The invention has particular application to the production of wetsuits for use in water sports such as surfing, sailboard riding, water skiing, diving, swimming or other similar activities. However, the invention is not limited to this particular application and may be employed in other types of fitted garments.

The fitted garment of the present invention is an improvement over the minimal seamed fitted garment described and shown in International patent application No. PCT/US02/28450, published as WO 03/103423. The entire content of that document is incorporated herein by cross-reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Fitted garments are garments of the type that closely, conform to the shape of the wearer's body. A wetsuit is one example of such a garment wherein a snug fit of the garment assists in creating a thin layer of water between the fabric of the garment and the skin of the body. This thin layer of water forms a major part of the insulation provided by the wetsuit. It is therefore advantageous that no additional water enters the wetsuit once the initial layer has been established and has been warmed by the body.

Fitted garments such as wetsuits are fabricated from a plurality of panels that are joined together at seams that are sewn and, optionally, glued. A pattern incorporating a plurality of panels of varying shapes and sizes is used to produce a wetsuit or other garment that is"sculptured"to closely conform to the shape of a wearer's body. As a result of the garment conforming to the shape of the wearer's body, the different parts of the garment will often be referred to as if they were filled by and/or were part of a wearer's body. Thus, the"elbow"or"elbow section"of a garment will be the portion of the garment that would be adjacent to the elbow of a wearer if the garment was being worn. This nomenclature is often applied to panels as well, even if the panels are not yet actually part of a

garment, and even if the panels are laid out flat on a supporting surface such as a table.

A"panel", as the term is used herein, typically comprises a single piece of material cut to a desired pattern that can be made to lay flat on a flat surface such that no portion of the panel overlaps any other portion of the panel. Panel materials may include fabric, but are not necessarily limited to a woven material.

When stretched against a planar surface, panels will generally have significantly more surface area than thickness (thickness being measured in a direction normal to the planar surface, and surface area being measured on a surface of the panel that is closest to being parallel to the planar surface). Panels are generally cut from piece goods or yard goods that are sometimes provided as rectangular pieces of material, with multiple, often differently shaped, panels, being cut from a single piece in order to minimize wastage of material.

Panels are joined together at seams, where a seam is a portion of the garment where two or more panels are coupled together. Various methods of fastening together panels to form a garment are well known and need not therefore be described herein. However, it is probably worth noting that, particularly in regard to wetsuits, seams typically incorporate"flat locking", "overlocking","glued and blind stitching"and/or"heat tape sealing"techniques.

These techniques are commonly used in the trade and need not therefore be explained herein in further detail. Whilst the seams are in general strong and reliable, they are susceptible to wear and damage with extended use of the wetsuit. The seams are also a source of water entry into the wetsuit and this factor can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the wetsuit in keeping the wearer warm.

Garments generally comprise multiple types of panels. Of particular interest herein are exterior covering panels. These panels are the panels of a garment that typically are (a) used to cover undergarments, interior panels, or portions of a wearer's body, and (b) to form an exterior surface of the garment. In garments having simpler exteriors, such as wetsuits, the exterior covering panels form a majority if not all of the exterior surface of the garment. Other garment panels may include those used to form pockets, flaps, and liners, or those used to form exterior frills or decorations. Although the term"panels"generally covers all

types of panels, it is used herein below to describe only exterior covering panels.

Similarly, although seams are used to join all types of panels, the term"seams"is used herein below to describe exterior covering seams, ie seams joining exterior covering panels to each other.

Some garments utilize"darts" (generally tapered folds) to adjust the fit of a garment. Such a dart typically comprises joining two or more points of a single panel together as if they were part of edges of separate panels being seamed together. Unfortunately, traditional darts tend to become problematic as the thickness of the material of a panel increases as the folded portions of the panel tend to interfere with proper fitting of the garment.

Many fabrics used in garment production are well know and need not therefore be described in detail herein. However, it is worth noting that typical fabrics used in the fabrication of wetsuits include nylon, spandex, polyolefin, or combinations of these materials, which have been bonded to a neoprene (non- fibrous rubber) insulative layer. Various thicknesses of fabric are employed depending on the temperature rating of the wetsuit. These materials are in general flexible and stretchable so as to allow free movement of the wearer.

