IMPACT ABSORBING PAD FOR GARMENT, AND GARMENT INCLUDING SAME

Abstract

A garment includes an impact absorbing pad having a layer of foam material with a body-facing surface, an outer surface that is opposite the body-facing surface, and a set of voids that extend through the layer in a multiple locations. The voids have a repeating pattern of shapes. Each shape includes three void arms having equal lengths that extend from a central vertex point. The impact absorbing pad may also include a second layer overlapping the first layer. The density of the first and second layer may be the same or may be different. The second layer may also have a set of voids overlapping the first set of voids. A covering covers the outer surface of the impact absorbing pad. The impact absorbing pad has a Shore durometer value of about 25 to about 50.

Claims

1. An impact absorbing pad comprising: a first layer that: has a body-facing surface, and an outer surface that is opposite the body-facing surface, comprises a foam material, and includes a plurality of voids that extend through the layer in a plurality of positions; and a covering that: covers the outer surface of the first layer, and extends beyond and forms a frame around at least a portion of the outer surface of the first layer.

2. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein the voids comprise a pattern of shapes, each shape comprising three void arms having equal lengths and that extend from a central vertex point.

3. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein: each void comprises a distal end, and each distal end of each void is equidistant from the distal end of its closest adjacent void.

4. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein: each void arm comprises a distal end, and the distance between the vertex of each void arm is equidistant from the vertex of each adjacent void.

5. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein the covering is attached to the outer surface of the first layer.

6. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein the voids exhibit equal widths.

7. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, further comprising a second layer that: has a body-facing surface, and an outer surface that is opposite the body-facing surface; comprises a foam material; and includes a plurality of voids that extend through the layer in a plurality of positions, wherein: the foam material of the first layer has a first density, the second layer has a foam material having a second density, and the first density is different than the second density.

8. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein the first layer exhibits a Shore durometer value that is from about 25 to about 50.

9. A garment comprising the impact absorbing pad of claim 1.

10. An impact absorbing pad comprising: a first layer that: has a body-facing surface, and an outer surface that is opposite the body-facing surface, comprises a first foam of a first density, and includes a plurality of voids that extend through the first layer in a plurality of positions; a second layer that: has a body-facing surface that is adjacent to the outer surface of the first layer, has an outer surface that is opposite the body-facing surface of the second layer, comprises a second foam of a second density that is different than the first density, and includes a plurality of voids that extend through the second layer in a plurality of positions; and a covering that: covers the outer surface of the second layer, and extends beyond and forms a frame around at least a portion of the outer surface of the second layer; wherein: the first foam has a Shore durometer value of about 20 to about 30, and the second foam has a Shore durometer value of about 35 to about 45.

11. The impact absorbing pad of claim 10, wherein the voids of the first layer and the voids of the second layer comprise a pattern of shapes, each shape comprising three void arms that extend from a central vertex point.

12. The impact absorbing pad of claim 10, wherein: each void comprises a distal end, and each distal end of each void is equidistant from the distal end of its closest adjacent void in the layer in which the void is positioned.

13. The impact absorbing pad of claim 10, wherein: each void comprises a vertex, and the vertex of each void in each layer is equidistant from the vertex of each adjacent void in the layer in which the void is positioned.

14. The impact absorbing pad of claim 10, wherein the positions of voids of the first layer correspond to the positions of the voids of the second layer.

15. The impact absorbing pad of claim 14, wherein: the voids of the first layer exhibit a first size, and the voids of the second layer exhibit a second size that is larger than the first size so that portions of the outer surface of the first layer are visible through the voids of the second layer.

16. The impact absorbing pad of claim 14, wherein: the voids of the first layer exhibit a first size, and the voids of the second layer exhibit a second size that is smaller than the first size.

17. The impact absorbing pad of claim 10, wherein the outer surface of the first layer is attached to the body-facing surface of the second layer.

18. The impact absorbing pad of claim 17, further comprising an adhesive that attaches the outer surface of the first layer to the body-facing surface of the second layer.

19. A garment comprising the impact absorbing pad of claim 10.

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. The impact absorbing pad of claim 1, wherein the voids comprise voids formed by die cutting.

24. The impact absorbing pad of claim 10, wherein the voids comprise voids formed by die cutting.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of an example pad.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of the pad of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates an example geometric pattern of voids formed in a pad.

