GB2353694A

GB2353694A - Insulating means for an article of clothing

Info

Publication number: GB2353694A
Application number: GB9920679A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Polly Duplock; Andrew William Wilson
Original assignee: Multifabs Survival Ltd
Current assignee: Multifabs Survival Ltd
Priority date: 1999-09-01
Filing date: 1999-09-01
Publication date: 2001-03-07
Also published as: GB9920679D0

Abstract

Inner insulating means for attachment in an outer member of an article of clothing is selectable from a plurality of insulating parts (6, 7, 26, 27), interchangeably arrangeable inside the outer member. Each insulating part can be selected from a plurality of insulating parts of different insulating properties and the insulating parts may be attached to the outer member or to one another by zips, touch and close fasteners or press studs. The outer member may be a waterproof breathable coverall to form a survival suit.

Description

2353694 Insulating Means for an Article of Clotbing The invention relates

to insulating means for an article of clothing particularly but not exclusively for a dry suit, a survival suit, a wet suit, an immersion suit, or a coverall.

Suits and particularly survival suits are worn to prolong survivability of the wearer in a hazardous environment, such as that experienced by an occupant evacuating a ditched helicopter in the North Sea. An aspect of prolonging survivability is protecting the wearer from the effects of immersion hypothermia.

In the case of helicopter occupants, the survival suit acts as a membrane dry suit, which protects the insulation layer within the dry suit. In the case of helicopter passengers being transferred to off-shore installations in the North Sea, it is usual for the insulation to be provided by the clothing worn by the passenger arriving at the heliport.

In some cases, additional garments are worn over the passengers clothing, when protection against immersion hypothermia in extremely cold water is required, or when longer rescue times are anticipated. The shortcoming with this system is that, in order to provide sufficient thermal protection whilst immersed in the sea, elevated levels of clothing must be worn underneath the survival suit.

As a result, during the flight, helicopter occupants can experience significant heat stress and discomfort. This can particularly occur at times of the year when the sea temperature is still very low, yet the atmospheric and/or cabin temperature is high.

According to the invention there is provided an article of clothing comprising an outer member and inner insulating means, wherein the insulating means is selectable from a plurality of insulating parts, the 2 insulating parts being interchangeably arrangeable inside the outer member.

According to a further invention there is provided inner insulating means for use in an outer member of an article of clothing, wherein the insulating means is selectable from a plurality of insulating parts, the insulating parts being interchangeably arrangeable inside the outer member.

Preferably, the insulating means to be arranged inside the outer member comprise a first plurality of insulating parts selected from a second plurality of insulating parts, the second plurality of insulating parts exceeding in number the first plurality of insulating parts.

An insulating part may be integrated Mthin the outer member. The insulating parts are preferably interconnectable with each other. The insulating parts are preferably releasably interconnectable. Each insulating part may be engageable with the inside of the outer member and is preferably releasably engageable with the inside of the outer member.

Each insulating part may comprise an insulating material. The insulating properties of each insulating part may depend on the thickness of the insulating material. Each insulating part may be interchangeable for a corresponding insulating part of different insulating properties.

Each insulating part may be selected from a plurality of insulating parts of different insulating properties for arranging the insulating part inside the outer member. The selection of each insulating part may depend on the location of each insulating part inside the outer member. The selection of each insulating part may depend on the requirements of a user. The selection of each insulating part may depend on the arrangement of each insulating part inside the outer member.

The shape of the insulating parts may depend on the shape of the outer member. The shape of each insulating part may depend on the arrangement of 3 the respective insulating part inside the outer member. Each insulating part may correspond to the shape of the region of the article of clothing inside which it is to be arranged. At least one of the insulating parts may have the shape of a pair of trousers or a portion thereof. At least some of the insulating parts may comprise the shape of a sleeve for an arm. At least some of the insulating parts may comprise the shape of a torso. At least some of the insulating parts may comprise the shape of a front portion of a piece of clothing and/or a front portion of a part of a suit. At least some of the insulating parts may comprise the shape of a back portion of a piece of clothing and/or a back portion of a part of a suit. The insulating parts are preferably in the form of insulating panels.

