U.S. patent application number 15/420609 was filed with the patent office on 2018-08-02 for protective kneepad with memory interior.
This patent application is currently assigned to Q.E.P.Co., Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Q.E.P.Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Bradley Scott Miller.
Application Number | 20180213857 15/420609 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60953681 |
Filed Date | 2018-08-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180213857 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Miller; Bradley Scott |
August 2, 2018 |
PROTECTIVE KNEEPAD WITH MEMORY INTERIOR
Abstract
A kneepad includes a shell having multiple resilient layers to
provide a cushioning effect on the wearer. The kneepad includes at
least one air cavity between the shell and a first resilient layer
to accommodate movement of the layers in response to compressive
forces applied by the user of the kneepad.
Inventors: |
Miller; Bradley Scott; (Boca
Raton, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Q.E.P.Co., Inc. |
Boca Raton |
FL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Q.E.P.Co., Inc.
Boca Raton
FL
|
Family ID: |
60953681 |
Appl. No.: |
15/420609 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 71/1225 20130101;
A41D 13/065 20130101; A41D 13/06 20130101; A63B 2071/125
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/06 20060101
A41D013/06; A41D 13/05 20060101 A41D013/05; A41D 31/00 20060101
A41D031/00 |
Claims
1. A kneepad comprising: a shell including opposed front and rear
faces, a first resilient layer generally adjacent the rear face; a
second resilient layer generally adjacent the first resilient
layer; the second resilient layer having a rest position; at least
one air cavity between the shell and the first resilient layer to
accommodate movement of the second resilient layer; and the second
resilient layer formed of a material having a memory such that the
second resilient layer moves from the rest position in response to
compressive forces applied by the user of the kneepad and returns
to the rest position when the aforementioned compressive forces
change.
2. The kneepad of claim 1, wherein the front face of the shell
includes at least one protuberance for distribution of compressive
forces.
3. The kneepad of claim 1, and further including at least one
cushioning gel positioned in a cavity in the rear face of the
shell.
4. The kneepad of claim 1, and further including at least one
cushioning gel positioned in a cavity in said first resilient
layer.
5. The kneepad of claim 1 wherein the first resilient layer
comprises polyurethane.
6. The kneepad of claim 1 and further including at least one gel
cushioning material.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This application relates to kneepads in general and more
particularly to a kneepad including an interior cushioning having a
memory such that both the exterior and interior of the kneepad
provide increased comfort to the wearer.
[0002] A first type of kneepad has padding material for covering
the knee and a relatively rigid exterior portion. This first type
of kneepad is frequently used by those participating in physical
activities including not only exercise, but also individual or team
sporting events. The rigid portion is designed to protect the knee
from a sudden, short duration impact.
[0003] A second type of kneepad is frequently used by those
participating in outdoor or indoor labor-intensive tasks where
kneeling is involved. Non-limiting examples include tasks such as
gardening and floor, tile, and carpet installation. This second
type of kneepad also includes padding material for covering the
knee but does not require enhanced protection against sudden, short
duration impact. This second type of kneepad provides protection
against continuous or longer duration pressure on the knee rather
than merely protection against sudden impact. Of course there are
no restrictions on how either type of kneepad may be used. The
present disclosure relates primarily to the second type of
protective kneepad.
[0004] Kneepads that are worn for prolonged periods of time to
provide protection against continuous pressure on the knee have,
historically, failed to provide a desired balance of both comfort
and protection. As a non-limiting example, kneepads that are worn
for prolonged periods of time have provided protection but not
comfort to the kneecap, or patella, and have failed to take into
account that not all users have an identically configured patella
and further have failed to take into account that most users tend
to interchange kneepads such that a kneepad is not necessarily worn
on the same knee each times the kneepads are used.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present kneepad overcomes the shortcomings of prior
kneepads by providing an improved kneepad of the type that
typically provides the desired protection coupled with enhanced
comfort.
[0006] The present kneepad takes into account the fact that the
surfaces upon which the user is kneeling are hard but rarely flat.
