US3014218A - Rainwear - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1961 ESMlTH RAINWEAR Filed April 21, 1958 F/ 6 65 INVENTOR LAWRENCE E. SMITH AGE/VT United States Patent @fifice 3,014,218 RAINWE R This invention relates to protective clothing, and more particularly, torainwear.

v Throughout the centuriesclothing has served primarily to protect the individual wearer from the weather or other; aspects of his environment. Today clothing also serves a decorative function, and a great industry has grownto supply both the decorative and the functional purposes, In addition to natural fibers, man has invented new fibers many of which have been designed for specific purposes, and the variety of clothing and materials available to. the individual purchaser has never been greater thanat the present time. What were originally purely functional articles of clothing have, in recent years, become decorative as well, and the special designs in materialand garments serve toenhance the physical appearance of the wearer as well as to protect him.

In spite of the great progress made by the discovery of new-fibers and in the design of articles of clothing themselves, protection from the weather is still a primaryproblem in th e production of clothing.

At present the coats and capes oifered to protect one from rain and snow have manydisadvantages, one of which is thelack of adequate protection, especially in heavy' downpours. -,.Unless special hats are wornor umbrellas. are carried,.thevconstruction of the modern rain coat does not provide the protection necessary to keep water, especially when driven by a hard wind, from penetrating the collar opening. Also, the complicated tailoringrequired by coats, limits the number of lengths which are available, and, as a result, many people find themselves in a downpour with rain gushing down their raincoatsand-into their shoes. 1

'It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide new and improved rain wear.

Anotherobject .is to provide new and improved rain- ,wear which protects during hard driving rains, when protection is needed the most.

A further object of this invention is to provide functional rainwear which does not detract from the decorative appearance of other articles of clothing worn therewith.-

Other objects and advantages of thisinvention will become, apparent with a reading of the following description, which should be considered together with the accompanying drawings in which: I

, FIG. 1 is an illustration of the rainwear of this invention -asv it appears in use;

. FIG.2 is an illustration of a modification of the rainwear ofFIG. 1; I

.FIG. 3 is another modification of the rainwear in accordance with the principles of this invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the rainwear of FIG. 1 showing openings therein;

FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment of the rainwear;of this invention; v

.FIG. 6 illustrates another modification of the rainwear of this invention; and v r FIG- 7,il1ustnates a cross-section of a portion of the rainwear of this invention to show details thereof.

Referringnow to the drawings in detail, and more Patented Dec. 26, 1961 In use, since the garment 12 comprises a thin film of rain resistant material such as a film of.vinyl, 'Mylar," poly propylene, or'polyethylene plastics, the garment is readily folded into a smallpackage which maybe carried on the person until needed. The garment 12 issodesig'ned that it completely'covers an individual, having no open ings corresponding to sleeves, buttoned front, or collar openings along the upper portion which can admit'moisture, even in the hardest rain. As shown" in FIG. 1, the all-enveloping rainwear of this invention obviates the use or the need for umbrellas, since the upper portion of the wearer is completely covered bythe single garment. It has been found that the garment 1 2'w ill v vith'stand the heaviest rains while protecting the wearer completely for hours. 1 i

So as to accommodate persons of many sizes, the rainwear 12 is made witha large diameterand is easily produced in many difierent lengths andiwidths' to more properly fit persons and carriedfpackages of all sizes. If desired, the garment 12 may flare outwardly to'an open bottom having a'diameter greater than at'the top. The rain coat can be hung to dry from aclothes line or other such facility, and since the material from which the garment 12 is fastened is virtually waterproof, it drips dry in a very short time. The garment 12 can readily be worn over any type offclothi'ng and it is equally suitable for warm weatherlbecause it 'is'large enough to permit full circulation of air aroundtheweareras wellfas' for cold climates when it"will serve as .'afwindbre'aker, at th s m me; allowing a clear v d t efin m 1mg: clothing of the wearer; There .isfno' fq'uestion" of the rainwear IZ'being-instyle. The clothin gl'vjvorn under changes with the styles but the garment 12 remains'constant yet giving'the eflfect of always being in the latest fashion? Q In FIG. 2 the rainwear 22 is formed ota material such as described in FIG. 1 having one end' sealed at a curved line 23, to forma top portion 24. To one part'of the garment 22a belt 25 is' fastened bymeansbfa strip member 26. As shown'in FIG. 1 the rainwear conforms somewhat to the shape of the wearer, but since many. individuals feel that such an article of clothingis unflatteringly bulky, especially around the middle, the belt 25 is provided so that it may be shaped better, and to the individual taste. A loop 27 of any: suitable material may be used to suspend the body 22 from any suitable support to allow fordrying. The belt 25 maybe used, also, to fasten the folded garment into a small, tight package.

