ANTI-SHARK GARMENT AND METHOD OF USE

CROSS REFERNCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to, and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional

Serial No. 62/828,229, filed April 2, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the area of shark repellent garments, methods for making them and methods for using them, particularly using conductive yams to prepare the garments.

2. Discussion of the Background

hi many industries, professions, sports activities and past-times, there is a need for protective wear that is cut and/or abrasion resistant, yet lightweight and comfortable for the wearer. From maintenance workers crawling through HVAC ventilation shafts to weekend warriors participating in various sporting events, many individuals need protection from cuts and scrapes as they go about their daily activities. One such activity is diving, particularly scuba diving, in ocean areas in the presence of sharks. However, in such diving activities, merely being cut resistant may not be sufficient to avoid injury, due to the strength of the jaws of sharks and the extreme sharpness of their teeth. While most sharks are not aggressive towards humans, some may attempt a“test” bite to determine if what they sense is prey or food. Even though such“test” bites may be quick and a one time occurrence, the chance for serious injury is still significant, since these test bites can still puncture the skin, cut arteries or veins (depending on the location of the test bite).

Sharks are one of nature’s best hunters. This is in large part due to a shark’s electroreception capabilities. A shark’s electroreception abilities are finely tuned.

Electroreception is the ability to detect electrical currents. Sharks use this ability to detect and track their prey. Any muscular movement or twitches in living animals and particularly fish create small electrical currents. These currents are readily carried through salt water, due to the ionic content of the salt water, namely sodium and chloride ions. Because fish cells (as well as other animals) have a charge different from the saltwater solution in which they swim, the contact creates a weak voltage in the same way as a battery. Sharks can sense the tiniest changes in this electrical current, down to one-billionth of a volt.

The source of a shark’s electroreception lies around their snouts and lower jaws, in tiny dots around its mouth that look like large blackheads. These vary in number depending on each species' hunting activity. Active sharks will have 1,500 or more, while the more sedentary ones have a few hundred. These dots are open pores collectively called“ampullae de Lorenzini”. Filled with an electrically conductive jelly, the bottoms of the ampullae are lined with hairlike cilia. Electrical currents travel through the jelly to the cilia. In humans, cilia inside of our ears alert our brains to noise when moved by sound waves. In sharks, the cilia respond to changes in nearby electrical currents transported by the jelly. The cilia trigger the release of neuro transmitters in sharks' brains, which tells them something alive looms close by.

The ampullae de Lorenzini compose part of sharks' lateral line. The lateral line is a sensory organ in many fish and amphibians that stretches down their sides from gills to tail. The long, hollow tube opens out into the skin at perforated scales. This system allows sharks to sense water displacement, pressure and direction. The lateral line and electroreception, along with sharks' other senses combine to make them incredibly keen hunters. Since two-thirds of a shark's brain is devoted to smell, its olfactory sense can get the shark hot on the trail of its next meal even in dark waters.

It's when the shark gets about 3 feet (1 meter) away from its target that

electroreception kicks in to orient its jaws for an accurate, final attack. For that last few feet of the attack, great white sharks have actually been observed to roll their eyes back into their heads for protection and let electroreception take over navigation.

Thus there is a need for a fabric and garment made therefrom that can repel sharks while diving, possibly taking advantage of the shark’s electroreception abilities to do so, while preferably being cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant, and breathable while remaining lightweight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a garment that can effectively repel sharks prior to the shark attempting a“test” bite.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a garment that is made of a fabric formed from cut, slash, and/or abrasion resistant yam as an added layer of protection for the wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for using the garment when diving to effectively repel sharks. These and other objects of the present invention, individually or collectively, can be provided by a shark repellent fabric garment, comprising:

one or more fabric panels prepared from natural and/or synthetic yam, wherein the one or more fabric panels are configured to form a garment;

wherein the garment comprises at least one strand of nickel or stainless steel wire of 30 gauge or higher;

