Patent Publication Number: US-2007118979-A1

Title: Football shoulder pads

Description:
This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/692,437 filed Oct. 23, 2003. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to an improved athletic protective pad construction that is lightweight and breathable. Additionally, the invention relates to football shoulder pads having improved, removable cap pads as well as additional removable pads at the shoulder portion of the pads and removable deltoid pads.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Athletic protective pads, such as shoulder pads, rib protectors, hip pads, thigh pads, and so forth, are commonly worn by athletes in a variety of sports in which body contact with either another participant or a piece of equipment used in the sport presents the risk of injury. These types of protective pads have long been known and used by athletes in contact sports such as football and hockey.  
      Football shoulder pads typically include a relatively hard outer shell of leather, rigid plastic or similar material and an inner layer of soft padding material. The hard outer layer receives the applied force or shock upon impact and spreads the force over a large area where it is absorbed and cushioned by the soft padding material. Padding materials may include cotton padding, foam rubber, foam plastic, sponge rubber, a combination of open and closed cell foams and expanded rubber or vinyl, with the properties of such materials having the ability to reduce the transmitted force during impact.  
      These and other types of padding typically do not allow body heat to be released and thus, are very warm when worn by an athlete. This can decrease the athlete&#39;s level of performance and in extreme cases it can even be a cause of heat stroke. The hard outer shell prevents airflow into and/or perspiration evaporation away from the athlete&#39;s body.  
      Also, the hard outer layer and padding combinations can be very heavy and cumbersome for an athlete. The added weight can also decrease the athlete&#39;s performance, especially speed and mobility. Shoulder pads are typically constructed to include padding that extends across an athlete&#39;s chest and back area as well as partially across the front and back shoulder region which can restrict the athlete&#39;s movement.  
      In football, different positions require different amounts and areas of body protection. For instance, a wide receiver must be as fast and agile as possible. Although safety is a concern, the less padding the better. The wide receiver prefers lightweight shoulder pads. In contrast, blocking linemen take quite a beating and require more padding protection. Also, an injured player who typically does not require padding in certain areas, such as over the shoulder, upper arm or deltoid area, may need additional padding protection during the injury healing period.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, new, improved, breathable, lightweight football shoulder pads are disclosed. The football shoulder pads include selectively removable padding which makes the pads even more lightweight as desired and needed. In contrast, the removable padding can be added to the pads as needed, if a player is injured or playing a position that requires more or less padding.  
      The football shoulder pads include left and right torso pads which present a foam body. The foam body includes a hard inner layer, and first and second layers of breathable, lightweight foam secured to opposing surfaces of the hard, inner layer. The layers present a sandwich configuration. A breathable, lightweight fabric layer, such as mesh fabric, extends around the periphery of the foam body. The hard inner layer includes spaced apart openings which allow air or moisture to flow through the foam body.  
      The football shoulder pads can include adjustable and selectively removable cap pads attachable to the shoulder portion of the football pads. The cap pads include a member for securing the cap pad to the wearer&#39;s arm. The football shoulder pads can further include adjustable and selectively removable deltoid pads and attachment members for securing football pad accessories, such as a neck roll or rib protector, to the shoulder pads.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of football shoulder pads in accordance with the present invention, with the pads&#39; wearer shown in phantom;  
       FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the football shoulder pads of  FIG. 1 , showing the right deltoid pad removed therefrom;  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the football shoulder pads of  FIG. 1 , showing a clavicle pad removed therefrom;  
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged partial bottom or inside view of the football shoulder pads of  FIG. 1  showing the releasable connection of a cap pad to the football shoulder pads in detail;  
       FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of the football shoulder pads of  FIG. 1  with the cap pad strap turned up to show its adjustability;  
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged front view of the left deltoid pad removed from the shoulder pads;  
       FIG. 7  is a rear plan view of the deltoid pad of  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 8  is a partial bottom or inside view of the shoulder pads of  FIG. 1  sowing the overlap between a clavicle pad and a deltoid pad;  
       FIG. 9  is a partial back or rear view of football shoulder pads in accordance with the present invention, showing an accessory attachment thereon;  
       FIG. 10  is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of an alternative accessory connection on the shoulder pads of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 11  is a top view of the hard inner layer of the football shoulder pads;  
       FIG. 12  is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the football shoulder pads&#39; foam body; and  
       FIG. 13  is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of the foam body.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Football shoulder pads  10  in accordance with the present invention are shown as worn by an athlete  12  in  FIG. 1 . As seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , to sufficiently protect the athlete&#39;s upper torso, the shoulder pads  10  include left and right torso halves  14  and  16 . Each half is identical but a mirror image of the other and includes a chest portion  18 , back portion  20  and shoulder portion  22 . The pads  10  additionally include left and right deltoid pads  24  and  26  and left and right shoulder cap pads  28  and  30 . A rigid plastic outer arch  32  extends partially over the exterior of each torso half  14  and  16  to provide stability to the shoulder portions  22 .  
