly and easily observed as their dark bodies contrast against the light coloured background. The wrist areas and the ankle areas usually come into contact with ambushing ticks, ants or wasps before other areas of the body. Once observed against the light coloured background, the parasites/insects can be quickly swept away etc.
The sixth unique design incorporated into the present invention is the addition of thin or thick foam or rubber padding in the elbow and knee areas. Very often a hiker, hunter, lumberjack etc. needs Page 3 of 9 to get down on their hands and knees to fix some piece of equipment or examine something in greater detail. Making a fire also requires one to get down onto their knees and sometimes elbows. Because the substrate of the ground surface can be varied, such as a plethora of stones lying about or branches etc. padding in these areas adds extra comfort, as well as extending the life of the textile material in those areas.
WHAT IS CLAIMED
The embodiments of the invention for which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are as follows:
1. A full body protective suit comprising a head piece, an upper body piece and a lower body piece, each comprised of a combination of both a barrier cloth and a mosquito netting mesh material.

2. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, the head portion or hood, comprising a barrier cloth top with mesh sides.

3. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, the head portion or hood, including an opening located near an upper and frontal portion being substantially aligned with the user's face.

4. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, the head portion or hood, including a mesh veil or clear visor which is substantially complementary to the facial opening as defined in Claim 3 above.

5. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, the visor of the head portion or hood of which is substantially and temporarily held in place using a double sided tape, such as Velcro TM and/or Zippers such that the facial opening can be either opened, to allow socializing, smoking, eating etc., or closed to protect the wearer's face from biting insects.

6. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, the upper body section of which is comprised of both barrier cloth and mosquito netting/mesh.

7. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, with an upper body section as defined in Claim 6 which includes 2 sleeves for the wearers arms, each of which are also comprised of both barrier cloth and mosquito netting.

8. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, with an upper body section which includes 2 sleeves for the wearers arms as defined in Claim 7, and which sleeves each have an area of protective padding located in the rear elbow area to protect the wearers elbows if he/she should have to crawl on their elbows, hands and knees etc.

9. The 2 sleeves of the said upper body section, as defined in Claim 7 above, each have a section of shiny, light coloured textile material incorporated into the far extremity of each sleeve which would allow the wearer to quickly and easily observe any crawling insects such as ticks or spiders etc.
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10. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, with an upper body section as defined in Claim 6 of which the belly area and the back area are comprised of a barrier cloth, while the sides of the upper body section, under the sleeves is comprised of mosquito netting from the armpit area down to the waist area.

11. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, with an upper body section as defined in Claim 6 which has a robust 2 way articulated fastener, such as a "Zipper", traveling all the way down the front of the suit to allow the wearer to open or close the garment for purposes of entry into the garment or removal of the garment.

12. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, with a lower body section which is comprised of both a barrier cloth and a mosquito netting/mesh.

13. The lower body section of the protective suit as defined in Claim 12 above, which includes 2 leggings or pant legs/sleeves to accommodate the wearers legs, above which is a section to accommodate the wearers waist or lower torso area.

14. The 2 leggings of the lower body section as defined in Claim 13 above are each comprised of a combination of barrier cloth and mosquito netting mesh.

15. The 2 leggings of the lower body section as defined in Claim 13 above are comprised of a barrier cloth on the frontal section of each legging and mosquito netting mesh on the back section of each legging

16. The 2 leggings of the lower body section as defined in Claim 13 above each have a section of padding in the knee portion of the frontal barrier cloth section to provide the wearer with some protection to his/her knees should they have to work in a kneeling position or work on their elbows, hands and knees etc.

17. The lower body section of the protective suit as defined in Claim 13 above, is comprised in part by a section that accommodates the wearers waist or lower torso area, which area is comprised entirely of an impermeable barrier cloth and which includes pockets in which items may be stored.

18. The lower body section of the protective suit as defined in Claim 13 includes 2 vertical zippers, one on each side of the waist area to allow the wearer to access any items which may be in his/her pockets in the inner pants that he/she may be wearing under the said protective suit.

19. The lower body section of the protective suit as defined in Claim 13 above, is comprised in part by a section that accommodates the wearers lower torso and waist area, and through which the robust 2 way articulated fastener (zipper), as described in Claim 11 above, continues downward to the lower crotch area and then back upwards on the backside of the lower torso/waist area, not only to allow the wearer to access or egress from the interior of the said protective suit, but also to allow the wearer to open strictly the crotch area to allow the wearer to urinate or defecate without exposing an unnecessarily large area of the wearers skin to biting insects.

