阅读说明：本技术 湿度指示物品 (Humidity indicating article ) 是由 佩顿·罗斯 贾勒特·L·雷诺兹 海蒂·沃恩 于 2018-11-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：本文描述的技术涉及一种三层外衣服装片料,其包括外层(110)、防水的中间膜层(120)和内层(130)。将诸如耐久斥水(DWR)涂层(340)的斥水涂层选择性地施加到外层,从而留下外层的区域(330)没有斥水涂层。当降水(300)击中服装时,水在未涂覆部分(330)中被吸收,以显露由未涂覆部分形成的形状的图案(310)。(The technology described herein relates to a three-layer outerwear garment panel comprising an outer layer (110), a waterproof middle film layer (120), and an inner layer (130). A water repellent coating, such as a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating (340), is selectively applied to the outer layer, leaving areas (330) of the outer layer free of the water repellent coating. When precipitation (300) hits the garment, water is absorbed in the uncoated portions (330) to reveal a pattern (310) of shapes formed by the uncoated portions.)

1. A garment comprising at least one wetness indicating sheet, said wetness indicating sheet comprising: a first layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface, wherein the first layer comprises a water repellent coating material in a plurality of water repellent coating portions and does not comprise the water repellent coating material in a plurality of non-water repellent coating portions, and wherein a first area collectively occupied by the plurality of water repellent coating portions is greater than a second area collectively occupied by the plurality of non-water repellent coating portions; and a second layer having a third surface and an opposing fourth surface, wherein the second surface of the first layer is affixed to the third surface of the second layer.

2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a third layer having a fifth surface and an opposite sixth surface, wherein the fourth surface of the second layer is affixed to the fifth surface of the third layer.

3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are thermally bonded to one another.

4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the plurality of non-water repellant coating portions comprise discrete shapes.

5. The garment of claim 4, wherein the discrete shapes comprise one or more of logos, symbols, geometric shapes, organic shapes, or alphanumeric characters.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein said plurality of non-water repellant coated portions are not visible when said wetness indicating sheet is dry.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of non-water repellent coated portions is surrounded by one or more of the plurality of water repellent coated portions, and wherein the plurality of non-water repellent coated portions are distributed throughout the wetness indicating sheet.

8. The garment of claim 1, wherein the plurality of non-water repellant coating portions become visible when the plurality of non-water repellant coating portions are exposed to moisture.

9. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises a woven or stretch woven construction.

10. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the first layer comprises a frosted finish.

11. A method of making a wetness indicating sheet, said method comprising: providing a composite sheet comprising a first layer having at least a first surface, a second layer, and a third layer, wherein said second layer is positioned between and attached to said first layer and said third layer; and selectively applying a water repellent coating material to the first surface of the first layer to form a first plurality of portions coated with the water repellent coating material, and, at the same time, selectively not applying the water repellent coating material to form a second plurality of portions not coated with the water repellent coating material.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of portions not coated with the water repellent coating material comprise discrete shapes, and wherein the discrete shapes comprise one or more of logos, symbols, geometric shapes, organic shapes, or alphanumeric characters.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said second plurality of portions not coated with said water repellant coating material are not visible when said humidity indicating sheet is dry, and wherein said second plurality of portions not coated with said water repellant coating material become visible when said humidity indicating sheet is exposed to moisture.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the water repellent coating material is applied using a roll printing process.

15. An article comprising at least one moisture indicating sheet, said moisture indicating sheet comprising: at least a first layer of material having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the at least first layer of material comprising: a plurality of water-repellent coating portions and a plurality of discrete non-water-repellent coating portions having a specific shape, wherein an area collectively occupied by the plurality of water-repellent coating portions is larger than an area collectively occupied by the plurality of non-water-repellent coating portions.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the specific shape of each of the plurality of non-water repellent coating portions comprises one or more of a logo, a symbol, a geometric shape, an organic shape, and an alphanumeric character.

17. The article of claim 15, wherein the second surface of the first material layer is continuously coated with a water repellant/water impermeable coating material.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the water repellant/impermeable coating material is non-porous.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the non-porous water repellant/impermeable coating material comprises one of a silicone, polyurethane, thermoplastic urethane, or Durable Water Repellant (DWR) coating material.

