U.S. patent application number 10/684394 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-21 for non-binding knee pad.
Invention is credited to Vorhis, Daniel J..
Application Number | 20050081274 10/684394 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34520573 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050081274 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vorhis, Daniel J. |
April 21, 2005 |
Non-binding knee pad
Abstract
Knee pads that may be quickly donned over work clothing offer
protection to knees and clothing and provide long-term comfort when
kneeling without binding behind the knees.
Inventors: |
Vorhis, Daniel J.;
(Freeland, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Daniel J. Vorhis
21910 State Route 525
Freeland
WA
98249
US
|
Family ID: |
34520573 |
Appl. No.: |
10/684394 |
Filed: |
October 15, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 13/065 20130101;
A41D 13/0568 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/024 |
International
Class: |
A41D 013/00; A41D
013/06 |
Claims
The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new
and desired to secure by letters patent is:
1. Non-binding knee pads comprise a pad body adapted to engage the
waist of a user and to extend to below the knees of the user in the
front of the leg, knee pads which connect to the pad body and are
positioned in such that the pads will fall under the knees of the
user when the user kneels, and a leg belt or belts which loosely
encircle each leg and serve to hold the pad body and knee pads in
proximity to the legs whether kneeling or standing.
2. The knee pads of claim 1 wherein the knee pads are removeable.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates in general to knee pads, and more
specifically, to knee pads that protect knees and clothing without
restricting blood circulation in the leg ("binding") and while
maintaining cooling air flow, for comfort and ease of use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Construction workers, landscapers, roofers, carpet layers,
plumbers and electricians, farmers and gardeners often spend hours
on their knees over the course of their workday. The surfaces on
which they kneel may be hard, gritty and abrasive, and/or wet and
muddy. Knees become sore, clothing becomes dirty and wears quickly,
pants become wet and remain uncomfortable for the duration of the
day.
[0003] Typical denim jeans or overalls provide little protection
against the wear and discomfort of these surfaces. As a result, a
number of products meant to provide a cushioning, protective layer
between the knee and the work surface have been introduced over the
years.
[0004] Early knee pads were permanently or removeably attached to
coveralls or pants. Herbelin (U.S. Utility Pat. No. 588,907)
describes coveralls or pants with built-in, detachable knee
protectors. White (U.S. Utility Pat. No. 727,243) describes pants
with a pocket in the knee area with a removeable pad. Walker ((U.S.
Utility Pat. No. 2,355,193) and Denman (U.S. Utility Pat. No.
4,831,666) describe similar concepts. Carlson (U.S. Utility Pat.
No. 1,293,700) describes a knee patch that straps onto overalls for
the purpose of extending the life of the garment. Mitchell (U.S.
Utility Pat. No. 2,568,083) describes pants with knee pads that may
be zippered on and off.
[0005] Knee pads that are built into, or removeably attached to
overalls or pants may well provide a cushioning layer for the knee,
but do little to protect the worker and his or her clothing from
damp, muddy ground. Denim pants, once wet and muddy, remain wet and
muddy, so that the worker must suffer the discomfiture throughout
the day, whether at lunch or talking to clients or shopping after
work, until the pants are changed. If the pants or coveralls are
constructed of a waterproof material, possibly meant to be worn
over pants as described in certain inventions, the wearer becomes
wet and hot inside the pants, especially in warm weather or when
demanding physical labor is required, as perspiration cannot
evaporate and cool the body.
[0006] Another category of knee pads, meant to be worn over pants
and removeable, has evolved. Many of these products share a design
flaw--they are held in position by straps or bands that wrap around
the back of the knee. They must be well-secured in this position,
otherwise the pads "walk out" from under the knee in use. In
kneeling, as the knee is bent and weight is placed on the knee
joint, blood flow is restricted by the bands behind the knee, and
the pads quickly become uncomfortable. And due to the necessary
tightness, the knee area does not breathe, and sweat does not
evaporate and cool the area.
[0007] Worden (U.S. Utility Pat. No. 6,427,239) describes an
innovative solution to some of the problems described above. His
knee pads attach at the ankle instead of behind the knee to address
the behind-the-knee "binding" concern. His pads may be put on and
removed quickly, and are not attached to pants which can become wet
and soiled. However, his "Weight Distributing Knee Pad" does little
to protect knees and clothing from dampness or abrasion, and the
requisite strapping in the ankle region hinders evaporative cooling
of perspiration, if not restricting blood circulation.