Each insulating part may comprise an engaging means for engaging the insulating part with the inside of the outer member. The engaging means may comprise a first engaging member provided inside the outer member adapted to cooperate with a second engaging member on the insulating parts. The engaging means may comprise a press-stud and/or a hook and loop strip and/or a press and close strip and/or a zip.

Each insulating part may comprise a connection means for interconnecting the insulating parts. The connection means may comprise a first connection member being provided on a first insulating part and a second connection member being provided on a second connection part. The connection means may comprise a press-stud and/or hook and loop strip and/or a press and close strip and/or a zip.

The insulating parts may overlap or may abut one another. The insulating parts are preferably interconnectable side by side. The insulating parts may be interconnectable by an interconnecting member. The interconnecting member may comprise an insulating part.

The suit may comprise an opening means for opening and closing the suit. The insulation may be split along the opening means. The opening means 4 may comprise a zip.

The insulation may comprise thermal insulation. The outer member may comprise a water-proof material. The outer member may comprise a breathable material. The suit may comprise a dry suit and/or wet suit and/or a survival suit and/or an immersion suit and/or a coverall.

In another embodiment, the insulating means comprise a plurality of support members upon each of which at least one insulating part is arranged. Preferably, the, or each, insulating part is secured to the respective support means. The, or each insulating part may be so secured by releasable engaging means, for example by the use of zippers, pressstuds, hook and loop strips, or press and close strips or the like. Alternatively, the or each insulating part may be secured to the respective support member by permanent engaging means, for example, by stitching or by heat sealing or the like.

Preferably, each support member comprises a fabric which may be suitable for use as a liner for an article of clothing. In one embodiment, the material from which each support member is made is in the form of a mesh.

Preferably, respective ones of said support members have thereon an arrangement of at least one insulating part, wherein the arrangement of the or each insulating part on one of said support members is different from at least one of the others. Preferably said arrangement is different from each of the other arrangements of at least one insulating part on the respective support member.

Preferably, the or each support member is shaped to conform to at least a portion of the inside of the outer member. Advantageously the, or each support member is shaped to conform substantially wholly to the inside of the outer member.

According to a further invention there is provided a method for arranging insulating parts inside an article of clothing as described in the preceding paragraphs 6 to 18, wherein one or more insulating parts are engaged with the inside of the suit and one or more insulating parts are interconnected. Each of the insulating parts may be selected from a plurality of insulating parts by a user. The plurality of insulating parts may comprise different insulating properties.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. I is a diagrammatic front view of a typical survival or immersion suit; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along the line AA of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic detail of the cross-sectional view of Fig. 2 illustrating the interconnecting insulating parts and the outer member; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along the line BB of Fig. I illustrating the arrangement of the insulating means; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the separate insulating parts; and Fig. 6A and 6B are diagrammatic front and rear views of an insulating arrangements according to a further embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic front view of a survival suit worn by a user for protection when immersed in cold water. The suit comprises an outer member in the form of a coverall 1 which is composed of a waterproof, breathable fabric. The coverall is provided with a neck seal 2 and wrist seals 20 and 21. A zip 4 is applied diagonally across the chest of the coverall 1. Waterproof fitted socks 23 and 24 are connected to the legs of the coverall 1.

Insulating means can be applied to the inside of the coverall I and consists of a number of insulating parts in the form of insulating panels 6, 7, 26, 2 7, which are engageable with the coverall 1, as shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 2. Each insulating panel 6, 7, 26, 27 is releasably engageable and releasably interconnectable with at least one other insulating panel, and with the coverall 1.

6 Each insulating panel is selected from a variety of insulating panels with different insulating properties to provide the degrees and types of thermal protection for each region inside the coverall 1 depending on the requirements of the user. For instance additional thermal insulation could be provided in places where the body loses a lot of heat when immersed in cold water, such as the torso. Also, additional protection could be provided along the lower back and torso where the effects of hydrostatic compression are more pronounced during immersion. In Fig. 2 the back body panel 26 is provided with additional insulation in the region 2 7 to protect the lower lumbar region of the body.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of how the panels 6, 26 are connected to the inside of the coverall 1 and to one another. The insulating panel 26 is connected to the inside 10 of the outer member formed by the coverall 1 by engaging means.

