USOO7013487B2
`
`(12) United States Patent
`Béland
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,013,487 B2
`Mar. 21, 2006
`
`(54) METHOD OF MAKING A PROTECTIVE PAD
`(75) Inventor: Jean-Francois Béland, Montreal (CA)
`(73) Assignee: Bauer Nike Hockey Inc., St. Jérome
`(CA)
`
`- - -
`(*) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 135 days.
`(21) Appl. No.: 10/391,810
`
`(22) Filed:
`(65)
`
`Mar 20, 2003
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2004/0181850 A1
`Sep. 23, 2004
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`A4ID 13/00
`(52) U.S. Cl. ............................................................ 2/22
`(58) Field of Classification Search ...................... 2/22,
`2/16, 24, 455,908,911, 242, 62, 910; 602/16,
`602/20, 23, 26; 128/878, 882
`See application file for complete Search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`McCoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/22
`2,266,886 A * 12/1941
`2,785,407 A * 3/1957
`Reeder ............................ 2/22
`4,756,026 A
`7/1988
`Pierce, Jr.
`Caprio, Jr. et al.
`5,656,023 A
`8/1997
`5,784,715 A *
`7/1998
`Buchanan ........................ 2/22
`5,840,397 A 11/1998
`Landi et al.
`
`
`
`6,065,152 A 5/2000 Parker
`6,094,743 A 8/2000 Delgado
`6,122,768 A 9/2000 McCrane
`6,128,779 A * 10/2000 Goldsmith et al. .............. 2/22
`6,145,134 A * 11/2000 Davis et al. ................... 2/463
`6,156,000 A 12/2000 Chen et al.
`6,178,556 B1
`1/2001 Foreman et al. ................. 2/22
`6,237,149 B1
`5/2001 MacDonald
`6,317.888 B1 11/2001 McFarlane
`6.336.220 B1
`1/2002 Sacks et al.
`6,654,961 B1 12/2003 Beland ............................ 2/22
`6,789,264 B1
`9/2004 Budda ............................. 2/22
`* cited by examiner
`Primary Examiner Tejash Patel
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`A method of making a protective pad, which comprises
`fastening a plurality of Sections together to create an outer
`shell, providing an inner Shell made of a more rigid material
`than the Sections making up the outer shell, fastening the
`inner shell to the outer shell (thereby to form a composite
`shell) and fastening the composite shell to a padding liner.
`The use of plural Sections forming the outer shell reduces
`manufacturing costs. An overlay may be placed over the
`outer shell to conceal the areas where the Sections making up
`the outer shell are fastened together. Fastening the compos
`ite Shell to the padding liner may include passing through a
`thinned out portion of the hard inner shell, or it may bypass
`the inner shell altogether, thus avoiding the use of heavy
`duty Stitching equipment. The Step of fastening the inner and
`outer Shells may include gluing rather than Stitching.
`
`29 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets
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`1
`METHOD OF MAKING A PROTECTIVE PAD
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`2
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`US 7,013,487 B2
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`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`In the accompanying drawings:
`FIG. 1 depicts a right side elevational view of a protective
`The invention relates to a method of making a protective 5 pad made in accordance With an embodiment of the present
`garment for Shielding a body part of a player from impacts
`invention;
`FIG. 1A shows various components of the pad of FIG. 1
`by extraneous objects. The invention is particularly although
`in exploded perspective view;
`not exclusively directed to the manufacture of protective
`FIGS. 2 through 5 show perspective views of the protec
`pads in the form of elbow pads, knee pads, Shin pads and the
`tive pad of FIG. 1 at various Stages of manufacture in
`like, as used for playing hockey and other Sporting activities.
`accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
`FIG. 6A shows the view of FIG. 1, turned at about 45
`degrees towards the rear; and
`FIG. 6B shows a left side elevational view of the protec
`tive pad of FIG. 1.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Protective pads are useful for protecting a wearer's body
`parts from injury. Most commonly, protective pads are made
`to include an Outer shell that is hard and an inner shell that
`is Soft. Such protective pads are typically Strapped to a
`desired degree of tightness around the part requiring pro
`tection, e.g., a wearer's elbow, knee, Shin, etc. Accordingly,
`the interior of the protective pad is usually cup-shaped So as
`to comfortably receive the body part requiring protection.
