Abstract:
Protective garments, such as gloves, socks and vests and the method of making the same that are comfortable to wear and at the same time provide a high degree of protection to the user against exposure to various chemical vapors, and hazardous agents including noxious gases.

Description:
This is a Continuation-In-Part Application of application Ser. No. 09/662,240 filed Sep. 14, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,397. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to protective garments. More particularly, the invention concerns articles of apparel used to cover the wearer&#39;s extremities such as gloves and socks that contain activated carbon micro-spheres that adsorb hazardous chemical and toxins to which the wearer may be exposed 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     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 body side, 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 is 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. 
     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. 
     As will be better appreciated from the discussion which follows, the protective garments of the present invention provide, for the first time, gloves and footwear, such as socks, which exhibit comfort and stretchability and, at the same time are highly effective in protecting the wearer from hazardous materials such as chemical vapors, noxious gases and the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     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 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. 
     A particular object of the invention is to provide a protective footwear article of the aforementioned character, which fits well, is pliant and is durable in use. 
     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, provides substantial protection to the user against exposure from hazardous chemical vapors. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a method of making protective garments of the character described in the preceding paragraph 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. 
     A particular object of the invention is to provide socks, gloves and vests of the character described in the preceding paragraphs that easy to manufacture and inexpensive to manufacture but are uniquely designed to provide protection against chemical agents. 
     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 an elastomeric polyurethane film to which a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres have been affixed. The three-plies are uniquely bonded together using a pliant, waterproof adhesive. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     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 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side-elevational view of one form of the footwear article of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines  4 — 4  of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the area designated as “ 5 ” in FIG.  4 . 
     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. 
     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. 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines  8 — 8  of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the area designated in FIG. 8 as  9 . 
     FIG. 10 is a generally perspective view of an alternate form of protective clothing of the invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a greatly enlarged view taken along lines  11 — 11  of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is a greatly enlarged view of the area designated as “ 12 ” in FIG.  11 . 
     FIG. 13 is a generally perspective view, partly broken away to show internal construction, illustrating one from of the method of the invention for making an article of apparel. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     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 yams. 
     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. 
     The term “glove” as used herein means a covering for the hand and a wrist constructed from any suitable material such as natural and synthetic fibers. 
     The term “vest” as used herein means a covering for the trunk of the user. 
     The term “carbon micro-sphere” as used herein means a carbon micro-sphere commercially available from sources such as Tex-Shield, Inc. located at 8000 Midlantic Drive, Suite 110, South, Mount Laurel, N.J. 08054. 
     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, pliant bladder  12  constructed from an elastomeric, material, such as a polyurethane sheet. The polyurethane sheet can be of various thicknesses as, for example, between about 0.5 mils and about 3 mils. Bladder  12  includes a foot portion  14  having an outer surface  16  and an inner surface  18  (FIG.  2 ). Bladder  12  has the unique 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 elastomeric bladder 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 bladder  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. 
     As best seen in FIG. 5, disposed between bladder  12  and the inner sock  20  are a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres generally designated as  23 . Micro-spheres  23  are generally commercially available from a number of sources such as Tex Shield, Inc. and can vary in diameter from between about 0.0005 inches and about 0.040 inches. In use, micro-spheres  23  are constructed and arranged so as to substantially adsorb a number of different hazardous chemical agents such as, by way of example, toxic chemical vapors and airborne chemicals and toxins. 
     Outer sock  22  is preferably bonded to bladder  12  by means of a waterproof, heat-activated adhesive “A”. 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. Similarly, inner sock  20  is bonded to bladder  12  and to micro-spheres  23  by means of a similar waterproof heat activated adhesive “A”. 
     For certain applications, the footwear article of the invention can be constructed by bonding to the bladder 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. 
