GB2588583A

GB2588583A - Garment

Info

Publication number: GB2588583A
Application number: GB1914996.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Stonehouse Andrew; Andrew Palmer Mark
Original assignee: Iconik Apparel Ltd
Current assignee: Iconik Apparel Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-16
Filing date: 2019-10-16
Publication date: 2021-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-16
Also published as: GB2600565A; GB2588583B; GB2600565B; GB201914996D0

Abstract

The present invention provides a garment 10 for providing comfort when cycling. The garment 10 comprises: a main body 11, a removable pad 17 and a pouch 16 configured to receive the removable pad 17. The main body 11 comprises a front portion 13, a rear portion 12 and two leg portions 14a,b. A first end 161 of the pouch 16 is attached to the front portion 13 of the main body 11, a second end 162 of the pouch 16 is attached to the rear portion 12 of the main body 11, and a middle portion 163 of the pouch 16 extending between the first and second ends 161, 162 of the pouch 16 is suspended between the front and rear portions 13, 12 of the main body 11, such that the pouch 16 is pivotable towards a side of the main body 11. The pouch 16 being pivotable towards a side of the main body 11 of the garment 10 enables the pouch 16 to be moved away from the contact area between a wearer of the garment 10 and a saddle of a bicycle when the removable pad 17 is not required. This has the advantage of reducing the risk of friction between the wearer and the garment 10.

Description

GARMENT

The present invention relates to a garment for providing comfort when cycling.

It is known to provide padding in cycling shorts for the purpose of comfort. Padding is typically sewn in to the inside of cycling shorts such that skin contact is maintained with the padding and the position of the padding is maintained in use. Any additional material between the skin of a user and the padding may produce friction which causes discomfort, and movement of the pad in use may reduce its effectiveness Users of cycling shorts often have different requirements for padding. For example, if a user intends to cycle for a short distance, they may not require substantial padding and instead may prefer lighter weight, thinner padding. On the other hand, if the user intends to cycle a long distance, they may prefer to compromise on weight and use thicker padding to ensure comfort is maintained throughout the distance. In another example, a user participating in a multi-day cycling event may require additional padding after two or three days of long distance cycling. In each of these scenarios, the user would require multiple pairs of shorts comprising different amounts of padding. They may even decide to wear two pairs of shorts which provide addition& padding at the expense of discomfort as a result of friction as described above.

Cycling shorts with removable padding are known. Some examples comprise a pouch on the exterior of the shorts which can receive a removable pad. Because the pouch is located on the exterior of the shorts, there is a barrier of material in the region of the pad which prevents skin contact with the pad. This introduces the problem of friction as described above. In addition, a user does not have the option of increasing the amount of padding beyond inserting the removable pad. In order to maintain the position of the padding in use a tight fit is required between the removable pad and the pocket. As such, there is no space to add further padding, and the only option for reduced padding is to remove the padding entirely. The flexibility of such cycling shorts is therefore limited.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a garment for providing comfort when cycling comprising a main body, a permanent pad attached to the main body, a removable pad and a pouch configured to receive the removable pad. The main body comprises a front portion, a rear portion and two leg portions.

The garment provides a degree of padding, via the permanent pad, whether the removable pad is received within the pouch or not. This is advantageous over known arrangements comprising a removable pad in which no degree of padding is provided when the removable pad is not utilised A first end of the pouch may be attached to the front portion of the main body of the garment, a second end of the pouch may be attached to the rear portion of the main body of the garment, and a middle portion of the pouch may extend between the first and second ends of the pouch.

The pouch may be moveable between a central position, in which it is between the user and the permanent pad and a side position in which the pouch is towards a side of a main body of the garment. The pouch may be suspended between the front and rear portions of the main body of the garment, such that the pouch is pivotable between the central position and the side position.

