Graduated Venting Puffer Jacket Back Panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insulated outerwear, such as puffer jackets, face challenges in providing uniform temperature regulation due to excessive heat and humidity buildup during high-output activities, with existing venting solutions often causing discomfort and unreliable temperature control.
Innovation Solution
A puffer jacket design featuring a back panel with a baffle and insulation arrangement that provides graduated venting, where the shape and amount of insulation vary to allow progressive venting towards the center, using alternating insulation and vent baffles defined by stitching, enhancing heat and humidity management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fixed vents are provided in the coat or jacket panels, then heat and humidity can escape, but uniform temperature regulation is not achieved and excessively cool spots are created at each vent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the insulation density and vent opening size across different regions of the back panel. The upper back region has higher insulation density and smaller vent openings to retain heat, while the lower back region has lower insulation density and larger vent openings to facilitate heat escape. This spatial variation in local properties enables differentiated temperature control across the back panel, resolving the contradiction between heat retention and uniform temperature distribution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If zippers are located in the armpit to allow selective venting, then venting can be controlled, but discomfort is caused and reliability issues arise while affecting waterproof capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the venting function from the armpit zipper location and relocates it to the back panel. By positioning vents on the back panel with varying opening sizes and insulation densities, the design eliminates the need for armpit zippers while maintaining selective venting control. This extraction resolves the contradiction by preserving adaptability through controlled venting while eliminating the reliability and comfort issues associated with armpit zipper placement.
3Temperature
If conventional puffer jackets use highly insulative baffles, then warmth is provided, but excessive build-up of heat and humidity occurs during high-output activities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the back panel into multiple regions with different insulation densities and vent opening sizes. Instead of using uniform high-insulation baffles throughout, the design divides the back panel into upper and lower zones, each with tailored insulation properties. The upper zone maintains higher insulation for warmth retention, while the lower zone incorporates larger vents and lower insulation to prevent heat and humidity build-up during high-output activities, thus resolving the contradiction.
4Loss of energy
If vents are limited to relatively small regions to prevent excessive air exchange, then air exchange is controlled, but uniform temperature regulation throughout the jacket is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by creating an asymmetric distribution of vent sizes and insulation densities across the back panel. Rather than placing identical small vents uniformly throughout, the design features larger vents in the lower back region and smaller vents in the upper region, coupled with varying insulation densities. This asymmetric arrangement enables controlled air exchange in different zones to achieve uniform temperature regulation, resolving the contradiction between limiting air exchange and maintaining temperature uniformity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design offers improved temperature regulation and increased venting, reducing hot spots and discomfort, while maintaining insulation, particularly beneficial for high-output activities like hiking.
Implementation Method 1
The baffles are filled with down insulation, synthetic insulation or a blend of down and synthetic insulation
Implementation Method 2
the shape and amount of insulation varies from baffle to baffle to provide progressively less heat retention toward the center of the back
Data Source
AI summary
A puffer jacket configured to provide improved temperature regulation through graduated venting. In one embodiment, the jacket includes a back panel with baffles and insulation arranged to provide reduced insulation and increased venting of heat and humidity toward the center of the back. The back panel may include an alternating arrangement of insulation baffles (containing insulation) and vent baffles (free of insulation). The insulation baffles and vent baffles may be formed by joining inner and outer layers of fabric with laterally extending lines of stitching. The lines of stitching may follow paths selected to progressively change the relative size of the vent baffles and the insulation baffles toward the center of the back. For example, the lines of stitching may give the insulation baffles a somewhat hourglass shape shortening toward the center of the back resulting in increasingly greater venting of heat and humidity toward the center of the back.