DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015] Referring to FIGS. 1 - 3 and 8 , the preferred embodiment of a hybrid ventilated garment, preferably a jacket 11 or a jacket portion of a combined jacket/pant racing suit, of the present invention is worn by a person riding a motorcycle 13 or other motorized vehicle such as an all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile. Hybrid jacket 11 includes two major portions, a body 15 and a shell 17 . Body 15 has a mesh inner liner 24 , an outer wind resistant material 25 and an outer mesh material 63 .

[0016] Crash absorbing padding, also known as body armor, are positioned as follows. A pair of preformed, convex shoulder pads 19 are internally attached within pockets sewn to mesh inner liner 24 . These pockets are closed at their top edges by hook and loop-type fasteners. Furthermore, preformed elbow pads 21 are inserted into internal pockets sewn to an inside of liner 24 and the elbow pockets are closed at their bottom edges by hook and loop-type fasteners. Three predominantly flat shoulder pads 23 are directly sewn to an inside surface of wind resistant material 25 located at each side of shoulder segment 27 of body 15 . A mesh intermediate layer (not shown), locally sewn to the inside of wind resistant material 25 of each side of shoulder segment 27 , assists in retaining shoulder pads 23 to material 25 . A predominantly flat upper arm pad 29 is also sewn to the inside surface of the wind resistant material, with an additional and localized intermediate mesh, at each sleeve segment 31 of body 15 adjacent a sleeve-to-torso sewn seam 33 . A generally flat upper back pad 35 is similarly sewn to an inside of wind resistant material 25 and secured by another localized, intermediate mesh material. Furthermore, a preformed, waffle-patterned, spine pad 37 is removably located in a pocket sewn within liner 24 having a horizontal hook and loop attachment and opening across a middle of the pocket. A generally flat, lower back pad 39 is sewn to the inside of a waistband segment 41 , also made of wind resistant material 25 . Finally, a pair of flat intermediate, back pads 79 and 81 are sewn to an inside surface of outer mesh fabric 63 . The generally flat pads are more flexible than are the preformed ones and they are preferably made of a foam-like material. The preformed pads are preferably molded from multi-layer composite, resinated foam-like materials. Some of the body armor pieces disclosed herein, which aid in cushioning the impact the motorcycle user receives during motorcycle crashes, can be readily substituted or supplement by rigid polymeric panels having flat or three-dimensionally curved shapes.

[0017] A pair of sleeve diameter adjustments 41 are located on each sleeve 31 adjacent the elbow area. Each sleeve adjustment includes a fabric tab 43 upon which is mounted a female snap attachment 45 . A pair of spaced apart, male snap attachments 47 protrude from the sleeve for selective attachment with female snap attachment 45 . Moreover, a cuff adjustment 51 is disposed adjacent a distal open end 53 of each sleeve which corresponds to a wrist area of the user. Each cuff adjustment 51 includes a zipper assembly 55 with a flexible piece of triangularly-shaped fabric sewn between the zipper tracks and which can be expanded when the zipper 55 is unzipped or hidden from view when zipped. The positioning of cuff adjustments 51 and the body armor is highly advantageous by allowing same to be worn by the motorcycle rider regardless of whether hybrid jacket 11 is in its fully closed, wind blocking mode or in its fully ventilated mode with shell 17 removed from body 15 as will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 6 - 9 , a lower torso segment 61 , herein defined as the entire front, back and side areas of the jacket body between shoulder segment 27 and waistband 41 , is made from outer mesh fabric material 63 and perforated liner 24 which are air permeable for two-way ventilation. A front central and vertically elongated zipper attachment system 65 is disposed on the front of torso segment 61 and includes a pair of parallel zipper tracks with teeth and a zipper pull slide. Outer mesh material 63 laterally extends around the entire torso from zipper track to zipper track of central zipper system 65 and is interrupted by front piping welts 67 and zipped pocket openings 69 sewn thereto. Outer mesh material 63 is further located on the lower areas of each sleeve 31 extending from distal end 53 to armpit seam 33 . Thus, outer mesh material 63 is permanently sewn to wind resistant material 25 along the entire front and rear sleeve segments 31 and shoulder segment 27 with a piping welt 71 , supplemental frontal zipper attachment systems 73 and a continuous rear zipper attachment system 75 therebetween. Each zipper system includes a pair of toothed zipper tracks and a zipper pull slide. In other words, rear zipper system 75 extends from one sleeve distal end 53 , horizontally across the back of the torso and to the opposite sleeve distal end 53 . Inner liner 24 is sewn essentially within the entire body 15 of jacket 11 between internally folded cuffs at distal ends 53 of the sleeves, and between waistband 41 and an upper collar 75 , except at wind resistant storm flaps 76 extending inwardly by between 60-100 millimeters from the zipper tracks associated with central zipper system 65 . An optional pant zipper attachment 77 is horizontally sewn across an inside surface of inner liner 24 at a back of the torso segment between spine pad 37 and waistband 41 .

[0019] Outer mesh material 63 is preferably a knitted, polypropylene fabric having perforated holes of approximately 3 millimeters high at dimension “a” by approximately 2 millimeters wide at dimension “b” (see FIG. 9 ); one such fabric can be obtained from Geo Change Fabric Co. stock number GCN-7151, SH-Mesh. Inner liner 24 is preferably a lighter weight, polyester knitted fabric having perforated holes of approximately the same size as for the outer mesh material but offset therefrom when sewn into the garment. The much denser wind resistant and ultraviolet light blocking material 25 located on body 15 and shell 17 are preferably a 600 denier polyester fabric having a polyurethane inside coating, but may alternately be Taslen or Cordura ® brand nylon fabric.

