US1428731A - Thigh guard - Google Patents

Description

ma i i Willman wirr-rimini, L

or sfr. ivrrseomi,

'HIGI- Application filed July 11,

T 0 all whom t may concern:

Be it mown that l, WILLIAM l). WHITLEY, a citizen ot the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain newr and useful improvement in T high Guards, oit which the ifollowing is a Jull, clear, and exact description, such as will enable other skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

This invention relates to thigh guards, such as are used for protecting the thighs olfA Vtoot ball players and other athletes from injury.

The type of' thigh guard that is now generally used by foot ball players is composed oli a number ot sections or pieces of rigid material, usually strips oi sheet fibre, hinged together by pieces of canvas or other fabric in sueh a way that they Aform aguard or shield that has suilicient [flexibility to coniorm approximately to the thigh of the wearer but which is rigid enough to protect the thigh 'from a blow. lWhile a thigh guard olE the construction above re'lerred to allords protertion against a blow or a tall, it does aiTord absolute protection ifi-ominjury 'from a cleat of another players shoe, owing to the tact that the rigid sections of the guard are separated from each other by canvas joints or hinges through which a cleat can easily penetrate.

rl"hei'etore, the objeet o'l my invention te provide a sectional thigh guard which is equipped with means l'or preventing u. shoe cleat or Vother sharp object 'treni passing through the guard at any ol' the joints or hinges between the rigid sections ot the guard.

,lo this end l have devised a thigh guard that is composed ol a number of rigid sections hinged together, and stiiir1 or rigid devices arranged at the joints between said sections in such way as to prevent a cleat or other sharp object from passing through said joints, but still not interfere with the llexibility ot the guard. The guard is adapted to be removably mounted in a pocket or casing in the leg portion oia the trousers of the person wearing the guard or it can be permanently combined with the leg portion of the' trousers. j

Figure l of the drawings is a perspective view `oi a thigh guard constructed in aecordancc with my invention.

Figure 2 is a crosssrctional view oi a porirs CORPGRATXN F MSSOUR.

GUARD.

1921. Serial No. 483,761.

tion of the thigh guard shown in Figure l; Aand Figures 3 and 4L- are cross-sectionalviews, illustrating modifications et my invention.

ln Figure l of the drawings which illustrates the preferred form of my invention fr designates the rigid sections or a sectional thigh guard, and B designates rigid or stift' protecting devices arranged over the joints or hinges between the sections A of the guard. rllhe guard is preferably composed of two pieces of fabric, usually a piece of eanvas that terms the front 4side of the guard and a piece of telt jl/ that terms the inner side ol" the guard, and strips oli sheet libre or other relatively sti'lii' material arranged in pockets or casings termed by stitching' the pieces olf labric m and g/ together, thus producing a guard composed ot a number of vertically-disposed, rigid.

sections that arc hinged or iieaibly connected togi The protecting devices l pie viously referia-ed to consist of rigid or sti'ilf devices arranged on the front side oli the 'u rd over the hinges or joints between thev d sections A ot the guard.

in the ilform of my invention shown in lfigu l and@ each oi said protecting devircs is 'formed by a felt strip w ot fibre or other suitable still material arranged in a rasing u lorineil by ilolding and stitching the piece olh l'ubric fr that forms the Vfront side oll the guard., said strip et libre u being wide enough so that it will project laterally eier the tvfo adjacent rigid sections il. of the guard. ircorrliugly, the proterting devices .l will prevent a shoe rleat or other sharp object ironi passing through the guard at any oi" the joints or hiugeslietween the rigid sections oli the guard, but they will not interiore with the movement of said sections relatively to each other.

in the iorm of my invention shown in Figure 3 the ir tecting devices arranged at the joints between the rigid sections il ol the guard are termed by vertii*ally-disposed reeds fw arranged in casings u similar to the casings u of the guard shown in Figure 2.

ln the torni of my invention shown in Figure d the protecting devices are formed by strips of libre 102 ot semi-circular shape in horizontal cross section arranged in cass u? termed by doubling and stitching the .io rc that :terms the trent side ot' the guard. M

While I haveherein illustrated three different ways of forming a thigh guard embodying my invention, I wish it to be understoodthat, myv invention is notv limited to the particular constructions .herein illustrated, as my broad idea consists of a sectional thigh guard composed of a number of rigid sections hinged or joined together in such a way that said sections canmove-relati'vely to each other, and stiff or rigid protecting devices arranged on the front side of the guard at the hinges or joints between the rigid sections Iso as lto. prevent a shoe spike or other. sharpV object froml passing through the guardfat any of the hinges or joints where thezrigid sections arev united.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim'. as new and desire to secure by Letters Fatent is:r

LA thiolhguard composed of a number of' stiffsections hinged together;y and stili? protecting devices .separate and distinct lromsaidsections arranged at the Jliront side ofv the guardand extending longitudinally o'fnthe joints between said sections for preventing .a sharp object from penetrating or 'passingthrough any ot said joints.

1'2.,A thigh guard composed of afnumber .ofI stiff sections, hinges between said sections,y and .stiff` protecting devices arranged onthewfront vside of .the guard over the joints between said sections and capable olf Amovin 'l in de.`endentlyof said sections.

Athighguard com osed oilV a number of pieces of relatively sti' material arranged vertically in parallel lrelation and spaced apart, and stiff protecting devices arranged at thev jlront sident said guard so that they terial arranged in said structure and separatedi'rom each other by joints, casings said fabric structure located on the iront side lof the guard at said joints, and rigid protectingfdevices arranged in said casin'gs, for the purpose described. 1

6.- A thigh guard composed offtwo pieces of fabric joined together to forma series oi? large pockets, and a serieso'f small pockets arranged between said large pockets, flat stripsvoll libre arranged insaid large pockets, and substantially Y,rigid protecting devices arranged in said-small pockets, for the purpose speci-fied. ,j

7'. A thigh guard composed oa vnuniber of rigid sections IconnectedV together l by y flex ible hinges,andrigid protecting devices ar ranged onthe it'ront `side ol the guard in overlapping relation with said hingesso as to prevent ashoe spike or other sharp object from penetratingrsaid guard at the joints between said rigid sections.

wrLLiAM P. vwirizrLnY.

Certieate of (orreetiem It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,428,731, granted September 12, 1922, upon the application of William P. Whitley, of St. Louis, Missouri, for

an improvement in rllhigh Guards, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 26, after the Word does insert the Word not; and that the said Letters Patent should he read with this correction therein that the sume may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 31st day of Gctober, A. D., 1922.

[SEAL] KARL remise,

Aer/ng Commissz'oner of Patents.

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