Abstract:
A protective article such as a glove, sock or vest and the method of making same that is easy to don, is comfortable to wear and, at the same time, due to the incorporation of a novel membrane within which the highly adsorptive super-activated carbon particles are embedded, provides substantial protection to the user against exposure from hazardous chemical vapors. A unique feature of the method of the invention for making the protective articles of the invention is the novel step of incorporating highly adsorptive super-activated carbon particles within a thin polyurethane membrane in a manner such that the adsorptive properties of the activated carbon particles remain substantially undiminished.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a method of making articles of protective clothing. More particularly, the invention concerns a method of making articles of protective clothing that include a thin polyurethane membrane within which a multiplicity of super-activated carbon particles have been embedded to form a highly adsorptive membrane.  
         [0003]     2. Discussion of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Various attempts have been made in the past to produce articles of apparel such as gloves and socks that will protect the wearer from hazardous chemicals, chemical vapors and other toxins disposed within the environment to which the wearer is exposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,047 issued to Leach discloses sorbent, internally ribbed carbon-containing material and protective garments fabricated therefrom. The Leach material comprises at least one layer of an activated woven carbon fabric plus a high absorbency rayon layer interposed between at least one woven carbon fabric layer and the wearer&#39;s body. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,144 issued to Economy discloses a quilted fabric suitable for making protective garments that contain high surface area carbon fibers. The Economy quilted fabrics are made by uniting a central layer of flexible activated carbon fibers between a pair of outer layers of reinforcing fabric positioned on each side of the layer of activated flexible carbon fibers with a network of quilting stitching.  
         [0005]     While the prior art materials that have been used in the construction of protective garments are generally satisfactory for sorbing toxic chemical vapors and the like, the garments constructed from the carbon containing material typically exhibit limited stretchability thereby making them less than ideally suited for construction of footwear and gloves. In addition, such prior art garments often tend to be bulky and uncomfortable.  
         [0006]     The problems discussed in the preceding paragraph were earlier addressed by the present inventor and resulted in the development of novel protective garments, the character of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,377 issued on Dec. 16, 2003. The protective garments discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,377, which uniquely include an elastomeric polyurethane film to which a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres are affixed, exhibit comfort and stretchability and, at the same time, are effective in protecting the wearer from hazardous materials such as chemical vapors, noxious gases and the like.  
         [0007]     The present invention represents a significant advance in the state of the art of making protective garments and provides a novel method of making protective garments, which uniquely include a membrane for covering a portion of a wearer&#39;s body within which highly adsorptive, super-activated carbon particles have been incorporated. In the past, numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made to produce such a membrane. Such attempts have included mixing the carbon particles into a hydrocarbon solvent solution of a polyurethane resin and then casting or coating the mixture against a release paper. The coating is then dried to remove the solvent therefrom and to thereby form a thin membrane. However, in accordance with such prior art methods, the activated carbon undesirably retains some of the hydrocarbon solvent thereby substantially reducing the adsorptive properties of the activated carbon. It is this latter problem that the method of the present invention seeks to overcome in order to produce a membrane having superior adsorptive properties and one that can be incorporated into comfortable protective garments.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     It is an object of the present invention to provide protective garments, such as gloves and socks and the method of making the same that uniquely incorporate a thin membrane within which highly adsorptive, super-activated carbon particles are embedded. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide such protective garments, which are comfortable to wear and at the same time provide a high degree of protection to the user against hazardous exposure to various chemical vapors, and agents including noxious gases.  
         [0009]     Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method for incorporating highly adsorptive super-activated carbon particles within a thin membrane in a manner such that the adsorptive properties of the activated carbon particles remain substantially undiminished.  
         [0010]     Another object of the invention is to provide a protective article such as a glove, sock or vest that is easy to don, is comfortable to wear, and, at the same time, due to the incorporation of the membrane within which the highly desirable super-activated carbon particles are embedded, provides substantial protection to the user against exposure from hazardous chemical vapors.  
         [0011]     Another object of the invention is to provide a method of making protective garments of the character described in the preceding paragraphs that is simple and straight forward, does not require the use of complicated equipment such as sewing and seaming equipment, and can be performed by unskilled workmen with a minimum of training.  
