Abstract:
The abdominal shield is worn by an angler when fishing to prevent injury and irritation to the abdomen which might otherwise be caused by the butt end of a fishing rod rubbing or pressing against the abdomen. The shield distributes forces associated by the butt end of the fishing rod more widely and permits the angler to adjust the position of the fishing rod to achieve the leverage necessary to reel in the fish.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    I. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The present invention relates to pads worn to absorb and distribute forces encountered when participating in sporting activity to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shield worn by an angler while engaged in the sport of fishing to protect the abdomen from irritation or injury which can arise when the butt end of a fishing rod is brought into contact with the abdomen while reeling in a large fish. 
         [0005]    II. Related Art 
         [0006]    The sport of fishing continues to grow in popularity. Whether anglers are fishing for fresh water fish such as trout, walleye, catfish or Muskie, or saltwater fish such as tuna, swordfish or marlin, the goal is often to catch a large, if not the largest, fish. 
         [0007]    Large Muskies, by way of example, often weigh thirty pounds or more. Some weigh almost seventy pounds. Swordfish often reach a weight of nearly 1400 pounds. Atlantic blue marlin can be as large as 1800 pounds. To reel in a fish weighing 1800 pounds, or even a fish weighing 30 pounds, requires a substantial amount of strength, stamina, and time. 
         [0008]    To gain increased leverage while reeling in a large fish, anglers almost universally draw the butt end of the fishing rod into their abdomen. Due to the motion employed to operate the reel and the forces transferred through the fishing line and the rod to the butt end when fighting a fish, the butt end of the rod moves about. Over time, the rubbing of the butt end of the rod against the abdomen irritates and injures the skin of the angler. In some cases, and given the small cross-section of the butt end of the rod, abdominal muscle injuries may occur. 
         [0009]    To help anglers control the butt end of a fishing rod, various socket arrangements have been developed. These are usually held in place using a belt surrounding the angler&#39;s waist. Such arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,068,054 to Haislip issued Jan. 19, 1937; U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,721 to Vanus issued May 27, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,115 to White et al issued Mar. 28, 1978, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,323 issued Apr. 4, 1989 to Braid. Such socket arrangements, however, are limiting because the position of the socket dictates a specific location for the butt end of the rod relative to the angler&#39;s body. This may not, however, be the best position for comfort or for the angler to maximize leverage or conserve strength. Also, as the battle to land the fish continues, it may be beneficial for the position of the butt end of the rod to be changed for the comfort of the angler. A change in position cannot occur because position of the socket dictates the position of the butt end of the rod. 
         [0010]    In an effort to address the problems with such sockets, others have adopted a strategy of widening and/or padding the butt end of the rod. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,184 to Grosse issued Sep. 3, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,765,732 to Canevari issued Aug. 3, 2010. The Canevari patent discloses a T-shaped coupling device used to attach to the butt end of a fishing rod a pad shaped like the arm pit pad of a crutch used by someone with a leg injury. While some benefit is provided by these arrangements, injury and irritation can still arise. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The abdominal shield comprises a large and somewhat stiff plate which is curved to fit comfortably over and cover a portion of the abdomen of the angler. The plate, which is typically integrally formed of plastic using an injection molding process, has front and back surfaces, and first and second opposing ends. The plate has an outer frame comprising at least one raised lip surrounding a central area. The central or fighting area has a number of perforations extending through the plate from the front to the back surfaces to permit air to flow through the plate and body heat generated by the angler to pass readily through the plate. The perforations are smaller than the butt end of a typical fishing rod so that the butt end of the fishing rod cannot pass all the way through the perforations and directly engage the abdomen of the angler. The surface area of the plate is much larger than the butt end of the fishing rod so that the plate is able to adequately distribute, over a large area of the abdomen, forces encountered by the butt end of the fishing rod contacting the plate. 
         [0012]    The central fighting area of the plate may also comprise a plurality of cells defined by ribs. The ribs surrounding a cell may be used to help anchor the butt end of the rod at a particular location in the fighting area. The butt end, of course, may be easily moved from cell to cell as desired by the angler, but the ribs defining the cells inhibit the butt end from sliding across the plate when the butt end is in contact with the plate. 
         [0013]    A belt is coupled to the plate. The belt is sized to extend around the waist of the angler to secure the plate over the covered portion of the abdomen of the angler. The belt may be adjustable to accommodate different waist sizes. 
         [0014]    The frame of the plate may include a pair of slots at opposite ends of the frame. One end of the first belt member may be coupled to the plate via one of the slots of the pair and one end of a second belt member may be coupled to the plate via the other slot of the pair. Various means can be used to join the free ends of the first and second belt members together so that the belt surrounds the angler with the plate held in position over the abdomen of the angler by the belt defined by the first and second belt members. Such means may include a belt buckle attached to the first belt member and a series of cooperating holes through the other belt member. Such means may be a button or series of buttons on one belt member and a series of cooperating button holes on the other belt member. Such means may also include a pad of hook material on one belt member and a pad of loop material on the other belt member to provide a Velcro-type closure. Snaps and other types of mechanisms may be employed for adjustably securing the free ends of the belt members together without deviating from the invention. 
