Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Item of Clothing Comprising a Thermal Insulation
Element Extending Along the Spinal Column
The invention pertains to an item of clothing which at least partially covers
the
body of the wearer and comprises a back part.
Clothing serves to protect the wearer, and in particular it serves to protect
the
wearer from the weather. At the same time, clothing has the task of providing
means by
which an adequate body temperature can be maintained. This means that the
clothing
maintains a normal body temperature during periods of little physical activity
and thus
prevents the body from cooling; during more strenuous physical activities,
furthermore,
clothing should provide a heat regulation function, which prevents the body
temperature
from rising.
In addition to the actual body temperature, however, the perceived body tem-
perature is also crucial to the performance capacity of a human being, because
a consid-
erable decrease in performance can be observed when a person perceives that he
is
overheated or has become cold. The body's temperature sensors, which are
distributed
over the entire body, play a decisive role here. These temperature sensors
tell the person
how warm or cold certain areas of the body are. This information is sent by
the sensors
to the brain, which then, if the sensors detect a feeling of cold, initiates
appropriate
measures, such as stimulating the metabolism, which has the effect of
converting the
energy reserves of the body into heat and thus of increasing the body's
temperature.
Conversely, when a person feels overheated, the metabolism can be reduced in
order to
lower the body temperature.
The primary information carrier of the human body is the spinal column. The
spinal column also plays the most important role in relation to the
determination of body
temperature and of the overall sense of well-being. To put in simply, the
spinal column
is the main temperature sensor of the human body. As a result, the temperature
deter-
mined in the area of the spinal column is decisive for the entire organism
with respect to
both the performance capacity of the body and the feeling of well-being. For
this rea-
son, it is of crucial importance to be able to influence the temperature of
the body in the
area of the spinal column as a way of achieving certain results. Past
approaches have
been based on the theory that clothing in the area of the spinal column should
be de-
signed in such a way as to dissipate heat. This theory is based on the
assumption that,
especially during strenuous physical activity, the human being begins to sweat
and thus
the body temperature increases. Through the dissipation of the heat in the
area of the
spinal column, the temperature sensors present there detect a less pronounced
tempera-
ture increase than would be the case if no heat were dissipated from the area
of the spi-
nal column. As a result, the brain does not conclude that the body is
overheated; in-
stead, it merely determines a slight temperature increase, and therefore the
metabolism
can remain on the same high level.
The present invention takes a different approach: A person's feeling of well-
being depends to a large extent on the perceived temperature. This means that,
regard-
less of how low the temperature of the environment may be, the person will
still feel
comfortable as long as the clothing around him keeps him sufficiently warm. It
is true
that human temperature sensors are distributed over the entire body; but
because the spi-
nal column represents the primary temperature sensor, as explained above, it
is possible
to exert an influence on the feeling of well-being by producing changes in the
area of the
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spinal column in particular. Because the performance capacity of a human being
also depends
on psychological components, one of which pertains to the feeling of well-
being with respect
to temperature, influencing the perceived temperature in the area of the
spinal column may be
a highly suitable way of increasing the performance capacity of the human
being. This
influence, in contrast to the old theory, can also be achieved by suggesting
to the spinal
column area of the body that the temperature is higher than is actually the
case. Especially
during the cold season, an influence of this type may lead to a maximum of
mobility and
performance capacity, because the body is not subjected to the additional
stress associated
with a stimulated metabolism during periods of perceived low temperatures.
Instead,
influencing the perceived temperature in the area of the spinal column can
lead to a
conservation of energy, because the body is not forced to stimulate internal
metabolism in
order to increase the body temperature. Instead, metabolism can remain on the
same level, so
that the energy otherwise required to stimulate it is available to the body
for physical
performance.
It is therefore the goal of the present invention to provide an item of
clothing
which makes it possible to influence the temperature in the area of the spinal
column in such a
way that the temperature sensors of the body in the area of the spinal column
detect a
temperature which is higher than the actual body temperature determined at
other points of the
body. According to the invention, this goal is achieved in that the back part
comprises a
thermal insulation element, which extends along the spinal column and covers
at least the area
of the thoracic vertebrae.
According to an embodiment, there is provided an item of clothing which at
least partially covers the body of the wearer and has a back part, wherein the
back part
comprises a thermal insulation element, which is an elongated and vertically
oriented strip
that is arranged only in the area of the spinal column and not in any other
areas, so that the
temperature sensors of the body in the area of the spinal column detect a
temperature which is
higher than the actual body temperature determined at other points of the
body, wherein said
back part includes elongated and vertically oriented strips of heat-regulating
material which
are arranged next to the thermal insulation element and are parallel thereto.
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The invention creates an item of clothing which exerts an influence on
temperature in the area of the spinal column of the human being. The thermal
insulation
element arranged on the back part of the item of clothing extends over the
area of the spinal
column and makes it difficult for heat to escape through the clothing in this
area. As a result,
the heat sensors of the body located in the area of the spinal column transmit
a higher body
temperature to the brain. Especially in the cold season or during winter
sports activities, this
may lead to a positive effect on the sense of well-being, because the brain
receiving the
information assumes that the temperature is higher than it actually is, which
may have the
effect of exerting a positive influence on the person's mental state. Because
the sense of
physical well-being may have considerable influence on a person's performance
capacity, the
result may be improved performance.