In use, the rainwear 22 completely envelopes the wearer as shown in FIG. 1. The belt 25f riiay'bjaround the outside of the garment 22,'which';t h en must'cOntain openings for the arms (not shown), and may .be tied about the outside, or,,as an alternative, the belt 25, may be fastened to the inner surface of the. garment 22 .and passed throughl oops therein, or other such fastening members, and may be fastened from the inside. 1In addition it will also find utility for those persons such as mailman whofmust carry bulky package s upon their backs and: to those individuals such as paper boysor delivery men." v

One of thevirtues of an article such asthat of this invention is the ease with which itlca'n be donned and dotted (sincether'e are no sleeves, buttons, and the like) and can be carried by. anyone, at any. time; The rainwear is made to be folded into a small package-which readily fits into a pocket or. purse. A modification of the rain garment of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 3. .The rain garment 32 comprises a' sheet of, rain resistant material which is sealed atone end along a line "33 to form a top portion 34;. An opening 35isprovided-in' the top portion 34 and may be reinforced as by a grommet 'or other such annularshaped member.

The sealed end 33 of the garment 32 is narrower than the open end thereof and is shown as a straight strip, but it is also contemplated that the top portion 34 be curved as is the top portion 24 of the' garment of'FIG. 2. Pleats 36 are provided in the material itself to allow the material to open out in accordion fashion when worn. In this manner the garment '32, when not being used, may be folded more easily into a small, compact mass by reason of the pleats 36. Since the material from which the garment 32' is fashioned is highly transparent, the pleats 36 are barely noticeable, and the vision of the wearer is not impaired. The perforation 35 in the top portion 34 provides an easy and suitable means for supporting the garment 32 vertically from a hook when not in use. The top portion 34 also servesas a means for suspending the garment by clothespins or the like.

As described above in the' description" ofFIG. 2, it is sometimes desirable to have rainwear with openings for the hands or arms. In FIG. 4 such a garment 42 is formed, as described earlier, from transparent water repellant material which is generally in the shape of an envelope or tube sealed along a line 43 at one end to be considered its front but which'may just as well be to the side or to the rear of the wearer. The garment is shown in FIG. 6 as extended, whereas actually, with nothing in it to support it, .the portion 66 would drape naturally in pleasing folds about the wearer. However, this garment hasparticular utility for protecting an individual who must 'keepwith him. some bulky object such as a cart,'-a wagon, a baby carriage, or the like or may be occupied by a plurality of persons simultaneously. When two or more persons, such as at a football game, etc., are to occupy the same garment, one having the shape of those of FIGS. 2, 3, or 5 may also be used. The garment 62, while notso shown in FIG. 6, may also be provided at convenient locations with hand and arm openings. The openings may include flapped openings in which the flap is capable of being raised or lowered so that packagesmay be passed out from within the garment 1 itself. Since the garment 62 is formed of extremely light form a top portion 44. Disposed symmetrically about the body of the garment 42 intermediate the ends thereof are openings 45 having reinforced ends '46. As shown in FIG. 4 the openings 45 are at approximately hand level and are provided for the convenience of the wearer so that he may expose his hands to perform necessary functions. To avoid tearing, the openings 45 are reinforced at their ends 46 by welding, heat sealing, sewing or any other suitable means. Since the garment42 may be worn in an infinitenumber of circumferential positions on the wearer, 'it may have a plurality of openings 45 in spaced relation about the circumference of the garment. .In this manner the wearer will have available to him conveniently located openings 45 regardless of the position of the garment upon him. Additional openings may also be provided at ,any locations desired. The openings 45, in addition to being reinforced at the edges, may also be overlapped so that water is discouraged from entering therethrough. The garment of FIG. 4 is shown in a position which is 90 rotated from the position of the garment of FIG. 2. It is formed with a curved top portion 44 the same as the garment of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 5 a rain garment52 is illustrated as having one end closed along a straight line 53 to form a top portion 54 which has a reinforced loop 55 therethrough. The loop 55 may be used as a convenient means for hanging up the garment as explained above. The sides of the garment 52 are creased, having a central'crease 56 which is positioned inwardly with respect to the outer edges of the garment to form two reentrant flaps which are creased at 57 and 58 along the edges. In this arrangement the garment 52 is easily folded and'stored away, and is inexpensive to manufacture since it requires fewer manufacturing operations than the device of FIG. 3, for example. The creases 56, 57, and 58 enable a wearer to fold the garment into a small, flat package with straight, even sides.

