Energy expenditure garment

• US 6,047,406 A
• Filed: 08/13/1999
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Timothy P. Dicker, William T. Wilkinson
• Original Assignee: Timothy P. Dicker, William T. Wilkinson
• Inventors: Wilkinson, William T., Dicker, Timothy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hale, Gloria M.
• Application Number:
  US09/373,520
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 2/69, 2/79, 2/228, 2/227, 2/238, 2/170, 2/108, 2/115, 2/102, 2/70, 2/455, 2/456, 482/105, 482/124, 482/120, 482/121, 482/131, 482/74, 450/104
• US Class Current: 2/69
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0015 Sports garments other than provided for in groups A41D13/0007 - A41D13/088
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/18 Elastic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0004 Exercising devices moving as a whole during exercise bar bells or dumb bells A63B21/072; on wheels A63B22/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0442 Anchored at one end only, the other end being manipulated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0552 Elastic ropes or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0555 Details of the rope or band, e.g. shape or colour coding
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4005 to the shoulder
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4007 to the chest region, e.g. to the back chest
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4009 to the waist
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4013 to the ankle
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4017 to the upper limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4021 to the wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4025 Resistance devices worn on the user's body A63B21/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/00 Woven fabrics designed to make specified articles
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 13/008 characterised by weave density or surface weight
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/56 elastic
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/00 Wearing apparel

Abstract

An energy expenditure garment is made of a variable density fabric having a plurality of zones of differing resistance characteristics. This is accomplished by utilizing threads in the fabric of differing resistance characteristics so that the zones are seamless and blend into each other.

Claims

1. An energy expenditure garment comprising a body portion having outwardly extending limb portions, said body portion being made of a variable density fabric having a plurality of zones of differing resistance characteristics whereby a different amount of resistance force is encountered from one zone to another zone when a wearer of said garment moves to stretch said fabric and in resisting said fabric returning to its unstretched condition, and said zones being seamless and blending into each other.

2. The garment of claim 1 wherein said fabric is woven with threads having differing resistance characteristics in one zone as compared to an adjacent zone.

3. The garment of claim 2 wherein at least one of said zones extends longitudinally down one of said limb portions, anchor structure at the end of said limb portion, said at least one zone being anchored by said anchor structure, and said anchor structure being a lattice weave.

4. The garment of claim 2 wherein said body portion comprises a shirt and a pants, said limb portions comprising arms extending from said shirt and legs extending from said pants, and each of said shirt and said pants having said zones of differing resistance characteristics.

5. The garment of claim 4 wherein said zones are included in patches.

6. The garment of claim 4 wherein said body portion includes a right side and a left side, and said zone in one of said sides having greater resistance characteristics than said zone in the other of said sides.

7. The garment of claim 4 wherein said zone in said shirt has lesser resistance characteristics than said zone in said pants.

8. The garment of claim 4 wherein at least one of said zones has longitudinal resistance lines of force, and at least another of said zones has circular resistance lines of force.

9. The garment of claim 7 wherein said longitudinal lines of force include vertical and horizontal lines of forces for separate ones of said zones.

10. The garment of claim 9 wherein said longitudinal lines of force further include oblique lines of force for a further separate one of said zones.

11. The garment of claim 4 wherein at least one of said zones extends longitudinally down one of said limb portions, anchor structure at the end of said limb portion, said at least one zone being anchored by said anchor structure, and said anchor structure being a lattice weave.

12. The garment of claim 4 wherein at least one of said zones includes bio-feedback structure for monitoring biological functions of the wearer.

13. The garment of claim 4 wherein there are at least three of said zones having resistance characteristics which differ from each other.

14. The garment of claim 13 wherein said zones progressively increase/decrease in resistance characteristics for at least three adjacent zones.

15. The garment of claim 4 wherein at least one of said zones is triangularly shaped.

16. The garment of claim 2 wherein said fabric has warp direction threads and weft direction threads, said warp direction threads of greater stretch characteristics than said weft direction threads, and said warp direction threads having different resistance characteristics to create said zones.

17. The garment of claim 16 wherein adjacent sets of said warp direction threads progressively increase/decrease in resistance characteristics for at least three adjacent zones.

18. The garment of claim 1 wherein at least one of said zones extends longitudinally down one of said limb portions, anchor structure at the end of said limb portion, said at least one zone being anchored by said anchor structure, and said anchor structure being a lattice weave.

19. The garment of claim 1 wherein said body portion includes a right side and a left side, and said zone in one of said sides having greater resistance characteristics than said zone in the other of said sides.

20. The garment of claim 1 wherein at least one of said zones has longitudinal resistance lines of force, and at least another of said zones has circular resistance lines of force.

21. The garment of claim 20 wherein said longitudinal lines of force include vertical and horizontal lines of forces for separate ones of said zones.

22. The garment of claim 21 wherein said longitudinal lines of force further include oblique lines of force for a further separate one of said zones.

23. The garment of claim 1 wherein at least one of said zones includes bio-feedback structure for monitoring biological functions of the wearer.