DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate the overall shape, configuration and design of jacket 20 , having hood 24 attached to upper body portion 22 which may include collar 64 . Underarm slide fasteners 50 may be provided for ventilation, and breast pocket slide fasteners 48 may provide access to pocket storage space in the front of jacket 20 . Sleeves 39 may be provided with surface fasteners 40 , such as VELCRO (TM) brand fasteners, at the cuffs. A front slide fastener 34 may provide an opening on the front of the jacket, which may be curved. Collar 64 and hood 24 together define face opening 72 .

[0025] Jacket 20 may be made out of a wide range of materials, such as natural fibres and/or synthetic materials. In some embodiments, the jacket may be made of a waterproof breathable laminate such as expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene coated with a breathable fabric, as is well known in the art of technical outdoor garments.

[0026] The adjustable drawstring arrangement of hood 24 may include one or more cranial cord segments adapted to be positionable to encircle the cranial portion of a wearer's head. As shown in FIGS. 8, 9 , 10 and 13 , a rear cranial cord segment 54 may run along each side of hood 24 from rear draw string cord lock 44 , into rear hood opening 41 and through internal rear drawstring passageway 38 to an interconnection with a front cranial cord segment 30 . Cord locks may for example be constructed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,292 (incorporated herein by reference) or in accordance with the wide variety of alternative cord locks known in the outdoor garment art. As illustrated, front cranial cord segment 30 may run through a passageway defined by flexible brim connector 60 , shown in FIG. 13 , and pass through side openings 31 into the internal hood cord passageway 38 , 28 (through which run drawstring cord segments 54 and 62 respectively, which are unitary segments in the illustrated embodiment).

[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, front cranial cord segment 30 forms loop 33 after passing through side openings 31 , and unitary drawstring 54 , 62 passes through loop 33 to form the connection between drawstring 54 , 62 and front cranial cord segment 30 . As alternatives to loop 33 , other means may be provided for connecting draw string segments, such as stitches and glue. A brim stiffening member 58 may be flexibly connected to front cranial cord segment 30 , to help stiffen and shape brim 42 . In this arrangement, front cranial cord segment 30 may be tightened against a persons head without unduly flattening brim 42 . Manual tensioning by pulling on drawstring 54 , 62 at toggle 45 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 13 acts to tighten the circumferential cranial cord segments, 54 and 30 , as well as tensioning temporal cord segments 62 . Similarly, in an embodiment that is not illustrated, cord segments may be arranged so that manual tensioning of either a left or right temporal cord segment 62 may act to tension the circumferential cranial cord segments 30 , 54 . In this way, the adjustable hood drawstring arrangement of the invention provides a variety of embodiments adapted for simultaneous circumferential tensioning of the cranial covering portion of hood 24 as well as vertical temporal tensioning of hood 24 along the lateral margins of face opening 72 . In some embodiments, cranial cord segments 30 , 54 may be generally horizontal and temporal cord segments 62 may be generally vertical.

[0028] It will be seen that cord arrangements other than the illustrated embodiment may be adapted to provide the desired result. For example, toggle 45 and cord lock 44 need not be located at the rear of hood 24 . Alternative embodiments may have a toggle and cord lock arranged, for example, near the collar at the bottom end of one or both of the vertical channels 28 . More than one toggle and cord lock may be provided for manual operation of the one or more interconnected cord segments. In the illustrated embodiment, the base of each temporal cord segment 62 is anchored (for example by adhesive or by stitching) in passageway 28 at a location 63 that is near the junction 65 between hood 24 and collar 64 .

[0029] In various aspects of the invention, drawstrings may be elasticated cords, and the drawstrings may run in channels or passageways formed in the hood material, formed for example by adhesive application of channel strips to the interior of the hood, or by sewn channels or guides applied to the inside of hood 24 .

[0030] In alternative aspects, the invention provides methods of producing a curved slide fastener, such as a zipper. As shown in FIG. 16A, a straight zipper 33 may be fitted, coil down, into a curved fixture or template 70 . A backing may be applied to the zipper, such as a resiliently flexible polymeric material, such as a thermoplastic polymer (e.g. polyurethane). The backing thus applied may provide a resiliently flexible curved conformation to the slide fastener. For example, the zipper in the template with a thermoplastic polymer backing may be subjected to heat and light pressure (such as 330° F. for 20 seconds) sufficient to attach the backing to the fastener, and then cooled rapidly (for example during a 10 second period) with light pressure being applied, to fix the backing to the fastener. In this way, a resiliently flexible polymeric backing may for example be applied to the tape portion of a zipper (the portion of the zipper attached to the interdigitating elements). The nature of the treatment will vary with the selected backing and fastener material. Following such a heat treatment, zipper 34 may be removed from the template, while retaining its curved configuration. As an additional aspect of the invention, the zipper is made water resistant by the polymeric backing. The use of a polymeric backing to provide water resistance in straight zippers is, however, known.

[0031] In an alternative aspect, the invention provides a windowed shoulder pocket 32 having a slide fastener 46 closure adjacent to window 52 . Window 52 may be at least partly transparent so that the interior of the shoulder pocket is visible through the window. Shoulder pocket 32 may for example be shaped to receive a radio, having an elongated upper portion shaped to receive an antenna.

[0032] Although various embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, many adaptations and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention in accordance with the common general knowledge of those skilled in this art. Such modifications include the substitution of known equivalents for any aspect of the invention in order to achieve the same result in substantially the same way. Numeric ranges are inclusive of the numbers defining the range. In the specification, the word “comprising” is used as an open-ended term, substantially equivalent to the phrase “including, but not limited to”, and the word “comprises” has a corresponding meaning. Citation of references herein shall not be construed as an admission that such references are prior art to the present invention. All publications, including but not limited to patents and patent applications, cited in this specification are incorporated herein by reference as if each individual publication were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference herein and as though fully set forth herein. The invention includes all embodiments and variations substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the examples and drawings.