Abstract:
An exemplary embodiment provides for exercise attire that includes removable joint pads insertable at knee portions for a pair of exercise attire or at elbow portions if the article is an exercise shirt. Advantageously, the claimed embodiments provide for comfort at the joints when certain types of exercise, such as yoga, are performed. Specifically, exercise that involves being on one&#39;s knees or contact of elbows to the floor. Since the removable joint pads are removable, the associated exercise attire can easily be laundered without damaging the removable joint pad.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Manufacture and sale of specialized exercise attire is a rather large market. These clothing items are popular as they are comfortable and stretchable. Due to this, they contribute to the overall enjoyment of an exercise session. 
         [0002]    However, for certain types of exercise there are aspects of exercise attire that are not optimal for the given activity. Therefore a need exists to improve on those aspects. 
         [0003]    The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements. 
         [0005]    The claimed embodiments provide for exercise attire that includes removable joint pads insertable into pockets at knee portions for a pair of exercise pants or pockets at elbow portions if the article is an exercise shirt. In one embodiment, the point pad may be sewed into the exercise pants or exercise shirt. Also, the joint pad may be attached via an adhesive or velcro or other means. Advantageously, the claimed embodiments provide for comfort at the joints when certain types of exercise, such as yoga, are performed. Specifically, exercise that involves being on one&#39;s knees or contact of elbows to the floor. Since the joint pads are removable, the associated exercise attire can easily be laundered without damaging the removable joint pad. 
         [0006]    One embodiment provides for, by way of non-limiting example, a pair of exercise pants that includes left and right leg portions, a left pocket located at a left knee portion of the left leg portion and a right pocket located at a right knee portion of the right leg portion. 
         [0007]    Another embodiment provides for, by way of non-limiting example, an exercise shirt that includes left and right arm portions, a left pocket located at a left elbow portion of the left arm portion and a right pocket located at a right elbow portion of the right arm portion. 
         [0008]    Also, various embodiments provide for removable joint pads to be stitched into elbow or knee portions of exercise pants or an exercise shirt. 
         [0009]    Yet another embodiment includes, by way of non-limiting example, a removable joint pad operable to be inserted into a pocket of an elbow portion of an exercise shirt or a pocket of a knee portion of a pair of exercise pants. The removable joint pad includes an inner layer of neoprene and outer layers of nylon above and below the inner layer of neoprene. The joint pad could also be made of gel foam. The claimed embodiments are not limited to these two listed materials, for the joint pad, and other materials can potentially be utilized. 
         [0010]    In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following descriptions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a removable joint pad, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional isometric view of the removable joint pad, of  FIG. 1 , as viewed along line  4 - 4 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates a pair of exercise pants, turned inside out, that includes pockets, at knee sections, to insert the removable joint pad, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates the removable joint pad being inserted into a pocket located at the interior knee section of the pair of exercise pants, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exterior of the pair of exercise pants that includes patches at the knee sections, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    As indicated in the Summary section, the claimed embodiments provide for exercise attire that includes interior pockets at joint portions that accommodate insertion of a removable joint pad. In terms of the claimed embodiments, a pocket is defined as a small pouch on a garment for insertion of small articles. However, the claimed embodiments are not limited to this definition. An example removable joint pad  2  is shown in  FIGS. 1-2 . More specifically,  FIG. 1  is a plan view of a removable joint pad  2  and  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional isometric view of the removable joint pad  2 , of  FIG. 1 , as viewed along line  2 - 2 , both figures in accordance with exemplary embodiments. Removable joint pad  4  includes cutout portions  6   a ,  6   b ,  6   c  and  6   d . The cutout portions ( 6   a ,  6   b ,  6   c  and  6   d ) are included as they promote flexibility for the removable joint pad from getting bunched up in a pocket (to be illustrated in  FIGS. 3-4 ). It should be understood that cutout portions  6   a ,  6   b ,  6   c  and  6   d  incorporate one embodiment of cutout portions of a removable joint pad  2 . Other cutout portion patterns can also be utilized to prevent the removable joint pad  2  from getting bunched up in a pocket. 
