Abstract:
A protective garment is disclosed that is used in sporting games to protect the wearer from projectiles fired by the other participants. The garment may be of a unitary construction or have a plurality of components. Additionally, the garment may only cover selected portions of the wearer&#39;s body, to protect those areas needing protection. The padding used to protect the wearer may be removed or enhanced by the wearer before, during, and after the games. The garment also includes a number of vents to allow body heat to escape and securing elements to minimize the risk of the garment catching on bush and brush.

Description:
[0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part of pending application Ser. No. 10/419,344, filed on Apr. 21, 2003, to be U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,400. 
     
    
     
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a protective garment to protect a wearer during sporting games, and more particularly, a protective garment that has padding in a plurality of locations to reduce the impact of projectiles fired at the wearer during the sporting games.  
           [0003]    There are a number of prior art garments that have padding or cover certain portions of the body. However, none of these garments are intended for or appropriate for the sporting games. This is particularly true when high speed projectiles are launched at the wearer of the garments. Additionally, many of the garments are made for other sporting activities, such as coveralls for hunting, skating, football, karate, and hockey, where the concerns are different than fro the present sporting games.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a protective garment that substantially obviates one or more of the problems and disadvantages in the prior art. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus and process particularly pointed out in the written description and claims, as well as the appended drawings.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention is directed to a protective garment for use in sporting games, the protective garment includes an upper portion for covering at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s arms and torso, a lower portion for covering at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s waist area and legs, a plurality of pads on the protective garment to protect the wearer during the sporting games, and a plurality of securing members to secure the protective garment at a plurality of locations on the wearer.  
           [0006]    In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a protective garment for use in sporting games, the protective garment includes an upper portion for covering at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s arms and torso, a lower portion for covering at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s waist area and legs, the lower portion being separate from the upper portion, a plurality of pads on the upper and lower portions of the protective garment to protect the wearer during the sporting games, and a plurality of securing members to secure the protective garment at a plurality of locations on the wearer.  
           [0007]    It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.  
           [0008]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a protective garment according to the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a rear view of the protective garment of FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a partial view of the front of the protective garment of FIG. 1 with the bib in an open configuration;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the collar of the protective garment in FIG. 1 in an open configuration;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a front view of a second embodiment of a lower portion of a protective garment according to the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a front view of a second embodiment of an upper portion of a protective garment according to the present invention and is illustrated with the lower portion of FIG. 6;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a rear view of the protective garment of FIG. 6;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a rear view of another embodiment of a lower portion of a protective garment according to the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is front view of another embodiment of an upper portion of a protective garment according to the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 is a front view of another embodiment of a lower portion of a protective garment according to the present invention; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 11 is a rear view of the lower portion of the protective garment in FIG. 10. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a protective garment  1 , showing closed central body zipper  14  laterally connecting the upper and lower torso portions,  3  and  19 , respectively. Waist belt  32  is shown with buckle  33  closed, with female buckle portion  4  and male waist buckle portion  34  (shown in FIG. 2), attached to create a snug fit for the player. This snug fit safely prevents the garment from accidentally catching onto obstacles during game play. A pair of front belt loops  57   a  and  57   b  (shown in FIG. 1) and back belt cover  58  (shown in FIG. 2) also assist in snugly affixing the belt  32  to the garment  1 .  
         [0021]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, protective safety padding of varying sizes and shapes give extra protection to vulnerable areas of the player&#39;s body. This padding is preferably made of neoprene (or similar) material and is preferably one quarter (¼) of an inch in thickness. From the upper torso  3  through the lower torso  19 , this padding preferably includes: padded collar back  7 , chest bib  46 , back padding  52 , pair of shoulder padding  37   a  and  37   b,  pair of elbow padding  26   a  and  26   b,  pair of biceps padding  27   a  and  27   b,  pair of forearm padding  23   a  and  23   b,  pair of wrist padding  61   a  and  61   b,  pair of kidney padding  44   a  and  44   b,  crotch padding  53 , pair of seat padding  38   a  and  38   b,  pair of thigh padding  16   a  and  16   b,  pair of back thigh padding  39   a  and  39   b,  pair of knee padding  17   a  and  17   b,  and pair of shin padding  18   a  and  18   b.  This protective safety padding can also be quilted in an aesthetic design for decoration which also helps strengthen the material. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of shoulder padding  37   a  and  37   b  have a quilted design feature.  