The pouch being pivotable towards a side of the main body of the garment enables the pouch to be moved away from the contact area between a user and the permanent pad. This has the advantage of reducing the risk of friction between a user and the garment.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a garment for providing comfort when cycling, comprising: a main body, a removable pad and a pouch configured to receive the removable pad. The main body comprises a front portion, a rear portion and two leg portions. A first end of the pouch is attached to the front portion of the main body, a second end of the pouch is attached to the rear portion of the main body, and a middle portion of the pouch extending between the first and second ends of the pouch is suspended between the front and rear portions of the main body, such that the pouch is pivotable towards a side of the main body.

The pouch being pivotable towards a side of the main body of the garment enables the pouch to be moved away from the contact area between a user and the permanent pad.

This has the advantage of reducing the risk of friction between a user and the garment.

The pouch of either of the above aspects of the invention may be located inside the main body of the garment. The pouch may further comprise a centre opening to provide skin contact with the removable pad in use. Providing skin contact with the removable pad in use advantageously reduces the risk of friction between a user and the garment.

The pouch of either of the above aspects of the invention may comprise a pad-receiving opening for receiving the removable pad. The pad-receiving opening may be located towards the first or second end of the pouch. This facilitates easy insertion and removal of the removable pad in to and from the pouch.

Thc garmcnt of either of the above aspects of the invention may comprise a gripping interface between the pouch and the main body of the garment. This advantageously helps to maintain the removable pad in position when in use, thereby ensuring the removable pad provides effective padding.

The gripping interface may comprise a gripping surface located on an underside of the pouch, or on the main body of the garment, or on both the underside of the pouch and the main body.

The garment of either of the above aspects of the invention may comprise a fastener configured to fasten the pouch to the side of the main body of the garment. This advantageously helps to maintain the pouch in position at the side of the main body when the removable pad is not in use, which further reduces the risk of friction.

The fastener may comprise a fabric tie or a plurality of fabric ties. Forming the fastener from fabric mitigates against any potential discomfort caused by the fastener in use.

In embodiments of the invention comprising both the removable pad and the permanent pad, the pads may have complimentary profiles. This advantageously mitigates against relative movement between the pads, and optimises the cushioning effect provided by the combination of the removable and permanent pads.

In embodiments of the invention comprising both the removable pad and the permanent pad, the removable pad may be formed from a first material and the permanent pad may be formed from a second material. The first material may comprise a foam having a first density and the second material may comprises a foam having a second density. The first density may be greater than the second density.

Alternatively, one of the first material and the second material may comprise a gel and the other of the first material and second material may comprise a foam.

Providing a removable pad having a higher foam density than the permanent pad, or providing a removable pad comprising a gel in addition to a foam permanent pad advantageously further increases the additional cushioning effect provided by the removable pad in addition to the permanent pad.

In embodiments of the invention comprising both the removable pad and the permanent pad, a greatest width of the removable pad may be greater than a greatest width of the permanent pad. in such an embodiment, utilising the removable pad in addition to the permanent pad serves to increase the overall width of the padding, as well as increasing the overall cushioning effect of the padding.

Embodiments of the invention, by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the following drawings: Figure 1 shows a garment according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a further view of the garment of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a further view of the garment of Figures I and 2; Figure 4 shows a plan view of the garment of Figures 1-3; Figure 5 shows a further view of the garment of Figures 1-4; Figure 6 shows a further plan view of the garment of Figures 1-4; and Figure 7 shows an exterior view of a garment according to a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a garment 10 for providing comfort when cycling. The garment 10 takes the form of a pair of waist shorts which are held in position in use by a resiliently biased waist band (not shown).

The garment 10 comprises a main body 11 comprising a front portion 13, a rear portion 12 and two leg portions 14a,b. A permanent pad 15 is sewn or otherwise fixed in to the main body 11 of the garment 10. The permanent pad 15 generally extends from the rear portion 12, between the two leg portions 14a,b and to the front portion 13. The permanent pad 15 is constructed from a cushioning material in order to provide comfort to a user when cycling. At least part of the permanent pad 15 is between a user and the saddle when the user is seated on a typical saddle.. The garment 10 further comprises a pouch 16 located inside the main body 11 of the garment 10 and configured to receive a removable pad 17. The combination of the permanent pad 15 and the removable pad 17 provides an increased amount of padding over the permanent pad 15 alone. The main body 11 of the garment 10 and the pouch 16 are formed from an elastic material such as Lycra®.

