Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02778489 2012-05-30
LEG PADS FOR A HOCKEY GOALKEEPER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to protective athletic equipment and, more
particularly, to leg pads for hockey goalkeepers.
BACKGROUND
Leg pads are worn by hockey goalkeepers to protect their legs against impacts
from pucks, balls, hockey sticks or other objects and/or to protect their legs
when
moving (e.g., dropping) them onto a playing surface. A hockey goalkeeper's leg
pad typically comprises protective padding for providing padded protection to
the
goalkeeper's leg and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding.
When the goalkeeper moves his/her leg on the playing surface to perform a
maneuver during play, such as a shift of his/her leg or of his/her entire body
on
the playing surface to make a save, the leg pad's outer covering contacts the
playing surface and friction between the outer covering and the playing
surface, if
too high, may create undesirable resistance to movement of the goalkeeper's
leg. In some cases, such as when playing ice hockey on an icy playing surface,
frictional effects may be unimportant or negligible. However, in other cases,
such
as when playing roller hockey on a dry playing surface (e.g., a polymeric,
concrete, or wooden playing surface), friction between the outer covering and
the
playing surface may create significant resistance to movement of the
goalkeeper's leg, particularly if the outer covering's material tends to
"grab" onto
the playing surface in some situations.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements directed to
facilitating movement of a hockey goalkeeper's leg pads on a playing surface.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for a
hockey
goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to
protect
the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral side
respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side,
and a
lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad
comprises
protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding.
The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The
leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating
sliding
of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved.
The
slider is mounted beneath the outer covering and exposed through the opening
of the outer covering to slide on the playing surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for
a
hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper
to
protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral
side
respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side,
and a
lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad
comprises
protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding.
The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The
leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating
sliding
of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved.
The
slider comprises an undermounted portion disposed underneath and overlapped
by the outer covering. The slider comprises an exposed portion exposed through
the opening of the outer covering and comprising a sliding surface to slide on
the
playing surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for
a
hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper
to
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protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral
side
respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side,
and a
lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad
comprises
protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding.
The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The
leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating
sliding
of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved.
The
slider comprises an undermounted portion disposed underneath and affixed to
the outer covering. The slider comprises an exposed portion exposed through
the
opening of the outer covering and comprising a sliding surface to slide on the
playing surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a leg pad for
a
hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper
to
protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a medial side, and a lateral
side
respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side,
and a
lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad
comprises
protective padding and an outer covering disposed over the protective padding.
The outer covering comprises an opening in the medial side of the leg pad. The
leg pad comprises a slider in the medial side of the leg pad for facilitating
sliding
of the medial side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved.
The
slider is removable from the leg pad without removing at least a majority of
the
outer covering from the leg pad.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
arranging a leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper. The leg pad is wearable on a leg
of
the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The leg pad comprises a front, a
medial
side, and a lateral side respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to
a
front, a medial side, and a lateral side of the leg when the leg pad is worn
on the
leg. The method comprises: removing a first removable part fastened to the leg
pad; providing a second removable part comprising a slider; and fastening the
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second removable part to the leg pad in place of the first removable part such
that the slider is in the medial side of the leg pad to facilitate sliding of
the medial
side of the leg pad on a playing surface when the leg is moved
These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of
embodiments of
the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by
way
of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a front view of an example of leg pads for protecting legs of a
hockey goalkeeper in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 shows a front view of the right leg pad;
Figure 3 shows a medial side view of the right leg pad;
Figure 4 shows a lateral side view of the right leg pad;
Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the right leg pad;
Figure 6 shows a slider of the right leg pad;
Figure 7 shows a front view of the right leg pad in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 8 shows a medial side view of the right leg pad of Figure 7;
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,
,
Figure 9A shows a medial side view of a right leg pad in accordance with
another
embodiment of the invention, in which sliders are removable;
Figure 9B shows end views of removable parts of the right leg pad of Figure
9A;
Figure 10 shows the right leg pad of Figure 9A with the sliders installed
thereon;
Figure 11 shows a medial side view of a right leg pad in accordance with
another
embodiment of the invention, in which removable parts without sliders can be
replaced by removable parts comprising sliders;
Figure 12A shows a front view of the goalkeeper's right leg; and
Figure 12B shows a medial side view of the goalkeeper's right leg.
