Article of apparel including thermoregulatory textile

Abstract

An article of apparel and method of making the article of apparel for a wearer is disclosed herein. In at least one embodiment, the article of apparel comprises a fabric defining a first, inner surface facing the wearer, and a second, outer surface opposite the first surface. A plurality of compression areas are formed along the inner fabric surface, each compression area comprising compressed yarns. A sealing agent effective to reduce the air permeability of the fabric is applied to each compression area. The sealing agent secures the yarns in a compressed state.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of apparel for a wearer, the article of apparel comprising:
 a fabric defining a first, inner surface configured to face the wearer and a second, outer surface opposite the first surface;   a plurality of compression areas formed along the inner fabric surface, each compression area comprising compressed yarns; and   a sealing agent effective to reduce the air permeability of the fabric, the sealing agent applied to each compression area, the sealing agent securing the yarns in a compressed state.   
     
     
         2 . The article of apparel according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sealing agent is applied as a discontinuous pattern along the inner fabric surface;   an area of fabric including the sealing agent possesses a first air permeability value;   an area of fabric not including the sealing agent possesses a second air permeability value; and   the second air permeability value is higher than the first air permeability value.   
     
     
         3 . The article of apparel according to  claim 2 , wherein the discontinuous pattern defines alternating bands of first and second air permeability values along the fabric. 
     
     
         4 . The article of apparel according to  claim 3 , wherein the sealing agent comprises a binder and a heat retaining material. 
     
     
         5 . The article of apparel according to  claim 4 , wherein the heat retaining material is selected from the group consisting of AlO 2 , ZnO, SnO 2 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , SiC, ZrC, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The article of apparel according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 the area of fabric including the sealing agent further possesses a first heat retention value;   the area of fabric not including the sealing agent further possesses a second heat retention value; and   the second heat retention value is lower than the first heat retention value.   
     
     
         7 . The article of apparel according to  claim 6 , wherein the discontinuous pattern further defines alternating bands of first and second heat retention values along the fabric. 
     
     
         8 . An article of apparel formed from a textile defining an inner surface configured to face a wearer and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the textile comprising:
 a generally continuous first textile portion; and   a discontinuous second textile portion comprising a plurality of spacer elements extending distally from the first textile portion, each of the spacer elements oriented in spaced relation from adjacent spacer elements to define a gap between adjacent spacer elements,   wherein the plurality of spacer elements includes a plurality of expanded spacer elements and a plurality of compressed spacer elements, each of the compressed spacer elements being secured in its compressed state by a sealing agent applied as a discontinuous pattern exposed along the inner surface of the textile, the discontinuous pattern contacting each of the first textile portion and the second textile portion along a continuous stretch extending between at least two of the compressed spacer elements.   
     
     
         9 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein the sealing agent extends over and across the compressed spacer elements, thereby securing the compressed spacer elements in a compressed configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 each expanded spacer element extends from the first textile portion at a first height;   each compressed spacer element extends from the first textile portion at a second height; and   the second height is less than the first height.   
     
     
         11 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein the textile comprises hydrophobic yarn. 
     
     
         12 . The article of apparel according to  claim 11 , wherein the textile consists essentially of hydrophobic yarn. 
     
     
         13 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein the textile includes a greater number of expanded spacer elements than compressed spacer elements. 
     
     
         14 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein the pluralities of compressed and expanded spacer elements are provided in an array on the first textile portion. 
     
     
         15 . The article of apparel according to  claim 14 , wherein the array is a pattern selected from the group consisting of:
 a grid pattern defining intersecting channels within the second textile portion;   a checkerboard pattern; and   a brickwork pattern.   
     
     
         16 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein the sealing agent is applied in a discontinuous pattern to define alternating areas of sealed and unsealed textile. 
     
     
         17 . The article of apparel according to  claim 8 , wherein the sealing agent further comprises a heat retaining material selected from the group consisting of AlO 2 , ZnO, SnO 2 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , SiC, ZrC, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making an article of apparel including an inner surface configured to face a wearer and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the method comprising:
 providing a generally continuous first textile portion and a discontinuous second textile portion, the second textile portion comprising a plurality of spacer elements extending distally from the first textile portion, each of the spacer elements oriented in spaced relation from adjacent spacer elements to define a gap between adjacent spacer elements; and   applying a sealing agent to a subset of the spacer elements to secure each spacer elements of the subset in a compressed state and resulting in a plurality of expanded spacer elements and a plurality of compressed spacer elements, the sealing agent applied as a discontinuous pattern exposed along the inner surface of the textile, the discontinuous pattern contacting each of the first textile portion and the second textile portion along a continuous stretch extending between at least two of the compressed spacer elements of the subset.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising, prior to applying the sealing agent, applying pressure to the subset of spacer elements to render the subset of spacer elements in a compressed state. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising, after applying the sealing agent to the subset of spacer elements, arranging the first textile portion and the second textile portion on the article of apparel such that the spacer elements are positioned on the inner surface of the article of apparel.