Patent Publication Number: US-5829055-A

Title: Protective leg guards

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to protective leg guards for sports, particularly of the type worn by hockey players under pants and elastic socks. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various shin and knee guards are presently available for sports such as hockey, baseball and soccer. Articulated pads for hockey players, such as Barcelo U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,847, are presently available which are worn under elastic socks. It is well known that hockey players in particular wrap adhesive tape horizontally and/or diagonally around existing types of shin guards to tightly secure the guards to their legs during play. Despite various types of strap means employed by the prior art, many players nevertheless feel the necessity to tape the guards. Further, presently used leg guards are heavy, cumbersome to assemble and do not always fit the wearer or provide a suitable protective action at all points throughout the player&#39;s desired range of movement. The taping process is inconvenient and inefficient in that the guards must be taped for each use. The chief object of the invention, therefore, is to solve these problems and improve guards for athletic use. 
     The guards of the present invention are specifically designed for rapid donning and removal, are lightweight, flexible and provide ultimate protection and maximum articulation so that when used a hockey player&#39;s mobility is not impeded while performing all aspects of his position. The invention employs a novel elastic one-piece strap means which eliminates the necessity of adhesive tape to achieve the proper fit. Use of such strap means results in the calf protecting sections fitting closely around the calf thereby causing little or no interference during play. Such freedom of movement is particularly important when a player is skating or running at high speed. 
     PRIOR ART 
     The prior art includes a number of applications in sporting goods wherein protective padding and other articles are secured to a wearer by means of straps or hook and loop pile fasteners. For example, Henson U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,370 teaches a shin pad employing an ankle strap as a sole means for securing the pad to the wearer. 
     Barcelo U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,847 teaches a hockey-type shin guard having three straps which employ buckles as fastening means. 
     Ekins U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,748 teaches a pair of knee and shin guards having no fastening means. 
     Meistrell U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,406 teaches an adjustable, stretchable strap means which attaches to protective guards such as a hockey player shin guards. 
     Jurga U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,946 discloses a baseball catcher&#39;s leg guard having a plurality of elastic straps and buckle-type fasteners. 
     Litz U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,529 teaches a baseball shin guard which is secured into place by means of a plurality of straps having pressure adhesive fasteners. 
     Edelson U.S. Pat. No. 3,465,364 teaches a soccer-type shin guard bearing a Velcro® strip for affixure to the inside of the player&#39;s knee-length stocking. 
     The prior art teaches the use of a muliplicity of straps as fastening means which engage or become snagged with the socks or pants of the wearer and cause discomfort and reduction in freedom of movement. Thus, there is need for a guard having a one-piece strap means which will not snag or restrict movement. There is a further need for a strap arrangement that wraps horizontally across the back of the knee and diagonally around the front of the guard in a protective channel to mimic the support and gathering obtained by the use of adhesive tape, yet without the disadvantages of adhesive tape. Lastly, there is a need for a guard having a detachable padded liner for added protection and to enhance the life of the guard. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objects of the present invention are: (1) to provide a novel leg guard which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and provides the desired characteristics of being lightweight, comfortable and flexible while affording the necessary protection to the shins and knees of the user, such as a hockey player, when worn under their stockings or pants; (2) to provide a guard which uses an elastic one-piece strap with hook and loop pile fasteners which will not engage or snag on a player&#39;s stockings or pants nor restrict movement; (3) to employ an elastic one-piece strap means which allow for rapid donning and removal of the guard; (4) to employ an elastic one-piece strap means which hold the guard in a desired position of curvature of the shin and knee and to control the fitted relationship of the leg calf wings with respect to the leg of a user; (5) to employ an elastic one-piece strap means which wrap horizontally behind the knee and diagonally across the front of the guard to mimic the support of adhesive tape as commonly used by hockey players, yet without the inconvenience of using tape each time the guard is worn; (6) to employ an elastic one-piece strap having a diagonal strap portion which passes through a strap protector embedded diagonally across the front of the guard in a special channel; (7) to provide a guard with molded shin, knee, thigh and calf protecting sections to conform to the shape of the leg for a better fit; (8) to employ a detachable padded liner for increased comfort, added protection and, to increase the wearing life of the device, the liner or the guard may be replaced; (9) to use a plurality of pads on the inside of the detachable liner to form an accentuated pocket directly in front of the knee cap which provides for increased protective action for the wearer; and (10) to employ a shin pad sewn into the detachable liner for further protection of the wearer&#39;s shin. 