The engaging means comprise a first and a second engaging member. The first engaging member is in the form of a fabric carrier 12 provided with a textile fastener 11 attached to the inside of the outer member 10. The fabric carrier 12 is secured to the inside 10 of the outer member using an adhesive applied manually or by machine. The second engaging member is in the form of a textile fastener 11 which co-operates with the first engaging member. The insulating parts 6 and 26 are interconnected by means of connection means in the form of textile fasteners 11.

In a preferred embodiment as shown in Fig. 3 the textile fasteners 11 consist of press and close strips. These press and close strips are generally available in trade and are sold under the trade mark Velcrol.

A combination of textile fasteners 11 can be employed, using pressstuds, strips of touch and close fastener, or zipping. Press-studs can be used to initially locate and secure the panels in the correct position. Strips of touch and close fastener can be used to secure the edges of the insulating panels 6, 26 in position.

7 Zippers can be used to anchor longer lengths of insulating panels 6, 26 securely. The insulating panels 6, 26 can either be interconnected edgeby-edge or they can be interconnected by overlapping. An advantage of overlapping insulating panels is that it minimises localised cold spots, which can be very unpleasant to the user. In Fig. 3 the insulating panels 6, 26 are overlapping. An additional advantage of this configuration is that it minimises the distribution of textile fastenings secured to the inside 10 of the outer member of the coverall 1. This reduces the risk of wear and tear of the survival suit.

The arrangement of the various insulating panels 6, 7, 26, 27 is illustrated in Fig. 2 and 4 of the drawings. An additional insulating panel 27 is applied on the insulating panel 26 for extra thermal protection of the wearer. The configuration, shape and arrangement of the panels 6, 7, 26, 27 depends on the design of the survival suit with which the insulating panels engage.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings the various separate insulating panels 6, 7, 26, 27 are illustrated. The upper and lower insulating panels 6, 7 are split along the line of the zip 4. The insulating panels 6 and 26 are short in sleeve and leg length to compromise between bulk, encumbrance and comfort, and to focus the insulation of the body core where the user might experience immersion hypothermia when not sufficiently protected against the cold water.

The upper front insulating panel 6 is interconnectable with the insulating panel 7, and both insulating panels 6 and 7 interconnect with the insulating panels 26, 27 for the back of the body. The insulating panels interconnect by overlapping as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Depending on the requirements of the user, the insulating panels can be selected from a plurality of insulating panels each having different insulating properties. In this way it is achieved that an optimum insulation of the survival suit can be obtained without the body parts being exposed to the cold or body parts being too hot. This greatly improves the comfort of the user of the survival suit. The insulating panels 6, 7, 26, 27 all provide different degrees and types of thermal protection which were pre-selected by the user before wearing the survival suit.

In an alternative embodiment, the insulating means comprises a plurality of insulating arrangements 110, one example of which is shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, Fig. 6A showing a front view and Fig. 6B showing a rear view. The insulating arrangement 110 shown in Fig. 6 comprises three insulating panels 106, 107, 126 supported by a support member in the form of an inner liner 130 made from a mesh. A plurality of such insulating arrangements 110 are provided, each with a different configuration of insulating panels thereon, and each insulating arrangement being designed for use in specific environmental conditions. The degree of insulation provided by the insulating panels on the liner, and the regions of the outer member where such insulation is provided, will be dependent upon the environmental conditions expected to prevail in the geographical location where the article of clothing is intended to be used. Thus, the user can select from said plurality of insulating arrangements, the specific one that will provide appropriate protection for a selected geographical location.

The insulating arrangements are provided with appropriate fastening means as described above with reference to Figs. I to 5 to enable the insulating arrangements to be releasably secured to the inside of the outer member, when desired.

There is thus described an insulating means for an article of clothing. The insulating means has the following advantageous features. Each insulating part or insulating arrangement is removable and interchangeable for an insulating part or arrangement with different insulating properties to provide varying degrees of insulative protection depending on the requirements of user of the suit. In this way the insulating means is easily adaptable to the environmental, operational and survival conditions experienced by a user such as for instance a helicopter occupant wearing a survival suit during a flight.