`However, although Such a protective pad of the type
`described above may effectively protect the wearer from
`injury due to extraneous objects, the pads themselves
`present a risk of injuring other players. This is particularly
`true in the case of elbow pads, which are commonly raised
`to face level during close interactions amongst hockey
`players.
`There is therefore a need in the industry for an improved
`method of manufacturing protective pads having an outer
`Surface that possess shock absorbing qualities.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`According a broad aspect, the invention Seeks to provide
`a method of making a pad for protection of a wearer's body
`part, comprising: (a) fastening a plurality of Sections
`together to create an outer shell having an interior Surface
`and an exterior Surface, the Outer shell being made of a first
`material; (b) providing an inner shell having an exterior
`Surface conforming to the interior Surface of the Outer Shell,
`the inner shell being made of a Second material of greater
`rigidity than the first material; (c) fastening the exterior
`Surface of the inner shell to the interior Surface of the outer
`shell, thereby to form a composite shell; (d) providing a
`padding liner for contacting the wearer's body part when the
`pad is worn by the wearer; and (e) fastening the composite
`shell to the padding liner.
`According to a Second broad aspect, the present invention
`may be Summarized as a method of making a pad for
`protection of a wearer's body part, comprising: (a) providing
`an Outer shell having an interior Surface and an exterior
`Surface, said outer shell being made of a first material; (b)
`providing an inner shell having an exterior Surface conform
`ing to the interior Surface of the Outer Shell, the inner shell
`being made of a Second material of greater rigidity than the
`first material; (c) gluing the exterior Surface of the inner shell
`to the interior surface of the outer shell, thereby to form a
`composite shell; (d) providing a padding liner for contacting
`the wearer's body part when the pad is worn by the wearer;
`and (e) fastening the composite shell to the padding liner.
`These and other aspects and features of the present
`invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary
`skill in the art upon review of the following description of
`Specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with
`the accompanying drawings.
`
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`With reference to FIGS. 1 and 1A, a protective elbow pad
`8 comprises a composite Shell 18, a padding liner 20, a shock
`absorbing cushion 22, an overlay 24, a forearm Strap 26, a
`biceps protector 38 and a joint strap 40. It should be
`understood that the various components of the elbow pad 8
`are shown for purposes of example only and that not all of
`the illustrated components are necessary features of a pad
`manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the
`present invention.
`With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown a plurality of
`sections 10A, 10B fastened together to create an outer shell
`12 having an interior Surface 12I and an exterior Surface
`12E. In the case of an elbow pad, the interior Surface 12I of
`the outer Shell 12 may be cup-shaped, although this is not a
`requirement of the present invention. Each of the Sections
`10A, 10B may be a foam section produced by a compression
`molding process known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
`Of course, other materials or combinations of materials may
`be used which provide shock absorbing properties. In the
`illustrated embodiment, the number of two foam sections is
`two and these are mirror images of one another, which may
`reduce the cost of manufacture. Thus, in the illustrated
`embodiment, the two foam sections 10A, 10B have the
`shape of “half-shells' and are fastened (e.g., Stitched) along
`a curvilinear junction area 14. It will be understood that the
`number and configuration of the sections 10A, 10B can vary.
`Thus, for example, the outer shell 12 may consist of a Single
`integral foam Section, which eliminates the presence of a
`junction area 14.
`Also shown an inner shell 16, which is fastened, e.g., by
`gluing, to the interior Surface 12I of the outer shell 12,
`thereby resulting the formation of the composite shell 18
`(also seen in FIG.3). The innershell 16 is made of a material
`that is more rigid than that of the outer shell 12. Also, the
`inner shell 16 has an exterior surface 16E that generally
`conforms to the interior Surface 12I of the outer shell 12. In
`the case of an elbow pad, it is advantageous for the interior
`surface 16I of the inner shell 16 to be cup-shaped. In the
`illustrated example embodiment, it is noted that the inner
`shell 16 is completely surrounded by the outer shell 12, that
`is, the edge of the outer shell 12 extends beyond the inner
`shell 16 and defines a strip 17 that Surrounds the inner shell
`16.
`Moreover, the inner shell 16 may have a variable thick
`neSS. Specifically, the inner shell 16 may have a first region
`and a Second region, the first region have an average
`thickness less than the average thickness of the Second
`region. In one embodiment, the first region will form a
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`periphery of the inner shell 16. Thus, the periphery of the
`inner shell 16 will be “thinned out” with respect to the
`interior region of the inner shell 16. This may be of advan
`tage during a Stitching process, as described in further detail
`later on.
`Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 and 4A. The manu
`facturing proceSS continues by fastening the composite shell
`18 to the padding liner 20. The padding liner 20 is a layer of
`material that is in contact with the protected body part (e.g.,
`elbow) of the wearer when the pad is being worn. Advan
`tageously, the padding liner 20 is Softer than the inner shell
`16. The padding liner 20 can be of any suitable material or
`composition to provide the degree of cushioning and pro
`tection that is desired. The padding liner 20 may be made of
`the same material or combination of materials as the outer
`shell 12 or it may be made of a different material or
`combination of materials. For example, the padding liner 20
`can be formed from a relatively thick foam material covered
`by layers of woven Synthetic yarn. In a Specific instance, the
`padding liner 20 may comprise a closed cell foam of
`ethylene Vinyl acetate of a Suitable thickness covered by
`mesh outer layers of a woven Synthetic material Such as
`polyester.
`The composite shell 18 may be fastened to the padding
`liner 20 by various methods such as stitching. In some
`embodiments, to ensure good resistance to impact and good
`energy absorption, the Outer shell 12 may be Stitched to the
`padding liner 20 by passing through the Somewhat thinner
`periphery of the inner shell 16. In other embodiments, the
`strip 17 of the outer shell 12 may be fastened (e.g., stitched)
`directly to the padding liner 20, So that it is not necessary to
`pierce the hard inner shell 16. In both cases, the use of
`heavy-duty Stitching needles can be avoided.
`It is also noted that fastening of the outer shell 12 to the
`padding liner 20 (either through or bypassing the inner shell
`16) may occur at the same time as fastening of the outer shell
`12 to the inner shell 16. In other words, a strict serial order
`of Steps is not to be understood from the above description.
`For example, it is envisaged that a quantity of glue may be
`spread onto the exterior surface 16E of the inner shell 16
`(e.g., towards the thicker interior of the inner shell 16),
`following which the outer shell 12 is placed over the inner
`shell 16 and, shortly thereafter, either the strip 17 is fastened
`to the padding liner 20 or the outer shell 12 is fastened to the
`padding liner 20 via the inner shell 16. This would result in
`Simultaneous fastening of the composite shell 18 to the
`padding liner 20 and of the outer shell 12 to the exterior
`Surface 16E of the inner shell 16.
`In Some embodiments, it is envisaged to fasten the com
`posite shell 18 to the padding liner 20 in such a way as to
`50
`leave a Space between the hard inner shell 16 composite
`shell and the padding liner 20 (e.g., near the apex of the
`cup-shaped interior surface 16I of the inner shell 16). It is
`within the Scope of the present invention to dispose shock
`absorbing cushion 22 in the space between the inner shell 16
`and the padding liner 20.
`Moreover, as seen in FIG. 4B, a further step may consist
`of attaching the biceps protector 38 to the padding liner 20.
`With reference now to FIG. 5, there is an overlay 24 that
`is placed over at least part of the composite shell 18 (no
`longer visible in FIG. 5). The overlay 24 is typically a
`Synthetic or natural fabric that can be made to exude a
`particular design, numeral, color pattern, etc. In addition, the
`overlay 24 can be appropriately dimensioned So as to cover
`the junction area(s) 14 where the plurality of foam Sections
`10A, 10B are joined. In this way, the junction area(s) 14 will
`be concealed by the overlay 24, thereby providing for a more
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`aesthetically pleasing appearance, while allowing a particu
`lar design to be visible. Moreover, the overlay 24 may also
`be suitably dimensioned to conceal the strip 17 where the
`composite shell 18 meets the padding liner 20 and hence
`conceal the entire composite shell 18. Thus, the strip 17 is
`not visible in FIG. 5. The overlay 24 may be fastened to the
`padding liner 20 by any conventional method Such as
`Stitching. Due to the oversized dimensions of the overlay 24,
`there is again no need to pierce the inner shell 16. It is noted
`that the overlay 24 may also include a joint strap 40, which
`can be made thinner than the biceps protector 38, permitting
`the wearer to Secure the pad in the area of the elbow, for
`example.
`Thus, it can be seen that a protective pad made in
`accordance with embodiments of the present invention have
`at least two protective features in use. Firstly, the wearer's
`body part (e.g., elbow) is protected against impact from
`extraneous objects by the combination of the inner shell 16
`and the padding liner 20 and, optionally, the Shock absorbing
`cushion 22. Secondly, the extraneous objects themselves are
`protected by the outer shell 12, which is made of foam and
`is softer than the inner shell 16. The latter feature is
`especially advantageous when the extraneous objects (e.g.,
`an opponent's face) are more Sensitive to impact than the
`wearer's body part (e.g., elbow).