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a spatial relationship between the voids of FIG. 3.

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates an expanded view of another example pad.

[0016] FIG. 6A illustrates a sectional view of an alternate pad, such as that of FIG. 5.

[0017] FIG. 6B illustrates a sectional view of a variation of the pad of FIG. 6A.

[0018] FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a detailed view of a pad similar to that of FIG. 6A having variations of pad layers with voids.

[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates a front and back view of an example shirt garment employing one or more pads.

[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates a front and back view of an example pants garment employing one or more pads.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] As used in this document, the singular forms a, an, and the include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. As used in this document, the term comprising (or comprises) means including (or includes), but not limited to. When used in this document, the term exemplary is intended to mean by way of example and is not intended to indicate that a particular exemplary item is preferred or required.

[0022] In this document, when terms such first and second are used to modify a noun, such use is simply intended to distinguish one item from another, and is not intended to require a sequential order unless specifically stated. The terms approximately and about when used in connection with a numeric value, is intended to include values that are close to, but not exactly, the number. For example, in some embodiments, the term approximately may include values that are within +/10 percent of the value.

[0023] When used in this document, terms such as top and bottom, upper and lower, or outer and inner, are not intended to have absolute orientations but are instead intended to describe relative positions of various components with respect to each other. For example, a first component may be an upper component and a second component may be a lower component when a device of which the components are a part is oriented in a first direction. The relative orientations of the components may be reversed, or the components may be on the same plane, if the orientation of the structure that contains the components is changed. The claims are intended to include all orientations of a device containing such components.

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of an example impact absorbing pad 100. One or more pads 100 may be placed adjacent a wearer's body to protect the wearer from impacts and prevent impact-related injuries from occurring. For example, a pad 100 may be connected to the interior of protective equipment such as the interior of a helmet, football shoulder pads, or baseball catcher's chest protector. Likewise, the pad 100, for example, may be connected to the exterior of a garment worn by the user, as will be described in more detail below. The connection of the pad 100 to a piece of protective equipment or to a garment may be removable or permanently fixed. For example, one or more pads 100 may be placed in pockets having matching shapes for each pad 100. Likewise, the connection of the pad 100 to the garment may be permanent, such as, for example, by sewing, gluing, heat welding, or the like. A garment having one or more pads 100 (i.e., a padded garment) may be worn by athletes, bicyclists, soldiers, tradespersons, or other users of protective equipment. Examples of padded garments are compression shirts, loose shirts, compression shorts/pants, loose shorts/pants, or the like. Likewise, examples of protective equipment are knee pads, elbow pads, helmets, chest protectors, back protectors, military body armor, or the like.

[0025] The impact absorbing pad 100 may have a planar or curved form having one or more layers of impact absorbing material. The pad 100, as shown in FIG. 1, may have a single layer or multiple layers of impact absorbing material (e.g. a first pad layer) 110 and an oversized mesh panel 130 for covering the first pad layer 110 and for attaching to a fabric portion of a garment.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first pad layer 110 has an inner surface 112, an outer surface 114, a perimeter edge 116, and a thickness t1. (In this context, the term inner refers to the body-facing surface that would face the body of the person who is wearing the pad in use, and the term outer refers to the surface that would face away from the wearer's body during use.) The first pad layer 110 may be made of an elastomeric material such as, for example, ethylene-vinyl acetate (e.g., EVA) foam, vinyl nitrile foam, vinyl sponge, neoprene sponge, sponge rubber, solid viscoelastic polymers, or the like. The first pad layer 110 may have a Shore durometer (e.g., hardness) value of about 50, about 35, about 30, about 25, or other values to prevent impacts from injuring the wearer. As described below, the first pad layer 110 may have one or more voids 118.

[0027] The mesh panel 130 has an inner surface 132, an outer surface 134, and a perimeter edge 136. The mesh panel 130 may be made of a fabric material such as, for example, Spandex (e.g., LYCRA), nylon, polyester, cotton, or the like and/or a combination of these materials. The perimeter edge 136 of the mesh panel 130 may create a surface area having a width that is greater than the width of the surface area created by the perimeter edge 116 of the first pad layer 116. The mesh panel 130 may be sewn to the garment fabric adjacent all perimeter edges 136 thus permanently enclosing the first pad layer 110 adjacent to the garment fabric. Alternatively, the mesh panel 130 may be sewn along all but one perimeter edge 136 forming a pocket matching the shape of the first pad layer 110. The mesh panel 130 serves as a cover that extends beyond and forms a frame 138 along one or more perimeter edges 136 of the pad 110 for fixing the mesh panel 130 to the garment fabric, for example, by sewing.