The description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating certain
embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not
intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Figures 1 to 4 show an example of leg pads 101, 102 wearable by a hockey
goalkeeper in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The leg pads
101, 102 are worn on the hockey goalkeeper's legs 161, 162 while playing
hockey
to protect the legs 161, 162 against an impact from a puck, ball, hockey stick
or
other object and/or to protect the legs 161, 162 when moving (e.g., dropping)
them onto a playing surface 12. In this embodiment, a type of hockey played is
roller hockey such that the leg pads 101, 102 are roller hockey goalkeeper leg
pads, the hockey goalkeeper is a roller hockey goalkeeper, and the playing
surface 12 is a dry playing surface for roller hockey (e.g., a polymeric,
concrete,
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. ,
or wooden playing surface or any other dry playing surface on which roller
hockey is played).
The leg pads 101, 102 protect various regions of the goalkeeper's legs 161,
162.
With additional reference to Figures 12A and 12B, each leg 16x of the
goalkeeper
comprises an upper leg 18, a knee 19, a lower leg 20, and a foot 21. The upper
leg 18 is above the knee 19, while the lower leg 20 is below the knee 19 and
above the foot 21. The leg 16x of the goalkeeper has a front 22, a back 23, a
medial side 24 (sometimes referred to as an "inner side"), and a lateral side
25
(sometimes referred to as an "outer side").
In this embodiment, each leg pad 10x comprises an upper leg portion 30, a knee
portion 31, a lower leg portion 32, and a foot portion 33 respectively
configured to
be positioned adjacent to the upper leg 18, the knee 19, the lower leg 20, and
the
foot 21 of the goalkeeper's leg 16x when the leg pad 10x is worn on the leg
16.
The upper leg portion 30 is above the knee portion 31, while the lower leg
portion
32 is below the knee portion 31 and above the foot portion 33. Each of these
portions of the leg pad 10x comprises a frontal part, a medial part, and a
lateral
part such that the leg pad 10x comprises a frontal portion 26, a medial
portion 27,
and a lateral portion 28 respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to
the
front 22, the medial side 24, and the lateral side 25 of the goalkeeper's leg
16,
when the leg pad 10x is worn on the leg 16. The frontal portion 26 comprises a
front 34 of the leg pad 10, the medial portion 27 comprises a medial side 35
of
the leg pad 10x, and the lateral portion 28 comprises a lateral side 36 of the
leg
pad 10. In this embodiment, the knee portion 31 comprises a knee wing 39 and
the lower leg portion 32 comprises a calf wing 59.
The leg pad 10x can be secured to the goalkeeper's leg 16x in any suitable
way.
For example, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x comprises straps (not shown)
to secure the leg pad 10x to the goalkeeper's leg 16x. Such straps are well
known
and will not be discussed herein.
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,
,
As further discussed later on, the leg pad 10x facilitates sliding of the leg
pad 10x
on the playing surface 12 when the goalkeeper's leg 16x is moved as the
goalkeeper performs a maneuver during play, such as, for example, a shift of
his/her leg 16x or a shift of his/her entire body on the playing surface 12 to
make
a save. This sliding facilitation makes it easier for the goalkeeper to move
his/her
leg 16x and thus makes it easier to perform the desired maneuver on the
playing
surface 12. Notably, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x facilitates sliding
of the
medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x on the playing surface 12 when the
goalkeeper's leg 16x is moved. This can be particularly beneficial in
situations
where the goalkeeper uses a so-called "butterfly" goaltending style in which
he/she goes down on both of the leg pads 101, 102 with his/her toes pointing
outwards and top ends of the leg pads 101, 102 converging towards and possibly
meeting one another. In that position, at least part of the medial side 35 of
each
of the leg pads 101, 102 lies on the playing surface 12 and, therefore,
facilitating
sliding of the medial side 35 of each of the leg pads 101, 102 is useful.
