Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Piece of garment and system for sealinglYjoiningpieces of garment
The invention relates to an item of clothing, in particular a glove, a shoe or
a head covering,
of the type outlined in the introductory parts of claims I and 2, as well as a
system for pro-
viding a fluid-tight connection between two items of clothing which can be
worn on a body
and can be so adjacent to one another, for example a glove and sleeve or a
shoe and trouser
leg, as described in the introductory part of claim 24.
Items of clothing such as gloves or shoes are known from the prior art, which
are at least
partially made from waterproof material in order to protect an interior
surrounded by the
item of clothing from undesirable ingress by fluid. Connecting mechanisms for
providing a
fluid-tight coupling between two items of clothing are also known from the
prior art.
Utility model DE 78 19 843 U 1, for example, discloses a glove, in particular
for motorcy-
clists, which has a collar surrounding the wrist of a user, and the collar is
surrounded by an-
other, outer collar. In order to couple this glove with a sleeve of another
item of clothing, the
outer collar is pulled over the sleeve part, and a fluid penetrating the
interior between the inner
and outer collar can be directed away through a cut-out or orifice provided in
the outer collar.
The disadvantage of a glove of this design is that moisture can be prevented
from penetrating
the sleeve only when the hand and the arm are in a certain angled position -
as is the case
when steering a motor cycle - but in the event of more intensive contact of
the fluid with the
entire sleeve and hand region and if the arm changes position in an undefined
manner, water
is able to penetrate the interior via the connecting region without any
difficulty. Another
problem encountered with a glove of this type is that if there is a stitched
connection be-
tween the collar and the glove, there is not an adequate seal against
penetration by liquid in
this connecting region unless additional sealing elements are used, such as a
sealing tape
adhered or welded above the stitched seam, because the waterproof functional
layer is perfo-
rated due to the stitching.
Patent specification DE 196 01 561 C 1 discloses a waterproof glove, which has
a shaft built
onto an outer material and a waterproof collar tube extending underneath the
shaft. Provided
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between the shaft of the collar tube is a sleeve receiving groove, in which
the bottom end
region of a sleeve of an item of clothing worn by the user of the glove can be
inserted. A
groove base disposed in the region of a collar bottom edge is sealed to
prevent the passage of
any water which might be disposed in the sleeve receiving groove to the
interior of the
glove, and a top length of the collar tube is dimensioned so that when the
hand wearing the
glove is positioned so that water can collect in the sleeve receiving groove,
water disposed in
the sleeve groove is not able to reach the collar top edge.
The disadvantage of a glove of this type is that water is able to get into the
sleeve receiving
groove and this water is able to rise as far as a collar top edge of the
collar tube lying on the
internal face of the sleeve. If the hand and the arm of a user wearing a glove
of this type is
fully immersed in water, there is no guarantee that liquid can be prevented
from getting into
the interior of the sleeve or the glove. Especially in the event of changing
and sudden arm
movements by a user under water, as would be the case during a diving or
swimming move-
ment, water is likely to get into the glove and sleeve interior with a glove
of this design. A
glove of this type is therefore not suitable for applications in which the
user needs a large
freedom of movement or flexibility of the arms whilst simultaneously in
intensive contact
with liquid.
Generally speaking, the disadvantage of items of clothing such as gloves known
from the
prior art which can be coupled with other items of clothing and which are
sealed to protect
against ingress by a foreign substance is that either they are uncomfortable
to wear and per-
mit only a limited freedom of movement due to the use of mechanical connecting
mecha-
nisms of a large and complicated construction, for example in the form of
threaded, catch or
snap-in connections of two connecting rings with a sealing element inserted in
between, or
the measures taken in some applications to prevent penetration by fluid are
not as reliable as
they should be if the connecting region is made from thin and flexible
material layers, such
as textile fabrics, laminates, membranes, etc..
Above all for persons and staff working with water, there is a need for items
of clothing
which can be coupled with one another which are very comfortable to wear and
have excel-
lent tactile properties on the one hand, and which ensure a high level of
protection against
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ingress by water in conjunction with other items of clothing on the other
hand. Ingress by
water must be prevented because a person who unintentionally finds himself in
water is also
at high risk of drowning because direct water contact with the human body
causes paralysis
or numbness of the body due to the cold, making swimming movements to safety
or grab-
bing rescue equipment such as life belts impossible. Furthermore, liquid is
sucked into the
interior of the glove and the rest of the body clothing of the user and
collects, thereby height-
ening the downward driving movement in the direction towards the surface below
the water -
and hence the risk of drowning.
Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to overcome the
disadvantages de-
scribed above in connection with items of clothing, in particular gloves,
shoes or headwear,
and to propose an item of clothing as well as a system by means of which
reliability in pre-
venting undesirable ingress by foreign substances, in particular penetration
by water, to the
clothing can be improved, whilst simultaneously ensuring that wearing comfort
and freedom
of movement for a user wearing this item of clothing are no worse.
This objective is achieved by the invention on the basis of the features
defined in the charac-
terising part of claim 1. The advantage gained as a result of these features
primarily resides
in the fact that, opting for a very simple construction of the attachment for
another item of
clothing, a transition region with an increased and more reliable sealing
capacity is provided
between two items of clothing. Due to the fact that the attachment of the
glove for the other
item of clothing is functionally separate from the lining and is formed by at
least one mate-
rial layer of the item of clothing, the respective elements can be designed
exclusively for
their intended purpose. This means that the at least one material layer of the
lining can be
very finely adapted to the anatomical aspects of users so that the comfort of
the item of
clothing when worn can be optimised, especially as regards the tactile
properties. For exam-
ple, a sealing functional layer may be designed so that it is very thin,
preferably in the man-
ner of a membrane, and flexible, because it is integrated in the layered
structure of the glove
and is optionally protected by the top layer and an internally lying lining
layer. The collar
and the cuff of the attachment can therefore be made to a design optimised for
their intended
purpose - coupling with another item of clothing - and the collar and the
membrane may be
made from a material that is particularly suitable for this purpose, without
it being absolutely
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necessary to take account of the properties of the item of clothing needed for
the lining, for
example obtaining a sense of touch and feeling as well as freedom of movement.
For exam-
ple, it is not usually necessary to use a material that actively breathes or
is sensitive for the
collar and the cuff- by contrast with the material layers of the item of
clothing - which
means that conventional and proven sealing materials may be used for these
elements, pref-
erably elastomers such as rubber for example, by means of which a reliable
seal of the con-
necting region can be assured and which enable use to be made of mechanical
effects and
forces, such as an active tension, for reinforcing the sealing region. The
expedient design of
the attachment therefore results in a better seal of the coupling region
between two items of
clothing on the one hand, and, because of the proven structure of the at least
one material
layer and the lining, the comfort and freedom of movement of the items of
clothing are not
restricted during wearing, on the other hand. Since the functional layer of
the item of cloth-
ing in the region of the attachment is not perforated by its fixing means, a
particularly inex-
pensive and compact structure of the item of clothing can be achieved because
no additional
sealing elements are needed to seal perforations.
Another independent solution to the objective addressed by the invention is
achieved on the
basis of the features defined in the characterising part of claim 2, and as a
result of the spe-
cial design of the collar disposed on the external face of the shaft lying in
intimate contact
with the top layer, the transition zone sealed against foreign substances
between two items of
clothing is of a compact and functional design during use of the items of
clothing. In view of
the fact that the collar can be positioned in two positions, the coupling
operation is made
simple and comfortable when the collar is in the released position on the one
hand, and, on
the other hand, a tight seal and reliable connection can be established
between the two items
of clothing in the closed position. In this respect, it is of particular
advantage that the attach-
ment is disposed on the external face or internal face of the glove, as a
result of which the
cuff is readily accessible for the operation of coupling with the other item
of clothing and the
collar can be easily moved.
Also of advantage is an embodiment defined in claim 3, because the use of a
stretchable and
elastically reboundable material for the cuff and/or the collar of the first
item of clothing
and/or the connecting piece of the other item of clothing enables inner
tensions to be created
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when the material is stretched accordingly, in which case the elements in the
coupling region
can be placed one above the other with a mechanical pre-tensioning. The radial
forces acting
between the cuff and the connecting piece and/or the collar and the connecting
piece as a
result strengthen the seat of the seal in the coupling region.
