Abstract:
A reversible raincoat or rain jacket is constructed from a plurality of panels of specialized fabric, which are joined by threaded seams and which alternatively present either a dress mode exterior or a protective mode exterior. The specialized fabric is composed of a dress weave facing, a high visibility knit facing and an interstice therebetween. The interstice consists essentially of a vapor permeable membrane. The seams are sealed at the knit facing, along the threaded seams and along borders of the panels, by tape which matches the knit facing fabric in appearance. Both faces of the fabric are infused with a water repellant treatment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to protective clothing and textile materials for their fabrication, and, more particularly, to reversible protective clothing such as reversible rainwear and lightweight materials for their fabrication. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to uniforms of the type used in inclement environments by personnel involved in law enforcement, emergency medicine, fire and safety service, general work service and the like. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     Waterproof and windproof protective clothing such as rainwear have suffered from such uncomfortable characteristics as undue weight, vapor impermeability, and unpleasant hand and feel. The undue weight often is due to relatively heavy plastic or rubber facing or impregnation. The vapor impermeability or vapor locking often is inherent in the plastic or rubber coating structures that are relied upon for waterproofing and wind proofing. The unpleasant hand and feel often is inherent in the ergonomics of non-textile surfaces. These deficiencies have made it particularly difficult to fabricate acceptable reversible garments having both the hand and feel of conventional dress clothing and the desired protection against inclement weather, chemical, medical or other environments. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide rainwear and other protective clothing that is fabricated from a very thin clothing material, which comprises a special laminate of opposed textile facing strata, and a micro-porous interstice stratum therebetween. In one form, the clothing is a reversible raincoat or rain jacket, in which one of the textile facings is an abrasion resistant dress weave and the other is a high visibility knit. This laminate is waterproof, windproof and breathable, but nevertheless provides the hand, feel and comfort of a single ply fabric. Another object of the present invention is to provide reversible protective clothing, which in dress mode is a uniform in appearance, but in work mode is fully protective. The present invention particularly contemplates rainwear that, in dress mode is stylish in appearance, and in work mode presents fluorescent and retroreflective luminosity for use by public service professionals. 
     More specifically, the reversible rainwear of the present invention comprises a plurality of panels joined by a plurality of seams, the panels being fabricated from a clothing material consisting of a pair of facing strata and an interstice stratum therebetween, one of the facing strata consisting essentially of a woven fabric for dress, the other of the facing strata consisting essentially of a knit fabric for fluorescence and high visibility. The surfaces of both the facing strata and the seams are sealed by thermally laminated tape. The arrangement is such that, in dress mode, the raincoat&#39;s style remains intact, and, in work mode, the knit face retains aesthetic integrity despite presence of sealing tape. 
     Other objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference is made to the following specification, which is to be taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a reversible raincoat embodying the present invention, dress side out and work side in; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the raincoat of  FIG. 1 , work side out and dress side in; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a reversible rain jacket, embodying the present invention, dress side out; 
         FIG. 4  is a broken away, perspective view of a fragment of a garment that is composed of the clothing material of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a grossly exaggerated, cross-section of the fragment of  FIG. 4 , taken substantially along the line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a grossly exaggerated, fragmentary view of the snap fastener arrangement of the raincoat of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the rain jacket of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a reversible raincoat that is fabricated from patterns or panels of the thin clothing material utilized by the present invention. As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , each panel of this raincoat comprises a primary dress facing  20  and a secondary work facing  22 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , dress facing  20  is exterior and work facing  22  is interior. As shown in  FIG. 2 , work facing  22  is exterior and dress facing  20  is interior. 
     In the fragment of the raincoat shown in  FIG. 4 , two of the raincoat&#39;s panels  24 ,  26  are shown as being stitched along a seam  28 . Seam  28  is sealed by a tape  30 , which is bonded to and extends along the seam in contact with the contiguous edges of the work facings of panels  24  and  26 . With the raincoat in dress mode as in  FIG. 1 , the taped seams are shown as dashed lines  32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , and  37 , depicting the tape on the work faces when concealed at the interior of the raincoat. With the raincoat in work mode as in  FIG. 2 , the taped seams are shown as solid lines  32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36  and  37 , depicting the tape on the work faces when revealed at the exterior of the raincoat. When the raincoat is in protective mode, a retro-reflective band  45  surrounds the chest and back and retro reflective bands  47  and  48  surround the wrists and arms of the wearer. Seams  32  and  33  join the arms to the bodice. Seams  34  and  35  join front panels  39 ,  41  of the bodice to a back panel  43 , which spans the back of the raincoat. Seams  36  and  37  join the lower portions of the reversely contiguous edges of the single piece goods from which the sleeves are formed.  FIG. 5  illustrates details of the clothing material from which the sleeves, and the front and back panels are fabricated. This clothing material comprises a laminate of opposed facing strata  20  and  22 , and an interstice stratum  52 . Preferably: stratum  20  is a weave of dark color for dress use; stratum  22  is a knit of high luminosity or public service use; and interstice stratum  52  is a membrane with high vapor transmission. Facing stratum  20 , interstice stratum  52  and facing stratum  22  are laminated together by adhesive bonding strata  54  and  56 . The outer surfaces of facing strata  20  and  22  are infused with water repellant polymeric coatings  58  and  60 , which, in combination with the microporous membrane, effectively render the fabric water repellant, waterproof and windproof. Seam  28  is sealed at the surface of the knit facing strata  22  of adjacent panels by knit tape  30 , which has the same functional and visual characteristics as have the knit facing strata. The inner surface of tape  30  is sealed to coating  60  offacing stratum  22  by a bonding stratum  64 . The outer surface of tape  30  is provided with a stratum  66 . The resulting seamed laminate configuration is waterproof, windproof and breathable, but nevertheless provides the hand, feel and comfort of a single ply fabric. 
