Method for manufacturing a protective product and said product

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a protective flexible product for a skater especially hockey player, wherein said product having fabric or textiles as a base material. Moreover the invention relates to a product of protective fabric or textile material which can be used in player cloths in proper points where protection is needed.

In contact sports such as hockey, fatal accidents do occur as a result of a player trying to avoid colliding with another player who has fallen on the ice and accidentally severing the carotic artery or jugular vein of the latter's unprotected areas with his skate as he skips thereover.

Various neck protectors have already been proposed with a view to protecting the vital throat areas of sport players, for instance in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,686,710 and 6,163,891. The above neck protectors have been manufactured of woven fabric, of woven metal wires or of woven fabric with wire reinforcements. The above neck protectors are flexible and have good air permeability.

The disadvantage for the above protectors is that players must especially mount and fit them round the neck. These protectors are formed only to protect player's neck. Players have many other unprotected areas, the protection of which are not possible with the special neck protectors or similar.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to overcome the above drawbacks and to provide a lightweight, flexible protector which is easy to manufacture and which can be easily connect to whichever cloth of the player. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cloth connectable protector for protecting a wearer's unprotected areas against cuts caused by the skate blade. Moreover with the present invention is provided a new method to manufacture protective fabric or textiles which can be used as material for player cloths, as in socks, skirts, gloves, trousers, neck protectors etc.

The advantage of the invention is that elected unprotected areas in player's cloths can be easily provided with the protective fabric. The whole cloth can be manufactured of the protective material or elected areas of the cloth are covered by the net material in accordance with the invention. The covering method, as thermal pressing or gluing is very easy to realize.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention is disclosed with reference to the enclosed drawing, where

FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of plastic net meant for covering fabric or textiles.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a fabric and on its surface connectable plastic net.

FIG. 4 present player's foot having a sock with protective material.

FIG. 5 present player's sock and covering piece.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a portion of a net 1 made of plastic which has good properties against cuts of skate blades. Very advantageous plastic material is polyurethane. Also silicon and silicon rubber are useful materials for the net 1. The sheet-like net 1 is preferably manufactured by means of injection moulding. FIG. 2 presents a section view of the sheet-like net. The height of the net element 2 is preferably between 1-2 mm and the openings (diamond or parallelogram) in the net 1 are for example 3×3 mm²-5×5 mm². The needed portion can be cut loose from the net 1 and then certain area of a cloth is covered by it. Also larger area of fabric or textile can be covered by the plastic net 1. The covered fabric is then used in such a point in the manufactured cloth which point normally is unprotected.

FIG. 3 presents a fabric 3 meant to cover by a plastic protective net 1. The net 1 is mounted to cover the fabric 3 and then the laminating is carried out by means of thermal pressing or wherein for example they are placed between two heated sheets which are pressed against each other using earlier known pressing force producing device. The pressing can be very fast if preheated sheets are used. The used sheet temperature is about 150° C. The net material under pressing penetrates into the fabric 3 for obtaining very firm connection between them. Also hot rolling can be used as a laminating method.

The other alternative embodiment is to manufacture by the plastic net 1 covered fabric is to glue the net 1 to the fabric 3 by means of textile and foam plastic spray adhesive, for example manufactured by 3M.

FIG. 4 presents player's foot with a skate 5 and front protection 7. Player's sock 4 is provided with protective covering 6 according to the invention. Only the rear area of the sock 4 has plastic net covering 6 because it is unprotected. The manufactured sock can be covered also afterwards. FIG. 5 presents a sock 4 and a covering 6 meant to be fit on the sock as a protective covering. Covering 6 can be hot rolled or thermal pressed on the sock surface. On the other hands the sock can be manufactured of several pieces of fabric wherein covered fabric is placed in the needed points.