Patent Publication Number: US-7913322-B2

Title: Garment with padding

Description:
The present invention is directed to a protective garment, and more particularly to a protective garment having padding able to withstand relatively high temperatures. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Protective or hazardous duty garments are used in a variety of industries or settings to protect the wearer from hazardous conditions such as heat, smoke, cold, sharp objects, chemicals, liquids, fumes and the like. Such protective or hazardous duty garments are often used in adverse conditions, such as high heat, exposure to smoke or chemicals and the like. In addition, the wearers of such garments are often required to crouch or crawl to assume a defensive/protective position, and are often required to carry relative heavy items. 
     Accordingly, various areas of the garment, such as knee, elbow, shoulder, hip or other regions may be padded to provide comfort and protection. In addition, these (or other) areas of the garment may be compressed, such as when a wearer crawls on his or her knees, rests on his or her elbows or hips, or carries a load on his or her shoulders. When the garment is compressed in this manner, the heat protection of the garment may be reduced in that area. Thus, locating protective pads on these areas may provide additional heat protection and load absorbing protection to the wearer and the garment. 
     However, existing padding material can add additional bulk and/or weight to the garment. In addition, some padding materials may be prone to absorbing moisture which can increase the weight of the garment. In particular, the clothing may be exposed to moisture during use (i.e., when using water during firefighting), from perspiration of a wearer, during cleaning of the garment or the like. The absorption of moisture can also reduce the thermal/heat protection provided by the garment and add discomfort to the wearer. Accordingly, there is a need for a protective garment having improved pads. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a protective garment having pads which are relatively lightweight, non-bulky, and resist absorption of moisture. In particular, in one embodiment, the invention is a garment including an outer shell configured to be worn on at least part of a body of a wearer and a pad directly or indirectly coupled to a selected location of the outer shell to provide padding at the selected location. The pad includes an open cell foam padding material which resists melting, dripping or igniting when exposed to a temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. The padding material has a sealant located thereon to reduce the absorption of moisture therein. The pad further includes an abrasion resistant material coupled to the padding material by the sealant. 
     In another embodiment the invention is a garment including an outer shell configured to be worn on at least part of a body of a wearer, and a pad directly or indirectly coupled to a selected location of the outer shell to provide padding at the selected location. The pad includes an open cell melamine resin foam padding material with a sealant located thereon to limit the absorption of moisture. The pad further includes an abrasion resistant material coupled to the open cell foam by the sealant. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a protective garment in the form of a coat according to one embodiment of the present invention, with portions of the coat cut away to illustrate the various layers thereof; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the garment of  FIG. 1 , with one of the elbow pads exploded; 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of a protective garment in the form of a pair of trousers, with portions of the trousers cut away; and 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the pad of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a protective or hazardous duty garment in the form of a firefighter&#39;s coat, generally designated  10 . The coat  10  may include a body portion  12  having a left front panel  14 , right front panel  16  and a back panel  18 . The left front panel  14  and right front panel  16  may be releasably attachable by a fastener  20 , such as a zipper, snaps, clasps, clips, hook-and-loop fastening material (i.e., VELCRO®) or the like. The body portion  12  may define a torso cavity that is shaped to receive a wearer&#39;s torso therein. The coat  10  may include a pair of sleeves  24  coupled to and extending generally outwardly from the body portion  12  and may be shaped to receive a wearer&#39;s arms therein. 
     The coat  10  may include various layers through its thickness to provide various heat, moisture and abrasion resistant qualities to the coat  10  so that the coat  10  can be used as a protective, hazardous duty, or firefighter garment. For example, the coat  10  may include an outer shell  26 , a moisture barrier  28  located inside of and adjacent to the outer shell  26 , a thermal liner or barrier  30  located inside of and adjacent to the moisture barrier  28 , and an inner liner or face cloth  32  located inside of and adjacent to the thermal liner  30 . 
     The outer shell  26  may be made of or include a variety of materials, including a flame, heat and abrasion resistant material such as a compact weave of aramid fibers and/or polybenzarnidazole fibers. Commercially available aramid materials include NOMEX and KEVLAR fibers (both trademarks of E.I. DuPont de Nemours &amp; Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del.), and commercially available polybenzamidazole fibers include PBI fibers (a trademark of PBI Performance Fabrics of Charlotte, N.C.). Thus, the outer shell  26  may be an aramid material, a blend of aramid materials, a polybenzamidazole material, a blend of aramid and polybenzamidazole materials, or other appropriate materials. The materials of the outer shell  26  may have a weight of, for example, between about 6-10 oz/yd 2 . 
