Shin And Knee Protector

Description

The present invention relates to a shin and knee protector, comprising shin, knee with wing guards and separate padding layers fitted inside the guards.

In shin and knee protectors used in various sports activities and other applications, a protector comprises a hard outer layer and a padding layer fitted therein. Sports activities employing protectors include baseball, football, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, cricket and mountain biking. In baseball, shin and knee protectors are used in particular by catchers.

An object of the invention is to provide a new type of protector for a baseball catcher or in other sports such as football, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, cricket, and soccer that employ a player that may use shin and knee protectors. The object is to allow the catcher or comparable player to not have to overcome the drag of a shin guard on the ground with his or her whole leg and allow him or her to plant, throw or move faster since he or she does not have to overcome the weight and drag of the entire shin guard.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knee protector that has an additional wing guard area that covers an exposed area encountered by the catcher that occurs during the use of the protector. In the past, contact with the exposed area has caused catchers to suffer significant injuries that can sideline them.

A further object is to provide an invention including a wing guard that acts as a stabilizer and allows the catcher to move and slide on the ground and provide support for his knees and ensure that a knee does not roll out of the shin guard when the catcher is sliding and planting to throw.

A protector according to the invention comprises a shin guard, a knee guard and wing guard area, all of said guards being separately attached to padding which is fitted in the guards. In a preferred embodiment, the guards are attached to straps which can be both elastic and non-elastic straps.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference made to the accompanying photographs in which

FIG. 1 is a front view of the protector of the invention,

FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views of the protector of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the protector of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views of the separate padding layer fit inside the guards, and

FIG. 7 is a view of the padding layer.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a protector of the invention consists of a lower shin guard 1, a lower knee guard 3, an upper thigh guard 7, and wing guards 5 placed between the shin and knee guards 1, 3. A padding layer 9 is fitted inside each of the guards as shown particularly in FIG. 4. The shin guard can laterally rotate from the portion under the knee in both directions. Shin guard rotation is accomplished by splitting the shin guard to allow part of the shin guard to move freely from the rest of the shin guard. The split in the shin guard is created so that the top third and bottom two-thirds are separated. The top third and bottom two-thirds of the shin guards are held together by elastic and non-elastic straps 17.

The wing guard area 11 has inside and outside coverage, 13 and 15. The wing 13 on the inside of the leg moves into position to cover any exposed area between the shin and knee guards 3, 5, to avoid possible injury to the catcher from contact with the exposed area during use of the protector. The outside wings are positioned adjacent the outside of the legs and act as a stabilizer. The outside wings 13 allow the catcher to move and slide on the ground and provide support to the knee so that the knee does not roll out of the shin guard when sliding or planting to throw.

In FIGS. 1-4, the shin, wing and knee guards are held together by straps 15. The straps also connect the top third to bottom two-thirds of the shin guards. The invention also features the addition of cradles (not shown) that keep the top portion of the shin guards from slipping behind the bottom portion. In addition, a retainer strap 17 is shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 6. The retainer strap 17 is made of an elastic portion and non-elastic portion that hold the top third of the shin guard and prevent the top third of the shin guard from completely coming off the rest of the shin guard. The straps keep both sections of the guard together making it look like a traditional shin guard.