In an elaboration of the invention, the thermal insulation element is thicker
than the rest of the material. This makes it possible to achieve a good
thermal insulation
effect. At the same time, this greater thickness can be achieved by simply
sewing several
layers of the material forming the item of clothing on top of each other. This
means that there
is no need to use additional materials, and as a result the cost of the
inventive item of clothing
is low.
In another elaboration of the invention, the thermal insulation element is
denser
than the rest of the material. In this way, too, it is possible to achieve the
positive inventive
effects while simultaneously simplifying the production of the thermal
insulation element.
The greater density can be obtained, for example, by using a more closely
stitched style of
knitting, which can be easily incorporated into the process used to produce
the inventive item
of clothing.
It is advantageous to arrange areas of heat-regulating material next to the
thermal insulation material. By providing heat-regulating material near the
thermal insulation
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element, it is possible to prevent the body from becoming overheated. This is
explained
by the fact that, when the body temperature is rising very quickly, the heat
can spread
out beyond the area of the thermal insulation element When the area of the
heat-
regulating material is reached, the excess heat can then dissipate, and thus
the
temperature may be prevented from increasing beyond a certain performance-
lowering
level.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and
described below in detail.
Figure 1 shows a perspective diagram of the back of an inventive item of cloth
ing;
Figure 2 shows a perspective diagram of a different design of the back of an
in
ventive item of clothing
Figure 3 shows a cross section along line III-III of Figure 1; and
Figure 4 shows a view of the detail marked in Figure 2.
The item of clothing 1 selected as the exemplary embodiment is a short-sleeved
T-
shirt. The shirt partially covers the body of die wearer; the lower arms and
the neck of
the wearer are not covered. The item of clothing 1 has a back part 2, which
comprises a
thermal insulation element 3. The thermal insulatton element 3 extends along
the spinal
column of the Wearer. In the exemplary embodiment, it is in the form of a
vertically oriented strip. In the exemplary emboditnent, the thermal
insulation element extends from
the neck opening of the item of clothing Ito the bottom end opposite the neck
opening
and thus extends over the entire length ofthe spinal column except for the
cervical ver-
tebrae. According to the invention, coverage is provided at least in the area
of the tho-
racic vertebrae, which are located between the seven cervical vertebrae and
the five
lumbar vertebrae. Because these thoracic vertebrae constitute the major part
of the spi-
nal column, covering this area of the spinal column is sufficient to achieve
the advanta-
geous effect of the invention. Expanding the area as shown in the embodiments
accord-
ing to Figures 1 and 2, for example, makes it possible to improve the effect
even more.
The thermal insulation element 3 is thicker than the rest of the material of
the
item of clothing 1. The greater thickness is achieved in the exemplary
embodiment ac-
cording to Figure 1 by knitting several layers 31 of material on top of each
other. As
can be derived from Figure 3, three layers 31 are arranged on top of each
other in the
exemplary embodiment. What is involved therefore is a multi-layer
configuration of the
thermal insulation element-3. In the exemplary embodiment according to Figure
2, the
thermal insulation element 3 is denser than the rest of the material of the
item of cloth-
ing I. This greater density can be achieved by using a more closely-stitched
style of knit-
ting for the thermal insulation element 3 than that used for the rest of the
material of the
item of clothing 1. As can be seen in Figure 4, the thermal insulation element
3 can also
be produced by-Using additional materials. For this purpose, additional
threads 33,34
are incorporated into the knitting in addition to The base thread 32, which
has the result
of increasing the density. Additional yarns with special properties can also
be used,
such as, for example, yams which are coated with a noble metal such a gold or
silver.
The use of additional yarns also makes it possible to achieve a greater
density or a great-
,
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er thickness; simultaneously, the use of the noble metals has the effect of
reflecting the
heat radiating from the body.
In the exemplary embodiment according to Figure 2, areas 4 of heat-regulating
material are arranged next to the thermal insulation element 3. The areas 4 of
heat-
regulating material can consist of knitted mesh fabric, for example. When mesh
fabric is
used, only 80% of the skin is covered by the selected yam; as a result of the
openings in
the fabric, air can be exchanged and thus the heat level can be regulated.
Other designs
for the areas 4 of heat-regulating material are also possible. Thus, a fabric
with a wavy
structure can be provided, such that only individual points of the fabric make
contact
with the skin. This design also offers thead%antage that sweat can be carried
away to
the outside surface of the item of clothing I via the points in contact with
the skin, as a
result of which the comfort with which the inventive item of clothing 1 can be
worn can be
additionally improved.
In a modification of the exemplary embodiment, the item of clothing 1 can also
be
designed as a singlet or as a shirt with shoulder straps. The inventive
therinaHnsulation
element can also be used on jackets and overalls. The only essential point is
that it must
cover at least the area of the thoracic vertebrae of the spinal column on the
back of the
wearer in order to bring about the positive effect on the temperature sensors
of the skin.
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