SOFTBALL PITCHING THIGH PAD

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

A pitcher in fast pitch softball typically hits his or her mitt upon the upper and/or outside thigh of the leg during the pitching motion. This slapping or hitting of the mitt against the leg is used to provide proper timing when the pitcher is releasing the ball from the pitching mound. The slapping may also provide a counterbalance to the pitching hand to assist in balance, transfer of momentum to the ball and consistency in pitching form. Through substantial repetition, this slapping of the mitt upon the thigh may cause bruising of the leg as well as varicose veins and/or other ailments to the pitcher, many of which may not be realized until much later in life. Further, while the glove may pad the pitcher's hand to reduce the impact of slapping the glove against the thigh, the pitcher's forearm and/or elbow on the glove hand may also slap against pitcher's side or hip, resulting in injury and discomfort to the forearm and/or elbow and bruising at the hip bone area. There is thus a need for a method and apparatus to reduce damage caused by slapping the pitcher's mitt on the pitcher's leg and thigh during fast pitch softball and to reduce the injury to the pitcher's gloved limb and hip.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A pad for protecting a pitcher's thigh has a tube containing a flexible pad around the front of the tube and not around at least a portion of the back of the tube. The pad may extend above the thigh and over the hip bone. A belt encircles the pitcher's waist and a padded connecting strip extends laterally from the pitcher's navel or belly button to just past the user's hip and extends downward to connect to the front of the tube. The padding covers a strike area where the pitcher's glove arm and glove hit the pitcher's hip and thigh when throwing a fast pitch softball.

A pad is provided for the pitcher's upper thigh and preferably for the hip bone, with the pad being large enough to cover a strike area impacted by the pitcher's glove during a pitch in a fast pitch softball game. A belt encircles the pitcher's body, preferably at the waist, to hold the pad along the front and outer side of the pitcher's thigh during use, and to hold in position any portion of the pad extending over the hip bone or across the back of the pitcher's thigh. Preferably, a padded connecting strip extends between the pitcher's thigh to the pitcher's belly button and hip during use, with a top portion extending above the pitcher's hip and below the pitcher's ribs. A tube of material (preferably elastic) encircles the pitcher's leg above the knee and preferably encircles the pitcher's thigh and at least a portion of the pad, to secure the pad to the pitcher's leg during use and reduce relative motion between the pitcher and the pad. At least a portion of the tube of material is elastic and preferably covers the pad at the strike area of the pitcher's thigh to resiliently urge the pad against the strike area of the pitcher's thigh. The tube of material may have an elastic portion only on the bottom of the tube, below the pad and above the knee, but advantageously the elastic portion extends over most or all of the pad, but preferably does not extend to the connecting strip of material. The elastic portion of the tube advantageously covers the inner thigh and connects to both sides of the pad, so the elastic portion advantageously encircles the thigh. During pitching, the pitcher's glove and elbow hits the pad at the strike area to reduce injury.

The tube of material advantageously includes an elastic compression, sock-like tube which can be worn on the inside or the outside of the pitcher's clothing. The inside portion of the compression sock toward the sagittal plane extends only partially up the inside thigh of the pitcher and preferably, but optionally, does not include any padding. The pad may extend from the front of the thigh to the back quad of the leg, wrapping around the outer thigh. The front portion of the pad and the outside portion of the pad on the outer side of the pitcher's thigh may thus include the padding and the padding may extend across a back portion of the pitcher's thigh. The padding advantageously extends from the knee upwardly to a location above the strike area on the user's thigh and hip and advantageously also extends through the connecting area adjacent the pitcher's crotch and across the groin up to the hip adjacent the pitcher's pitching arms.

The belt allows a quick attachment of the pad to the pitcher and cooperates with the tube encircling the pitcher's leg to position the pad to cover the strike area during use. In use, the padding on the front, back and the outer side portion of the pitcher's thigh and hip serves to reduce trauma to the thigh of the pitcher from slapping the glove against the strike area and thereby reduce the possibility of bruising, varicose veins, and the like.

In more detail, a pitcher's thigh pad is provided for protecting a strike area on the pitcher's first thigh where a pitcher's glove and/or gloved arm may impact a front and outer side of the first thigh when throwing a pitch in fast pitch softball. The thigh pad may include a belt configured to encircle the pitcher's waist and a single tube of flexible material having opposed top and bottom ends and configured to encircle the first thigh during use. The tube has an inner side adjacent the pitcher's second thigh and an outer side opposite thereto and further has a front side and opposing back side. The tube is sized to extend from just above the pitcher's knee to the pitcher's crotch while still encircling the pitcher's thigh.