20. The article of claim 15, further comprising a second layer of material having a third surface and an opposing fourth surface; and a third material layer having a fifth surface and a sixth surface, wherein the first material layer, the second material layer, and the third material layer are attached to each other such that the second surface of the first material layer is attached to the third surface of the second material layer and the fourth surface of the second material layer is attached to the fifth surface of the third material layer, wherein the first material layer is a woven textile or fabric, wherein the second material layer is a nonwoven breathable film, and wherein the third material layer is a warp-knitted textile or fabric.

Background

The user or people around him or her may not always know the amount of moisture present in, for example, the air in the form of rain, mist, fog, dew, etc. This may be particularly true when there is local rainfall in a neighborhood or some area of a city. Alternatively, in the case of a user entering a building, the people inside the building may not be aware of the outside moisture conditions unless they actively pursue such information via media channels and/or conversations with others.

The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed or disclosed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms "step" and/or "block" may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly stated.

The technology relates generally to wetness indicating sheets and, more particularly, to articles that include wetness indicating sheets. In one exemplary aspect, the wetness indicating sheet may comprise one or more layers of material, including a top most layer (top most layer). The exposed surface of the topmost layer can be selectively coated with a water repellent coating material, such as, for example, a durable water repellent coating (e.g., a DWR coating), to form a portion coated with the durable water repellent coating and a second portion that is not coated with the durable water repellent coating.

In another exemplary aspect, the wetness indicating sheet can comprise a single layer. A first surface of the monolayer may be completely (i.e., continuously) coated with a water repellent/impermeable coating material (non-porous coating material), and a second, opposite surface of the monolayer may include portions coated with the water repellent coating material and portions not coated with the water repellent coating material. The water repellent coating material coating portions on the second surface may comprise a material such as DWR and the water repellent coating material used to coat the first surface may be any suitable non-porous coating material to render the moisture-indicating sheet impervious, such as, for example, a silicone coating material, a polyurethane coating material, a thermoplastic polyurethane coating material, or the like, depending on the end use of the moisture-indicating sheet. Since the water repellent coating material on the first surface may have some adverse effect on the breathability of the wetness indicating sheet when it is coated on both sides, a single layer of wetness indicating sheet according to aspects herein may be used to form articles such as umbrellas, tent covers, car covers, boat covers, bicycle covers, bags (i.e., backpacks, purses, duffel bags, luggage, equipment bags (equiment bags), etc.), and the like, wherein the breathability of the wetness indicating sheet is less important than its water-impermeable function for protecting a user and signaling wetness thereto.

In both aspects (single or multiple layers), the portions not coated with the water repellent coating material can form a pattern of uncoated discrete shapes that becomes visible only when the uncoated discrete shapes are contacted with moisture, as described above. The discrete shapes may include any shape such as, for example, geometric shapes, logos, symbols, organic shapes, hearts, stars, alphanumeric characters, or combinations thereof. In other words, according to aspects herein, the uncoated discrete shapes may take any desired shape.

Where the desired properties of the wetness indicating sheet comprise breathability and water repellency, the wetness indicating sheet may comprise a layered construction wherein the first layer comprises a woven (woven), stretch-woven or knitted textile (knit textile)/fabric material, the second layer comprises a breathable and water-repellent polymer film, and optionally the third layer comprises a mesh or warp-knitted fabric (tricot knit) or textile material. Each of the first, second and third layers includes an anterior/first surface and a posterior/second surface. The two layers, or alternatively the three layers, may be attached or thermally bonded to each other by a lamination process in which the front surface of the second layer is laminated to the back surface of the first layer, and if provided, the front surface of the third layer is laminated to the back surface of the second layer. According to aspects herein, the front surface of the first layer may comprise a water repellent coating material applied to the first plurality of portions to form coated portions and not applied to the second plurality of portions to form uncoated portions.

As briefly mentioned above, the uncoated portions on the front surface of the first layer will absorb moisture and thus become wet, while the coated portions will repel moisture due to the water repellent coating material. Thus, the second layer prevents or reduces the chance of moisture from the uncoated portion being drawn through the wetness indicating sheet, thereby protecting the wearer. Further, with the layered construction, the breathability of the wetness indicating sheet material may be enhanced when compared to a garment or sheet material that is completely covered with a water repellent coating material. This is because the humidity indicating sheet material is kept breathable at least by the uncoated portions, and the second layer is a breathable film which keeps the water repellency of the humidity indicating sheet material even in the uncoated portions.