     Basically, the device, in an exemplary embodiment, comprises: 
     (a) a shin guard section having a front panel and a rear panel; 
     (b) a knee guard section mounted continuously to the shin guard section, said knee guard section forming a convex protective pocket occurring in spaced relation to the kneecap of the wearer; 
     (c) a channel on said front panel; 
     (d) a rigid plastic strap protector affixed to said channel and having a slot means; 
     (e) an elastic one-piece strap passing through said slot means to detachably secure the guard to the wearer&#39;s leg; and 
     (f) a detachable padded liner fitted and detachably affixed continuously to the inside of said knee guard section and to the rear panel of the shin guard section. 
     As will appear, the channel and strap protector run diagonally across the front panel to ensure that the one-piece strap is properly positioned for optimal support. A diagonal strap portion of the one-piece strap connects angularly with a horizontal strap portion of the one-piece strap which provides the means for the wearer to quickly and easily don the guard. Other embodiments within the scope of this invention may be developed or may be apparent upon reaching an understanding of this disclosure. 
     Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following descriptions wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the right guard of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the left guard of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a view of the outer side of the left guard of which the right guard is a mirror image; 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the inner side of the left guard of which the right guard is a mirror image; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear view of the right guard of which the left guard is a mirror image; 
     FIG. 6 is a view of the inner side of the left shin guard as worn by a wearer; and 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the left detachable liner of which the right detachable liner is a mirror image. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner. 
     Referring first to FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings, guard 1 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated as worn by wearer 2. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the guard comprises a shin guard section 3 having front panel 4 and rear panel 5. The shin guard section 3 is made of a rigid plastic which is molded to fit the contour of the wearer&#39;s shin. 
     Knee guard section 7, also made of rigid plastic, is mounted continuously to shin guard section 3 forming a convex protective pocket occurring in a spaced relationship to the knee of the wearer. 
     A channel 6 is molded across front panel 4. In the preferred embodiment, said channel 6 is oriented diagonally across said front panel 4 from the inside portion of front panel 4 extending diagonally downward to the outside of said front panel 4. A rigid plastic strap protector 8 is embedded into channel 6. Strap protector 8 has two slot means 9, which in the illustrated example, FIG. 1, is formed of openings at each end of the strap protector 8. Strap protector 8 also has a plurality of raised segments 24 for further protection. An elastic one-piece strap 10 has a horizontal strap portion 22 and a diagonal strap portion 23. The horizontal strap portion 22 wraps around the back of the knee of wearer 2 and detachably connects to guard 1 at upper strap connection means 20 utilizing hook and loop pile fasteners. Diagonal strap portion 23 passes through both ends of slot means 9 and inside strap protector 8 and detachably connects to the guard 1 at lower strap connection means 21 utilizing Velcro affixure. 
     Thigh guard section 12 is joined continuously to knee guard section 7 and is made of a semi-flexible plastic material and serves to protect the immediate area above the knee. 
     A one-piece detachable liner 15 is fitted and detachably affixed continuously to the inside of knee guard section 7 and the rear panel 5 of the shin guard section 3. Detachable liner 15 consists of foam padding material which is encompassed by fabric. A plurality of knee pads 16 are sewn into detachable liner 15 to form an accentuated pocket directly in front of the knee cap which provides for increased protective action for the wearer. Further, shin pad 17 is sewn into detachable liner 15 in a position corresponding to the shin bone of the wearer. 
     Inside and outside calf protecting sections 13 and 14, respectively, are made of a semi-flexible material and are attached continuously to the inner and outer sides of shin guard section 3. When elastic one-piece strap 10 is connected to upper and lower strap connections means 20 and 21 as worn, calf protecting sections 13 and 14 are forced inward to closely fit against the sides of the lower leg. 
     Attached edging 18 is sewn to the inside and outside calf protecting sections 13 and 14, thigh guard section 12 and detachable liner 15. 
     Shin guard section 3 and knee guard section 7 have a continuous inner liner 11 to which detachable liner 15 is detachably secured by liner connection means 19, preferrably hook and loop pile fasteners. 
     It is to be understood that while certain embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is not to be limited to the specific forms described, except as limited by the following claims.