The invention relates generally to protective athletic equipment and, more particularly, to leg pads for hockey goalkeepers.
Leg pads are worn by hockey goalkeepers to protect their legs against impacts from pucks, balls, hockey sticks or other objects and/or to protect their legs when moving (e.g., dropping) them onto a playing surface. A hockey goalkeeper's leg pad typically comprises protective padding for providing padded protection to the goalkeeper's leg and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding.
When the goalkeeper moves his/her leg on the playing surface to perform a maneuver during play, such as a shift of his/her leg or of his/her entire body on the playing surface to make a save, the leg pad's outer covering contacts the playing surface and friction between the outer covering and the playing surface, if too high, may create undesirable resistance to movement of the goalkeeper's leg. In some cases, such as when playing ice hockey on an icy playing surface, frictional effects may be unimportant or negligible. However, in other cases, such as when playing roller hockey on a dry playing surface (e.g., a polymeric, concrete, or wooden playing surface), friction between the outer covering and the playing surface may create significant resistance to movement of the goalkeeper's leg, particularly if the outer covering's material tends to “grab” onto the playing surface in some situations.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements directed to facilitating movement of a hockey goalkeeper's leg pads on a playing surface.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral side respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side, and a lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad comprises protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding. The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating sliding of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved. The slider is mounted beneath the outer covering and exposed through the opening of the outer covering to slide on the playing surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral side respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side, and a lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad comprises protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding. The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating sliding of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved. The slider comprises an undermounted portion disposed underneath and overlapped by the outer covering. The slider comprises an exposed portion exposed through the opening of the outer covering and comprising a sliding surface to slide on the playing surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral side respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side, and a lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad comprises protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding. The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating sliding of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved. The slider comprises an undermounted portion disposed underneath and affixed to the outer covering. The slider comprises an exposed portion exposed through the opening of the outer covering and comprising a sliding surface to slide on the playing surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral side respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side, and a lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad comprises protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding. The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating sliding of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved. The slider is removable from the leg pad without removing at least a majority of the outer covering from the leg pad.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of arranging a leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral side respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side, and a lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The method comprises: removing a first removable part fastened to the leg pad; providing a second removable part comprising a slider; and fastening the second removable part to the leg pad in place of the first removable part such that the slider is in the medial side of the leg pad to facilitate sliding of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved
These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
The leg pads 101, 102 protect various regions of the goalkeeper's legs 161, 162. With additional reference to
In this embodiment, each leg pad 10x comprises an upper leg portion 30, a knee portion 31, a lower leg portion 32, and a foot portion 33 respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to the upper leg 18, the knee 19, the lower leg 20, and the foot 21 of the goalkeeper's leg 16x when the leg pad 10x is worn on the leg 16x. The upper leg portion 30 is above the knee portion 31, while the lower leg portion 32 is below the knee portion 31 and above the foot portion 33. Each of these portions of the leg pad 10x comprises a frontal part, a medial part, and a lateral part such that the leg pad 10x comprises a frontal portion 26, a medial portion 27, and a lateral portion 28 respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to the front 22, the medial side 24, and the lateral side 25 of the goalkeeper's leg 16x when the leg pad 10x is worn on the leg 16x. The frontal portion 26 comprises a front 34 of the leg pad 10x, the medial portion 27 comprises a medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x, and the lateral portion 28 comprises a lateral side 36 of the leg pad 10x. In this embodiment, the knee portion 31 comprises a knee wing 39 and the lower leg portion 32 comprises a calf wing 59.
The leg pad 10x can be secured to the goalkeeper's leg 16x in any suitable way. For example, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x comprises straps (not shown) to secure the leg pad 10x to the goalkeeper's leg 16x. Such straps are well known and will not be discussed herein.
As further discussed later on, the leg pad 10x facilitates sliding of the leg pad 10x on the playing surface 12 when the goalkeeper's leg 16x is moved as the goalkeeper performs a maneuver during play, such as, for example, a shift of his/her leg 16x or a shift of his/her entire body on the playing surface 12 to make a save. This sliding facilitation makes it easier for the goalkeeper to move his/her leg 16x and thus makes it easier to perform the desired maneuver on the playing surface 12. Notably, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x facilitates sliding of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x on the playing surface 12 when the goalkeeper's leg 16x is moved. This can be particularly beneficial in situations where the goalkeeper uses a so-called “butterfly” goaltending style in which he/she goes down on both of the leg pads 101, 102 with his/her toes pointing outwards and top ends of the leg pads 101, 102 converging towards and possibly meeting one another. In that position, at least part of the medial side 35 of each of the leg pads 101, 102 lies on the playing surface 12 and, therefore, facilitating sliding of the medial side 35 of each of the leg pads 101, 102 is useful.
