FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of protective apparel, and more particularly to protective equipment to provide impact protection to a wearer playing a contact sport, such as hockey, football, lacrosse, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Players of contact sports have a need for padded protective equipment, such as shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, gloves, chest protectors, and the like. The primary protection accorded by wearing such equipment has commonly been provided by protective shaped foam panels, which are typically strapped to the wearer’s body to provide protection to that particular area of the wearer’s body. The foam can be formed by methods such as molding or die-cutting, and can be made from a number of materials, such as sponge foam, hard foam, open cell foam, or closed cell foam, and with various densities. Typically, these shaped rigid panels are connected by intervening elastic material to allow the wearer to flex and extend joints as needed, without being constrained by the rigid protective padding. The intervening elastic material permits movement and changes in body positioning of the wearer while reducing shifting in the padding during such movements.

[0003] However, unlike the shaped rigid foam panels, the intervening elastic material typically does not provide adequate protection from impacts. In these intervening areas of the equipment, protective foam padding is not typically used, as foam does not tend to stretch so may compromise movement if used in these intervening areas. Accordingly, there are typically gaps in protection, leaving the areas of the wearer’s body under the intervening elastic material vulnerable to impact.

[0004] Therefore, despite advances made to date in the development of protective equipment for contact sports, there is room for improvement to address the above- mentioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

[0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel protective equipment to provide impact protection to a wearer playing a contact sport.

[0007] Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the present invention provides protective equipment comprising a padding element configured to at least partially overlay a flexible connecting means, wherein the flexible connecting means joins a first protective element to a second protective element.

[0008] In another of its aspects, the present invention provides protective equipment comprising (a) a first protective element connected to a second protective element by a flexible connecting means, the first protective element having a first position and a second position relative to the second protective element, the flexible connecting means permitting the first protective element to reversibly move from the first position to the second position; and (b) a padding element configured to at least partially overlap the flexible connecting means when the first protective element is in the first position or in the second position.

[0009] Thus, the present inventors have developed protective equipment that provides protection in areas of the wearer’s body that were previously more vulnerable to impact when conventional protective equipment was worn. The present protective equipment provides protection from impact to jointed areas of conventional protective equipment by reducing gaps in protection, while allowing for flexibility of movement and minimizing the bulk of the padding. The present protective equipment has application in a variety of contact sports, such as hockey, football, lacrosse, and the like.

[0010] To the knowledge of the inventors, a protective equipment having such a combination of features is heretofore unknown.

[0011] Other advantages of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the present specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals denote like parts, and in which:

[0013] Figure 1(A) is a schematic of an embodiment of the present protective equipment illustrating a front view of the protective equipment at rest (in a first position). Figure 1(B) is a schematic of the embodiment of Figure 1(A) illustrating a front view of the protective equipment in a stretched (second) position.

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic of an embodiment of the present protective equipment when used to supplement the protective portions of a shin guard, illustrating (A) a front view of an inner layer of a shin guard, and (B) a further view of the shin guard with the top layer removed. Figure 2(C) illustrates a section of the protection equipment, taken along the line 2C-2C’ of Figure 2(A) looking in the direction of the arrows.

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic of an embodiment of the present protective equipment when used to supplement the protective portions of an elbow pad, illustrating (A) a front view. Figure 3() illustrates a section of the protection equipment, taken along the line 3B-3B’ of Figure 3(A) looking in the direction of the arrows. Figure 3(C) illustrates a side view thereof.

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic of a belly pad embodying the present protective equipment, illustrating (A) a front view and a cross-sectional view taken along the lines A- A’, and (B) a further front view in a stretched (second) position.

[0017] Figure 5 is a schematic of a pair of hockey pants embodying the present invention, illustrating (A) a side view, (B), a further side view in a stretched position, and (C) a cross-sectional view taken along the lines C-C’. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The present invention relates to protective equipment comprising a padding element configured to at least partially overlay a flexible connecting means, wherein the flexible connecting means joins a first protective element to a second protective element.

[0019] The present invention also relates to protective equipment comprising (a) a first protective element connected to a second protective element by a flexible connecting means, the first protective element having a first position and a second position relative to the second protective element, the flexible connecting means permitting the first protective element to reversibly move from the first position to the second position; and (b) a padding element configured to at least partially overlap the flexible connecting means when the first protective element is in the first position or in the second position.

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the following exemplary information which should not be used to limit or construe the invention.

[0021] The present protective equipment may be worn to reduce the likelihood of injury to the wearer’s body from external forces, and preferably, external forces by objects or other persons during a contact sport, such as hockey, football, lacrosse, and the like. The protective equipment can be configured to protect specific areas of the wearer’s body, including, but not limited to, in the form of shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, gloves, chest protectors, and the like.

