AU2008258150B1

AU2008258150B1 - An Improved Knee Pad

Info

Publication number: AU2008258150B1
Application number: AU2008258150A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jorge Miguel Pereira
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-12-16
Filing date: 2008-12-16
Publication date: 2009-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 2028-12-16
Also published as: WO2010068982A1

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Applicant: AN IMPROVED KNEEPAD Jorge Miguel Pereira The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing known to me: 00 O FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to knee pads, and more specifically to removable kneepads that can releasably engage with fixtures on clothing.

BACKGROUND ART S[Mere reference to background art herein should not be construed as an admission 00 t that such art constitutes common general knowledge in relation to the invention.] 00 Protective pads, such as knee pads or elbow pads, are known to provide protection C for regions of a wearer's body. Such protective pads are usually designed to protect the region of protection from injury, such as from an impact or fall, or to provide padding to increase comfort to the region, such as padding to knees when kneeling for an extended period of time.

Protective pads are usually removable articles, that are typically held in place by elastic or straps. However, such elastic/straps allow the pads to move, the effect being particularly noticeable in sports such as skating, skateboarding, or BMX riding, where the wearer is constantly moving. A further disadvantage of protect pads held in place by elastic or similar, is that undue stress is placed on the opposite side of the pad where a force is exerted to keep the pad in place. For example, in the case of a knee pad, the elastic spans behind the knee which is not only uncomfortable, but also restricts air circulation causing sweat build up, as well as substantially reducing blood circulation of the wearer.

Yet a further disadvantage of knee pads held on by elastic, or straps, is that the wearer's knees can roll off the pads, usually forwards. This can not only be painful for the wearer, but also dangerous.

It is an aim of this invention to provide removable kneepads that can releasably engage with fixtures on clothing which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of the disadvantages or problems described above, or which at least provides a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a broad aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of clothing, comprising at least one protective portion, each at least one protective portion comprising: a 00 protective pad having at least one first portion of an attachment assembly thereon; and at N least one length adjustable strap affixed to the article of clothing having at least one corresponding second portion of the attachment assembly releasably engageable with the Srespective first portion to releasably attach the protective pad to the article of clothing.

According to a more particular aspect of the invention, there is provided a protective pair of trousers, comprising at least one protective portion located along each leg of the trousers approximately at knee level, each at least one protective portion comprising: a 00 tV protective pad having at least one first portion of an attachment assembly thereon; and at 00 least one length adjustable strap affixed to each leg of the trousers having at least one /o corresponding second portion of the attachment assembly releasably engageable with the respective first portion to releasably attach the protective pad to the trousers.

According to a more particular aspect of the invention, there is provided a protective long sleeved garment for the upper body of a wearer, comprising at least one protective portion located along each arm of the long sleeved garment approximately at elbow level, each at least one protective portion comprising: a protective pad having at least one first portion of an attachment assembly thereon and at least one length adjustable strap affixed to each arm of the long sleeved garment having at least one corresponding second portion of the attachment assembly releasably engageable with the respective first portion to releasably attach the protective pad to the long sleeved garment.

Each attachment assembly may have any form suitable to achieve the functionality required for example a clip, a button and buttonhole, a buckle and strap or Velcro will all achieve the functionality required. The attachment assembly is provided as two corresponding portions which can therefore be used to releasably attach and detatch the protective pad from the article of clothing. Preferably, there are four attachment assemblies, two pairs of attachment assemblies provided to attach an upper and a lower portion of the protective pad to the article of clothing. The attachment assemblies may be arranged at or near a periphery of the protective pad.

Normally, a pair of length adjustable straps are provided, one to attach the upper portion of the protective pad and one to attach the lower portion of the protective pad.

Typically, each end of each strap will be provided with a second portion of an attachment assembly.

00 0 The protective pad may be any suitable shape, including generally square, oval,

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ri rectangular, etc. and no limitation is meant thereby. Typically, an inner surface of the protective pad will be arcuate in at least two dimensions in order to be more comfortable when worn and particularly when a user's knee or elbow is bent. The attachment assemblies may be distributed around the protective pad to provide support to the protective pad in use. For example, if the protective pad is generally square or rectangular in shape, the first portion of the respective attachment assemblies may be located at or near the 00 corners of the protective pad.

(Ni 00 The length adjustable straps are preferably made of a flexible but robust material, 0 0 /0 such as woven nylon or thick cotton. The adjustable straps may have length adjusting means, such as a buckle, to enable the length of the strap to be altered. The straps are preferably length adjustable at each end, and therefore may have two length adjusting means. Normally, the length adjusting means are associated with the second portions of the attachment assemblies. For example, each second portion may be provided with a pair of slots through which a portion of the length adjustable strap may be fed in order to form a length adjustable mechanism which also functions as a friction lock when force or tension is applied to the strap. Typically, the length adjusting means is also therefore a means for attaching the second portion to the strap.