     The moisture barrier  28  and thermal liner  30  may be generally coextensive with the outer shell  26 , or spaced slightly inwardly from the outer edges of the outer shell  26  (i.e., spaced slightly inwardly from the outer ends of the sleeves  24 , the collar  34  and from the lower edge of the coat  10 ) to provide moisture and thermal protection throughout the coat  10 . The moisture barrier  28  may include a semi-permeable membrane layer  28   a  and a substrate  28   b . The membrane layer  28   a  may be generally moisture vapor permeable but generally impermeable to liquid moisture. 
     The membrane layer  28   a  may be made of or include expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (“PTFE”) such as GORE-TEX or CROSSTECH materials (both of which are trademarks of W.L. Gore &amp; Associates, Inc. of Newark, Del.), polyurethane-based materials, neoprene-based materials, cross-linked polymers, polyamid, or other materials. The membrane layer  28   a  may have microscopic openings that permit moisture vapor (such as water vapor) to pass therethrough, but block liquids (such as water) from passing therethrough. The membrane layer  28   a  may be made of a microporous material that is either hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or somewhere in between. The membrane layer  28   a  may also be monolithic and may allow moisture vapor transmission therethrough by molecular diffusion. The membrane layer  28   a  may also be a combination of microporous and monolithic materials (known as a bicomponent moisture barrier), in which the microporous or monolithic materials are layered or intertwined. 
     The membrane layer  28   a  may be bonded or adhered to a substrate  28   b  of a flame and heat resistant material to provide structure and protection to the membrane layer  28   a . The substrate  28   b  may be or include aramid fibers similar to the aramid fibers of the outer shell  26 , but may be thinner and lighter in weight. The substrate  28   b  may be woven, non-woven, spunlace or other materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the membrane layer  28   a  is located between the outer shell  26  and the substrate  28   b . However, the orientation of the moisture barrier  28  may be reversed such that the substrate  28   b  is located between the outer shell  26  and the membrane layer  28   a.    
     The thermal liner  30  may be made of any suitable material that provides sufficient thermal insulation. In one embodiment, the thermal liner  30  may include a relatively thick (i.e. between about 1/16″- 3/16″) batting, felt or needled non-woven material  30   a  which can include aramid fiber batting (such as NOMEX batting), aramid needlepunch material, an aramid non-woven material, an aramid blend needlepunch material, an aramid blend batting material, an aramid blend non-woven material, or foam (either open cell or closed cell) materials. The batting  30  may trap air therein and possesses sufficient loft to provide thermal resistance to the coat  10 . 
     The batting  30   a  is typically quilted to a thermal liner face cloth  30   b  which can be a weave of a lightweight aramid material. Thus, either the batting  30   a  alone, or the batting  30   a  in combination with the thermal liner face cloth  30   b , may be considered to constitute the thermal liner  30 . In one embodiment, the thermal liner  30  may have a thermal protection performance (“TPP”) of at least about twenty, or of at least about thirty-five. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the batting  30   a  is located between the outer shell  26  and the thermal liner face cloth  30   b . However, the orientation of the thermal liner  30  may be reversed such that the thermal liner face cloth  30   b  is located between the outer shell  26  and the batting  30   a . If desired, the thermal liner  30  may be treated with a water-resistant or water-repellent finish. In addition, although the moisture barrier  28  is shown as being located between the outer shell  26  and the thermal liner  30 , the positions of the moisture barrier  28  and thermal liner  30  may be reversed such that the thermal liner  30  is located between the outer shell  26  and the moisture barrier  28 . 
     The face cloth  32  may be the innermost layer of the coat  10 , located inside the thermal liner  30 . The face cloth  32  can provide a comfortable surface for the wearer and protect the thermal liner  30  and/or moisture barrier  28  from abrasion and wear. 
     Each layer of the coat  10 , and the coat  10  as a whole, may meet the National Fire Protection Association (“N.F.P.A.”) 1971 standards for protective firefighting garments (“Protective Clothing for Structural Firefighting”), which are entirely incorporated by reference herein. The NFPA standards specify various minimum requirements for heat and flame resistance and tear strength. For example, in order to meet the NFPA standards, the outer shell  26 , moisture barrier  28  and thermal liner  30  must be able to resist igniting, burning, melting, dripping and/or separation at a temperature of 500° F. for at least five minutes. Furthermore, in order to meet the NFPA standards, all combined layers of the coat  10  must provide a thermal protective performance rating of at least thirty-five. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the protective or hazardous duty garment may take the form of a pair of trousers  40 . The trousers  40  may have the same construction as the coat  10  described above, including the outer shell  26 , moisture barrier  28 , thermal liner  30  and face cloth  32 . The trousers  40  may include a body portion  42  is shaped and configured to receive the pelvis or lower portion of a wearer&#39;s torso therein. The trousers  40  may include a pair of leg portions  44  coupled to and extending generally outwardly or downwardly from the body portion  42  and may be shaped and configured to receive a wearer&#39;s legs therein. In addition, the garment of the present invention may include or take the form of vests, jumpsuits, full-body jumpsuits including a coat and trousers combined into a single garment, and the like. 
