Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02845131 2014-03-07
CA Applicabon
Blakes Ref 11028/00001
1 TRAINING PAD
2 The invention relates to a training pad equipped with a folding
mechanism, which folding
3 mechanism enables the folding of the pad units of the training pad
against each other.
4 The training pad is used for training different ball sports and handling
skills of sports
equipment. The training pad is particularly used for training shooting in ice
hockey and further-
6 more for training general puck handling skills. The slippery surface of
the training pad creates
7 more realistic training conditions as the surface of the training pad
matches the ice conditions
8 considerably better than the traditionally used plywood and chipboard
pads. The slippery sur-
9 face of the pad also reduces wearing of the sticks
Known training pad are planar continuous boards. A problem related to known
training
11 pads is their size. As the size of the training pad increases moving,
handling and storing them
12 becomes problematic.
13 In a solution according to the invention the problems caused by the
increase in size of the
14 training pad are eliminated by a folding mechanism of the training pad.
With the aid of the fold-
ing mechanism the training pad can be folded into a smaller size, making
moving, handling and
16 storing thereof easier.
17 In a solution according to the invention a hinge point functions as the
folding mechanism
18 of the training pad dividing the planar pad into pad units or sub pads.
The hinge in the hinge
19 point is a groove, the angles of the cross-section of the groove exceed
90 degrees, whereby no
large tension is created in the folding angles when folding the pad.
Consequently the folding an-
21 gle remains intact and no tension cracks are created. Advantageously,
the greatest width on the
22 surface level of this pad is in the same range as the thickness of the
entire pad i.e. 5 mm is the
23 greatest width of the groove for a 5 mm thick pad. The cross-section of
the hinge of the groove
24 is advantageously V-shaped. The cross-section can also be U-, W- or X-
shaped.
The thickness of the hinge point also affects the foldability and flexibility
of the pad. If the
26 thickness of the hinge point is too small, the joint is not durable. If
the thickness of the hinge
27 point is too great the foldability of the pad units becomes stiff,
consequently making folding the
28 pad more difficult, and a folded pad will not remain in transporting
position but is twisted open,
29 thereby even causing cracks and the joint is no longer durable. The
folding mechanism of the
training pad also functions in freezing conditions, although the material used
for the training pad
1
22519223.1
CA 02845131 2014-03-07
CA Application
Bakes Ref. 11028/00001
1 hardens in cold conditions. The material thickness for the hinge point at
the bottom of the
2 groove is 1-1.6 mm, advantageously 1.3 mm.
3 The training pad in a solution according to the invention comprises of
two or several pad
4 units, of which two pad units at each time can be folded against each
other by the hinge point
connecting them. Thus the in size big training pad can be folded into a
smaller size, whereby
6 moving, handling and storing it is easier. Advantageously, there are two
hinge points, whereby
7 the training pad comprises of three pad units, which are folded against
each other to about one
8 pad unit in size.
9 In a solution according to the invention the training pad has at least
two openings for carry
handles going through the pad which facilitate moving and handling the pad.
The openings for
11 carry handles are located on the same straight line on one long side of
the pad equally spaced
12 and they are located in the middle of edge at the end of the pad unit.
The openings for carry
13 handles are concentric when folding the pad. There are advantageously as
many openings for
14 carry handles as pad units.
In a solution according to the invention a rubbery passing band has detachably
been fas-
16 tened to the training pad, which passing band is fastened to the pad by
posts having an adjust-
17 ing mechanism for the tightness of the rubber band. Shooting a moving
puck, puck handling
18 skills and receiving a pass can be trained with the aid of the passing
band. The passing band
19 has advantageously been detachably fastened to the edge at one end of
the pad.
The characteristics of a training pad according to the invention are more
precisely pre-
21 sented in claim 1. The dependent claims present the preferred
embodiments of the invention.
