U.S. patent application number 10/122096 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-16 for waterproof, breathable articles of apparel with fleece liners.
Invention is credited to Williams, Cole.
Application Number | 20030192107 10/122096 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28790487 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030192107 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Williams, Cole |
October 16, 2003 |
Waterproof, breathable articles of apparel with fleece liners
Abstract
Articles of apparel and the method of making the same which
include a uniquely constructed fleece liner and an elastomeric
polyurethane film that will allow water vapor due to perspiration
to transpire through the article, but will prevent water from
external sources from reaching the wearer's extremities. The fleece
liner component is constructed using a novel adhesive bonding
process that produces a virtually seamless liner component that
provides substantial warmth and comfort to the user.
Inventors: |
Williams, Cole; (Duarte,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
James E. Brunton
Suite 860
700 North Brand Blvd.
P.O. Box 29000
Glendale
CA
91209
US
|
Family ID: |
28790487 |
Appl. No.: |
10/122096 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/239 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 19/00 20130101;
B29D 35/12 20130101; A41B 11/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/239 |
International
Class: |
A41B 011/00; A43B
017/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A method of making an article of apparel used to cover a
wearer's extremities comprising the steps of: (a) depositing a heat
activated adhesive on the first surface of a first fleece member to
form a first precursor coated component, said heat activated
adhesive comprising a powdered adhesive; (b) placing a second
fleece member component over said first precursor coated component
to form an unbonded assemblage; and (c) heating said unbonded
assemblage along a line to an elevated temperature sufficient to
melt said heat activated adhesive thereby bonding said first
precursor coated component and second fleece member component
together along said line.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 in which said line is in the
shape of a foot.
3. The method as defined in claim 1 in which said unbonded
assemblage is heated along said line to an elevated temperature of
between about 350 and about 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. A method of making an article of apparel used to cover a
wearer's extremities using a die generally corresponding to the
shape of the margin of the article of apparel, the method
comprising the steps of: (a) depositing a heat activated adhesive
on the first surface of a first fleece member to form a first
precursor coated component, said heat activated adhesive comprising
a powdered adhesive; (b) placing a second fleece member component
over said first precursor coated component to form a precursor
assemblage; and (c) heating the die to an elevated temperature
sufficient to melt said heat activated adhesive; and (d) bringing
said die into pressural engagement with said precursor assemblage
to bond together said first precursor coated component and said
second fleece member component to form an article of apparel.
5. The method as defined in claim 4 in which the die is heated to
an elevated temperature of between about 350 and about 450 degrees
Fahrenheit.
6. The method as defined in claim 4 in which the die is brought
into pressural engagement with said precursor assemblage at a
pressure of between about 40 and about 60 p.s.i.
7. A method of making an article of apparel used to cover a
wearer's extremities comprising the steps of: (a) constructing a
fleece liner component in accordance with the following steps: (i)
depositing a heat activated adhesive on the first surface of a
first fleece member to form a first precursor; (ii) overlaying a
second fleece member over said first precursor to form an unbonded
assemblage; and (iii) heating said unbonded assemblage along a line
defining the shape of the fleece liner to an elevated temperature
sufficient to melt said heat activated adhesive to bond said first
precursor and said second fleece member together along said line;
(b) depositing a heat activated adhesive on both surfaces of a
stretchable, waterproof, breathable membrane to form a coated
membrane; (c) forming said coated membrane into a bladder having an
extremity receiving portion in the general shape of the wearer's
extremity to be covered, said bladder having a smooth outer surface
and a smooth inner surface generally conformable to the contours of
the extremity to be covered; (d) placing said bladder over said
fleece liner component to form a first assemblage; (e) placing an
outer fabric member over said first assemblage to form a second
assemblage; and (f) simultaneously heating said second assemblage
to a temperature of between about 260 and about 390 degrees
Fahrenheit and compressing said second assembly at a pressure
sufficient to form a composite in which said fleece liner component
and said outer fabric member are securely bonded to said
bladder.
8. A method as defined in claim 7 in which said waterproof,
breathable membrane comprises a thin, generally planar, smooth
surfaced thin film having a wall thickness of between about 0.001
inch and about 0.0018 inch.
9. A method as defined in claim 7 in which the article of apparel
comprises a sock.