     The garments  10 ,  40  may include one or more pads  50  positioned at selected, discrete and spaced apart locations on the garment. As best shown in  FIG. 4 , each of the pads  50  may be made of or include an open cell foam padding material  52 . In one case, the padding material  52  is an open cell melamine resin foam such as BASOTECT™ foam sold by BASF Corporation of Rhein, Germany. In this case the padding material  52  may be a flexible, open-cell foam made from melamine resin, which is a thermoset plastic from aminoplastics group. The foam  52  may include relatively delicate three-dimensional filigree network structure formed from slender and hence readily thermoformable filaments. The padding material  52  may be relatively lightweight and in one case has a density of less than about 15 kg/cubic meter, and more particularly less than about 10 kg/cubic meter. The lightness of the padding material  52  can be of a significant benefit and reduce stress upon the wearer. 
     The padding material  52  may be relatively soft and pliable to provide shock absorption and load distribution qualities. For example, the padding material  52  may be easily compressed when pressed down upon by a user&#39;s finger, and generally return to its original shape when the pressing force is removed. The padding material  52  can have a variety of thicknesses, for example, at least about 3 mm, or about 6 mm. 
     Because the padding material  52  is made of open cell foam, it may be desired to locate a sealant  54  on the foam to generally seal the open cells and eliminate, reduce or limit the absorption of moisture into and through the padding material  52 . The sealant  54  generally covers and seals the open cells of the padding material  52  that are contacted by the sealant  54 . In one embodiment, the sealant  54  is a urethane coating although the sealant  54  can be made of other materials which provide the desired sealing and adhesive properties. The sealant  54  can have a variety of thicknesses, such as between about 1 and 10 mils, and more particularly between about 2 and 5 mils (with the drawings not necessarily being to scale). 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the padding material  52  is a generally planar and flat sheet-like material having a pair of opposed major surfaces  56 . In this case, the sealant  54  may cover substantially both of the opposed major surfaces  56  to seal substantially the entire padding material  52 . However, if desired, and under certain circumstances, only one of the major surfaces  56  or even only part thereof, may be covered by the sealant  54 . In addition, it may be desired to seal the peripheral end or edge surfaces  58  of the padding material  52  to provide complete moisture protection to the padding material  52 . The sealant  54  may not necessarily provide complete waterproofing to the pad  50 . Instead, in one case the sealant  54  may primarily protect from “hot moisture” such as steam or the like from penetrating into or through the pad  50 . Such hot moisture can quickly heat a wearer of a garment, and therefore the protection provided by the sealant  54  can be quite useful. 
     The pad  50  may further include an abrasion resistant material  60  coupled to the padding material  52  by the sealant  54 . The abrasion resistant material  60  may be coupled to part or all of the major surfaces  56 , or end surfaces  58  as desired. The abrasion resistant material  60  provides protection to the padding material  52 , since the padding material may be relatively fragile and prone to ripping, tearing, puncturing and the like. 
     In one embodiment, the abrasion resistant material  60  may be a fabric, such as a woven fabric or a non-woven (including spun-lace) fabric, such as E-89™ or (Nomex E-89™), or E-88™ or (Nomex E-88™), both sold by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. However, the abrasion resistant material  60  can be made of nearly any other materials which provide the desired protection and strength. The abrasion resistant material  60  may be relatively thin, such as between about 5 mils and about 30 mils. In addition, the abrasion resistant material  60  may be relatively lightweight, and in one case has a weight of about 1.5 ounces per square yard. 
     As noted above, in one embodiment the abrasion resistant material  60  may be coupled to the padding material  52  by the sealant  54 . The abrasion resistant material  60  may be securely attached such that the abrasion resistant material  60  cannot be removed without tearing the padding material  52 . Thus, the sealant  54  may serve the dual purpose of both sealing the open cell foam padding material  52 , and adhering, bonding or coupling the abrasion resistant material  60  to the padding material  52 . 
     The padding material  52  may be made of a material which resists melting, dripping or igniting, and which generally fully retains its flexibility when exposed to temperatures of 500° F. for five minutes. In addition, the pad  50  as a whole (i.e., including the padding material  52 , sealant  54  and abrasion resistant material  60 ) may be relatively heat resistant and be able to resist melting, dripping and/or igniting when exposed to temperatures of 500° F., or 1000° F. for five minutes. 