In one example, the total surface area occupied by the coated portions on the front surface of the first layer can be greater than the total surface area occupied by the uncoated portions on the front surface of the first layer. In other aspects, the total surface area occupied by coated portions on the front surface of the first layer can be the same as the total surface area occupied by uncoated portions on the front surface of the first layer. Or in yet other aspects, the total surface area occupied by the coated portions of the front surface of the first layer can be less than the total surface area occupied by the uncoated portions on the front surface of the first layer.

The uncoated portions may each comprise a discrete shape surrounded or encompassed by one or more coated portions, wherein the one or more coated portions may be interconnected with each other. The discrete shape of each of the uncoated portions may include a particular shape, such as a logo, geometric shape, star, heart, irregular shape, alphanumeric characters, organic shape, emoticon shape, punctuation character, and the like. In one aspect, the wetness indicating sheet can comprise a uniform shape for all uncoated portions. In another aspect, the wetness indicating sheet can comprise a combination of shapes. For example, a combination of alphanumeric and punctuation characters may be used to form a hidden message that will only become visible in the presence of moisture, or a combination of other shapes may be used to create a special effect on the wetness indicating sheet.

Further aspects according to aspects herein relate to methods of manufacturing a wetness indicating sheet, and methods of manufacturing garments and articles using wetness indicating sheets according to aspects herein. In a first aspect, a method of making a wetness indicating sheet can include providing a woven fabric or textile sheet having a first surface and an opposing second surface. The method further comprises providing one of the first surface or the second surface with a coating of a water repellent coating material (e.g. DWR) at the first plurality of portions to form a plurality of coated portions, and at the same time, not providing the first surface or the second surface with a coating of a water repellent coating material at the second plurality of portions to form a plurality of uncoated portions. The method further includes providing a coating of a water repellent/impervious coating material (e.g., DWR, silicone, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane, etc.) to the entire opposing first or second surface of the woven fabric or textile sheet. The water repellent or water impermeable coating material may be applied via any suitable process, such as, for example, a roll printing process, spraying, screen printing, and the like. For example, to apply a water-repellent material (water-repellant) to the first surface, wherein the water-repellent material is applied only to a first plurality of portions of the first surface, a roll printing process may be used, wherein the roll may include a plurality of recessed areas corresponding to a plurality of uncoated portions to form a desired pattern of uncoated portions on the wetness indicating sheet. However, for the second surface where the water repellent or water impermeable coating material may be applied continuously to the entire second surface of the wetness indicating sheet, methods such as spraying or roll printing with a smooth roll (i.e., without recessed areas) may be used to apply the water repellent or water repellant coating. Other methods may also include screen printing, etc.

In a second aspect, a method of making a wetness indicating sheet may comprise providing a composite sheet comprising at least a woven or knitted fabric layer which may comprise, for example, polyester, and may comprise, for example, a waterproof film layer of a polymeric material such as polyurethane. The waterproofing membrane may be hydrophobic in some aspects or it may be hydrophilic in some other aspects. Thus, a composite sheet material includes a woven or knitted fabric layer on one surface (i.e., the first/front surface) and a waterproof film layer on the opposite surface. Alternatively, a composite sheet may be provided that includes at least a woven or knitted fabric layer, a waterproof and breathable film layer, and a warp knit or mesh type material layer that may include, for example, nylon, with the waterproof and breathable film layer positioned between the woven or knitted fabric layer and the warp knit or mesh type material layer. Thus, a composite sheet includes a woven or knitted fabric layer on one surface (i.e., a first/front surface), a warp knitted or mesh material layer on an opposite surface (i.e., a second/back surface), and a breathable film positioned between the woven or knitted fabric layer and the warp knitted or mesh material layer. The method may further include providing a first plurality of portions on a first surface of the composite sheet (i.e., an exposed surface of the woven or knitted fabric layer) with a coating of a water repellent coating material (e.g., DWR) to form a plurality of coated portions, and while not providing a second plurality of portions on the first surface of the composite sheet with a coating of the water repellent coating material to form a plurality of uncoated portions. The result of this step is the formation of a moisture-indicating sheet having a plurality of coated portions with a water-repellent coating material and a plurality of uncoated portions. The wetness indicating sheet material may then be used to form a wetness indicating garment or article according to aspects herein.

