Patent Application
20140047618
This disclosure relates to apparel for use in sports, specifically to pants for use in motocross and other motorcycle-related sports.
Motocross racing is a dangerous sport that involves navigating treacherous terrain at high speeds. Jumps and bumps are required to be mastered while transitioning in and out of tight corners and among other participants. As a result, riders need to be protected from falls but they also need to be able to move freely.
Riders in the motocross sports have chosen to use a layered approach to their equipment. They will often wear an undergarment next to their skin. They will then put on protection and support for their knees. And ultimately, they will pull on a pair of pants and protective boots.
Historically, motocross pants have been made of very rugged material. In modern times, most of the pants have been constructed of man-made fabrics made of various types of polymers, typically thick, heavy, abrasion-resistant fabrics. These abrasion-resistant fabrics are used in high-wear areas like the knees, thighs and seat areas. On the medial side of each knee, pants typically include a large, heat-resistant patch made, for example, of leather.
While these heavy fabrics and leather are excellent for abrasion and heat resistance, they can restrict movement. To aid movement, pants are designed and constructed using many panels of fabric so as to create pants having a pre-bent or crouching orientation. Additionally, these pants have multiple small panels made of elastomeric materials, making up a very small portion of the pants but designed to enable riders to move more easily.
Motocross pants have served their purpose in terms of abrasion-resistance and durability. However, the pants also tend to be very heavy, hot to wear, and costly to produce because so many panels are required. A typical pair of motocross pants can have over 20 individual, significant panels all sewn together. These panels will often be of odd shapes, making assembly difficult and resulting in poor yields.
Motocross is a fashion-forward sport. Athletes desire very elaborate outfits. The sport also expects manufactures to change the look of those outfits every season (twice a year). With so many panels, it is difficult to alter the look of pants without significant investments in design and manufacturing. For instance, the need to match color and prints on a fabric across many panels is difficult enough during assembly, but it is much harder when those panels are of different materials.
An example of motocross pants constructed according to the present disclosure may include a motorcycle interface zone. The motorcycle interface zone may be defined as an area of the pants which generally contacts a motorcycle when a wearer is riding the motorcycle. For example, a motorcycle interface zone may include a seat portion, a crotch portion, an inner thigh portion, and a medial region on a medial surface of the knee area. The motorcycle interface zone may be made of substantially inelastic material, while most of the remainder of the pants may be made of elastic material.
The present disclosure provides motocross pants including multiple panels of material making up a motorcycle interface zone and remaining portions of the pants. A majority of the portions of the pants not making up the motorcycle interface zone may include elastic material to improve usability, flexibility, manufacturability, weight, performance, and other benefits described below. In some embodiments, the improved motocross pants include fabric having between about 20% and about 80% stretchability on greater than 50% of the surface area of the pants. Many alternatives and modifications which may or may not be expressly mentioned, are enabled, implied, and accordingly covered by the spirit of the disclosure.
Motocross pants 20 may include a plurality of different fabrics and materials, each having specific characteristics. One such characteristic of particular interest here is the stretchability, or stretch percent, of the fabric, which shall be designated herein with the reference letter S. As used herein, stretchability or stretch percent (S) may be calculated for any given material by the following method.
Referring now to
In similar fashion, stretchability or stretch percent (S) may be calculated for material 22 in the Y direction. In this case, material 22 may have a first end 28 and a second end 30 opposite the first end. A point proximate each end may be selected, such as a point 29 proximate first end 28 and a point 31 proximate second end 30. The distance between point 29 and point 31 may be referred to as a width of material 22. In a relaxed, or unstretched, state, a distance C may be measured between first point 29 and second point 31. Material 22 may then be clamped or otherwise held such that first end 28 remains fixed. Material 22 between points 29 and 31 should not be held, but should instead be free to stretch in the Y direction. Material 22 may then be stretched in the Y direction, and a second distance D may be measured between first point 29 and second point 31. Once C and D are known, stretchability or stretch percent (S) may be calculated according to the following formula: SY=((D−C)/C)×100. In other words, percent of stretch in the Y direction corresponds to the change in width of material 22 in the Y direction divided by the original width of material 22.
