Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ARTICLE OF CLOTHING WITH CHANNELS FORMED IN A SUBSTRATE MATERIAL
The invention pertains to an article of clothing, especially for wearing
directly on the
skin, made of water- and/or wind-proof fabric consisting of a temperature-
regulating membrane and a
substrate material, wherein the substrate material faces the skin.
Clothing has the essential task of protecting the body from external
influences.
External influences consist primarily of the effects of weather, that is, the
action of wind, moisture, and
cold on the body. Clothing also has the task of making the wearer feel
comfortable. Especially in the
case of sports activities and high outdoor temperatures, it important to
ensure that the heat and the
perspiration produced by the body are carried away effectively.
To achieve good protection against the effects of weather, it is known that
temperature-regulating membranes can be used. Such membranes make it possible
to block the wind
or water acting externally on the body while at the same time allowing water
vapor to pass through
from the inside to the outside so that the heat produced by the body and the
perspiration can be carried
away. The most well-known membranes are known under the names Goretexe and
Sympatex .
Although the use of temperature-regulating membranes offers the basic
possibility of
allowing the heat produced by the body to escape, this is possible to only a
limited extent because of .
the technical limitations of these membranes. In particular, in the case of
activities which are highly
physically strenuous, such as running or cycling, the known membranes are very
limited in their
ability to allow the heat and moisture produced by the body to escape.
Here is where the invention proposes to create a remedy. Some embodiments of
the
invention may provide an article of clothing which is able to carry away heat
and perspiration
sufficiently even during the course of extremely strenuous physical
activities, during which very large
amounts of heat and perspiration are produced. According to some embodiments
of the invention,
channels are formed in the substrate material.
According to some embodiments of the invention there is provided an article of
clothing, especially for wearing directly on the skin, which allows the
defined escape of perspiration
and heat even during very strenuous physical activities. The channels create
an additional route by
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which heat and perspiration can be carried away; in addition to the
possibility which the
membrane provides for carrying away heat and perspiration, the channels thus
contribute to an
improvement in the temperature regulation of the body.
According to some embodiments of the invention, there is provided an article
of clothing, to be worn directly on the skin, made of water-proof and/or wind-
proof fabric
consisting of a temperature-regulating membrane and a substrate material,
wherein the
substrate material faces the skin, wherein channels are formed and directly
embedded in the
substrate material, wherein the substrate material is stretchable, wherein the
channels
comprise a segment with a tapered cross section in the middle, and wherein
producing a
continuous change between a stretched and an unstreched state of the substrate
material,
causes the cross section of the channels to first increase and then decrease
in a continuous
manner, creating a continuous pumping effect.
According to some embodiments of the invention, there is provided an article
of clothing, to be worn directly on the skin, made of water-proof and/or wind-
proof fabric
consisting of a temperature-regulating membrane and a substrate material,
wherein the
substrate material faces the skin and is stretchable, wherein channels are
formed and directly
embedded in the substrate material, the channels being approximately
triangular when seen
from above, and wherein producing a continuous change between a stretched and
an
unstreched state of the substrate material, causes a cross-section of the
channels to first
increase and then decrease in a continuous manner, creating a continuous
pumping effect.
In an elaboration of the invention, the substrate material is stretchable. As
a
result of the stretchability of the substrate material, the dimensions of the
channels can be
changed by the movements of the sports participant during the sports activity.
As a result of
extension movements, for example, the channels are stretched, but they return
to their original
shape after the extension movement is over. This results in a pumping effect
in the channels
during the course of continuous movements, which leads to an improvement in
the transport
of heat and perspiration through the channels.
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In an embodiment of the invention, the channels are provided with an opening
at one end. This creates the possibility of guiding the heat produced by the
body and the
perspiration which is produced out of the article of clothing at a defined
point.
In another embodiment of the invention, the channels are provided with
openings at both ends. This creates the possibility of guiding the heat and
moisture out of the
article of clothing at both ends of the channels, which results in an increase
in the transport
capacity of the channels.