With additional reference to Figure 5, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x
comprises protective padding 40, an outer covering 42 disposed over the
protective padding 40, and an inner liner 44 disposed under the protective
padding 40. The leg pad 10x also comprises a plurality of sliders 461-469 for
facilitating sliding of the leg pad 10x, including sliding of the medial side
35 of the
leg pad 10x, on the playing surface 12 when the goalkeeper's leg 16, is moved.
The protective padding 40 provides padded protection to the goalkeeper's leg
16. To that end, the protective padding 40 may comprise any suitable shock-
absorbing material. For example, in some embodiments, the protective padding
40 may comprise foam, such as polyurethane foam, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
foam, expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE)
foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, or any other suitable foam, and/or may
comprise
shock-absorbing material other than foam (e.g., a gel).
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,
,
In this embodiment, the protective padding 40 comprises protective padding
portions 481-48P distributed in the upper leg portion 30, the knee portion 31,
the
lower leg portion 32, and the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10,. More
particularly,
in this example, the protective padding portions 481-48p are distributed in
the
frontal, medial and lateral parts of the upper leg portion 30, the knee
portion 31,
the lower leg portion 32, and the foot portion 33 such that they are
distributed in
the frontal portion 26, the medial portion 27, and the lateral portion 28 of
the leg
pad 10x. In some cases, different ones of the protective padding portions 481-
48p
may be distinct pads separate from one another. In other cases, different ones
of
the protective padding portions 481-48p may be part of a common pad. The
protective padding 40 may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments.
The outer covering 42 faces away from the goalkeeper's leg 16x and may
comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the outer
covering 42 comprises synthetic pliable material. More particularly, in this
embodiment, the synthetic pliable material of the outer covering 42 is
synthetic
leather. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the synthetic
leather
of the outer covering 42 may be polyurethane (PU) leather. The outer covering
42 may comprise various other materials and/or be implemented in various other
ways in other embodiments (e.g., it may comprise a nylon fabric, a polyester
fabric, a CorduraTM fabric, or any other suitable fabric).
The inner liner 44 faces the goalkeeper's leg 16x and may comprise any
suitable
material. For example, in this embodiment, the inner liner 44 comprises
fabric.
For instance, in some examples of implementation, the fabric of the inner
liner 44
may comprise a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, synthetic microfibers, a
synthetic woven knit, a polyurethane laminate, a mesh, or any other suitable
fabric. The inner liner 44 may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments.
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The protective padding 40, the outer covering 42 and the inner liner 44 are
fastened together during manufacturing of the leg pad 10x. In this embodiment,
the outer covering 42 is affixed to at least one of the protective padding 40
and
the inner liner 44. More particularly, in this example, the outer covering 42
is
sewn to the inner liner 44 along a perimeter of the leg pad 10x to form a
cavity
receiving the protective padding 40 and is laced to both the protective
padding 40
and the inner liner 44 by laces 491-49L. In other embodiments, the outer
covering
42 may be affixed to one or both of the protective padding 40 and the inner
liner
44 by other types of fasteners (e.g., staples, an adhesive, etc.).
Each of the sliders 461-469 is provided to facilitate sliding of the leg pad
10x on
the playing surface 12 when the goalkeeper's leg 16x is moved. More
particularly,
in this embodiment, the sliders 461-468 are located in the medial side 35 of
the
leg pad 10x to facilitate sliding of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x on
the
playing surface 12. In this example, the slider 461 is located in the medial
part of
the foot portion 33, the sliders 462-465 are located in the medial part of the
lower
leg portion 32, and the sliders 466-468 are located in the medial part of the
knee
portion 31. Also, in this embodiment, the slider 469 is located in the front
34 of the
leg pad 10x to facilitate sliding of the front 34 of the leg pad 10x on the
playing
surface 12. More specifically, in this example, the slider 469 is located in
the front
part of the foot portion 33 adjacent to the medial part of the foot portion
33. This
can further facilitate sliding since that region of the front part of the foot
portion 33
near the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x may come into contact with the
playing
surface 12 as the goaltender moves his/her leg 16x during play.