In addition to providing a water repellent coating material, one or more portions of the front surface of the first material layer (i.e., the woven or knitted fabric layer) may also be provided with other treatments, such as flocking, sanding, and the like, in order to provide a soft feel and to increase the effective thickness of the first layer to prevent or reduce the chance of wetting by keeping moisture away from the front surface of the first layer, or in other words, to prevent or reduce the chance of moisture directly contacting the front surface of the first layer. In another example, the thickness of the first layer may be increased to further prevent or reduce the chance of moisture or water from penetrating the first material layer. For example, according to aspects herein, when several samples including wetness indicating sheets that were sanded on their technical face were tested for water repellency, the results showed that water absorption was negligible even after several washing and drying cycles. As such, the wetness indicating sheet material according to aspects herein provides a visual indication of moisture in the environment while at the same time effectively protecting the wearer (when used in a garment) or the article (when used as a cover or when used in the manufacture of the article itself).

Further, aspects herein also relate to a method of making a garment or article panel from a wetness indicating fabric or textile according to aspects herein. As described above, when the fabric or textile is dried, the pattern formed by the water repellent material coated portion and the uncoated portion is not visible. Likewise, when a pattern is desired to have a particular orientation in the final product, a guide may be provided so that the garment or article sheet can be cut to shape to the correct orientation with the pattern. The guide may include a set of visible markings disposed on a wetness indicating fabric or textile according to aspects herein that are removable or washable. According to aspects herein, indicia may be, for example, printed or embossed on the technical face (i.e., the face of the exterior/exposed surface on the final garment or article) of the wetness indicating fabric or textile, wherein coated and uncoated portions of the material having a water-repellent coating are provided. Alternatively, the indicia may be provided on a surface opposite the process face. The indicia may, for example, consist of a grid, a set of lines, a set of alphanumeric characters, etc., suitable for indicating a particular orientation of the pattern on the front face of the process. In other aspects, the indicia may be provided using a washable "invisible ink", i.e., an ink that is visible only under special lighting conditions, or an ink that may be visible only to a computerized cutting device, for example. The indicia may be applied to the wetness indicating fabric or textile material before the pattern of the water repellent coating material is provided on the technical face of the fabric or textile, or the indicia may be applied after the pattern of the water repellent coating material is provided on the technical face of the fabric or textile.

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts an exploded view of an exemplary moisture-indicating sheet 100 in accordance with aspects herein. As depicted, the wetness indicating sheet 100 may include a first layer 110 having a first surface 112 and an opposing second surface 114, a second layer 120 having a third surface 122 and an opposing fourth surface 124, and a third layer 130 having a fifth surface 132 and an opposing sixth surface 134. The first layer 110 may comprise a woven, stretch-woven, or knitted fabric or textile. The second layer 120 may comprise a breathable nonwoven polymer film having water-repellent properties. The third layer 130 is an optional layer that may include a mesh type material or a warp knit material that is breathable and provides a smooth and comfortable feel. Thus, the third layer 130 may provide protection to the second layer 120 and may add a comfortable feel to the wetness indicating sheet 100, particularly when the wetness indicating sheet 100 is used in a garment or article of clothing that may position the wetness indicating sheet 100 in contact with or in close proximity to the wearer's skin. In other words, when an article of clothing comprising a wetness indicating sheet (such as wetness indicating sheet 100) is worn by a wearer, the sixth surface 160 of the third layer 130 of the wetness indicating sheet 100 may be configured as a layer or surface that is in contact with or in close proximity to the skin of the wearer. Alternatively, the article of apparel may include a backing layer, in which case the third layer 130 may or may not need to be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first layer 110, the second layer 120, and the third layer 130 of the wetness indicating sheet 100 may be attached or thermally bonded to one another by a lamination process in which the second surface 114 of the first layer 110 is attached to the third surface 122 of the second layer 120 and the fourth surface 124 of the second layer 120 is attached to the fifth surface 132 of the third layer 130. Thus, if only the first layer 110 and the second layer 120 are provided, the wetness indicating sheet 100 will have the first surface 112 of the first layer 110 as the front surface 200 and the fourth surface 124 of the second layer 120 as the back surface 210. If first layer 110, second layer 120, and third layer 130 are provided, the wetness indicating sheet 100 will have the first surface 112 of first layer 110 as an exposed front surface 200 and the sixth surface 134 of third layer 130 as an exposed back surface 210. According to aspects herein, an exemplary composite fabric or Textile material that may be suitable for use is a composite assembly available from Hyperbola Textile, inc (Hyperbola Textile co., Ltd).

