MXPA00007968A - Conformable backpack for encapsulated chemical protection suit - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward protective garments having a conformable backpack portion located on a back area of the garment, the conformable backpack portion being adapted to conform to equipment worn on a back of a wearer of the protective garment.

Description

CONFORMABLE BACKPACK FOR CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE COSTUME ENCAPSÜLADO FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the present invention is that of protective clothing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many types of disposable or limited-use protective clothing and garments designed to provide barrier properties. One type of protective garment are one-piece protective work suits. One-piece work suits can be used to effectively isolate a user from a harmful environment in ways that open-style or layered garments such as, for example, coats, suits, dresses, and garments are unable to do so. shirts, pants and the like. Therefore, one-piece work suits may have applications where the isolation of a user from the work environment is desirable. For example, it may be desirable to isolate a worker from a hazardous environment. As another example, it may be desirable to isolate an environment (e.g., a clean room) from a worker.

For various reasons, it is desirable that the protective garments are made of materials which avoid significantly retarding the passage of dangerous liquids and / or pathogens through them. It is also desirable that protective clothing isolate people from dust, ash, and other particles which may be present in a workplace or at an accident site. Generally speaking, the protective clothing is based on the barrier properties of the fabrics used in its construction. Some of these fabrics may still have received treatments to improve their barrier properties.

The barrier action of the protective clothing will also depend on the design and construction of the garment. Clothing containing many seams may not be satisfactory, especially if the seams are located in * positions where they can be subjected to tension and / or direct contact with hazardous substances. The seams located on the front of the locker room are particularly susceptible to tension and / or direct contact with hazardous substances. For example, the seams that join the sleeves or legs to the body part of one-piece protective work suits are often stressed. In addition, the sleeve seams on the front of the one-piece work suits and the seams around the chest are places of splashing, spraying and / or other frequent accidental exposures.

After use, it can be costly to decontaminate the protective clothing that has been exposed to hazardous substances. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a protective clothing that is more easily decontaminated. Protective clothing (garment) must be worn correctly to reduce the opportunity for exposure. Workers are more likely to wear protective clothing (such as one-piece protective work suits) appropriately if the garments are comfortable. One way to increase comfort is for the garment to fit well. A protective garment notch it is also advantageous in that when the user is working in a confined space, generally speaking, the better the notch of the protective garment, the less likely will the said protective garment to be torn inadvertently be drill or stay "hanging" on the objects that surround the worker. This is because a good, well-fitting protective garment will tend to conform more closely to the wearer's body. Therefore, if the user stays away from the surrounding projections, etc., as is the natural tendency, the possibility that the protective garment makes contact with the projections etc. will be diminished.

One of the problems related to achieving a satisfactory fit in those protective garments which completely surround the user is the fact that the user of the garment, because he or she is totally surrounded by the garment, they require the use of equipment such as life support air tanks, on their backs. Therefore, in such cases, the protective garment must also enclose this equipment. The previous designs of protective garments have attempted to refer to this problem by incorporating a backpack over the back area of the garment. This backpack can be seen as attaching a bag-shaped appendage around an opening located in the back area of the garment with the opening and the pouch being shaped to receive equipment such as, for example, life support equipment. .

Even though these protective garments containing backpacks of prior art have been marketed and sold, they still have problems. One problem is that their backpacks do not have any viable mechanism through which they tend to conform to the team. That is, there is no mechanism pressing a tight but comfortable notch. Therefore, the bag part of these backpacks tends to hang in a wrinkled or multiple fold manner. The hanging down of these backpacks creates its own problems in the sense that the bag part of the backpack has a greater tendency to hang or get hooked on the objects in the work area. Naturally, this situation is not desirable since it can lead to the garment tearing or breaking and therefore compromises.

Another problem associated with this type of backpack on protective garments is the fact that many folds in the pouch part of the garment will tend to retain contaminants from the work area. This makes it more difficult to decontaminate the garment when the user wants to take it off, making it more time-consuming and therefore more frustrating.

Therefore, there is a need for a protective and inexpensive cloth with a backpack that provides a better fit, is more comfortable in use, reduces the tendency of the backpack to catch and / or reduces the degree of retention of contaminants. held inside the folds of the backpack.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is a general object of the present invention to provide protective clothing which has the ability to enclose the equipment such as the life support equipment worn on the back of the costume user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective clothing which has the ability to enclose the life support equipment placed on the back of the costume user which is comfortable.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a protective clothing wherein the part of the wardrobe which is designed to enclose the life support equipment employed on the user's back has the ability to conform to the support equipment of the user. lifetime.

