Abstract:
A protective athletic garment provides segmented padding is patterned to conform to the size, shape and motion of the muscles it is protecting. Segmented padding is supplemented in joint areas by tangentially-stepped articulated shielding, each comprising a hingeably interconnected series of rigid shells. The structure and orientation of the shells deflects impact forces tangentially, while the rotational mobility of the shielding has a force-damping effect. The protective athletic garment has a combination of latticed resilient padding covering vulnerable body areas, such as chest, arms and back, plus articulated, perforated rigid shield panels over joints areas, such as shoulders and elbows. Synergistic dynamic interaction of padding and shielding is achieved by converting impact forces to torques within a series of articulated shield panels and spreading out the forces transmitted to the underlying padding both over area and time.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/064,336, filed on Mar. 21, 2011. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of protective garments, and more particularly to garments to protect athletes competing in contact sports, such as lacrosse, football, hockey and motocross. While the present invention is primarily directed to protective athletic garments, however, it is also applicable to garments used in any activity involving potential high-impact bodily contact where there is a need provide protection without unduly restricting mobility. 
     Protective garments and equipment designed for use in contact sports typically rely on two modes of dissipating impact forces: padding and shielding. Padding dissipates the force through elastic deformation of the padding material, while shielding deflects a portion of the force away from the body. Optimally, padding and shielding are used in combination, with padding underlying shielding, so that undeflected forces transmitted through the shield can be absorbed by the padding beneath. 
     The major problem in designing effective athletic gear is the need to balance protection versus mobility. Even within the same sport, different degrees and types of protection and mobility are often demanded for different position players. Shoulder protectors suitable for a football lineman, for example, would be much too confining for a quarterback or wide receiver, while a quarterback&#39;s lighter padding would be ineffective for blocking on the line. 
     One way to provide both mobility and protection is to segment or articulate the padding and/or shielding, leaving interstices and/or joints within which flexing and bending can take place. Segmentation and/or articulation of both padding and shielding is needed to provide mobility where both modes of protection are being deployed in conjunction with one another. But, since segmentation and articulation introduce additional degrees of freedom of movement to padding and shielding beyond that associated with their protective functions, it&#39;s important that the mobility dynamics of the padding and shielding not work at cross purposes to their protective dynamics. 
     For example, a simplistic approach to segmenting an elbow protector would be to split it above and below the joint. But, while facilitating elbow movement, such segmentation would also leave the most sensitive outer part of the elbow exposed every time the elbow was bent. 
     Another important consideration in designing articulated body protection is the interaction between the padding and the shielding. For example, foam padding underlying a one-piece shield panel will compress downward to dissipate a downward force applied to the panel. But the same padding beneath a two-piece panel may be subject to sideward pressure which limits its downward compression and reduces force dissipation. 
     The prior art in this field includes garments in which segmented padding is inserted into pockets or openings in the garment. Examples of these garments are disclosed by Mattila, U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,407, Ketcham et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,706, Valtakari, U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,473, and Davis, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2007/0199129. While pocket-type padding has the advantage of versatility, the padding adds to the bulk of the garment and impedes mobility. 
     Several prior art patents/applications teach the use of segmented protective pads which are integrated within the fabric of the garment. Examples of such integrated segmented padding designs appear in Fortier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,559, Stewart et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,082, and Lamson et al., U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0044319. A joint protector with articulated padding is disclosed by Williams, U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,503, in which the resilient members conform to the contours of the protected joint. 
     The combination of segmented padding with overlying non-articulated panels is taught by Donzis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,271, wherein the panels conform to body contours, as do the pocket-insert panels disclosed by Valtakari and Davis. An upper body protector comprising inflatable air cells in combination with rigid non-articulated plastic epaulets is taught by Maynard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,703. 
     The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a protective garment with a combination of latticed resilient padding covering vulnerable body areas, such as chest, arms and back, plus articulated, perforated rigid shield panels over joints areas, such as shoulders and elbows. Synergistic dynamic interaction of padding and shielding is achieved by converting impact forces to torques within a series of articulated shield panels and spreading out the forces transmitted to the underlying padding both over area and time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention can be practiced in a number of embodiments, which should be understood before one specific embodiment is described in detail. For illustrative purposes, some of these embodiments will now be discussed for the purpose of conveying a better understanding of the general intent of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that neither the following illustrative embodiments, nor the detailed embodiment described in the next section of this application, are intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     The present invention uses latticed resilient padding in conjunction with articulated, perforated shielding comprising a series of interconnected light-weight shield rigid panels. By “latticed,” it is meant that the padding has a open structure, through which air can circulate, comprising flexibly interconnected lattice subunits, each having a central cavity defined by a perimeter wall that is either polygonal, circular, oval, or elliptical in shape. By “perforated” it is meant that the shield panels are penetrated by a series of apertures, through which air can circulate. The purpose of the latticed padding and perforated shield panels is to reduce the weight of the padding/shielding as well as to improve its flexibility. 