The pad also preferably includes padding connected to and extending along the front and outer side of the tube. The padding is preferably sized to cover at least a majority of the strike area located vertically between the knee and the navel and located laterally from a vertical line along the inner side of the patella around the outside of the pitcher's leg and hip to a back of the first thigh. The padding does not extend along the inner side of the tube that is located between the pitcher's thighs during use and also does not cover the back side of the tube between the Sagittal plane and a parasagittal plane through the thigh bone of the first thigh. At least a majority of the padding is flexible padding and preferably a substantial majority is flexible padding, and ideally all the padding is flexible padding. A connecting strip of flexible material advantageously extends between the belt and the front side of the tube to position the tube vertically relative to the belt. The connecting strip is not connected to at least the back-inner side of the tube. At least a portion of the single tube includes an elastic material resiliently urging the first tube toward the pitcher's first thigh during use.

In further variations on this sleeve assembly, the padding is further connected to and extends along the connecting strip between the belt and the top of the tube, with the top of the connecting strip extending laterally from a location vertically above the pitcher's crotch to the back side of the pitcher's hip. The padding advantageously includes a top portion extending above the belt and extending upwards to the level of the pitcher's belly button and extending laterally to a location above the pitcher's hip and on the back side of the pitcher's hip. The padding connected to the tube preferably extends over an arc of 180° to 220° measured relative to a longitudinal axis of the tube during use, beginning at the vertical line along the inner side of the patella. The padding preferably has a front, inner edge extending along a parasagittal plane extending along the inner side of the patella. The elastic material encircles the tube and at least a portion of the padding.

The tube may comprise an inner and outer layer of fabric with the padding contained between those two layers of fabric. The tube is advantageously configured to fit an average sized pitcher's body of one the designated sizes: large, medium and small, such that the tube extends from above the average sized pitcher's knee of the designated size to just below the pitcher's crotch during use. The padding is also preferably sized for the designated sizes to extend in the vertical direction from the knee to just below the navel of the average sized female pitcher for the designated size, and is sized to extend in the lateral direction from just inside the patella to just past the hip and just past the mid-frontal plane, and optionally to the middle of the back of the knee. The padding connected to the tube is configured to cover a substantial majority of the strike area enclosed by the tube during use and is preferably configured to cover a substantial majority of the strike area during use. Similarly, the padding connected to the tube and connecting strip and top portion is configured to cover a substantial majority of the strike area and preferably configured to cover a substantial majority of the strike area during use.

The padding advantageously comprises neoprene. The connecting strip may be permanently connected to the belt, with the belt having a front and back strap. Each strap may have a length measured from the padding to a distal end of the respective strap, with the back strap having a length that is 2 to 4 times longer than the front strap. In further variations, a belt buckle connected to one of the belt traps is located so that when the padding on the front of the tube covers the front of the pitcher's leg, the buckle is between the Sagittal Plane (also called the medial plane), and the mid-frontal plane (also called the Coronal Plane) on the side of the pitcher's body opposite the pitching pad.

The padding advantageously forms a cutout in the padding around the pitcher's crotch, with the cutout extending away from the sagittal plane in a lateral direction toward the outside of the pitcher's thigh—which corresponds in direction with the outside of the tube. The tube is funnel shaped to conform to the shape of the pitcher's thigh and preferably has a diameter that is larger at the top than at the bottom by 0.5 to 5 inches.

Described another way, there is provided a pad for a pitcher's thigh that is adjacent the pitcher's glove arm, for use in a fast pitch softball game. The pad comprises a flexible pad configured to cover the pitcher's thigh and groin opposite the pitcher's pitching arm. The pad is configured to extend in the lateral direction from a parasagittal plane along the sagittal side of the patella and extends past the outside of the thigh at the mid-frontal plane and onto the back of the thigh and past the hip. The pad extends vertically from the top of the pitcher's knee to the level of the pitcher's navel and above the hip. The thigh pad does not extend between the pitcher's legs, especially at the mid-frontal plane and does not extending onto the back of the leg at the sagittal plane.

The pad has a belt with a front end and back end and a buckle to releasably connect the belt ends together. The belt is connected to the pad, so the belt is located at or just above the hips and the belt is long enough to encircle the pitcher's waist at that location. A top portion of the pad extends above the belt. The pad is connected to the belt, so the pad can cover the described area over the front and back of the pitcher's thigh adjacent the pitcher's glove arm during use. The belt is not connected to any thigh pad for the pitcher's other thigh that is adjacent the pitcher's pitching arm, so only the pad protecting the pitcher's thigh by the glove hand is protected.