22 The invention is described by way of example by reference to the
enclosed figures, in
23 which
24 Figure 1 schematically shows a training pad according to the invention,
Figure 2 schematically shows the cross section of the groove of the hinge in
the training
26 pad which is advantageously V-shaped,
27 Figure 3 shows schematically the cross section of the groove of the
hinge in the training
28 pad which is U-shaped,
29 Figure 4 shows schematically the cross section of the groove of the
hinge in the training
pad which is W-shaped,
2
22519223.1
CA 02845131 2014-03-07
CA Application
Bakes Ref: 11028/00001
1 Figure 5 shows schematically the cross section of the groove of the hinge
in the training
2 pad which is X-shaped,
3 Figure 6 shows schematically folding of the training pad, and
4 Figure 7 shows schematically a training pad according to the invention to
which a rubbery
passing band has been fastened.
6 In the example of a solution according to the invention as shown in
Figure 1 the folding of
7 the training pad 1 is realized by way of two folding mechanisms of the
training pad. The hinge
8 point 2 functions as a folding mechanism dividing the planar pad into pad
units 3. Furthermore,
9 the training pad 1 has three openings for carry handles 4 going through
the pad. The openings 4
for carry handles are located on the same straight line on one long side of
the pad equally
11 spaced and they are located in the middle of the edge at the end of the
pad units 3. The number
12 of the openings 4 for carry handles 4 and the pad units 3 is
advantageously the same.
13 The Figures 2-5 show the hinge point 2, in which the hinge is the groove
5. The groove 5
14 divides the planar pad of the training pad 1 into smaller pads 3. The
angles of the cross section
of the groove 5 exceed 90 degrees, whereby too great a tension is avoided in
the folding angles
16 as the pad of the training pad is folded. Advantageously, the greatest
width di of the groove 5 at
17 the surface level 6 of the pad is in the same range as the thickness d2
of the entire pad. The
18 material thickness d3 of the hinge point 2 at the bottom groove 5 is 1-
1.6 mm, advantageously
19 1.3 mm. The most advantageous cross section of the groove 5 shown in
figure 2 is V-shaped. In
this embodiment the requirement of over 90 degrees has been met by a widened V-
shaped
21 cross section having the length d4 at the bottom of the groove 5 and two
folding angles. In a
22 completely V-shaped cross section in which there is no width at the
bottom of the groove 5 and
23 one folding angle, an angle smaller than 90 degrees is easily created
which might cause too
24 great a tension when folded in the folding angle.
Alternative cross sections are shown in Figures 3-5 which can be U-, W- or X-
shaped. An
26 X-shaped cross section also has a groove 5 on the inside of the fold, in
which case it must be
27 taken into account that the width of bottom of the groove 5 has a
certain minimum length d5, as
28 otherwise the adjacent corners hit each other too early and the pad is
not completely folded
29 against each other.
The Figure 6 shows a solution according to the invention of the folding of the
training pad
31 1. The training pad comprises of three pad units 3, of which at each
time two pad units 3 can be
3
22519223.1
CA 02845131 2014-03-07
CA Application
Bakes Ref- 11028/00001
1 folded against each other by the hinge point 2 connecting them. Thus, the
size of the training
2 pad is altered to a deck of about one pad unit 3 in size. There are
advantageously two hinge
3 points 2, whereby the training pad comprises of three pad units. The
openings 4 for the carry
4 handles are concentric when folding the pad.
The Figure 7 shows a training pad 1, to which a rubbery passing band has
detachably
6 been fastened. The passing band 7 is fastened to the pad using posts 8,
having an adjusting
7 mechanism for the tightness of the passing band 7. In the solution
according Figure 7 the pass-
8 ing band is detachably fastened to one edge at the end of the training
pad, but the passing band
9 7 can also be fastened to other parts, as well, and there can be several
passing bands.
It should be noted with regard to the embodiment according to the invention
presented in
11 the figures and described above that it should not be construed as
limiting the invention in any
12 way. It is obvious to someone skilled in the art to modify and adjust
the embodiment presented
13 in the figures in various ways. The scope of protection of the invention
is determined solely ac-
14 cording to what is defined in the enclosed claims.
4
22519223.1