Still other objects and the wide scope of the applicability of the present invention will be apparent to those with a skill in the art of the details given herein. However, it should be understood that the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention described herein will be by way of illustration only. Various changes and modifications which are well within the spirit and scope of the present invention will become apparent to those with a skill in the art with a view to the following description.

DEFINITIONS As used herein the term "non-woven fabric" refers to a fabric having a structure of individual fibers or filaments which are interleaved, but not in a repetitive and identifiable manner. Non-woven fabrics have been formed, in the past, through various processes known to those skilled in the art such as, for example, meltblowing, spunbond and carded and bonded tissue processes.

As used herein the term "co-knitted fabric" refers to a fabric of fibers and / or small diameter filaments which are formed by extruding or melting thermoplastic material as filaments from various capillary vessels usually circular and fine in an organ. The spinner with the diameter of the extruded filaments is then rapidly reduced, for example, by a pull of non-eductive or eductive fluid or other well-known splicing mechanisms. The production of non-woven fabrics bonded with yarn is illustrated in patents such as d Appel, U.S. Patent No. 4,340,563; Dorschner et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,692,618; those of Kinney, patents of the United States of America numbers 3,338,992 and 3,341,394; that of Levy, patent of the United States of America number 3,276,944; that of Peterson, patent of the United States of America number 3,502,538; Hartman's, United States of America patent number 3,502,763; Dobo et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,542,615; and Harmon's, Canadian patent number 803,714.

As used herein, the term "meltblown fibers" means fibers formed by extruding a melted thermoplastic material through a plurality of capillaries, usually circular and thin like melted threads or filaments into a gas stream (e.g. air) at high speed which attenuates the filaments of melted thermoplastic material to reduce their diameters, which can be to a microfiber diameter. Then, the melt-blown fibers are carried by the gas stream at high speed and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a fabric of blown fibers with fusion disbursed at random. The meltblowing process is well known and is described in several patents and publications, including the report of the Naval Research Laboratory 4364, "Fabrication of Super Fine Organic Fibers", by V. A. endt, E. L. Boone, C. D. Fluharty; the report of the Nava Research Laboratory 5265, "Improved Device for the Formation of Super Fine Thermoplastic Fibers" by K. D. Lawrence, R. T. Lukas, and J. A. Young; and U.S. Patent No. 3,849,241 issued November 19, 1974 to Buntin et al.

As used herein the term "sheet" refers to a material that can be a film, a non-woven fabric, a woven fabric or a woven fabric.

As used herein the term "microfibers" means small diameter fibers having an average diameter of no more than about 100 microns, for example, having a diameter of from about 0.5 microns to about 50 microns, or more particularly, microfibers which may have an average diameter of from about 4 microns to about 40 microns. The average fiber diameter can be calculated by taking at least ten measurements per hour of the fiber diameters and averaging those measurements.

As used herein the term "disposable" is not limited to single use articles but also refers to articles that can be discarded if they become soiled or otherwise rendered unusable after only a few uses.

As used herein, particle resistance efficiency refers to the efficiency of a material to prevent the passage of particles of a certain size range through the material. The particle resistance efficiency can be measured by determining the air filter retention of the dry particles using tests such as, for example, the IBR test method number E-217, revision G (1/15/91) carried to held by InterBasic Resources, Inc., of Grass Lake, Michigan. This IBR test method determines the retention of the particulate air filter from approximately 0.1 μm to 100 μm. The test is a single-pass challenge test in which a concentrated suspension of contaminants was injected into a supply stream to the test filter. The particle size distribution and the number were determined both upwards and downwards of the test filter by an automatic particle counter. The contaminant consists of dry particles, such as the rough or fine class of the AC test powder supplied by A. c. Spar Plug Division of General Motors Corporation, which is suspended in pure air. Generally speaking, a high particle resistance efficiency is desirable for barrier materials. Desirably, a resistant material the particles should have an efficiency of resistance to particles of at least about 40 percent par particles having a diameter greater than about 0.1 microns As used herein, the term "chemical liquid resistance" refers to a fabric having a useful level of resistance to penetration by a liquid through either penetration or permeation. As used herein, the penetration and flow of bulk liquid through the fabric. As used here, permeation is the process through which a chemical moves through the fabric on a molecular level. The resistance to material penetration can be measured using a standard ASTM F903 test method that usually determines the performance of the material barrier against liquid chemicals under conditions of continuous contact. E such proof, the cloth patch was placed in a test cell. The chemical barrier side of the fabric was contacted with a test chemical for one hour with part of the contact period carried out under pressure. The condition of the tel on the other side (interior) was periodically monitored to determine if the test chemical was seen to penetrate the fabric. The results are expressed as "passes" or "fails". The material passes the test when there is no visual evidence of liquid penetration after the one-hour test period. Any visual detection of liquid penetration during the test period constitutes a performance failure. The material permeation resistance can be measured by ASTM F739 which provides a standard test method designed to measure the resistance of materials permeation by gaseous and liquid chemicals under the condition of continuous contact. In the test, a cloth patch divides a test cell into two different chambers. A first chamber is filled with the chemical that is being tested. A gas or collection liquid was used in a second chamber in combination with an analytical instrument to detect the chemical molecules that permeate into the second chamber through the fabric. The results of the test are expressed by a permeation rate which is the maximum rate at which the permeating chemical passed through the fabric as measured by the analyzer; the permeation rate was reported as micrograms per square centimeter of the fabric per minute. Additionally, a Normalized Breakthrough Time ("NBT") can be reported, the normalized break time being the elapsed time (reported in minutes) measured from the beginning of the test to the time when the permeating chemical reaches a rate of permeation. 0.1 μg / arAnin.