[0008] None of the prior art discloses a solution to the combined
requirements of protection of knee and clothing from hard, abrasive
and/or wet surfaces in a form that does not further cause problems
of restricted blood circulation ("binding") and/or discomfort from
heat and moisture from sweat and lack of air circulation and
evaporative cooling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of this invention to provide a knee pad
which protects the wearer's knees from discomfort due to contact
with hard objects/surfaces and dampness or mud, and protects the
wearer's clothing from wear, dampness and stains.
[0010] It is a further object of this invention to provide a knee
pad which does not bind behind the knee.
[0011] It is a further object of this invention to provide a knee
pad which permits ready circulation of air around the knee and leg
area, to allow evaporative cooling of the wearer.
[0012] It is a further object of this invention to provide a knee
pad that may be quickly and easily donned and removed over normal
work clothing.
[0013] It is a further object of this invention to provide a knee
pad that is affordable to the workers who could most benefit from
the innovative design.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The invention will now be described, by way of an example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a front view the non-binding knee pad according to
one embodiment of the present invention, shown on a standing
wearer.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective showing the open nature of the
knee pad.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a front view showing the wearer easily and quickly
attaching the adjustable straps which hold the pads loosely in
position.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment in use with a
close-up, cut-away view showing location of the foam knee pad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0019] A garment may be quickly and easily donned over pants which
will protect knees from discomfort while kneeling due to hardness
or texture of the kneeling surface, protect pants and knees from
dampness and dirt, protect pants from damage, and which will remain
cool and comfortable without binding. This garment includes a body
composed of a flexible material such as an abrasion resistant
fabric, a way to suspend that body from the wearer's waist, a way
to connect resilient pads in the knee area, and a way of holding
the body and pads loosely to the leg, such as adjustable straps.
The weight of the present invention's body, pads and body and
connecting method is borne at the user's waist. The foam pads in
the knee area hang loosely from the waist rather than being cinched
tightly behind the knee, ankle or other part of leg or foot.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a front view of the non-binding knee pad according
to one embodiment of the present invention, shown on a standing
wearer. Note that the knee pads begin approximately at the top of
the standing wearer's knee, and extend down in front of the shin.
Thus, when the wearer kneels, a primary portion of the foam will
come to rest underneath the knee and shin which bears the weight of
the wearer's body and equipment.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment from a rear perspective
view. The Waist Belt 3 and the Waist Buckle 8 are attached
permanently to, and suspend the Pad Body 6, which covers the front
of a wearer's leg beginning at approximately the waist and
continuing down the leg to below the knee or, in this preferred
embodiment, to the top of the ankle. The back of the leg remains
uncovered except for the presence of Leg Belts 2 (see below), which
may be loosely fitted bands, belts, webs, straps or other mechanism
to hold the garment in position. In the preferred embodiment, the
Waist Belt 3 and Leg Belts 2 are composed of woven nylon,
polypropyelene or similar lightweight, robust and relatively
inexpensive webbing, and have been outfitted with what is known in
the art as an adjustable side release buckle (Waist Buckle 8) to
permit comfortable and convenient adjustment to the wearer's
proportions, and fast, convenient attachment and disengagement of
the belts.
[0022] In FIG. 2 the Pocket 5, used for holding incidentals, and
the Hanging Loop 4, used as a convenient means of hanging the
product when not in use, are both shown as features of this
preferred embodiment only, and are not meant to designate
necessities for the function of this invention.
[0023] In FIG. 2 the Knee Pad Covers 1 hold the Knee Pads (FIG. 4,
1), both of which are located and oriented such that they will be
positioned under the knee when the wearer kneels, and will fall
between the knee and ankle when the wearer stands. In this
preferred embodiment, the knee pads are removeably or permanently
enclosed in a flexible pocket (the Knee Pad Covers) of the same
fabric as the Pad Body, selected for its light weight and
resistance to abrasion--a heavy denier textured nylon fabric
similar to or sold under the trade name DuPont Cordura.RTM. which
may or may not be coated with a water repellent or waterproof
coating.