In some embodiments, the permanent pad 15 and the removable pad 17 are formed from a foam material. The removable pad 17 may be formed from a higher density foam than the permanent pad 15. in other embodiments, the permanent pad 15 is formed from a foam material and the removable pad 17 comprises a gel insert or vice versa.

Figure 2 shows a further view of the garment of Figure 1. As can be seen in Figure 2, a first end 161 of the pouch 16, shown in cross-section, is attached to the front portion 13 of the main body 11 of the garment 10 at a waist portion 18 of the main body 11. A second end 162 is attached to the rear portion 12 of the main body 11 at the waist portion 18. A middle portion 163 of the pouch 16 extends between the first and second ends 161, 162 of the pouch 16 and is suspended between the front portion 13 and the rear portion 12 of the main body 11.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the pouch 16 comprises a pouch-receiving opening 164 for receiving the removable pad 17. Due to the elasticity of the pouch 16, the pouch 16 can be stretched to increase a width of the pouch-receiving opening 164 in the direction of width W of the removable pad 17. The width of the pouch-receiving opening 164, in the direction of the width W of the removable pad 17, when the material of the pouch 16 is unstretchcd is less than the width W of the removable pad 17. When the pouch 16 is stretched, the width of the pouch-receiving opening 164 is increased in order to receive the removable pad 17. Once the removable pad 17 has been inserted in to the pouch 16, the elasticity of the material of the pouch 16 causes the width of the pouch-receiving opening 164 to reduce to less than width W of the removable pad 17, thereby retaining the removable pad 17 within the pouch 16. To remove the removable pad 17 from the pouch 16, the pouch 16 is stretched to increase the width of the pouch-receiving opening 164 and the removable pad 17 is removed from the pouch 16 via the pouch-receiving opening 164. The internal dimensions of the pouch 16 are sized to provide a tight fit with the removable pad 17, such that the removable pad 17 does not move within the pouch 16 once inserted.

Figure 3 shows the garment 10 with the removable pad 17 inserted in the pouch 16, with the removable pad 17 shown in cross-section. When inserted, the removable pad 17 extends from the rear portion 12 of the main body 11 of the garment 10, between the two leg portions 14a,b and to the front portion 13.

As shown in Figure 3, the removable pad 17 is aligned with the permanent pad 15 and is held in position relative to the permanent pad 15 in use by pressure exerted by a user towards a saddle of a bicycle. A gripping interface (not shown) is further provided between the pouch and the main body of the garment to inhibit slipping between the pouch 16 and the rear portion 12 of the main body 11 of the garment 10.

In the embodiment of Figure 3, the gripping interface comprises a gripping surface on an underside of the pouch 16. In alternative embodiments, a gripping surface may be alternatively of additionally provided on an internal surface of the rear portion 12. In another alternative embodiment, the gripping interface is not provided and pressure alone is relied upon to maintain the removable pad 17 in position.

The removable pad 17 and the permanent pad 15 have complimentary profiles such that protrusions in the permanent pad 15 engage with recesses in the removable pad 17 and vice versa. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the dimensions of the pads 15, 17 are substantially the same. However in an alternative embodiment, the width of the removable pad 17 may be greater than the width of the permanent pad 15.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the garment 10 showing the pouch 16 in position ready to receive the removable pad 17. The pouch 16 further comprises a centre opening 19 which provides skin contact between a user and the removable pad 17 in use. The garment 10 further comprises fasteners in the form of fabric ties 20a,b which are described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 below. The tics 20a,b may be constructed from the same material as the main body 11 of the garment 10, or another suitable material that does not provide discomfort to a user.

