Light weight rotective clothing and accessories

Abstract

A protective clothing fabric is described which combines hard polymers with flexible polymers. The scales or miniplate components are hard and provide protection from both bullets and knives. The polymer matrix is pliable and gives the composite material sufficient flexibility so that the material is suitable for clothing. With additional design layouts, the composite substances can be formed into gloves, goggles, boots and other accessories and with still additional layouts results in lightweight but protective headgear. With still additional design layouts, the composite substances can be formed into linings for gloves, boots and other accessories or injection molded for goggles and helmets.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A protective clothing fabric having a plurality of layers comprising:
 a first layer comprising a plurality of miniplates imbedded in a flexible polymer wherein the miniplates are made of a puncture resistant polymer arrayed in a series of rows and columns,   a second layer of shock absorbing polymer having a regular array of perforations in which each perforation hole is the same size, and   a third layer of shock absorbing polymer having no perforations,   a fourth layer of shock absorbing polymer having a regular array of perforations in which each perforation is the same size, and   a fifth layer of non perforated shock absorbing polymer having no perforations.   
     
     
         2 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  wherein said puncture resistant polymer is a rigid material. 
     
     
         3 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  wherein the puncture resistant polymer is a composite material comprising glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic. 
     
     
         4 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  wherein the flexible polymer is a thermoplastic urethane with a plasticizer, the perforated shock absorbing polymers are high performance microcellular urethane foams and the non-perforated shock absorbing polymers are high performance microcellular urethane foams. 
     
     
         5 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  wherein the miniplates have a shape selected from the group consisting of: a round disk, an oval disk, a square disk, a pentagonal disk wherein the pentagonal disk has two relatively short upper edges, two relatively long mutually parallel sides and a relatively short base and irregular scale shapes that fit together to form a snake skin pattern. 
     
     
         6 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  wherein the miniplates array is constructed so that bottom portions of the miniplates in a first row overlap top portions of the miniplates in a second row directly below the first row. 
     
     
         7 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  wherein the miniplates in the array are woven together with a yarn 
     
     
         8 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 7  wherein the yarn is selected from the group consisting of aramid yarn and a glass reinforced fiber yarn. 
     
     
         9 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 1  further comprising an upper layer of outer uniform material and a lower layer of a lining material. 
     
     
         10 . A protective clothing fabric having a plurality of layers comprising:
 a first layer comprising a plurality of miniplates imbedded in a flexible polymer wherein the miniplates are made of a puncture resistant polymer arrayed in a series of rows and columns,   a second layer comprising a plurality of miniplates imbedded in a flexible polymer wherein the miniplates are made of a puncture resistant polymer arrayed in a series of rows and columns,   a third layer of shock absorbing polymer having a regular array of perforations in which each perforation hole is the same size, and   a fourth layer of shock absorbing polymer having no perforations, a fifth layer of shock absorbing polymer having a regular array of perforations in which each perforation is the same size, and   a sixth layer of non perforated shock absorbing polymer having no perforations.   
     
     
         11 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein said puncture resistant polymer is a rigid material. 
     
     
         12 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein the puncture resistant polymer is a composite material comprising glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic. 
     
     
         13 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein the puncture resistant polymer is a composite material comprising glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic. 
     
     
         14 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein the flexible polymer is a thermoplastic urethane with a plasticizer, the perforated shock absorbing polymers are high performance microcellular urethane foams and the non-perforated shock absorbing polymers are high performance microcellular urethane foams. 
     
     
         15 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein the miniplates have a shape selected from the group consisting of: a round disk, an oval disk, a square disk, a pentagonal disk wherein the pentagonal disk has two relatively short upper edges, two relatively long mutually parallel sides and a relatively short base and irregular scale shapes that fit together to form a snake skin pattern. 
     
     
         16 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein the miniplates array is constructed so that bottom portions of the miniplates in a first row overlap top portions of the miniplates in a second row directly below the first row. 
     
     
         17 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 10  wherein the miniplates in the array are woven together with a yarn. 
     
     
         18 . The protective clothing fabric as defined in  claim 17  wherein the yarn is selected from the group consisting of aramid yarn and a glass reinforced fiber yarn.