Protective Garment

Abstract

The invention provides a protective garment tailored for ice hockey players to safeguard critical areas susceptible to blade injuries. This garment includes a collar, left and right sleeves with specific upper arm and forearm portions, and a torso portion. Strategically integrated portions of cut-resistant polyethylene material are present in the collar and forearm sections. Some embodiments also incorporate other fabrics, such as aramid variants, while non-cut-resistant sections may be made from blends like polyester and spandex.

Claims

1. A protective sports garment, the garment comprising: a collar; a left sleeve having a left upper arm portion and a left forearm portion; a right sleeve having a right upper arm portion and a right forearm portion; a torso portion extending between said left and right sleeves and adjacent to said collar; wherein the collar and said left and right forearm portions are formed of a cut-resistant material, one or more of the collar, left forearm, and right forearm portions comprising polyethylene as the cut-resistant material.

2. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein said polyethylene is ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

3. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein one or more of the cut-resistant portions comprise or are reinforced by an aramid fabric.

4. The protective garment of claim 3, wherein the aramid fabric is selected from the group consisting of Nomex, Kevlar, and Twaron.

5. The protective garment of any of claim 1, wherein said torso portion and said left and right upper arm portions are made from a non-cut-resistant material.

6. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein said non-cut-resistant material comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of spandex, polyester, synthetic, microfiber, nylon, and polypropylene fabrics.

7. The protective garment of claim 6, wherein said non-cut-resistant fabric comprises a blend of 80-90% polyester and 10-20% spandex.

8. The protective garment of claim 6, wherein said non-cut-resistant fabric is a blend comprising about 85% polyester and about 15% spandex.

9. The protective garment of claim 1, further comprising a placket extending through said collar and a yoke of said torso portion, wherein said placket facilitates donning and removal of said protective garment.

10. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein said placket includes hook and loop fasteners for transitioning between an open and closed position.

11. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein said placket further includes one or more selected from the group consisting of buttons, zippers, studs, buckles, snap fasteners, and eyelets for transitioning between the open and closed positions.

12. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein said left and right upper arm portions comprise high friction gripping elements on their outer surfaces.

13. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein said gripping elements comprise silicon dots.

14. The protective garment of claim 1, further comprising cuffs on said left and right sleeves formed of a non-cut-resistant material.

15. The protective garment of claim 14, wherein said cuffs on said left and right sleeves form thumbholes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a front view of the protective garment according to one embodiment, showcasing the collar, sleeves, and torso portion.

[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of the protective garment, emphasizing the placket in a closed position.

[0025] FIG. 3 depicts a rear view of the protective garment with the placket in an open position, detailing the mechanism of the hook and loop fasteners.

[0026] Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0027] The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.

[0028] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.

Definitions

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0030] As used herein, the term and/or includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0031] As used herein, the singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0032] It will be further understood that the terms comprises and/or comprising, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0033] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

[0034] The terms first, second, and the like are used herein to describe various features or elements, but these features or elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one feature or element from another feature or element. Thus, a first feature or element discussed below could be termed a second feature or element, and similarly, a second feature or element discussed below could be termed a first feature or element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The following detailed description provides a specific example implementation of a protective garment according to the present disclosure, as illustrated through accompanying figures. This garment, devised with an optimal blend of safety and flexibility in mind, integrates both cut-resistant and non-cut-resistant materials to offer wearers unparalleled protection without compromising mobility.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a front view of a protective garment 102 according to one embodiment. The protective garment 102 includes a collar 104, a left sleeve 106, a right sleeve 114, and a torso portion 122. The collar 104 is adjacent to the torso portion 122 and may be joined, for example, by stitches. The left sleeve 106 and the right sleeve 114 are both connected to the torso portion 122, with the torso portion 122 extending between the left and right sleeves 106, 114. The torso portion 122 also includes a yoke 124 that extends from the collar 104 to about the bottom of where the left sleeve 106 and the right sleeve 114 connect to the torso portion 122.

[0037] The left sleeve 106 includes a left upper arm portion 108, a left forearm portion 110, and a left cuff 112. The left upper arm portion 108 is attached to and extends from the yoke 124 of the torso portion 122 to the left forearm portion 110. The left forearm portion 110 is attached to and extends from the left upper arm portion 108 to the left cuff 112. Similarly, the right sleeve 114 includes a right upper arm portion 116, a right forearm portion 118, and a right cuff 120. The right upper arm portion 116 is attached to and extends from the yoke 124 of the torso portion 122 to the right forearm portion 118. The right forearm portion 118 is attached to and extends from the right upper arm portion 116 to the right cuff 120.

