Double-coverage athletic protective cup with hinged flange

An athletic protective cup apparatus is set forth to enclose the genitals of a user of the device comprising a first interiorly positioned cup device utilizing a central protective cup of a first hardness provided with an enlarged orthogonally oriented flange area extending outwardly of the cup to protect the abdomen and pelvic region of a wearer elastically secured to a wearer by a plurality of elastic straps. A second cup of a less dense and softer material of a second hardness less than the first hardness overlies the first cup and is secured to the flange portion of the first cup and further includes an elastic ring at a lowermost portion of the second cup to enable pivotal movement of the second cup relative to the first cup and enable ambulatory freedom of a wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The field of invention relates to protective athletic devices, and more 
particularly pertains to a double-coverage athletic protective cup wherein 
the same sets forth a plurality of relatively movably mounted cup devices 
of first and second durometer hardnesses to accommodate strikes to the 
groin and associated pelvic region of a wearer. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of protective athletic cup devices is well known in the prior art. 
While prior devices have attempted to fully protect the relatively 
sensitive groin region of a male wearer of the device, the prior art has 
failed to provide the plural cup construction utilizing varying hardness 
polymeric materials to provide protection of a wearer. For example, U.S. 
Pat. No. 1,830,572 to Taylor sets forth an interior cup 5 utilizing an 
exterior diaphragm to maintain a pressurized pneumatic chamber forwardly 
of the cup to soften strikes aimed at a groin area of a wearer. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,283,684 to Matthews sets forth an athletic protective cup 
wherein a cup is formed with a rearwardly directed perimeter cushioning 
member to provide a first spaced protective shock absorbing contact area 
with a wearer to enhance comfort and effectiveness of the cup, as opposed 
to the instant invention providing a plurality of protective cup portions, 
and further including a third protective means utilizing insertable strips 
to enhance the rigidity of the external cup as desired. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,846 to Lehman sets forth a male under garment provided 
with a plurality of layers including a forwardly directed support pouch 
and a flap disposed forwardly of the pouch to provide a plurality of 
protective areas relative to a groin portion of a wearer. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,414 to Gamm sets forth a protective cup device 
utilizing a rigid cup to enclose the genitals of a wearer and forwardly 
including a resilient molded portion positioned about the peripheral edge 
of the cup to enhance comfort of the cup, as utilized by a wearer. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,541 to Castelli sets forth a somewhat rigid cup 
positioned within a downwardly directed outer flap to secure the rigid cup 
to protect the groin area of a wearer. 
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to exist a need for a 
double-coverage athletic protective cup as set forth by the instant 
invention to address both the problems of effectiveness and comfort in 
use, and in this respect the present invention substantially fulfills this 
need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
athletic protective cup devices now present in the prior art, the present 
invention provides a double-coverage athletic protective cup wherein the 
same provides for an interior cup including a pelvic protective portion 
with a second exterior cup of a reduced hardness securedly fastened to the 
outer surface of the first cup and further provided with insertable 
flexible elongate members to vary the rigidity of the exterior cup, as 
desired. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will 
be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and 
improved double-coverage athletic protective cup which has all the 
advantages of the prior art athletic cup devices and none of the 
disadvantages. 
To attain this, the present invention comprises a double-coverage athletic 
protective cup provided with a first relatively rigid cup-shaped member 
formed with an outwardly directed flange to overlie the pelvic and lower 
abdomen region of a wearer and wherein a further protective cup is secured 
to an exterior surface of the first cup and is pivotally mounted thereto 
at a lowermost portion to enable ambulatory mobility of a user. Further, 
insertable rigid modification devices comprising elongate strips are 
selectively insertable into the second cup to modify the hardness of the 
second cup to accommodate strikes of various severity. The second 
protective cup is of generally softer material than the first cup to 
provide a first cushioning effect relative to the interior or first cup. 
My invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in 
the particular combination of all of them herein disclosed and claimed and 
it is distinguished from the prior art in this particular combination of 
all of its structures for the functions specified. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, 
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter 
and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which 
this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved double-coverage athletic protective cup which has all the 
advantages of the prior art athletic cup devices and none of the 
disadvantages. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
double-coverage athletic protective cup which may be easily and 
efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved double-coverage athletic protective cup which is of a durable and 
reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved double-coverage athletic protective cup which is susceptible of a 
low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which 
accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming 
public, thereby making such double-coverage athletic protective cups 
economically available to the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved double-coverage athletic protective cup which provides in the 
apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, 
while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally 
associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved double-coverage athletic protective cup provided with a plurality 
of cup members wherein the interior cup members are of relatively rigid 
material elastically secured to a wearer wherein the second cup is of a 
softer material pivotally mounted to the first cup and further provided 
with insertable strip portions to modify the rigidity of the outer cup as 
deemed necessary.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 3 
thereof, a new and improved double-coverage athletic protective cup 
embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and 
generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described. 
