PROTECTIVE CLOTHING SYSTEM

Abstract

A protective clothing system includes clothing configured to be worn by a user. A polyethylene foam is attached to the clothing. The polyethylene foam is positioned on the clothing to protect a portion of the user's body from impacts due to a fall.

Claims

1. A protective clothing system comprising: clothing configured to be worn by a user; and a polyethylene foam attached to the clothing, the foam being positioned on the clothing to protect a portion of the user's body from impacts due to a fall.

2. The protective clothing system of claim 1, wherein the polyethylene foam is attached externally to the clothing.

3. The protective clothing system of claim 2, wherein the polyethylene foam is attached to the clothing via at least one of a hook and loop fastener system, a zipper or sewn onto the clothing.

4. The protective clothing system of claim 1, wherein the polyethylene foam is attached internally to the clothing.

5. The protective clothing system of claim 4, wherein the polyethylene foam is attached to the clothing via at least one of insertion into pockets of the clothing, a hook and loop fastener system, a zipper or sewn onto the clothing.

6. The protective clothing system of claim 1, wherein: the system includes pants; and the polyethylene foam is positioned on one of the knee of the pants to protect the user's knee, the rear of the pants to protect the user's spine or the side of the pants to protect the user's hip from impacts due to a fall.

7. The protective clothing system of claim 1, wherein: the system includes one of a shirt or a jacket; and the polyethylene foam is positioned on one of the shoulder of the shirt or jacket to protect the user's shoulder, the rear of the shirt or jacket to protect the user's back, the elbow of the shirt or jacket to protect the user's elbow or the collar of the shirt or jacket to protect the user's neck from impacts due to a fall.

8. The protective clothing system of claim 7, wherein: the polyethylene foam is positioned on the collar of the shirt or jacket, the collar having a down undeployed position and an up deployed position, wherein: when in the down undeployed position, the collar rests upon shoulders of the shirt or jacket; and when in the up deployed position, the collar abuts against the user's neck and the polyethylene foam attached to the collar provides protection against direct impacts to the neck of the user caused during a fall.

9. The protective clothing system of claim 8, comprising: the collar including a collar fastener system to removably fasten the collar around the user's neck; wherein, when the collar is fastened to the user's neck via the collar fastener system, the polyethylene foam provides additional structural support to the user's neck to mitigate against injuries due to whiplash of a user's neck caused during a fall.

10. The protective clothing system of claim 9 wherein the collar fastener system includes at least one of a zipper, a hook and loop fastener system, a button or a snap fastener.

11. The protective clothing system of claim 1, wherein the protective clothing system is configured to function as a flotation device to keep the user afloat in water that the user has fallen into.

12. The protective clothing system of claim 11, wherein: when the protective clothing system is worn by the user, the combined volumes of the portion of the protective clothing system submerged in the water plus the portion of the user submerged in the water will displace a mass of water that is greater than the combined total mass of the user and protective clothing system, such that at least the user's head remains above water.

13. The protective clothing system of claim 12, wherein the polyethylene foam is waterproof.

14. A protective clothing system comprising: a shirt or jacket configured to be worn by a user; and a protective foam attached to a collar of the shirt or jacket, the protective foam being configured to protect the user's neck from impacts due to a fall.

15. The protective clothing system of claim 14, wherein: the collar has a down undeployed position and an up deployed position, wherein: when in the down undeployed position, the collar rests upon shoulders of the shirt or jacket; and when in the up deployed position, the collar abuts against the user's neck and the protective foam attached to the collar provides protection against direct impacts to the neck of the user caused during a fall.

16. The protective clothing system of claim 15, comprising: the collar including a collar fastener system to removably fasten the collar around the user's neck; wherein, when the collar is fastened to the user's neck via the collar fastener system, the protective foam provides additional structural support to the user's neck to mitigate against injuries due to whiplash of a user's neck caused during a fall.

17. The protective clothing system of claim 16, wherein the collar fastener system includes at least one of a zipper, a hook and loop fastener system, a button or a snap fastener.

18. A protective clothing system comprising: clothing configured to be worn by a user; and a protective foam attached to the clothing, the foam being positioned on the clothing to protect a portion of the user's body from impacts due to a fall; wherein the protective clothing system is configured to function as a flotation device to keep the user afloat in water that the user has fallen into.

19. The protective clothing system of claim 18, wherein: when the protective clothing system is worn by the user, the combined volumes of the portion of the protective clothing system submerged in the water plus the portion of the user submerged in the water will displace a mass of water that is greater than the combined total mass of the user and protective clothing system, such that at least the user's head remains above water.