     The thin, pliant, thermoplastic material from which the bladder is made can, by way of example, be a polyurethane sometimes described as thermoplastic polyurethane. A suitable material of this type is sold by the Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich. Other suitable materials include elastomers made from polyesters, copolyesters, polyamides, cellulose derivatives, polyacrylic acid and its holologs, natural or synthetic rubber with hydrophilic impurities, copolyozamides, polyureas, polyelectrolytes, polyphosphates, polyvinylamid, polyvinylalcohol, polyether, and copolymers thereof, polythioether, polythiether-polyether, copolyephichlorohydrin-ether, polysulphosphates, copolyester-ether and derivatives or mixtures thereof. 
     Considering now the method of the invention for making the protective footwear article, a first surface of the thin, pliant membrane bladder material, the second surface of which is preferably backed by a paper backing, is uniformly covered with a layer of carbon activated micro-spheres that are positioned in a closely adjacent relationship. The micro-spheres can be connected to the membrane by any suitable heat activated adhesive such as the powdered hot melt adhesive such as Bostik No. 5116, or by using a suitable liquid cured or air dryed adhesive. Following the interconnection of the micro-spheres with the first surface of the bladder, the paper backing is removed from the second surface to form a membrane substrate. Next, the second surface of the bladder portion of the membrane substrate is uniformly coated with the heat activated powdered adhesive and controllably heated to fuse the particles of adhesive to the bladder. This done, the carbon micro-sphere-coated surface is uniformly coated with a heat activated powdered adhesive and controllably heated to fuse the particles of adhesive to the micro-sphere-coated bladder surface. Importantly during the coating of the micro-sphere coated surface with the powdered adhesive, the membrane substrate is vibrated to cause the adhesive particles to fall between the micro-spheres. 
     The next step in one form of the method of the invention is the construction of the bladder component. This is accomplished by overlaying two sheets of the previously described adhesive-carbon, micro-sphere-coated bladder material so that the sides with the micro-spheres are in a face-to-face relationship. This done, the two sheets of material are heated along the boundary line to a temperature sufficient to sealably bond the sheets together along the boundary line to form a carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate. One technique, which has proven to be satisfactory in forming the carbon micro-sphere-bladder substrate, involves the use of a heated platen press embodying a die having the general shape of the outer boundary line of the garment. In accordance with this technique, with the micro-sphere coated sheets 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 bladder material to be effectively welded, or sealably joined together along the boundary line to make the sock shaped, carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate. After the welding process, the excess material outside the bladder boundary is manually stripped away and the assemblage is removed from the platen press. By these means, the construction of a sock-shaped bladder component with a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres affixed to either the inner surface or the outer surface, has been accomplished. 
     The next step in the method of the invention is to place the first covering member, or inner sock  20  over a generally foot-shaped, approximately {fraction (1/16)} th  inch thick, generally planar aluminum mandrel  27 . Inner sock  20 , which has inner and outer surfaces  20   a  and  20   b , is placed over the mandrel so that inner surface  20   a  thereof is disposed in engagement with the faces  27   a  of mandrel  27  (FIG.  2 ). As previously discussed, inner sock  20  can be constructed from a variety of materials. However, a sock which is made by Wigwam Mils, Inc. of Sheboygan, Wis. special knit pattern of its standard BK-1188 has proven satisfactory. For warm weather comfort, the inner sock can be made utilizing Coolmax. RTM made by duPont. 
     After the inner sock  20  has been placed over mandrel  27  and smoothed out so that its inner surface is in close engagement with the faces of the mandrel  27 , the sock-shaped, carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate, 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  so that the carbon micro-sphere side is in engagement with sock  20 . The bladder is then smoothed so that the micro-sphere-coated surface thereof is in close engagement with the outer surface of inner sock  20 . Outer sock  22  is next placed over both the inner sock  20  and the adhesive-carbon micro-sphere coated bladder substrate. 
     The precursor assembly comprising first inner sock  20 , the adhesive coated carbon micro-sphere carrying substrate  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. 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 bladder and the outer sock  22  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. During this temperature-pressure step portions  20   a  of the fabric of the inner sock is urged into the spaces between the micro-spheres in the manner shown in FIG.  5  and into engagement with the adhesive “A” for secure bonding. 
