The invention relates generally to the field of protective apparatuses, and more particularly to athletic protectors.
Athletes are often involved in activities that include bodily contact or a likelihood that certain areas of the athlete's body will be subjected to heavy physical blows. As a result of the male anatomy, male athletes are particular susceptible to impacts to the male genitalia or the region surrounding thereof. This can present a substantial problem for the male athletes as blows to the male genitals can result in incapacitating pain and produce irreparable damage.
The most common form of protection for a male athlete is an athletic cup having a concave receptacle that generally surrounds the male's genitals. Such devices are generally formed of a hard plastic and are designed to be rigid to protect the male athlete's genitals. However, athletes may suffer discomfort or chafing while performing athletic activities wearing such rigid materials.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved athletic protectors for protecting an individual's genitalia or other sensitive areas.
Aspects of the invention are directed to protective apparatuses, and more particularly to athletic protectors. In accordance with one aspect, an athletic protector is provided having a pad formed from a plurality of layers and configured to be impact-resistant. The pad has a central portion which is delineated along a perimeter thereof by an edge portion. The edge portion extends from the perimeter of the central portion to an outer perimeter and has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the central portion of the pad.
The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, with like elements having the same reference numerals. When a plurality of similar elements are present, a single reference numeral, may be assigned to the plurality of similar elements with a small letter designation referring to specific elements. When referring to the elements collectively or to a non-specific one or more of the elements, the small letter designation may be dropped. According to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated. To the contrary, the dimensions of the various features may be expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawings are the following figures:
Aspects of the invention relate to protective apparatuses, and more particularly to athletic protectors. The inventor recognized that conventional athletic cups, which include a rigid shell forming a receptacle for receiving a male's genitals, presents numerous drawbacks that are difficult to overcome due to the fundamental design of such athletic cups. For instance, during athletic activities, the athletic cup may be jostled such that portions of the male genitalia are repositioned outside of the receptacle of the athletic cup. This type of event often leads to injury of the male as the edge of the athletic cup may pinch portions of the male genitalia positioned outside of the receptacle or can lead to such portions of the male genitalia being squeezed between the outside surface of the rigid athletic cup and the athlete's leg. Thus, the rigid shell, which provides the protective attributes of the athletic cup, creates a substantial risk of injury to the athlete. Such risks often lead to athletes deciding not to wear an athletic cup.
The athletic protectors disclosed herein are configured to provide improved protection against the force of impacts while avoiding many of the problems associated with typical athletic cups. Embodiments of the athletic protectors are well suited to be employed as a sole source of protection for athletes, or used in combination with other protective pads and/or layering. For example, the athletic protector may be formed without a rigid shell. The athletic protectors may generally be employed under protective gear, clothing, or devices where impact-resistance is desired. The athletic protectors may be formed to have a flat or curved or bended structure, which may be sufficiently flexible to allow contouring to the athlete's anatomy when worn within or beneath a garment or other piece of equipment. The athletic protectors may be sufficiently flexible to allow molding into a desired shape or angle, while be sufficiently rigid to hold a desired shape or angle after being molded by the user.
Although embodiments of the invention are discussed herein with respect to athletes, it should be understood that aspects of the invention are well suited for use with law enforcement agencies, military personal, security guards, and the like. For example, embodiments of the invention may be particularly suited for law enforcement agencies, as police officers are often required to sit long hours in a vehicle and the superior flexibility of aspects of the invention may provide improved comfort for such law enforcement personnel.
Pad 110 is formed from a plurality of layers 112. The plurality of layers 112 may be coupled to each other directly, e.g., by way of adhesives or mechanical attachment, or indirectly, e.g., by way of an additional layer of adhesive material. The plurality of layers 112 may include one or more elastomer layers, such as first elastomer layer 114 and second elastomer layer 116. Second elastomer layer 116 may be formed from the same elastomer materials or from different materials as first elastomer layer 114. Although pad 100 is illustrated in
The elastomer materials, and layers formed therefrom, may provide impact-resistance by absorbing and/or dissipating the forces of impacts along the surface of the elastomeric material. Suitable elastomer materials for forming elastomer layers 114 and/or 116 include, but are not limited to, urethane rubbers, silicone rubbers, nitrile rubbers, butyl rubbers, acrylic rubbers, natural rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, combinations thereof, and the like. Suitable materials and layers for use as layers 112, and/or for use in forming pad 110, are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/578,961, entitled “IMPACT-RESISTANT MATERIAL AND PAD,” filed Dec. 1, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other suitable elastomers will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description herein.
