GARMENT FOR CRYOTHERAPY

Abstract

Garment for cryotherapy comprising several receptacles to house a cold-accumulating material, in which each of said receptacles is formed by a closed fold of garment fabric, each one of said receptacles presenting two end openings for the introduction of a container of cold-accumulating material.

Claims

1. A garment for cryotherapy comprising several receptacles to house a cold-accumulating material, wherein each of said receptacles is formed by a closed fold of garment fabric, each one of said receptacles presenting two end openings for the introduction of a container of cold-accumulating material.

2. The garment, according to claim 1, wherein the receptacles have an elongated shape.

3. The garment, according to claim 2, wherein the receptacles have a toric or torus-section shape.

4. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 2, wherein said fold is closed longitudinally along one or two lines of closure.

5. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 1, wherein said fold is closed by weaving techniques.

6. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 5, wherein the garment comprises containers of cold-accumulating material formed by concatenated malleable plastic capsules capable of being introduced into the receptacles through one of the aforementioned end openings of a respective receptacle.

7. The garment, according to claim 6, wherein there is a container of cold-accumulating material composed of several concatenated capsules inside each receptacle.

8. The garment according to claim 6, wherein the concatenated capsules are spaced at regular intervals by pinching zones.

9. The garment according to claim 8, wherein the capsules are joined together by 1-centimetre pinching zones arranged every 4 centimetres.

10. The garment according to claim 1, wherein said garment is compressive.

11. The garment, according to claim 1, wherein said garment fabric comprises an elastomer.

12. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 1, wherein said cold-accumulating material is a gel.

13. The garment, according to claim 1, wherein said garment comprises at least two receptacles for each end to be covered by the garment.

14. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 13, wherein said receptacle is arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of its respective extremity.

15. The garment for cryotherapy, claim 1, wherein said garment is a pair of tights.

16. The garment, for cryotherapy, according to claim 15, wherein the receptacles cover from an iliac crest to ankles, with the exception of areas corresponding to the inner face of legs, genital area and intergluteal cleft.

17. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 1, wherein said garment is a T-shirt.

18. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 1, wherein said garment is an arm sleeve.

19. The garment for cryotherapy, according to claim 1, wherein said garment is a calf sleeve.

Description

[0036] For a better understanding, several representative drawings of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention are attached, by way of explanatory but not limiting example.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a front elevation view of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a rear elevation view of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 3 schematically shows an embodiment of a cold-accumulating material according to the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross section of the receptacles designed to house a cold-accumulating material of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross section of said receptacles housing their respective cold-accumulating material of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 6 schematically shows the introduction of the cold-accumulating material into its respective receptacle.

[0043] In the figures, the same or equivalent elements were identified with identical numerals.

[0044] FIGS. 1 and 2 show, in a front elevation view and a rear elevation view, respectively, an embodiment of a garment 1 for cryotherapy according to the present invention. As can be seen, in the embodiment shown, the garment 1 is in the form of long tights, that is, of tights that cover down to approximately the ankles of the wearer thereof. In other embodiments, the tights may be short, that is, covering down to above the knee, or capri type, that is, covering down to about the middle of the calves. The trouser legs of the example, including receptacles, may be made on a circular-type machine.

[0045] In the embodiment shown, the garment 1 comprises two trouser legs 10, 20 and each of them comprises a respective plurality of receptacles 100, 200 for accommodating a cold-accumulating material 50 (see FIGS. 3, 5 and 6). As can be seen, in this embodiment, the different receptacles 100, 200 are spaced substantially equidistant from each other, although in other embodiments said spacing may vary, among others, depending on the area of the body in which they are located and the effect that is intended to produce. The spacing between receptacles may also be due to aesthetic reasons.

[0046] As can be seen, in this embodiment the receptacles 100, 200 are arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of their respective trouser leg 10, 20, that is, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the leg of the wearer of the garment 1. Similarly, in embodiments in which the garment covers the arms and/or the trunk of the wearer thereof, the receptacles and their respective cold-accumulating material may also be arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arms and/or the trunk.

[0047] In the embodiment shown, in an implied plan view, the receptacles 100, 200 and the respective cold-accumulating material 50 housed inside have a substantially circular or elliptical shape, so that they adapt to the shape of the extremity, in this case, the legs of the wearer of garment 1. As can be seen, by having an approximately circular section and a development around the leg or hip that is also approximately circular, the general shape of the receptacles turns out to be toric or of torus section. In other embodiments, the receptacles 100, 200 of substantially circular or elliptical shape may be replaced by one or more receptacles of substantially helical shape, said helix running along the entire extremity covered by the garment 1.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the trouser legs 10, 20 of the garment 1 comprises a zone 110, 210, respectively, free of receptacle and cold-accumulating material. In that embodiment, the zones 110, 210 coincide approximately with the location of the knees of the wearer of the garment 1. In embodiments in which the garment is a T-shirt, arm sleeve or the like, said zone free of cold-accumulating material is preferably located in the zone of the wearer's elbow.

[0049] Although preferably the garments object of the present invention comprise the aforementioned areas free of cold-accumulating material, these being substantially coincident with the joints of the wearer's extremities, it is also possible to make garments that lack said areas, that is, garments that contain receptacles and respective cold-accumulating material distributed throughout the garment.

[0050] In the case of the embodiment shown, the garment 1 comprises two areas 30, 40 free of cold-accumulating material, both coinciding with the pubic area and the perianal or intergluteal area, respectively, of the wearer of the garment 1. The objective of the absence of cold-accumulating material in both areas is, among others, to increase the wearing comfort of the garment 1, since both the pubic and the perianal or intergluteal areas are especially sensitive to cold.