         [0022]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a snug fit of sleeves  13   a  and  13   b  is created by adjusting a pair of cuff straps  21   a  and  21   b,  which are preferably elastic, a pair of wrist straps  22   a  and  22   b  with pair of closures  60   a  and  60   b  that are preferably hook-and-loop type materials, pair of elbow straps  24   a  and  24   b  with pair of closures  25   a  and  25   b  that are preferably safety closures, and pair of bicep straps  28   a  and  28   b  with pair of closures  29   a  and  29   b  that are preferably safety closures. For pant legs  50   a  and  50   b,  these include: a pair of knee straps  40   a  and  40   b  with pair of closures  41   a  and  41   b  that are preferably safety closures, and pair of shin straps  42   a  and  42   b  with pair of closures  43   a  and  43   b  that are also preferably safety closures.  
         [0023]    As shown in FIG. 1 and in detail in FIG. 3, another safety feature of the protective garment  1  is that padded chest bib zipper  47  can be unzipped and open chest bib  46  can be folded over and attached to its opposite side with females snaps  2   a  and  2   b  snapping into males snaps  10   a  and  10   b,  exposing a pair of mesh chest side panels  45   a  and  45   b  which ventilate the player to ensure that the player does not become overheated.  
         [0024]    As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and  3 , a pair of mesh underarm panels  35   a  and  35   b  also ventilate the player to ensure the player will not become overheated.  
         [0025]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in detail in FIG. 4, collar  6  is shown in the open position, with pair of front collar tabs  5   a  and  5   b  attached by pair of hook-and-loop closures  8   a  and  8   b  to ensure a snug fit so as not to allow projectiles or any loose debris to hit the player&#39;s neck. The hook-and-loop closures  8   a  and  8   b  also allow for the collar to open if caught on any branches or other obstacles in order not to choke the player.  
         [0026]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, another safety feature includes a pair of ankle drawstrings  31   a  and  31   b  pulled closed at pair of stopper closures  30   a  and  30   b  through tunnel stitching  20   a  and  20   b,  in order to adjust the length of the pair of pant legs  50   a  and  50   b  to the player&#39;s height, in order for the player avoid tripping during play.  
         [0027]    As also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, accessory holders are also built into the device to safely store the accessories to avoid accidental dropping or explosion during play which would cause the player to trip up or be injured. These include: front holder  11  (preferably elastic), for paintball marker canister  56  (shown in phantom), with a plurality of compartments (preferably holding two canisters), and rear paintball marker canister holder  62  (preferably elastic), with a plurality of compartments (preferably holding three canisters), and squeegee pocket  54  and loop  59  for holding a squeegee  55 . A pair of side hip pockets  15   a  and  15   b  (with pair of zipper closures  49   a  and  49   b  shown in the closed position), and front side rib flap pocket  12  to hold small objects.  
         [0028]    Another embodiment of a protective garment  100  is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The protective garment  100  has a lower portion  102  and an upper portion  104  that cooperatively protect the wearer in sporting games, particularly those that include projectiles. The lower portion  102 , illustrated in FIG. 5 alone to show the detail, is similar to lower torso portion  19  illustrated above except that it is separated from the upper portion  104 . Additionally, the lower portion  102  has modified padding from lower torso portion  19 . The lower portion  102  preferably has two thigh pads  106 , 108  positioned to protect the wearer&#39;s thigh area. The lower portion  102  also has two crotch pads  110 , 112  that surround the closure  114  for the lower portion  102 . The closure  114  in the present embodiment is a zipper (not shown in FIG. 5) hidden by a padded cover. However, the closure  114  could be any appropriate closure, including snaps, buttons and holes, hook-and-loop, etc. The lower portion  102  preferably has a belt  116  as in the previous embodiment to hold the lower portion  102  around the wearer&#39;s waist.  
