Patent Application
20140173815
Materials or elements that impart padding, cushioning, or otherwise attenuate impact forces are commonly incorporated into a variety of products. Athletic apparel, for example, often incorporates pad components that protect the wearer from contact with other athletes, equipment, or the ground. More specifically, pads used in American football and hockey incorporate pad components that provide impact protection to various parts of a wearer. Helmets utilized during American football, hockey, bicycling, skiing, snowboarding, and skateboarding incorporate pad components that provide head protection during falls or crashes. Similarly, gloves utilized in soccer (e.g., by goalies) and hockey incorporate pad components that provide protection to the hands of a wearer. In addition to apparel, mats (e.g., for yoga or camping), chair cushions, and backpacks, for example, all incorporate pad components to enhance comfort.
Various features of an article of apparel are disclosed below. In some configurations, an article of apparel comprises a garment component for covering a portion of a body of a wearer, a first pad component, and a second pad component. The garment component has an inner surface and an opposite outer surface, and the garment component includes a first area and a second area. The first pad component is positioned adjacent to the first area of the garment component. The first pad component is (a) secured to the first area at a first pair of linear regions and (b) unsecured to the first area between the first pair of linear regions. The first pair of linear regions are spaced from each other and positioned on opposite sides of the first area. The second pad component is positioned adjacent to the second area of the garment component. The second pad component is (a) secured to the second area at a second pair of linear regions and (b) unsecured to the second area between the second pair of linear regions. The second pair of linear regions is spaced from each other and positioned on opposite sides of the second area.
In other configurations, an article of apparel comprises a garment component for covering a portion of a body of a wearer and a pad component. The garment component has an inner surface and an opposite outer surface. The pad component is positioned adjacent to the outer surface of the garment component. A pair of separate and spaced edge areas of the pad component are secured to the garment component, and a central area of the pad component that is located between the edge areas is unsecured to the garment component.
In some configurations, an article of apparel comprises a garment component for covering a portion of a body of a wearer and a pad component. The pad component is located adjacent to the garment component and has (a) a pair of secured regions that are joined to the garment component and (b) an unsecured region that is unjoined to the garment component. The secured regions are spaced from each other and are located adjacent to a periphery of the pad component. The unsecured region is located between the secured regions and separates the secured regions from each other, and the unsecured region extends through an entirety of a distance between opposite edges of the pad component.
In other configurations, a pants-type garment comprises a garment component and a pad component. The garment component has a pelvic region, a first leg region, and a second leg region. The pelvic region defines a waist opening, the first leg region defines a first leg opening, and the second leg region defines a second leg opening. The garment component includes a first hip area, a second hip area, and a tailbone area. The pad component is positioned adjacent to one of the first hip area, the second hip area, and the tailbone area. The pad component has an inwardly-facing surface secured to the garment component in a first linear region and a second linear region. The inwardly-facing surface is unsecured to the garment component between the first linear region and the second linear region.
In further configurations, a shirt-type garment comprises a garment component and a pad component. The garment component has a torso region that defines a neck opening and a waist opening, a first arm region that defines a first arm opening, and a second arm region that defines a second arm opening. The garment component includes a first shoulder area and a second shoulder area. The pad component extends across one of the first shoulder area and the second shoulder area. The pad component has an inwardly-facing surface with a first region, a second region, and a third region between the first region and second region. The inwardly-facing surface is secured to the garment component in both the first region and the second region. The third region of the inwardly-facing surface is at least partially spaced from the garment component when the garment component is substantially unstretched.
The advantages and features of novelty characterizing aspects of the invention are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. To gain an improved understanding of the advantages and features of novelty, however, reference may be made to the following descriptive matter and accompanying figures that describe and illustrate various configurations and concepts related to the invention.
The foregoing Summary and the following Detailed Description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose concepts associated with pad components that may be incorporated into various articles of apparel.
Apparel Configuration
With reference to
Apparel 100 is depicted individually in
Garment component 110 includes a pelvic region 111 and a pair of leg regions 115 that extend outward from pelvic region 111. Pelvic region 111 corresponds with a pelvic area of individual 10 and covers at least a portion of the pelvic area when worn. An upper area of pelvic region 111 defines a waist opening 112 that extends around a waist of individual 10 when apparel 100 is worn. Leg regions 115 correspond with a right leg and a left leg of individual 10 and cover at least portions of the right leg and the left leg when worn. Lower areas of leg regions 115 each define a leg opening 116 that extends around a leg of individual 10 when apparel 100 is worn. Additionally, garment component 110 includes an outer surface 124 that faces away from individual 10 when apparel 100 is worn, and garment component 110 includes an opposite inner surface 122 that faces toward individual 10 and may contact individual 10 when apparel 100 is worn.