For example, if the user of the kneepad is engaged in installation
of flooring, the wearer will frequently kneel along the edge of a
piece of tile, wood or laminate or occasionally kneel on some
debris. Similarly if the wearer of the kneepad is engaged in
outdoor manual labor it is highly unlikely that the ground is flat,
rather, there may be small pebbles, roots of plants, etc. The
pressure applied against the patella by kneeling is not expected to
be uniformly distributed. The wearer does not necessarily wear the
same kneepad on the same knee during successive uses of the
kneepad. The present kneepad accommodates the above by providing a
somewhat flexible, outer shell that may include a planar surface
and that assists in stabilizing the kneecap of the wearer. The
present kneepad includes protuberances and recesses to assist in
adapting to uneven pressure on the wearer and unevenness of the
surface upon which kneeling occurs.
[0007] Furthermore, kneepads have not been accommodating to the
temporary shifting of the user's weight during normal use thus
increasing user discomfort. The present kneepad accommodates this
situation by providing an internal memory so that when the user's
weight is temporarily shifted, the kneepad is ready to adapt to the
contour of the knee in different positions thus enhancing the
comfort to the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The foregoing benefits and advantages of the improved
kneepad will become more apparent upon reading the following
detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the
drawings.
[0009] In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify
corresponding parts:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a kneepad;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a kneepad as viewed from the
bottom;
[0012] FIG. 3 is an illustration of the interior of a kneepad
shell;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a side view one of the steps in the
manufacture/assembly of a kneepad illustrating the position of an
insert in the shell;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a front view of the insert of FIG. 4;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of another step in the
manufacturing/assembly of a kneepad including the placement of a
memory material relative to the insert;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled kneepad;
and
[0017] FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of the assembled
kneepad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Referring now to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1 and
FIG. 2, a kneepad 10 is generally illustrated as including a top
12, a bottom 14, left side 16 and right side 18. The kneepad
includes a shell 20 having an outer surface or face 22 and an inner
surface 24. The shell extends from the top to the bottom of the
kneepad and from the left side to the right side of the kneepad.
The kneepad has a periphery 25 and includes a pair of straps 26,
28, each extending from one side of the kneepad to the opposite
side of the kneepad, in a direction opposite the outer surface of
the shell and the straps terminate in fastening material such as
hook and loop fasteners. In use, the straps encircle behind the
knee of the wearer to secure the kneepad to the wearer and are
typically made of flexible material for comfort. A single strap
rather than two straps may be used. Alternatively, one or more
straps with buckles may be used. All the foregoing, except for the
specific configuration of the interior and exterior of the shell 20
as will be described below, is conventional.
[0019] The shell 20 will now be described in greater detail. The
shell may be formed as a nylon coating on a flexible, semi-rigid
plastic material. The exterior of the shell is illustrated as
including a series of protuberances and recesses or depressions
therebetween. More specifically, the exterior or face 22 of the
shell may include an elongated protuberance 30 extending slightly
more than half the vertical length of the shell and having a width
approximating one-fourth of the horizontal width of the shell.
Above the protuberance 30 are a series of spaced apart generally
horizontal protuberances 32. At the bottom of the protuberance 30
are a pair of generally triangular protuberances 34, 36 and on each
side of the protuberance 30 is a generally triangular protuberance
38, 40. The protuberances are separated by depressions or recesses
generally identified by reference numeral 42. The shell, and more
specifically the combination of protuberances and depressions,
provide resilience and absorb the effect of unevenness on the
surface where the wearer is kneeling thus increasing the comfort
for the wearer. The precise configuration of each protuberance and
the resulting configuration of the depressions between
protuberances may be varied. The protuberances located most
remotely from the periphery 25 may define a planar surface 43 to
aid in stabilizing the kneecap against movement.
[0020] The shell 20 is preferably formed of a semi-rigid plastic
material and the exterior of the shell is preferably covered with
nylon or other fabric.
[0021] FIG. 3. illustrates the interior of the shell 20. The
protuberances described previously appear as a series of recesses
or depressions or cavities when viewed from the interior of the
shell such as cavities corresponding to the protuberances 30, 38
and 40. To enhance the comfort on the wearer, one or more inserts
44, 45, formed of a soft, flexible material such as a gel or rubber
is placed in one or more of the cavities. The inserts provided
within cavities tend to grip and cushion the knee thus more evenly
absorbing the weight on the patella such that the kneepad adds
comfort as the wearer remains in a kneeling position for an
extended period of time as well as when the wearer moves laterally,
stands up and then kneels again, etc. Another benefit of multiple
inserts is that the kneepads are interchangeable while still
providing additional comfort.
[0022] It is also of importance to provide air pockets to allow for
movement of the knee and of the interior portions of the kneepad.
