US3443066A - Heated outdoor garment - Google Patents

Description

y 6, 1969 J. P. WEIBEL 3,443,066

HEATED OUTDOOR GARMENT Filed Nov. 17, 1966 Joseph P. Weibe/ INVENTOR.

United States Patent US. Cl. 219-527 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A protective garment for outdoor use incorporating an integrally associated inner and outer panel having electric heating wires therebetween electrically connected with a battery in the base of the garment and controlled by a rheostat disposd interiorly of the garment with the garment being openable down the front by employing a slide fastener and further including a seat portion that is devoid of heating wires to enable one or more persons to occupy the interior of the garment and be protected from weather elements.

The present invention generally appertains to a protective outer garment means and more particularly relates to a novel heated garment which is constructed for use by one or more persons as an outdoor garment to enwrap the person or persons and keep such person or persons warm, dry and comfortable from the elements as they watch spectator sports, such as football games, ski meets or the like, and also, as they actively participate in outdoor cold weather activities, for example, ice fishing.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple and compact garment which is adapted to repel water, snow or the like and which has a capacity for enwrapping, in a protective and comfortable manner, one'or more persons, with the very comfortable inner lining.

Another object of the present invention is to provide heating means between the outer rain or snow repelling layer and the inner comfortable layer, so that the persons garment having a will be comfortable, irrespective of climatic conditions and to provide, in this respect, means for controlling from an easily inner accessible position the operation of the heating means. 7

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a very novel arrangement for supplying electrical power to appropriate wiring interposed between the outer water repellent layer and inner layer or lining of a most comfortable nature and to provide such arrangement and position the wiring in a fashion so that it will not interfere with the usefulness of the garment and the compactness thereof in its foldable carrying and storage condition.

It is well known that spectatorsat outdoor winter games, such as football, must subject themselves to winter climatic conditions, such as rain, snow and extremely low temperatures. Many devices, in the form of garment wrappermeans have been conceived, but the same are not fully satisfactory because of the facts that they do not enable a person or persons to be comfortable, from the standpoint of warmth, do not enable the person or persons to be comfortable from a standpoint-of offsetting falling snow or rain and are of such a nature that they cannot be easily, like a robe, carried and then utilized and, when not utilized, stored in a very simple and compact manner. Further, such known devices do not afford a means whereby a person or persons can realize an easily controlled warmth so that, under varying autumn climatic conditions, such person or persons can have complete control, with an easy adjustment, of the heat factor.

Accordingly, a meritorious feature of the present invention is to provide an electrically heated garment which comprises an outer cover of a simple and flexible but most efficient water repellent material and an inner lining of a very comforatable nature, such as flannel material, with appropriate electrical wiring being interposed between the outer and inner layers and the power for the electrical wiring being supplied by a compact dry cell rechargeable battery that is located and disposed in a position so that it will be underneath the feet of the person or persons and is held in place by a very simple structural means with wires from the battery extending to a rheostat that is located interiorly of the garment and in a position for easy accessibility so as to control the power for the operating condition of the wires without the person or persons having to expose an arm or any portion of their anatomy to the surrounding climatic conditions.

Another important feature of the present invention is to locate and dispose the battery so it does not interfere with the comforatable use of the garment, which is adapted to enwrap a person or persons, and so that the battery is disposed in a manner that the feet of a person or persons can be positioned thereon, which enhances the utilization of the garment and does not interfere with the movements of a person or persons, as, for example, the abrupt alternate standing and sitting of a person or persons on a bleacher stand or seat while watching a football game or the like.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the garment of the present invention in use, in association with two persons seated on a bleacher stand or seat;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, with the garment shown in an open position, so as to illustrate, partly in section, certain of the structural details thereof, and

FIGURE 3 is a detail cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the garment, which is generally designated by the numeral 10, is of a configuration, size and shape so as to be accommodative of one or more persons and, in this respect, such is not a critical factor because the garment will only be increased or decreased in size depending upon whether it is intended for enwrapping one or two or possibly three persons.

The garment 10 is composed of an outer cover or layer 12 of suitable water repellent material, which layer or cover is flexible in nature and may be plastic or rubber or the like. The garment 10 further includes an inner lining or inner layer 14, which is intended to be of a comfortable nature so that when it comes in contact with the skin or a user or users, it will be found to be nonirritating and very soft. For this purpose, it is proposed, though not restrictively, that the inner layer or lining 14 be of a flannel material.

The inner and outer layers 12 and 14 are appropriately fixed together and the garment 10, which includes the inner and outer layers, is constituted by a seat portion 16 and opposing side wall portions 18 and 20 which are integrally interconnected by a back wall portion 22 and a bottom portion 24. The side wall portions 18 and 20 are provided with a slide fastener assembly 26, the utilization and purpose of which can be understood from a consideration of FIGURES l and 2. However, in this respect, it is to be understood that the neck opening 28 can be provided with a hood portion which would extend from the back portion 22 and thereby overlie the head or heads of the persons enwrapped by the garment 10.

