Knee pads for infants

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6332224
  • Patent Number
    6,332,224
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, May 30, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 25, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A pair of socks and/or sock bands each incorporating knee pads to protect an infant's knees and feet from being scratched, rug burned, and scarred when crawling on a rug or floor's surface. The first embodiment incorporates knee pads into a pair of long socks having a one piece body including a leg portion with a knee region and a foot portion having a sole and toe region extending from the leg portion. The second embodiment incorporates knee pads into a sock band whereby each knee pad is sewn between the fabric used in each sock band. Each sock band can be made of a single sheet of fabric or made of two sheets of fabric sewn to snugly fit around the leg whereby the knee pad covers the patella of an infant.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to knee pads, and more specifically, knee pads that are incorporated into a pair of socks or pair of short bands which protect an infant's knees and feet from being scratched, rug burned, or scarred while the infant is crawling on the floor.




2. Description of the Related Art




Problems associated with infants learning to crawl on their hands and knees have created injuries such as leaving their knees and feet both scarred, rug burned, and scratched. Knee pads for infants and toddlers have been the subject of patentability for many years in order to prevent and protect infants from these injuries.




The following design patents illustrate various examples of knee pads for infants, toddlers, and children.




U.S. Des. Pat. No. 312,147, issued to Randall H. Lapin on Nov. 13, 1990, reveals an ornamental design of a knee pad for babies, toddlers, and small children. The design includes padding material with two straps. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 344,609, also issued to Randall H. Lapin on Feb. 22, 1994, shows an ornamental design of knee pads for babies, toddlers, and small children. The design includes padding material with four straps.




U.S. Des. Pat. No. 338,281, issued to Lorrie Bottorff, et al. on Aug. 10, 1993, presents an ornamental design of an infant knee pad. The design includes padding with a looped strap. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 417,037, issued to John D. Bitter on Nov. 23, 1999, depicts an ornamental design of a knee pad for crawling infants. The design includes a picture of a bear on the pad and two straps extending from the pad.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,885, issued to Leslie T. Applegate on Sep. 8, 1981, explains a knee brace with a resilient pad surrounding the patella. The knee brace includes an elastic stretchable sleeve. The knee brace also includes a flexible sheet of non-stretchable material in a circumferential direction secured to the interior of the sleeve which is configured and dimensioned to surround a substantial portion of the user's patella.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,361, issued to Kenneth B. Leighton, et al. on Nov. 27, 1984, characterizes a knee and elbow pad and method of making the same. The pad includes an elasticized sleeve which surrounds the joint to be protected and a pad assembly fastened to the sleeve. The pad assembly includes a fabric covering over a polyurethane foam backing. A recess is formed in the polyurethane by pressing a hot die into it and a dense, modified polyurethane is cast in the recess. The combination of polyurethane foam and dense, modified polyurethane provides superior shock absorption and protection from impact.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,303, issued to W. David Atwater on Jan. 10, 1989, describes a knee protector pad which is adapted for use by volleyball players. The protector pad includes an elastic sleeve enclosing the knee and adjacent portions of the leg of the wearer. A flat elastomeric foam pad is completely enclosed in a knit sleeve and bar tack stitching attaches spaced-apart portions of the upper and lower edges of the knit sleeve to the elastic sleeve to maintain the pad in position.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,778, issued to Leslie A. Peterson on Jul. 11, 1989, discusses a child's crawler garment and a method of making the garment. The garment is a pair of pants having leg portions which are formed in the vicinity of the knee area with a design made of a thermal heat setting material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,753, issued to Cheng-Shung Chang on Apr. 10, 1990, teaches an athletic knee pad having a padded front section, an elastic rear section, an adjustable upper elastic sleeve, and an elastic lower sleeve of a smaller diameter than the main body of the pad.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,837, issued to William R. Meistrell on Jan. 7, 1992, defines a knee or elbow protector having a flexible, relatively thin wall tube that is bi-directionally stretchable. The tube includes inner and outer sides with opposite ends and sides to be stretched when slipped onto the leg or arm to cover the knee or elbow.




The tube includes a first elastomeric layer and a second layer of stretchable fabric attached to and substantially covering one side of the first layer. An elastic foam pad is located adjacent the outer side of the tube and spaced from the opposite side. There is a retention fabric closely covering the pad and defining a loop-shaped peripheral portion that is attached to the tube.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,577, issued to Gerald D. Detty on Dec. 8, 1992, comments on an elbow and knee sleeve with seams on opposite sides of the sleeve. The seams are placed on the opposite sides of the sleeve to prevent the bunching of material. The knee brace is made of a triple laminate with elastomeric material sandwiched between two layers of nylon.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,335, issued to Floleather Twitty on Dec. 8, 1998, instructs a noise making garment for producing sounds when each noise pad is compressed. Great Britain Pat. No. 2,073,009A, issued on October of 1981, discusses improvements in or relating to leg guards. The leg guards include a first outer layer of plastic material which provides an impact resistant surface and a second inner layer which provides a resilient padding for the leg of the user.




