| Wetsuit with flush resistant through shoulder entry system -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Wetsuit with flush resistant through shoulder entry systemRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Guard Or Protector, Body Cover, Underwater Diver`s Body CoverThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070277277. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/756,860, filed on Jan. 7, 2006. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates to an entry system for a wetsuit that allows a user easy entry into and egress from the wetsuit while significantly resisting undesirable flushing of water through the entryway while the wetsuit is being worn by the user. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Wetsuits are tight-fitting water-permeable suits worn by divers, surfers, swimmers and the like in order to protect their wearer's and retain body heat while their wearer's are immersed in cold water. Wetsuits come in a variety of styles and serve a variety of purposes. Full body wetsuits have full-length arm and leg portions extending from a trunk portion. Alternatively, a wetsuit commonly known as a "spring suit" usually has short sleeves and shortened leg portions extending from the trunk portion. In most all cases, wetsuits are formed with flexible, heat-insulating material such as elastomer foam, the most commonly used of which is usually referred to as "Neoprene." [0004] The typical wetsuit traps a layer of water between the wearer and the suit so that the wearer's body heat warms the trapped water. As warm trapped water is flushed from within the suit, it is usually replenished with cold ambient water that must be warmed by the wearer's body heat before wearer comfort is restored. Accordingly, it is undesirable for large portions of this trapped water to be rapidly flushed or otherwise flow from the suit during use. [0005] Moreover, given the tight-fitting nature of wetsuits, it can be difficult for a wearer to put them on and take them off. Considerable effort has been made to facilitate wearer ease of entry into and egress out of a wetsuit. For example, many wetsuits have a large substantially vertically aligned zipper running down either the front or back trunk portion. The zipper allows the user to put on and take off the wetsuit like a jacket (front vertical zipper) or women's dress (back vertical zipper). Unfortunately, such vertical zippers are not aesthetically pleasing, they can be difficult for a user to use without assistance, and they tend to allow a large amount of water to flush through them during use. [0006] More recently, efforts have focused on providing a zipperless system for permitting entry into and egress out of a wetsuit. An example of such a system is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,229 to Machado et al. These types of systems provide an entryway between the shoulders of the wetsuit that stretches to allow the user to enter the wetsuit, but then compresses against the user after they have entered the wetsuit. In some cases, a head flap is also positioned to close over the entry area, with the user inserting their head through a collar in the flap to further close the entry and secure the user within the suit. [0007] While such systems improve the flush resistance of the wetsuit by eliminating substantial portions of elongate, flush prone, zippers along the trunk portion of the wetsuit, water still tends to flush under the head flap and into the wetsuit. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] Accordingly, despite the known improvements with wetsuit entry and egress systems, there remains a need for a simple, cost effective, low profile, system for a wetsuit that allows easy entry and egress from a wetsuit while minimizing the amount of water flushing through the system into the wetsuit during use. In addition to other benefits that will become apparent in the following disclosure, the present invention fulfills these needs. [0009] In a disclosed embodiment, the wetsuit has a stretchable entryway formed through a head-opening portion with a head flap pivotally secured to the body of the wetsuit. The head flap pivots to define an open position whereby a user can easily enter and exit the wetsuit through the stretchable entryway, and a closed position wherein the user is secured within the wetsuit. One or more gussets extend between the wetsuit and head flap thereby preventing inadvertent flushing of water between the head flap and wetsuit body through the entryway when the head flap is in its closed position. [0010] In another disclosed embodiment, the head flap is detachably secured in its closed position with a combination of a horizontally mounted slide fastener extending between a distal end of the head flap and an outer, front surface of the body of the wetsuit and hook and loop material also extending therebetween. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a wetsuit having a flush resistant through shoulder entry system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, showing a head flap in a possible closed position. [0012] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of the wetsuit of FIG. 1 showing preferred components of the flush resistant through shoulder entry system in an exploded view. [0013] FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the wetsuit of FIG. 1 showing the head flap in a third possible partially closed position. [0014] FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the wetsuit of FIG. 1 showing the head flap in a second possible partially closed position. [0015] FIG. 5 is an isometric partial view of the wetsuit of FIG. 1 showing the head flap in a first possible partially closed position. [0016] FIG. 6 is an isometric partial view of the wetsuit of FIG. 1 showing the head flap in a possible open position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0017] A wetsuit 10 having a low profile, flush resistant, through shoulder entry and egress system 12 is disclosed in FIGS. 1-6. [0018] The wetsuit has a stretchable through shoulder entry 14 with a head flap 16 that is pivotally secured to the wetsuit 10 so-as to define an open position 20 (FIG. 6) and a closed position 22 (FIG. 1). Left and right gussets 30a, 30b extend between the head flap 16 and top portion 32 of the wetsuit to prevent inadvertent water flow between the head flap 16 and top portion 32 of the wetsuit when the head flap 16 is in the closed position 22 (FIG. 1). A securing structure 40 is also preferably provided to detachably hold the head flap 16 in its closed position 22 (FIG. 1). Continue reading... Full patent description for Wetsuit with flush resistant through shoulder entry system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Wetsuit with flush resistant through shoulder entry system 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 Wetsuit with flush resistant through shoulder entry system or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Multi-function juicer Next Patent Application: Finger mounted rock climbing implement Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Wetsuit with flush resistant through shoulder entry system patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 3.9191 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Computers: Graphics , I/O , Processors , Dyn. Storage , Static Storage , Printers |
||
