WO2013110063A9

WO2013110063A9 - Protective apparel system with concealed removable protective elements

Info

Publication number: WO2013110063A9
Application number: PCT/US2013/022525
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dennis J. LEEDOM; James H. Sadler
Original assignee: Bern Unlimited, Inc
Priority date: 2012-01-20
Filing date: 2013-01-22
Publication date: 2013-08-29
Also published as: WO2013110063A1

Abstract

Disclosed herein are aspects and embodiments of protective apparel systems which may reduce the potential for impact related injury to a wearer. In at least one example, a protective apparel system comprises a garment and a protective insert releasably securable within the garment, the protective insert including a flexible fabric body and one or more impact protection elements secured within one or more pockets formed in the flexible fabric body.

Description

PROTECTIVE APPAREL SYSTEM WITH CONCEALED REMOVABLE

PROTECTIVE ELEMENTS

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various aspects and embodiments are directed to protective apparel systems which may reduce the potential for impact related injury to a wearer.

SUMMARY

In accordance with at least one aspect, there is provided a protective apparel system. The protective apparel system comprises a garment and a protective insert releasably securable within the garment, the protective insert including a flexible fabric body and one or more impact protection elements secured within one or more pockets formed in the flexible fabric body.

In accordance with some embodiments, the one or more impact protection elements comprise a resilient body and a rigid shell portion adjacent to a surface of the resilient body, wherein the resilient body and the rigid shell portion are substantially similarly shaped with each other and the pocket securing them.

In accordance with some embodiments, when in use, the protective insert is concealed in the garment.

In accordance with some embodiments, the garment comprises a shirt.

In accordance with some embodiments, at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect one of a hip area and a tailbone area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

In accordance with some embodiments, at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect a spinal area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

In accordance with some embodiments, the garment comprises a pair of shorts.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system further comprises one or more apertures defined in one of the resilient body and the rigid shell portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view from the front of a shirt in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view from the rear of the shirt of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3A is an elevational view from the front of a protective shirt insert in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3B is an elevational view from the rear of the protective shirt insert of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3 C is an exploded view of protective elements of the protective shirt insert of FIG. 3 A and FIG. 3B;

FIG. 4A is an elevational view from the front of a protective shirt insert in accordance with an embodiment secured within a shirt;

FIG. 4B is an elevational view from the rear of the protective shirt insert of FIG. 4A secured within the shirt;

FIG. 4C is an elevational view from the front of a protective shirt insert in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5A is an elevational view from the front of a pair of shorts in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5B is an elevational view from the rear of the shorts of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is an elevational view from the side of a protective shorts insert in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 6B is an elevational view from the front of a protective shorts insert of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is an elevational view from the rear of the protective shorts insert of FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B; FIG. 6D is an elevational side view of protective elements included in the protective shorts insert of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6E is an elevational rear view of protective elements included in the protective shorts insert of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is an elevational view from the side of a pair of shorts in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 7B is a detailed view of an embodiment of a protective shorts insert secured within the shorts of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is an illustration of an embodiment of a securing element for securing the protective shorts insert within the shorts of FIG. 7 A;

FIG. 8A is a side elevational view of a protective shorts system in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 8B is an elevational view of an embodiment of straps for the protective shorts system of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is an elevational view from the rear of a protective shorts insert in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 8D is an elevational view from the front of the protective shorts insert of FIG. 8C. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention are directed to protective apparel systems. The protective apparel systems may provide sufficient range of motion for a wearer such that the protective apparel systems may be worn during the performance of sporting activities such as skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, biking, and other outdoor activities in any season. The protective apparel systems may include protective elements designed to provide protection to the back and/or spine and/or tailbone and/or hips and/or legs and/or other body parts of a wearer. The protective apparel systems may provide protection against blunt impact forces and/or sharp impact forces. In at least some embodiments, the protective elements may be concealed within the protective apparel systems and may not be readily visible when worn. In at least some embodiments, the protective apparel systems may appear to be casual clothing or "street" wear when worn, rather than a protective apparel system or safety gear. In at least some embodiments, an insert including the protective elements may be non-destructively removably secured within a garment such as a shirt or a pair of shorts. In some embodiments, the insert including the protective elements may function to provide protection to a wearer when worn either with or without the garment.

