Protective garment

Abstract

A protective garment for protecting military and emergency service personnel comprises an upper body garment having a torso portion formed of flexible material and left and right arm sleeves extending from the torso portion, each sleeve including one or more pockets for retaining a protective armour element to the sleeve. Right and left aide leggings are provided each having retainers for retaining armour elements to the leggings. Each armour element comprises a flexible or rigid ballistic resistant material or structure for protecting the limbs of a wearer against bullets and fragmentation from explosives. The protective garment includes a lower sleeve and lower leggings, each of which are detachable from the basic garment.

1 - 77 . (canceled) 
     
     
         78 . A protective garment for protecting personnel, comprising a torso portion formed of flexible material, and left and right arm sleeves extending from said torso portion, each sleeve comprising a flexible material and including retaining means for retaining a protective armour element to the sleeve. 
     
     
         79 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , wherein each sleeve has an upper arm portion and a lower arm portion, and said retaining means comprises one or more of (1) a first retainer positioned to retain a first protective armour element in the upper arm portion, and (2) a second retainer for retaining a second protective armour element in the lower arm portion. 
     
     
         80 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 79 , wherein said lower arm portion comprises a discrete sleeve portion detachable from said upper arm portion and fastening means for releasably fastening the lower arm portion to the upper arm portion. 
     
     
         81 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , wherein said retaining means comprises at least one pocket provided on said sleeve. 
     
     
         82 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 81 , wherein one or more of (1) the pocket is formed on the outside of said sleeve, (2) the pocket has an opening on at least one of the inside of the sleeve and the outside of the sleeve for permitting insertion of a protective armour element therein, and (3) an opening is positioned near the top of said pocket. 
     
     
         83 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , wherein one or more of (1) at least a portion of each sleeve comprises a lightweight, breathable material or mesh material, and (2) said torso portion comprises a front panel and a rear panel and one or both panels comprises a lightweight, breathable material or mesh material. 
     
     
         84 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , wherein at least one of (1) said sleeves and (2) said torso portion comprises at least one of a stretchable material, and polypropylene. 
     
     
         85 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , wherein each sleeve has an opening formed therein in the under part of the sleeve near the junction between the sleeve and the torso portion. 
     
     
         86 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , wherein said torso portion comprises a front portion and a rear portion, and at least one of the front portion and the rear portion comprises left and right side flaps for securing to at least one of the front portion and rear portion. 
     
     
         87 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , further comprising at least one protective armour element for each sleeve. 
     
     
         88 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 87 , wherein at least one protective armour element comprises at least one of (1) a plurality of layers of ballistic resistant fabric, and (2) a protective plate. 
     
     
         89 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 88 , wherein at least one of (1) the protective plate has a pre-formed transverse curvature to assist in conforming the plate to the shape of the region of a wearer's arm when in use, and (2) each protective plate has a transverse curvature and is flexible to allow the transverse curvature to be varied. 
     
     
         90 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 88 , wherein a protective plate comprises at least one layer of plastic and/or ceramic material and at least one layer of ballistic resistant fabric. 
     
     
         91 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 90 , wherein said plastic or ceramic material is positioned as an outer layer relative to the ballistic resistant material. 
     
     
         92 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , further comprising tightening means for tightening each sleeve and/or at least one protective element against a wearer's arm. 
     
     
         93 . The use of a protective garment as claimed in  claim 78 , at least one of (1) by military personnel and/or emergency service personnel, (2) worn over standard military uniform, and (3) wherein at least one of an additional protective jacket, a protective jacket comprising a torso portion which includes a ballistic resistant material or structure, a protective jacket which is substantially sleeveless and comprises a torso portion which includes a ballistic resistant material or structure, is worn over the torso portion of said protective garment. 
     
     
         94 . A protective garment for protecting personnel, comprising left and right leg protectors, each leg protector comprising a legging formed of flexible material and having retaining means secured thereto for retaining at least one protective element to the legging. 
     
