ES2654850B2 - BATH SUIT FOR PEOPLE WITH REDUCED MOBILITY - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a swimsuit of the type comprising: a trunk area intended to receive a user's trunk and neck; and two lower sub-zones intended to receive the user's legs. The suit object of the present invention has in its trunk zone a first part of the substantially longitudinal opening and a second part of the opening to the end of the lower sub-zones that allows the user to access through said first and second part of the opening and closing means of the first and second part of the longitudinal opening being, accordingly, suitable for use by persons with reduced mobility.

Description

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BATH SUIT FOR PEOPLE WITH REDUCED MOBILITY

DESCRIPTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a swimsuit for people with reduced mobility, that is, people with difficulty controlling the mobility of their body or with neurological lesions such as hemiplegic, paraplegic, tetraplegic, and / or with cerebral palsy.

The swimsuit of the present invention may be an isothermal suit, a diving suit, water sports, surfing, or of the type colloquially known as a wetsuit.

Background of the invention

Isothermal swimsuits are usually suits of materials such as neoprene or other thermal fabrics that are usually elastic but of a considerably strong material so they are particularly difficult to place by people with reduced mobility or by users who have injuries that prevent their body from being controlled .

Additionally, it is this type of users who are most benefited with the advantages of having isothermal suits and / or that protect the body from bumps and scratches since, for example, these people, being unable to perform movements that raise body temperature, are more susceptible of suffering episodes of hypothermia.

Swimsuits that integrally have a trunk area to receive a patient's trunk and a pair of lower areas to receive the patient's legs and require the user to enter their legs through a single opening in the upper part of the suit, climb the suit from the ankles to the neck and finally close the trunk area. This placement is very complicated in patients with reduced mobility or with injuries that prevent them from controlling their body

Description of the invention

The suit object of the present invention is the design of a system to easily place a thermal suit and stabilize a patient with mobility difficulties in the water.

Specifically, the present invention discloses a swimsuit of the type comprising:

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• a trunk area intended to receive a user's trunk and neck;

• two lower sub-zones intended to receive the user's legs

said suit comprising in its trunk area of a first substantially longitudinal opening that allows user access through said first opening as well as closing means of the first longitudinal opening and second substantially longitudinal openings that extend along each of the lower sub-zones as well as means of closing the second longitudinal openings.

In a particular embodiment, said first substantially longitudinal opening allows the trunk area to be opened allowing the trunk area to be arranged in a single plane. In another contemplated embodiment, said first substantially longitudinal opening allows the trunk area to be opened in two parts.

As for the second longitudinal openings, these may allow the lower sub-zones to be arranged in a single plane in a similar manner as the first openings. In another embodiment, the substantially longitudinal second openings allow each of the lower sub-zones to be separated and / or closed in two parts.

Preferably, the first substantially longitudinal opening and / or the second substantially longitudinal opening has a transverse component. In this way the first opening can be communicated with the second openings, in any case, other embodiments are contemplated in which the second opening communicates with the first opening, for example, if both openings are in the lateral area.

For the closure and / or opening of the openings of the suit, in a particular embodiment, it is contemplated that the closure means comprise velcro.

More preferably, the suit manufacturing material comprises, among others, neoprene. Said material may be complemented by some component comprising thermal material such as plush.

In a preferred embodiment, the suit comprises two lateral sub-zones intended to receive the arms of the user, each of said lateral sub-zones comprising a third longitudinal opening that allows the user to access said zone and closing means of the third opening. longitudinal.

An especially relevant feature of the suit according to the present invention is that it can be a one-piece suit.

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Other relevant features include that you can have attachment means to a positive or negative adjustable flotation collar. It is also possible to have means for stabilizing the neck of the user that comprise a rigid element attached to the trunk area and protrudes from the suit through the trunk area. The means for stabilizing the user's neck can comprise, for example, a rigid element attached to the trunk area and extending over the neck of the suit.

Additionally, the present invention contemplates that the suit may have compartments for the reception of reinforcements with positive buoyancy (for example foam, or "foam") or negative (for example, weights).

Brief description of the figures

The accompanying figures show, in an illustrative and non-limiting manner, two examples of embodiment of the system according to the present invention, in which:

- Figure 1A shows a front perspective view of a swimsuit according to the present invention.

- Figure 1B shows a rear perspective view of the suit of Figure 1a

- Figure 2A shows a rear view of a suit according to the present invention with all its areas open.

- Figure 2B shows a rear view of the suit of Figure 2A with the trunk area closed and its lateral and lower areas open

- Figure 3 shows a front view of the suit according to the present invention together with a flotation collar for patients with greater neck control disability

- Figure 4 shows a schematic figure of the use of a suit according to the present invention.

