Abstract:
A survival garment ( 10 ) is disclosed which is suitable for wearing under a layer of clothing. The garment is a close fitting one piece, intermediate dry suit formed of a substantially waterproof laminated material ( 30 ). The material ( 30 ) includes a first thermally insulating layer ( 32 ) and a second substantially waterproof layer ( 31 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a garment, and particularly but not exclusively to a garment suitable for protecting a wearer from the effects of immersion in cold water.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Survival suits are worn to improve the chances of survival of the wearer in a hazardous water environment, for example in the case of an occupant of a helicopter which has ditched at sea.  
           [0003]    In other situations, for example on an oil rig at sea where workers are expected to work over the side of the rig, survival suits are cumbersome and impede normal operation. In such cases, there is a tendency to wear lifejackets only. Lifejackets provide buoyancy and protect the airways, but they provide little or no protection against the effects of cold water immersion.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment suitable for wearing under a layer of clothing, the garment being configured whereby movement of a wearer is substantially unrestricted, and the garment being formed of a substantially waterproof material.  
           [0005]    The garment may be a survival garment.  
           [0006]    The garment may be suitable for wearing over a layer of clothing. Preferably the garment is a one-piece suit. The garment may be in the form of a close fitting suit. Further, the garment may be suitable for wearing as an intermediate dry suit.  
           [0007]    The garment may comprise one or more portions. The garment preferably comprises a torso portion to cover the torso of the wearer, arm portions to cover the arms of the wear and leg portions to cover the legs of the wearer.  
           [0008]    The portion or portions may consist of one or more parts. The part or parts may be configured such that movement of the wearer is substantially unrestricted. In one embodiment, each arm portion consists of one arm section. The torso portion may consist of a front torso section and a back torso section. The leg portions may consist of a front leg section and a back leg section. The front leg section may comprise an upper front leg section, a knee sectoion and a lower front leg section.  
           [0009]    In another embodiment, each arm portion consists of a main sleeve section and an end sleeve section. A single main body part may be provided for each leg portion and one side of the torso portion. A neck portion may be provided to extend around the neck and be attached to each main body part and each are part.  
           [0010]    The garment may be provided with sealing means at the end of the arm portions, and the neck portion, for preventing water from entering the inside of the garment when in use. In one embodiment sealing means may be provided at the end of the leg portion. The sealing means may be integrally formed with the garment. The sealing means may be attached to the garment by sewing and/or gluing and/or taping and/or heat treatment. The sealing means preferably comprise fittings which fit closely to the skin of the wearer. The fittings may comprise skin-tight fittings such as cuffs and/or sleeves. In this way the garment is made water-tight. In another embodiment, each leg portion may include a sock to be received over a foot of the wearer.  
           [0011]    The skin-tight fittings may be made from an elastic material. The elastic material may comprise a high stretch elastomer. The high stretch elastomer may be coated with a material of a low friction for allowing easy donning and doffing of the garment.  
           [0012]    The garment may be provided with a sealable opening for donning and doffing of the garment. The opening may be sealable by means of a waterproof zip. The zip may be provided on the garment in such a way as to enable the wearer to open and seal the opening. In one embodiment, the opening may be provided on the garment such that when the opening is sealed, the zip partially surrounds the neck portion and extends to the front of the garment. In another embodiment, the opening may be provided on the garment such that the zip extends around the torso portion, preferably in a helical or corkscrew manner. The advantage of these arrangements of the zip is that it does not impede mobility and comfort of the wearer.  
           [0013]    The zip may be integrally formed with the garment. The zip may be provided on the torso portion. The zip may be provided on the front torso part and the back torso part. The zip may be attached to the garment by means of sewing and/or gluing and/or taping and/or heat treatment.  
           [0014]    The material may be selected such as to protect the wearer of the garment from cold shock and protect the wearer against immersion hypothermia. The material may be breathable. The material may also be thermally insulated to prevent the wearer from losing heat. The garment may be formed of a lightweight material. The material may be a laminated material.  
           [0015]    The laminated material may comprise at least two layers, preferably three layers. The laminated material may comprise an outer layer, an intermediate layer and an inner layer, the inner layer being adapted to be worn closest to the wearer. The intermediate layer may comprise a substantially water-proof membrane, which may be breathable. In one embodiment, the intermediate layer is formed from a synthetic material suitably a fluorocarbon membrane, for example a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. The outer layer may comprise of a material suitable for protecting the intermediate layer against external abrasion. The outer layer may be formed of a suitable synthetic material, for example, a polyester or nylon, or polychal. The outer layer is preferably formed by knitting, and is advantageously fire retardant.  
