Protective Garments

This patent application claims the benefit of US Non-provisional application Ser. No. 18/372,231, filed 25 Sep. 2023; and of Non-provisional application Ser. No. 18/420,838, filed 24 Jan. 2024.

The present invention relates generally to protective garments for sports players. More specifically, the invention pertains to garments incorporating cut-resistant materials in critical areas such as the neck, wrist, forearm, inner thighs, and above the knees to provide enhanced protection against blade injuries.

Ice hockey stands as one of the most exhilarating and challenging team sports. The game, played at high velocities, sees participants swiftly skating across the ice, leveraging hockey sticks to guide a puck past the opposition's goal. A key component that makes this sport particularly challenging is the frequent physical confrontations between players, resulting in potential bodily harm, especially when considering the razor-sharp edges of the ice skates. To mitigate potential injuries, players have traditionally donned various protective equipment including hockey gloves, elbow pads, helmets, and pants. Yet, current protective equipment offerings exhibit inherent

A significant vulnerability in the present design of hockey apparel is the unprotected gap between the hockey glove and elbow pad, leaving players' wrists and lower arms exposed. This region of the arm becomes an easy target for inadvertent blade cuts during the rough and tumble of the game. Current protective strategies for the neck area also fall short. While neck guards exist as an option, they are often made of thick, cumbersome materials, limiting a player's mobility and becoming yet another discrete piece of equipment to wear, manage, and maintain. Similarly, the design of traditional hockey pants does not adequately protect the inner thigh regions where the femoral artery is located, or the areas above the knees, leaving these critical areas vulnerable to potentially severe injuries.

Another limitation of current protective materials is the use of Kevlar. While Kevlar is a known cut-resistant material, it degrades quickly when subjected to the tumultuous environment of an average hockey kit bag. The material's susceptibility to degradation under such conditions reduces its effectiveness and longevity, necessitating frequent replacements and thereby increasing costs and inconvenience for the players.

The prior art solutions have recognized these evident vulnerabilities and have made attempts to address them.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,262B2 describes a protective undergarment worn for ice skating sports comprising a torso portion having a front, a back and a neck opening, said torso portion comprising a jersey fabric, and first and second sleeves which extend from and are joined to or integral with said torso portion, each sleeve including a flexible, high-performance fabric, resistant to cutting; wherein at least a part of said front and back of said torso portion between opposed sides thereof comprises said jersey fabric without any flexible high-performance fabric resistance to cutting. The shirt has special protective cover stitched, surged or fused on the lower sleeves, underarm parts and armpits to prevent against gashes, cuts and other injuries caused by skate blades. However, it does not have any protection for the wearer's neck, which could be argued to be the most important part to protect.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,701A discloses a hockey shirt with a lower trunk opening, a neck opening and a neck guard associated with the neck opening. The neck guard includes a neck-surrounding band of fabric, and a releasable attachment for changing the diameter of the neck guard to suit the needs of the wearer. In one embodiment, the shirt includes sleeves, with cuff assemblies. The cuff assemblies include a slash guard retaining pocket and an elasticizing means, which in the preferred embodiment is the sleeve cuff itself. However, the neck guard and wrist guards are formed of rigid material secured to the hockey shirt, rather than being a cut-resistant material integrated with the non-cut-resistant parts of the shirt. This increases manufacturing complexity and cost.

Neither of these prior art solutions contemplate the inclusion of portions of cut-resistant polyethylene material in an underarm or garment on both the neck and sleeve forearm portions to guard a wearer from both neck and arm cuts whilst also maintaining maximum mobility. Additionally, these prior solutions do not address the vulnerabilities in the design of hockey pants, particularly the protection of the inner thighs and areas above the knees from blade injuries.

It is within this context that the present invention is provided.

The present invention seeks to address these challenges and provide players with an optimal blend of protection and agility by embedding strategically placed portions of cut-resistant polyethylene material, particularly ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), into the design of protective garments. The invention aims to provide comprehensive protection to critical areas such as the neck, wrist, forearm, inner thighs, and above the knees without impeding the player's mobility.

The present invention pertains to protective garments specifically designed for ice hockey players, offering protection to critical areas prone to blade injuries. These garments include an upper body garment comprising a collar, left and right sleeves with distinct upper arm and forearm portions, and a torso portion extending between the sleeves and adjacent to the collar, wherein the collar and forearm portions are formed of a cut-resistant material, notably UHMWPE, providing enhanced protection against potential cuts. Additionally, the invention includes protective sports pants designed to protect the lower body, incorporating cut-resistant UHMWPE material in the inner thigh portions to protect the femoral artery and above the knees on the front of the thighs.

In some embodiments, the collar is a turtleneck-style collar formed of cut-resistant material.

In some embodiments, the collar has an opening with a Velcro or zipper closing mechanism.

In some embodiments, the garment further comprises an adjustable neck piece which is detachable from the collar and configured to be positioned over a portion of the collar.

In some embodiments, the polyethylene employed is of ultra-high molecular weight. This particular material offers superior resistance to cuts while not compromising on the flexibility essential for the player's movement.

In some embodiments, additional cut-resistant materials may be integrated with the garment to support the polyethylene portions. For example, aramid fabrics such as Nomex®, Kevlar®, and Twaron® may be incorporated.

In some embodiments, the torso portion and upper arm portions of the upper body garment are constructed from a non-cut-resistant material, offering greater flexibility and comfort. The cuffs may also be constructed from this material if the garment includes cuffs.

In some embodiments, the non-cut-resistant fabric may comprise one or more of spandex, polyester, synthetic, microfiber, nylon, and/or polypropylene fabrics.

