US3014221A - Article of rainwear - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1961 s. BRUNETTO ARTICLE OF RAINWEAR Filed July 20, 1960 INVENTOR. d'flMUE-L BEUNETTO BY ATTORNEY baa United stats patent 01kt? York Filed July 20, 1960, Ser. No. 44,035 2 Claims. (Cl. 2205) This invention relates to rainwear, and is particularly, although not exclusively, directed to water-repellent hood and shoulder capes.

Rain-proof hoods that can be folded or compressed into a small packet convenient for being carried in a purse or pocket are generally made of thin plastic water-impervious sheeting such as polyethylene. Although such hoods serve their essential waterproofing purpose, they are characterized by the shortcoming-notably present in the foldable type of hoodthat the opening up of the hood from its packed condition requires time-consuming manual manipulation. This short-coming reduces the utility of the hood not only because of the handling annoyance of unfolding a large number of pleated sections, but also because the time necessary for unfolding it to its fully open condition may result in unduly delayed protection in the event of sudden rainfall. Moreover, the refolding operation requires both time, patience and manual dexterity.

It is an object of my invention to provide a hood type of rainwear that is effective for rain protection yet which does not have the aforesaid shortcoming. In the accomplishment of this objective I have provided a structure that can be quickly compressed, by a squeezing and crumpling manipulation, into a compact .form in which it can be maintained by tying or inserting in a thin plastic bagand that when released from its compressed condition will spring into an operatively open conditionall without any folding or unfolding operations.

It is another object of my invention to employ conventional thin plastic sheeting material as the water-repelling medium, but in a novel combination with a netting or open-work mesh material of resilient properties which will impart a spring-like opening action to the plastic sheeting, and which will also serve as an air-pervious lining to prevent the sheeting from clinging to the skin of the wearer.

Another object of my invention, in one form thereof, is the provision of the aforesaid netting on opposite sides of the water-proof sheeting, both to enhance the said resilient opening force imparted to said sheeting and to provide two-sided protection for the sheeting.

It is a further object of this invention to add to the aesthetic appearance of rainwear of the above category by providing a delicate lace-like texture thereto, without interfering with the desirable transparency of the usual plastic sheeting used for such articles.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of a combination hood and shoulder cape having the above-mentioned features, whereby the neck and shoulder portions, as well as the head of the wearer, are fully protected. And in this aspect of my invention it is my objective to permit an operative creasing of the juncture of the hood and cape portions, so that both portions will attractively conform to the shape of the head and shoulders of the wearer.

And it is my further objective to provide an inexpensive and readily fabricated garment of the above-referred-to category having the features aforesaid.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a form of my invention embodying a hood and shoulder cape.

3,014,221 Patented Dec. 26, 1961 FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of FIG. 1 taken along line 22 thereof. 1

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section of FIG. 1 taken substantially along line 3--3.

FIG. 4 is a perspectiive view of the garment of FIG. 1 in compressed form.

The form of my invention illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 4 comprises the hood portion 10, the shoulder cape portion 11 and the juncture portion therebtween generally designated 12. The open front 13 of the hood portion is defined by the front edge 14, the front of the cape portion comprising the front wings 15 and 16, these being extensions of the sides 17 and 18 and the back 19 of said cape portion. Edge 20 defines the bottom. of the garment, said edge being continuous with the front edges 21 and 22 of the cape portion. Extending from the front edges of said juncture portion 12 are the two tying ribbons 23 and 24.

The hood and cape portions'eaoh comprises a thin water-proof plastic sheet, and inner and outer open-mesh resilient sheetings flanking the plastic sheet. The plastic sheet is preferably transparent, a suitable material being polyethylene. The open-mesh sheetings may be netting material made of nylon thread, or of any other preferably water-repellent synthetic or natural fibre of somewhat springy or resilient properties, so that upon being deformed or bent they will tend to return to their original extended condition; or the said open mesh sheeting may be treated with suitable sizing material to impart a stiff resilient structure thereto.