     The garment has an outer layer and a liner layer, with some padding material distributed over various areas between the two layers, and other padding material attached to the outer layer and projecting above it. The former will be referred to as “interior padding” and the latter as “exterior padding”. The padding material can consist of a gel, such as semi-solid silicone, a foam, such as open-cell polyurethane, or a polymer composite. Cells filled with compressed air or gas, as well as inflatable air bladders, can also be used as padding material. 
     Segmentation of the padding is patterned to conform to the size, shape and motion of the muscles it is protecting. Using the front of an upper body garment as an example, interior padding over the chest could comprise two large triangular foam segments over the right and left pectorals separated by an exterior vertical oblong strip of raised square or rectangular gel segments over the sternum. The outer sides of the upper arms and forearms could be covered with exterior padding comprising clusters of cubical or hemispherical cells containing compressed air, for greater mobility. Over the clavicle, exterior padding might consists of narrow raised polymer strips running across the shoulder, so as not to impede the upward movement of the arm. 
     The articulated shielding is designed to direct impact forces in a direction tangential to the contours of the protected body area. Over the shoulder, for example, the shielding might comprise a series of flexibly interconnected shells arranged in a stepped configuration. Each of the shells would have multiple flat or slightly convex outer surfaces tangentially aligned with respect to the underlying shoulder contours. The shells would be fabricated from a light-weight impact-resistant plastic, fracture-resistant long glass fiber nylon, or ceramic material. The interconnection between the shells would permit each of the shells to rotate upward, sliding partially under the adjacent shell as the arm is raised. 
     The tangentially-stepped articulated shielding of the present invention will dissipate impact forces in two ways. First, an oblique impact to one of the shells will tend to move it in the direction of least resistance, which is at a tangent to the underlying body contour, so that the orthogonal component of the force is re-directed and deflected. Second, an orthogonal or oblique impact to one of the shells will generate a torque causing the shell to rotate about the hinge connecting it to the adjacent shell. This rotational motion will be transmitted down the series of interconnected shells, thereby generating an undulating movement which tends to dampen the force. Since this undulating motion of the shielding has both horizontal and vertical components, the orthogonal force component is again reduced. Moreover, the undulating transmission extends the force over a larger body area and protracts the time interval during which the force is applied to the body, thereby reducing the resulting pressure on the body. 
     As applied to protect bodily joint areas, the articulation of the shielding is configured to allow motion in accordance with the structure of the bodily joint. For example, over hinge joints, such as the elbow and the knee, the articulated shield segments are interconnected by hinges comprising flexible interstitial connecting bands (see  FIG. 4A , reference number  32 ), which can either be continuous with and integral to the shield or discrete connectors. Such hinged articulated shielding has one degree of freedom, thereby allowing the elbow/knee joint to move back and forth in one plane. 
     On the other hand, over ball-and-socket joints, such as the shoulder and hip, the articulated shield comprises discrete segments interconnected by discrete flexible interstitial ties or cords (see  FIG. 6A , reference number  45 ). Such tied segmented shielding has three degrees of freedom, thereby allowing the shoulder/hip joint to move around in three planes. 
     As applied to protect torso areas, the shielding comprises non-articulated, rigid perforated panels (see  FIG. 8A ). The torso panels substantially conform to the shape of the covered torso area. Shielding over the upper chest, for example, comprises substantially triangular panels conforming to the shape of the pectoral muscles (as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , reference number  18 ). 
     The padding underlying the shielding is also adapted to the required range of motion of the bodily area it is protecting. As applied to a hinge joint like the elbow, for example, the padding need only be capable of bending in one plane. Therefore, the hinge joint padding has a close lattice structure, that is, with less than 50% cavity space (see  FIG. 5B ) and is thicker in the central area directly over the joint (see  FIG. 5C ). On the other hand, as applied to a ball-and-socket joint like the shoulder, the padding must be capable of bending in all three planes. Therefore, the socket joint padding has an open lattice structure, that is, with more than 50% cavity space (see  FIG. 7B ) and has a uniform thickness. 
