SLEEVE GARMENT

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved garment sleeve for securing strapless shin guards. The garment sleeve may secure a shin guard to the exterior of an athlete's leg and provides options for configuring the shin guard between the sleeve and the leg or securing the shin guard with the garment sleeve interfacing between the shin guard and the leg for added cushion.

Claims

1. A garment sleeve to be worn over at least a user's leg operable to secure a strapless shin guard, the garment comprising: a. a sleeve of woven material having a substantially circular geometry with a proximal end and a distal end, the sleeve being operable to compress around the lower leg of a user; b. an extended cuff woven to said proximal end having a substantially flexible material; and c. a lower cuff woven to said distal end. wherein a strapless shin guard is inserted into said sleeve and positioned in front of a user's tibia.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein said sleeve of woven material is operable to circumferentially apply a low pressure around said lower leg.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein said extended cuff has a greater coefficient of elasticity than said sleeve material.

4. The garment of claim 1, wherein said lower cuff has a greater coefficient of elasticity than said sleeve material.

5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the extended cuff is operable to fold along said proximal end of said sleeve and provide supplementary pressure on the exterior of the leg to prevent uplift of said shin guard.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein said strapless shin guard is inserted into said sleeve by positioning said shin guard in between an interior surface of said garment sleeve and the tibia of said user.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein said strapless shin guard is inserted into said sleeve by positioning said shin guard on an exterior surface of said garment sleeve along the tibia and said extended cuff is folded downward to cover a proximal end of the strapless shin guard, and said lower cuff is folded upward to cover a distal end of said strapless shin guard.

8. The garment of claim 1, wherein said sleeve is constructed from a moisture-wicking synthetic or natural athletic fibers.

9. The garment of claim 1, wherein said extended cuff and said lower cuff has a ribbing texture that is operable to provide radial elasticity when securing said strapless shin guard.

10. A method of using a garment sleeve, the method comprising the steps of: a. providing a sleeve comprising, an inner surface, an outer surface, a proximal end having an extended cuff, and a distal end having a lower cuff; b. sliding said sleeve over a leg of a user; and c. inserting a strapless shin guard into said sleeve.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said inserting a strapless shin guard into said sleeve, further comprises the steps of, stretching said extended cuff and positioning said strapless shin guard against the tibia of a user's leg.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising folding said extended cuff over onto the outer surface of said sleeve.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said inserting a strapless shin guard into said sleeve further comprises the steps of positioning said strapless shin guard on the exterior surface of said sleeve and folding said extended cuff over a proximal end of said shin guard.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising folding a lower cuff over a distal end of said shin guard.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said sleeve is comprising a breathable moisture wicking material with a high elasticity.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said extended cuff and said lower cuff are constructed from synthetic fibers or natural fibers.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said extended cuff and said lower cuff have a ribbed geometry that is operable to provide radial elasticity when inserting said strapless shin guard.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 provides an anterior view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 provides a posterior view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 4 provides a first side view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 5 provides a second side view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 6 provides a proximal view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 7 provides a distal view of a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 8 provides an environmental side view of a shin guard secured in a shin guard sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 9 provides an environmental perspective view of a first stage for securing a shin guard in a sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 10 provides an environmental perspective view of a second stage for securing a shin guard in a sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 11 provides an environmental perspective view of a secured shin guard in a sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 12 provides an environmental perspective view of a secured shin guard in a sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 13 provides an environmental perspective view of a secured shin guard in a sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 14 provides an environmental perspective view of a secured shin guard in a sleeve garment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in reference to these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that are included within the spirit and scope of the invention. In the following disclosure, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without all of the specific details provided.

[0030] Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring particularly to FIGS. 1-13, it is seen that the present invention includes various embodiments of securing and inserting a strapless shin guard with a sleeve garment. FIGS. 1-7 provide views of an exemplary sleeve garment 100. FIGS. 8-11 provide an exemplary method for securing a shin guard 300 to the user's leg on an exterior surface of the sleeve garment 100. FIGS. 9-13 provide views of an exemplary method for securing a shin guard 300 to the user's leg on an interior surface of the sleeve garment 100.

[0031] The sleeve garment 100 may have a proximal end 111 and a distal end 121. The proximal end 111 may have an extended cuff 110 stitched to the sleeve 101. The distal end 121 may have a lower cuff 120 stitched to the opposite end of the sleeve 101. The sleeve garment 100 may have a proximal opening 115, and a distal opening 125 allowing a user to position the sleeve around their leg. The extended cuff 110 may have a larger resting diameter than the lower cuff 120, the differences in diameter are relatively complementary to the geometry of a leg. The distal opening 115 may be configured to be positioned around the ankle, and the proximal opening may be configured to be positioned under the knee or over the knee.

