Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02311044 2000-06-21
THE INVENTION RELATES TO SPORTS EQUIPMENT OR SPORTSWEAR,
BUT MORE PARTICULARLY TO HOSIERY ADAPTED TO INCOORPORATE
COMPONENTS, LOCATED WITHIN THE SPORTSWEAR CONFIGURATION
TO PROTECT THE WEARER DURING USE.
IN GENERAL, PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IS WELL KNOWN AND
COMMONLY USED IN SPORTING ACTIVITIES. SUCH THINGS AS KNEE-
PADS, HELMETS, FACE-GUARDS AND THE LIKE. IN SOME INSTANCES
PROTECTIVE PADDING HAS BEEN BUILT INTO CLOTHING.
HOWEVER IN THE GAME OF SOCCER, APART FROM IN THE PAST
WHERE SOCCER BOOTS WERE PROVIDED WITH REINFORCED TOE
CAPS, THE ONLY PROTECTIVE PADDING PROVIDED WAS A "SHIN-
GUARD" WHICH WAS INSERTED UNDER THE SOCK. THE REASONING
BEHIND THIS WAS THAT THE FRONT OF THE LOWER PART OF THE
LEG, i.e. THE SHIN, WAS IN THIS PARTICULAR SPORT, AN AREA MOST
VULNERABLE TO INJURY.
THE PRESENT INVENTION THEREFORE IS DIRECTED TO AN
IMPROVEMENT IN SPORTSWEAR, PARTICULARLY TO A UNIQUE
"SOCCER SOCK" WITHIN WHICH THE PADDING TO PROTECT THE SHIN
IS INTEGRALLY INCOORPORATED WITHIN THE SOCK ITSELF.
THE INVENTION WILL NOW BE DESCRIBED BY WAY OF EXAMPLE,
REFERENCE BEING HAD TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS IN
WHICH:
FIGURE 1 IS A SIDE ELEVATIONAL VIEW OF A SOCCER SOCK OF THE
PRESENT INVENTION;
FIGURE 2 IS A FRONT VIEW OF THE SOCK ACCORDING TO FIG. 1;
FIGURE 3 IS A REAR VIEW;
FIGURE 4 IS A TOP VIEW;
CA 02311044 2000-06-21
FIGURE 4 IS A TOP VIEW;
FIGURE 5 IS A BOTTOM PLAN VIEW; AND
FIGURE 6 IS AN ILLUSTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF A PAD
SEGMENT.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS PROVIDED HEREIN ARE CONSIDERED TO BE
DIRECTED TO ONLY ONE EMBOBIMENT OF THE PRESENT MENTION. IN
SO THE DRAWINGS A SOCCER SOCK IS INDICATED GENERALLY BY
NUMERAL 10. THE SOCK, 10 INCLUDING A FOOT PART 11, AND AN
UPWARDLY EXTENDED PORTION 12, WHICH TERMINATES IN AN
ELASTICALLY' REINFORCED PORTION 13.
A FRONT, OR SHIN COVERING SECTION, 14 IS ALSO PROVIDED
EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE SOCK.
THIS PORTION OF SECTION 14 IS CONFIGURED 1N A SEGMENTAL
FASHION, IN THE EMBODIMENTT SHOWN HAVING EIGHT SEGMENTS.
TO MORE FULLY APPRECIATE THE UNIQUENESS OF THE INVENTIVE
STRUCTURE IT SHOULD BE EXPLAINED THAT THE SOCK IS OF
KNITTED CONSTRUCTION, PREFERABLY BY MACHINE SUCH THAT
CA 02311044 2000-06-21
~SECThON 14 COMPRISES INDIVIDUAL DISCRETE POCKETS WITHIN
WHICH FLEXIBLE PADS 15, (FIG.6), ARE ENCLOSED. WHILE FIG. 6
65 ILLUSTRATES ONE CONFIGURATION OR SHAPE OF PAD 15, IT WILL BE
APPRECIATED THAT DEPENDANT ON THE LOCATION OF EACH PAD 1N
RELATION TO THE WEARERS' LEG, EACH PAD WILL OR MAY HAVE A
DIFFERENT CONTOUR.
70 IN ADDITION, WHILE IN THE DRAWINGS, EIGHT PADS HAVE BEEN
SHOWN, THIS NUMBER IS NOT INTENDED TO LIMIT THE SCOPE OF THE
INVENTION, SINCE THE NUMBER OF PADS COULD BE AS LOW AS TWO.
THE REASONING BEHIND THE USE OF INDIVIDUAL AND DISCRETELY
POSITIONED SEGMENTS IS THAT IT ENSURES FLEXIBILITY OF THE
75 SOCK WHEN BEING PUT ON BY THE WEARER.
RETURNING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOCK AND THE
ASSEMBLY OF THE PADS 1 S IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE SOCK,
INCLUDING THE ENVELOPES FOR EACH PAD CAN BE MANUFACTURED
80 BY MACHINE, THE PADS BEING INSERTED DURING THE KNITTING
PROCESS AND OPEN ENDS OF EACH ENVELOPE KNITTED OR STITCHED
CLOSED TO PREVENT THE PADS FROM FALLING OUT.
IN A FURTHER ANTICIPATED STRUCTURE THE SOCK AND ENVELOPES
85 COULD BE KNITTED AS ONE PIECE, LEAVING EACH ENVELOPE WITH
AN OPEN UPPER EDGE. AS A SEPARATE STEP IN THE
MANUFACTURING PROCESS, THE PADS COULD BE SEPARATELY
INSERTED AND THE ENVELOPES SEALED FOR EXAMPLE BY VELCRO~
ATTACH1VVIENTS. THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE
90 PADS WHEN THE SOCK IS TO BE WASHED. HOWEVER IN THE
PRINCIPAL EMBODIMENT IT IS DESIRED THAT THE PADS BE NON-
REMOVABLE ANDD IN THIS INSTANCE, THE PADS (15) WOULD BE
MANUFACTURED OF A NON WATER SOLVABLE MATERIAL.
CONCERNING THE MATERIAL OF THE PADS ( 15) IT WILL BE
95 APPRECIATED THAT MANY MATERIALS ARE COMMERCIALLY
AVAILABLE THAT WOULD PROVIDE A FLEXIBLE AND IMPACT
RESISTABLE STRUCTURE.
NO INVENTIVE CLAIM IS MADE TO THE MATERIAL OF WHICH THE
100 SOCK IS MANUFACTURED, OBVIOUSLY SUCH MATERIAL IS
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AND USED IN SPORT SOCK MANUFACTURE.
THE SCOPE OF 'SHE INVENTION WILL NOW BE DEFINED BY THE
ACCOMPANYING CLAIMS.
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