An upper body protective apparel system in accordance with an embodiment includes a garment comprising a shirt, illustrated at 100 in a front view in FIG. 1 and in a rear view in FIG. 2. The shirt 100 illustrated includes long sleeves. Alternate embodiments of shirt 100 may include short sleeves, or may be a vest including no sleeves. Additionally, in alternate embodiments, the upper body protective apparel system may include other forms of upper body apparel including, for example, a sweatshirt, jacket, or any other form of apparel which covers at least a portion of the upper body of a wearer, instead of a shirt. The present invention is not limited to any particular type of upper body garment.

The shirt 100 is illustrated as conventional, including buttons 110 for closing; however, shirt 100 is not limited to any particular fasteners. For example, shirt 100 may include a zipper and/or fasteners such as buttons, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, or in some embodiments, no fasteners at all such as in a "pullover" style shirt.

FIGS. 3 A and 3B illustrate an upper body protective insert 200 configured to be secured within shirt 100. The upper body protective insert 200 may comprise a body 210 formed of a material such as a flexible or stretchable fabric, for example, a stretchable mesh or other lightweight, but strong material commonly used in sporting apparel, such as polymeric fabrics, including, for example, polyurethane-polyurea copolymer fabrics. The upper body protective insert 200 may further comprise one or more protective elements 220 secured within one or more pockets 225 on a portion of the body. The protective elements 220 may be positioned on the upper body protective insert 200 at a position such that protective elements 220 may overlay a portion of a wearer's spine when the upper body protective apparel system is worn. In some embodiments the upper body protective insert may extend downward to a greater extent than is illustrated and may include one or more protective elements positioned and arranged to overlay at least portion of a wearer's hips and/or tailbone when worn.

A belt or strap 230 may be included in the upper body protective insert 200. The belt or strap 230 may dispose a portion of the upper body protective insert 200 including protective elements 220 against the back of a wearer when the upper body protective apparel system is worn and belt or strap 230 is secured about the wearer. The belt or strap 230 may be secured with one or more fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, clasps, or other to provide a secure, comfortable, and reliable fitting of upper body protective insert 200 against a body of a wearer. The upper body protective insert 200 may also include a zipper 240 or other fastener or fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners, buttons, snaps or other fasteners to close upper body protective insert 200 about the body of a wearer. In some embodiments, for example, in pullover- style shirts, zipper 240 is not present.

The protective elements 220 may be form-fit with and may be secured in a pocket or pockets 225 formed by the material of body 210 of upper body protective insert 200 and a covering 226. The covering 226 may be formed of the same material as the material of body 210 of upper body protective insert 200 or may be formed of any other suitable material to provide lightweight comfort while securing protective elements 220.

The protective elements 220 may include resilient bodies 222. The resilient bodies 222 may absorb energy and deform upon impact and may return to their original shape subsequent to the impact. The resilient bodies 222 may be formed of any material which may absorb or distribute the force from an impact. The resilient bodies 222 may be formed of, for example, polymeric beads, polymeric foam, cellulosic material, or other lightweight impact absorbing material. The resilient bodies 222 may be formed of a material such as foam rubber, for example, BROCK™ polypropylene foam (Brock International, Boulder, CO.) Alternate materials such as natural rubber or other polymeric or non polymeric materials may also or alternatively be included in resilient bodies 222. The resilient bodies 222 may be permeable to air and/or water vapor and may provide for sweat from a wearer to evaporate therethrough, further adding to user comfort and desirability. One or more of protective elements 220 may include one or more rigid shells 224 in contact with and/or attached to a surface of resilient bodies 222. The rigid shells 224 may function to distribute the force of a sharp impact to protective elements 220 over an area of resilient bodies 222. The rigid shells 224 may be substantially thinner than resilient bodies 222, but may be sufficiently strong to withstand sharp force impacts, for example, an impact resulting from a wearer of the upper body protective apparel system falling onto a stone at a high velocity. The rigid shells 224 may, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, be positioned on a surface of resilient bodies 222 which faces away from a wearer when upper body protective insert 200 is worn. The rigid shells 224 may be formed from a material that is more rigid than resilient bodies 222, such as polyethylene, although the present invention is not limited to any particular material of construction of rigid shells 224. Alternate materials such as glass fiber reinforced epoxy, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy, other composites, aluminum plating, or other strong and lightweight materials could in various embodiments be included in rigid shells 224.