Embodiments as defined in claims 4 or 5 are of advantage because a functional
layer which
is separate from the attachment may be intact or not perforated, which
provides a reliable
and inexpensive seal for the coupling region between the items of clothing
without addi-
tional sealing elements.
An embodiment of the item of clothing defined in claim 6 is of advantage due
to the practi-
cal proven structure known from the prior art.
The characterising features defined in at least one of claims 7 or 8 are of
advantage because
a sealed, in particular liquid-proof contact closure can be established with
the connecting
piece of the other item of clothing.
The embodiment defined in claim 9 is of advantage because adhering and slip-
inhibiting
contact surfaces can be produced with elastic material, in particular rubber
materials, on the
one hand, and the stretch and elastic rebound properties of elastomeric
plastics can be used
to build up a tension when the cuff and/or collar and/or connecting piece are
stretched com-
pared with an initial tension.
Claims 10 to 13 respectively define advantageous means for increasing the
strength of the
connection in the coupling region between the first and other item of
clothing.
As a result of the features defined in claim 14, the other item of clothing
together with the
connecting element can advantageously be attached to the cuff with little
effort when the
collar is in the released position and a totally liquid-tight connection is
assured by turning
back the collar to the closed position in which the connecting piece is
surrounded by the col-
lar, in particular around its entire circumference.
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The advantage of the features defined in claim 15 is that the collar can be
switched in a sim-
ple and comfortable manner from the closed position into the released position
and vice
versa by a turning back or turning inside out operation, without having to
provide separate
adjusting mechanisms.
Claim 16 defines a particularly practical design of the cuff and collar,
intended to provide a
liquid-tight transition zone between the items of clothing in co-operation
with the connecting
piece.
As a result of the features defined in claim 17, a collar with a short width
may be used,
which can be folded back but nevertheless affords a large contact surface.
This enables a
saving to be made on the collar material whilst the length of the collar
contour on the shaft,
i.e. the extension width of the coupling region, can be kept short, thereby
resulting in barely
any restriction to the comfort of the item of clothing when worn.
Claims 18 and 19 define features resulting in a particularly efficient
production process and
functional design of the item of clothing.
The features defined in claims 20 and 21 result in an item of clothing that is
particularly
comfortable for the user to wear.
Also of advantage is another embodiment defied in claim 22, because the
reliability and
strength of the connection between the first and the other item of clothing
can be further im-
proved by means of an additional tension element.
The embodiments defined in claim 23 are of advantage because more intensive
contact with
liquid can occur in the region of the wrist and ankle and it is precisely in
these regions that
two adjacent items of clothing adjoin one another. Preferred embodiments of
the first item of
clothing therefore relate to gloves or shoes which can be coupled with the
other item of
clothing in the form of a sleeve or trouser leg.
The objective of the invention is also independently achieved on the basis of
the characteris-
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ing part of claim 24, whereby a system of this type enables a compact and
simple design of
the coupling region between the two items of clothing to be obtained, whilst
nevertheless
reliably preventing penetration by foreign substances. Other advantages of the
system de-
fined in claims 24 and 25 may be found in the description below.
The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to
examples of embodi-
ments illustrated in the appended drawings.
Of these:
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of one possible embodiment of an item of
clothing pro-
posed by the invention in the fonm of a glove;
Fig. 2 is a view from an angle showing the glove illustrated in Fig. 1 with an
attach-
ment for another item of clothing in the form of a sleeve in an initial
position;
Fig. 3 shows the attachment of the glove illustrated in Fig. 1 with an
attachment in the
released position and an item of clothing disposed on the attachment;
Fig. 4 shows the attachment of the glove illustrated in Fig. 1 with an item of
clothing
coupled with the attachment and a collar in the closed position.
Firstly, it should be pointed out that the same parts described in the
different embodiments
are denoted by the same reference numbers and the same component names and the
disclo-
sures made throughout the description can be transposed in terms of meaning to
same parts
bearing the same reference numbers or same component names. Furthermore, the
positions
chosen for the purposes of the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc,.
relate to the draw-
ing specifically being described and can be transposed in terms of meaning to
a new position
when another position is being described. Individual features or combinations
of features
from the different embodiments illustrated and described may be construed as
independent
inventive solutions or solutions proposed by the invention in their own right.
