U.S. patent application number 12/451108 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-20 for item of clothing.
Invention is credited to Bodo W. Lambertz.
Application Number | 20100122394 12/451108 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38320421 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100122394 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lambertz; Bodo W. |
May 20, 2010 |
ITEM OF CLOTHING
Abstract
The invention relates to an item of clothing that at least
partially covers the body of the wearer and that comprises a back
part. Said back part (2) comprises a heat insulating element (3)
that extends along the spinal column and that covers at least the
region of the thoracic vertebra.
Inventors: |
Lambertz; Bodo W.;
(Pfaffikon, CH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Olson & Cepuritis, LTD.
20 NORTH WACKER DRIVE, 36TH FLOOR
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
38320421 |
Appl. No.: |
12/451108 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
May 9, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/DE2008/000788 |
371 Date: |
October 26, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/79 ; 2/115;
2/85; 2/93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 13/0531 20130101;
A41D 2400/10 20130101; A41D 31/06 20190201 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/79 ; 2/115;
2/85; 2/93 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/02 20060101
A41D013/02; A41B 1/00 20060101 A41B001/00; A41D 3/02 20060101
A41D003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 11, 2007 |
DE |
20 2007 006 958.8 |
Claims
1. An item of clothing which at least partially covers the body of
the wearer and has a back part, wherein the back part (2) comprises
a thermal insulation element (3), which extends along the spinal
column and covers at least the area of the thoracic vertebrae,
characterized in that areas (4) of heat regulating material are
arranged next to the thermal insulation element (3).
2. An item of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that
the thermal insulation element (3) is thicker than the rest of the
material.
3. An item of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that
the thermal insulation element (3) is denser than the rest of the
material.
4. (canceled)
5. An item of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that
the item of clothing is a singlet.
6. An item of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that
the item of clothing is a T-shirt.
7. An item of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that
the item of clothing is a jacket.
8. An item of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that
the item of clothing is an overall.
9. An item of clothing according to claim 2, characterized in that
the thermal insulation element (3) is denser than the rest of the
material.
10. An item of clothing according to claim 2, characterized in that
the item of clothing is a singlet.
11. An item of clothing according to claim 2, characterized in that
the item of clothing is a T-shirt.
12. An item of clothing according to claim 2, characterized in that
the item of clothing is a jacket.
13. An item of clothing according to claim 2, characterized in that
the item of clothing is an overall.
14. An item of clothing for a wearer having a spinal column
comprising cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, and lumbar
vertebrae, said item of clothing at least partially covering the
body of the wearer and having a back part, the back part (2)
comprising a thermal insulation element (3), which is elongated and
extends along the spinal column and covers at least the area of the
thoracic vertebrae, and areas (4) of heat regulating material being
arranged at each side of the thermal insulation element (3).
15. An item of clothing as in claim 14, wherein the areas (4) of
heat regulating material are each elongated and are substantially
coextensive with the thermal insulation element (3) on either side
of the spinal column.
Description
[0001] The invention pertains to an item of clothing which at least
partially covers the body of the wearer and comprises a back
part.
[0002] Clothing serves to protect the wearer, and in particular it
serves to protect the wearer from the weather. At the same time,
clothing has the task of providing means by which an adequate body
temperature can be maintained. This means that the clothing
maintains a normal body temperature during periods of little
physical activity and thus prevents the body from cooling; during
more strenuous physical activities, furthermore, clothing should
provide a heat regulation function, which prevents the body
temperature from rising.
[0003] In addition to the actual body temperature, however, the
perceived body temperature is also crucial to the performance
capacity of a human being, because a considerable decrease in
performance can be observed when a person perceives that he is
overheated or has become cold. The body's temperature sensors,
which are distributed over the entire body, play a decisive role
here. These temperature sensors tell the person how warm or cold
certain areas of the body are. This information is sent by the
sensors to the brain, which then, if the sensors detect a feeling
of cold, initiates appropriate measures, such as stimulating the
metabolism, which has the effect of converting the energy reserves
of the body into heat and thus of increasing the body's
temperature. Conversely, when a person feels overheated, the
metabolism can be reduced in order to lower the body
temperature.