Garment component 110 may include any of a variety of materials that are conventionally utilized in apparel, such as textiles, leather, synthetic leather, or polymer materials, and may also include combinations of these materials (e.g. one textile material joined with another textile material, or a textile material bonded or otherwise secured to a polymer material). Textiles used to form garment component 110 may include knitted, woven, non-woven, spacer, or mesh textile components, and materials used to form garment component 110 may include cotton, wool, silk, rayon, nylon, polyester, polyacrylic, and elastane, for example. Garment component 110 may advantageously incorporate a textile exhibiting some degree of one-dimensional or multi-dimensional stretch.
Pad components 300 are incorporated into various areas of apparel 100 to impart padding, cushioning, or otherwise attenuate impact forces. When apparel 100 is worn during athletic activities, for example, pad components 300 may protect individual 10 from contact with other athletes, equipment, or the ground. With regard to apparel 100, pad components 300 are depicted as being located in both of pelvic region 111 and leg regions 115 and as being positioned to protect hip areas, thigh areas, and a tailbone area of individual 10.
As described in greater detail below, however, pad components 300 may be incorporated into a variety of different articles of apparel, and pad components 300 may be positioned adjacent to various areas of the articles of apparel to protect specific portions (e.g., muscles, bones, joints, impact areas) of individual 10. Pad components 300 are depicted in
Pad Component Configuration
An example configuration for pad component 300 is depicted in
Cover layers 310 and 320 extend over opposite sides of cushioning layer 330 and are joined to each other along a periphery of pad component 300 (e.g., through stitching, an adhesive, or thermalbonding). In this configuration, cover layers 310 and 320 cooperatively form an exterior surface of pad component 300, including an outwardly-facing surface 312 and an opposite inwardly-facing surface 322. Whereas outwardly-facing surface 312 faces outward and away from individual 10, inwardly-facing surface 322 faces inward and toward individual 10.
A variety of materials may be utilized for outer cover layer 310 and inward cover layer 320, including various textiles, polymer sheets, leather, or synthetic leather, for example. Combinations of these materials (e.g., a polymer sheet bonded to a textile) may also be utilized for layers 310 and 320. Although layers 310 and 320 may be formed from the same material, each of layers 310 and 320 may also be formed from different materials. With regard to textiles, layers 310 and 320 may be formed from knitted, woven, non-woven, spacer, or mesh textile components that include rayon, nylon, polyester, polyacrylic, elastane, cotton, wool, or silk, for example. Moreover, the textiles may be non-stretch, may exhibit one-directional stretch, or may exhibit multi-directional stretch. Accordingly, a variety of materials are suitable for outer cover layer 310 and inner cover layer 320.
Cushioning layer 330 is primarily formed from the plurality of pad elements 332, which are located between and secured to each of cover layers 310 and 320. Although the shapes of pad elements 332 may vary significantly, each pad element 332 is depicted as having an elliptical or generally elongate shape with rounded end areas. Pad elements 332 are also depicted as being spaced evenly from each other and arranged in rows, particularly offset rows, but may be spaced or located in a variety of arrangements. An advantage of arranging pad elements 332 in offset rows is that the area between pad elements 332 is effectively minimized, while retaining a regular spacing between adjacent pad elements 332.
A variety of materials may be utilized for pad elements 332, including various polymer foam materials that return to an original shape after being compressed. Examples of suitable polymer foam materials for pad elements 332 include polyurethane, ethylvinylacetate, polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene foams. Moreover, both thermoplastic and thermoset polymer foam materials may be utilized. In some configurations of pad component 300, pad elements 332 may be formed from a polymer foam material with a varying density, or solid polymer or rubber materials may be utilized. Fluid-filled chambers may also be utilized as pad elements 332 and in middle layer 330. Also, different pad elements 332 may be formed from different materials, or may be formed from similar materials with different densities. As discussed in greater detail below, the polymer foam materials forming pad elements 332 attenuate impact forces to provide cushioning or protection. By selecting thicknesses, materials, and densities for each of the various pad elements 332, the degree of impact force attenuation may be varied throughout pad component 300 to impart a desired degree of cushioning or protection.
