Sports Protective Garment with Impact Force Protection and Microclimate Control

Abstract

An impact absorbing protective garment is provided, for wearing about the torso of a body, such as a baseball umpire, that comprises three layers. There is an outer shell layer comprised of a plurality of plate elements that are generally stiff, shock-resistant lightweight material, that are fastened to a middle layer. The middle layer is in the form of a flexible pad having various components, and that provides an intermediate thickness of cushioning material inside the outer shell layer. There is an inner layer carried by the middle layer that comprises a plurality of cells of phase change material, with the various cells being separated from each other by sealing zones. Upon sufficient impact the individual cells can communicate through small pores in the sealing zones or when the sealing zones rupture under impact pressure, to assist in impact absorption. The inner layer, in its cells, contains a phase change material that is a means for effecting a relatively constant microclimate cooling or heating of the area of the torso of the body which it confronts.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 61/320,867 filed Apr. 5, 2010, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] As is already known in the art, protective garments for athletes are specifically designed to accommodate the hazards of a particular sport or activity. For example, football pads are designed to protect against body impacts while permitting the player to perform the maneuvers required on the football field. Lacrosse pads are designed to protect against limited body impact but also against impact from lacrosse sticks and balls, while allowing the athlete to perform the maneuvers required by the game. In many cases, the padding may be specifically designed for a particular playing position, with overall pad design different for players at different positions. In football, the protective needs of quarterbacks are different from those of receivers or linesmen. Padding styles are varied to suit these positions. In baseball, the catcher has a chest protector and shin pads. In several sports, including baseball, officiating officials wear protective garments to protect against the possibility of unintended force impacts. For example, in baseball, an umpire wears equipment to protect the wearer from the force impact of a baseball as might normally occur when the baseball is "foul-tipped" by a batter.

[0003] Many inadequate approaches are and have been used to produce conventional protective equipment, resulting in products that provide minimal protection against force impacts and typically provide no capacity to modify the wearer's microclimate. For example, the use of small pieces of foam between the front and back pieces of fabric or cotton stitched into ribs or chambers do little to diffuse the force of impact created by a high speed baseball, puck, stick or bat.

[0004] Moreover, most `temperature controlled` sports garments, such as the Nike.RTM. pre-cool Olympic garment, are bulky and heavy, cannot be produced to, target a given desired temperature or range of temperatures, are often restrictive of wearer movement, and provide little or no protection against and may even degrade protection from force impacts.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,966, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, discloses several sports protective garment embodiments that differentiate against then previously known art for protecting the wearer from force impact, but it does not disclose techniques for controlling microclimate.

[0006] Regarding force impact performance, to lend a better understand of the superior approaches embodied by the disclosed invention, it is worth briefly reviewing the conventional meaning of terms used in this art: In mechanics, an impact is a high force or shock applied over a short time period when two or more bodies collide. Such a force or acceleration usually has a greater effect than a lower force applied over a proportionally longer time period of time. The effect depends critically on the relative velocity of the bodies to one another.

[0007] At normal speeds, during a perfectly inelastic collision, an object struck by a projectile will deform, and this deformation will attenuate most, or even all, of the force of the collision. Viewed from the conservation of energy perspective, the kinetic energy of the projectile is changed into heat and sound energy, as a result of the deformations and vibrations induced in the struck object. However, these deformations and vibrations cannot occur instantaneously. A high-velocity collision (an impact) does not provide sufficient time for these deformations and vibrations to occur. Thus, the struck material behaves as if it were more brittle than it is, and the majority of the applied force goes into fracturing the material. Or, another way to look at it, is that materials involved in an impact are actually are more brittle on short time scales than on long time scales; this is related to time-temperature superposition.

[0008] Different materials can behave in quite different ways in impact when compared with static loading conditions. Ductile materials like steel tend to become more brittle at high loading rates, and spalling may occur on the reverse side to the impact if penetration doesn't occur. While such spalling isn't a consideration at the low loading rates encountered in sports, the way in which the kinetic energy is distributed through a section is quite important in determining its response. At the point of impact to a solid body, projectiles apply a contact stress at the point of impact with compression stresses under the point, but with bending loads a short distance away. Since most materials are weaker in tension than compression, this is the zone where cracks tend to form and grow.

[0009] In protective systems that include an outer shell or layer, some of the force of an impact is distributed throughout the shell which, in turn, transfers energy to the layer--or liner--directly underneath (whether this secondary layer is another protective garment layer or an article of clothing or the wearer's body). This second layer is capable of absorbing more energy if the impact's force is first distributed over a greater area, which, itself, makes it possible to transmit less energy to this next layer of a system. To the extent that the outer shell or layer is unable to deflect a blow in the area of the impact, the energy will be transferred to the underlying material in a more localized manner, resulting in a high force per unit of area that is likely to cause greater injury than if the force were more distributed. Said differently, the stiffer the outer shell, the better it can distribute a point load of impact over the shape of the protective garment, allowing the next layer to more gracefully attenuate the energy resulting from the impact.

