EP1428441B1 - Venting system for garment - Google Patents

Abstract

The system has a ventilation device (10) and a channel (30). The channel is opened or closed to open/to close the ventilation device. Edges (13, 14) of the ventilation device are sensibly non-rectilinear. The channel is constituted with two clothes (33, 34) with zip track. The clothes are stitched along the respective edges of the opening in pieces of clothes (11, 12).

Description

The present invention relates to a ventilation system especially for clothing, such as everyday clothing, sportswear, technical clothing, etc ...

The invention is particularly suitable for ventilating sports and outdoor clothing and in particular clothing type sports jacket, windbreaker, winter sports jacket, but also pants, shorts, etc.

People working outdoors or involved in sports or outdoor activities are often equipped with waterproof clothing or at least acting as a windbreaker.

A major disadvantage of windproof or watertight clothing is poor ventilation.

Since the material constituting the garment is waterproof, or at least windproof, it generally constitutes a barrier to the evaporation of moisture emitted by the body during physical exercise, so that clothing worn in underneath can become completely wet.

The breathability of such waterproof or windproof clothing can be improved by the use of so-called breathable materials ie materials permeable to water vapor but not condensed water (rain). These clothes are however very fragile and very expensive. Moreover, their degree of breathability is limited to a given ratio of water vapor transmission which is not always sufficient for the user, and therefore humidity phenomena always occur.

Another way to improve the breathability of such clothing is to provide them with ventilation means such as openings that can be opened or closed. The document US 6, 085, 353 describes such ventilation means. The problem of this type of ventilation is to keep the opening really open so as to allow the entry of air, especially when the user is not moving.

Indeed, these openings are generally slits and there must be provided means for enlarging these slots and maintaining wide open position to obtain a satisfactory ventilation.

The US 6,339,845 plans to associate an enlargement system of the opening with a slot-type ventilation system.

In the examples described, the enlarging system is an elastic means of the V-shaped elastic pin type, each of which branches is associated with an edge of the opening and which is compressed during closure.

When the zipper of the opening is opened, it automatically expands under the effect of the elastic pin, thus providing the desired ventilation system.

The object of the present invention is to improve such a ventilation system, in particular so as to simplify and reduce manufacturing and assembly costs.

This object is achieved in the ventilation system according to the invention which is of the type comprising a slot-type ventilation opening and closure means associated with the opening for opening / closing said opening, in that the slot of the opening is substantially non-rectilinear.

Preferably the slot has a substantially oval shape. Thus, in the closed position, the material of the edges of the opening is prestressed by virtue of the cutting itself of said opening, and this opening therefore automatically widens so as to return to its non-rectilinear initial shape, in this case oval, from the opening of its means of closure.

With a simple appropriate cut of the opening, we obtain very simply and at a minimum cost the desired goal.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un vêtement intégrant un dispositif de ventilation selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 est, en vue de détail, un agrandissement d'un dispositif de ventilation avant montage,
• la figure 3 est une vue similaire à la figure 2 après montage,
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon IV IV de la figure 3,
• la figure 5 est une vue similaire à la figure 3 en position ouverte,
• la figure 6 est une vue similaire à la figure 5 d'un autre mode de réalisation,
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe selon VII-VII de la figure 8 d'un montage utilisant une fermeture à glissière dite invisible,
• la figure 8 est une vue similaire à la figure 1 montrant un autre exemple de positionnement du dispositif selon l'invention.

In any case the invention will be better understood and other characteristics thereof will be highlighted with the aid of the description which follows with reference to the appended schematic drawing, by way of nonlimiting examples, some modes of preferred embodiment and wherein:

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of a garment incorporating a ventilation device according to the invention,
• the figure 2 is, for detailed purposes, an enlargement of a ventilation device before assembly,
• the figure 3 is a view similar to the figure 2 after assembly,
• the figure 4 is a sectional view along IV IV of the figure 3 ,
• the figure 5 is a view similar to the figure 3 in open position,
• the figure 6 is a view similar to the figure 5 another embodiment,
• the figure 7 is a sectional view along VII-VII of the figure 8 a montage using a so-called invisible zipper,
• the figure 8 is a view similar to the figure 1 showing another example of positioning of the device according to the invention.

