WO1984003422A1

WO1984003422A1 - A comfort aid for sports persons

Info

Publication number: WO1984003422A1
Application number: PCT/AU1984/000030
Authority: WO
Inventors: Felix Anthony Bigeni; Anthony George Borg
Original assignee: Felix Anthony Bigeni; Anthony George Borg
Priority date: 1983-03-01
Filing date: 1984-02-29
Publication date: 1984-09-13
Also published as: AU529222B3; EP0135543A1

Abstract

A comfort aid for sports persons which serves the dual purpose of a collector of perspiration and as an applicator for a preparation such as a deodorant or a refreshing agent, preferably in the form of a preparation which will evaporate when applied to the epidermis to promote a cooling effect at the surface of the epidermis, said comfort aid comprising a wristband (1) with external fastening means (2) and a moisture absorbing strip of foamed plastics material (3) shorter than the circumference of the wristband (1) and charged with the said preparation and fastening means (4) on one surface of the strip (3) adapted to co-operate with the fastening means (2) to detachably mount the strip (3) on the wristband (2).

Description

A COMFORT AID FOR SPORTS PERSONS

This invention provides an aid for sports persons which serves the dual purpose of a collector of perspiration and as an applicator for deodorant or a refreshing agent for the epidermis of the wearer.

It is common practice for sports persons to wear elasticised cotton fabric headbands and wristbands, known as sweatbands, to soak up perspiration which has accumulated on the forehead and other exposed body surfaces during the playing of sports, particularly physically active sports such as tennis and squash. A headband does this automatically as the perspiration resulting from physical exertion accumulates on the forehead of the wearer and runs down towards the eyes. A wristband however must be applied to the perspiration accumulation on the brow or on the hands etc. of the wearer. Perspiration removal is accomplished by wiping the band across the brow or by wiping the palm of the sweating hand across the wristband, or vice versa.

The theory of kno n sweatbands as described above is sound and the effect that can be achieved is predictable but there is the problem of saturation of the band by perspiration. On a hot day or during heavy physical exertion a large amount of perspiration is produced and this can quickly result in the known form of sweatband becoming saturated requiring its replacement. Another consideratio is the well known fact that the act of wiping perspiration away does little to increase the feeling of well being of the sports person. A headband merely prevents salty perspiration from entering the eyes of the sports person where it would interfere with the efficiency of the sports person. A wristband when used to wipe the brow has the same effect. Neither a headband or a wristband when used to soak up perspiration has a cooling effect on the wearer.

This invention has been developed to fulfil the dual role of removing perspiration and at the same" time applying a preparation to the epidermis of the wearer which will improve the well being of the bearer. The invention is a comfort aid which comprises a wrist band with an associated readily replaced member which will absorb perspiration and which has been pre-treated with a preparation which, when placed on the epidermis of the user, will by evaporation produce a cooling effect and so induce a feeling of well being in the user, it may place a depsosit on the epidermis which is fragrant.

By means of the present invention the sports person can achieve the foregoing benefits with the accompanying facility of being able to strip the replaceable member in an instant from the wristband and replace it with a fresh member, either because the member is saturated with perspiration or the preparation charge is exhausted. The manner in which the member is attached to the wristband enables member replacement to be accomplished with less effort than is required to replace the wristband, which with presently known wristbands involves expanding the band and forcing it in a removal operation over the hand of the use and then in a reverse sequence place a fresh band on the wrist.

Broadly stated the invention can be said to comprise a comfort aid for sports person, said comfort aid comprising a wristband, a first fastening means on the external surface of the wristband, an absorbent strip of foamed plastics material shorter in length than the external circumference of the wristband and charged with a predetermined quantity of a preparation which will evaporate when applied to the epidermis to promote a cooling effect at the surface of the epidermis, and second fastening means on one surface of said strip to co-operate with ^'the first fastening means to releasably secure said strip to the exterior of said wristband.

The invention in a presently preferred form will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is an exploded perspective view of a wristband with first fastening means mounted thereon in juxtaposition to a strip with a second fastening means to co-operate with the first fastening means.

The wristband 1 is made of an elasticised woven cotton fabric and is dimensioned so as to elastically grip the wrist of the user but is capable of being expanded sufficiently to allow the hand of the user to pass therethrough. At several positions around the outer surface of the wristband 1 there are short sections of a first fastening means 2 which is preferably of the type comprised of a multitude of fine hook elements.

Although the band is preferably of the endless elasticised type just described it can have other forms, e.g. it can be a strip with end connectors allowing the strip to be mounted as a band around the wrist held in place by the end connectors. The strip can be elasticised to ensure a firm grip on the wrist of the user and should not be one which will restrict mvoe ents of the wrist, as would be the case if the strip was made of a non-extensible material such as leather. The connectors for the strip can be of many forms such as snap fasteners.