[0010] If this next (secondary) layer is optimized to attenuate or dissipate energy, whether by incorporating an effective foam cell design, using multiple integrated responsive layers or other techniques, it will deform or crush upon impact thereby consuming a portion of the impact energy, so that the force per unit area is decreased for the underlying body part (or tertiary garment layer) compared to that experienced by the initial impact surface. Such properties give sports protective garments enhanced force impact performance, largely true even if the second layer includes slits or seams. This said, it should be recognized that materials capable of providing impact protection at certain speeds generally provide inadequate protection at other speeds. For example, rigid or non-resilient materials may be effective at protecting the wearer at high impact speeds but are almost wholly ineffective at absorbing the impact energy of low speed impacts. To be effective at mitigating force impact in sporting protective garment applications requires the integration of several approaches and/or technologies, including the ability to incorporate layers with different moduli of compression.

[0011] A protective garment system designed to spread the force of impact across a broader area, and which effectively considers ambient environment and then integrates multiple technologies or approaches to spreading and attenuating this energy, is more effective at providing protection to the wearer than a garment which does not spread the force of impact. In addition, careful consideration must be given to the typical ambient temperature range used for a given protective garment, of the elastic modulus of each layer of a protective system throughout this temperature range and the effective integration of multiple layers has the potential to provide even better force impact protection to the wearer.

[0012] As is known in the art, because liquids are essentially incompressible, the deformation of a liquid filled cell, and its potential to absorb incident impact when struck, is reliant upon the material characteristics of the cell walls (including seals or seams, if present). It is the deformation capacity of the cell walls, even to the point of partial or complete cell destruction that is principally responsible for the attenuation of impact energy in a liquid filled cell. As is also known in the art, a system of such cells will transmit a lateral shockwave in response to an impact, further distributing the shock energy resulting from the deformation of one or more liquid filled cells--effectively spreading the impact over a larger area.

[0013] None of this, however, considers the integration of effective microclimate control into the sports protective garment. Heretofore, it has not been possible to integrate both state of the art force impact protection and state of the art microclimate control in a light garment that still affords necessary flexibility and range of motion.

[0014] It is known in the art that providing effective cooling or heating to the wearer's body before, during, or after exertion can significantly enhance overall stamina, physical performance, mental acuity and wearer safety (against trauma such as heat stress/illness effects or hypothermia). The human body is capable of delivering extended physical performance and recovers much more quickly when not subjected to thermal stress; Nike, for instance notes that using pre-competition cooling for an hour allows an athlete to last up to 21% longer on the field. Unfortunately, previous efforts to create garments that modify wearer microclimate suffer from profound disadvantages when used in sporting applications, including: adding too much weight to the wearer (which detracts from physical achievement or results), overly restricting the wearer's range of motion, requiring proximal connection to ancillary systems--to enable recirculation, for instance and creating a sub-optimal microclimate temperature and thermal consistency when viewed from the perspective of either ambient temperature or what is considered safe for long-term use in close proximity to the body. It is well documented, for instance, that overly cold temperatures, such as can be created by ice or gels, cause vasoconstriction and reduced capillary flow--which ultimately overcomes the body's own internal cooling systems and can lead to dangerous overheating. While ice and gels--the most common thermal management systems--have been around for generations, constant temperature systems (whether set for single or multiple stable transitions) have not. A constant cooling device, for instance, would work to keep the operational temperature at (or approximately at) a preset or given temperature and could be elevated well above said ice and or gel associated temperatures, providing all the benefits of cold therapy without the associated risks, such as, frostbite, histamine and aqueous production. Beyond these significant thermal challenges, heretofore, the incorporation of available cooling or warming systems into sports protective garments has degraded the garment's force impact capabilities.

[0015] As is also known in the art, there are a wide range of Phase Change Materials (PCMs), that is, substances with a high heat of fusion, which, when melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, are capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy. Heat is absorbed or released when the material changes from solid to liquid, making PCMs a latent heat storage material.

[0016] As is also known, while PCM latent heat storage can be achieved through all forms of chemical transition: (solid-solid, solid-liquid, solid-gas and liquid-gas phase change) the only phase change of practical use in most applications is the solid-liquid change. Liquid-gas phase changes are not practical for use as thermal storage due to the large volumes or high pressures required to store the materials when in their gas phase. Liquid-gas transitions do have a higher heat of transformation than solid-liquid transitions. Solid-solid phase changes are typically very slow and have a rather low heat of transformation.

[0017] Initially, solid-liquid PCMs behave like sensible heat storage (SHS) materials; their temperature rises as they absorb heat. Unlike conventional SHS, however, when PCMs reach the temperature at which they change phase (their melting or "phase transition" temperature) they absorb large amounts of thermal energy at an almost constant temperature. The PCM absorbs heat with a minimal rise in temperature until all the material is transformed to the liquid phase. When the ambient temperature around a liquid material falls, the PCM solidifies, releasing its stored latent heat--maintaining its phase transition temperature until the PCM transitions to a solid. These properties make PCMs suited to providing either sports protective system heating or cooling, provided the PCM temperature(s) is/are properly chosen.

[0018] The best-known phase change material is water--which can exist as either liquid or ice at 32.degree. F. (0.degree. C.) at normal pressures. Certain properties of water/ice, however, may render it of little use (or useless) in given applications, including: the phase temperature cannot be modified (ice is too cold for extended use in most biological cooling applications, for instance, as applying ice to tissue quickly results in vasoconstriction and vastly reduced capillary blood flow--often resulting in skin or tissue damage), the water to ice transition results in a volumetric expansion of .about.9%--making it a challenge to use in mechanical applications, and ice exhibits little mechanical "give" in the fully frozen state. While this expansion isn't particularly relevant in most sports protective garment applications, the overly cold temperature is.

