Apparel – General structure – Pads
Patent
1997-04-14
1999-10-05
Chapman, Jeanette E.
Apparel
General structure
Pads
2455, 2459, 2461, 22431, A41D 2726
Patent
active
059604794
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a pad for clothes, such as a shoulder pad, and a manufacturing method of the pad.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, a pad for clothes, such as a shoulder pad, has been improved by positioning a shape memory material, such as a shape memory alloy or a shape memory resin, to enhance pad retentivity. Particularly, this type of pad has an advantage of keeping a good shape of the pad. For example, a pad changes shape when the pad contacts the wearer who has a body temperature which leads to rise the temperature of the pad to a thermal expansion temperature. The memory material maintains the shape of the pad even after the shape of the pad has changed with storage for a long time or with a wash of clothes.
For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 63-11591 (11519/1988) discloses a shoulder pad wherein a linear material made of a shape memory alloy is inserted into and passed through an inner part where a plurality of flexible pad materials including a fiber material are overlapped. The conventional shoulder pad is made as follows: a thin, cylindrical hollow part is pre-formed within an inner part close to one tip of the pad (to a shoulder); and a linear material made of a shape memory material is passed through one open end of the hollow part to the other end (the leading end of the material is first inserted). However, the shape of the shoulder pad itself is three-dimensionally curved, and the linear material made of a shape memory material is also curved. Therefore, the insertion and passage require a lot of manufacturing time; and the leading end of the linear material made of a shape memory material may protrude and break clothes, or it may injure people in the worst case, unless an open end of the hollow part is closed after insertion and passage.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 4-37217 (37217/1992) discloses a shoulder pad wherein a flexible pad material including a fiber material is folded in two, then a linear material made of a shape memory alloy or a net made of a shape memory alloy is positioned along the crease. Although the workability for manufacturing this pad has been improved, because the pad material is folded in two parts to put a shape memory material within the pad, as the shape memory material is positioned along the crease, the position of shape memory material is limited on the crease, and the degree of freedom tends to be less. In particular, in this pad, the crease can be a tip of the pad (a tip of a shoulder); the shape memory material is always positioned along a tip of a shoulder; if the shape memory material is desired to be positioned along a inner side by a certain distance from a tip of a shoulder, it is very difficult to position the material, and the workability worsens. Unless an open end of a hollow part after insertion and passage is closed, a leading end of a linear material made of the shape memory material may protrude to damage clothes or to injure people.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to overcome the problems of conventional pads, in particular, to provide a pad, wherein the precise positioning is obtained by positioning a curved shape memory material within a curved pad, while obtaining good workability. Another aspect of the present invention is directed to prevent a shape memory material from protruding through clothes to improve the safety of pad. A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a pad which may achieve the purposes described above and which also has a very high workability.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art
REFERENCES:
patent: 2410986 (1946-11-01), Merchur
patent: 2424482 (1947-07-01), Merchur et al.
patent: 2478340 (1949-08-01), Talalay
patent: 2523720 (1950-09-01), Riedler et al.
patent: 2616093 (1952-11-01), Talalay
patent: 2637854 (1953-05-01), Riedler et al.
Chapman Jeanette E.
Teikoku Co., Ltd.
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