[0032] FIG. 6 provides a top-down view of an expanded garment sleeve 100 without the leg of the user. The extended cuff 110 has a larger diameter than the lower cuff 120, providing suitable clearance and elasticity to compress snugly around the proximal end of a user's leg. The sleeve 101 may have a generally tapering geometry complementary to the geometry of a leg. The tapering configuration of the sleeve garment 100 may be seen by comparing FIG. 6 to the bottom-up view of the FIG. 7 showing the distal opening 125 and the lower cuff 120, the extended cuff 110 is hidden behind the sleeve 101 in the illustration. The sleeve 101 may be constructed from the same inner and outer material. The extended cuff 110 and the lower cuff 120 may have a ribbing texture that allows for radial and circumferential stretching without damaging or tearing the garment sleeve 100.

[0033] In some embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 may be manufactured from textile materials similar to athletic socks. For example, non-limiting, the sleeve garment may be manufactured from cotton, combed cotton, bamboo, rayon, merino wool, viscose rayon, polyester, polyamide, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, tencel, cellulose fibers, drymax, elastane, elastic, flax, lurex, modal, mohair, rubber, silk, spandex, wool, and a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the extended cuff 111 and lower cuff 121 may be constructed from a more elastic combination of materials than the sleeve garment 100. The materials may have good breathability and moisture-wicking material. In some embodiments, the materials used are machine washable and may be dried in a drying machine on a low setting to maintain the factory fit or may be dried at high heat to provide a tighter fit and shrink the sleeve garment 100 for a tighter fit.

[0034] In some embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 is operable to provide uniform compression around the wearer's leg to reduce impact and protect against injury during rough pitching. The sleeve garment 100 may be manufactured in various lengths, for example, a small may have a total length of 11 inches and may stretch up to 14 inches, a medium 16 inches and stretches up to 19 inches, and an extra-long sleeve may have a total length of 21 inches stretching up to 25 inches. An extra-long sleeve may be suitable for extending up to a user's thigh to provide extra knee support. Extra long sleeves are operable to prevent scratches and abrasions well above the knee that may result when the wearer is sliding or diving on various surfaces.

[0035] In some embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 is operable to secure a shin guard to the outside of a user's leg as shown in FIGS. 8-11. In such embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 is slid over the leg 200 of a user with a lower cuff 120 positioned above or in line with the ankle, the extended cuff 110 positioned below or in line with a user's knee, and the strapless shin guard 300 positioned on the exterior surface of the sleeve 101, as shown in FIG. 9. A user may secure the shin guard 300 by circumferentially folding the extended cuff 110 over a proximal end of the shin guard 300 as shown in FIG. 10 and the lower cuff 120 may be folded over a distal end of the shin guard 300 as shown in FIG. 11, thereby securing the shin guard in place. The extended cuff 110 may fold at the seam 111 with the sleeve 101, and the lower cuff 120 may fold at the seam 121 with the sleeve 101.

[0036] In some embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 is operable to secure a shin guard to the outside of a user's leg, as shown in FIGS. 12-13. In such embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 is first slid over the leg 200 of a user with a lower cuff 120 positioned above or in line with the ankle, and the extended cuff 110 may be positioned below or in line with a user's knee. In such embodiments, the extended cuff 110 is stretched, and a user may slide the shin guard between the sleeve 101 and the user's leg, as shown in FIG. 12. The extended cuff 110 may be folded over the sleeve 101 to provide support and prevent the shin guard 300 from thrusting out of the sleeve garment 100 when a user is running. In some embodiments, the sleeve garment 100 may be extra long and extend from a user's ankle to a location above the knee, as illustrated in FIG. 14. In such embodiments, the sleeve 101 may provide suitable circumferential pressure to anchor the shin guard 300 without any extra pressure from folding the extended cuff 110 or lower cuff 120. The extra-long sleeve garment 100 may provide breathable moisture-wicking insulation that is operable to retain heat while dissipating excess moisture and allows athletes to tailor the position of the shin guard and garment interface. For example, an athlete may position the extended cuff 110, as illustrated in FIG. 14, to warm up and loosen their muscles or to apply additional compression to the thighs and knees to prevent injury and fatigue. The users may decide mid-game to reconfigure the sleeve garment and shin guard, as illustrated in FIG. 13. In such embodiments, the extra-long sleeve garment 100 may be folded along the sleeve 101 to position the extended cuff 110 with the upper end of the shin guard 300 thereby provide additional anchoring pressure to the shin guard 300, as shown in FIG. 13.

CONCLUSION/SUMMARY

[0037] The present invention provides an improved garment that is operable to secure a strapless shin guard to an athlete's leg. The garment includes a sleeve with an upper cuff and lower cuff that each provides varying degrees of circumferential pressure to secure a shin guard to the exterior or interior of the garment and allow a user to fashion a strapless shin guard to their preference. It is to be understood that variations, modifications, and permutations of embodiments of the present invention, and uses thereof, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments, descriptions, or illustrations or combinations of either components or steps disclosed herein. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although reference has been made to the accompanying figures, it is to be appreciated that these figures are exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.