Garment ventilation structure

Abstract

A garment such as a sports shirt has concealed ventilation channels, which provide a continuous air channel between permanent openings. In one embodiment, the channels are flexible and non-intrusive and the openings are maintained by springy eyelets. The eyelets and channels are attached to the main fabric of the garment, providing a robust and a streamlined construction. Another embodiment incorporates active ventilation structures within the channels, the structures having a natural vibration frequency matched to a motion frequency spectrum of the wearer. In a further embodiment, the ventilation channels are made of shape memory polymer and change shape in response to changes in temperature.

1 . A sports shirt comprising main areas of fabric, said main fabric areas providing a layer capable of contact with the wearer's skin when the shirt is worn by a person, said main fabric areas being separated from one another by apertures, each said aperture being partially enclosed by a second fabric layer that is held away from the wearer's skin when the shirt is worn by a person, said second fabric layer defining a pair of openings and concealing the aperture, said second fabric layer and said second layer openings defining a ventilation channel over the aperture, said ventilation channel defining a continuous air path along the entire length of the channel between said openings and over the wearer's skin. 
     
     
         2 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , said channels being oriented so as to be substantially vertical when said sports shirt is worn by a standing person. 
     
     
         3 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said channels are self-supporting and flexible. 
     
     
         4 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said channels are formed from a thermoplastic fabric and have a corrugated profile along the channel length, said profile being defined by corrugations thermally formed in said thermoplastic fabric. 
     
     
         5 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 4 , wherein said channel thermoplastic fabric is a fabric material selected from the group consisting of polyester, acrylic, PVC, rayon, nylon, acetate and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         6 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 4 , wherein said channel thermoplastic fabric is a natural fabric material, coated with a thermoplastic layer. 
     
     
         7 . A sports shirt as defined  claim 4 , wherein said corrugations in said channel fabric have a depth of about 1 mm and repeat pitch of about 2 mm. 
     
     
         8 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , wherein each of said channels is supported by means of enlarging said openings in response to temperature, said means comprising a shape memory polymer that is adapted to possess a first shape below a certain temperature and a second shape above the certain temperature. 
     
     
         9 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 8 , wherein said channels are approximately planar with said main areas of fabric below the certain temperature and are raised substantially above said main areas of fabric above the certain temperature. 
     
     
         10 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 8 , wherein the certain temperature is such that the shape memory polymer is actuated in response to heat generated by the wearer. 
     
     
         11 . A sports shirt as defined  claim 8 , further including electronic means for actuating the shape memory polymer. 
     
     
         12 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the a cross-sectional profile of each channel is about 15 mm wide by about 5 mm deep. 
     
     
         13 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , in which said openings are formed by springy eyelets which terminate the channels, said eyelets serving to hold the channels open in a desired cross-sectional shape and providing protection to edges of said main fabric areas at the apertures. 
     
     
         14 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 10 , said eyelets being molded in a thermoplastic material selected from the group comprising polyester, acrylic, PVC, ABS, acetate, nylon, rayon and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 14 , said eyelets being attached to the main fabric layer and to the second fabric layer by at least one attachment method selected from the group comprising heat-forming, adhesive bonding, ultra-sonic welding and stitching. 
     
     
         16 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 13 , said eyelets comprising a shape memory polymer that is adapted to possess a first shape below a certain temperature and a second shape above the certain temperature. 
     
     
         17 . A sports shirt as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said openings are capped with a large gauge mesh fabric. 
     
     
         18 . A sports shirt made from a fabric that defines an interior of the shirt and an exterior of the shirt, said sports shirt comprising main areas of the fabric, said main areas being separated from one another by ventilation channels, said channels being self-supporting and flexible, said channels being oriented so as to be substantially vertical when said sports shirt is worn by a standing person, each of said channels defining an air path along a length of said channel from a lower end of said channel to an upper end of said channel, said channel defining openings to said exterior of said shirt at said lower end and said upper end of said channel and said channel being open to the interior of said shirt along at least a major part of the length of said channel, wherein said channels are formed from a thermoplastic fabric and have a corrugated profile along the channel length, said profile being defined by corrugations thermally formed in said thermoplastic fabric. 
     
     
         19 . A sports shirt made from a fabric that defines an interior of the shirt and an exterior of the shirt, said sports shirt comprising main areas of the fabric, said main areas being separated from one another by ventilation channels, said channels being self-supporting and flexible, said channels being oriented so as to be substantially vertical when said sports shirt is worn by a standing person, each of said channels defining an air path along a length of said channel from a lower end of said channel to an upper end of said channel, said channel defining openings to said exterior of said shirt at said lower end and said upper end of said channel and said channel being open to the interior of said shirt along at least a major part of the length of said channel, wherein each of said channels is supported by means of enlarging said openings when heat is generated by the person, said means being a shape memory polymer.