GB2348355A

GB2348355A - Garment having moisture absorbing underarm inserts

Info

Publication number: GB2348355A
Application number: GB9907383A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martina Dibben
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-03-31
Filing date: 1999-03-31
Publication date: 2000-10-04
Also published as: GB9907383D0

Abstract

A garment (1), for example a shirt, vest or blouse, is provided with moisture absorbing inserts (5) (pads) in the underarm areas. The inserts are preferably sewn into the garment along the sleeve seam (4) and include a first portion that extends down the side of the bodice and a second portion that extends along the underside of the sleeve, the first and second portions being joined by a seam. The inserts may be formed of multiple layers of moisture absorbing material, such as cotton towelling.

Description

GARMENT The present invention relates to a garment and in particular, but not exclusively, to a garment for wearing on the upper torso, such as a shirt, vest or blouse.

The garment is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for people involved in heavy, active work, who may from time to time suffer from excessive perspiration. It is especially suitable for people who work closely with the public and are required to have a smart and clean appearance, for example police and ambulance staff. For such people, the presence of damp patches on clothing caused by excessive perspiration may be both uncomfortable and unsightly. The garment is also suitable for any other person who may suffer for any reason from excessive perspiration, or who simply wants to avoid the embarrassment that perspiration may cause.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment that mitigates at least some of the problems associated with excessive perspiration, such as discomfort and the presence in clothing of unsightly wet patches.

According to the present invention there is provided a garment that includes moisture absorbing inserts in the under arm areas.

By providing moisture absorbing inserts in the under arm areas, excessive perspiration can be absorbed, thereby preventing damp patches and discomfort.

The garment preferably includes a bodice and sleeves and may for example be a shirt, vest or blouse. The inserts are preferably sewn into the garment. Each insert may include a first portion that extends down the side of the bodice and a second portion the extends along the underside of the sleeve. The first and second portions may be joined by a seam that preferable lies along the sleeve seam. Each insert preferably includes a plurality of layers of moisture absorbing material, for example two or three layers of cotton towelling.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures I a and 1 b show the reverse sides of two insert portions, during assembly of the insert portions; Figures 2a and 2b show the front sides of the two insert portions after assembly thereof ; Figure 3 shows the front sides of the two insert portions at the start of being joined together; Figure 4 shows the completed insert, after the two insert portions have been completely joined together; Figures 5a and 5b show two completed and shaped inserts prior to being sewn into the garment; Figure 6 shows a finished garment including the two inserts; Figure 7 shows a first alternative garment including the inserts; Figure 8 shows a second alternative garment including the inserts; and Figures 9a, 9b and 9c show completed and shaped inserts of three different sizes.

An example of a garment 1 according to the present invention is shown in Figure 6. In this example, the garment is a ladies'blouse having a bodice 2 and short sleeves 3, which are attached to the bodice 2 along sleeve seams 4. The garment 1 includes two moisture absorbing inserts 5, which are sewn into the garment in the under arm areas. These inserts 5, and the way in which they are assembled, are described below with reference to Figures 1-5.

Each insert 5 is made up of two insert portions 6,8, which are shown in Figures la and lb respectively. Both are made up of two, three or more layers of absorbent material, such as cotton towelling.

The first insert portion 6, which in the completed garment is attached to the side of the bodice 2 and extends downwards from the sleeve seam 4, has a U-shaped lower edge 10 and a V-shaped upper edge 12. It is made up of three layers of absorbent material : a large piece 14a, a medium piece 14b and a small piece 14c. These three pieces are laid on top of each other and the edge of the large piece 14a is folded inwards around the edge of the medium piece 14b and is sewn with stitches 16 to the edge of the small piece 14c.

The second insert portion 8, which in the finished garment is attached to the underside of the sleeve 3, has a concave lower edge 18, two convex side edges 19 and a V-shaped upper edge 20. It is of similar construction to the first insert portion 6, being made up of large, medium and small pieces 22a, 22b, 22c of absorbent material, the edge of the large piece 22a being folded around the edge of the medium piece 22b and sewn to the edge of the small piece 22c.

To assemble the insert, the two insert portions 6,8 are first arranged with the V-shaped edges 12,20 facing towards one another, as shown in Figure 3. The two insert portions are then sewn to one another at the ends 24 of these two V-shaped edges.

The second insert portion 8 is then folded over onto the first insert portion 6 as shown in Figure 4, and the two portions 6,8 are then sewn to one another along the length of the V-shaped edges 12,20 forming a seam 26.

Two completed left-and right-hand inserts 5 are shown in Figures 5a and 5b. It can be seen that these are generally channel shaped and are curved to fit underneath the lower portion of the sleeve 3 and down the side of the bodice 2.

As shown in Figure 6, the absorbent inserts 5 are sewn into the garment 1 along seams 28.

The inserts are positioned in the under arm areas and extend underneath the sleeves 3 and down the sides of the bodice 2. They are therefore positioned to absorb excessive perspiration from the armpits, so preventing damp patches appearing on the garment. It will be observed that the seam 26 joining the first and second insert portions 6,8 is positioned to coincide with the sleeve seam 4, for comfort and a natural appearance.

An alternative design is shown in Figure 7, in which two curved lines 30 of embroidery extend up the front of the bodice 2, to match the seams 28 around the edges of the inserts 5. This helps to disguise the presence of the inserts 5.

Another design is shown in Figure 8, in which the garment has a scooped neck line 32 and additional lines of embroidery 34, again to disguise the presence of the inserts 5.

As shown in Figures 9a, 9b and 9c, the inserts 5 may be of different sizes, according to the size of the garment and the amount of moisture absorption needed.

Various modifications of the invention are of course possible, some examples of which will now be described. The garment may be intended for wearing just on the upper torso or it may be a whole body garment. The garment may be designed for men or women and it may be either an undergarment or an outer garment. Many different styles are possible: for example, the garment may be a casual T-shirt or a formal shirt and it may have long or short sleeves. The garment may be made of fabrics that can be washed and tumble dried or alternatively it can be designed to be disposable and made, for example, of nonwoven materials.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A garment including moisture absorbing inserts in the underarm areas.
2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the inserts are sewn into the garment.
3. A garment according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the garment includes a bodice and sleeves.
4. A garment according to claim 3, wherein each insert includes a first portion extending down the side of the bodice and a second portion that extends along the underside of the sleeve.
5. A garment according to claim 4, wherein the first and second portions are joined by a seam.
6. A garment according to claim 5, wherein the seam lies along the sleeve seam.
7. A garment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the insert includes a plurality of layers of moisture absorbing material.
8. A garment according to claim 7, wherein the number of layers is two or three.
9. A garment according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the moisture absorbing material includes cotton towelling.
10. A garment substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-6, 7,8 or 9 of the accompanying drawings.