Knee Pad Assembly

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 17/006,531 filed Aug. 28, 2020.

This invention relates to a knee pad assembly to cover and protect the knee and shin of a workman who kneels down for long periods of time while working on a hard work surface. The knee pad assembly includes a relatively soft and compressible upper knee cushion that is strapped over and against the workman's knee and shin and a relatively hard lower base to create an outer shell that rocks back and forth over the work surface when the workman shifts his weight while kneeling.

Workers who lay tile, install a floor, smooth a poured cement surface, etc. are frequently forced to kneel down on a hard work surface for long periods of time. To minimize the discomfort of kneeling on the hard work surface, the workman usually covers his knees with knee pads. However, the conventional knee pads do little more than keep the workman's knees from directly impacting the work surface. Consequently, the workman's knees are still subjected to pressure and possible injury, particularly when the workman must kneel down for a long period of time during the work day.

What is more, from time to time, the workman will shift his weight and rock back and forth to reach different locations on the work surface. In this case, the conventional knee pads are known to remain stationary as the workman leans forwards and back. That is to say, there is no provision in many conventional knee pads to deflect pressure applied from the hard work surface away from the knee as the workman leans his body from a generally vertical erect position towards a generally horizontal position while kneeling down during the job. Consequently, the majority of the pressure generated by the hard work surface is transmitted through the conventional knee pads and concentrated directly against the workman's knee which has been known to result in pain and/or knee damage over time.

Therefore, what is desirable is an improved knee pad assembly to be worn over the knee and shin while a workman is kneeling down on a hard work surface such that the workman's knee and shin are held above the work surface while absorbing and distributing pressure along the knee and shin to reduce pain and minimize the risk of knee damage.

Reference may be made to my U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,017 issued Jan. 25, 2011 for an example of a flexible knee pad assembly that protects the knee of a worker who kneels while working on a hard work surface.

In general terms, a knee pad assembly is disclosed to be worn over and against the knee and shin of a workman who is kneeling down on a hard work surface. The knee pad assembly is adapted to absorb and distribute pressure away from the workman's knee to improve comfort and reduce the possibility of knee damage when the workman must kneel down during a long work day. A first embodiment for the knee pad assembly includes a knee pad having a flexible upper knee cushion and a rigid lower base that are attached together one above the other. The upper knee cushion has a knee pocket located at the front thereof within which to receive and cover the workman's knee. A shin receiving depression at the opposite end of the upper knee cushion is configured to receive and cover the workman's shin below his knee. A set of openings are formed in the bottom of the flexible upper knee cushion to create a compression zone at which the upper knee cushion collapses so as to absorb and refocus pressure away from the workman's knee in response to the force generated by his knee pushing down against the upper knee cushion towards the work surface. The lower base of the knee pad has a generally U-shaped cavity running longitudinally therealong within which to receive the upper knee cushion. The rigid lower base establishes an outer protective shell having a continuously curved bottom surface along its longitudinal axis at which the knee pad rocks back and forth over the work surface by which the force is distributed along his knee and shin as the workman shifts his weight while kneeling.

The knee pad of the knee pad assembly is held against the knee and shin of the workman by a knee pad strap that is wrapped around the knee pad and the workman's shin. Opposite ends of the knee pad strap are detachably connected to one another by pieces of (e.g., hook and loop) fastener material attached thereto. The knee pad strap is detachably connected to the knee pad by another piece of fastener material that is attached to the bottom of the lower base.

A second embodiment for a knee pad assembly also includes a knee pad having a flexible upper knee cushion and a rigid lower protective base that are attached one above the other. The knee pad of the knee pad assembly is held against the knee and shin of the workman by a knee pad strap that is similar to the knee pad strap of the first embodiment described above. The lower base of the knee pad has a generally U-shaped cavity running longitudinally therealong in which the upper knee cushion is received. A collapse zone is formed in the front of the flexible upper knee cushion which is compressed against the rigid lower base when the kneeling workman leans forward to prevent his knee from sliding off the front of the knee pad. First and second pairs of shoulders are formed in the lower base of the knee pad at opposite sides thereof. First and second flexible (e.g., carbon fiber) sheets having a spring memory are seated on and attached to respective ones of the first and second pairs of shoulders so as to extend laterally across the front of the lower base below the upper knee cushion. The spring sheets are spaced one in front of the other so as to be able to flex independently of one another. When the kneeling workman leans forward on the work surface, the spring sheets will flex in response to the downward pushing force applied thereto by the workman's knee so as to advantageously distribute the force between the workman's knee and shin.

An optional supplemental shin support may be detachably connected to the knee pad of the knee pad assembly. The supplemental shin support has a flat rolling base with a flexible shin cushion and a piece of (e.g., hook and loop) fastener material attached to the top thereof. A pivot base having a round nose is located at the bottom of the rolling base. A pair of coupling tabs stand upwardly from the top of the rolling base to be removably received within respective coupling slots that are formed in the bottom and at the rear of the lower base of the knee pad by which the supplemental shin support is detachably connected to the knee pad. At the same time, the piece of fastener material at the top of the rolling base of the shin support is moved into mating engagement with a complementary piece of fastener material that is attached to the bottom of the lower base of the knee pad. A shin support strap attached to the bottom of the rolling base of the shin support surrounds the workman's shin to hold the flexible shin cushion over and against the shin. When the kneeing workman rocks back on the work surface, the supplemental shin support will rotate downwardly at the round nose of the pivot base at the bottom of the rolling base towards the work surface so that pressure is deflected away from the workman's knee to the shin cushion of the shin support.

Referring initially toof the drawings, there is shown a first embodiment for a knee pad assemblyof the type to be worn by a workman to prevent discomfort or injury to one or both of his knees while having to kneel down and rock back and forth on a floor, pavement or similar hard work surface for long periods of time while completing a job. Although only a single knee pad assemblyis shown and described, it is to be understood that the workman may wear a pair of identical assemblies over both of his knees. As will be disclosed in greater detail hereinafter, the knee pad assemblyincludes a flexible knee padand a detachable and reusable knee pad strapthat is wrapped around the flexible knee padby which the knee pad is held over and against a knee and shin of the workman.

As is best shown in, the knee pad strapof the knee pad assemblyincludes an elongated strip of soft, flexible material (e.g., cloth or rubber) that is capable of covering the knee padand being wrapped around the leg of the workman to surround his shin as best shown in. The knee pad strapis universal in its construction, i.e., the same strap can be used to hold a knee padagainst either one of the left or right knees of the workman.

A first piece of hook and loop fastener material(e.g., such as that known as Velcro®) is affixed to the top of the knee pad strapat a first end thereof. A second piece of fastener materialis affixed to the bottom of the knee pad strapat the opposite end thereof. A third piece of fastener materialis affixed to the bottom of the knee pad strapat the first end thereof so as to lie below the first piece. As is best shown in, the knee padhas an outwardly facing fourth piece of fastener materialaffixed to the bottom thereof.

The use of the knee pad strapto hold the knee padover and against the knee and shin of a workman in the manner shown atis now described while referring specifically to. With one hand, the workman positions the knee padso as to lie over and cover his knee and shin to be protected. With his second hand, he attaches the first end of the knee pad strapto the knee padby pressing the third piece of fastener materiallying at the bottom of strapat the first end thereof into detachable mating engagement with the fourth piece of fastener materiallying at the bottom of the knee pad.

With the first end of the knee pad strapattached to the knee pad, the workman uses his second hand to move the opposite end of the knee pad strapunderneath his leg (best shown in). The opposite end of the strapis wrapped completely around the shin of the workman's leg, and the second piece of fastener materiallying at the bottom of the opposite end of strapis pressed into detachable mating engagement with the first piece of fastener materiallying at the top of the first end of the strap (best shown in). The knee pad strapnow encircles the knee padof the knee pad assemblyand the workman's shin against which the knee padis held (best shown in) so that both the workman's knee and shin are covered and protected by the knee pad. If a second knee pad strapis used to hold a second knee padagainst the other knee and shin of the workman, the strap will extend from his leg and be wrapped in an opposite direction to that shown in. The size and position of the first and second pieces of fastener materialandcan be adjusted to achieve a tight or a loose fit according to the needs of the workman.

Because of its flexible characteristics, the knee pad strapis adjustable side-to-side and/or up and down along the workman's leg so as to correspondingly adjust the position of the knee padrelative to the workman's knee as may be necessary to enhance the knee pad's effectiveness and the workman's comfort. When the job has been completed, the knee pad strapis simply unwound, whereby the strapis pulled off and detached from the knee pad, and the knee padis removed from the workman's leg.

Details of the flexible knee padof the knee pad assemblyshown inare now provided while referring concurrently toof the drawings. As is best shown in, the knee padincludes a relatively soft and flexible upper knee cushionand a relatively hard lower base. The upper knee cushionof the knee padis preferably manufactured from a resilient and compressible cushion material such as foam or the like, and the lower baseis preferably manufactured from a rigid and non-compressible impact resistant material such as plastic or the like.

