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EP 2 901 874 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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28.09.2016 Bulletin 2016/39 |
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Date of filing: 04.02.2014 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC):
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Garment fabric
Kleidungsstoff
Tissu pour vêtement
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL
NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
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Date of publication of application: |
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05.08.2015 Bulletin 2015/32 |
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Proprietor: Gao, Jie |
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West Midlands B73 6RG (GB) |
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Inventor: |
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- Gao, Jie
West Midlands B73 6RG (GB)
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Representative: Badger, John Raymond |
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J.R. Badger & Co.
6 Simpson Road Wylde Green
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands B72 1EP Wylde Green
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands B72 1EP (GB) |
(56) |
References cited: :
CN-Y- 2 922 501 KR-A- 20010 044 224
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DE-A1- 4 012 814 US-A1- 2010 043 124
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Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] This invention relates to a garment fabric which provides a beneficial effect when
worn over an area of skin which, for one or more reasons, has suffered damage.
[0002] Frequently skin damage can arise in consequence of climatic factors, especially in
low temperature and low humidity situations, and in consequence of environmental factors
such as may be caused by contact with substances such as lime, cement and salt. Also,
skin damage can be associated with genetic factors, bacterial disease and, especially
in the case of older people, physiological factors.
[0003] Many women have damaged heel skin, which can be embarrassing when wearing slippers
of other, summer type footwear such as flip-flops. Also there is discomfort in winter
when large cracks can arise and result in bleeding.
[0004] It is already known to form a garment such as a sock from fibres or filaments which
have antibacterial properties, for example by providing a fibrous material which contains
nano-silver particles of a diameter less than 100nm as described in
EP 1490543A.
[0005] These antibacterial properties assist in providing a relatively healthy environment
for an area of skin which has suffered damage due to bacterial disease and thus provide
a relatively healthy environment which assists the natural processes of skin recovery.
However, alone the anti-bacterial properties are of limited effectiveness for ensuring
or assisting a speedy recovery.
[0006] It is known also, from
US 2010/0043124A1, to provide a hosiery garment with a multi-layered cushion to protect an Achilles
heel of the wearer from abrasion caused by a heel of a footwear.
[0007] The speed of recovery from skin damage often can be improved by ensuring a good rate
of blood circulation. It is known that repair of damaged skin can be assisted by use
of a cream, but often individuals forget to apply the cream regularly. It is known
also to employ medication such as zinc oxide, snake oil, Vaseline (RTM) and sulphur
ointment, but such treatments are inconvenient and generally expensive.
[0008] It would be advantageous if the rate of recovery and or ease of recovery could be
accelerated and the present invention seeks to provide a garment fabric which addresses
this matter.
[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment fabric
comprising a fabric support in the form of a layer for defining the shape of a garment
and having a surface to at least a part of which there is secured a therapeutic fabric
layer, said therapeutic fabric layer being secured to the fabric support by a flexible
adhesive, said flexible adhesive at least partially penetrating into each of the fabric
support and the therapeutic fabric layer to provide chemical adhesion and a mechanical
interlock between said layers, and said flexible adhesive comprising one or more of
the herb ingredients fang feng, jing jie, tou gu cao, dang gui, hong hua, ding Xiang,
chuan jiao, ai ye and jiang zhen Xiang.
[0010] Preferably said therapeutic fabric layer comprises fibres or filaments, such as woven
nylon or other filaments, which have antibacterial properties and comprise magnetic
particles.
[0011] The terms "fibres" and "filaments" are used herein to refer respectively to filamentary
elements of a relatively short length, and to filamentary elements of a relatively
long length, and to embrace yarns, cords and other such assemblies comprising a plurality
of fibres and/or filaments.
[0012] For providing pain relief the flexible adhesive preferably comprises ding Xiang.
For open sweat pores it preferably comprises one or more of fang feng, jing jie and
tou gu can, and more preferably it comprises the combination of all three of said
herb ingredients. For a deoppilant benefit preferably it comprises ai ye. For promotion
of blood circulation preferably it comprises zhen Xiang and/or hong hua.
[0013] Said fabric support may be of a type having anti-bacterial properties.
[0014] Said therapeutic layer additionally may comprise one or more of sulphur, zinc oxide,
allantoin and lanolin.
[0015] The term "fabric" is used herein to refer to a material which has been formed from
fibres and or filaments which have been brought together by a process such as weaving,
knitting or felting to result in a cohesive assembly of the filaments and or fibres.
[0016] The adhesive may be of a type prepared by filtering of natural latex to remove any
impurities, followed by mixing with a said herb ingredient and optionally, with one
or more of potassium hydroxide (KOH), allantoin, accelerating agent (such as PX) and
acetylsalicylic acid.
[0017] The flexible adhesive layer preferably comprises two adhesive layers. One layer may
comprise natural rubber mixed with a said herb ingredient and the other may comprise
natural rubber that has been mixed with one or more of potassium hydroxide, allantoin
and acetylsalicylic acid.
[0018] The therapeutic fabric layer may be of a type comprising fibres or filaments which
have been rendered anti-bacterial by a technique known per se, such as that described
in the aforementioned
EP 1490543. Optionally the fabric support also may possess anti-bacterial properties.
[0019] The therapeutic fabric layer preferably has a thickness less than 1.0mm, preferably
less than 0.5mm. A thickness of 0.2mm or less is preferred for many applications.
[0020] Preferably the therapeutic fabric layer is provided with anti-bacterial properties
by treatment of the fibres or filaments with a colourless, transparent type of nano-silver
solution which may be of an acidic, neutral or alkaline type. The nano-silver solution
preferably comprises silver particles which have a size less than or equal to 0.5nm.
[0021] The fibres or filaments of the therapeutic fabric layer may be fibres or filaments
of a natural material such as cotton or wool or of a synthetic material such as a
polyamide, for example nylon or an aromatic polyamide.
[0022] The flexible adhesive layer may incorporate other materials such as sulphur, zinc
oxide and lanolin to further enhance medical benefits.
[0023] Preferably use is made of a therapeutic fabric layer having an average magnetic flux
of greater than 0.35mm mwb.
[0024] The therapeutic fabric layer preferably is effective to reflect body heat, particularly
to reflect infrared rays having a wavelength of 8 - 14 µm.
[0025] The therapeutic fabric layer may be provided as a lining within all or part of a
sock or other garment such as a glove. It may be in the form of a pad which is adhered
to a part of that surface of a garment which confronts the skin of the wearer. White
cotton is a particularly suitable material for forming pads.
[0026] The fabric support may be made of material such as cotton, nylon, a mix of cotton
and nylon, a mix of wool and cotton, bamboo fabric, linum fibre, infrared fabric and
magnetic fabric. Other known materials may be employed to form the fabric support
and define the shape of a garment.
[0027] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method
for the production of a garment fabric which comprises a support layer to at least
a part of which there is secured a therapeutic layer, said method comprising providing
a first adhesive and applying said first adhesive to one of the support layer and
therapeutic layer, providing a second adhesive comprising natural rubber mixed with
one or more of potassium hydroxide, allantoin and acetylsalicylic acid, applying said
second adhesive to the other of said therapeutic layer and support fabric and then
bringing together of the two adhesive layers into contact with one another thereby
to secure the therapeutic layer to at least a part of the surface of the support layer,
wherein the first adhesive comprises a mixture of natural rubber and one or more of
the Chinese herbs fang , jing jie, tou gu cao, dang gui, hong hua, ding Xiang, chuan
jiao, ai ye and jiang zhen Xiang.
[0028] Preferably the herb ingredients are incorporated by mixing slowly with natural rubber
at a temperature no less than 15°C. Preferably the first adhesive is applied to the
therapeutic layer but may alternatively be applied to the support layer. Preferably
it is applied to a thickness of 0.01 mm.
[0029] The second layer of the adhesive preferably is applied to the fabric support but
may alternatively be applied to the therapeutic fabric layer. Preferably the second
adhesive is applied to a thickness of 0.01 mm. Other thicknesses may be employed and
preferably the thicknesses of each of the two adhesive layers of the flexible adhesive
layer are substantially equal.
[0030] Preferably the two layers are initially. held in contact with one another at a temperature
of no less than 20° centigrade. It is further preferred that the method comprise a
delay of at least two minutes, preferably at least five minutes between coating adhesive
to the layers and bringing them into contact with one another.
