GB2208358A - Protective garment - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a protective garment, particularly a glove, comprising a textile substrate coated with a transparent plastics covering. The substrate carries an indicator adapted to change colour if infiltrated by a chemical medium against which the garment is worn for protection. <IMAGE>

Description

PROTECTIVE GARMENT This invention concerns a protective garment, particularly, though by no means exclusively, a glove, and being a garment of the kind (hereinafter termed of the kind referred to) comprising a substrate of textile fabric having an outer coating of impermeable plastics material.

Protective garments, as used in many industries, are known comprising a substrate of textile fabric coated with a layer of plastics material such as a polyvinyl chloride, for example.

A common use of such protective garments is in the chemical or a related industry where their function is to protect the wearer against bodily contact with a hazardous chemical be it an acid, alkali, solvent or the like.

One problem with protective garments of the kind referred to is that through use the outer coating of plastic material may become punctured, ruptured or otherwise rendered permeable with the result that a hazardous chemical may penetrate the outer layer and soak into the textile substrate and thus come into contact with the skin of the wearer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective garment which overcomes at least to a substantial extent the problem aforesaid.

According to the present invention there is provided a protective garment of the kind referred to wherein the textile substrate is coated or impregnated with an indicator adapted to change colour in the event that it should be infiltrated by the chemical medium against which the garment is worn as protection and wherein the outer plastics coating is at least sufficiently transparent to allow observation of any such change of colour therethrough.

The garment may be a glove.

The plastics coating may be an at least partially transparent polyvinyl chloride material.

The invention will be further apparent from the following description, with reference to the several figures of the accompanying drawing, which show, by way of example only, one form of garment, being a glove, embodying same.

Of the drawing: Figure 1 shows a plan view of the glove; and Figure 2 shows a fragmentary cross-section of the glove on. the line II-II of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the glove, being a protective garment as used in the chemical industry, comprises a substrate 10 of knitted cotton or other textile fibre.

The substrate is coated, as by dipping, with an outer covering 12 of transparent plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride, material. By transparent herein we mean at least sufficiently so that the substrate can be seen therethrough.

The textile substrate 10 is pre-coated or impregnated with a chemical indicator which is adapted to change colour if contacted by the chemical medium against which the glove is worn as a protection.

It will be understood that if in use the plastics coating 12 becomes punctured, ruptured or otherwise rendered permeable, any ingress of the chemical against which the glove is worn as protection will cause a change in colour of the indicator which will be observable through the plastics covering enabling the user to discard the garment before any serious harm or injury is caused.

The invention may be applied to overshoes, smocks and all manner of other garments.

It will be-understood that the indicator should be selected so that whilst it will change colour when contacted by the chemical medium against which the garment is worn for protection, it will not change colour upon exposure to normal atmospheric conditions nor human perspiration.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims (3)

1. A protective garment of the kind referred to wherein the textile substrate is coated or impregnated with an indicator adapted to change colour in the event that it should be infiltrated by the chemical medium against which the garment is worn as protection and wherein the outer plastics coating is at least sufficiently transparent to allow observation of any such change of colour therethrough.

2. A protective garment according to claim 1 being a glove.

3. A protective garment according to either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the plastics coating is an at least partially transparent polyvinyl chloride material.