[0038] The collar 104, the left forearm portion 108, and the right forearm portion 118 are each made of a cut-resistant material. For a user wearing the protective garment 102, the cut-resistant material serves to prevent or inhibit injuries to the user's wrists and forearms, as well as their neck.

[0039] The portions of cut-resistant material include at least one section formed of polyethylene, such as for example an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene is polyethylene with extremely long chains such that the molecular weight usually ranges between 3.5 and 7.5 million atomic mass units.

[0040] The polyethylene portions may be integrated with or reinforced by portions of aramid fabrics. Aramid is aromatic polyamide and contains repeating units of large phenyl rings linked together by amide groups. Examples of aramid fabrics include Nomex and Kevlar, made by DuPont, and Twaron, made by Akzo Industrial Fibers.

[0041] The torso portion 122, the left upper arm portion 108, the left cuff 112, the right upper arm portion 116, and the right cuff 120 are each made of a non-cut-resistant fabric. The non-cut-resistant fabric provides a greater range of movement for users than would be provided if the entire protective garment 102 were made of the cut-resistant material. Additional benefits of the non-cut-resistant fabric include, for example, improved temperature regulation, improved circulation, and accelerated post-workout recovery.

[0042] Suitable fabrics for the non-cut-resistant fabric include, but are not limited to, spandex, polyester, synthetic, microfiber, nylon, and/or polypropylene fabrics. In some embodiments, the non-cut-resistant fabric is a blend of multiple different materials. In some such embodiments the non-cut-resistant fabric comprises about 85% polyester and about 15% spandex. For example, the non-cut-resistant fabric may comprise 80-90% polyester and 10-20% spandex.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, the left cuff 112 and the right cuff 120 further form thumbholes 130a, 130b. The thumbholes 130a, 130b assist in keeping the cut-resistant material of the left forearm portion 108 and the right forearm portion 118 in place on the user's wrists and/or forearms. In other embodiments, a protective garment may not form thumbholes. In some embodiments, a protective garment may form a thumbhole on only one of the left and right cuffs.

[0044] The left upper arm portion 108 and the right upper arm portion 116 further include silicon dots 132a, 132b, respectively. The silicon dots 132a, 132b are useful for keeping additional protective equipment, such as elbow pads, in place. The silicon dots 132a, 132b may be uniformly or randomly distributed. In some embodiments, the silicon dots 132a, 132b are distributed circumferentially around the left upper arm portion 108 and the right upper arm portion 116. In other embodiments, left and right upper arm portions do not include silicon dots. In some embodiments, one of the left and right upper arm portions includes silicon dots.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 2, a rear view of the protective garment 102 with a placket 126 in a closed position is shown according to one embodiment. As can be seen in the rear view of the protective garment 102, the placket 126 extends through the collar 104 and the yoke 124. The placket 126 is a closeable opening in the protective garment 102 that facilitates putting on and removing the protective garment 102. The placket 126 is also useful for adjusting the collar 104 to fit snugly against the user's neck. In other embodiments, a placket is not located on the rear of the protective garment. For example, a placket is on a side of the protective garment or on a front of the protective garment. In some embodiments, there are multiple plackets in a protective garment. It is contemplated that there are plackets on the torso portion, the left sleeve, and/or the right sleeve.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the protective garment 102 with the placket 126 in an open position according to one embodiment. The open position of the placket 126 is useful for removing or donning the protective garment 102 because it increases the size of the opening defined by the collar 104, permitting a user's head to extend therethrough. As shown in FIG. 3, the placket 126 further includes hook and loop fasteners 128 to assist in temporarily transitioning the placket 126 to the closed position (the closed position is shown in FIG. 2).

[0047] Instead of hook and loop fasteners, other options for fastening the placket 126 into the closed position may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the placket includes buttons and holes, a zipper, studs, buckles, snap fasteners, eyelets, or any other suitable fastening system that allows the placket to transition between the closed and open positions.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0049] The disclosed embodiments are illustrative, not restrictive. While specific configurations of the garment have been described in a specific manner referring to the illustrated embodiments, it is understood that the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of solutions which fit within the scope and spirit of the claims. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention.

[0050] It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.