[0004] The primary information carrier of the human body is the
spinal column. The spinal column also plays the most important role
in relation to the determination of body temperature and of the
overall sense of well-being. To put in simply, the spinal column is
the main temperature sensor of the human body. As a result, the
temperature determined in the area of the spinal column is decisive
for the entire organism with respect to both the performance
capacity of the body and the feeling of well-being. For this
reason, it is of crucial importance to be able to influence the
temperature of the body in the area of the spinal column as a way
of achieving certain results. Past approaches have been based on
the theory that clothing in the area of the spinal column should be
designed in such a way as to dissipate heat. This theory is based
on the assumption that, especially during strenuous physical
activity, the human being begins to sweat and thus the body
temperature increases. Through the dissipation of the heat in the
area of the spinal column, the temperature sensors present there
detect a less pronounced temperature increase than would be the
case if no heat were dissipated from the area of the spinal column.
As a result, the brain does not conclude that the body is
overheated; instead, it merely determines a slight temperature
increase, and therefore the metabolism can remain on the same high
level.
[0005] The present invention takes a different approach: A person's
feeling of well-being depends to a large extent on the perceived
temperature. This means that, regardless of how low the temperature
of the environment may be, the person will still feel comfortable
as long as the clothing around him keeps him sufficiently warm. It
is true that human temperature sensors are distributed over the
entire body; but because the spinal column represents the primary
temperature sensor, as explained above, it is possible to exert an
influence on the feeling of well-being by producing changes in the
area of the spinal column in particular. Because the performance
capacity of a human being also depends on psychological components,
one of which pertains to the feeling of well-being with respect to
temperature, influencing the perceived temperature in the area of
the spinal column is a highly suitable way of increasing the
performance capacity of the human being. This influence, in
contrast to the old theory, can also be achieved by suggesting to
the spinal column area of the body that the temperature is higher
than is actually the case. Especially during the cold season, an
influence of this type leads to a maximum of mobility and
performance capacity, because the body is not subjected to the
additional stress associated with a stimulated metabolism during
periods of perceived low temperatures. Instead, influencing the
perceived temperature in the area of the spinal column can lead to
a conservation of energy, because the body is not forced to
stimulate internal metabolism in order to increase the body
temperature. Instead, metabolism can remain on the same level, so
that the energy otherwise required to stimulate it is available to
the body for physical performance.
[0006] It is therefore the goal of the present invention to provide
an item of clothing which makes it possible to influence the
temperature in the area of the spinal column in such a way that the
temperature sensors of the body in the area of the spinal column
detect a temperature which is higher than the actual body
temperature determined at other points of the body. According to
the invention, this goal is achieved in that the back part
comprises a thermal insulation element, which extends along the
spinal column and covers at least the area of the thoracic
vertebrae.
[0007] The invention creates an item of clothing which exerts an
influence on temperature in the area of the spinal column of the
human being. The thermal insulation element arranged on the back
part of the item of clothing extends over the area of the spinal
column and makes it difficult for heat to escape through the
clothing in this area. As a result, the heat sensors of the body
located in the area of the spinal column transmit a higher body
temperature to the brain. Especially in the cold season or during
winter sports activities, this leads to a positive effect on the
sense of well-being, because the brain receiving the information
assumes that the temperature is higher that it actually is, which
has the effect of exerting a positive influence on the person's
mental state. Because the sense of physical well-being has
considerable influence on a person's performance capacity, the
result is improved performance.
[0008] In an elaboration of the invention, the thermal insulation
element is thicker than the rest of the material. This makes it
possible to achieve a good thermal insulation effect. At the same
time, this greater thickness can be achieved by simply sewing
several layers of the material forming the item of clothing on top
of each other. This means that there is no need to use additional
materials, and as a result the cost of the inventive item of
clothing is low.
[0009] In another elaboration of the invention, the thermal
insulation element is denser than the rest of the material. In this
way, too, it is possible to achieve the positive inventive effects
while simultaneously simplifying the production of the thermal
insulation element. The greater density can be obtained, for
example, by using a more closely stitched style of knitting, which
can be easily incorporated into the process used to produce the
inventive item of clothing.