10. A method of making a sock used to cover a wearer's foot
comprising the steps of: (a) constructing a fleece liner component
in accordance with the following steps: (i) depositing a heat
activated adhesive on the first surface of a first fleece member to
form a first precursor, (ii) overlaying a second fleece member over
said first precursor to form an unbonded assemblage; and (iii)
heating said unbonded assemblage along a line having the shape of
the sock to an elevated temperature sufficient to melt said heat
activated adhesive to bond said first coated precursor and second
fleece member together along said line; (b) depositing heat
activated adhesive on both surfaces of a stretchable, waterproof,
breathable membrane to form a coated membrane; (c) forming said
coated membrane into a bladder, having an extremity receiving
portion in the general shape of the wearer's foot, said bladder
having a smooth outer surface and a smooth inner surface generally
conformable to the contours of the extremity to be covered; (d)
placing said bladder over said fleece liner component to form a
first assemblage; (e) placing an outer fabric member over said
first assemblage to form a second assemblage; and (f)
simultaneously heating said second assemblage to a temperature of
between about 260 and about 390 degrees Fahrenheit and compressing
said second assembly at a pressure sufficient to form a composite
in which said fleece liner component and said outer fabric member
are securely bonded to said bladder.
11. A method as defined in claim 10 in which said waterproof,
breathable membrane comprises a thin, generally planar, smooth
surfaced thin film having a wall thickness of between about 0.001
inch and about 0.0018 inch.
12. The method as defined in claim 11 in which said waterproof,
breathable membrane comprises a material selected from a group
consisting of urethane, polyurethane, and elastomers made from
polyester, polyamides, cellulose derivatives and polyacrylic acid
and a polytetraflouroethylene film.
13. An article of apparel used to cover a wearer's extremities
comprising: (a) a pliant, generally extremity-shaped hollow bladder
constructed from a waterproof, breathable material, said bladder
including as a part thereof, a continuous extremity covering
portion for enclosing there-within the wearer's extremity,
including a continuous outer surface and a continuous inner surface
generally conforming to the contours of the wearer's extremity; and
(b) a generally extremity shaped fleece liner having a continuous
surface attached directly to said inner surface of said bladder
along a substantial portion thereof.
14. An article as defined in claim 13 in which said fleece liner is
bonded to said bladder by a heat activated adhesive.
15. An article as defined in claim 13 further including an outer
fabric member bonded to the outer surface of said bladder.
16. An article as defined in claim 13 in which said article is
adapted to cover a wearer's foot and in which said bladder and said
fleece liner are in the general shape of a human foot.
17. A waterproof footwear article for enclosing a wearer's foot,
comprising: (a) an elastomeric, breathable and waterproof
stretchable elastic bladder having a continuous foot receiving
portion the general shape of the wearer's foot and including
continuous outer surface and a continuous inner surface generally
conformable to the wearer's foot; (b) an inner fleece liner bonded
to said bladder along a substantial portion of said inner surface
of said bladder; and (c) an outer fabric covering bonded to said
bladder along a substantial portion of said outer surface of said
bladder.
18. An article as defined in claim 17 in which said elastomeric
bladder permits the water vapor content of perspiration to pass
therethrough in a direction toward said outer fabric covering, but
prevents water in liquid form from passing therethrough toward said
inner fleece liner.
19. An article as defined in claim 17 in which said bladder
comprises a material selected from a group consisting of urethane,
polyurethane, and elastomers made from polyester, polyamides,
cellulose derivatives and polyacrylic acid and a
polytetraflouroethylene film.
20. An article as defined in claim 19 in which said inner and outer
socks are bonded to said bladder by a heat-activated adhesive.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to articles of
apparel. More particularly, the invention concerns improved
articles of apparel used to cover the wearer's extremities such as
an improved, waterproof sock that includes a novel, stretchable
fleece liner that adds comfort and warmth to the sock and an
elastomeric polyurethane film that permits perspiration to
transpire through the sock, but keeps water from external sources
away from the wearer's foot.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
[0004] Various attempts have been made in the past to produce
breathable, water-proof articles of apparel such as gloves and
socks that will keep the wearer's hands and feet dry and at the
same time permit perspiration to transpire through the article.
Materials, which will accomplish this desired function, have been
known for sometime. Among the most successful waterproof,
breathable articles of apparel ever developed are those developed
by the present inventor and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,402,540,
5,655,226 and 5,483,703. Because of the pertinence of these patents
to a complete understanding of the present inventions, U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,402,540, 5,655,226 and 5,483,703 are incorporated by
reference as though fully set forth herein.
