GB2155761A

GB2155761A - Garment

Info

Publication number: GB2155761A
Application number: GB08407699A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Williams
Original assignee: BTR PLC
Current assignee: BTR PLC
Priority date: 1984-03-24
Filing date: 1984-03-24
Publication date: 1985-10-02
Also published as: GB2155761B; GB8407699D0

Abstract

A garment (10), such as a suit for protection against immersion, is provided with an internal harness which can be tightened to shorten leg and/or body portions of the garment (10) to suit persons of different size, enabling a single size of suit to be provided. The harness has leg straps (11, 12) attached to the front portions (21,22) of the garment legs (23, 24) at each end and having slides (30, 31) connected to respective shoulder straps (15, 16) whose other ends are connected either to the garment or to second leg straps secured to rear leg portions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Garment This invention relates to a garment of the type hereinafter referred to as "of the type described", wherein a single structure of sheet material is shaped to be capable of enveloping a major portion of both the upper and lower halves of a wearer's body. The garment can be generally similar to a boiler suit or overall and may have integral or attachable hood and/or visor and/or gloves and/or feet. The invention is particularly concerned with an exposure suit intended to protect a wearer from adverse conditions, such as immersion in water, but is applicable to garments for other purposes, such as fire-resistant clothing, chemical resistant clothing, protective garments against injurious substances, or diving suits.

Known garments of the type described have the disadvantage (common to virtually all clothing) that a range of sizes must be provided to fit different sizes of persons. This disadvantage, apart from the manufacturing difficulties, becomes particularly acute in the case of protective garments which have to be donned rapidly in an emergency when time is not available for size selection. It is, of course, usually quite impractical for each individual to wear such a garment, or keep it close by, at all times.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment of the type described which can be made in one size, or a small range of sizes, and quickly and readily adjusted to fit any individual.

Accordingly, the invention provides a garment of the type described having an internal harness including: a plurality of elongated flexible elements which can be tensioned to reduce the effective size of the garment; and locking means for locking the elements in a tensioned condition.

The elements will normally be inextensible, but they can have a small degree of elasticity if desired.

The elements can be straps, cords, wires, ropes or similar items, but straps are preferred, most preferably made of webbing. The fastening means can include buckles, clasps, grippers, ring assemblies or the like. Self-locking fasteners are preferred. The elements can be attached to the garment at various positions and can pass through guides attached to the garment at various other positions.

Preferably the harness is arranged to be capable of shortening both the leg and the trunk portions of the garment. Desirably such shortening is effected by a single action.

The elements can include a pair of leg elements of which each is attached by its ends to positions spaced along a respective leg portion of the garment and which has engaged therewith a sliding coupler which is attached to one end of a respective shoulder element which extends around one shoulder of the suit. The portion of each shoulder element adjacent its said one end passes along one front or back face of the suit, slidabiy engages a coupler attached either to the suit or, preferably to a coupler slidable on one of a second pair of leg elements similar to the first pair and then provides a free end portion which can be pulled to tighten the harness.Guides at the shoulders can cause tensioning of the harness to draw the shoulders of the suit suit downwards as an addition to the normal gravitational forces acting on the suit shoulders, to engage the wearer's shoulder and the locking means holds the harness tensioned.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood that the following description is illustrative and not limitative of the scope of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section, on a side-toside plane, through a preferred suit of the invention, looking forwards.

Figure 2 is a similar view but looking backwards.

A preferred garment of the invention is of the type described and is an exposure suit 10 which will normally be donned by a person on a waterborne craft or a water surrounded structure, such as an oil drilling rig or production platform, in the event that a fire, imminent sinking or capsize, or other emergency, makes it imperative for him to leave the craft or structure and enter the water. The sheet material of the suit may include or consist of a textile base plus waterproofing, and/or insulating and/or protective material such as plastics material or foamed neoprene or rubber materials. The garment is shown having an integral hood and may have integral feet or overboots, gloves or mittens.

A harness is provided on the interior surface of the suit 10 and comprises two pairs of leg elements in the form of webbing straps 11, 12 and 13, 14 and a pair of shoulder elements in the form of webbing straps 15,16. The leg elements 11,12 have their ends 17, 18 and 19, 20 secuted to the front interior faces 21,22 of the suit legs 23,24. Similarly leg straps 13,14 attached to the rearfaces 25,26 of legs 23,24. The upper ends of the leg straps 11, 12, 13, 14 are attached at about the level of the garment fork 27 and the lower ends generally at or below knee level.