The rigid shells 224 may be attached to resilient bodies 222 of protective elements 220 by, for example, gluing, welding, fastening with fasteners such as buttons, clips, snaps, or hook and loop fasteners, or by any other method known in the art. In alternate embodiments, rigid shells 224 may be in contact with resilient bodies 222 of protective elements 220, but not attached thereto. The rigid shells 224 may be held against resilient bodies 222 of protective elements 220 by internal surfaces of pockets 225 in which protective elements 220 are disposed.

In some embodiments, one or more of resilient bodies 222 and rigid shells 224 of protective elements 220 may define one or more apertures 228 though which, in use, air or water vapor may pass to or from the body of a wearer of the upper body protective apparel system.

The body 210 of upper body protective insert 200 may be formed of a readily deformable material such as a flexible or stretchable fabric, for example, a stretchable mesh. The protective elements 220 may be formed as a plurality of discreet elements. This combination of a readily deformable body 210 and discreet protective elements 220 may provide for little, if any restriction in movement of a wearer wearing the upper body protective insert 200, either alone, or when secured in the shirt 100 as described below. The upper body protective insert 200 worn either alone, or when secured in shirt 100 may thus be suitable for use during the performance of sports activities, for example, skate boarding, snowboarding, skiing, bicycling, or other outdoor enthusiast sporting activities.

FIGS. 4 A and 4B illustrate an embodiment of the upper body protective insert 200 secured with shirt 100. As illustrated, the upper body protective insert 200 may be secured within shirt 100 using a plurality of attachment elements, such as snaps 150. Tabs including snaps 150 may be secured inside portions of shirt 100 and to complimentarily positioned portion of upper body protective insert 200. The upper body protective insert 200 may be placed within shirt 100 and the snaps on the tabs secured to the inside of shirt 100 joined to respective reciprocal snaps on the tabs attached to upper body protective insert 200. Embodiments are not limited to utilizing snaps and tabs for securing upper body protective insert 200 within shirt 100. Other fasteners, such as ties, buttons, or hook and loop fasteners could alternatively or additionally be utilized in place of tabs and snaps 150.

When secured within shirt 100, a wearer may put on the upper body protective apparel system by securing upper body protective insert 200 about the wearer' s body using, for example zipper 240 (when present) and/or belt or strap 230 ( which is illustrated in an alternate shape in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C than in FIGS. 3A and 3B.) Shirt 100 may then be closed over the upper body protective insert 200, using, for example, buttons 110, when present. Shirt 100, in some embodiments, completely conceals upper body protective insert 200. In some embodiments, it is not readily visually apparent that a wearer of the upper body protective apparel system, including upper body protective insert 200 secured within shirt 100, is wearing any protective gear. The shirt 100 may appear to be common casual clothing or "street" wear, and not protective or safety gear or part of a protective apparel system.

The upper body protective insert 200 may be "releasably secured" within the shirt 100; that is, upper body protective insert 200 may be secured within and removed from shirt 100 without damage to either upper body protective insert 200 or shirt 100. The upper body protective insert 200 may be removed from shirt 100 by detaching snaps 150 or other fasteners securing them together. The upper body protective insert 200 may be worn alone and provide impact protection to a wearer or it may be worn secured within shirt 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The upper body protective apparel system as shown and described may be considered a three-in-one apparel system. The upper body protective apparel system may comprise components that may be worn together, or worn separately. For example, shirt 100 and upper body protective insert 200 may be worn together by the user; however, the shirt 100 may be worn without the upper body protective insert 200. Alternatively, the upper body protective insert 200 may be worn without the shirt 100. The system allows the user to tailor their product to fit their needs, and allows for greater flexibility in using the product for particular activities and in varying climates.

In accordance with another embodiment there is provided a lower body protective apparel system. The lower body protective apparel system includes a lower body garment and a protective insert releasably securable within the lower body garment.

The lower body garment may include a pair of shorts, an embodiment of which is illustrated at 500 in a front view in FIG. 5 A and a rear view in FIG. 5B. The lower body protective apparel system may alternatively include a pair of pants, for example, ski pants, sweat pants, or other common lower-body apparel. The lower body garment is not limited to any particular type of lower body garment.

A lower body protective insert 600 is illustrated in a side view in FIG. 6A, a front view in FIG. 6B, and a rear view in FIG. 6C. The lower body protective insert 600 may be configured to be releasably secured within lower body garment 500, such that insert 600 may be secured within and removed from garment 500 without damage to either.