         [0015]    Further details related to the construction, use and advantages of the abdominal shield will become readily apparent from reading the following detailed description in view of the drawings. 
     
    
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an abdominal shield being used by an angler. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a plate which may be employed as part of the abdominal shield. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the plate shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of an alternative plate which may be employed as part of the abdominal shield of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of another alternative plate which may be employed as part of the abdominal shield of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of still another alternative plate which may be employed as part of an abdominal shield. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  shows a first belt which may be used to secure any of the plates shown in  FIGS. 1-6  over the abdomen of the angler. 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  shows an alternative belt arrangement. 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  shows an embodiment in which the belt and plate are integrally formed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]      FIG. 1  shows an abdominal shield  1  as worn by an angler when fishing. The abdominal shield includes a plate  10  and a belt  12  coupled to the plate  10 . The belt  12  extends around the waist of the angler to secure the plate  10  in place over the abdomen of the angler. The rear of the plate is concave to match the convex contour of the angler&#39;s abdomen. This can be achieved through formation of the plate  10  from a rigid material such as metal or integrally molding the plate  10  of hard plastic such as PVC using an injection molding process. This shape may also be formed through the use of a relatively thick and rigid, but more pliable, material such as leather to form the plate. Also shown in  FIG. 1  is an angler holding a fishing rod  14 . The fishing rod  14  has a handle  16  and a butt end  18 . 
         [0026]      FIGS. 2-3  illustrate a first embodiment of plate  10 . The design of the plate  10  shown in  FIGS. 2-3  is such that the plate  10  may be integrally formed by molding plate  10  of a suitable plastic material. As shown, the plate has a concave back and a convex front. The concave back rests against the abdomen of the angler when in use as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0027]    The front of the plate  10  includes a frame  19  comprising top lip  20  and a bottom lip  23 . The frame  19  also includes a pair of side lips  21  extending between and at opposite ends of the top lip  20  and bottom lip  23 . The lips of the frame  19  define a central fighting area  22 . The raised lips of the frame  19  help the angler maintain the butt end  18  of the rod  14  in the central fighting area  22  of the plate  10 . 
         [0028]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 2-3 , the central fighting area  22  includes a large number of perforations  24 . These perforations  24  allow the plate to breathe, that is air can pass through the perforations  24  to assist in cooling the angler&#39;s abdomen. Not only can outside air reach the abdomen through the perforations  24 , but body heat generated by the angler also may exit through the perforations  24 . 
         [0029]    The embodiment of  FIGS. 2-3  also includes a plurality of ribs  30  which form cells  32 . The ribs  30  and cells  32  create a honeycomb-shaped pattern throughout the central fighting area  22 . Each cell is large enough to receive the butt end  18  of the fishing rod  14 . The rib portions  30  defining a cell  32  serve to prevent the butt end  18  from sliding along the front surface of the central fighting area  22 . However, when the angler decides to adjust the position of rod  14 , the butt end  18  is easily moved between cells. As is also made clear from the drawings, the perforations  24  are much smaller than the butt end  18  of the rod  14 . This ensures the butt end  18  does not pass through the plate  10 . 
         [0030]      FIGS. 2 and 3  also show the plate  10  has opposite ends  25  and  27  separated from the central fighting area  22  by the side lips  21 . End  25  has a first elongate slot  26 . End  27  has a second elongate slot  28 . Slots  26  and  28  are provided to enable a belt  12  to be readily attached to the plate  10  so the abdominal protector  1  may be worn as shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate just two of the many different belt arrangements which may be employed. As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the back of the plate  10  is relatively smooth. 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  shows a first alternative embodiment of the plate  10 . As illustrated, the plate  10  has an outer frame  19  surrounding a central fighting area  22 . Located within the central fighting area is a plurality of perforations  24 . The perforations  24  are each large enough to permit air to pass through the plate  10  and body heat to escape through the plate  10 . At the same time, the perforations  24  are small enough so that material of the plate  10  surrounding each perforation blocks the butt end of an angler&#39;s fishing rod from coming into contact with the abdomen of the angler. Each perforation  24  may be sized and shaped to provide a seat for the butt end  18  of the fishing rod  14 . The round perforations  24  illustrated in  FIG. 4  work well as such a seat for the butt end  18  if the butt end  18  of the fishing rod is semi-spherical as shown in  FIG. 1 . Generally speaking, the diameter of the butt end of a fishing rod is one inch or more. The perforations  24  should therefore be less than about a half inch in diameter. 