As used herein, the term "polymer generally includes, but is not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers, such as, for example, block, graft, random and alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc., and mixtures thereof. and modifications thereto.In addition unless specifically limited otherwise, the term "polymer shall include all possible geometric configurations of material. These configurations include, but are not limited to, isotactic, syndiotactic and random symmetries.

As used herein and in the claims, the term "elastic" means any material which, with the application of a pressing force, is stretchable, ie it may extend to a pressed and stretched length which is at least twenty-five times one hundred (25%) greater than its length not pressed and relaxed, and which will recover at least a part of its extension with the release of the pressing force. A composite elastic material may include two or more layers. As used herein, the term "non-elastic" refers to any material which does not fall within the definition of elastic.

The term "recover" refers to a contraction of a stretched or elongated material upon the termination of a pressing force after stretching the material from some initial measurement by application of the pressing force. For example, if the material having an unstressed and relaxed length of one (1) centimeter and lengthened fifty percent (50%) by stretching a length of one and a half centimeters, the material is lengthened by fifty percent (50%) and has a stretched length that is one hundred and fifty percent (150%) of its relaxed length. If this stretched material contracts, this is recovered to a length of one centimeter and one tenth of a centimeter (1.1) after the release of the pressing force and d stretching, the material has recovered eighty percent (80%), or 0.4 centimeters of its half centimeter (0.5) of elongation. The percent recovery can be expressed as [(maximum stretch length - final sample length) / (maximum stretch length - initial sample length)] X 100.

The term "folding" as used herein means bending, creasing, gathering or the like. The term "foldable fabric" refers to a fabric which can be folded into folds, pleats, gathers or the like by the concentration of the fabric.

As used herein the term "generally vertical" refers to a configuration that an ordinary observer will consider to be vertical. With respect to the present invention, the user of the protective suit column will be the reference point for any verticality determination.

As used here, any given range tries to include any and all included minor ranges. For example a range of from 45-90 also include 50-90; 45-80; 46-89 and the like.

As used herein the term "consisting essentially of" does not exclude the presence of additional materials which do not significantly affect the desired characteristics of a given product or composition. Exemplary materials of this class may include, without limitation, pigments, antioxidants, stabilizers, surfactants, waxes, flow promoters, aggregate materials or particles to improve the processability of a composition.

SYNTHESIS OF THE INVENTION In response to the above challenges that have been experienced by those with an ability in the art of protective clothing, the present invention is directed to a protective garment having a conformable backpack portion located on the back area of the garment, the conformable backpack part being adapted to conform to the equipment used on the back of a wearer of the protective garment. The conformable backpack part may include an outer protective layer which is folded. A majority of the elastic members may be connected to the outer protective layer d so that the outer protective layer is pulled towards the equipment and conforms to this equipment used by the user. The elastic members may be connected through various forms to an inner surface of the outer protective layer of the backpack part. For example, at least one clip may be mounted on the inner surface of the outer protective layer, the elastic member being slidably received within the clip. A plurality of clips can be used, the elastic member being slidably received within at least one of the clips. The elastic member may be attached to at least one of the clips or around at least one of these.

In another embodiment, a pull cord which is slidably connected to the outer protective layer folds the outer protective layer. In a particular embodiment, at least one clip is mounted on the inner surface of the outer protective layer, the pull cord is slidably received within the clip. In another embodiment, a plurality of clips are used. The pull cord can also be attached to at least one of the clips or can be clamped around at least one of the clips.

In one embodiment, a channel is connected to the inner surface of the outer protective layer of the backpack part. The channel may be formed or secured to the inner surface of the outer protective layer, the elastic or pull cord member being slidably received within at least a portion of the channel. The pull cord or the elastic member may be secured in one or more locations of the channel or outer protective layer.