Heretofore, the rain wear has been described as worn by a single individual alone. The normal function of a rain coat has always been to provide protection for only one person at a time, although there have been some attempts in the past to provide rainwear which also offers protection for an occasional package that might be carried by the wearer. The garment of this invention adapts itself especially well to' a protective means of this type; In FIG. 6 a rain garment 62 is illustrated'which has been formed from two separate sheets of substantially transparent and water 'repellant material, which sheets have been joined together along two edges 63 and'64 to form a generally shoe-shaped covering. The bottom 65 of the garment 62 is open; v body normally occupied by the wearer, the garment 62 has an extension portion 65 in what would ordinarily In addition to that portion" of the weight materials, it offers protection over a large area without undue weight.

When a synthetic resin is used as the material from which the'garments of this invention are fashioned, the edges and openings thereof may be sealed or joined by the application of heat to the particular spots 'to be joined or by welding as by the application of a solvent to the two edges. Other forms of fastening such as sewing or gluing may also be used for the materials which are particularly adapted for those means. In FIG. 7 a cross sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of the top portion of the garment 'of FIG. 5 is shown. The body of the garment 72-is, in this casc,'formed of a thermoplastic which has been heat sealed at the junction 73. As shown the portions of the body 72 which have been so sealed flow together to form a unitary portion 73, which in a sense, separates the body of the material 72 from the top portion 74. The joint has been shown as an independent portion of material, but actually, it issolidly joined to- 'both the body 72 and to the top portion 74, providing -a joint which is unlikely to easily tear or separate. Although this junction has been shown as the top seal of the garment 72, this type of seal may also be used to reinforce openings which are provided at any place in the garment itself.

To enable the garment of this invention to be more easily folded, the material from which it is formed may be punctured in appropriate locations with pin-holes, such as the holes 28 in FIG. 2 and the holes 59 in FIG. 5, small enough to keep water from penetrating because of surface tension, but enabling entrapped air to escape. The puncturing may be accomplished by electric sparking, for example. In FIG. 3, the garment 32 tapers from a narrow top to a wider bottom. This is a normal shape of the garment since adequate room must be provided at the "bottom to "allow the legs space in which to move when walking. However, if fashion or other purposes require otherwise, the garment may be of uniform diameter or tapered from a wide top to a narrow bottom.

A new form of rainwear has been described above. The garment has particular utility where a light weight article of clothing which can readily-be folded to occupy a small amount of space and which may be carried upon the person at all times is required. The garment of this invention, in addition to offering complete protection from the weather, has the further advantage of substantial uniformity throughout its circumference so that it may be worn in any position and, if necessary, that position may be easily, quickly, and desirably changed whenever necessary. Modifications have been described for improving the general and specific functions of this garment as well as to provide protection for more than just the individual wearer. It is realized that other forms 'of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art What is claimed is: A rain garment adapted to cover the wearer substantial-ly completely, said garment comprising an elongated tubular body of a flexible transparent synthetic resin material having non-static properties, said body having one end closed whereby it may be supported upon the head of the wearer, the other end of said body being open and providing a facility for donning and dofling, said body being of su'fiicient width to accommodate a wearer and bundles carried in the arms of the wearer and sufliciently long to cover the wearer substantially entirely, the upper portion of said body being provided with a plurality of perforations sufiieiently small that water does not penetrate due to surface tension but which permit the expulsion of air during folding.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS W hiteside Nov. 22, 1921 Beaud Aug. 30, 1927 Masters a Apr. 29, 1941 Sydenham et al Jan. 30, 1945 Beall July 4, 1950 Johnson July 18, 1950 Chappell Aug. 25, 1953 Davidson et a1. Apr. 27, 1954 Nye Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Apr. 26, 1951

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