           [0016]    The inner layer may consist of a material having thermal insulating properties to prevent the wearer from losing heat. The thermal insulating material may consist of a fleece material, for example a polyester fleece material.  
           [0017]    According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a survival garment formed of a material comprising a first insulating layer and a second water-resistant layer, the garment being so constructed that the first layer is intended to be arranged closest to the wearer.  
           [0018]    The second layer is preferably substantially waterproof, thereby preventing the passage of liquid water therethrough.  
           [0019]    Preferably, the second layer is a material capable of allowing the passage of water vapour therethrough, but substantially preventing the passage of liquid water therethrough. Such a material is generally known in the art as breathable.  
           [0020]    Preferably, the garment includes a third layer arranged on the opposite face of the second layer to the first layer, the third layer being suitable for protecting the second layer, for example from damage or abrasion.  
           [0021]    The first layer may be formed of a fleece material, for example a polyester fleece material. The second layer may be in the form of a membrane, wherein the membrane is preferably breathable. A suitable such membrane is one formed from a fluorocarbon, for example polytetrafluoroethylene. The third layer may be formed from a synthetic material, for example polyester or nylon, and is preferably formed by knitting.  
           [0022]    The garment may be formed from said parts being interconnected by sewing and/or gluing and/or heat treatment. The parts may be interconnected in such a way that the inner layers of each part are arranged in engagement with each other such that the respective inner layers engage each other and the edges face away from the wearer. The seam may be covered by a sealing member. The sealing member may comprise tape and/or hot melt adhesive tape. In this way it is achieved that seams of the garment are made waterproof, with the tape being applied to the outside layer of the garment.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic front view of an embodiment a garment according to the invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic part sectional front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 worn by a wearer;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 shows a detail of a material of which a survival garment is formed;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 shows a detail of a cross-section of a seam covered by a sealing member of the garment;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic front view showing the parts of which the embodiment of FIG. 1 is formed;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic front view of another embodiment of the garment according to the invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic part sectional front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 worn by a wearer;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic rear view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic front view showing the parts of which the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is formed.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0033]    Referring to the drawings of FIGS. 1, 2 and  5  a survival garment  10  is shown, which is in the form of a survival garment, and which consists of an article of clothing made from a lightweight material which does not significantly impair movement of the wearer. This allows the wearer to carry out a wide range of physical activities.  
         [0034]    As is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings the garment  10  can be worn as an intermediate layer over a layer of clothing such as underwear  20 . The garment  10  is protected by an outer layer of clothing  21 . The garment  10  does not restrict the performance of the outer layer of clothing, nor does it impede the wearer.  
         [0035]    Water is prevented from entering the inside of the garment  10  by sealing means in the form of a neck seal  11 , wrist seals  12  and ankle seals  13 . These seals consist of an elastic material which fits closely to the skin to achieve a water-tight seal when wearing the garment  10 .  
         [0036]    The garment  10  further comprises an opening  14  which is provided partially around the neck seal  11 . The opening  14  permits the wearer to get easily in and out of the garment  10 . The opening  14  is sealable by means of a waterproof zip  15  which is provided on the garment. This waterproof zip  15 , when closed, is shaped like a horseshoe around the neck seal  11  with the stems of the horseshoe being located at the front of the garment  10  as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  5  of the drawings. The opening  14  does affect the mobility and comfort of the wearer.  
         [0037]    The seals  11 ,  12 ,  13  are attached to the garment  10  by means of gluing and taping to achieve a fully water-tight seal. The waterproof zip  15  is connected to the garment  10  in a similar fashion.  
         [0038]    As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings the material  30  from which the garment  10  is made is laminated and may be in the form of a trilminate. The intermediate layer is formed by a waterproof breathable membrane  31 . This membrane  31  prevents liquid water from entering the inside of the garment  10 , but allows moisture and perspiration to pass through to the outside of the membrane  31 . The membrane  31  consists of a polytetrafluoroethylene material, for example as sold under the trade mark GORE-TEX. The inside of the garment  10  closest to the wearer is formed by an inside layer of an insulating material  32 . This material prevents the wearer from losing too much body heat when immersed in cold water. The insulating material  32  consists of a polyester fleece material. The outside layer of the material  30  consists of a protective material  33  for protecting the membrane  31  against abrasion, wear and tear. This material  33  is in the form of a knitted polyester or polychal FR. This has the advantage that it does not obstruct the pores of the membrane  31  and thus does not impair the functioning of the membrane  31 .  