In some embodiments, the non-cut-resistant fabric is a blend of multiple different materials. In some such embodiments, the non-cut-resistant fabric comprises about 85% polyester and about 15% spandex. For example, the non-cut-resistant fabric may comprise 80-90% polyester and 10-20% spandex.

In some embodiments, the chosen fabric for the non-cut-resistant sections is either a single material or a blend of materials. For instance, the fabric may comprise a blend of 80-90% polyester and 10-20% spandex, allowing for elasticity, breathability, and comfort for the wearer.

In some embodiments, the collar and the yoke of the torso portion encompass a placket extending through them. This placket is designed to facilitate the donning and removal of the protective garment. By transitioning between an open and closed position, the placket aids in adjusting the collar to fit securely against the user's neck.

In some embodiments, the placket is equipped with hook and loop fasteners that assist in transitioning between its closed and open positions. Such fasteners offer a reliable yet easily adjustable mechanism to secure the placket in place. Other standard mechanisms such as buttons, zippers, studs, buckles, snap fasteners, and eyelets may also be used.

In some embodiments, the upper arm portions of the sleeves incorporate high friction gripping elements on their outer surfaces. These elements, which may comprise silicon dots, ensure that any additional sports equipment worn over the garment, such as elbow pads, remains securely positioned.

In some embodiments, the protective garment sleeves include cuffs. These cuffs add an extra layer of protection and fitment. To further enhance the comfort and positioning of the forearm portions on the wearer's wrists and/or forearms, the cuffs on the left and right sleeves may form thumbholes.

In some embodiments, the protective sports pants further comprise additional protective elements made of cut-resistant material located around the ankle regions.

In some embodiments, the protective sports pants further comprise a front pocket configured to hold a groin cup, and the front pocket includes a groin cup.

In some embodiments, the protective sports pants further comprise Velcro straps to keep hockey socks in place.

In some embodiments, the waistband of the protective sports pants is adjustable.

In some embodiments, the waistband of the protective sports pants includes an elastic section for improved fit and comfort.

In some embodiments, the protective sports pants further comprise compression features to accelerate post-workout recovery, reduce muscle fatigue, and improve circulation.

In some embodiments, the protective sports pants are designed to improve temperature regulation and provide moisture-wicking properties.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims.

The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.

Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

The terms “first,” “second,” and the like are used herein to describe various features or elements, but these features or elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one feature or element from another feature or element. Thus, a first feature or element discussed below could be termed a second feature or element, and similarly, a second feature or element discussed below could be termed a first feature or element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The following detailed description provides specific example implementations of protective garments according to the present disclosure, as illustrated through the accompanying figures. These garments, devised with an optimal blend of safety and flexibility in mind, integrate both cut-resistant and non-cut-resistant materials to offer wearers unparalleled protection without compromising mobility. The first embodiment focuses on the upper body garment, shown in, while the second embodiment focuses on the hockey pants, shown in.

is a front view of a variant of the first embodiment of the protective garment. The protective garmentincludes a collar, a left sleeve, a right sleeve, and a torso portion. The collaris adjacent to the torso portionand may be joined, for example, by stitches. The left sleeveand the right sleeveare both connected to the torso portion, with the torso portionextending between the left and right sleeves,. The torso portionalso includes a yokethat extends from the collarto about the bottom of where the left sleeveand the right sleeveconnect to the torso portion.

The left sleeveincludes a left upper arm portion, a left forearm portion, and a left cuff. The left upper arm portionis attached to and extends from the yokeof the torso portionto the left forearm portion. The left forearm portionis attached to and extends from the left upper arm portionto the left cuff. Similarly, the right sleeveincludes a right upper arm portion, a right forearm portion, and a right cuff. The right upper arm portionis attached to and extends from the yokeof the torso portionto the right forearm portion. The right forearm portionis attached to and extends from the right upper arm portionto the right cuff.

The collar, the left forearm portion, and the right forearm portionare each made of a cut-resistant material. For a user wearing the protective garment, the cut-resistant material serves to prevent or inhibit injuries to the user's wrists and forearms, as well as their neck.

The portions of cut-resistant material include at least one section formed of polyethylene, such as for example an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene is polyethylene with extremely long chains such that the molecular weight usually ranges between 3.5 and 7.5 million atomic mass units.

The polyethylene portions may be integrated with or reinforced by portions of aramid fabrics. Aramid is aromatic polyamide and contains repeating units of large phenyl rings linked together by amide groups. Examples of aramid fabrics include Nomex® and Kevlar®, made by DuPont, and Twaron®, made by Akzo Industrial Fibers.

The torso portion, the left upper arm portion, the left cuff, the right upper arm portion, and the right cuffare each made of a non-cut-resistant fabric. The non-cut-resistant fabric provides a greater range of movement for users than would be provided if the entire protective garmentwere made of the cut-resistant material. Additional benefits of the non-cut-resistant fabric include, for example, improved temperature regulation, improved circulation, and accelerated post-workout recovery.

Suitable fabrics for the non-cut-resistant fabric include, but are not limited to, spandex, polyester, synthetic, microfiber, nylon, and/or polypropylene fabrics. In some embodiments, the non-cut-resistant fabric is a blend of multiple different materials. In some such embodiments, the non-cut-resistant fabric comprises about 85% polyester and about 15% spandex. For example, the non-cut-resistant fabric may comprise 80-90% polyester and 10-20% spandex.

As shown in, the left cuffand the right cufffurther form thumbholes,. The thumbholes,assist in keeping the cut-resistant material of the left forearm portionand the right forearm portionin place on the user's wrists and/or forearms. In other embodiments, a protective garment may not form thumbholes. In some embodiments, a protective garment may form a thumbhole on only one of the left and right cuffs.