2351651
DESCRIPTION GARMF,NJ OR TEXTILE ITEM
The present invention is concerned with garments and textile items, being particularly addressed to problems associated with soiling or damage to such items.
Applications of the present invention to high visibility garments are considered of particular importance. High visibility garments as such are well known and are worn in many different situations where it is important for individuals to be visually conspicuous. Typically such garments are worn for the sake of safety, making the individual easily visible and so reducing the risk of accidents. High visibility garments are sold for various recreational pursuits such as horse riding or cycling but the largest market is in industry - workers on building sites and at roadsides are often required to wear such garments so that they are conspicuous to fellow workers, passing drivers, etc.
Known high visibility materials are typically both retro-reflective (for conspicuity at night time, e.g. when illuminated by vehicle head lights) and fluorescent, for daytime conspicuity.
Conventional high visibility garments typically have panels of knitted or woven high visibility polyester, or alternatively of polyurethane coated nylon. The latter material has the advantage that its optical performance is not greatly degraded by rainwater resting on the panel surface. The panels are typically bordered by reflective tape. The panels normally have a bright colour such as 2 orange or yellow.
While conventional high visibility garments have been highly successful, gained wide acceptance and sold on a very large scale, they are subject to certain important and well known disadvantages.
The garments are often worn in dirty environments - on building sites, in excavations at roadsides and so on. They can thus quickly become soiled and typically the soiling comprises substances which are difficult to remove - grease, creosote, tar etc. Not only is this soiling unsightly, but it also impairs the colourmetric performance of the garment - ie its optical properties - and so can prevent it from performing its safety function adequately. Removal of the soiling often requires a hot wash, at a temperature in excess of 85'C, but this treatment itself reduces the colourmetric performance of the garment and of course some stains may remain.
Once a garment's colourmetric performance falls below an acceptable standard (and for certain types of high visibility garment there are in fact officially recognised standards, such as EN471 in the European Community) then it must typically be discarded and replaced. In practice this replacement is required frequently - one major UK company purchases an average six high visibility jackets per site worker per year! Clearly there is a powerful incentive to reduce the resultant costs.
Outside the high visibility field, there is a wide range of textile items requiring periodic renewal due to soiling or damage. Textile seat covers are a
3 good example. Seat covers used in public places such as bars, theatres and trains are often soiled and their replacement can entail the trouble and expense of reupholstering the seat. Children's clothing is another example: not only is this subject to frequent soiling but certain parts such as trouser knees - are frequently torn in rough and tumble play.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a garment or textile item having an extended useful life.
An additional or alternative object of the present invention is to provide a high visibility garment or other high visibility item having an extended useful life.
In accordance with the present invention there is a garment or textile item having at least an area in which an inner layer of the garment/item is covered by an exterior layer, the exterior layer being removably secured in position so that when soiled or damaged it can be removed to expose the inner layer.
Hence a garment or item according to the present invention makes it possible, particularly if the garment exterior is soiled or damaged, effectively to renew the exposed garment surface by removing the exterior layer. In this way garment life can be prolonged.
While the invention is considered particularly applicable to garments it has other possible applications. For example, textile seat covers may be constructed in accordance with the present invention, as also may bags including rucksacks.
It is particularly preferred that the aforementioned area of the garment comprises high visibility material. Preferably the inner layer and the exterior 4 layer both comprise high visibility material.
The remainder of a garment constructed according to the invention maly be of more conventional material such as polyester, polycotton, nylon, polyurethane coated polyester, vinyl, corduroy or fleece. 2-3 ply laminates are also considered suitable.
Preferably a pre-formed line of weakening is provided along which the garment can be tom to remove the exterior layer. The line of weakening is preferably formed as a perforation. This construction provides a particularly convenient and simple way to allow for removal of the exterior layer when necessary.
The line of weakening is preferably formed in a perimetral region of the exterior layer. A portion of the exterior layer lying outside the line of weakening can be secured, eg. by stitching, to the adjacent layer of the garment.
The perforation may be heated during formation such that it is resistant to fraying.
Additionally or alternatively, a line of reinforcement may be provided along or adjacent the line of weakening. This can help to prevent tearing in an inappropriate direction and/or fraying. The line of reinforcement may comprise plastics introduced to the garment in a non solid state and so adhered to or penetrating the material of the garment.
A garment according to the present invention preferably comprises a plurality of removable panels forming the exterior layer in respective regions of the garment. In this way it is made possible to renew the surface of selected regions of the garment as and when necessary.
At least one area of the garment may comprise one or more further layers between the inner and exterior layers, each such layer being removably secured in position. Hence the garment surface can be renewed two or more times and garment life thereby further prolonged. Each such layer may comprise high visibility material.
A face of the exterior layer is preferably adhered to the face of the layer beneath.
The adhesion is preferably such as to allow the exterior layer to be peeled away without damage to the layer beneath. It may be additional or alternative to other means - such as the pre-formed line of weakening keeping the exterior layer in place.
The exterior layer is preferably provided with a pull tab by means of which it can be removed. Successive removable layers may have respective tabs in different positions enabling successive layers to be tom or peeled away along different directions. This can assist in ensuring that only the uppermost layer is removed.
The material of the layers may be woven or non-woven. Particularly preferred materials are non-woven nylon and non-woven polyester. Perforations can be pre-formed in these materials.
Other suitable materials, which can be high visibility, include knitted or 6 woven polyester and polyurethane coated nylon.
Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figs. 1 a and b are respectively front and rear views of a tunic embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 illustrates the material of the tunic opened out prior to stitching of certain seams; Figs. 3 is a front view of ajacket embodying the present invention; Fig. 4 is a cross section taken through the tunic of Figs. 1 and 2 along the line A-A; Fig. 5 is a cross section taken through the tunic of Figs. 1 and 2 along the line B-B; Fig. 6 is a cross section through the material of another panel of the Fig. 1 tunic along a line of perforations; Fig. 7 is a cross section through the material of an outer panel of the Fig. 1 tunic along a line of plastics reinforcements.
Fig. 8 illustrates in plan the edge of a panel of the tunic, part of the panel being cut away to reveal a layer beneath; Fig. 9 is a schematic side view of a machine for forming panels fbr use in embodiments of the present invention; and Fig. 10 is a schematic plan view of the same machine.
The external appearance of the tunic illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is similar 7 to that of a conventional high visibility tunic. There are panels 2, 4, 6 of high visibility material separated by high visibility tapes 8. It should be noted however that some of the high visibility panels 4, 6 have perforations indicated by dotted lines 9, extending around their peripheries and bear pull tags 10.
The perforations 9 are also seen in Fig. 4. This view makes clear that in the area of the panel 6 the tunic has two layers disposed one above the other. That is, the panel 6 lies adjacent and covers an underlying material layer 12. Stitching illustrated diagrammatically at 14 extends around the edge of the panel 6 and joins it to the underlying layer 12. The perforations 9 are adjacent to but within the stitching. Consequently by tearing the panel 6 along the perforation 9 it is possible to remove the main part of the panel and expose the layer 12 beneath. In the illustrated embodiment, this part of the layer 12 itself has a high visibility surface. Hence the illustrated construction makes it possible, when the colourmetric performance of the high visibility panel 6 has been degraded (eg. by soiling) to an unacceptable level, to tear this panel away revealing a fresh high visibility surface beneath, prolonging the useful life of the garment. The pull tags 10 facilitate tearing away of the panel.
To prevent or at least inhibit fraying or laddering of the material in the vicinity of the perforations 9, a line of plastics elements 15 is provided along a portion of the panel adjacent but within the perforations 9.
The formation of the perforations is illustrated in Fig. 6 and comprises a line of mutually separated perforation holes through the panel 6. Fig. 7 illustrates 8 a row of the plastics inserts 15 in section, while Fig. 8 illustrates in plan a portion of the garment taking in the stitch line 14, perforations 9 and inserts 15 to make their relative positions clear. The tear-off panel 6 is partly cut away to reveal the underlying layer 12.
While the areas marked 6 in Figs. 1 and 2 are double layered, the areas marked 4 (which are typically subject to particularly rapid soiling in use) are triple layered. Hence, as illustrated in Fig. 5, overlying the bottom garment layer 12 in this region are two stitched-on high visibility panels 18, 20. The panel 18 adjacent the layer 12 is stitched thereto while the exposed outer panel 20 is stitched to the panel 18 over which it lies. Both panels have perimetral perforation lines 22, 24 enabling first the outer panel 20 and then the panel 18 to be tom away.
Consequently the high visibility surface in the regions 4 can effectively be renewed twice before it becomes necessary to replace the tunic.
Still more tear-away layers can be provided using similar constructional principles - a patch comprising four or more tear away layers is currently envisaged. is ajacket constructed in similar manner The garment illustrated in Fig.) to the tunic of Figs. 1 and 2 but having sleeves 26 themselves bearing tear-off high visibility panels.
An efficient method of manufacture of the tear-off panels can be understood by reference to Figs. 9 and 10, illustrating a machine for this purpose, 9 Continuous lengths of high visibility fabric 30 are led in over an upper table 31 from a direction to the right in the drawing. Plastics material is fed from a hopper 32 through a conversion chamber _34, in which the plastics is heated and melted, then deposited onto the fabric to form the inserts 15 and solidified by a vacuum 36. The fabric 30 is then led under a guide roller 36 and around a wheel 38 having projections 40 for forming the perforations. The fabric passes from the bottom of the wheel 38 to a lower table 42 which it traverses in the direction toward the right in the drawings, passing beneath retractable guillotine blades 44 for cutting the panels to shape. In the illustrated machine three blades are provided for cutting panels for small, medium and large size gan-nents respectively, a dial 46 being provided for selecting which cutter is utilised. Finally prepared panels are led out of the machine past rollers 48.
The above serves merely as an example of one way manufacture of the invention can be carried out. Other methods may be used.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the under-surface of the tear-off high visibility panels such as 6, 20, 18 may be adhered to the layer beneath (either a further such panel 18 or the surface of the garment itself). This adhesion may be by means of adhesion, which must allow delamination of the outer layer when necessary. A release agent, either mechanical or chemical, is required. Mechanical means of release can include pull tab delamination, metal thread delamination and textile thread delamination.
Where several tear-off layers are provided, successive layers may have pull tags which are in different positions on the different layers. This can assist in ensuring that each time a layer is torn or peeled away, only the outermost layer is removed. Looking for example at Fig. I a, the exposed pull tag 10 is at the foot of a panel, so that the user tears the panel away working from the foot to the top. A further tear-off layer/panel beneath may have a tag at the head of the panel so that the panel is torn away working from the top down to the foot.
The perforations may be "soldered" - ie heat-treated to further assist in resisting fraying. This soldering may be ultrasonically carried out. Indeed, the perforations may be both formed and soldered using ultrasonics. Alternatively laser cutting and/or hearing may be used.
The outer layer may be adhered to the layer beneath by means of an interface. A non-woven adhesive web may be used, the adhesive being of a heat sensitive type. The web can be a polyimide based thermoplastic adhesive web, a polyester based adhesive thermoplastic or a hot melt polyester adhesive. The interface/web is placed between the outer layer and the layer beneath, then heated to form a bond.
The adhesive is chosen to allow the outer layer to be peeled away without leaving a residue on the layer beneath.