Patent ID: 6859948

Claim:
A hip protector for wearing use by a user having hips for at least reducing, if not preventing, hip fractures, which might otherwise result from a fall, comprising: a substantially all-soft, hip protector having a pair of substantially spaced apart, hip protector, holster members interconnected by a waist encircling, belt band, each of said holster members carrying a protective pad pouch made of flexible sheet material for placement over respective ones of the user's hips and to be secured in place by separate, leg encircling bands, one for each of the user's legs and for each of said holster members and its respective one of said protective pouches, leaving substantial, open, unobstructed areas over the groin and derriere areas of the user, when said holster members and their respective protective pad pouchs are positioned over the hip areas of the user; each of said hip protective pad pouches further including: (a) an all-soft, primary, impact force absorbing, protective element having a soft foam body enclosed in its respective one of said holster member's respective protective pouch; (b) a series of at least two, spaced, intermediate, spacer elements of all-soft material, each of which has a soft foam body, with each enclosed in a separate pouch made of flexible sheet material, and are located underlying said primary foam body; and (c) an outside cover and an inside cover of flexible, sheet material combined together enclosing said protective element and said series of intermediate, spacer elements, forming an enclosed air chamber underlying said protective element, said primary, impact force absorbing, protective element, said spacer elements and said air chamber, combined together to absorb the impact force when the user falls on either one of the user's hips.