Abstract:
A protective garment comprises layers of material forming an outer shell so as to protect a wearer of the garment from heat exposure. A thermal insulation padding is attached to the layers so as to be concealed from direct exposure to the environment by the outer shell. The thermal insulation padding has a panel with a longitudinal dimension and bumps of material along the longitudinal dimension formed by pleats in the panel, whereby the thermal insulation padding provides additional insulation to the wearer below the outer shell. A method for securing a thermal insulation padding on a liner of a protective garment is also provided.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to protective garments such as firefighter garments and, more particularly, to the various layers of material used in the constitution of the protective garments.  
         [0003]     2. Background Art  
         [0004]     Few working environments are as hostile as that of firefighters. In addition to the extreme heat from combustion/smoldering, a firefighter may be subjected to a variety of hazards: steam, pressurized water jet, falling debris—often burning, etc.  
         [0005]     Therefore, protective garments used in firefighting must protect the firefighter from such extreme conditions. On the other hand, due to the nature of their job, firefighters must be capable of moving relatively freely to perform physically intensive actions. A firefighter may be required to break through some doors or walls, lift or displace objects, carry people in rescue situations, as well as maneuver a high-pressure water hose.  
         [0006]     Accordingly, protective garments have taken various configurations, and one such configuration is the use of different functional layers to form the coat and the trousers. An outer shell is made of heavy-duty material that is flame-/heat-resistant and tear-/abrasion-resistant. A moisture barrier liner is found below the outer shell. The moisture barrier serves to protect the firefighter from high-temperature liquids, such as steam and water, as well as chemical and/or viral products. A thermal barrier liner is used in conjunction with the moisture barrier liner to protect the firefighter. The thermal barrier liner is an insulating layer that protects the firefighter from the excessive heat, so as to reduce the risks of skin burns.  
         [0007]     In addition to the various layers, some padding is typically provided at specific locations in the garment. More specifically, the contact of body parts with the garment may result in skin burns because of conduction, in extremely severe conditions, due to the compression of the materials of the liner (for instance by the effect of the equipments being carried). For instance, the garment tends to be compressed, stretched about or pressed to the knees, the elbows, and the shoulders and upper back. Therefore, padding has been localized in these areas of the garment.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0008]     It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide protective garment padding that addresses issues associated with the prior art.  
         [0009]     Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a protective garment, comprising: at least one layer of material forming an outer shell of the protective garment so as to protect a wearer of the garment from heat exposure; a thermal insulation padding attached to the at least one layer so as to be concealed from direct exposure to the environment by the outer shell, the thermal insulation padding having a panel with a longitudinal dimension and bumps of material along the longitudinal dimension formed by pleats in the panel; whereby the thermal insulation padding provides additional insulation to the wearer below the outer shell.  
         [0010]     Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for securing a thermal insulation padding on a liner of a protective garment, comprising the steps of: positioning the thermal insulation padding against the liner such that the thermal insulation padding is superposed with a seam of the liner; performing at least a first stitch line between the thermal insulation padding and the liner such that the stitch line is on the seam; whereby the thermal insulation padding is secured to the liner.  
         [0011]     Still further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a protective garment, comprising: at least one layer of material forming an outer shell of the protective garment so as to protect a wearer of the garment from heat exposure; a thermal insulation padding attached to the at least one layer so as to be concealed from direct exposure to the environment by the outer shell, the thermal insulation padding having a pair of superposed panels with spaced apart longitudinal seam lines interconnecting the panels so as to form air channels between the superposed panels; whereby the thermal insulation padding provides additional insulation to the wearer below the outer shell. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an elevation view of a protective garment, having a jacket and trousers, constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view, partly fragmented, of the jacket of the protective garment of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3A  is an assembly view of a layer configuration of the protective garment, illustrating a thermal insulation padding in accordance with a first embodiment;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3B  is an assembly view of a layer configuration of the protective garment, illustrating a thermal insulation layer in accordance with a second embodiment;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3C  is an assembly view of a layer configuration of the protective garment, illustrating a thermal insulation layer in accordance with a third embodiment;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3D  is an assembly view of a layer configuration of the protective garment, illustrating a thermal insulation layer in accordance with a fourth embodiment;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3E  is an assembly view of a layer configuration of the protective garment, illustrating a thermal insulation layer in accordance with a fifth embodiment;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3F  is an assembly view of a layer configuration of the protective garment, illustrating a thermal insulation layer in accordance with a sixth embodiment; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a schematic perspective view, partly fragmented, of the jacket of the protective garment of  FIG. 1 , with padding using the thermal insulation layer of  FIG. 3A . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly, to  FIG. 1 , a protective garment is generally shown at  10 . The protective garment  10  consists in the illustrated embodiment of a jacket  12  and trousers  14 , as worn by a firefighter.  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the jacket  12  is shown partly fragmented to illustrate its layer configuration. More specifically, the layer configuration has an outer shell  16 , a moisture barrier liner  17 , and a thermal barrier liner  18 . This layer configuration is used for both the jacket  12  and the trousers  14 .  
