U.S. patent application number 12/515795 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-05 for body part protector.
This patent application is currently assigned to BOBINNO V.O.F.. Invention is credited to Thomas Konig, Martijn Schaaper.
Application Number | 20100192288 12/515795 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38456530 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100192288 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schaaper; Martijn ; et
al. |
August 5, 2010 |
Body Part Protector
Abstract
A device for protecting a body part from external pressure
loading, comprising a flexible, moment-transmitting, substantially
positively curved supporting shell (2) which, on an inside, is
provided with a supporting layer (4) for cooperation with the body
part to be protected, and which is further provided with supports
(6, 7) provided on both sides of a center part (5) of the
supporting shell, spaced apart and extending away from an outside
of the supporting shell, such that pressure forces operatively
exerted on the supports are transmitted, with bending of the
supporting shell to a curvature more corresponding with the body
part to be protected, via the supporting layer as a distributed
pressure load to the body part to be protected.
Inventors: |
Schaaper; Martijn; (Den
Haag, NL) ; Konig; Thomas; (Huizen, NL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SWANSON & BRATSCHUN, L.L.C.
8210 SOUTHPARK TERRACE
LITTLETON
CO
80120
US
|
Assignee: |
BOBINNO V.O.F.
's-Gravenhage
NL
|
Family ID: |
38456530 |
Appl. No.: |
12/515795 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
November 22, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/NL2007/050581 |
371 Date: |
April 6, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/460 ; 2/24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41F 15/007 20130101;
A41D 13/0153 20130101; A41D 13/065 20130101; A41D 13/0568
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/460 ; 2/24 |
International
Class: |
A41D 27/26 20060101
A41D027/26; A41D 13/06 20060101 A41D013/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 22, 2006 |
NL |
NL 1032913 |
Claims
1. A device for protecting a body part from external pressure
loading, comprising a flexible, moment-transmitting, substantially
positively curved supporting shell which, on an inside, is provided
with a supporting layer for cooperation with the body part to be
protected, and which is further provided with supports provided on
both sides of a center part of the supporting shell, spaced apart
and extending away from an outside of the supporting shell, such
that pressure forces operatively exerted on the supports are
transmitted, with the supporting shell bending to a curvature more
corresponding with the body part to be protected, via the
supporting layer as a distributed pressure load to the body part to
be protected.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the center part of the
supporting shell extends between the supports in a dip-shaped
manner.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting shell
extends beyond the supports, viewed from the center part.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting shell is
substantially thin-walled.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the
supporting shell is designed as a single curved surface.
6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting shell is
substantially plate-shaped.
7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting shell
has a varying curvature.
8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supports are
substantially rigidly connected with the supporting shell.
9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supports comprise
substantially plate-shaped legs.
10. The device according to claim 1, wherein, on a side facing away
from the supporting shell, the supports are provided with
supporting surfaces located at a distance from the supporting
shell.
11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the supports are
pivotably connected with the supporting surfaces.
12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the supports are
connected via a common supporting surface.
13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the pivots of the
supports are located at a distance from the supporting surface.
14. The device according to any one of claims 10, wherein the
supporting surfaces are located at a distance from the center
part.
15. The device according to claim 10, wherein the cross section of
the supporting shell, the supports and the supporting surfaces is
substantially constant.
16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting shell,
supporting legs and optionally supporting surfaces are one
extrusion profile.
17. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting layer
is softer than the shell material.
18. The device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of single
curved supporting shell parts are provided which mutually include
an angle.
19. The device according to claim 1, wherein it forms a
kneepad.
20. The device according to claim 1, wherein it forms a shoulder
strap.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a device for protecting a body part
from local external pressure loading.
[0002] Such body part protectors are generally known, and are in
particular used for protecting a body part from brief peak pressure
loading and/or prolonged static pressure loading. In general, the
known body part protector seeks to relieve specific vulnerable body
parts by distributing the pressure force over a number of
alternative contact areas.
[0003] A very well-known body part protector is, for instance, the
kneepad. Kneepads are typically designed as a foam block attachable
around the front side of the knee. The foam block is typically
preformed on the knee in the shape of a half-round shell. Due to
the effect of the foam, the contact surface on which the knee rests
is increased. A drawback of a kneepad of this type is that the
highest pressure on the knee still occurs on the spot in the front
of the knee, where the sensitive parts are located, such as the
patella.