More specifically, it will be noted that the double-coverage athletic 
protective cup apparatus 10 essentially comprises a first inner cup member 
11 for use adjacent a pelvic and lower abdominal region of a wearer. The 
first inner cup member 11 includes an inner cup 13 of generally transverse 
and longitudinal cup shaped configuration tapered downwardly and of 
generally greater elongate dimension relative to a transverse dimensional 
width. The flange portion 14 integrally secured to the inner cup 13 is 
formed to the inner cup 13 at about an upper perimeter thereof wherein the 
flange portion extends laterally and upwardly of the inner cup 13. The 
inner cup 13 may be integrally formed to the flange 14 or formed as a 
separately removable member secured thereto by snap fasteners 13a, as 
illustrated. 
The flange portion 14 is further formed with first and second junction 
hinges 15 and 16 formed generally transversely of the flange portion 14 
originating at a width somewhat equal to the width of the inner cup 13 and 
tapering towards one another towards the upper terminal edge of the flange 
portion 14. A third and fourth junction hinge 17 and 18 are formed to the 
flange portion 14 somewhat longitudinally of the flange portion 14 and 
directed angularly upwardly wherein the various junctions hinges 15, 16, 
17, and 18 enable accommodation of various body contours and use in 
conjunction with the flange portion 14 that is molded of a curvilinear 
configuration to accommodate a lower torso portion of a human anatomy. 
A non-elastic first loop 19 is formed at a lowermost terminal end of the 
inner cup 13. The first loop 19 accepts a lower elastic strap 20 secured 
to the outer cup member 12 of the instant invention. An upper elastic band 
21 if formed in a continuous loop about an upper portion of the outer cup 
member 12. The upper elastic band 21 is secured about the torso of a 
wearer and is positioned for securement above the buttocks region of the 
wear wherein the lower elastic strap 20 accommodates the lower limbs of 
the wearer therethrough and is guided and maintained in position relative 
to the inner cup member 11 by means of the first loop 19 guidingly 
securing the lower elastic strap 20 therethrough, as illustrated in FIG. 2 
for example. 
An elastic connector strap 22 secures the second outer cup member 12 by use 
of a non-elastic second loop 22a secured at a lower terminal end of the 
second cup member 12 wherein the second cup member 12 is secured to the 
first inner cup member 11 by means of rigid loops 23 integrally formed to 
the first inner cup member 11 extending through elongate slots 23a of a 
complementary opening to accept the rigid loops 23a therethrough wherein 
flexible cords 24 are thereby woven through the loops 23 and thereby 
secure the inner cup member to the outer cup member 12 at an uppermost 
portion thereof wherein the elastic connector strip 22 thereby enables 
pivotment of the outer cup member 12 about the uppermost portion thereof 
utilizing the rigid loops 23 secured through the elongate slots 23a as a 
pivot axis. 
The outer cup member 12 is formed with a cushion perimeter 25 extending 
along the side and lowermost portions of the outer cup member 12 and is 
further formed with a series of three elongate pockets 27 extending 
downwardly of the outer cup member 12 merging at an apex towards the 
lowermost end of the outer cup member 12 proximate the elastic second loop 
22a. The elongate pockets 27 accommodate elongate flexible strips 28 
therein wherein the outer cup member 12 may thereby be provided with 
stiffening means to enhance selectively the rigidity of the outer cup 
member 12. The outer cup member 12 is of a softer less rigid material than 
the inner cup member 11 to provide a cushioning effect to a wearer thereof 
and is additionally covered with a fabric 26 to enhance securement of the 
elastic strap 20 and upper band 21 thereto. 
The inner cup member 11 is of a configuration contour to fit the groin and 
pelvic regions as noted above as well as the lower abdominal region and in 
use, the outer cup member 12 may hang freely forwardly of the inner cup 
member 11 due to the upward attachment of the outer cup member 12 to the 
inner cup member 11 by means of the rigid loops 23 positioned through the 
elongate slots 23a in the outer cup member 12. 
The second outer cup 12 is formed with an interior configuration of 
complementary geometrical configuration to the exterior configuration of 
the first inner cup member 11 to provide a compact inter-relationship to 
enable secure alignment and positioning of the outer cup member 12 
relative to the inner cup member 11. 
Accordingly, the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention 
should be understood from the above description and no further discussion 
relative to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention 
shall be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.