In Figures 5 and 6, the removable pad 17 is not received within the pouch 16 because, for example, a user does not require the additional padding provided by the removable pad 17. in such a scenario, maintaining the pouch 16 in position between the leg portions 14a,b may result in undesirable friction in use. The pouch 16 is therefore pivoted to a side of the main body 11 of the garment 10 such that the pouch 16 extends along the inside of the waist portion 18. As shown in Figure 6, the ties 20a,b are used to fasten the pouch 16 to the side of the main body 11. Although the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6 comprises two ties 20a,b arranged on one side of the main body 11, alternative embodiments may comprise fewer or more than two tics 20a,b arranged on either or both sides of the main body 11. In other alternative embodiments, the fasteners do not comprise ties and instead comprise alternative fasteners, such as Velcro® straps or similar.

Figure 7 shows an external view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in the form of a garment 70. The garment 70 comprises all of the internal features of the garment 10 (not shown), apart from the resiliently biased waist band. Instead, the garment 70 takes the form of a pair of bib shorts held in position in use by resiliently biased straps 71a,b which extend over the shoulders of a user. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to shorts, and is also applicable to full length leggings retained in position in use by either a resiliently biased waist band or resiliently biased straps which extend over the shoulders of a user.

Claims

CLAIMSA garment for providing comfort when cycling, comprising: a main body comprising a front portion, a rear portion and two leg portions; a removable pad; and a pouch configured to receive the removable pad; wherein a first end of the pouch is attached to the front portion of the main body, a second end of the pouch is attached to the rear portion of the main body, and a middle portion of the pouch extending between the first and second ends of the pouch is suspended between the front and rear portions of the main body, such that the pouch is pivotable towards a side of the main body.
2. A garment for providing comfort when cycling, comprising: I5 a main body comprising a front portion, a rear portion and two leg portions; a permanent pad attached to the main body; a removable pad; and a pouch configured to receive the removable pad.
3 The garment of claim 2, wherein a first end of the pouch is attached to the front portion of the main body of the garment, a second end of the pouch is attached to the rear portion of the main body of the garment, and a middle portion of the pouch extending between the first and second ends of the pouch is suspended between the front and rear portions of the main body of the garment, such that the pouch is pivotable towards a side of the main body of the garment 4.
The garment of any preceding claim, wherein the pouch is located inside the main body of the garment.
The garment of any preceding claim, wherein the pouch comprises a centre opening to provide skin contact with the removable pad in use.
6. The garment of any of claims I or 3 to 5, wherein the pouch comprises a pad-receiving opening for receiving the removable pad.
7. The garment of claim 6, wherein the pad-receiving opening is located towards the first or second end of the pouch.
8. The garment of any of claimsl or 3 to 7, comprising a gripping interface between the pouch and the main body of the garment.
9. The garment of claim /I, wherein the gripping interface comprises a gripping surface located on an underside of the pouch.
10. The garment of claim 8 or 9, wherein the gripping interface comprises a gripping surface located on the main body of the garment.
11. The garment of any of claims 1 or 3 to 10, comprising a fastener configured to fasten the pouch to the side of the main body of the garment.
12. The garment of claim 11 wherein the fastener comprises a fabric tie.
13. The garment of any of claims 4 to 12 when dependent on claim 3, or the garment of any of claims 4 to 12 when dependent on claim 1 and further comprising a permanent pad attached to the main body of the garment, wherein the removable pad and the permanent pad have complimentary profiles.
14. The garment of any of claims 4 to 13 when dependent on claim 3, or the garment of any of claims 4 to 13 when dependent on claim 1 and further comprising a permanent pad attached to the main body of the garment, wherein the removable pad is formed from a first material and the permanent pad is formed from a second material.
15. The garment of claim 14, wherein the first material comprises a foam having a first density and the second material comprises a foam having a second density, the first density is greater than the second density.
16. The garment of claim 14, wherein one of the first material and the second material comprises a gel and the other of the first material and second material comprises a foam.
17 The garment of any of claims 4 to 16 when dependent on claim 3, or the garment of any of claims 4 to 16 when dependent on claim 1 and further comprising a permanent pad attached to the main body of the garment, wherein a greatest width of the removable pad is greater than a greatest width of the permanent pad.