In the embodiment shown, the hood portion 10 comprises the intermediate water-proof plastic sheet 25, the outer resilient netting 26 and the inner resilient netting 27; and the cape portion 11 comprises the intermediate Water-proof plastic sheet 28, the outer resilient netting 29 and the inner resilient netting 30. The said plastic sheets 25 and 28 are in overlapping relation at said juncture portion 12 so as to present a continuous water-proof struc ture. It will be noted, however, that the said resilient nettings extend only partly into said juncture portion 12, so that said latter portion contains, substantially at the medial portion thereof, no resilient netting material. The portion 31 of the plastic sheeting within the juncture portion is thus free of netting material, for reasons which are hereinbelow set forth. The respective outer and inner bands 32 and 33, preferably made of flexible non-resilient material, are also components of said juncture portion, these being attached to the adjacent nettin-gs and plastic sheeting by sewing or other suitable means. The edges 14 and 20 may be sealed or stitched in any known manner, the preferred form of edge, as illustrated for edge 14, comprising the folded-over portion 25a of the plastic sheet 25, the folded-over portion 27a of the inner netting 27 embracing said portion 25a, and the forward end portion 26a of the outer netting 26 overlapping said portion 27a, the stitching 34 securing said edge portions together.

The plastic sheets 25 and 28 are extremely thin, pliable and non-resilient; and if crumpled or squeezed togetherwhen not combined in the manner aforesaid with the said netting material-they would remain in a compressed form until manually unfolded or expanded. But, in the structure of my invention, the resilient netting sheetings 26, 27, 29 and 30 are combinatively used with said plastic sheets throughout their extent, except at the annular portion 31 in the juncture 12. Hence, upon the release of a previously crumpled or folded garment of my invention, the resilient netting sheets will spring back into their original extended positions, the attached plastic sheets 25 and 28 moving with said netting sheets into their extended operative positions. This action occurs immediately after the untying of the ribbons 2B and 24 holding together the compressed garment as indicated in FIG. 4-or immediately upon the withdrawal of the untied compressed garment from a bag. No tedious and time-consuming unfolding or pulling operations need be performed as in the case of conventional compressible plastic garments; and in reducing the garment into a compact package, the only operation required is a quick crumpling or squeezing action, thereby obviating the careful folding operations required in certain conventional garments in order to effect a ready unfolding thereof.

The said netting material not only serves as a means for etfecting a quick opening of the garment, but also serves as a means for preventing the plastic sheet 2 5 from clinging to the face of the wearer. The netting 27, being positioned on the inside of the hood serves as an airpervious lining and barrier, whereby the plastic sheet is kept out of contact with the face, any moisture on said sheet being subject to evaporation through the inter stices of the netting material. Although in the preferred form illustrated the plastic sheets 25 and 2 3 are flanked the mauer aforesaid, by the use of resilient netting sheetings, it is understood that the opening and expanding function of the resilient netting can be accomplished, in the manner aforesaid, by the use of resilient netting sheeting operatively disposed on one side only of said plastic sheets.

The combinativeuse of netting material and transparent plastic sheets also has aesthetic utility in that a lace-like appearance is presented similar to that of a veil worn over the head and shouldersan'etfect totally absent in the conventional plastic hoods.

As aforesaid, there is a portion 31 of the plastic sheeting in the region of the juncture portion 12 that is not fllanlced by the resilient nettingan arrangement which permits said portion 31 freely to bend and form the annular crease 35 without interference by the netting. This results in a well-defined separation between the hood portion 10 and cape portion 11, the entire cape portion being adapted to lie upon and be fully supported by the shoulders and back of the wearer. The annular reinforcing bands 32 and 33, being as aforesaid non-resilient, will also bend substantialy along the annular crease 36, providing additional protection at such region.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim: 1

1. In an article of rainwear, a hood portion, a cape portion and a juncture portion therebetween, said hood and cape portions each comprising a thin, pliable waterimpervious sheet and a thin resilient sheeting of netting material attached thereto, said netting material extending partly into said juncture portion and at least one of said water-impervious sheets extending along the entire extent of said juncture portion, the medial section of said juncture portion being uncovered by said netting material and being bendable along an annular crease.

2. In an article of rainwear, a hood portion, a cape portion and a juncture portion therebetween, said hood and cape portions each comprising a thin, pliable, plastic nonresilient, transparent and water-impervious sheet and two thin, resilient sheetings of netting material flanking and attached to the respective water-impervious sheets of said hood and cape portions, said netting material extending partly into said juncture portion and at least one of said water-impervious sheets extending along the entire extent of said juncture portion, the medial section of said juncture portion being uncovered by said netting material and being bendable along an annular crease.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,288,865 Freese Dec. 24, 1918 1,562,767 Hess NOV. 24, 1925 2,305,605 Craig et al. Dec. 22, 1942 2,598,090 Yung et al. May 27, 1952

Images