US20100059559A1

US20100059559A1 - Athletic training sleeve

Info

Publication number: US20100059559A1
Application number: US12/231,935
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew M. Given
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-09-08
Filing date: 2008-09-08
Publication date: 2010-03-11

Abstract

An athletic training sleeve includes a first piece of elastic material forming a tube of elastic material and a second piece of elastic material attached around a partial periphery thereof to the tube of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween. An opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material and the tube of elastic material. The opening of the pocket has a higher resistance to expansion than does a portion of the pocket.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

SEQUENTIAL LISTING

Not applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an athletic sleeve for carrying items therein, and more particularly to a flexible athletic sleeve for securely carrying fluid containers and other athletic training aids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hydration is crucial for an athlete to achieve optimal performance. In many athletic events an athlete may have the option of rehydrating during a break between periods of exertion. For example, a football or basketball player may rehydrate while on the bench waiting to reenter a game. However, an endurance athlete such as a triathlete, runner, or bicyclist typically does not get breaks to rehydrate during an event. Because the event may be several hours long and rest stops, if they exist at all, may be few and far between, the endurance athlete preferably carries a hydration device on their person.
Many types of devices for carrying fluids necessary for hydration exist, for example, waist belts and jerseys that include pockets for holding bottles or a bladder for holding fluid encompassed by a backpack with shoulder straps. However, for an endurance athlete, other considerations beyond hydration are comfort and ease of access. Often, an endurance athlete must push beyond a preconceived limit or substantial physical discomfort to achieve a personal best in physical performance, and to do so requires a heightened level of focus and concentration. An uncomfortable, heavy, hot, difficult to access, or otherwise bothersome device for carrying fluids may diminish the focus of an endurance athlete and thereby detrimentally affect performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, an athletic training sleeve includes a first piece of elastic material forming a tube of elastic material and a second piece of elastic material attached around a partial periphery thereof to the tube of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween. An opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material and the tube of elastic material. The opening of the pocket has a higher resistance to expansion than does a portion of the pocket.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an athletic training sleeve includes a first piece of elastic material and a second piece of elastic material attached to the first piece of elastic material to form a tube of elastic material. A third piece of elastic material is attached around a partial periphery thereof to the second piece of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween. An opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the third piece of elastic material and the second piece of elastic material. The unattached edge defining the opening of the pocket has a higher resistance to expansion than does a portion of the pocket and the closed end of the pocket is generally parallel with an end of the tube.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an athletic training sleeve includes a first piece of elastic material forming a tube of elastic material and a second piece of elastic material attached around a partial periphery thereof to the tube of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween. An opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material and the tube of elastic material. A closed end of the pocket is generally parallel with an end of the tube and a third piece of elastic material is attached to the unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material between ends of edges that form the partial periphery of the second piece. The third piece of elastic material has a higher resistance to expansion than does the second piece of elastic material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom isometric view of an embodiment of an athletic training sleeve;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a side of the athletic training sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the athletic training sleeve of FIG. 1 in use on an arm of an athlete;

FIG. 5 is a bottom isometric view of another embodiment of an athletic training sleeve;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a side of the athletic training sleeve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the lines 7A-7A of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7B is a plan view of a side of a further embodiment of an athletic training sleeve;

FIG. 7C is a plan view of a side of yet another embodiment of an athletic training sleeve;

FIG. 8 is a bottom isometric view of a further embodiment of an athletic training sleeve;

FIG. 9 is a bottom isometric view of yet another embodiment of an athletic training sleeve; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a side of a further embodiment of an athletic training sleeve.

Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, wherein similar structures have the same reference numerals throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to an athletic training sleeve that allows an endurance athlete to stay hydrated during exercise. While specific embodiments are discussed herein, it is understood that the present disclosure is to be considered only as an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to limit the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated.
Illustrative examples of types of stretchy or elastic material useful herein include spandex, stretchable lace, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton, polyester blend, and combinations thereof. The elastic materials used in the present invention are preferably lightweight and breathable and may also have very smooth or silky surfaces to add to an athlete's comfort. Further, these materials may also have wicking properties, such that the materials wick moisture away from the skin of an athlete and the moisture evaporates and leaves the material dry and cool and the athlete comfortable. Endurance athletes often use the term of art “technical materials” to refer to materials that are lightweight, breathable, and include wicking properties. Thus, a “technical material” generally describes a material that encompasses all of the desirable properties of materials listed hereinabove, but without reference to the specific type of material or blend of material.
Each type of elastic material includes at least four physical characteristics that are useful in describing the response of a piece of the material to a force applied thereto. The four physical characteristics are: (1) 2-way or 4-way stretchable; (2) stretchability; (3) rest size; and (4) elastic modulus. A fifth physical characteristic that is derived from a combination of the four physical characteristics, as explained further hereinbelow, is the resistance to expansion of the piece of the material.
Each type of elastic material discussed herein may be 2-way stretchable or 4-way stretchable. An elastic material is said to be 2-way stretchable if the material stretches in response to force applied thereto along at least one axis, referred to as an axis of elasticity, within a plane of the elastic material. For example, a 2-way stretchable material may have a vertical axis of elasticity, wherein the material stretches up and down along the vertical axis of elasticity. An elastic material is said to be 4-way stretchable if the material stretches in response to force applied thereto along any two perpendicular axes of elasticity within a plane of the elastic material. Thus, a 4-way stretchable material is also a 2-way stretchable material. For example, a 4-way stretchable material may have a vertical axis of elasticity and a horizontal axis of elasticity, wherein the material stretches up and down along the vertical axis of elasticity and to the left and the right along the horizontal axis of elasticity. Of course, such examples are only for illustrative purposes, it being understood that the axes of elasticity in 2-way or 4-way stretchable materials may be disposed at any point within the materials.
Stretchability along a first axis of a material may be quantified by stretching a piece of elastic material to a maximum extent along the first axis and measuring a stretched size between two points along the first axis. The stretched size is compared to a rest size of the piece of material measured along the first axis between the same two points used to measure the stretched size. This comparison yields a stretchability ratio, which may be expressed as a multiple, for example, the stretched size is 2.03 times the rest size, or as a percentage, for example, the stretched size is 203% of the rest size. A first material is said to have a greater stretchability than a second material if the stretchability ratio of the first material is greater than the stretchability ratio of the second material. For example, if the first material and the second material have identical rest sizes along a particular axis, and the first material has a greater stretchability than the second material, the first material will have a greater maximum stretched size than does the second material. A 4-way stretchable material may have dissimilar stretchability ratios along first and second perpendicular axes of elasticity within a plane of the 4-way stretchable material.
Another characteristic to consider is the rest size of the piece of elastic material. For example, consider two pieces of an identical elastic material of different rest sizes, piece A and piece B. Piece A is a circle of the elastic material with a 10 cm radius and piece B is a circle of the same elastic material with a 15 cm radius. The elastic material has a stretchability ratio of 2.0 such that piece A may be stretched to a maximum radius of 20 cm and piece B may be stretched to a maximum radius of 30 cm. Further, because pieces A and B are made of the identical elastic material, an identical force is necessary to stretch each piece to its maximum extent. Logically, to stretch pieces A and B to less than a maximum extent requires a lesser force than is required to stretch each piece to its maximum extent. Therefore, piece A requires more force to be stretched to 20 cm than piece B requires to be stretched to 20 cm.