         [0032]    Located on opposite sides of the central area  22  of the plate  10  shown in  FIG. 4  are slots  26  and  28 . Slots  26  and  28  are positioned between the central area  22  and the adjacent end, end  25  in the case of slot  26  and end  27  in the case of slot  28 . Elongate slots  26  and  28  pass completely through the frame  20  of plate  10  and may be used to couple the belt  12  to the plate  10 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of the plate  10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the plate  10  comprises an outer frame  19  surrounding a central area  22 . At opposite sides of the central area  22  are elongate slots  26  and  28  for coupling the belt  12  to the plate  10 . The central area comprises elongate, generally rectangular perforations  24  which permit air to pass through and body heat to escape through plate  10 . The dimensions of the perforations  24  illustrated in  FIG. 6  are again small enough to prevent the butt of the angler&#39;s fishing rod from passing entirely through the plate  10 . The material surrounding the perforations  24  is strong enough to prevent the plate  10  from breaking by the forces delivered to the plate  10  by the butt end  18  of the fishing rod  14  while fishing. The rectangular-shaped perforations  24  illustrated in  FIG. 5  work well if the butt end of the rod is flat rather than semi-spherical. This permits a portion of the edge of the butt end  18  to reside in a rectangular perforation while preventing the butt end  18  from contacting the angler&#39;s body. 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  shows still another embodiment of the plate  10 . In this embodiment, the plate  10  again has an outer frame  20 , a central area  22 , and elongate slots  26  and  28  extending through the plate  10  on opposite sides of the central area. The central area comprises a plurality of ribs  30  extending outwardly and forming a plurality of six-sided cells  32 . The ribs  30  and cells  32  form a honeycomb-like pattern as in the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 2-3 . The central fighting area  22  again includes perforations  24  which permit air to pass through plate  10  and body heat to escape. The number of perforations in  FIG. 6  is smaller than the number of perforations in  FIGS. 2-3 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , a single six point star-shaped perforation  24  is located within each cell  32 . Multiple perforations  24 , and perforations  24  having different shapes, may be located within the individual cells as illustrated in  FIGS. 2-3  without deviating from the invention. Whether one or more than one perforation  24  is provided in each cell  32 , the perforation should be small enough to prevent the butt end  18  of the fishing rod from passing through the plate  10 . 
         [0035]    The ribs  30  and cells  32  of  FIG. 6  are configured such that the butt end  18  of the rod can be seated within any individual cell  32  and cupped between the portions of ribs  30  defining that cell, without passing through the perforation(s)  24  extending through the plate. An angler can quickly and easily move the butt end  18  of the rod from cell to cell as desired. The portions of ribs  30  defining the walls of a cell inhibit the butt end  18  of the rod from sliding along the surface of the plate  10  unless the butt end  18  is extracted from the cell by the angler. 
         [0036]    Those skilled in the art should recognize that the size, shape and number of cells  32 , like the shape and number of the perforations  24 , may be modified for aesthetic or other reasons without deviating from the invention. 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  shows an inexpensive, but length adjustable belt  12  which may be employed to secure the plate  10  in place. The belt  12  shown in  FIG. 8  is an elongate piece  40  of woven fabric having a first end  42  and a second end  44 . Immediately adjacent each end  42  and  44  is a separate pad  46  of loop-style fabric attached to the elongate piece  40 . Also attached to the elongate piece  40  adjacent to each pad  46  is a separate pad  48  of hook-style fabric. Each pair of pads comprising a pad  46  and a pad  48  may be employed to provide a Velcro-type attachment. 
         [0038]    More specifically, end  42  of elongate piece  40  may be passed through elongate slot  26  of plate  10  and then folded back over such that the hooks of pad  48  engage the loops of pad  46  to secure end  42  of the belt  12  to the plate  10 . Likewise, end  44  of elongate piece  40  may be passed through elongate slot  48  of plate  10  and folded back over such that the hooks of pad  48  of the other pair of pads engages pad  46  of such other pair to form a hook and loop Velcro-type attachment. The overall length of belt  12  may be easily adjusted to fit about the angler&#39;s waist by changing the point where the pad  48  comes into contact with the pad  46  of either pair. 
         [0039]      FIG. 7  shows an alternative adjustable belt  12 . In  FIG. 7 , the belt  12  has a first elongate belt member  50  and a second elongate belt member  52 . An end of belt  50  is passed through slot  28 , folded over, and then passed through a slot in the female member  62  of a side squeeze buckle  60 . Next, the two ends of belt member  50  are stitched together as illustrated at  53  to join female member  62  to plate  10 . Likewise, the first end  54  of the second belt member  52  is passed through slot  26 , folded over, and stitched to the second belt member  52  to secure the second belt member  52  to the plate  10 . End  56  of belt member  52  is coupled in an adjustable fashion to the male member  64  of the side squeeze buckle  60 . The angler can secure the belt  12  around the waist by mating the female member  62  to the male member  64 . The angler can adjust the belt  12  to fit by pulling on the free, second end  56  of belt member  52 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 9  shows an embodiment in which the plate member  10  and the two belt members  50  and  52  are integrally formed. Belt member  50  has a belt buckle  70  attached to the free end. Belt member  52  has a longitudinal line of apertures  74  extending through it near its free end. To secure the free ends of the belt together, the stem  72  of the bucket  70  is mated with one of the apertures  74 . The belt is adjustable because the stem  72  may be mated with any of the apertures  74 . 
         [0041]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description related to buckles and length adjustment is not intended to be limiting. Virtually any known type of buckle or any known length adjustment technique for belts may be employed without deviating from the invention.