This is important in a wetsuit intended for vigorous activity such as surfing. Whilst the techniques employed to create the seams of a wetsuit also provide flexibility and stretchability, the seams are often not as flexible as the fabric being joined.

Modern wetsuits primarily intended for surfing are sometimes provided with bends at the elbows and knees so as to more accurately correspond to a normal position of the arms and legs of the wearer when lying upon or standing on a surfboard. Whilst this is an advantage to the wearer it does mean that the wetsuit must include additional panels of appropriate shape and size such that, when joined together, they form the desired three dimensional body shape and the desired angle at the elbows and knees.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A general object of the present invention is to produce garments that utilize complex panel shapes to minimize the total number of panels used, the number of seams, and total seam length. A specific object of the present invention is to produce garments that further reduce the number of seams and total seam length compared with the garment described and shown in WO 03/103423. Further

reducing seam length and the number of seams further reduces the chances of seams wearing out or splitting, and may further improve comfort of the wearer.

As described in WO 03/103423, one type of garment that is improved by panel and seam reduction is a wetsuit. Wetsuits having reduced panel numbers and seam length will generally keep a surfer warmer and more comfortable and flexible than existing wetsuits. Reduced seam length will reduce water entry into the suit and the reduction in water entry increases surfer warmth. Further reducing the seam length thus further improves these aspects of the suit.

As in WO 03/103423, wetsuits are used herein to described the claimed invention as the lack of frills and other exterior decorations on wetsuits make them well suited for illustrating various aspects of garments. However, the aspects of the invention are applicable to garments in general, and not only to wetsuits.

One aspect of the present invention provides a fitted garment being configured to closely conform to the shape of a human body, the garment including a first panel of fabric having a torso section and upper back sections integrally formed therewith, wherein the torso section is shaped to substantially surround the waist region of a wearer's body and has edges of the first panel meeting at a seam extending along a spinal region of the body, the torso section also having upper portions extending outwardly to underarm regions of the body such that no seams are present within the armpit regions of the body, and wherein the upper back sections meet at a fastener extending along the spinal region of the body such that together the upper back sections extend across the whole upper back of the body and no other seams are present across the entire central portion of the upper or lower back of the body.

A wetsuit produced in accordance with this aspect of the present invention minimizes the seams which are necessary around the waist and upper back regions of the body. This is advantageous because it is these regions of the body which are most susceptible to the effect of an ingress of cold water to the wetsuit.

The removal of seams across the back of the suit also improves flexibility and comfort.

In one embodiment, the garment includes a second panel of fabric joined by seams to the first panel. The second panel has integrally formed arm sections

and a chest section. In this embodiment the arm sections form a pair of sleeves and the chest section extends between the sleeves across a chest region of the body. The upper back sections of the first panel may extend between the sleeves across the upper back of the body. In this way, the entire garment may include two major panels which together cover more than 90% of a wearer's body. A minor panel is joined to the first panel in the crotch region of the garment.

The fastener may be a zip fastener, as is used in conventional wetsuits.

The zip fastener may be provided between the upper back sections to enable the wearer to easily step into or out of the garment when the zip is down, ie unzipped.

Similar to the garment described in WO 03/103423, each sleeve of the garment of the present invention may have a bend at an elbow region thereof such that a forearm section of the sleeve forms an angle with an upper arm section of the sleeve. The bend may be provided in part by a dart which begins at a seam located at an upper rear side of the upper arm section and terminates adjacent the elbow region.

A"dart", as the term is used herein is similar to a traditional dart in that portions of a single panel are joined together. However, the portions joined are not separated by a fold in the panel, but instead are formed by joining edges of a single panel together. As such, panels that are to be shaped by darts will have regions separating points to be joined together removed such that the points to be joined fall on or near two or more edges of the panel. Such edges will often form opposite sides of a gap in the panel when the panel is stretched against a flat surface. Darts are generally described herein in regard to the portions on the panel at the ends of the dart and possibly along the length of the dart. Since the removed region corresponding to each dart may be described in the same fashion, any descriptions as to the location of darts will also be applicable to the corresponding dart gap/removed region.

In one embodiment, the first panel of the garment also includes leg sections integrally formed with the torso and upper back sections. In this way, the number of seams in the garment is further minimized. Preferably, each leg section is configured to substantially surround at least an upper portion of a leg of the body. However, the leg sections may enclose the whole leg down to the ankle.