[0028] The impact absorbing pad 100 may a multi-part component formed by a mesh panel 130 separated from a first pad layer 110 or may be an integral component formed by a mesh panel 130 joined to a first pad layer 110. For example, a portion of the inner surface 132 of the mesh panel 130 may be fixed to a portion of the outer surface 114 of the first pad layer 110. Examples of fixing the two parts together are sewing, gluing (e.g., adhesives), hot welding, or the like. Other methods of forming an integral pad component may be placing a portion of the oversized mesh panel 130 in the bottom of a mold form prior to injecting foam material for the first pad layer 110 thus forming the foam into, through, and around a portion of the mesh holes of the mesh panel 130.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view along cutline 2-2 of the pad 100 of FIG. 1. The first pad layer 110 may be covered by the mesh panel 130. The thickness t1 may be within the range of approximately 8 mm to approximately 13 mm, such as about 10 mm, to provide sufficient protection for the wearer without adding cumbersome weight or volume to the wearer's garment, for example. The voids 118 provide a pathway for moisture to escape and for flexibility in the pad 100.

[0030] The first pad layer 110 and mesh panel 130 may have the same color or may have different colors from each other and/or the garment to be attached to. For example, a garment having a first color may have a mesh panel 130 with the same color and a first pad layer 110 with a second color so as to contrast below the mesh panel 130.

[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates an example geometric pattern 300 of voids 302a . . . 302n (hereinafter 302 unless distinctly one or the other). The voids 302 may be formed by laser cutting, die cutting, extrusion, molding, or the like. Each void 302 has a thickness equal to the thickness of the pad layer in which it is formed and a width w. The width w may be in the range of approximately 2 mm to approximately 5 mm, such as about 3 mm. The pattern 300 may be such that the voids 302 are arranged in aligned columns. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a first column may have voids 302a and 302b; a second column may have voids 302c, 302d, and 302e; and a third column may have voids 302f and 302n. Each column may include more or fewer voids 302, and any pad may have more or fewer columns. Each void 302 may have varying shapes or identical shapes. For example, each void 302 may have a pattern of shapes having three arms 304a, 304b, 304c (e.g., void arms, hereinafter 304 unless distinctly one or the other) each having a distal end 306a, 306b, 306c (hereinafter 306 unless distinctly one or the other) that extends from a central vertex point 308. The three arms 304 may form a tri-arm shape (e.g., Y-shaped). The arms 304 of each void 302 may be equal in length d and may be angled 120 degrees apart. The intersection of the arms 304 of each void 302 occurs at its central vertex 308.

[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates a spatial relationship between the voids 302 of FIG. 3.

[0033] The distal ends 306 of each void 302 may be spaced equidistant d from the adjacent distal ends 306 of the closest adjacent void 302. The equidistant spacing d is equal in length to the length d of the arms 304. Referring by way of example to void 302d in FIG. 4, the distal end 326a of void 302d is spaced d from distal end 306c of void 302a. Distal end 326a of void 302d also is spaced d from distal ends 316b and 316c of void 302c. This pattern continues for all closest adjacent distal ends 306 in the pattern.

[0034] The vertex 308 of each void 302 may be spaced equidistant d from the distal end 306 of the closest adjacent void 302. The equidistant spacing d is also equal in length to the length d of the arms 304 and the equidistant spacing d between adjacent distal ends 306. Referring by way of example to void 302d in FIG. 4, the vertex 308d of void 302d is spaced d from the distal end 306c of void 302a. Vertex 308d of void 302d is also spaced d from the distal end 336b of void 302f, and from the distal end 346a of void 302e.

[0035] Likewise, the vertex 308 of each void 302 may be spaced equidistant d+d from the vertex 308 of each adjacent void 302. The equidistant spacing d+d is equal in length to twice the length d of the arms 304, twice the equidistant spacing d between adjacent distal ends 306; and twice the equidistant spacing d between adjacent distal ends 306 and vertices 308. Referring by way of example to void 302d in FIG. 4, the vertex 308d of the void 302d is spaced d+d from the vertices of all adjacent voids 302a, 302b, 302c, 302e, 302f and 302n.