     As applied to protect torso areas, the padding need only be capable of flexing with minimal bending, therefore, the torso padding has a very close lattice structure, that is, with less than 40% cavity space (see  FIG. 9 ), and with a uniform thickness. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C are front, back and left side views, respectively, of an exemplary upper torso protective garment, without the shielding components, according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  2 C are front, back and left side views, respectively, of an exemplary upper torso protective garment, with the shielding components, according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 E are detail front views of the shoulder shielding component of an exemplary upper torso protective garment, according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3C and 3D  are detail front views, and  FIG. 3E  is a detail side view of the elbow shielding component of an exemplary upper torso protective garment, according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C are a top, side and bottom perspective view, respectively, of an exemplary hinged articulated elbow shield according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 5A ,  5 B and  5 C are a top perspective, detail and side view, respectively, of exemplary elbow padding according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 6A ,  6 B and  6 C are a side, top and bottom perspective view, respectively, of an exemplary tied segmented shoulder shield according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 7A ,  7 B and  7 C are a top, detail and side view, respectively, of exemplary shoulder padding according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 8A ,  8 B and  8 C are a perspective, top and side view of an exemplary torso panel according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of exemplary torso padding according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1C , the front and sides of the exemplary upper torso protective garment  10  include both interior padding  11  and exterior padding  12 . The interior chest padding  13  over the pectorals comprises two triangular pads of open cell polyurethane foam, approximately two to three inches thick. The interior rib-cage padding  14  comprises four semi-trapezoidal pads, likewise consisting of open cell polyurethane foam, approximately two to three inches thick. The exterior arm padding  15  comprises three clusters of raised cubical gel cells, approximately one-quarter to one-half inch in height, positioned over the outer surfaces of the upper arm, elbow and forearm. The exterior shoulder padding  16  comprises multiple narrow raised gel strips, approximately one-quarter to one-half inch in height, running front to back across the clavicle area. The outer garment layer above each of the pectorals is optionally provided with a pocket  17  into which a rigid breast plate  18  (see  FIG. 2A ) can be inserted. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1B , the back of the exemplary upper torso garment  10  includes the exterior arm  15  and shoulder  16  padding described above. In addition, there is interior upper back padding  19  over the scapula areas comprising two triangular pads and interior lower back padding  20  over the latissimus dorsi areas comprising four semi-trapezoidal pads, with the pads in both cases consisting of open cell polyurethane foam, approximately two to three inches thick. Exterior spinal padding  21  over the backbone area comprises an oblong strip of raised cubical gel cells, approximately one-quarter to one-half inch in height. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  2 C, tangentially-stepped articulated shielding  22  is attached over the padding and consists of two shoulder shields  23  and two elbow shields  24 . Optionally, as mentioned above, two triangular breast plates  18  can also be inserted into the pockets  17  for added protection of the pectoral areas. Preferably, the shielding  22  and breast plates  18 , are fabricated from a light-weight, rigid impact-resistant plastic or ceramic. Each of the shoulder shields  23  comprises three interconnected shoulder shells  25 , each having an open-rectangular or convex shape. Each shoulder shell  25  is hingeably connected at its base to the next adjacent shell  25 , such that each of the shells  25  can rotate upward and slide partially under the next adjacent shell when the garment wearer raises his/her arm. Each of the elbow shields  24  comprises five interconnected elbow shells  26 , each having an open-rectangular or convex shape. Each elbow shell  26  is hingeably connected at its base to the next adjacent shell  26 , such that each of the shells  26  can rotate upward and slide partially under the next adjacent shell when the garment wearer bends his/her arm. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2C and 3E , for the shoulder shells  25  and the elbow shells  26 , the hinged connections between the base edges of each shell and the top edges of the adjacent shells preferably comprise a series of rectangular thin plastic flexible connection strips  27 , of the type found on the strap section of a cable tie. The flexible connector strips  27  can be more or less elongated and/or more or less flexible to enable a greater or lesser range of motion between the shells. By enabling both translational and rotational movement between the shells, the flexible connector strips  27  serve to transmit impact forces along the interconnected shells so as to deflect the forces away from the wearer&#39;s body, as well as to dissipate and damp the forces by generating an undulating motion among the shells, as discussed hereinabove. 
       FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 E illustrate in detail the tangentially-stepped articulated structure of one of the shoulder shields  23 . The rotational movement of the shoulder shells  25  when the arm is raised can be seen by comparing  FIG. 3A  with  FIG. 3C .  FIGS. 3C and 3D  illustrate in detail the tangentially-stepped articulated structure of one of the elbow shields  24 . The rotational movement of the elbow shells  26  when the elbow is bent can be seen by comparing  FIG. 3D  with  FIG. 3C . 