wherein the strand of nickel wire is configured in a manner to provide a continuous electrical circuit throughout the garment, and is connected to a signal generator configured to supply a frequency of 1 MHz ± 100 Hz to the circuit;

and a method for use of the garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shark repellent fabric garment, comprising one or more fabric panels prepared from natural and-'or synthetic yam, wherein the one or more fabric panels are configured to form a garment; wherein the garment comprises at least one strand of nickel or stainless steel wire of 30 gauge or higher; wherein the strand of nickel wire is configured in a manner to provide a continuous electrical circuit throughout the garment, and is connected to a signal generator configured to supply a frequency of 1 MHz ± 100 Hz to the circuit.

The garment of the present invention alternatively comprises a conductive composite yam comprising a core formed of the at least one strand of nickel or stainless steel wire of 30 gauge or higher; at least one inner cover wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover, wherein the inner cover is a natural or synthetic yam; at least one outer cover wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; at least one bonding agent applied onto the at least one outer cover; and optionally, a lubricant.

The garment of the present invention alternatively comprises a conductive composite yam/sewing thread comprising a core formed of at least one strand of a conductive metal of 30 or higher gauge, and at least one inner cover, preferably of natural or synthetic fiber, wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover; at least one outer cover, preferably of synthetic or natural fiber, wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; wherein one of the inner cover and the outer cover preferably also contains a strand of bare conductive metal of 30 or higher gauge, and is configured such that a distance between said second strand and said at least first strand is substantially constant; and optionally, a lubricant;

The term "fiber" as used herein refers to a fundamental component used in the assembly of yams and fabrics. Generally, a fiber is a component which has a length dimension which is much greater than its diameter or width. This term includes ribbon, strip, staple, and other forms of chopped, cut or discontinuous fiber and the like having a regular or irregular cross section. "Fiber" also includes a plurality of any one of the above or a combination of the above.

As used herein, the term "high performance fiber" means that class of synthetic or natural non-glass fibers having high values of tenacity greater than 10 g/denier, such that they lend themselves for applications where high abrasion and/or cut resistance is important. Typically, high performance fibers have a very high degree of molecular orientation and crystallinity in the final fiber structure. An example of such would be high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE) or extended chain polyolefins.

The term "filament" as used herein refers to a fiber of indefinite or extreme length such as found naturally in silk. This term also refers to manufactured fibers produced by, among other things, extrusion processes. Individual filaments making up a fiber may have any one of a variety of cross sections to include round, serrated or crenular, bean-shaped or others.

Within the context of the present invention, unless otherwise denoted, the terms“polyester” and“nylon” are used genetically and include any of the conventional members of the polyester and nylon families of fibers, respectively.

Nylon is preferably nylon-6,6. Polyester is preferably polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate.

The term "air interlacing" as used herein refers to subjecting multiple strands of yam to an air jet to combine the strands and thus form a single, intermittently commingled strand. This treatment is sometimes referred to as "air tacking." This term is not used to refer to the process of "intermingling" or "entangling" which is understood in the art to refer to a method of air compacting a multifilament yam to facilitate its further processing, particularly in weaving processes. A yam strand that has been intermingled typically is not combined with another yam. Rather, the individual multifilament strands are entangled with each other within the confines of the single strand. This air compacting is used as a substitute for yam sizing and as a means to provide improved pick resistance. This term also does not refer to well known air texturizing performed to increase the bulk of single yam or multiple yam strands. Methods of air interlacing in composite yams and suitable apparatus therefore are described in U.S. Patents 6,349,531; 6,341,483; and 6,212,914, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The term "yam" as used herein refers to a continuous strand of textile fibers, filaments or material in a form suitable for knitting, weaving, or otherwise intertwining to form a textile fabric. Yam can occur in a variety of forms to include a spun yam consisting of staple fibers usually bound together by twist; a multi filament yam consisting of many continuous filaments or strands; or a mono filament yam which consist of a single strand.