[0019] Other PCMs can be either organic or inorganic, can be chemically stable or unstable, can be caustic or non-caustic, flammable/inflammable, etc. In short, like any other substances, PCM chemical properties vary as a function of the specific substance. PCMs are typically characterized by their Heat of Fusion (measured in kJ/kg), the amount of energy required to melt one kilogram of the material, and the Duration Index [measured in Joules/(cubic centimeter degrees Centigrade)], which provides a basis of comparison of how long a PCM will remain at a constant temperature during its phase change.

[0020] Common PCMs include paraffins (alkanes), salt hydrates, eutectic compounds, fatty acids and esters (including animal fats) and others. Individual PCMs will suggest themselves over others depending on the user's specific requirements. Some transition sharply (at a given temperature), whereas others (especially with impurities) do so over a several degree temperature range with reduced heat capacity. Others lose the capacity to transition sharply after a certain number of uses (eutectics often degrade after a few thousand cycles, rendering them of little use in most applications). Some PCMs are highly flammable; some are not. Because some are caustic they have to be encapsulated in inert materials, reducing their effective energy storage capacity for a given volume of PCM. In general, however, PCMs can be useful as thermal energy storage media provided their other chemical properties are consistent with a given application.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0021] An object of the invention is to provide an impact-absorbing protective garment. The garment comprises a plurality of cells of one or more sizes and shapes, each cell comprised of suitable momentarily deformable high modulus material and each cell containing its own incompressible cooling or warming material.

[0022] A further object of the invention is to provide an impact-absorbing protective garment used to protect select areas of a body, the garment comprises one or more of the following layers: (a) a middle layer comprising one or more flexible pads adapted to conform to a protected portion of the body, said layer having an inner surface adapted to face towards the body, an outer surface facing outwardly from the body, and a perimeter defining the outlines of said inner and outer surfaces; (b) an outer shell layer covering substantially all of the select area of the body being protected, adapted to cover said middle layer, said outer shell layer comprising one or a plurality of plate elements, this one or a plurality being positioned and arranged to cover select portions of the body, such that an effective protective shell is formed, the outer shell layer comprising a stiff, shock-resistant lightweight material and having a fastener connecting said outer layer to said middle layer; and (c) an innermost layer carried by or closely proximate to said middle layer on the middle layer's inner surface, adapted to face toward and confront the protected body portion, said inner layer covering a substantial portion of the inner surface of the middle layer, and comprising a plurality of individual cells arranged over said given area, said cells comprising a non-toxic and hypoallergenic material, each encasing an incompressible cooling or warming material for effecting cooling or warming of the wearer.

[0023] An additional further object of the invention is to provide a protective garment that is an impact absorbing protective garment for the torso of a body, for use by baseball umpires. The protective garment comprises: a middle layer in the form of a flexible pad adapted to conform to the contour of the frontal area of the upper torso and having an inner surface adapted to face toward the torso, an outer surface facing outwardly from the torso, and a perimeter defining the outlines of said inner and outer surfaces, said middle layer including an intermediate thickness of cushioning material between said inner and outer surfaces. The garment also comprises an outer shell layer covering substantially the entire frontal area of the upper torso and adapted to overlie said middle layer and comprising a plurality of plate elements, each plate element being positioned and arranged to overlie a selected area of the torso, and means connecting said plate elements to said middle layer to form a torso-fitting shell overlying said middle layer, with each of said plate elements being a stiff, shock-resistant lightweight material, having fastening means connecting said shell plates to said middle layer. The garment further comprises an inner layer carried by said middle layer on its inner surface, and adapted to face toward and confront the torso of the body, said inner layer covering a substantial portion of the inner surface of the middle layer and comprising a plurality of individual cells arranged over said given area, with the cells each encasing a phase change material that comprises means for effecting a relatively constant microclimate cooling or heating of the area of the torso of the body which it confronts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0024] FIG. 1 is a front view of the vest of this invention, with the straps that are used for attaching it to the torso of a wearer being fragmentally illustrated.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vest of this invention, with the straps likewise being fragmentally illustrated.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken through the vest of FIG. 1, generally along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and wherein the hard shell exterior appears on the left, with a mesh-encapsulated foam underlayment of middle layer to the right of the hard shell exterior, and with a mesh pocket having a phase change insert therein to the right of the middle layer.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the mesh pocket with the cw material insert therein that appears in FIG. 2.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a view of the cw material insert alone, outside of the mesh pocket illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cw material insert of FIG. 5, taken generally along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and wherein frangible seams are shown connecting the various hex-shaped sections of the insert of FIG. 5.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a sectional view, taken through the hard shell exterior of the outer shell layer, the middle layer of cushioning material with its encasement, and the inner layer comprising the insert in its mesh pocket, with a thrown baseball approaching the exterior from the left.

[0031] FIG. 8 is an illustration like that of FIG. 7, but wherein impact is shown via the baseball engaging the hard shell exterior, and compressing the middle layer of cushioning material.