The rear leg straps 13, 14 have respective couplers 28, 29 slidingly engaged therewith and the front leg straps 11,12 have respective couplers 30, 31 similarly engaged therewith. Rear couplers 28, 29 are attached to respective one ends 32,33 of rear portions of shoulder straps 15,16 which cross centrally of the back interior surface 34 of the suit 10 and there pass through a guide 35 secured to surface 34. The straps 15, 16 pass through guides 36,37 secured internally to shoulders 38,39 of the suit 10 and then close to breast portions 40,41 of the suit 10. Front portions of shoulder straps 15, 16 then pass throuch guides 42,43 secured to interior forces of portions 40,41 and to respective fastening means in the form of grip buckles 44,45. Free end portions 46,47 of straps 15,16 protrude from a front opening 48 of the suit 10.

When the suit 10 has been donned, the wearer pulls on portions 46, 47 which tensions the harness which in turn pulls the leg portions into fitting relationship with the wearer's legs and the shoulders 39,40 of the suit into fitting relationship with the wearer's shoulders. This also ensures that the hood 49 remains located so that the wearer can see out of the face opening 50. On a small person the upper leg and the trunk portions of the suit will be considerably shortened, whilst the arm portions may remain relatively too long. However, even such a wearer has ample mobility to enable him to move to an appropriate point for abandonment, and then to leave the vessel or structure, eg by jumping into the sea, since the key factors for personal mobility are that the legs be not encumbered nor the crotch area of the garment hang too low.He is also well protected against exposure. The harness will normally be tightened before the opening 48 is closed buy a sliding clasp fastener or the like and ends 46, 47 tucked inside the suit, however, if button or like fastenings are provided the ends 46, 47 can be pulled after closure of the front opening 48.

The invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment and variations can be made thereto.

For example, a major portion of the harness may, if desired be retained in tunnels, or sandwiched between the suit and a lining thereof. This reduces the possibiiity of the wearer becoming entangled in the straps. One pair of leg straps, 11,12 or 13, 14 can be omitted and replaced by a pair of attachment points for respective ends of the shoulder straps 15, 16. However, such a construction is not preferred.

Many other variations are possible.

Claims

1. A garment of the type described having an internal harness including: a plurality of elongated flexible elements which can be tensioned to reduce the effective size of the garment; and locking means for locking the elements in a tensioned condition.

2. A garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elements are inextensible.

3. A garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elements have a small degree of elasticity.

4. A garment as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 wherein the elements are straps, cords, wires or ropes.

5. A garment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fastening means includes buckles and/ or clasps and/ror grippers and/or ring assemblies.

6. A garment as claimed in claim 5 wherein the fasteners are self-locking.

7. A garment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the elements are attached to the garment at various positions and pass through guides attached to the garment at various other positions.

8. A garment as claimed in any preceding claim and capable of shortening both the leg and the trunk portions of the garment.

9. A garment as claimed in claim 8 wherein such shortening can be effected by a single action.

10. A garment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the elements include a pair of leg elements of which each is attached by its ends to positions spaced along a respective leg portion of the garment and which has engaged therewith a sliding coupler which is attached to one end of a respective shoulder element which extends around one shoulder of the suit, a portion of each shoulder element adjacent its said one end passing along one front or back face of the suit, slidably engaging a coupler attached either to the suit orto a coupler slidable on one of a second pair of leg elements similar to the first pair and then provides a free end portion which can be pulled to tighten the harness.

11. A garment as claimed in claim 10 wherein guides at the shoulders cause tensioning of the harness to draw the shoulders of the suit downwards as an addition to the normal gravitational forces acting on the suit shoulders, to engage the wearer's shoulders and locking means holding the harness tensioned.

12. A garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 17 January 1985.

Superseded claims 1 New or amended claims:

1. A garment of the type described having an internal harness extending between the trunk and the legs and including: a plurality of elongated flexible elements which can be tensioned to reduce the effective length of the garment; and locking means for locking the elements in a tensioned condition.