In still further variations, a tube is configured to encircle the pitcher's thigh and connected to the pad, with the tube having at least a portion made of elastic material that resiliently holds the pad to the pitcher's leg during use. The pad may also include an elastic portion encircling a bottom end of the tube to urge the tube toward the pitcher's leg during use. The tube advantageously includes an elastic material encircling the entire tube and resiliently urging the tube toward the pitcher's thigh during use. The pad advantageously includes two layers of fabric with the pad located between those two layers of fabric and with at least one of the at least two layers of fabric comprising the tube. Tubes with a diameter at the top end that is larger than a diameter at a bottom end of the tube by 0.5 to 5 inches are believed suitable for most applications as the pitcher's thigh size and shape can vary. The padding is preferably of neoprene and is from 0.2 to 0.8 inches thick. The belt may have a separate front and back strap each connected to an opposing side of the pad, with a buckle joining the straps. The belt may comprise a single strap with one of a hook or loop fastener and with the pad including the other of a hook or loop fastener.

In more detail, a pitcher has first and second thighs, with the first thigh adjacent the pitcher's arm during pitching. A pitcher's thigh pad is provided for protecting a strike area on the pitcher's first thigh where a pitcher's glove and/or arm may impact a front, back and outer side of the first thigh when throwing a pitch in fast pitch softball. The thigh pad includes a belt configured to encircle the pitcher's waist and a single tube of flexible material having opposed top and bottom ends and configured to encircle the first thigh during use. The tube has an inner side adjacent the pitcher's second thigh and an outer side opposite thereto and further has a front side and opposing back side. Padding is connected to and extends along the front, back and outer side of the tube but preferably not between the pitcher's legs and on the back of the thigh at the crotch. The padding is sized to cover at least a majority of the strike area. The padding does not extend along the inner side of the tube that is located between the pitcher's thighs during use and also does not cover the back side of the tube connected to the inner thigh. At least a majority of the padding is flexible padding, having no impact sheet to absorb and spread impact forces to the padding. A connecting strip of flexible material extends between the belt and the front side of the tube to position the tube vertically relative to the belt. At least a portion of the single tube includes an elastic material resiliently urging the first tube toward the pitcher's first thigh during use to hold the tube and its padding in position during pitching. The elastic allows the tube to fit a large range of thigh sizes while holding the padding in position over the strike area where the pitcher's arm and glove most commonly strike the user's body during pitching.

In further variations, the padding is further connected to and extends along the connecting strip and extends from the top of the tube to the belt. A top portion of the padding may extend above the belt to the belly button and extend from the pitcher's belly button to the back side of the pitcher's hip. The padding connected to the tube advantageously extends over an arc of about 180° to 220° measured relative to a longitudinal axis of the tube during use. The elastic material advantageously encircles the tube and at least a portion of the padding. The tube may include an inner and outer layer of fabric with the padding contained between those two layers of fabric.

Advantageously, the tube is configured to fit an average sized pitcher's body of a designated size such that the tube extends from above the pitcher's knee to just below the pitcher's crotch during use. The connecting strip and top portion of the padding above the belt may be configured to extend to and preferably cover the pitcher's belly button and that portion of the abdomen located above the front side of the tube. The padding connected to the tube is advantageously configured to cover at least a majority of the strike area on the thigh and hip that is encircled by the tube and/or covered by the connecting strip below the belt and covered by the top portion of the padding above the belt. Preferably, the padding connected to the tube is configured to cover a substantial majority of the strike area enclosed by the tube and/or covered by the connecting strip.

In still further variations, the connecting strip is permanently connected to the belt and the belt has a front and back strap each measured from the end of the connecting strip, with the back strap having a length that is 2 to 4 times longer than the front strap. The connecting strip may be permanently connected to the belt with the belt buckle located so that when the padding on the front of the tube covers the front of the pitcher's thigh, and with the locking part of the buckle advantageously located below the level of the belly button and between the sagittal plane and the mid-frontal plane on the side of the pitcher's body opposite the pitching pad. Any type of belt buckle suitable for sports activities is believed usable. Further, a curved cutout in the padding may be formed around the pitcher's crotch, with the cutout extending away from the sagittal plane in a lateral direction. Additionally, the tube may have a diameter that is larger at the top than at the bottom by 0.5 to 5 inches. Each of these above variations may be used alone or in any combination with the tube(s) and connecting strip(s) described herein.

There is also provided a pad for a pitcher's thigh for use in a fast pitch softball game. The pad may include a thigh pad with at least a majority of the thigh pad being flexible. The thigh pad may be configured to cover the pitcher's thigh opposite the pitcher's pitching arm with the pad configured to cover the thigh from the sagittal plane to the mid-frontal plane and from the pitcher's knee to at least the pitcher's groin and preferably to the pitcher's hip bone adjacent the pitching arm. The thigh pad does not extend between the pitcher's legs at the mid-frontal plane and does not extend onto the back of the leg at the sagittal plane. The pad does extend from the pitcher's crotch, across the front and outside of the thigh, and part way around the back of the thigh—preferably to the middle of the back of the thigh. The pad includes a belt having a front end and back end with a buckle on the belt to releasably connect the belt ends together. The belt is long enough to encircle the pitcher's waist. There is no second thigh pad connected to the belt to protect the pitcher's second thigh. The belt connects to the thigh pad at a location that is offset from the buckle a distance sufficient to locate the thigh pad over the pitcher's thigh during use.