[0020] Waistband 41 includes a pair of elastic sections 81 with vertical stitches between each fold and an inner elastic strip which laterally contracts. A waist attachment system 83 is also provided at each forward side of waistband 41 . Each waist attachment system 83 includes a fabric flap sewn adjacent elastic section 81 with a female snap attachment secured thereto. Three horizontally spaced male attachments protrude from a laterally outboard section of waistband 41 for selective fastening to the female snap attachment.

[0021] Collar 75 includes an outer layer made of wind resistant material 25 and an attached inner layer lined with a fleece-like material. A female snap attachment 85 is secured to a protruding front end of collar 75 while selectively matable and spaced apart male attachment fasteners 87 are secured to the opposite end of collar 75 to allow variable diameter neck closure.

[0022] Shell 17 can best be observed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8 . Shell 17 includes left and right sleeve halves 91 which are permanently sewn to a lower torso segment 93 . Shell 17 includes an outer fabric layer 121 made from the wind resistant material and an inner fabric layer 123 made of the perforated liner material like the body. One each zipper track of supplemental zipper attachment systems 73 and 75 are sewn to an upper edge of sleeve half segments 91 and continue along upper edges of lower torso segment 93 . This allows for sleeve half segments 91 and the upper edges of torso segment 93 to be removably zipped onto sleeve segments 31 and shoulder segments 27 of body 15 at the front and rear of the jacket. Left and right front torso zippers 95 are provided in shell 17 to allow access to pockets sewn into the shell. A pair of torso side zippers 97 are openable to allow access to corresponding pocket zippers 69 within body 15 and/or to provide localized venting into jacket 11 even when shell 17 is secured to body 15 . A pair of elasticized pull cords 99 , externally held together at each end by a compressible polymeric toggle and fabric tab, enter eyelets on each side of shell 17 and extend between the outer fabric layer and the inner fabric layer. These cords are used to tighten the lateral periphery of shell 17 in use to minimize air entry. A main zipper attachment system 101 vertically extends along a front torso centerline.

[0023] As can best be observed in FIGS. 2 , 4 - 6 and 8 , the front zipper scheme is as follows. When shell 17 is removed from body 15 , the front centerline torso is closed by zipper system 65 as shown in FIG. 6 . When shell 17 is attached to body 15 , however, an inwardly projecting zipper track 125 of main zipper system 65 engages with an outwardly projecting zipper track 127 which has a zipper pull slide, of shell's main zipper system 101 , for each side of the central opening. Furthermore, when in the attached shell-to-body condition, the inwardly projecting zipper tracks 131 and 133 of main zipper system 101 engage each other to serve as the sole front closure between the left and right front torso sections for both shell 17 and body 15 . This allows for very easy, single zipper use of the jacket when the user wishes to secure or unsecure the front. Additionally, when shell 17 is attached to body 15 , flaps 111 are positioned to cover the upper ends of front supplemental zipper systems 73 to deter wind and cold from entering between the upper edge of shell 17 and collar 75 . More specifically, a proximal end of each flap 111 is sewn to shoulder segment 27 adjacent piping welt 71 . Flap 111 is made of a flexible fabric material and has one portion of a hook and loop-type fastener attachment 135 on an inside thereof for mating with the opposite side of the hook and loop-type fastener attachment sewn onto shell 17 . Thus, each flap 111 extends across the underlying supplemental zipper system 71 but without obstructing or covering main vertical zipper system 101 , or even central zipper 65 when shell 17 is removed from body 15 . Furthermore, one or both supplemental zipper systems 73 can be partially unzipped with the flap attachment 135 engaged, as shown in FIG. 4 , to allow for localized front venting while shell 17 is otherwise still in place.

[0024] While various aspects of the present invention have been disclosed, it should be appreciated that variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, shell 17 may include a thermally insulative layer sewn to the inside thereof, containing polyester fiber batting, foam or goose down, for protection against cold weather; in this variation, a lightweight shell fabric (with less abrasion resistance) of about 70 denier would be used with insulation of about 70 to 200 grams. Furthermore, it is alternately envisioned that a fleece or other non-mesh, yet air permeable, material can be substituted in place of the mesh lower torso segment of body 15 . Moreover, snap, hook and loop, interlocking barb, button and other disengagable fasteners can be employed instead of the preferred zippers and snaps, although some of the wind deterrent benefits of the present invention may not be realized. Shirts and other such garments may readily employ certain aspects of the present invention, although some of the advantages of the present invention may not be achieved. The preferred mesh ventilation material may solely be used on the sleeves, the torso, and/or localized portions thereof as long as an outer removable covering is provided, although again, some of the advantages of the present invention may not be fulfilled. Additional PVC or other waterproof coatings may be provided on any of the fabric layers to provide water resistance or waterproofing. It is also envisioned that the outer mesh material employed on the lower torso area of the body can be perforated with 1 millimeter by 4 millimeter long slits or cuts as long as ventilation is achieved. The present invention may alternately be used by bicycle riders, waist bags can be provided at the rear of the body for receiving the removed shell, and waterproof zippers can be provided in place of those disclosed herein. Furthermore, various materials have been disclosed in an exemplary fashion, but other materials may of course be employed, although some of the advantages of the present invention may not be realized. It is intended by the following claims to cover these and any other departures from the disclosed embodiments which fall within the true spirit of the invention.