Abstract:
An undergarment for use by a hockey player, the undergarment comprising a body portion configured to by snugly worn about the lower trunk area of the body and conforming to the contours thereof, a pair of leg portions extending from the body portion, each of said leg portions configured to surround one of the hockey player&#39;s legs, and impact absorbing pads connected to a back side of each of said legs portions to protect the back of the hockey player&#39;s legs.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of protective sports equipment and in particular to an undergarment for use by a hockey player. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Various types of protective equipment are worn by hockey players to protect them from body contact, hockey sticks, hockey pucks and hockey skates. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,559 to Regan discloses an undergarment for use by a hockey player comprising a one-piece torso portion having a head opening, leg openings and arm openings; a neck guard assembly comprising an integral neck guard coupled to the torso portion adjacent at the head opening, and a releasable attachment means coupled to the neck guard to permit the neck guard to be securely positioned on a neck of the player; a sock support positioned adjacent to each of the leg openings; an opening to permit the hockey player to don the undergarment; and a zipper positioned so that when closed the undergarment and the sock supports are retained in place on the hockey player. 
         [0004]    It is an object to provide a novel hockey undergarment for use by a hockey player. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided an undergarment for use by a hockey player, the undergarment comprising a body portion configured to by snugly worn about the lower trunk area of the body and conforming to the contours thereof, a pair of leg portions extending from the body portion, each of said leg portions configured to surround one of the hockey player&#39;s legs, and impact absorbing pads connected to a back side of each of said legs portions to protect the back of the hockey player&#39;s legs. 
         [0006]    According to another aspect there is provided an undergarment for use by a hockey player, the undergarment comprising a body portion configured to by snugly worn about the lower trunk area of the body and conforming to the contours thereof, a pair of leg portions extending from the body portion, each of said leg portions configured to surround one of the hockey player&#39;s legs, and a pair of shin pad sleeves, each of said shin pad sleeves connected to and circumferentiating a respective leg portion, said shin pad sleeves comprising a pocket configured to receive a bottom portion of a shin pad to allow the hockey player to selectively position a tongue of a hockey skate interior the shin pad or exterior the shin pad. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of an undergarment for use by a hockey player; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a rear elevation view of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation view showing details of a crotch portion forming part of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a front elevation view showing details of a sock support forming part of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are front and rear elevation views, respectively, showing details of a pair of shin pad sleeves forming part of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a rear elevation view showing details of impact absorbing pads forming part of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Turning now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an undergarment for use by a hockey player is shown and is generally identified by reference numeral  10 . The undergarment  10  comprises a body  20  having a waist portion  30 , a crotch portion  40  and a pair of leg portions  50 , a sock support  60 , a pair of shin pad sleeves  70 , and impact absorbing pads  100 . In this embodiment, all elements are made of a material comprising approximately 90% nylon and 10% spandex unless otherwise specified. 
         [0015]    The waist portion  30  comprises an elastic waist band  32  dimensioned to snugly fit around the waist of the hockey player. 
         [0016]    The crotch portion  40  is better shown in  FIG. 3 . As can be seen, the crotch portion  40  comprises a V-shaped pocket  42 . The V-shaped pocket  42  is secured to the interior of the body  20  via stitching  46 . The stitching  46  extends along each arm of the V-shaped pocket  42 , thereby defining an opening  48  providing access to the V-shaped pocket  42 . A genital protector  44  is received by the V-shaped pocket  42  through the opening  48 . As will be appreciated, the type of genital protector  44  used is dependent on the gender of the hockey player. For male hockey players, a rigid, lightweight plastic genital protector (referred to as a “cup”, “can” or “jock”) shaped to cover and protect the male genitals is supported in the V-shaped pocket  42 . For female hockey players, a padded protector (referred to as a “jill”) shaped to cover and protect the female genitals is supported in the V-shaped pocket  42 . 
         [0017]    Turning back to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , each leg portion  50  extends from the waist portion  30  and is dimensioned to snugly fit around a respective leg of the hockey player. Each leg portion  50  comprises a thigh portion  52 , a knee portion  54 , a calf portion  56  and an ankle portion  58 . In this embodiment, each leg portion  50  is made of a cut-resistant material such as for example a Kevlar™ material. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments only the ankle portion of the leg portions  50  may be made of a cut-resistant material. 