     The arrangement for fastening the front of the raincoat of  FIGS. 1 and 2  includes columns of fasteners that extend from the neck to the lower edge of the raincoat along the free borders at the front of the raincoat. At one border are a pair of flaps  68 ,  70 , along which extend columns of paired fasteners  74 ,  76 . At the other border is a column of fasteners  78 . Each pair of fasteners  74 ,  76  coacts with a fastener  78  in the manner shown in  FIG. 6 . Fastener  74  includes a button  80  and an inwardly directed element  82 , which are joined by a connector (not shown) through flap  68 . Fastener  76  includes a button  84  and an inwardly directed element  86 , which are joined by a connector (not shown) through flap  70 . Fastener  78  includes outwardly directed elements  88 ,  90 , which are joined by a connector (not shown) through border  72 . Inwardly directed elements  82  and  86  are adapted to mate, i.e. to snap together, with outwardly directed elements  88  and  90  in order to enable the front of the raincoat to be fastened and unfastened. 
     Thus, when the raincoat is un-reversed as shown in  FIG. 1 , fastening the front is achieved by mating elements  82  and  90  and elements  86  and  88  ( FIG. 6 ). And, when the raincoat is reversed as shown in  FIG. 2 , fastening the front is achieved by mating elements  82  and  88  and elements  86  and  90  ( FIG. 6 ). 
     The rain jacket of  FIG. 3  is analogous to the raincoat of  FIGS. 1 and 2  in structure and function. It includes a bodice having front panels  91  and  92  and a back panel  93 , sleeves  94  and  95 , and retro-reflective bands  96  and  97 . 
     The following non-limiting examples further describe details of the illustrated reversible raincoat and rain jacket. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Preferably, facing stratum  20 , for durability and abrasion resistance, is a light weight nylon or polyester weave of a dark uniform color, such as navy, midnight blue or charcoal black. In accordance with the present invention, this is a plain weave in the form of a 100% textured polyester, ranging from 2.0 to 4.5 oz. per square yard. Preferably, this weave weighs approximately 2.18 oz. per square yard, and has a 70 denier warp and 140 denier filling. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Preferably, interstice stratum  52  is composed of a waterproof, windproof and breathable microporous membrane of the type sold by W.L Gore under the trade designation, Gore-Tex or Crosstech. Typically, the weight of the membrane ranges from 0.75 oz. to 2.5 oz. per square yard, and preferably is approximately 1.5 oz. per square yard. The membrane consists of expanded polytetrafluroroethylene that is impregnated with an oleophobic polymer. This membrane contains billions of pores per square inch, each being thousands of times smaller than a water droplet but hundreds of times larger than a water vapor molecule. This composition passes perspiration vapor from the inside, but blocks water and wind from the outside. The impregnated oleophobic polymer provides resistance against blood-borne pathogen and common chemical liquid penetration. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     Preferably, facing stratum  22  is a high luminosity polyester knit that has been fluorescent yellow or orange. In accordance with the present invention, this knit weighs between 1 oz. and 2.5 oz. per square yard, and preferably weighs approximately 1.65 oz. per square yard. Preferably, this knit weighs between 1 oz. and 2.5 oz. per square yard, and preferably weighs approximately 1.65 oz. per square yard. Preferably, the appearance of the tape is virtually the same as the appearance of knit stratum  32  so that it blends visually with knit stratum  32  when bonded thereto. 
     EXAMPLE 4 
     In one form, bonding strata  54 ,  56  and  64  are composed of a micro-porous or hydrophilic polymer, such as polyurethane. 
     EXAMPLE 5 
     Generally, the illustrated laminate ranges in total thickness between 0.2 to 0.9 millimeters and ranges in weight between 5 and 6 ounces per square yard. Preferably, the thickness is approximately 0.38 millimeters and the weight is approximately 5.4 ounces per square yard. Water repellent treatments  58 ,  60  at both faces of the laminate and at the exterior of the tape generally are composed of a fluorocarbon polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene. 
     EXAMPLE 6 
     Generally, tape  62  is composed of the same material as knit stratum  22 , namely a high luminosity polyester knit that is fluorescent yellow or orange in color. Preferably, the appearance of the tape is virtually the same as the appearance of knit stratum  32  so that it blends visually with knit stratum  32  when bonded thereto. 
     OPERATION 
     The reversible raincoat of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the reversible rain jacket of  FIG. 3  are similar in operation. Each may be worn as stylish outerwear with the woven dress facing out, or as work outerwear for public service or the like with the high visibility work facing out. The structure and function of the rain jacket of  FIG. 3  is essentially the same as the structure and function of the raincoat of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , except that the rain jacket extends from neck to waist, whereas the raincoat extends from neck to lower legs. In each case, sections of stitching  34  and  35  are interrupted as at  92 ,  94  in  FIG. 1  to leave openings through which inner clothing pockets are accessible to the hands of a wearer. When the illustrated garment is worn dress-side-out, it has the aesthetic appearance of a well-styled coat or jacket. When the illustrated garment is worn work-side-out, it presents the high visibility appearance that often is required by police and other safety officers. Whether the illustrated garment is worn dress-side-out or work-side-out, all of its protective features remain.