In further variations, the pad may include a tube configured to encircle the pitcher's thigh and connected to the pad, the tube having at least a portion made of elastic material that resiliently holds the pad to the pitcher's leg during use. Additionally, an elastic portion on a bottom end of the tube may be provided to urge the tube against the pitcher's leg during use and hold the tube and pad in place. The pad advantageously extends to the pitcher's waist and forms a connecting strip that is configured to extend from the sagittal plane to just past the mid-frontal plane and may further include a tube that is configured to encircle the user's thigh and is connected to the pad around a portion of the user's thigh sufficiently to hold the pad in position on the pitcher's thigh during use. The tube may include an elastic material encircling the tube and resiliently urging the tube toward the pitcher's thigh during use to hold the tube and/or padding in place. The connecting strip and tube may include two layers of fabric to hold the pad, with at least one layer of fabric containing elastic material. The tube advantageously has a diameter at the top end that is larger than a diameter at a bottom end of the tube by 0.5 to 5 inches. The pad is advantageously from 0.2 to 0.8 inches thick. The belt may include a top portion of the connecting strip as a part of the belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages and features of the invention will be better appreciated in view of the following drawings and descriptions in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the back of the pitching pad configured for wearing on the left leg of the pitcher;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front of the pitching pad of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pitching pad of FIG. 1 on a pitcher's left leg;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pitching pad of FIG. 1 on a pitcher shortly after a ball is released by a pitcher;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pitching pad of FIG. 1 on a pitcher at the end of the pitch;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a belt connected to the top of a pitching pad of FIG. 1, as shown in cross-section in FIG. 8C;

FIGS. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional views showing a belt connected to a top of the pitching pad of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a front view of a further embodiment of the pitching pad, shown configured for wearing on the left leg of the pitcher;

FIG. 10 is a back view of the pitching pad of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the pitching pad of FIG. 9 on a pitcher's left leg;

FIG. 12 is a conceptual sectional view of a pitcher with legs that are circular in cross-section and a tubular pad encircling the left leg;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 13-13 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the pitching pad of FIG. 9, but for a left-handed pitcher;

FIG. 15 is a back view of the pitching pad of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the relative directions up and down, above and below, top and bottom, are with respect to directions along the vertical axis when a person is standing on the ground. As used herein, a majority or a major portion means over 50% while a substantial portion means 90% or more. As used herein, the sagittal plane S (FIG. 12) (also known as the mid-sagittal plane) is the vertical plane between the eyes and legs of a standing person that divides a standing person in half, while a parasagittal plane is offset from but parallel to the mid-sagittal or Sagittal Plane S. As used herein, the mid-frontal plane MF (also known as the mid-coronal plane) is a vertical plane perpendicular to the sagittal plane and extending through the user's shoulders, palms, fingers, legs and feet—dividing a person standing into front and back halves. As used herein, the traverse plane or lateral plane is orthogonal to the sagittal and mid-frontal planes and may be envisioned as a generally horizontal through a standing person. As used herein, the groin includes the lower part of the abdomen below the waist and the juncture with the inner part of the thigh. As used herein, elastic material refers to material that stretches and resiliently seeks to resume its shape or position before stretching.

The following numbers refer to the following parts: 10—pitching pad; 12—tube; 14—front of tube; 16—back of tube; 18—inner side of tube; 20—outer side of tube; 22—connecting strip; 24—belt; 26—buckle; 28—cuff; 30—padding; 32—inclined bend line; 34—conforming cutout; 40—top portion; 41—parasagittal plane; 42—stitching; 44—vertical line; MF—mid-frontal plane; and S—Sagittal Plane.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a pitching thigh pad 10 includes a single tube 12 having a front 14, back 16, inner side 18 and outer side 20. A top end of the tube 12 is adjacent the pitcher's crotch during use and a bottom end of the tube is adjacent the user's knee joint during use. A connecting strip 22 extends from a top of the front and outer sides 14, 20 to the pitcher's waist where it is connected to a belt 24 that alone or in connection with the connecting strip 22, encircles the pitcher's waist to hold the thigh pad 10 in place during use. A releasable buckle 26 on one or both free ends of the belt couples and uncouples the belt at the location of the buckle and allows the pitcher to adjust the tightness of the belt. An optional cuff 28 may be connected at the bottom of the tube 12. Note that there is only a single tube 12 connected to the belt 24 as only one thigh is protected by the pitching pad, the thigh adjacent the pitcher's glove arm. The belt 24 is not connected to a second thigh pad protecting the pitcher's thigh adjacent the pitcher's pitching arm.

