Abstract:
Athletic ear guard assembly is disclosed having a removable inner ear pad that enables the ear pad to be removed by hand for a thorough cleaning of both the ear pad and the concave cup section into which the ear pad is mounted. The cup section is part of a side panel molded with a plurality of extending legs that are deflected to form the concave cup section. Likewise, the inner ear pad is also molded flat to provide ease in molding the components of the ear guard assembly. Thorough cleaning of the ear guard assembly is facilitated by easy hand removal of the ear pad to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses among wrestling opponents.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an athletic ear guard assembly such as that worn by a wrestler and in particular to an ear guard assembly having removable ear pads to facilitate a thorough cleaning of the ear guard assembly. 
     During a wresting match, the opposing wrestlers are in close bodily contact with one another as well as in contact with the wrestling mat. As a result, it is possible that bacteria and or viruses carried on the skin or clothing of one wrestler can be transferred either directly to an opposing wrestler or can be transferred to the mat where it can be picked up by a subsequent wrestler. Such a transfer of bacteria or viruses is most likely with respect to diseases involving open wounds or sores such as cold sores. Of recent concern is the transmission of herpes simplex I between wrestling opponents. To help prevent the transmission of contagious diseases, increasing attention has been given to hygiene of wrestlers. It is recommended that wrestlers shower both before and after practice and that clean clothing be issued before each practice. 
     Wrestlers at virtually all levels of competition are required to wear protective head gear that covers the wrester&#39;s ears to prevent abrasion injuries to the ears. During use, the head gear collects perspiration and, by virtue of contact with the opponent and the wrestling mat, the head gear can collect bacteria and viruses. The perspiration provides an environment conducive for the growth of the bacteria or virus. Typical wrestling head gear has been constructed in a manner that creates numerous crevices for harboring perspiration and bacteria or viruses, making thorough cleaning and drying of the head gear relatively difficult. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the hygiene of wrestlers by providing head gear that can be easily cleaned to thoroughly remove all perspiration, bacteria, viruses etc., that are collected during a wrestling match. 
     It is a feature of the present invention to construct the head gear with a pair of concave cup sections for placement over the wearer&#39;s ears. Each cup section has a removable inner ear pad for direct contact with the wearer&#39;s ear. The inner ear pad is removable from the cup section by hand, enabling both the ear pads and the cup sections to be thoroughly washed, cleaned and dried. 
     It is a further feature of the present invention that both the inner ear pads and the concave cup sections are manufactured as flat molded parts that are later contoured into a concave shape. The flat molding simplifies the manufacturing process and facilitates printing of graphics to the outer side of the cup sections for team logos, etc. 
     Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled head gear of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational view of one side panel of the head gear of the present invention shown as a flat molding; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the side panel shown in FIG. 2 after contouring to form a cup section; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inner ear pad of the present invention shown as a flat molding; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the inner ear pad being removed by hand from the cup section; and 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the cup section and inner ear pad as seen from substantially the line 6--6 of FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The athletic ear guard of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and designated generally at lo. Ear Guard 10 is assembled from a pair of side panels 12 and 14 with side panel 12 being the right side panel and side panel 14 being the left side panel. The side panels are plastic injection molded in a substantially flat sheet form as shown in FIG. 2 with the right side panel 12. The left and right side panels are molded with integral upper straps 16 and 18 respectively and rear straps 20 and 22 respectively. The straps 16 and 20 of the right side panel are formed with a plurality of regularly spaced holes 24 and with an elongated through slot 26 at the ends of the straps. The slots 26 extend transversely to the length of the straps in the enlarged end portions 28. The end portions are enlarged in width so that the slots 26 are longer than the width of the main portion 30 of the straps 16 and 20. 
     The two side panels are assembled together by feeding the straps 18 and 22 of the left side panel through the slots 26 in the straps of the right side panel. The straps 18 and 22 of the left side panel are each equipped with four raised mounting studs 32 that are spaced to snap into the holes 24 of straps 16 and 20. The straps 18 and 22 are fed through the slots 26 in an outside to inside manner such that the surface 31 of the straps 18 and 22, with the raised studs 32, faces the straps 16 and 20. This enables the studs to be snap-fit into the corresponding holes 24. The size of the ear guard assembly is adjusted by appropriate selection of the holes into which the mounting studs are inserted. 
