U.S. patent application number 09/834938 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-17 for protection implement, particularly for use in sports practice.
This patent application is currently assigned to BENETTON GROUP S.p.A.. Invention is credited to Bacchiega, Flavio.
Application Number | 20020004947 09/834938 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11459839 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020004947 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bacchiega, Flavio |
January 17, 2002 |
Protection implement, particularly for use in sports practice
Abstract
A protection implement, particularly suitable for sports
applications, constituted by at least one first outer protective
element which is advantageously rigid and optionally by one or more
second elastically compressible elements which are arranged
internally. At least one third element, advantageously constituted
by a two-sided vertical-warp knitted fabric, is arranged below the
at least one first outer protective element.
Inventors: |
Bacchiega, Flavio;
(Montebelluna, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MODIANO & ASSOCIATI
Via Meravigli, 16
MILANO
20123
IT
|
Assignee: |
BENETTON GROUP S.p.A.
|
Family ID: |
11459839 |
Appl. No.: |
09/834938 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/412 ;
2/425 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D10B 2501/04 20130101;
A42B 3/063 20130101; A42B 3/12 20130101; D10B 2403/021 20130101;
D04B 21/16 20130101; A41D 31/245 20190201 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/412 ;
2/425 |
International
Class: |
A42B 003/00; A63B
071/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 18, 2000 |
IT |
TV2000A000052 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A protection implement, particularly for sports applications,
comprising at least one first outer protective rigid element,
further comprising at least one fabric element constituted by a
two-sided vertical-warp knitted fabric.
2. The protection implement according to claim 1, wherein said
fabric element is interposed between said at least one first outer
protective element and at least one second elastically compressible
element.
3. The protection implement according to claim 1, wherein said
fabric element is interposed between said at least one second
elastically compressible element and an underlying lining which is
in contact with the region of the body to be protected.
4. The protection implement according to claim 3, wherein it is
constituted by a crash-helmet comprising said at least one first
outer protective element, so as to constitute a protective shell
surrounding the user's head and said at least one second
elastically compressible element, arranged internally, and wherein
said fabric element is arranged at said at least one second
elastically compressible element or directly in contact with said
first protective element.
5. The protection implement according to claim 1, comprising two
linings which are joined to said fabric element at their peripheral
edge and are suitable to cover said fabric element so as to leave
free the lateral thickness of the fabric element in order to
facilitate air circulation.
6. The protection implement according to claim 1, wherein fabric
element is connected to fastening means, so as to allow the
arrangement and. fastening of said protection implement at the part
of the body to be protected.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a protection implement
which is particularly suitable for the practice of sports such as,
for example, car racing, motorcycling, cycling, skiing and
skating.
[0002] The protections currently used in the practice of those
sports are generically constituted by an outer protective shell
which is rigid so as to withstand the impacts and collisions to
which the athletes may be subjected during sports practice.
[0003] One or more paddings can be associated with said outer shell
and are optionally covered with appropriate linings in order to
improve aesthetic appearance and user comfort.
[0004] Such paddings act as deformable and compressible elements,
so as to cushion and partially dampen the impact forces acting on
the outer shell.
[0005] The paddings or linings can be associated with fastening
means, so as to allow to fasten and immobilize the protection on
the part of the body to be protected.
[0006] Those conventional protections are therefore a compromise
between the user's need for safety, which is inherent in the
impact-resistance and abrasion-resistance properties of the outer
shell, and the user's need for comfort.
[0007] In most of the conventional protections, the result of this
compromise privileges the safety aspect: accordingly, the main
drawback of said protections is linked to the almost complete lack
of ventilation openings or of transpiration members, thereby
causing sweating at the protected regions of the body.
[0008] Another drawback of conventional protections is that the
materials used for the paddings do not provide, in most cases, a
high impact cushioning capacity and it is therefore necessary to
make the paddings of considerable thickness and dimensions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the
above noted problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the known art,
by providing a protection implement which allows to achieve optimum
breathing at the regions of the body that are covered by such
protection.
[0010] Within this aim, an important object is to provide a
protection implement which allows to achieve a high impact
cushioning capacity, thus allowing to use more compact protections
with an equal effectiveness.
[0011] Another important object is to provide a protection
implement which allows to easily modify, during manufacture, the
technical and structural characteristics of the protection.
[0012] Still another object is to provide a protection implement
which is structurally simple and has low manufacturing costs.
[0013] This aim and these and other objects which will become
better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a protection implement,
particularly for sports applications, comprising at least one first
outer protective rigid element, characterized in that it comprises
at least one fabric element constituted by a two-sided
vertical-warp knitted fabric.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Further characteristics and advantages of the protection
implement will become better apparent from the following detailed
description of a particular embodiment thereof, illustrated only by
way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a crash helmet;
[0016] FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional partial views of two different
embodiments of the shell of a crash helmet according to the
invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a top view of a protection implement for parts of
the human body;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a sectional partial view of a particular
embodiment of the protection implement shown in FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, 1 designates a protection,
constituted by a crash helmet in this particular embodiment, which
is particularly suitable for the practice of sports such as for
example car racing, motorcycling and skiing.
[0020] Such helmet 1 comprises at least one first protective
element 2 which is arranged externally so as to constitute a
protective shell which surrounds the user's head and is made of
rigid material, so as to have a high resistance to the impacts and
abrasions to which it can be subjected during the practice of said
sports.
[0021] Such first protective element 2 internally has a
substantially spherical shape, with a first lower opening 3, for
the insertion of the user's head, and a second opening 4, at the
eyes, in order to allow the external view.