The term“composite yam” (or“engineered yam") refers to a yam prepared from two or more yams (or“ends”), which can be the same or different. Composite yam can occur in a variety of forms wherein the two or more ends are in differing orientations relative to one another, so long as the final composite yam containing tire two or more ends is stably assembled (i.e. will remain intact unless forcibly separated or disassembled). The two or more ends can, for example, be parallel, wrapped one around the other(s), twisted together, or combinations of any or all of these, as well as other orientations, depending on the properties of the composite yam desired.

Suitable composite yams, which may be formed into fabric by any desired process, preferably knit or woven into the fabric, include, but are not limited to, those as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,777,789, U.S. Patent No. 4,838,017, U.S. Patent No.

4,936,085, U.S. Patent No. 5,177,948, U.S. Patent No. 5,628,172, U.S. Patent No.

5,632,137, U.S. Patent No. 5,644,907, U.S. Patent No. 5,655,358, U.S. Patent No.

5,845,476, U.S. Patent No. 6,212,914, U.S. Patent No. 6,230,524, U.S. Patent No. 6,341,483, U.S. Patent No. 6,349,531, U.S. Patent No. 6,363,703, U.S. Patent No.

6,367,290, and U.S. Patent No. 6,381,940, each to Kolmes, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Another term by which composite yams are known is“engineered yam".

Within the context of the present invention, the term“substantially constant” when referring to die distance between the conductive strand in the core of the yam and the exposed outer conductive strand in the inner cover or outer cover means that the distance between the two strands varies less than about 10%, preferably less than about 5%, more preferably less than about 1% throughout the length of the conductive composite yam of the present invention.

Within the context of the present invention, die term“bare conductive metallic strand” or“bare” when referring to the conductive metallic strand, is intended to mean that the metallic strand has no coating or covering on its surface that would impede conductivity interaction between the strand and another conductive metallic strand.

In one embodiment of the present invention conductive composite yam, the core comprises at least a first bare conductive metallic strand. The conductive metallic strand can be made of any conductive metal, and preferably is of stainless steel or nickel. Preferably, in order to provide sufficient flexibility of the metallic core, the metallic conductive strands should be of 30 or higher gauge metal, more preferably 40 or higher gauge, still more preferably 42 or higher gauge, most preferably 44 or higher gauge. In some embodiments, the core comprises at least 2 metallic strands, which are most preferably insulated one from the other with either a polyamide or polyurethane sheath (the metallic strands having such polymeric sheaths are commercially available) on all except one of the metallic strands forming the core (i.e. at least one of the conductive metallic strands in the core must remain a bare conductive metallic strand). For uses above 150°C, the polyamide covered metallic strand is preferred. When a stainless steel wire is used in the core, the stainless steel wire is preferably of 0.5-4 mil in diameter, more preferably from 1-2 mil in diameter, most preferably 1.6 mil in diameter (0.0016 in). The core can optionally comprise other types of yam, depending on the intended use. hi certain embodiments, the core further comprises fiberglass to improve cut resistance, or can include high performance yams, such as ultra-high molecular weight polyolefin (such as

SPECTRA or DYNEEMA), or aramid yams. When fiberglass is contained, the fiberglass can be of any weight/rating, including but not limited to those in the following Table 1:

The core may be of any desired denier, depending on the unit weight of yam/sewing thread desired. Preferably, the core has a denier of from 50 to 1500, more preferably from 200 to 900.

The inner and outer cover yams can be any type of yam, including both natural and synthetic fibers, and are preferably a synthetic fiber including, but not limited to, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton, acrylics, etc. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable for the inner cover yam to be a high performance yam or high tenacity yam. Suitable high tenacity yams include any of the high tenacity yams having the very low or non-existent elongation, preferably at least one member selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, aramids, and ceramic fibers, most preferably fiberglass. Since this inner cover is helically applied, when subject to the bending stresses generated in the sewing operation, the helical configuration will allow some elongation of the inner cover (even in cases where the yam used to prepare the inner cover has little to no elongation properties itself) to prevent damage or breakage, particularly in a preferred fiberglass embodiment. The inner cover is wrapped around the core at a rate of turns per inch sufficient to provide coverage of the core, and varies depending on the denier and diameter of the core, as well as the denier of the yam making up the inner cover. Preferably, the inner cover is wrapped at a rate of from 4 to 15 tpi, more preferably from 6 to 12 tpi. The inner cover yam may have any desired denier, again depending on the desired size of the final product yam. Preferably, the inner cover has a denier from 50 to 1500, most preferably from

100 to 1000.

