IT201900001377A1 - SWEAT-PROOF DEVICE INTEGRATED IN FABRIC / MATERIAL ARTICLES - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION of the industrial invention entitled: SWEAT-PROOF DEVICE INTEGRATED IN FABRIC / MATERIAL ARTICLES.

TECHNIQUE SECTOR.

The present invention relates to a laminated structure suitable for use in articles of fabric and, in particular, for articles of clothing, footwear, headgear and other articles that can come into contact with a person's skin and its associated sweat. . Sweating is a physiological mechanism that serves to cool the human body, and a tissue that traps heat, that is, that does not let it escape to the outside will continue to make you sweat and therefore not cool. Therefore, the type of fabric is important for breathability. A special situation is armpit sweating, a major problem for millions of people. For some people it's a problem they face day in and day out. You always sweat for various reasons, for example, when you are under psycho-physical pressure or when facing a job interview. There are also many other individuals who sweat primarily only in stressful circumstances or during normal business hours or meetings. Regardless of the situation, always having wet armpits is a very uncomfortable feeling. It can be embarrassing, just as it is very embarrassing and disconcerting both in everyday work and in personal life. Very often, sweat stains also ruin clothing and leave marks.

THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM.

At the state of the art, the solution having international patent application number WO2004089614A2 is known concerning a laminate that includes several layers, of which a layer of fabric permeable to water vapor and another layer permeable to water vapor and resistant to the permeation of liquid water, having one or more sanitary agents between the layers. With respect to this technology, the present invention solves the problem of the thickness of the laminate, minimizing the width of the device and at the same time maintaining the transpiration properties.

In addition, there are several state-of-the-art remedies to improve, for example, breathability in the axillary area, or the "Tillflai" axillary shields, also called axillary pads, which are very discreet devices that are applied to clothes by positioning them in the axillary area, are disposable, absorbent and inexpensive, especially when compared to the cost of replacing a shirt or blouse that has been ruined due to sweat stains. The pads are easily applied with self-adhesive strips to shirts, blouses, dresses, and overalls. However, they have the drawback that, during the day, the pads can remove from the axillary position in which they were applied due to the non-permanent and long-lasting adhesive bonding; in addition, they leave a feeling of wet because the underarm area is in close contact with the pad applied to the garment. Sometimes, tampons need to be replaced several times during the day or several times as needed. Another solution is represented by Purax Pure Pads, devices that are worn directly on the skin that absorb liquids and enclose them in complete safety. This prevents the formation of odors and stains on clothing or shoes. These, in addition to the disadvantages seen in the previous solution, have the unfortunate drawback that they must be applied directly to the person's body. It should be noted that, with the current solutions known to the state of the art, for example in the presence of underarm sweats, in clothing items such as shirts, there are also aesthetic defects that often detract from the quality of a very important item of clothing. For example, a shirt, in a situation of underarm sweating, takes on two different colors from an aesthetic point of view compared to the remaining parts that make up the shirt, due to the condensation formed as a result of underarm sweating. Furthermore, when tampons or other devices are worn that are applied to garments or to the armpits directly, they create aesthetic defects in the garment worn when said garment remains visible such as the shirt, since although many of these solutions absorb perspiration , often these pads detach by dangling, or are able to be more visible from the outside due to the greater weight, amplifying the defects. And finally it should be noted that the solutions known to the state of the art, in the presence of such problems of sweating, leave a state of unpleasant comfort on the part of the person concerned due to the perceived wet sensations, which combined with the aesthetic ones often lead to real moments of discomfort.

The quality of a material for the transpiration process is a function of two factors, one is the conductivity of the base material, and the other is the insulating power of its final construction structure.

A basic principle of insulation is not represented by the material itself, but also by the air trapped inside it. All materials, more or less, are conductors, but one of the "materials" with the lowest thermal conductivity is air, which is why virtually the thicker the layer of air, the more insulating the material will be.