Optionally, each leg section may include a dart which begins at a seam on an inner knee region of the body and terminates at an outside calf region. Such a dart may be provided in a manner similar to that describes in WO 03/103423. It has been found, however, that by suitably shaping the leg sections of the garment, a dart in the leg sections may be avoided.

In one embodiment the leg sections cover the full length of each leg of the wearer and a seam extends from a crotch region, down an inner thigh region and a knee region, along a rear portion of a calf region to an ankle.

In a preferred embodiment the first and second panels together provide at least 90% of the exterior surface of the garment. The first and second panels may even provide more that 95% of the exterior surface of the garment.

In comparing the fitted garment of the present invention with the inventor's earlier garment described in WO 03/103423, it can be seen that the upper back sections have been omitted from the second panel, incorporating the arm sections and the chest section, and have now been included in the first panel, incorporating the torso section and optionally the leg sections. This has several advantages.

Firstly, it allows a thicker and hence warmer fabric to be used for the first panel covering the torso and upper back. This is advantageous because it is these core parts of the body which are most sensitive to cold. A thinner and lighter, and hence more flexible, fabric can then be used for the limbs, and in particular the arms. This is most advantageous when the garment is a wetsuit for use in surfing or swimming where arm movement should not be hindered, for example when lying upon a surfboard and paddling with the arms.

Secondly, the absence of seams, other than a single main seam extending along the spinal region of the body and incorporating a fastener (such as a conventional zip fastener) to facilitate donning of the garment, reduces the likelihood of seam failure leading to ingress of cold water to the suit.

Thirdly, there are manufacturing advantages, particularly in the fabrication of wetsuits. The fabrics used, such as neoprene (non fibrous rubber), are typically supplied in standard sized sheets. Whilst the first panel (torso, legs and upper back sections) of a wetsuit in accordance with the present invention is marginally larger in overall size than the equivalent panel (torso and legs only) of

the inventor's earlier wetsuit, the second panel (arms and chest only) is considerably smaller than the equivalent panel (arms, chest and upper back sections) of the earlier wetsuit. In either wetsuit, only a single torso/leg panel can be cut from a standard sized sheet, however more of the sheet is used in the new design. In addition, the reduction in size of the arm/chest panel allows a greater number of these panels to be cut from the standard sheet, thereby increasing material utilisation and reducing waste.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a wetsuit including only two major panels of fabric joined together at a plurality of seams, a first panel having a torso section and upper back sections integrally formed therewith, wherein the torso section is shaped to substantially surround the waist region of a wearer's body and has edges of the first panel meeting at a seam extending along a spinal region of the body, the torso section also having upper portions extending outwardly to underarm regions of the body such that no seams are present within the armpit regions of the body, and wherein the upper back sections meet at a fastener extending along the spinal region of the body such that together the upper back sections extend across the whole upper back of the body and no other seams are present across the entire central portion of the upper or lower back of the body, a second panel joined by seams to the first panel and having integrally formed arm sections and a chest section, wherein the arm sections form a pair of sleeves, the chest section extends between the sleeves across a chest region of the body and the upper back sections of the first panel extend between the sleeves across the upper back of the body.

Preferably, the two panels together are shaped and sized to provide at least 90% of the exterior surface of the wetsuit. More preferably, the two panels provide at least 95% of the exterior surface. Minor panels, such as a crotch panel, may also be employed. Optionally, a collar piece or pieces may also be included.

A further aspect of the invention provides a method of fabricating a fitted garment, the garment being configured to closely conform to the shape of a human body, the method including the step of cutting from a piece of fabric a first panel having a torso section and upper back sections integrally formed therewith,

wherein the torso section is shaped to substantially surround the waist region of a wearer's body and has edges of the first panel arranged to meet along a spinal region of the body, the torso section also having upper portions configured to extend outwardly to underarm regions of the body such that no seams will be present within the armpit regions of the body, and wherein the upper back sections are shaped to meet along the spinal region of the body such that together the upper back sections will extend across the whole upper back of the body and no other seams will be present across the entire central portion of the upper or lower back of the body.

Preferably, the first panel also includes leg sections integrally formed with the torso section. Each leg section is preferably configured to substantially surround at least an upper portion of a leg of the body.