         [0012]     In one form of the invention, the articles of the invention comprise articles of apparel that are of three-ply construction with the inside and outside plies being knit and the intermediate ply being made from the novel membrane within which the super-activated carbon particles are embedded.  
         [0013]     By way of summary, one form of the method of the present invention for making a protective garment comprises the steps of wetting the activated carbon particles with liquid to provide a multiplicity of wetted particles; intermixing a polyurethane resin with a solvent to form a resin solution; intermixing the wetted particles with the resin solution to form a mixture; depositing the resultant mixture onto a surface; drying the mixture to remove the solvent and the liquid therefrom to form a membrane; forming the membrane into an adsorbent cover having a receiving portion having the general shape of the portion of the wearer&#39;s body to be covered; and bonding a first fabric member to the membrane to form the protective garment.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side-elevational view illustrating the method of making the footwear article of the invention and showing the components of the article in position over a foot-shaped planar mandrel.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side-elevational view of one form of the footwear article of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the area designated as “ 5 ” in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view showing the stretchable bladder component of the protective glove article of the invention in position over the glove mandrel.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view similar to  FIG. 6 , but showing the outer covering component of the glove in position over the inner liner, the bladder, and the mandrel.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the area designated in  FIG. 8  as “ 9 ”.  
         [0023]      FIG. 10  is a generally perspective view of an alternate form of protective clothing of the invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 11  is a greatly enlarged view taken along lines  11 -- 11  of  FIG. 10 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 12  is a greatly enlarged view of the area designated as “ 12 ” in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 13  is a generally perspective view, partly broken away to show internal construction, illustrating one form of the method of the invention for making an article of apparel. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]     The term “fabric” as used herein means a sheet structure made from fibers, filaments or yarns. Non-limiting examples include woven or non-woven sheets made by weaving, knitting, felting, hydroentangling or meltblowing fibers, filaments or yarns.  
         [0028]     The term “sock” as used herein means a short, close fitting covering for the foot and lower leg constructed from any suitable material such as natural and synthetic fibers.  
         [0029]     The term “glove” as used herein means a covering for the hand and wrist constructed from any suitable material such as natural and synthetic fibers.  
         [0030]     The term “vest” as used herein means a covering for the trunk of the user.  
         [0031]     Referring to the drawings and particularly to  FIGS. 1 through 5 , one form of the protective garment of the present invention is there shown. The garment here comprises a sock construction including a thin adsorbent cover  12  formed from a pliable membrane the unique character of which will presently be described. Adsorbent cover  12  includes a foot portion  14  having an outer surface  16  and an inner surface  18  ( FIG. 2 ). Adsorbent cover  12  has the capability of generally conforming to the contours of the human foot so that it can be comfortably worn inside a boot or shoe. Bonded to the inner surface  18  of the cover is a lightweight covering member such as a fabric inner sock  20  of standard construction, which is preferably made from knitted natural or synthetic fibers. The footwear article of the invention shown in  FIG. 1  also includes an outer sock  22 , which is disposed proximate the outer surface of adsorbent cover  12 . Outer sock  22  can also be constructed from filament or spun yarns. The sock can also be constructed from natural fibers such as wool fibers, or from a variety of synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and combinations thereof.  
         [0032]     Before discussing the details of the method of making the sock of the invention, the method of making the novel membrane used to construct the adsorbent cover component  12  of the sock will be considered. In one form of the method of the invention the membrane is constructed from a polyurethane resin within which super-activated carbon in the form of a granular powder is embedded. While such material is available from various sources, a material sold by Kansai Coke &amp; Chemicals Company of Ohama-cho, Amagasaki-shi, Japan has proven to be well suited for use in making the adsorptive membrane of the present invention. This activated carbon exhibits a surface area of 3350 m 2  per gram with the median size of the particles of carbon being on the order of 78 microns. It is apparent that with this very large surface area, each granule of the material has millions of tiny gas adsorbing pores.  
