US3088115A

US3088115A - Upper arm pad

Info

Publication number: US3088115A
Application number: US42434A
Authority: US
Inventors: John K Groot
Original assignee: Wilson Athletic Goods Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: Wilson Athletic Goods Manufacturing Co Inc
Priority date: 1960-07-12
Filing date: 1960-07-12
Publication date: 1963-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-07

Description

May 7, 1963 J. K. GROOT UPPER ARM PAD Filed July 12. 1960 INVENTOR. Jbhrz 2'. 6mm

BY M,.9W,&W Y aflorn 'yfi United States Patent Olhce 3,08 8 ,1 l Patented May 7, 1963 Filed July 12, 1960, Ser. No. 42,434 3 Claims. (Cl. 22)

This invention relates to upper arm pads, and more particularly to protective pads adapted to use by athletes in playing games requiring bodily contact between players, such as football.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide pads adapted to use as accessories to the shoulder pads generally worn by football players, which accessory pads are suited to the protection of the external surfaces of the players upper arms between the shoulders and the elbows.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective pad having thereon means for effecting a flexible supporting connection to a portion of the shoulder pad and means for holding the pad against a wearers upper arm for movements therewith.

As another object, this invention has within its purview the provision of an upper arm pad formed of a relatively soft, resilient and flexible material of substantial thickness having a cupped upper portion for fitting over a wearers shoulder and a lower portion for fitting around the exposed surfaces of the wearers upper arm, with a plurality of flexible elements for holding the pad in place.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate similar par-ts throughout the several views:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the interior and exterior portions respectively of an upper arm pad embodying a preferred form of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upper arm pad taken substantially as indicated by a line 3-3 and accompanying arrows in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one of the upper arm pads attached to a conventional type of shoulder pad structure used by football players.

In the exemplary embodiment of this invention which is shown in the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes, an upper arm pad has a cupped upper portion 12 adapted to fit over the upper and exterior surfaces of a wearers shoulder and an integral lower portion 13 which extends downwardly from the cupped upper portion to cover the normally exposed exterior surface of a Wearers arm down to a region adjacent the Wearers elbow. In playing games, such as football, which require bodily contacts between the players, the exterior and normally exposed outer surfaces of the wearers arms are subject to bruises and injury during play. While the upper arm pads of this invention are adapted to cover and to protect the outer surfaces of the wearers arms, they must also be provided with supports which allow freedom of arm movements and which hold the pads in place on the wearers arms.

In the disclosed upper arm pad structure, each pad 10 includes a pad element 14 which is formed or shaped to provide the cupped upper end portion 12 and which is made of a flexible material that is relatively soft and resilient and which has substantial thickness for shock or blow-absorbing purposes. This pad element 14, may, for example, be made of a material such as expanded rubber or vinyl and the like. The pad element may be coated with a moisture-proofing material, such as lacquer for protection against moisture and perspiration, or may be uncoated. In the illustrated structure, the pad element 14 is covered with an outer covering 15, such as fabric. When thus covered by fabric, the covering material is cut and sewn along seams, such as 16, 17 and 18, so that the cover conforms generally to the exterior and interior surfaces of the pad. Also, in the structure illustrated, the fabric covering is sewn along a bottom seam 19 which holds the outer covering 15 in place over the pad element 14.

In playing football, the players wear shoulder pads of the type depicted in FIG. 4, which shoulder pads include body-protecting

portions

20 and 22 held in place on opposite sides of the wearers body by anchor straps such as 23, and to the opposite sides of which bodyprotecting portions shoulder caps such as 24 are movably connected by flexible webs such as 25. Epaulets 26 and e 27 are also movably connected to the body-protecting portions by flexible hinge elements 28 and overlie adjacent marginal portions of the body-protecting portions and the shoulder caps.

In order to provide supports for the upper ends of the upper arm pads. of this invention which will not only anchor the upper arm pads firmly in place relative to the wearers upper arms, but will afford the necessary flexibility to allow full freedom of movement of the wearers arms, each upper arm pad of the type herein illustrated has

flexible webs

29 and 30 secured thereto in spaced relationship at the upper end of the pad. In the form illustrated, the

webs

29 and 30 are secured to the outer covering 15 and extend upwardly therefrom. Fastening elements, such as

snap fastener parts

32 and 33 are secured to outer end portions of the webs 29' and 30, so that the ends thereof may be readily, firmly and releasably secured together.

