Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: PROTECTIVE GARMENT WITH TAPERED POCKETS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0011 The present invention relates to the field of protective garments. More
specifically, the present invention relates to the field of protective
garments for
firefighters, wherein the protective garments have side pockets that vary in
depth.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0021 Ideally, protective garments for firefighters should be designed to
provide the
firefighter with both protection and functionality. Unfortunately, while many
protective garments are designed to protect against the harsh environmental
conditions to which the firefighters are exposed, not many protective garments
are
designed to provide the firefighters with improved functionality that could
facilitate
their jobs.
[0031 In order to provide good functionality in a firefighter's outer jacket,
it is
important that the jacket be relatively flexible and free of protrusions.
Flexibility is
important for permitting the firefighter to move freely and comfortably during
the
course of routine operations, and the absence of protrusions is important for
preventing the jacket from snagging or catching on things while the
firefighter is
working. The jacket must also provide the firefighter with the ability to
carry the
necessary tools of the trade, such as flashlights and screwdrivers. To this
end, many
existing firefighter jackets include pockets for carrying the firefighter's
various tools.
[0041 A deficiency with the pockets of existing firefighter jackets is that
they
generally hinder the functionality of the jacket, more than they help. Most
firefighter
jackets include two large pockets that are sewn directly onto the outer
material of the
jacket. Furthermore, these pockets are generally located at the bottom front
of the
jacket. It has been found that these pockets cause two major problems. The
first
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problem is that once the firefighter has placed his/her tools within the
pockets, the pockets
become bulky. This additional bulk and weight at the front of the jacket
prevents the
firefighter from being able to bend over and move comfortably, which restricts
the
firefighter's flexibility. The second problem is that once these pockets are
full, they protrude
outwardly from the front of the jacket. This means that they can easily snag
and catch on
things, which can be very dangerous for the firefighter. In addition, the
additional bulk at the
front of the firefighter's jacket can prevent the firefighter from being able
to squeeze through
tight doorways, and other confined spaces, which during an emergency situation
can cause the
firefighter to lose precious time.
[005] In light of the above, it can be seen that there is a need in the
industry for a
firefighter jacket that alleviates, at least in part, the deficiencies
mentioned above that are
associated with existing firefighter jackets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[006] In accordance with a first broad aspect, the present invention provides
a
firefighter jacket that comprises a torso-covering portion and at least one
pocket positioned on
the torso-covering portion. The pockets include an interior chamber and an
opening to the
interior chamber. The interior chamber has a width and a depth that varies
along the width.
[007] In accordance with a second broad aspect, the present invention provides
a
firefighter jacket that comprises a torso covering portion and at least one
pocket positioned on
the torso-covering portion. The torso-covering portion has a front side, a
back side and a pair
of sleeves, wherein the back-side is longer than the front side. The pockets
positioned on the
torso-covering portion extend from the front side towards the back side, and
define an interior
chamber that has a first width. The pocket comprises an opening to the
interior chamber. The
opening has a second width, wherein said first width is greater than the
second width.
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[007a] In accordance to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion, the torso-covering
portion comprising a
front section, a back section, a first side panel and a second side panel, the
first and second
side panels being joined to the front section along respective front seams,
and the first and
second side panels being joined to the back section along respective back
seams, the front
seams and the back seams extending to a bottom edge of the torso-covering
portion, wherein
the torso covering portion includes a front-side, a back-side and a pair of
sleeves, the back-
side being longer than the front-side such that the front-side extends
downwards towards the
back-side. The firefighter jacket further comprises at least one pocket
comprising an interior
chamber having a width and a depth, wherein the depth increases from the front-
side to the
back-side, and the width extends along the first side panel from one of the
front seams to one
of the back seams. The pocket further comprises an opening to the interior
chamber.
[007b] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion, the torso-covering
portion comprising a
front-side and a back-side each having a bottom edge portion, wherein the back-
side is longer
than the front-side, such that the bottom edge portion of the front-side
extends downwards
towards the bottom edge portion of the back-side. The firefighter jacket
further comprises a
pair of sleeves and at least one pocket positioned on the torso-covering
portion. Each of the at
least one pocket comprising a top edge, a bottom edge, a frontal side edge,
and a back side
edge, wherein the bottom edge of the pocket is generally coincident with at
least a portion of
the bottom edge portion of the front-side of the jacket and at least a portion
of the bottom edge
portion of the back-side of the jacket. The at least one pocket further
comprises an interior
chamber having a width and a depth, wherein the depth increases from the
frontal side edge to
the back side edge and an opening to the interior chamber, the opening being
accessible to a
wearer of the firefighter jacket from the front-side.