With additional reference to
The protective padding 40 provides padded protection to the goalkeeper's leg 16x. To that end, the protective padding 40 may comprise any suitable shock-absorbing material. For example, in some embodiments, the protective padding 40 may comprise foam, such as polyurethane foam, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, or any other suitable foam, and/or may comprise shock-absorbing material other than foam (e.g., a gel).
In this embodiment, the protective padding 40 comprises protective padding portions 481-48P distributed in the upper leg portion 30, the knee portion 31, the lower leg portion 32, and the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10x. More particularly, in this example, the protective padding portions 481-48P are distributed in the frontal, medial and lateral parts of the upper leg portion 30, the knee portion 31, the lower leg portion 32, and the foot portion 33 such that they are distributed in the frontal portion 26, the medial portion 27, and the lateral portion 28 of the leg pad 10x. In some cases, different ones of the protective padding portions 481-48P may be distinct pads separate from one another. In other cases, different ones of the protective padding portions 481-48P may be part of a common pad. The protective padding 40 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.
The outer covering 42 faces away from the goalkeeper's leg 16x and may comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the outer covering 42 comprises synthetic pliable material. More particularly, in this embodiment, the synthetic pliable material of the outer covering 42 is synthetic leather. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the synthetic leather of the outer covering 42 may be polyurethane (PU) leather. The outer covering 42 may comprise various other materials and/or be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments (e.g., it may comprise a nylon fabric, a polyester fabric, a Cordura™ fabric, or any other suitable fabric).
The inner liner 44 faces the goalkeeper's leg 16x and may comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the inner liner 44 comprises fabric. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the fabric of the inner liner 44 may comprise a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, synthetic microfibers, a synthetic woven knit, a polyurethane laminate, a mesh, or any other suitable fabric. The inner liner 44 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.
The protective padding 40, the outer covering 42 and the inner liner 44 are fastened together during manufacturing of the leg pad 10x. In this embodiment, the outer covering 42 is affixed to at least one of the protective padding 40 and the inner liner 44. More particularly, in this example, the outer covering 42 is sewn to the inner liner 44 along a perimeter of the leg pad 10x to form a cavity receiving the protective padding 40 and is laced to both the protective padding 40 and the inner liner 44 by laces 491-49L. In other embodiments, the outer covering 42 may be affixed to one or both of the protective padding 40 and the inner liner 44 by other types of fasteners (e.g., staples, an adhesive, etc.).
Each of the sliders 461-469 is provided to facilitate sliding of the leg pad 10x on the playing surface 12 when the goalkeeper's leg 16x is moved. More particularly, in this embodiment, the sliders 461-468 are located in the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x to facilitate sliding of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x on the playing surface 12. In this example, the slider 461 is located in the medial part of the foot portion 33, the sliders 462-465 are located in the medial part of the lower leg portion 32, and the sliders 466-468 are located in the medial part of the knee portion 31. Also, in this embodiment, the slider 469 is located in the front 34 of the leg pad 10x to facilitate sliding of the front 34 of the leg pad 10x on the playing surface 12. More specifically, in this example, the slider 469 is located in the front part of the foot portion 33 adjacent to the medial part of the foot portion 33. This can further facilitate sliding since that region of the front part of the foot portion 33 near the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x may come into contact with the playing surface 12 as the goaltender moves his/her leg 16x during play.
The sliders 461-469 are mounted beneath the outer covering 42 and exposed through respective openings 501-509 of the outer covering 42 to slide on the playing surface 12. Specifically, each slider 46x is at least partly disposed beneath the outer covering 42 and is exposed through an opening 50x of the outer covering 42 such that it can contact and slide on the playing surface 12.
The slider 46x can therefore slide on the playing surface 12 while being anchored in the leg pad 10x. This anchoring can help to retain the slider 46x in the leg pad 10x, particularly against frictional forces exerted on the slider 46x when it slides on the playing surface 12.
With additional reference to
More particularly, in this embodiment, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x is affixed to the outer covering 42. In this example, the undermounted portion 52 is sewed to the outer covering 42 via stitches 631-63-T. In other examples, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x may be affixed to the outer covering 42 via any other suitable fastener (e.g., staples, an adhesive, etc.). Also, in other embodiments, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x may be affixed to the protective padding 40 in addition to or instead of the outer covering 42.