A preferred embodiment of the method includes the steps of cutting from a piece of fabric a second panel having arm sections and a chest section integrally formed therewith, wherein the arm sections are shaped to form a pair of sleeves and the chest section is arranged to extend between the sleeves across a chest region of the body. The second panel is then joined to the first panel at a plurality of seams such that the upper back sections of the first panel extend between the sleeves across the upper back of the body.

Any suitable means for joining the first panel to the second panel may be employed such as, for example (in wetsuit production),"flat locking","glued and blind stitching"or any other suitable technique.

It is contemplated that garments in accordance with the present invention will generally have reduced total seam lengths. In regard to wetsuits, it is contemplated that a full length wetsuit in accordance with the preferred embodiment will further reduce the total seam length by another three feet, in comparison to the inventor's earlier wetsuit described and shown in WO 03/103423. This is in part because at least two seams have been removed from the upper back region of the garment and the seams previously employed to create darts around the knee regions have been omitted.

The term"full length"is used herein to describe a suit that covers a majority of a wearer's arms and extends to the wearer's wrist, and also covers a majority of a wearer's legs and extends to the wearer's ankles. Suits having

shorter arms and/or legs will generally have correspondingly reduced total seam lengths. The term"small"is used herein to describe suits that are sized to fit a wearer who is approximately 5'9"tall and weighs 145 Ibs. The term"medium"is used herein to describe suits that are sized to fit a wearer who is approximately 5' 10"tall and weights 160 Ibs. The term"large"is used herein to describe suits that are sized to fit a wearer who is approximately 5'11"tall and weighs 1 801bs.

To assist the further understanding of the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is to be appreciated that this embodiment is given by way of illustration only and the invention is not to be limited by this illustration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a pattern used to make a full body wetsuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figures 2A to 2C show front, back and side views, respectively, of a finished wetsuit made using the pattern shown in Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to Figure 1 and Figures 2A to 2C, there is shown a wetsuit produced according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is made up of two major panels, a first panel 10 and a second panel 12. The wetsuit also includes a minor third panel 14 and may include further minor panels (not shown in Figure 1) such as collar and neck pieces. These pieces may be similar to those shown and described in WO 03/103423.

The first panel 10 includes a torso section 20 and upper back sections 22, 22'integrally formed therewith. The torso section 20 is shaped to substantially surround the waist region of a wearer's body as shown in Figures 2A to 2C.

Opposing edges 24,24'of the first panel 10 meet at a seam 26 extending along a spinal region of the body. The torso section 20 also has upper portions 28,28' extending outwardly to underarm regions of the body such that no seams are present within the armpit regions of the body. The upper back sections 22,22' meet at a fastener 30 (for example a zip fastener) which also extends along the spinal region of the body. The fastener 30 thus aligns with the seam 26, as can be seen in Figure 2B. Together, the upper back sections 22,22'extend across

the whole upper back of the body and no other seams are present across the entire central portion of the upper or lower back of the body.

The second panel 12 is joined by seams to the first panel 10 and has integrally formed arm sections 32,32'and a chest section 34. As can be seen in Figures 2A to 2C, the arm sections form a pair of sleeves. The chest section 34 extends between the sleeves across a chest region of the body (Figure 2A) and the upper back sections 22,22'of the first panel 10 extend between the sleeves across the upper back of the body (Figure 2B).

Similar to the inventor's earlier garment described in WO 03/103423, each sleeve has a bend at an elbow region thereof such that a forearm section of the sleeve forms an angle to an upper arm section of the sleeve. The bend is provided in part by a dart 36,36'which begins at a point 38,38'on a seam located at an upper rear side of the upper arm section and terminates at a point 40,40'adjacent the elbow region.

In the full-length wetsuit shown in the drawings, the first panel 10 includes leg sections 42,42'which are integrally formed with the torso section 20 and upper back section 22,22'. Each leg section 42,42'is configured to surround a leg of the body. As can be seen in Figure 2B, a seam 43,43'extends from a crotch region, down an inner thigh region and a knee region, and along a rear portion of a calf region to an ankle.

Finally, the third panel 14 (being a crotch panel) a front neck panel 46 (Figure 2A) and a rear neck panel 48 (Figure 2B) complete the wetsuit.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. For example, the drawings show a full-length wetsuit but the invention is equally applicable to a wetsuit having short sleeves and legs. Such a wetsuit is considered to clearly fall within the scope of the present invention.