[0032] FIG. 9 is an illustration like that of FIG. 8, but wherein the impact of the baseball continues, such that the impact is absorbed not only by the hard shell exterior and the middle layer of cushioning material, but by the cw material containing insert, and wherein the absorption of impact by the insert results in momentary deformation of one or more cells of the insert and which may even result in rupturing of seams of the insert, allowing for distribution of the insert's cw material from an impact-absorbing cell of the insert to other cells of the insert.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the vest of this invention applied to a broken line figure of an umpire.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Referring to the drawings now in detail, reference is first made to FIG. 1, wherein a protective garment in the form of an umpire's vest is shown, generally designated by the numeral 20.

[0035] The vest 20 has an outer shell layer comprised of a plurality of plate elements that cover substantially the entire frontal area of the upper torso. The plate elements include a breastplate element 21, a solar element 22, and abdominal element 23, and shoulder elements 19, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 29. All of the elements are mounted to a middle layer 30 by anchor straps 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40 and 41 that are hook and loop strips of the "VELCRO" type which fasten the various plate elements of the outer shell layer to the middle layer 30. The various plate elements are interconnected by flexible connectors 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46 to which the plates are attached by means of rivets 47.

[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the plates 19, 24 and 25 are connected flexible connectors 48, 50, and the plates 26, 27 and 29 are connected-by flexible connectors 51, 52.

[0037] Harness straps 53 and 54 are fragmentally shown to be connected, in FIGS. 1 and 2, to the vest 20 at eyelets 55, 56 and, in turn, are connected to a junction 57 that is usually at the back of the vest when worn by a user, and which, in turn, carries one or more straps 58, that are adapted to encircle the waist of a user, to be connected at frontal mounts 60 and 61 on the vest 20 (by means not shown).

[0038] With specific reference to FIG. 2, the middle layer 30 comprises a flexible pad section inside each of the plate elements of the outer shell, with the flexible pad comprising individual components that carry the plate elements. Each flexible pad component is preferably disposed in a thin perimeter 63 (see FIG. 3) which encases the flexible pad, preferably of a compressible foam material in a lightweight perimeter material 63, with the perimeter material sandwiching the cushioning material between its surfaces 64 and 65.

[0039] The inner layer 30 has an inner surface 70 that has a pocket 71 carried thereby. The pocket 71 is preferably constructed of a lightweight open-pore mesh material, and has a slit opening at its upper end 72, and the pocket 71 is preferably stitched to, or otherwise carried by the middle layer 30.

[0040] Inside the pocket 71 there is provided an inner layer 73, which covers a substantial portion of the inner surface 70 of the middle layer 30, and which is comprised of a plurality of individual cells 74. Each of the cells 74, formed of a suitable high strength and high modulus material such as urethane or polymer film, encases an incompressible cooling or warming liquid (hereinafter `cw material`) that is selected for effecting cooling or heating of the area of the torso of the body which it confronts. Each cell 74 is separated from an adjacent cell by sealing zones 75. Sealing zones 75 may be formed from any of several technologies capable of permanently joining together multiple layers of the cooling or warming liquid containing film (and fused fabric, if present), and may include sections of lower or higher strength such that the weaker zone sections are capable of opening to adjoining cells under very high pressure. The cells may be configured in many shapes but are preferably hexagonal.

[0041] Upon receiving significant impact against a plate element of the outer shell layer 20, which impact is transferred through the middle layer 30 to the inner layer 73 of cw material in individual cells 74, if the impact is sufficient individual cells 74 may momentarily but significantly deform, helping to absorb the incident impact force. lithe plurality of cells is contiguous the impact force also translates into a lateral wave, further spreading the incident impact force to other cells. If the impact is yet higher, the pressure in the cells 74 on the contained cw material will exceed the binding force of one or more sealing zones 75 such that said sealing zones 75 subject to the impact may burst, allowing transfer of cw material from one cell to an adjacent cell, in order to partially absorb such impact. When this happens, there is communication from one cell to another cell that would have theretofore been precluded due to the sealing off of adjacent cells from each other by the sealing zones 75. By combining the use of a suitable high modulus containment film for formation of cells 74 in combination with the use of sealing/bonding technologies for creation of different burst strength sealing zones 75 it is possible to fine-tune the overall system's capacity to absorb and dissipate the incident impacts.

[0042] With reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, this impact will now be demonstrated.

[0043] In FIG. 7, a thrown or batted baseball 80 is illustrated, traveling in the direction of arrow 81. As it strikes a plate element such as that 21, the plate element 21 bends as shown for example in FIG. 8, to absorb the impact, transferring impact force to the middle layer of cushioning material 30, compressing the same as each plate element of stiff, shock-resistant lightweight material engages against the cushioning material 30 inside its perimeter 64, 65.

[0044] As is demonstrated in FIG. 9, continued rightward movement of the baseball 80 in the direction of the arrow 81 further compresses the cushioning material 30, as the plate element 21 bends even further, impacting a cell 74 of the inner layer 73 within its mesh pocket 71, cell 74 undergoes momentary deformation, and, if the impact force is sufficient, can cause one or more sealing zones 75 that separate cells 74 to burst open, thereby relieving the pressure within cell 74, as cw material within the cell 74 passes through the sealing zones 75 in the direction of the arrows 82, into adjacent cells. In this manner, the inner layer facilitates absorbing impact that might otherwise be transferred to the body of the umpire, athlete or other user.