         [0033]     In making the membrane in accordance with one form of the method of the invention, a hydrocarbon solvent is first intermixed with a polyurethane resin to form a resin solution. Next, the granules of activated carbon are intermixed with the resin solution to form a carbon polyurethane resin mixture. However, to prevent the undesirable dilution of the adsorptive qualities of the activated carbon by the hydrocarbon solvent solution clogging the pores of the material during the step of intermixing the activated carbon particles with the resin solution, the method of the present invention uniquely involves the step of thoroughly wetting the super-activated carbon with water prior to intermixing it with the polyurethane resin hydrocarbon solvent mixture. This novel step causes the millions of tiny pores of the activated carbon material to fill with water, thereby preventing the hydrocarbon solvent from filling the pores of the activated carbon during the intermixing of the wetted activated carbon with the polyurethane resin mixture.  
         [0034]     In accordance with one form of the method of the invention, after intermixing the wetted activated carbon with the polyurethane resin solution, the mixture thus formed is controllably heated to drive off both the solvent and the water so as to once again open the pores in the activated carbon material to thereby substantially restore its adsorbing characteristics.  
         [0035]     By way of example, in carrying out one form of the method of the present invention, the Kansai Coke &amp; Chemicals Company super-activated carbon granules  23  are first thoroughly wetted with water to provide a multiplicity of wetted particles. Next, a readily commercially available polyurethane resin, such as that available from the Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich. is intermixed with a suitable hydrocarbon solvent to form a resin solution. This done, the wetted particles are intermixed with the resin solution to form a carbon polyurethane resin mixture and the resin mixture thus formed is deposited onto a generally flexible substrate, such as a sheet of paper or the like having a substantially planar surface to form a thin mass. The thin mass is then heated by any suitable means to an elevated temperature sufficient to remove therefrom the hydrocarbon solvent and the water to form the adsorptive membrane within which the super-activated carbon granules  23  are embedded.  
         [0036]     In accordance with the method of making the protective articles of clothing of the invention, the adsorptive membrane produced in the manner discussed in the preceding paragraphs is formed into the previously discussed adsorbent cover  12 . This step can be accomplished in various ways, including the step of forming the membrane into a bladder like construction. This is accomplished by first overlaying two sheets of the membrane to form a membrane assemblage. Next, the membrane assembly is heated along a boundary line to a temperature sufficient to sealably bond the sheets together along the boundary line to form the adsorbent cover  12 . One technique, which has proven to be satisfactory in forming the cover  12  in the manner thus described, involves the use of a heated platen press embodying a die having the general shape of the outer boundary line of the user&#39;s extremity to be covered. In accordance with this technique, with the two sheets of the membrane in position within the press, compressed air having a line pressure of about 120 to about 130 pounds per square inch is applied to the press. This done, the die is electrically heated to between about 500 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of about 5 to 20 seconds. This controlled heating of the dies causes the sheets of membrane material to be effectively welded, or sealably joined together along the boundary line to make the sock shaped cover. After the welding process, the excess material outside the cover boundary is manually stripped away and the assemblage is removed from the platen press.  
         [0037]     In continuing with the method of making the protective footwear article of the invention, the inner sock  20  is placed over mandrel  27  in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 1  of the drawings and is smoothed out so that its inner surface is in close engagement with the faces of the mandrel  27 . This done, the sock-shaped, bladder, or adsorbent cover  12 , which has been adhesive coated with particles of hot melt adhesive inside and outside is carefully placed over the assemblage of inner sock  20  and mandrel  27 . A hot melt adhesive in powder form sold by Bostik, Middleton, Mass., product #5116, a polyester type, has proven satisfactory for this purpose. Other suitable adhesives can, of course, also be used, including an adhesive in liquid form, which can be sprayed, brushed or otherwise applied to the elastomeric bladder or to the sock fabric. Following the placement of the cover  12  over the inner sock  20 , the outer sock  22  is placed over both the inner sock  20  and the cover  12  in the manner indicated in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0038]     The precursor assembly comprising first inner sock  20 , the adhesive coated adsorbent cover  12  and the second outer sock  22  is then heated and compressed in the direction of the arrows  34  in  FIG. 2  to form the finished article. (See  FIG. 3 ). This step is accomplished by placing the mandrel, upon which the precursor assembly is mounted, between two platens, which can be controllably heated and urged together. More particularly, the platens are preferably electrically heated to a temperature of between about 250 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit and are controllably moved into pressural engagement with the precursor assembly by any type of hydraulically actuated pressure imparting assembly of a character well known to those skilled in the art. A commercially available press suitable for carrying out the method of the invention is sold by PHI of the City of Industry, Calif. During this temperature-pressure step, the heat-activated adhesive is thereby fused making a permanent bond of inner sock  20  to one side of the adsorbent cover  12  and the outer sock  22  to the other side of the bladder. (See  FIG. 4 ). The minimum temperature required to activate the Bostik #5116 adhesive is 268 degrees Fahrenheit. Accordingly, a temperature range of between about 270 degrees Fahrenheit and 290 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred. During this temperature-pressure step, portions  20   a  of the fabric of the inner sock is urged into the irregularities in the surface of the cover  12  in the manner shown in  FIG. 5  and into engagement with the adhesive “A” for secure bonding.  