[0022] Figure 1 is a front view of a schematic of an embodiment of the present protective equipment 100. The protective equipment 100 comprises a first protective element 105 that is connected to a second protective element 110 by a flexible connecting means 120. In this embodiment, the first protective element 105 and second protective element 110 are also both connected to a third protective element 115 by the flexible connecting means 120. In some embodiments, the first protective element is only connected to a second protective element, whereas in other embodiments, the first protective element is connected to three, four, five, or more protective elements by one or more flexible connecting means. [0023] The protective elements 105, 110, 115, are typically rigid and can comprise any suitable material, including, but not limited to, molded foam, which can be made from a number of materials, including sponge foam, low or high density polypropylene foam, hard foam, open cell foam, or closed cell foam, and with various densities.

[0024] The protective elements 105, 110, 115, may be contained within any suitable fabric, including, but not limited to, a wicking fabric, and optionally a stretchable or compression material, such as fabrics containing spandex fibres or LYCRA™ (not shown). The protective elements 105, 110, 115 may also be contained within a single housing with an outer covering (not shown), the outer covering of which may be made of nylon, GORETEX™, or a similar non-absorbent, water-resistant, waterproof, protective material, which may be a natural or synthetic material.

[0025] The flexible connecting means 120 can comprise any suitable flexible material, including, but not limited to, an elasticized fabric.

[0026] The flexible connecting means permits movement and changes in body positioning of the wearer, without being constrained by the rigid protective elements. As illustrated in Figure 1 , in some embodiments, the first protective element 105 has a first position relative to the second protective element 110 (as depicted in Figure 1A) and a second position relative to the second protective element 110 (as depicted in Figure 1 B), whereby the flexible connecting means 120 permits the first protective element 105 to reversibly move back and forth from the first position to the second position. As further depicted in Figure 1 , in some embodiments, the first protective element 105 also has a first position relative to the third protective element 115 (as depicted in Figure 1A) and a second position relative to the third protective element 115 (as depicted in Figure 1 B), whereby the flexible connecting means 120 permits the first protective element 105 to reversibly move back and forth from the first position to the second position.

[0027] As can be seen in Figure 1 (B), when the first protective element 105 is in the second position, there can be gaps in protection for the wearer if there is no further protection under the flexible connecting means 120. The present protective equipment further comprises a padding element (not shown in Figure 1 ; see part 225, 325 of Figures 2 and 3B respectively) configured to at least partially overlap the flexible connecting means 120, such that the padding element acts to supplement protection to the wearer by providing padding in areas of the protective equipment that are not covered by the protective elements 105, 110, and 115 as the first protective element 105 moves from the first position to the second position.

[0028] In some embodiments, the padding element 225, 325 is fixed on one end, oriented in line with the flexible connecting means’ direction of stretch, to an inner surface of the protective equipment (i.e. , on the side of the protective equipment that is adjacent to the wearer’s body). In other embodiments, the padding element may be fixed to the outer surface of the protective equipment. In still other embodiments, the padding element 225, 325 may be connected to both an outer surface and inner surface of the protective equipment, as best seen in figure 2(C) where stitching 250, applied perpendicular to the direction of stretch of the flexible connecting means 120, 220, connects the padding element 225 to both the outer surface and inner surface. The padding element may be fixed within the protective equipment by stitching, adhesive, or some other means known in the art. Preferably, the padding element 225 is fixed at only one end, as seen in figure 2(C), such that the remainder of padding element 225 is floating in place relative to the flexible connecting means 120 (not shown in Figure 1 ; see parts 220, 320 of Figures 2 and 3B respectively).

[0029] The padding element can comprise any suitable material, including, but not limited to, foam. For example, in some embodiments, the padding element comprises irradiation cross-linked polyethylene (IXPE) foam, a sponge foam, or the like. In some embodiments, the padding element comprises IXPE foam layered on top of sponge foam [not shown], A variety of thicknesses can be used for the padding element, depending on the body part and surface area sought to be covered. A thickness is preferably between about 0.5 mm and 15 mm, and more preferably about 5-10 mm. The padding element may further comprise aeration holes to promote circulation.

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic of another embodiment of the present protective equipment 200. In this embodiment, the protective equipment is a shin guard; however, as stated above, the protective equipment can be configured to protect any number of specific areas of the wearer’s body.

[0031] As illustrated in Figure 2(A), the protective equipment comprises a first protective element 205 that is connected to a second protective element 210 by a flexible connecting means 220. As illustrated in Figure 2(B), the protective equipment 200 further comprises a padding element 225 on its inner surface (i.e., on the side of the protective equipment that is closer to the wearer’s body), which is located underneath flexible connecting means 220. In other embodiments, the padding element may be affixed to the outer surface, or to both the inner and outer surfaces by being stitched through.

[0032] The flexible connecting means 220 may be made of an elastomeric material. Alternatively, it may be made of an accordion-like pleated material which is not elastomeric. The skilled person in the art will be aware of options for materials or structure for flexible connecting means 220 to achieve the needed flexibility.

[0033] This embodiment of the present protective equipment is further illustrated in Figure 2(C), in which a section of the protection equipment 200 is taken along the line 2C- 2C’ of Figure 2(A) looking in the direction of the arrows. As seen in Figure 2(C), the padding element 225 overlays the flexible connecting means 220 in its entirety. In other embodiments, the padding element 225 overlays a partial section of the flexible connecting means 220.