Detailed description of one embodiment

Figure 1A shows a front perspective view of a suit according to the present invention. Figure 1A shows a suit 1 that has a trunk zone 2, a lower zone 3 and a lateral zone 4 in which the trunk zone 1 is intended to receive the trunk of a user, the lower zone 3 is intended for receiving the legs of a user and the lateral area 4 is intended to receive the arms of a user.

It should be understood that, in embodiments of the present invention, it is possible that the zones are shorter, for example, the lower zone 4 of Figure 1A is intended to cover

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completely the legs of the user but in particular embodiments of the present invention, the lower area 3 can only partially cover the legs of the user. Additionally, the lateral zone 4 is optional, therefore, some particular embodiments of the swimsuit of the present invention may not include lateral zones 4 for the reception of the user's arms. In any case, it is understood that the suit of the present invention has, at a minimum, the trunk area and one of the lateral or lower zones.

In a preferred embodiment, the suit of the present invention has in its trunk zone a first part of the opening 20, said first opening 20 is substantially longitudinal and extends along virtually the entire central area, from neck 21 to the beginning of the lower zone 3. The presence of said longitudinal opening is relevant since the placement by the user of the suit is facilitated since it is simply enough to open the first part of the opening 20 and place the user on the suit to, subsequently, wrapping and closing the first part of the opening 20. In a preferred embodiment, the opening is arranged in the central part of the suit, however, in particular embodiments of the present invention the opening can be made on one of the sides of the suit. In any case, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the first part of the opening 20 is such that the suit 1 can be deployed so that the zone 2 can be arranged in a single plane, that is, the front part of the trunk zone 2 and the rear part of the trunk area 2 can be arranged on the same surface to subsequently place the user on the rear part and wrap it with the front parts to finally close the first part of the opening 20.

On the other hand, the suit 1 has a lower zone 3 with two lower sub-zones

intended to receive the user's legs, in the particular case of figure 1A, the sub-zones

Bottoms are intended to fully cover the user's legs. As in the case

of the trunk zone 2, each of the lower sub-zones has a second part of

the substantially longitudinal opening 31, 32 running through each of the sub-zones

lower so that the placement by the user is simplified since it is enough with

arrange the user's legs on each of the lower sub-zones and wrap them

to finally close each of the second parts of the openings 31, 32. In the

embodiment of figure 1A, the second parts of the openings 31, 32 also have

a section with a transverse component 33, 34, for example a curved section for

connect the second parts of the openings 31, 32, with the first part of the opening 20

and thus allow, even more, the deployment of the suit and facilitate its placement on the user. By

therefore, the second parts of the openings 31, 32 may be a single opening with a

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form, for example, of a parabola whose vertex joins the first part of the opening 20, as in the case of Figure 1A.

As regards the lateral zone 4, the suit 1 has two lateral sub-zones in which each of said sub-zones has a third longitudinal opening 41, 42 along the entire area, from its most distal end intended to receive the user's wrists to their most proximal end which may be, for example, in the neck 21 of the suit as shown in Figure 1A. As in the case of the first and the second part of the opening, the third opening 41, 42 allows the piece to be deployed so that the user places the arm on the suit in the corresponding lateral sub-zone, and it is rolled up on the user to finally close the opening.

An example of closing the openings can be, for example, the use of a closure system formed by different fabrics that engage when they come into contact, such as that known in the art as velcro.

As for the manufacturing materials of the trunk, side and / or lower areas, the suit normally comprises isothermal materials, such as neoprene with an inner lining since, in addition to its isothermal characteristics, it is a material that protects against bumps and scratches. that the most susceptible users may suffer due to their reduced mobility.

Figure 1B shows a rear perspective view of the suit 1 of Figure 1A, at the rear it is observed that the suit can have lower reinforcements 35 and trunk reinforcements 23 that can be configured in different ways depending on the user and the position that you want to keep once submerged in water.

Additionally, a receptacle 22 is shown intended to receive, for example, a support for the user's neck so as to allow the user to keep the neck upright.

Figure 2A shows an exemplary embodiment of a suit 1 with all its openings open. Specifically, Figure 2A shows the inner part of the suit since both the front and the back are arranged on the same plane.

In addition, it is shown how the first part of the opening has closing means comprising a closing surface 200 and a complementary surface 201. By pressing between the closing surface 200 and the complementary surface 201 a closure of the first is produced part of the opening.

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Similarly, each of the lower and lateral sub-zones has a closing surface 310, 320, 410, 420 and complementary surfaces 311, 321, 411, 421.

In order to maintain the isothermal properties of the suit 1, the closing surfaces and the complementary surfaces are joined to the suit 1, preferably, by means of adhesives and by sewing without piercing the outermost layer of the suit.

Other alternatives to contact surfaces are various types of buttons, clips, tees, buckles, ribbons, strap, snaps, brackets, hooks or zippers.