Preferably, first elastomer layer 114 has a density sufficiently low to enable it to mold to a shape of the athlete's genitalia when pad 110 is worn and/or pressed against the athlete. Such molding may desirably increase the comfort and stability of pad 110 during use. The first density is preferably low enough to provide comfort and contouring, to the athlete, while high enough to provide some rigidity and dissipation of the force of impacts. For example, first elastomer layer 114 has a density of at least 6 lbs. per cubic foot and/or a density of 29 lbs. per cubic foot or less. In one embodiment, first elastomer layer 114 has a density of 9 lbs. or about 9 lbs. per cubic foot. In an exemplary embodiment, first elastomer layer comprises a layer of closed cell, low density soft elastomeric foam. The first elastomer layer 114 may comprise a layer of AIRILON® padding material, provided by Unequal Technologies Company, of Glen Mills, Pa., USA.
The plurality of layers 112 may also include one or more high-tensile strength layers 118 formed of or comprising high-tensile strength materials. High-tensile strength layer 118 may be configured to dissipate the energy of an impact along the length of the fibers, thus spreading out the force along the entire surface of pad 110. Suitable high-tensile strength fibrous materials for high-tensile strength layer 118 include, e.g., aramid fibers, para-aramid or synthetic fibers, fiberglass, or other high-tensile strength fibers. Other suitable high-tensile strength fiber materials will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description herein.
The high-tensile strength, layer 118 may be coated with one or more substances. For example, the high-tensile strength layer 118 may be coated with a polymer material. The polymer material may be the same as or different from the polymer material of polymer layer 120, which is further discussed below. In one embodiment, the polymer material coating high-tensile strength layer 118 is part of polymer layer 120. In an alternative embodiment, the polymer material coating high-tensile strength layer 118 is distinct and/or separate from polymer layer 120. In a preferred embodiment, high-tensile strength layer 118 comprises a TRIDUR® padding material, provided by Unequal Technologies Company, of Glen Mills, Pa., USA. Alternatively, high-tensile strength layer 118 may include the fibers formed from KEVLAR material, provided by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, of Wilmington, Del., USA.
As illustrated by
The plurality of layers 112 may be arranged to provide superior impact-resistance for the wearer of athletic protector 100. For example, plurality of layers 112 may be arranged such that first elastomer layer 114 and second elastomer layer 116 are more proximal to the athlete relative to high-tensile strength layer 118 and/or polymer layer 120 during use/application of athletic protector 100. In the embodiment illustrated in
Pad 110 is configured to provide improved comfort and flexibility in addition to the above-mentioned improved impact-resistance. Pad 110 is delineated by an outer perimeter 130 that defines an edge portion 124 extending by a width W1 from the outer perimeter 130 to a perimeter 127 delineating central portion 126 of pad 110. For example, width W1 of edge portion 124 may range from ⅜th inch to ⅞th inch for an adult male and range from ¼th inch to ⅝th inch for an adolescent male athlete. Alternatively, width W1 of edge portion 124 may range from ⅜th inch to ⅝th inch for an adult female and range from ¼th inch to ½th inch for an adolescent female athlete. In one embodiment, edge portion 124 extends by a width W1 from outer perimeter 130 to perimeter 127 of central portion 126 by ⅝th inch or by about ⅝th inch. The dimensions of edge portion 124 may be configured to be modified or selected to fit athletes of various sizes and genders. In the embodiment illustrated in