       FIGS. 4A-4C  illustrates an exemplary rigid shield for a hinge joint—in this case the elbow joint. The exemplary elbow shield  30  comprises four articulated arcuate shield segments  31  hingeably interconnected by three integral flexible connecting bands  32 . The connecting bands  32  act as hinges between the shield segments  31 , permitting them to bend in a single plane with respect to one another in order to accommodate the bending motion of an elbow. The shield segments  31  have a uniform grid of perforations  33  to reduce their weight and allow air to circulate through them for better ventilation. Preferably, the elbow shield  30  is made of a lightweight, durable thermoplastic polymer, such as polycarbonate. 
       FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrates exemplary padding for a hinge joint—again as applied to the elbow. This elbow padding  35  underlies the elbow shield  30  and absorbs any impact forces transmitted through that shield  30 . The elbow padding  35  has a close lattice structure  36 , comprising a network of cells  39 , each having a cell wall  40  surrounding a central cell cavity  41 , with cell interstices  42  between adjoining cell walls  40 . 
     The close lattice structure  36  of the elbow padding, which contains less than 50% open space in the cell cavities  41  and interstices  42 , permits the padding  35  to bend in a single plane to accommodate the bending motion of the elbow. The open space components of the padding ( 41  and  42 ) also reduce its weight and promote ventilation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5C , the elbow padding  35  has a central bulge  37 , designed to be aligned with the elbow joint for better cushioning, with tapered flanks  38  on either side. Preferably, the elbow padding  35  is made of an elastomeric gel, such as silicone. 
       FIGS. 6A-6C  illustrates an exemplary rigid shield for a ball-and-socket joint—in this case the shoulder joint and clavicle. The exemplary shoulder shield  43  comprises five discrete arcuate shield members  44  rotatably interconnected by four flexible connector ties  45 . The connector ties  45  allow translational motion between the shield members  44  in all three planes (longitudinal, transverse and vertical, corresponding respectively to the x, y and z axes in the figures). This translational motion serves to redirect and deflect impact forces away from the shoulder and clavicle. The connector ties  45  also allow rotational motion between the shield members  44  about the longitudinal and transverse axes (x and y axes in the figures), thereby enabling an undulating motion among the shield members  44  that serves to dissipate and damp impact forces. 
     The connector ties  45  can consist of looped cable ties, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,490,887 and 5,758,390, which are incorporated herein by reference. The connector ties can be connected through cooperating tie apertures  46  in top edges of the shield members  44 , as best seen in  FIG. 6B . Preferably, the shoulder shield  43  is made of a lightweight durable thermoplastic polymer, such as polycarbonate. 
       FIGS. 7A-7C  illustrates exemplary padding for a ball-and-socket joint, as applied to the shoulder and clavicle. The shoulder padding  47  will underlie the shoulder shield  43  and absorb any impact forces transmitted through that shield  43 . The shoulder padding  47  has an open lattice structure  48 , comprising a network of cells  52 , each having a cell wall  49  surrounding a central cell cavity  50 , with cell interstices  51  between adjoining cell walls  49 . 
     The open lattice structure  48  of the shoulder padding, which contains more than 50% open space in the cell cavities  50  and interstices  51 , permits the padding  47  to bend in all three planes to accommodate the motion of the shoulder joint. The open space components of the padding ( 50  and  51 ) also reduce its weight and promote ventilation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7C , the shoulder padding  47  has a uniform thickness. This padding  47  is preferably made of an elastomeric gel, such as silicone. 
       FIGS. 8A-8C  illustrates an exemplary rigid panel for protection of a torso area, such as the chest or upper back. The exemplary torso panel  53  comprises a non-articulated, rigid quadrangular panel penetrated by a uniform grid of perforations  54 , which reduce the weight and improve ventilation. As shown in  FIG. 8C , the torso panel has a uniform thickness. The preferred material for the torso panel  53  is a lightweight, durable thermoplastic polymer, such as polycarbonate. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary torso padding  55 , which underlies the torso panel  53  and absorbs any impact forces transmitted through the panel  53 . The torso padding  55  has a very close lattice structure  56 , comprising a uniform grid of cavities  57 , such that there is less than 40% open cavity space in the padding. This structure enables flexing, but only minimal bending. The torso padding has a uniform thickness and is preferably made of an elastomeric gel, such as silicone. 
     Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.