In an alternative configuration, the second portions may be attached permanently (such as by stitching or the like) to respective ends of the strap and a length adjusting means may be provided separately from the second portions. For example, the attachment straps may be provided as a central portion (typically affixed to the article of clothing) and a pair of side portions (typically not fixed to the article of clothing), each side portion attachable to the central portion using a length adjusting means which also functions as a friction lock.

Preferably, there are two length adjustable straps, and the length adjustable straps are affixed on the side of the clothing that is opposite the location of the protective pad in use. Typically, the length adjustable straps will be affixed to the clothing by being directly stitched to the clothing. Typically, the straps are attached to the clothing article at a location opposite the side on which the protective pad is to be worn such that the strap will, in use, extend about the user's limb and attached to the protective pad. In this arrangement, the straps provide support to the protective pad in use from behind the portion of a body being protected by the protective pad.

00 0 The protective pad is preferably a knee pad, but no limitation is meant thereby and N the protective pad could also be an elbow pad, or shoulder pad, or the like.

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According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a pad for protecting Ia portion of a wearers body, comprising: a bolstered portion that is adapted to releasably fasten to an article of clothing using at least two attachment assemblies were fixed to length adjustable straps which are attached to the article of clothing.

00 The bolstered portion is preferably a relatively softly padded portion that is utilised N to cushion and protect a portion of the wearers body. The portion of the wearer's body 00 Obeing protected is preferably the knees of the wearer, and the pad is therefore preferably a 10 knee pad. The bolstered portion is releasably fastened to the engagement members such that the knee pad can be removed, replaced, and/or changed easily when desired.

The attachment assemblies are preferably squeeze release clips that engage with a corresponding portion on the bolstered portion or vice versa. Preferably there are two length adjustable straps on the article of clothing and four attachment assemblies to which the bolstered portion is adapted to releasably fasten to.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a protection system for protecting a portion of a wearer's body, comprising: a protective pad having a plurality of fastening members thereon; and at least one length adjustable strap affixed to an article of clothing, the length adjustable strap having engagement members, wherein the fastening members releasably engage with the engagement members.

Preferably, the fastening members are a portion of a clip and the engagement members are another portion of a clip.

The length adjustable straps are preferably length adjustable at each end, and are stitched to the article of clothing on the side of the clothing that is opposite the location of the protective pad in use. In this arrangement, the engagement members can be moved closer or further away from the article of clothing by adjusting the length of the portion of the strap that the engagement member is attached to. Preferably, there are two length adjustable straps, each with two engagement members which releasably engage with four fastening members on the protective pad.

00 0 Preferably, the protective pad is a knee pad, but no limitation is meant thereby and N the protective pad could be adapted and/or utilised to protect any suitable part of the wearers body.

o In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, one or more embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

00 00 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates a front perspective view of a knee pad according to an aspect of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a rear perspective view of a knee pad according to an aspect of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Figure 1 illustrates a removable knee pad 10 releasably attached to an article of clothing 11 by four squeeze release clips 12. The four squeeze release clips 12 are held in place on the knee pad 10 by loops of stitched material 13. The knee pad 10 is a generally soft padded knee pad designed to improve the comfort of the wearer when kneeling, particularly when kneeling for long periods of time. Alternatively, the knee pad could be a hardened more protective style pad (not shown).

Figure 2 illustrates the opposite side of the article of clothing 11 illustrated in figure I without the knee pad 10 clipped by the squeeze clips 12. The squeeze release clips clip together the knee pads 10 with straps 14 that are affixed to the opposite side of an article of clothing 11 by stitching 15 as illustrated in figure 2. Although the straps 14 are stitched to the article of clothing in the illustrated embodiment, it is envisaged that they could be affixed by other means, such as glue or Velcro, or even included as part of the article of clothing.

The straps 14 are length adjustable by buckles 16. Each strap 14 has two buckles 16, one on each side of the stitching 15. This allows the distance between the stitching and the 00 O squeeze release clips to be modified, to allow manoeuvrability and fitting of the knee pad

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on the article of clothing 11. The adjustable straps 14 also allow the knee pad 10 to be pulled in tightly to the wearers body if desired, to ensure that the pads to not slide or move undesirably. The squeeze release clips 12 and buckles 16 would generally be made out of plastic or metal, but may be made of any suitable material.