As is known in the art, the front surface of a garment or article panel is an exposed and visible surface, while the back surface of the garment or article panel is a hidden surface, or a surface facing the interior of the garment or article formed by the garment or article panel. As such, according to aspects herein, the front surface 200 of the wetness indicating sheet 100 (first surface 112 of first layer 110) is provided with a water repellent coating material in a first plurality of portions, and simultaneously is not provided with a water repellent coating material in a second plurality of portions. The water repellant coating material in the first plurality of portions prevents or reduces the chance that the front surface 200 of the wetness indicating sheet 100 will absorb moisture in the first plurality of portions. However, the second plurality of portions that are not coated with the water repellant coating material do absorb moisture and thus undergo a color change that becomes darker or darker when compared to the first plurality of portions of the wetness indicating sheet 100 that include the water repellant coating. In this way, the pattern formed by the second plurality of portions that are not coated with the water repellant coating material becomes visible on the front surface 200 of the wetness indicating sheet 100. However, once the moisture evaporates from the uncoated portions, the wetness indicating sheet 100 dries and the pattern of shapes formed by the second plurality of portions becomes invisible again. Thus, each of the second plurality of portions that are not coated with the water repellent coating material can be made to include discrete shapes so as to create a pattern that can be used to convey information, or be visually appealing, in addition to indicating a wet condition to a person viewing the wetness indicating sheet 100, as will become more apparent with reference to fig. 3A and 3B.

As can be observed from fig. 3A and 3B, when the wetness indicating sheet 100 is exposed to moisture 300, the portions of the front surface 200 that are not coated with the water repellent coating material become visible as the moisture 300 becomes absorbed by the uncoated portions of the first layer 110 and the uncoated portions become dark.

FIG. 3A shows a wetness indicating sheet 100 revealing a pattern 310 of shapes on the front surface 200 formed by a plurality of uncoated portions 330. As shown, each uncoated portion 330 has a particular shape, which is shown as a geometric shape in fig. 3A. It is noted that the geometry of the uncoated portions 330 of the shaped pattern 310 and their illustrated arrangement are merely exemplary. Any shape and any arrangement of shapes is possible and still within the scope of the aspects described herein. For example, other shapes may include stars, hearts, organic shapes, irregular shapes, other geometric shapes, logos, alphanumeric characters, punctuation characters, and the like. The shapes in the pattern of shapes 310 may be arranged into a regular pattern (as shown), an irregular pattern, forming a logo, displaying a message, forming a larger shape, by, for example, positioning the pattern of shapes 310 inside a larger shape (such as a letter, a logo, etc.).

As further illustrated, in fig. 3A, each uncoated portion 330 may be discrete or separate from other uncoated portions 330. Each uncoated portion 330 may be separated from another uncoated portion 330 by a coated portion 340, wherein the coated portion 340, unlike the uncoated portion 330, may be interconnected with each other. In other words, each uncoated portion 330 may be completely surrounded or encompassed by one or more coated portions 340. Described in another way, in an exemplary aspect, rather than including separate discrete shapes or portions, the coated portions 340 can be interconnected such that they form a continuous portion or shape or path on the wetness indicating sheet 100.

Another exemplary aspect is shown in FIG. 3B, which illustrates a moisture indicating sheet 102, the moisture indicating sheet 102 having an uncoated portion 350 in the form of alphanumeric characters, the uncoated portion 350 being surrounded or bounded by a coated portion 360. In this aspect, one or more coated portions 360, such as coated portion 362, may be surrounded by one or more uncoated portions 350. As further shown in fig. 3B, since the plurality of uncoated portions 350 may have alphanumeric character shapes, the plurality of uncoated portions 350 may be arranged in any desired pattern of shapes 320, for example, to convey a message, display a logo, or the like. As shown in fig. 2, when the humidity indicating sheet 102 is dry and not exposed to moisture 300, the humidity indicating sheet 102 may have the same or similar appearance as the humidity indicating sheet 100.

FIG. 4 depicts how different amounts of moisture 410 absorbed in a plurality of uncoated portions 460 of a wetness indicating sheet 400 has an effect on the appearance of the uncoated portions 460 in terms of color intensity/darkening of the uncoated portions 460. For example, in fig. 4, the gradient 420 illustrates how a greater amount of moisture 410 results in greater saturation of the uncoated portion 460, resulting in a greater deepening effect, such as shown in the uncoated portion 462 in the section 430. As the amount of moisture 410 decreases, the effect on the darkening of the color of the wetness indicating sheet 400 may be less severe, as shown in section 440 of wetness indicating sheet 400. Finally, with minimal exposure to moisture, the color change of the uncoated portion 460 may be minimal, as illustrated by the uncoated portion 464 in section 450 of the wetness indicating sheet 400.