In accordance with the method just described, testing of materials used in motocross pants 20 constructed according to this disclosure and in other motocross pants was performed by clamping a portion of each material with a distance (A or C) of three inches between clamps, then suspending an eight-pound weight from one clamp and fixing the other clamp such that the material was stretched vertically to a final distance (B or D). Results of this testing showed that the materials fall into three general categories. In Category 1, a substantially inelastic material may have a stretch percent of less than approximately 10%. For example, leather material was found to have a stretchability of approximately 4% in two dimensions, and 500 denier nylon material was found to have a stretchability of approximately 4% in one dimension and approximately 2% in another. Two categories of elastic materials may be defined and used herein. In Category 2, a moderately elastic material may have a stretch percent of greater than approximately 10% and less than approximately 100%, with a preferred range of about 25 to about 80 percent. For example, a moderately elastic material used in motocross pants 20 constructed according to this disclosure showed a stretchability of approximately 46% in one dimension and approximately 50% in another. In Category 3, a highly elastic material may have a stretch percent greater than approximately 100%. For example, highly elastic materials tested showed a stretchability of approximately 108% in one dimension and approximately 158% in another.
Typically, pants, including motocross pants, may be constructed by sewing or otherwise attaching together a plurality of panels of material to construct the final shape and size of the pants. A panel may be defined as a continuous piece of material or fabric having a selected shape and size. Any given edge of a panel may be either attached to one or more other panels or hemmed when forming part of a pair of pants. Pants including a majority of substantially inelastic material may require a higher number of panels in order to create a final shape that is functional without needing to be elastically deformed during use, while also capable of being donned by a wearer. Typically, when pants have a majority of inelastic material, small panels of highly elastic (Category 3) materials are utilized in certain locations to facilitate donning and bending during use. Styling and fashion for motocross pants typically changes frequently, which requires significant reconfiguring of the various inelastic panels to achieve a new appearance while also maintaining functionality.
Motocross pants according to the present disclosure may overcome these disadvantages, for example, by utilizing a moderately elastic material in a majority of the pants, retaining substantially inelastic materials only in motorcycle-interfacing regions. This enables the use of fewer panels, larger panels, and less pre-shaping of the pants. Larger panels, in turn, create a canvas for adornment using company logos and artwork, or stylistic decoration that may be changed as fashions advance without significantly reconfiguring the panels themselves.
Waist portion 42 may include one or more adjusters 58 for selectively relaxing or tightening waist portion 42 around the wearer's waist. Adjusters 58 may be any suitable structure configured to selectively cinch or tighten waist portion 42. For example, each adjuster 58 may include a securable strap 60 and a buckle 62. In other examples, a belt or other suitable adjustment apparatus may be utilized. Waist portion 42 may include waistband 64. Waistband 64 may include a substantially inelastic material (Category 1) that may at least partially line the upper perimeter of waist portion 42, and may function to hold the shape and/or size of a fastened and adjusted waist portion 42 around a wearer's waist.
Seat portion 44 may descend from waist portion 42 on a back side of the pants, as shown in
Left leg portion 48 and right leg portion 50 may descend from waist portion 42 at the front of motocross pants 40 and from seat portion 44 at the rear, with the waist and seat portions transitioning into the leg portions in a bifurcating manner. Each leg portion may be any suitable structure configured to encompass a wearer's leg and any typical equipment worn on the leg, such as tights, protective undergarments, compression leggings, knee braces, knee pads, and the like. Each leg portion may be sized to reach a wearer's shin or ankle area, and may fit snugly around a wearer's lower leg to facilitate the wearing of protective boots and/or shin guards. Each one of leg portions 48 and 50 may include an upper leg portion (66 and 68, respectively) generally disposed above a knee area (70 and 72) and a lower leg portion (74 and 76) generally disposed below the knee area (70 and 72).
Crotch and inner thigh portion 46 may be disposed between left leg portion 48 and right leg portion 50, and may descend from seat portion 44. Crotch and inner thigh portion 46 may be configured to cover at least part of a wearer's inner thighs. Along with seat portion 44, crotch and inner thigh portion 46 may constitute a major interface between the wearer and the motorcycle. As such, at least part of both seat portion 44 and crotch and inner thigh portion 46 may be constructed of panels 78 and 80 having a rugged, abrasion-resistant, substantially inelastic (Category 1) material. For example, at least part of seat portion 44 and crotch and inner thigh portion 46 may be constructed of 500 denier (or greater) nylon.
Each one of leg portions 48 and 50 may have a medial region (82 and 84, respectively) corresponding approximately to the medial knee region of a rider wearing motocross pants 40. Medial regions 82 and 84 of the leg portions may substantially face each other when motocross pants 40 are being worn. Medial regions 82 and 84 may constitute another interface between a wearer and a motorcycle. In this case, the interface may be near high temperature portions of the motorcycle such as the vehicle's engine and exhaust. As such, medial regions 82 and 84 may include panels 86 and 88, respectively, having material that has a higher insulating ability or thermal resistance than other portions of the pants. Additionally, the medial knee regions may be used by a wearer to manipulate the motorcycle. Accordingly, a non-elastic material having good gripping characteristics may be used. Panels 86 and 88 may include substantially inelastic (Category 1) material that has a higher coefficient of friction than other portions of the pants. For example, a material that has suitable stretchability, heat resistance, and friction characteristics may be natural leather or a similar material. Panels 78 and 80 of crotch and inner thigh portion 46 may extend to connect with panels 86 and 88 of medial regions 82 and 84, forming a motorcycle interface zone 90 for the pants.
As discussed above, portions of motocross pants 40 excluding motorcycle interface zone 90 may be constructed partly or entirely of moderately elastic material. For example, waist portion 42, as well as the remainders of left leg portion 48 and right leg portion 50 may be constructed of panels of Category 2 material. Left leg portion 48 may include panels 92 and 94, attached to each other at knee area seam 96 and also attached to panels 78 and 86. Right leg portion 50 may include panels 98 and 100, attached to each other at knee area seam 102 and also attached to panels 80 and 88. Waist portion may include panel 104. Panels 92, 94, 98, 100, and 104 may include Category 2 materials. Some Category 3 materials may be utilized for additional flexibility. However, Category 2 materials are suitable for facilitating the donning process for a wearer while maintaining functionality during use and preventing slippage and sagging. Accordingly, motocross pants 40 (not including peripheral attachments such as adjusters 58) may be said to have an outer surface area generally indicated at 106, and greater than 50% of this surface area may include stretchable material falling into Category 2.
In some examples, greater than 50% of the material of the pants, excluding motorcycle interface zone 90 (i.e., seat portion 44, crotch and inner thigh portion 46, and medial regions 82 and 84) may be made of material that stretches at least 20% in at least one direction. In other examples, greater than 50% of the material of the pants, excluding motorcycle interface zone 90, is made of material that stretches between 20% and 80%. In other examples, at least about 75% of the material of the pants, excluding motorcycle interface zone 90, is made of material that stretches at least 20% in at least one direction.
In other examples, at least about 75% of the material of the pants, excluding motorcycle interface zone 90, is made of material that stretches between about 20% and about 80% in at least two directions. In other examples, most of the material of the pants, excluding motorcycle interface zone 90, is made of material that stretches at least about 20% and not more than about 80% in at least two directions that are perpendicular to each other. In other examples, greater than 50% of the material of the pants, excluding motorcycle interface zone 90, is made of material that stretches more than seat portion 44 of the pants. In other examples, at least about 75% of the material of the pants is made of material that stretches at least about 20% and not more than about 80% in at least two directions that are perpendicular to each other.
In still other examples, an elastic material having a stretchability greater than about 10% in both a width and a length dimension makes up greater than approximately 50% of outer surface area 106 of the pants. In other examples, an elastic material having a stretch percent of about 20% to about 80% makes up greater than approximately 50% of outer surface area 106 of the pants.
The high percentage of elastic material used in motocross pants 40 allows a lower weight relative to comparably-sized motocross pants in the prior art. For example, motocross pants 40 may weigh a total of 1 lb, 3 oz, and typically less than about 1.5 lbs, as compared to previous motocross pants, which typically weigh over about 2 lbs. In a sport requiring speed and maneuverability, lower weight equipment may translate into faster times and less fatigue for the rider.
It may be seen from the discussion above that motocross pants according to the present disclosure may be constructed using a relatively small number of panels, numbering less than 20, with each leg portion having fewer than five panels. For example, motocross pants 40 may be constructed using less than twelve panels. Specifically, the example of motocross pants 40 shown in the drawings may use only nine total panels, namely panels 78, 80, 86, 88, 92, 94, 98, 100, and 104. Each leg portion of pants 40 may use only three panels, namely panels 92, 94, and 86 for the left leg and panels 98, 100, and 88 for the right leg.
Turning now to
Upper leg axis 110 may longitudinally bisect upper leg portion 68, while lower leg axis 112 may longitudinally bisect lower leg portion 76. Accordingly, the intersection of axis 110 and axis 112 may form an obtuse knee angle 114 measurable at the rear of knee 72. In motocross pants constructed according to the present disclosure, such as motocross pants 40, knee angle 114 may be nearly straight, and may be greater than about 170 degrees. Although a wearer typically has his or her knee bent to around 90 degrees when riding a motorcycle, as shown in
Although the present disclosure has been provided with reference to the foregoing operational principles and embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. Where the disclosure recites “a,” “a first,” or “another” element, or the equivalent thereof, it should be interpreted to include one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Furthermore, any aspect shown or described with reference to a particular embodiment should be interpreted to be compatible with any other embodiment, alternative, modification, or variance.