The figure 1 shows a garment such as sports jacket or windbreak 1 having ventilation devices 10, 20 respectively at armholes and chest.

The Figures 2 to 5 illustrate more precisely the construction of the ventilation device 10 located at the armholes.

As shown in figure 2 , the ventilation device 10 according to the invention is shown between two inserts 11 and 12 of the garment, namely in this case a front panel 11 and a sleeve 12 of the garment, and is intended to be closed by a zipper 30 .

Of course the inserts 11, 12 may also be provided at different locations of the garment and constituted for example by half-panels front or rear of the garment.

At the level of the mounting area of the zipper 30 the edge of each yoke 11, 12 is cut into a semi circular arc respectively 13, 14. The slot defined by these edges 13, 14 is therefore not straight or rectilinear but of curved shape and in this case substantially oval. These edges 13, 14 are arranged facing each other and the zipper 30, closed or open, is assembled, for example by seams 40, each of its ribbons respectively 33, 34 to each. said edges 13, 14.

Of course other methods of assembly that seams (for example by gluing, welding) can be provided between the ribbons of the zipper and the edges 13, 14 of the opening.

Of course, the inserts 11, 12 are also assembled together by a seam 50 or the like on either side of the zipper 30. This seam 50 may also be at least partly the same as the seam 40.

Once the zipper 30 mounted it exerts on each of the edges 13, 14 a tensile force since in fact, because of the arcuate shape of the latter, it "lacks" the fabric.

Prestressing is thus exerted on each of the inserts 11, 12, so that as soon as the zipper 30 is opened, the edges 13, 14 will automatically move apart and the ventilation device 10 will provide a wide opening, sufficient to good ventilation.

By a very simple device of cutting and sewing, thus obtaining at minimum cost a ventilation device whose opening is enlarged, that is to say whose edges deviate from one another, automatically from the opening of the closure system.

Preferably and as shown by the figures 1 and 4 , a net 36 or similar, that is to say an aerated material, connects the edges 13, 14 of the opening, so that the air inlet is effected, once the zipper open, through said aerated material. In the figures, the teeth of the zipper are indicated by numeral 35.

The figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment in which the opening 20 is made in the fabric itself outside any yoke.

In this case the edges 13, 14 of the arcuate opening are cut, for example by hand or punch in the actual piece of fabric and the zipper is assembled as described above.

Of course the operation after assembly is the same as indicated above.

The Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a particularly discrete embodiment in which the zipper 130 is of the type called invisible closure.

In such a zipper, the ribbons 134 of the teeth 135 turn inward as the closure is made, so that the teeth 135 remain completely hidden when the zipper 130 is closed.

To further perfect the invisibility of such a closure the inserts 111, 112 are assembled by an inverted edge and a hidden seam 140 to each of the ribbons 134 of the zipper.

As a result, almost only the edges of inserts 111, 112 remain visible when the zipper 130 is closed and only a "line" underlines the presence of the ventilation device 120.

Moreover, in the case shown in figure 8 the ventilation device 120 is disposed at a pliers of ease, that is to say transversely to the garment and therefore remains more discreet.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above by way of non-limiting examples.

Thus, for example, the slot could have another shape than oval, or that closure means other than zipper could be provided without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (3)

1. Ventilation system, particularly for a garment, comprising a slit-type ventilation opening (10, 20, 120) and closure means (30, 130) associated with the opening for opening/closing said opening, characterized in that the slit is defined by two curved edges (13, 14, 113, 114), in that the slit has a substantially oval shape, and in that the closure means exert a traction force on each of the two edges, such that the edges (13, 14, 113, 114) are automatically spaced apart as soon as that the closure means are open.
2. Ventilation system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means (30, 130) are of the zipper-type.
3. Ventilation system according to claim 2, characterized in that the zipper (30, 130) is constituted of two strips (33, 34,133,134) provided with racks, and in that each strip (33, 34; 133, 134) is sewn along a curved edge (13, 14, 113, 114), respectively, of the slit.

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