In this embodiment, the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x projects outwardly relative to the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x. More particularly, in this example of implementation, the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x projects outwardly such that it extends through the opening 50, of the outer covering 42 and at least part of its sliding surface 55 protrudes outwardly beyond an external surface 57 of the outer covering 42. This may help to prevent or limit contact between the outer covering 42 and the playing surface 12. The exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x may not project outwardly relative to, but may rather be flush with, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x in other embodiments.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x surrounds the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x. More specifically, in this case, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x extends along an entirety of a perimeter of the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x. In other embodiments, the undermounted portion 52 may be shaped in a manner such that it extends along less than all of the perimeter of the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x. For example, in some embodiments, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x may extend along two or more spaced apart portions of the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46x (e.g., in an intermittent fashion).
The slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 can have any suitable shape and be arranged in any suitable manner on the leg pad 10x. For example, in this embodiment, each of the slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 is elongated. More particularly, in this example of implementation, each of the slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10x. Other shapes and/or orientations of the slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 may be used in other examples of implementation.
The sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x is exposed to, faces and contacts the playing surface 12 when the slider 46x slides on the playing surface 12. In this embodiment, the sliding surface 55 is uneven such that, when the slider 46x slides on the playing surface 12, less than all of the sliding surface 55 contacts the playing surface 12. More particularly, in this example, the sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x is uneven such that a first part 71 of the sliding surface 55 projects outwardly relative to a second part 73 of the sliding surface 55. This results in the slider 46x abutting against the playing surface 12 such that the first part 71 of the sliding surface 55 has a greater tendency to contact the playing surface 12 than the second part 73 of the sliding surface 55. In this case, when the first part 71 of the sliding surface 55 contacts the playing surface 12, the second part 73 of the sliding surface 55 does not contact the playing surface 12.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x comprises a plurality of sliding contact areas 601-603 spaced apart by recesses 621, 622. Each sliding contact area 60x is an area of the sliding surface 55 which can be in contact with and slide on the playing surface 12 when the slider 46x slides on the playing surface 12. In this example, the sliding contact areas 601-603 are on outwardly projecting or raised portions 701-703 of the sliding surface 55 that define the recesses 621, 622 between them. As such, in this example, the sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x can be seen as having a “peak and valley” configuration in which each outwardly projecting portion 70x defines a “peak” and each recess 62x defines a “valley”. The sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x may have any other number of sliding contact areas and recesses in other embodiments (e.g., two sliding contact areas with a single recess in between, or four or more sliding contact areas with three or more recesses in between).
In this embodiment, to facilitate sliding, a coefficient of friction Cs between the slider 46x and the playing surface 12 is lower than a coefficient of friction Coc between the outer covering 42 and the playing surface 12. For instance, in some examples of implementation, a ratio Cs/Coc of the coefficient of friction Cs between the slider 46x and the playing surface 12 and the coefficient of friction Coc between the outer covering 42 and the playing surface 12 may be no more than 0.9, in some cases no more than 0.85, in some cases no more than 0.8, and in some cases even less (e.g., no more than 0.6). The ratio Cs/Coc of the coefficients of friction may have any other value in other examples of implementation.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the slider 46x is more rigid than the outer covering 42. More specifically, in this example of implementation, a hardness Hs of the slider 46x is higher than a hardness Hoc of the outer covering 42. For example, in some embodiments, the hardness Hs of the slider may be at least 60 durometers Shore D, in some cases at least 70 durometers Shore D, in some cases at least 80 durometers Shore D, and in some cases at least 90 durometers Shore D. The hardness Hs of the slider 46x may have any other suitable value in other embodiments.
The slider 46x can be made of any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the slider 46x comprises polymeric material. More specifically, in this example, the polymeric material of the slider 46x is polycarbonate. In other examples, the polymeric material of the slider 46x may be nylon, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or any other suitable polymeric material. In other embodiments, the slider 46x may comprise another type of polymeric material, metallic material, composite material (e.g., a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer) and/or any other suitable material or combination of materials (e.g., a coating of PFTE on a base material).
The sliders 461-469 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the sliders 461-469 may have any other suitable shape and/or be made of any other suitable material. Also, while there are nine sliders 461-469 in the leg pad 10x in this embodiment, there may be any other number of sliders such as the sliders 461-469 in other embodiments (e.g., only one slider, or two, three or more sliders) as discussed previously. For example,
The leg pads 101, 102 may be constructed in various other ways in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the leg pads 101, 102 may have any other suitable shape and/or be made of any other suitable material.