[0045] It will be apparent that the passages that are opened when sealing zones 75 burst provide for communication of some cw material from one or more cells, to one or more adjacent cells, for dissipating absorbed energy to such adjacent cells. It is possible to manufacture said sealing zones 75 to be re-sealable.

[0046] With reference to FIG. 10, it will be seen how the impact absorbing protective vest is disposed against the wearer, although the straps that would mount the same onto a user, are not illustrated therein.

[0047] It will thus be seen that the vest as described herein, uses the inner layer 73 that contains the cw material to distribute compression forces from impact against the outer layer that transfer through the middle layer to the inner layer. It will also be understood that the sealing zones are frangible, and while they separate the cells of the inner layer from each other, upon sufficient impact, they can absorb energy from impact by breaking open when a pre-determined impact is transferred to a given cell, and then can provide a passage for communicating some cw material from a given cell to an adjacent cell, for dissipating absorbed energy to the adjacent cells. As illustrated herein in the drawings, the various cells 74 are shown to be of hexagonal configuration, but it will be understood that the same may be of rectangular configuration, circular configuration, or of any other desired configuration.

[0048] The middle layer 30 may be comprised of a foam material, or other compressible material as may be desired, and may be of any selected thickness that will absorb impact forces. It has been found that a lightweight foam material is preferable, and is most preferable if it is between one quarter inch thickness and three quarter inch thickness, although three quarter inch thickness is preferred, in that it absorbs impact better. Further, said foam material may, itself, be comprised of multiple "tuned" layers of different compression moduli, said tuning allowing the foam to be adjusted to force

[0049] The protective sports garment is comprised of multiple protective zones, themselves comprised of different strata and materials, each fulfilling a specific function in attenuating the effects of both low and high-speed force impact and/or providing either heating or cooling respectively. The garment may be used to protect selected portions of the body or equipment. The optimization of these protective zones, and the design of respective strata, is a function of the intended form(s) of protection for a given garment (usage application) and sport. Protective sports garment strata may include any or all of the following: (1) a resilient outer shell layer, comprising one or more separate or interconnected plates or solid structures, themselves having either some, none or many slits (whether used for shaping force impact performance and/or accommodating mounting provisions or other mechanical needs), areas of varying depth, density, stiffness, removability or other characteristics; (2) an energy absorbing layer comprised of one or more visco-elastic foam layers, in which the foam substrate or stratum is at least partially enclosed by a formed skin adjacent to the outer surface of the foam substrate such as a thin layer of fabric or polymeric material thermoplastic, for instance and wherein the formed skin is preferably of limited porosity and optionally provides a plurality of protective zones having vent holes through the formed skin to regulate the degree, of energy absorption in respective zones (exhibiting distinct energy absorption characteristics instead of providing discrete protective layers that must be joined or meet at a seam a common failure mode in protective equipment), and further, wherein each foam substrate layer exhibits a modulus of compression and/or bulk modulus different than the other layers, each layer being totality fine-tuned to optimize overall force performance for specific force and temperature regimes; and (3) an inner microclimate cooling or heating layer or stratum (placed directly next to the skin or over a thin layer of clothing) that is designed to mitigate ambient temperatures and the retention of metabolic generated heat, preferably to provide a relatively constant microclimate temperature to both create greater wearer comfort and to mitigate ambient environmental effects on physical and mental stamina while simultaneously attenuating force impact, combining synergistically with all other protective garment system elements which may be present to enhance the protective garment's overall force impact performance.

[0050] The innermost layer comprises an impact resistant layer adapted to distribute compression forces from impacts incident upon it. The inner layer comprises a plurality of cells of a suitable momentarily deformable high modulus material. Each cell contains its own incompressible cooling or warming material. In some embodiments, the microclimate system can be quickly replaced with another charged unit/system, making it possible for the wearer to comfortably use the protective garment for extended periods of time. As is apparent to anyone skilled in the art, any number of techniques can be used to integrate the layer into armor systems, some of which are described below.

[0051] In one embodiment the energy absorbing stratum or liner system is created from specifically chosen models of the polymeric visco-elastic family of Zorbium.RTM. foams by Team Wendy, or similar materials. With careful (application specific) engineering the thickness, foam cell characteristics, temperature and modulus characteristics can be optimized to give a sports protective garment the means to protect against relevant high and low speed force impacts.