The relatively soft upper knee cushionof the knee padof the knee pad assemblyhas a shin receiving depressionextending longitudinally along the rear end thereof. The front end of the upper knee cushionis rounded and closed, and the opposite rear end is open. The shin receiving depressionis sized and configured to receive therewith and cover the workman's shin which lies just below the knee that is to be protected from its contact with the work surface. The peripheryof the shin support cavitybends inwardly (best shown in) so as to conform to and fit around the workman's shin when his leg is received within the depression. The front end of the upper knee cushionof the knee padhas a knee pocketformed therein that communicates with and lies opposite the shin receiving depression. The knee pocketis sized and configured to receive therewithin and surround the workman's knee.

The relatively hard lower baseof the flexible knee padof the knee pad assemblyhas a generally U-shaped cavityextending longitudinally therealong (best shown in). The front end of the lower baseis rounded and closed, and the opposite rear end is open. The U-shaped cavityis sized and configured to receive therewithin and surround the upper knee cushion. More particularly, the bottom of the upper knee cushionlays against and is affixed (e.g., adhesively bonded) to the lower basewithin the U-shaped cavitythereof to complete the flexible knee padof knee pad assembly. The lower baseof the knee padfunctions as a hard protective shell below the upper knee cushionto lay on and rock back and forth over the work surface.

That is, and as is best shown in, the bottomof the lower basethat lies under the knee pocketof the upper knee cushionin which the workman's knee is received is continuously curved along the longitudinal axis of the knee padthat runs between the front and the back thereof. Thus, when the workman rocks back and forth the knee padonly contacts the work surface along a single line that runs laterally across the lower baseand perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the knee padaround which the knee padrotates when the workman shifts his weight and rocks back and forth during the job. By virtue of the foregoing, the impact force generated by the work surface toward the workman's knee is distributed along the curved rigid lower baseso that less pressure will be concentrated directly against the workman's knee regardless of how much his knee is bent. However, it is within the scope of this invention for the continuously curved lower baseof knee padto have one or more flat zones to provide an area of stability when the workman rocks back and forth.

As is best shown in, a set of spaced, parallel aligned and upwardly extending openings (e.g., channels)are formed in the bottom of the upper knee cushionof the knee padbelow the knee pocketthereof in which the workman's knee is received. The set of openingscreates a compression zone within the upper knee cushion. In particular, the compression zone created in the upper knee cushionby the openingsformed in the bottom of the flexible upper knee cushionis adapted to collapse downwardly towards the relatively hard lower base(in the direction of the reference arrows shown in) in response to the pressure of the workman's knee pressing downwardly against the relatively soft upper knee cushionas he rocks back and forth on the work surface.

In this manner, the knee pocketat the front end of the upper knee cushionis correspondingly compressed against the lower base. By virtue of the foregoing, the depth of the knee pocketin which the workman's knee is received is increased depending upon the magnitude of the pressure generated by the workman's knee towards cushion base. A deeper knee pocketprevents the workman's knee from unintentionally moving out of the knee pocketand sliding past the closed front end of the upper knee cushionof the knee pad. Accordingly, and as is best shown in, with the knee padheld against the workman's shin and knee by the knee pad strapin the manner previously explained, the workman's knee is suspended above the work surface and cushioned by the upper knee cushion. Thus, the pressure being applied by the workman's knee towards the work surface is advantageously absorbed and distributed away from being concentrated directly against the workman's knee as the upper knee cushionof the flexible knee padis compressed in response to such pressure.

Another knee pad assemblywhich achieves the objectives of this invention by reducing the potential injury to a workman kneeling on a hard work surface is described while referring toof the drawings. As in the case of the knee pad assemblyshown in, the knee pad assemblyincludes a knee padhaving a flexible upper knee cushionand a rigid lower basethat establishes a protective outer shell. The upper knee cushion of the knee padis preferably manufactured from flexible foam, or the like. A collapse zone or voidis formed in the front of the knee cushion.

The lower baseof the knee padis preferably manufactured from a rigid plastic, or the like, with a generally U-shaped cavityformed therein. Located at the bottom of the lower basebetween the front and approximately the midpoint thereof is a scuff guard recess(best shown in). A durable scuff guardis bonded to the bottom of the lower basewithin the scuff guard recess. The scuff guardis preferably manufactured from a non-marking rubber, or the like. The scuff guardlies within the scuff guard recessso as to project slightly outwardly (i.e., downwardly) therefrom (best shown in) to prevent the surface on which the workman is kneeling from being scuffed as the workman rocks and slides back and forth. A piece of hook and loop fastener material (e.g., Velcro®)is attached to the bottom of the lower basebehind the scuff guard recess. A complementary piece of fastener material from a knee pad strap (designatedin) is attached to the fastener materialby which the knee padis correspondingly attached to the knee pad strap. A pair of fastener slots(best shown in) are formed in opposite sides of the lower basethrough which opposite ends of the piece of fastener materialare fed to be attached to the inside of lower base. The lower baseof the knee padis configured to receive the upper knee cushionwithin the U-shaped cavitythereof. The upper knee cushionmay be affixed to the lower baseby means of adhesive or by means of opposing pieces of fastener material (e.g., Velcro®).