A bottom part of the connecting strip 22 is connected to the top part of the tube 12 along the front and outer sides 14, 20 of the tube. The connecting strip 22 could extend slightly onto an outer portion of the back side 16 of the tube 12, but preferably only to the extent the pitcher's arm or mitt abuts that back side 16. The connecting strip 22 is smaller adjacent the tube 12 and larger at the pitcher's waist and is generally trapezoidal in shape when laid flat with waist and tube connections being generally parallel and the ends of the connecting strip inclined outward, away from the bottom of the tube 12 (FIG. 2.).

The tube 12 is preferably slightly funnel shaped to better conform to the shape of the pitcher's thigh which is larger at the top adjacent the pitcher's crotch, and smaller at the bottom by the pitcher's knee joint. A difference in diameters of 0.5 to 5 inches (bottom and top) is believed suitable, with a difference of 1 to 3 inches believed preferable for the majority of pitchers' thighs. The actual diameters of the tube 10 will vary as the thighs of the pitchers vary with age, height, gender, build and weight of the pitcher.

The tube 12 is padded with padding 30. Because the padding provides thermal insulation and can cause increased sweating beneath the padding, the padding preferably extends only in the area of the strike area, which is where the pitcher's gloved arm hits the pitcher's lower body during pitching and where the pitcher's glove hits the pitcher's thigh during pitching. This strike area protected by padding 30 is on the leg opposite the pitcher's pitching arm. In the traverse or lateral plane, this strike area covered by padding 30 typically extends from the inner thigh where the legs begin to rub, laterally across the front of the thigh and to the back portion of the outer side of the thigh. The strike area does not cover the very back of the thigh or back 16 of the tube 12 and does not cover the back portion of the inner side 18 of the tube, and advantageously does not cover the inner portion of the thigh and tube where the user's thighs may rub together. This strike area generally corresponds to the front portion of the thigh located between the sagittal plane and the mid-frontal plane, with the strike area not extending between the thighs and not extending across the back of the thigh adjacent the intersection of the sagittal plane and the mid-frontal plane.

The strike area covered by padding 30 typically extends vertically from just above the knee joint of the pitcher's knee that is opposite the pitching arm, to just above the pitcher's hip bone and at or slightly below the pitcher's navel or belly button. Pitchers have different length legs and arms and torsos, especially adolescents, so the pitcher's gloved arm can hit the pitcher's body from the hip bone downward to the knee, and the gloved hand can impact the thigh from the outside of the thigh to the inner thigh. It is difficult for the tube 12 to encircle a moving joint so the bottom of the tube 12 is advantageously at the back of the knee where it flexes, and just above the patella.

The padding 30 thus preferably extends across the outer side 20 and front 14 of the tube 12. The padding 30 may further and preferably extend slightly into the outer side of the back 16 of the tube and may extend slight into the front of the inner side 18 of the tube. The padding 30 preferably does not extend across a majority of the back side 16 of the tube and does not extend across a majority of the inner side 18 of the tube 12. These locations of the front, back, inner side and outer side assume each one covers ¼ of the periphery of the thigh and tube 12, so if the tube 12 and pitcher's thigh are circular, each covers and arc of about 90°. Advantageously, the padding 30 extends over an arc of about 180°, and preferably extends over an arc of about 200°-210° beginning at a location on the front of pitcher's legs at the crotch, preferably where the thighs no longer abut. The beginning location is believed to be at an angle of about 35-40° from the mid-frontal plane measured along a longitudinal axis through the center of the pitcher's thigh when the pitcher is standing. The padding 30 can extend further toward the mid-frontal plane but it then begins to rub against the pitcher's other thigh, depending on the thickness of the padding and the size of the pitcher's thigh. The padding 30 can extend beyond the center of the back of the pitcher's thigh but then it is seldom hit by the pitcher's glove and adds unnecessary weight and insulation which heats the pitcher's thigh.

The padding 30 may hang down over the pitcher's kneecap and knee joint but the tube 12 preferably does not extend into bend of the knee on the back of the pitcher's leg. The padding 30 is preferably a single sheet of continuous material enclosed between two or more thin layers of flexible material such as spandex, polyester, cotton or other suitable material. The flexible fabric material may be bonded to the padding by adhesives or thermally or other connection mechanisms, or the padding may be formed in discrete segments and contained in separate pockets configured for the shape of each segment, advantageously with at least some of the segment lines following the bend lines of the body along the juncture of the thighs with the trunk of the body. Thus, an inclined juncture line 32 forming a fold line 32 during use, may be used to accommodate bending at the waist or raising of the leg without bending of the padding 30 itself while the material enclosing the padding flexes to accommodate the bending. Similarly, the periphery of the padding 30 may be shaped to conform to body parts, such as an outwardly curved, conform cutout 34 adjacent the pitcher's crotch.