[0052] The microclimate stratum is itself comprised of multiple layers, which may include: (1) flexible, resilient, impact-resistant layers of tri-polymer plastic film comprising urethane, propylene, ethylene or other such materials exhibiting superior physical `memory`, strength and workability. The film has a thickness preferably of 0.002'' to 0.100''. The film is formed into either one or a plurality of impact resistant cells/pockets of one or many shapes and thicknesses, themselves designed and specifically placed to balance the characteristics of physical flexibility and fluidity of movement, comfort, volumetric capacity, force impact performance, anti-microbial performance, durability and cleanability; (2) an application appropriate cw material and, finally, (3) attachment materials, as needed, such as display loop or other hook and loop attaching system and/or material, enabling the use of various anchor attachment straps or other mechanical mounting and holding provisions which help provide a definitional barrier that helps define the overall shape of this stratum.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cw material is an alcohol based gel mixture. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the cw material is a PCM system incorporating a single-phase change material transition (or phase) point. In yet another embodiment, with appropriate design or formulation, the cw material is a PCM system offering two to ten specifically chosen, stable temperature transition points, and in yet another embodiment a single transition temperature which cannot be achieved by common PCMs. In this way a garment can create a specific microclimate phasing which, itself, depends on both ambient and wearer conditions. In still another preferred embodiment, the cooling/warming insert or sub-garment of the invention is comprised of a specifically chosen PCM or system of PCMs (with one or more stable temperature transition points) contained in a plurality of cells, said cells being confronted by a contained layer of gel which is worn directly against the body. In this way the gel can achieve the exact microclimate temperature(s) of the PCM, while providing a soft interfacing layer to the wearer. Preferably the cell contained PCM is formulated or selected to yield phase transition points to within .+-.1.degree. F. to a maximum of .+-.10.degree. F. Other properties of specific PCMs that will enhance utility in a sport protective garment application are featured in other embodiments, include: (A) the capacity to undergo any number of thermal cycles without notable degradation, (B) the capacity to provide relatively constant temperature microclimate for a long duration (a high Duration Index), (C) the chemical property of not being harmful or caustic to skin or organs (as determined, for instance from Material Safety Data Sheets), and (D) third-party certification for such safety (such as an FDA 510(k)). One such family of PCMs is HTFEXOTHERM.RTM. by HTFx Inc. Other suitable PCM materials are alkanes or other paraffins, salt hydrates, eutectic compounds, fatty acids, esters, animal fats, vegetable fats, and water.

[0054] When using a somewhat or relatively viscous PCM such as HTFEXOTHERM.RTM. in a force impact application, whether in the somewhat hardened charged state or even in the fully discharged liquid state, the PCM material contributes directly to the protective garment's dissipation or dampening of force impact energy, further protecting the wearer from sudden incident forces or blunt force trauma. In preferred embodiments, these protective characteristics are dramatically amplified by containing the PCM in one or a plurality of cells that are built from physically malleable materials such as tri-polymer films or in a plurality of such cells designed to release or transfer PCM fluid from cell to cell when one or more cells experiences the high hydroscopic pressure caused by a force impact. This quality can be obtained by varying cell shape, size and placement, and by selecting one or more material sealing technologies--such as thermal impulse sealing and RF sealing--and by including one or a plurality of channels of one or many widths between cells (whether these channels are always open or some are forced open only by a high impact force) to adjust the strength and reactivity of the cell walls. This approach can be used quite effectively to create a system of small scale "baffles" from cell to cell, making it possible to disburse and dampen force impact shock waves across a plurality of cells and to create a system responsive to both high and low speed force impacts. This macroscopic quality is maintained even when the incident force is high enough to damage one or more cells. Absent a force impact, the cw material, whether a gel or PCM, will remain relatively static in the plurality of cells.

[0055] Different embodiments will use different combinations of film material, number, shape (including the use of one on many different shapes simultaneously), size (including the use of one or many sizes simultaneously), placement of cells, and different cell sealing technologies to form effective systems of force dispersal and dampening which can be incorporated into protective garments/systems.

[0056] Regarding the protective or microclimate utility or overall performance of the protective sports garment, it is possible to either loosely couple/integrate this cooling or heating stratum to the balance of the sports protective garment/system, or to tightly couple it by mechanically shaping it into the adjoining layer. In one embodiment the microclimate system is designed as an effective upgrade or enhancement to existing sports protective garment systems, and is loosely coupled to the inside of the protective garment. The wearer dons the system using attachment straps, clips or other means, wearing it directly next to the body on the section of the body that will be covered by the protective gear. The protective gear is then fitted over the microclimate system. In other embodiments, the microclimate system is integrated directly into the protective garment, and is the sports protective system layer that directly contacts the wearer's body. By such placement the microclimate system best creates a constant temperature environment, suffering the lowest amount of performance hysteresis. In some embodiments, the microclimate system can be quickly replaced with another charged unit/system, making it possible for the wearer to comfortably use the protective garment system for extended periods of time. In yet another embodiment, the plurality of cw material containment cells is fused to fabric and/or a compressible foam layer and can be worn without other garment system layers (or strata). As is apparent to anyone skilled in the art, any number of techniques can be used to integrate the layer into sports protective systems.

[0057] The impact absorbing protective garment for a given portion of the body, is for use by sports officials (including umpires and referees) and athletes; cooling or warming liquid-based climate control which helps protect the wearer from extremes of ambient temperature and the metabolic heat caused by physical exertion. More preferably, the disclosed system incorporates a Phase Change Material-based constant or phased temperature microclimate control which can be fine-tuned to specific sporting applications and ambient temperature ranges, and is capable of meeting either specific microclimate temperatures and/or cooling/heating periods. The disclosed system accomplishes this localized climate control concurrent with contributing additional force impact protection to the wearer and without limiting the wearer's movement beyond what is already common and accepted with existing sports protective gear.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, the impact absorbing protective garment has an outer shell layer covering substantially the entire frontal area of the wearer, with the outer shell layer comprising a plurality of plate elements. There is a middle layer in the form of a flexible pad adapted to conform to the contour of the frontal area of the upper torso of the wearer, and which is comprised of cushioning material. The outer shell layer is connected to the middle layer by suitable fastening means. There is an inner layer carried by the middle layer, with the inner layer comprising a plurality of individual cells, each encasing the incompressible cooling or warming liquid (hereinafter called `cw material`).