     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. 
     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. 
     When the adhesive used is in liquid form it can be sprayed, brushed or otherwise applied to the elastomeric bladder or sock fabric. As previously stated when as the powered adhesive is applied to the bladder and to the carbon micro-spheres it is gently vibrated and thus not degrading sorbing capability of the carbon. 
     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 bladder constructed from any of the materials previously identified herein. As before, the bladder can be of various thicknesses ranging from about 0.5 mils to about 3.0 mils. Extruded film made from material available from the Dow Chemical Company has been proven to be quite satisfactory for use in constructing both the sock and glove articles of the invention. Bonded to the inner surface  30   a  of the elastomeric membrane bladder  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. 
     The protective glove garment of the invention also includes an outer glove  34 , which is disposed proximate the outer surface  30   b  of bladder  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. 
     Disposed between bladder  30  and inner glove  32  are a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres generally designated by  23 . Micro-spheres  23  are of the character previously described and perform the important function of adsorbing hazardous chemical vapors and other noxious materials (FIGS.  8  and  9 ). 
     Inner glove  32  is preferably bonded to bladder  30  and to micro-spheres  23  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”. 
     For certain applications the glove of the invention can be constructed by bonding to the bladder 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. 
     As described in an earlier embodiment of the invention, the glove bladder can, by way of example, be constructed from a polyurethane described as thermoplastic urethane and available from various commercial sources such as the Dow Chemical Company. 
     Considering next 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 thin, pliant bladder material that is backed by a paper backing. As before, one surface of first bladder  30  is covered with a layer of carbon activated micro-spheres  23  that are of the character previously described and are positioned in a closely adjacent relationship (see FIGS.  8  and  9 ). The micro-spheres can be connected to the bladder material by any suitable liquid adhesive or any powered hot melt adhesive of the type previously described herein that is preferably applied to the bladder in a dot matrix configuration. Following the interconnection of the micro-spheres, the bladder adhesive is applied to the micro-sphere coated side of the substrate and heated. As before, the substrate is gently vibrated to cause the adhesive particles to fall between the micro-spheres (see FIG.  5 ). After removal of the paper backing, adhesive particles are next randomly distributed over the opposite side of the bladder and are controllably heated to a temperature slightly above the softening point of the adhesive, thereby causing the adhesive particles to fuse to the surface of the bladder. 
     The next step in this latest method of the invention is the construction of the bladder component. As before, this step is accomplished by overlaying two sheets of the previously described membrane substrate, or adhesive-carbon, micro-sphere coated bladder material, so that the sides with the micro-spheres are in face-to-face contact. This done, the two sheets of material are heated along the boundary line to a temperature sufficient to sealably bond the sheets together along the boundary line to form a carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate. One technique that has proven to be satisfactory for forming the carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate 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 micro-sphere coated 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 9 seconds. This controlled heating of the dies causes the sheets of the micro-sphere coated bladder material to be effectively welded, or sealably joined together along the boundary line to make the glove-shaped carbon micro-sphere-bladder 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. By these means, a glove-shaped bladder component with a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres affixed to the outer surfaces and with discrete particles of hot melt adhesive affixed to both the inside and the outside surfaces of the glove-shaped carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate, has been completed. 
     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 {fraction (1/16)} th  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 sock  32  can be constructed from a variety of materials of the character previously described herein. 
     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 , the glove-shaped carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate, 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  with the carbon micro-sphere side in engagement with glove  32  (FIG.  9 ). The bladder is smoothed so that the carbon micro-sphere-coated surface thereof is in close engagement with the outer surface  32   b  of inner glove  32 . Outer glove  34  is then placed over both the inner sock  32  and the adhesive-carbon, micro-sphere coated bladder substrate on mandrel  37  (FIG.  7 ). 
     The precursor assembly comprising first inner glove  32 , the adhesive-coated carbon, micro-sphere carrying substrate 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. 
     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. 
