Electrical connections for wearables and other articles

Abstract

This invention is related to electrical connections in wearable garments and other articles that enable the transfer of electrical signals or electrical power from one site in the garment or article to another site on the garment or article by the use of an electrical conductor printed along the length of a substrate which bridges the two sites.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electrical connection from a first site on an article to a second site on the article, the electrical connection comprising:
 an electrical conductor printed along the length of a bridging substrate, wherein the bridging substrate has two ends, one of which is at the first site and the other is at the second site.   
     
     
         2 . The electrical connection of  claim 1 , wherein the article is a wearable garment and the electrical connection is from the first site on the wearable garment to the second site on the wearable garment. 
     
     
         3 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the first site is inside the wearable garment and the second site is on the outer side of the wearable garment, and wherein the end of the bridging substrate at the second site has been passed through an opening in the garment that provides access to the second site so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the garment as it approaches the second site. 
     
     
         4 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the first site is inside the wearable garment and the second site is on the outer side of the wearable garment, and wherein the end of the bridging substrate at the second site has been passed through a seam in the garment that provides access to the second site so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the garment as it approaches the second site. 
     
     
         5 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the first site is inside the wearable garment and the second site is on the outer side of the wearable garment, and wherein the end of the bridging substrate at the second site has been folded around an edge of the garment so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the garment as it approaches the second site. 
     
     
         6 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the bridging substrate is laminated to the wearable garment. 
     
     
         7 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the second site is in a pocket, a flap or a folded flap on the wearable garment. 
     
     
         8 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the first site is at an electrical conductor inside the wearable garment and the second site is a designated site on the outer side of the wearable garment, the electrical connection comprising:
 an electrical conductor printed along the length of a bridging substrate that can be laminated, wherein the electrical conductor inside the wearable garment is an electrical conductor printed on a substrate that can be laminated, wherein one end of the bridging substrate is placed such that the printed conductor at that end of the bridging substrate is in contact with the printed electrical conductor inside the wearable garment and the two substrates inside the wearable garment are laminated in the region of the contact so that the two electrical conductors form an electrical connection, and wherein the other end of the bridging substrate is placed at the designated site.   
     
     
         9 . The electrical connection of  claim 8 , wherein the end of the bridging substrate at the designated site has been passed through an opening in the garment that provides access to the designated site so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the garment as it approaches the designated site. 
     
     
         10 . The electrical connection of  claim 8 , wherein the end of the bridging substrate at the designated site has been passed through a seam in the garment that provides access to the designated site so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the garment as it approaches the designated site. 
     
     
         11 . The electrical connection of  claim 8 , wherein the end of the bridging substrate at the designated site has been folded around the edge of the garment so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the garment as it approaches the designated site. 
     
     
         12 . The electrical connection of  claim 8 , wherein the designated site is in a pocket, a flap or a folded flap on the wearable garment. 
     
     
         13 . The electrical connection of  claim 8 , wherein the bridging substrate is laminated to the wearable garment. 
     
     
         14 . The electrical connection of  claim 8 , wherein the bridging substrate with the printed electrical conductor consists of two or more separate pieces of substrate each with an electrical conductor printed along its length and wherein the printed conductors of neighboring pieces of substrate are placed in contact and neighboring pieces of substrate are laminated together in the regions of contact to achieve the electrical connections of the printed electrical conductors on the two or more pieces of substrate. 
     
     
         15 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the wearable garment is a wearable two-layer garment and wherein the first site is inside the inner layer of the wearable two-layer garment and the second site is a designated site between the two layers of the wearable two-layer garment, the electrical connection comprising:
 an electrical conductor printed along the length of a bridging substrate, wherein the bridging substrate has two ends one of which is at the first site inside the inner layer of the garment and the other end is at the designated site and wherein the other end of the bridging substrate has been passed through an opening or a seam in the inner layer of the wearable two-layer garment that provides access to the designated site between the two layers of the wearable two-layer garment so that the bridging substrate is present between the two layers and the end of the bridging substrate with the electrical conductor printed thereon is placed at the designated site.   
     
     
         16 . The electrical connection of  claim 15 , wherein the bridging substrate with the printed electrical conductor consists of two or more separate pieces of substrate each with an electrical conductor printed along its length and wherein the printed conductors of neighboring pieces of substrate are placed in contact and neighboring pieces of substrate are laminated together in the regions of contact to achieve the electrical connections of the printed electrical conductors on the two or more pieces of substrate. 
     
     
         17 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the wearable garment is a wearable two-layer garment and wherein the first site is between the two layers of the wearable two-layer garment and the second site is a designated site is outside of the wearable two-layer garment, the electrical connection comprising:
 an electrical conductor printed along the length of a bridging substrate, wherein the bridging substrate has two ends one of which is at the first site between the two layers of the wearable two-layer garment and the other end is at the designated site outside the wearable two-layer garment and wherein the other end of the bridging substrate has been passed through an opening or a seam in the outer layer of the two-layer garment that provides access to the designated site outside the wearable two-layer garment so that the bridging substrate overlaps the outer side of the wearable two-layer garment and the end of the bridging substrate with the electrical conductor printed thereon is placed at the designated site.   
     
     
         18 . The electrical connection of  claim 17 , wherein the bridging substrate with the printed electrical conductor consists of two or more separate pieces of substrate each with an electrical conductor printed along its length and wherein the printed conductors of neighboring pieces of substrate are placed in contact and neighboring pieces of substrate are laminated together in the regions of contact to achieve the electrical connections of the printed electrical conductors on the two or more pieces of substrate. 
     
     
         19 . The electrical connection of  claim 2 , wherein the wearable garment is a wearable multi-layer garment and wherein the first site and the second site are separated by one or more layers of the wearable multi-layer garment, the electrical connection comprising:
 an electrical conductor printed along the length of a bridging substrate, wherein the bridging substrate has two ends one of which is at the first site and the other end is at the second site and wherein the other end of the bridging substrate has been passed through an opening in the one or more layers separating the two sites that provides access to the second site and that end of the bridging substrate with the electrical conductor printed thereon is placed at the second site.   
     
     
         20 . The electrical connection of  claim 19 , wherein the bridging substrate with the printed electrical conductor consists of two or more separate pieces of substrate each with an electrical conductor printed along its length and wherein the printed conductors of neighboring pieces of substrate are placed in contact and neighboring pieces of substrate are laminated together in the regions of contact to achieve the electrical connections of the printed electrical conductors on the two or more pieces of substrate.