Protective Pad For The Leg And Ankle

Abstract

A protective pad for athletics comprising two sheets of superposed material, the first or outer sheet being of molded plastic and having a plurality of protuberances thereon, the plastic being flexible but self-sustained, and the other or inner layer being of foamed plastic especially cut and applied to the first layer to prevent tearing and special mechanical fasteners for securing the layers together with buckles securing the protective padding in position on the leg, said fasteners being of the snap-in type.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The game of street hockey has become extremely popular in recent months due to its demand by athletes who enjoy the sport and the advancement in design of the street hockey sticks, balls, nets, etc., used by the players. The ability of this equipment to withstand the wear encountered on hard-rough surfaces, has been a major contributing factor in the widespread appeal for the sport.

It is therefore the purpose of the present invention to provide very efficient and effective protective padding, designed to protect the leg in areas including the knee, shin, and ankle. The ankle being of noticeable interest, whereas protective pads available on the market today are not designed with this protection feature, the reason being the design for their use in ice hockey where ankle protection is provided by the skates worn by the player. It should also be noted that the present invention will provide a material capable of resisting abrasive wear encountered on hard-rough surfaces, while at the same time protecting the physical parts of the body in the area in which it is worn as well as the clothing worn in that area.

It is therefore the purpose of the present invention to provide a protective padding designed for a specific use; to receive and minimize the blows encountered in street hockey, blows which occur in areas not governed by protective equipment available on the market today.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Two layers of plastic material are prepared and mechanically secured together. There is an outer layer and an inner layer. The outer layer is of a harder, flexible, but self sustaining plastic shaped to adjust to the leg and having means for securing it about the ankle, leg, and knee. The outer (forward) sheet of plastic is provided with outstanding protuberances which are hollow and which absorb blows without injury to the wearer.

A soft foam layer of plastic of the same shape is secured to the outer layer, the foam layer being the inner sheet of two sheets or layers, and is applied directly to the body of the wearer providing for complete comfort and protection for the knee, leg, and ankle.

The means for connecting the two layers of material together are inexpensive molded plastic devices which snap into position quickly and easily securing the layers together and also acting as anchoring means for snapping on new and improved plastic buckles to which tapes are adjustably attached for securing the pad to the leg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation showing the new protective padding in flat form at the front side thereof;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the reverse side thereof;

FIG. 3 is an edge view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a section on line 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a section at an edge of the device illustrating the mechanical fasteners;

FIG. 6 is a plan view looking in the direction of arrow 6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the manner in which the new plastic buckles are attached with respect to the fasteners; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a buckle in place on a plastic fastener.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates the outer of the two layers or sheets that comprise the padding, and this is generally indicated by the reference numeral 8. This layer is of molded plastic and comprises a rounded or bulged out knee portion at 10 to which are integrally attached lateral wings 12 and a leg or shin portion which is of semi-cylindrical nature at 14. The portion 14 has lateral wings 16, 16 at the sides thereof and extends into the ankle portion 18 which is in extension thereof. The wings 20, 20 are not attached to the ankle portion 18 which must bend forwardly over the ankle and part of the foot when the device is applied to the leg but nevertheless it is provided with wings 20, 20 which are however integrally attached to wings 16, 16 and extend therefrom in a dependant relation.

The inner foamed layer of material is flat and generally indicated at 22 and it will be seen that the edges of the outer layer 8 are bent up to form a rim as at 24 in FIG. 6 to protect the edge 26 of the foamed rubber layer, preventing the latter from tearing, when taken into consideration with respect to the mechanical fasteners 30 to be described.

These mechanical snap fasteners each comprise a flat head 32 pressed into the foam material 22 and a shank 34 which extends through both layers 22 and 8. The shank 34 terminates in a frusto-conical head 36 and is longer than the combined thicknesses of the two layers 8 and 22, see FIGS. 5 and 7.

A plastic ring 38 which has a through opening 40 and an interior inwardly extending shoulder 42 therein snaps behind the frusto-conical head 36 as shown in FIG. 5 to secure the two layers quickly and easily together. Ring 38 also has an outstanding rim or bead 44 at its opposite end and this is used to snap the buckles 46 to the padding.