     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 a thin, pliant membrane  50  constructed from any of the materials previously identified herein (FIG.  11 ). As before, the membrane can be of various thicknesses ranging from about 0.5 mils to about 3.0 mils. Extruded film made from material available from the Dow Chemical Company has been proven to be quite satisfactory for use in constructing the protective vest of this latest form of the invention. Bonded to the inner surface  50   a  of the elastomeric membrane  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 ). 
     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 membrane  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 . 
     Disposed between membrane  50  and inner liner  53  of each of the front and back panels are a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres generally designated by the numeral  23 . Micro-spheres  23  are of the character previously described and perform the important function of adsorbing hazardous chemical vapors and other noxious materials (FIGS.  11  and  12 ). The inner liner  53  of each of the front and back panels is preferably bonded to membrane  50  and to micro-spheres  23  by means of a selected one of the previously described waterproof, heat activated adhesives “A”. Similarly, outer covering  54  is bonded to membrane  50  by means of a similar heat activated adhesive “A”. 
     For certain applications the article of this latest form of the invention can be constructed by bonding to the membrane 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. 
     As described in an earlier embodiment of the invention, the membrane  50  can, by way of example, be constructed from a polyurethane described as thermoplastic urethane and available from various commercial sources such as the Dow Chemical Company. 
     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 a thin, pliant bladder material that is backed by a paper backing. As before, one surface of membrane  50  is covered with a layer of carbon activated micro-spheres  23  that are of the character previously described and are positioned in a closely adjacent relationship (see FIGS.  11  and  12 ). The micro-spheres can be connected to the membrane material by any suitable liquid adhesive or any powered hot melt adhesive of the type previously described herein that is preferably applied to the membrane in a dot matrix configuration. Following the interconnection of the micro-spheres, the membrane adhesive is applied to the micro-sphere coated side of the substrate and heated. As before, the substrate is gently vibrated to cause the adhesive particles to fall between the micro-spheres (see FIG.  12 ). After removal of the paper backing, adhesive particles are next randomly distributed over the opposite side of and are controllably heated to a temperature slightly above the softening point of the adhesive, thereby causing the adhesive particles to fuse to the surface of the membrane to form the coated membrane component of the article of apparel. 
     The next step in this latest form of the method of the invention is the construction of the generally tubular shaped bladder component for the vest article. This is accomplished by overlaying two sheets of the previously described carbon micro-sphere-coated bladder material so that the sides with the micro-spheres are in a face-to-face relationship. This done, the two sheets of material are heated 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, carbon micro-sphere vest bladder substrate. One technique which has proven to be satisfactory in forming the carbon micro-sphere-bladder substrate, involves the use of a heated platen press embodying a die having the general shape of the outer boundary line of the vest garment. In accordance with this technique, with the micro-sphere coated sheets 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 bladder material to be effectively welded, or sealably joined together along the vest boundary line to make the vest shaped, carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate. After the welding process, the excess material outside the bladder boundary is manually stripped away and the assemblage is removed from the platen press. By these means, the construction of a vest-shaped bladder component with a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres affixed to either the inner surface or the outer surface, has been accomplished. 
     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 ). 
     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 carbon micro-sphere bladder substrate, 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  with the carbon micro-sphere side is in engagement with the inner vest liner. The bladder is smoothed so that the micro-sphere-coated surface thereof is in close engagement with the outer surface of inner vest liner  53   a . Outer vest liner  54   a  is next placed over both the inner vest liner  53   a  and the adhesive-carbon, micro-sphere coated bladder substrate. 
     The precursor assembly comprising first inner vest liner  53   a , the adhesive-coated carbon, micro-sphere carrying substrate 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 bladder substrate and the outer vest liner  54   a  to the other side of the bladder substrate. 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 spaces between the micro-spheres and into engagement with the adhesive “A” for secure bonding. 
     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. 
     When removed from the mandrel, the protective vest is generally planar in shape. However, upon slipping the protective vest over the wear&#39;s trunk, the garment will neatly and smoothly conform to the shape of the trunk portion of the user&#39;s body. 
     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.