     In order to form the pad  50 , the padding material  52  may first be provided, such as in relatively large sheet form. The sealant  54 , such as urethane, is located on the major surface(s)  56  (and/or end surfaces  58  if desired) of the padding material  52 . The sealant  54  can be applied in sheets (i.e., in solid form) which are laid on the padding material  52 , or can be brushed on (i.e., in liquid form). The padding material  52 /sealant  54  is then heated until the sealant  54  becomes sufficiently tacky to adhere the sealant  54  to the padding material  52 , and to adhere the abrasion resistant material  60  to the sealant  54 . In one embodiment, the sealant  54  is exposed to a temperature of between about 300° F. and 375° F. for about two or about three minutes. 
     The abrasion resistant material  60  is then located on top of the heated, tacky sealant  54 . The sealant  54  is then allowed to cool to thereby secure the abrasion resistant material  60  thereto. If desired, only one major surface  56  of the padding material  52  may receive the sealant  54  and/or abrasion resistant material  60  thereon at a time. Alternately, if desired, both sides or major surfaces  56  of the padding material  52  can simultaneously receive the sealant  54  and/or abrasion resistant material  60 . The larger sheet of pad material can then be cut to size to provide pads  50  of the desired size and shape. If desired, and if not done earlier, sealant  54  and/or abrasion resistant material  60  can then be located on the end surfaces  58 . 
     When used as padding material at selected portions of a garment, the pads  50  can be located at various locations of the garment. In addition, although not necessarily shown herein, the “pads”  50  may be significantly larger than the shape shown herein and cover nearly all of the surfaces of the garment (i.e., cover substantially the same portion as the outer shell  26  of the coat  10 , trousers  40  or the like). When located at select locations, the pads  50  can be located on areas of the garment  10 / 40  where relatively high loads and/or compression and/or abrasion and/or high heat exposure are expected, such as on the elbows, knees, shoulders and/or hips of the garment. 
     The pads  50  can be coupled to the garment in a variety of manners. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in one embodiment the pads  50   a  (shown as shoulder pads in the illustrated embodiment) are simply directly and permanently coupled to outer surface of the outer shell  26 . The pads  50   a  can be directly coupled to the outer shell  26  in a variety of manners, such as stitching, adhesives, bonding, sonic or heat welding, etc. In addition, as shown in  FIG. 2 , if desired the pads  50   b  (shown as elbow pads in the illustrated embodiment) may be located below an outer protective covering  62  such that the pads  50   b  are positioned between the outer shell  26  and the outer protective covering  62 . The protective covering  62  can be made of a variety of materials, such as the same material as the outer shell  26 , or leather, synthetic leather or the like. In this case, the pads  50   b  may not necessarily be directly coupled to the outer shell  26 , due to the fact that the pads  50   b  may be trapped between the associated protective covering  62  and the outer shell  26 . However, if desired, the pads  50   b  can be directly coupled to the outer shell  26 . 
     The pads  50  need not necessarily be located outside of the outer shell  26  and could instead be located inside the outer shell  26  (i.e., between the outer shell  26  and the wearer of the garment). In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the pads  50   c  (shown as knee pads in the illustrated embodiment) are directly coupled to the underside of the outer shell  26  (and/or to the underlying moisture barrier  28 ). The pads  50   d  (shown as hip pads in the illustrated embodiment) are located between the moisture barrier  28  and the thermal liner  30 , and are coupled to either or both of the layers  28 ,  30 . For example, in one embodiment the pad  50  is directly coupled to the thermal liner  30 , such as by stitching that extends around the perimeter of the pad  50 . In this case the pad  50  may be directly coupled to the batting  30   a  and/or thermal liner face cloth  30   b  and positioned between the thermal liner  30  and moisture barrier  28 . 
     The pad  50  can be located at any location in the thickness of the garment  10 / 40  (i.e., between the outer shell  26  and the thermal liner  30 , between the outer shell  26  and the moisture barrier  28 , between the moisture barrier  28  and the thermal liner  30 , between the moisture barrier  28  and the inner liner  32 , between the thermal liner  30  and the inner liner  32 , between the outer shell  26  and the inner liner  32 , etc.). In addition, if desired more than one pad  50  can be located at a single location of the garment. For example, if extra padding is desired (i.e. at the knee) then one pad  50  can be located outside of the outer shell  26  at the knee, and a second pad  50  can be located inside of the outer shell  26  at the knee. Thus, it can be seen that the pads  50  can be located in a variety of positions and used in a variety of manners to provide lightweight, moisture resistant pads to protect a wearer and/or the garment. 
     Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that modifications and variations thereof are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.