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[007c] According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion comprising a front-side
and a back-side,
wherein the back-side is longer than the front-side. The torso-covering
portion further
comprises a pair of sleeves. The firefighter jacket further comprises a pocket
comprising an
interior chamber having a width and a depth, wherein the depth of the interior
chamber is
greater towards the back-side of the torso-covering portion than towards the
front-side of the
torso-covering portion, and a bottom edge of the pocket that follows a bottom
edge portion of
the firefighter jacket and slopes from the front-side of the torso-covering
portion towards the
back-side of the torso-covering portion.
[007d] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion comprising a front-side
and a back-side,
wherein the back-side is longer than the front-side and a pair of sleeves. The
firefighter jacket
further comprises at least one pocket that extends from the front-side of the
torso-covering
portion to the back-side of the torso-covering portion, each of the at least
one pockets
comprising an interior chamber having a width and a depth, wherein the depth
increases from
the front-side to the back-side of the torso-covering portion and a bottom
edge that slopes
from the front-side of the torso-covering portion towards the back-side of the
torso-covering
portion, such that items placed within the at least one pocket during wear of
the firefighter
jacket are caused to locate themselves towards the back-side of the torso-
covering portion.
[007e] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion comprising a front-side
and a back-side,
wherein the back-side is longer than the front-side, and a pair of sleeves.
The firefighter jacket
further comprises a pocket comprising an interior chamber having a width and a
depth,
wherein the depth of the interior chamber is greater towards the back-side of
the torso-
covering portion than towards the front-side of the torso-covering portion, a
frontal side edge
and a back side edge, the back side edge of the pocket being longer than the
frontal side edge,
and a pleat positioned between the frontal side edge and the back side edge.
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[007fJ According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion, the torso-covering
portion comprising a
front section and a back section, the front section and the back section being
joined together
by a first side panel and a second side panel, the first and second side
panels being joined to
the front section along respective front seams, and the first and second side
panels being
joined to the back section along respective back seams, the front seams and
the back seams
extending to a bottom edge of the torso-covering portion. The firefighter
jacket
further comprises at least one pocket, each of the at least one pockets
comprising an interior
chamber having a width and a depth, wherein the depth varies along the width,
and the width
extends along the first side panel from one of the front seams to one of the
back seams and an
opening to the interior chamber.
[007g] According to still a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
firefighter jacket comprising a torso-covering portion, the torso-covering
portion comprising a
front-side and a back-side each having a bottom edge portion, wherein the back-
side is longer
than the front-side, such that the bottom edge portion of the front-side
extends downwards
towards the bottom edge portion of the back-side. The firefighter jacket
further comprises at
least one pocket positioned on the torso-covering portion, each of the at
least one pockets
comprising a top edge, a bottom edge, a frontal side edge, and a back side
edge, wherein the
bottom edge of the pocket is generally coincident with the bottom edge portion
of the jacket
and slopes from the front-side of the torso-covering portion towards the back-
side of the
torso-covering portion, an interior chamber having a width and a depth,
wherein the depth
increases from the frontal side edge to the back side edge and an opening to
the interior
chamber, the opening being accessible to a wearer of the firefighter jacket
from the front-side
of the torso-covering portion.
[0081 These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now
become
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following
description of
specific embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[009] In the accompanying drawings:
[010] Figure 1 shows a front plan view of a firefighter jacket in accordance
with a
non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention;
[011] Figure 2 shows a back plan view of the firefighter jacket of Figure 1;
[012] Figure 3 shows a right side view of the firefighter jacket of Figure 1;
[013] Figure 4 shows a left side view of the firefighter jacket of Figure 1;
[014] Figure 5A shows an expanded view of a pocket in accordance with a first
non-limiting
example of implementation of the present invention, wherein the pocket is in a
closed
position.
[015] Figure 513 shows the pocket of Figure 5A in an open position;
[016] Figure 6 shows an expanded view of a pocket in accordance with a second
non-
limiting example of implementation of the present invention, wherein the
pocket is in a closed
position.