20. The 2 leggings of the lower body section, as defined in Claim 13 above, each have a section of Page 5 of 9 shiny, light coloured textile material incorporated into the lower extremity of each legging which would allow the wearer to quickly and easily observe any crawling insects such as ticks or spiders etc.

21. The 2 leggings of the lower body section, as defined in Claim 13 above, each have a drawstring or elastic closure device to prevent any crawling insects from climbing up and accessing the lower leg areas of the wearer.

22. The 2 sleeves of the upper body section, as defined in Claim 7 above, each have a drawstring or elastic closure device to prevent any crawling insects from climbing up and accessing the arms of the wearer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTS
The following relevant patents will be examined:
1. Canadian Patent Number: 2090187 (Tisdale, 1993) refers to a fine insect excluding mesh which has affixed to it, on the inner surface, parallel strips of reticulated polyurethane foam which are about 1/4 inch thick by 3/8 inch wide. These strips are sewn into place at a distance of about 3/4 inch apart. Theoretically the proboscis or biting mouth parts of an insect would not be able to physically span the distance between the flesh and outer mesh fabric. This patent goes on to describe that this material can be used to create 3 separate garments, ie. A separate hood, a jacket which is not attached to the hood, and a set of trousers. The said invention however, does not describe a particular jacket, hood and/or pants but focuses primarily on the structure of the fabric itself.
Although filed in February 1993 this application was allowed to lapse such that this patent was never issued.
The current proposed invention, on the other hand, does not employ a spatial barrier, nor does it propose 3 separate garments, for example a hood, a jacket and trousers. The current invention is a combination of all 3 components (hood, jacket and trousers) into 1 garment with several other unique features, such as a convenient facial opening, padding in the elbows and knees and an extra long front zipper which extends part way up the back, as well as other features.
2. Canadian Patent Number: 2472683 (Volgyesi, 2004) refers to a similar protective garment as 2090187 (Tisdale, 1993) above, wherein he focuses on the fabric, as above and not on any particular design. He describes a fabric which is comprised of a reticulated foam material and how to form a headpiece but he does not describe a particular design for a jacket or pants.
Again, the theory is that the proboscis or biting mouth parts of an insect would not be able to physically span the distance between the flesh and outer clothing. This patent was not issued because of a lack of novelty.
3. Canadian Patent Number: 02695027 (Brennan, 2010) refers to a protective head covering only which is comprised of a fine mesh covering which is draped over a supporting structure which wraps around the head and then a clear plastic visor or face shield is attached to the said supporting structure. This patent was not issued as the requested response was not received by the CIPO. This invention is not at all similar to the current, proposed invention.
4. Canadian Patent Number: 2410690 (Ketcha et al., 2001) comprises a small, portable device Page 6 of 9 which emits a low dose pesticide such as pyrethroids which discourage mosquitoes from landing on the wearer of the device. This patent was granted in 2007. Since this patent does not reference a fabric suit or other form of permanent barrier to biting insects, it is not relevant to the current proposed invention.
5. Canadian Patent Number: 2430952 (Zeiler et al., 2001) refers to a full body suit comprised of 4 separate pieces: pants, jacket, gloves and a head piece/hood. The main distinguishing feature of this suit is the fabric material which itself consists of 3 separate layers: an inner or base layer of an open mesh fabric, a middle layer of thick (between 3 to 7 millimeters) breathable woven or knitted material, and an outer cover layer of a solid construction mesh. Although highly breathable, this fabric material is thick enough to prevent the biting parts, or probosci, of insects from being able to reach through to the wearers skin. Included in this patent application is a pair of leather gloves to protect the hands.
Although similar to the present, proposed invention, Patent # 2430952 by Zeiler and Bernard et al. fails to address access into the suit via means of a frontal zipper or other means of ingress/egress even though they suggest that this 3 part garment could be formed into one "jump suit". The patent relies on the 3 sectional system of pants, jacket and head piece to make their argument. As noted before a 3 part garment creates the possibility for openings to be accidentally created, thereby allowing biting insects to access the wearers flesh.
Additionally, Patent # 2430952 fails to fully describe the facial covering or veil. They propose making the face covering (a) of the 3 layered fabric material but that would greatly reduce visibility.
Alternatively (b) they propose that the front of the face could consist of one layer of mosquito netting which could be held away from the face by the simple use of a baseball cap or other device. Thirdly, (c) they propose that the facial area of the head piece could be left open.
This, of course, would be disastrous during black fly season as the latter flies prefer to attack the eyes where the flesh is softest.
Patent # 2430952 fails to fully describe what the veil/facial opening would look like or whether it could be opened or closed at will.
The current, proposed invention addresses the visibility and protection deficiencies noted above by incorporating a fine mosquito netting in front of the face which is temporarily held in place by zippers and/or Velcro TM closures such that the veil can be lifted up and away from the face for short periods of time, as needed, before being temporarily held back in place during work.
Additionally, the current invention proposes the use of a long zipper closure which runs down the full length of the front of the one piece suit and partially up the back of the waist area; the latter being convenient when one needs to relieve themselves. The current, proposed invention does not suggest the use of a 3 layered mesh material. Patent # 2430952, although suggesting that the 3 sections could be incorporated into 1 suit, such as a "jump suit", fails to adequately describe how the wearer would put on or take off the suit. No zippers or other means of egress/ingress are referred to.
