Protective Cushioning Device

Abstract

A protective cushioning device adapted for attachment at any one of a selected number of positions on the body of a person comprises a pad formed of resilient cushioning material having an attaching strap at one end thereof for encircling a portion of a person's body and a second attaching strap for encircling another portion of a person's body. The second attaching strap may be secured to the pad in such manner that the two attaching straps are parallel or, if desired, in such manner that one end of the second strap parallels the first strap and the other end of the second strap is normal to the first strap.

Description

The invention disclosed herein relates to a cushioning device adapted for attachment at any one of a number of different positions to the body of a person so as to provide protection against injury.

Athletes are particularly prone to sustaining injuries, not only during an actual contest, but also during training and practicing before such contests. For example, a hurdler must leap over either a low or high hurdle when running a hurdle course. When leaping over a hurdle, one of the athlete's feet will lead and the other will trail. It is not uncommon for the trailing foot or ankle to strike the hurdle, thereby causing a painful injury. It also is quite common for the trailing ankle of a hurdler to strike several hurdles in the course of a single event, or in practicing for an event, in which case the injury is aggravated. Such repeated injury may result in the development of a permanent disability.

Injuries of the kind referred to above are not limited to hurdlers. The knees, elbows, shoulders, and other anatomical parts of athletes such as basketball players, football players, and wrestlers are subjected to repeated injuries which could be minimized if the shocks could be cushioned, but heretofore it has been necessary to provide a special pad for the ankle, a different pad for the knee, a still different pad for the elbow, and so on, thereby requiring the stocking of a large number of different kinds of padding devices at a cost greater than that which would be encountered if a single padding device could be used in a large number of different applications.

An object of this invention is to provide a protective pad construction of such versatility as to enable it to be applied to substantially any part of a person's body.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective device of the character described which is light in weight and which is simple to apply to a person's body.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a protective pad constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating the means for attaching it to a person's body;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the attaching straps used with the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view, but with the attaching straps removed and a portion of the casing broken away for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the construction shown in FIG. 1.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention comprises a substantially flat, generally trapezoidal pad 1 having a core 2 of resilient cushioning material such as vinyl coated, slow reacting sponge rubber. The upper and lower edges of the core, as viewed in the drawing, are parallel but of different lengths so that the upper end of the pad is wider than the lower end. The core is wholly enclosed within an envelope or casing 3 of suitable flexible material such as vinyl coated, washable canvas. Although the size of the core may vary, satisfactory results have been obtained utilizing a core having a width at its upper end of about four and one-half inches, a height of about five and one-half inches and a thickness of one-half inch. From its upper edge, the core 2 is of uniform width for about two and three-fourths inches from which point each side of the core extends inwardly along uniform, smoothly arcuate lines to a maximum width of about one and three-fourths inches. The casing 3 conforms to the configuration of the core, although it preferably extends beyond the side edges and the lower edge of the core a distance sufficient to enable the confronting edges of the casing to be stitched or otherwise secured to each other.

The pad 1 has one side 4 which hereinafter will be designated the front side. The opposite side 5 will be designated the rear side. Stitched, cemented, or otherwise secured to the front side 4 of the pad and adjacent the upper edge thereof is one end of an attaching strap 6 having a free end 7 and being of such length that the free end extends substantially beyond the pad. The free end of the strap 6 preferably has secured on both sides thereof a strip 8 fabric anchor material such as that marketed under the trademark VELCRO. A cooperative strip 9 of similar anchor material is secured to that portion of the strap 6 which overlies the pad 1 so as to cooperate with one of the anchor strips 8 and permit the strap end 7 to be secured to the strip 9 in such manner that the strap 6 may encircle an arm, a leg, or some other portion of a person's body. The strap 6 preferably is elastic.

Cemented, stitched, or otherwise secured to the front surface 4 of the pad 1 is a pair of attaching strips 10 and 11, like the strips 8 and 9, and arranged in a T-configuration with the strip 10 being parallel to the upper edge of the pad and the strip 11 being normal to the member 10. Adapted for use with the attaching strips 10 and 11 is a second, preferably elastic strap 12 having a cooperative coupling or anchor member 13 at one end and an anchor member 14 at the other end, both of the anchor members corresponding to those earlier described, and both of the anchor members 13 and 14 being secured to the same or both sides of the strap 12.

