Patent Application
20170036096
The present disclosures relates to the field of protective sports equipment and in particular to a protective undergarment for use by a hockey player or hockey goaltender.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Various types of protective equipment are worn by hockey players to protect them from body contact, hockey sticks, hockey pucks and hockey skates.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,559 to Regan discloses an undergarment for use by a hockey player comprising a one-piece torso portion having a head opening, leg openings and arm openings; a neck guard assembly comprising an integral neck guard coupled to the torso portion adjacent at the head opening, and a releasable attachment means coupled to the neck guard to permit the neck guard to be securely positioned on a neck of the player; a sock support positioned adjacent to each of the leg openings; an opening to permit the hockey player to don the undergarment; and a zipper positioned so that when closed the undergarment and the sock supports are retained in place on the hockey player.
Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a protective undergarment comprising a waist portion comprising an elastic material and being dimensioned to be snugly worn about a waist of a body and of a wearer, a pair of leg portions comprising an elastic material and extending from the waist portion, each leg portion dimensioned to encircle a leg of the wearer's body and comprising an ankle portion comprising a cut-resistant material, and impact absorbing pads connected to a back side of each of said leg portions configured to protect a back of the wearer's legs, the impact absorbing pads comprising a lower pad to protect a calf portion of the wearer's legs.
In one form, the impact absorbing pads comprise an upper pad to protect a back of a thigh portion of the wearer's legs. A sock support is connected to each of the leg portions, the sock support configured to secure a removable sock. The sock support comprises at least one fastening member. A crotch portion extends from a front portion of the waist portion and comprises a pocket configured to receive a genital protector.
In one form, the leg portions are dimensioned to be worn underneath goaltender leg pads. Each lower pad is positioned to be at least partially overlapped by back flaps of the goaltender leg pads.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
Turning now to
The waist portion 30 comprises an elastic waist band 32 dimensioned to snugly fit around the waist of the hockey player.
The crotch portion 40 is better shown in
Turning back to
The sock support 60 is better shown in
The shin pad sleeves 70 are better shown in
The impact absorbing pads 100 are better shown in
During use, the hockey player puts on the undergarment 10 on, similar to putting on a pair of pants. In this form, the genital protector 44 is already positioned in the V-shaped pocket 40 and thus the genital protector 44 is positioned in the proper place. The hockey player slides their shin pads into the shin pad sleeves 70 until a bottom portion of each shin pad is positioned in a respective pocket 75. The shin pads are secured in the shin pad sleeves using the loop-type VELCRO™ material patch 86 and the hook-type VELCRO™ material patch 84 positioned on the tab 82. The hockey player then slides their hockey socks over each shin pad, and secures their hockey socks to the undergarment 10 using the sock support 60. The hockey player slides their hockey pants over top of the undergarment 10. The hockey player then puts on and ties up their hockey skates. The hockey player can then pull each pocket 75 (which contains the bottom portion of a respective shin pad) to stretch out elastic 88, and can slide the tongue of each of their hockey skates underneath a respective pocket 75 (which contains the bottom portion of a respective shin pad). Alternatively, the hockey player can keep the tongue of each of their hockey skates exterior of a respective pocket 75 (which contains the bottom portion of a respective shin pad). The impact absorbing pads 100 protect the back of the hockey player's thighs and calves during use, thereby protecting the back of the hockey player's legs from hockey pucks, hockey sticks and hockey skates.
In one form where the hockey player is a goaltender, the undergarment is similar to the undergarment described above, with the following exceptions. In this form, the undergarment does not require shin pad sleeves and is configured to be worn underneath goaltender equipment. The V-shaped pocket of the crotch portion is dimensioned to receive a genital protector for a hockey goaltender. Similar to forms above, the genital protector may be permanently secured in the V-shaped pocket or may be removeable from the V-shaped pocket. Each upper and lower impact absorbing pad is positioned and dimensioned to be worn underneath goaltender equipment such that exposed portions of the back of the goaltender's legs are protected. The ankle portion is made of cut-resistant material to protect the goaltender's ankles from being cut by hockey skates. The lower impact absorbing pads are positioned to be at least partially overlapped by back flaps of goaltender leg pads.
