Aerodynamic ventilated protective garment

Abstract

An aerodynamic ventilated protective garment particularly for wear by operators, occupants, and passengers of sports motor vehicles, such as motorcycles for example, includes a garment body which may be configured as a jacket or coat, and which includes a ventilated aerodynamic aid on the back of the garment immediately behind the wearer's head. Ordinarily, the wearer of the garment will also be wearing a helmet during operation of the vehicle, and the aerodynamic aid of the garment both improves and smooth airflow transition from the wearer's helmet and over the back of the garment when the vehicle is in motion at speed, as well as providing a welcome ventilating airflow into the garment. Further, the garment may include an especially configured vent structure at sleeves of the garment, which vent structure provides for selective opening of a vent passage, while also insuring against the sleeves sliding up the wearer's arms in the event of a fall from the moving vehicle followed by a tumble and slide on gravel or pavement.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An aerodynamic protective garment, said garment comprising: 
 a garment shell having a front panel and a back panel cooperatively providing a neck opening, a pair of sleeves, one for each of the wearer's arms, a generally vertically extending opening dividing said front panel into two parts and allowing ingress and egress from said garment; and    an aerodynamic hump structure carried on said back panel and defining a ventilation passage extending between ambient and the interior of said garment shell.    
     
     
         2 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein said aerodynamic hump structure carries at least one scoop member, said scoop member defining a scoop opening forwardly to receive ram air during forward motion of said garment upon an open-air vehicle, and said scoop member defining a scoop passage communicating with said ventilation passage.  
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein said ventilation passage is divergent in a direction from ambient toward the interior of said garment.  
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 2  further including a screen member spanning said scoop opening.  
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 2  wherein said aerodynamic hump structure carries a pair of scoop members in lateral side-by-side array, each scoop member of said pair being forwardly disposed and arranged to receive ram air rounding a respective side of a helmet worn by a wearer of said garment.  
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein said aerodynamic hump structure and said garment shell cooperatively define removable fastening structure for allowing said aerodynamic hump member to be removed from said garment back panel.  
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 6  wherein said removable fastening structure includes a peripheral slide fastener circumscribing at least a portion of a periphery of said aerodynamic hump structure, and said slide fastener including respective portions securing both to said hump structure and to said garment back panel.  
     
     
         8 . The garment of  claim 7  wherein said garment back panel defines a ventilation opening communicating with said ventilation passage and opening into the interior of said garment, and said garment further includes a substantially flat closure member configured similarly to said hump structure in plan view, and said closure member also including removable fastening structure securing to said closure member and cooperable with a portion of said removable fastening structure which secures to said back panel, and allowing said closure member to secure to said back panel in substitution for said hump structure in order to close said ventilation opening of said back panel.  
     
     
         9 . The garment of  claim 7  wherein said aerodynamic hump structure includes an outwardly extending flexible peripheral flange, said peripheral flange extending outwardly beyond said slide fastener and in a first position in which said peripheral flange lies substantially parallel with said back panel substantially concealing said slide fastener, said peripheral flange being manually movable resiliently to a second position revealing said slide fastener.  
     
     
         10 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein said aerodynamic hump structure is disposed on said back panel immediately behind a wearer's helmet, when a wearer of said garment wears a helmet while upon an open-air motor vehicle such as a motorcycle, said hump structure defining a forwardly disposed surface confronting said helmet and engageable by said helmet in order to offer assisting support to the wearer's head and neck.  
     
     
         11 . The garment of  claim 10  wherein said forwardly disposed surface of said aerodynamic hump structure is concave arcuately in order to receive the wearer's helmet in order to offer said assisting support to the wearer's head and neck.  
     
     
         12 . A ventilated coat, said coat comprising: 
 a shell having a front panel and a back panel cooperatively providing a neck opening, and a pair of sleeves one for each of the wearer's arms; said front panel, back panel, and sleeves being formed of a substantially air impermeable material; a generally vertically extending shell opening dividing said front panel into two parts and allowing ingress and egress from said garment;    a ventilation structure of said coat including at said back panel an aerodynamic hump structure, said hump structure being disposed on said back panel immediately behind the head of a wearer of said coat, and said hump structure defining a ventilation passage opening between ambient and an interior of said coat in order to allow ventilating air flow along said ventilation passage.    
     
     
         13 . The ventilated coat of  claim 12  wherein said shell at said back panel defines a ventilation opening, said ventilation passage communicating with said ventilation opening, and a closure member configured for substitution on said back panel in replacement for said hump structure, said closure member spanning and closing said ventilation opening.  
     
     
         14 . The ventilated coat of  claim 12  further said back panel and said hump structure each having cooperable portions of a fastener device, said fastener device including a slide fastener circumscribing a peripheral portion of said hump structure, and said slide fastener allowing said hump structure to be removed from said back panel.  
     
     
         15 . The coat of  claim 12  wherein said ventilation passage is divergent in a direction of passage extension between ambient and an interior of said coat.  
     
     
         16 . The coat of  claim 12  wherein said hump structure defines a forwardly disposed engagement surface, said engagement surface being arcuate and concave to receive therein and provide supporting engagement for a helmet of a user of said coat.  
     
     
         17 . A method of providing both ventilation to an operator of an open-air sport motor vehicle while said operator is wearing a protective coat, and of providing exigent support to the head and neck of the operator in the event of an accident by providing rear support to a helmet of said operator, said method comprising steps of: 
 providing said coat at a back panel thereof with a hump structure having a forwardly disposed arcuate concave engagement surface disposed sufficiently close to said helmet of the operator that the helmet is engageable with said engagement surface to be supported against excessive rearward movement of the operator's head and neck in an accident, and    providing said hump structure with a through ventilation passage opening at an outer end in a forwardly disposed ventilating air flow scoop, and extending inwardly of said coat through said hump structure.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further including the step of configuring said ventilation passage to diverge as it extends from ambient toward an interior of said coat.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  further including the step of configuring said hump structure and said coat back panel to cooperatively allow selective removal and replacement of said hump structure from said coat.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  including the step of providing a closure member configured to close said ventilation opening when said hump structure is removed from said coat.