One technique to achieve these cushioning air pockets is not to
fill all of the cavities in the interior of the shell. The unfilled
cavities provide air pockets to allow for movement of the interior
portions of the kneepad. Thus movement of interior portions of the
kneepad is accommodated without increasing the pressure on the
patella thus enhancing the comfort for the wearer.
[0023] Referring next to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the kneepad 20 includes
a flexible insert 46 generally coextensive with the overall
dimensions of the interior 24 of the shell. The insert 46 is
preferably formed of "EVA" (ethylene-vinyl acetate) configured with
a series of horizontal and vertical grooves 48 to provide greater
flexibility and greater comfort to the wearer. In addition, insert
46 includes a series of apertures 52 extending through the
insert.
[0024] Referring next to FIG. 6, the kneepad includes a layer of
polyurethane 54 over the insert 46. Finally, the kneepad includes a
fabric layer 60 (FIG. 7) that is primarily for cosmetic purposes in
that it conceals the interior components of the kneepad, however,
the fabric layer also functions as a wear layer to minimize
abrasion between the wearer and the interior components of the
kneepad.
[0025] A method of manufacturing a kneepad will now be explained
with reference to the drawings. The shell 20 may be a composite
product having as a front face 22 of a rugged fabric material,
preferably nylon, and an interior face 24 of a harder material
which may be a flexible, semi-rigid plastic material. The flexible,
semi-rigid plastic material is first formed with the desired
protuberances and recesses and then the fabric may be compression
molded onto the flexible, semi-rigid plastic material. The shell 20
as just described may be placed in a mold with the interior face 24
exposed. Inserts 44, 45 are placed in at least some of the recesses
or cavities in the interior face 24 of the shell. A suitable insert
material is a thermoplastic elastomeric gel material or soft foam
or other material that will conform to the shape of the user
without placing too much stress on the user. Thus, for example in
the situation where the insert material is to be used in a kneepad,
the material must conform to the shape of the knee without placing
excessive stress on the kneecap and adjoining nerves, ligaments or
other body parts.
[0026] The insert 46 is now placed on the interior of the shell.
The insert is preferably formed of EVA with a series of grooves 48
and a large central recess 50 on the underside to accommodate gel
45 placed in the central cavity 30. The insert includes apertures
52 except that there are preferably no apertures in the region of
the central recess.
[0027] A next step in the manufacture/assembly of the kneepad is to
place a polyurethane material 54 over the EVA insert 46. This is
accomplished by flowing liquid polyurethane into the EVA. The
liquid polyurethane may be thought of as a foam and also known as
"memory foam". The benefit of depositing the polyurethane 54 as a
liquid or foam is that the polyurethane fills the exposed grooves
48 in the EVA. The polyurethane will also flow through the
apertures 52 in the EVA layer so that some polyurethane will be
disposed between EVA layer and the interior 24 of the shell.
However, it is important that the urethane not fill the entire
space between the interior 24 of the shell and the EVA layer,
rather it is important to include at least one air cavity or air
pocket 62. The air cavity or air pocket provides a space into which
internal portions of the kneepad may move without exerting
additional pressure on the knee of the wearer.
[0028] The remaining polyurethane that does not flow into the
grooves and apertures will solidify forming a layer 54 on top of
the EVA layer 46.
[0029] The aforementioned steps are carried out in a mold as is
conventional in the manufacture of kneepads and, therefore, further
details of the mold are not described. The molding process takes
approximately five minutes or less thus allowing sufficient time
for the polyurethane foam to expand and solidify or cure. The rear
fabric 60 may now be applied such as by stitching to the periphery
25 of the kneepad and the fastening straps 26, 28 may be stitched
to the fabric sides or the edges of the front face 22 of the
kneepad. The rear or back fabric layer can be made of
wear-resistant material, such as a styrene butadiene rubber or
other similar materials. The back fabric layer may be attached to
the remaining components of the knee pad by placing the back fabric
layer on top of the remaining components before the mold is closed
or after the molding is complete.
[0030] It should be appreciated that various terms have been used
in describing the kneepad and a method of manufacturing the
kneepad. Relative terms such as but not limited to top/bottom and
terms describing shapes such as but not limited to rectangle and
triangle are for illustrative and descriptive purposes except where
those terms appear in the claims.
[0031] The foregoing is a complete description of the preferred
embodiment of the present kneepad. Various changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the foregoing. The invention, therefore, should be limited
only by the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *