Abstract:
An adjustable shoulder pad particularly adapted for use by children for playing hockey and other similar sports. The adjustable junior shoulder pad is made of two main portions, namely a left-hand portion and a right-hand portion. These two main portions have front and rear panels interconnected together by a shoulder arch and these panels have respective overlapping surfaces. The overlapping surfaces of the front and rear panels have affixing means which allow interconnection of the right and left portions in accordance with different positions for allowing size adjustment of the shoulder pad.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to an adjustable protective garment for shielding and at least partially protecting the upper torso of a player from impacts by extraneous objects. The invention is particularly although not exclusively directed to the provision of protective pads in the form commonly referred to as “shoulder pads” as used for playing hockey and other sporting activities. The invention is also concerned with hockey shoulder pads used by children during their years of growth. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional shoulder pad as used by ice hockey players comprises a series of padded sections to protect the chest, back, shoulder and upper arm regions of the player, these sections being interconnected or in some instances integrated into a fabric carrier so that they may be put on and removed altogether. Typically in such shoulder pad, the front chest protecting panels meet in the region of the sternum of the player and are interconnected by means of laces, while the rear protecting panels meet in the region of the spine and are interconnected by means of straps. Other types of shoulder pads may comprise one-piece front and rear panels which are sized to cover the player&#39;s chest and back respectively. Shoulder pads are usually sold in four different sizes i.e. small, medium, large and X-large, and for two different types of players i.e. Junior and Adult. Usually, the size of a shoulder pad is fixed, but some prior shoulder pads allowed adjustments. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,039 discloses a shoulder pad having a connecting member which connects the rear left and rear right sections together. More particularly, this connecting member comprises at each end upper and lower slots having different branches for receiving a screw. In use, the player may insert the screws in one of the different branches in order to connect together the rear sections at an appropriate space distance from each other. While this prior shoulder pad provide a certain level of adjustment, it requires use of bolts, screws, nuts or another element for securing together the two rear sections. Furthermore, no real adjustment is provide at the front of the shoulder pad since the front sections are simply interconnected together by lacing, and there is then no protection between those front sections in the sternum area. 
     Thus, there is a need in the industry for a shoulder pad which provides an easier way to adjust and secure together the different adjustable portions of the shoulder pad while allowing a good protection level. There is also a need for an adjustable junior shoulder pad which offers a sufficient degree of adjustment to be usable for many seasons while in the child&#39;s years of growth. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable shoulder pad including right and left main portions, each main portions having front and rear panels interconnected together by a shoulder arch, said panels having respective overlapping surfaces comprising affixing means wherein said right and left portions may be interconnected by affixing together said respective overlapping surfaces while allowing size adjustment of said shoulder pad. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a junior shoulder pad for hockey players which offers a considerable degree of size adjustment for the child&#39;s years of growth. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the overlapping surfaces comprise loops and hooks sections for affixing together the front and rear panels. 
     Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following specification and to the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention is provided herein with reference to the following drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an adjustable shoulder pad constructed in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the shoulder pad illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end view of the shoulder pad of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the connecting element for the biceps pad; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded view showing some of the components illustrated in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of right and left main portions of the shoulder pad in accordance with the invention, wherein the two main portions are not interconnected and a number of secondary components are not illustrated; 
     FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of right and left main portions of the shoulder pad as illustrated in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an inside view of the right main portion of the shoulder pad wherein secondary components are not illustrated; 
     FIG. 8 is an inside view of the left main portion of the shoulder pad wherein secondary components are not illustrated; 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of right and left main portions of a second embodiment of the shoulder pad constructed in accordance with the invention, wherein the two main portions are not interconnected and a number of secondary components are not illustrated; 
     FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of right and left main portions of the shoulder pad illustrated in FIG. 9, wherein the two main portions are not interconnected and a number of secondary components are not illustrated; 
     FIG. 11 is an inside view of the right main portion of the shoulder pad illustrated in FIG. 9; and 
     FIG. 12 is an inside view of the left main portion of the shoulder pad illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
    
    
     In the drawings, the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 to  4  illustrate an adjustable shoulder pad constructed in accordance with the present invention which is generally designated by the reference numeral  10 . The shoulder pad  10  includes right and left main portions  12  and  14 . One of these main portions  12  and  14  may be the mirror image of the other in order to reduce the cost of manufacture. Main portions  12  and  14  can be of any suitable material or composition to provide the degree of cushioning and protection that is desired. For example, they can be formed from a relatively thick foam material covered by layers of woven synthetic yarn. More particularly, the portions  12  and  14  may comprise a closed cell foam of ethylene vinyl acetate of a thickness of 6.5 mm covered by mesh outer layers of a woven synthetic material such as polyester. External shells made of relatively stiff material may also be riveted or sewn to these portions  12  and  14 , or similar internal shells may be inserted therein, in order to provide added protection in selected areas such as the rib cage and the spine of the player. 