Although the material from which the core 2 is made is resilient and easily bendable so as to enable the pad to conform to the curvature of a person's arm or ankle, the flexibility of the core may be improved by providing a groove 15 in the rear surface of the core and parallel to its longitudinal axis. The height of the groove 15 preferably is less than the height of the core so as to provide strength at the upper and lower ends of the core and a portion of reduced thickness between the side edges of the core. The width of the groove 15 may vary, and for a pad having the dimensions referred to earlier, the width of the groove 15 may be about one inch.

To condition the apparatus for use, the rear side 5 of the pad 1 is placed in confronting relation to some portion of a person's body, such as the inside of the right ankle. The strap 6 then may be passed around the person's leg and the free end 7 secured to the strap by means of the cooperating anchor members 8 and 9. The anchor member 14 of the strap 12 then may be secured to the member 10, so that the one end of the strap parallels the strap 6. The strap 12 then may be passed over the instep of the right foot and under the arch of the foot so that the anchor member 13 may be secured to the anchor member 11. That end of the strap 12 to which the anchor 13 is secured then will be normal to the opposite end of the strap 12, and the strap 12 forms a harness which encircles the foot so as to maintain the pad in overlying relation with the inside ankle of the person's right foot.

The pad 1 may be fitted over the outside of the person's right ankle, or over the inside or the outside of the person's left ankle. The one pad and the straps 6 and 12, therefore, can be fitted at any one of four ankle positions.

It is not essential that the strap 12 be fitted to the pad 1 in such manner as to form a harness. Instead, the strap 12 may be fitted to the pad in such manner as to parallel the strap 6, thereby making it possible for the pad to be positioned over the knee or elbow of a person. In this instance, the anchor member 13 at one end of the strap 12 may be secured to the anchor member 10 and the member 14 at opposite end of the strap 12 may be attached to the outside member 13.

FIG. 1 discloses an auxiliary, preferably elastic strap 16 having at its opposite end anchor members 17 and 18 like the other anchor members. One member, such as the member 17, may be secured to the anchor member 8 at the free end of the strap 6 and the other anchor member 18 may be secured to the member 9. The auxiliary strap effectively increases the length of the strap 6 so as to enable it it encircle the torso of a person and permit the pad 1 to be applied to the shoulder, hip, or coccyx of a person. The strap 12 may be replaced by, or used in conjunction with, a strap similar to the strap 16, if desired.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A protective cushioning device adapted to be secured in any one of a number of different positions to the body of a person, said device comprising a substantially flat pad formed of resilient, cushioning material, said pad having a greater width at one end than at the opposite end; a first strap; means for securing one end of said first strap to said pad adjacent the greater width end thereof; means at the greater width end of said pad and adjacent the other end of said first strap for removably securing said other end of said first strap to said pad in encircling relation therewith; a second strap having anchor means adjacent each end thereof; means carried by said pad and cooperable with the anchor means at one end of said second strap for securing said one end of said second strap to said pad substantially parallel to said first strap between said ends of said pad; and means carried by said pad adjacent the narrower end thereof and cooperable with the anchor means at the other end of said second strap for securing said other end of said second strap to said pad selectively parallel or normal to the first end of said second strap.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said pad comprises a core of resilient material contained within a flexible casing.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said pad has a portion of reduced thickness between its ends to facilitate bending of said pad.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the means for securing the ends of said second strap to said pad comprises T-shaped anchor means carried by said pad and cooperative with said anchor means carried by the ends of said second strap.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein said first and second straps are elastic.

6. A protective cushioning device adapted to be secured at any one of a number of different positions to the body of a person, said device comprising a core of resilient cushioning material having an upper end and a lower end parallel to said upper end, said core being wider at its upper end than at its lower end and having sides extending between said upper and lower ends, said core having an elongate groove between its sides of less depth than the thickness of said core and a flexible casing enclosing said core and bridging said groove.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the ends of said groove terminate short of the ends of said pad.