Ideal knee padding wear would not only protect an infant's knees and feet from being scarred and scratched up, but also be part of the infant's everyday clothing.




None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to knee pads that are incorporated into either a pair of socks and a pair of short bands, which when worn, protect an infant's knees and feet from being scratched, rug burned, and scarred when crawling on a rug or floor's surface.




In the first embodiment, the knee pads are incorporated into a pair of long socks having a one piece body including a leg portion with a knee region and a foot portion having a sole region extending from the leg portion. An elastic-like material such as an elastic band can be sewn into each sock between the leg portion and the foot portion to give the sock a better fit.




In the second embodiment, the knee pads are incorporated into a sock band whereby a knee pad which is dimensioned and configured to the size of an infant's patella is sewn into the sheet of fabric used in each sock band. Each sock band can be made of a single sheet of fabric or made of two sheets of fabric sewn to snugly fit around the leg whereby the knee pad covers the patella of an infant.




Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a pair of socks and/or sock bands, each incorporating a knee pad to protect an infant's knees and feet from being scratched, rug burned, and scarred when crawling on a rug or a floor's surface.




It is another object of the invention to provide a pair of socks each incorporating a knee pad that also may include padded areas in the sole and toe regions.




It is a further object of the invention to provide a pair of socks and/or sock bands each incorporating a knee pad that is made from a material that is comfortable, durable, and easy to wash.




Still another object of the invention is to provide a pair of socks and/or sock bands each incorporating a knee pad that is made from a material that is manufactured in a number of colors and patterns for aesthetic and amusement purposes.




It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof knee pads for infants in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.




These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an environmental perspective view of an infant wearing a pair of socks incorporating knee pads according to the present invention.





FIG. 2

is an exploded view of the material layers that make up the area of the sock that contains the knee padding of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a side view of the first embodiment having the knee pad incorporated in a leg sock of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a side view of the second embodiment having the knee pad being the size of the sock band and patella of an infant of the present invention.











Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.




DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The present invention relates to knee pads that are incorporated into a pair of socks and a pair of short bands which when worn, protect an infant's knees and feet from being scratched, rug burned, and scarred when crawling on a rug or a floor's surface designated as


10


in the drawings. There are two embodiments of the present invention whereby the knee pads are incorporated either into a pair of socks or a pair of sock bands both covering and protecting an infant's knees.





FIG. 1

illustrates an infant


20


utilizing the first embodiment


10


of the knee pads


22


incorporated into a pair of socks


24


. In the first embodiment


10


, knee pads


22


are incorporated into a pair of long socks


24


having a one piece body including a leg portion


26


with a knee region


28


and a foot portion


30


having a sole and toe region


32


extending from the leg portion


26


. An elastic-like material


34


such as an elastic band can be sewn into each sock between the leg portion


26


and the foot portion


30


to give a better fit.





FIGS. 2 and 3

shows the first embodiment


10


of the knee pad


22


revealing the padding within the knee region


28


of each sock


24


. Although only one sock


24


incorporating the knee pad


22


can be the present invention by itself, a pair of socks


24


, each incorporating a knee pad


22


is the preferred method of manufacturing the invention. The socks


24


incorporating knee pads


22


comprise at least one sheet of precut fabric


36


being dimensioned and configured to loosely fit the shape of a leg of an infant


20


. If one sheet of fabric


36


is utilized to make each sock


24


, then a smaller patch of similar material


38


is dimensioned and configured to be the same size and shape of the knee pad


22


that will be sewn between the small patch of material


38


and the sheet of fabric


36


.




If at least two sheets of fabric


36


are utilized in the first embodiment


10


, then the two sheets of fabric


36


will be of equal size and sewn together to form each entire sock


24


that is dimensioned and configured to wear on the leg of an infant


20


. A knee pad


22


will be inserted in the knee region


28


of each sock


24


between the two sheets of fabric


36


and to hold the knee pad


22


in place, the two sheets of fabric


36


will be sewn around the knee pad


22


and knee region


28


to retain the pad firmly over the patella of an infant


20


.