Interposed between the inner and outer layers 12 and 14 are a multiplicity of electrical wires 30 which are so related with the inner and outer layers that they heat the inner layer 14 so as to provide a very comfortable interior of the garment for the person or persons enwrapped thereby. The power for the electrical wiring 30 is electrically generated by a small dry cell rechargeable battery 32, which is positioned at the base or bottom portion 24 of the garment, that is, underneath the feet of the user or users, as exemplified in FIGURE 2. The battery 32 is rechargeable and the housing 34 thereof is held in place by straps 40 and 42 aflixed, as by stitching 38, to the base portion 24 of the garment and which have free clamping end portions which by virtue of snap fastener arrangements 44 hold the enclosure covering 34 for the battery 32 in a positively orientated position.

The wires 30 are arranged so that they extend along the side wall portions 18 and 20 and along the rear wall portion 22 but are so disposed, as can be appreciated from FIGURE 2, that they are not interposed between the inner and outer layers at the seat portion 16.

The battery 32 is controlled by a hand manipulable rheostat 46, which is disposed interiorly of the garment and is mounted in any suitable fashion on the side Wall 20 or even on the side wall 18, just so long as it is interiorly positioned and is structurally related, by virtue of electrical conductors 48, with the battery so as to be connected therewith and be usable to control the heat output of the electrical wiring 30 between the inner and outer layers 12 and 14.

Again it can be seen that the unit is electrically heated by virtue of the battery 32 and that, in this respect, the electrical wiring 30 extends in a very protective manner between the inner and outer layers 12 and 14 of the garment, which is light in weight, self-contained and, as a protective garment, is designed to allow the same to be used by one or more persons.

In use, the garment 10 is unfolded from a very compact condition, stemming from the flexibility of the inner and outer layers 12 and 14 and is disposed, as shown in FIG- URE 2. With one or more persons sitting on the seat portion 16, the slide fastener means 26 is easily employed so as to dispose the garment 10 in the arrangement or closed position, as shown in FIGURE 1. From that point on, through the utilization of the interiorly disposed rheostat 46, the heat output of the electrical wiring 30 can be controlled and the person or persons enwrapped within the garment can realize a very effective and efiicient protective means from climatic conditions, Whether rain, snow or the like or an extreme drop in temperature.

The battery 32, which has been referred to as a conventional dry cell battery, may be a conventional chemical or wet cell battery that is totally enclosed and leak proof and which may prove more satisfactory from cost and weight standpoints.

Accordingly, the extremely compact and eflicient garment can be utilized as a protective means for a person or persons in spectator sports and also as a protective means for a person or persons engaged in some outdoor winter activities, whereby such person or persons can be protected from the elements.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A protective outer garment means for one or more persons comprising an outer panel section and an in tegrally associated inner panel section, said panel sections being flexible in nature and forming a garment for enwrapping one or more persons and having cooperative openable edge portions, releasable means securing said edge portions together, heating means operatively interposed between said inner and outer panel sections and rheostat control means disposed interiorly of the garment means for controlling such heating means, said outer panel section comprising an outer cover of a water repellent material and said inner panel section comprising an inner soft lining, said inner and outer panel sections being of similar dimensions and including said cooperating openable edge portions, said releasable means securing the edge portions together including a slide fastener means, said heating means including electrical heating wires interposed between said inner and outer panel sections, said panel sections having a seat portion devoid of said heating wires, and means provided constituting a base portion of the garment means, which base portion is adapted to receive and accommodate the feet of a user or users and a rechargeable dry cell battery releasably mounted in said base portion and connected to the electrical heating wires.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said battery is held in position by a means carried by the base portion and is structurally associated wtih said rheostat control means, which is associated with the electrical heating wires whereby to control the heat output thereof.

3. A protective outer garment means for outdoor use by one or more persons so as to permit such person or persons to be enwrapped in a protective manner against the outdoor elements, particularly during cold weather conditions, said garment means comprising an outer water repellent material layer and an inner lining which are coextensive in dimensions and in integral association, electrical wiring interposed between said layers, said garment means having a rear panel section, a seat panel section and opposing side panel sections of integral association, said side panel sections having releasable fastening means for closing off the same so as to provide the protective garment means in an enclosed condition around a person or persons, said garment means having a base portion upon which the feet of a person or persons are adapted to rest, a rechargeable battery releasably mounted on said base portion, means for securing said battery in position, a rheostat connected to the battery for controlling the output of the electrical wiring, said rheostat being associated with the inner layer so as to be manipulable by hand from the interior of the garment means and said inner and outer layers being formed of flexible material whereby the same can be compactly folded for transportation and storage purposes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 12,170 11/1903 Crimins.

750,179 1/ 1901 Foglesong 219212 1,594,053 7/1926 Evans 219527 2,028,889 1/ 1936 Baddour 219-527 2,323,478 6/1943 Lobb 219-529 2,277,772 3/ 1942 Marick 219-211 2,287,915 6/1942 Taylor 219211 2,329,766 9/ 1943 Jacobsen 219-211 2,458,119 1/1949 Van Daam 219-211 2,716,239 8/ 1955 Barndollar 269.5 2,769,892 11/ 1956 Collins 219--527 2,948,802 8/1960 Shaw 219-212 2,993,979 7/ 1961 Hornsby 219-212 3,072,776 1/1963 Quenneville 219-212 3,084,241 4/ 1963 Carrona 2l9-211 VOLODYMYR Y. MAYEWSKY, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

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