[0004] Further, in the prior art, a great many other, less
conventional kneepads have already been proposed. A drawback of
such constructions is that they are, for instance, only suitable
for knees of a particular size, that they offer insufficient
lateral support, that they offer support in particular areas only
and/or that they are relatively complex.
[0005] Another known body part protector is the shoulder strap for
carrying heavy bags. A shoulder strap is typically designed as a
wide belt or strap. Due to the effect of the wide and soft strap,
the contact surface is increased here as well, and the force is
distributed over the shoulder. A drawback of a shoulder strap of
this type is that a peak pressure is created on projecting parts,
such as bones, muscles and tendons.
[0006] The invention contemplates an alternative body part
protector, where the body part is well protected from both brief
peak loading and prolonged static loading, and where the
above-mentioned drawbacks are obviated.
[0007] To this end, the invention provides a device for protecting
a body part from external pressure loading, comprising a flexible,
moment-transmitting substantially positively curved supporting
shell which, on the inside, is provided with a supporting layer for
cooperation with the body part to be protected, and which is
further provided with supports provided on both sides of a center
part of the supporting shell, spaced apart and extending away from
an outside of the supporting shell, such that pressure forces
operatively exerted on the supports are transmitted, with the
supporting shell bending to a curvature more corresponding with the
body part to be protected, via the supporting layer as a
distributed pressure load to the body part to be protected.
[0008] By use of such a semi-rigid supporting shell placed on
supports and provided with an internal lining, by deformation of
the supporting shell as a result of the pressure force to be
transmitted, the form-locking with the body part to be protected
can be increased. As a result, the contact surface can increase, so
that the contact pressure is reduced. Further, peak loads can be
avoided, and a good lateral stability can be guaranteed. Such a
protection construction can have a relatively simple and compact
design.
[0009] Such a body part protector may, for instance, be used as a
kneepad, but may of course also be used for protecting other body
parts, for instance as a shoulder strap or neck strap.
[0010] The supporting shell is preferably designed to be
thin-walled, for instance as a plate. In an advantageous manner, at
least a part of the supporting shell is designed as a single curved
surface. This simplifies the bending movement to be carried out by
the supporting shell, and simplifies the construction. The
curvature of the supporting shell may then be constant, but the
supporting shell may also have a varying curvature. In an
advantageous manner, the supporting shell is designed from plastic.
material, for instance ABS.
[0011] The supporting layer on the inside cooperating with the body
part to be protected is preferably designed to be relatively soft,
i.e. with a hardness which is lower than the hardness of the actual
supporting shell. The soft supporting layer may, for instance,
comprise material which is elastomeric and/or foamlike. The
supporting layer may be provided on the inside of the supporting
shell as a continuous layer, but may also be interrupted. Further,
the thickness of the supporting layer may vary locally. By varying
the curvature of the supporting shell and/or the local thickness of
the soft supporting layer, the body part protector can be adapted
to the geometry of the body part to be protected.
[0012] When the center part of the supporting shell extends between
the supports in a dip-shaped manner, it can be achieved that the
pressure force to be transmitted can yield a relatively forceful
closing moment with respect to the dip of the supporting shell.
[0013] When the supporting shell construction extends beyond the
supports, viewed from the center part, the area over which the
pressure force to be transmitted is distributed by the supporting
shell can be increased further and a still better lateral support
can be offered.
[0014] When the supports are substantially rigidly connected with
the supporting shell construction, a good moment transmission can
be guaranteed. The supports may be designed in an elegant manner as
substantially plate-shaped legs, and the supports are integrated
with the supporting shell in an advantageous manner.
[0015] By providing the supports, on a side facing away from the
supporting shell, with supporting surfaces located at a distance
from the supporting shell construction, it can be guaranteed that
the center part of the supporting shell remains clear when the body
part protector is, for instance, placed on a sandy soil. By
providing the supports with supporting surfaces by which the center
part of the supporting shell is supported on the ground, thereby
enclosing a deformation space, it can be achieved that the
supporting shell is free to deform. The supporting surfaces may be
located at the ends of the supports themselves, or may be connected
with the supports via an intermediate element, such as for instance
upstanding edges.
[0016] By pivotably connecting the supports with the supporting
surfaces, during use, a good closing movement of the supporting
shell can be guaranteed.
[0017] By connecting the supports via one common supporting
surface, the use of the body part protector can be facilitated, and
the construction can be kept simple.
