GB2410673A

GB2410673A - Thermally insulating garment

Info

Publication number: GB2410673A
Application number: GB0402476A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Owton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-02-04
Filing date: 2004-02-04
Publication date: 2005-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2024-02-04
Also published as: GB0402476D0; GB2410673B

Abstract

A garment comprises a front section 20 for covering at least part of the wearer's chest and a rear section 30 for covering at least part of the back, the rear section providing a greater degree of thermal insulation than the front. The rear section may comprise different material from the front or more layers of the same material or insulating material 80 may be included in a cavity 75 which may have a sealable opening or insulating material may be attached to the back section by fastening. The rear section may include waterproof material to keep the insulation dry.

Description

24 1 0673 Thermally Insulated Garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to thermally insulated garments for keeping a wearer warm.

Garments which incorporate thermal insulation generally provide insulation over 0 the entire area of the garment. This precludes the possibility of providing insulation for one or more specific areas and can lead to the wearer becoming too hot, especially if he is performing physical activity. Garments of this kind can also hamper physical activity carried out by the wearer since they tend to be bulky (in part due to the extensive area covered by the insulation).

Back pain is a common problem. Keeping the back warm can alleviate back pain.

Wearing thermally insulated garments is one way to keep the back warm, but as described above, wearing known thermally insulated garments may lead to the wearer becoming too hot or may hamper any physical activity carried out by the wearer.

Accordingly, the invention seeks to provide a garment which warms a specific area of the wearer's body without overheating the wearer, and which does not hamper the movement of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Particular and preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Combinations of features from the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims as appropriate and not merely as explicitly set out in the claims.

An aspect of the invention provides a garment comprising a thermally insulated 0 rear section for covering at least part of a wearer's back and a front section for covering at least part of a wearer's chest, the front section not being thermally insulated.

The rear section may include a cavity containing a thermally insulating material or may alternatively include a pocket with an opening for removeably receiving a thermally insulating material. Means for reversibly sealing the opening may be provided.

The garment may have a thermally insulating portion, removeably attachable to the rear section. Means including at least one of a zip, hook and loop fastenings, or a plurality of buttons may be provided for removeably attaching the thermally insulating portion to the rear section.

The front section may include a first material and the thermally insulated rear portion may include a second, different material, the second material being a better thermal insulator than the first material.

The front section and the thermally insulated rear section may be made of substantially the same material, the thermally insulated rear section comprising more layers of said same material than the front section.

The front section may have a plurality of apertures for allowing heat to escape from the wearer's chest. One or more straps may be provided for supporting the thermally insulated rear section. The garment may be sleeveless. The garment may include a water-proof material for keeping the thermally insulated rear section dry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference signs relate to like elements and in which: Figure 1 shows three views of a garment in accordance with an example of the invention (the views are from the front, the side, and the back of the garment respectively to from left to right); Figure 2 shows three views of another garment in accordance with an example of the invention (the views are from the front, the side, and the back of the garment respectively from left to right); Figure 3 shows three views of a further kind of garment in accordance with an example of the invention (the views are from the front, the side, and the back of the garment respectively from left to right); and Figure 4 shows three views of another garment in accordance with an example of the invention (the views are from the front, the side, and the back of the garment respectively from left to right).

DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Each of the Figures referred to below shows three views of a garment: from the front, the side, and the back of the garment respectively from left to right.

0 The example of a garment 10 shown in Figure I has a front section 20, and a rear section 30 which in this example are joined at a seam 40. The rear section 30 is thermally insulated to keep the wearer's back warm. The front section 20 is not thermally insulated and may indeed include features for allowing heat to escape from the wearer's chest region. For example, the material forming the front section 20 may be perforated. In this manner, the wearer's back is kept warm while still allowing heat to escape from other parts of the wearer's torso so that he does not overheat.

Thermal insulation for the rear section 30 may be provided in a number of ways.

In the present example, the front section 20 and the rear section 30 are made from the same material (eg cotton, nylon, wool or a mixture thereof), but the rear section includes more layers of material than the front section. Alternatively, the layers of material forming the rear section 30 may be thicker than the layer/e of material forming the front section 20, whereby, for example, the same number of layers of material may be used on both the front and rear sections. Also, materials with different thermal properties may be used on the rear section 30 to those used on the front section 20, resulting in a rear section 30 which is thermally insulated relative to the front section 20.