[0059] In a second preferred embodiment, the impact absorbing protective garment is in the form of a helmet, with an outer shell layer covering the head of the wearer, this outer shell layer also integrating all hardware necessary to attach either straps or other connection provisions (used to affix the helmet to the wearer's head) and optional ear or facial protection. There is a middle layer comprised of cushioning material adapted to conform to the interior surface of the helmet and adapted to conform to the contour of the head of the wearer; this layer being comprised of cushioning material with a lower bulk modulus than the outer shell layer. This second layer may, itself, consist of one or many closely integrated individual layers, this system of layers exhibiting a lower effective bulk modulus than the outer shell layer. The outer shell layer is connected to this second layer (or layer stratum) by various means. There is an inner layer carried by the middle layer, with the inner layer comprising a plurality of individual cells, each encasing the cw material. This innermost layer may be permanently installed or removable for convenience in charging.

[0060] In yet a third preferred embodiment, the impact absorbing protective garment is in the form of a vest and shoulder pads such as is used by football players, has an outer shell layer covering the upper torso of the wearer, with the outer shell layer comprising a plurality of plate elements and means for attachment. There is a middle layer in the form of a flexible pad adapted to conform to the contour of the upper torso of the wearer, and which is comprised of cushioning material. The outer shell layer is connected to the middle layer by suitable fastening means. There is an inner layer contiguous with the middle layer, with the inner layer comprising a plurality of individual cells, each encasing the cw material. This innermost layer may be carried by the middle layer or may be donned underneath existing vests as an application specific sub-garment.

[0061] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, all drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Claims

1. An impact absorbing protective garment for the torso of a body, for use by baseball umpires, comprising: (a) a middle layer in the form of a flexible pad adapted to conform to the contour of the frontal area of the upper torso and having an inner surface adapted to face toward the torso, an outer surface facing outwardly from the torso, and a perimeter defining the outlines of said inner and outer surfaces, said middle layer including an intermediate thickness of cushioning material between said inner and outer surfaces; (b) an outer shell layer covering substantially the entire frontal area of the upper torso and adapted to overlie said middle layer and comprising a plurality of plate elements, each plate element being positioned and arranged to overlie a selected area of the torso, and means connecting said plate elements to said middle layer to form a torso-fitting shell overlying said middle layer, with each of said plate elements being a stiff, shock-resistant lightweight material, having fastening means connecting said shell plates to said middle layer; (c) an inner layer carried by said middle layer on its inner surface, and adapted to face toward and confront the torso of the body, said inner layer covering a substantial portion of the inner surface of the middle layer and comprising a plurality of individual cells arranged over said given area, with the cells each encasing a phase change material that comprises means for effecting a relatively constant microclimate cooling or heating of the area of the torso of the body which it confronts.

2. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 1, wherein the inner layer comprises an impact resistant layer adapted to distribute compression forces from impacts against the outer layer that transfer through the middle layer to the inner layer.

3. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 2, wherein frangible sealing zones separate the cells of said inner layer containing within each cell its own phase change material, and wherein said sealing zones comprise means for: (i) absorbing energy from impact by breaking open when a pre-determined impact is transferred to a given said cell and for (ii) providing a passage for communicating some phase change material from the given cell to an adjacent cell for dissipating absorbed energy to the adjacent cell.

4. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 2, wherein minutely porous sealing zones separate the cells of said inner layer containing within each cell its own phase change material, and wherein said sealing zones comprise means for: (i) absorbing energy from impact by allowing some phase change material to pass across a sealing zone when a pre-determined impact is transferred to a given said cell and for (ii) providing a passage for communicating some phase change material from the given cell to an adjacent cell for dissipating absorbed energy to the adjacent cell.

5. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 3, wherein said cells are each of a hexagonal configuration.

6. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 1, wherein the inner layer is carried in a pocket of lightweight material that, in turn, is carried on the inner surface of the middle layer.

7. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 6, wherein the pocket has an opening for ready insertion and removal of said inner layer of the garment.

8. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket has an opening for ready insertion and removal of said inner layer of the garment; wherein the pocket of lightweight material is an open-pore mesh material.

9. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 1, wherein the middle layer comprises a foam material of at least one layer.

10. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 1, wherein the middle layer is encased in a lightweight material.

11. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 1, wherein the phase change material is of a solid type which absorbs heat without a significant rise in temperature until the material is transformed from the solid phase to a liquid phase.

12. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 11, wherein the phase change material is selected from the group comprised of any of: (a) alkanes or other paraffins; (b) salt hydrates; (c) eutectic compounds; (d) fatty acids; (e) esters; (f) animal fats; (g) vegetable fats; and (h) water.