In yet another embodiment, the outer protective layer is elasticized so that it conforms to the equipment employed by the user. In one embodiment, an elastic fabric may be connected to the inner surface of the outer protective layer while the elastic fabric is in a stretched condition so that, when the elastic fabric relaxes, the outer protective layer is folded. The elastic fabric can be connected to the inner surface by an adhesive bond or other similar joining method.

In yet another embodiment, the backpack part also includes a bottom part, the bottom part has a contaminant escape angle of more than 0 to 90 degrees. In selected additions, the contaminant escape angle can be more than 0 degrees less than 90 degrees. In other selected embodiments, the contaminant escape angle can be from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees. In still other selected embodiments, the contaminant escape angle can be around 45 degrees. The lower part may include a concave arc facing up.

Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a front view of a protective garment.

Figure 2 is a rear view of a protective garment according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is an internal view of an embodiment of the backpack portion of the protective garment according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a partial inside view of an alternate embodiment of the backpack part.

Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the inside of the backpack part showing a clip and the outer protective layer.

Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of the interior of another embodiment of the backpack portion showing a channel formed of the outer protective layer.

Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of the interior of another embodiment of the backpack portion showing a channel formed on the outer protective layer.

Figure 8 is a side view of an embodiment of the protective garment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a rear view of yet another embodiment of the protective garment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a partial perspective view of the interior of the embodiment of the backpack portion shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is another partial perspective view of the interior of the backpack portion embodiment shown in Figure 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Turning now to the drawings in which the like reference numbers represent a similar equivalent structure or equivalent or similar steps, Figure 1 illustrates a front view of a protective garment 20. The protective garment 20 includes a head receiving part 22 with a plate d vision 24. The protective garment also includes the receiving parts of left and right arms 26 and 28, a receiving part of the body 30 and the receiving parts of the left and right leg 32 and 34. The protective garment 20 may include the cuffs or elastic parts of the right left ankle 36 and 38 and the elastic parts of the wrist or left and right cuffs 40. and 42 which form a tight notch around the user's wrists and ankles in order to keep the interior of the protective garment in an uncontaminated state. In some embodiments, the protective garment 20 may also include the shoe and left and right foot covering portions 44 and 46.

Generally speaking, the seams and attachment points on garment 20 may be formed by any suitable means such as, for example, by stitching, hemming, ultrasonic bonding, solvent welding, adhesives, thermal bonding and the like. . The closure means may be any suitable closure mechanism such as, for example, zippers, button fasteners, snap fasteners, automatic fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, resealable fasteners, fasteners for fastening zipper, magnetic fasteners and the like. Thus, various parts of the garment can be joined or fastened by stitching, ultrasonic bonding, solvent welding, adhesives, thermal bonding and similar techniques.

The material used in the construction of the protective prend can be one or more woven and bonded fabrics, woven of filaments joined with spinning, fabrics of blown fibers co-melting. The material may also be one or more of woven materials or fabrics. It is contemplated that the material may be one or more films.

Such material (for example non-woven fabrics, woven materials, woven materials or films) may be formed of polymers such as, for example, polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polyfluorocarbons, polystyrenes, caprolactams, poly (ethylene vinyl acetate), ethylene n-buty acrylates, and cellulosic and acrylic resins. If the woven fabric is formed of a polyolefin, the polyolefin can be made of polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutane, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and butene copolymers.

Although a wide variety of materials can be used in the present invention, a material which is particularly well suited for the protective garment described herein is a polypropylene spunbonded fabric having a basis weight of 1.75 ounces per square yard (osy) and one percent (1%) by weight of titanium dioxide, the polypropylene fabric being laminated to a single layer of SARANEX® 23P film which is manufactured by Dow Chemical Corporation. Such material is a durable and lightweight fabric which provides effective resistance to a wide range of dry chemicals and particulate liquids. Such material is used by the registry assignee Kimberly-Clark Corporation of Neenah Wisconsin, in disposable clothing manufactured under the HAZARD-GARD® brand.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the protective garment 20 of Figure 1, which illustrates that the protective garment 20 can be put on from the rear through the use of a zipper 48. Figure 2 also illustrates that The protective garment 20 has been provided with a backpack 50 which has the ability to adapt variably to conform to a variety of types of equipment (not shown) carried on the user's back. The backpack 50 has the outer edges 52 and 54 and an outer protective layer 56.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the backpack 50 begins or has a line or edge of termination up or top 58 where the helmet or part receiving the head ends 22. Desirably, the line or the bord up 58 it forms a concavity facing upwards. This configuration allows ease of transition from the base of the helmet or from the receiving part of the generally circular head 22 and makes it easier for the user to flip his head back and forth. Naturally, other embodiments are contemplated wherein the upward terminating edge 5 of the backpack 50 is straight or is formed in a variety of other manner.

