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(11) | EP 2 272 388 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A Garment |
| (57) The present invention provides a garment, in particular a sleeve (10), which may
form the entire garment or which may form part of a jacket or gown, full body suit,
or other item of work clothing, and which includes a resiliently deformable cuff (18)
adapted to form a fluid tight seal around the person's wrist in order to prevent the
ingress of fluid, for example when milking a cow, in order to keep the persons clothing
dry.
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Field of the invention
[0001] This invention relates to a garment, in particular a sleeve, which may form the entire garment or which may form part of a jacket or gown, full body suit, or other item of work clothing.
Background of the invention
[0002] The process of milking cows, in particular when undertaken manually requires the person milking to sit at a position substantially level with, or preferably below the teat of the cow, in order to allow easy access thereto and to perform efficient milking of the cow. However, as a result of this position, during the milking process a quantity of milk will inevitably get on to the milker's hands and as a result of the position of the milker during the milking process, will run down the milker's arm. This is both uncomfortable for the milker and will also often soak into the milker's clothing, which when dry can result in an unpleasant odour and/or staining. In cold and/or wet weather this can also leave the milker's clothing damp for prolonged periods, which give rise to discomfort and/or illness.
Summary of the invention
[0004] The present invention provides a garment comprising a sleeve, the sleeve comprising a body and a resiliently deformable cuff provided at a first end of the body.
[0006] Preferably, the cuff is adapted to form a substantially fluid tight seal around the wrist of a person wearing the garment.
[0014] Preferably, the cuff is stitched to the body and a sealant is provided about the stitching in order to prevent fluid ingress at the stitching.
[0015] Preferably, the cuff (18) comprises between 10 - 40%, more preferably between 20 - 30%, and most preferably 25% of the overall length of the sleeve (10).
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0016]
Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a garment, in the form of a sleeve, according to the present invention; and
Figure 2 illustrates the sleeve of figure 1 being worn by a user.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
[0017] Referring now to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a garment, generally indicated as (10), which in the embodiment described and shown is in the form of a sleeve (10), which is intended to be worn by a user as a protective garment, for example, during tasks such as milking cattle, veterinary procedures, or the like.
[0018] The sleeve (10) comprises a body (12) which may be formed from any suitable material, preferably a waterproof and breathable material, for example Goretex®, the body (12) having a first end (14) and a second end (16) extending from which is a cuff (18). In use, the user will pass their hand through the first end (14), drawing the body (12) onto the wearer's arm, with the wearer's hand then passing out through the cuff (18), which is then seated or clamped in substantially fluid-tight engagement around the wearer's wrist. The first end (14) may be elasticated in order to prevent the body (12) from migrating down the wearer's arm during use. In the present embodiment this is achieved in conventional fashion by encapsulating a band (not shown) of elasticated material within the material forming the first end (14), although is will be appreciated that any other suitable alternative may be employed.
[0019] The cuff (18) is formed from a resiliently deformable material, preferably an elastically deformable material and most preferably a rubber or the like. The cuff (18) terminates in a free end (20), defining an opening whose dimensions are smaller than the wearer's wrist, such that the cuff (18) must be stretched in order to fit around the wearer's wrist. This will cause the cuff (18) to form a fluid-tight seal with the wearer's wrist, preventing the ingress of fluids such as milk or the like. The cuff (18), being formed from rubber, is also completely waterproof, thus preventing said fluids from soaking through the cuff (18). If desired, for reasons of comfort, the cuff (18) could be provided with a soft lining (not shown) on the skin contacting side thereof, for example a felt lining
[0020] The cuff (18) is preferably tapered towards the free end (20), such as to be capable of accommodating wrists of varying dimension.
[0021] The opening defined by the free end (20) may also be enlarged to suit a user having a larger than normal wrist, as if the opening is too small, due to the elastic nature of the cuff (18), the cuff (18) may be too tight on the wearer, resulting in discomfort and possible reduction in blood circulation. By tapering the cuff (18) towards the free end (20), it is then possible to simply cut or otherwise remove a section or ring of material from the cuff (18) at the free end (20), thereby enlarging the end of the cuff (18). By trial and error the free end (20) may be enlarged until a suitable size to accommodate the wearer's wrist while maintaining a tight enough fit to prevent the leaking or migration of fluid past the cuff (18). As a result the cuff (18) should be of sufficient length to allow one or more sections or rings to be removed therefrom, and for the cuff (18) to retain sufficient length to perform its intended function. Preferably the cuff (18) comprises between 10 - 40%, more preferably between 20 - 30%, and most preferably 25% of the overall length of the sleeve (12).
[0022] The cuff (18) may be stitched, bonded or otherwise secured to the body (12) of the sleeve (10) at the second end (16). If stitched to the body (12), it is preferable that a sealant is then provided about the stitching in order to ensure a fluid tight seal at the line of stitching such as to maintain the integrity of the sleeve (10). It will also be appreciated that the sleeve (10) may form part of a larger garment, for example, a milking-parlour suit jacket, a veterinary gown or any other protective garment.
1. A garment comprising a sleeve (10), the sleeve (10) comprising a body (12) and a resiliently
deformable cuff (18) provided at a first end (14) of the body (12).
2. A garment according to claim 1 in which the cuff (18) tapers towards a free end (20)
thereof.
3. A garment according to claim 1 or 2 in which the cuff (18) is adapted to form a substantially
fluid tight seal around the wrist of a person wearing the garment.
4. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the cuff (18) comprises an elastically
deformable material.
5. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the cuff (18) comprises rubber.
6. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the first end (14) is elasticated.
7. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the body (12) comprises a waterproof
material.
8. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the garment comprises a torso,
a gown, or a suit from which the sleeve (10) extends.
9. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the cuff (18) is stitched to the
body (12) and a sealant is provided about the stitching in order to prevent fluid
ingress at the stitching.
10. A garment according to any preceding claim in which the cuff (18) comprises between
10 - 40%, more preferably between 20 - 30%, and most preferably 25% of the overall
length of the sleeve (10).