In this form, during use, the goaltender puts on the undergarment 10, similar to putting on a pair of pants. In this form, the genital protector for the hockey goaltender is already positioned in the V-shaped pocket 40 and thus the genital protector is positioned in the proper place. The goaltender then slides their selected color of hockey socks over each leg portion, and secures their hockey socks to the undergarment 10 using the sock support 60. The goaltender slides their hockey pants over top of the undergarment 10. The goaltender then puts on and ties up their hockey goaltender skates. The goaltender then puts on their goaltender leg pads such that the lower impact absorbing pads are positioned to be overlapped by back flaps of the goaltender leg pads. Straps of the goaltender leg pads are secured, thereby curving the back flaps around the calf of their leg. As such, at least a portion of the back flaps overlap the lower impact absorbing pads. The impact absorbing pads and the cut-resistant material protect exposed portions of the goaltender's ankles, calves and thighs during use, thereby protecting the back of the goaltenders legs from hockey pucks, hockey sticks and hockey skates.
Although in various forms described above the waist portion is described as comprising an elastic waist band, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations are available. For example, in another form the waist portion may comprise a draw-string type waist band, a zipper or a buckle.
Although in forms described above the shin pad sleeves are described as comprising a fastening system to allow the shin pads to be secured therein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form the shin pads may be sewn into the undergarment such that they are not readily removable therefrom.
Although in forms described above the undergarment is described as comprising shin pad sleeves, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form the undergarment may not have the shin pad sleeves. In this form, the hockey player's shin pads may be connected to the undergarment through use of one or more Velcro straps or disposable hockey tape.
Although in forms described above the shine pad sleeves are described as being attached to the leg portions via stitching, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form the shin pad sleeves may be removably attached to the leg portions through use of a VELCRO™ type system or other suitable attachment devices such as for example snaps, a zippers, etc.
Although in forms described above the genital protector is described as being removable through an opening in the crotch portion, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form the genital protector may be sewn into the crotch portion such that it is not readily removable therefrom. In another form, the crotch portion may include a VELCRO™ type or other suitable type of fastening system to secure the genital protector therein.
In another form, the shin pad sleeves may include slots to receive straps associated with the shin pads. In this form, once the shin pads are inserted into the shin pad sleeves, the associated straps can be threaded through the slots to further secure the shin pads to the hockey player's legs.
Although in forms described above, the impact absorbing pads are described as being made of a foam material such as for example polythene foam having a thickness of 1 cm to 5 cm, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form the impact absorbing pads may be made of a closed cell foam. In another form, the impact absorbing pads may be made of a washable foam. In other forms, the impact absorbing pads may be made of a gel material, a rubber material or a silicon material.
Although in forms described above, the impact absorbing pads are described as comprising an upper impact absorbing pad and a lower impact absorbing pad, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form only a lower impact absorbing pad may be used. In another form, a plurality of small impact absorbing pads may be used and may be equally spaced along the back of the leg portion.
Although in forms described above, the impact absorbing pads are described as being sewn into the interior of the leg portions of the undergarment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form, the interior of the leg portions may have pockets sewn therein for receiving the impact absorbing pads. In this form, the impact absorbing pads are inserted into the pockets for use, and can be removed when the undergarment is to be washed.
In another form, the undergarment may be provided with patches made of a breathable material to increase the breathability of the undergarment during use.
Although in forms described above, all elements are described as being made of a material comprising approximately 90% nylon and 10% spandex unless otherwise specified, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative materials may be used. For example, in another form the elements are made of elastane or a spandex mesh or other breathable material. In another form these elements may be made of a combination of these materials.
Although in forms described above the sock support is described as comprising a VELCRO™-type system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form a garter-type system may be used.
Although in forms described above the shin pad sleeves are described as comprising tabs used as a fastening system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another form elastic straps or bands may be used to retain the shin pads in the shin pad sleeves.
Although forms have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.
The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/182,990, filed on Feb. 18, 2014. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14182990 | Feb 2014 | US |
| Child | 15298413 | US |