The padding 30 is of a different material than the fabric that is preferably used to hold the padding in place during use. The padding may be any suitable padding material but is preferably a layer of natural or artificial rubber. Neoprene is believed suitable. A layer from ¼ to ¾ inches thick is believed suitable for the padding 30, with thicker padding being more suitable for stronger pitchers exerting more force on the pitcher's thigh and thus needing more padding to accommodate the resulting impacts. The padding 30 is preferably of uniform thickness for ease of manufacture, but the thickness may be varied, especially if the padding 30 is separated into segments and held in separate pockets in the pitching pad.

The padding 30 is preferably all flexible so a layer of padding can be bent back onto itself manually without causing permanent deformation or breakage of the padding. The flexible padding 30 is thus distinguishable from hard surfaced padding of the type typically used in football padding of thighs, which may have a thin impact sheet of hard plastic with cloth or foam backing interposed between the hard, impact sheet and the user's body so the stiff sheet of plastic absorbs and spreads impact forces over the padding interposed between the impact sheet and the user. The padding 30 may be a combination of flexible padding and hard surfaced padding or material connected to the padding. Advantageously, at least a majority of the padding 30 is flexible padding.

The tube 12 preferably includes some elastic material located to resiliently urge the padding 30 toward the user's thigh. The elastic compression selected so that it does not impede the pitcher's circulation. A tube 12 made of a compression material is believed suitable. Alternatively, an elastic cuff 28 may be provided at the bottom of the tube 12 to hold the pitching pad against the pitcher's leg by encircling the leg, above the knee joint. The cuff 28 may be used alone or with an elastic material in the tube 12 to urge the padding 30 against the pitcher and hold it in place during use.

The connecting strip 22 is also preferably padded as a portion covers the pitcher's hip and as the mitt may impact that portion of the lower abdomen. The connecting strip 22 advantageously extends in the vertical direction to the pitcher's belly button or navel and thus extends from adjacent the crotch, to the belly button and around the hip.

The belt 24 may take the form of a flexible strap of material with a mechanism to releasably join two ends of the strap. The belt 24 may form a continuous loop and pass through a pocket formed in the top end of the connecting strip 22 or be otherwise connected to the top end of the connecting strip, as for example by passing through loops, or by rivets or stitching connecting the parts, as shown in part in FIGS. 1 and 7-8. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the belt 24 may use the connecting strip 22 as part of the belt and connect to opposing sides of the pitching pad 10 with a buckle 26 at the free end of one segment releasably connecting to the other free end of the belt.

As used herein, the reference to a buckle, including buckle 26, may comprise a tongue passing through holes in one belt end, or interlocking tabs on the free ends of the belt, a flexible belt end passing through a pair of D-rings in an interlocking manner, or hook and loop fasteners on the opposing ends of the belt or mating portions of the belt, or other mechanisms for releasably fastening the opposing ends of a clothing belt. The particular type of buckle is not believed critical to the invention.

When the belt 24 is permanently fastened to the connecting strip 22, the belt straps on opposing sides of the connecting strip are not of equal length as the front strap 24a is shorter than the back strap 24b. The front strap 26a and buckle 28 are preferably offset from the sagittal plane toward the hip opposite the hip above which the pitching pad 10 is located, so the buckle is between the hip and the back of the leg opposite the pitching pad 10, so the buckle is in front of the mid-frontal plane but offset to one side of the sagittal plane. The connecting part or retaining part of the buckle 26 is advantageously located between the mid-frontal and sagittal planes on the side opposite that on which the tube 12 is located. The length of the front strap 24a is preferably between one-quarter and half the length of the back strap 24b. Alternatively described, the back strap 24b has a length that is from 2 to 4 times longer than the front strap 24a.

As seen in FIGS. 4-6, during use, the pitcher passes a leg through the tube 12 and rotates the tube into a comfortable position to cover the strike area on the pitcher's body with the padding 30. The tube 12 and pitcher's leg may be rotated relative to one another to position the padding relative to the pitcher's thigh both circumferentially and vertically. The location of the top of the connecting strip 22 can be positioned at different locations around the pitcher's waist to position the tube 12 as well as position the connecting strip at different circumferential locations on the pitcher's body, and at different vertical locations on the pitcher's thigh. The connecting strip 22 may be positioned to cover the belly button (navel) and hip and extends slightly around the pitcher's back and butt enough so the gloved arm hits the padding 30 rather than hitting the pitcher's body (e.g., hip) during pitching. The connecting strip 22 extends over the pitcher's lower abdomen to the top of the tube 12 immediately adjacent to the pitcher's crotch. The tube 12 is positioned so the glove hits the padding 30 on the front 14 of the tube and extends over the inner and outer sides 18, 20 of the tube to an extent that will vary with the pitcher. The padding 30 is preferably positioned so the strike area on one side of the pitcher's groin from the belly button to the hip are substantially covered, and preferably so the strike area adjacent the pitcher crotch on the pitcher's front thigh and outside thigh is also substantially covered by the padding 30. Preferably, the strike area adjacent the pitcher's crotch and on the thigh, groin and hip are substantially covered.

