Knee Pad Assembly

Abstract

A knee pad assembly includes a flexible body having an upper surface and a lower surface. A pocket disposed on the upper surface and includes a closed lower end adjacent a lower edge of the flexible body and an open upper end adjacent an upper edge of the flexible body. A pad is removably secured within the pocket. Fasteners are disposed on the lower surface of the flexible body, which may include adhesives or removable adhesives. The fasteners are configured to secure the lower surface of the flexible body to a garment. The knee pad assembly can be utilized to provide an adjustable support pad for the user's knee when secured to the knee area of a lower body garment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a knee pad assembly. More specifically, the present invention provides a knee pad assembly that can be secured to a lower body garment over a knee portion of the garment to provide a cushioned support surface for the user.

Many activities and work projects require an individual to kneel down and support their weight on their knees to access a particular area. For example, gardening, painting, home maintenance, and many other tasks require the individual to kneel down while working. Kneeling even for short periods of time can quickly become uncomfortable. Medical issues with the knee are common, and individuals experiencing such issues can experience extreme discomfort when kneeling to complete a task, to the point where the very act of kneeling may not be possible for them without some kind of additional support. Even individuals with completely healthy knees will experience discomfort and pain after kneeling for extended periods of time. In order to address these concerns, it is desirable to provide a device that gives cushioning, padding, and support to the knees while an individual is kneeling for extended periods.

Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to knee pads. These include devices that have been disclosed in patent application publications and issued patents. However, the devices have several drawbacks. Most of the known art devices provide garments with internally situated padding. The padding in these types of devices is not adjustable and often becomes quickly destroyed or moved around within the confines of the garment, reducing its overall effectiveness during use. There exist kneeling pads that are standalone devices, but these too have drawbacks. Standalone kneeling pads can wear and break down over time. Such kneeling pads take up valuable storage space that could be reserved for other important items. Individual knee pads must be transported to an area for use, which can be a time-consuming inconvenience.

In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing knee pad devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of knee pad devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new and knee pad assembly wherein the same can be utilized as a padded, cushioned support surface by an individual who is kneeling to complete a task.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the knee pad assembly includes a flexible body having an upper surface and a lower surface. A pocket is disposed on the upper surface, the pocket having a closed lower end adjacent a lower edge of the flexible body and an open upper end adjacent an upper edge of the flexible body. A pad is removably secured within the pocket. A plurality of fasteners is disposed on the lower surface of the flexible body. The plurality of fasteners is configured to secure the lower surface of the flexible body to a garment.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the knee pad assembly includes a flexible body secured to a garment, wherein the flexible body has an upper surface and a lower surface. A pocket is disposed on the upper surface, the pocket having a closed lower end adjacent a lower edge of the flexible body and an open upper end adjacent an upper edge of the flexible body. A pad is removably secured within the pocket. A plurality of fasteners disposed on the lower surface of the flexible body secure the flexible body to the garment.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved knee pad assembly that includes features lacking in the known art, namely the ability to secure a removable pad within a flexible body that is attached to a knee portion of a lower body garment.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly.

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly with the knee pad inserted into the pocket.

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly with the knee pad partially removed from the pocket.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly showing the cover being removed from one of the fasteners.

FIG. 5 shows a top plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly in use with a garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the knee pad assembly. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly. The knee pad assembly 10 generally includes a flexible body 14. The flexible body 14 is shown as a rectangular shape, but other shapes can be utilized. The rear side 17 of the flexible body 14 includes a plurality of fasteners for securing the lower surface or rear side 17 of the flexible body 14 to a garment. In the shown embodiment, the plurality of fasteners includes a pair of lateral fasteners 12, 13 and a pair of longitudinal fasteners 15, 16 that extend around the perimeter edge 11 of the rear side 17. Further, the perimeter edge 11 includes rounded corners 18 in the shown embodiment. The rounded corners 18 help the user to handle the flexible body 14 more easily when installing or removing the device in embodiments where the device is removably secured to the garment.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown a top plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly with the knee pad inserted into the pocket and a top plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly with the knee pad partially removed from the pocket, respectively. A pocket 23 is disposed on the upper surface 26 of the flexible body. The pocket 23 includes a closed lower end 28, a pair of closed opposing side edges 29, and an open upper end 24 that provides access to the interior of the pocket 23. The closed lower end 28 is adjacent a lower edge of the flexible body and the open upper end 24 is adjacent an upper edge 22 of the flexible body. A pad 25 is removably secured within the pocket 23. The pad 23 provides a comfortable support surface for the user's knees and can include various materials such as compressible foams, gels, or the like.

