Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02702097 2011-12-12
Title
A Gel Pad Insert To Protect And Cushion Pelvic Region
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CA 02702097 2011-12-12
Technical Field
This invention relates to a gel pad insert which is to be attached within a
garment and worn by a
user, when the user is engaged in activities such as horse riding or cycling,
where the gel pad insert
protects or cushions the pelvic region of the user and prevents injury to the
pelvic region of the user
when said region is subjected to friction or pressure.
Background Information
The present invention relates to a gel pad insert, which is to be used in
association with a pair of
underwear or shorts or pants or like garment, to protect or cushion all or
part of the pelvic region of
the user including, but not limited to, the pubic bone or the seat bones or
the crotch or the buttocks
or the upper thighs, when said areas are subjected to friction or pressure,
where the gel surface of
said gel pad insert is in direct contact with the skin of the user, whereby
reducing said friction or
pressure, and reducing injury related to said friction or pressure.
It has been found in instances where persons are involved in an activity that
results in continuous
friction or pressure being applied to a portion of the body that said friction
or pressure can result in
discomfort or injury, where said injury can include, but is not limited to,
rubbing or chafing or
abrasion or bruising or bleeding or breaking of the skin.
Such activities include horse riding or cycling or like activities, where said
pelvic region is subjected
to friction or pressure for a period of time sufficient enough to cause
discomfort or injury.
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In horse riding, it is a primary goal of an educated equestrian or an
equestrian student, to sit in a
balanced position over the horse's centre of gravity and to move in rhythm
with the horse. The
nature of riding can make this a very difficult and sometimes impossible task,
due to discomfort or
injury created through excessive friction or pressure in said pelvic region of
the rider.
Furthermore, in the case of horse riding, the appropriate body movements for
horse riding,
particularly in said pelvic region, can result in considerable discomfort or
friction or pressure for the
rider, which can result in said injury.
Furthermore, in the case of horse riding, some inexperienced riders, due to
imbalance or lack of
strength, can suffer from unequal pressure in said pelvic region, which can
result in considerable
discomfort or friction or pressure for the rider.
Furthermore, in the case of horse riding, during long training periods in the
saddle or when riding in
an uncomfortable or ill-shaped or hard saddle, the rider can suffer from
discomfort or friction or
pressure in said pelvic region which can result in said injury.
Furthermore, it is a characteristic of horse riding, and in particular with
those riders who lack
experience, that the body of the rider cannot move in rhythm with the horse
which can result in the
rider impacting the saddle, and in particular the pommel of the saddle (i.e.,
the raised portion at the
front of the saddle and in front of the rider), or the seat of the saddle
(i.e., the portion of the saddle
directly beneath the rider) which can result in repetitive or unusually heavy
contact or friction with
said saddle.
Furthermore, it is a characteristic of horse riding, and in particular with
those riders who are more
experienced, that the rider sit on and use the "seat" (i.e., the muscles
within the triangular area of the
rider's body formed by the rider's two seat bones behind and by the rider's
pubic bone in front) and
that most of said rider's weight is directed down through the saddle in the
area found within said
"seat", and by nature of this task said "seat" is subjected to potential
discomfort or injury whereby
reducing or eliminating the rider's effectiveness, and risking lasting damage
to said "seat" where
said damage is detrimental to the rider's continued sporting performance.
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Similarly, cyclists experience friction-related injury or pressure-related
injury due to the body
position required when cycling. By nature of the shape of the cyclist's saddle
seat, considerable
friction or pressure is applied to all or part of the pelvic region, including
but not limited to, the
pubic bone or the seat bones or the crotch or the buttocks or the upper thighs
of the cyclist.
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Furthermore, with regards to long cycling periods or when riding in an
uncomfortable or ill-shaped
or ill-fitting or hard saddle seat, the cyclist can suffer from additional
friction or pressure in said
pelvic region which can result in considerable discomfort or injury, including
but not limited to,
rubbing or chafing or abrasion or bruising or bleeding or breaking of the
skin.
