Articles of Apparel Providing Enhanced Body Position Feedback

Abstract

Articles of apparel include: (a) a garment structure having one or more fabric elements structured and arranged to provide a close fit to at least one predetermined portion of a body (e.g., area(s) of the body for which enhanced position sensing and / or feedback are desired, such as the lower back, the arch of the foot, etc.); and (b) a body position feedback system engaged with or integrally formed as part of the garment structure. The body position feedback system may apply higher tensile or constricting forces to selected portions of the wearer's body, which can help stimulate or interact with nerves and deep tissue receptors located in various portions of the body. The increased forces at selected locations of the body give the wearer sensory feedback regarding the position or orientation of these parts of the body and can improve or accelerate development of “muscle memory.”

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA[0001]This application is a continuation application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 756,328 filed May 31, 2007, the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to articles of apparel that provide enhanced body position sensory information to the wearer. Structures for providing the enhanced body position information to the wearer may be separate elements engaged with an article of apparel or integrally formed as part of the fabric of the apparel structure.BACKGROUND[0003]Many athletic activities require the participants to perform the same or similar activities a repeated number of times, both in practice and during competitive events. For example, golfers repeatedly swing golf clubs over the course of a round or a practice session; baseball, softball, or cricket players repeatedly swing a bat or throw a ball over the course of a game or practice; yoga enthusia...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]Aspects of this invention relate to garment structures that provide improved sensory feedback to the wearer to better help the wearer understand or “feel” the position of various parts of the body (optionally without overly restricting the wearer's body or forming a motion or movement inhibiting brace structure). Articles of apparel in accordance with some examples of this invention may include: (a) a garment structure having one or more fabric elements, wherein the garment structure is structured and arranged so as to provide a close fit to at least one predetermined portion of a human body (e.g., a close fit (and optionally an at least partially wrapped around fit) to at least one or more areas of the body for which enhanced position sensing and / or positional feedback are desired); and (b) a body position feedback system engaged with or integrally formed as part of the garment structure (at least at the desired area or areas where enhanced position sensing and / or positional feedback are desired). The body position feedback system may provide and apply higher compressive forces to selected portions of the wearer's body, which can help stimulate or interact with nerves, deep tissue receptors, joint mechanorecptors, etc. located in various portions of the human body, to better give the wearer sensory response in those areas and feedback as to the position of the selected parts of the body. Materials having a higher modules of elasticity may be used in the body position feedback system to produce the higher compressive forces (and resist tensile stretching of the body position feedback system).

Problems solved by technology

For most people, however, a coach or trainer is not always available, and there often is no great way for the athlete, on his or her own, to check their body positioning and form because many areas of the athlete's body are not visible to him or her during the practice or performance.

Human beings cannot readily “feel” the locations of various parts of their body in normal body posture or positions and / or during typical motions (e.g., a human typically cannot “feel” the position of his or her lower back or a position of the foot arch during stances or certain motions).

Therefore, an athlete can easily adopt poor posture, body positioning, and / or other form degrading habits over time in a manner that deleteriously affects his / her performance.

Images