The garment 10 in this example is a sleeveless garment having straps 50 which pass over the wearer's shoulders. This allows unhampered use of the wearer's arms and also allows heat to escape freely from those regions. In other examples, sleeves may nevertheless be provided.

In the present example, the garment 10 is put on by pulling it over the wearer's head. However, it is envisaged that a zip or other fastening means may be provided, central to the front section 20 for example, to provide a jacket-type garment.

Figure 2 shows another example of a garment 10. This example differs from the example shown in Figure 1 in the way that the thermal insulation is provided. The rear lo section 30 in this example includes a removeable thermally insulating portion 32. The portion 32 may be formed from a number of layers of material as described above or may incorporate a cavity containing thermally insulating material. The portion 32 is removeable so that, for example, the remainder of the garment 10 may be washed independently of the portion 32. The portion 32 is also easily removed if the wearer is feeling too hot. Attachments such as zips, hook and loop fastenings, or a plurality of buttons for removeably attaching the thermally insulating portion 32 to the rear section may be provided and are shown generally as the dotted lines in Figure 2. Different kinds of portion 32 may be selected by the wearer for use in a given instance. For example, if it is a cold day, a warmer portion 32 may be chosen to wear. Conversely, if the wearer's anticipates carrying out physical activity, then a cooler portion 32 may be chosen.

A further example of a garment 10 according to the invention is shown in Figure 3. In this example, the rear section 30 is provided with a pocket 35 which can removeably 2s receive thermally insulating material 80 through an opening 60. In common with the example described in relation to Figure 2, different kinds of insulating material 80 may be chosen by the wearer in a given instance (eg warmer, cooler, more or less bulky).

Removal of the insulating material 80 also allows the remainder of the garment 10 to be washed independently of the insulating material 80. Although not shown in Figure 3, it is envisaged that means for sealing the opening 60 such as buttons, a zip or hook and loop fastenings may be provided.

A further example of a garment 10 is shown in Figure 4. In this example, the rear s section 30 is provided with a cavity 85 which contains a thermally insulating material 80.

In this example the cavity 85 is completely sealed to prevent to insulating material 80 from escaping. The cavity 85 in this example is formed by a layer of material 75 which extends across the rear section 30. In this example, the layer 75 is in the shape of a diamond. The shape of the layer (and indeed the shape/configuration of the thermally lo insulated areas of the rear section 30 in any of the examples described herein) may be chosen to keep specific areas of the wearer's back warm (eg the spinal area and/or the lower back) while allowing maximum freedom of movement for the wearer.

While in the examples described above, the front section 20 covers most of the IS wearer's chest, in other examples, the front section may only cover a small chest area.

For instance, the front section may comprise straps which fit around the wearer's chest and/or shoulders and which serve to hold the rear section in position.

In any of the examples described above, the thermally insulated rear section may be provided with water-proofing material, for example to keep the insulating material 80 dry in the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Means for supporting the thermally insulated rear section, such as one or more straps, may be provided. This feature would find particular use where a bulky thermal 2s insulating material is employed.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be appreciated that many modifications/additions and/or substitutions may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A garment comprising: a thermally insulated rear section for covering at least part of a wearer's back; and a front section for covering at least part of a wearer's chest, wherein the rear section provides better thermal insulation for the wearer than the front section.

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2. The garment of Claim l, the rear section comprising a cavity containing a thermally insulating material.

3. The garment of Claim 1, the rear section comprising a pocket with an opening for removeably receiving a thermally insulating material.

4. The garment of Claim 3, comprising means for reversibly sealing the opening.

5. The garment of Claim l, comprising a thermally insulating portion, the thermally insulating portion being removeably attachable to the rear section.

6. The garment of Claim 5, comprising at least one of a zip, hook and loop fastenings, or a plurality of buttons for removeably attaching the thermally insulating portion to the rear section.

7. The garment of any preceding claim, wherein the front section comprises a first material and wherein the thermally insulated rear section comprises a second, different material, the second material being a better thermal insulator than the first material.

8. The garment of any of Claims I to 7, wherein the front section and the thermally insulated rear section comprise substantially the same material, the thermally insulated rear section comprising more layers of said same material than the front s section.

9. The garment of any preceding claim, wherein the front section has a plurality of apertures for allowing heat to escape from the wearer's chest.

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10. The garment of any preceding claim comprising one or more straps for supporting the thermally insulated rear section.

The garment of any preceding claim, wherein the garment is a sleeveless garment.

12. The garment of any preceding claim, comprising a water-proof material for keeping the thermally insulated rear section dry.

13. A garment substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.