[0024] Although reference is made to textured nylon as a preferred
embodiment, It should be understood that the present invention
foresees the use of a variety of fabrics and flexible materials
which could be as effectively used in construction of the Pad Body,
Knee Pad Covers and Pockets.
[0025] The Knee Pads (FIG. 4, 1) may be permanently or removeably
attached to the Pad Body. In our preferred embodiment, a soft,
resilient, closed cell foam with wall thickness of 0.75 inch to
1.00 inch and composed of a thermoset elastomeric rubber of
approximate hardness Shore A 40 was chosen after testing a variety
of materials and thicknesses for knee comfort on gravelly surfaces
and hard floors. In this preferred embodiment, we selected an
approximately half-round tube shape to help hold the knee close to
the protective foam as the user moves and works, especially in
side-to-side movement, which can otherwise cause the pad to "walk
out" from under the knee. Further, a half-round tube shape helps
reduce the frontal profile of the pad compared to a flat shape,
which might cause the pads to bump together when the user walks.
Further, an extruded half-round tube shape is also a relatively
inexpensive shape to manufacture compared to molding and other
thermoforming options, and therefore supports one of the stated
objects of the invention--to provide a knee pad that is affordable
to the workers who could most benefit from it's innovative
design.
[0026] In the preferred embodiment, the resilient foam half-round
tube's inside diameter was selected to conform approximately to the
outside dimensions of a large adult's knee. Overall length is quite
long compared to other knee pads--approximately 8-10 inches--to
provide adequate protection as the wearer moves on his or her
knees. In our preferred embodiment, the closed cell foam also
provides some protection against dampness due to the waterproof
nature of the material, the closed cell construction of the foam,
and the generous proportions of the cut extrusion.
[0027] It will be understood by one skilled in the art that a
variety of resilient materials (thermoplastic or thermoset foams,
open or closed cell foams, resilient fibers or solids, gels, air or
other fluid cells, etc.), thicknesses, cross section dimensions and
lengths could be used that would also offer protection of the knee,
and would still fall within the description of the Knee Pads in
this invention.
[0028] In FIG. 2, Crotch Reinforcement 10 helps prevent tearing of
the Pad Body in this stress area. Arrow 7 designates the backside
of the Pad Body, which will be in contact with the wearer's pants
or legs. This surface may be coated with a waterproofing such as
solution coat or heat-laminated polyether (water-resistant type)
polyurethane or a variety of other coatings, which also serve to
help prevent edge unraveling of the textured nylon in the preferred
embodiment. The four Leg Belts 2 hold the Pad Body in reasonably
close proximity to the leg and knee, and keep the Pad Body from
flapping around as the wearer works. When properly adjusted, the
Leg Belts will not restrict blood or air circulation, and remain
comfortable even when kneeling for long periods of time.
[0029] FIG. 3 depicts a wearer puffing on and adjusting the
preferred embodiment over his pants. One object of this invention
is to provide a knee pad that may be quickly and easily donned and
removed over normal work clothing. The present invention in its
preferred embodiment, due to the open back design, allows a wearer
familiar with the product to don the pads in less than 20 seconds
and remove them in less than about 5 seconds over work clothing.
The relative ease with which the product can be put on and removed
is of significance for those who have need of this kind of
protection daily.
[0030] The operation and advantages of the present invention will
now be readily understood in light of the above description. It is
evident that the Non-Binding Knee Pads are particularly useful for
workers who spend a great deal of their day on and off their knees,
such as gardeners and landscape workers, electricians, telephone
and other wiring installers, plumbers, painters, construction
workers, concrete and rockery workers, mechanics, etc. Many of
these who have worked without benefit of knee protection their
whole lives complete their careers with knees that are essentially
useless, having have lost almost all flexibility and strength. The
retiree must then either have knee replacement surgery or live out
his or her life suffering limited mobility, unable to participate
in many normal activities. Knee pads that provide adequate and
comfortable protection without restricting circulation discourage
hyperflexure of the knee, allow jobs in the kneeling position to be
done at a more comfortable and thorough pace. The presence of water
resistant fabric and/or foam helps keep the knees and clothing warm
and dry, and promotes long wear and comfort.
[0031] It will be apparent by one skilled in the art that various
changes may be made in the form and construction without departing
from the spirit of the invention. It is not desired to confine the
invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is
desired to include all such as properly come within the scope
claimed.
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