Patent Application
20200238156
The present invention relates generally to sports equipment. In particular, the invention is directed to an athletic protective wrap configured to protect against impact injuries to a lower leg.
Participants of a variety of sports typically wear protective equipment to prevent inadvertent injuries that commonly result from engaging in athletic activity. One specific example of a type of protective equipment worn by participants of an athletic activity, particularly soccer players, is shin guards. Shin guards are generally worn over the lower leg to shield the lower leg from injurious impact during the engagement of the athletic activity.
Protective equipment used while participating in the athletic activity is specifically designed dependent upon which part of the body it is purposed to protect. Prior art shin guards, in particular, are molded to comfortably fit around the lower leg while maximizing an amount of protection possible. If the shin guard is repositioned to a less than optimal position, the protection offered is significantly decreased.
In consideration of this, a fundamental issue, that is the root cause for numerous injuries, is the unintentional movement of the shin guard from its proper position. The unintentional movement generally happens due to the isolated location of the shin area itself, where the proximately supportive joint is the ankle joint. With this knowledge, many attempts at creating an innovative method for securing the shin guard to the lower leg have been attempted.
One example of a proposed, and utilized, solution that has been implemented in the past to attempt to solve this issue is the inclusion of an attached ankle guard that assists in securing the shin guard to its proper position. However, it is a preferentially collective decision that participants of athletic activities make to not elect to use these shin guards due to the obstruction of natural movements the attached ankle guard causes. Because of this, many participants of athletic activities utilize athletic tape in an attempt to better secure shin guards in a proper position. Using athletic tape in this manner is not economical due to it being an inconsistent and non-reusable means to secure a shin guard to the lower leg of a participant of an athletic activity.
One way that manufacturers of athletic protective gear attempt to better secure shin guards is to encourage shin guards to be positioned directly onto the skin of a participant of an athletic activity in order to create a restrictive friction between the skin and the shin guard. However, this results in imminent bacterial growth in the shin guard, which leads to irritation and possible infection to the skin of users of shin guards.
Surprisingly, in accordance with the invention, an athletic protective wrap meets all of the above requirements.
Thus, it is highly desirable to provide an athletic protective wrap that properly secures, and maintains, the athletic protective wrap's position in relation to the lower leg without having the protective pads come into direct contact with the skin of a participant of an athletic activity. It is also desirable to formulate an interlocking phenomenon that creates an ideal protective pad while being manipulatively flexible enough to contour itself to each unique user, optimally fitting the user in consideration of biological ideals.
In concordance and agreement with the present invention, a new athletic protective wrap that accurately secures a shin guard to the lower leg of participants of athletic activities while creating a more protective layer of protective padding, has surprisingly been discovered.
This new athletic protective wrap comprises: a substantially rectangular wrap and a plurality of pockets configured to receive each of a plurality of protective pads. The wrap is then methodically wrapped around the lower leg a number of times to create an interlocking phenomenon between the plurality of protective pads to secure the athletic protective wrap to the lower leg of a participant of an athletic activity.
The above-mentioned, and other features and objects of the inventions, and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make, and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. With respect to the methods disclosed, the steps presented are exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps is not necessary or critical.
The athletic protective wrap 10 includes three general areas 14a, 14b, 14c that are alternately positioned to cover a shin of a lower leg or a calf of the lower leg, respectively. The broken lines that divide each of the three general areas 14a, 14b, 14c located on the athletic protective wrap 10 are for illustrative purposes only and do not form part of the athletic protective wrap 10. The athletic protective wrap 10 is configured to wrap around the lower leg of a user in a wrapping phenomenon. Because of the wrapping phenomenon, there is an anterior portion 16a of the athletic protective wrap 10 and a posterior portion 16b of the athletic protective wrap 10 that enables full engagement of the athletic protective wrap 10 with the lower leg due to the wrapping phenomenon.
A first general area 14a is positioned within the anterior portion 16a of the athletic protective wrap 10. The first general area 14a is positioned directly upon the shin of the lower leg, abutting the shin so that a plurality of protective pads 18, 20 face outwards, away from the shin and so that the elastic material is the only aspect of the athletic protective wrap 10 that comes into direct contact the skin. The fact that only the elastic material makes contact with the skin, rather than any variation of a plurality of protective pads 18, 20, 22 allows for a significant reduction in possible irritation or infection of the skin due to bacterial growth that is otherwise common and imminently present within the pads of a shin guard. The first general area 14a includes a plurality of pockets 24 that are attached to the athletic protective wrap 10 by the stitching 12. However, it is understood that the plurality of pockets 24 may be attached to the athletic protective wrap 10 by any means, such as by a fastener or an adhesive. Each of the plurality of pockets 24 has a receiving portion 26 and a top-flap 28. Each of the receiving portions 26 and each of the top-flaps 28 interlock by means of hook and loop fasteners, wherein each of the top-flaps 28 has a hook component 29 of the hook and loop fastener and each of the receiving portions 26 has a loop component 31 of the hook and loop fastener. However, it is understood that the hook and loop fasteners may be arranged otherwise as desired and each of the receiving portions 26 and the top-flaps 28 may engage with one another by any means, such as by a clasp or a fastener.