         [0024]     The outer shell  16  is made of heavy duty material that is flame-/heat-resistant and tear-/abrasion-resistant. For instance, the outer shell  16  is typically made of mixtures of Kevlar™ and Nomex™, or any other suitable material.  
         [0025]     The moisture barrier liner  17  is often found below the outer shell  16 . The moisture barrier liner  17  protects the wearer from high-temperature liquids, such as steam. As an example, the moisture barrier liner  17  is typically made of materials such as Goretex™ or any other similar materials in accordance with industry standards.  
         [0026]     The thermal barrier liner  18  is within the moisture barrier liner  17 . The thermal barrier liner  18  is an insulating layer that protects the wearer from the excessive heat, thereby reducing the risks of skin burns. For instance, the thermal barrier liner  18  is for instance made of different weights of Nomex™ or any other similar materials in accordance with industry standards.  
         [0027]     It is pointed out that, although three different layers have been described in a specific configuration, other layers (such as strips of reflective material  19 ) or other configurations could be used with the protective garment  10 . As an example, the outer shell and the moisture barrier liner  17  may be integrally made of a single layer. Similarly, the moisture barrier liner  17  and the thermal barrier liner  18  are typically peripherally sewn to one another.  
         [0028]     Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the jacket  12  has a torso portion  20  and arm portions  21 . Thermal insulation pads are provided in the jacket  12  in order to provide additional thermal insulation in portions of the jacket  12  that are pressured into contact with the upper body of the wearer.  
         [0029]     For instance, when the jacket  12  is worn by a firefighter, the shoulder surface of the torso portion  20  benefits from the additional thermal insulation, as the shoulders often bear weights (e.g., oxygen tank with strapping, ax or similar tool also with strapping). Accordingly, as shown concurrently in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , thermal insulation padding is provided at location  23  along the shoulder area of the torso portion  20 .  
         [0030]     Also, when the arms are bent, the elbows of the wearer are pressed against the elbow areas of the arm portions  21  of the jacket  12 . Accordingly, thermal insulation padding is provided at location  24  in both the arm portions  21 . Although no other padding is illustrated for the jacket  12 , it is considered to position other padding as a function of the contemplated use of the protective garment  10 .  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the trousers  14  are illustrated as having a crotch portion  30  and leg portions  31 . Thermal insulation padding is provided at locations  33  in both knee areas, considering that the knees are often pressed against the material of the trousers  14 , when the wearer bends the knees while walking, running, kneeling or while making other like movements. Although no other padding is illustrated for the trousers  14 , it is considered to position other padding as a function of the contemplated use of the protective garment  10 .  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIGS. 3A  to  3 F, a thermal insulation padding, to be used at any one of the aforementioned locations (e.g., locations  23 ,  24 ,  33 ) is illustrated at  40 A to  40 F respectively (the affixed letter matching the figure identification), with respect to the material layers of the outer shell  16 , of the moisture barrier liner  17 , and of the thermal barrier liner  18 . More specifically, the thermal insulation padding  40  (i.e., any one of the padding  40 A to  40 F) is positioned between the moisture barrier liner  17  and the thermal barrier liner  18 .  