         [0018]    The sock support  60  is better shown in  FIG. 4 . As can be seen, the sock support  60  comprises a pair of support patches  62 . Each support patch  62  comprises a pair of support members  64  and  66 . The support member  64  is connected to a front portion of the leg portion  50  via stitching. The exterior portion of the support member  64  comprises a hook-type VELCRO™ material. The support member  66  is connected to the support member  64  along a top surface thereof. The interior portion of the support member  66  comprises a hook-type VELCRO™ material. A lip  68  extends along an edge of the support member  66  and comprises a loop-type VELCRO™ material. In this manner, the hook-type VELCRO™ material of the support members  64  and  66  is used to support the hockey player&#39;s hockey socks by grasping the fibers of the hockey sock, thereby preventing it from falling down. The loop-type VELCRO™ material of the support member  66  is used to mate with the hook-type VELCRO™ material of the support member  64 , when no hockey sock is connected thereto. 
         [0019]    The shin pad sleeves  70  are better shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . As can be seen, each shin pad sleeve  70  is dimensioned to receive a shin pad and comprises inner material  72  and outer material  74 . The inner material  72  is connected to the front of the leg portion  50  at a position above the knee portion  54  via stitching  76 . The inner material  72  wraps around the leg portion  50  and is connected to the back of the leg portion  50  via stitching  78 . As such, the inner material  72  radially circumferentiates the leg portion  50  and extends longitudinally from a position above the knee portion  54  to a position above the ankle portion  58 . The outer material  74  overlaps the inner material  72  and is connected to the inner material  72  and the leg portion  50  via stitching  78 . The outer material  74  is also connected to the inner material  72  along the bottom edge thereof via stitching  80 . The outer material  74  extends above the top of the inner material  72  at the front portion, thereby defining a tab  82  for use as a fastening system. In this embodiment, the interior of the tab  82  comprises a hook-type VELCRO™ material patch  84 . A loop-type VELCRO™ material patch  86  is connected to the front of the leg portion  50  above the top of the inner material  72 . The loop-type VELCRO™ material patch  86  mates with the hook-type VELCRO™ material patch  84  when brought into contact therewith. The bottom front portion of the inner material  72  and the outer material  74  is U-shaped thereby forming a pocket  75  dimensioned to receive the bottom portion of the shin pad. The back bottom portion of the inner material  72  and the outer material  74  is inverse U-shaped, as shown in  FIG. 6 . Each side bottom portion of the inner material  72  and outer material  74 , that is, the position where the U-shape and the inverse U-shape meet, is connected to a respective elastic  88 . The elastic  88  extends from the side bottom portion of the inner material  72  and outer material  74  to the back of the ankle portion  58 . The elastic  88  is connected to the back of the ankle portion  58  via stitching  90 . 
         [0020]    The impact absorbing pads  100  are better shown in  FIG. 7 . As can be seen, the impact absorbing pads  100  comprise upper impact absorbing pads  102  and lower impact absorbing pads  104 . In this embodiment, the upper impact absorbing pads  102  and lower impact absorbing pads  104  are made of a foam material such as for example polythene foam having a thickness of 1 cm to 5 cm. Each upper impact absorbing pad  102  is connected to the back of a respective thigh portion  52  via stitching  106 . Each lower impact absorbing pad  104  is connected to the back of a respective calf portion  56  via stitching  108 . As will be appreciated, the upper impact absorbing pads  102  and the lower impact absorbing pads  104  are connected to the back of the thigh portions  52  and the back of the calf portions  56  within the interior of the body  20 . 
