| Protective garment -> Monitor Keywords |
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Protective garmentRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Guard Or ProtectorProtective garment description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060282940, Protective garment. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The present invention relates to an outer garment for protection against chemical and biological exposure and uses of such an outer garment. [0002] Protection against chemical and biological exposure will always be a topic of great interest to military personnel, but also to an ever-increasing extent to those in civilian life. [0003] A number of solutions exist for protection against chemical and biological exposure, usually based on the use of either a membrane or an absorbent protective layer. [0004] In order to achieve adequate protection, a protective system based on membrane must be completely impermeable for the particular substance, with amongst other things welded seams and seals in connection with the openings required in order to put on the suit. A completely impermeable suit offers maximum protection against chemical and biological exposure, but in practice this is very difficult to achieve as some leakages can easily occur. A membrane suit of this kind also has limited breathing ability and is therefore not particularly comfortable to use for lengthy periods. It is more or less out of the question to wear this kind of membrane suit protection whilst undertaking physical activity. A membrane suit will therefore be something to have as extra equipment, adding extra weight to a pack, and some time will also be required to put on such a membrane suit. [0005] The second system is to employ an absorbent ply in the garment, where the function of the absorbent ply is to absorb most of the quantity of biological and chemical contaminants to which the person is exposed. An absorbent ply of this kind is relatively effective, but does not provide adequate protection as some of the contaminants will penetrate the ply. A material of this type is also relatively heavy. Solutions employing an absorbent system are described, for example, in DE 3924034 where the use is described of an absorbent material as underwear under the uniform. In DE 3924033 the use is also described of an extra ply under the uniform such as, for example, a shirt in the form of an absorbent material. [0006] Present day Norwegian protective equipment comprises an outer oil/water-repellent textile ply with relatively high through-flow of air and an inner absorbent ply secured to this ply. [0007] These known solutions provide a relatively low level of protection by means of either a barrier of absorbent material or a barrier of membrane material. A hole in the membrane material will be more harmful than a hole in the absorbent material, but both are inopportune. An adequate protection with only an absorbent material also results in a relatively heavy outer garment, while a membrane suit can be lighter but it in turn has limited breathing capacity, thus being uncomfortable for the wearer. [0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a garment which represents an improvement in relation to the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned above. [0009] The object of the present invention is to provide an outer garment which gives adequate protection against chemical and biological exposure with a two-ply barrier system, while simultaneously providing a high degree of comfort for the user of the garment, thus permitting the garment to be employed as standard clothing for the user. [0010] An object of the invention is to provide a garment which enables the user very rapidly to achieve good protection from external chemical and biological exposure, while at the same time the garment is multifunctional. [0011] An object is also to achieve a lighter garment which offers just as good protection as previous systems. [0012] It is also an object to provide a garment which is perceived as a unit, where the desired protection is achieved without extra equipment. It is a further object to achieve a high degree of flexibility with the garment regarding the degree of protection and ventilation capability, thus enabling the garment to be easily adapted to the risk concerned, the level of activity and other external factors. [0013] Another object is to provide the flexibility to adapt the garment to offer protection for different types of uses and hazards. [0014] It is also an object to provide a simple garment for protection against chemical and biological exposure, which is capable of providing good ventilation for the user. [0015] The above-mentioned objects are achieved with an outer garment as indicated in the following claims. [0016] The present invention comprises an outer garment for protection against chemical and/or biological exposure. In particular, the present invention provides good protection against gas exposure. The invention also comprises a garment for protection against chemical and/or biological exposure which offers the user good ventilation capability. [0017] The garment consists of at least one outer and one inner separate ply where the plies consist of one or more layers, which layer or ply may have different characteristics. The plies are releasably secured to each other by fastening devices so that they are perceived to be a uniform outer garment. At least one of the outermost plies is in the form of a membrane material and at least one inner ply is in the form of an absorbent material. Vents may be provided at a plurality of points passing through all the plies, where the vents are provided with closing devices. [0018] Due to the fact that the garment is produced in a two-ply barrier system, most of the chemical and/or biological contaminants will be repelled by the membrane ply. Since there is an absorbent ply under the membrane ply, there will not be such a great need for impermeability in and round the membrane ply as is the case when only membrane is employed. Any leaks in the membrane ply will be absorbed by the absorbent ply. This gives the opportunity of adapting the garment to provide a much greater degree of comfort, by, for example, inserting vents at desired points. The ability to have vents at desired points also makes the garment much more flexible with regard to areas of application. [0019] The plies in the garment may consist of one or more layers, which may have one uniform or different types of characteristics. The plies may have outer covering layers and one or more intermediate active layers, where the active element may be absorbent or repellent in the form of a membrane. An outer active layer may also be envisaged with a rear support layer holding the active material together. The layers may be joined together to form a unit of a laminate type or more loosely interconnected, but forming a uniform ply. [0020] The fact that the outer garment is produced in a two-ply barrier system with ventilation capability permits the garment to be manufactured more easily than a garment according to the prior art which provides the same degree of protection. [0021] The membrane material in the garment is preferably of a liquid-repellent, breathing material which repels chemical and biological exposure to a desired degree. Depending on the risk, the membrane material may be a permeable membrane material where only liquids are repelled, a semi-permeable membrane material where liquids and aerosols are repelled, a selective permeable membrane material where special elements in addition to liquids and aerosols do not penetrate or a completely impermeable membrane material. The membrane may also be provided as passive and/or active membrane, for example by means of an active membrane material which can be supplied with energy or have an inbuilt energy potential. Such a membrane can act to a greater extent as an efficient selective membrane, i.e. unwanted particles are repelled or absorbed. Only wanted particles such as air or water vapour pass through the membrane one way or the other, or both ways. Parts of the outer ply may also be envisaged made of an impermeable or selective membrane material while other parts consist of a material which is more permeable. The object of the membrane is to reduce the air velocity and to repel or prevent to the desired extent penetration of the chemical and/or biological contaminants. [0022] At least one of the plies contains an absorbent element and/or consists of an absorbent material, which soaks up the chemical and/or biological contaminants. By absorbent we mean from weak chemical to strong chemical compounds. The material contains an active substance which absorbs and binds to itself the chemical and/or biological contaminants. The object of such a material is to absorb the quantity of contaminants that slip through the outer membrane ply. Such materials are known to absorb a number of different types of contaminants. [0023] In a preferred embodiment the garment has two separate plies--an outer membrane ply and an inner absorbent ply. The two plies are releasably secured to each other, thus forming a uniform unit. The plies are secured to each other, for example, by zip fasteners beside a front opening on the body and stud devices round the waist. Velcro or stud devices or other fastening means may also be envisaged at several points, such as for example near the outer edge of sleeves and legs or along a collar portion. [0024] The inner ply of the outer garment is replaceable. This may, for example, enable the garment to be adapted to suit the threat concerned or replace the absorbent material when it has reached saturation limit or is otherwise so worn that the degree of absorption is below a specified acceptable value. The situation may also be envisaged where the outer ply has sustained wear and tear, thus making it advantageous to replace it. Continue reading about Protective garment... Full patent description for Protective garment Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Protective garment patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Protective garment or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Mounting system for accessories on a safety helmet Next Patent Application: High pressure plunger Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Protective garment patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.05644 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
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