An advantage of the knee pad of the present invention is that the pad can be removed when not desired, or interchanged with another pad to better suite the 00 circumstances. For instance, pads of different sizes, shapes, thicknesses, or comfort may 00 interchangeably be utilised to suit the needs of the wearer. Furthermore, the interchangeable nature of the pads allows the wearer to switch between hard shelled protective pads and soft comfort pads depending on the circumstances. The removal also allows for easier repair and replacement of damaged pads and/or the article of clothing.

The knee pads 10 may be supplied with elastic straps or similar (not shown) that are not affixed to an article of clothing to allow the wearer to use the knee pads 10 on ordinary clothing. The removable nature of the knee pads therefore also improves the versatility of the knee pads.

Branding or labelling 17 may be provided on either or both of the knee pad 10 or the article of clothing 11 to advertise the origin of the item. Alternatively and/or additionally, the labelling 17 may be used to indicate different types of pads, such as a soft pad and a harder pad. Custom made knee pads could also be provided to suit individual users without having to incur the costs of manufacturing an entirely new article of clothing for each individual.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the knee pad 10 stays securely in place on the wearers body when in use, even during vigorous activities. Additionally, the length adjustable straps allow the wearer to move the pad as desired to give a good/comfortable fit on the wearer. Still further, as the straps are not elastic, they do not constrict on the wearers body unnecessarily reducing comfort, air circulation, and blood circulation. As the knee pads 10 are substantially held in position when engaged with the clips 12, the wearers knee is considerably less likely to roll off the pad in use.

The four squeeze release clips 12 are placed near the corners of the knee pad 10 to ensure that the pad 10 is held securely in place on the article of clothing 11, and to provide 00 support from each side. This arrangement not only provides a secure fitting, but also N prevents the knee pads falling down or flopping around.

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It is envisaged that the knee pads could be provided with accessories to suit the IDwearer, such as pouches, nail bags, pen holders, phone holders, etc.

Although the embodiment of the invention described herein relates to knee pads, it t is envisaged that the pad could be adapted and/or used to protect other parts of a wearers 00 body such as elbows, shoulders, shins, or the like.

00 It is to be understood that the terminology employed above is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

/0 The foregoing embodiments are intended to be illustrative of the invention, without limiting the scope thereof. The invention is capable of being practised with various modifications and additions as will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction and operation described and illustrated, but only by the following claims which are intended, where the applicable law permits, to include all suitable modifications and equivalents within the spirit and concept of the invention.

Throughout this specification, including the claims, where the context permits, the term "comprise" and variants thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising" are to be interpreted as including the stated integer or integers without necessarily excluding any other integers.

Claims

2. An article of clothing as claimed in claim 1, wherein each fastening member Sis one portion of a clip, and each attachment member is another portion of a clip.
3. An article of clothing as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein there are four fastening members.
4. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length adjustable straps have two attachment members. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length adjustable straps are length adjustable at each end.
6. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein there are two length adjustable straps.
7. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length adjustable straps are affixed on the side of the clothing that is opposite the location of the protective pad in use.
8. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length adjustable straps are directly stitched to the clothing.
9. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective pad is a knee pad. A pad for protecting a portion of a wearers body, comprising: a bolstered portion that is adapted to releasably fasten to a plurality of engagement members that are affixed to length adjustable straps on an article of clothing. 00
11. A pad for protecting a portion of a wearers body as claimed in claim wherein the engagement members are a portion of a releasable clip.
12. A pad for protecting a portion of a wearers body as claimed in claim 10 or 11, IDwherein there are four engagement members.
13. A pad for protecting a portion of a wearers body as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein each strap has two engagement members that the bolstered portion 00 is adapted to releasably fasten to. 00 14. A pad for protecting a portion of a wearers body as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13. wherein the bolstered portion is adapted to protect one of the wearers knees. A pad for protecting a portion of a wearers body as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the straps are stitched to the article of clothing on the side of the clothing that is opposite the location of the protective pad in use.
16. A protection system for protecting a portion of a wearers body, comprising: a protective pad having a plurality of fastening members thereon; and at least one length adjustable strap affixed to an article of clothing having engagement members, wherein the fastening members releasably engage with the engagement members.
17. A protection system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the fastening members are a portion of a clip and the engagement members are another portion of a clip.
18. A protection system as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein the length adjustable straps are adjustable at each end, and are stitched to the article of clothing on the side of the clothing that is opposite the location of the protective pad in use.
19. A protection system as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the protective pad is a knee pad. A knee pad substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.