[0022] Such second opening 4 can be shielded by a visor 5, made of
transparent material so as to protect the eyes from the air and
against impact with any blunt objects without hindering vision.
[0023] The visor 5 is preferably rotatably associated with said
first protective element 2, by way of rotary coupling means,
constituted for example by two pivots, designated by the reference
numeral 6, which are arranged along the same rotation axis at the
two opposite sides of the helmet 1.
[0024] At least one second elastically compressible element,
designated by the reference numeral 7, is optionally arranged
inside said first protective element 2 and can be for example a
padding designed to contribute to the cushioning of impacts while
ensuring an adequate degree of comfort for the user.
[0025] At least one third element, designated by the reference
numeral 8 and constituted by a two-sided vertical-warp knitted
fabric, can be conveniently arranged above or below said second
elastically compressible element 7, as shown respectively in FIGS.
2 and 3, or directly in contact with the first protective element
2.
[0026] Said sides can be constituted by two bands of knitted
fabric, designated by the reference numerals 9a and 9b, being
spaced one another.
[0027] A plurality of straight filler threads, generally designated
by the reference numeral 10, lie between said bands 9a and 9b and
are joined in said knitted fabric bands 9a and 9b.
[0028] For example, the spacing knitted fabric disclosed in
EP-529671, and here incorporated by reference, for the provision of
a laminated textile material can be used as a third element 8; said
knitted fabric has no filler and is elastically deformable.
[0029] The third element 8 can be, for example, of the filler-free
elastically deformable type, or can be partially embedded in, or
coated with, at least one layer of plastic material, such as for
example foamed polyurethane or polystyrene, suitable to modify its
deformability.
[0030] If the third element 8 is in direct contact with the user's
head, a lining, for example, designated by the reference numeral 11
in FIG. 3, may be interposed. The lining is preferably made of
transpiring material in order to provide better comfort for the
user.
[0031] Use of the invention is therefore as follows: with reference
to FIG. 3, it can be noted that the third element 8 performs an
effective impact cushioning action and can further considerably
increase the ventilation capacity proximate to the region of the
body that is in contact with the protection 1.
[0032] The passage of the air through the lining 11 and its
circulation inside the vertical-warp knitted fabric is allowed by
the very shape of the third element 8, which allows the user to
enjoy greater comfort and considerable relief due to the breathing
allowed by the protected part surface.
[0033] Any use of various types of covering material for said
threads 10 and said bands of knitted fabric 9a and 9b allows to
easily change the mechanical characteristics of the protection 1,
obtaining the appropriate structure for each application.
[0034] It has thus been found that the invention has achieved the
intended aim and objects, a protection implement having been
devised which allows to achieve optimum breathing at the regions of
the body that are covered by said protection.
[0035] Said protection implement further allows to achieve a high
impact cushioning capacity and thus allows to use more compact
protective elements with equal effectiveness.
[0036] The protection implement according to the invention is
susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, within the
scope of the appended claims.
[0037] Thus, for example, FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a protection
implement 101 for different parts of the body, such as for example
the knees, elbows and shoulders, particularly but not exclusively
suitable to be used in sports such as motorcycling, hockey and
roller skating.
[0038] Said protection implement 101 comprises at least one first
protective element 102 which is arranged externally and is made of
rigid material, so as to have high resistance to the impacts and
abrasions to which it can be exposed during the practice of such
sports.
[0039] Said first protective element 102, which is shaped
appropriately according to the protective function that it must
perform, is associated with at least one third element, designated
by the reference numeral 108, which is constituted by a two-sided
vertical-warp knitted fabric.
[0040] The sides are constituted by two bands of knitted fabric,
designated by the reference numerals 109a and 109b, which are
arranged at a certain distance from each other.
[0041] A plurality of straight filler threads, generally designated
by the reference numeral 110, lie between said bands 109a and 109b
and are meshed in with said knitted fabric bands 109a and 109b.
[0042] In this embodiment also, it is possible to use as a third
element 108 a spacing knitted fabric which has no filler and is
elastically deformable, such as the one described in EP-529671.
[0043] The third element 108 can be used without a filling or can
be covered with at least one layer of plastic material which is
suitable to modify its mechanical characteristics, such as
deformability, flexibility, rigidity and elasticity.
[0044] Two linings, designated by the reference numerals 111a and
111b, are arranged above and below said third element 108 and are
joined to the third element 108 at their perimetric edge 112 so as
to cover said third element 108, leaving free the lateral thickness
of the third element 108 so as to facilitate air circulation.
[0045] The connection between the lining 111a and the first
protective element 102 can be provided by known methods, such as
for example gluing, sewing or fixing by way of temporary connection
means, such as strips made of a material known by the trademark
Velcro, buttons, press-studs, metallic hooks, etcetera.
[0046] It is further possible to provide for the insertion of one
or more second elastically compressible elements 107, such as for
example appropriate paddings for absorbing impacts and increasing
the degree of comfort, which can be arranged on either side of
third element 108.
[0047] Third element 108 can also be embedded in one or more second
elastically compressible elements 107 or can be arranged so as to
obtain the shape and mechanical characteristics that are most
suitable for the intended application.
[0048] One or more fixing means, designated by the reference
numeral 113 in FIG. 4, can be associated with the third element 108
or with the two linings 111a and 111b, so as to allow the
arrangement and fastening of the protection implement 101 at the
part of the body to be protected.
[0049] The materials used and the dimensions that constitute the
individual components of the invention may of course be more
pertinent according to specific requirements. The disclosures in
Italian Patent Application No. TV2000A000052 from which this
application claims priority are incorporated herein by
reference.
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