The backpack 50 ends at the lower edge 60 with a seal or seam which is generally perpendicular (90 degrees) to the generally vertical outer edges 52 and 54 of the backpack 50. The angle formed by one of the outer edges 52 and 54 and the bottom edge 60 is referred to herein as the exhaust angle of the contaminant and is denoted in Figures 2 and 9 with point 62. The exhaust angle of contaminant 62 shown in Figure 2 is approximately 90 degrees. The typical 50 backpack lengths, as measured at the midpoint of the backpack between the two outer edges 52 and 54 from the finishing edge up 58 to the bottom edge 60, will vary by from about 62 to about 88 centimeters (about 25). to around 35 inches). A desirable length is around 79 centimeters (about 31.5 inches).

Figure 2 shows the folds 64 formed in the back protective layer 56 of the backpack 50. The folds 6 can be formed by a variety of means and in a variety of patterns or patterns. For example, the folds 64 can be formed along the full length and width of the backpack. Alternatively, selected parts of the backpack may be folded, such as, for example, an upper part and / or a lower part of the backpack.

One way to form the folds 64 in the backpack 50 is shown in Figure 3 which shows an inside view of the unfolded knapsack part 50 of the garment. As shown there, a plurality of clips 60 are attached to the inner surface 68 of the outer protective layer 56. The clips 66 are preferably formed from a strip of material and are bonded to the inner surface 68 by any of a variety of means of fastening such as sewing, or with stitching, edging, ultrasonic bonding, bonding with solvent, adhesives, thermal bonding and the like. The clips 66 can be formed in any of a number of ways, including bending the strip in half so that the edges are aligned with each other, or forming the strip in a circle so that the ends of the strip meet each other. or overlap.

As shown in Figure 3, a cord 70 having the ends 72 and 74 is slidably received in at least one of the clips 66. In a particular embodiment, the end 74 of the cord 70 is secured to the protective garment 20. As shown in Figure 3, the end 74 is secured to the clip 66 which is positioned near the edge 52 by stitching, binding, joining or other similar joining method. Alternatively, the end 74 may be attached directly to the inner surface 68 of the outer protective layer 56.

After the wearer has put on the protective garment 20, the end 72 of the cord 70 can be pulled, thereby folding the outer protective layer 56 and forming the backpack 50 to the equipment employed by the user.

Once the cord 70 has been pulled to a length sufficiently short to conform the backpack 50 to the equipment, the cord 70 can be secured in various ways in this shortened position. For example, a barrel closure 76 which is shown in Figure 3 can be used to secure the cord 70 in its shortened position. The barrel closure 76 may be formed from an inner cylindrical part which is slidably received within at least a portion of a cylindrical outer part. An opening is formed in both cylindrical parts, the cylindrical parts being pressed with respect to each other so that an opening in the inner cylindrical part is not completely aligned with the opening in the outer cylindrical part. With the application of sufficient force to the barrel closure 76, the openings can be aligned so that the cord 70 can be passed through both openings. When the force is released, the cylindrical parts will return to their pressed positions where the sides of the openings of the cylindrical parts hold the cord 70, ensuring the barrel closure 76 on the cord 70 at a particular location. The barrel closure 76 is sized as being sufficiently large with respect to the clip 66 so that the barrel closure 76 can not slide through the clip 66, thereby preventing the cord 70 from being pulled through the clips. . Alternatively, the cord 70 can be retained within the clips 66 by simply forming a knot in the cord 70, the knot being approximately sized so as to prevent the cord 70 from slipping through the clip 66, or by tying the cord 70. to clip 66.

In the alternate embodiments, both ends 72 and 74 of the cord 70 can be pulled to cut the cord and fold the outer protective layer 56. In such an embodiment, it may be desirable to secure the cord 70 to a loop 66 which is centrally positioned with respect to the cord 70. to the edges 52 and 54 of the backrest 50.

Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of the rucksack 50 wherein an elastic member 78 is slidably received through at least one of the clips 66. As the elastic member 78 passes through the clips 66, a pressing force is applied to at least one of the ends of the elastic member 78 so that the elastic member 78 elongates to a pressed and stretched length. While the elastic member 78 is in the stretched condition, the ends of the elastic member are secured in about the clips 66 near the ends 52 and 54 through which the elastic member has been passed. As shown in Figure 4, the end 82 of the elastic member 78 is secured around the clip 66 positioned near the edge 52 and the elastic member 78 by stitching. The end 82 can be secured to the elastic member 78 by means of various joining methods, for example the joining methods mentioned above. With the release of the pressing force, the elastic member 78 recovers at least a part of its elongation to fold the outer protective layer 56. The end 82 of the elastic member 78 can be attached to the clip 66 or to the inner surface of the protective layer Exterior.