It should be further noted that Canadian Patent # 2430952 was an idea that was also registered in the United States of America under US Patent # 09/738,526 dated 2000/12/15.
6. Canadian Patent Number: 2020429 (Merrill and Biron, 1990) refers to a full body suit comprised of 2 separate pieces: pants, and a jacket which has a head piece/hood permanently attached thereto. The main distinguishing feature of this suit is again the fabric material which is described as Page 7 of 9 being of a "semi-rigid insect excluding but see-through mesh" which is "a fiberglass screening material commonly used in campers and tents". The patent further describes the suit as being "rigid enough to make the mesh stand away from body surfaces of the wearer without the need for any other devices."
The garment is "deliberately made loose fitting to enable the user to comfortably wear the garment over regular clothes and to produce the blousing effect necessary for maximum insect protection properties."
The patent goes on to describe the headpiece as being solid without any separate facial openings, but briefly describes a mouth piece which may or may not be incorporated into the facial area to allow eating. Apart from adding that the mouth piece flap could be sealed with a strip of Velcro TM, the patent fails to describe any type of facial openings in any great detail and no diagrams are presented.
The patent emphasizes the simplicity of its construction, "without the need for complicated features and unnecessary openings.. .there are no zippers or other forms of closers..." The patent clearly states that this insect protection suit must be worn over other clothing and that it is rigid in structure.
It should be noted that this patent was issued by the CIPO on April 11, 1995 and that it was transferred from the USA where it was patented by the USPTO. A US patent number could not be found however.
Although somewhat similar to the instant, present, proposed invention, many differences must be noted. Firstly, patent # 2020429 must be constructed of a simi-rigid fibreglass mesh material in order for it to stand away from the wearers skin. Anyone with experience with such a mesh would immediately find it uncomfortable and not easily conforming to the movements of the body. This invention/suit is also designed to be worn over regular clothing (pants, shirts etc.) which can easily lead to over-heating during physical activity.
This proposed invention easily corrects these deficiencies with its blend of solid impermeable textile material with open, breathable meshing. Such a suit abrogates the need for excessive clothing to be worn underneath, if any at all, allowing breath ability and comfort.
The 2 separate pieces (jacket and pants) again produce the potential for a gap to be created between the 2 pieces during activity, invariably creating a space where biting insects could easily access the flesh of the wearer. One solid suit prevents this accident from happening.
7.
Canadian Patent Number: 1279953 (Shannon, filed in 1988 and issued by CIPO
in 1991) refers to yet another full body mesh suit comprised of 2 separate pieces:
pants and a jacket that has a hood attached to it. There is no protection offered for the face by any form of veil or clear visor etc.
Instead, the focus of this patent is on the construction of the mesh material itself. As with Canadian Patent Number: 2430952 (Zeiler et al., 2001) noted above, multiple layers are proposed. Again, the inner layer, closest to the skin is comprised of a course fabric with relatively large openings to allow breath ability and to act as a spacer between the skin and the finer, outer mesh layer. The course, inner, woven layer simply acts as a physical spacer whereby the limited length of the mosquitos proboscis, or biting parts, cannot span the distance thereby created.
The features described in the instant, proposed invention overcome the inadequacies of Patent #
1279953 as described in the lengthy examination of Patent # 2430952 above.
Again, it will be noted that Patent # 2430952 makes some vague description of a facial veil whereas Patent # 1279953 completely ignores this crucial discussion.
Page 8 of 9 8.
USSR Patent # 267,858 makes essentially the same argument as Canadian Patent Number:
1279953 but only focuses on a 2 layered shirt as opposed to a full body suit.
Similar ideas are presented in US Patents # 2,028,947 to Palm, US Patents #
2,074,390 to Green, US Patents # 3,191,185 to Martin and US Patents # 3,783,451 to Malin.
This group of patents discloses garments which utilize various devices such as: buttons, springs, spacers made of rope, plastic or cloth tufts, inflatable tubes, plastic inserts and the like to space the garment away from the body of the wearer so as to prevent an insect or snake from biting or stinging the wearer through the garment.
As noted above, the bending of the body at the knees, elbows or shoulders etc.
would reduce the effectiveness of the spacing devices as bending would, by necessity, compress the spacing and allow the skin to become more closely approximated to the insects etc. Moreover, these prior art devices are expensive and difficult to manufacture on a broad scale. A thorough search of available data has revealed that none of these inventions have been commercialized to any extent.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the overall features of this invention. It shows the frontal view of the garment with the location of the removable facial panel which is bordered on either side with a short zipper and then along the bottom by a strip of some form of sticky textile (eg. "Velcro"). It also shows the location of the double ended zipper as it proceeds down the front of the garment. The location of chest pockets, cargo pockets, knee pads and elbow pads are also noted.
Figure 2 is a similar perspective view of the backside of the garment with the long vertical articulated integrated closure device (eg. A zipper) appearing in the crotch area and proceeding upwards for a distance of about 14 inches (or 32 cms.) The location of back pockets and the mesh panels behind the legs are also noted, as are the location of the elbow pads.
Figure 3 is a close up view of the design structure of the front of the headpiece. The proportional size of the removable face shield (or mesh) located in the central area of the front of the head piece is noted along with the location of the two (2) vertical articulated integrated closure devices (or zippers) and the lower Velcro TM strip along the lower edge which allow the facial shield to be lifted up and out of the way. This convenience allows the user to eat, drink, smoke or socialize without exposing the entirety of the head and neck regions.
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Claims