In an advantageous elaboration of the invention, the channels comprise a
segment with a tapered cross section in the middle. This tapered segment
causes the air being
transported through the channel to accelerate. The channels thus work
according to the
venturi principle, which makes it possible to improve the heat regulation even
more.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and is
explained below in detail:
Figure 1 shows a diagram of an article of clothing in the form of leggings;
Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of part of the article of clothing shown in
Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional diagram of part of the article of clothing
shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4 shows a diagram of another design of the article of clothing in the
form of leggings;
Figure 5 shows an enlarged diagram of part of the article of clothing shown in
Figure 4;
Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional diagram of part of the article of clothing
shown in Figure 5;
Figure 7 shows a diagram of another design of an article of clothing in the
form of leggings;
Figure 8 shows an enlarged diagram of part of the article of clothing shown in
Figure 7;
Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional diagram of part of the article of clothing
shown in Figure 8;
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Figure 10 shows a diagram of an additional design of an article of clothing in
the form of
leggings;
Figure 11 shows an enlarged diagram of part of the article of clothing shown
in Figure 10; and
Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional diagram of part of the article of clothing
shown in
Figure 11.
The article of clothing 1 selected as the exemplary embodiment is intended in
particular to be worn directly on the skin. It consists of a water-proof and
wind-proof fabric,
which is produced from a laminate serving as a temperature-regulating
membrane. The
temperature-regulating membrane 11 is arranged on a substrate material 12. The
substrate
material 12 faces the skin 2 and, in this exemplary embodiment, lies on the
skin 2. Running
leggings have been selected as the article of clothing by way of example.
Channels 13 are formed in the substrate material 12. In the exemplary
embodiment, they extend essentially in a horizontal direction. In the
exemplary embodiments
according to Figures 1-9, the channels 13 are approximately triangular when
seen from above.
The channels 13 in the exemplary embodiments according to
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Figures 1-3 and 7-9 have an opening 14 at only one end, so that air can
escape from the channels only at this end, as symbolized by the arrows. In
contrast
to the exemplary embodiment according to Figures 1-3, in which the widest
cross
section of the channels 13 is located at the open end, the smallest cross
section of
the channels 13 is provided at the open end in the exemplary embodiment
according
to Figures 7-9.
In the exemplary embodiment according to Figures 4-6, the channels
are provided with openings 14 at both ends. As a result, air can escape from
the
channels at both ends, as symbolized again by the arrows. In the exemplary
embodiment according to Figures 10-12, an opening 14 is also provided at each
end
of the various channels 13. As a result, air can escape at both ends in this
exemplary
embodiment as well, as also symbolized by the arrows. As a modification of the
other exemplary embodiments, however, in the exemplary embodiment according to
Figures 10-12, the channels 13 have been provided with a different shape. They
therefore no longer have an essentially triangular shape; instead, the
channels have
a tapered segment 15 in the middle. As a result of this tapered segment, the
transported air is accelerated, because the channels 13 function in the manner
of a
venturi nozzle.
The way in which the inventive article of clothing functions is described
below on the basis of the running leggings selected as an exemplary
embodiment:
When the running leggings are worn during a run, the legs obviously bend and
straighten. The substrate material is in its normal state when the leg is
extended.
When the knee is bent, the substrate material 12 stretches, as a result of
which the
cross section of the channels 13 increases. When the leg is extended again
after the
bending, the substrate material 12 returns to its original configuration. In
this way, a
continuous change between the stretched and unstretched state of the substrate
material 12 is produced during the run, as a result of which the cross
sections of the
channels 13 are first increased and then decreased, also in a continuous
manner.
This results during the run in the production of a continuous pumping effect,
which
positively affects the dissipation of heat and moisture.
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Because the substrate material 12 rests on the skin 2, the channels 13
are surrounded on all sides, i.e., by the substrate material 12 on one side
and by the
skin 2 on the other, so that the channels 13 acquire a closed wall. In this
way, a
channel which is open only at its ends is created, which makes possible to
achieve
very high level of performance with respect to the dissipation of heat and
moisture.
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