         [0039]     The precursor assembly is then removed from the press and allowed to cool thoroughly prior to doffing the completed footwear article or garment from the mandrel.  
         [0040]     When removed from the mandrel, the footwear article is generally planar in shape. However, upon inserting the foot into the open cuff of the article, the foot-engaging portion of the sock will neatly and smoothly conform to the shape of the wearer&#39;s foot.  
         [0041]     For certain applications, the footwear article of the invention can be constructed by bonding to the adsorbent cover  12  only a single inner or outer sock. This two, rather than three-ply construction, can be used in a number of applications in which the three or more ply constructions are not necessary.  
         [0042]     Turning now to  FIGS. 6 through 9  of the drawings, another form of protective garment of the invention can be seen to comprise a glove construction that includes a thin, pliant membrane constructed in the manner previously described herein. As before, the membrane is formed into an adsorbent cover, which is generally designated in  FIGS. 6 through 9  by the numeral  30 . Cover  30  can be formed in various ways, including forming the membrane into a generally hand shaped bladder in a similar manner to the method used to form the bladder incorporated into the sock construction of the invention. Bonded to the inner surface  30   a  of the cover  30  is a lightweight covering member such as a fabric inner glove  32  of standard construction, which is preferably made from knitted natural or synthetic fibers.  
         [0043]     The protective glove garment of the invention also includes an outer glove  34 , which is disposed proximate the outer surface  30   b  of cover  30 . Outer glove  34  can also be constructed from filament or spun yarns. The glove  34  can also be constructed from natural fibers; such as wool fibers or from a variety of synthetic fibers such as polyester nylon and combinations thereof.  
         [0044]     Inner glove  32  is preferably bonded to adsorbent cover  30  by means of a selected one of the previously described waterproof, heat activated adhesives. Similarly, glove  34  is bonded to bladder  30  by means of a similar heat activated adhesive “A”.  
         [0045]     For certain applications the glove of the invention can be constructed by bonding to the cover  30  only a single inner or outer glove. This two, rather than three-ply construction, can be used in a number of applications in which the three or more ply constructions are not necessary.  
         [0046]     Considering now in greater detail the method of the invention for making the protective glove garment, this method is similar in many respects to the method described for making the sock garment and makes use of a novel membrane within which a multiplicity of super-activated carbon particles  23  have been embodied. This unique membrane is constructed in accordance with the novel method previously described herein in a manner such that the adsorptive properties of the activated carbon particles that are embedded within the membrane remain substantially undiminished.  
         [0047]     After the membrane has been produced and the surfaces thereof coated with an appropriate outer adhesive, the next step in this latest method of the invention is the construction of the adsorbent cover component  30 . While the cover component can be constructed in various ways, forming the membrane into a bladder like construction has proven quite satisfactory. As before, this step is accomplished by overlaying two sheets of the membrane material and then heating the assemblage thus formed along the boundary line to a temperature sufficient to sealably bond the sheets together along the boundary line to form a generally hand shaped bladder. As before, this bonding step involves the use of a heated platen press similar to that previously described which embodies a die having the shape of an outer boundary line that generally corresponds to the shape of the hand. In this connection, with the membrane sheets in position within the press, compressed air at a pressure of about 120 to about 130 pounds per square inch is exerted on the press and the die is electrically heated to between about 500 and about 600 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of about 5 to 20 seconds. This controlled heating of the dies causes the membrane sheets to be effectively welded, or sealably joined together along the boundary line to make the glove-shaped substrate. After the welding process has been completed, the excess material outside the bladder boundary is manually stripped away and the assemblage is removed from the platen press.  
