1. An insulating clothing system comprising:
an article of clothing including a front portion and at least one pocket in said front portion, said at least one pocket configured to at least partially cover at least one intimate part of a user; and
at least one insulating insert removably positionable in said at least one pocket, said at least one insulating insert configured to passively provide thermal insulation to the intimate part and including at least one layer of thermal insulation material, wherein said at least one insulating insert exhibits an R-value greater than about 3.5.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said intimate part comprises a breast, and wherein said at least one insulating insert includes a wing portion configured to extend around at least a portion of the outside of the breast.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one insulating insert comprises at least one layer of synthetic fiber thermal insulation material secured within a cover made from a soft woven fabric.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein said cover is substantially wind-resistant.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one insulating insert comprises:
a down fill material;
an inner cover containing said down fill material;
at least one layer of synthetic fiber thermal insulation material situated on an outer surface of said inner cover; and
an outer cover containing said inner cover and said at least one layer of synthetic fiber thermal insulation material, said outer covering defining at least one exterior layer of said at least one insulating insert.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein said inner cover is configured to be positioned between the skin surface of the user and said at least one layer of synthetic fiber thermal insulation material.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein said outer cover includes a merino wool material or a flannel material.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one insulating insert comprises a synthetic fiber thermal insulation material and down fill.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein said insulating insert is configured to at least in part conform to the contour of the intimate part.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one insulating insert exhibits an R-value greater than about 5.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein said article of clothing comprises a bra.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein said article of clothing comprises a female swimsuit or a t-shirt.
13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one pocket opening in an outer layer of said article of clothing that is in communication with said at least one pocket; and
at least one pocket closure system for selectively opening and closing said at least one pocket opening.
14. An insulating bra system comprising:
a bra including:
a front portion configured to provide support to breasts of a user, said front portion including at least one pocket concealed within said front portion;
a back portion configured to extend across the back of the user;
side portions extending between said front portion and said back portion and configured to extend under the arms of the user, and
at least one insulating insert removably positionable within said at least one pocket of said bra, said at least one insulating insert including a cover and at least one thermal insulation material and configured to substantially shield and passively provide thermal insulation to the breasts of the user, wherein said at least one insulating insert positioned within said at least one pocket increase a Clo value of said bra by greater than about 10%.
15. The bra system of claim 14, wherein said cover includes:
a first layer;
a second layer spaced from said first layer; and
a receiving space defined between said first layer and said second layer, wherein said receiving space includes said at least one thermal insulation material comprising at least one of natural down or synthetic down material.
16. The bra system of claim 15, wherein at least one or said first layer or said second layer include synthetic fiber thermal insulation.
17. The bra system of claim 14, wherein said at least one insulating insert includes a third layer of a wind-resistant material configured to at least prevent wind from penetrating said at least one insulating insert.
18. The bra system of claim 14, wherein at least one insulating insert includes one or more thermally reflective materials configured to reduce the amount of heat the user loses as thermal radiation.
19. A method of thermally insulating a user’s breasts, the method comprising:
positioning a bra on the upper torso of the user, wherein the bra includes a front portion having a pair of pockets positioned over the user’s breast; and
inserting an insulating insert in each of said pockets to passively provide thermal insulation to the user’s breast, wherein each insulating insert includes at least one layer of thermal insulation material secured within an outer cover and exhibits an R-value greater than about 4.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein said insulating insert includes a layer of down fill material.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A tensioner for tensioning a belt, comprising:
a housing having an arm
a biasing element disposed within the housing operable to bias the arm in a first direction;
a base cooperable with the housing to enclose the biasing element;
a shaft extending through the housing and biasing element, wherein the housing is rotatable relative to the shaft and the shaft has a bore and a first end configured to mate with the base to impede rotation of the shaft relative to the base while allowing axial displacement of the shaft relative to the base; and
a fastener extending through the shaft for attaching the tensioner to a machine element.
2. The tensioner of claim 1 wherein the shaft comprises a second end having a surface adapted to cooperate with the fastener, such that tightening the fastener tightens the shaft against the base, which in turn tightens the base against the machine element.
3. The tensioner of claim 2 wherein the shaft comprises a stop for limiting the axial displacement of the shaft toward the base.
4. The tensioner of claim 3 wherein the shaft is configured such that upon tightening the fastener against the shaft, a gap remains between the second end of the shaft and the housing to permit rotation of the housing relative to the shaft.
5. The tensioner of claim 1 wherein the shaft comprises a second end configured to cooperate with a tool for tightening the tensioner.
6. The tensioner of claim 5 wherein the second end of the shaft comprises a pair of opposing parallel flat surfaces cooperable with a wrench to turn the shaft to tighten the tensioner.
7. A tensioner for tensioning a belt, comprising:
a housing having an arm
a biasing element disposed within the housing operable to bias the arm in a first direction;
a base cooperable with the housing to enclose the biasing element; and
a shaft extending through the housing and biasing element, wherein the housing is rotatable relative to the shaft and the shaft has a bore and a first end configured to mate with the base to impede rotation of the shaft relative to the base while allowing axial displacement of the shaft relative to the base.
8. The tensioner of claim 7 wherein the shaft comprises a second end having a surface adapted to cooperate with the fastener, such that tightening the fastener tightens the shaft against the base, which in turn tightens the base against the machine element.
9. The tensioner of claim 8 wherein the shaft comprises a stop for limiting the axial displacement of the shaft toward the base.
10. The tensioner of claim 9 wherein the shaft is configured such that upon tightening the fastener against the shaft, a gap remains between the second end of the shaft and the housing to permit rotation of the housing relative to the shaft.
11. The tensioner of claim 7 wherein the shaft comprises a second end configured to cooperate with a tool for tightening the tensioner.
12. The tensioner of claim 11 wherein the second end of the shaft comprises a pair of opposing parallel flat surfaces cooperable with a wrench to turn the shaft to tighten the tensioner.