Integrated Gel Sheet Therapy Garment for Ice-Bath-Free Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature therapy methods, such as ice baths, require significant setup and resources, and there is a need for improved apparatus and methods that can efficiently reduce skin temperature and centralize blood flow without the logistical challenges of traditional setups.
Innovation Solution
A temperature therapy garment comprising integrated flexible gel sheets made of cold-therapy material, which can be cooled or warmed to simulate full-body temperature therapy, providing continuous coverage and compression to enhance blood circulation and centralization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional ice baths are used for temperature therapy, then skin temperature reduction and blood flow centralization are achieved, but setup complexity and resource requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The garment is divided into multiple panels (front panel, back panel, sleeve panels, leg panels) that can be separately manufactured and assembled. Each panel can be independently cooled or warmed, allowing modular temperature therapy application without requiring a large centralized ice bath system.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible gel sheet acts as an intermediary thermal medium between the cooling source (refrigerator/freezer) and the user's skin. This gel sheet integrates temperature therapy functionality directly into the garment, eliminating the need for separate ice baths, chillers, and water systems.
2Temperature
If traditional ice baths are used for temperature therapy, then skin temperature reduction is achieved, but storage space and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature therapy function is extracted from the large-volume ice bath system and concentrated into a wearable garment with integrated gel sheets. This reduces the storage requirement from a large bathtub-sized vessel to a compact wearable garment that can be stored in minimal space.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible gel sheet provides a thin, conformal thermal interface between the cooling source and skin. This thin-film approach replaces the bulky water and ice volume of traditional baths with a minimal-thickness thermal medium that can be integrated into clothing.
3Ease of operation
If integrated flexible gel sheets are used in the garment, then ease of use and portability improve, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gel sheet is merged with the garment fabric to create an integrated panel structure. The gel sheet is positioned between inner and outer fabric layers and secured through stitching or adhesives, combining the thermal therapy function with the garment structure in a single manufacturable unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The gel sheet material properties are optimized for flexibility and thermal conductivity within a specific temperature range. By selecting gel formulations that maintain semi-rigid form at use temperatures but remain flexible during manufacturing and storage, the patent balances ease of manufacture with operational effectiveness.
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
The garment effectively reduces skin temperature and centralizes blood flow, achieving benefits similar to full-body exposure through localized application, including brown fat activation, improved circulation, and easier waste removal, with ease of use and reduced resource requirements.
Implementation Method 1
each integrated flexible gel sheet formed of a cold-therapy material having a semi-rigid form throughout a selected temperature use range
Data Source
AI summary
A cold therapy garment formed from one or more clothing panels. Each clothing panel extends from a first edge to a second edge opposite the first edge and includes an integrated flexible gel sheet to be cooled prior to a user wearing the cold therapy garment, each integrated flexible gel sheet extending continuously across the clothing panel from the first edge to the second edge, and each integrated flexible gel sheet formed of a cold-therapy material having a semi-rigid form throughout a selected temperature use range.