The embodiments of the invention for which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are as follows:

1. A full body protective suit comprising a head piece, an upper body piece and a lower body piece, each comprised of a combination of both a barrier cloth and a mosquito netting mesh material.

4. A protective suit as defmed in Claim 1, the head portion or hood, including a mesh veil or clear visor which is substantially complementary to the facial opening as defined in Claim 3 above.

9. The 2 sleeves of the said upper body section, as defined in Claim 7 above, each have a section of shiny, light coloured textile material incorporated into the far extremity of each sleeve which would allow the wearer to quickly and easily observe any crawling insects such as ticks or spiders etc.

10. A protective suit as defined in Claim 1, with an upper body section as defined in Claim 6 of which the belly area and the back area are comprised of a barrier cloth, while the sides of the upper body section, under the sleeves is comprised of mosquito netting from the Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-22 armpit area down to the waist area.

17. The lower body section of the protective suit as defined in Claim 13 above, is comprised in part by a section that accommodates the wearers waist or lower torso area, which axea is comprised entirely of an impermeable barrier cloth and which includes pockets in which items may be stored.

19. The lower body section of the protective suit as defined in Claim 13 above, is comprised in part by a section that accommodates the wearers lower torso and waist area, and through which the robust 2 way articulated fastener (zipper), as described in Claim 11 above, continues downward to the lower crotch area and then back upwards on the backside of the lower torso/waist area, not only to allow the wearer to access or egress from the interior of the said protective suit, but also to allow the wearer to open strictly the crotch area to allow the wearer to urinate or defecate without exposing an unnecessarily large area of the wearers skin to biting insects.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-22

20. The 2 leggings of the lower body section, as defined in Claim 13 above, each have a section of shiny, light coloured textile material incorporated into the lower extremity of each legging which would allow the wearer to quickly and easily observe any crawling insects such as ticks or spiders etc.

22. The 2 sleeves of the upper body section, as defined in Claim 7 above, each have a drawstring or elastic closure device to prevent any crawling insects from climbing up and accessing the arms of the wearer.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-22