         [0048]     The next step in the method of the invention is to place the first covering member, or inner glove  32 , over a generally hand-shaped, approximately 1/16th inch thick, generally planar mandrel  37  (see  FIG. 6 ). Inner glove  32 , which has inner and outer surfaces  32   a  and  32   b  ( FIG. 8 ) is placed over the mandrel so that inner surface  32   a  thereof is disposed in engagement with the faces  37   a  of mandrel  37 . Inner glove  32  can be constructed from a variety of materials of the character previously described herein.  
         [0049]     After inner glove  32  has been placed over mandrel  37  and smoothed out so that its inner surface  32   a  is in close engagement with the faces of the mandrel  37 , cover  30  which has been adhesive coated with particles of hot melt adhesive inside and outside is carefully placed over the assemblage of inner glove  32  and mandrel  37 . Outer glove  34  is then placed over both the inner glove  32 , the adsorbent cover  30 , and the mandrel  37  ( FIG. 7 ).  
         [0050]     The precursor assembly comprising first inner glove  32 , cover  30  and the second outer glove  34  is then heated and compressed in the direction of the arrows  40  in  FIG. 8  to form the finished article. This step is accomplished by placing the mandrel, upon which the precursor assembly is mounted, between two platens, which can be controllably heated and urged together. More particularly, the platens are preferably electrically heated to a temperature of between about 260 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit and are controllably moved into pressural engagement with the precursor assembly by any type of hydraulically actuated pressure imparting assembly of a character well known to those skilled in the art. A commercially available press suitable for carrying out the method of the invention is sold by PHI of the City of Industry, Calif. During this temperature-pressure step, the heat-activated adhesive is thereby fused making a permanent bond of inner glove  32  to one side of the bladder and the outer glove  34  to the other side of the bladder. The minimum temperature required to activate the Bostik #5116 adhesive is 268 degrees Fahrenheit. Accordingly, a temperature range of between about 270 degrees Fahrenheit and 290 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred.  
         [0051]     The precursor assembly is then removed from the press and allowed to cool thoroughly prior to removing the protective glove garment. When removed from the mandrel, the protective glove is generally planar in shape. However, upon inserting the hand into the open cuff of the glove, the hand-engaging portion of the glove will neatly and smoothly conform to the shape of the wearer&#39;s hand.  
         [0052]     Turning next to  FIGS. 10, 11 ,  12 , and  13  of the drawings, still another form of protective garment of the invention is there shown. This garment is similar in some respects to those previously described herein and like numbers are used to identify like components. The garment here comprises a vest-like construction having interconnected front and back panels  48   a  and  48   b  respectively, each of which includes an adsorbent cover  50  constructed from a membrane of a character previously described within which a multiplicity of super-activated carbon particles  23  are embedded ( FIG. 11 ). As before, the membrane is made in accordance with the method earlier described in a manner such that the adsorptive properties of the activated carbon particles that are embedded within the membrane remain substantially undiminished.  
         [0053]     Bonded to the inner surface  50   a  of the adsorbent cover  50  is a lightweight member such as a fabric inner vest liner  53   a , which comprises interconnected front and back panels  53 . Vest liner  53  is of conventional construction, and is preferably made from knitted natural or synthetic fibers formed into a vest-shaped, generally tubular configuration (see  FIG. 10 ).  
         [0054]     Each of the front and back panels of the protective garment of this latest form of the invention also includes an outer covering  54   a , which is disposed proximate the outer surface  50   b  of cover  50 . Outer covering  54  can be constructed from filament or spun yarns of various types from natural fibers such as wool fibers and from a variety of synthetic fibers such as polyester nylon and combinations thereof. Outer covering  54   a , which is generally tubular in shape comprises interconnected front and back panels  54  and has the generally vest-shaped configuration shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0055]     The inner liner  53  of each of the front and back panels is preferably bonded to cover  50  by means of a selected one of the previously described waterproof, heat activated adhesives “A”. Similarly, outer covering  54  is bonded to cover  50  by means of a similar heat activated adhesive “A”.  