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Fig. I illustrates one possible embodiment of an item of clothing I proposed
by the inven-
tion, comprising one or more layers of material. The item of clothing 1 in
this instance is a
glove 2 which can be coupled with another item of clothing 3 in the form of a
sleeve.
The item of clothing 1 proposed by the invention is not restricted to the
embodiment of a
glove 2 as illustrated in the drawings and the item of clothing 1 may also be
any item of
clothing surrounding a body part of a user directly adjacent to or adjoining
another item of
clothing 3. Preferred embodiments of the item of clothing I proposed by the
invention are
primarily based on hand and footwear, with which adjacent leg or arm clothing
can be cou-
pled, or headwear, such as helmets or caps which can be coupled with chest or
upper body
clothing.
In principle, the item of clothing 1 or clothing system proposed by the
invention is designed
to ensure that a body part of a user is reliably prevented from coming into
contact with a
foreign substance acting from the outside, in particular water. This is
achieved by means of
the sealed structure of the lining of the item of clothing 1 and by means of a
sealed transition
zone between two connected items of clothing 1, 3.
The item of clothing 1 comprises one or more material layer(s) 4 forming a
lining, which
surround an interior 5 for accommodating a body part of a user, and at least
one of these ma-
terial layers 4 is formed by a functional layer 6 affording a seal. The
purpose of the func-
tional layer 6 is to prevent penetration through the item of clothing 1 by a
foreign substance
acting on or in contact from outside to the interior 5 surrounded by the item
of clothing 1; 3.
The functional layer 6 affording a seal is preferably of an at least liquid
repellent or fluid-
tight, in particular waterproof material, so that a foreign substance in the
form of a liquid is
not able to penetrate the material layer (s) 4 and hence the clothing
interior. The functional
layer 6 affording a seal may also be impermeable or partially permeable to
other types of
foreign substances or media, in which case a seal and protection may be
provided with re-
spect to chemically basic or acidic substances, micro-particles, gases, odour
particles etc,.,
for example. In particular, the functional layer 6 may be provided in the form
of a micropor-
ous layer, which may optionally be semi-permeable. The functional layer 6 is
preferably
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provided in the form of a semi-permeable membrane 7, which is impermeable to
water and
permeable to water vapour, i.e. actively breathes.
The functional layer 6 may also be made from any other type of materials
affording a type of
seal specifically adapted to the intended application and/or as a composite
element in con-
junction with other layers of the item of clothing 1, for example made from
textile, leather or
polymer material, or may be provided as a facing on another material layer 4.
Another of the material layers 4 is provided in the form of a top layer 8
covering the func-
tional layer 6. The top layer 8 forms the outermost region of the item of
clothing 1 and has
an external face 9 in contact with the outside environment. The top layer 8
may be provided
in the form of one or more blanks 10 which may be joined to one another by
means of con-
necting elements 11, for example a welded or stitched seam. This being the
case, the blanks
may be made from the same or different materials and in particular may be
selected from
textile fabrics, leather material, flexible plastics, etc., and may be
rendered hydrophobic, for
example, using treatment processes known from the prior art. The illustrated
glove 2 essen-
tially comprises a top hand part, a palm part and finger parts lying in
between the fingers and
stitched to one another.
The blanks 10 of the top layer 8 may individually at least have gas permeable
and/or fluid
permeable properties so that gas can be transmitted between the interior 5 and
the outside
environment. The item of clothing 1 may be designed so that it actively
breathes by using the
semi-permeable membrane 7 and air or water-permeable materials for the top
layer 8 and
may help to combat transpiration in the glove interior.
The glove 2 illustrated in Fig. 1 is essentially designed with a water-
permeable and air-
permeable material in the region of a back of the hand 12, which is stitched
via the connect-
ing elements 11 to a material made from leather, in particular natural
leather, extending in
the region of the palm.
A lining layer 14 may also be disposed underneath the functional layer 6,
formed by a textile
surface pattern, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric, for example.
Accordingly, the
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lining layer 14 has heat-insulating properties so that the exchange of heat
between the out-
side environment and the interior 5 is kept as low as possible. The material
from which the
lining layer 14 is made may have properties similar to those described in
respect of the top
layer 8 and in particular is permeable to water and/or air.