This means that a good insulating material avoids the dispersion of heat from our body to the outside. The ability of a material to favor or avoid the hot / cold exchange between two bodies at different temperatures is called a thermal bridge. A high thermal bridge creates a high degree of insulation, very low breathability, as the water vapor produced by the human body remains confined within the garment and / or shoe and condensation is created. To have a breathability with a numerical value of MVTR (Moisturevaportransmission rate)> 18,000 g / m2 / 24h or in other words, a RET (Resistance of Evaporation of a Textil) ranging from 0 to 6 (values included in this range indicate extremely membranes breathable), the present invention tends to make the driving force high (which is a function of temperature and humidity), i.e. the ability of a body to expel sweat through the layers of fabric or material.

The object of the present invention relates to a sweat-proof device, for example integrated in an article of clothing, such as a shirt, characterized by a transpiration and anti-condensation system arranged near the axillary area, which has the purpose of solving the problem of '' thermal insulation, promote breathability and eliminate the formation of condensation in the underarm area or sweat stains that form on the garment. The present invention improves, for example, the comfort of articles of clothing, such as shirts that are worn in combination with clothes, and produces a pleasant aesthetic effect by virtue of the elimination of condensation. The invention, in fact, allows to increase the user's comfort by definitively eliminating the unpleasant sensation of wetness, which in addition to the physical appearance, also creates psychological beneficial effects, eliminating the embarrassment problems that occur when the user is with wet armpits in the presence of other people.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a sweat-proof device for articles of fabric / material, such as clothing and / or footwear intended to be placed and integrated inside said articles in contact with the epidermis, for example in the axillary areas of the garments. of clothing or in the soles of shoes, composed of at least a first layer of hydrophobic material and / or fabric applied internally to the article, having a cavity made by means of said layer applied and distributed over the entire surface in a discontinuous way in the shape of a wave on the internal part of said article, where in the interspace there are three-dimensional cross-linked hydrophilic polymers (hydrogel).

The present device can be composed of several hydrophobic layers coupled together, for example three layers, in which a first layer of fabric is composed of cotton and nylon, a second layer is composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material placed on said first layer , a third layer of fabric is composed of cotton and nylon placed on said second layer, having one or more air spaces between the first and the second and / or between the second and the third layer of said device. For each cavity there are three-dimensional cross-linked hydrophilic polymers (hydrogel).

The invention is better understood by referring to the attached drawings, which illustrate some versions, by way of non-limiting example, in which:

Figure 3 (FIG.3) is a view showing a layer of the new device, according to the present invention, in an unassembled configuration;

Figure 4 (FIG.4) is a view showing three layers of the new device, according to the present invention, in an assembled configuration;

With reference to Figures 3-4, the new device consisting of a layer of material / fabric and / or with the combination of several layers of material / fabric (multilayer device) which are the subject of the present invention is indicated as a whole.

A possible configuration of the new device is represented by the association of two thin layers, joined together in such a way as to form a ventilated air chamber: a) the first layer in contact with the skin which has the function of allowing transpiration and rendering the water-repellent device in contact with the skin, is constituted for example by the tactel techno-fiber, composed of nylon polymers, with the purpose of transferring the humidity towards the thin and absorbent filaments of the external layer, allowing an effective evaporation; b) the second layer, for example consisting of the PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene membrane (Fig. 3), which has the task of letting the water vapor coming from the first layer (9) pass through, blocking any condensation that forms in this passage, leaving it downstream of the second layer (8), as due to its characteristics (PTFE), the condensate is no longer able to return; c) between the first and second layer a ventilated cavity is formed, composed of a thin layer of breathable and hydrophobic material (for example tactel fabric), distributed, for example in a wave shape as shown in Fig. 5 in which it is shown a profile of corrugated fabric between two layers (16), along its surface between the first (15) and the second layer (17), in such a way as to create the passage of air. The advantage of a ventilated air gap is represented by the ability to eliminate the transmission of moisture between one layer and another. However, the condensation that is created as a result of the thermal bridge is effectively intercepted by the three-dimensional cross-linked hydrophilic polymers (hydrogel) interposed between the gap present between the layers of the device. Hydrogels are capable of retaining large amounts of water in their three-dimensional networks and are available in both natural and synthetic forms.