`The process of making the elbow pad 8 may include yet
`further additional Steps during which various optional fea
`tures are added. For example, it is within the Scope of the
`present invention to mount a forearm Strap 26 to the elbow
`pad 8 that permits the pad 8 to be tightened around the
`wearer's forearm arm. In one embodiment, shown in FIGS.
`6A and 6B and with additional reference to FIG. 1A, the
`forearm strap 26 has two ends 26A, 26B, where the first end
`26A may be permanently affixed to the pad 8, while the
`second end 26B may be free for eventual attachment to the
`pad 8. Specifically, the first end 26A can be attached to the
`padding liner 20 or, if more convenient, it may be attached
`to the overlay 24.
`In order to permit the forearm strap 26 to be suitably
`tightened, a fastener is provided whereby the Second end
`26B of the forearm strap 26 may be affixed to the pad 8. The
`fastener may include a first component (not visible) mounted
`to the second (free) end 26B of the forearm strap 26 and a
`second component 30 mounted to the padding liner 20
`(and/or to the overlay 24). The first component and the
`second component 30 of the fastener cooperate to allow the
`forearm Strap 26 to be tightened to a desired level of tension,
`and to be released at a desired moment. In the illustrated
`embodiment, the fastener is a hook-and-loop fastener (e.g.,
`VELCROTM), where first component is a set of hooks and
`the second component 30 is a set of loops. The reverse
`arrangement is also possible. In Still other embodiments, the
`fastener may simply consist of cooperating components of a
`button, a lace, a buckle or a belt.
`Various configurations of the forearm Strap 26 itself are
`envisaged. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B and
`1A, the forearm Strap 26 is depicted as comprising a
`plurality of stretchable bands 32 and a rigid portion 34 for
`supporting the bands 32. The stretchable bands 32 extend
`generally Side by Side, while the rigid portion 34 comprises
`rounded projections 36 disposed between the bands 32 for
`maintaining Separation therebetween. The rigid portion 34
`has a curvature that generally follows the curvature of an
`average wearer's arm. The rigid portion 34 meets the
`overlay 24 (and/or the padding liner 20) at the first end 26A
`of the forearm strap 26. The bands 32 include a first end
`32A, which meets the overlay 24 (and/or the padding liner
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`20) at the first end 26A of the forearm strap 26. The bands
`32 also include a second end 32B, which corresponds to the
`second (free) end 26B of the forearm strap 26.
`Although the forearm strap 26, the biceps protector 38 and
`the joint Strap 40 are all shown as having the same configu
`ration for fastening (see FIG. 6B), it should be understood
`that any number of the strap 26, 38, 40 can have the same
`common configuration or different configurations.
`It should also be understood that the present invention is
`not to be limited to the embodiments described herein above
`in the context of manufacturing an elbow pad 8. Rather,
`those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
`present invention can be applied to the manufacture of other
`types of pads, e.g., shoulder pad, knee pad and generally any
`type of pad where both potential injury to the wearer from
`contact with an extraneous object, and potential injury to the
`extraneous object itself, are a concern.
`While specific embodiments of the present invention have
`been described and illustrated, it will be apparent to those
`skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations
`can be made without departing from the Scope of the
`invention as defined in the appended claims.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A method of making a pad for protection of a wearer's
`body part, comprising:
`(a) forming a plurality of foam Sections by compression
`molding;
`(b) fastening the plurality of foam sections together to
`create an outer Shell having an interior Surface and an
`exterior Surface;
`(c) providing an inner shell having an exterior Surface
`conforming to the interior surface of the outer shell, the
`inner Shell being more rigid than the Outer shell;
`(d) fastening the exterior Surface of the inner shell to the
`interior Surface of the Outer Shell for forming a com
`35
`posite shell wherein the outer Surface of the inner shell
`is covered by the inner Surface of the outer shell;
`(e) providing a padding liner for contacting the wearer's
`body part when the pad is worn by the wearer; and
`(f) fastening the composite shell to the padding liner.
`2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outer and inner
`shells are cup-shaped.
`3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising
`placing an overlay over at least part of the composite Shell.