Elastic modulus of a material determines the force required to elastically stretch a piece of material a given distance along a particular axis of elasticity. For example, consider two pieces of different 2-way stretchable material of identical rest sizes and stretchabilities, piece C and piece D. Piece C is a circle of a first type of elastic material with a 10 cm radius and a stretchability of 2.0. Piece D is a circle of a second type of elastic material with a 10 cm radius and a stretchability of 2.0. Piece C has a higher elastic modulus along a first axis of elasticity than does piece D along a second axis of elasticity. Therefore, piece C requires more force to be stretched to a radius of 11 cm along the first axis of elasticity than piece D requires to be stretched to a radius of 11 cm along the second axis of elasticity.
The resistance to expansion of a piece of material may be described in light of the four above-described physical characteristics. Generally, the resistance to expansion of a particular piece of material is the force required to stretch the particular piece of material and may be a function of any or all of the direction of stretch relative to an axis of elasticity, stretchability, rest size, and elastic modulus. For example, if a piece of 2-way stretchable elastic material is stretched to a maximum extent along an axis of elasticity, the resistance to expansion of the piece of material along the axis is the tensile strength of the piece of material along the axis. For a piece of 2-way stretchable elastic material, the resistance to expansion perpendicular to an axis of elasticity is the tensile strength of the piece of material perpendicular to the axis. If a first piece of material has a first elastic modulus and a first rest size and a second piece of material has a second higher elastic modulus and the same rest size, the second piece of material requires more force to stretch beyond the rest size and therefore has a greater resistance to expansion than the first piece of material. Finally, if a first piece of material has a first rest size and a second piece of identical material has a second larger rest size and the first and second pieces of material are each stretched to an identical stretched size, the first piece of material requires more force to reach the stretched size and therefore the first piece of material has a greater resistance to expansion at the stretched size.
The resistance to expansion of an opening is the force required to enlarge the cross-sectional area of the opening. Therefore, the resistance to expansion of an opening is a function of the resistance to expansion of the elastic material that defines the opening.
An athletic training sleeve 100 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. The training sleeve 100 includes a first piece 102 of elastic material attached to a second 104 piece of elastic material to form a tube 106 of elastic material when disposed in a usable state. The training sleeves herein will be described as being in the form of a tube, it being understood that, due to the inherent flexibility of the athletic training sleeves, such sleeves are collapsible when not in use such that opposing arced segments of the sleeves are adjacent one another. A third piece 110 of elastic material is attached around a partial periphery thereof, for example, via edges 112, 114, and 116 thereof to the tube 106 of elastic material. The third piece 110 of elastic material may be attached over the first piece 102 of elastic material, the second piece 104 of elastic material, or portions of both the first and second 102, 104 pieces of elastic material. A pocket 118 is defined between the third piece 110 of elastic material and the tube 106 and an unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material defines an opening 122 for access into the pocket 118. As explained hereinbelow, the unattached edge 120 forming the opening 122 of the pocket 118 has a higher resistance to expansion than does a closed end 124 of the pocket 118.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the third piece 110 of elastic material is, for example, generally trapezoidal in shape such that the smaller of the generally parallel sides of the trapezoid defines the unattached edge 120. The closed end 124 of the pocket 118 spans a longer arc length 121 at rest around an exterior surface 125 of the tube 106 than an arc length 135 spanned at rest by the unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material. Due to the generally trapezoidal shape of the third piece 110 of material, the arc length 135 at rest of the unattached edge 120 is smaller than an arc length 123 at rest of any other portion of the third piece 110 of elastic material measured generally parallel to the unattached edge 120, for example, the arc length 123 at rest of the third piece 110 of elastic material as illustrated in FIG. 1. The smaller arc length 135 at rest of the unattached edge 120 results in a greater force required to stretch the unattached edge 120 to a stretched size than is required to stretch the arc length 123 to the same stretched size along an axis generally parallel to the unattached edge 120. Therefore, the third piece 110 of elastic material has a greater resistance to expansion along the unattached edge 120 than the arc length 123 of the third piece 110 of elastic material along an axis generally parallel to the unattached edge 120. Further, the opening 122 defined between the unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material and the tube 106 has a higher resistance to expansion than does a portion of the pocket 118 defined between the arc length 123 and the tube 106.