The lower body protective insert 600 may comprise a body 610 formed of a material such as a stretchable mesh or any other material that may provide lightweight comfort to users while worn alone or beneath lower body apparel. Common materials used in sporting goods, such as cotton, polyester, LYCRA® synthetic fiber (In vista North America S.A.R.L. Corporation Luxembourg, North Wichita, KS), neoprene rubber, or other lightweight flexible materials may be used. In some embodiments, the material may be formed into a breathable mesh to facilitate the evaporation of sweat from the body of a user to further increase comfort and desirability.

The lower body protective insert 600 may further comprise one or more protective elements 620 secured within one or more pockets 625 on a portion of the body. The protective elements 620 may be positioned on lower body protective insert 600 at a position such that a portion of lower body protective insert 600 including one or more of protective elements 620 may overlay a portion of a wearer' s spine and/or hips and/or tailbone and/or legs when the lower body protective apparel system is worn. A belt or strap 630 (illustrated in FIGS. 8B, 8C, and 8D) may be included in lower body protective insert 600. The belt or strap 630 may dispose a portion of lower body protective insert 600 including one or more of protective elements 620 against the back of a wearer when the lower body protective apparel system is worn and belt or strap 630 is secured about the wearer. The belt or strap 630 may be secured with one or more fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, clasps, or other common fasteners that may provide a secure, comfortable, and reliable fitting.

The protective elements 620 may be secured in a pocket or pockets 625 formed by the material of the body of the lower body protective insert 600 and a covering 626. The covering 626 may be formed of the same material as the material of the body of lower body protective insert 600 or may be formed of a different, but complimentary material.

The protective elements 620 may include resilient bodies 622. The resilient bodies 622 may absorb energy and deform upon impact and may return to their original shape subsequent to the impact. The resilient bodies 622 may be formed of any material which may absorb or distribute the force from an impact. The resilient bodies 622 may be formed of, for example, polymeric beads, polymeric foam, cellulosic material, or other lightweight impact absorbing material. The resilient bodies 622 may be formed of a material such as foam rubber, for example, Brock™ polypropylene foam, available from Brock International, Boulder, CO. Alternate materials such as natural rubber or other polymeric or non polymeric material may also or alternatively be included in resilient bodies 622. The resilient bodies 622 may be permeable to air and/or water vapor and may provide for sweat from a wearer to evaporate therethrough, further adding to user comfort and desirability.

In some embodiments, one or more of resilient bodies 622 may have portions with different thicknesses. For example, one or more of the sections of resilient bodies 622 of FIG. 6D indicated at 1, 2, and 3 may have a different thickness.

One or more of the protective elements 620 may include one or more rigid shells 624 in contacted with and/or attached to a surface of resilient bodies 622. The rigid shells 624 may function to distribute the force of a sharp impact to protective elements 620 over an area of the resilient bodies. The rigid shells 624 may be substantially thinner than resilient bodies 622, but may be sufficiently strong to withstand sharp force impacts, for example, an impact resulting from a wearer of the upper body protective apparel system falling onto a stone at a high velocity. The rigid shells 624 may, as illustrated in FIG. 6E, be positioned on a surface of resilient bodies 622 which faces away from a wearer when lower body protective insert 600 is worn. The rigid shells 624 may be formed from a material that is more rigid than resilient bodies 622, such as polyethylene, although the present invention is not limited to any particular material of construction of rigid shells 624. Alternate materials such as glass fiber reinforced epoxy, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy, other composites, aluminum plating, or other strong and lightweight materials could in various embodiments be included in rigid shells 624.

The rigid shells 624 may be attached to resilient bodies 622 of protective elements 620 by, for example, gluing, welding, fastening with fasteners such as buttons, clips, snaps, or hook and loop fasteners, or by any other method known in the art. In alternate embodiments, rigid shells 624 may be in contact with resilient bodies 622 of t protective elements 620, but not attached thereto. The rigid shells 624 may be held against resilient bodies 622 of protective elements 620 by internal surfaces of pockets 625 in which protective elements 620 are disposed.