Technical Problems Of Previous Inventions and Prior Art
Previously, persons involved in sports which involved pressure being applied
to portions of the body
for extensive periods of time, such as horse riding or cycling, may have worn,
beneath their sporting
garment, conventional underwear which may be formed of a simple woven material
such as being a
cotton or cotton-synthetic blend or a specialty padded garment or a specialty
pad insert where said
pad is covered with a cotton or cotton-synthetic blend or a natural or
synthetic chamois cloth or like
material, or a sheepskin pad insert as sited in US Patent Number 6,029,281, or
other specialty
garment, where said cotton or cotton-synthetic blend, or natural or synthetic
chamois cloth or
sheepskin or like material is in direct contact with the pressured portions of
the user's body.
I have found the disadvantages of wearing conventional underwear or like
garment beneath sporting
garments is that conventional underwear lacks a cushioning pad to absorb
pressure and, furthermore,
the cotton or cotton-synthetic blend fabric of the woven crotch area of said
underwear is in direct
contact with the user's skin and said woven crotch area creates an abrasive
surface against the skin
of the user, and whereby can result in friction-related injury. I have found
conventional underwear to
lack the properties required to eliminate friction-related injury or pressure-
related injury.
I have found the disadvantage of wearing a padded garment or a pad insert
within a garment where
said pad is covered in a cotton or cotton-synthetic blend or like fabric or
material, and said fabric is
in direct contact with the user's skin is said fabric creates an abrasive
surface against the skin of the
user, and can result in friction-related injury. I have found padded garments
or pad inserts to lack the
properties required to eliminate friction-related injury or pressure-related
injury.
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I have found the disadvantage of wearing a natural chamois-covered pad
attached within a garment
or a natural chamois-covered pad insert within a garment or a specialty
garment with an attached
natural chamois-covered anatomically shaped groin pad is the natural chamois
covering can result in
friction-related injury. I have found a garment where chamois cloth is in
direct contact with the
user's skin to lack the properties required to eliminate friction-related
injury or pressure-related
injury.
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Technical Problems Addressed
It is an object of this invention to reduce the friction or pressure between
the user's skin and the
user's garment and provide a smooth, low-friction gel surface as one side of a
shaped gel pad insert,
which can serve to alleviate the difficulties which have been found to occur
in circumstances where
the pelvic region of a person is subjected to friction or pressure conditions
such as when riding a
horse or cycling or like activity.
In one form, this invention resides in a gel pad insert to be secured within a
pair of underwear or
shorts or pants or like garment, of the user, where the gel pad insert is to
be worn between the skin
of the user and said garment, where the gel pad insert is configured to
overlie all or part of the pelvic
region which may include, but is not limited to, the pubic bone or the seat
bones or the crotch or the
buttocks or the upper thighs of the user, where said pelvic region is
subjected to friction or pressure,
and that said gel pad insert is formed on one side by a smooth gel surface and
that the other side
being a fabric layer and that when secured in its usable position, the smooth
gel side of the gel pad
insert is in direct contact with the skin of the user and that the smooth gel
surface reduces friction or
pressure to the area, and the reduced friction or pressure eliminates friction-
related injury or
pressure-related injury including rubbing or chafing or abrasion or bruising
or bleeding or the
breaking of the skin or other like injury, and that the fabric side of the gel
pad insert includes a
fastening device, such as a hook of a hook-and-loop fastening device and the
underwear or shorts or
pants or like garment include a fastening device, such as a loop of a hook-and-
loop fastening device
so, when in use, the gel pad insert is secured in position, and when not in
use, the gel pad insert can
be removed.
According to a preferred feature of the invention, the gel pad insert has the
characteristics or
properties of a thermoplastic elastomer or a silicone elastomer including, but
not limited to, a
composition that is durable or long wearing or does not cause allergic
reaction in most persons or
resists microbial growth or resists fungal growth or is washable with soap and
water or, when
molded into the appropriate shape, provides a flat, low-friction gel surface
that is smooth or slippery
or slick or supple or pliable or flexible or springy or cushioned, and where
said surface is in direct
contact with the pressured areas of the user, said surface reduces friction or
pressure and reduces or
eliminates discomfort or injury related to such.
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Diagrams
The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following
description of one specific
embodiment. The description of one specific embodiment is made with reference
to the
accompanying drawings of which:
Figure 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of smooth side of a gel pad insert.