         [0021]    During use, the hockey player puts on the undergarment  10  on, similar to putting on a pair of pants. In this embodiment, the genital protector  44  is already positioned in the V-shaped pocket  40  and thus the genital protector  44  is positioned in the proper place. The hockey player slides their shin pads into the shin pad sleeves  70  until a bottom portion of each shin pad is positioned in a respective pocket  75 . The shin pads are secured in the shin pad sleeves using the loop-type VELCRO™ material patch  86  and the hook-type VELCRO™ material patch  84  positioned on the tab  82 . The hockey player then slides their hockey socks over each shin pad, and secures their hockey socks to the undergarment  10  using the sock support  60 . The hockey player slides their hockey pants over top of the undergarment  10 . The hockey player then puts on and ties up their hockey skates. The hockey player can then pull each pocket  75  (which contains the bottom portion of a respective shin pad) to stretch out elastic  88 , and can slide the tongue of each of their hockey skates underneath a respective pocket  75  (which contains the bottom portion of a respective shin pad). Alternatively, the hockey player can keep the tongue of each of their hockey skates exterior of a respective pocket  75  (which contains the bottom portion of a respective shin pad). The impact absorbing pads  100  protect the back of the hockey player&#39;s thighs and calves during use, thereby protecting the back of the hockey player&#39;s legs from hockey pucks, hockey sticks and hockey skates. 
         [0022]    Although in embodiments described above the waist portion is described as comprising an elastic waist band, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations are available. For example, in another embodiment the waist portion may comprise a draw-string type waist band, a zipper or a buckle. 
         [0023]    Although in embodiments described above the shin pad sleeves are described as comprising a fastening system to allow the shin pads to be secured therein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment the shin pads may be sewn into the undergarment such that they are not readily removable therefrom. 
         [0024]    Although in embodiments described above the undergarment is described as comprising shin pad sleeves, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment the undergarment may not have the shin pad sleeves. In this embodiment, the hockey player&#39;s shin pads may be connected to the undergarment through use of one or more Velcro straps or disposable hockey tape. 
         [0025]    Although in embodiments described above the shine pad sleeves are described as being attached to the leg portions via stitching, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment the shin pad sleeves may be removably attached to the leg portions through use of a VECLRO™-type system or other suitable attachment devices such as for example snaps, a zippers, etc. 
         [0026]    Although in embodiments described above the genital protector is described as being removable through an opening in the crotch portion, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment the genital protector may be sewn into the crotch portion such that it is not readily removable therefrom. In another embodiment, the crotch portion may include a VELCRO™ type or other suitable type of fastening system to secure the genital protector therein. 
         [0027]    In another embodiment, the shin pad sleeves may include slots to receive straps associated with the shin pads. In this embodiment, once the shin pads are inserted into the shin pad sleeves, the associated straps can be threaded through the slots to further secure the shin pads to the hockey player&#39;s legs. 
         [0028]    Although in embodiments described above, the impact absorbing pads are described as being made of a foam material such as for example polythene foam having a thickness of 1 cm to 5 cm, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment the impact absorbing pads may be made of a closed cell foam. In another embodiment, the impact absorbing pads may be made of a washable foam. In other embodiments, the impact absorbing pads may be made of a gel material, a rubber material or a silicon material. 
         [0029]    Although in embodiments described above, the impact absorbing pads are described as comprising an upper impact absorbing pad and a lower impact absorbing pad, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment only a lower impact absorbing pad may be used. In another embodiment, a plurality of small impact absorbing pads may be used and may be equally spaced along the back of the leg portion. 
         [0030]    Although in embodiments described above, the impact absorbing pads are described as being sewn into the interior of the leg portions of the undergarment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment, the interior of the leg portions may have pockets sewn therein for receiving the impact absorbing pads. In this embodiment, the impact absorbing pads are inserted into the pockets for use, and can be removed when the undergarment is to be washed. 
         [0031]    In another embodiment, the undergarment may be provided with patches made of a breathable material to increase the breathability of the undergarment during use. 
         [0032]    Although in embodiments described above, all elements are described as being made of a material comprising approximately 90% nylon and 10% spandex unless otherwise specified, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative materials may be used. For example, in another embodiment the elements are made of elastane or a spandex mesh or other breathable material. In another embodiment these elements may be made of a combination of these materials. 
         [0033]    Although in embodiments described above the sock support is described as comprising a VELCRO™-type system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment a garter-type system may be used. 
         [0034]    Although in embodiments described above the shin pad sleeves are described as comprising tabs used as a fastening system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternatives are available. For example, in another embodiment elastic straps or bands may be used to retain the shin pads in the shin pad sleeves. 
         [0035]    Although in embodiments described above the undergarment is described as comprising shin pad sleeves, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the undergarment does not require shin pad sleeves. For example, in the event that the hockey player is a goaltender, the undergarment does not require shin pad sleeves. 
         [0036]    Although embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.