Apparel – Guard or protector – Abdomen protector
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-20
2001-06-12
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Guard or protector
Abdomen protector
C002S092000, C128S096100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243883
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. Although it is considered a safe sport, in fact, it is the source of numerous injuries to young and old players alike. Due to the nature of the game, soccer players do not wear protective gear. Bulky protective gear interferes with the quick pace of the game.
Many soccer players are injured and even die each year from abdominal injuries and, in particular, injuries to the kidneys. It is very common for a soccer player to be kicked by an opponent almost anywhere in the body from the legs, which are adapted to take more severe blows, up to the rib cage. The rib cage protects internal organs. The stomach area and kidneys are not protected by bones.
There have been many different types of protective wear that have been designed for different sports, such as football and the like. For example, Matthews U.S. Pat. No. 2,249,966 discloses a stomach protector primarily for a football player. It is a wrap-around device which provides no protection for the kidneys. Gustafson U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,861 discloses a bulky single rubber member which can wrap around the player. It is used to protect the back of the player but is simply too bulky to be used for a soccer player. This is also the case with Castiglia U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,197. Further, Voyne U.S. Pat. No. 1,774,739 discloses a device which protects the kidneys but does not protect the abdomen. Further it is relatively bulky and provides unnecessary protection for the hip area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is premised on the realization that a non-intrusive, effective protective gear can be designed for use by a soccer player which is sufficiently non-intrusive as to be used by a soccer player. The protective gear includes separate front and rear protective panels connected by flexible, stretchable strips. The front panel has a portion designed to cover the abdominal area basically from the pelvic bone up to the rib cage and the rear member is designed to rest on the waistline and extend up and cover an area which effectively protects the kidneys. The panels are formed from a light-weight cellular material which is laminated to cloth providing maximum flexibility, minimal weight and effective protection to the abdominal region and kidney regions of the individual. Further, due to the design, it should automatically stay in position and does not have to be extremely tightly bound to the wearer. Further, this is designed to be worn directly on the wearer's body without any type of attachment to the clothing which permits it to be used with current soccer wear without any further modification.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1774739 (1930-09-01), Voyne
patent: 2249966 (1941-07-01), Matthews
patent: 2338535 (1944-01-01), Pfleumer
patent: 3162861 (1964-12-01), Gustafson
patent: 3500472 (1970-03-01), Castellani
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patent: 4884295 (1989-12-01), Cox
patent: 5241704 (1993-09-01), Sydor
patent: 5465423 (1995-11-01), Taylor-Varney
patent: 5465424 (1995-11-01), Cudney et al.
patent: 5619747 (1997-04-01), Boisclair et al.
patent: 6098208 (2000-08-01), Cordon
Boggs Lisa
Calvert John J.
Patel Tejash
Wood Herron & Evans LLP
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