OMPI The strip identified as 3 in the drawing is adapted to be demountably secured to the wristband 1 by means of a second fastening means 4 which co-operates with the first fastening means 2. In the preferred arrangement the second fastening means 4 is a backing panel for the strip 3 which is securd to the strip 3, as by sewing or adhesive, and is comprised of a multitude of fine loops. The hooks and loops as herein described may be one of the common commercially available products known variously by the trade marks Velcro Hook & Loop, Crik Crak, Tic Tac and Touch Tape fastening.

Whilst the first fastening means 2 has been described as being in short sections located around the circumference of the wristband 1 it can be n the form of one or more larger panels. Where a single panel 2 is used the ends of the second fastening means 4 would be respectively secured to opposite edges of the single panel 2.

The strip 3 is made of a foamed plastics material, preferably polyurethane, which is very soft to the touch and has the ability to absorb and retain an impregnant and soak up moisture, e.g. perspiration. In one presently proposed arrangement the strip 3 is impregnated with a lanoline based skin freshing agent, preferably with an alcohol or like component. When an area of the epidermis is treated by passing the strip 3 thereover the transferred impregnant will evaporate and produce a cooling effect and there will be a residual lanoline film on the area treated.

In another arrangement the impregnant is a "powder" like medium which is comprised of a multitude of micro-capsules with an outer skin made of a plastics material. Each capsule is charged with Freon which can act as a fragrance carrier. When the wristband is passed over an area of the epidermis with light pressure some capsules will break and as a result the Freon will be released. The evaporation of the Freon, which is volatile, will promote a cooling effect and there may be a residue of fragrant liquid left upon the epidermis where the Freon is so charged.

It will be understood that the foregoing is a description of preferred impregnants and that other impregnants which will provide the desired effects can be used.

The strip 3 is also intended to provide a means to soak up perspiration and the nature of foamed polyurethane will allow this to happen. A commercial grade of foamed polyurethane identified as ME100 has proved to be very effective in the tests conducted to this time.

In the preferred form of the invention the strip 3 is sealed around its peripheral edges so as to provide a pleasant appearance and prevent edge "bleeding" of the impregnant.

In use the user would have the band 1 fitted on his wrist and would then remove a strip 3 from a package in which is would be packaged at manufacture, the package ensures the strip 3 is in a fresh fully impregnated condition up to the time of use. The strip 3 would then be oriented so one end of the backing material 4 is engaged with the first member of the group of first fastening means 2, or a leading edge of the fastening means if only one is provided. The strip 3 would then be wrapped around the wristband 1 to engage the other members of the fastening means 2 with the backing material 4 of the strip 3 or in the case of a single fastening means 2 the trailing edge thereof. The application of slight pressure when the strip 3 is mounted over the wristband 1 will ensure the secure attachment of the Velcro elements 2 and 4 resulting in the strip 3 being positively but removably mounted on the wristband 1.

When the strip 3 needs replacing, either because it has become so loaded with perspiration that it can hold no more or because the impregnant has become exhausted or because the perspiration soaked up by the strip 3 has diluted the impregnant to the extent that the user is not experiencing sufficient cooling effect after use, it is only necessary to grasp one end of the strip 3 and pull it in a radial outward direction and then a circular direction to remove it from the wristband 1. After the removal of a used strip 3 a new strip can be readily fitted to the wristband in the manner described above.

Claims

THE CLAIMS

1. A comfort aid for sports person, said comfort aid comprising a wristband, a first fastening means on the external surface of the wristband, an absorbent strip of foamed plastics material shorter in length than the external circumference of the wristband and charged with a predetermined quantity of a preparation which will evaporate when applied to the epidermis to promote a cooling effect at the surface of the epidermis, and second fastening means on one surface of said strip to co-operate with the first fastening means to releasably secure said strip to the exterior of said wristband.

2. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein said strip is made from foamed polyurethane and is sealed around its periphery to prevent edge leakage of said preparation.

3. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the wristband is an endless band of elasticised woven cotton fabric.

4. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first fastening means comprises at least one member fixed to the periphery of the wristband each member having on its outer exposed surface a multiplicity of fine hook-like elements and the second fastening means comprises a panel of flexible material fixed to one surface of said strip with a multiplicity of fine loop-like elements on its outer exposed surface, the hooks and loops being dimensioned to be interengageable.

5. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the preparation with which said strip is charged includes alcohol and lanoline.

6. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the preparation comprises a multitude of micro-capsules each charged with a fragrant volatile liquid.

7. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 6 where the liquid is Freon.

8. A comfort aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the preparation is a volatile liquid with or without an associated material having effects to promote the well being of the epidermis-.