Techniques used to generate a cooling action are adopted solely in the case of installations in fixed or movable environments.

The invention seeks to exploit techniques used to generate and store cold energy so as to offer relief in high temperature conditions without having to resort to environments that are necessarily as confined as possible.

In order to achieve this the invention relates to accessories and articles of clothing, upholstery and other items for, on the whole, domestic use-for use in climatic conditions characterized by high temperatures-which comprise a plurality of components for storing cold energy which are positioned between an insulating layer which comes into direct contact with the user and which slowly releases cold energy towards the user on one side, and a thermally insulating layer on the outside or at any rate on the opposite side, in order to reduce the loss of cold energy to a minimum.

Said components can be incorporated in the article-such as items of clothing, upholstery and other items for domestic use, such as mattress covers, settee covers, armchair covers, dust covers, cushions, including those for cars-and are designed to be placed together with it in a refrigeration cell in order to freeze the contents of said components.

Alternatively, said components can-individually or in groups-be inserted in and removed from specially formed casings made in the article of clothing and can be inserted therein once they have been frozen. Several components can be joined together one after the other and positioned closer or further apart, or they can be made into threads so as to constitute textile fibres in the form of thin tubes, so that they can be inserted in casings made in the article of clothing or form part of the very fabric of said article.

Said components can be made as small bars, lozenges, plates

or other anatomicaily shaped or equivalent forms.

These components can be inserted in any type of clothing- such as footwear, anatomical insoles to be fitted inside shoes, dresses, waistcoats, jackets, trousers and other items-and any type of accessory- such as stockings, socks, hats, scarves, ties, bracelets, watches, cuffs, wrist- bands, ankle-bands or head-bands, articulated bars to be tied around the hair, the neck or the ankles, bands for the wrists or head, motocycle helmets and other items-as well as accessories for domestic use such as mattress covers, cushions, armchair covers, settee covers and also car-seat covers and other items.

The dimensions and shapes of the components that are capable of storing cold energy will have to be able to adapt to the morphology of the article when in use, and must therefore be anatomically shaped, or must be breakable, if necessary, once the contents of these components has hardened at the low temperatures reached in the freezer; this restriction does not apply if said contents retain their plasticity or deformability even at low temperatures.

A number of possible embodiments of articles of clothing according to the invention are illustrated by way of example in the appended drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a section illustrating the structure of an article of clothing comprising a casing for a component designed to generate cold energy; Figs 2 to 13 show a number of possible garments which incorporate the solution of the invention.

The section of Fig. 1 shows an article of clothing that consists of an outer layer of fabric 1 whose structure is designed to provide an insulating and barrier effect with respect to the exterior so as to limit as much as possible the flow of cold energy towards the exterior (denoted E) of the garment being worn. The reference 3 denotes an inner layer of the fabric structure which faces the interior I of the garment being worn. The layers 1 and/or 3 can comprise an insulating thickness and a surface thickness of

fabric fulfilling functional and/or aesthetic requirements. Formed between the layers 1 and 3 there is a casing 5 which can house components 7 of various elements capable of storing cold energy and slowly releasing it, it being possible for the components 7 to absorb the cold energy by inserting them into a refrigeration cell separately from the garment, or even together with the garment, the components 7 being, in the former case, removable from the garment and able to be inserted in the casing 5 and, in the latter case, inseparably attached to the garment inside the casing 5 designed to house these components 7. The components that need to be removed from a casing 5 and reinserted therein after the refrigeration treatment can advantageously be made into an elongate shape or as a plurality of elements of various forms-in the shape of lozenges, bars or other forms-and connected together in a manner such as to ensure that the assembly of several components 7 is flexible so that, on the one hand, it can easily be inserted into the casing 5 and, on the other hand, it allows bending and therefore enables the garment to adapt to the user's body, even when the components are at their maximum degree of refrigeration and therefore at their stiffest as a result of the low temperature. These components which are capable of storing cold energy can be based on glycols or other chemical components known per se and whose characteristics include a high capacity for storing cold energy together with a limited tendency to stiffen, even at low temperatures. These components 7, which may be bar-shaped, rod-shaped, lozenge-shaped or of some other shape, will be contained inside an insulating impermeable envelope which is able to allow a relatively slow flow of cold energy from inside the component outwards and also through the layer 3 of the garment between the casing 5 and the interior I of the garment being worn. With this structure most of the cold energy stored in the components 7 is dispensed towards the interior I of the garment and thus towards the body of the person wearing the garment, with a minimum amount of cold energy being dispersed towards the external environment E (with respect to the garment).