Continuing, it is noted that although FIG. 4 is depicted as a function of the amount or level of moisture 410 to which the moisture indicating sheet 400 may be exposed over a given period of time, even if the amount of moisture is low but the exposure time is extended, the uncoated portion 460 may become saturated and eventually exhibit the greatest color-darkening effect (e.g., as in the uncoated portion 462). In addition, a color change may also be observed when the wetness indicating sheet 400 is allowed to dry. In other words, as the moisture 410 is slowly released back into the environment (via, for example, evaporation), the uncoated portions 460 will gradually become less visible until the uncoated portions 460 become nearly dry or completely dry, at which point they will no longer be visible. The threshold visibility of the uncoated portion 460 may differ depending on the fabric or textile material composition of the humidity indicating sheet 400, depending on the color of the humidity indicating sheet 400 and depending on the color intensity of the humidity indicating sheet 400. For example, the visibility of the uncoated portion 460 in a polyester fabric or textile may be less intense and/or for a shorter time when compared to a cotton fabric or textile since moisture tends to evaporate from cotton at a slower rate when compared to polyester.

Fig. 5A and 5B depict an exemplary article 500 in a dry condition and in a wet condition, respectively. As shown in fig. 5A, the article 500 may be a hat (as shown), a shoe, an umbrella, a bag, or the like. The article 500 may include one or more wetness indicating sheets, such as, for example, sheets 510, 520, and 530, and one or more non-indicating sheets, such as, for example, sheet 540. The non-indicating sheet material (e.g., sheet material 540) can include a full coating (i.e., no uncoated portion) of a water repellent coating material on the outward facing surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the different wetness indicating sheets may comprise different patterns formed by the plurality of uncoated portions 504 and 506, as revealed by the presence of the moisture 502. For example, webs 520 and 530 may reveal a first pattern formed by uncoated portion 504, and web 510 may reveal a second pattern formed by uncoated portion 506. As briefly described above, and as shown in fig. 5B, the pattern of uncoated portions 504 and 506 may include a random pattern of specific shapes or random shapes, a random shape, or a specific pattern of specific shapes, or as shown in fig. 5B, may be used to reveal a message such as the word "RAINING" revealed by the uncoated portions 506. Because breathability of the article 500 may be desirable, the wetness indicating sheets 510, 520, and 530 may be formed using the composite construction described above with reference to, for example, FIG. 1. However, if breathability is not an issue, such as in the case of umbrella 600, as shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the construction of one layer of moisture indicating sheet material may be more desirable, as explained below.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, umbrella 600 may include one or more moisture-indicating sheets, such as sheets 610, 620, 630, and 640, and one or more non-indicating sheets, such as sheets 650, 660, 670, and 680. Alternatively, all of the sheets 610-680 may include wetness indicating sheets. Since the article is an umbrella 600 in which breathability is not a major issue, while weight and water resistance and/or water impermeability are greater issues, the different sheets used to construct the umbrella 600 may comprise only a single layer of material. Non-wetness indicating sheets, such as 650, 660, 670 and 680, may include a continuous water repellant coating on both surfaces of the non-wetness indicating sheet. The wetness indicating sheet materials, such as 610, 620, 630, and 640, may comprise a continuous water repellent coating on one surface and may comprise a continuous water repellent coating on the opposite surface, and the wetness indicating sheet materials 610, 620, 630, and 640 may comprise a plurality of water repellent coated portions 606 and a plurality of non-coated portions 604, wherein the plurality of non-coated portions 604 may comprise a specific shape. Then, when the umbrella 600 is constructed, the surface with the continuous water repellent material can be placed on the inside where it is not visible on the outside and where it is not in direct contact with the moisture 602, while the surface with the plurality of coated portions 606 and the plurality of uncoated portions 604 can be placed on the outside where the plurality of uncoated portions 604 will become visible when they are in contact with the moisture 602. As shown in FIG. 6B, in the presence of moisture 602, the pattern formed by the plurality of uncoated portions 604 becomes revealed in the wetness indicating sheets 610, 620, 630, and 640. And as shown in fig. 6A, when the wetness indicating sheets 610, 620, 630, and 640 are in a dry condition, the pattern formed by the plurality of uncoated portions 604 is not visible or is not easily detected, especially from a distance away from the umbrella 600. The advantages of this configuration are: by continuously applying a water repellent coating on the inwardly facing surface, any moisture 602 that penetrates through the uncoated portion 604 will be prevented from passing through the sheet stock 610, 620, 630 and 640, thereby preserving the functionality of the umbrella 600.