     
         95 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein said flexible material comprises at least one of (1) a lightweight material, (2) a breathable material, and (3) a mesh material. 
     
     
         96 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein each legging comprises an upper portion for covering an upper portion of a wearer's leg above the knee. 
     
     
         97 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 96 , wherein each legging further comprises a lower portion for covering at least a portion of a wearer's lower leg below the knee. 
     
     
         98 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 97 , wherein each legging includes a front portion and the front portion has an opening formed therein in the knee region. 
     
     
         99 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 97 , wherein each lower portion comprises a discrete element, which can be worn and removed separately from said upper portion. 
     
     
         100 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 99 , further comprising fastening means for fastening the lower portion to the upper portion. 
     
     
         101 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 96 , further comprising left and right knee protectors each comprising a protective material and sized to cover a wearer's knee. 
     
     
         102 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 101 , wherein said knee protector comprises a discrete element separate from said upper portion. 
     
     
         103 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 102 , further comprising fastening means for releasably fastening each knee protector to a respective upper portion of a legging. 
     
     
         104 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein said retaining means comprises at least one pocket provided on each legging. 
     
     
         105 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 104 , wherein one or more of (1) said at least one pocket is formed on the outside of each legging, (2) said pocket comprises an opening on at least one of the inside of the legging and the outside of the legging for permitting insertion of a protective armour element therein, and (3) the internal side of said pocket comprises at least one of a lightweight and breathable material. 
     
     
         106 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 105 , wherein said opening is positioned near the top of said pocket. 
     
     
         107 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein each legging extends substantially to a waist region and said leggings are connected together at said waist region. 
     
     
         108 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , further comprising at least one protective armour element for each legging. 
     
     
         109 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein said leggings each comprise one or more of (1) a retaining means for retaining a protective element in a position for protecting a front region of the thigh of a wearer, (2) a retaining means for retaining a protective element in a position for protecting a rear region of a wearer's upper leg, (3) retaining means for retaining a protective element in a position to protect a buttock region of a wearer, (4) a retainer for retaining a protective element at a position for protecting a front portion of a wearer's lower leg, and (5) a retainer for retaining a protective element in a position for protecting a rear portion of a wearer's lower leg. 
     
     
         110 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 109 , further comprising a respective protective element for protecting each said respective region. 
     
     
         111 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein each legging comprises tightening means for tightening a legging about a wearer's leg. 
     
     
         112 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 111 , wherein at least one of (1) said tightening means comprises at least one web or strap, (2) said tightening means is positioned on the rear of each legging, and (3) each tightening means is positioned to tighten at least one protective element against a wearer's leg. 
     
     
         113 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein said leggings each define an inside edge between the waist region and crotch region thereof and at least a portion of the edges are disconnected. 
     
     
         114 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 113 , wherein the opposed edges are at least one of at the front of said leggings and at the rear of said leggings. 
     
     
         115 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , further comprising a waist portion, each legging attached to said waist portion, and wherein said waist portion includes at least one of a retaining means for retaining a protective element for protecting a portion of the waist region of a wearer, and a protective armour material for protecting a waist region. 
     
     
         116 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 115 , wherein said retaining means comprises at least one pocket. 
     
     
         117 . A protective garment as claimed in  claim 115 , further comprising a tailbone protector extending downwardly from a mid-rear portion of said waist portion. 
     
     
         118 . The use of a protective garment as claimed in  claim 94 , at least one of (1) by military or emergency service personnel and (2) by donning the protective garment by placing said leggings over standard military uniform or other garment, and, optionally tightening said leggings against said military uniform or other garment. 
     
     
         119 . A body protective system comprising a torso portion formed of flexible material, left and right arm sleeves extending from said torso portion, each sleeve comprising a flexible material and including retaining means for retaining a protective armour element to the sleeve and left and right leg protectors, each leg protector comprising a legging formed of flexible material and having retaining means secured thereto for retaining at least one protective element to the legging.