To create the ventilated gap between the two layers, it is also possible to use spacer elements, for example in cylinder-shaped fabric, interposed for example between the layers.

Figure 4 shows an example of the new device duly integrated into the garment without limitation, consisting of three layers: from top to bottom (10) (skin - human body), first layer composed of tactel fabric ( 11), second layer composed of PTFE membrane (12), third layer composed of tactel fabric (13), shirt fabric (14). Between the layers there are cavities made through the layers themselves as shown for example in Fig. 5, in which the layer is distributed over the entire surface in a discontinuous wave-shaped mode (16) on the internal part of said article and in the cavities there are three-dimensional cross-linked hydrophilic polymers (hydrogel).

It will also be possible to add one or more sanitary agents and / or perfumes and / or deodorants between the layers and / or together with the cross-linked hydrophilic polymers of three-dimensional form (hydrogel) in order to avoid bad odors that could be created due to the proliferation of bacteria favored by the microclimate that is created between the layers of the device.

The device of the previous example Fig. 4, made for example in a diagonal shape (bias-cut), is perfectly placed on a cotton shirt (14) through, for example, the heat-sealing technique, positioned in the axillary area extending from the underarm to the armhole at shoulder height both anteriorly and posteriorly (see Fig1 and Fig.2 to understand the position and extent in which the device is applied). The sewing technique based on heat-sealing, in addition to completely and permanently sealing the new device, object of the present invention, becomes an integral part of the garment in which it is applied, making it completely invisible from the outside and fully and effectively carrying out the its functions.

With the example of Figure 4, the new device perfectly integrated with the garment, allows the wearer to have high breathability and the elimination of condensation, in fact any condensation that could form in the first layer (11), it will never come into contact with the skin, as due to the properties of the tactel techno-fiber, this condensation will dry quickly, leaving the skin always dry. Any condensation that instead forms between the second (12) and the third layer (13), will never go back, the water vapor will advance towards the outer layer (14) and any condensation formed will be absorbed from hydrophilic cross-linked polymers with a three-dimensional shape (hydrogel), eliminating any wet effect visible on the outside of the jacket (14).

The new device shown in Figure 4, finds particular application in cotton shirts, where, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the new device is applied with the technique, for example, of heat sealing near the "armhole" (front side) and "Underarm" (back side) at the height of the axillary area, and in particular, on the following parts that make up the shirt, "sleeve" (2), the "front" (5) and hips (5-6-7), integrating definitively with the shirt. The purpose of this application is to improve comfort in these garments, increase breathability and permanently eliminate the wet effect, both inside (contact with the skin) and outside the garment (visibility with the outside world). .

There may be numerous items of clothing and / or footwear or articles of fabric or other material in which the new device can be integrated. The combination of the characterizing and distinctive elements of the present invention, however, can be combined with solutions in terms of materials, colors, external shapes, dimensions as well as with one or more accessories, such as for example sanitary agents, will not determine rights other than those listed. in the description and claims of which the present invention promotes.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS 1. Sweat-proof device for fabric / material articles, intended to be placed and integrated inside said articles in contact with the epidermis, composed of at least a first layer of hydrophobic material and / or fabric applied internally to the article, having a cavity made by means of said layer applied and distributed over the entire surface in a discontinuous way in the shape of a wave on the internal part of said article, characterized in that in the cavity there are three-dimensional cross-linked hydrophilic polymers (hydrogel). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized by several layers of hydrophobic material and / or fabric coupled together, having one or more air spaces between said layers. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the interspace is made by means of spacer fabric pads placed in contact with said layers and that said fabric pads are distributed and applied discontinuously over the entire surface. 4. Device according to the preceding claims, characterized by three layers coupled together, in which a first layer of fabric is composed of cotton and nylon, a second layer is composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material placed on said first layer, a third layer of fabric is composed of cotton and nylon placed on said second layer, having one or more air spaces between first and second and / or between second and third layer of said device. 5. Device as per the preceding claims, characterized by the presence of sanitary agents and / or perfumes and / or deodorants interposed between the layers and / or together with the hydrophilic cross-linked polymers of three-dimensional shape (hydrogel).