     A cup section 34 is formed by each of the side panels to cover the wearer&#39;s ears. The cup portion is formed by a main panel 36 and three legs 38, 40 and 42 extending from the main panel. The legs are spaced from one another and extend in the same direction from the main panel. To form the cup section, the legs are deflected so the distal end 39 of outer leg 38 and the distal end 43 of outer leg 42 overlay the distal end of the center leg 40 as shown in FIG. 3. The holes 44 at the distal end of each leg are aligned with one another forming a passage through the three legs once overlaid. The ends of the legs overlay one another by bending of the outer legs which causes the center leg as well as the main panel 36 to bend, forming the triangularly shaped cup section 34, shown in FIG. 3. 
     To aid in assembly, the distal end 41 of the center leg 40 is formed with two smaller holes 46 while the outer surface of the distal ends 39 and 43 of the other legs are each formed with a mounting stud 32 (not shown) for insertion into the holes 46. This holds the legs in position while a rivet 48 (shown in FIG. 5) is inserted through the now aligned holes 44. The cup section 34 has a concave inner surface 50 shown in FIG. 3 forming a concave cavity and a generally convex outer surface 52 shown in FIG. 1. The spaces between the legs 40 and 42 form vent slots 54 in the cup sections 34. At the periphery of the cup sections 34, along the three sides of the triangularly shaped cupped sections, a flange 56 is formed on the interior or concave side forming a generally U-shaped channel 58 best shown in FIG. 6. 
     An inner ear pad 60 is mounted in the cup on the concave side of the cup section 34 for contact with the wearer&#39;s ear. The inner ear pad 60 is molded flat of a soft, resilient, vinyl/rubber compound. The ear pad is in a flat triangulated shape with two sides 62 and 64 in an open appendage form and separated from the center portion 66 by spaces 68. Inner ear pad 60 is easily deformable or contoured into a concave shape to be mounted into the cup section 34 as shown in FIG. 1. The sides of the inner ear pads are formed with mounting flanges 70 for insertion into the U-shaped channels 58 at the periphery of the cup sections. The flanges thus retain the inner ear pads within the cup sections without the use of additional fasteners and in a manner that enables the inner ear pads to be removed and installed by hand as shown in FIG. 5. When installed, the spaces 68 between the legs of the inner ear pads align with the vent slots 54 in the cup sections to provide ventilation and to aid in hearing by the wearer. 
     The sides 62 and 64 of the inner ear pads and the center portion 66 are formed so as to create hollow chambers 72 between the inner ear pad and the cup section as shown in FIG. 6. During an impact, the inner ear pad will flex to absorb a portion of the impact energy, thus protecting the wearer&#39;s ears. The inner surface 74 of the inner ear pads is textured to lessen the total surface contact area with the wearer&#39;s ears and to also increase friction between the wearer&#39;s ears and the inner ear pad to reduce relative motion. Channels 76 are formed between the center section and sides of the inner ear pad at the upper end to aid in ventilation and drainage of perspiration. 
     The rivet 48, shown in FIG. 5, forms half of a snap fastener on the exterior surface of the cup section to enable a chin strap 76, having the complementary halves 78 of the snap fasteners mounted thereto, to be snapped to the ear guard assembly 10. The chin strap retains the ear guard assembly on the wearer&#39;s head. Slot 80 in the center leg 40 of the side panel enables the excess length 82 of the chin strap 76 to be hidden in the ear guard assembly to keep the excess strap away from the opponent&#39;s eyes. 
     After use, the inner ear pads can be removed by hand as shown in FIG. 5 for a thorough cleaning of the ear pads and the side panels 12 and 14. As a result, any accumulation of perspiration as well as bacteria or viruses that have been collected on the ear guard assembly from either the mat or the opponent, can be removed. The ear guard assembly of the present invention thus meets the objective of the present invention to aid in improving hygiene to stop the spread of illnesses among wrestlers. 
     The side panels, by being molded flat provide a convenient surface for the addition of a team logo or identification as indicated on the right side panel 12 shown in FIG. 1. Since the side panel is initially flat, graphics can be easily printed thereon. This provides an additional advantage of the ear guard assembly of the present invention as compared to ear guards molded with a convex outer surface. 
     It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction illustrated and described above, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.