[0005] The present invention constitutes an improvement in the
articles described in the aforementioned patents. More
particularly, the articles of apparel of the present invention
include a novel fleece liner component that is constructed in a
highly novel manner to provide substantial warmth and comfort to
the user.
[0006] As will be better appreciated from the discussion which
follows, the present invention provides, for the first time,
articles of clothing such as socks and gloves which exhibit the
warmth, comfort and stretchability of traditional types of sport
socks and gloves. The articles of the invention include a uniquely
constructed fleece liner component and a barrier membrane component
that provides an article that is both breathable and completely
waterproof.
[0007] While certain articles of clothing have been fabricated in
the past using fleece materials, the articles have been constructed
using traditional cutting and sewing techniques. These techniques
produce articles that exhibit welts that are generally unacceptable
in articles of clothing such as socks and gloves. The fleece
articles produced in the traditional manner have proven
unacceptable for use in the construction of the three-ply
waterproof and breathable articles of clothing of the present
invention. Accordingly it was necessary for the present inventor to
conceive of and develop an entirely new and novel method for the
construction of the fleece articles that do not exhibit the
undesirable welt characteristics found in the prior art sewn
garments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide
comfortable articles of apparel and the method of making the same
which include a uniquely constructed fleece liner and an
elastomeric polyurethane film that will allow water vapor due to
perspiration to transpire through the article, but will prevent
water from external sources from reaching the wearer's
extremities.
[0009] A particular object of the invention is to provide a
footwear article of the aforementioned character which includes a
fleece liner component that provides substantial warmth and comfort
to the user.
[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide an article as
described in the preceding paragraphs in which the fleece liner
component is constructed using a novel adhesive bonding process
that produces a virtually seamless liner component.
[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a method of
making articles of the character described in the preceding
paragraphs which is simple and straight forward, does not require
the use of complicated equipment and can be performed by unskilled
workmen with a minimum of training.
[0012] A particular object of the invention is to provide a sock as
described in the preceding paragraphs which is of simple
construction, is lightweight, is pliant and durable in use, and is
easy to manufacture.
[0013] In one form of the invention, the footwear article comprises
a sock having a body portion that is of three-ply construction with
the inside ply being formed from a uniquely constructed fleece
liner that embodies elastic fibers, the intermediate ply being made
from an elastomeric polyurethane film and the outside ply being
formed from a suitable stretchable fabric. The three plies are
uniquely bonded together using a pliant, waterproof adhesive to
provide a rugged, durable and extremely comfortable sock.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view
illustrating the first step in one form of the method of making the
fleece liner component of the footwear article of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view
illustrating the next step in one form of the method of making the
fleece liner component of the footwear article of the
invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a generally perspective view of the fleece liner
component of the footwear article of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged, cross-sectional view taken
along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3.
[0018] FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional,
illustrative view showing one of the steps in the method of making
the footwear article of the invention wherein the precursor
footwear article is heated and compressed.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of one form of the footwear
article of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 7 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along
lines 7-7 of FIG. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1
through 4, one form of the fleece liner component of article of
apparel of the present invention and the method of making the same
is there illustrated. As depicted in FIG. 3, the fleece liner here
comprises a bonded assemblage made up of an inner layer of a
conventional, commercially available fleece material. While several
commercially available materials are suitable for use in
constructing the fleece liner component, a fleece fabric made by
Malden Mills Ind. Inc. of Lawrence, Mass. has proven to be ideal
for use in accomplishing the method of the present invention. This
material is a highly insulating fabric that is soft and both
comfortable and durable in use. Additionally, the material includes
an elastomeric component that is woven into the fabric so that the
material stretches both lengthwise and crosswise thereby providing
a fourway stretch making it extremely attractive for use in the
present application.
[0022] In constructing the fleece liner 14 of the character shown
in FIG. 3, a first sheet or layer 16 of the fleece material is
placed on the top surface of a rigid support such as an aluminum
plate "P". A thin layer of heat activated powdered adhesive "A" is
then sprinkled on the upper surface of first layer to form a first
precursor, coated component 16. Next, a second sheet or layer 18 of
fleece material is laid over first precursor, coated component, 16
in a manner shown in FIG. 2 to form the unbonded assemblage 20.