The sliders 461-469 are mounted beneath the outer covering 42 and exposed
through respective openings 501-509 of the outer covering 42 to slide on the
playing surface 12. Specifically, each slider 46x is at least partly disposed
beneath the outer covering 42 and is exposed through an opening 50x of the
outer covering 42 such that it can contact and slide on the playing surface
12.
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The slider 46, can therefore slide on the playing surface 12 while being
anchored
in the leg pad 10õ. This anchoring can help to retain the slider 46, in the
leg pad
10õ, particularly against frictional forces exerted on the slider 46, when it
slides
on the playing surface 12.
With additional reference to Figure 6, in this embodiment, the slider 46,
comprises an undermounted portion 52 and an exposed portion 54. The
undermounted portion 52 is disposed underneath and overlapped by the outer
covering 42. The exposed portion 54 is exposed through the opening 50, of the
outer covering 42 and comprises a sliding surface 55 to slide on the playing
surface 12.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the undermounted portion 52 of the
slider
46, is affixed to the outer covering 42. In this example, the undermounted
portion
52 is sewed to the outer covering 42 via stitches 631-63T. In other examples,
the
undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46, may be affixed to the outer covering
42
via any other suitable fastener (e.g., staples, an adhesive, etc.). Also, in
other
embodiments, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46, may be affixed to
the protective padding 40 in addition to or instead of the outer covering 42.
In this embodiment, the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46, projects
outwardly
relative to the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46,. More particularly,
in this
example of implementation, the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46, projects
outwardly such that it extends through the opening 50, of the outer covering
42
and at least part of its sliding surface 55 protrudes outwardly beyond an
external
surface 57 of the outer covering 42. This may help to prevent or limit contact
between the outer covering 42 and the playing surface 12. The exposed portion
54 of the slider 46, may not project outwardly relative to, but may rather be
flush
with, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46, in other embodiments.
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,
,
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x
surrounds the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46. More specifically, in this
case,
the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x extends along an entirety of a
perimeter of the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46,. In other embodiments,
the
undermounted portion 52 may be shaped in a manner such that it extends along
less than all of the perimeter of the exposed portion 54 of the slider 46. For
example, in some embodiments, the undermounted portion 52 of the slider 46x
may extend along two or more spaced apart portions of the exposed portion 54
of the slider 46x (e.g., in an intermittent fashion).
The slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 can have any
suitable
shape and be arranged in any suitable manner on the leg pad 10x. For example,
in this embodiment, each of the slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer
covering 42 is elongated. More particularly, in this example of
implementation,
each of the slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 is
elongated
in a longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10x. Other shapes and/or
orientations of
the slider 46x and the opening 50x of the outer covering 42 may be used in
other
examples of implementation.
The sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x is exposed to, faces and contacts the
playing surface 12 when the slider 46x slides on the playing surface 12. In
this
embodiment, the sliding surface 55 is uneven such that, when the slider 46x
slides on the playing surface 12, less than all of the sliding surface 55
contacts
the playing surface 12. More particularly, in this example, the sliding
surface 55
of the slider 46x is uneven such that a first part 71 of the sliding surface
55
projects outwardly relative to a second part 73 of the sliding surface 55.
This
results in the slider 46x abutting against the playing surface 12 such that
the first
part 71 of the sliding surface 55 has a greater tendency to contact the
playing
surface 12 than the second part 73 of the sliding surface 55. In this case,
when
the first part 71 of the sliding surface 55 contacts the playing surface 12,
the
second part 73 of the sliding surface 55 does not contact the playing surface
12.