[0018] In an elegant manner, the pivots of the supports can then be
placed at a distance from the supporting surface. It can thus be
achieved that the shell can deform uniformly. The distance from the
pivots can then be chosen such that the pivots remain substantially
in their places upon deformation of the shell, which facilitates
the deformation of the construction. In particular, in this manner,
it can be realized that, in deformed condition, the supporting
shell can substantially maintain its basic shape. As an alternative
to a pivotable connection between supporting shell and supporting
surface, the supports may also have a somewhat flexible design. The
supports can then accommodate the movement of the deformation of
the supporting shell by bending.
[0019] When the cross section of supporting shell construction,
supports and optionally supporting surfaces transversely to the
axis of curvature of the supporting shell is substantially
constant, at least a part of the body part protector can be
designed as an extrusion profile in a simple manner.
[0020] The body part protector may, for instance, be provided with
different auxiliary parts. Thus, in the case of a kneepad, for
instance, a cup-shaped nose part may be provided which is coupled
with the actual supporting shell. Further, the body part protector
may be built up from multiple segments, for instance a number of
single curved supporting shell parts which mutually include an
angle for protecting a body part which is more spherical than
cylindrical.
[0021] The invention will now be explained in more detail on the
basis of a number of exemplary embodiments shown in a drawing, in
which:
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a body part
protector designed as a kneepad;
[0023] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side elevational view of the
kneepad of FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross section of the kneepad of
FIG. 2 along the line III;
[0025] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show a schematic simplification of the
cross section of FIG. 3 in which the cooperation with a knee is
shown with and without pressure load, respectively;
[0026] FIG. 4C shows a schematic and simplified overlapping view of
FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, in which the movements and deformations are
clearly visible;
[0027] FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show two views corresponding with FIG.
4A and FIG. 4B, respectively, in which the kneepad cooperates with
a knee with a smaller diameter;
[0028] FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show a schematic perspective cross
section of an alternative embodiment of the body part protector as
a kneepad in an unloaded and loaded position, respectively;
[0029] FIG. 7 shows a schematic perspective view of a further
embodiment of the body protector as a shoulder or neck protector
for, for instance, a shoulder strap;
[0030] FIG. 8A shows a schematic side elevational view of the
shoulder or neck protector of FIG. 7; and
[0031] FIG. 8B shows a schematic cross section of the shoulder or
neck protector along the line A-A in FIG. 8A.
[0032] It is noted that the embodiments shown in the exemplary
embodiment are only schematic representations of preferred
embodiments of the invention which are shown by way of non-limiting
example. In the Figures, same or corresponding parts are designated
by the same reference numerals.
[0033] Referring to the Figures, and in particular FIGS. 1 to 3,
there is shown a first embodiment of a device 1 for protecting a
body part from external pressure loading, hereinafter also referred
to as body part protector. The body part protector 1 comprises a
flexible, moment-transmitting supporting shell 2 with a positive
curvature. The supporting shell 2 is semi-rigid, which means that,
unlike a cord or belt, it can not only transmit tensile forces, but
can also transmit a moment, but can bend under service loading
during use and therefore does not behave as a rigid, non-deformable
body.
[0034] The supporting shell 2 is substantially positively curved.
The basic shape of the supporting shell extends in an inward
curvature.
[0035] On the inside 3, i.e. the side facing the body part to be
protected, the supporting shell 2 is provided with a soft
supporting layer 4 for cooperation with the body part to be
protected. The supporting shell 2 is further provided with a
supports 6, 7 provided on both sides of a center part 5 of the
supporting shell 2. The supports 6, 7 are spaced apart and extend
away from the outside 8 of the supporting shell 2. Here, the
outside 8 is the side of the supporting shell 2 facing away from
the body part to be protected.
[0036] Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, there is shown that the body
part protector is such that pressure forces operatively exerted on
the supports 6, 7 are transmitted, with bending of the supporting
shell 2 to a curvature corresponding more with the body part 9 to
be protected, via the supporting layer 4 as a distributed pressure
load to the body part 9 to be protected. As a result of the contact
force, the supporting shell automatically adjusts to the body part
to be protected by means of deformation of the semi-rigid
supporting shell construction. The contact surface increases and
the contact pressure is reduced.
[0037] The center part 5 of the supporting shell 2 extends in a
dip-shaped manner between the supports 6, 7.
[0038] Here, the supporting shell 2 has a thin-walled design, and
extends over the whole supporting shell as a single curved surface.