Assemblage 20 is then uniquely bonded together into the general
configuration of a sock using a strategically formed, heated die 22
of the general character shown in FIG. 2. While several heat
activated adhesives can be used in the construction of the fleece
liner component 14, an adhesive sold by EMS-Chemie (North America),
Inc. of Sumpter, S.C. under the name and style GRILTEX D-P160400
has proven satisfactory for this purpose. It is to be noted that
the usual prior art method of constructing articles of apparel
using sheets of this type of fleece fabric involves first cutting
the sheets of fabric into the desired configuration and then
interconnecting the sheets using conventional sewing techniques.
However, sewing the seams in the traditional manner undesirably
forms welts on the assembled article that are objectionable in
apparel such as socks and gloves. Because of this substantial
drawback of the prior art material joining techniques, it was
necessary to develop the novel bonding method of the present
invention for assembling the fleece components to form the inner
liner component of the article of apparel.
[0023] In accordance with one form of the method of the invention
for constructing the fleece liner 14, the die 22 is used to heat
the unbonded assemblage along a line "L" defining an open ended
area that corresponds to the sock shape of the fleece liner. More
particularly, the die heats the unbonded assemblage along the line
of the die so as to controllably bond together the fibrils of the
fleece material that are disposed beneath the die. In accomplishing
the method of the invention, the die is held in a suitable press of
a character well understood by those skilled in the art (not shown)
and is heated to a temperature of between about 350 and about 450
degrees Fahrenheit, which is slightly above the softening point of
the adhesive. When the heated die is brought into pressural
engagement with the assemblage 20, the discrete particles of the
adhesive which have been randomly deposited onto the sheet 16 melt
in a manner to strategically fuse together the fibrils 25 of the
fleece material that are located beneath the heated die along line
"L". These bonded fibrils define the margin of the bonded liner
(see FIG. 4). During this bonding step, the pressure exerted on the
die by the press is preferably between about 40 psi and about 60
psi. After the edge fibril-bonding step has been completed, the
particles of adhesive that were not activated during the bonding
process are removed by shaking or tumbling the liner component 14.
This done, the first and second precursor components that have been
bonded together along the desired bond line are suitably trimmed to
define a clean, well-defined margin. Due to the nature of the
fibril bond line formed in accordance with the novel method of the
invention thus described, the edges of the trimmed assemblage which
forms the fleece liner 14 is supple and uniquely exhibits almost no
undesirable seam welt.
[0024] Forming an important component of the sock construction 28
of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings is a thin,
pliant bladder 30 that is constructed from a waterproof, breathable
material, such as polyurethane sheet. The polyurethane sheet can be
of various thicknesses as, for example, between about 1.0 mils and
about 3.0 mils. As illustrated in FIG. 7, bladder 30, which
includes an inner surface 30a that has been coated with a heat
activated adhesive "A" and an outer surface 30b that has also been
coated with a heat activated adhesive "A", has the unique
capability of generally conforming to the contours of the human
foot and leg so that it can be comfortably worn inside a boot or
shoe.
[0025] Bonded to the inner surface 30a of the elastomeric bladder
is the previously discussed fleece liner 14. The article of the
invention also includes an outer sock 34 that is bonded to the
outer surface 30b, The details of the construction of outer sock 34
will presently be described. While several heat activated adhesives
can be used in the accomplishment of the method of the present
invention, a hot melt adhesive in powder form sold by EMS-Chemie
(North America), Inc. of Sumpter, S.C. under the name and style
GRILTEX D-P160400 has proven satisfactory for this purpose.
[0026] The thin, pliant, thermoplastic material from which the
waterproof, breathable bladder is made is of a character that will
prevent penetration of liquid water while at the same time
permitting free passage of moisture vapor such as perspiration.
This material can be polyurethane sometimes described as
thermoplastic polyurethane. A suitable material of this type is
sold by The Dow Chemical Company. Other suitable materials include
elastomers made from polyesters, copolyesters, polyamides,
cellulose derivatives, polyacrylic acid and its holologs, natural
or synthetic rubber with hydrophilic impurities, copolyozamides,
polyureas, polyelectrolytes, polyphosphates, polyvinylamid,
polyvinylalcohol, polyether, and copolymers thereof, polythioether,
polythioether-polyether, copolyepichlorohydrinether,
polysulphosphates, copolyester-ether and derivatives or mixtures
thereof and film materials made by W. L. Gore and Associates,
called Goretex that incorporate The DuPont Company's Teflon.RTM.
polytetraflouroethylene.