When the user steps inside the protective garment 20, the elastic member or members 78 are lengthened, allowing the expansion of the collected outer protective layer 56 to accommodate the equipment used by the user. After the wearer has put on the protective garment 20, the elastic member member 78 is retrieved and the outer protective garment 56 is pulled towards the equipment, thereby causing the backpack 5 to conform to the equipment used by the user.

The elastic member 78 may comprise a resilient belt which is stretchable with the application of a pressing force to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the unstressed and relaxed length. For example, the tape having elongations of at least fifty per cent (50%), or seventy-five percent (75%) or one hundred percent (100%) are also acceptable. Additionally, elastic tapes having a minimum elongation of less than twenty-five percent (25%) can also be used. The elastic member 7 will recover at least a part of its elongation with ease of the pressing force. Such an elastic member can have a recovery of between 10 percent and 100 percent, although elastic members can be used having a recovery of less than 10 percent. A latex tape, such as Fulflex 7211 available from Fulflex Inc., of Middletown, Rhode Island, may be used. A latex-free belt or other type of elastic member may also be used. A particular incorporation can use elastic tapes having a width d between 25 and 38 centimeters, even when other widths can be used.

In a particular embodiment, at least elastic members 78 are used to form the backpack 50 to equipment, each elastic member 78 being passed through a set of clips 66, the elastic members being placed on the backpack 50 in a spaced relationship and separated.

Figures 5 and 6 show two of many possible configurations for slidably securing the elastic member 78, the cord 70 or any other pickup member on the inner surface 68 of the outer protective layer 56. L Figure 5 shows a strip of a material folded over if same to form the clip 66 shown there, the clip 66 has a bonding area 84 which allows the clip to be attached to the inner surface 68 of the outer protective layer 56. In the alternate embodiments, the clips 66 can be attached to an inner layer or fabric which in turn may be attached to the inner surface 68. The clip 66 may be joined by an ultrasonic, thermal or adhesive bond, or through any of the aforementioned joining methods.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, the cord 70, the elastic member 78 or the like can be slidably received inside and / or attached to a channel 86. The channel 8 can be mounted or integral to the outer protective layer 56. As can be seen in FIG. shown in Figure 6, the channel 86 can be formed by bending the outer protective layer 56 on itself and adhering the surfaces 88 and 90 to each other. In incorporation, it may be necessary to form a slit 106 in the outer protective layer 56 so that the cord and / or the elastic member can be selectively passed through part of the channel 86.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7, the channel 86 can be formed along the interior surface 68 by joining a section of the material 92 thereto. The edges 94 and 96 of the section of material 92 are secured to the inner surface 68. Thus, a channel 86 is formed and which is joined by the inner surface 68 and the inner surface of the section of the material 92. In a similar manner it varies other configurations of channel 86 are suitable for use in the present invention.

The elastic member 78 can be passed through the channel 86 and can be secured to the outer protective layer 5 or the material section 92 at one end 82 and / or at various points along the length of the elastic member 78 by any one. of the aforementioned union methods. Similarly, the cord 70 can be secured to the outer protective layer 56 or to the material section 9 after it has slidably received there, for example, at one end 72 or 74. Additionally, the cord 70 can be secured to the section or layer protective outer of the material 92 by any of a variety of joining methods described herein at one or more points along the length of the cord 70, leaving both ends 72 and 74 of the cord 70 free to be pulled and secured in their shortened position by barrel closures 76 or similar. The elastic member 78 or the cord 70 can be attached directly to the inner surface 68 of the outer protective layer 56 by joining, binding or other similar method.

Figure 8 illustrates a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention, showing the backpack 50 in its folded position where it conforms to the equipment used by the user. In the embodiment shown there, two cords or elastic members are used to push the backpack to conform to the equipment used by the user, even though more than two such cords or elastic members can be used.