[0031] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only,
with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing (Fig. 1) which is a sectional
view of a sock in accordance with the present invention and the sectional view (Fig.
2) of part of the sock to show the adhesive layers.
[0032] A sock 10, see figure 1, comprises a stretchable outer fabric layer 11 which is of
a flexible anti-bacterial material and defines the shape of the sock. The sock comprises
a heel region 12 and a sole region 13 which, in use, aligns, with the ball of the
wearer's foot. Each of the regions 12, 13 is provided with a flexible therapeutic
fabric pad 14 of a type in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment
the pads each have a thickness of 0,2mm and comprise woven nylon filaments. The nylon
filaments are of a type which have adopted sub-nanometer zirconium phosphate carrying
silver particles. The filaments are also of a type which exhibit far infrared and
anti-bacterial properties.
[0033] The pads are held in position by a flexible adhesive layer comprising natural, latex
and which partially penetrates into the fabric material of the layer 11 and the pads
14. In addition to chemical adhesion the interposed natural latex effects a mechanical
interlock with the filaments of the layer 11 and of the pads 14.
[0034] In this embodiment of the present invention the flexible adhesive layer comprises
a first adhesive 15 which is a mixture of natural latex and one or more of the Chinese
herb ingredients fang feng, jing jie, tou gu cao, dang gui, hong hua, ding Xiang,
chuan jiao, ai ye and jiang zhen Xiang. The first adhesive layer is formed by slowly
mixing the herb ingredient(s) with natural latex at a temperature no less than 15°C.
[0035] A second adhesive 16 is formed by mixing natural latex with potassium hydroxide,
allantoin and acetylsalicylic acid.
[0036] The first adhesive 15 is applied as a layer to the pads 14 and the second adhesive
16 is applied as a layer to those parts of the fabric layer 11 which are to receive
the pads 14. The two adhesives are applied to form layers having a thickness of 0.01
mm. The two adhesive layers are held apart for two minutes and then brought together
at a temperature of no less than 20°C.
[0037] A sock or other garment in accordance with the present invention is believed to provide
an improved ability to speed the recovery of damaged skin in consequence of the anti-bacterial
properties that have been found advantageously to enhance the rate of blood microcirculation
and viscosity.
[0038] Thus the need to employ relatively inconvenient treatments such as ointments may
be avoided.
[0039] In particular, in the case of damaged heels or other parts of feet the use of socks
of a type in accordance with the present invention is more convenient than, for example,
the use of ointments and because the use of socks is a very normal practice the need
for routine and regular treatment is less likely to be forgotten than is the use of
ointments.
1. A garment fabric comprising a fabric support (11) in the form of a layer for defining
the shape of a garment and having a surface to at least a part of which there is secured
a therapeutic fabric layer (14), said therapeutic fabric layer being secured to the
fabric support by a flexible adhesive (15,16), said flexible adhesive at least partially
penetrating into each of the fabric support and the therapeutic fabric layer to provide
chemical adhesion and a mechanical interlock between said layers characterised in that the flexible adhesive (15,16) comprises one or more of the herb ingredients fang
feng jing jie, tou gu cao, dang gui, hong hua, ding Xiang, chuan jiao, ai ye and jiang
zhen Xiang.
2. A garment fabric according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the therapeutic fabric layer (14) comprises woven filaments.
3. A garment fabric according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the therapeutic fabric layer (14) comprises a material having anti-bacterial properties.
4. A garment fabric according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the therapeutic fabric layer (14) comprises fibres or filaments which comprise magnetic
particles.
5. A garment fabric according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the therapeutic fabric layer (14) has a thickness less than 1.0mm.
6. A method for the production of a garment fabric which comprises a fabric support layer
(11) to at least a part of which there is secured a therapeutic layer (14), wherein
said method comprises providing a first adhesive (15) and applying said first adhesive
to one of the support layer (11) and therapeutic layer (14), providing a second adhesive
(16) comprising natural rubber mixed with one or more of potassium hydroxide, allantoin
and acetylsalicylic acid, applying said second adhesive to the other of said therapeutic
layer and support fabric and then bringing together of the two adhesive layers into
contact with one another thereby to secure the therapeutic layer to at least a part
of the surface of the support layer, characterised in that the first adhesive (15) comprises a mixture of natural rubber and one or more of
the Chinese herbs fang feng jing jie, tou gu cao, dang gui, hong hua, ding Xiang,
chuan jiao, ai ye and jiang zhen Xiang.