[0027] The construction of the waterproof, breathable bladder 30 in
accordance with one form of the method of the invention is
accomplished by first coating both sides of a sheet of the thin,
pliant bladder membrane with a light coating of the hot melt
adhesive "A" to form a precursor, coated membrane. Next, the
precursor, coated membrane is heated to a temperature slightly
above the softening point of the adhesive, thereby causing the
discrete particles of the adhesive which have been randomly
deposited onto the bladder to fuse to the surface of the bladder
material to form a coated membrane. Reference should be made to
incorporated-by-reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,402,540, 5,655,226 and
5,483,703 for a more detailed description of this adhesive
deposition process.
[0028] The next step in the method of the invention for
constructing the waterproof, breathable bladder is to overlay two
sheets of the previously described-coated membrane and then to
define on the membrane a line circumscribing the boundary of the
bladder. This done, the sheets of coated membrane are heated along
the boundary line to a temperature sufficient to sealably bond the
membranes together along the boundary line. This heating-fusion
step can be accomplished in several ways well known to those
skilled in the art, including the techniques described in the
incorporated by reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,402,540, 5,655,226 and
5,483,703. The heating-fusion step produces a bladder having an
extremity-receiving portion that is in the general shape of the
wearer's extremity, in this instance of the wearer's foot.
[0029] The next step in the method of the invention is to place the
fleece liner 14 over a generally foot-shaped, approximately
{fraction (1/32)} inch thick, generally planar mandrel 36 having
smooth outer surfaces (see FIG. 5). The fleece liner 14, which has
inner and outer surfaces 14a and 14b (FIG. 5) is placed over the
mandrel so that inner surface 14a thereof is disposed in engagement
with the faces 36a of mandrel 36.
[0030] After fleece liner 14 has been placed over mandrel 36 and
smoothed out so that its inner surface is in close engagement with
the faces of the mandrel, a first assemblage is formed by carefully
placing bladder 30 over the assemblage of the fleece liner 14 and
mandrel 36. This done, bladder is smoothed so that the inner
surface of the bladder is in close engagement with the outer
surface of the fleece liner. Next, the precursor assembly is formed
by carefully placing the outer fabric sock 34 over the first
assemblage. This done, the outer fabric sock 34 is smoothed so that
the inner surface thereof is in close engagement with the outer
surface of the bladder 30. Fabric sock 34 preferably comprises a
knit sock that includes stretch fibers such as those sold by DuPont
under the name and style LYCRA.TM. Spandex. Alternatively, sock 34
can comprise a conventional cut and sewn sock component. Reference
should be made to the incorporated by reference U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,483,703, 5,655,226 and 5,483,703 for a more complete description
of the mandrel 36 and the techniques for the construction of the
precursor assembly.
[0031] The precursor assembly formed in the manner described in the
preceding paragraph, which comprises the bonded together fleece
liner 14, the bladder 30 and the outer sock 34 is then heated and
compressed in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 and more fully
described in the incorporated by reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,655,226
and 5,483,703 to form the finished article. Briefly, this step is
accomplished by placing the mandrel, upon which the precursor
assembly is mounted, between two platens "P" that can be
controllably heated to a temperature between about 260.degree. F.
and about 390.degree. F. and urged at a pressure of between about 5
pounds per square inch and about 20 pounds per square inch
together. During this temperature-pressure step, the polymer of the
adhesive is bonded and cross-linked making a permanent, waterproof
bond of the fleece liner 14 to the inside of the bladder and the
outer sock 34 to the other side of the bladder. During this
important temperature-pressure step, the bonded joint between the
fleece layers 16 and 18 is reheated and securely bonded along the
margin of the fleece liner to the bladder. During this bonding step
the bonded joint uniquely tends to smooth out so that it is
virtually unnoticeable to the user when the article of the
invention is worn.
[0032] After completion of the heating and compression step, the
precursor assembly is removed from the press and allowed to cool
thoroughly prior to doffing the completed waterproof footwear
article from the mandrel. When removed from the mandrel, the
footwear article is generally planar in shape and in one form of
the invention, the article may be stitched along the margin of the
bladder and the cuff. In use, when the foot is inserted into the
open cuff of the article, the foot-engaging portion of the sock
will neatly and smoothly conform to the shape of the wearer's
foot.
[0033] Having now described the invention in detail in accordance
with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this
art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in
the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet
specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications
may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention, as set forth in the following documents.
* * * * *