         [0039]    In FIG. 4 of the drawings the connection of two parts  40  and  41  of the material  30  is shown at the end portions of the respective parts  40 ,  41 . The inside layers  32  are placed together. The respective parts are sewn together by means of stitching  42  to form a seam  43 . The seam  43  then lies on the outside of the material  30 , with the edges of the respective end portions lying outside the outside layer of protective material  33 . To prevent water from entering the garment  10  via the seam  43 , more in particular via the exposed inside of insulating material  32 , a sealing member in the form of a tape  16  is applied over the seam  43 . The tape  16  extends across the seam  43  onto the outside layer  33  of the material  30 . In FIGS. 1 and 5 of the drawings the various taped seams  16  are also shown. In this way it is achieved that the edges of the material  30  and the tape  16  lie on the exterior of the garment  10 . This prevents any discomfort, which may arise from bulk of seams  43  lying next to the skin of the wearer.  
         [0040]    In FIG. 5 of the drawings there is shown the shape and configuration of the various parts  56 ,  58 ,  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66  of which the garment  10  is formed. The parts  56 ,  58 ,  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66  are interconnected by stitching and sealing as discussed above and shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The shape of the various parts  56 ,  58 ,  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66  is chosen such that the garment  10  does not impede mobility of the wearer.  
         [0041]    The torso portion  50  consists of a front part  56  and a back part  58 , thereby substantially forming a vest. In dotted line, the position of the zip  15  on the parts  56 ,  58  is also shown. The arm portions  52  consist each of one integral arm part  60 . The arm parts  60  are of an approximately trapezoidal shape with one side being approximately rounded.  
         [0042]    The leg portions  54  consist of a back leg part which covers the back of the legs of the wearer. This back leg part  62  is of an approximate trapezium shape. The front leg part consists of an upper front leg part  64 , a knee part  65  and a lower front leg part  66 . The upper front leg part  64  is of an approximately rectangular shape. The knee part  65  is approximately trapezium shaped with rounded sides. The lower front leg part  66  is also approximately trapezium shaped. The leg portions  54  constructed from the parts  62 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66  offer comfort and unrestricted movement to the wearer.  
         [0043]    Referring to FIGS.  6  to  9 , there is shown a further embodiment in the form of a garment  110  formed from the same material as described in respect of the garment shown in FIGS.  1  to  5  above.  
         [0044]    As can be seen from FIG. 7, the garment  110  can be worn as an intermediate layer over a layer of clothing such as underwear  20 , and is protected by an outer layer of clothing  21 .  
         [0045]    The garment  110  comprises first and second arm portions or sleeves  112 ,  114 , a trunk portion  116 , first and second leg portions  118 ,  120  and first and second sock portions  122 ,  124 . A neck portion  126  is also provided which surrounds the neck of the wearer.  
         [0046]    Water is prevented from entering the inside of the garment by sealing means in the form of a neck seal  128  and first and second wrist seals  130 ,  132 . The neck seal  128  and the wrists seals  130 ,  132  are formed of an elastic material, for example neoprene, and are resiliently flexible to fit closely against the skin to achieve a watertight seal when the garment  110  is worn.  
         [0047]    The garment  110  further includes an opening  134  which is provided around the torso portion of the garment. The opening  134  extends in a helical manner from the upper region of the front of the torso portion around the back to the lower region of the front of the torso portion  116  of the garment  110 . The opening permits the wearer to get easily in and out of the garment  110  and is sealable by means of a waterproof zip  136 . The zip is in the form of a plastic coil mounted on a polyurethane coated fabric. Each coil is embedded and secured in a plastics material. A suitable such zip is sold under the trade name Tizip Super-Seal.  
         [0048]    Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown the shape and configuration of the various parts from which the garment  110  is formed. As can be seen, the arm portion or sleeve  112  is formed from a first main sleeve section  138  and a second wrist sectopm  140 . The wrist section  140  is connected to the main sleeve section  138 , and the wrist sealing means  130  is connected to the wrist sleeve part  140 . A similar arrangement, although this is not shown, is provided for the other arm portion or sleeve  114 .  