         [0018]    Turning to  FIG. 2 , which illustrates the cross-sectional isometric view of the removable joint pad  2  along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 , joint pad  2 , in one embodiment, includes an inner portion  8  and outer portions  10   a  and  10   b . In one embodiment, inner portion  8  is neoprene and in an additional embodiment, the neoprene is about 6 millimeters thick. As previously stated, the joint pad can be made of gel foam and the claimed embodiments are not limited to these two materials. Also, in an embodiment, outer portions  10   a  and  10   b  are nylon and are about 1 millimeter thick. Outer portions  10   a  and  10   b  advantageously help to promote ease of insertion and extraction into a pocket of a piece of exercise attire. Also, in one embodiment, a company logo may be printed on an outer surface of layers  10   a  or  10   b  or both. 
         [0019]    Sheets of neoprene, with or without outer portions of nylon, can be obtained from numerous sources and then cut into a desired shape. One such source is FoamOrder.com (http://www.foamorder.com/index.html) of San Francisco, Calif. Furthermore, the claimed embodiments are not limited to sheets of neoprene with or without outer portions of nylon. 
         [0020]    Next up is  FIG. 3  which illustrates a pair of exercise pants  12 , turned inside out, that includes pockets ( 14   a ,  14   b ) at knee sections ( 15   a ,  15   b ) each operable to receive a removable joint pad  2  (not shown), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Pockets  14   a  and  14   b  also include flaps  16   a  and  16   b  which overlap pockets  14   a  and  14   b , respectively. Flaps  16   a  or  16   b  advantageously keep a removable joint pad  2  in a pocket  14   a  or  14   b . If flaps  16   a  or  16   b  are not present, the removable joint pad  2  may slip out of pocket  14   a  or  14   b  during use of exercise pants  12 .  FIG. 4  illustrates the removable joint pad  2  being inserted into the pocket  14   a  or  14   b  with flap  16   a  or  16   b  flipped up, accordingly, to allow the removable joint pad  2  to be inserted into pocket  14   a  or  14   b.    
         [0021]    The embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 3-4  may also, in another embodiment, be applied to an exercise shirt such that pockets ( 14   a ,  14   b ), that includes flaps ( 16   a ,  16   b ), are located at elbow portions. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 5  illustrates an exterior of the pair of exercise pants  12  that includes patches ( 18   a ,  18   b ) at the knee sections ( 15   a ,  15   b ), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The patches ( 18   a ,  18   b ), in one embodiment, are made from nylon. The patches ( 18   a ,  18   b ) are employed to reduce wear on fabric of the exercise pants  12  at the knee sections ( 15   a ,  15   b ). 
         [0023]    The exercise pants  12  may be made, in various embodiments, from a number of different fabrics. Some examples include, but not limited to, a spandex/cotton combination fabric and a bamboo fabric. 
         [0024]    In another embodiment, exercise pants  12  may include pockets at a buttocks portion/rear section and pads may be inserted into those pockets. Also, the pockets, at the rear section, may also have flaps similar to flaps  16   a  and  16   b  that are shown in  FIG. 3 . Rear section pockets and associated pads may be used in a pair of exercise pants  12  alone or in combination with pockets  14   a ,  14   b  and associated removable joint pads  2 . 
         [0025]    In yet another embodiment, pockets ( 14   a ,  14   b  and/or rear pockets) may be located on an exterior portion of the exercise pants  12 . Similarly, pockets at elbow portions of an exercise shirt may also be located at an exterior side of the exercise shirt. 
         [0026]    It should be noted that exercise pants  12 , or an exercise shirt, with a joint pad  2 , can be used for various types of exercise. Examples include, but are not limited to, are yoga, biking, pilates, aerobics and skiing. 
         [0027]    In another embodiment, pockets ( 14   a ,  14   b  and/or rear pockets) may be located in-situ. That is, a joint pad  2 , for example, may be sewn into a knee or elbow portion such that they are non-removable. In addition to sewing, a joint pad  2  may be attached to an article of clothing via velcro, an adhesive, heat bonding, etc. 
         [0028]    In still another embodiment, pockets joint pads may be located at other body regions such as a forearms, thighs, etc. Other embodiments envision pads to be included in various types of fabric such as denim, cotton and other fabrics, at various body locations. 
         [0029]    While pad  2  is referred to as a ‘joint pad  2 ,’ it should be understood that the pad may be located at various sections of the body, via an article of clothing, not just a joint section such as a knee or elbow. 
         [0030]    While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.