Abstract:
A knee pad for attachment to a person&#39;s knee cap and an adjacent portion of the person&#39;s lower leg, comprising a cushioning pad that includes a forward section and a rearward section. The forward section has a knee well for receiving the person&#39;s knee cap and the knee well is off-center in the forward section. The rearward section of the cushioning pad has an interior concavity for receiving the person&#39;s lower leg.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to knee pads or rests, and more particularly relates to a knee pad having a forward section for cushioning a person&#39;s knee, and a rearward section for cushioning at least a portion of a person&#39;s lower leg.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A major ailment associated with prolonged excessive pressure on the knee is patellar bursitis, also known as miners&#39; knee or housemaid&#39;s knee. Bursitis occurs when the bursa sack (a protective cushioning sack) over the kneecap becomes inflamed, swells and becomes painful. Over time, major knee problems will develop when the cartilage and tissue (meniscus) cushion located between the bones of the knee joint wear out causing bone to wear against bone. Additionally, the excessive pressure can cause a variety of problems including knee burn pain, fluid build up, tissue swelling, loose joints and associated arthritic conditions.  
         [0003]     A solution to those problems is for a person to wear knee pads. Knee pads can be used to dissipate energy that could otherwise be absorbed by the front portion of the knees. While a knee pad may provide a softer surface than a floor or the ground, the pads themselves may lead to discomfort after prolonged use. Improvements in knee pads have included contours in the pads to conform to the wearer&#39;s knees.  
         [0004]     One type of knee pad known in the art includes a hard shell designed to rest against a floor or ground surface and a cushioning pad secured between the shell and the front portion of the user&#39;s knee. In this arrangement, the knee undergoes considerable stress from pressure. Knee pads are typically secured to the legs by straps above and below the knee joints. While these provide a cushion for the knee joint area, the straps often bind behind the knee causing discomfort.  
         [0005]     It is therefore desirable for a knee pad to have straps that do not bind behind the knee, that will not inhibit a user from walking comfortably while wearing the kneepad, and that will minimize the stress on a user&#39;s knee in general. It would also be desirable to provide a knee pad having a forward section for protecting a front portion of a user&#39;s knee, as well as a rearward section for protecting at least a portion of the user&#39;s lower leg below the user&#39;s knee. The present invention meets these and other needs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The invention relates to a knee pad for attachment to a person&#39;s knee cap and an adjacent portion of the person&#39;s lower leg below the person&#39;s knee cap. The knee pad has a cushioning pad including a forward section and a rearward section. In one presently preferred aspect, the forward section has a knee well for receiving the person&#39;s knee cap and the rearward section of the cushioning pad has an interior concavity or channel for receiving the person&#39;s lower leg. In another presently preferred aspect, the knee well is off-center in the forward section and includes a knee cap cushioning ring that is made up of an elastomeric material. A means for connecting the cushioning pad to the person&#39;s knee and the adjacent portion of the person&#39;s lower leg typically includes two connectors on one of two opposing lateral sides of the knee pad, and first and second straps connected to and extending from the other of the two opposing lateral sides. The first strap extends from the other of the opposing lateral sides of the forward section, and has a distal end with a fastener adapted to be removably connected to one of the two connectors. The second strap extends from the rearward section and the same lateral side as the first strap and is adapted to extend behind the person&#39;s lower leg. The second strap has a distal end with a fastener adapted to be removably connected to the other of the two connectors.  
         [0007]     In another presently preferred aspect, the cushioning pad further includes a joint connecting the forward section and rearward section along a longitudinal axis of the knee pad. The joint allows for bending of the pad about a transverse axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The joint may be a living hinge, a thinning of the cushioning pad or a groove between the forward and rearward sections. In another presently preferred aspect, the knee pad includes a cover that envelops the cushioning pad. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a bottom plan view of the bottom side of the knee pad showing the flexible outer covering and means for attaching the knee pad to a wearer;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cushioning pad of the knee pad of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the cushioning pad taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the top and side of the knee pad of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the strap and stud combination illustrating how the knee pad is secured;  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the knee pad taken along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 ; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the insert. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]     Referring to the drawings, which are provided for purposes of illustration and by way of example, the present invention provides for a knee pad  10  for attachment to a person&#39;s knee cap (not shown) and an adjacent portion of the person&#39;s lower leg below the person&#39;s knee. An embodiment of the knee pad  10  includes an outer flexible covering  15  and a weight distributing cushioning pad  20 . The outer flexible covering  15  may be formed from a stretchable material or fabric, such as nylon or polyester, as well as a non-stretchable material such as nylon, for example, for greater durability. The knee pad  10  has left  25  and right  30  sides, top  35  and bottom  40  faces and a front  45  and rear  50  side. The left  25  and right  30  sides include a means  55  for securing the knee pads  10  to a person&#39;s knee and adjacent portion of the person&#39;s lower leg below the person&#39;s knee.  