Fig. 7A and 7B depict an exemplary garment 700 in a dry condition and in a wet condition, respectively. As shown in fig. 7A, garment 700 may be a hood-equipped upper body garment (as shown), a pair of pants, a skirt, a tight, a poncho, or the like, configured to protect a wearer from wet conditions. Garment 700 may include one or more wetness indicating panels, such as, for example, panels 710 and 720, and one or more non-indicating panels, such as, for example, panels 730, 740, 750, 760 and 770, which together form garment 700. In an exemplary aspect, the non-indicating sheets 730, 740, 750, 760 and 770 may include a full coating (i.e., no uncoated portions) of a water repellent coating material on at least the exterior-facing surface of the garment 700 to provide complete moisture protection.

As shown in fig. 7B, the wetness indicating sheet (e.g., sheets 710 and 720) may include a pattern formed by a plurality of uncoated portions 704, as revealed in the presence of moisture 702. For example, the sheets 710 and 720 may reveal a pattern formed by the uncoated portion 704, which may include a random pattern of a particular shape or random shape, a particular pattern of a random shape or particular shape, a message, a logo, and the like. Because breathability of the garment 700 may be desirable, a two-layer or three-layer construction of the wetness indicating sheet of fig. 1 and 2 may be desirable. The placement of the wetness indicating panels 710 and 720 can be based on areas of the wearer more likely to be exposed to moisture. For example, the wetness indicating panels 710 and 720 may be positioned at the shoulder, upper chest, hood, and upper back areas of the garment 700, as these areas may be the areas that are first exposed to moisture.

Fig. 8 depicts a diagrammatical illustration of a method 800 for manufacturing a moisture-indicating sheet in accordance with aspects herein. As shown at step 802, the method 800 includes providing a fabric or textile layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface. As shown at step 804, coatings of a water repellent coating material may be applied to a first plurality of portions on a first surface of a fabric or textile layer to form a plurality of coated portions, and simultaneously not applied to a second plurality of portions on the first surface of the fabric or textile layer to form a plurality of uncoated portions. As shown at step 806, the water repellent coating material is applied to the entire second surface of the fabric or textile layer such that the water repellent coating material covers the second surface in its entirety. Application of the water repellent coating material may be accomplished by any suitable process, such as, for example, roll printing, screen printing, and the like. In a final optional step, as shown at step 808, the first surface of the fabric or textile layer may be further provided with sanding, flocking, or other types of similar treatments to minimize direct moisture contact with the first surface of the fabric or textile layer.

In an alternative method 900 shown in FIG. 9, in the case of making a multi-layer wetness indicating sheet, a composite sheet may be provided having a first fabric or textile layer, a second breathable and waterproof film layer, and an optional third warp knit or mesh layer, as shown at step 902. The method may further include the following steps as shown at step 904: a coating of a water repellent coating material is provided or applied to a first plurality of portions on a first surface of the multi-layer composite sheet to form a plurality of coated portions, and at the same time, the water repellent coating material is not applied to a second plurality of portions on the first surface of the multi-layer composite sheet to form a plurality of uncoated portions. As mentioned above, the application of the water repellent coating material may be accomplished by any suitable process, such as, for example, roll printing, screen printing, and the like. In a final optional step, the first layer of the multi-layer composite sheet may also be provided with a textile treatment, such as sanding, flocking, or other types of similar treatments. As shown at step 906, an optional textile treatment may be used to minimize direct moisture contact with the first surface of the multi-layer composite sheet. The optional textile treatment shown at 906 can be applied to the entire first surface, or alternatively, it can be applied only to a plurality of uncoated portions, or only to a plurality of coated portions. In addition to preventing or reducing the chance of moisture coming into direct contact with the first surface of the multi-layer composite web, textile treatment can add additional visual interest to the first surface of the multi-layer composite web even when it is in a dry state.