In the embodiment shown, the first general area 14a includes the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 that are reflectively identical to one another. However, it is understood that more or fewer pads may be used and the pads may be of a different size or shape if desired. Each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 is shaped to include wing-like protrusions 18a, 20a proximate the calf. Each of the wing-like protrusions 18a, 20a is tapered to form a narrower width of each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 proximate an ankle. Each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 is received in the receiving portions 26 of each of the plurality of pockets 24, wherein each of the wing-like protrusions 18a, 20a face away from one another and towards the calf of the lower leg. Once each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 is fittingly placed within each of the receiving portions 26 of each of the plurality of pockets 24, each of the top-flaps 28 closes so the hook components 29 engage with the loop components 31 of each of the receiving portions 26. The placement of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 within the plurality of pockets 24 allows for the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 to be easily removed to easily and safely sanitize and/or clean the elastic material of the athletic protective wrap 10 without risking damage to the plurality of protective pads 18, 20. The easy removal of each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 also provides the option to easily and safely sanitize and/or clean the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 themselves. The full construct of each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20, inclusive of each of the wing-like protrusions 18a, 20b, accommodates biological ideals to be able to create a contoured athletic protective wrap 10 that maximizes comfort and protection. However, each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 may be contoured to be any shape. The first general area 14a also has an expansive area 30 in between the plurality of protective pads 18, 20 that is configured to receive a singular protective pad 22 of a third general area 14c.
A second general area 14b is positioned within the anterior 16a of the athletic protective wrap 10. The second general area 14b wraps around the lower leg of the user to cover the calf of the lower leg in order to position a front of a loop component 32a of a hook and loop fastener to face outwards, away from the side of the lower leg. Alternatively, a hook component of a hook and loop fastener can also be provided.
The third general area 14c is positioned within the posterior 16b of the athletic protective wrap 10. The third general area 14c is inclusive of a singular pocket 34 and a hook component 32b of the hook and loop fastener. It is understood that additional pockets may be provided if desired. The singular pocket 34 is attached to the athletic protective wrap 10 by the stitching 12. However, it is understood that the singular pocket 34 may be attached to the athletic protective wrap 10 by any means, such as by a fastener or by an adhesive. The singular pocket 34 has a receiving portion 36 and a top-flap 38. The receiving portion 36 and the top-flap 38 interlock by means of a hook and loop fastener wherein the top-flap 38 has a hook component 39 of the hook and loop fastener and the receiving portion 36 has a loop component 41 of the hook and loop fastener. However, the top-flap 38 may include a loop component of the hook and loop fastener and the receiving portion 36 may include a hook component of the hook and loop fastener, if desired. It is further understood that the receiving portion 36 and the top-flap 38 may engage with one another by any means, such as by a clasp or fastener.
The singular protective pad 22 fits into the receiving portion 36 of the singular pocket 34. Once the singular protective pad 22 is received within the receiving portion 36 of the singular pocket 34, the top-flap 38 is closed so that the hook component of the hook and loop fastener engages the loop component of the hook and loop fastener of the receiving portion 36. The placement of the singular protective pad 22 within the singular pocket 34 allows for the singular protective pad 22 to be easily removed to easily and safely sanitize and/or clean the elastic material of the athletic protective wrap 10 without risking damage to the singular protective pad 22. The easy removal of the singular protect pad 22 also provides the option to easily and safely sanitize and/or clean the singular protective pad 22 itself. The third general area 14c wraps around the lower leg to finally cover the shin of the lower leg, directly engaging with the first general area 14a. The singular protective pad 22 is received within the expansive area 30 between the plurality of protective pads 18, 20. This engagement is important because it essentially creates a seamlessly complete protective layer of padding on the athletic protective wrap 10 which is positioned over and protects the shin of the user. The engagement of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20, 22 is depicted within
Each of the plurality of protective pads 18, 20, 22 is formulated from a lightweight and durable material. However, it is understood that the material that formulates the plurality of protective pads 18, 20, 22 may be formulated from any material. Non-limiting examples of such a material is XRD foam, EVA foam sheets, or a combination of both XRD foam and EVA foam sheets. By using a material of this general construct, an inherent flexibility will be possessed by the plurality of protective pads 18, 20, 22 while maintaining a protective capacity relative to the protection of the lower leg. This allows for an improved athletic protective wrap 10 that is flexible and lightweight, which also maximizes comfort and protection in consideration of biological ideals.
In reference to
While the embodiment shown is directed toward the engagement of the athletic protective wrap 10 upon the lower leg of the user, it is understood that the athletic protective wrap 10 may be used on other areas of the body such as a forearm, for example.
From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/796,374, filed on Jan. 24, 2019. The entire disclosure of the above patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62796374 | Jan 2019 | US |
