GB2399277A

GB2399277A - A showerproof or waterproof blazer or suit style jacket

Info

Publication number: GB2399277A
Application number: GB0404207A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Richard Southcott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-02-25
Filing date: 2004-02-25
Publication date: 2004-09-15
Also published as: GB0404207D0

Abstract

A blazer or suit style jacket that may either be showerproof or waterproof. The garment may by be made showerproof by using waterproof films, membranes or coatings. The fabric for the garment may be coated with waterproof coating such as polyurethane, by adhering a waterproof film or membrane 2 to the inside of the outer fabric 1 or lining of the garment or alternatively the waterproof membrane may be placed between the outer fabric of the garment and the lining as a drop liner. Preferably the waterproof film or membrane is breathable to allow water vapour to pass through. Waterproof tape may be used on the seams of the garment to make it waterproof. The garment may have a hidden zip down the front of the jacket in addition to the normal blazer/suit jacket buttons. A fastener Z on the lapels allows the blazer/suit jacket to be closed to prevent wind and rain blowing into the neck area of the wearer.

Description

Title: Clothing Articles

Description of Invention

This invention relates to clothing articles and, in particular to blazers or suit style jackets that are waterproof or showerproof. Blazers or suit style jackets are commonly used as part of a uniform item or formal fashion item, but are not waterproof or showerproof. This means that if the wearer uses the garment in the rain, they will get wet. Logic would suggest that the person should wear a waterproof/showerproof coat over the blazer or suit style jacket to prevent the rain reaching the blazer or suit style jacket. However, it is not common practice for the wearer, especially children, to wear such a waterproof/snowerproof over-garment for protection from the rain. This is especially true for school blazers, where it is usual practice for children to walk to school without a coat; reasons for this include possible theft of the coat when in school and more importantly the unfashionability of waterproof over-garments.

There is therefore a need for a blazer or suit style jacket, in particular a childrens blazer or suit style jacket that is itself waterproof or showerproof.

It is Common practice in the manufacture of blazers or suit style jackets, to use a woven, knitted or flannel blazer or suiting fabric in the outer layer, which is not waterproof, to apply fusings on the inside and to sew the garment together in the form of a blazer or jacket. The blazers or suit style jackets are usually lined. This results in an attractive formal garment that has some water resistance if a hydrophobic yarn is used as the outer layer, but is not waterproof or showerproof. Wearing of this garment in the rain will result in the wearer getting wet. Sometimes finishes are used on the outer fabric layer of the blazer, which have some hydrophobicity, such as Teflon_ for stain resistance, but this does not result in a waterproof layer.

The object of this invention is to provide an essentially waterproof or showerproof blazer or suit style jacket, that still has the appearance of a formal blazer or suit style jacket and to provide methods of producing such waterproof or showerproof blazers or suit style jackets.

Preferably the blazer or jacket according to the present invention, can be made to be showerproof or waterproof by any of 4 main manufacturing methods: 1) A normal blazer or suit style jacket fabric may be waterproofed on the inside by adhering a waterproof film or membrane, such as a polyurethane film, to the fabric. The blazer or suit style fabric may then be cut and sewn into a blazer or suit style jacket form and either lined or left unlined. The film or membrane may be of a breathable kind that allows water vapour to exit, but prevents water in the liquid phase from passing through. This would result in a garment as shown in Figure 1, where 1 is the blazer or suit style jacket fabric, 2 is the waterproof flm/membrane and 3 is the blazer or suit style jacket lining.

2) A normal blazer or suit style jacket fabric may be coated with a waterproof coating, such as a polyurethane coating, to the fabric. The blazer or suit style fabric may then be sewn into a blazer or suit style Jacket and either lined or deft unlined. The coating may be of a breathable kind that allows water vapour to exit, but prevents water in the liquid phase from passing through. This would result in a garment as shown in Figure 1, where 1 is the blazer or suit style jacket fabric, 2 is the waterproof coating and 3 is the blazer or suit style jacket lining.

3) A waterproof membrane (usually referred to as a drop liner) may be placed between the outer blazer or suit style jacket fabric and the inner blazer or suit style jacket lining. The drop liner may be of a breathable kind that allows water vapour to exit, but prevents water in the liquid phase from passing through. This would result in a garment as shown in Figure 2, where 1 is the blazer or suit style jacket fabric, 4 is the waterproof membrane and 3 is the blazer or suit style jacket lining.

4) A normal blazer or suit style jacket lining fabric may be waterproofed on the inside by adhering a waterproof film, membrane or canting, such as a polyurethane film or coating, to the fabric. A normal blazer/jacket may then be lined with this waterproof lining. The film, membrane or coating may be of a breathable kind that allows water vapour to exit, but prevents water in the liquid phase from passing through. This would result in a garment as shown in Figure 1, where 1 is the blazer or suit style jacket fabric, 2 is the waterproof film/membrane/coating and 3 is the blazer or suit style jacket lining.

The blazer or suit style jacket may ashen either be left as a showerproof garment, whereby the water can still pass through the holes created by sewing together the garment, or can be waterproofed by taping the garment seams with a waterproof seam tape on the inside of the garment. This tape seaming step can be undertaken with many different waterproof tape types and waterproof adhesive types.

The garment may also be further adapted for use in the rain by having: ] ) A hidden zip down the front instead of or as well as normal blazer buttons.

This zip can run from position X in Figure 3 to either position Y or higher up on the collar at position Z;and/or 2) A fastener at position Z on the lapels to allow closure around the neck, to prevent rain water being blown into the neck area.

The blazer/jacket may also have a badge, logo or other distinctive marking added.

This would normally be added by embroidering a badge or screenprinting a logo to the garment, either during production or separately at a later stage.

The blazer/jacket may also be made with or without bottom rear side vents, with outer patch pockets or welt pockets, with inside pockets, or without inside pockets, with any number of front fastening buttons made of any material.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A waterproof blazer or suit style jacket jacket

2. A showerproof blazer or suit style jacket

3. A waterproof school blazer or suit style school jacket

4. A showerproof school blazer or suit style school jacket

5. A breathable waterproof blazer or suit style jacket

6. A breathable showerproof blazer or suit style jacket

7. A breathable waterproof school blazer or suit style school jacket

8. A breathable showerproof school blazer or suit style jacket

9. A method of waterproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by adhering a waterproof film or membrane to an outer fabric suitable for blazer or suit style jacket manufacture. The internal garment seams being tape seamed with a waterproof tape and adhesive.

10. A method of showerproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by adhering a waterproof film or membrane to an outer fabric suitable for blazer or suit style jacket manufacture.

] 1. A method of waterproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by applying a waterproof coating to an outer fabric suitable for blazer or suit style jacket manufacture. The internal garment seams being tape seamed with a waterproof tape and adhesive.

2. A method of showerproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by applying a waterproof coating to an outer fabric suitable for blazer or suit style jacket manufacture.

13. A method of waterproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by inserting a waterproof liner between the outer blazer or suit style jacket fabric and the inner lining. The waterproof liner seams being tape seamed with a waterproof tape and adhesive.

] 4. A method of showerproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by inserting a waterproof liner between the outer fabric and the inner lining.

15. A method of waterproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by adhering a waterproof film or membrane or coating to a blazer or suit style jacket lining fabric suitable for blazer or suit style jacket manufacture. The internal garment lining seams being tape seamed with a waterproof tape and adhesive.

l 6. A method of showerproofing a blazer or suit style jacket by adhering a waterproof film or membrane or coating to a blazer lining fabric suitable for blazer or suit style jacket manufacture.