20. The protective clothing system of claim 19, wherein the protective foam is polyethylene foam.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0012] The disclosure will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] FIG. 1A depicts an example of a perspective front view of a protective clothing system including pants, according to aspects described herein;

[0014] FIG. 1B depicts an example of a perspective rear view of the protective clothing system of FIG. 1A including the pants, according to aspects described herein;

[0015] FIG. 2A depicts an example of a perspective front view of a protective clothing system including a shirt or jacket, according to aspects described herein;

[0016] FIG. 2B depicts an example of a perspective rear view of the protective clothing system of FIG. 2B including the shirt or jacket, according to aspects described herein;

[0017] FIG. 3A depicts an example of a perspective front view of a protective clothing system including a protective collar in a down or undeployed position, according to aspects described herein;

[0018] FIG. 3B depicts an example of a perspective front view of the protective clothing system of FIG. 3A including the protective collar in an up or deployed position, according to aspects described herein; and

[0019] FIG. 4 depicts an example of a protective front view of a protective clothing system that also doubles as a floatation device, according to aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Certain examples will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the methods, systems, and devices disclosed herein. One or more examples are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the methods, systems, and devices specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting examples and that the scope of the present disclosure is defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one example may be combined with the features of other examples. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0021] The terms significantly, substantially, approximately, about, relatively, or other such similar terms that may be used throughout this disclosure, including the claims, are used to describe and account for small fluctuations, such as due to variations in processing from a reference or parameter. Such small fluctuations include a zero fluctuation from the reference or parameter as well. For example, they can refer to less than or equal to 10%, such as less than or equal to 5%, such as less than or equal to 2%, such as less than or equal to 1%, such as less than or equal to 0.5%, such as less than or equal to 0.2%, such as less than or equal to 0.1%, such as less than or equal to 0.05%.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an example is depicted of a front perspective view (FIG. 1A) and a rear perspective view (FIG. 2B) of a protective clothing system 100, including at least pants 106, according to aspects described herein. The system 100 includes clothing 102 configured to be worn by a user 104. The clothing 102 may include pants 106, which cover and protect the user 104 below the user's waist. The clothing 102 may also include a shirt and/or jacket 108 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B), which cover and protect the user 104 above the user's waist.

[0023] A protective foam 110 is attached to the clothing 102, wherein the protective foam 106 is positioned on the clothing 102 to protect a portion of the user's body from impacts due to a fall. The protective foam may be a closed cell polyethylene foam, which in many cases may be preferable because it is light weight, water resistant, relatively inexpensive and inert. Moreover, there are different grades of polyethylene foam, for example, high density polyethylene foam is water proof, not just water resistant.

[0024] In the embodiment described herein, most of the examples of protective foam are described as polyethylene foam. However, other types of protective foams may also be used. For example, the foam may be a polyurethane foam. Moreover, other, but not all, types of non-limiting examples of foams that may be used are: [0025] high density polyethylene foam (hdpe foam); [0026] cross linked polyethylene foam (xlpe foam); [0027] ethylene vinyl acetate foam (eva foam); [0028] polyethene foam (pu foam); [0029] rubber; [0030] cork; and [0031] foam board consisting of a foam core and polystyrene face.

[0032] In the protective clothing system 100 the polyethylene foam 110 may be attached externally or internally to the clothing. If the foam 110 is attached externally, the foam may be attached to the clothing 102 via at least one of a hook and loop fastener system, a zipper or sewn onto the clothing 102. If the foam 110 is attached internally, the foam may be attached to the clothing 102 via at least one of insertion into pockets of the clothing, a hook and loop fastener system, a zipper or sewn onto the clothing.

[0033] Where the system 100 includes pants, the polyethylene foam 110 may be positioned on several areas of the pants 106 to protect various vital portions of the user's body that are vulnerable to impacts due to a fall. For example, the foam 110 may be positioned on one of the knee 112 of the pants 106 to protect the user's knees. Also, the polyethylene foam 110 may be positioned on the rear 114 of the pants 106 to protect the user's spine. Additionally, the protective foam 110 may be positioned on the side 116 of the pants 106 to protect the user's hip from impacts due to a fall.

[0034] Though the polyethylene foam 110 is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B as positioned on the knees 112, rear 114 and sides 116 of the pants 106, the protective foam may also be positioned on other areas of the pants to provide protection for other portions of the body of the user 104. For example, the foam may be positioned on the thigh of the pants to protect against impacts to the thigh of a user 104. Alternatively, the foam may be attached over the entire area of the pants 106 to provide maximum protection from impacts below the waist of a user 104.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an example is depicted of a front perspective view (FIG. 2A) and a rear perspective view (FIG. 2B) of the protective clothing system 100, including a shirt or jacket 108, according to aspects described herein. The system 100 includes clothing 102 configured to be worn by a user 104. The clothing 102 may include a shirt or jacket 108, which cover and protect the user 104 above the user's waist.

[0036] A protective foam 110 is attached to the clothing 102, wherein the protective foam 106 is positioned on the clothing 102 to protect a portion of the user's body from impacts due to a fall. The protective foam 110 may be a closed cell polyethylene foam 110, which in many cases may be preferable because it is light weight, water resistant, relatively inexpensive and inert. Moreover, there are different grades of polyethylene foam, for example, high density polyethylene foam is waterproof, not just water resistant.