A garment will be provided with casings 5 in suitable positions

so that cold energy can be dispensed at suitable points for the comfort of the function assigned to the cold energy dispensed by said components, and therefore also on the basis of anatomical criteria.

In cases where the components 7 capable of storing cold energy remain in the garment and the latter is placed in a refrigeration cell in order to absorb cold energy, the positioning of the casings 5 for the components can be one which is best suited to the sole purpose of facilitating the function of dispensing the cold energy towards the body of the user at the appropriate time and in the right place. When the suitably shaped and connected components 7 are designed to be removed from the garment, the casings 5 can be suitably constructed and suitable provision may be made such that the components storing the cold energy can be easily removed from and reinserted into the garment casings with the help, where appropriate, of tools such as rods which are designed to facilitate sliding a row of components 7 into linear casings 5. In all cases, the outer layer 1 of the garment could be such as to ensure that the minimum amount of cold energy is dispersed towards the exterior,, thereby ensuring that most of said cold energy is directed towards the inside and is released in a controlled manner as a result of the insulating characteristics of both the layer protecting the freezable gels and the characteristics of the layer 3 positioned between the casings 5 for the components 7 and the interior I of the garment.

Figs 2 to 13 show possible and very sketchy examples of garments that are fitted or can be fitted with the components capable of storing cold energy, all of which are denoted 7 and whose morphology is suited to and differs according to their various applications, which components are distributed in a suitable density in the various areas of the individual garments. The garments may be of classic type such as those illustrated in Figs 2 to 4, or can also be garments such as scarves, articulated bars, footwear (as in Fig. 12), in which the components 7 can advantageously be accommodated within the thickness of the sole and/or in lateral padding and/or in removable insoles, cuffs (as in Figs 9 and 10), scarves, head-bands or hair-bands, gloves (as in Fig. 8) or other items of underwear or outerwear,

positioned in appropriate and suitable locations and offering ample possibility to vary their position either as a result of functional requirements or as a result of aesthetic type requirements which need to be incorporated into the various articles of clothing. It is even possible to make suitable garments, such as body-warmers and sports jackets, designed to be wom in addition to conventional garments, such as those shown in Figs 5,6 and 7, or other items.

Other applications include motocycle helmets, bicycle helmets and the like.

When used in upholstery or seat covers, the refrigerating components will be located in those positions that prove most suitable for the user coming into contact with them.

In conclusion, the invention involves inserting-into any article of clothing, such as footwear, dresses, jackets, trousers, waistcoats and other items, or accessories, such as stockings, socks, hats, scarves, bracelets, watches and other items, or upholstery-fixed or removable elements of various possible shapes, which contain liquid, gaseous or gel (glycol type) substances which are capable of storing cold energy. These elements, in the form of lozenges, small bars, filaments or the like, are combined with an insulating layer which provides a barrier towards the exterior with respect to the user so as to reduce the loss of cold energy to a minimum, while, on the side that comes into contact with the user or at all events faces the user's body, the components need to have a filter that allows the cold energy to be released gradually. The garments, which are protected inside special plastic envelopes, or the elements removed from the garments or other items can be refrigerated inside an ordinary freezer; once the cold energy has been absorbed, and once the frozen components have been reinserted where applicable, the garments are ready to be worn.

The elements designed to dispense cold energy will be positioned at a number of points around the body-for example at the temples, wrists or at other points-where the greater blood supply will allow the cooling effect on the body to be optimized, whereas those points, such as

joints, where cooling could have a negative effect will be avoided.

Needless to say, the drawing shows only one example of the invention and is given solely as a practical demonstration, and the forms and arrangements of said invention can be modified without thereby departing from the scope of the concept underlying it.