[017] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent
to
those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description
of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0181 Show in Figures 1 and 2 is an outer jacket 10 in accordance with a non-
limiting example of implementation of the present invention. The outer jacket
10 is
suitable for use as a protective garment for a firefighter and comprises a
torso-
covering portion 12 and a pair of sleeves 18 and 20. The torso-covering
portion 12
includes a front side 14, a back side 16, a head opening 22, a lower-trunk
opening 24
and a frontal opening 26 which extends from the head opening 22 to the lower-
trunk
opening 24.
[0191 In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the frontal opening 26 is shown in
the
closed position. It should be understood that the frontal opening 26 can be
opened and
closed such that a wearer can don and un-don the outer jacket 10. In
accordance with
a non-limiting embodiment, the frontal opening 26 is closable via a zip,
however, any
other fastening device known in the art, such as VelcroTM, poppers or buttons
could
also be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the
embodiment
shown in Figure 1, the frontal opening 26 is further covered via a flap 28 for
additional protection. The flap 28 can be opened and closed such that the
wearer can
gain access to the frontal opening 26. In accordance with a non-limiting
embodiment,
the flap 28 is closable via a VelcroTM fastener.
[0201 The outer jacket 10 can be made of multiple different materials and
layers. In
a non-limiting embodiment, the outer jacket 10 includes an inner layer and an
outer
layer. The inner layer typically comprises a moisture barrier fabric sewn
together with
an aramid facecloth that is quilted to an aramid batting. This provides the
outer jacket
10 with thermal insulation. The outer layer is generally made of a woven
aramid fiber
and/or polybenzamidazole fibers, which provides the jacket 10 with flame,
abrasion
and pierce resistance. It should be understood that other materials and
constructions
for jacket 10 could also be considered without departing from the spirit of
the
invention.
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[021] As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the back side 16 of jacket 10 is longer
than the
front side 14. For the purposes of the present invention, the division between
the front
side 14 of the jacket 10 and the back side 16 of the jacket 10 occurs at an
imaginary
line 30 (shown in Figures 3 and 4) which is drawn from the point where the
sleeves
5 18 and 20 join the torso-covering portion 20 at the upper arm, to the point
where the
sleeves 18 and 20 join the torso-covering portion 20 at the underarm. This
line can be
extended up to the head opening 22 and down to the lower-trunk opening 24. As
such,
the portion of the torso-covering portion 12 that is forward of this imaginary
line 30 is
considered the front side 14 of the jacket 10, and the portion of the torso-
covering
portion 12 that is rearward of this imaginary line 30 is considered the back
side 16 of
the jacket 10.
[022] In the non-limiting embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the outer
jacket 10 is constructed from a front panel 34, that is divided into two
halves by the
frontal opening 26, two side panels 36a and 36b and a back panel 38. As such,
the
front panel 34 and a portion of each of the two side panels 36a and 36b forms
the
front side 14 of the jacket 10, and the back panel 38 and a portion of each of
the two
side panels 36a and 36b forms the back side 16 of the jacket 10. It should be
understood that in alternative embodiments of the invention, the jacket 10 may
include more or less panels than those shown in Figures 1,2, 3 and 4.
[023] As mentioned above, the back-side 16 of the jacket 10 is longer than the
front
side 14 of the jacket. More specifically, the bottom edge 32 of the jacket
tapers
downward from the front side 14 of the jacket 10 to the back side 16 of the
jacket 10.
In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the two side panels 36a and 36b taper
downwards from the front panel 34 to the back panel 38, which are each of
different
lengths. Due to this tapering downwards of the bottom edge 32, there is a
difference
in length "X" between the bottom edge's highest point A on the front side 14
to the
bottom edge's lowest point B on the back side 16. In a preferred embodiment,
the
difference in length between these two points is in the range of 2 to 8
inches.
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[0241 As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 the outer jacket 10 includes two
pockets 40a
and 40b. It should be understood that an outer jacket 10 that includes only
one pocket,
or that includes three or more pockets, is also included within the scope of
the present
invention.
[0251 Each of pockets 40a and 40b extends from the front side 14 of the outer
jacket
towards the back side 16 of the outer jacket 10, and tapers downwardly as it
extends from front to back. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, pockets 40a
and
40b form part of the side panels 36a and 36b respectively.
[0261 The pockets will now be described in more detail with reference to the
expanded view of pocket 40a shown in Figures 5A and 5B. For the purposes of
simplicity, only pocket 40a will be described below. It should be understood,
however, that since pockets 40a and 40b are substantially identical, the
following
description applies to both pockets 40a and 40b.