     Furthermore, the shoulder pad  10  comprises shoulder protectors  16 , each having a shoulder liner  18  and a molded curved shoulder cap  20  which is usually sewn to the liner  18 . The shoulder pad  10  also comprises biceps pads  22 , each having an elasticized strap loop  24  to position the biceps pad  22  in relation to the player&#39;s arm. As best seen on FIGS. 3 and 4, a hooks and loops fastening arrangement provided on the shoulder pad  10  enables vertical adjustment of the biceps pads  22 . A suitable hooks and loops fastener is sold under the trade-mark “VELCRO”. Each main portion  12 ,  14  carries a ring  28  to which is attached an adjustable strap  30  to which biceps pads  22  is suspended. Hooks and loops sections  32  and  34  are provided on adjustable straps  30 . In use, the end of strap  30  is passed through the ring  28  and at the desired length, it is folded over. The player then presses together the loops and hooks sections  32  and  34  for obtaining the desired position of the biceps pads  22  with respect to the arms. Adjustable straps  30  determine the height of biceps pads  22  with respect to the corresponding main portion  12  or  14 . Each ring  28  is held in place by means of strip of textile material sewn to the corresponding shoulder arch as at  28 A. 
     With reference to FIGS. 5 to  8  illustrating the right and left main portions  12  and  14  alone and spaced apart, the left portion  12  comprises front panel  34  and rear panel  38  interconnected by an interconnecting shoulder arch  36  and retained by a lateral adjustable strap  12 A of any suitable construction, preferably using hooks and loops fastener as shown. Similarly, the right-hand main portion  14  comprises front and rear panels  40  and  44  interconnected by an interconnecting shoulder arch  42  and retained by a lateral adjustable strap  14 A similar to the strap  12 A. As is well known in the art, the front panels  34  and  40  are sized to cover the right and left sides of the player&#39;s chest from the shoulder region down as far as the bottom of the rib cage. The rear panels  38  and  44  are shaped somewhat similarly to the front panels  34  and  40 . 
     The front panels  34  and  40  have respective overlapping surfaces  46  and  48 , and similarly, rear panels  38  and  44  have respective overlapping surfaces  50  and  52 . One will appreciate that the superposing of the overlapping surfaces  46  and  48 , and  50  and  52 , provide an additional protection in the sternum and spine areas respectively. 
     The overlapping surfaces  46  and  52  comprise respective loops sections  54  and  56  while overlapping surfaces  48  and  50  comprise respective hooks sections  58  and  60 . By pressing together the hooks and loops sections  58  and  54 , front panels  40  and  34  are affixed together, while, similarly by pressing together the hooks and loops sections  60  and  56 , rear panels  38  and  44  are affixed together. Overlapping surfaces  46  and  48 ,  50  and  52  have a considerable surface area, such as, about half the length of each panel and full width. By varying the position of the front panel  40  with respect to the front panel  34 , and by pressing together hooks and loops sections  58  and  54  when the appropriate position is obtained, the size of the shoulder pad  10  around the chest area may thus be adjusted and an excellent adjustable joint of the mating parts is obtained. In the same manner, by varying the position of the rear panel  38  with respect to the rear panel  44 , and by pressing together hooks and loops sections  60  and  56  when the appropriate position is obtained, the size of the shoulder pad  10  around the back area may thus be adjusted. Hence, the right and left portions  12  and  14  can be adjustably connected together for varying the size of the shoulder pad  10 . In that sense, the shoulder pad  10  may be worn by different players or by the same player while his body grows. Adjustment lines  81  and  82  are provided on loops sections  54  and  56  respectively. Lines  81  and  82  provide a means of measurement to the wearer when adjusting the size of shoulder pad  10  to ensure repeatability of the adjustment and to help evenly connect the front and back of right and left portions  12  and  14 . 
     FIGS. 9 to  12  illustrate right and left portions  12  and  14  comprising overlapping surfaces constructed in accordance with a variant. More particularly, each front overlapping surfaces  46  and  48  comprises three longitudinal bands  62  with loops and three longitudinal bands  64  with hooks respectively, and each rear overlapping surfaces  50  and  52  comprises three longitudinal bands  66  with hooks and three longitudinal bands  68  with loops respectively. As described above, the right and left portions  12  and  14  can be adjustably connected together for varying the size of the shoulder pad  10 . Here, the shoulder pad  10  can be adjusted in accordance with three different sizes. 
     It is understood that the shoulder pad can comprise shoulder protectors which offer protection for the upper arm region, an no biceps pads are thus required. Furthermore, these shoulder protectors can be adjustable with respect to the portions by means of adjustable straps having loops and hooks sections. 
     The above description of the preferred embodiment should not be interpreted in any limiting manner since variations and refinements are possible which are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claim and their equivalents.