Patent ID: 8082602

Claim:
An upper body protective garment comprising: a lower portion including a protective abdominal member and a protective lower back member, the abdominal and lower back members being flexibly interconnected such as to be wearable around a waist of a wearer with a snug fit; an upper portion including a protective front thoracic member and a protective upper back member with a neck hole extending therebetween, the front thoracic member at least partially overlaying the abdominal member; a flexible front connection between the abdominal member and the front thoracic member, the front connection including a loose connection interconnecting a bottom end of the front thoracic member and the abdominal member while allowing relative movement therebetween, wherein the loose connection includes a flexible strap connecting an underside of a lower portion of the front thoracic member and a lower portion of the abdominal pad; and a flexible rear connection between the lower back member and the upper back member, the rear connection being provided at least in part by a protective spinal member including flexibly interconnected rigid members for overlaying a spine of the wearer; the front and rear connections allowing the upper portion to remain in an at least substantially fixed position with respect to shoulders of the wearer and the lower portion to remain in an at least substantially fixed position with respect to a waist of the wearer while the shoulders and waist are moved relative to one another.