7. A method according to claim 6 characterised in that the first adhesive (15) is formed by mixing the herb ingredients with natural rubber.
8. A method according to claim 6 or claim 7 characterised in that the first adhesive (15) is applied to the therapeutic layer (14) and the second adhesive
is applied to the fabric support (11).
9. A method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 characterised in that the two layers of adhesive (15,16) are of substantially equal thickness.
10. A method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 characterised in that the support layer (11) and therapeutic layer (14) each have a layer of adhesive applied
thereto and wherein the two layers of adhesive are brought into contact and held in
contact with one another at a temperature no less than 20°c.
11. A method according to claim 10 characterised in that the two layers of adhesive (15,16) are applied to the support layer and therapeutic
layer at least two minutes before the two layers of adhesive are brought into contact
with one another.
1. Stoff für ein Kleidungsstück, umfassend einen Stoffträger (11) in Form einer Schicht
zum Definieren der Form eines Kleidungsstücks und mit einer Oberfläche, wobei wenigstens
an einem Teil dieser eine therapeutische Stoffschicht (14) gesichert ist, wobei die
therapeutische Stoffschicht durch ein flexibles Adhäsionsmittel (15, 16) an dem Stoffträger
gesichert ist, wobei das flexible Adhäsionsmittel wenigstens teilweise in den Stoffträger
als auch in die therapeutische Stoffschicht eindringt, um eine chemische Adhäsion
und eine mechanische Verriegelung zwischen den Schichten bereitzustellen, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das flexible Adhäsionsmittel (15, 16) einen oder mehrere der Kräuterbestandteile
Fang Feng, Jing Jie, Tou Gu Cao, Dang Gui, Hong Hua, Ding Xiang, Chuan Jiao, Ai Ye
und Jiang Zhen Xiang umfasst.
2. Stoff für ein Kleidungsstück nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die therapeutische Stoffschicht (14) gewebte Fäden umfasst.
3. Stoff für ein Kleidungsstück nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die therapeutische Stoffschicht (14) ein Material mit antibakteriellen Eigenschaften
umfasst.
4. Stoff für ein Kleidungsstück nach einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die therapeutische Stoffschicht (14) Fasern oder Fäden umfasst, die magnetische Teilchen
umfassen.
5. Stoff für ein Kleidungsstück nach einem der vorstehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die therapeutische Stoffschicht (14) eine Dicke von weniger als 1,0 mm aufweist.
6. Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Stoffes für ein Kleidungsstück, das eine Stoffträgerschicht
(11) umfasst, wobei wenigstens an einen Teil dieser eine therapeutische Schicht (14)
gesichert ist, wobei das Verfahren das Bereitstellen eines ersten Adhäsionsmittels
(15) und das Auftragen des ersten Adhäsionsmittels auf die Trägerschicht (11) oder
die therapeutische Schicht (14) umfasst, das Bereitstellen eines zweiten Adhäsionsmittels
(16), das Naturkautschuk gemischt mit Kaliumhydroxid, Allantoin oder Acetylsalicylsäure
umfasst, das Auftragen des zweiten Adhäsionsmittels auf die andere Schicht der therapeutischen
Schicht oder des Trägerstoffs, und das folgende Zusammenführen der beiden Adhäsionsschichten
in Kontakt miteinander, um die therapeutische Schicht an wenigstens einem Teil der
Oberfläche der Trägerschicht zu sichern, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das erste Adhäsionsmittel (15) ein Gemisch aus Naturkautschuk und einem oder mehreren
der chinesischen Kräuter Fang Feng, Jing Jie, Tou Gu Cao, Dang Gui, Hong Hua, Ding
Xiang, Chuan Jiao, Ai Ye und Jiang Zhen Xiang umfasst.
7. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das erste Adhäsionsmittel (15) durch Mischen der Kräuterbestandteile mit Naturkautschuk
gebildet wird.
8. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6 oder 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das erste Adhäsionsmittel (15) auf die therapeutische Schicht (14) aufgetragen wird
und dass das zweite Adhäsionsmittel auf den Stoffträger (11) aufgetragen wird.
9. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die beiden Adhäsionsmittelschichten (15, 16) im Wesentlichen die gleiche Dicke aufweisen.
10. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Trägerschicht (11) und die therapeutische Schicht (14) jeweils eine Schicht darauf
aufgetragenen Adhäsionsmittels aufweisen, und wobei die beiden Adhäsionsmittelschichten
bei einer Temperatur von nicht weniger als 20 °C in Kontakt miteinander gebracht und
in Kontakt miteinander gehalten werden.
11. Verfahren nach Anspruch 10, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die beiden Adhäsionsmittelschichten (15, 16) wenigstens zwei Minuten bevor die beiden
Adhäsionsmittelschichten in Kontakt miteinander gebracht werden auf die Trägerschicht
und die therapeutische Schicht aufgetragen werden.
1. Tissu pour vêtement comprenant un support (11) de tissu sous la forme d'une couche
permettant de définir la forme du vêtement et ayant une surface sur au moins une partie
de laquelle est fixée une couche (14) de tissu thérapeutique, ladite couche de tissu
thérapeutique étant fixée au support de tissu par un adhésif (15,16) souple, ledit
adhésif souple pénétrant au moins partiellement dans chacun du support de tissu et
de la couche de tissu thérapeutique pour créer une adhésion chimique et un verrouillage
mécanique entre lesdites couches, caractérisé en ce que l'adhésif (15,16) souple comprend une ou plusieurs des plantes suivantes : fang feng,
jing jie, tou gu cao, dang gui, hong hua, ding Xiang, chuan jiao, ai ye et jiang zhen
Xiang.
2. Tissu pour vêtement selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la couche (14) de tissu thérapeutique comprend des filaments tressés.
3. Tissu pour vêtement selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que la couche (14) de tissu thérapeutique comprend un matériau ayant des propriétés antibactériennes.
4. Tissu pour vêtement selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que la couche (14) de tissu thérapeutique comprend des fibres ou filaments qui comprennent
des particules magnétiques.
5. Tissu pour vêtement selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que la couche (14) de tissu thérapeutique a une épaisseur inférieure à 1,0 mm.
6. Procédé pour la production d'un tissu pour vêtement qui comprend une couche (11) de
support de tissu sur au moins une partie de laquelle est fixée une couche thérapeutique
(14), ledit procédé comprenant les étapes consistant à utiliser un premier adhésif
(15) et à appliquer ledit premier adhésif sur la couche (11) de support ou la couche
thérapeutique (14), à utiliser un second adhésif (16) comprenant du caoutchouc naturel
mélangé à de l'hydroxyde de potassium, de l'allantoïne et/ou de l'acide acétylsalicylique,
à appliquer ledit second adhésif sur l'autre de ladite couche thérapeutique et dudit
tissu de support et à mettre les deux couches adhésives en contact l'une avec l'autre
pour ainsi fixer la couche thérapeutique sur au moins une partie de la surface de
la couche de support, caractérisé en ce que le premier adhésif (15) comprend un mélange de caoutchouc naturel et d'une ou de
plusieurs des plantes chinoises suivantes : fang feng, jing jie, tou gu cao, dang
gui, hong hua, ding Xiang, chuan jiao, ai ye et jiang zhen Xiang. /
7. Procédé selon la revendication 6, caractérisé en ce que le premier adhésif (15) est formé en mélangeant les plantes avec du caoutchouc naturel.
8. Procédé selon la revendication 6 ou 7, caractérisé en ce que le premier adhésif (15) est appliqué sur la couche thérapeutique (14) et le second
adhésif est appliqué sur le support (11) de tissu.
9. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à 8, caractérisé en ce que les deux couches d'adhésif (15, 16) ont une épaisseur sensiblement égale.
10. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à 9, caractérisé en ce que la couche (11) de support et la couche thérapeutique (14) ont chacune une couche
d'adhésif appliquée sur elle, les deux couches d'adhésif étant mises en contact et
tenues en contact l'une avec l'autre à une température non inférieure à 20 °C.
11. Procédé selon la revendication 10, caractérisé en ce que les deux couches d'adhésif (15, 16) sont appliquées sur la couche de support et la
couche thérapeutique au moins deux minutes avant que les deux couches d'adhésif soient
mises en contact l'une avec l'autre.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description