The above described pitching pad is shown for a right-handed pitcher, with the tube 12 having padding 30 on the front 12 and outer side 20 to cover the front and outer side of the pitcher's left leg. If the pitching pad 10 as shown is put on the left leg, it won't fit as the connecting strip 22 will stop at the user's crotch if the tube 12 is rotated so the padding 30 is at the front of the thigh. The pitching pad 30 must be constructed in a mirror image to fit on the other leg.

In use, the padding tube 12 and connecting strip 22 will be provided in different sizes, just as pants are provided in different lengths and waist sizes. A specified size is configured for use by pitchers having different, but average body sizes such that the padding 30 covers at least a majority of the strike area of the average body sizes for which the padding is designed to fit, and advantageously covers a substantial majority of that strike area. Thus, a pitching pad 10 designed to cover the navel or belly button of an average pitcher and extend to the back side of the pitcher's hip, may not cover the belly button in actual use when covering the hip, or vice versa. When the pitching pad 10 is configured to fit an average sized pitcher's body of a designated size, the tube 12 advantageously extends from just above the pitcher's knee at the fold in the back of the knee and the patella at the front of the knee, to just below the pitcher's crotch during use, with a conforming cutout 34 in the tube and/or connecting strip 22 located within 1-3 inches of the pitcher's crotch. Extending the tube 12 into the crotch becomes uncomfortable so the tube ends and the cutout 34 begins low enough to avoid discomfort for the average sized player for which the pitching pad is configured. The connecting strip 22 advantageously continues upward to end at or cover the pitcher's belly button and the hip located above the front side 14 of the tube 12.

A pitching pad 30 extending further above the hip and possibly less of the leg is shown in FIGS. 9 to 15. The embodiment of FIGS. 1-8 has a connecting area 22 connected to the belt and the belt is difficult to maintain at the vertical level of the belly-button. In the configuration of FIGS. 9-13, the padding extends above the belt, which is configured to rest on or slightly above the hips—for a right-handed pitcher. For a left-handed pitcher, the pitching pad is a mirror image about the sagittal plane S, or bilaterally symmetric. Rather than show and repeat the description of the mirror-image parts for all embodiments, only the embodiment of FIGS. 9-13 is shown in FIGS. 14-15 for a pitching pad for a left-handed pitcher. The description and relative position of the parts on the body relative to the Sagittal plane S is the same for a left-handed or right handed pitching pad as the only difference is that a right-handed pitcher wears the pitching pad on the left leg or more precisely, parts of the left thigh, left hip, and outer left buttocks, while a left-handed pitcher wears the pitching pad on the right leg, and more specifically, parts of the right thigh, right hip and outer right buttocks. Given the mirror-image symmetry of the pitching pad configuration and parts relative to the Sagittal Plane S, it is not believed that a repetitive detailed description is necessary to understand the construction of the pitching pad worn on the right-leg by left handed-pitchers of the pitching pad shown in any of the Figures herein.

These FIGS. 9-15 thus show the connecting portion 22 extending between the top of the tube 12 to the belt 24 and show the pad 30 having a top portion 40 that extends a distance vertically above the belt and above the. The top portion 40 advantageously does not extend to the pitcher's ribs. The front side 12 of the pitching pad has the top portion 40 extending to a vertical location at or slightly below the level of the pitcher's navel or belly button. The top portion 40 extends laterally across the front side 12 of the lag, and across the outside 20 of the leg and hip, to a location on the outer but back side of the pitcher's leg (specifically the outer portion of the buttocks and outer back portion of the thigh). The side of the pitching pad 10 near the Sagittal plane extends along a line along the inside of the kneecap or patella upwards, with a slight cutout 34 or curve toward the hip at a location adjacent the pitcher's crotch.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a parasagittal plane 41 is shown passing through the pitcher's tibia or thigh bone, recognizing the bone may be curved but is shown as straight for purposes of this application. The pitcher's kneecap is centered on the lower end of the thigh bone. The front side of the padding 10 extends along a generally vertical line 44 passing to the inner side of the pitcher's kneecap or patella, immediately adjacent to the kneecap. The vertical line 44 intersects the cutout 34 adjacent its middle where the cutout begins to curve toward the pitcher's navel. The top portion of the connecting portion 22 curves inward toward the navel and toward the Sagittal Plane S and away from the parasagittal plane 44 at an angle of 15-40° from the vertical and preferably at an angle of about 30° from the. The slight inclination toward the Sagittal plane gives the top portion 40 a slightly enlarged appearance.