In some embodiments, one or more of resilient bodies 622 and rigid shells 624 of protective elements 620 may define one or more apertures 628 though which, in use, air or water vapor may pass to or from the body of a wearer of the system. The lower body protective insert 600 may be formed of a readily deformable material 610, such as a flexible fabric, a stretchable polymer mesh, or polymeric fabrics, including, for example, polyurethane-polyurea copolymer fabrics. The protective elements 620 may be formed as a plurality of discreet elements. The protective elements 620 may be strategically located to not restrict movement of a user of lower body protective insert 600. This combination of a readily deformable body 610 and discreet protective elements 620 may provide for little, if any restriction in movement of a wearer wearing lower body protective insert 600, either alone, or when secured in shorts 500 as described below. The lower body protective insert 600, worn either alone, or when secured in shorts 500 may thus be suitable for use during the performance of sports activities, for example, skate boarding, snowboarding, skiing, bicycling, or other activities.

FIG. 7A is a side view of a pair of shorts 500 into which the lower body protective insert 600 may be removably secured. The shorts 500, in some

embodiments, completely conceal lower body protective insert 600. In some embodiments, it would not be readily visually apparent that a wearer of the lower body protective apparel system including lower body protective insert 600 secured within shorts 500 was wearing any protective gear at all. The shorts 100 may appear to be common casual clothing or "street" wear, and not protective or safety gear or part of a protective apparel system.

FIG. 7B illustrates an embodiment of fasteners 650 which may be used to secure lower body protective insert 600 within shorts 500. The fasteners 650 comprise fabric straps which are secured on first ends to an upper portion of lower body protective insert 600 and on second ends to an inner portion of the waistband 550 of the shorts 500. To remove lower body protective insert 600 from shorts 500, the fabric straps may be cut, as indicated in FIG. 7D. In FIG. 7B, the lower back protection pad 670 illustrated in FIGS. 6 A, 6B and 6C is not illustrated.

In other embodiments, lower body protective insert 600 may be releasably secured to and removed from shorts 500 non-destructively. For example, fasteners 650 may comprise one or more of buttons, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, or other re- joinable f asters. FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C illustrate an embodiment of the lower body protective insert 600 including a strap 630, which in use may hold lower back protection portion 670 against the lower back of a wearer. The lower back protection portion 670 may be releasably secured to the rest of lower body protective insert 600, and may be omitted in some embodiments. In some embodiments, a tail-bone protection element (not shown) may also be included in lower body protective insert 600. The tail-bone protection element may include a protective element with a resilient body and/or a rigid shell portion. The tail-bone protection element may be removably securable to lower body protective insert 600 or within a pocket of lower body protective insert 600.

The lower body protective apparel system as shown and described may be considered a three-in-one apparel system. The lower body protective apparel system may comprise components that may be worn together, or worn separately. For example, shorts 500 and lower body protective insert 600 may be worn together by the user; however, the shorts 500 may be worn without the lower body protective insert 600. Alternatively, the lower body protective insert 600 may be worn without the shorts 500. The system allows the user to tailor their product to fit their needs, and allows for greater flexibility in using the product for particular activities and in varying climates.

Although the protective apparel system has been described above in terms of certain examples and embodiments, various alterations, modifications, substitutions, additions and improvements will be readily apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of the disclosure. Such alterations, modifications, substitutions, additions and improvements are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the containers disclosed here. It is also intended that the indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used above and in the appended claims, mean one or more of the articles which they modify, and that the terms "include," "including" and "having" are interchangeable with the open ended term "comprising." Only the transitional phrases "consisting of and "consisting essentially of," are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, with respect to the claims. Use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third," and the like in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for the use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

What is claimed is:

Claims

1. A protective apparel system comprising:

a garment; and

a protective insert releasably securable within the garment, the protective insert including a flexible fabric body and one or more impact protection elements secured within one or more pockets formed in the flexible fabric body.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more impact protection elements comprise:

a resilient body; and

a rigid shell portion adjacent to a surface of the resilient body,

wherein the resilient body and the rigid shell portion are substantially similarly shaped with each other and the pocket securing them.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein in use, the protective insert is concealed in the garment.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the garment comprises a shirt.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect one of a hip area and a tailbone area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect a spinal area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the garment comprises a pair of shorts.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect one of a hip area and a tailbone area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

9. The system of claim 2, further comprising one or more apertures defined in one of the resilient body and the rigid shell portion.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect one of a hip area and a tailbone area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect a spinal area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more impact protection elements is positioned and arranged to protect one of a hip area and a tailbone area of a user wearing the protective apparel system.