At the top of the leg portion


26


includes an elastic or elastic-like band


40


sewn into the sock


24


for keeping the top part of the leg portion


26


comfortable and snugly fit on an infant's thighs


20


. If one sheet of fabric


36


is used to make each sock


24


, then the elastic-like band


40


can be folded and sewn into the top of the one sheet of fabric


36


of the leg portion


26


. If two sheets of fabric


36


are used to make each sock


24


, then the elastic-like band


40


can be sewn into the top of the leg portion


26


and between each sheet of fabric


36


. The foot portion


30


of each sock


24


may include a padded sole and padded toe region


32


to prevent the material in that area from wearing out through excessive use. These padded areas


32


will also be sewn onto the outer surface of the fabric sheet


36


in the foot portion


30


of each sock


24


.





FIG. 4

illustrates the second embodiment


12


of the knee pad


22


incorporated in a sock band


12


. In the second embodiment


12


, the knee pads


22


are incorporated into a sock band


12


whereby each knee pad


22


is sewn between or within the sheet(s) of fabric


23


used in each sock band


12


. Each sock band


12


can be made of a single sheet of fabric


23


or made of two sheets of fabric


23


sewn together and is dimensioned and configured to snugly fit around the leg whereby the knee pad


22


covers the patella of an infant.




Preferably, each sock band


12


would be made of one sheet of fabric


23


and a small patch of a second piece of fabric dimensioned and configured to be the same shape as the knee pad


22


, but slightly larger in size would be used in order to be sewn onto the knee region


28


of the sock band


12


. Each sock band


12


includes an elastic-like band


40


to be sewn into the top and bottom of the sheet(s) of fabric


23


used in the same manner as sewn into the top of the sheets of fabric


24


used in the first embodiment


10


.




In both embodiments


10


and


12


, the fabric


23


and


24


will be made from a material that is comfortable, durable, and easy to wash. For example, flannel would be the preferred type of material utilized in the present invention


10


and


12


for the cold winter months and light weight cotton could be used for the hot summer months because the fabric breathes better to decrease the need for the skin to sweat. The fabric


23


and


24


utilized may be manufactured in a number of colors and patterns for aesthetic and amusement purposes.




It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A sock incorporating a knee pad comprising:at least one sock having at least one sheet of fabric being precut and sewn together to cover a leg of an infant, said at least one sock having a leg portion, a knee region, and a foot portion, said leg portion having a top area; at least one knee pad sewn into said knee region for protecting an infant's patella, said at least one knee pad being dimensioned and configured to cover the infant's patella; a small patch of material dimensioned and configured to the shape of said at least one knee pad, said small patch of material enclosing said at least one knee pad onto said knee region of said at least one sock and sewn to said at least one sheet of fabric to hold said at least one knee pad in place; a first elastic-like material sewn into said top area of said leg portion for holding said at least one sock on a leg of the infant; and a second elastic-like material sewn into said at least one sock between said leg portion and said foot portion.
  • 2. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sheet of fabric is made from a material that is comfortable, durable, and easy to wash.
  • 3. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 1, wherein said foot portion incorporates padding therein.
  • 4. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 1 wherein said at least one sheet of fabric is colored and decorated.
  • 5. A sock incorporating a knee pad comprising:at least one sock each having at least two sheets of fabric being precut and sewn together to cover the leg of an infant, said sock having a leg portion, a knee region, and a foot portion, said leg portion having a top area; at least one knee pad for protecting the patella of an infant, said at least one knee pad being sewn between said two sheets of fabric at said knee region of said sock, each said knee pad dimensioned and configured to cover the entire patella of an infant; and a first elastic-like material being sewn into said top area of said leg portion of said sock for holding said sock on the leg of an infant.
  • 6. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 5, further comprising a second elastic-like material being sewn into each said sock between said leg portion and said foot portion.
  • 7. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 5, wherein said sheet of fabric of said sock is made from a material that is comfortable, durable, and easy to wash.
  • 8. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 5, wherein said foot portion incorporates padding therein.
  • 9. A sock incorporating a knee pad according to claim 5, wherein said sheet of fabric is colored and decorated.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/218,039, filed Jul. 13, 2000.

US Referenced Citations (18)
Number Name Date Kind
D. 312147 Lapin Nov 1990
D. 338281 Bottorff et al. Aug 1993
D. 344609 Lapin Feb 1994
D. 417037 Bitter Nov 1999
4035844 Atack et al. Jul 1977
4250578 Barlow Feb 1981
4287885 Applegate Sep 1981
4484361 Leighton et al. Nov 1984
4796303 Atwater Jan 1989
4845778 Peterson Jul 1989
4914753 Chang Apr 1990
5077837 Meistrell Jan 1992
5168577 Detty Dec 1992
5555564 Welch Sep 1996
5784721 Huff Jul 1998
5845335 Twitty Dec 1998
6158051 Belzidsky Dec 2000
6178555 Williams Jan 2001
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
2073009A Oct 1981 GB
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/218039 Jul 2000 US