[0036] The distance d may be in the range of approximately 8 mm to approximately 12 mm, such as about 8 mm. All voids 302 may follow this repeating geometric pattern 300 to provide an impact absorbing pad having a flexible form capable of conforming to the wearer's body. The tri-arm shape of the voids 302 provide improved flexure in multiple directions such that a pad may flex in multiple directions more than a pad having no voids or a pad having other shaped voids.

[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates an expanded view of another example impact absorbing pad 500. The impact absorbing pad 500, as shown in FIG. 5, may be a dual-layer device having a first inner layer of impact absorbing material (e.g. a first pad layer) 510, a second outer layer of impact absorbing material (e.g. a second pad layer) 520, and an oversized mesh panel 530 for covering the first and second pad layers 510, 520 and for attaching to a fabric portion of a garment.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first pad layer 510 has an inner surface 512, an outer surface 514, a perimeter edge 516, and a thickness t2. The first pad layer 510, when in use, is placed adjacent the wearer's body (e.g., the inner pad layer). The first pad layer 510 may also be made of an elastomeric material as described above in the single-layer embodiment of FIG. 1. For example, the first pad layer 510 may have a foam material having a first density. The first pad layer 510 may have a Shore durometer (e.g., hardness) value of about 35, about 30, about 25, about 20, or other values to prevent impacts from injuring the wearer. As described below, the first pad layer 510 may have one or more voids 518.

[0039] The second pad layer 520 has an inner surface 522, an outer surface 524, a perimeter edge 526, and a thickness t3. The second pad layer 520, when in use, is placed on the outer region of the pad 500 (e.g., the outer pad layer). The second pad layer 520 may also be made of an elastomeric material as described above. For example, the second pad layer 520 may have a foam material having a second density different from the first density of the first pad layer 510 foam material (i.e., a pad 500 having a dual-density foam material). The second pad layer 520 may have a Shore durometer (e.g., hardness) value of about 45, about 40, about 35, or other values to further prevent impacts from injuring the wearer. The Shore durometer value of the second pad layer 520 may be the same as the Shore durometer value of the first pad 510, or it may be different. For example, the Shore durometer value of the second pad layer 520 may be about two times (2) greater, about one and three quarter times (1.75) greater, about one and half times (1.5) greater, or other multiples of times greater than the Shore durometer value of the first pad 510 so as to provide a more rigid outer layer (i.e., the second pad layer 520) to provide more shock absorption and/or reduce deformation caused by objects that may impact the user and to provide a softer inner panel (i.e., the first pad layer 510) for a more conforming deformation against the user's body. As described below, the second pad layer 520 may also have one or more voids 528.

[0040] The mesh panel 530 has an inner surface 532, an outer surface 534, and a perimeter edge 536. The mesh panel 530 may also be made of a fabric material as described above. The perimeter edge 536 of the mesh panel 530 may create a surface area greater than the surface area created by the perimeter edges 516, 526 of the first pad layer 510 and second pad layer 520. The mesh panel 530 may also be sewn to the garment fabric as described above. The mesh panel 530 may also include a frame 538 along one or more perimeter edges 536 for fixing the mesh panel 530 to the garment fabric, for example, by sewing.

[0041] The impact absorbing pad 500 may be a multi-part component formed by a mesh panel 530 separated from a second pad layer 520 and a first pad layer 510 or may be an integral component formed by a mesh panel 530 joined to a second pad layer 520 which is likewise joined to a first pad layer 510 in a stacked layer design. For example, a portion of the inner surface 532 of the mesh panel 530 may be fixed to a portion of the outer surface 524 of the second pad layer 520 as described above. Likewise, a portion of the inner surface 522 of the second pad layer 520 may be fixed to a portion of the outer surface 514 of the first pad layer 510. For example, an adhesive layer 540 may be applied between a portion of the inner surface 522 of the second pad layer 520 and a portion of the outer surface 514 of the first pad layer 510.

[0042] The first pad layer 510, second pad layer 520, and mesh panel 530 may have the same color or may have different colors from each other and/or the garment to be attached to. For example, a garment having a first color may have a second pad layer 520 and mesh panel 530 with the same color and a first pad layer 510 with a second color so as to provide a color contrast. This variability would provide a selection of pads 500 having various colors to match the user's team colors.

