GB1560836A - Self-ventilating abrasion-resistant garment - Google Patents

Description

(54) SELF-VENTILATING, ABRASION-RESISTANT GARMENT (71) I, BRIAN JOHN LITTLER, a citizen of the Republic of South Africa, of D-6051 Nieder-Roden, Frankfurter Strasse 84, Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates to a garment for a vehicle rider which protects the rider from abrasion and has means for ventilation.

The better of the known garments for motorcycle competition are conventionally made of leather. Heavy duty densely woven nylon and vinyl materials have also been used. Due to the necessarily heavy duty nature of such garments, they afford very little ventilation, and perspiration is a com- mon problem to the wearers.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a self-ventilating, abrasion- resistant garment having leg portions and/or arm portions, the garment comprising front and back garment portions, and strips of elasticized mesh fabric from 1/2 to 2 inches wide connecting the front and back portions along at least a substantial portion of the length of each lateral outseam and inseam.

The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a self-ventilating garment having leg portions andlor arm portions, comprising: (a) fabricating separate front and back portions of said garment from material of a predetermined .porosity; (b) fabricating connecting strips of a plurality of layers of elasticized fabric 1/2 to 2 inches wide woven from flexible polyurethane fibres and having a substantially greater porosity than said predetermined porosity; and, (c) connecting the front and back por- tions along a substantial portion of the length of each lateral outseam and inseam with the strips; whereby a garment is made which is such that movement of a body within the garment in use creates a bellows type pumping action causing air to circulate through the strips.

The strips may be of flexible polyurethane mesh fabric. These strips are preferably fabricated to be much more porous than the front and back garment portions whereby movements by the wearer produce expansion and contraction of the garment in a bellows action circulating air in and out through the mesh strips.

The strips may be of flexible polyurethane mesh fabric. These strips are pre ferably fabricated to be much more porous than the front and back garment portions whereby movements by the wearer produce expansion and contraction of the garment in a bellows action circulating air in and out through the mesh strips.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig; 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-section along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention.

The preferred embodiments are garments for competitive motorcyclists. Competitive motorcycling is often on dirt tracks and rough ground with steep hills and other obstacles. Under these conditions, upsets are frequent and the cyclists must wear garments than can take withstand sliding across dirt, sand and stony terrain and protect the wearer from abrasion.

Fig. 1 shows a pair of leather trousers 10 having a front portion 11 and back portion 12. The front portion 11 and the back portion 12 provide most of the protection and are preferably of a tough leather such as pigskin. If it is desired to avoid the cost of pigskin, nylon fabric may be substituted.

A suitable nylon fabric can be woven from 400 denier or heavier fabric in a tight weave that has little, if any, greater porosity than pigskin. The front portion 11 and the back portion 12 are connected together by strips 17, 18 and 24 of elasticized fabric, the strips being from 1/2 to 2" wide.

The preferred elasticized fabric is woven from flexible polyurethane fibres sold under the trademark "Lycra" by E. I. DuPontAe Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Delaware.

This fabric is sometimes known as l'Lycra" spandex and for the present purpose a plurality of such layers, preferably from 2 to 6 layers, are used. A three-layer thickness is depicted in Fig. 2. This spandex fabric is extremely porous and stretches to approximately double its dimensions in any direction. Stretching further increases the porosity.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the strip 18 is a strip of spandex about one and a half inches wide stitched along its front edge to the front portion 11 and its back edge to the back portion 12 from a waist 15 to an ankle 14 of the trousers 10. The strip 24 is a similar strip (See Fig. 2) connecting the front portion 11 and the back portion 12 along the opposite outseams. The strip 17 is continuous strip of spandex, likewise one and a half inches wide, connecting the front portion 11 and the back portion 12 along the inseams from a region 14 adjacent the ankle continuously up and around the crotch 16 and back to adjacent the opposite ankle.

As shown in Fig. 1, a spandex strip at the inseams 17 does not necessarily extend all the way to the ankle, the ankle regions 14 of trousers 10 in use being commonly inside boots. Also at the ankle, zippers can be desirable for ease in putting on the the trousers 10. Zippers are most easily put in a separate piece of leather 19 sewn across the inside of the ankle portion so that the spandex strip does not continue all the way to the very end of the trouser leg.

Trouser legs 20 and 21 are shown in cross section in Fig. 2 with spandex strips 17, 18 and 24 likewise shown in cross section. In order to prevent over-stretching of the spandex strip at the waist 15 (Fig.

1), it is preferable to connect a non-elastic strap 25 to the front portion 11 and the back portion 12 across the strip 18. A similar non-elastic strap is preferably connected across the strip 24 on the opposite side of the waist 15. The strap 25 may be made of the same material as the front portion 11 and the back portion 12.

Fig. 3 shows a one-piece suit made in a similar fashion to the trousers of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 3 shows a suit 30 which has a front portion 32 and a back portion 31 preferably fabricated from leather. Spandex strips connect the portions 31 and 32 along all lateral seams in the same fashion as in Fig. 1. Thus a spandex strip 38 extends from an ankle 34 up to an armpit 46 of a sleeve 40 and down to a cuff 43. A second spandex strip 42 extends from the cuff 43 to a neck 35. A similar spandex strip (not shown) extends up the other side of the suit to other armpit 46 where it is shown as a strip 44 extending to a cuff 45 of a sleeve 41. The leg inseams are connected by a spandex strip 37 extending up one leg to a crotch 36 and then back down the other leg. Thus the garment has spandex strips extending along all lateral seams.

