Thermally insulating floating liner

Abstract

An article of apparel is comprised of an outer fabric shell defining a body portion and arm portions. The body portion has a back panel section and one or two front panel sections. A thermally insulating liner is secured to the back panel section and the one or two front panel sections by tack fasteners which may form permanent or detachable connections and these connections are positioned at predetermined locations along peripheral edges of the liner. The connections provide for the liner to have large un-attached peripheral areas to provide free floating displacement of the liner with respect to the outer fabric shell when worn by a wearer person to reduce restraint of movement of the wearer person's arms and body by the outer shell and liner and thereby enhancing the wearer person's freedom of movement. In a further embodiment the tack fasteners are detachable wherein the liner can be worn as a sleeveless insulating vest and wherein the vest is provided with adjustable tie means about its arm holes, neck and bottom openings to provide sealing thereof against a wearer person's body to maintain body heat.

1 . An article of apparel comprised of an outer fabric shell defining a body portion and arm portions, said body portion having a back panel section and one or two front panel sections, a liner secured to said back panel section and said one or two front panel sections by tack fastening means positioned at predetermined locations of said liner whereby to provide free floating displacement of said liner with respect to said outer fabric shell when worn by a wearer person to reduce restraint of movement of said wearer person's arms and body by said outer shell and liner and thereby enhancing the wearer person's freedom of movement. 
     
     
         2 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said liner is a thermally insulating liner having thermally insulating material. 
     
     
         3 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 2  wherein there is further provided an arm insulating liner secured in each of said arm portions by said tack fastening means disposed spaced apart about a cuff end of said sleeve and a shoulder arm entry end area of said sleeve. 
     
     
         4 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 3  wherein said insulating liner has a cut-out section formed in a peripheral area of one of an arm pit portion of said shoulder area of said sleeves or an arm pit portion between said back panel and said one or two front panels whereby when said article of apparel is worn by said wearer person the insulation liner is not overlapped in the arm pit areas of said wearer person. 
     
     
         5 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 2  wherein said tack fastening means are formed by one or a combination of stitch tack fasteners, magnet tack fasteners, loop and hook tack fasteners, snap tack fasteners and buttons and loops tack fasteners. 
     
     
         6 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said article of apparel has a collar portion formed with a concealed pouch retained by fastening means and accessible in an internal chamber formed between fabric layers of said collar, said pouch being dimensioned to receive therein said outer shell and said liner or said outer shell with said liner detached therefrom to form one of a carrying pouch or a pillow. 
     
     
         7 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 2  wherein said tack fastening means are secured along peripheral edges of said liner, said tack fastening means being constituted by detachable tack fasteners to permit removal of said liner. 
     
     
         8 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 7  wherein said thermally insulating liner is a replaceable liner with other thermally insulating liners of different thermal insulating value whereby to permit a wearer person to interchange said thermally insulating liner to adapt said article of apparel to different climatic conditions, there being at least two or more of said thermally insulating liners for removable securement to said outer fabric shell. 
     
     
         9 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 2  wherein said tack fastening means are detachable tack fastening means. 
     
     
         10 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 9  wherein said liner is a sleeveless insulating vest having arm holes, rear and front body panels, a neck opening and a bottom opening, said sleeveless insulating vest being formed by an outer fabric shell, an inner lining material fabric and an intermediate thermally insulation material held captive between said outer fabric shell and said inner lining material; and adjustable tie means provided along said arm holes, neck opening and bottom opening to provide for adjustment of said openings wherein to permit sealing of said arm holes, neck opening and bottom opening against a wearer person's body to maintain body heat inside said sleeveless insulation vest and to further permit ventilation of said wearer person's body. 
     
     
         11 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said adjustable tie means is formed by a cord lock formed by a draw cord trained in a retention channel provided about the peripheral edge of said arm holes, neck and bottom openings with said draw cord exiting an opening where opposed sections of said draw cord are trained through a releasable clamp cord lock to permit said draw cord to cinch and lock said retention channel about one or all of a wearer persons arms, neck and waist. 
     
     
         12 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said outer fabric shell is formed from a waterproof and breathable synthetic fabric material, said intermediate insulation material being formed by a down material sheet having a self-supporting core mixture of down feathers and a binder throughout said sheet. 
     
     
         13 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 12  wherein said down material sheet is a stretchable sheet providing multi-directional stretchability to prevent fragmentation of said core mixture by body movements of said wearer person, said self-supporting core mixture being free of cod spots formed by down material retention stitching. 
     
     
         14 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said vest is further provided with a hood secured about said neck opening with said hood having a face opening, said hood being formed with thermally insulating material, said adjustable tie means being provided along said face opening to provide for adjustment of said face opening for sealing said hood about said wearer person's face to provide warmth to said wearer person's head. 
     
     
         15 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said front body panel is formed by right and left frontal panels interconnected together along a central body portion by a detachable fastening means, said adjustable tie means extending along a lower edge of said back panel and said right and left frontal panels, and a releasable clamp lock provided on opposed sides of said frontal panels to provide for releasing clamping of said fastening means. 
     
     
         16 . The article of apparel as claimed in  claim 1  wherein there is further provided a one-piece arm insulating liner comprised of arm sections adapted to be positioned in said arm portions of said outer fabric shell, said arm sections being interconnected to one another by an intermediate back panel, said tack fastening means being secured at predetermined locations of said intermediate back panel. 
     
     
         17 . A sleeveless thermally insulating vest comprising front and rear interconnected body panels defining arm holes, a neck opening and a bottom opening; said sleeveless insulating vest being formed by an outer fabric shell, an inner lining material fabric and an intermediate thermally insulation material held captive between said outer fabric shell and said inner lining material; and adjustable tie means provided along said arm holes, neck opening and bottom opening to provide for adjustment of said openings wherein to permit sealing of said arm holes, neck opening and bottom opening against a wearer person's body to maintain body heat inside said sleeveless insulation vest and to further permit ventilation of said wearer person's body. 
     
     
         18 . The sleeveless thermally insulating vest as claimed in  claim 17  wherein said adjustable tie means is formed by a cord lock formed by a draw cord trained in a retention channel provided about the peripheral edge of said arm holes, neck and bottom openings with said draw cord exiting an opening where opposed sections of said draw cord are trained through a releasable clamp cord lock to permit said draw cord to cinch and lock said retention channel about one or all of a wearer persons arms, neck and waist. 
     
     
         19 . The sleeveless thermally insulating vest as claimed in  claim 17  wherein said vest is further provided with a hood secured about said neck opening with said hood having a face opening, said hood being formed with thermally insulating material, said adjustable tie means being provided along said face opening to provide for adjustment of said face opening for sealing said hood about said wearer person's face to provide warmth to said wearer person's head. 
     
     
         20 . The sleeveless thermally insulating vest as claimed in  claim 17  wherein said front body panel is formed by right and left frontal panels interconnected together along a central body portion by a detachable fastening means, said adjustable tie means extending along a lower edge of said back panel and said right and left frontal panels, and a releasable clamp lock provided on opposed sides of said frontal panels to provide for releasing clamping of said fastening means.