Outer perimeter 130 of pad 110 is defined by a first side 132a spaced from a second side 132b by a length L1 and a third side 134a spaced from a fourth side 134b at a top portion of pad 110 by a top width W2 and at a bottom portion of the pad 110 by a bottom width W3. First side 132a is, preferably, spaced from second side 132b by a length L1 such that pad 110 extends to cover and/or protect an area above the athlete's genitalia to an area below the athlete's genitalia. In one embodiment, length L1 of pad 110 is 6 inches or more and 10 inches or less. In another embodiment, length L1 of pad 110 is 7.5 inches or about 7.5 inches. The top width W2 of pad 110 may be greater than bottom width W3 of pad 110, e.g., by a ratio of 1.5:1 to 3.5:1. For example, the ratio of top width V of pad 110 to bottom width W3 of pad 110 may be 2:1 or about 2:1. In one embodiment, pad 110 has a top width W2 ranging from 3.5 inches to 7.5 inches and a bottom width W3 ranging from 0.25 inches to 4.25 inches. In a preferred embodiment, pad 110 has a top width W2 of 5 inches or about 5 inches and a bottom width W1 of 2.25 inches or about 2.25 inches. In another preferred embodiment, the pad 110 has a top width W2 of 4 inches or about 4 inches and a bottom width W3 of 1.5 inches or about 1.5 inches. Although the embodiment illustrated in
Edge portion 124 has a thickness T1 that is less than a thickness T2 of central portion 126 of pad 110, as shown in
Referring to
Preferably, athletic protector 100 may be sufficiently flexible to allow a user to bend or mold pad 110 to a desired angle or shape of their choice. For example, athletic protector 100 may be configured to bend or be molded to form an angle α1 between upper section 136 and lower section 138 of 170° or less, 165° or less, 150° or less, 135° or less, 120° or less, 105° or less, 90° or less, 75° or less, 60° or less, or 45° or less and/or to form an angle of 30° or more, 45° or more, 60° or more, 75° or more, 90° or more, 105° or more, 120° or more, 135° or more, 150° or more, 165° or more. In one embodiment, upper section 136 and lower section 138 of athletic protector 100 form an angle therebetween of 90° or more and 150° or less. Additionally and/or alternatively, athletic protector may be configured to bend or be molded to form an angle α2 between first side 140 of first elastomer layer 114 and second side 142 of first elastomer layer 114 of 175° or less, 170° or less, 165° or less, 155° or less, 145° or less, 135° or less, 125° or less, 115° or less, 105° or less, or 90° or less and/or to form an angle of 90° or more, 105° or more, 115° or more, 125° or more, 135° or more, 145° or more, 165° or more, 170° or more, or 175° or more.
Athletic protector 100 may be sufficiently rigid to allow pad 110 to remain at the desired angle or shape until rebended or remolded by the user, as shown in
According to another aspect of the invention, athletic protector 100 is configured to be flexible and/or bend, as discussed above, but athletic protector 100 does not retain its shape after bending. Athletic protector 100 may be formed of materials that enable athletic protector 100 to elastically bend and return to its original shape (e.g., the shape of athletic protector produced during molding of the plurality of layers 112 or one or more of the layers thereof).
In yet a further embodiment, athletic protector is rigid and does not bend. Polymer layer 120 and/or high-tensile strength layer 118 may be rigid, such that athletic protector 100 does not readily bend and/or is rigid.
Additionally and/or alternatively, athletic protector 100 has a first surface 102 that is configured to be flat in an unapplied state and to form a contour in an applied state. As used herein, in the “unapplied state” the athletic protector is not being pressed or coupled to the athlete's body. The “applied state” refers to the athletic protector being coupled to the athlete's body part and/or being pressed against the athlete's body part by a pressure and/or force. Athletic protector 100 may form a contour corresponding to or substantially corresponding to the athlete's body part (e.g., an athlete's genitals) when the athletic protector 100 is pressed against the athlete's body part. For example, positioning athletic protector 100 in a girdle 101, a jock strap, or the like (e.g., as shown in
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various, modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention. In particular, any of the features described herein with respect to one embodiment may be provided in any of the other embodiments.
This is a non-provisional application, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/671,079, filed May 14, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
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