[0010] It is advantageous to arrange areas of heat-regulating
material next to the thermal insulation material. By providing
heat-regulating material near the thermal insulation element, it is
possible to prevent the body from becoming overheated. This is
explained by the fact that, when the body temperature is rising
very quickly, the heat can spread out beyond the area of the
thermal insulation element. When the area of the heat-regulating
material is reached, the excess heat can then dissipate, and thus
the temperature is prevented from increasing beyond a certain
performance-lowering level.
[0011] Other elaborations and embodiments of the invention are
indicated in the other subclaims. An exemplary embodiment of the
invention is illustrated in the drawing and described below in
detail.
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a perspective diagram of the back of an
inventive item of clothing;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a perspective diagram of a different design of
the back of an inventive item of clothing;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a cross section along line of FIG. 1; and
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a view of the detail marked "X" in FIG. 2.
[0016] The item of clothing selected as the exemplary embodiment is
a short-sleeved T-shirt. The shirt partially covers the body of the
wearer; the lower arms and the neck of the wearer are not covered.
The item of clothing has a back part 2, which comprises a thermal
insulation element 3. The thermal insulation element 3 extends
along the spinal column of the wearer. In the exemplary embodiment,
it is in the form of a vertically oriented strip. In the exemplary
embodiment, the thermal insulation element extends from the neck
opening of the item of clothing to the bottom end opposite the neck
opening and thus extends over the entire length of the spinal
column except for the cervical vertebrae. According to the
invention, coverage is provided at least in the area of the
thoracic vertebrae, which are located between the seven cervical
vertebrae and the five lumbar vertebrae. Because these thoracic
vertebrae constitute the major part of the spinal column, covering
this area of the spinal column is sufficient to achieve the
advantageous effect of the invention. Expanding the area as shown
in the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, makes
it possible to improve the effect even more.
[0017] The thermal insulation element 3 is thicker than the rest of
the material of the item of clothing. This greater thickness is
achieved in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 by
knitting several layers 31 of material on top of each other. As can
be derived from FIG. 3, three layers 31 are arranged on top of each
other in the exemplary embodiment. What is involved therefore is a
multi-layer configuration of the thermal insulation element 3. In
the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, the thermal
insulation element 3 is denser than the rest of the material of the
item of clothing. This greater density can be achieved by using a
more closely-stitched style of knitting for the thermal insulation
element 3 than that used for the rest of the material of the item
of clothing. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the thermal insulation
element 3 can also be produced by using additional materials. For
this purpose, additional threads 33, 34 are incorporated into the
knitting in addition to the base thread 32, which has the result of
increasing the density. Additional yarns with special properties
can also be used, such as, for example, yarns which are coated with
a noble metal such a gold or silver. The use of additional yarns
also makes it possible to achieve a greater density or a greater
thickness; simultaneously, the use of the noble metals has the
effect of reflecting the heat radiating from the body.
[0018] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, areas 4 of
heat-regulating material are arranged next to the thermal
insulation element 3. The areas 4 of heat-regulating material can
consist of knitted mesh fabric, for example. When mesh fabric is
used, only 80% of the skin is covered by the selected yarn; as a
result of the openings in the fabric, air can be exchanged and thus
the heat level can be regulated. Other designs for the areas 4 of
heat-regulating material are also possible. Thus, a fabric with a
wavy structure can be provided, such that only individual points of
the fabric make contact with the skin. This design also offers the
advantage that sweat can be carried away to the outside surface of
the item of clothing via the points in contact with the skin, as a
result of which the comfort with which the inventive item of
clothing can be worn is additionally improved.
[0019] In a modification of the exemplary embodiment, the item of
clothing can also be designed as a singlet or as a shirt with
shoulder straps. The inventive thermal insulation element can also
be used on jackets and overalls. The only essential point is that
it must cover at least the area of the thoracic vertebrae of the
spinal column on the back of the wearer in order to bring about the
positive effect on the temperature sensors of the skin.
* * * * *