The pocket 118 may be oriented at any angle with respect to a longitudinal extent 126 of a cylindrical wall 127 forming the tube 106. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the closed end 124 of the pocket 118 is coincident with a first or bottom end 128 of the tube 106 and the pocket 118 is symmetrical about a centerline 129 of the pocket 118, wherein the centerline 129 is aligned with the longitudinal extent 126 of the cylindrical wall 127 forming the tube 106. Optionally, the closed end 124 of the pocket 118 may be spaced from the bottom end 128 of the tube 106, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B. In another embodiment, the closed end 124 of the pocket 118 may be parallel to the longitudinal extent 126 of the cylindrical wall 127 forming the tube 106, as depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9. Further, the pocket 118 need not be symmetrical about the centerline 129 thereof. The pocket 118 may be defined by the third piece 110 of elastic material such that one or more of the edges 112, 114, 116, and 120 is curvilinear. In fact, the third piece 110 of elastic material may have a perimeter having an entirely curvilinear shape, may be formed of any polygonal shape such that any number of edges is formed, or may be any other desired shape that includes curvilinear edges and straight edges.
Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second pieces 102, 104 of elastic material are illustrated as separate pieces of material. The third piece 110 of elastic material is also a separate piece of material that is attached to the first and second pieces 102, 104 of elastic material by stitching 130 disposed through edges of the first, second, and third pieces 102, 104, 110 of elastic material. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the stitching 130 extends along each of the edges 112, 114, and 116 to attach the third piece 110 of elastic material to the tube 106. Other methods of attachment as known to one having skill in the art may be used to attach the first, second, and third pieces 102, 104, 110 of elastic material.
Each of the first, second, and third pieces 102, 104, 110 of elastic material may be made of the same or a different type of material as the other of the first, second, and third pieces 102, 104, 110 of elastic material. Further, each of the first, second, and third pieces 102, 104, 110 of elastic material may have the same physical characteristics as or different physical characteristics from the other of the first, second, and third pieces 102, 104, 110 of elastic material. For example, the third piece 110 of elastic material may have a greater stretchability than the first and second 102, 104 pieces of elastic material.
Referring now to FIG. 4, an athletic training sleeve, for example, the athletic training sleeve 100, is adapted to hold an item 132, for example, a container of liquid refreshment or other training aid and to be worn, for example, on an upper arm 134 of an endurance athlete. When the item 132 to be carried by the endurance athlete is placed in the pocket 118, the third piece 110 of elastic material expands outwardly away from the upper arm 134 to increase the volume of the pocket 118 in response to the item 132 placed therein. The unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material also expands sufficiently to allow the item 132 to be passed through the opening 122. As discussed above, the unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material has a lesser arc length 135 (see FIG. 1) at rest around the exterior surface of the tube 106 than does the closed end 124 of the pocket 118, or in fact, than any portion of the pocket 118 that is parallel to the unattached edge 120. Therefore, the unattached edge 120 restricts a maximum cross-sectional area of the opening 122 to be smaller than a maximum cross-sectional area taken at any point along the pocket 118 and parallel to the opening 122.
The athletic training sleeve 100 with the item 132 placed within the pocket 118 is slid over the endurance athlete's hand and up a straightened arm thereof. The athletic training sleeve 100 is comfortably positioned around the upper arm 134 over biceps 136 and triceps 138 muscles. Upon positioning of the athletic training sleeve 100 over the biceps 136 and triceps 138 muscles, the unattached edge 120 inhibits the item 132 from being easily removed from the pocket 118. Further, bending of the arm of the endurance athlete accentuates the biceps muscle 136 and may further inhibit the item 132 from being removed from the pocket 118. To access the item 132, the endurance athlete need only straighten his or her arm and slide the athletic training sleeve 100 off of the arm.
The tube 106 may have a diameter that is smaller at the bottom end 128 thereof than at a second or top end 140 thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In another embodiment (not shown), the diameter of the tube 106 may be smaller at the top end 140 thereof than at the bottom end 128 thereof. In a further embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the diameter of the tube 106 is about the same at the bottom end 128 thereof as at the top end 140 thereof.