On the other hand, the first part of the opening can have in its upper part a contact surface 202 and a complementary surface 203 especially for the neck 21 of the suit. This surface has an intermediate element in order to provide a piece to the neck as an aid for the coupling of additional accessories such as those that will be disclosed in reference to Figure 4.

To reinforce the safety of contact closure surfaces, the present invention contemplates that the openings may have a complementary closing mechanism of transverse or other velcro, such as straps, straps or buttons. These complementary closing mechanisms reduce the force exerted on the contact closure surfaces increasing their useful life and ensure that they cannot be opened during the exercises.

Figure 2B shows another view of the device of Figure 2A in which the first part of the opening 20 has been closed by the closing means formed by the closing surface 200 and the complementary surface 201.

The procedure for placing the suit 1 begins with the opening of all the parts of the longitudinal openings so that the suit 1 is as shown in Figure 1A, subsequently, the user is placed on the suit so that its trunk coincides with trunk zone 2, each of its legs on the lower sub-zones and its arms on the lateral sub-zones. The user is then wrapped by passing the closing surfaces around him and finally the closing surfaces are brought into contact with the complementary closing surfaces in order to close each of the openings.

In an exemplary embodiment, it is especially advantageous that contact surfaces of some areas overlap with contact surfaces of others in order to ensure that the entire body of the user is covered. In the example of figure 2B you can see

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as the contact surfaces 310, 320 of the lower sub-zones can partially contact the trunk zone 2.

Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the suit 1 disposes in the trunk area 2, specifically, in the neck 21 of means for joining a collar 5. Said collar 5 can be a collar 5 to provide a more surface rigid on the user's neck or as a flotation surface to ensure greater buoyancy of the head and thus increase the safety of the suit 1.

The collar 5 is preferably a cervical reinforcement mechanism that keeps the head out of the water in a position suitable for the user. The manufacturing materials of said collar 5 are preferably foam neoprene (known in the sector with the English expression "foam") to increase buoyancy. Said foam is strategically exchanged between compartments to increase buoyancy according to user needs.

Figure 4 schematically shows the behavior of the suit in a user submerged in water.

The suit has means to configure the flotation of the user according to the needs of each case. For example, in the case of Figure 4, the suit has compartments 23, which allow to add and remove reinforcements with positive buoyancy and other compartments 35 that allow adding and removing reinforcements with positive or negative buoyancy from the suit. In this way, it can be configured, as shown in Figure 4, that the user remains in a position of approximately 45 degrees by adding a reinforcement with negative buoyancy (for example a weight) in the compartments 35 corresponding to the lower zone 3 and reinforcements with positive buoyancy in the compartments 23 corresponding to the trunk zone.

In addition, in figure 4 it can be seen that the suit has means for stabilizing the position of the user's neck, collar 5. Specifically, the suit has a receiver 22 for joining a rigid element 220 that extends longitudinally to throughout the suit until it protrudes from the neck. Additionally, this rigid element 220 can be attached to a collar 5.

Claims (10)

%. 1. Swimsuit of the type comprising: • a trunk area (2) intended to receive a user's trunk and neck; 5 • two lower sub-zones (3) intended to receive the user's legs, comprising in its trunk area (2) a first substantially longitudinal opening (20) that allows user access through said first opening (20) as well as closing means of the first longitudinal opening (20) and second openings (31 , 32) substantially longitudinal that extend along each of the lower sub-zones 10 (3) as well as means of closing the second longitudinal openings (31,32), where the suit (1) is of a single piece, and the first substantially longitudinal opening (20) allows the trunk area (2) to be opened allowing the trunk area (2) to be arranged in a single plane, the bathing suit (1) characterized in that the first substantially longitudinal opening (20) has a transverse component and the substantially longitudinal second openings (31,32) have a transverse component (33,34). 2. Swimsuit according to claim 1, characterized in that said substantially longitudinal second openings (31,32) allow the lower sub-zones (3) to be 20 have in one plane. 3. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing means comprise sailboat. 25 4. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized because the manufacturing material of the suit (1) comprises neoprene. 5. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material for manufacturing the suit (1) comprises thermal material. 30 6. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two lateral sub-zones (4) intended to receive the arms of the user, each of said lateral sub-zones (4) comprising a third longitudinal opening (41, 42) that allows user access over said area and means of closing the third 35 longitudinal opening (41.42). 7. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second openings (31,32) communicate with the first opening (20). 5 8. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized because it comprises means for joining a positively adjustable flotation collar (5). 9. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for stabilizing the neck of the user comprising a 10 rigid element (220) attached to the trunk area (2) and extending over the neck of the suit (1). 10. Swimsuit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises compartments (23,35) for the reception of reinforcements with positive or negative buoyancy. fifteen 11. Swimsuit according to claim 15, characterized in that the reinforcements with positive buoyancy (23) comprise foam. 12. Swimsuit according to claim 15, characterized in that the reinforcements with negative buoyancy (35) comprise weights.