Composite fabric and fabric product with variable thermal insulation

Abstract

A composite fabric is made from a fabric layer which has one or more expandable bladders coupled at spaced intervals across the surface of the fabric layer and extending substantially transverse to said spaced intervals a bladder length across the surface of the fabric layer. The expandable bladders are attached by threading them through fabric loop attached to the surface the fabric layer. The expandable bladders are coupled to an air source with air valves and selectively inflated and deflated. As the expandable bladders are inflated and deflated, they selectively cover and uncover area adjacent to their corresponding bladder lengths. The expandable bladders may be formed in various configurations and the fabric loops may or may not be stretchable. The composite fabric may be used to construct fabric products with various functional shapes where the thermal insulation across one or more surface areas of the fabric products are varied.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.