`4. The method defined in claim 3, wherein the plurality of
`foam Sections are fastened together at a set of junction areas
`and wherein placing the overlay over at least part of the
`composite shell includes concealing the junction areas.
`5. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the composite
`shell meets the padding liner at a junction region and
`wherein placing the overlay over the at least part of the
`composite shell includes concealing the junction region.
`6. The method defined in claim 5, wherein placing the
`overlay over at least part of the composite shell comprises
`fastening the overlay to the padding liner.
`7. The method defined in claim 6, wherein fastening the
`overlay to the padding liner includes Stitching the overlay to
`the padding liner.
`8. The method defined in claim 6, wherein fastening the
`overlay to the padding liner creates a Space between the
`composite shell and the padding liner.
`9. The method defined in claim 8, further comprising
`providing a cushion in the Space between the composite
`shell and the padding liner.
`10. The method defined in claim 2, wherein fastening the
`inner shell to the interior Surface of the outer shell includes
`gluing the inner shell to the interior Surface of the outer Shell.
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`11. A method of making a pad for protection of a wearer's
`body part, comprising:
`(a) forming an outer shell of foam by compression mold
`ing, the outer Shell having an interior Surface and an
`exterior Surface;
`(b) providing an inner shell having an exterior Surface
`conforming to the interior Surface of the Outer shell, the
`inner Shell being more rigid than the outer shell;
`(c) gluing the exterior Surface of the inner shell to the
`interior Surface of the Outer Shell for forming a com
`posite shell wherein the outer Surface of the inner shell
`is covered by the inner surface of the outer shell;
`(d) providing a padding liner for contacting the wearer's
`body part when the pad is worn by the wearer; and
`(e) fastening the composite shell to the padding liner.
`12. The method of claim 11, wherein the outer and inner
`shells are cup-shaped.
`13. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the outer
`shell presents a region that extends beyond the inner shell
`and wherein fastening the composite shell to the padding
`liner includes fastening the outer shell to the padding liner
`in the region that extends beyond the inner shell.
`14. The method defined in claim 13, wherein the region
`extending beyond the inner shell completely Surrounds the
`inner shell.
`15. The method defined in claim 14, wherein fastening the
`outer shell to the padding liner in the region that extends
`beyond the inner shell comprises fastening the outer Shell to
`the padding liner only in the region that extends beyond the
`inner shell.
`16. The method defined in claim 15, wherein fastening the
`outer shell to the padding liner includes stitching the outer
`shell to the padding liner.
`17. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the inner
`shell presents a first region and a Second region, the first
`region being thinner than the Second region, and wherein
`fastening the composite shell to the padding liner includes
`fastening the Outer shell to the padding liner through the first
`region of the inner shell.
`18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein fastening the
`outer shell to the padding liner through the first region of the
`inner shell includes Stitching the outer shell to the padding
`liner through the first region of the inner shell.
`19. The method defined in claim 18, wherein the first
`region is peripheral to the inner shell 16 and wherein the
`Second region is interior to the inner Shell 16.
`20. The method defined in claim 10, further comprising
`mounting a Strap to at least one of the overlay and the
`padding liner.
`21. An elbow pad made by the method defined in claim
`2O.
`22. The elbow pad defined in claim 21, wherein the strap
`comprises a plurality of Stretchable bands extending gener
`ally side by Side and a rigid portion for Supporting the bands.
`23. The elbow pad defined in claim 22, wherein the rigid
`portion comprises rounded projections disposed between the
`bands for maintaining Separation between the bands.
`24. The elbow pad defined in claim 23, wherein the rigid
`portion is mounted to the padding liner or to the overlay.
`25. The elbow pad defined in claim 24, wherein the bands
`include a first end fixed to the padding liner or the overlay,
`and a Second end that is free with respect to the padding liner
`and the Overlay.
`26. The elbow pad defined in claim 25, further comprising
`a fastener comprising a first component mounted to the
`Second end of the bands and a Second component mounted
`to at least one of the padding liner and the overlay.
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`27. The elbow pad defined in claim 26, wherein the
`fastener is Selected from the group consisting of hook and
`loop fastener, button, lace, buckle and belt.
`28. An elbow pad made by the method defined in claim 2.
`
`8
`29. An elbow pad made by the method defined in claim
`12.
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`k
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`.
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`.
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`.
`
`.
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`MacNeil Exhibit 2170
`Yita v. MacNeil IP, IPR2020-01139, Page 14
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