Even when the embodiments shown here show the clips, the cords, the elastic members and the channels placed on an inner surface of the backpack, these elements, as well as other similar mechanisms which can be used to fold the backpack, can be placed on the surface outside of the backpack.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the backpack 50 is formed of an elastified sheet 98 which provides the appropriate level of resistance to the liquid chemical and also demonstrates sufficient particle resistance efficiency while at the same time expanding to conform to the equipment used by the user.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the elasticized sheet 98 can be a composite elastic material comprising at least one non-elastic foldable fabric 100 c having particle resistance properties, the recoverable fabric 100 being attached to at least one elastic fabric 10 which may or may not possess particle resistance properties. The compounds of elastic and non-elastic material have been made by attaching the non-elastic material to the elastic material while the elastic material is in a stretched condition so that, when the elastic material is relaxed, the non-elastic material is folded or stretched. collects between the places where it is attached to the elastic material. The resulting composite elastic material is stretchable in the extent that the non-elastic material collected between the bonding sites allows the elastic material to elongate. Examples of this type of composite materials are described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,720,415 issued to Vander Wielen et al., Jan. 19, 1988 and in the United States of America patent. 4,918,747 issued to Morman on January 1, 1991.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the elastic fabric 102 may be attached to the foldable fabric 100 in a plurality of spaced apart locations 104 when the elastic fabric 102 is in an elongated position. As shown in Figure 11, the foldable fabric 100 is picked up between the bonded locations 104 with the looseness of the elastic fabric 102.

The elastic fabric 102 and the recoverable fabric 100 can be joined by the envelope to put the materials and apply heat and / or pressure to the materials on posts. Alternatively, the layers may be joined by using other bonding methods and materials such as, for example, adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, ultrasonic bonding, high energy electronic rays, and / or lasers. In one aspect of the present invention, the elastic fabric 102 can be formed directly on the foldable fabric 100 using processes such as for example meltblowing processes and film extrusion processes.

The resulting composite material is elastic in itself, its non-elastic layer or layers being able to move with the stretching of the elastic fabric 102 by reason of the play or the self-giving provided by the formed folds, with the relaxed elastic stretched fabric 102 in the non-elastic layers to which the non-elastic tissue or tissues are attached. In addition, the elastic fabrics may also exhibit barrier properties such as resistance to liquid, particulate or vapor.

The original stretch of the non-elastic folding fabric limits the elongation that can be achieved by the composite material because the non-elastic fabric will act as a "stop" to prevent additional or excessive stretching of elastic tissue under the effect of stretching forces. which are less than the failure resistance of the non-elastic folded fabric. Because the elastic fabric can be attached to a non-elastic material, by which is meant generally any suitable material which lacks the characteristics of an elastic as defined above, the non-elastic material tends to have a limiting effect on the degree of stretch and recovery of elastic tissue.

The elastic fabric must be sufficiently strong to allow it to fold the foldable fabric or fabrics to which it is attached and, generally, the more rigid the fabric or the folding fabrics, the stronger the recovery force of the tissue or elastic fabrics together to this one or to these.

A wide variety of materials such as elastic fabric may be employed such as, for example, the elastic fabrics described in U.S. Patent No. 5,434,753 which is incorporated herein by reference. The elastic fabrics used in this embodiment of the present invention can be stretched at an elongation of at least about 25 percent of their relaxed length, for example, they can stretch at least about one and a quarter times their size. relaxed length and, with the release of the stretching force they will recover at least a part of their elongation. Many elastic materials used in the practice of the invention can stretch to extensions considerably in excess of 25 percent, even when materials with extensions of less than 25 percent can be used.

Alternatively, the material used in the present invention can be configured so that a significant part of the elasticity of the material is lost with the application of the protective suit to a wearer using a backpack. Only a minimum amount of stretch requires being retained during the use of the garment to keep the garment fabric conformed to the backpack. In other words, only a minimum amount of recovery of the backpack part material is required to keep the backpack part conformed to the user.

Figure 2 illustrates that, in some embodiments, the backpack 50 ends at the lower edge 60 with a seal or seam that is generally perpendicular (90 degrees) to the generally vertical outer edges 52 and 54 of the backpack 50. This configuration is not completely satisfactory in the sense that during use, contaminants tend to be collected in the seam of the backpack at point 60. This configuration has a contaminant escape angle of 90 degrees. The contaminant escape angle is determined by measuring the angle formed by the outer edges 52 and 54 of the backpack 50 when the user is standing, with the line formed by the lower end of the backpack 50. This angle is denoted in Figures 2 and 9 at point 62. In order to overcome this problem, it has been found that it is desirable to angle the backpack seam. lower 60 down as illustrated in Figure 9. This allows contaminants that fall into the folds to drain (if it is a liquid) or run (if a solid) out of the lower area and not be collected there. In other words, to affect the exhaust, this exhaust angle of the contaminant must be less than 90 degrees. For example, the angle of escape of the contaminant can vary from between about 30 and 60 degrees. More particularly, the angle of escape of the contaminant may be around 45 degrees.