13. The impact absorbing protective garment of claim 3, wherein the inner layer is carried in a pocket of lightweight material that, in turn, is carried on the inner surface of the middle layer, wherein the pocket has an opening for ready insertion and removal of said inner layer of the garment, wherein the pocket has an opening for ready insertion and removal of said inner layer of the garment; wherein the pocket of lightweight material is an open-pore mesh material, wherein the middle layer comprises a foam material of at least one layer, wherein the middle layer is encased in a lightweight material, wherein the phase change material is of a solid type which absorbs heat without a significant rise in temperature until the material is transformed from the solid phase to a liquid phase and wherein the phase change material is selected from the group comprised of any of: (a) alkanes or other paraffins; (b) salt hydrates; (c) eutectic compounds; (d) fatty acids; (e) esters; (f) animal fats; (g) vegetable fats; and (h) water.

14. An impact-absorbing protective garment used to protect select areas of a body, said garment comprising one or more of the following layers: (a) a middle layer comprising one or more flexible pads adapted to conform to a protected portion of the body, said layer having an inner surface adapted to face towards the body, an outer surface facing outwardly from the body, and a perimeter defining the outlines of said inner and outer surfaces; (b) an outer shell layer covering substantially all of the select area of the body being protected, adapted to cover said middle layer, said outer shell layer comprising one or a plurality of plate elements, this one or a plurality being positioned and arranged to cover select portions of the body, such that an effective protective shell is formed, the outer shell layer comprising a stiff, shock-resistant lightweight material and having a fastener connecting said outer layer to said middle layer; (c) an innermost layer carried by or closely proximate to said middle layer on the middle layer's inner surface, adapted to face toward and confront the protected body portion, said inner layer covering a substantial portion of the inner surface of the middle layer, and comprising a plurality of individual cells arranged over said given area, said cells comprising a non-toxic and hypoallergenic material, each encasing an incompressible cooling or warming material for effecting cooling or warming of the wearer.

15. The protective garment of claim 14, wherein the garment is used to protect select portions of the body of a human being.

16. The protective garment of claim 14, wherein the garment is used to protect equipment.

17. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cells of said inner layer are comprised of a suitable momentarily deformable high modulus material, each cell containing its own incompressible cooling or warming material capable o f changing phase.

18. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 17, wherein the momentarily deformable high modulus material is a film whose thickness is in the range of 0.002-0.100''.

19. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 14, wherein at least some of the plurality of cells are contiguous, said contiguous cells being separated by frangible or minutely porous sealing zones, wherein said sealing zones comprise means for: (a) dissipating energy from impact by allowing some cell-contained cooling or warming material to pass across a sealing zone when a predetermined strong impact is transferred to a given said cell; and (b) providing a passage for communicating some cooling or warming material from the given cell to an adjacent cell for dissipating absorbed energy to the adjacent cell or cells.

20. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 19, wherein at least some of the plurality of contiguous cells are hexagonal in shape.

21. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 17, wherein the phase change material is selected from the group consisting of at least one of: (a) alkanes or other paraffins; (b) salt hydrates; (c) eutectic compounds; (d) fatty acids; (e) esters; (f) animal fats; (g) vegetable fats; and (h) water.

22. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 21, wherein the cell-contained phase change material is formulated to contain one or a plurality of phase transition point(s).

23. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 17, wherein some portions of the plurality of cells may contain different phase change materials or different phase change transition points than other cells for: (a) changing the impact force dissipation characteristics, both vertically and laterally; and (b) providing a temperature-phasing effect to greatly extend the overall cooling or heating effect of the overall garment.

24. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 17, wherein the cell-contained phase change material(s) is formulated or selected to yield chosen phase transition point(s) to within .+-..degree. F. to a maximum off .+-.10.degree. F.

25. The impact-absorbing protective garment of any of claim 17, wherein the cell-contained phase change material is selected as to be non-toxic to human beings.

26. The impact-absorbing protective garment of claim 25, wherein the innermost surface of the plurality of cells which contain phase change material is confronted by a contained layer of gel, whether or not said contained layer is in the form of a plurality of cells, said gel layer being fused directly to the innermost layer of the phase-change-material-containing cells, and said gel layer being worn directly against the body in order that the gel achieves the microclimate temperature(s) of the phase change material, while providing a physically soli interfacing layer to the wearer.

27. The protective garment of claim 14, wherein the momentarily deformable material is a film made from an organic material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polypropylene and polyethylene.

28. The protective garment of claim 14, wherein the plurality of individual cells are hexagonal in shape.

29. An impact-absorbing protective garment, said garment comprising a plurality of cells of one or more sizes and shapes, each cell comprised of suitable momentarily deformable high modulus material and each cell containing its own incompressible cooling or warming material.

30. The protective garment of claim 29, wherein the plurality of cells are contiguous.

31. The protective garment of claim 30, wherein each cell contains phase change material, said contiguous cells being separated by frangible sealing zones, wherein said sealing zones provide means for: (a) dissipating energy from impact by allowing some cell-contained cooling or warming material to pass across a sealing zone when a predetermined strong impact is transferred to a given said cell; and (b) providing a passage for communicating some cooling or warming material from one cell to an adjacent cell for dissipating absorbed energy to the adjacent cell.

32. The protective garment of claim 29, wherein the garment is used to protect select portions of the body of a human being.

33. The protective garment of claim 29, wherein the garment is being used to protect equipment.