The cut-out 34 is as generally described above, but these figures show a more pronounced lateral extension of the cut-out to provide more room and less binding around the user's crotch. pitcher's crotch during use. The inner side of the padding 30 adjacent the pitcher's crotch extends upward at an angle of 10-30° to the vertical, and preferably 10-15° to the vertical from the conforming cut-out 34. The angle will change with the height and width of the pitcher between the pitcher's knees and navel, with generally similar angles for large, medium and small sized pitchers, and with variations for wider and skinnier pitchers.

The padding 10 extends across the front and outer side of the pitcher's leg and body, past the mid-frontal plane and the pitcher's hips and as far as the parasagittal plane 41 through the pitcher's thigh, but at the back of the thigh (FIG. 10). Advantageously, the padding 10 ends between the mid-frontal plane and the back side of the thigh at the parasagittal plane 41. As seen in FIG. 12, the padding 10 extends an arc θ of about 180° to 220°, centered on the thigh protected by the pitching pad. Because the pitcher's hips are usually larger than the thighs, the padding tapers slightly inward toward the pitcher's thigh bone or femur. Thus, as seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the profile of the outer side 20 tapers slightly outward an upward and outward angle of 5-10° to the vertical, so the top portion 40 is slightly larger in the lateral direction at the top of the padding, than adjacent the lateral plane through the cutout 34. For a right-side pitching pad, the above angles and arcs are simply shifted to the right leg instead of the left leg.

The tubular portion 12 is generally tapered as described above, being wider at the top near the pitcher's crotch, and smaller at the bottom by the pitcher's knee, with the connecting portion containing the cutout 34 and extending upward to the juncture with the belt 24. Because the tube 12 does not extend the entire vertical length of the padding 30, the back side of the buttock is not covered. Advantageously, the padding in tube 12 extends from the fold at the back of the pitcher's knee to the crotch along the front 12 and outside 20 of the tube, but does not extend above the level of the crotch at the back of the thigh and buttock. The cuff 28 is preferably elastic and is as described above.

The top portion 40 may have a straight, generally horizontal top edge with rounded corners, but advantageously has a continuously curved top edge. The rounded corners on the top portion 40 are desirable to avoid a sharp corner poking the pitcher's stomach or ribs if the pitcher bends forward or to either side. The top portion 40 wraps around the pitcher's waist, above the pitcher's hip as described herein.

The belt 24 connects intermediate the top of the padding 30 and its top portion 40, and the tube 12. The top portion 40 refers to that portion of the padding 30 extending above the belt 24, or the line of the belt straps encircling the waist during use in cases where the belt is fastened to opposing sides of the padding 30 so the padding forms a portion of the belt. The belt 24 may connect to opposing sides of the padding 30 and/or to any material enclosing the preferred foam material forming the absorbent portion of the padding 30. Such a connection is shown in FIG. 10, with stitching 42 through a reinforced area on the padding 30 padding to connect to the ends of the belt straps 24a, 24b. Alternatively, the belt 24 may pass along the width of the padding 30 and be connected to some or all of that width of the padding, or to any fabric enclosing the padding. Thus, the belt connections of FIGS. 8A to 8C may be used with the belt of FIGS. 9-10. The belt 24 is advantageously located on the side of the padding 30 closest to the pitcher's body during use, but may pass through a slot in the padding or on the outer surface of the padding on the side away from the pitcher during use.

In the depicted embodiments, the tube 12 holds the padding 12 to the pitcher's thigh during use, and the belt 24 holds the upper portion of the padding 30 to the top portion of the pitcher's thigh and hip during use. Both the tube and belt connections encircle the pitcher's body and allow the padding 30 to move and flex with the pitcher's body during pitching and when fielding the softball during a game.

The buckle 26 may comprise any connector for flat straps suitable for use as belts. FIGS. 9-10 show two metal circles fastened to the front strap 24a and the back strap 24b intertwined with the circles to cinch the metal circles tight and set the length of the belt. The buckle 26 may also include hook and loop fasteners with the hook and loop parts on the straps or on one strap and the pad. Thus, the buckle 26 could include one of a hook or loop fastener on a distal end of a strap with the pad having the other of a hook or loop fastener. The type of buckle for the adjustable length belt is not believed critical to the operation of the invention. The padding 30 is as described above and is preferably neoprene bonded to an elastic material such as spandex on opposing sides of the padding. Any stretchy polyurethane material is believed suitable.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention, including various ways of connecting the padding 30 to the flexible sheets of material enclosing the padding. Further, the various features of this invention can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the invention is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

SOFTBALL PITCHING THIGH PAD

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