      The torso halves  12  and  16  present a foam body  40 , portions of which are shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . Although the foam body  40  is shown and described in connection with football shoulder pads, this foam body construction can be used in protective padding equipment or athletic wear for other sports, such as baseball, hockey, lacrosse, etc. or other types of pads, such as hip, thigh or rib protectors. For instance, the foam body  40  could be used for baseball chest protectors or leg guards.  
      The foam body  40  includes a hard inner layer  42  and first and second layers  44  and  46  of breathable foam. The first and second layers  44  and  46  are secured to opposing surfaces of the hard inner layer  42  presenting a sandwich configuration. Any suitable adhesive can be used to secure the layers together. Preferably, a glue is applied to the surfaces of the inner layer  42  and the layers are laminated. A breathable fabric, preferably mesh  48 , extends around the periphery of the foam body  40 .  
      The hard, inner layer  42 , as shown in detail in  FIG. 11 , is formed of a piece of rigid plastic with spaced apart openings  50   a  and  50   b  stamped therethrough. Layer  42  can be formed of other suitable hard, impact resistant materials, such as leather.  FIG. 11  shows the plastic layer  42  which is used in one of the torso halves  14  or  16 . Thus, when adhered between the foam layers  44  and  46  to form the football pads  10 , the layer  42  presents a chest portion  18 , back portion  20  and shoulder portion  22  that corresponds to the left or right torso half  14  or  16 . The plastic layer  42  is preferably 2.6 millimeters thick. The number and size of the openings  50  can vary depending on the size of the shoulder pads  10 . However, preferably the openings  50   a  over the shoulder portion  22  are 8 millimeters in diameter and the openings  50   b  over the chest and back portions  18  and  20  are 25-28 millimeters in diameter.  
      As seen in  FIG. 12 , the first and second foam layers  44  and  46  are formed of closed cell foam beads  52  fused together where the individual beads  52  meet. One such foam is Brock™ foam which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,920,915 and 6,032,300. These patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference. This foam circulates air in three dimensions. As the body sweats, the sweat coats the beads which actually accelerates evaporation, body cooling and drying. Upon impact, each bead tries to separate the adjacent beads sideways, deflecting the energy away from the body and thereby absorbing more impact than foams of comparable weight and flexibility.  
      Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the first and second foam layers  44  and  46  can be conventional open or closed cell foams, each layer being punctured with multiple puncture holes  58  therethrough. One layer  44  or  46  could be open cell foam and the other layer  44  or  46  can be closed cell foam to maximize impact resistance to the athlete. The puncture holes  58  are smaller in diameter than the hard layer openings  50 . Preferably, several puncture holes  58  align with an opening  50  to allow air and moisture to pass through the foam body  40 .  
      Thus, the foam layers  44  and  46 , impact resistant inner layer  42  and mesh  48  are lightweight and cooperate to allow air or moisture to flow through the foam body  40 .  
      The outer arches  32 , as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , extend over the outside surface of the mesh  48  at the shoulder portions  22 . The arches  32  are riveted to the shoulder portions  22  of the torso halves  14  and  16 . The clearance between the first outer foam layer  44  and the outer arches  32  allows air or moisture to flow or disperse through this area of the shoulder pads  10 . However, because of the tight or small clearance between the outer arches  32  and the torso halves  14  and  16 , accessory attachments  60  are preferably secured to each outer arch  32 . See  FIG. 2 . Two other attachments (not shown) are positioned opposite the attachments  60  shown in  FIG. 2  but on the back portions  20 .  
      The accessory attachments  60  allow shoulder pad accessories, such as neck rolls (not shown) which are more typically worn by lineman, to be easily attached to the shoulder pads  10  as necessary. As seen in  FIG. 10 , each accessory attachment  60  includes a screw  62  extending through the outer arch  32  and secured thereto by t-nut  64 , which extends into the outer arch  32  from its inner surface.  
      The attachments  60  may not be necessary on shoulder pads designed to be worn by other players such as quarterbacks or wide receivers. These other positions, however, are more likely to need additional protection elsewhere, for instance over the ribs.  FIG. 9  shows a partial rear view of a quarterback version of the shoulder pads  10 . These pads preferably do not include accessory attachments  60  but include accessory attachments  61 .  
      The accessory attachments  61  include extruded vinyl or plastic flaps  65  riveted across the length thereof and adjacent each flap&#39;s top edge through the outer foam layer  44  to the inner plastic layer  42  with slots  66  and/or holes  67  therethrough. The accessory, such as a rib protector (not shown), is secured to the attachments  61  by hooking it within the slots  66  and/or holes  67 . An attachment  61  is positioned adjacent the lower edge of each torso half  14  and  16 .  