The athletic training sleeve 100 described hereinabove may be worn over clothing or outerwear for outdoor use in cold weather or may be worn over bare skin for use in excessive heat indoors or outdoors. The elastic material may be made of a silky material as described hereinabove to feel cool against the skin of the endurance athlete. An outer surface of the athletic training sleeve 100 may be coated or otherwise impregnated with a highly reflective material such that the athletic training sleeve 100 may be seen in headlights of vehicles at night. Further, positioning the item 132 on a back side of the upper arm 134 over the triceps muscle 138 and proximate to a shoulder of the athlete minimizes the sensation of carrying extra weight during periods when the upper arm 134 is swinging back and forth and during periods when the upper arm 134 is not swinging.
Another embodiment of an athletic training sleeve 200 is illustrated in FIGS. 5-7A. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment described hereinabove with regard to FIGS. 1-3, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, except for the following differences. The athletic training sleeve 200 includes a single piece 201 of elastic material forming the unitary tube 108, rather than the first and second pieces 102, 104 of elastic material forming the tube 106 as described hereinabove with respect to FIGS. 1-3. The single piece 201 of elastic material may be permanently in the shape of a tube, by manufacture or permanent stitching, or may be in the shape of a strip of elastic material that has a cooperating releasable fastener element disposed on opposite ends of the strip such that the strip is folded over and the cooperating releasable fasteners elements are fastened to form a tube. The cooperating releasable fastener elements may be hook and loop type elements, meshing zipper type elements, or any type of fastener elements as known to one having skill in the art.
A fourth piece 202 of elastic material is attached to the unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material between ends 207 a, 207 b of the edges 112, 116 that form the partial periphery of the third piece 110. Still referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7A, opposite ends 206 a, 206 b (FIG. 7A) of the fourth piece 202 of elastic material are also attached to the single piece 201 of elastic material forming the unitary tube 108 of elastic material via the attachment between the third and fourth pieces 110, 202 of elastic material, either by the stitching 130 as illustrated in FIG. 7A, or by another method of attachment as known to one having skill in the art. Optionally, the third and single pieces 110, 201 of elastic material may be attached by separate stitching or other method known to one having skill in the art, wherein the stitching is disposed through the edges 112, 114, 116 of the third piece 110 of elastic material and the single piece 201 of elastic material.
Still referring to FIGS. 5-7A, the fourth piece 202 of elastic material is attached to an exterior surface 203 of the unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material, as illustrated in FIG. 7A. Optionally, the fourth piece 202 of elastic material may be attached to an interior surface 205 of the third piece 110 of elastic material or folded over the unattached edge 120 of the third piece 110 of elastic material to form a hem. As best seen in FIG. 7A, the fourth piece 202 of elastic material is attached along a length thereof by stitching 204 to the third piece 110 of elastic material. In other embodiments, other methods of attachment as known to one having skill in the art may be used to attach the third and fourth pieces 110, 202 of elastic material together.
The fourth piece 202 of elastic material has a greater resistance to expansion than the third piece 110 of elastic material, and the greater resistance to expansion may be achieved in a number of ways. For example, the fourth piece 202 of elastic material may have a greater elastic modulus along a length thereof than the third piece 110 of elastic material along an axis generally parallel to the fourth piece 202. The fourth piece 202 of elastic material may have a lesser stretchability along a length thereof than the third piece 110 of elastic material along an axis generally parallel to the fourth piece 202. Further, the fourth piece 202 of elastic material may be made of the same elastic material as the third piece 110 of elastic material, but may have a smaller rest size along a length thereof than the third piece 110 of elastic material along an axis generally parallel to the fourth piece 202, as illustrated in FIG. 7C. The fourth piece 202 of elastic material may be made of a 2-way stretchable material that has an axis of elasticity perpendicular to a length thereof. The greater resistance to expansion of the fourth piece 202 of elastic material relative to the third piece 110 of elastic material can be achieved by using any one of these physical characteristics, or a combination thereof. Further, the opening 122 that is defined by the fourth piece 202 of elastic material has a higher resistance to expansion than the closed end 124 of the pocket 118.
