Cooling fabrics
AssigneeColumbia Sportswear North America, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Araujo, Michael E. Blackford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to cooling fabrics having an array of cooling elements coupled to a base fabric, and in particular to methods and fabrics that utilize an array of cooling elements coupled to a base material to absorb heat while also maintaining desired properties of the base material. In some embodiments, the cooling elements may include a cooling gel or polymer or a phase change material, and the cooling elements may undergo a chemical or physical change when exposed to moisture, thereby absorbing heat.
Claims22
A cooling fabric adapted for use with bodywear, comprising:
- a base material having a transfer property that is adapted to allow passage of a natural element through the base material, the base material having an outer surface and a body-facing surface;
- and
- a discontinuous array of discrete cooling elements each directly coupled to the body-facing surface of the base material, the cooling elements being adapted to absorb heat when exposed to moisture, wherein each cooling element comprises a closed loop member, wherein the placement and spacing of the cooling elements enables the base material to retain partial performance of the transfer property, and wherein the cooling elements comprise a cooling polymer, a phase change material, or a combination thereof.
A cooling fabric adapted for use with bodywear, comprising:
- a base material having a transfer property that is adapted to allow passage of a natural element through the base material;
- and
- a discontinuous array of discrete cooling elements each directly coupled to a first side of the base material, the cooling elements being adapted to absorb heat when exposed to moisture, wherein each cooling element comprises a closed loop member, wherein the placement and spacing of the cooling elements enables the base material to retain partial performance of the transfer property, wherein the cooling elements are configured to undergo a conformational change when exposed to moisture, and wherein the conformational change enhances the transfer property of the base material.
A cooling fabric adapted for use with bodywear, comprising:
- a base material having a transfer property that is adapted to allow passage of a natural element through the base material, the base material having an outside surface and a body-facing surface;
- and
- a discontinuous array of discrete cooling elements each directly coupled to the body-facing surface of the base material, the cooling elements being adapted to absorb heat when exposed to moisture, wherein each cooling element comprises a closed loop member, wherein the placement and spacing of the cooling elements enables the base material to retain partial performance of the transfer property, wherein a percentage of surface area coverage of the cooling elements is from about 25% to about 67%.
A method of making a cooling fabric, comprising:
- selecting a base material having a transfer function that is adapted to allow passage of a natural element through the base material, the base material having an outer surface and a body-facing surface;
- and
- directly coupling a discontinuous array of discrete cooling elements to the body-facing surface of the base material, the cooling elements being adapted to absorb heat when exposed to moisture, wherein each cooling element comprises a closed loop member, wherein the placement and spacing of the cooling elements enables the base material to retain partial performance of the transfer function, wherein the cooling elements are configured to undergo a conformational change when exposed to moisture, and wherein the cooling elements comprise a cooling polymer, a phase change material, or a combination thereof.
A method of making a cooling fabric, comprising:
- selecting a base material having a transfer function that is adapted to allow passage of a natural element through the base material, the base material having an outer surface and a body-facing surface;
- and
- directly coupling a discontinuous array of discrete cooling elements to the body-facing surface of the base material, the cooling elements being adapted to absorb heat when exposed to moisture, wherein each cooling element comprises a closed loop member, wherein the placement and spacing of the cooling elements enables the base material to retain partial performance of the transfer function, wherein the cooling elements are configured to undergo a conformational change when exposed to moisture, and wherein the conformational change enhances the transfer function of the base material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.