         [0029]    The lower portion  102  also preferably has knee pads  118 , 120  to protect the wearer&#39;s knees, with shin pads  122 , 124  to protect the wearer&#39;s shins. At the bottom of each leg  126 , 128  are securing members  130 , 132  to snugly hold the legs of the lower portion  102  against the wearer and prevent them from catching on brush, bushes, etc. As depicted in FIGS. 5-9, the securing members are drawing strings  134  with stopper closures  136 , 138 , but could be of any type, including typical buckles, hook-and-loop type closures, snap closures, etc. The lower portion  102  also has two holders  140 , 142  that are preferably sewn into a side seam. The holders  140 , 142  have a cover strap  144 , 146  that attaches to the outside of a respective holder to secure the contents, typically additional ammunition such as paint balls, inside the holders.  
         [0030]    The lower portion  102  also has a belt pad  148  along the back portion to protect the wearer&#39;s kidneys and to make the lower portion  102  more comfortable while being worn. A top portion the pad  148  can be seen in FIG. 5, in phantom in FIG. 7, and in the alternative embodiment in FIG. 8. The lower portion  102  also preferably has seat padding  150 , 152  to protect at least a portion of the waist area of the wearer. See FIG. 7. Also it is preferable to have back thigh pads  154 , 156  to protect the back of the legs of the wearer. The thigh area  158  also includes securing members  160 , 162 , which illustrate the use of safety closures and straps (as discussed above), but could be any of the closures previously discussed. The lower portion also has a squeegee holder  54 ′, 59 ′ as in the first embodiment.  
         [0031]    The top portion  104  has padding in similar places as in the first embodiment, but has more variety and a different closure in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 &amp; 7. The top portion  104  covers a majority of the wearer&#39;s torso and arms, and has front closure  170 , that is illustrated as a zipper  172 , but could be any appropriate closure, including snaps, buttons and holes, hook-and-loop, etc. The cover  174  is, as with the cover for the closure  114  for the lower portion  102 , is preferably padded for extra protection. The top portion  104  also has a belt  176  with a securing member  178 , illustrated as a safety closure, to keep the top portion  104  securely fastened about the wearer. A pocket  180  may also be included, the pocket may have a flap closure  182 .  
         [0032]    Ventilation areas  186 , 188  are provided under the arm portions  190 ,  192 . The ventilation areas are preferably a webbed or mesh material to allow body heat to escape during use. It is also contemplated that the ventilation areas  186 , 188  not have any material at all, but simply be holes.  
         [0033]    A padded collar  194  is also provided to provide protection to the wearer&#39;s neck area. The padded collar  194  has an opening similar to that shown in FIG. 4. Other padded areas on the arm portions  190 ,  192  include the bicep/tricep area, which has bicep pads  196 , 198 , the elbow area with elbow pads  200 , 202 , and the forearm area with forearm pads  204 , 206 . Preferably, each of the arm portions  190 ,  192  also include wrist pads  208 , 210 . The arm portions  190 ,  192  preferably have a plurality of securing elements. These include securing elements that may be elastic straps or non-elastic straps with a closure at the ends, which may be a safety closure or hook-and-loop materials. For example, the bicep and forearm securing elements  212 , 214 , 216 , 218  are preferably non-elastic straps with a safety closure on each. The wrist securing elements  220 , 222  are preferably elastic straps with hook-and-loop material. The ends of the arm portions  190 , 192  preferably have an elastic strap  224  through which the wearer inserts a hand or a portion of a hand to secure the wrist/hand pad  208 , 210  to the wearer.  