[027] Referring now to Figures 5A and 513, it is shown that pocket 40a
comprises an
interior chamber 56 that is defined by a top edge 42, a bottom edge 44, a
frontal side
edge 46 and a back side edge 48. The interior chamber 56 is formed between an
outer
surface 52 and an inner surface 54. Each of the top edge 42, bottom edge 44,
frontal
side edge 46 and back side edge 48 is formed via a seam joining the outer
surface 52
and inner surface 54 together. Pocket 40a further comprises an opening 50,
such that
the wearer can inserts items into, and withdraw items from, the interior
chamber 56 of
the pocket 40a.
[0281 In accordance with the present invention, and as shown in Figure 5A, the
interior chamber 56 of the pocket 40a has a width 43 and a depth 45, wherein
the
depth 45 of the interior chamber 56 varies over the width 43 of the pocket
40a. In the
non-limiting embodiment shown, the depth 45 of the pocket 40a increases as the
pocket 40a extends from the front side 14 of the jacket 10 towards the back
side 16 of
the jacket 10. As such, the back side edge 48 of the pocket 40a is longer than
the
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frontal side edge 46, and the bottom edge 44 is longer than the top edge 42.
In
addition, the distance between the top edge 42 and the bottom edge 44 of the
pocket
40a increases as the pocket 40a extends from front to back.
[029] In the embodiment shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the bottom edge 44 of the
pocket is coincident with the bottom edge 32 of the jacket 10, and as such
tapers
downwardly towards the back side 16 of the jacket 10 along with bottom edge
32. In
an alternative example of implementation, the pocket 40a can be positioned
above the
bottom edge 32 of the jacket. In such a case, the bottom edge 44 of the pocket
40a
may be parallel to the bottom edge 32 of the jacket 10, but not coincident.
[030] The fact that pocket 40a increases in depth as it extends towards the
back side
16 of the jacket 10 improves the functionality of the jacket in at least two
ways.
Firstly, the functionality is improved by providing the jacket 10 with a
relatively deep
pocket in which the firefighter can place his/her tools, while preventing the
need for a
long front side 14 of the jacket. Since the deepest part of pocket 40a is
positioned
towards the back-side 16 of the jacket, the jacket 10 can have a shorter front
side 14,
while still having a deep pocket in which long items, such as flashlights and
screwdrivers, can be placed. When the front-side 14 of the jacket 10 is
shorter in
length, the firefighter's ability to move and bend is improved, thereby
improving the
overall functionality of the jacket 10.
[031] Secondly, the functionality of the jacket is improved by preventing the
items
placed within pocket 40a from bunching up at the front of the jacket 10. By
increasing
the depth of the pocket 40a towards the back side 16 of the jacket 10, the
tools placed
therein will naturally fall more towards the side and rear of the jacket 10
than the
front of the jacket. As such, the items placed within pocket 40a do not hinder
the
frontal bending movement of the firefighter. In addition, safety is improved
since
sharp objects contained within pocket 40a are kept away from the front of the
body
and are moved off to the side of the jacket where there is no body bending,
and thus
less risk of injury.
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[032] Although in the embodiment shown in the Figures, the bottom edge 44 of
the
pocket 40a tapers continuously downwards until it meets the back side edge 48,
it
should be understood that other embodiments are included within the scope of
the
invention. For example the bottom edge 44 may taper downwards towards the back-
side 16 of the jacket 10, and then once a certain depth has been reached, the
bottom
edge 44 may become parallel to the top edge 42 of the pocket. Alternatively,
the
bottom edge 44 may form a V-shape, such that the deepest portion of the pocket
occurs at the mid-point of the pocket. Other embodiments wherein the depth of
the
pocket varies along the pocket's width are also included within the scope of
the
present invention.
[033] In accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention,
the
outer surface 52 of the pocket 40a forms an integral part of the outer surface
of the
overall jacket 10. In the embodiment shown, pocket 40a forms an integral part
of the
side panel 36a. More specifically, pocket 40a is not just sewn on top of the
outer
material of the jacket 10a. Instead, the outer surface 52 of pocket 40a forms
a portion
of the outer surface of the overall jacket 10.
[034] Due to the fact that the outer layer 52 of pocket 40a is part of the
outer surface
of the overall jacket, pocket 40a does not protrude outwardly as much as a
traditional
pocket that is sewed directly onto the outer surface of the jacket. This means
that
pocket 40a does not create as big of an outward protrusion when it is filled
with items.
