Protective gear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10278436-B2
Application number	US-201615366234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2016
Priority date	Dec 1, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Protective gear for protecting an arm or other body part of a wearer, such as a lacrosse, hockey, baseball, or other sports player, or an occupational worker, is provided. The gear can be in the form of an arm guard including a forearm guard, a biceps guard and a sleeve. The sleeve can be joined with the forearm guard and an upper end of the biceps guard, with a lower end of the biceps guard being free from attachment to the sleeve to facilitate radioulnar rotation of the forearm guard and thus the forearm of the wearer. The arm guard can include a low profile elbow cap that is integral with the forearm guard, and generally free floating within and joined with the forearm guard, rather than being a separate component from the forearm guard.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An arm guard comprising:
a forearm guard configured to engage a forearm of a wearer, the forearm guard including an upper end and a lower end, the upper end configured for placement on the wearer's forearm at a location that is at a top end of the wearer's forearm, and that is above a forearm location of the lower end, the forearm guard including an interior forearm pad and an exterior forearm pad, the interior forearm pad and the exterior forearm pad spaced from one another to form a forearm pad gap, the interior forearm pad configured to be closer to a skin surface of the forearm of the wearer, the exterior forearm pad configured to form an exterior of the forearm guard, the exterior forearm pad defining an exterior pad elbow hole;
an elbow cap including a rigid shell, the elbow cap being disposed between the interior forearm pad and the exterior forearm pad, the elbow cap being movable relative to the exterior pad elbow hole defined by the exterior forearm pad, the elbow cap including an elbow cap portion that projects at least partially through the exterior pad elbow hole of the exterior forearm pad, the elbow cap being joined with the interior forearm pad so that the elbow cap is configured to move with the interior forearm pad as the elbow cap moves relative to the exterior pad elbow hole;
a sleeve joined with the forearm guard, the sleeve being configured for placement closer to the skin surface of the wearer's forearm than the forearm guard, the sleeve being configured to hold the forearm guard in proximity to the wearer's forearm; and
a biceps guard configured to engage an upper arm of the wearer, the biceps guard being located above the forearm guard, the biceps guard including an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the biceps guard being attached to the sleeve, the lower end of the biceps guard being free from attachment to the sleeve to facilitate radioulnar rotation of the forearm of the wearer, the lower end of the biceps guard overlapping the upper end of the forearm guard whereby the biceps guard can deflect vertical blows away from the forearm guard.

2. The arm guard of claim 1 ,
wherein the upper end of the forearm guard and the lower end of the biceps guard are free from attachment to one another to facilitate radioulnar rotation of the forearm of the wearer.

3. The arm guard of claim 1 ,
wherein the upper end of the forearm guard includes an upper end edge and the lower end of the biceps guard includes a lower end edge,
wherein the upper end edge and the lower end edge are free from attachment to one another along a majority of at least one of the upper end edge and the lower end edge to facilitate radioulnar rotation of the forearm of the wearer.

4. The arm guard of claim 3 , comprising:
an arm guard longitudinal axis having a medial side and a lateral side opposing one another across the longitudinal axis,
wherein the upper end edge and the lower end edge are attached via a first elastic strap on the lateral side and a second elastic strap on the medial side.

5. The arm guard of claim 1 ,
wherein the elbow cap includes an apex that extends through the elbow pad hole defined by the exterior forearm pad,
wherein the apex extends away from the forearm guard and is configured to form a contact portion when the arm guard engages an object.

6. The arm guard of claim 1 ,
wherein the interior forearm pad defines an interior pad hole bounded by an inner perimeter,
wherein the rigid shell includes an outer perimeter,
wherein the outer perimeter is joined to the inner perimeter.

7. The arm guard of claim 1 ,
wherein the interior forearm pad includes an outer interior forearm pad perimeter,
wherein the exterior forearm pad includes an outer exterior forearm pad perimeter, wherein the outer interior forearm pad perimeter and the outer exterior forearm pad perimeter are affixed to one another so as to suspend the interior forearm pad interiorly relative to the exterior forearm pad.

8. The arm guard of claim 7 ,
wherein the interior forearm pad is a unitary, single piece, monolithic layer of EVA foam,
wherein the exterior forearm pad includes a plurality of individual padding elements movably joined to one another with a support layer.

9. The arm guard of claim 8 ,
wherein the interior forearm pad includes a first pad edge and a second pad edge,
the first pad edge and the second pad edge joined to one another to close and form an interior forearm pad elbow hole.

10. The arm guard of claim 1 ,
wherein the interior forearm guard includes an interior surface and an exterior surface, and defines an interior forearm pad elbow hole,
wherein the exterior pad elbow hole is aligned with the interior forearm pad elbow hole,
wherein the elbow cap is disposed adjacent and engages the exterior surface of the interior forearm guard,
wherein the elbow cap is aligned with the interior forearm pad elbow hole.

11. An arm guard comprising:
a forearm guard configured to engage a forearm of a wearer, the forearm guard defining an exterior pad elbow hole;
an elbow cap including a rigid shell, the elbow cap projecting into and being free floating relative to the exterior pad elbow hole;
a sleeve joined with the forearm guard, the sleeve being configured for placement closer to a skin surface of the wearer's forearm than the forearm guard and the elbow cap, the sleeve being configured to hold the forearm guard in proximity to the wearer's forearm; and
a biceps guard configured to engage an upper arm of the wearer, the biceps guard being located vertically above the forearm guard and at least partially vertically above an elbow of the wearer, the biceps guard including an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the biceps guard being attached to the sleeve, the lower end of the biceps guard being free from attachment to the sleeve to facilitate radioulnar rotation of the forearm of the wearer,
wherein the lower end of the biceps guard overlaps and conceals an upper end of the forearm guard whereby the biceps guard can deflect vertical blows away from the forearm guard.

12. The arm guard of claim 11 ,
wherein the forearm guard includes an exterior forearm pad having a first perimeter and an interior forearm pad having a second perimeter, the first perimeter joined with the second perimeter, the exterior forearm pad being free from attachment to the interior forearm pad inward from the second perimeter.

13. The arm guard of claim 12 ,
wherein the elbow cap is joined with and suspended by the interior forearm pad,
wherein the elbow cap is moveable toward and away from the exterior pad elbow hole.

14. The arm guard of claim 13 ,
wherein the elbow cap includes an apex, wherein the apex projects through the exterior pad elbow hole and is configured to be visible to a viewer of the arm guard on the wearer.

15. The arm guard of claim 11 ,
wherein the elbow cap projects at least partially through the exterior pad elbow hole and is configured to be visible to a viewer of the arm guard on the wearer.

16. The arm guard of claim 11 ,
wherein the biceps guard lower end is free from attachment to an upper end of the forearm guard except for at least one elastic strap.

17. The arm guard of claim 11 comprising:
a first elastic strap extending between an upper end of the forearm guard and the lower end of the biceps guard,
a second elastic strap extending between the upper end of the forearm guard and attached to an interior portion of the biceps guard, the interior portion being between the lower end of the bice

Assignees

• Warrior Sports Inc

Inventors

• Paquette Adam D

Classifications

• A41D13/0153

  having hinged or separable parts · CPC title

• A63B71/1225

  for the legs, e.g. thighs, knees, ankles, feet · CPC title

• A63B2071/125

  for the knee · CPC title

• A41D13/0568

  with straps · CPC title

• A63B2071/1275

  for the ankle · CPC title