      Next, some football positions require more padding than others, such as the offensive and defensive line positions. As seen in  FIGS. 1-4 , the shoulder pads  10  include adjustable and removable cap pads  28  and  30 . As shown the cap pads  28  and  30  each have an upper cap portion  70  and a lower cap portion  72 . However, other shoulder pad models, such as quarterback shoulder pads, may only include cap pads having an upper cap portion  70 . Given the cap pads&#39; removability, these different types of cap pads are also interchangeable between shoulder pads.  
      The cap portions  70  and  72  are each discrete pads, but are covered by the same nylon covering. The covering is stitched together between the cap portions  70  and  72  to present a hinge  73 . The lower cap portion  72  is substantially trapezoidal and includes a lower elastic strap  76  which extends across the width of the lower cap portion  72  from one side thereof to the other side adjacent the free end of the lower cap portion  72 . The ends of the elastic strap  76  are stitched to the lower cap portion&#39;s nylon covering. The elastic strap  76  wraps around the athlete&#39;s upper arm to maintain the cap pads  28  and  30  in position over the athlete&#39;s upper arm. See  FIG. 1 . Thus, the cap pads  28  and  30  can be secured to the athlete&#39;s upper arm to ensure the padding moves with the arm regardless of the direction of movement.  
      The upper cap portions  70  are releasably and adjustably secured to the shoulder portions  22  of the football pads  10  and help protect the athlete&#39;s shoulders. As seen in  FIGS. 3-5 , an upper strap  74  extends outwardly from the center of the top edge of each upper cap portion  70 . Thus, the upper strap  74  has one secured end  75  stitched to the upper cap portion  70  and another free end  76 . The top surface of each strap  74  has hook and loop tape, such as Velcro™, thereon. More specifically, a length of hook tape  78  extends from the secured end  75  along the strap&#39;s top surface and a shorter length of loop tape  79  is secured at the free end  76  of the strap&#39;s top surface as best shown in  FIG. 5 .  
      A loop  80  is stitched to each torso half  14  and  16  at the shoulder portion  22  thereof. The free end  76  of the strap  74  extends outwardly from the upper cap portion  70  through loop  80  into hook and loop attachment to itself. The length or position of the cap pads  28  and  30  can be adjusted by securing the loop tape  79  in different places along the length of the hook tape  78 . For instance, the cap pad  30  shown in  FIG. 5  could be raised (or shortened) by pulling more length if the strap  74  through the loop  80  and securing the tape&#39;s free end  76  over the tape&#39;s secured end  75 . This adjustability allows the same cap pads  28  and  30  to be used with different sized players. By releasing the strap&#39;s hook and loop attachment, the cap pads  28  and  30  can be removed from the shoulder pads  10 .  
      Football shoulder pads  10  also allow for additional padding over the shoulder area. Under each shoulder portion  22  of the torso halves  14  and  16  is a set or series of clavicle pads. See  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Each set includes three distinct pads  82 ,  84  and  86 . Each distinct pad  82 ,  84  and  86  is selectively removable or adjustable through the use of hook and loop type tape, such as Velcro™, as desired, depending on the placement and amount of padding required in this area.  FIG. 3  shows the left side pad  82  removed from the shoulder pads  10 . The bottom of each pad  82 ,  84  and  86  is covered with loop tape  87  and an area of hook tape  88  is stitched to the mesh  48  at the bottom surface of the shoulder portions  22  of the shoulder pads  10 . These pads  82 ,  84  and  86  are preferably the Air Release™ type with a foam body similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,611, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. In these football pads  10 , the Air Release™ type pads have an open cell center layer that is 12 millimeters thick sandwiched between two outer layers of closed cell foam that are 3 millimeters thick.  
      The football shoulder pads  10  also have selectively removable, adjustable left and right deltoid pads  24  and  26 . The deltoid pads  24  and  26  are mirror images of each other. Only one will be discussed in detail. As seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the left deltoid pad  24  includes an outer or top surface  90 , a rear surface  92 , a curved outer side  94  and an inner side  96 . An attachment flap  98  extends outwardly from the rear surface  92  along the length of inner side  96 . The flap  98  preferably has a width of approximately 1¾″. The flap  98  has a top surface  100  and a bottom surface  102 . The top surface  100  is covered with loop tape and the bottom surface  102  is covered with hook tape.  
      As shown in  FIG. 8 , each deltoid pad  24  and  26  is secured to the shoulder pads  10  by sticking the loop tape of the flap&#39;s top surface  100  to the hook tape  88  of the shoulder pads  10 . The position of each deltoid pad  24  and  26  can be adjusted along the length of the flap  98  and across the width of the flap  98 . A clavicle pad  86  can then be secured over each deltoid pad&#39;s hook tape on the flap&#39;s bottom surface  102 , sandwiching the deltoid pads  24  and  26  between a clavicle pad  86  and the shoulder pads  10 .  
      Thus, the football shoulder pads  10  are lightweight and breathable, but can be augmented to include additional adjustable padding in the shoulder, upper arm and deltoid areas, as desired.  
      It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.