Another embodiment of an athletic training sleeve 250 is illustrated in FIG. 7B. The athletic training sleeve 250 is similar to the athletic training sleeve 200 described hereinabove with regard to FIGS. 5-7A, except that the closed end 124 of the pocket 118 is spaced from the bottom end 128 of the tube 106.
Yet another embodiment of an athletic training sleeve 275 is illustrated in FIG. 7C. The athletic training sleeve 275 is similar to the athletic training sleeve 200 described hereinabove with regard to FIGS. 5-7A, except that the third piece 110 of elastic material is generally trapezoidal in shape such that the smaller of the generally parallel sides of the trapezoid defines the unattached edge 120.
A further embodiment of an athletic training sleeve 300 is illustrated in FIG. 8. The athletic training sleeve 300 is similar to the athletic training sleeve 200 described hereinabove with regard to FIGS. 5-7A, except for the following differences. The tube 106 of the athletic training sleeve 300 of FIG. 8 is depicted as including first and second separate pieces of material 102, 104, but may otherwise include a single piece 201 of elastic material forming a unitary tube 108 of elastic material, as described with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7A. The pocket 118 has also been rotated such that the closed end 124 of the pocket 118 is generally parallel to the longitudinal extent 126 of the cylindrical wall 127 forming the tube 106.
A further athletic training sleeve 400, as illustrated in FIG. 9, is similar to the athletic training sleeve 100 as described hereinabove with regard to FIGS. 1-3, except for the following differences. The tube 106 of the athletic training sleeve 400 is illustrated as having a single piece 201 of elastic material forming a unitary tube 108 of elastic material, but may otherwise include first and second pieces 102, 104 of elastic material, as described hereinabove with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. The pocket 118 of FIG. 9 has been rotated such that the closed end 124 of the pocket 118 is generally parallel to the longitudinal extent 126 of the cylindrical wall 127 forming the tube 106.
Referring to FIG. 10, a still further embodiment of an athletic training sleeve 500 is similar to the athletic training sleeves 100, 200, 250, 275 as described hereinabove with regard to FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7A-7C, except for the following differences. The athletic training sleeve 500 includes either a single piece 201 of elastic material forming a unitary tube 108 of elastic material, or the first and second pieces 102, 104 of elastic material attached to form the tube 106 of elastic material, as described hereinabove with respect to FIGS. 1-3 and FIGS. 5-7A, respectively. The third piece 110 of elastic material is a 2-way stretchable material, with an axis of elasticity oriented generally parallel to the centerline 129 of the pocket 118. As described hereinabove, the tube of elastic material 106, 108 and the unattached edge 120 define the opening 122. A portion of the opening 122 defined by the tube 106, 108 would expand in response to an item placed into the pocket 118; however, due to the orientation of the 2-way elastic material, the unattached edge 120 does not expand much, if at all, in response to an item placed into the pocket 118. Therefore, the opening 122 that is defined by the tube of elastic material 106, 108 and the unattached edge 120 has a higher resistance to expansion than the closed end 124 of the pocket 118.
The orientation of the third piece 110 of elastic material 110 described with regard to FIG. 10 may be utilized separately from or in combination with any of the hereinabove described athletic training sleeves 100, 200, 250, 275, 300, 400. Further, the embodiments of athletic training sleeves of FIGS. 5-10 are utilized by an athlete and function in a similar manner as described with respect to FIG. 4.
Although the athletic training sleeves as described herein may be described with respect to particular orientations, such orientations are for descriptive purposes only. It should be understood that such athletic training sleeves need not be positioned in a particular orientation or on a particular limb of an athlete.
Although various specific embodiments have been shown and described herein, this specification explicitly includes all possible permutations of combinations of the features, structures, and components of all the embodiments shown and described.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Athletic training sleeves that hold training aids are presented herein. The athletic training sleeves allow an endurance athlete to carry one or more training aids, such as a liquid refreshment, during long periods of continuous strenuous activity. The athletic training sleeves are lightweight and breathable and securely hold one or more training aids therein when worn over an upper arm of an endurance athlete.
Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the disclosure and to teach the best mode of carrying out same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved. All patents, patent publications and applications, and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Claims