The top layer 8 and/or the lining layer 14 are each made up of one or more
layers, in which
case these layers may be fonmed by different types of fabric, woven or knitted
materials and
produced by different joining or processing methods.
In the case of the embodiment illustrated as an example in Fig. 1, the
functional layer 6, top
layer 8 and lining layer 14 each comprise one layer only, each of a slim
thickness, in particu-
lar in the range of a few millimetres. This results in a glove which is light
and pleasant to
wear, whereby the user's sense of touch or feel is largely unimpaired, thereby
resulting in a
perfectly tactile glove 2.
In use, the item of clothing I has an essentially cylindrical but flexible or
deformable shaft
15 with an attachment 16 which can be coupled with a connecting piece 17 of
the other item
of clothing 3 terminating in a connection which is sealed to prevent
penetration to the inte-
rior 5 of the items of clothing 1, 3 by foreign substances. The connecting
piece 17, which is
tubular in particular, may be made as a single piece from the same material as
the other re-
gions of the other item of clothing 3 or as a separate, cuff-type element
which is connected to
the rest of the item of clothing 3 by connecting means.
The attachment 16 has a cuff 18 extending along the shaft 15 and enclosing it
in an annular
arrangement and a collar 19 which surrounds at least some parts of the cuff 18
in a closed
position. The cuff 18 and the collar 19 are provided in the form of a hollow
cylinder or a
tube, the longitudinal extension of which runs essentially parallel with a
longitudinal exten-
sion of the shaft 15. The cuff 18 and/or the collar 19 and/or the connecting
piece 17 may be
provided in the form of a film or thin film and are preferably deformable.
The cuff 18 and the collar 19 are made from a material which affords a seal,
in particular is
waterproof. The cuff 18 and the collar 19 are joined to the top layer 8 at
least in a connecting
CA 02581920 2007-02-09
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region 20 by means of a fixing element 21, for example a seam or a bonded or
welded con-
nection.
In the embodiment illustrated as an example representing an independent
solution proposed
by the invention, the functional layer 6 is not part of the attachment 16
formed by the collar
19 and cuff 18 and instead, the functional layer 6 extends into the lining of
the item of cloth-
ing 1, in particular as a separate material layer 4 underneath the top layer 8
and independent
of the attachment 16.
To this end, the functional layer 6 may extend integrally and/or uninterrupted
underneath the
top layer 8, at least in a coupling region 22 of the glove 2 in which the
attachment 16 is dis-
posed. The collar 19 is mounted on the shaft 15 by means of at least one
fixing element 21 so
that the functional layer 6 is not perforated by the fixing element 21. In
particular, the func-
tional layer 6 is not stitched to other components of the item of clothing 1
in the region of the
fixing element 21, in particular the cuff 18 or collar 19, and is therefore
not perforated. In the
embodiment illustrated as an example, the collar 19 and cuff 18 are secured
exclusively to
the top layer 8 by means of a stitched seam.
In the region lying behind the fixing element 21 in the direction of an
opening for putting the
glove 2 on, the functional layer 6 may be joined to one of the material layers
4 by fixing
means of any type, and a sealing element may also be provided, for example a
bonded or
welded point, by means of which a sealed join is produced between the
functional layer 4
and the cuff 18.
The connecting piece 17 of the other item of clothing 3 is sealed by the
attachment 16 and is
releasably retained on the shaft 15. To this end, the attachment 16 comprising
the cuff 18 and
shaft 19 is disposed on the external face 23 or an internal face of the lining
or at least one
material layer 4 or a layered structure at least in the region of the shaft 15
of the first item of
clothing 1 and the connecting piece 17 of the other item of clothing 3 is
preferably provided
in the form of a tubular or hollow cylindrical terminal end region 24 with an
orifice 25. The
connecting piece 17 of the other item of clothing 3 is pulled over the
external face 9 onto the
shaft 15 in order to couple it with or connect it to the attachment 16 so that
the shaft 15 is
CA 02581920 2007-02-09
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enclosed by the tubular connecting piece 17. Accordingly, the shaft 15 of the
first item of
clothing I extends across an overlap length in an interior 26 of the other
item of clothing 3.
