Abstract:
Reversible outerwear comprised of a pair of front panels and rear panel joined by a plurality of seams. The front panels are attached by the zipper. The panels are fabricated as a laminate of a pair of opposed textile facings with an interstice stratum therebetween. One of the facings is an abrasion resistant dress weave and the other is a high-visibility knit. The zipper is covered by a pair of overlapping flaps, one on each front panel. The flaps are closed by a temporary fastener.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to protective clothing, more particularly, to reversible protective clothing such as reversible rainwear. 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    Reversible rainwear are well-known articles of clothing that 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. 
         [0008]    When a reversible raincoat is supplied with a covering for the front zipper, it is generally a single flap that extends over the zipper and attaches to the front of the raincoat. When the raincoat is reversed, the flap is on the inside, where it is difficult to use, thereby hampering the protective operation of the raincoat. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    An object of the present invention is to provide reversible outerwear with a method of covering the zipper that operates effectively whether the outerwear is in normal or reverse mode. 
         [0010]    More specifically, the reversible rainwear of the present invention comprises a plurality of panels joined by a plurality of seams. The panels are fabricated from a clothing material consisting of a dress facing and work facing. The dress facing consists essentially of a woven fabric for dress and the work facing consists 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 front zipper is covered by a pair of overlapping flaps, one on each front panel. The arrangement is such that, in dress mode, the rainwear&#39;s style remains intact, and, in work mode, the knit face retains aesthetic integrity despite presence of sealing tape. The flaps are outside when in dress mode and inside when in work mode. 
         [0011]    Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a reversible raincoat of the present invention with the dress side out and work side in; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the raincoat of  FIG. 1  with the work side out and dress side in; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a reversible rain jacket embodying the present invention with the dress side out; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a broken away, perspective view of a fragment of the rainwear of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a grossly exaggerated, cross-section of the fragment of  FIG. 4  taken substantially along the line  5 - 5 ; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a grossly exaggerated, fragmentary view of the zipper and microhook/microloop fastener arrangement of the rainwear of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The present invention is a reversible raincoat  10 , shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and rain jacket, shown in  FIG. 3 . References to “raincoat” are intended to encompass raincoats, rain jackets, and other similar outerwear. 
         [0020]    The raincoat  10  is comprised of a pair of front panels  39 ,  41 , a back panel  43 , a collar section  49 , and a pair of sleeves  42 ,  44 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the raincoat  10  has a dress facing  20  and a work facing  22 . In  FIG. 1  depicting dress mode, the dress facing  20  is exterior and the work facing  22  is interior. In  FIG. 2  depicting work mode, the work facing  22  is exterior and the dress facing  20  is interior. 
         [0021]    The terms, “dress facing” and “work facing,” indicate the function of the facings in the below-described embodiment. The dress facing gives the raincoat a more formal appearance, that of a typical raincoat, whereas the work facing provides high visibility in inclement weather or darkness. The two facings are illustrative and the present invention contemplates that they can have any appearance. The terms, “dress facing” and “work facing,” are intended to include any pair of facings, not only the two described herein. 
         [0022]    The reversible raincoat  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the reversible rain jacket  12  of  FIG. 3  have essentially the same structure, except that the rain jacket  12  extends from neck to waist, whereas the raincoat  10  extends from neck to lower legs. The rain jacket  12  includes front panels  91 ,  92 , a back panel  93 , a collar section  96 , and sleeves  94 ,  95 . 
         [0023]    In the fragment of the raincoat  10  shown in  FIG. 4 , two panels  24 ,  26  are shown as being stitched along a seam  28 . The seam  28  is sealed by a tape  30 , which is bonded to and extends along the seam  28  in contact with the contiguous edges of the work facings  22  of the panels  24 , 
         [0024]    Seams  32  and  33  join the sleeves  42 ,  44  to the panels  39 ,  41 ,  43 . Seams  34  and  35  join the front panels  39 ,  41  to the back panel  43 . Seams  36  and  37  join the lower portions of the reversely contiguous edges of the fabric from which the sleeves  42 ,  44  are formed. With the raincoat  10  in dress mode as in  FIG. 1 , the taped seams  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  36 , and  37  are shown as dashed lines, depicting the tape  30  on the work facing  22  when concealed at the interior of the raincoat  10 . With the raincoat  10  in work mode as in  FIG. 2 , the taped seams  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  36  and  37  are shown as solid lines, depicting the tape  30  on the work facing  22  when revealed at the exterior of the raincoat  10 . 
