Patent Application
20130117916
The presently disclosed subject matter is directed towards a protective covering that protects a wearer against harm from things carried on the shoulder as well as wear and damage to his shirt.
Some tasks require a person to lift and carry relatively heavy and/or irritating materials. For example, when working in construction a worker may have to pick up and carry lumber, nails, shingles, drywall compound, fiberglass insulation, painting supplies, bricks, or other such items.
When lifting and carrying such materials it is not at all uncommon for a worker to experience shoulder or arm pain and to develop shoulder problems as a result of performing those tasks. Another problem a worker may experience from lifting and carrying materials is damage to his or her shirt or other clothing. While such problems may be mitigated by proper lifting and carrying techniques those techniques at best merely mitigate problems.
Therefore, a device that reduces arm and shoulder pain would be beneficial. Even more beneficial would be a device that reduces shoulder pain and that reduces the likelihood of shoulder problems. Preferably that device would also reduce or eliminate damage to a worker's shirt and clothing.
The principles of the present invention provide for a protective covering that reduces shoulder pain, that reduces the likelihood of shoulder problems and that reduces or eliminates damage to a worker's shirt and clothing.
The protective covering has a vestment that covers at least the shoulder area of a worker. A sleeve that covers at least the upper arm of the worker extends from the vestment. An elastic strap retains the protective covering to the worker. The vestment and sleeve are comprised of a durable outer layer. A foam layer extends under at least part of the durable outer layer to provide protective padding for at least the shoulder area and upper arm of the worker.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is shown. However, it should be understood that this invention may take different forms and thus should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiment set forth herein. In the figures like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
The present invention is described herein with reference to
Because the protective covering 12 is only worn on one side of the body the protective covering 12 has a vestment 13 that that fits over the worker's shoulder. That vestment 13 is configured to rest on and around the worker's shoulder. The vestment 13 may take the form of a half/shirt or jacket. A strap 14 extends from at or near the bottom 16 of the vestment. The strap 14 is configured to fit around the worker 10 to retain the protective covering 12 on the worker 10. The strap 14 is beneficially comprised of stretchable nylon.
The protective covering 12 may also include a collar that extends from the vestment 13. The collar 15 is designed to both protect the neck of the worker 10 and to reduce sliding of materials being carried.
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The strap 14 might come in a variety of sizes to fit different wearers, it might be elastic enough to be useable by wearers of widely different sizes, or it might include a size adjustment that allow a “one-size fits all” strap. However, the strap 14 and clip release 22 are preferably configured to allow strap-length adjustment in the manner that is common in bicycle and motorcycle helmets, military equipment, children's car seats, and equipment tie-downs.
The protective covering 12 is comprised of at least two, preferably 3, material layers. The outer layer 30 is beneficially comprised of a hard-wearing material such as leather, a leather substitute, or, preferably for cost, ease of use, construction, and wearing, denim. In any event the outer layer 30 enables the worker 10 to pick up and carry construction and other materials without excessive damage being done to the protective covering 12, the worker 10, or his shirt.
The middle layer 32 (or bottom layer if there are only two layers) is comprised of a relatively thin, but strong, flexible, and dense foam material (such as high density polyurethane). The middle layer 22 might further include a mesh liner or insert that provides more protection but remains flexible. Depending on the application the middle layer 32 need not extend throughout the protective covering 12. However, the middle layer 32 should extend at least under the shoulder-contacting portion of the vestment 13 and down at least the upper portion of the outer part of the sleeve 18. The primary purpose of the middle layer 32 is to provide padding to protect the wearer's shoulder and arm, and secondarily to help better distribute the weight of the materials being carried.
It should be understood that the protective covering 12 is simply an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Others who are skilled in the applicable arts will recognize numerous modifications and adaptations of the illustrated embodiments that remain within the principles of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.