The insulating means comprises of a number of insulating parts, which are fitted within the suit in such a manner that the insulating parts are easily removable and interchangeable either each one individually, as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5, or each one as part of an insulating arrangement. This allows the insulating parts to deliver appropriate levels of insulation to different parts of the users body in response to the operational, environmental and survival requirements. For instance, additional protection can be provided along the lower back and torso, where the effects of hydrostatic compression are more pronounced during immersion. In response to seasonal changes, different levels, types and thickness of thermal insulation panels can be interchanged to provide an optimum level of thermal protection.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example the insulating means could also be applied to protect the user from heat rather than cold. Also the insulating means could be applied to absorb perspiration.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

1. Inner insulating means for attachment in an outer member of an article of clothing, wherein the inner insulating means is selectable from a plurality of insulating parts, the insulating parts being interchangeably arrangeable inside the outer member.

2. Inner insulating means according to claim I wherein the inner insulating means to be arranged inside the outer member comprise a first plurality of insulating parts selected from a second plurality of insulating parts, the second plurality of insulating parts exceeding in number the first plurality of insulating parts.

3. Inner insulating means according to claim I or 2 wherein the insulating parts are releasably interconnectable with each other, each insulating part being releasably engageable with the inside of the outer member.

4. Inner insulating means according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein each insulating part is interchangeable for a corresponding insulating part of different insulating properties.

5. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein each insulating part is selected from a plurality of insulating parts of different insulating properties for arranging inside the outer member, the selection of each insulating part depending on the location of each insulating part inside the outer member, the requirements of a user and/or the arrangement of each insulating part inside the outer member.

6. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein each insulating part corresponds to the shape of the region of the article of clothing inside which it is to be arranged.

7. Inner insulating means according to claim 6 wherein at least one of the 11 insulating parts has the shape of a pair of trousers or a portion thereof, at least some of the insulating parts have the shape of a sleeve for an arm, at least some of the insulating parts have the shape of a torso, at least some of the insulating parts have the shape of a front portion of a piece of clothing and/or a front portion of a part of a suit, and at least some of the insulating parts have the shape of a back portion of a piece of clothing and/or a back portion of a part of a suit.

8. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein the insulating parts are in the form of insulating panels.

9. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein each insulating part includes an engaging means for engaging the insulating part with the inside of the outer member, the engaging means comprising a first engaging member provided inside the outer member adapted to cooperate with a second engaging member on the insulating parts.

10. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein each insulating part includes a connection means for interconnecting the insulating parts, the connection means comprising a first connection member being provided on a first insulating part and a second connection member being provided on a second connection part.

11. Inner insulating means according to claim 10 wherein the insulating parts overlap or abut one another, the insulating parts are being interconnectable side by side.

12. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein where the outer member includes opening means for opening and closing the outer member, the insulation is split along the opening means.

13. Inner insulating means according to any preceding claim wherein, including a plurality of support members upon each of which at least one 12 insulating part is arranged, the, or each, insulating part being secured to the respective support means.

14. Inner insulating means according to claim 13 wherein the, or each insulating part is secured to the respective support members by releasable engaging means.

15. Inner insulating means according to claim 13 wherein the or each insulating part is secured to the respective support member by permanent engaging means.

16. Inner insulating means according to any of claims 13 to 15 wherein each support member comprises a fabric which may be suitable for use as a liner for an article of clothing.

17. Inner insulating means according to any of claims 13 to 16 wherein respective ones of said support members have thereon an arrangement of at least one insulating part, wherein the arrangement of the or each insulating part on one of said support members is different from at least one of the others.

18. Inner insulating means according to any of claims 13 to 17 wherein the or each support member is shaped to conform to at least a portion of the inside of the outer member.

19. Inner insulating means according to any of claims 13 to 18 wherein the, or each support member is shaped to conform substantially wholly to the inside of the outer member.

20. Inner insulating means substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 5, 6A and 6B of the accompanying drawings.

21. An article of clothing comprising an outer member and inner insulating 13 means as claimed in any preceding claim.

22. An article of clothing substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A method for arranging insulating parts inside an article of clothing as claimed in claim 21 wherein one or more insulating parts are engaged with the inside of the outer member and one or more insulating parts are interconnected to each other.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein each of the insulating parts is selected from a plurality of insulating parts by a user, each of the plurality of insulating parts having different insulating properties.

25. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

26. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.