Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02772581 2012-02-28
WO 2011/026627 - 1 - PCT/EP2010/005405
PIECE OF CLOTHING HAVING VENTILATION OPENINGS
The invention relates to a piece of clothing, particularly a jacket for sports
activities, which is
provided with ventilation openings in the area of the chest and/or the back,
whereby the
openings have closing means that can be activated by means of an adjusting
mechanism.
Because of the sweat accumulating during sports activities, special
requirements in regard
to the removal of sweat or sweat vapor, as the case may be, are placed on
pieces of
clothing for sports activities. At the same time, the pieces of clothing
should be waterproof
during activities in the open air, in order to offer sufficient protection
during wet weather and,
at the same time, to protect the specific athlete against an excessively rapid
cooling off after
sports activities.
It is already known to manufacture pieces of clothing for sports activities
from waterproofed
or plastic-coated textiles. The waterproofed materials are generally
sufficiently breathable,
but are only partially waterproof, however. Plastic-coated materials are just
the opposite --
that is to say, they are generally sufficiently waterproof but only partially
breathable,
however. It is additionally known to manufacture pieces of clothing from
laminates, in which
a weatherproof membrane is laminated on an outer shell material, on which
membrane a
loose lining, generally a fabric or mesh fabric, is positioned on the
interior. The lining can
also be laminated, along with the outer shell material and the weatherproof
membrane, into
a cohesive material in the form of a three-layer laminate.
The known pieces of clothing, both those made from waterproofed or plastic-
coated textiles,
as well as from laminates, have the problem that the breathability is too low
during vigorous
physical activity. In particular, jackets provided with membranes are able to
provide a
certain breathability, which is brought about through the interplay of
waterproofing and
breathability; a partial pressure builds up underneath ...
CA 02772581 2012-02-28
WO 2011/026627 - 2 - PCT/EP2010/005405
... the piece of clothing, which is intended to make the breathability of the
membrane
possible. This capacity for breathability is extraordinarily limited, however.
Experiments
have shown that the essential ventilation underneath the pieces of clothing,
particularly
jackets, during sports activities takes place through the opening at the neck.
A continuous
draft thereby comes about on the neck, which significantly controls the
aeration and
ventilation. Moreover, both the aeration as well as the ventilation are
carried out through
additional openings in the piece of clothing, such as in the area of the
armpits, for example.
One consequence of the deficient breathability of the known pieces of clothing
is that the
high humidity on the inner sides of the pieces of clothing condenses, so that
the condensed
water runs off on the inner sides of the piece of clothing. The
extraordinarily high humidity
underneath the piece of clothing that results from the same leads to a
saturation, which
brings about a drop in performance while wearing the piece of clothing.
The invention is intended to provide relief in this connection. The task that
forms the basis
for the invention is that of creating a piece of clothing, particularly a
jacket for sports
activities, in which an improvement of the aeration and ventilation is brought
about and the
requirements placed on the piece of clothing for wind- and waterproofing are
fulfilled at the
same time. This task is solved in accordance with the invention through the
fact that the
closing means are formed from a fabric layer that is movable in the area of
the opening.
By means of the invention, a piece of clothing, particularly a jacket for
sports activities, is
created which makes possible a considerable improvement of the climate inside
the piece
of clothing, along with simultaneous wind- and waterproofing. A drop in
performance from
excessive humidity inside the piece of clothing is thereby prevented. The user
of the piece
of clothing has the possibility of releasing the entrance openings upon
excessive
accumulation of sweat, so that an exchange of air is possible, in order to
consequently bring
about an improvement of the climate inside the piece of clothing. In order to
prevent a
cooling off after the sports activities, ...
CA 02772581 2012-02-28
WO 2011/026627 -3- PCT/EP2010/005405
... the specific user can easily close the opening again.
Other further developments and configurations of the invention are given in
the remaining
sub-claims. One embodiment of the invention is depicted in the diagrams and is
described
in individual terms in the following diagrams. These depict the following:
Figure 1: A view from the front of a piece of clothing in the form of a
jacket;
Figure 2: A view from the outside of an opening in the piece of clothing
depicted in
Figure 1, in an enlarged representation;
Figure 3: A view of the opening depicted in Figure 2 from the outside, in the
active
position;
Figure 4: A view of the opening depicted in Figure 2 from the inside, in the
closed
position;
Figure 5: A view of the opening depicted in Figure 2 from the inside, in a
partially
closed position; and:
Figure 6: A view of the opening depicted in Figure 2 from the inside, in the
open
position.
The piece of clothing chosen as the embodiment is a jacket 1, which is
manufactured from a
wind- and water-repellent material. It is provided on the inside with an inner
lining 2, which
is lightweight and has comfortable wearing characteristics. The jacket 1 can
be closed on its
front side by means of a zipper 3. It has sleeves 4. The jacket 1 is provided
with a collar 5,
on which a hood 6 is placed. The hood 6 is attached to the jacket 1 in a
detachable manner,
such as by means of a zipper or snap fasteners, for example.
Inside the jacket 1, ventilation openings 7 are provided in the chest area on
both sides of
the zipper 3. The ventilation openings 7 have closing means 8. The means 8 for
closing the
openings 7 can be activated by means of an adjusting mechanism 9.