The outer cover may be made of any desired fiber, including both natural and synthetic fibers, and is preferably a synthetic fiber including, but not limited to, polyester or nylon. Like the inner cover, the outer cover may be any desired denier, depending on the final size of the resulting yam product and is preferably from 50 to

1500 denier, most preferably from 100 to 1000 denier. The outer cover is then wrapped at a rate sufficient to provide complete coverage of the inner cover, preferably from 4 to 15 tpi, more preferably from 6 to 12 tpi, again depending upon the composite denier of the core/inner cover combination and the denier of the yam making up the outer cover. The outer cover preferably protects the core and inner cover.

More importantly, one of the inner cover or the outer cover contains a second bare conductive strand of metallic wire, preferably of 40 or higher gauge, more preferably 42 or higher gauge, most preferably 44 or higher gauge. By including this second conductive strand in the inner cover or the outer cover, the distance between this second conductive strand and the first conductive strand in the core is maintained in a substantially constant distance. This permits the conductivity between the two metallic strands to be measured more accurately, and provide a significantly improved accuracy in measurement of perspiration by the wearer of a garment including the conductive yam of the invention.

In one embodiment, the yam may have only a single cover over the core. In that embodiment, tire single cover will contain tire second conductive strand of metallic wire.

The resulting composite yam can have any desired composite denier, and preferably has a measured composite denier of from 200 to 2000, more preferably from 200 to 1400, most preferably from 400 to 1100. While this is the measured composite denier, the resulting yarn has a size comparable to a typical composite denier of a non-metallic containing composite yam of 150 to 1000, more preferably from 350 to 750, most preferably from 500 to 600. The reason for the much higher measured composite denier is the higher density (and thus higher weight per unit volume) of the metallic strands in the core.

Once the composite yam is formed, it can optionally be subjected to a finishing operation in which, optionally, at least one bonding agent and/or at least one lubricant is applied. These can be applied in any conventional manner, including but not limited to spraying on the fiber, application by kiss-roll, or dipping the yam into a bath containing the bonding agent or lubricant, either neat or as a solution in a suitable organic or aqueous solvent The preferred lubricant is a silicone with paraffin added.

Additional lubricants which have been found to be satisfactory are RAYOLAN 1813,

Boehme FILATEX, or KL 400 (Kelmar). When the composite yam is a composite sewing thread, the composite yam is lubricated so that the sewing thread can withstand the heat of the needle as it repeatedly slides through the needle eye during the sewing operation.

The composite yam can optionally be treated with at least one suitable bonding agent, including but not limited to at least one member selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyacrylics, nylons and other conventional fiber bonding compositions. The bonding can be applied to the assembled core, to the inner cover, or to the outside of the fully assembled composite yam. Preferably, the bonding is applied to the outside of the fully assembled composite yam. Once applied, the bonding agent is permitted to dry or cure to provide sufficient bonding of the yam fibers.

hi a further embodiment, a stretch conductive yam can be prepared having a core of an elastic yam (and containing NO conductive metallic strand), such as

SPANDEX or similar elastic yam, around which is wrapped at least one cover yam

(such as the natural or synthetic yams in the inner and outer covers above), in which is contained a bare conductive metallic strand of 40 or higher gauge, more preferably

42 or higher gauge, most preferably 44 or higher gauge. The elastic yam of the cote may be any desired denier, preferably from 40 to 250 denier, more preferably from 50 to 100 denier. By wrapping the cover layer around the elastic core, the coiled nature of the conductive metallic strand permits stretching of the entire yam along with relaxation to the original length, via the elastic core and coiled wrap with metallic strand.

