Abstract:
A garment, such as an article of aquatic sportswear, that includes a torso-forming portion having a front surface and a rear surface, and which is provided with openings for the passage of the head, legs, and arms. The garment includes an opening in the form of a slit provided with a fastening mechanism for selectively opening and closing the slit. The slit includes a curved section that extends from the front surface to the rear surface of the torso-forming portion by passing around the opening for the passage of the head and by passing by the shoulder of the torso-forming portion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/FR03/00539, having an international filing date of Feb. 18, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120.  
         [0002]     This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 02.02236, filed Feb. 20, 2002, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0004]     The invention relates to garments, such as sportswear, and more particularly aquatic sportswear, such as those that are generally referred to as suits, and which are more particularly adapted to nautical or underwater sporting activities, such as surfing, board sailing, diving, etc.  
         [0005]     2. Description of Background and Relevant Information  
         [0006]     Suits of the aforementioned type are generally classified into two categories: the dry or impervious suits in which water does not penetrate inside the suit, and the wet suits in which a thin film of water is allowed between the garment and the diver&#39;s body, this film being almost instantaneously heated by the diver&#39;s body.  
         [0007]     These suits generally comprise a main portion that covers the torso, a front surface of the main portion covering the front portion of the thorax, and a rear surface covering the back. The main portion that covers the torso comprises openings for the passage of the arms, legs, and head. The garment can comprise sleeves and legs for covering the upper limbs and the lower limbs, respectively. It can also comprise a collar or a hood in the area of the opening for the passage of the head.  
         [0008]     These garments, in particular the wet suits, are generally made of flexible and elastic material so as to conform to the shape of the body as closely as possible without hindering the movement of the body. For example, these materials can be elastic fabrics (such as fabrics having elasthane), or polychloroprene foams (known under the trademark NEOPRENE®), these materials being capable of being assembled to one another at various locations of the same garment. Depending on the choice of these materials, these garments can offer protection against the cold, impacts, the sun, etc.  
         [0009]     Various systems exist that facilitate putting on and taking off such garments. The most widely used system is that which calls for a slit provided in the torso-forming portion of the garment. This slit is often arranged in the rear surface of the garment, and it extends, for example, vertically along the spine, from the neckline down to the lower back. The slit is provided with fastening means which are generally made in the form of a slide fastener, such as a zipper.  
         [0010]     These fastening means often constitute a source of discomfort for the person wearing the suit, due either to an incorrect positioning or to the lack of elasticity of the fastening means, compared to the elasticity of the material constituting the suit. This is apparent nowadays, particularly as materials such as polychloroprene foams having very high elasticity were introduced in recent years, which emphasize the lack of elasticity of the fastening means, in particular of zippers.  
         [0011]     Moreover, the conventional arrangement of the fastening means, in certain cases, poses problems of comfort and imperviousness in the area of the neck.  
         [0012]     U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,811 discloses an impervious garment having an opening that extends diagonally along the front and rear surfaces of the garment, passing over the shoulder of the garment. By diagonal, as specified in this patent, one must understand that, in a deployed view, the opening follows a straight line with respect to the plane tangent to the material of the garment in the area considered. This is due to the fact that, according to this document, the slide fastener, in the form of a zipper, must not be curved. This patent relates to a watertight suit made of a non-elastic flexible material. This is due particularly to the fact that only the neckline is possibly made of an elastic material, and that the adjustment of the suit to the shape of the body requires the use of portions of excess material that prevent the garment from closely assuming the shape of the user&#39;s body. Therefore, because a large quantity of water would be allowed inside the suit, this garment cannot be adapted to constitute a wet suit.  
         [0013]     Therefore, there remains a need for a new construction for aquatic sportswear, and particularly for the opening and the means for fastening these garments, which ensures putting on and taking off the garment easily while preserving the comfort of the garment.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     To this end, the invention is directed to a garment that comprises a torso-forming portion that has a front surface and a rear surface, and which is provided with openings for the passage of the head, legs, and arms. Further, the garment of the invention comprises an opening in the form of a slit provided with a fastener. Moreover, the slit comprises an curved section that extends from the front surface to the rear surface by passing around the opening for the passage of the head and by passing by a shoulder of the torso-forming portion. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description that follows, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:  
         [0016]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are views of the front and rear surfaces, respectively, of a first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0017]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are views of the front and rear surfaces, respectively, of a second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0018]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views of the front and rear surfaces, respectively, of a third embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     The drawing figures show a suit  10  that has a main portion  12  covering the user&#39;s torso. This torso-forming portion  12  thus comprises a front surface  14  covering the front portion of the torso, and a rear surface  16  covering the back. This portion comprises shoulders  18  on both sides of an opening  20  for the passage of the head. It also comprises openings for the passage of the upper and lower limbs. However, in the example shown, the suit is an integral suit that also comprises sleeves  22  and legs  24  in the extension of these openings. The opening  20  for the passage of the head is in the form of a tubular collar  34  that is adapted to rise along the user&#39;s neck.  