In use the leather, heavy high density cloth or comparable fabric is substantially non-porous and non-elastic whereas the strips of spandex act as expansive air vents.

Movement of a body inside the garment continuously produces a movement of front and back portions of the garment apart and together aided by the elasticity of the spandex strips. This produces a bellows type action pulling air in through the spandex strips when the back and front portions move apart and pumping air out again when they move together. In use, this is proved to reduce greatly the accumulation of sweat and the resulting discomfort. This is particularly so along the insides of the leg and, in the case of the one-piece suit, along the inside of the arms.

While the invention has been described particularly with respect to garments for motorcyclists, the invention is applicable to garments for other purposes and particularly to any garment expected to receive rough treatment under highly active conditions.

The use of elasticized mesh fabric strips through which air can pass in the protective clothing means that the garment can contact closely the body of the wearer for example a motorcycle rider, and thus even when the motor cycle ride is travelling can offer comparatively low air resistance, without the necessary freedom of movement of the rider being appreciably restricted. The use of such strips in protective clothing for motorcycle riders also enables damage to the protective clothing, for example the ripping or tearing of the leg parts or the seams joining them, as frequently occurs on contact with the road surface to be significantly reduced. In this way the associated danger of injury to the rider is substantially reduced. When an external force acts on the protective clothing, the strips, which can be arranged so as to run additionally in directions other than longitudinally of the length of the body of the wearer of the protective clothing, absorb a certain amount of the shock.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A self ventilating, abrasion-resistant garment having leg portions and/or arm portions, the garment comprising front and back garment portions, and strips of elasticized mesh fabric from 1/2 to 2 inches wide connecting the front and back portions along at least a substantial portion of the length of each lateral outseam and inseam.

2. A garment according to Claim 1, wherein the front and back portions are made of pigskin.

3. A garment according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the strips of elasticized mesh fabric are woven from flexible polyurethane fibres and fabricated two to six layers thick.

4. A garment according to any preceding Claim, which is in the form of a pair of trousers.

5. A garment according to Claim 4, wherein the strips of elasticized mesh fabric extend along the inseams up one leg continuously across the crotch region and down the other leg.

6. A garment according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, which is in the form of a one-piece suit for covering a person from ankles to neck.

7. A garment according to any preceding Claim, wherein the strips of elasticized mesh fabric are made of a porous material capable of stretching to twice its normal width.

8. A self-ventilating, abrasion-resistant garment, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 3, of the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of manufacturing a selfventilating garment having leg portions and/ or arm portions, comprising: (a) fabricating separate front and back portions of said garment from material of a predetermined porosity; (b) fabricating connecting strips of a plurality of layers of elasticized fabric 1/2 to 2 inches wide woven from flexible polyurethane fibres and having a substantially greater porosity than said predetermined porosity; and, (c) connecting the front and back portions along a substantial portion of the length of each lateral outseam and inseam with the strips; whereby a garment is made which is such that movement of a body within the garment in use creates a bellows type pumping action causing air to circulate through the strips.

10. A method according to Claim 9, wherein the strips are connected continuously along inseams through the crotch of leg parts and through the armpit region of sleeve parts.

11. A method of manufacturing a self- ventilating garment substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 3 of the accompanying draw ings.

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**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (11)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. clothing, absorb a certain amount of the shock. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A self ventilating, abrasion-resistant garment having leg portions and/or arm portions, the garment comprising front and back garment portions, and strips of elasticized mesh fabric from 1/2 to 2 inches wide connecting the front and back portions along at least a substantial portion of the length of each lateral outseam and inseam.

2. A garment according to Claim 1, wherein the front and back portions are made of pigskin.

3. A garment according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the strips of elasticized mesh fabric are woven from flexible polyurethane fibres and fabricated two to six layers thick.

4. A garment according to any preceding Claim, which is in the form of a pair of trousers.

5. A garment according to Claim 4, wherein the strips of elasticized mesh fabric extend along the inseams up one leg continuously across the crotch region and down the other leg.

6. A garment according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, which is in the form of a one-piece suit for covering a person from ankles to neck.

7. A garment according to any preceding Claim, wherein the strips of elasticized mesh fabric are made of a porous material capable of stretching to twice its normal width.

8. A self-ventilating, abrasion-resistant garment, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 3, of the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of manufacturing a selfventilating garment having leg portions and/ or arm portions, comprising: (a) fabricating separate front and back portions of said garment from material of a predetermined porosity; (b) fabricating connecting strips of a plurality of layers of elasticized fabric 1/2 to 2 inches wide woven from flexible polyurethane fibres and having a substantially greater porosity than said predetermined porosity; and, (c) connecting the front and back portions along a substantial portion of the length of each lateral outseam and inseam with the strips; whereby a garment is made which is such that movement of a body within the garment in use creates a bellows type pumping action causing air to circulate through the strips.

10. A method according to Claim 9, wherein the strips are connected continuously along inseams through the crotch of leg parts and through the armpit region of sleeve parts.

11. A method of manufacturing a self- ventilating garment substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 3 of the accompanying draw ings.

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