Each buckle 46 is provided with a central opening having relatively inwardly enlarged or tapered interior 48 which snaps under the rims 44 of the rings 38 as shown in FIG. 7 thus securing the buckle thereto. Four buckles are arranged on the pad in the positions indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that the knee portion 10 is securely fastened about the knee projecting outwardly to protect the same and the patella, the wings 16, 16 protecting the leg and the wings at 20, 20 protecting the ankle.

Each buckle 46 also has openings 50 for the tapes 52 and teeth 54 to adjustably hold the tapes as desired. There are two buckles on each tape for attachment of the pad to the leg by bending the wings about the leg and passing the straps behind the leg, then snapping the tapes on at the desired adjustment.

The front sheet of plastic 8 is provided with outstanding protuberances as shown at 56 and 58, see particularly FIG. 3. These protuberances 56 are relatively large and will protect the ankle bones and the protuberances 58 which extend throughout the entire sheet 8 form resilient protective hollow portions increasing greatly the protective qualities of the padding as also do the transverse protuberances 60 which are on cylindrical surfaces. The knee area has protective formations also, the foam layer 22 in the area of the patella has a cross-cut to allow the patella to project in the protuberance at 10. These protuberances form impact reducing means as they give under blows but spring back to original shape.

This padding is strapped about the leg, the wings 12 covering the sides of the knees, wings 16 protecting the sides and at least partly the rear of the legs as well as the shins, and the wings 20 covering the ankle bones which project into the molded plastic protuberances 56. With one buckle 46 of each of the four straps 52 snapped onto a ring 38 at either edge of plastic sheet 8 (right side thereof as shown in FIG. 1) the other, loose buckle, is passed behind the leg pulling the wings 12, 16, and 20 into place by bending them adjacent the edges of the central portions 10 and 14. The loose buckles are then snapped onto the rings 38 at the opposite edge of plastic sheet 8, and the entire device is securely in its protective position with central portion 18 bending out somewhat over the front portion of the ankle and top of the foot.

Claims

I claim:

1. Protective padding comprising a molded plastic front sheet and a softer cellular rear sheet, means securing the sheets, means to secure the padding to a portion of the user's body with the cellular rear sheet facing the user,

the sheets including central portions and attached lateral wing portions, the latter being flexible with relation to the central portions,

impact reducing means on the molded plastic sheet, said impact reducing means including an outwardly extending portion shaped to protect the patella on a portion of the central portions,

a partially cylindrical portion adjacent the patella protecting portion to protect the leg, a terminal ankle protecting portion, the wing portions including pivotable ankle-bone protecting portions adjacent the ankle protecting portion, and

impact reducing protuberances on each of the protecting portions,

separable snap type fasteners securing the sheets together adjacent the edges of the sheets,

removable straps for securing the padding to the leg of the user, and means mounting the straps on certain of the snap type fasteners.

2. The protective padding of claim 1 wherein the protuberances are integral with the plastic front sheet.

3. The protective padding of claim 1 wherein the protuberances are arranged substantially throughout the plastic sheet.

4. The protective padding of claim 1 wherein the cellular rear sheet forms the bottoms of the hollow protuberances.

5. Protective padding of claim 1 wherein the snap type fasteners securing the sheets comprise headed shanks passing through both sheets, a second head on each shank, and a hollow ring with a reduced portion therein snapping over each such second head.

6. The protective padding of claim 5 including an outstanding rim on the ring, and a buckle, a central opening in the buckle having a diameter to snap over the rim on the ring.

7. The protective padding of claim 6 wherein the rim on the ring is spaced axially from the reduced portion, the latter being closely adjacent the protective padding.

8. The protective padding of claim 6 including a strap on the buckle, a second buckle on the strap, and a central opening in the second buckle to snap over a like ring on a like shank at at a remote point on the protective padding to secure the latter to the body of the user.

9. The protective padding of claim 5 including a rim about the edge of the front plastic sheet substantially covering and protecting the edge of the cellular sheet when the sheets are secured together.