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,
More particularly, in this embodiment, the sliding surface 55 of the slider
46x
comprises a plurality of sliding contact areas 601-603 spaced apart by
recesses
621, 622. Each sliding contact area 60x is an area of the sliding surface 55
which
can be in contact with and slide on the playing surface 12 when the slider 46x
slides on the playing surface 12. In this example, the sliding contact areas
601-
603 are on outwardly projecting or raised portions 701-703 of the sliding
surface
55 that define the recesses 621, 622 between them. As such, in this example,
the
sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x can be seen as having a "peak and valley"
configuration in which each outwardly projecting portion 70x defines a "peak"
and
each recess 62x defines a "valley". The sliding surface 55 of the slider 46x
may
have any other number of sliding contact areas and recesses in other
embodiments (e.g., two sliding contact areas with a single recess in between,
or
four or more sliding contact areas with three or more recesses in between).
In this embodiment, to facilitate sliding, a coefficient of friction Cs
between the
slider 46x and the playing surface 12 is lower than a coefficient of friction
Coc
between the outer covering 42 and the playing surface 12. For instance, in
some
examples of implementation, a ratio Cs/Coc of the coefficient of friction Cs
between the slider 46x and the playing surface 12 and the coefficient of
friction
Coc between the outer covering 42 and the playing surface 12 may be no more
than 0.9, in some cases no more than 0.85, in some cases no more than 0.8, and
in some cases even less (e.g., no more than 0.6). The ratio Cs/Coc of the
coefficients of friction may have any other value in other examples of
implementation.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the slider 46x is more rigid than the outer
covering 42. More specifically, in this example of implementation, a hardness
Hs
of the slider 46x is higher than a hardness Floc of the outer covering 42. For
example, in some embodiments, the hardness Hs of the slider may be at least 60
durometers Shore D, in some cases at least 70 durometers Shore D, in some
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,
cases at least 80 durometers Shore D, and in some cases at least 90 durometers
Shore D. The hardness Hs of the slider 46, may have any other suitable value
in
other embodiments.
The slider 46x can be made of any suitable material. For example, in this
embodiment, the slider 46, comprises polymeric material. More specifically, in
this example, the polymeric material of the slider 46, is polycarbonate. In
other
examples, the polymeric material of the slider 46x may be nylon, polyethylene,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or any other suitable polymeric material. In
other
embodiments, the slider 46x may comprise another type of polymeric material,
metallic material, composite material (e.g., a carbon-fiber-reinforced
polymer)
and/or any other suitable material or combination of materials (e.g., a
coating of
PFTE on a base material).
The sliders 461-469 may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the sliders 461-469 may have
any other suitable shape and/or be made of any other suitable material. Also,
while there are nine sliders 461-469 in the leg pad 10, in this embodiment,
there
may be any other number of sliders such as the sliders 461-469 in other
embodiments (e.g., only one slider, or two, three or more sliders) as
discussed
previously. For example, Figures 7 and 8 show another embodiment in which the
leg pad 10x comprises twelve sliders 461-4612 located in the medial side 35 of
the
leg pad 10, to facilitate sliding of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10, on
the
playing surface 12. In this example, the slider 461 is located in the medial
part of
the foot portion 33, the sliders 462-469 are located in the medial part of the
lower
leg portion 32, and the sliders 4610-4612 are located in the medial part of
the knee
portion 31. In this embodiment, there is no slider located in the front 34 of
the leg
pad 10, (i.e., the slider 469 located in the front part of the foot portion 33
in the
embodiment discussed above is omitted in this embodiment). In this example,
different ones of the sliders 461-4612 have different shapes, namely the
sliders
461, 465, 466 are smaller than the sliders 462-464, 467-4612.
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'
The leg pads 101, 102 may be constructed in various other ways in other
embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the leg pads 101, 102 may
have any other suitable shape and/or be made of any other suitable material.
In embodiments considered above the leg pad 10x is constructed such that its
sliders 461-469 or 461-4612 are permanently present on the leg pad 10x. That
is,
the sliders 461-469 or 461-4612 are irremovable from the leg pad 10x without
damaging the leg pad 10x.
In other embodiments, as shown in Figures 9A, 9B and 10, the leg pad 10x may
be constructed such that its sliders 461-4612 are removable from the leg pad
10x.
In other words, a slider 46x may be removably fastenable to the leg pad 10x
such
that the slider 46, can be fastened to the leg pad 10x and then unfastened and
removed from the leg pad 10x (without damaging the leg pad 10x). For example,
in some cases, this may facilitate replacement of the slider 46x by a new
slider
46x* when the slider 46x is worn out or damaged. Alternatively or
additionally, in
some cases, this may allow the leg pad 10x to be configured in various
configurations, including a "slider configuration" in which one or more of the
sliders 461-4612 are provided on the leg pad 10x and a "no-slider
configuration" in
which the leg pad 10x is free of sliders (i.e., has no sliders ¨ the sliders
461-4612
are not provided on the leg pad 10x).
More particularly, in this embodiment, the leg pad 10x comprises a plurality
of
removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 which are removable from a main structure 67
of the leg pad 10x pad and comprise respective ones of the sliders 461-4612.
In
addition, in this embodiment, the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 comprise
respective portions 381-385 of the outer covering 42. Each removable part
53x/61x
is removably fastenable to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x such that
the
removable part 53x/61x, including one or more of the sliders 461-469 it
comprises,
can be fastened to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and then
unfastened
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and removed from the leg pad 10x. The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612, when
fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitute respective regions of the medial side
35 of
the leg pad 10x. More specifically, in this example: the removable part 531,
when
fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitutes a region of the medial side 35 of the
leg
pad 10x located in the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10x; the removable parts
532,
611, when fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitute respective regions of the
medial
side 35 of the leg pad 10x located in the lower leg portion 30 of the leg pad
10x,
the region of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x constituted by the
removable
part 611 being located in the calf wing 591 of the lower leg portion 30; and
the
removable parts 533, 612, when fastened to the leg pad 10x, constitute
respective
regions of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x located in the knee portion
31 of
the leg pad 10x, the region of the medial side 35 of the leg pad 10x
constituted by
the removable part 612 being located in the knee wing 391 of the knee portion
31.
In this embodiment, a slider 46x of a removable part 53x/61x is at least
partly
disposed beneath the portion 38x of the outer covering 42 of the removable
part
53x/61x and is exposed through an opening 50x of the portion 38x of the outer
covering 42 of the removable part 53x/61x, and the undermounted portion 52 of
the slider 46x is affixed (in this case sewed) to the portion 38x of the outer
covering 42 of the removable part 53x/61x, as discussed in embodiments
considered previously.
The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 can be fastened to the leg pad 10x using
any suitable fastener. For example, in this embodiment, the removable parts
531-
533, 611, 612 are fastenable to the leg pad 10. using different fasteners,
namely
hook-and-loop (e.g., Velcro) fasteners 451-453, 871, 872 and laces 771, 772.
Any
other number of fasteners (e.g., one, three, etc.) and/or any other type of
fastener (e.g., buttons, clips, zippers, etc.) may be used to fasten the
removable
parts 531-533, 611, 612 in other embodiments.
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More particularly, in this embodiment, each removable part 53x comprises a
hook
portion 69 of the hook-and-loop fastener 45x used to fasten that removable
part,
a lacing area 741 to receive the lace 771 used to fasten that removable part,
and
a lacing area 742 to receive the lace 772 used to fasten that removable part.
The
main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x comprises lacing areas 751, 752 to
receive
respective ones of the laces 771, 772, a loop portion 89 of each of the hook-
and-
loop fastener 451-453, and a loop portion 90 of each of the hook-and-loop
fasteners 871, 872.
