Abstract:
Generally, the present invention relates to an improved headguard to be worn by soccer players that protects the forehead during the act of heading the soccer ball without compromising the integrity of the game. In its preferred embodiment, the protection device cushions the forehead through a combination of soft padding and a custom molded plastic insert. Preferably, the custom molded rigid polymeric insert is sandwiched between two layers of padded, elastic fabric in the form of a headband surrounding the forehead. Since the custom molded insert is housed between two fabric layers, it poses no hazard to the wearer or other players.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Background of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to protection and sports training devices and, more specifically, to a device that protects the forehead of a soccer player during the act of “heading” a soccer ball. In its preferred embodiment, the protection device cushions the forehead through a combination of soft padding and a custom molded plastic insert. Preferably, the custom molded rigid polymeric insert is sandwiched between two layers of padded, elastic fabric in the form of a headband surrounding the forehead. Since the custom molded insert is housed between two fabric layers, it poses no hazard to the wearer or other players. 
     2. Prior Art 
     “Heading” of a soccer ball, defined as the intentional act of directing the soccer ball with the forehead, is an integral skill that soccer players must master in order to participate fully in their sport. In fact, soccer is the only sport where the flight path of the object projectile is skillfully and accurately altered with the forehead. The proper technique for heading the soccer ball, as it is taught to all soccer players, is to use only the forehead region, approximately an area between the eyebrows and hairline in the vertical dimension, and between the most forward portion of the temples in the horizontal dimension. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that repeated collision of the forehead with a soccer ball can cause serious damage to brain tissue and lead to permanent brain damage and subsequent decreased cognitive functioning in soccer athletes: (Tysvaer A T, Lochen, E A: Soccer Injuries to the Brain, a neurophysiologic study of former soccer players, American Journal of Sports Medicine 19:56-60 (1991); Sortland 0, Tysvaer, A T: Brain Damage in Former Association Football Players, An Evaluation by Cerebral Computed Tomography, Neuroradiology 31: 44-48, (1989); and Tysvaer A T, Storli 0 V: Soccer Injuries to the Brain, A neurologic and Electroencephalographic Study of Active Football Players, American Journal of Sports Medicine 17:573-578, (1989)). This would be especially apparent in practice situations, where the players repeatedly head the ball in order to develop this skill. 
     Several devices have been developed that are intended to protect the forehead of the player during the intentional act of heading a soccer ball with the forehead. These headband devices utilize either soft padding alone, or a combination of soft padding and rigid plastic that is not custom-molded. Devices utilizing soft padding alone are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,841 to Lampe et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,734 to Vogan; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,062 to Trak. However, there are several disadvantages to such devices. First, soft padding absorbs and attenuates less impact than a rigid member. In order for soft padding head protectors to provide adequate protection, they must be relatively thick and obtrusive, having a profile similar to boxing headgear. This type of protective device would prohibit a player from heading the ball accurately. Secondly, soft padding decreases the rebound of the ball off of the forehead, and thus decreases the speed of the ball. A reduction in rebound speed alters the integrity of soccer by slowing the ball through a dampening of the impact. It is known that soccer players will attempt to compensate for this dampening by increasing the impact between their forehead and the ball through acceleration of their head forward by a snapping motion of the neck. This increases the force of impact and negates the effect of the soft padding while at the same time exposing the neck to harmful stretch forces similar to those seen in whiplash. In summary, a soft padding protective head device absorbs less impact than a rigid protective member, and this compromises accurate ball placement, decreases the rebound of the ball off of the forehead, and potentially exposes the neck to harmful forces. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,989 to Robertson relates to a rigid member for protecting the forehead from contact with a ball. However, this rigid protector is not custom fitted to the wearer and, therefore, does not provide the most accurate ball placement possible. 
     Therefore, the prior art does not adequately satisfy the requisite criteria for a soccer player wearing a protective head device. These include the requirement that the device be effective in protecting the forehead of the wearer while at the same time maintaining accurate ball placement and rebound speed, be of a low profile, unobtrusive, comfortable, and aesthetically acceptable to young wearers. As such, there has been considerable resistance to wearing protective head devices due to their tendency to prohibit accurate ball placement and to dampen the rebound speed of the ball off of the forehead. The prior art protection devices having rigid protection members that do not conform to the exact contour of the forehead sacrifice accuracy, and those that use soft materials that dampen impact and slow the ball compromise game. speed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome through the protection device of the present invention comprising an adjustable head band housing a custom-molded polymeric insert as a head plate. The use of a headband protector comprising a custom contoured rigid polymeric insert is an improvement over the prior art that ensures the most accurate ball control possible. The rigid contoured insert also enables the wearer to maintain a high rebound speed without exposing the head and neck to undue trauma. Thus,. the goal of shock absorption is accomplished without compromising the integrity of the game by preserving the speed and aim accuracy of the headed ball. Consequently, soccer players will be more receptive to wearing such a protection device if they are able to head the ball as effectively as if they were not wearing a head protector at all. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protection device  10  of the present invention being worn by a person about the head. 
     FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the protection device  10 . 
     FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the protection device  10 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a protection device  100  according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 to  3  show one preferred embodiment for a protection device  10  according to the present invention. The protection device  10  generally comprises a narrow strip in the shape of a headband  12  housing a polymeric insert  14  (FIG.  3 ). The headband  12  is a relatively soft member made of a cloth or fabric material, for example neoprene. The headband  12  has an inner surface  16  and an opposed outer surface  18 , both extending to and meeting with an upper edge  20  and a lower edge  22 . The inner and outer surfaces  16 ,  18  and the upper and lower edges  20 ,  22  each extend to a first end  24  and a spaced apart second end  26 . This structure provides the headband  12  with a significantly greater length between the ends  24  and  26  than its width between the upper and lower edges  20  and  22 . A particularly preferred material is commercially available from All Med Inc. under the trade name NEO-PLUSH. This material is somewhat elastic. 
     The inner surface  16  at the first end  24  supports a first pad  28  (FIG. 2) of one of a hook and a loop type-fastener while the outer surface  18  at the second end  26  supports a second pad  30  (FIG. 3) of the other of the fastener combination. An exemplary type of hook and loop fastener is marketed under the VELCRO trademark. The length of the headband  12  is sufficient to surround a user&#39;s head H with the ends  24 ,  26  overlapping to contact the first pad  28  with the second pad  30  to engage the loops to the hooks of the fastener to secure the headband  12  about the head. Preferably, the headband  12  has a length to surround various sized heads. 
     The width of the headband  12  between the upper and lower edges  20  and  22  and extending from both ends  24 ,  26  to a central portion  32  are of an equal height. The central portion  32  is bordered by right and left temple portions  34  and  36 , coinciding approximately with the right and left temples T 1 , T 2  of the user&#39;s head. There, the headband widens somewhat with the upper and lower edges  20 ,  22  having reflective upper and lower curved portions  38  and  40 , respectively. 
     An oval-shaped backing member  42  is sewn  44  or otherwise secured to the inner surface  16  of the headband  12  aligned with the central portion  32 . In that manner, the backing member  42  is positioned at a central location between the left and right temple portions  34 ,  36 , and provides a pocket  46  with the headband  12 . A vertically oriented slit  48  runs from a position adjacent to the upper edge  20  to a position adjacent to the lower edge  22  and provides access to the pocket  46 . 
     The rigid polymeric insert  14 , which is commercially available under the trademark ORTHOPLAST (Johnson &amp; Johnson), is cut to match the oval shape of the pocket  46 . To form the shaped inset  14 , it is first immersed in 160° F. water to soften it into a malleable state. The softened plastic is then pressed directly against the user&#39;s forehead for about two minutes. Once cooled and hardened, the inset  14  is permanently shaped to match the exact contour of the user&#39;s forehead. 
     The custom molded polymeric inset  14  is then inserted through the slit  48  to a position between the, headband  12  and the backing member  42 . The stitching  44  is positioned to allow only so much room in the pocket  46  as is needed to snuggly house the insert  14  without allowing the insert to move freely in the pocket. The headband  12  is then positioned about the user&#39;s head with the slit  48  centered along the forehead. The ends  24 ,  26  are brought together to contact the hook and loop pads  28 ,  30  to each other to secure the protection device  10  in place. 
     While the present protective device  10  has been described as comprising a headband  12  with a sewn in backing member  42 , an alternate embodiment has two cloth or fabric strips sewn together. In this case, the two cloth strips are sewn together about their entire coinciding peripheries, and at a position adjacent to their coinciding central portions  32  to provide the pocket  46 . The inner cloth strip has the slit  48  for receiving the inset  14 . Alternatively, a cloth of double width is folded in half width wise to form the double thickness headband. 
     FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of a protective device  100  according to the present invention. This device is constructed as an endless member made of a stretchable fabric. In that respect, protective device  100  does not have spaced apart ends which are secured together. Instead, it is sized so that the fabric stretches somewhat to provide a comfortable, snug fit about the user&#39;s head. In all other respects, the protective device  100  is the same as the previously described protective device  10 . 
     Still further, instead of the headband  12  having the slot  48  in the backing member  42  secured to the inner surface  16  thereof, the two cloth construction provides for housing the shaped insert  14  in place by various alternate methods. These include having the cloths separate from each other at then coinciding peripheries to provide access to a pocket between them. The cloths could separate at either the upper edge  20  or the lower edge  22 . Then, once the insert  14  is in place, the cloths are secured to each other, such as by VELCRO, to close the pocket. 
     Those skilled in the art will also realize that the insert  14  can be provided in positions other than to protect the forehead. For example, the headbands  10 ,  100  could be provided with pockets at various positions about their peripheral extent. That way, an insert could be provide to protect the temples or the back of the head as well as the forehead. 
     Alternate embodiments of the present invention also include the backing member  42  or inner one of the coinciding cloth strips being of a perspiration absorption fabric such as Terry cloth. Also, the polymeric insert  14  can be perforated for ventilation purposes. Furthermore, those skilled in the. art will readily recognize alternate fastener devices in addition to the described hook and loop type fastener. These alternate structures include snaps, buttons, buckles, and repositionable adhesives. Still further, the insert  14  can be secure to the inside of the headbands  10 ,  100  by means other than the pocket. These alternate structures include VELCRO type fasteners, snaps, repositionable tape, and the like. 
     Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the example given in the drawings.