Apparel – Body garments
Reexamination Certificate
1993-10-21
2001-12-25
Vanatta, Amy B. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Body garments
C002S079000, C002S115000, C002S227000, C002S108000, C002SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332221
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the thermoregulatory nature of articles of clothing.
One function of clothing is to provide humans with a means of maintaining body temperature between limits which are both comfortable and necessary for normal body function.
The human body possesses a tissue known as adipose tissue or fat, of which there are two recognized types; ‘Yellow or White Fat’ and ‘Brown Fat’. Each characterized by; structure, localization, vascularisation and function of the cells.
White fat has a great capacity to insulate the body from heat loss, thereby assisting temperature regulation. White fat cells are found over the entire human body, the general anatomical distribution of which is characteristic to humans.
Brown fat is a tissue capable of metabolism which actively generates heat, thereby assisting temperature regulation. Brown fat cells are found in localized areas over the human body, the general anatomical distribution of which is characteristic of humans.
It is recognized that active brown fat possesses the ability to generate heat in response to cold stress, and of all tissues it is believed to have the greatest capacity for heat production.
Relatively high densities of brown fat cells, and relatively high densities of white fat cells (the latter being hereinafter defined as ‘fat pads’) are located over the body; Where these coincide the white fat cells are theoretically providing insulation/lagging for any increased cellular heat production in this area.
As well as generating heat, and insulating in order to conserve increased internal heat produced, the body also controls temperature (hereinafter defined as ‘thermoregulates’) by redistribution of blood flow to the skin's surface; decreasing this flow to insulate or build up internal heat, and increasing this flow to cool down. Sweating may also occur if the body's requirements for heat loss are even greater.
Certain specific areas of the skin (hereinafter defined as areas ‘over the body’) appear to be particularly sensitive to their (immediate) environmental climate (hereinafter defined as ‘microclimate’), and in particular the temperature of the microclimate. In the case of a clothed human being, the environment between the skin and the clothing would be the microclimate. Specific areas of the body which are particularly sensitive to their microclimate are hereinafter defined as ‘temperature sensitive sites’.
The skin is covered with millions of tiny temperature sensors, which tell the body how hot or cold it is outside. Messages are then passed from the sensors to the main control center, (the hypothalamus) located in the brain, which will in turn direct the body either to force up its internal heat generation (hereinafter defined as ‘metabolism’), increasing the conversion of the body's fuel into heat, thereby increasing its temperature, if it is cold, or drive down its metabolism and temperature, if it is hot.
It matters little that there might be ice and snow outside as the microclimate between the skin and clothing may well be warm or even hot, and it is this microclimate which will affect the temperature sensors and not the cold conditions outside.
The spine is the brain's chief temperature sensor, and therefore, the brain will tend to follow the messages sent from the spine's temperature sensors, above those from other areas of the skin.
So, if the microclimate of the spine is cool, the nerves are stimulated in this region, sending messages to the brain to increase metabolism. This means that everything including the immune system, will be working harder.
If, however, the microclimate of the spine is either
(i) too warm, resulting in a lack of nerve stimulation, or
(ii) too hot; resulting in heated nervous stimulation, which continues to stimulate metabolism but maintains an increasingly hot microclimate,
either of which might be the case if the clothing over the spine provides too much insulation or too little ventilation, then the spine overheats.
In the overheated state the spine will direct the brain in (i) above to develop a sluggish metabolism (including suppressed nervous activity and a sluggish immune system), the net result being less fuel-to-heat conversion and lowered heat output either in local areas of the body or in the body overall, with the potential risk of cellular damage due to low temperature and/or low blood flow, and, in (ii) above the nervous tissue of the spine, owing to excess temperature and/or blood flow in excess of requirements, may suffer cellular heat damage and/or fusing, much in the same manner as an overheated electrical wire.
A similar situation may also arise in other temperature sensitive sites. Such a situation is hereinafter defined as ‘overheating’.
Indeed, the spine, being the brain's chief temperature sensor, appears to function in much the same way as a thermostat, and within the scope of this invention, is regarded as the key temperature sensitive region of the body.
The conclusion is that it is desirable to have clothing having sectors which specifically prevent the spine from overheating. Furthermore, it is one desirable object to provide clothing with at least a sector occupying substantially and substantially exclusively (as hereinafter defined) the spinal cord site (as hereinafter defined), where convenient to the garment construction.
The anatomical distribution of the body's natural clothing of muscle and/or bulky fatty tissue is characteristic to humans.
A second category of temperature sensitive sites are those which when a human being observes their naked body in a mirror, whether fat, thin, short or tall, it is noticeable how certain areas are seen to be padded with much less muscle and/or bulky fatty tissue than other areas. These areas not protected by fat pads include the spine, back of neck, back of knees, front of chest, below the breasts, the sacral dimples (hereinafter defined), armpits, front of elbows and groin and shins.
The general relative absence of fat pads in these areas appears to suggest that their insulatory requirements are less than for those areas which are generally relatively more protected/insulated by fat pads.
The conclusion is that it is desirable to have clothing that keeps the body warm and/or insulated whilst having sectors which are specifically less insulated in areas of relatively less fat pads.
A third category of temperature sensitive sites are those which tend to sweat more than other areas of the body. They can be observed by looking at the sweat pattern on the shirt of an athlete after a hard ‘work-out’, and they include the spine and all of the other areas not protected by fat pads.
Sweating is a major way in which the human body is able to lose heat to keep cool (in a warm or hot microclimate), by the latent heat of evaporation of sweat from the skin surface, and so control its temperature and metabolism.
The body is constantly raising its activity level and temperature in response to the germs and diseases which are attacking it 24 hours a day. Unless the skin can thermoregulate freely, the body will not be able to maintain the requisite temperature and activity level, and so the body may become infected and/or suffer cellular damage and/or DNA damage, which is likely to be inefficiently repaired.
The fact that the skin is characterized by areas which apparently sweat more than others would suggest their need to be able to lose heat and sweat properly in order to thermoregulate efficiently, specifically in order to maintain their temperature between those limits which are necessary for their functional demands at any particular time.
It is concluded that improved cellular activity of the body would be provided by clothing having sectors specifically in sweaty regions, thereby allowing the body to sweat effectively.
Indeed, it would appear to be a very important consideration that in these ‘sweaty’ areas can be found relatively higher concentrations of lymph glands (for temperature sensitive immune cell production) and/o
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