         [0056]     For certain applications the article of this latest form of the invention can be constructed by bonding to cover  50  only a single inner or outer vest liner or cover component. This two, rather than three-ply construction, can be used in a number of applications in which the three or more ply constructions are not necessary.  
         [0057]     Considering next the method of the invention for making the protective vest-like garment, this method is similar in many respects to the method described for making the sock and glove garments and makes use of the novel membrane material of the invention both surfaces of which have been coated with a suitable adhesive.  
         [0058]     The initial step in this latest form of the method of the invention is the construction of the generally tubular shaped cover component for the vest article. This is accomplished by overlaying two sheets of the previously described membrane material and then heating the assemblage thus formed along a boundary line generally corresponding to the shape of the front and rear panels of the vest article to a temperature sufficient to sealably bond the sheets together along the boundary line to form a generally tubular shaped cover  50 . In accordance with this technique, with the membrane assemblage in position within the press, compressed air having a line pressure of about 120 to about 130 pounds per square inch is applied to the press. This done, the die is electrically heated to between about 500 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of about 5 to 20 seconds. This controlled heating of the dies causes the sheets of membrane material to be effectively welded, or sealably joined together along the vest boundary line to make the vest shaped, bladder substrate or adsorbent cover  50 . After the welding process, the excess material outside the bladder boundary is manually stripped away and the assemblage is removed from the platen press.  
         [0059]     The next step in the method of the latest form of the invention is to place the first covering member or inner vest liner  53   a  over a generally vest-shaped, substantially planar aluminum mandrel  57 . Inner vest liner  53   a , which comprises the previously identified front and back panels  53 , is placed over the mandrel so that inner surface thereof is disposed in engagement with the faces  57   a  of mandrel  57  ( FIG. 13 ).  
         [0060]     After inner vest liner  53   a  has been placed over mandrel  57  and smoothed out so that its inner surface is in close engagement with the faces of the mandrel  57 , the generally vest-shaped adsorbent cover  50 , which has been adhesive coated with particles of hot melt adhesive inside and outside is carefully placed over the assemblage of inner vest liner  53   a  and mandrel  57 . Outer vest liner  54   a  is next placed over both the inner vest liner  53   a  and the adhesive coated cover  50 .  
         [0061]     The precursor assembly comprising first inner vest liner  53   a , the adhesive-coated cover  50  and the second outer vest liner  54   a  is then heated and compressed to form the finished article. This step is accomplished by placing the mandrel, upon which the precursor assembly is mounted, between two platens that can be controllably heated and urged together. More particularly, in one form of the invention, the platens are electrically heated to a temperature of between about 260 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit and are controllably moved into pressural engagement with the precursor assembly by any type of hydraulically actuated pressure imparting assembly of a character well known to those skilled in the art. During this temperature-pressure step, the heat-activated adhesive is thereby fused making a permanent bond of inner vest liner  53   a  to one side of the adsorbent cover  50  and the outer vest liner  54   a  to the other side of the cover  50 . When the previously identified Bostik #5116 adhesive is used, the minimum temperature required to activate the adhesive is 268 degrees Fahrenheit. Accordingly, a temperature range of between about 270 degrees Fahrenheit and 290 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred. During this temperature-pressure step portions of the fabric of the inner vest liner are urged into the irregularities in the surface of the adsorbent cover  50  and into engagement with the adhesive “A” for secure bonding.  
         [0062]     The precursor assembly is then removed from the press and allowed to cool thoroughly prior to doffing the complete protective vest article or garment from the mandrel.  
         [0063]     When removed from the mandrel, the protective vest is generally planar in shape. However, upon slipping the protective vest over the wearer&#39;s trunk, the garment will neatly and smoothly conform to the shape of the trunk portion of the user&#39;s body.  
         [0064]     Having now described the invention in detail, in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.