Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
l. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to covers enabling the
protection of any object, or any space, by isolating it from
S the external medium, and which are formed from an extendible
material.
More precisely it relates to a protective system
which is principally constituted by a web of high strength
textile material, having isolating properties and a high,
well distributed elastic ratio.
According to the invention, such a protective system
is intended particularly for isolating from the external
; medium complex, objects of diverse shapes, the textile
material of the cover being such that it can mould itself
around different shapes and be held in stretched form on the
objects in a particularly simple manner.
2 Description of the Prior Art
.
In fact it is already known to protect objects by
isolating them from the external medium by a cover which
envelopes them. However, currently known protective systems
of this type, using principally a woven textile material,
have well determined shapes according to the use for which
they are intended. It is hence necessary to know exactly
the object which it is desired to protect, to take the
measurement thereof, and to form a description thereof, to
determine the assembly pattern for the different elements
which, once cut-out and assembled, will enable the object
- to be fitted therewith. The protective cover is therefore
in this case the three-dimensional replica of the space of
the object to be protected and its formation demands pre-
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paratory operations which require time, accuracy and also
often pose problems of decomposition of a three-dimensional
shape into flat elements capable of providing the shape
after assembly. These known covers can only henee serve
for the protection of the ~bject alone for which they have
been manufactured.
In addition, their use is not always easy. In fact,
these covers, manufactured of a flexible but non-elastic
material, are 'inert', very difficult to position correctly
(formation of folds, of pockets), and it is often necessary
to add to them an auxiliary attachment system to make them
fast to the object that they protect. For example, a cord
and eyelet system, which necessitates, in addition, the
provision of corresponding fasteners on the object.
It is an object of the invention to provide a
protective cover which overcomes one or more of the above
indicated drawbacks.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
. _ _ _ . _ . . .
According to the invention there is provided a
protective system which is formed essentially from a combi-
nation of the use of a textile fibre knitted fabric, coated
with a waterproofing layer, for the manufacture of a cover
and a system for tensioning the latter which consists of
providing fastening pockets in the shape itself of the
cover to stretch it for use on the object.
Whereas the fabrics currently used are formed of
two series of threads interlaced at right angles, composing
a practically rigid texture, a knitted fabrie, such as that
which is used in the present invention, is distinguished
therefrom by the fact that it is formed of a network of
interwoven loops, in which a same thread forms a series of
loops or meshes. These are generally cloths currently
called jerseys. It is known to render such knitted fabrics
waterproof by means of a waterproofing layer which is
constituted by a film of elastomeric material, of the poly-
urethane type for example, which, during the manufacture
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of the web, here of the cover, is glued hot to the knitted
fabric. The elastomeric film has an elasticity of the
same order of magnitude as that of the knitted fabric and
the two surfaces are pressed to one another whilst the
whole is heated to a sufficient temperature to cause the
surface fusion of the elastomer which is thus fixed to the
knitted fabric on cooling.
The application of such a complex web in the pro-
tective system according to the invention, enables the
production of protective covers of simple shape, and their
use to protect objects of complex three-dimensional shapes
and of different sizes and volumes, by using the consider-
able reserves of elasticity offered by a so constituted
cover.
To keep the waterproofed elastic web on the object
to be protected, the cover preferably includes pockets
formed at the ends adaptable to the projecting portions of
the object. Such pockets are formed by a second thickness
of web assembled by sewing tothe principal surface which
covers the object, the sewing being effected so as to be
both elastic and waterproof.
In a preferred case of the use of the invention,
the cover is designed to protect pneumatic boats. The same
model of the cover according to the invention enables the
protection of a whole range of boats of different sizes
and shapes where it concerns models having rigid projecting
portions corresponding to the position of pockets on the
cover.
The invention will now be described more fully
with reference to a preferred embodiment for the protection
of pneumatic boats. The description refers to the
accompanying drawings and is given purely by way of non-
limiting illustration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
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Figure 1 shows the boat protected by an embodiment
of a cover according to the invention, in generally per-
spective view
Figuxe 2 shows a profile of the embodiment of
Figure l;
Figure 3 is a similar view to that of Figure 2, bllt
for the boat equipped with its engine;
Figure 4 shows the upper part of the cover in
natural position before being placed over the boat;
Figure 5 shows the cover of Figure 4, seen from
below; and
Figure 6 illustrates a modified embodiment of the
cover, seen from below.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the particular case of the embodiment concerned,
the cover according to the invention is shaped to serve for
the protection of pneumatic boats which comprise essen-
tially, like those which are marketed under the trademarks
Zodiac and Sillinger, two inflated lateral tubular members
1 and 2 on each side of a central floor 7 meeting to form
the bows of the boat.
It is hence seen that such a boat forms three pro-
jecting portions which are constituted, on the one hand by
the bows 3, and on the other hand by the rear ends or
sterns 4, 5, generally conical, of the two tubular members.
The natural shape of the cover, before stretching
over the boat, is seen in Figures 4 and 5. The upper part
8 is of simple shape, substantially rectangular, with only
three triangular extensions 9, 10 and 11. The first, 9,
is located at the middle of a small side of the cover, for
the bows of the boat. The two others, 10 and 11, are
arranged laterally for the ends of the tubular members.
On the opposite surface (beneath), the cover comprises
three portions 12, 13, 14, which cover the extensions 9,
10 and 11. In the modification of Figure 6, the three por-
tions are coupled by lateral strips 15 and 16.
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The web in which the different parts of the cover
are cut out is constituted by a textile fabric knitted from
fibres of high elasticity, such as textured artificial
fibres. In particular there may be used a jersey which is
; 5 composed of a mixture of polyamide fibres and of fibres of
the type denoted by the trademark Lycra, in the proportion
of the order of 80% and 20% respectively. In addition to
this knitted fabric, the complex web includes a weather-
proofing film of an elastomer such as polyurethane resins.
In the manufacture of the web, this film is heat sealed on
to the knitted fabric. In another embodiment, the web use-
ful for constituting the cover comprises three layers of
material: two thicknesses of elastic knitted textile
enclosing a waterproofing layer of foam of an elastomer of
the type of that sold under the trademark Neoprene or
Hypalon.
The various elements cut out from such webs in the
shapes of the top 8 and of the three parts of the bottom
12, 13, 14, are assembled together on the periphery of the
cover by stitching carried out so as to have substantially
the same properties of elasticity and fluid-tightness as
the web itself. In general, textured threads are used, in
the stitching four chain stitch needles and the water-
proofing is effected by glueing by means of an elastic
adhesive (with Neoprene, for example). The cover includes
in addition reinforcing braids which are stitched on all
the unconnected edges, at 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, in
Figure 5~
Figure 4 shows also on the top 8 of the cover, a
hole 23 which can be used for the passage of the flag-pole
of certain boats. In addition, it illustrates the use of
one of the pockets of the cover for its storage. The whole
of the cover can be folded and inserted inside the pocket
which can then be closed by a system comprising two co-
operating strips, one 24 on the top of the cover, seen inFigure 4, the other on the thickness of the under part, not
visible in Figure 5.
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Naturally the invention is in no way limited to
the embodiments which have been described, whether relating
to the shape of the cover, the constitution of the web or
of the method of assembly. It is capable of numerous modi-
fications, the cover being adaptable to numerous uses. Acover for automobiles will include, for example, pockets
in the shape of the front and rear bumpers, whilst a military
vehicle will not lack projecting portions to which pockets
could be fitted designed for this purpose.
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