When the items of clothing 1, 3 are coupled, the external face 9 of the shaft
15 is surrounded
by an internal face 28 of the connecting piece 17 and the connecting piece 17
is accommo-
dated on the internal face 28 and an external face 29 by means of the cuff 18
and the collar
19 of the attachment 16 on both sides.
The cuff 18 and the collar 19 have contact surfaces 30, 31, which can be moved
to lie di-
rectly on the internal face 28 and the external face 29 of the connecting
piece 17, so that the
connecting piece 17 is held on the attachment 16 by the action of a retaining
force.
When the collar 19 is in a closed position, the contact surfaces 30, 31 lie in
a mutually facing
arrangement one on top of the other in at least certain regions, and when the
collar 19 is in
the closed position, the contact surfaces 30, 31 bound an attachment slot 32
for the connect-
ing piece 17 of the other item of clothing 3.
The shaft 15 essentially extends from an end face 34 of a terminal end region
35 of the item
of clothing 1 across a shaft length 36. In the embodiment illustrated as an
example, the shaft
length 36 extends between the end face 34 with a slip-on opening 37, through
which the
hand of a user can be inserted in a pulling on or pulling off direction 38,
and adjoins a wrist
region 39 which is adjoined by a hand and finger region 40 of the glove 2.
The collar 19 can be positioned in at least two positions, of which a first
closed position of
the collar 19 is illustrated by solid lines in Fig. 1. In the closed position,
the contact surfaces
30, 31 of the collar 19 and the cuff 18 lying underneath lie facing one
another and abutting
with one another. In a released position illustrated by broken lines, the
contact surface 31 of
the collar 19 is at least partially lifted off or moved to a distance away
from the contact sur-
face 30 of the cuff 18 so that the connecting piece 17 can be positioned on
the freely lying
contact surface 30 of the cuff 18. In the embodiment illustrated as an
example, the collar 19
is switched between the released and closed position by folding back or
turning back the
collar 19 about a stationary or fixed region, in particular a terminal end
region 41 of the col-
lar 19. A broken line indicates an intermediate position assumed during the
stepless folding
back operation.
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Figs. 2 to 4 illustrate how the items of clothing 1, 3 are coupled.
Fig. 2 illustrates the initial position of the attachment 16, in which the
collar 19 is in the
closed position and the cuff 18 lies underneath the collar 19.
In Fig. 3, the collar 19 is in the released position, in which the contact
surface 30 of the cuff
18 which is covered in the closed position is exposed and accessible from
outside. The collar
19 is moved from the closed position into the released position by folding it
back around the
stationary or fixed portion of the collar 19, in particular by folding it back
round the terminal
end region 41 of the collar 19. As may be see from Fig. 1, the collar 19 is
lifted in the direc-
tion of an arrow 42 from a position extending parallel with the shaft 15 and
folded back
around an axis by applying an appropriate displacement and turning force so
that the contact
surface 31 facing inwards in the closed position is turned outwards and the
contact surface
30 of the cuff 18 is at least partially exposed.
The connecting piece 17 can then be pulled onto the shaft 15 and positioned
with the internal
face 28 on the externally lying retaining surface 30 of the cuff 18 - as
illustrated in Fig. 3 -
resulting in a contact closure between the retaining surface 31 and the
internal face 28 at
least in certain regions.
As illustrated in Fig. 4, the collar 19 disposed in the released position is
moved back into the
closed position so that the retaining surface 31 of the collar 19 lies against
the external face
29 of the connecting tube 17.
Other design variants of the attachment 16 are naturally possible, whereby the
collar 19 does
not have to be fully turned back into a released position but can be moved in
some other
way, either steplessly or in one or more steps. For example, the collar 19 may
of a cuff-type
design or ring-shaped and slide parallel along the shaft length 36 or it may
be that a diameter
43 or orifice width of the collar 19 can be widened and made narrow along at
least a part of a
length 44 of the collar as and when necessary.
In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the cuff 18 and/or the collar 19,
at least in the
CA 02581920 2007-02-09
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deformable folding over region, and/or the tubular connecting piece 17 of the
other item of
clothing 3 are made from a material that is flexibly deformable and rebounds
to its initial
position. The material used may be selected from the group comprising
elastomers, i.e. it
may be of a stretching and elastically rebounding type. In particular, the
materials used may
be selected from the group comprising thermoplastic or elastomeric plastics,
in particular
rubber, caoutchouc or latex materials.