The conductive yam used in the present invention garment can be any natural and/or synthetic yam, which also contains a nickel or stainless steel wire of 30 gauge or higher. Additionally, the conductive yam can be one of those described in PCT applications PCT/US2017/053689, filed September 27, 2017; PCT/US2018/053083, filed September 27, 2018; or PCT/US2019/013811, filed January 16, 2019, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The present invention encompasses various embodiments of conductive yams/sewing threads, including but not limited to:

Conductive yams/sewing threads having 3, 4 or more metallic strands in the core to provide additional high levels of conductivity; these higher levels of metallic strands typically must be balanced with flexibility requirements in order to provide a yam/sewing thread that can still be sewn, knit or woven; in such embodiments, each of the 3, 4 or more metallic strands comprises a core metallic strand of 30 gauge or higher, and a second metallic strand of 30 gauge or higher wrapped around the core metallic strand at a wrap rate of 1 to 50 tpi;

Conductive yams having differing bonding agents, such as polyurethanes or polyamides, depending on the properties sought;

Conductive reflective yams/sewing threads, wherein the reflective properties are provided, for example, by embedding retroflective beads (in the range of microns or smaller in diameter) in the surface of the yam/sewing thread; Conductive luminescent yams/sewing threads, in which a

photoluminescent yam is used as at least a part of the outer cover;

Conductive yarns/sewing threads which are particularly useful for transmission of electrical signals and data, while minimizing crosstalk interference, of both inductive and capacitive types;

Conductive yams/sewing threads that can be soldered without requiring stripping of the insulation layer, and still making durable and cohesive connections;

Conductive yams/sewing threads that can be readily used as a passive antenna for receiving electromagnetic signals;

Conductive yams/sewing threads of the present invention can be used to prepare capacitors;

Conductive yams/sewing threads of the present invention can be sewn into various types of garments to prepare“smart garments” which permit transmission of data signals from various sensors either on the garment or on the wearer, to permit tracking and monitoring of a variety of parameters, including biological/health parameters of the wearer, geospatial position of the wearer, etc; the resulting smart garment can be used to monitor personnel location and condition in the field if desired, and permit transmission of other desired paramaters either to remote locations or to localized data storage on the wearer for later analysis;

Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention provide minimized (or even completed eliminated) crosstalk, avoiding capacitive and inductive interference between yams/sewing threads, thus permitting better signal transmission along the conductive yarns/sewing threads; Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention are capable of previously unattainable high levels of conductivity on the order of 1.9

Ohms per meter, containing preferably up to four wires, and are suitable for use with commercial sewing machines; they can be woven or knitted into fabrics that heat, control switches and volume, interact with wireless technology and that can become sensors for impact and touch;

Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention can be used to retrofit body armor with conductive smart yams into impact sensors, or can be incorporated along with a Bluetooth transmitter, such that critical information can be transmitted instantly if the wearer is incapacitated and down;

Conductive yams/sewing threads of the present invention can actually perform as sensors in smart fabrics, permitting transmission of data signals for any desired parameters, including vital stats for the wearer, GPS location data, current positional condition (prone or standing), etc. thus enabling a wide variety of smart fabric capabilities;

Magnetic conductive yams/sewing threads, in which an additional magnetic metallic strand (such as a strand of nickel wire having low conductivity but high magnetization properties) is included within the core;

Color coded conductive yams/sewing threads, in which the various metallic strands present in the core are each coated with differing color polymeric coatings for ease of identification; and

Antimicrobial conductive yams/sewing threads, in which the conductive yams/sewing threads of the present invention are made antimicrobial through treatment with an antimicrobial composition, such as that set forth in US patent 7,939,686, the entire contents of which are hereby

incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Conductive yams/sewing threads which are particularly useful for transmission of electrical signals and data, particularly the accurate measurement of biometric signals via conductivity between the first conductive metallic strand in the core and second conductive metallic strand in the inner or outer cover layer;

