US3307554A - Heated garment - Google Patents

Description

March 1967 J. D. THORNTON ETAL 3,307,554

HEATED GARMENT Filed Oct. 14, 1963 2 Sheets--Sheet 1 Fig.3

Jack 0. Thornton Eula V. Thornton INVENTOKS March 1967 J. D. THORNTON ETAL HEATED GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14,

Jack 0. Thorn/0n- E 0/0 V. Thornton INVENTOKS United States Patent 3,307,554 HEATED GARMENT Jack I). Thornton and Eula V. Thornton, both of 1013 Alpine St., Midland, Tex. 79701 Filed Oct. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 315,767 1 Claim. (Cl. 128402) The present invention generally relates to a device particularly adapted for subjecting the body of a user to a controlled environment.

In particular, the invention comprises a garment capable of being worn in a manner so as to enclose the entire body of a wearer except for .the head, hands and feet, this garment including an air chamber completely surrounding the enclosed portion of the body and means for introducing conditioned air into the chamber, preferably heated air so as to induce the wearer to persp ire as an aid to weight reduction.

It is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a weight-reducing aid which can be utilized without limiting, to any great degree, the normal activities of the wearer. For example, the garment can be worn by a housewife while performing her various chores.

In conjunction with acting as a reducing aid, it is contemplated that the garment of the instant invention also, inasmuch as it allows the body to be surrounded by conditioned air, function as a means for assisting the wearer to achieve a comfortable and relaxed state regardless of external conditions.

While it is appreciated that body enclosing devices to induce perspiration are' known, such devices circulate the heated air directly in contact with the body. However, it has been found that the circulation of the heated air in direct contact with the body does not in fact promote any substantial amount of body perspiration, and in fact, tends to promote a drying effect on the skin. Accordingly, it is considered particularly significant that the garment of the instant invention, while surrounding the body with heated air, prevents any contact of this heated air directly with the body thus producing the desired heating effect without the detrimental effect of the heated air moving directly in contact with the body.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a means whereby the air will be distributed uniformly throughout the garment utilizing any suitable source of conditioned air such as the heated air from a conven tional hair dryer.

Also, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a garment wherein a flexible air distributing tube is provided which is easily collapsed upon the application of an external pressure, such as would occur by the wearer of the device lying down, with the flow of air continuing through the uncollapsed portion of the tube or tubes.

Likewise, it is an object of the instant invention to provide the garment with means for selectively directing the air flow to either the entire garment or to only the lower portion of the garment.

In conjunction with the above objects, it is also an object of the instant invention to provide a garment which is relatively simple in construction and lightweight so as to allow it to be easily and conveniently worn and used.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the garment comprising the instant invention;

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FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational cross-sectional view through the garment;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the garment substantially at the waist illustrating the air distributing tube and feeder tube therefor;

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which one of the air distributing tubes can be collapsed;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view through the lower portion of one of the legs of the garment; and

FIGURE 6 is a partial elevational cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which. the flow of air is to be directed solely to the bottom portion of the garment.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the garment comprising the instant invention. This garment 10 consists basically of an inner suit 12 and an outer suit 14, each of a flexible substantially air impervious material and each including a body portion 16 and 18, leg

portions 20 and 22, and arm or sleeve portions 24 and 26.

As will be appreciated from FIGURE 2, the outer suit 14 is slightly larger than and completely encloses the inner suit 12 in a manner so as to form an air chamber 28 therebetween throughout the full height of the garment 10 as well as between the sleeve portions 24 and 26. The garment is to enclose the entire body of the wearer except for the head, hands and feet, a neck opening 30, hand openings 32 and feet openings 34 being provided so as to allow for the projecting of these members exteriorly of the garment 10.

The inner and outer suits 12 and 14 are to be sealed to each other surrounding these openings 30, 32 and 3 4 with suitable drawstrings 36 being provided about both the hand openings 32 and the leg openings 34 in order that these openings might be sealed upon a putting on of the garment. It will of course be appreciated that various other means may be provided for selectively closing these openings tightly about either the wrists or ankles of the wearer.

In order to enable one to put on the garment 10, both the inner and outer suits 12 and 14 are provided with zippers 3'8 and 40 extending downwardly from the neck opening 30 to approximately the waist area of the garment 10.

Air, preferably heated air so as to induce perspiring by the wearer, is introduced into the air chamber 28 circu-mferentially about the garment 10 at approximately the waist thereof through distribution tubes 42 communicating with a single feeder tube 44 projecting exteriorly of the garment 10 and provided with means, for example the drawstring 46, for engagement with the discharge end of any suitable source of pressurized heated air such as for example the hose 48 of a conventional hair dryer 50 which in turn might be either carried in the wearers hand or otherwise carried by the wearer so as to allow for a substantial freedom of movement.

The distribution tubes 42 are to be of a flexible air-impervious material having a plurality of air passage apertures 52 opening both upwardly and downwardly at longitudinally spaced points along the length of the tubes 42. By such an arrangemengit will be appreciated that the pressurized heated air will flow completely about the body both upwardly and downwardlyso as to continuously supply the entirechamber 28. It is considered particularly desirable that the distributing tubes 42 be flexible in nature so as to provide no discomfort to the wearer of thegarment 10, and also so as to allow the wearer to comfortably sit or lie down with the garment 10 on, the distribution tube 42 positioned under the wearer merely being compressed, as illustrated in FIG- URE 4, with the air flow being directed through the other tube 42 or those portions of the first tube which are not actually compressed. It will of course be appreciated that only a low pressure is needed so as to insure the desired flow of heated air, this low pressure allowing the above referred to collapsing of the tube 42.

On occasion, it might be deemed desirably to direct the heated air solely toward the lower portion of the garment 10. In order to achieve this, a drawstring 54 is provided about the exterior of the outer suit 14 in the waist area of the garment slightly above the distributing tubes 42, this drawstring 54, as will be appreciated from FIGURE 6, upon being drawn tight, completely seals off the upper portion of the chamber 28 thus directing the air flow downwardly.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that an effective aid to weight reduction through perspiration has been defined, this aid being in the form of a body-enclosing garment constructed so as to allow for the enveloping of the body in heated air without the air coming in direct contact with the body. In addition, it has been pointed out that the garment is of a type so as to allow for substantially complete freedom of movement of the wearer while at the same time allowing the wearer to both sit and lie down comfortably.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A weight reduction aid comprising a garment for enveloping the wearer with heated air, said garment comprising inner and outer suits of substantially air-impervious material defining a single internal chamber for the reception and retention of heated air introduced thereinto, means for introducing heated air into said chamber, said suits including coextensive body, leg, and arm portions whereby substantially the entire body of a wearer, except for the head, feet, and hands, is enclosed by the internally defined chamber, said suits including openings to allow the projection of the head, feet, and hands of a wearer from the garment, said suits being sealed to each other about said openings, said inner suit separating the body of the wearer from the air chamber whereby perspiration can be effected without a corresponding drying eifect produced by the moving heated air, and means engaged with the outer suit, peripherally thereabout and to one side of the means for introducing heated air, for selectively clamping the outer suit against the inner suit and segregating a portion of the chamber out of communication with the means for introducing heated air whereby heated air will only envelop that area of a wearers body covered by the portion of the chamber retained in communication with the means for introducing heated References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,834 9/1937 Gaugler 128402 X 2,255,751 9/1941 Bancel 128402 X 3,186,404 6/1965 Gardner 128-40 2 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,241,219 8/1960 France.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, Acting Primary Examiner.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Examiner.

S. BRODER, Assistant Examiner.

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