The humidity indicating sheet material produced by any of steps 806 or 808 of method 800 in FIG. 8 or the multiple layers of humidity indicating sheet material produced by any of steps 904 or 906 of method 900 in FIG. 9 may be used to manufacture humidity indicating articles and garments in accordance with aspects herein.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

Since many possible embodiments may be made of the technology described herein without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The claims (modification according to treaty clause 19)

1. A garment comprising at least one wetness indicating sheet, said wetness indicating sheet comprising: a first layer comprising a woven or knitted fabric, the first layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, wherein the first layer comprises a water repellent coating material in a plurality of water repellent coated portions and does not comprise the water repellent coating material in a plurality of non-water repellent coated portions, and wherein a first area collectively occupied by the plurality of water repellent coated portions is greater than a second area collectively occupied by the plurality of non-water repellent coated portions; a second layer comprising a nonwoven breathable waterproof polymeric film, said second layer having a third surface and an opposing fourth surface, wherein said second surface of said first layer is affixed to said third surface of said second layer; and a third layer comprising a warp knit or mesh fabric, the third layer having a fifth surface and an opposite sixth surface, wherein the fourth surface of the second layer is affixed to the fifth surface of the third layer.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are thermally bonded to one another.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the plurality of non-water repellant coating portions comprise discrete shapes.

4. The garment of claim 3, wherein the discrete shapes comprise one or more of logos, symbols, geometric shapes, organic shapes, or alphanumeric characters.

5. The garment of claim 1, wherein said plurality of non-water repellant coated portions are not visible when said wetness indicating sheet is dry.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of non-water repellent coated portions is surrounded by one or more of the plurality of water repellent coated portions, and wherein the plurality of non-water repellent coated portions are distributed throughout the wetness indicating sheet.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the plurality of non-water repellant coating portions become visible when the plurality of non-water repellant coating portions are exposed to moisture.

8. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises a woven or stretch woven construction.

9. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the first layer comprises a frosted finish.

10. A method of making a wetness indicating sheet, said method comprising: providing a composite sheet comprising a first layer comprising a woven or knitted fabric having at least a first surface, a second layer comprising a nonwoven breathable waterproof polymeric film, and a third layer comprising a warp knitted or mesh fabric, wherein said second layer is positioned between and attached to said first layer and said third layer; and selectively applying a water repellent coating material to the first surface of the first layer to form a first plurality of portions coated with the water repellent coating material, and, at the same time, selectively not applying the water repellent coating material to form a second plurality of portions not coated with the water repellent coating material.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second plurality of portions not coated with the water repellent coating material comprise discrete shapes, and wherein the discrete shapes comprise one or more of logos, symbols, geometric shapes, organic shapes, or alphanumeric characters.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said second plurality of portions not coated with said water repellant coating material are not visible when said moisture indicating sheet is dry, and wherein said second plurality of portions not coated with said water repellant coating material become visible when said moisture indicating sheet is exposed to moisture.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the water repellent coating material is applied using a roll printing process.

14. An article comprising at least one moisture indicating sheet, said moisture indicating sheet comprising: at least a first layer of material having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the at least first layer of material comprising: a plurality of water-repellent coating portions and a plurality of discrete non-water-repellent coating portions having a specific shape, wherein an area collectively occupied by the plurality of water-repellent coating portions is larger than an area collectively occupied by the plurality of non-water-repellent coating portions.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the specific shape of each of the plurality of non-water repellent coating portions comprises one or more of a logo, a symbol, a geometric shape, an organic shape, and an alphanumeric character.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein the second surface of the first material layer is continuously coated with a water repellant/water impermeable coating material.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the water repellant/impermeable coating material is non-porous.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the non-porous water repellant/impermeable coating material comprises one of a silicone, polyurethane, thermoplastic urethane, or Durable Water Repellant (DWR) coating material.

19. The article of claim 14, further comprising a second layer of material having a third surface and an opposing fourth surface; and a third material layer having a fifth surface and a sixth surface, wherein the first material layer, the second material layer and the third material layer are attached to each other such that the second surface of the first material layer is attached to the third surface of the second material layer and the fourth surface of the second material layer is attached to the fifth surface of the third material layer, wherein the first material layer is a woven textile or fabric, wherein the second material layer is a non-woven breathable film, and wherein the third material layer is a warp-knitted or mesh-like textile or fabric.