[0037] However, the protective foam 110 may be other forms of foam other than polyethylene. For example, the foam 110 may be polyurethane.

[0038] Where the system 100 includes a shirt or jacket 108, the polyethylene foam 110 may be positioned on several areas of the shirt or jacket 108 to protect various vital portions of the user's body that are vulnerable to impacts due to a fall. For example, the foam 110 may be positioned on one or more of the shoulders 118 of the shirt or jacket 108 to protect the user's shoulders. Also, the polyethylene foam 110 may be positioned on the rear 120 of the shirt or jacket 108 to protect the user's spine. Additionally, the protective foam 110 may be positioned on the elbows 122 of the shirt or jacket 108 to protect the user's elbows from impacts due to a fall. Furthermore, the protective foam 110 may be positioned on the collar 124 of the shirt or jacket 108 to protect the user's neck from direct impacts due to a fall or from whiplash due to a fall.

[0039] Though the polyethylene foam 110 is illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B as positioned on the shoulders 118, rear 120, elbows 122 and collar 124 of the shirt or jacket 108, the protective foam 110 may also be positioned on other areas of the shirt or jacket 108 to provide protection for other portions of the body of the user 104. For example, the foam 110 may be positioned on the chest of the shirt or jacket to protect against impacts to the chest of a user 104. Alternatively, the foam 110 may be attached over the entire area of the shirt or jacket 108 to provide maximum protection from impacts above the waist of a user 104.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, an example is depicted of a perspective front view of a protective clothing system 100 including a protective collar 124 of a shirt or jacket 108 in a down undeployed position (FIG. 3A) and in an up deployed position (FIG. 3B), according to aspects described herein. The shirt or jacket 108 is configured to be worn by a user 104. A protective foam 110 is attached to the collar 124 of the shirt or jacket 108. The protective foam 110 is configured to protect the user's neck from impacts due to a fall.

[0041] The neck of a user 104 may be subjected to injuries due to a direct impact from a fall, wherein the neck comes into contact with a hard object during the fall. Alternatively, the neck of a user 104 may be subject to injuries due to whiplash, wherein no direct contact to the neck is made, but the momentum of the user's head causes the neck to be injured due to whiplash. The collar 124 may be designed to mitigate the damage from either or both of these two types of injuries.

[0042] The collar 124 has a down undeployed position (FIG. 3A) and an up deployed position (FIG. 3B). In the down undeployed position, the collar 124 rests upon shoulders 126 of the shirt or jacket 108. However, in the up deployed position, the collar 124 abuts against the user's neck 128 and the protective foam 110 attached to the collar 124 provides protection against direct impacts to the neck 128 of the user 104 caused during a fall.

[0043] The collar 124 may also include a collar fastener system 130 to removably fasten the collar 124 around the user's neck 128. When the collar 124 is fastened to the user's neck 128 via the collar fastener system 130, the protective foam 110 provides additional structural support to the user's neck 128 to mitigate against injuries due to whiplash of a user's neck 128 caused during a fall. The collar fastener system 130 may include at least one or more zippers, hook and loop fastener systems, buttons or snap fasteners to secure the collar 124 around the user's neck 128.

[0044] The protective foam 110 may be a polyethylene foam. However, other protective foams 110 may also be used, such as polyurethane or polycarbonate. The type and structure of the foam may vary depending on such factors as the amount of structural support to be applied to the neck 128 to protect the neck 128 from the effects of whiplash.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 4, an example is depicted of a protective front view of a protective clothing system 100 that also doubles as a floatation device, according to aspects described herein. This embodiment of the protective clothing system 100 serves a dual purpose. First the system 100 includes the clothing 102 configured to be worn by a user 104 and the protective foam 10 attached to the clothing 102 that is positioned on the clothing 102 to protect a portion of the user's body from impacts due to a fall. Second, however, the protective clothing system 100 is configured to function as a flotation device to keep the user 104 afloat in water 132 that the user may have fallen into. For example, the user may be an elderly person or an autistic child that cannot swim.

[0046] In order to keep the user 104 afloat when the protective clothing system 100 is worn by the user 104, the combined masses of the protective clothing system 100 plus the mass of the user 104 is configure to be substantially less than the mass of the water 132 it displaces. In other words, the combined volumes of the portion of the protective clothing system 100 that is submerged 134 in the water 132 plus the portion of the user 104 that is submerged 136 in the water 132 is configured to displace a mass of water 132 that is greater than the combined total mass of the user 104 and protective clothing system 100, such that at least the user's head 138 remains above water 132.

[0047] The protective foam 110 of the protective clothing system 100 may be polyethylene. Preferably the polyethylene may have a high density such that is waterproof. Alternatively, the protective foam may be another waterproof foam.

[0048] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail herein (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

[0049] Although the invention has been described by reference to specific examples, it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described. Accordingly, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the described examples, but that it has the full scope defined by the language of the following claims.