         [0049]    The neck part  126  of the garment is formed from a single piece  142  which is connected to the main sleeve part  138  of both sleeves  112 ,  114  at the shoulders  146 ,  148 .  
         [0050]    The torso portion  116  of the garment  110  is formed from two main body parts, only one of which  150  (the left part when viewed from a point of view of the wearer) is shown. The main body part  150  comprises a section  152  for the left side of the torso, and a section  154  which corresponds to the leg part  120  of the garment  110 . A similar arrangement is provided for the right hand side of the garment Each of the sock portions  122 ,  124  is formed from three parts, namely an ankle part  156  an upper foot part  158  and a lower foot part  160 .  
         [0051]    Each of the edges of the parts forming the garment is attached either to an adjacent edge of an adjacent part or to an adjacent edge of the same part by seams  162  which are sealed. The seams  162  are the same as described above and shown in FIG. 4. As can be seen, the seams  162  extend outwardly from the garment  110 .  
         [0052]    The neck part  142  defines an aperture  143  through which the head can be received and the neck sealing portion  128  is attached thereto.  
         [0053]    There is thus described a survival garment for protecting a wearer from the effects of cold water immersion. The garment is suitable for preventing cold shock and provides limited protection against immersion hypothermia. Usually survival suits are considered too restrictive for wearing during normal operations in the offshore industry. The advantage of the survival garment as hereinbefore described, is that the garment does not significantly impair movement of the wearer. Further, the garment does not affect the performance of the outer layer of clothing.  
         [0054]    The material from which the sock portions  122 ,  124  are formed maybe a trilaminate material and is preferably stretchable. The outer layer maybe formed from nylon and an elastomeric material, for example spandex. The outer layer maybe, for example 70% nylon 6, 6 and 30% spandex.  
         [0055]    The middle layer may be a waterproof breathable membrane, for example formed from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene or for example as sold under the trade mark Gore-Tex. The inner layer may also be a stretchable material formed from nylon and an elastomeric material for example 89% nylon 6,6 and 11% Spandex.  
         [0056]    Referring to FIG. 3, the tape  16 , which is used in the seams  43 ,  162  is a polyamite tape having a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane on the inside but the membrane is provided with a thin coating of polyurethane and includes a polyurethane adhesive.  
         [0057]    The seals used in the wrist seals  12 , the ankle seals  13  and the neck seal  11  of the garment  10 , and the wrist seals  130 ,  132  and the neck seal  128  is formed of a single faced neoprene, for example formed of Du Pont Polychloroprene Polymer which has a low friction inner surface and an outer surface which is formed from a nylon textured yarn, for example 220g/YD70 denier the connection between the seals and the main body of the material having similar construction to the seals shown in FIG. 4, but differ in that the tape used around the seals is formed from rubber.  
         [0058]    The method of sealing each of the seams, including the seams around the neck, ankle and wrist seals is by applying the tape to the garment and then applying heat to the tape to heat the adhesive to temperatures of up to 600° C. A pressurised roller is then applied to the tape on the seam to fix it thereto.  
         [0059]    The method of applying the rubber tape to the seals is to apply the rubber tape using a two part adhesive and then a further seam seal tape as described above is then applied under heat and pressure overlapping the rubber tape and the main garment material. The seam seal tape is applied in the same way as the application of the tape as described in the preceding paragraph.  
         [0060]    The zip  136  is attached to the garment by first sewing the garment together. Thereafter the oppening  134  is cut to the appropriate size and shape in the garment. The zip  136  is then sewn into the garment such that the edge of the zip is maintained on the outer face of the material. The tape  16  is then applied to the seam between the zip and the material in the manner as described above to seal the seam.  
         [0061]    Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the material of the garment could comprise more layers, to improve the insulating properties and/or the breathable properties and/or the water-resistant properties of the material.  
         [0062]    The seals could be made of other elastic materials such as rubber. Further, the garment could be provided with buoyancy aids to provide buoyancy when the wearer is immersed in water. In this way it is achieved that the wearer need only wear a single garment which includes everything necessary for surviving in cold water. The garment could also consist of two or more parts, such as an upper part and a lower part. The parts could be interconnectable by means of a water-resistant seal.  
         [0063]    Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.