The compressible polymer foam materials forming pad elements 332 attenuate impact forces that compress or otherwise contact pad component 300. When incorporated into apparel 100 or another article of apparel, for example, the polymer foam materials of pad elements 332 may compress to protect a wearer from contact with other athletes, equipment, or the ground. Accordingly, pad component 300 may be utilized to provide cushioning or protection to areas of individual 10 or other wearers that are covered by pad component 300.
In addition to attenuating impact forces, pad component 300 has an advantage of simultaneously providing one or more of breathability, flexibility, a relatively low overall mass, and launderability. When incorporated into an article of apparel, such as apparel 100, a wearer may perspire and generate excess heat. By utilizing a permeable textile for layers 310 and 320 and also forming gaps between adjacent pad elements 332, areas for air to enter apparel 100 and for moisture to exit apparel 100 are formed through pad component 300. More particularly, air and moisture may pass through layers 310 and 320 and between pad elements 332 to impart breathability to areas of apparel 100 having pad components 300. Moreover, the materials and structure discussed above for pad component 300 impart flexibility and a low overall mass to pad component 300. Furthermore, the materials and structure discussed above for pad component 300 permits pad component 300 to be laundered without significant shrinkage or warping, even when temperatures associated with commercial laundering processes are utilized. Accordingly, pad component 300 may simultaneously provide impact force attenuation, breathability, flexibility, a relatively low overall mass, and launderability to an article of apparel.
Pad Component Attachment
Pad component 300 is incorporated into apparel 100 such that inwardly-facing layer 320 of pad component 300 is positioned adjacent to outer surface 124 of garment component 110. In this configuration, pad component 300 protrudes i from apparel 100. As depicted, pad component 300 includes a pair of attachment regions 350, which are depicted as linear regions, and a separation region 352 located between attachment regions 350. A linear region may be an elongate region having a length that is significantly greater than its width. A linear region may have a length that is three times, or five times, or ten or more times greater than its width, for example. As depicted, attachment regions extend over a majority of a length of pad component 300.
Pad component 300 is secured to opposite sides of an area of garment component 110 in attachment regions 350, while being unsecured to garment component 110 in region 352. An outwardly-facing surface 312 of pad component 300 is accordingly oriented away from garment component 110, while an inwardly-facing surface 322 of pad component 300 is oriented toward garment component 110, is secured to garment component 110 in regions 350, and is unsecured to garment component 110 in middle region 352.
When garment component 110 is substantially unstretched, regions 350 are positioned further apart from each other across inwardly-facing surface 322 of pad component 300 than they are across outer surface 124 of garment component 110. Accordingly, as depicted in
Pad component 300 may be secured to garment component 110 in attachment regions 350 by stitches or sewing. In some configurations, pad component 300 may be secured to garment component 110 in regions 350 by thermalbonding, an adhesive, a thermally-activated adhesive, or another securing structure.
Attachment regions 350 are depicted in
For each pad component 300, pairs of regions 350 may straddle an area of textile component 110 corresponding with a portion of a body of a wearer that tends to flex, extend, or rotate in the course of various athletic activities, such as joint areas, for example. When regions 350 straddle such areas, pad component 300 may facilitate a flexion, extension, or rotation of the body of a wearer in the corresponding area. Pairs of regions 350 straddling an area of textile component 110 may also serve to accommodate variety in the size and shape of the corresponding portion of the body of a wearer. This may allow pad components 300 to be incorporated into articles of apparel that are suitable for a relatively wide range of wearers.
For example, an advantage of securing pad component 300 to garment component 110 along attachment regions 350 is that a majority of pad component 300 is decoupled from garment component 110. A majority of pad component 110 may thus flex, slide, rotate, or otherwise move relative to pad component 110. Additionally, as garment component 110 stretches or contracts, attachment regions 350 may accordingly move further apart from each other or closer to each other without hindering the motion of garment component 110. Pad component 300 may therefore accommodate shifts in garment component 110 due to the movements in the body of a wearer.
Further Configurations
As depicted in
Although depicted in
In various configurations of pad component 300, outer cover layer 310, inner cover layer 320, or both may include a mesh textile. For example, FIG. 1OF depicts a configuration of pad component 300 in which outer cover layer 310 includes a mesh textile.
Regions 350 are depicted in
Middle layer 330 is depicted in
As depicted in
In addition to the shapes depicted in
The invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying figures with reference to a variety of configurations. The purpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide an example of the various features and concepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the configurations described above without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.