         [0034]    The upper portion also has two shoulder pads  226 , 228 , which are illustrated as being quilted. In fact, all of the pads may have quilting, which need not be for function, but only for appearance.  
         [0035]    The upper portion  104  preferably has two large pads  230 , 232  to cover the chest area of the wearer as shown in FIG. 6. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the upper portion  104  also has a large back pad  234  to cover the wearer&#39;s back. The large back pad  234  preferably ends just above the belt  176 , but may extend downward beyond the belt to provide more protection. As illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 7, the belt pad  148  from the lower portion  102  extends upward to provide protection from underneath the upper portion  104 .  
         [0036]    An alternative lower portion  250  is illustrated in FIG. 8. Lower portion  250  is similar to lower portion  102  except that lower portion  250  has two openings  252 , 254  in the calf area of the wearer. The openings  252 , 254  allow body heat to escape and provide ventilation to the lower portion  250 . Such openings may be used in other areas of the protective garment, as long as the function of the protective pads are not affected. For example, the there could be openings under the arms on portions  190 , 192  or between the ventilation areas  186 , 188  and the belt  176 . The lower portion may also have a squeegee holder  54 ′, 59 ′ as in the first embodiment.  
         [0037]    Another embodiment of a protective garment is illustrated in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the upper portion  260  has short sleeves  262 , 264  and at the arm openings  266 , 268  has elastic  270  to keep the arm openings  266 , 268  close to the wearer and prevent them from being snagged during use. The upper portion  260  has the same padding as upper portion  104 , but does not have the forearm pads or the wrist/hand pads. The shorter sleeves make the garment  260  much cooler to wear.  
         [0038]    Similarly, an alternative lower portion  280  is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11. The lower portion  280  has shorter leg portions  282  and  284  than in the above embodiments, thereby making this lower portion  280  cooler for the wearer without sacrificing the function. The padding in lower portion  280  is similar to that in the lower portions  102 , 250 . That is, there are preferably thigh pads  286 , 288 , knee pads  290 , 292 , and shin pads  294 , 296 . The lower portion  280  also preferably has securing elements  298 , 300 , 302 , 304  as above, but any of the securing elements may be eliminated depending on the use of the garment. Moreover, the openings  306 , 308  may also have elastic (not shown) as with the arm openings  262 , 264  in the upper portion  260 .  
         [0039]    It should also be noted that while the pads in the figures are illustrated as being sewn into the garments, the pads may be removable. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the pad  310  may be inserted into a pocket  312  or other opening at the appropriate location. In the portion of the lower portion  104 ′ illustrated in FIG. 12, the pad  310  is illustrated as being inserted into a pocket  312 . Pocket  312  preferably has a flap  314  that has at least one closure to secure the pad  310  into it. The closure illustrated in FIG. 12 includes a hook-and-loop fastener, with the loop portion  316  on the pocket and the hook portion  318  on the flap  314 , although they could be reversed. Other types of closures for the pockets, such as buttons, snaps, zippers, etc. are within the scope of the present application. The pocket  320  is illustrated as being closed.  
         [0040]    Alternatively, the pads  322  may be attached to protective garments with a hook-and-loop fastener. Such an embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 13. The pads  322  have the hook portion  324  of the hook-and-loop fastener, while the garment (a portion of a lower portion  104 ″ is used for illustrative purposes in the figure) has the loop portion  326  and the pads  322  can be attached as required by the wearer. Obviously, the hook and loop portions could be reversed in their application, but if the hook portion is on the garment and a pad is not used, the hook portion of the material may pick up debris during use, requiring the wearer to clean out the debris before a pad will adhere to the hook material in the future. The lower portion  104 ″ may also have an area  328  to which the pads  322  and the hook and loop portions  324 , 326  are attached, or they may be attached directly to the lower portion  104 ″.  
         [0041]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the multi-fiber ferrule of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.