         [0020]     For example, the suit can be made essentially from polychloroprene foam, in the form of panels assembled to one another. These panels can have different thicknesses or characteristics depending upon their positioning on the garment. The suit can also comprise yokes of various materials in the form, for example, of elastic fabrics. The suit is preferably a wet suit completely adjusted to the shape of a user&#39;s body.  
         [0021]     To enable the user to put on and take off the suit easily, the suit is provided with an opening provided in the form of a slit  26  made in the torso-forming portion  12 , this slit being further provided with a fastening mechanism. For example, the fastening mechanism can take the form of a slide fastener and, more particularly, a zipper of the rack or coiled spring type.  
         [0022]     According to the invention, the slit forming the opening  26 , and also the associated fastening mechanism, comprises an curved section  28  that extends from the front surface  14  up to the rear surface  16  by passing by a shoulder  18 .  
         [0023]     In the first embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the curved section forms the front end of the slit  26 , but it is extended on the rear surface by an end section  32  that extends vertically downward from the rear end of the curved section  28 . The front end of the curved section  28  is located transversely in the center of the front surface, substantially mid-height between the collar  34  and the line of the armpits  36 . Therefore, this front end is located in the area of the region of the user&#39;s sternum. From this end, the curved section of the slit extends upward and in the direction of a shoulder (the right shoulder in the example shown) along an initial inclined direction having an angle, with respect to a horizontal line, comprised between 20 and 70 degrees, or between approximately 20 degrees and approximately 70 degrees. The rear end of the slit is arranged substantially in the region which, with respect to the user, corresponds to the region of the back comprised between the two shoulder blades. In order to be able to connect to the vertical end section  32 , the curved section  28  has an inclination, in the area of its rear end, which is comprised between 45 and 70 degrees with respect to the horizontal line, or between substantially 45 degrees and substantially 70 degrees. The two sections  28 ,  32  are connected by a rounded portion. In this embodiment, the curved section  28  does not have any inflexion point, i.e., its direction of curvature does not change over its length.  
         [0024]     The second embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  is provided with an opening  26 , the curved section  28  of which is extended at its front end beyond the sternum, in the direction of the left armpit  36 , i.e., in the direction of the armpit opposite the shoulder  18  by which the slit  26  passes. Due to this slit that is longer on the front surface, extending the curved section on the rear surface can possibly be dispensed with in an alternate embodiment. The slit therefore ends at the rear, between the user&#39;s shoulder blades. In this embodiment, it is noted that the entire slit is located above the area of the line of the armpits  36 . The entire slit is curved, with the same direction of curvature.  
         [0025]     In the third embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the curved section  28  of the slit  26  is extended at its front and rear ends by end sections  38 ,  40  that are also curved, but the direction of curvature of which is inverted with respect to the direction of curvature of the section  28 . The front end section  38  extends in the direction of the opposite armpit  36  by progressively curving downward. The rear end section  40  curves downward to end substantially vertically in the center of the back, substantially in the area of the line of the armpits.  
         [0026]     In this embodiment, as in the previous one, the entire slit  26  forming the opening is arranged in an upper zone of the torso-forming portion  12  of the suit. More specifically, this upper zone can be demarcated downwardly by the line of the armpits or by a line passing by the lower end of the sternum. This is made possible by the fact that the curved section ensures a maximum extension of the opening along the transverse direction. Therefore, the opening does not need to be extended in height over a long distance. However, by limiting the overall height of the opening, therefore the extent in height of the zipper, one limits the extent of the zone of the suit whose extending capability is locked by the non-elasticity of the fastening mechanism. Generally speaking, the suit therefore remains sufficiently elastic to follow the movements of the user&#39;s body.  
         [0027]     Due to the presence of the curved section  28  that extends on the front surface as well as on the rear surface of the suit, the opening demarcates a kind of flap that incorporates the neckline of the suit, and which can pivot laterally. The opening is not limited to only a slit; it clears a large area to enable the suit to be put on easily.  
         [0028]     The fact that the curved section passes by the shoulder, and therefore that the slit  26  does not open out in the upper edge of the neckline, makes it possible to have a continuous collar that can come into impervious contact over the entire contour of the neck, without being interrupted by the fastening mechanism. In addition to the benefit in terms of imperviousness, this absence of a fastening system in the area of the neck makes it possible to guarantee a greater comfort of the suit in the area of the neck.  
         [0029]     The particular embodiments of the invention that have been described hereinabove are not considered to be limiting, and numerous alternative embodiments can be envisioned by the one with ordinary skill in the art without leaving the scope of the invention. By way of example, one with ordinary skill in the art can modify the exact position of the curved section (particularly by making it pass more or less high over the shoulder), or he can modify the form and length of the end sections that are capable of extending the curved section  28  at the front or at the rear. The invention also encompasses, if preferred, for example, the curved section passing above the left shoulder instead of the right shoulder, or yet inverting the geometry of the slit between the front and the rear of the suit.