Referring particularly to, the upper knee cushionand the lower baseare shown attached to one above the other to form the knee pad, and the knee pad strapis shown attached to the knee pad to complete the knee pad assembly. That is, and as was just explained, a piece of fastener (Velcro®) materialthat is carried by the knee pad strapis moved into mating engagement with the fastener materialthat is located at the bottom of the lower baseof the knee padin a manner similar to that illustrated inso that the knee pad strapis now removable attached to the lower base. The knee pad strapis then wrapped around the shin of the workman in a manner similar to that illustrated in.

As an important feature of the knee pad assemblyshown in, the bottom of the lower baseof the knee padis continuously curved along the longitudinal axis of the knee pad between the front and the back thereof. Thus, when the workman rocks back and forth, the knee pad assemblywill only contact the surface on which the workman is working along a single line that runs laterally across the lower baseand perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the knee pad. By virtue of the foregoing, the weight of the workman kneeling and rocking on a work surface will be distributed along the continuously curved rigid lower baseso that less pressure will be focused directly on the workman's knee and shin. However, as was earlier explained when referring to the knee padshown in, the lower baseof knee padofmay have one or more flat zones to provide stability to the workman as he rocks back and forth.

shows the workman wearing the knee pad assemblyto cover his knee and shin while kneeling on the work surface and holding his torso erect.shows the kneeling workman when he shifts his weight and leans forward on the work surface. As just explained, as the workman rocks back and forth in the directions of the reference arrowsof, his weight and the opposite force generated by the work surface will be distributed along the continuously curved lower baseof the knee padand concentrated less on his knee and shin. What is more, and as shown in, the previously described collapse zone voidthat is located at the front of the flexible upper knee cushionis now collapsed by the workman's forward shifting weight and the corresponding pushing force (designated F) generated thereby so that the front of the upper knee cushionis compressed against the lower base. By virtue of this compression, the workman's knee is pressed deeper into the lower base, and, therefore, the likelihood of the workman's knee sliding past the lower baseand off the front of the knee padis reduced.

of the drawings show a modification to the knee pad assemblythat is shown in. More particularly, a pair of springsandare attached to the lower baseof the knee padwithin the U-shaped cavitythereof so as to lie below the upper knee cushionand above the scuff guard recessofthat is formed in the bottom of the lower base. By way of example, the springsandare thin flexible sheets that are manufactured from carbon fiber and have a spring memory so as to be capable of flexing to establish a shock absorber for dissipating the forces that are applied thereto by the knee of a workman kneeling on the work surface. One of the sheet springsmay be larger than the other, and the springsandare preferably spaced from one another to enable them to flex independently of one another.

To space the spring sheetsandabove the U-shaped cavityof the lower baseof the knee pad, first and second pairs of shouldersandare formed (e.g., molded) in the opposite side walls of lower base. A first (i.e., the smaller) of the flexible spring sheetsis seated on the first pair of shouldersso as to extend laterally across the front of the lower base. The second (i.e., the larger) of the flexible spring sheetsis seated on the second pair of shouldersso as to also extend laterally across the lower basebehind the first spring sheet. The spring sheetsandare preferably taped or adhesively bonded to their respective pair of shouldersand.

The flexible upper knee cushionis located within the U-shaped cavityof the lower baseso as to lay upon the pair of spring sheetsand.shows the workman kneeling on the work surface with the knee padheld against his knee and shin by means of the knee pad strapsurrounding his shin below the knee. The workman's knee is advantageously suspended by the upper knee cushionand the spring sheetsandabove the work surface. In this case, the workman's torso is held vertically erect so that a minimum force is applied from his knee to the knee pad. The sheet springsandon which the upper knee cushionlays are relaxed and at rest so that a relatively large compression spaceis established between the upper knee cushionand the lower base.

