Protective garment

Abstract

A protective body garment comprising an outer layer of penetration resistant armour, a gas inflatable bladder and inflation means for inflating the bladder to provide buoyancy to the wearer of the garment when immersed in water. The garment has an inner support means ( 130 ) to support the inner surface of the bladder ( 110 ) and the inflatable bladder is placed between the inner support means ( 130 ) and the outer layer of armour ( 138 ). The garment may also possess wall portions ( 115 ) which when the device is deflated are held together by releasable interengaging means and when the device is inflated are separated to increase the size of the garment to accommodate the volume of the inflated device.

1 - 25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . A protective body garment comprising an outer layer of penetration resistant armour, a gas inflatable bladder and inflation means for inflating the bladder to provide buoyancy to the wearer of the garment when immersed in water, and an inner support means to support the inner surface of the bladder, wherein the inflatable bladder is placed between the inner support means and the outer layer of armour.  
   
   
       27 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein inner support means is an inner support layer comprising a layer of plastics material or a layer of body armour.  
   
   
       28 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the inner support layer is provided by a plurality of sections held within one or more pockets of the garment to be placed between the bladder and a user's body thereby to encourage the shock wave from a bullet to be transmitted directly from the outer layer to the inner layer to be dissipated by spreading the pressure over the inner support layer.  
   
   
       29 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the inner support means is in contact with an inner surface of the bladder.  
   
   
       30 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the inner support means overlies the bladder so that the peripheral portion of the inner support means is in contact with the outer layer.  
   
   
       31 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the body armour comprises a plurality of components which are either flexible or flexibly connected together, whereby the armour expands on inflation of the gas bladder.  
   
   
       32 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the garment comprises portions interconnected by expansion joints which, when the bladder inflates, permit said portions to move to provide room for the bladder to expand.  
   
   
       33 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the expansion joints comprise folded strips of material connected between said portions.  
   
   
       34 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 32 , further comprising protrusions from the inner and outer walls of the vest proximate the expansion joints, wherein the protrusions are held together by releasable interengaging means which are separated to increase the size of the garment to accommodate the volume of the bladder when inflated.  
   
   
       35 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , comprising valve means connected to said bladder for limiting pressure in the bladder when it is inflated.  
   
   
       36 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the body armour includes a metal mesh.  
   
   
       37 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , including padding to reduce trauma.  
   
   
       38 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , including automatic immersion sensitive inflation means for said bladder.  
   
   
       39 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 26 , comprising an inner vest connectable to an outer jacket.  
   
   
       40 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 39 , wherein the vest and the jacket each comprise a gas inflatable bag and each bag has pressure limiting valve means connected thereto.  
   
   
       41 . A protective body garment comprising an outer layer of penetration resistant armour, a gas inflatable bladder and inflation means for inflating the bladder to provide buoyancy to the wearer of the garment when immersed in water.  
   
   
       42 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the body armour comprises a plurality of components which are either flexible or flexibly connected together, whereby the armour expands on inflation of the gas bladder.  
   
   
       43 . A protective body garment as claimed in  claim 42  wherein the components include one or more straps, whereby the inflatable bladder is visible when the bladder expands.  
   
   
       44 . An inflatable garment in the general form of a vest, the garment containing an inflatable device, the garment having wall portions which when the device is deflated are held together by releasable interengaging means and when the device is inflated are separated to increase the size of the garment to accommodate the volume of the inflated device.  
   
   
       45 . An inflatable garment as claimed in  claim 44 , wherein the interengaging means comprising at least one row of spaced apart male and female connectors along the wall portions.  
   
   
       46 . A garment according to  claim 45 , wherein the interengaging means are rows of spaced apart facing press studs protruding from the wall portions.  
   
   
       47 . A garment according to  claim 44 , wherein the inflation device comprises a gas cylinder arranged to inflate a bag automatically and a valve through which the gas can escape from the bladder and which can be used to add more gas to the bladder.  
   
   
       48 . A garment according to  claim 47 , wherein the valve is connected to a blow tube accessible by the mouth of the wearer.  
   
   
       49 . A garment according to  claim 44 , including a collar portion which is set low so that head movement of a wearer of the jacket also wearing a helmet will not foul the helmet.  
   
   
       50 . A garment according to  claim 44 , including body locating devices which are released upon full inflation of the bladder.