CA 02772581 2012-02-28
WO 2011/026627 -4- PCT/EP2010/005405
The ventilation opening 7 is covered on the outside by a structure 10. The
structure 10 is
made from plastic and attached to the circumference of the opening 7 in the
wind- and
water-repellent material of the jacket 1. The attachment can be carried out by
means of
sewing, gluing, or other types of attachment. In this embodiment, rivets 11
are additionally
used for the attachment. The structure 10 is provided with an all-round border
101, which
serves for the above-stated type of the attachment of the structure 10 to the
jacket 1.
Longitudinal- and transverse units 102 extend from the border 101, so that the
structure 10
forms the shape of a grid. Rectangular holes 103 are formed between the
longitudinal- and
transverse units 102. Guide units 104 in the form of boreholes are provided in
the structure
10, on the upper and lower end of the structure 10.
The means 8 for the closing of the ventilation opening 7 are formed by a
fabric layer 81. The
fabric layer 81 is, preferably, a weatherproof membrane that has a
microporous, air-
permeable layer which is water vapor-permeable. This can be either a membrane
that has
pores, as well as a membrane that works without pores. The membrane is
impermeable to
water and wind; body moisture, in the form of water vapor, however, can pass
or diffuse
through the membrane, as the case may be, so that the membrane is breathable.
The
possibility also exists, however, to use other types of fabric, such as
waterproofed or plastic-
coated textiles, for example.
In this embodiment, the means 8 for the closing of the ventilation opening 7,
and thereby of
the fabric layer 81, are positioned movably in the area of the opening 7. In
the embodiment,
the fabric layer 81 is vertically displaceable in the area of the areas
surrounded by the
border 101. A horizontal displaceability is likewise possible. The vertical
orientation,
however, has the advantage that the mechanism is supported by gravity. The
fabric layer 81
is provided on its upper end with a horizontally-oriented reinforcement 82.
CA 02772581 2012-02-28
WO 2011/026627 -5- PCT/EP2010/005405
The adjusting mechanism 9 in the embodiment is formed by a cord 91. The cord
91 has
grips 92 on both its ends. As can be inferred, in particular, from Figures 2
and 3, the cord 91
passes through the guide units 104, from the area behind the structure 10 to
the external
side of the jacket. The adjusting mechanism 9 is connected with the means 8 in
a simple
manner; in the embodiment, the cord 91 is connected with the reinforcement 82
that is
positioned on the upper end of the fabric layer 81.
On the inner side of the jacket 1, the ventilation opening 7 is provided with
a covering 12. In
the embodiment, the covering 12 is made from the same material as the inner
lining 2, so
that a skin-friendly and thereby pleasant wearing comfort is created, even in
the area of the
ventilation opening 7. The covering 12 in the embodiment is sewn with the
inner lining 2.
Circular holes 121 are provided in the covering 12. The holes 121 make the
entrance of
inflowing air into the jacket possible in the opened condition of the
ventilation opening 7.
The shape of the holes 121 has only been selected by way of an example. Other
forms can
obviously also find application.
In the embodiment, the fabric layer 81 is positioned between the structure 10,
which covers
the ventilation opening 7 on the outer side, and the covering 12, which covers
the ventilation
opening 7 on the inner side of the jacket 1. In the embodiment, the fabric
layer 81 is
consequently guided between the structure 10 and the covering 12. The fabric
layer 81 is
likewise guided laterally in the area of the border 101. A reliable movability
of the fabric
layer 81 is consequently guaranteed overall.
In Figures 4 to 6, the various positions during the closing of the opening 7
are depicted with
the help of the fabric layer 81. In Figure 4, the ventilation opening 7 is
completely closed by
the fabric layer 81. On the other hand, a position in which the ventilation
opening 7 is
partially released is depicted in Figure 5. This is evident because the cross-
units 102, as
well as the holes 103 of the structure 10, are visible through the holes 121
of the covering
12. In the embodiment ...
CA 02772581 2012-02-28
WO 2011/026627 -6- PCT/EP2010/005405
in accordance with Figure 6, the ventilation opening 7 is completely opened;
in this, the
structure 10, and thereby the cross-units 102 as well as the holes 103, are
visible through
nearly all holes 121.
The means 8 for the closing of the ventilation opening 7, in the form of the
fabric layer 81
provided on the jacket 1, offer the possibility of achieving an improvement in
the exchange
of air in the. jacket 1. By shifting the fabric layer 81, an entrance of air
through the ventilation
opening 7 is possible. The climate control in the jacket 1 is consequently
improved. The
possibility of opening the ventilation opening 7 in areas with the help of the
fabric layer 81
additionally offers the possibility of releasing the opening 7 in a manner
that adjusted to the
specific conditions. By this means, a regulation of the climate conditions
inside the jacket is
thereby possible, which considerably increases the comfort of the jacket in
comparison with
known jackets.
The activation of the means 8 is carried out through simple pulling on the
cord 91 by hand,
which is indicated by an "X" in Figure 3, whereby a drawing on the upper cord
91 exiting
from the structure 10. results in a closing of the opening 7, while a drawing
on the cord
exiting at the bottom results in an opening.
The invention described by means of the jacket is not restricted to this. It
is likewise
applicable to overalls, coats, or the like.