Figure 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of fabric side of a gel pad insert,
with the hook
side of a hook-and-loop fastener attached
Figure 3 is an end view of a cross section taken along line A to A' of Figure
2.
Figure 4 is a schematic isometric view of a pair of underwear having a gel pad
insert
according to the embodiment located therein.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the crotch part and its vicinity of the underwear
shown in Figure 4,
viewed from the inside of the underwear, where said gel pad insert of Figure 1
is not
attached.
Figure 6 is a plan view of the crotch part and its vicinity of the underwear
shown in Figure 4,
viewed from the inside of the underwear. The gel pad insert (Figure 1) is
attached.
With reference to the drawings, the embodiment relates to a specifically
shaped gel pad insert
(Figures 1-3) which overlies all or part of the pelvic region of the user
where said gel pad insert is
used in association with a garment such as a pair of underwear or shorts or
pants or like garment (4),
where said garment has been modified (Figures 4-5)(5)(6) to accept the secured
attachment of said
gel pad insert (Figure 6).
The embodiment relates to a gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) which is used in
association with a
garment (4) to be secured over an area of the body when said area of the body
may be subjected to
friction or pressure where friction or pressure may be excessive and cause
discomfort or injury.
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The embodiment relates to a gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) which is to be used
in association with a
pair of underwear or shorts or pants or like garment (4), which are to be worn
by persons who are
involved in an activity requiring them to be positioned for an extensive
period of time such that
excessive friction or pressure may be applied to contact points in all or part
of the pelvic region of
the body. In particular the embodiment has application for use by persons
involved in horse riding or
cycling or like activities.
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The embodiment comprises of a shaped gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) formed
through the process of
injection molding of a thermoplastic elastomer gel or a silicone elastomer gel
or a like material (1).
One surface, henceforth known as the `upper surface' of said gel pad insert,
is to be the smooth low-
friction gel surface of a thermoplastic elastomer gel or a silicone elastomer
gel or like material (1).
When in use, said smooth low-friction gel surface of said `upper surface' of
said gel pad insert is to
be located directly against the skin of the user (Figure 6)(1).
The other surface, henceforth known as the `lower surface' of said gel pad
insert, is to be covered
with a fabric material (2). Attached to said fabric material is a fastening
device (3), such as a strip of
the hooked component of a hook-and-loop fastening device so when in use the
gel pad insert
(Figures 1-3) is secured in position in the garment (Figures 4 & 6), and so,
when not in use, the gel
pad insert can be removed.
The configuration of said gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) is such that when worn
within a garment
(Figure 4)(4), it will overlie all or part of the pelvic region of the user
which includes but is not
limited to, the pubic bone or the seat bones or the crotch or the buttocks or
the upper thighs of the
user, where said area is subjected to friction or pressure.
As a result the gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) can be manufactured in select
predetermined shapes as
said shape will be determined by all or part of the pelvic region area to be
covered by the user,
where said select predetermined shape may include but is not limited to, oval
(Figures 1-3) or round
or rectangular or winged or T-shaped or other shape to cover a select
predetermined area of said
pelvic region.
As a result of testing it has been found that the skin of the user, when in
direct contact with the gel
pad insert (Figures 1-3), does not stick to the smooth, slick, thermoplastic
elastomer gel or silicone
elastomer gel, or like material (1) upper surface of said gel pad insert
whereby serving to reduce
friction or pressure otherwise experienced under normal conditions and whereby
improving the
comfort of the user when engaged in activities such as horse riding or cycling
or like activities.
If desired, the gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) can be removed from said garment
(4) when not in use.
In addition, the gel pad insert (Figures 1-3) is easily washed after use.
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The underwear or shorts or pants or like garment (4) into which the gel pad
insert (Figures 1-3) is
attached, is to be modified (Figure 5) to accept the removable secure
attachment of said gel pad
insert (Figure 6). In one embodiment of said garment, the crotch area (5)
shall be modified to
reinforce the section accepting the secure attachment of the looped (6)
component of a hook-and-
loop fastening device so when in use said gel pad insert is secured in
position in the garment
(Figures 4 & 6), and so, when not in use, said gel pad insert can be removed.
In addition, the underwear or shorts or pants or like garment (4) can easily
be washed after use.
It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be
limited to the particular
scope of the embodiment described above.
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