The material on the cuff 18 and/or the collar 19 and/or the connecting piece
17 may also have
adhering or slip-inhibiting properties, at least in the region of the contact
surfaces 30, 31.
The cuff 18 may be made from a similar or identical material to that of the
collar 19 but vari-
ants of the cuff 18 are also possible in which the cuff 18 is not deformable
or is of a rigid
design. In principle, the cuff 18 may be provided as a separate part secured
to the external
face 23 of the top layer 8 and extend essentially parallel across the shaft 15
surrounding the
top layer 8. However, another option would be for the cuff 18 to be integrated
in the lining of
the item of clothing I or in the at least one material layer 4, in particular
the top layer 8, in
which case the cuff 18 constitutes the shaft 15 across its length and the
external face 23 of
the material layer 4 constitutes the contact surface 30.
In a preferred embodiment, the internal face 28 of the connecting piece 17
sits on the cylin-
drical contact surface 30 under tension and the internal face 28 at the
contact surface 30 con-
tracts to produce a gap-free contact closure around the entire circumference
of the cuff 18. In
terms of its orifice width, the collar 19 is dimensioned so that its contact
surface 30 is in di-
rect contact with the external face 29 of the connecting piece 17 in the
closed position and
with the connecting piece 17 disposed on the cuff 18. Due to the contact
closure between the
contact surface 30 of the cuff 18 and the internal face 28 of the connecting
piece 17 and/or
the contact surface 31 of the collar 19 and the external face 29 of the
connecting piece 17, a
foreign substance can be prevented from penetrating the interiors 5, 26 of the
items of cloth-
ing 1, 3 via the attachment 16 depending on a degree of sealing which can be
specifically
defined as a function of the strength of the contact closure between the
surfaces.
The material of the contact surfaces 30, 31 of the collar 19 and/or cuff 18 in
conjunction with
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the material of the external face 29 and internal face 28 of the connecting
tube 17 constitute
a pair of materials which adhere firmly to one another and can not be easily
pulled apart by
tensile forces. The mathematical product of the normal force acting on the
contact surfaces
30, 31 and internal face 28 and external face 29 and the coefficients of
static friction of the
material pairs used between the cuff 18 and collar 19 as well as the boundary
friction force
produced by the connecting tube 17, from where a sliding friction occurs
between the mate-
rial pairs, should therefore be as high as possible. A sufficiently firm
connection via the at-
tachment 16 with a correspondingly high boundary friction force is achieved by
the inven-
tion due to the fact that the normal force acting on the surfaces 30, 31
respectively 28, 29 is
generated by using stretched or pre-tensioned and elastically rebounding
materials for the
collar 19 and connecting tube 17 and/or materials with adhering and anti-slip
properties, i.e.
high coefficients of static friction.
The material on the cuff 18 and collar 19 along which the contact surfaces 30,
31 extend may
therefore have a coating with appropriate adhering or anti-slip properties
applied to it. An-
other option is for one or more retaining elements to be provided in the
attachment slot 32,
for example adhesive tape or similar, on which the contact surfaces 30, 31 are
provided. Fur-
thermore, the contact surfaces 30, 31 may have a fibrous structure, for
example a micro-fibre
structure. The contact surfaces 30, 31 may also be roughened, perforated or
contoured, for
example with a raised knob pattern, in order to strengthen the contact closure
of the surfaces.
The attachment 16 may also have one or more mechanical coupling elements which
can be
connected to co-operating coupling elements of the other item of clothing. The
coupling
elements may be provided in the form of catch, clinging, clip or push-in
elements, for exam-
ple. The connection between the items of clothing 1 and 3 can be further
strengthened in the
coupling region 22 by such coupling elements, in particular preventing the
tubular connect-
ing piece 17 from being pulled out of the attachment 16 in particular.