         [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , in a presently preferred aspect, the majority of the covering  15  is composed of two outer layers made of fabric  57 , such as nylon or polyester, for example, which is capable of stretching and is substantially water resistant. The inner layer  58  is made of foam, such as polyester foam or polyurethane foam, for example, that is capable of stretching and is substantially water resistant. The covering  15  is preferably formed to be relatively soft, non-abrasive and conforming. Portions of the outer covering  15 , such as the rear side portion  50 , may be formed of a more durable non-stretchable fabric, such as nylon, for example. Indicia, such as to indicate whether a particular pad  10  is a left or right knee pad may also be placed anywhere on the surface of the covering  15 . The inside of the cover may include seams where portions of the outer cover  15  are joined  59 , that also serve to substantially hold the cover  15  in registration with the weight dispersing cushioning pad  20 .  
         [0017]     Turning to  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the bottom face  40  of the covering  15  has two distinct raised areas  60 . The areas  60  have a textured surface, such as a durable rubber layer for example, to facilitate traction between the knee pad  10  and a work surface such as a floor. The rubber layer is significantly more durable than the rest of the covering  15  and serves as an extra wear surface for contact with a floor or the ground. As shown in  FIG. 1 , between the raised areas  60  is a valley  65  which helps to allow the knee pad to bend along a lateral axis  70 . The ability to bend has, among other advantages, the advantage of allowing the knee pad to more effectively cushion the wearer&#39;s weight and distribute a wearer&#39;s weight over an uneven surface.  
         [0018]     The knee pad  10  also has means  55  for securing the pad  10  to the wearer, such as straps  75 , connected to the flexible covering  15  of the knee pad  10  between the bottom face  40  at the side face  25  along the instep  80  of the particular right or left pad. The straps  75  are preferably made of an elastic material. The straps  75  are attached to the knee pad  10  parallel to each other and spaced apart by a distance  95 , typically from one to four inches. The straps  75  are adjustable and may be used with a removable length adjustor end piece  100 , connected to an end portion  105  of the straps, that is also removably securable to the pad  10 . Each end piece  100  removably connects to a stud  110  secured to the side face  30 , opposite the instep  80 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , the end piece  100  has a slot or cutout  115  sized and shaped to receive the stud  110  and lock into place. The cutout  115  on the end piece  100  is optimally designed to allow the end piece  100  to remain locked to the stud until a sufficient amount of force is applied to overcome the lock. Two smaller cutouts  120 , spaced symmetrically on either side of a medial line  122  along the cut out  115  function to allow a pair of bridge portions  125  of the end piece to resiliently bend to allow the end piece to be removably locked to the stud  110 .  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the weight distributing cushioning pad  20  is disposed inside the flexible outer covering  15 . The cushioning pad is typically formed of a durable foam such as polyurethane foam, and exists either as a right oriented or left oriented pad for the wearer&#39;s respective right or left knee (not shown). The cushioning pad  20  is typically tapered, with a largest lateral interior width  128  in a concavity or channel  129  at a forward portion  130  of the pad  10 , and a smallest lateral interior width  132  in a concavity or channel  134  at a rear portion  135  of the cushioning pad  20 .  
         [0020]     In the forward portion  130  is a well  140 , that may be circular, oval, square or any combination of shapes. Inside the well is an insert  145  for placement of a knee thereon. The insert  145  may be made of a different, softer material than that of the rest of the cushioning pad  20  such as a softer polyester or polyurethane foam, for example. The insert  145  is in the shape of an annular ring or cylindrical doughnut with a height  150 , inner  155  and outer  160  circumference and inner  162  and outer  164  diameters as is illustrated in  FIG. 7 . The insert  145  may be integral with the cushioning pad  20  or may be secured to the well  140  of the pad  20  with an appropriate adhesive or fastener.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the forward portion  130  gradually slopes up to a medial edge  165 . The medial edge  165  faces an opposite medial edge  170  that preferably together define an upper valley  175  therebetween. The bottom face  40  also preferably has a second valley  180  that together with the upper valley  175  form a joint  185  that allows the cushioning pad  20  and knee pad  10  to flex along a lateral axis  70 . The advantages of the pad  10  being able to flex in this manner are improved durability and comfort of the pad  10 , especially when the pad  10  is used over uneven surfaces. Adjacent the upper valley  175  is the rear portion  135  having an upper surface that has a concave shape or channel to accept a wearer&#39;s shin (not shown) and distribute the weight of a wearer evenly.  
         [0022]     While the foregoing specification describes particular embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present invention without departing from the inventive concept. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.