Patent Publication Number: US-7900284-B2

Title: Garment for sporting activity

Description:
This application is a National Phase Application of International Application No. PCT/EP2004/013095, filed Nov. 18, 2004, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a-e) of TV2004A000072 filed Jun. 24, 2004, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     The present invention relates to a garment for sporting activity, in particular for motorcyclists. 
     It is usual for those who practice sporting activities, for example motorcycling, to make use of rigid protective elements in order to protect the parts of the body which are most at risk in the event of falls or violent impacts. In particular, a protective element is used for the back, said element consisting normally of a resistant shield which is applied underneath a protective garment which, for the sake of simplicity here and by way of example, is considered to be a riding suit. It is clear that despite the fact that reference is made to a motorcyclist&#39;s suit, the subject of the invention may also be used in any other category of garments, of the sporting type or not, where the particular characteristics features of the invention are required. 
     Normally fixing means (buckles, laces, adjustable straps, etc.) are associated with the abovementioned shield in order to ensure that it may adhere firmly and be gripped tightly against the motorcyclist&#39;s body, in order to prevent the shield from moving and thus exposing the parts which are to be protected. 
     This protective solution has, however, certain disadvantages. In fact, in the event of a fall, the suit may tear and uncover the motorcyclist&#39;s body, exposing him/her to wounds or abrasions. Moreover, owing to tearing of the suit, the shield and any other protective elements which are fixed to the suit may move, uncovering the back and the protected parts and exposing them to the risk of injuries. 
     The main object of the present invention is to improve this state of the art, i.e. provide a garment, in particular a suit, which ensures improved protection for the rider. 
     Another object of the invention is to increase the wearing comfort of the garment. These objects are achieved by the garment designed in accordance with the claims present at the end of this description. 
    
    
     
       The characteristic features and further advantages of the garment according to the invention will emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment of a garment. It is understood that this description is provided solely by way of a non-limiting example, it being possible to imagine many variations which are based on the same inventive idea and which therefore all fall within the scope of protection of the invention. In the description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows the rear of a suit according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a side view of the suit according to  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a vertical cross-sectional view along the plane A-A of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     The Figures show a suit  10  which surrounds the whole of the rider&#39;s body except for the head, hands and feet Said suit  10  comprises two leg portions  12 , a trunk portion  14  and two sleeves  16 . 
     Protection for the back against knocks resulting from falls or impacts is ensured by a known elongated plastic shield  40 , the top end  42  of which has a widened form in order to protect the shoulder blades, while the bottom end or tail  44 —shown in broken lines in FIGS.  1  and  2 —protects the lumbar region with an appendage  45  and surrounds the rider&#39;s waist with a fixing belt  46 . Said shield may be fixed to the fabric of the suit  10 , for example by means of a zip (not shown) along its perimeter. In this way it is possible to remove the shield  40 , which may be damaged after a fall, by simply opening the zip fastener and replacing the damaged shield  40  with a new one. 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2  the parts shown as a shaded dotted area are made of a light and breathable mesh fabric (known as “mesh”). In particular, the trunk portion  15 , from which two segments  18  covering the arm and two segments  20  covering the leg extend, are made of said material. 
     The segments  18  which surround the arm completely extend with a strip  120  above the forearm as far as the rider&#39;s wrist, while the segments  20  surround the leg completely, except for an area on the front part of the knee. 
     As can be seen from the Figures, in the lumbar zone of the suit  10  the “mesh” fabric is interrupted approximately along an upper unstitched edge  48  by a layer of puckered elastic material  58  fixed along its side edges  49  to the mesh fabric. Therefore the tail  44  of the shield  40  is able to be inserted underneath the puckered material  58 —cf. FIG.  3 —being fixed directly onto the rider&#39;s back. 
     With this solution it is possible to insert the lumbar appendage  45  of the shield  40  inside the suit  10 , causing it to adhere perfectly to the riders waist and ensuring optimum fixing by means of the belt  46 . 
     As an alternative it is also possible to line internally the puckered layer  58  so as to contain the shield  40 , perforating the lining so that the belt  46  is able to pass through. Since what is essential is to form a slit in the suit  10  so that the tail end  44  of the shield  40  can be inserted underneath the fabric, a simple incision in the suit itself may also be sufficient. 
     The arrangement of the shield  40  on top of the suit  10 —which is a characteristic feature of the invention—allows more effective protection of the fabric of the suit  10 . In this way tearing of the said suit  10  on the back is prevented in the event of a fall, with the result that the safety of the entire garment improves overall. Moreover the use of a light and breathable material such as the “mesh”, which is possible because it is protected by the shield  40 , increases the comfort of the rider. In fact, the use of a breathable material for the abovementioned parts allows increased ventilation of the rider&#39;s body. In particular, the “mesh” material has produced excellent results in this connection. The fact of incorporating the shield  40  inside the suit  10  also ensures that the suit  10  adheres better to the body, improving its wearing comfort. 
     It should be noted that another characteristic feature as regards comfort for the rider consists of the puckered material  58 , owing to the fact that it manages to stretch elastically and be deformed in accordance with the rider&#39;s posture, especially when the rider bends forwards over the motorcycle. 
     In the suit  10  the parts covering the shoulders, the forearms, the thighs and the front part of the knee are made of leather (or material with a high resistance both to abrasion and to knocks)—indicated by  50  in the figures—so as to offer adequate protection. 
     Another problem solved by the present invention is as follows. Usually rigid protective elements (not shown) are worn on the elbows, being placed inside the suit using known fixing systems. As already mentioned, the protective elements following a knock or fall may move. 
     The suit  10  according to the invention improves the state of the art. It has a strip of “mesh” material  120  which interrupts the leather fabric  50  around the forearms. An adjustable buckle  60  is also fixed onto the portions of said leather fabric. By varying the tension of the buckle  60  the adhesion of the leather fabric  50  in contact with the forearms is tightened or loosened until optimum fixing of the element protecting the elbow is obtained, further increasing the wearing comfort of the suit  10 , since the rider is able to adapt the suit  10  to his own body build. 
     It should be noted that, despite the fact that “mesh” material has been used for most of the surface of the suit  10 , it is also possible to imagine using a stronger material, for example leather. In this case also, the advantages of better protection resulting from positioning of the shield  40  on top of the suit are retained. 
     It is understood that minor variations to the idea proposed by the present invention are nevertheless included in the following claims. For example, parts of the suit other than those described may be made of breathable material.