As shown in FIG. 4, the

webs

29 and 30 embrace the flexible webs 25 which movably anchor the shoulder caps 24 to the body-protecting portions of the shoulder pad structure. Although it is understood that flexible connections could be provided to various portions of the shoulder pad structure for supporting the upper ends of the upper arm pads, it may also be readily understood that the disclosed webs which connect the upper arm pad to the hinge elements for the shoulder caps provide for the desired flexibility and freedom of movement, inasmuch as the shoulder caps and their hinges move with the wearers shoulders and arms.

While the upper arm pad could terminate below the upper surface of the shoulder, because of the protection normally provided by the shoulder caps on the shoulder pad structure, the cupped upper end portion on the upper arm pad is considered to aiford better protection for the wearer and more firm support and anchoring for the upper arm pad.

Near the lower end of each upper arm pad, a flexible web 34, which is desirably made of a stretchable elastic material, has its opposite ends Secured to opposed side edges of the upper armpad, so that when the pad is in place on a wears upper arm, the elastic web embraces the inner surface of the wearers arm in opposition to the pad and holds the lower portion of the pad firmly in place against the outer surface of the arm, so that the pad will move with the arm and cannot be dislodged.

'From the foregoing description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, it may be readily understood that I have provided an upper arm pad adapted to use by players of contact sports, which pad protects the wearers upper arm from the shoulder to the region of the elbow and which is adapted to use with other equipment, such as shoulder pads and affords the required freedom of arm movements, as well as being firmly held in place for movements with the wearers upper It is understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention and that the scope of the invention is not to be limited thereto but is to be determined by the appended claims.

-I claim:

1. In combination with a football shoulder pad having shoulder caps connected by flexible hinge means to body protective members, a separable auxiliary upper arm pad comprising a formed pad element made of relatively resilient and flexible material and having a cupped upper portion for fitting over the lateral outer shoulder surfaces of a wearer under said shoulder cap and a lower portion extending downwardly from said upper portion to cover only normally unprotected outer surface regions of a wearers upper arm below said shoulder caps, flexible web-type elements having end portions secured to said upper portion of the pad element and extending therefrom, said flexible Web elements embracing the upper-surface of said flexible hinge means of said shoulder pad and releasably connected together for making a tflexible connection of the pad element to said football shoulder pad, and another flexible web-type element secured to the lower portion of said pad element for holding the pad element in place against the normally exposed outer surface regions of the Wearers arm.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1, and wherein said pad element comprises a formed inner pad element having a flexible fabric cover thereon which conforms generally thereto, and said flexible web-type elements are secured to said fabric cover.

3. The combination as defined'in claim 1, and wherein the last mentioned web-type element comprises an elastic web having its opposite ends secured to opposite sides of the pad element at positions adjacent the lower end of the pad element and well below the shoulder cap for engagement with the wearers arm just above the elbow.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 653,544 Burns et a1. July 10, 1900 1,117,077 Mooney Nov. 10, 1914 1,862,441 Till June 7, 1932 1,970,130 Dickenson Aug. 14, 1934 2,013,794 Taylor Sept. 10, 1935 2,045,157 Mathias June 23, 1936 2,693,598 Young Nov. 9, 1954

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A FOOTBALL SHOULDER PAD HAVING SHOULDER CAPS CONNECTED BY FLEXIBLE HINGE MEANS TO BODY PROTECTIVE MEMBERS, A SEPARABLE AUXILIARY UPPER ARM PAD COMPRISING A FORMED PAD ELEMENT MADE OF RELATIVELY RESILIENT AND FLEXIBLE MATERIAL AND HAVING A CUPPED UPPER PORTION FOR FITTING OVER THE LATERAL OUTER SHOULDER SURFACES OF A WEARER UNDER SAID SHOULDER CAP AND A LOWER PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID UPPER PORTION TO COVER ONLY NORMALLY UNPROTECTED OUTER SURFACE REGIONS OF A WEARER''S UPPER ARM BELOW SAID SHOULDER CAPS, FLEXIBLE WEB-TYPE ELEMENTS HAVING END PORTIONS SECURED TO SAID UPPER PORTION OF THE PAD ELEMENT AND EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID FLEXIBLE WEB ELEMENTS EMBRACING THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FLEXIBLE HINGE MEANS OF SAID SHOULDER PAD AND RELEASABLY CONNECTED TOGETHER FOR MAKING A FLEXIBLE CONNECTION OF THE PAD ELEMENT TO SAID FOOTBALL SHOULDER PAD AND ANOTHER FLEXIBLE WEB-TYPE ELEMENT SECURED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PAD ELEMENT FOR HOLDING THE PAD ELEMENT IN PLACE AGAINST THE NORMALLY EXPOSED OUTER SURFACE REGIONS OF THWEARER''S ARM.