         [0025]    Optionally, when the raincoat  10  is in work mode, a retro-reflective band  45  surrounds the chest and back, retro-reflective bands  47  surround the wrists, and retro-reflective bands  48  surround arms. 
         [0026]    The front panels  39 ,  41 , the back panel  43 , and the sleeves  42 ,  44  are composed of a fabric construction, where one surface is the dress facing  20  and the opposite surface is the work facing  22 . The present invention contemplates that any adequate fabric structure can be used with the present invention.  FIG. 5  illustrates details of one such contemplated fabric construction and is not intended to be limiting. This fabric construction comprises a single-ply laminate of the dress facing  20 , the work facing  22 , and an interstice stratum  52 . 
         [0027]    Preferably, for durability and abrasion resistance, the dress facing  20  is a light-weight nylon or polyester weave of a dark uniform color, such as navy, midnight blue, brown, or charcoal black. It 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. 
         [0028]    Preferably, the work facing  22  is a high-luminosity polyester knit that is fluorescent yellow or orange. This knit weighs between 1 oz. and 2.5 oz. per square yard and preferably weighs approximately 1.65 oz. per square yard. Generally, the tape  30  is composed of the same material as the work facing  22 , namely a high-luminosity polyester knit that is fluorescent yellow or orange in color. Preferably, the appearance of the tape  30  is virtually the same as the appearance of the work facing  22  so that it blends visually with the work facing  22  when bonded thereto. 
         [0029]    When there is an interstice stratum, it is typically composed of a waterproof, windproof, and breathable microporous or bicomponent membrane. One such membrane material is 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 polytetratluroroethylene 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. 
         [0030]    The dress facing  20 , interstice stratum  52 , and work facing  22  are laminated together by adhesive bonding strata  54 ,  56 , and the inner surface of the tape  30  is sealed to a coating  60  of the work facing  22  by a bonding stratum  64 . In one form, the bonding strata  54 ,  56  and  64  are composed of a micro-porous or hydrophilic polymer, such as polyurethane. 
         [0031]    Typically, the outer surfaces of the dress facing  20  and work facing  22  are infused with a water repellant treatment  58 ,  60 , which, in combination with the microporous membrane, effectively render the fabric water repellant, waterproof, and windproof. Water repellent treatments  58 ,  60  generally are composed of a fluorocarbon polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene. 
         [0032]    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. 
         [0033]    A zipper  55  extends from the collar section  49  to the waist section  46  and serves to fasten and unfasten the front of the jacket. In order for the raincoat  10  to maintain water resistance, the zipper  55  is typically designed to be waterproof. Water resistant and waterproof zipper designs are well-known in the art. 
         [0034]    In order aid in water resistance, the zipper  55  is covered by a pair of overlapping flaps  68 ,  70  attached to the dress facing  20 , one on each of the front panels  39 ,  41  adjacent to the zipper  55 . The flaps  68 ,  70  extend at least the length of the zipper  55  and typically from the collar section  49  to the bottom hem  31 . The present invention also contemplates that the flaps are attached to the work facing. 
         [0035]    The flaps  68 ,  70  include mating temporary fasteners  76 . In one embodiment, the fasteners  76  are microhook/microloop fasteners. One flap  68  has on its outer surface a plurality of microhook patches  72  and the other flap  70  has on its inner surface a mating plurality of microloop patches  74 . Alternatively, microhook and microloop strips extend the length of the flaps  68 ,  70 . Alternatively, a microhook strip extends the length of the flap and the other flap has a plurality of microloop patches. It is obvious that the locations of the microhook and microloop patches and strips can be reversed. 
         [0036]    In another embodiment, the fasteners  76  are a series of mating snaps, with female snaps on one flap and male snaps on the other flap. 
         [0037]    When the raincoat is in dress mode, as shown in  FIG. 1 , fastening the front is achieved by zipping up the zipper  55  and then overlapping the two flaps  68 ,  70  and fastening the fasteners  76 . When the raincoat is in work mode, as shown in  FIG. 2 , fastening the front is achieved by overlapping the two flaps  68 ,  70 , fastening the fasteners  76 , and then zipping up the zipper  55 . Naturally, if the flaps are attached to the work facing rather than the dress facing, the reverse will be true. 
         [0038]    Thus it has been shown and described a reversible, protective rainwear which satisfies the objects set forth above. 
         [0039]    Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.