Conductive yams/sewing threads that can be soldered without requiring stripping of the insulation layer, and still making durable and cohesive connections;

Conductive yams/sewing threads of the present invention can be sewn into various types of garments to prepare“smart garments” which permit transmission of data signals from various sensors either on the garment or on the wearer, to permit tracking and monitoring of a variety of parameters, including biological/health parameters of the wearer (such as perspiration), geospatial position of the wearer, etc; the resulting smart garment can be used to monitor personnel location and condition in the field if desired, and permit transmission of other desired paramaters either to remote locations or to localized data storage on the wearer for later analysis;

Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention can be used to retrofit body armor with conductive smart yams into impact sensors, or can be incorporated along with a Bluetooth transmitter, such that critical information can be transmitted instantly if the wearer is incapacitated and down; Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention can actually perform as sensors in smart fabrics, permitting transmission of data signals for any desired parameters, including vital stats for the wearer, GPS location data, current positional condition (prone or standing), etc. thus enabling a wide variety of smart fabric capabilities;

Magnetic conductive yams/sewing threads, in which an additional magnetic metallic strand (such as a strand of nickel wire having low conductivity but high magnetization properties) is included within the core; and

Antimicrobial conductive yams/sewing threads, in which the conductive yams/sewing threads of the present invention are made antimicrobial through treatment with an antimicrobial composition, such as that set forth in US patent 7,939,686, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the anti-shark garment is a shaped knit protective garment having a cut resistance of at least 1500, according to the ASTM-F1790-2005.

A preferred embodiment of the anti-shark garment of the present invention comprises sufficient cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yam to provide the fabric with the necessary level of cut resistance, such that the fabric has a cut resistance of at least

1500 as measured by ASTM-F 1790-2005 , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. These cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yarns can be any high performance yam, a composite yam, a yam blend comprising one or more high performance or composite yams, etc. Preferably, the cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yams comprise one or more yams selected from polyolefins (such as ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or extended chain polyolefin), aramids, continuous filament glass fiber, filament stainless steel, and flat or spun synthetic thermoplastic yams, such as polyester or nylon. The garment preferably has a cut resistance of from 1500 to 6200, more preferably from 2000 to 6200, most preferably having a cut resistance in the area of the cuffs of 2500 to 6200. The garment preferably is most preferably is made from 100% of one or more cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yams, including the yams making up the shaped knit panels, as well as including the yam with which the panels are joined together (i.e. all yams used in construction of the garment are cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant).

The garment of the present invention can also be as described in US

Application Serial No. 11/778,340, filed July 16, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

hi addition, the knitting of the garment may be performed, if desired, by plaiting the yams during knitting. Within the context of the present invention, the term“plaiting” is given its normal meaning within the art, namely "plaiting" applies to knitting two different yams simultaneously in the same row of stitches, such that one of the yams covers the other.

In a less preferred embodiment, the garment may contain one or more cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yams, either alone or in combination with any other natural or synthetic fiber. Such natural or synthetic fibers include, but are not limited to, cotton, wool, nylon, polyester, rayon, cellulose acetate, etc. and in conjunction with using Lycra or Spandex for improved characteristics.

The fabric of the present invention further has a fabric weight that is sufficiently lightweight to be practical for wearing, having a fabric weight of no more than 27.9 ounces/square yard (OPSY), preferably a fabric weight of from 7 to 27.9

OPSY, more preferably from 8 to 20 OPSY, most preferably from 8 to 17 OPSY.

The protective garments of the present invention are made from the protective fabric and can be any form of garment, including, but not limited to, shirts (including tee-shirts, and with or without sleeves), socks, sweaters, jackets, vests,

undergarments (including, but not limited to, pantyhose), pants, jumpsuits, dickeys, head coverings, sleeves, wetsuits, bathing suits, waders and other water activity wear.