[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, the padding element 225 is fixed to the protective equipment only at a first end 225a, with the second end 225b of the padding element 225 remaining unfixed. This permits the padding element 225 to be floating in place relative to the flexible connecting means 220, such that the padding element 225 continues to underlie the flexible connecting means 220 as the first protective element 205 reversibly moves from the first position to the second position relative to the second protective element 210. In this manner, protective coverage is provided to the wearer even as flexible connecting means 220 is stretched.

[0035] As illustrated in Figure 2(C), in some embodiments, the protective equipment further comprises a liner 230 [see 330 in Figure 3(B)] that is arranged between the wearer’s body and the padding element 225. The liner is useful to provide an intervening layer between padding element 225 and the user’s body as the first protective element 205 moves from the first position to the second position relative to the second protective element 210 and back. The liner may be made from a variety of materials including polyester, LYCRA™, nylon, cotton, or other like materials.

[0036] Figure 3 is a schematic of another embodiment of the present protective equipment. In this embodiment, the protective equipment is an elbow pad 300.

[0037] As illustrated in Figure 3(A), the protective equipment comprises a first protective element 305 that is connected to a second protective element 310 by a flexible connecting means 320. As illustrated in Figure 3(B), which shows a cross-sectional view taken at line 3B-3B’, the elbow pad 300 further comprises an internally located padding element 325 on its inner surface, which is fixed to the protective equipment only at a first end (not shown), with the second end 325b of the padding element 325 remaining unfixed. As a result, the padding element 325 is floating in place relative to the flexible connecting means 320. In this embodiment, the padding element 325 may comprise a layered configuration, in which, for example, IXPE foam is layered on top of sponge foam. In Figure 3(D), a side view of the protective equipment is seen showing how first protective element 305, second protective element 310, and flexible connecting means 320 are arranged in the completed elbow pad 300.

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic of another embodiment of the present protective equipment. In this embodiment, the protective equipment is a belly pad 400, which can be attached to ends of a belt used with hockey pants.

[0039] As illustrated in Figure 4(A), the protective equipment comprises first protective elements 405 that are each connected to a second protective element 410 by flexible connecting means 420. Figure 4(A) shows the belly pad 400 “at rest”, i.e. in its first position, not in stretched form. Figure 4(B) show the belly pad 400 in stretched form (second position), wherein the first protective elements 405 are subject to force to pull them in opposite directions relative to each other, causing stretching of the flexible connecting means 420. Figure 4(C) shows a cross-sectional view taken at line 4C-4C’. Although not visible in this figure, underneath the flexible connecting means 420, padding elements may be floating in space, or may be affixed at one end with the other ends free and floating. In either embodiment, the padding elements provide protection to the wearer underneath the flexible connecting means 420, providing additional protection in areas which were previously vulnerable to impacts due to the thin elastic material being stretched over the body surface during active wear. Internally located padding elements may also not be fixed at one end, rather they may be placed loose underneath the flexible connecting means 420 and will still stay in place, due to the confined nature of the internal layers.

[0040] Figure 5 is a schematic of another embodiment of the present protective equipment. In this embodiment, the protective equipment is a pair of hockey pants 500 having protection for both the waist and hips.

[0041] As illustrated in Figure 5(A), the protective equipment comprises first protective element 505 and second protective element 510, connected by flexible connecting means 520. Figure 5(C) shows a cross-sectional view taken at line 5C-5C’. Figure 5(A) shows the pants 500 “at rest”, i.e. not in stretched form, in first position. Figure 5(B) shows the pants 500 in stretched form (second position) when worn by a user, wherein the first protective element 505 is shifted away from the second protective element 510 due to the presence of the wearer’s hips when the pants 500 are worn. As shown in Figure 5(B), the wearing of the pants 500 over hips causes stretching of the intervening flexible connecting means 520. Although not visible in this figure, underneath the flexible connecting means 520, padding elements may be floating in space, or may be affixed at one end with the other ends free and floating. In either embodiment, the padding elements provide protection to the wearer underneath the flexible connecting means 520, providing additional protection to the hips, which were previously more vulnerable to impacts due to thin elastic material being stretched over the hips during active wear.

[0042] Additional protective equipment having jointed areas may also be constructed utilizing the concept of the invention. For instance, knee pads, goalie pads, and hockey gloves may also be formed using padding elements to protect areas having flexible connecting means. The invented protective structures are versatile and may be readily employed in many types of apparel providing protection from impacts. [0043] What is therefore provided is a configuration for providing internal padding underneath areas of stretch in protective garments used for sport, using internal padding that may be freely floating underneath the stretched areas, or may be affixed at one end so that the internal padding moves with the wearer but continues to cover the body parts located under the stretched areas. Such configurations are beneficial as they constitute an improvement to protective garments by providing additional padding that is unobtrusive and can move with the wearer as needed during active play or wear.

[0044] While the invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, the description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Thus, modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description.