In, the kneeling workman is shown leaning forward on the work surface so that his weight is now shifted forward. In this case, downward pushing forces (designated F) generated by the workman's knee are applied to the flexible upper knee cushionwhich is compressed. The pushing forces are transferred to the pair of flexible spring sheetsandon which the upper knee cushionlays. The spring sheetsandare now stressed in response to the pushing forces F generated by the workman's knee. Accordingly, the spring sheetsandwill bend or flex downwardly, and the size of the compression spacebetween the upper knee cushionand the lower baseis reduced.

By virtue of the foregoing, the pushing forces will be distributed along the workman's knee and shin as the upper knee cushionis compressed so as to relieve the pressure that would otherwise be concentrated against the workman's knee. At the same time, and similar to that described while referring to, the weight of the kneeling workman is also distributed along the continuously curved bottom of the lower baseas he rocks back and forth in the directions of the reference arrowsof. When the compression areais reduced in size and the workman's knee is pressed deeper into the lower base, the likelihood of the workman's knee sliding off the front of the knee padis reduced.

of the drawings show an addition to the knee pad assemblythat is shown in. More particularly, an optional supplemental shin supportis described that is detachably connected to the rigid lower baseof the knee pad assembly. The shin supportincludes a planar rolling basethat is preferably manufactured from a hard plastic material that may be identical to the material from which the rigid lower baseof the knee padis manufactured. A generally triangular pivot baseis coextensively connected to and extends downwardly from the bottom of the rolling baseat a first end thereof. A flexible shin cushionis affixed (e.g., adhesively bonded) to the top of the rolling baseat the opposite end. The shin cushionis manufactured from a flexible material (e.g., foam) that may be identical to the material from which the flexible upper knee cushionof the knee padis manufactured.

The triangular pivot baseof the shin supporthas a round noselocated below the rolling baseand lying about midway between the first and opposite ends thereof. A first piece of hook and loop fastener material (e.g., Velcro®)is affixed (e.g., adhesively bonded) to the bottom of the pivot basebelow the first end of the rolling base. A second piece of fastener materialis affixed to the top of the rolling baseabove the first piece. The function of the first and second pieces of fastener materialandwill soon be explained.

As is best shown in, a pair of hook-shaped coupling tabsstand upwardly from the first end of the rolling baseof the shin support. As is also best shown in, a corresponding pair of coupling slotsare formed in the bottom of the lower baseof the knee pad. The supplemental shin supportis detachably connected to the rear of the knee padof the knee pad assemblywhen the coupling tabsare removably received by and pushed into the coupling slots. In this case, and as is best shown in, the shin supportconnected to the knee pad assemblyextends between and covers the workman's knee and shin.

In particular, a third piece of fastener materialis attached below the shin supportat the bottom of the opposite end of the rolling base. Opposite ends of the third piece of fastener materialare fed through fastener slotsformed in opposite sides of rolling baseto be attached to the top of the rolling base. A complementary fourth piece of fastener material (designatedin) is attached to a shin support strapthat may be identical to the knee pad strapearlier described. The shin support strapis detachably connected to the shin supportat the bottom of the rolling basethereof when the third and fourth pieces of fastener materialandare moved into mating engagement with one another. The shin support strapis then wrapped around the workman's shin to hold the flexible shin cushionof the shin supportover and against the shin of the workman to provide protection to his shin and ankle as he kneels down and rocks back and forth on the work surface.

With the supplemental shin supportdetachably connected to and extending from the back of the knee padof the knee pad assemblyas shown in, the previously described knee pad strapis wrapped around the workman's leg below his knee and above the shin support strap. In this case, however, the knee pad strapis detachably connected to the shin supportwhen the piece of fastener material(of) of knee pad strapis moved into mating engagement with the first piece of fastener material(of) that is attached to the pivot basebelow the first end of the rolling base. Likewise, the second piece of fastener materialthat is attached to the top of the rolling baseat the first end thereof is moved into mating engagement with the piece of fastener materialthat is attached to the bottom of the lower baseof the knee pad.

By virtue of the connection of the knee pad assemblyto the supplemental shin supportas shown in, the force to which the workman's shin and ankle are exposed when the workman kneels on the work surface is absorbed and distributed therealong by the flexible shin cushion. What is more, the combination knee pad assemblyand shin supportcan rotate smoothly and pivot up or down at the round noseof the pivot basebelow the front end of the rolling baseas the workman rocks back and forth on the work surface. That is, when the workman shifts his weight forward and the shin supportrotates upwardly around the rounded noseand off the work surface, as shown, the pressure is directed away from his shin and ankle to be absorbed by the flexible upper knee cushion. When the workman shifts his weight back and the shin supportrotates downwardly towards the work surface in the direction of the reference arrowof, the pressure is directed away from his knee to be absorbed by the flexible shin cushion.