         [0033]     The thermal insulation padding  40 A illustrated in  FIG. 3A  is made of a sewn fabric, felt or like materials. The padding  40 A has a panel  41 A folded into forming longitudinal pleats  42 A. The pleats  42 A are stitched along their intersection with a plane of the panel  41 A (i.e., stitches/seaming  44 A), and form longitudinal material bumps with air channels  43 A therebetween. Therefore, when the padding  40 A is sandwiched between the liners  17  and  18 , air pockets are formed (i.e., at the air channels  43 A). Moreover, an increased thickness of padding is provided by the pleats  42 A, to enhance thermal insulation in view of heat conduction.  
         [0034]     The thermal insulation padding  40 B illustrated in  FIG. 3B  is made of a foam, fabric, felt, non-woven fabric that is perforated. The padding  40 B has a panel  41 B provided with a plurality of holes  42 B. Therefore, when the padding  40 B is sandwiched between the liners  17  and  18 , air pockets are formed (i.e., at the holes  42 B).  
         [0035]     The thermal insulation padding  40 C illustrated in  FIG. 3C  is made of foam or a non-woven fabric. The padding  40 C has a panel  41 C that is corrugated. Accordingly, air channels  42 C and  43 C are formed on opposed sides of the panel  41 C. Therefore, when the padding  40 C is sandwiched between the liners  17  and  18 , air pockets are formed (i.e., at the air channels  42 C and  43 C).  
         [0036]     The thermal insulation padding  40 D illustrated in  FIG. 3D  is a mesh pattern made of woven or non-woven fabric, foam tubing or webbing, or the like. The padding  40 D has strips  41 D and  42 D related into an intercrossed configuration. Gaps  43 D are defined between the strips  41 D and  42 D. Therefore, when the padding  40 D is sandwiched between the liners  17  and  18 , air pockets are formed (i.e., by the gaps  43 D).  
         [0037]     The thermal insulation padding  40 E illustrated in  FIG. 3E  is made of a molded or a sewn material. The padding  40 E has a pair of panels  41 E superposed into forming longitudinal air channels  42 E. In one embodiment, webs are formed by longitudinal stitch lines  43 E that are between the air channels  42 E, but the lines  43 E may also be molded or welded. Therefore, when the padding  40 E is sandwiched between the liners  17  and  18 , air pockets are formed (i.e., at the air channels  42 E). Inserts  44 E may be provided to ensure that air channels  42 E keep an air content.  
         [0038]     The thermal insulation padding  40 F illustrated in  FIG. 3F  is made of a molded material, or a sewn fabric. The padding  40 F has a pair of panels  41 F superposed into forming air pockets  42 F. Therefore, when the padding  40 F is sandwiched between the liners  17  and  18 , air pockets are formed (i.e., at the air channels  42 F).  
         [0039]     Although the thermal insulating padding  40 A to  40 F is respectively illustrated in  FIGS. 3A  to  3 F between the liners  17  and  18 , it is considered to position the thermal insulation padding  40 A to  40 F between the shell  16  and the liner  17 , or directly between the body and the liner  18 .  
         [0040]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the jacket  12  is shown partly fragmented to illustrate the thermal barrier liner  16 , with respect to the outer shell  16  and the moisture barrier liner  17 . The jacket  12  is fragmented at location  23  to expose the thermal insulation padding at the shoulder area of the jacket  12 .  
         [0041]     For illustrative purposes, the thermal insulation padding is shown as the thermal insulation padding  40 A of  FIG. 3A , but all other thermal insulation padding described previously could be used. In order to avoid altering the integrity of the layer of material to which it is connected, the thermal insulation padding  40 A is stitched to the seams of the liner. However, the padding  40 A may also in other embodiments be stitched or adhered directly to the various liners.  
         [0042]     As seen in  FIG. 4 , the arm portion  21  has a pair of longitudinal seams  51  (only one of which is visible) along the material of the thermal barrier liner  18 . Accordingly, in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the padding  40 A is secured directly on the seam  51 , as illustrated by stitches  50 . Therefore, the padding  40 A is fully retained to the arm portion  21  by superposing stitches  50  thereof on seams  51 . Opposed edges of the padding  40 A are therefore stitched to the two longitudinal seams  51  of the arm portion  21 . Similarly, the padding  40 A used in the shoulder area of the torso portion  20  is secured to the liner  18  by stitching  53  atop the seam  52 .