[0051] FIG. 3 schematically shows an embodiment of a cold-accumulating material 50 according to the present invention. In said embodiment, the cold-accumulating material 50 is packaged in a plurality of concatenated capsules 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G, 50H, 50I, 50J, 50K, 50L, 50M, 500, 50P, 50Q, 50R, 50S made of malleable plastic. This arrangement in concatenated capsules of the cold-accumulating material 50 has numerous advantages, especially with regard to the manufacture of the garment 1.

[0052] Due to the preferably anatomical nature of the garments object of the present invention, it is necessary that, in order to adapt to the shape of the body of the wearer thereof, each of the different receptacles 100, 200 and the cold-accumulating material 50 that they house have different lengths. This necessity to have strips of cold-accumulating material 50 of multiple lengths would entail a great stock problem, since the manufacture of garments according to the present invention would require having to stock a large number of strips of cold-accumulating material 50 of different lengths. However, this need for a large stock is solved by the fact that the cold-accumulating material 50 is packaged in concatenated capsules, thus allowing to cut the cold-accumulating material 50 into the necessary lengths from, for example, a single roll or coil of said material 50. In this way, it is possible to manufacture strips of cold-accumulating material 50 of different lengths that can adapt to different parts of the body and be used in garments of different sizes, etc., depending on the production needs and without necessitating a large stock volume.

[0053] Preferably, the cut is carried out in a joining zone between capsules formed by the packaging material thereof, that is, said joining zone does not comprise cold-accumulating material and allows the different concatenated capsules to be separated cleanly, that is, in other words, it allows the capsules to be separated without the need to cut a capsule, which would lead to its breakage and the loss of the cold-accumulating material contained therein.

[0054] In the embodiment shown, the cold-accumulating material 50 is a eutectic gel with a high calorific capacity and a high latent heat of fusion.

[0055] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a cross section of the receptacles for accommodating a cold-accumulating material of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention. In the embodiment shown, the receptacle 100 is made of the same material as the rest of the trouser leg 10 of the garment 1. The receptacle 100 is formed by a fold of the garment material. The figure shows the weave that forms the main face of the garment (fabric of the trouser leg 10) with a striped wall. This representation was used to cover various possible woven fabrics, in one, two or more layers, made of the same yarns or of different compositions and/or colour. Meanwhile, the walls of the receptacle 100 were represented by continuous lines exiting the fabric of the trouser leg 10 or garment, forming a fold and returning to the fabric. It should be understood that the walls of the receptacle may also be woven in different ways, and that the exit and return points of the fabric of the fold may vary, being able to exit from any point of the weave of the fabric of the trouser leg 10 or garment.

[0056] As can be seen, since it is formed by threads of the garment weave, both longitudinal ends 1001, 1002 of the receptacle 100 are attached to the fabric of the trouser leg 10. In the case shown, they leave a space between both joints, thus delimiting the receptacle 100 destined to house the cold-accumulating material 50. In other embodiments, both ends 1001, 1002 may be joined to or interlaced with each other by weaving techniques and, in turn, be attached to the fabric of the garment 1.

[0057] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a cross section of said receptacles housing their respective cold-accumulating material of an embodiment of a garment for cryotherapy according to the present invention. As can be seen, FIG. 5 is very similar to FIG. 4, except that cold-accumulating material 50 was added inside the receptacles 100.

[0058] In the example shown, the assembly formed by the receptacle 100 and its respective cold-accumulating material 50 have a section substantially circular in shape. This is due, among others, to the fact that the distance between the ends 1001, 1002 is quite small. However, in other embodiments, said spacing may be greater, so that the section formed by the receptacle 100, the material 50 and the trouser leg 10 has a U-shaped section, for example, thus increasing the contact surface between the cold-accumulating material 50 and the trouser leg 10, and therefore, increasing the transfer of heat between the cold-accumulating material 50 and the skin of the wearer of the garment 1. It is important to remember that due to the malleability of the cold-accumulating material 50 and the packaging that contains it, it can be adapted to some extent to the shape of the receptacle 100 that houses it.

[0059] In this embodiment, the fabric of the trouser leg 10 of the garment 1, in addition to giving body to the garment 1 and holding the receptacles 100, also serves to avoid direct contact between the cold-accumulating material 50 and the skin of the wearer of said garment, which could cause injuries and/or cold burns to said wearer. Although in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the fabric of the trouser leg 10 has only one layer, in other embodiments the fabric may have more than one layer.

[0060] FIG. 6 schematically shows the introduction of the cold-accumulating material into its respective receptacle. As can be seen, the lengths of the cold-accumulating material 50 and its respective receptacle 100 are different depending on the part of the garment in which they are located. For the introduction of the cold-accumulating material 50 into its respective receptacle 100, said cold-accumulating material 50 is first cut into the required length (see FIG. 3). Since the material of the receptacle 100, in the same way as that of the rest of the garment, is preferably elastic, it allows the cold-accumulating material 50 to be inserted inside it and, once inserted, to compress and hold it in place. To minimise the risk that the cold-accumulating material 50 will come out of its respective receptacle 100, all of its ends may be closed up. Said closure is preferably made by sewing, although other types of closure are also possible.

[0061] Although an embodiment of a garment according to the present invention was shown and described in the figures, in which said garment is in the form of tights, it should be understood that what was explained is equally applicable to embodiments in which the garment is a T-shirt, an arm sleeve, a calf sleeve, etc.

[0062] While the invention was described and represented on the basis of several representative examples, it should be understood that such embodiments are in no way limiting to the present invention, so that any variations that may be included directly or otherwise by way of equivalence in the content of the appended claims, should be considered included in the scope of the present invention.