Apparel – Guard or protector – Penetration resistant
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2001-07-17
Mohanty, Bibhu (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Guard or protector
Penetration resistant
C002S455000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260196
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to protective garments designed for use by, for example, motorcycle riders.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Materials for the protective garments worn by motorcycle riders should be durable and rugged, yet relatively flexible and lightweight, aerodynamic, and aesthetically appealing. In addition, they should be controllably vented to provide adjustable airflow into and through the garment for cooling on hot days.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,704,064, 5,507,042, 5,752,277 and 5,596,769, all issued to van der Sleesen and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose representative protective garments for motorcycle riders.
Although such garments are preferably made of a durable material, such as leather, additional protection may be conferred to the rider by including protective armor or shielding in portions of the garments which cover vulnerable areas of the rider's body, such as, for example, the elbows, knees, shoulders, ribs, stomach, and lower back. In the prior art, such protective armor is typically a solid, rigid piece which is fixedly attached to the inside or outside of the garment in the desired locations. The armor may be removable from the garment, but when attached to the garment, it is fixedly attached.
Motorcycle riding is an active sport, as the rider is constantly changing his position as he corners, brakes, accelerates and optimally controls the bike. Such constant movement should be permitted without restrictions or discomfort of any kind. Some discomfort and restrictions may be introduced by the use of armored protective garments, and any such discomfort or restricted movements are clearly undesirable. The discomfort and restrictions typically result from the fixation of armor and/or pads in the garment at vulnerable points, such as the elbows and knees. Any restrictions or discomfort are fatiguing and distracting and therefore should be avoided so as to enhance rider performance and safety.
In early days of motorcycle riding, before protective armor was used, a rider wearing a protective garment such as a leather suit could suffer repeated falls from the bike without ruining the garment. As speeds increased, the use of hard armor in protective garments became desirable to spread the impact of a fall over a larger area. However, the damage to the protective garments also increased significantly, because the hard armor elements would push the outer panel of the garment into the pavement or impact surface, and the outer panel would be ground away between the two unforgiving surfaces.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a protective garment for motorcycle riders which is overcomes the deficiencies of garments known in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Although safety and protection are primary objectives of the garments of the type worn by motorcyclists, comfort is critical to the success of the garment, because if it is not comfortable to wear and move in, the rider will not wear it, and no safety benefits will be attained. Accordingly, the present invention provides a protective garment having protective armor which is elastically attached to the inside of the garment and which moves with and protects the rider without restricting his or her movements in the garment. As a result, the rider is more comfortable in the garment and is more likely to wear it, thereby increasing his or her protection and safety. Rider comfort is of paramount importance, particularly in garments worn for competitive riding, such as, for example, racing suits. Any discomfort is both fatiguing and distracting to the rider, and therefore potentially dangerous.
Another feature provided by the invention is an improvement to the construction of garments which include protective armor elements, so that the hard armor element is protected within the garment. This reduces the tendency of the outer material of the garment to be worn away between the armor and the impact surface in a fall and prolongs garment life.
According to one aspect of the invention, the protective garment comprises a plurality of outer panels covering one or more of a rider's torso, back, arms and legs, and one or more armor elements elastically attached to an interior surface of one or more of the outer panels at preselected locations. The armor element is movable relative to a corresponding outer panel in response to the rider's movements inside the garment.
In a preferred embodiment, the armor element may additionally be attached to one or more resilient pads. One or more pads may be located between the armor element and the rider, for greater rider protection and comfort. Additional pads may be located between the armor element and the outer panel of the garment for greater protection of the garment outer panel.
The garment can further include a seating element which is removably attached to the armor element. The seating element is adapted to be seatedly centered around portions of the wearer's body to be protected, such as, for example, the wearer's knees, elbows and collarbone/shoulder areas.
The armor element may be either permanently or removably attached to the interior face of the outer panel.
In one embodiment, the garment may include one or more substantially inelastic fasteners for attaching the armor element to the interior surface of the outer panel.
The armor element moves relative to a corresponding outer panel substantially in the direction of a principal axis or plane of the outer panel.
The garment can include venting for increased versatility and comfort.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, the scope of which will be indicated in the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 930741 (1909-08-01), Dean
patent: 1290799 (1919-01-01), Talley
patent: 1669085 (1928-05-01), Guyon
patent: 5507042 (1996-04-01), van der Sleesen
patent: 5652967 (1997-08-01), Hsu
patent: 5704064 (1998-01-01), van der Sleesen
patent: 5729832 (1998-03-01), Grilliot et al.
patent: 5752277 (1998-05-01), van der Sleesen
McDermott & Will & Emery
Mohanty Bibhu
Vanson Leathers, Inc.
LandOfFree
Protective garments with floating armor system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Protective garments with floating armor system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Protective garments with floating armor system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2530702