The cuff 18 and collar 19 may be connected in the connecting region 20 by
means of the
fixing element 21 in an essentially common connecting line 45 with the top
layer 8, and a
stitched seam, bonded or welded seam or similar may be provided in the region
of this con-
necting line 45. The connecting line 45 preferably extends in a circular or
elliptical shape
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around the cuff 18 and collar 19, which are cylindrical or have an elliptical
shape in cross-
section, at the terminal end region 41.
A cuff length 46 of the cuff 181ying around the collar 19 may essentially be
of the same or a
similar dimension as the collar length 44. Between the contact surfaces 30, 31
and the exter-
nal face 28 and/or internal face 29, a contact closure is created between the
cuff 18 and collar
19 and the connecting piece 17 so that the dimension of the cuff length 46 and
collar length
44 must be taken into account when determining the sealing capacity in the
coupling region
22 and the strength of the connection between the attachment 16 and the
connecting piece
17. Embodiments of the cuff 18 and collar 19 with a length 46 in the range of
from 0.5 to 30
cm, preferably 2 to 20 em, in particular 5 to 10 cm, have proved to be of
advantage.
The material layers 4 lying underneath the collar 19 may extend round the
oppositely lying
end faces of the collar 19 at both ends. These material layers, in particular
the top layer 8
and/or lining layer 14 and/or functional layer 6, may extend in a tubular
arrangement around
a dimension 49, and in the embodiment illustrated as an example in Fig. 1, the
shaft 15 of the
glove 2 extends in the region of the lower arm and the attachment 16 is
therefore disposed in
the wrist region 39. This results in a glove 2 which is comfortable for the
user to wear.
The cuff 18 and collar 19 may be anatomically adapted to the body part of a
user which they
surround so that they lie tightly surrounding the body. As may be seen from
the description
given above and the drawings, the collar 19 and cuff 18 are preferably formed
by two tubes
lying one around the other and, in the case of the glove 2 illustrated, the
wrist region 39 sur-
rounds a wrist of the user in an annular arrangement and the position of the
collar 19 can be
varied across at least a part region and can be switched to a released
position. This results in
a compact and inexpensive structure for the item of clothing I whilst
nevertheless assuring a
reliable seal against fluids in the coupling region 22.
Ring-shaped pulling elements may naturally be provided on the collar 19 and/or
on the con-
necting piece 17 of the other item of clothing, for example in the form of a
rubber pull, by
means of which the hold of the connection between the connecting piece 17 and
the attach-
ment 16 can be additionally strengthened.
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The embodiments illustrated as examples represent possible design variants of
the item of
clothing I and it should be pointed out at this stage that the invention is
not specifically lim-
ited to the design variants specifically illustrated, and instead the
individual design variants
may be used in different combinations with one another and these possible
variations lie
within the reach of the person skilled in this technical field given the
disclosed technical
teaching. Accordingly, all conceivable design variants which can be obtained
by combining
individual details of the design variants described and illustrated are
possible and fall within
the scope of the invention.
For the sake of good order, finally, it should be pointed out that, in order
to provide a clearer
understanding of the structure of the part-feeding system, it and its
constituent parts are illus-
trated to a certain extent out of scale and/or on an enlarged scale and/or on
a reduced scale.
The objective underlying the independent inventive solutions may be found in
the descrip-
tion.
Above all, the individual embodiments of the subject matter illustrated in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4
constitute independent solutions proposed by the invention in their own right.
The objectives
and associated solutions proposed by the invention may be found in the
detailed descriptions
of these drawingF.
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List of reference numbers
1 First item of clothing 26 Interior
2 Glove 27 Orifice width
3 Other item of clothing 28 Internal face
4 Material layer 29 External face
Interior 30 Contact surface
6 Functional layer 31 Contact surface
7 Membrane 32 Attachment slot
8 Top layer 33
9 External face 34 End face
Blank 35 Terminal end region
11 Connecting element 36 Shaft length
12 Back of the hand 37 Slip-on opening
13 Palm of the hand 38 Pulling on or off direction
14 Lining layer 39 Wrist region
Shaft 40 Hand and finger region
16 Attachment 41 Terminal end region
17 Connecting piece 42 Arrow
18 Cuff 43 Diameter
19 Collar 44 Collar length
Connecting region 45 Connecting line
21 Fixing element 46 Cuff length
22 Coupling region 47 End face
23 External face 48 End face
24 End region 49 Dimension
Orifice