The lacing area 741 of the removable part 53x is configured to cooperate with
the
lacing area 751 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10, in order to define
a
lacing channel for receiving the lace 771, thereby lacing the removable part
53x to
the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x. In this example, the lacing area 741
of
the removable part 53x comprises a plurality of lacing conduits 781-78G and
the
lacing area 751 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x comprises a
plurality
of lacing conduits 791-79R such that the lacing conduits 781-78G of the
removable
part 53x can be aligned with respective ones of the lacing conduits 791-79R of
the
main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x to define the lacing channel through
which
the lace 771 can be passed. Thus, in this case, when the removable part 53x is
laced to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10, the lacing area 741 of the
removable part 53, the lacing area 751 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad
10x, and the lace 771 form a hinge-like joint 80. The removable part 53x can
be
folded over onto the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x about the hinge-like
joint 80 such that the portions 69, 89 of the hook-and-loop fastener 45x
overlap
and interconnect. In this position, the lacing area 742 of the removable part
53x is
configured to cooperate with the lacing area 752 of the main structure 67 of
the
leg pad 10x and a lacing area of a removable part 61x to receive the lace 772,
as
discussed below. To that end, in this example, the lacing area 742 of the
removable part 53x comprises a plurality of lacing holes 581-58h and the
lacing
area 752 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x comprises a plurality of
lacing holes 681-68b.
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CA 02778489 2012-05-30
Also, in this embodiment, the removable part 611 is configured to be mounted
over a calf wing member 91 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and the
removable part 612 is configured to be mounted over a knee wing member 92 of
the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x. More particularly, in this example,
the
removable part 611 comprises a pocket 93 for receiving the calf wing member 91
and the removable part 612 comprises a pocket 94 for receiving the knee wing
member 92. Each removable part 61x comprises a hook portion 98 of the hook-
and-loop fastener 87x used to fasten that removable part, straps 951, 952 for
connection to the calf wing member 91 or knee wing member 92 over which it is
mounted, and a lacing area 96 to receive the lace 772 used to fasten that
removable part. The removable part 611 can be slipped onto the calf wing
member 91 so that its pocket 93 receives the calf wing member 91, the portions
98, 90 of the hook-and-loop fastener 871 overlap and interconnect, and its
straps
951, 952 are connected to the calf wing member 91 (e.g., its straps 951, 952
and
the calf wing member 91 may comprise hook-and-loop fasteners to interconnect
them). Similarly, the removable part 612 can be slipped onto the knee wing
member 92 so that its pocket 94 receives the knee wing member 92, the portions
98, 90 of the hook-and-loop fastener 872 overlap and interconnect, and its
straps
951, 952 are connected to the knee wing member 92 (e.g., its straps 951, 952
and
the knee wing member 92 may comprise hook-and-loop fasteners to interconnect
them).
The lacing area 96 of the removable part 61x is configured to cooperate with
the
lacing area 752 of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x and the lacing
area
742 of the removable part 53x to receive the lace 772, thereby lacing the
removable parts 53, 61x to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x. In this
example, the lacing area 96 of the removable part 61x comprises a plurality of
lacing holes 991-99d. Respective ones of the lacing holes 581-58h of the
removable part 53, the lacing holes 991-99d of the removable part 61, and the
lacing holes 681-68h of the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x can be
aligned
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CA 02778489 2012-05-30
õ =
with one another to allow passage of the lace 772 through these holes, thereby
lacing these components together.
The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 comprising the sliders 461-4612 may be
implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. For example, in some
embodiments, a removable part 53x/61x may comprise a slider 46x but may not
comprise any portion of the outer covering 42 such that the slider 46x can be
individually clipped, buttoned or otherwise fastened to the main structure 67
of
the leg pad 10x.
The removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 thus facilitate installation of the
sliders 461-
4612 on the leg pad 16x and removal of the sliders 461-4612 from the leg pad
10x.
This can be useful in various ways.