Here, the supporting shell 2 has a substantially plate-shaped
design.
[0039] The supports 6, 7 are connected with the supporting shell 2
so as to be moment-transmitting. In this exemplary embodiment, the
supports 6, 7 are integrated with the supporting shell 2. Here, the
supports 6, 7 are designed as substantially plate-shaped legs.
[0040] On their sides facing away from the supporting shell 2, the
supports 6, 7 are provided with supporting surfaces 10 located at a
distance from the supporting shell 2. Here, the supports 6, 7 are
connected via one supporting surface 10. The supporting surface 10
is provided with intermediate elements which are here designed as
upstanding edges 11, 12. The supports 6, 7 are supported on the
upstanding edges via pivots 13, 14. The supports 6, 7 are therefore
pivotably connected with the supporting surface 10, and the center
part 5 of the supporting shell 2 is therefore located at a distance
from the supporting surface 10.
[0041] In this embodiment, the material of the supporting surface
10 and the upstanding edges 11, 12 is so rigid that, with a
pressure load between the ground and the body part 9 to be
protected, it will hardly deform.
[0042] A good picture of the deformations and movements of the body
part protector 1 in loaded and unloaded condition can be obtained
by studying FIG. 4C.
[0043] FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show that the body part protector 1 also
functions very well when the diameter of the body part to be
protected is chosen to be considerably smaller.
[0044] In this embodiment, the supporting surface 10 is designed to
be substantially closed, so that it may, for instance, be placed
well on a sandy ground. Again referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the body
part protector 1 is here designed as a kneepad. To this end, a nose
part 15 is provided which protects the part of the knee which is in
front in the kneeled condition of the user, and which can roll over
the ground during forward tilting. Further, schematically shown
fastening belts 16 are provided for fastening the kneepad by
enclosure of the calf.
[0045] In this embodiment, the supporting shell 2 and the supports
form, in cross section, a substantially closed boxlike section. The
cross section of the section is substantially constant. In an
advantageous manner, supporting shell 2, supporting legs 6, 7 and
supporting surface may be manufactured from one or more extrusion
profiles.
[0046] FIGS. 6A and 6B show an alternative embodiment of the body
part protector 1. In this embodiment, the supporting shell 2
extends beyond the supports 6, 7, viewed from the center part 5.
Further, the supporting shell is provided with a single, but
varying curvature. In this embodiment, the body part 9'' is a knee,
and the body part protector is again used as a kneepad, while it is
clearly shown that, due to the varying curvature, knee and lower
leg can be accommodated well.
[0047] In this exemplary embodiment, the supports 6, 7 are rigidly
connected with the supporting shell 2, and they are formed
integrally with the supporting shell 2.
[0048] In this embodiment, the ground is the supporting surface.
The free ends of the supports will therefore be pivotably supported
on the ground during use. In this embodiment, the support surfaces
are located at the ends of the supports 6, 7 themselves.
[0049] In FIG. 7, FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, a further embodiment of the
body part protector is shown with which, for instance, a shoulder
can be protected from pressure force exerted by a strap. In this
embodiment, the strap 17 is schematically shown. The strap 17 is
led through open slots 18 in the supporting surface 10, so that the
pressure force exerted by the strap on the shoulder 19 can be
transmitted via the supports 6, 7 and the supporting shell 2 and
the soft supporting layer 4 as a distributed pressure load. In this
use, the supporting layer 4 may optionally not have a soft design,
for instance when it is intended that clothing forms a soft
intermediate layer between shoulder and supporting layer. In the
embodiment shown here, the pivots 13, 14 are designed as a
reduction between the supports 6, 7 and supporting surface. Of
course, it is also possible to design the supports 6, 7 to be
somewhat flexible to accommodate the movement of supporting shell 2
in the more strongly curved, loaded condition so that the
supporting shell can maintain a substantially constant
curvature.
[0050] It is noted that the invention is not in any way limited to
the exemplary embodiments shown herein. Many variations are
possible. For instance, different aspects of the various exemplary
embodiments may be combined. In particular, the exemplary
embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B may be provided with a
supporting surface, and the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5
may be provided with a supporting shell with varying curvature.
[0051] Further, the thickness of the lining layer may, for
instance, be varied, and the lining layer may also be interrupted.
Such variants will be readily apparent to a skilled person and are
understood to be within the scope of the invention as set forth in
the following claims.
* * * * *