The protective garment of the presort invention can provide one or more of the following advantages, including the prevention or reduction of injury to the wearer, resistance to damage, and light-weight construction. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the protective garment comprises a fabric made entirely from cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant composite yams. The garments are made according to any known method useful for preparing garments from fabrics. Preferably, the garments are made by shaped knitting during preparation of the fabric. Shaped knitting is a process by which the various panels of a garment are formed directly in the shape needed for assembly, during the knitting process. This is preferred for the present invention, since the fabrics of the present invention have cut and slash resistance and are therefore extremely difficult to cut using conventional fabric cutting means.

While it is possible to cut the fabric, the cutting process is very hard on the cutting surfaces, significantly reducing the interval between servicing of the cutting equipment, and thus increasing the cost of operations. Accordingly, shaped knitting is preferably used to prepare the panels of fabric which are assembled to prepare the present invention garments. These panels are then linked together to form the garment. Many types of seam construction can be used to attach panels to one another. Since these panels have been shaped during their construction, linking, looping of collars or cup seaming are the most preferred, due to the higher comfort provided by the seam against the wearer’s skin as well as strength. The Knit

Construction may be in various Gauges such as 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and

18 gauges wherein within the context of the present invention, the term“gauge” means needles per inch on the specific machine on which the pieces are knit By way of example, 18 Gauge would normally make a fine textured piece, whereas a 3 gauge piece would normally be of a coarser texture.

In a preferred embodiment, the fabric is prepared into a garment or other type of covering that is seamless. Such garments or coverings can be prepared using a knitting machine such as the“WholeGarment” machine sold by Shima Seiki of Japan, or the Knit-To-Wear machinery of Stoll Gmbh. of Germany. These garments could have any desired construction, but would typically be substantially tubular knit in construction, although the tubular construction could have apertures through which appendages could protrude when wearing the garment.

Further, the yams used in the present invention garment can be subjected to any of a variety of treatments conventional in the art, or described in the above noted

“Kolmes” patents, such as fire retardant treatment, antimicrobial treatments, or surface coatings of the yam or knit fabric to provide or enhance a desired property.

The present invention garment can also be provided in any desired color, by dyeing the finished garment, forming the garment from previously colored yams, or a combination thereof.

In the present invention anti-shark garment, the nickel or stainless steel wire is conductively connected to a signal generator capable of generating an electrical current/signal at 0.25 MHz to 10 GHz, preferably at 1MHz ± 100 Hz. The signal generator can be any electrical signal generator, preferably a direct current signal generator. In a preferred embodiment, the signal generator is a square wave generator, configured with an input DC voltage of 5 volts. The generated signal can be on constantly or can be pulsed with equal on/off times. In an alternative embodiment, an AC signal generator can be used. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the AC signal be an asymmetric AC signal, in order to create a charge bias in either the positive or negative direction. The output of the signal generator is conductive connected directly to the nickel or stainless steel wire in the garment.

The nickel or stainless wire runs through at least a portion of the garment to form a complete circuit, preferably throughout the entire garment. Since the nickel or stainless steel wire preferably runs throughout the garment, this signal thus generates an electrical field/signal at 1MHz ± 100 Hz which emanates from the wearer. While not wanting to be bound by any theory of operation, it is believed that this electrical signal interacts with the shark’s ampullae de Lorenzini, which are connected through the shark’s lateral line. This effectively generates a strong electrical signal within the shark, potentially throughout the entire shark body, from which the shark quickly retreats.