In embodiments considered above the leg pad 10x is constructed such that its sliders 461-469 or 461-4612 are permanently present on the leg pad 10x. That is, the sliders 461-469 or 461-4612 are irremovable from the leg pad 10x without damaging the leg pad 10x.
In other embodiments, as shown in
More particularly, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x comprises a plurality of removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 which are removable from a main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x pad and comprise respective ones of the sliders 461-4612. In addition, in this embodiment, the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 comprise respective portions 381-385 of the outer covering 42. Each removable part 53x/61x is removably fastenable to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x such that the removable part 53x/61x, including one or more of the sliders 461-469 it comprises, can be fastened to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and then unfastened and removed from the leg pad 10x. The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612, when fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitute respective regions of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x. More specifically, in this example: the removable part 531, when fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitutes a region of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x located in the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10x; the removable parts 532, 611, when fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitute respective regions of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x located in the lower leg portion 30 of the leg pad 10x, the region of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x constituted by the removable part 611 being located in the calf wing 591 of the lower leg portion 30; and the removable parts 533, 612, when fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitute respective regions of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x located in the knee portion 31 of the leg pad 10x, the region of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x constituted by the removable part 612 being located in the knee wing 391 of the knee portion 31.
In this embodiment, a slider 46x of a removable part 53x/61x is at least partly disposed beneath the portion 38x of the outer covering 42 of the removable part 53x/61x and is exposed through an opening 50x of the portion 38x of the outer covering 42 of the removable part 53x/61x, and the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x is affixed (in this case sewed) to the portion 38x of the outer covering 42 of the removable part 53x/61x, as discussed in embodiments considered previously.
The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 can be fastened to the leg pad 10x using any suitable fastener. For example, in this embodiment, the removable parts 53-533, 611, 612 are fastenable to the leg pad 10x using different fasteners, namely hook-and-loop (e.g., Velcro) fasteners 451-453, 871, 872 and laces 771, 772. Any other number of fasteners (e.g., one, three, etc.) and/or any other type of fastener (e.g., buttons, clips, zippers, etc.) may be used to fasten the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 in other embodiments.
More particularly, in this embodiment, each removable part 53x comprises a hook portion 69 of the hook-and-loop fastener 45x used to fasten that removable part, a lacing area 741 to receive the lace 771 used to fasten that removable part, and a lacing area 742 to receive the lace 772 used to fasten that removable part. The main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x comprises lacing areas 751, 752 to receive respective ones of the laces 771, 772, a loop portion 89 of each of the hook-and-loop fastener 451-453, and a loop portion 90 of each of the hook-and-loop fasteners 871, 872.
The lacing area 741 of the removable part 53x is configured to cooperate with the lacing area 751 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x in order to define a lacing channel for receiving the lace 771, thereby lacing the removable part 53x to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x. In this example, the lacing area 741 of the removable part 53x comprises a plurality of lacing conduits 781-78G and the lacing area 751 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x comprises a plurality of lacing conduits 791-79R such that the lacing conduits 781-78G of the removable part 53x can be aligned with respective ones of the lacing conduits 791-79R of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x to define the lacing channel through which the lace 771 can be passed. Thus, in this case, when the removable part 53x is laced to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x, the lacing area 741 of the removable part 53x, the lacing area 751 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x, and the lace 771 form a hinge-like joint 80. The removable part 53x can be folded over onto the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x about the hinge-like joint 80 such that the portions 69, 89 of the hook-and-loop fastener 45x overlap and interconnect. In this position, the lacing area 742 of the removable part 53x is configured to cooperate with the lacing area 752 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and a lacing area of a removable part 61x to receive the lace 772, as discussed below. To that end, in this example, the lacing area 742 of the removable part 53x comprises a plurality of lacing holes 581-58h and the lacing area 752 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x comprises a plurality of lacing holes 681-68b.