Although selected embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, other configurations of the backpack 50 where the backpack conforms to the equipment and the user will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to specific preferred embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, upon achieving an understanding of the foregoing, that alterations and variations of the preferred embodiments may readily be conceived. and variations are believed to fall within the scope and spirit of the invention and the appended claims.

Claims (26)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A protective garment comprising: a conformable backpack part located on a back area of the garment, the conformal backpack part being adapted to conform to the equipment worn on the back of a wearer of the protective garment.

2. The protective garment as claimed in clause 1 characterized in that the conformable backpack part comprises an outer protective layer and means for folding the outer protective layer.

3. The protective garment as claimed in clause 2 characterized in that the means for folding the outer protective layer comprises a plurality of elastic members connected to the outer protective layer.

4. The protective garment as claimed in clause 2 characterized in that the means for folding the outer protective layer comprises a cord slidably connected to the outer protective layer.

5. The protective garment as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that the conformable back part is formed of an outer elasticized protective layer.

6. A protective garment comprising: a conformable backpack part located on a back area of the garment, the conformal backpack part comprises an outer protective layer and means for folding the outer protective layer of the backpack part, so the backpack part is adapted to conform to the equipment used on the back of a user of the protective garment.

7. The protective garment as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the means for folding comprises at least one elastic member and means for connecting the elastic member to an inner surface of the outer protective cap of the backpack part.

8. The protective garment as claimed in clause 7 characterized in that the means for connecting the elastic member to the backpack part comprise at least one clip mounted on an inner surface of the outer protective layer, the elastic member being slidably received inside. of the loop.

9. The protective garment as claimed in clause 8 characterized in that the elastic member is attached to at least one clip.

10. The protective garment as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the means for folding comprise at least one cord and means for connecting the cord to an inner surface of the outer protective cap of the backpack part.

11. The protective garment as claimed in clause 10 characterized in that the means for connecting the cord to the inner surface of the outer protective layer comprise at least one clip mounted to the inner surface of the outer protective layer, the cord being received slidably inside the loop.

12. The protective garment as claimed in clause 11 characterized in that the cord is attached to at least one clip.

13. The protective garment as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the means for folding comprise a channel connected to an inner surface of the outer protective layer of the backpack part.

14. The protective garment as claimed in clause 13 characterized in that the means for folding further comprise an elastic member passing through at least a part of the channel.

15. The protective garment as claimed in clause 13 characterized in that the means for folding further comprise a cord passing through at least a part of the channel.

16. The protective garment as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the means for folding the outer protective layer comprise an elastic fabric connected to an inner surface of the outer protective layer.

17. The protective garment as claimed in clause 16 characterized in that the elastic fabric is connected to the inner surface by adhesive bonding.

18. The protective garment as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the rucksack part further comprises a lower part, the lower part comprising a contaminant escape angle greater than 0 to 90 degrees.

19. The protective garment as claimed in clause 18 characterized in that the angle of escape of contaminant is from more than 0 degrees to less than 9 degrees.

20. The protective garment as claimed in clause 18 characterized in that the exhaust angle of the contaminant is from about 30 degrees around 60 degrees.

21. The protective garment as claimed in clause 18 characterized in that the angle of escape of the contaminant is around 45 degrees.

22. The protective garment as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the backpack part also comprises a lower part, the lower part comprises a concave arch upwards.

23. A protective garment comprising: a conformable backpack part located on a back area of the garment, the conformable backpack part comprises at least one elastic member, and several clips attached to an inner surface of the backpack part, the elastic member being slidably received through at least one of the clips; Y wherein the backpack part is adapted to conform to the equipment used on the back of a wearer of the protective garment.

24. A protesting garment that includes: a conformable backpack part located on a back area of the garment, the conformable backpack part comprises at least one cord, and several clips joined to an inner surface of the backpack part, the cord being slidably received through at least one of the clips; Y so that the backpack part is adapted to conform to the equipment used on the back of a user of the protective garment.

25. A protective garment comprising: a conformable backpack part located on the back area of the garment, the conformal backpack part comprises at least one cord that has two ends, a channel connected to the inner surface of the backpack part, the cord being slidably received through at least a portion of the channel so that the ends of the cord extend outwardly therefrom; Y so the backpack part is adapted to conform to the equipment used on the back of a user of the protective garment.

26. A protective garment comprising: a conformable backpack part located on the back area of the garment, the conformal backpack part comprises an elasticized outer protective layer, so the backpack part is adapted to conform to the equipment used on the back of a user of the protective garment. E S U M E N The present invention is directed to a protesting garment having a conformable back part located on a back area of the garment, the conformable backpack part is adapted to conform to the equipment worn on the back of a wearer of the protective garment.