The present invention further relates to a method for using the shark repellent garment. The method comprises placing the shark repellent garment on a wearer, and activating the signal generator to apply the frequency of 1 MHz ± 100 Hz. In the method of the present invention, the activating of the signal generator can be performed at any time, prior to entering the water or after entering the water. Further, the placing of the garment on the wearer and activation of the signal generator can also be performed in any order, with the activation of the signal generator occurring before the wearer dons the garment, or after the garment is placed on the wearer. In a test of the present invention, a fabric was formed from a composite yam comprising fiberglass, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, polyester and the strand of 30 gauge nickel wire. This fabric was then applied over a pig leg at the end of a pole. The garment was electrically connected to the signal generator and various electrical signals of different frequencies were applied to test the effectiveness for repelling sharks. At applied signal frequencies below about 900 Hz and above about

1100 Hz, the shark would still attempt to bite the pig leg having the fabric on it

However, at the preferred frequency of 1 MHz ± 100 Hz, the shark would get to within a few inches of the pig leg and quickly divert and retreat, never biting.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention include:

Embodiment 1: A shark repellent fabric garment, comprising:

one or more fabric panels prepared from natural and/or synthetic yam, wherein the one or more fabric panels are configured to form a garment;

wherein the garment comprises at least one strand of conductive/corrosion resistant wire of 30 gauge or higher (preferably nickel or stainless steel; and preferably up to 46 gauge);

wherein the at least one strand of nickel or stainless steel wire is configured in a manner to provide a continuous electrical circuit throughout the garment, and is connected to a signal generator configured to supply a frequency of 0.25 MHz to 10

GHz, preferably 1 MHz ± 100 Hz, to the circuit

Embodiment 2: The shark repellent fabric garment of Embodiment 1, wherein the one or more fabric panels are prepared from cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yam and prepared by shaped knitting.

Embodiment 3: The shark repellent fabric garment of Embodiment 2, wherein the garment is a shaped knit garment having a cut resistance of from 2000 to 6200 (as measured by ASTM-F1790-2005) and a fabric weight of no more than 27.9 ounces per square yard (OPSY).

Embodiment 4: The shark repellent fabric garment of Embodiment 2 or 3, wherein the cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant yam comprises fiberglass, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, polyester and the strand of nickel wire of 30 gauge or higher.

Embodiment 5: The shark repellent fabric garment of Embodiment 1, wherein the one or more fabric panels are made from a conductive composite yam comprising: a) a core formed of the at least one strand of nickel or stainless steel wire of

30 gauge or higher (preferably up to 46 gauge);

b) at least one inner cover wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover, wherein the inner cover is a natural or synthetic yam;

c) at least one outer cover wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped;

d) optionally, at least one bonding agent applied onto the at least one outer cover; and

e) optionally, a lubricant.

Embodiment 6: The shark repellent fabric garment of Embodiment 5, wherein said core comprises two or more strands of the nickel or stainless steel wire.

Embodiment 7: The shark repellent fabric garment of Embodiment 5, wherein said core comprises nickel wire of 30 gauge or higher. Embodiment 8: The shark repellent fabric garment of one of Embodiments 5 to 7, wherein said outer cover is formed of at least one strand of a yam selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyester yams.

Embodiment 9: The shark repellent fabric garment according to one of

Embodiments 5 to 8, wherein said core further comprises fiberglass having a denier of from 100 to 300.

Embodiment 10: The shark repellent fabric garment according to one of

Embodiments 5 to 9, wherein the conductive composite yam is a conductive composite sewing thread.

Embodiment 11 : The shark repellent fabric garment according to one of

Embodiments 5 to 10, wherein the conductive composite yam has a composite denier of from 200 to 1400.

Embodiment 12: The shark repellent fabric garment according to one of

Embodiments 5 to 10, wherein the conductive composite yam has a composite denier of from 400 to 1100.

Embodiment 13: The shark repellent fabric garment according to one of

Embodiments 5 to 12, wherein the lubricant is a composition comprising silicone and paraffin.

Embodiment 14: A method for repelling sharks using the garment of any one of Embodiments 1-13, comprising:

placing the shark repellent garment on a wearer, and

activating the signal generator to apply the frequency of 0.25 MHz to 10 GHz, preferably 1 MHz ± 100 Hz.

Embodiment 15: The method of Embodiment 14, wherein the activating is performed prior to entering a body of water. Embodiment 16: The method of Embodiment 14, wherein the activating is performed after entering a body of water.

Numerous additional modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.