The shown embodiment of the knee pad assembly can include various construction elements and configurations that improve durability. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible body includes an upper perimeter surface 26 surrounding the pocket, such that the upper perimeter surface 26 is disposed in a first plane that is offset from a second plane in which an upper surface 27 of the pocket 23 is disposed. This provides multiple contact surfaces when the knee pad assembly supports the user to distribute weight more evenly. In the illustrated embodiment, the knee pad assembly includes a pair of opposing reinforcement members 20 that extend from either end of the open upper end 24 of the pocket 23 to the perimeter edge 21 of the flexible body, such that the open upper end 24 of the pocket 23 is colinear with the pair of reinforcement members 20. The reinforcement members 20 help to prevent the opening 24 of the pocket 23 from becoming stretched or torn away over time with continued use, which in turn helps to retain the pad 25 within the pocket 23. In the shown embodiment, the pocket 23 also includes a reinforcement stitch 30 that is parallel to the open upper end 24 of the pocket 23, wherein the reinforcement stitch 30 extends across the flexible body to contact the perimeter edge 21 of the flexible body. Further, the perimeter edge 21 can include an additional reinforcement such as a flexible rod or other member that encircles the flexible body to provide overall structural support.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly showing the cover being removed from one of the fasteners. In the shown embodiment, the plurality of fasteners comprise a removable adhesive 42 configured to removably secure the flexible body to a garment. Each area of removable adhesive 42 may include a cover 43 that can be peeled away to expose an adhesive material 42. In some embodiments, the adhesive material 42 is a reusable adhesive material that allows the user to removably secure the device to a garment, such that the device can be utilized with and moved between multiple garments. The covers 43 may be separate so that select fasteners can be exposed, or they may be connected so that the user can peel the cover 43 away in one motion. Additionally, in the shown embodiment, the rear surface 17 of the flexible body includes a corner gap with no adhesive disposed between adjacent fasteners. The empty corner gap 41 provides a gripping surface so the user can handle the device without it accidentally adhering to their hands.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a top plan view of an embodiment of the knee pad assembly in use with a garment. In the shown embodiment, the knee pad assembly 10 is secured to the interior side of a pair of pants 51. The garment can take the form of any lower body type garment that includes a leg sleeve extending at least to the knee of the wearer. In other embodiments, the knee pad assembly 10 is secured to the exterior side of the pair of pants 51. The knee pad assembly 10 can be permanently attached via stitching, permanent bonding adhesive, or any other attachment mechanism, or it can be removably attached to the pair of pants 51 with a removable adhesive. The knee pad assembly 10 is preferably positioned below an upper waist end 52 of the pair of pants 51 and above a lower leg portion 53 of the pair of pants 51, typically where the calf would be positioned, such that the pocket 23 is positioned over a knee portion of the lower body garment 51. The pad 25 can be inserted into the pocket 23 or removed as desired, such that the user can choose a pad 25 that suits their personal preferences. For example, the user may have the option to choose between one pad 25 that includes a softer gel surface that sinks deeply or a firmer foam surface that provides a more stable support surface for the user's knees. In this way, the wearer can customize the pad 25 while utilizing the knee pad assembly 10 to comfortably support themselves in a kneeling position.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in various embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1) A knee pad assembly comprising: a flexible body having an upper surface and a lower surface;a pocket disposed on the upper surface, the pocket having a closed lower end adjacent a lower edge of the flexible body and an open upper end adjacent an upper edge of the flexible body;a pad removably secured within the pocket;a plurality of fasteners disposed on the lower surface of the flexible body;wherein the plurality of fasteners is configured to secure the lower surface of the flexible body to a garment.

2) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fasteners comprise a removable adhesive configured to removably secure the flexible body to a garment.

3) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein each fastener of the plurality of fasteners comprises a cover that can be peeled away to expose an adhesive material.

4) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fasteners are arranged such that a corner gap is defined between an end of each adjacent fastener.

5) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible body comprises a rectangular perimeter having rounded corner edges.

6) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible body includes an upper perimeter surface surrounding the pocket, wherein the upper perimeter surface of the flexible body is disposed in a first plane that is offset from a second plane in which an upper surface of the pocket is disposed.

7) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the pocket further comprises a reinforcement stitch that is parallel to the open upper end of the pocket, wherein the reinforcement stitch extends from a first side edge of the flexible body to an opposing second side edge of the flexible body.

8) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the open upper end of the pocket is colinear with a pair of reinforcement members that extend between the side edges of the pocket and the side edges of the flexible body.

9) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the pad includes a compressible foam material.

10) The knee pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the pad includes a gel material.

11) A knee pad assembly comprising: a flexible body secured to a garment, the flexible body having an upper surface and a lower surface;a pocket disposed on the upper surface, the pocket having a closed lower end adjacent a lower edge of the flexible body and an open upper end adjacent an upper edge of the flexible body;a pad removably secured within the pocket;a plurality of fasteners disposed on the lower surface of the flexible body that secure the flexible body to the garment.

12) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the flexible body is secured to an interior surface of the garment.

13) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the flexible body is secured to an exterior surface of the garment.

14) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the garment comprises a lower body garment, wherein the flexible body is secured between a waist portion of the lower body garment and a lower leg portion of the lower body garment, such that the pocket is positioned over a knee portion of the lower body garment.

15) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of fasteners are arranged such that a corner gap is defined between an end of each adjacent fastener.

16) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the flexible body includes an upper perimeter surface surrounding the pocket, wherein the upper perimeter surface of the flexible body is disposed in a first plane that is offset from a second plane in which an upper surface of the pocket is disposed.

17) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the pocket further comprises a reinforcement stitch that is parallel to the open upper end of the pocket, wherein the reinforcement stitch extends from a first side edge of the flexible body to an opposing second side edge of the flexible body.

18) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the open upper end of the pocket is colinear with a pair of reinforcement members that extend between the side edges of the pocket and the side edges of the flexible body.

19) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the pad includes a compressible foam material.

20) The knee pad assembly of claim 11, wherein the pad includes a gel material.