Also, in this embodiment, the removable part 611 is configured to be mounted over a calf wing member 91 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and the removable part 612 is configured to be mounted over a knee wing member 92 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x. More particularly, in this example, the removable part 611 comprises a pocket 93 for receiving the calf wing member 91 and the removable part 612 comprises a pocket 94 for receiving the knee wing member 92. Each removable part 61x comprises a hook portion 98 of the hook-and-loop fastener 87x used to fasten that removable part, straps 951, 952 for connection to the calf wing member 91 or knee wing member 92 over which it is mounted, and a lacing area 96 to receive the lace 772 used to fasten that removable part. The removable part 611 can be slipped onto the calf wing member 91 so that its pocket 93 receives the calf wing member 91, the portions 98, 90 of the hook-and-loop fastener 871 overlap and interconnect, and its straps 951, 952 are connected to the calf wing member 91 (e.g., its straps 951, 952 and the calf wing member 91 may comprise hook-and-loop fasteners to interconnect them). Similarly, the removable part 612 can be slipped onto the knee wing member 92 so that its pocket 94 receives the knee wing member 92, the portions 98, 90 of the hook-and-loop fastener 872 overlap and interconnect, and its straps 951, 952 are connected to the knee wing member 92 (e.g., its straps 951, 952 and the knee wing member 92 may comprise hook-and-loop fasteners to interconnect them).
The lacing area 96 of the removable part 61x is configured to cooperate with the lacing area 752 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and the lacing area 742 of the removable part 53x to receive the lace 772, thereby lacing the removable parts 53x, 61x to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x. In this example, the lacing area 96 of the removable part 61x comprises a plurality of lacing holes 991-99d. Respective ones of the lacing holes 581-58h of the removable part 53x, the lacing holes 991-99d of the removable part 61x, and the lacing holes 681-68b of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x can be aligned with one another to allow passage of the lace 772 through these holes, thereby lacing these components together.
The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 comprising the sliders 461-4612 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, a removable part 53x/61, may comprise a slider 46x but may not comprise any portion of the outer covering 42 such that the slider 46x can be individually clipped, buttoned or otherwise fastened to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x.
The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 thus facilitate installation of the sliders 461-4612 on the leg pad 16x and removal of the sliders 461-4612 from the leg pad 10x. This can be useful in various ways.
For example, in some embodiments, when a slider 46x needs to be replaced since it is no longer in acceptable condition (e.g., being worn out or damaged), a removable part 53x/61x comprising the slider 46x can be unfastened and removed from the leg pad 10x and a replacement removable part 53x*/61x* comprising a replacement slider 46x* can be fastened to the leg pad 10x in place of the removable part 53x/61x.
As another example, in some embodiments, the leg pad 10x may be configured in various configurations in which it is either free of any slider (i.e., has none of the sliders 461-4612) or has some or all of the sliders 461-4612, depending on what the goalkeeper desires. For instance, in some embodiments, as shown in
In this embodiment, the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 allow the sliders 461-4612 to be installed on and removed from the leg pad 16x without removing at least a majority of the outer covering 42 from the leg pad 10x. In other words, the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 allow the sliders 461-4612 to be installed on and removed from the leg pad 10x while at least a majority of the outer covering 42 remains in place on the leg pad 10x. More particularly, in this example, a removable part 53x/63x can be installed on or removed from the leg pad 10x while respective portions of the outer covering 42 in the frontal portion 26, the medial portion 27, and the lateral portion 28 of the leg pad 16x remain in place. In other examples, the sliders 461-4612 may be installable on and removable from the leg pad 16x without removing any of the outer covering 42 from the leg pad 10x (e.g., in cases where each slider 46x is a removable part that includes no portion of the outer covering 42 and that can be individually clipped, buttoned or otherwise fastened to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x).
Although embodiments considered above illustrate an example of how the leg pad 10x may be constructed such that its sliders 461-4612 are removable, in other embodiments, the leg pad 10x may be constructed in various other ways such that its sliders 461-4612 are removable. For example, in other embodiments, the leg pad 10x may comprise quick-type connectors which allow its sliders 461-4612 to be selectively connected to and disconnected from the leg pad 10x.
While in embodiments considered above the leg pads 101, 102 are roller hockey goalkeeper leg pads for playing roller hockey, in other embodiments, leg pads constructed using principles described herein in respect of the leg pads 101, 102 can be hockey goalkeeper leg pads for playing another type of hockey on a dry playing surface (e.g., field or street hockey).
Although in embodiments considered above the leg pads 101, 102 are for playing roller hockey on a dry playing surface, in other embodiments, leg pads constructed using principles described herein in respect of the leg pads 101, 102 can be hockey goalkeeper leg pads for playing ice hockey on an iced playing surface. In such embodiments, sliders such as the sliders 461-469 may have a lesser effect given that the iced playing surface inherently provides low friction and high slideability.
Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation.
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in one figure has been used to designate the same element if used in any other figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure.
Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.