As such, pocket 40a is less likely to snag and catch on things during the
course of the
firefighter's routine activities, thereby further improving the safety and
functionality
of jacket 10.
[035] As mentioned above, some of the items that are placed within pockets 40a
and
40b can be very sharp, such as screwdrivers for example. Therefore, in a non-
limiting
example of implementation, pocket 40a includes internal reinforcement such
that the
sharp objects contained within the pocket cannot pierce through and hurt the
wearer.
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In a non-limiting embodiment, the internal reinforcement consists of a pierce
resistant
material between the interior chamber 56 of the pocket, and the wearer's body.
As such, in
accordance with a first embodiment, the inner surface 54 of the pocket 40a is
formed of an
abrasion and pierce resistant aramid material, such as Kevlar made by Dupont.
In this
manner, in the case where the firefighter falls down, or has to squeeze
through a tight space,
he/she will reduce the risk of being injured by any sharp contents of the
pocket that may
puncture through the pocket 40a. Although Kevlar is mentioned above, it
should be
understood that any other pierce resistant material known in the art could
also be used
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[036] Furthermore, instead of the inner surface 54 of the pocket 40a being
formed of
pierce resistant material, it is possible that both the outer surface 52 and
the inner surface 54
are formed of a non-pierce resistant. In such a case, one or both of the inner
layer 54 or the
outer layer 52 of the pocket 40a could be lined with a pierce resistant
material in order to
improve the safety of the jacket 10.
[037] In the non-limiting example of implementation shown in Figures 5A and
513,
the opening 50 to the interior chamber 56 of pocket 40a is covered with a flap
58. The flap 58
serves to prevent water and debris from entering the pocket 40a. In the
embodiment shown in
Figures 5A and 513, the flap includes a fastening device in the form of
VelcroTM patches 60 in
order to keep the flap closed. It should be understood that other fastening
devices know in the
art, such as buttons, zippers and snaps, could also be used without departing
from the spirit of
the invention. In yet another alternative embodiment, it is possible that
there is no flap and/or
no fastening device at all.
[038] As shown in Figure 513, the opening 50 to the interior chamber 56 has a
width
62. In accordance with the present invention, the width 43 of the pocket 40a
is greater than
the width 62 of the opening. In the embodiment shown, the opening 50 is
positioned on the
upper edge 42 of pocket 40a closer to the frontal side edge 46 than the back
side edge 48. As
such, the opening 50 does not extend as far towards the
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back-side 16 of the jacket 10 as the pocket 40a. In this manner, it is easier
for the
wearer to access the opening 50 for placing and removing items from within
pocket
40a. It should be understood, however, that the opening 50 could be positioned
at
other locations without departing from the spirit of the invention.
5
[039] Shown in Figure 6, is a pocket 70 in accordance with an alternative
example
of implementation of the present invention. In this embodiment, the opening
(not
shown) to the pocket 70 is positioned at an angle with respect to the top edge
74 and
the frontal side edge 76. In this manner, the opening to the pocket may be
easier for
10 the wearer to access.
[040] In many cases, firefighters wear self-contained breathing apparatus in
order to
assist them in their breathing when they are exposed to smoky air. Such
breathing
apparatus generally include straps that attach around the wearer's waist. A
common
problem with existing pockets, is that the waist straps of the firefighter's
self-
contained breathing apparatus cover the opening to the pockets, thereby
preventing
the firefighter from gaining access to the pocket easily.
[041] Referring back to Figures 1 and 2, it is shown that pockets 40a and 40b
are
positioned relatively low on the torso covering portion 12 of jacket 10. As
such, in a
non-limiting embodiment, the pockets 40a and 40b are designed to sit below the
area
where the straps of the firefighter's self-contained breathing apparatus would
be
positioned. In this manner, access to the pockets 40a and 40b will not be
hindered by
the breathing apparatus straps.
[042] Although the pockets 40a and 40b have been described herein with respect
to
an outer jacket 10 for a firefighter, it should be understood the pockets
according to
the present invention that vary in depth along their width could be included
within
any form of protective garment. For example, such pockets could be included on
an
inner jacket, on a pair of pants, or on a pair of coveralls, without departing
from the
spirit of the present invention.
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10431 Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail
with
reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and refinements
are
possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the
scope of
the invention should be limited only by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