For example, in some embodiments, when a slider 46x needs to be replaced
since it is no longer in acceptable condition (e.g., being worn out or
damaged), a
removable part 53x/61x comprising the slider 46x can be unfastened and removed
from the leg pad 10x and a replacement removable part 53x*/61x* comprising a
replacement slider 46x* can be fastened to the leg pad 10x in place of the
removable part 53x/61x.
As another example, in some embodiments, the leg pad 10x may be configured
in various configurations in which it is either free of any slider (i.e., has
none of
the sliders 461-4612) or has some or all of the sliders 461-4612, depending on
what
the goalkeeper desires. For instance, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure
11, the leg pad 10x may comprise a plurality of removable parts 1531-1533,
1611,
1612 fastened to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x where respective
ones
of the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 comprising the sliders 461-4612 are
fastenable. In this case, each removable part 153x/161x is free of any slider
but
otherwise substantially identical to a removable part 53x/61x mountable in its
place. The removable part 153x/161x can thus be unfastened and removed from
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CA 02778489 2012-05-30
õ .
the leg pad 10x and replaced by the removable part 53x/61x, and vice versa.
For
example, in some cases, the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 comprising the
sliders 461-4612 may be provided as an option or add-on for mounting in place
of
the removable part 1531-1533, 1611, 1612 without sliders.
In this embodiment, the removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 allow the sliders
461-
4612 to be installed on and removed from the leg pad 16x without removing at
least a majority of the outer covering 42 from the leg pad 10x. In other
words, the
removable parts 531-533, 611, 612 allow the sliders 461-4612 to be installed
on and
removed from the leg pad 10x while at least a majority of the outer covering
42
remains in place on the leg pad 10x. More particularly, in this example, a
removable part 53x/63x can be installed on or removed from the leg pad 10x
while
respective portions of the outer covering 42 in the frontal portion 26, the
medial
portion 27, and the lateral portion 28 of the leg pad 16x remain in place. In
other
examples, the sliders 461-4612 may be installable on and removable from the
leg
pad 16x without removing any of the outer covering 42 from the leg pad 10x
(e.g.,
in cases where each slider 46x is a removable part that includes no portion of
the
outer covering 42 and that can be individually clipped, buttoned or otherwise
fastened to the main structure 67 of the leg pad 10x).
Although embodiments considered above illustrate an example of how the leg
pad 10x may be constructed such that its sliders 461-4612 are removable, in
other
embodiments, the leg pad 10x may be constructed in various other ways such
that its sliders 461-4612 are removable. For example, in other embodiments,
the
leg pad 10x may comprise quick-type connectors which allow its sliders 461-
4612
to be selectively connected to and disconnected from the leg pad 10x.
While in embodiments considered above the leg pads 101, 102 are roller hockey
goalkeeper leg pads for playing roller hockey, in other embodiments, leg pads
constructed using principles described herein in respect of the leg pads 101,
102
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CA 02778489 2012-05-30
can be hockey goalkeeper leg pads for playing another type of hockey on a dry
playing surface (e.g., field or street hockey).
Although in embodiments considered above the leg pads 101, 102 are for playing
roller hockey on a dry playing surface, in other embodiments, leg pads
constructed using principles described herein in respect of the leg pads 101,
102
can be hockey goalkeeper leg pads for playing ice hockey on an iced playing
surface. In such embodiments, sliders such as the sliders 461-469 may have a
lesser effect given that the iced playing surface inherently provides low
friction
and high slideability.
Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any
feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of
implementation.
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in
one figure has been used to designate the same element if used in any other
figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted
to
for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the
specific
terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all
equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with
the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written
description of this invention. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms
"horizontal",
"vertical", "left", "right", "up", "down" and the like, as well as adjectival
and
adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "rightwardly",
"upwardly",
"radially", etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated
structure.
Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for
the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various
modifications
CA 02778489 2012-05-30
, .
and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
and
are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended
claims.
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