1. An athletic training sleeve, comprising:

a first piece of elastic material forming a tube of elastic material; and

a second piece of elastic material attached around a partial periphery thereof to the tube of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween, wherein an opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material and the tube of elastic material;

wherein the opening of the pocket has a higher resistance to expansion than does a portion of the pocket spaced from the opening.

2. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein a closed end of the pocket spans a longer arc length at rest around an exterior surface of the tube than an arc length spanned at rest by the unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material.

3. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein a third piece of elastic material is attached to the unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material between ends of edges that form the partial periphery of the second piece, and the third piece of elastic material has a higher resistance to expansion than does the second piece of elastic material.

4. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein the second piece of elastic material is a 2-way stretchable material with an axis of elasticity oriented generally parallel to a centerline of the pocket drawn between the opening of the pocket and a closed end of the pocket.

5. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein the first piece of elastic material includes two pieces of elastic material attached to form the tube of elastic material.

6. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, and third pieces of elastic material is a type of 2-way or 4-way stretchable elastic material selected from the group consisting of spandex, stretchable lace, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton, polyester blend, and combinations thereof.

7. The athletic training sleeve of claim 6, wherein a portion of the athletic training sleeve includes a highly reflective coating.

8. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein a closed end of the pocket is generally parallel to an end of the tube.

9. The athletic training sleeve of claim 8, wherein the closed end of the pocket is spaced from the end of the tube.

10. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein a closed end of the pocket is generally parallel to a longitudinal extent of a cylindrical wall of the tube.

11. The athletic training sleeve of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the tube at a first end thereof is generally the same as a diameter of the tube at a second end thereof.

12. An athletic training sleeve, comprising:

a first piece of elastic material;

a second piece of elastic material attached to the first piece of elastic material to form a tube of elastic material; and

a third piece of elastic material attached around a partial periphery thereof to the second piece of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween, wherein an opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the third piece of elastic material and the second piece of elastic material;

wherein the unattached edge defining the opening of the pocket has a higher resistance to expansion than does a portion of the pocket spaced from the opening and a closed end of the pocket is generally parallel with an end of the tube.

13. The athletic training sleeve of claim 12, wherein a diameter of the tube at a first end thereof is larger than a diameter of the tube at a second end thereof.

14. The athletic training sleeve of claim 13, wherein the second and third pieces of elastic material are made of the same material.

15. The athletic training sleeve of claim 14, wherein the closed end of the pocket spans a longer arc length at rest around an exterior surface of the tube than an arc length spanned at rest by the unattached edge of the third piece of elastic.

16. The athletic training sleeve of claim 15, wherein a fourth piece of elastic material is attached to the unattached edge of the third piece of elastic material between ends of edges that form the partial periphery of the third piece, and the fourth piece of elastic material has a higher resistance to expansion than does the third piece of elastic material.

17. An athletic training sleeve, comprising:

a first piece of elastic material forming a tube of elastic material;

a second piece of elastic material attached around a partial periphery thereof to the tube of elastic material to define a pocket therebetween, wherein an opening of the pocket is defined between an unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material and the tube of elastic material, and wherein a closed end of the pocket is generally parallel with an end of the tube; and

a third piece of elastic material attached to the unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material between ends of edges that form the partial periphery of the second piece, wherein the third piece of elastic material has a higher resistance to expansion than does the second piece of elastic material.

18. The athletic training sleeve of claim 17, wherein the pocket expands to hold an item and the opening securely holds the item within the pocket and wherein the tube slides onto a straightened human arm and is held in place over the biceps and triceps muscles of a bent human arm.

19. The athletic training sleeve of claim 18, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth pieces of elastic material is a type of 2-way or 4-way stretchable elastic material selected from the group consisting of spandex, stretchable lace, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton, polyester blend, and combinations thereof.

20. The athletic training sleeve of claim 19, wherein a portion of the athletic training sleeve includes a highly reflective coating and wherein the closed end of the pocket spans a longer arc length at rest around an exterior surface of the tube than an arc length spanned at rest by the unattached edge of the second piece of elastic material.