[0043] Thus, FIG. 6A illustrates a sectional view of a dual-layer pad 500. The first pad layer 510 and second pad layer 520 may be covered by the mesh panel 530. An adhesive layer 540 may fix the first pad layer 510 and second pad layer 520 together as described above. The thicknesses t2 and t3, for example, may be equal and within the range of 4 mm to 7 mm, such as 5.5 mm, to provide sufficient rigidity to the outer pad layer (second pad layer 520) and softness to the inner pad layer (first pad layer 510). The voids 518, 528 provide a pathway for moisture to escape and for flexibility in the pad 500.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 5, 6A, and 6B, the voids of each pad layer may be positioned to have shapes that match, and they also may be positioned such that when the pad layers are positioned against each other, the corresponding voids of each pad layer will be positioned over each other and form a larger void that extends through both layers. The surface area of each void may be the same, or the voids of one pad layer (such as the outer pad layer) may have a greater surface area than the voids of the other pad layer.

[0045] FIG. 6B illustrates a sectional view of an alternate dual-layer pad 500 similar to FIG. 6A. The relative thicknesses t2 and t3 of the first pad layer 510 and second pad layer 520 may be the same, as shown in FIG. 6A or they may have varying thicknesses t2 and t3 as shown in FIG. 6B. The thickness t2 of the first pad layer 510, for example, may be within the range of 5 mm to 9 mm, such as 8 mm, and the thickness t3 of the second pad layer 520, for example, may be within the range of 3 mm to 6 mm, such as 3 mm, to provide sufficient rigidity to the outer pad layer (second pad layer 520) and softness to the inner pad layer (first pad layer 510). For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the thickness t2 of the first pad layer 510 may be greater than the thickness t3 of the second pad layer 520. The varying thicknesses t2 and t3 of the pad layers 510, 520 may be tuned for different needs, such as a thicker outer layer (i.e., the second pad layer 520) having a higher Shore durometer value (i.e., more rigid) for sports having impact objects with sharp edges, such as when a hockey puck hits a hockey player, compared to a thicker inner layer (i.e., the first pad layer 510) having a lower Shore durometer value (i.e., softer) for sports having impact objects without sharp edges but large impact forces, such as when a football player is tackled by another football player or is tackled to the ground.

[0046] For a dual-layer pad, the voids of the first pad layer and the voids of the second pad layer may have the same shape, size, placement, and orientation so as to create equal voids through the pad layers. Alternatively, the voids may have varying shapes, sizes, placements, and/or orientations. FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a detailed view of a pad similar to the pad 500 of FIG. 6A having variations of pad layers with voids. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the voids 518 on the first pad layer 510 may have the same shape, placement, and orientation as the voids 528 on the second pad layer 520 but with a larger size to allow more moisture to be wicked away during strenuous activities. The larger size may result from the voids of the first layer having a larger surface area than the voids of the second layer, which could occur for example if the arms of the tri-arm-shaped voids in the first have a wider width than those of the second layer. Likewise, as shown in FIG. 7B, the voids 518 on the first pad layer 510 may have the same shape, placement, and orientation as the voids 528 on the second pad layer 520 but with a smaller size to provide a decorative color contrast between the voids 518, 528 and or descriptive design to the pads 500. Alternatively for a dual-layer pad 500, the voids 518, 528 may be on only one of the pad layers 510, 520 such that, as shown in FIG. 7C, for example, a first pad layer 510 having no voids 518 provides a flush inner surface 512 while the second pad layer 520 includes voids 528 to provide more flexure of the pad 500.

[0047] FIG. 8 illustrates a front and back view of a padded garment, for example, a shirt garment 800 employing one or more pads 100. FIG. 9 illustrates a front and back view of an example pants garment 900 employing one or more pads 100. Pads 100 may be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Pads 100 may have a variety of shapes, such as round, triangular, square, rectangular, pentagon, hexagon, or the like. Pads 100 may also have curved edges. Pads 100 may have voids in a plurality of columns or a single column arranged in a pattern as described above. Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, for protection of a wearer's tailbone, a pad 100 may have a single column of voids.

[0048] The features and functions described above, as well as alternatives, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be made by those skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.