Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ATHLETIC GEAR PROVIDING ENHANCED MOISTURE MANAGEMENT
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application 61/865,416 filed
on
August 13, 2013 and hereby incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD
The invention relates to athletic gear and, more particularly, to athletic
garments
and protective athletic equipment worn by individuals engaged in sports such
as
hockey, football and lacrosse.
BACKGROUND
Individuals engaging in various sports, such as hockey, football, and
lacrosse,
typically wear protective athletic equipment (e.g., shoulder pads, elbow pads,
gloves, helmets, etc.) to protect themselves against impacts with other people
and/or objects (e.g., pucks, sticks, playing surfaces, boards, etc.), often
over
and/or under athletic garments (e.g., baselayer shirts, pants and socks worn
under the protective athletic equipment, team jerseys worn over the protective
athletic equipment, etc.).
For example, a hockey player typically wears a baselayer shirt, baselayer
pants
and socks under shoulder pads, elbow pads, protective pants, and leg pads, a
team jersey over the shoulder pads and elbow pads, as well as protective
gloves
and a helmet, and possibly other gear (e.g., a jockstrap, a jock short, etc.).
The
player's protective athletic equipment increases sweating and humidity and
reduces air circulation about the player's body. The player's "micro-climate"
therefore tends to be relatively highly humid with limited ventilation. While
the
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player's baselayer shirt and pants may be made of moisture-wicking fabric that
moves sweat towards their outer surfaces, the protective athletic equipment
considerably impedes air circulation at the baselayer shirt and pants' outer
surfaces and, therefore, tends to keep moisture within the player's micro-
climate.
Similar issues often arise in other sports, such as football and lacrosse, in
which
players wear protective athletic equipment.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements in athletic gear
worn by individuals engaged in sports involving protective athletic equipment.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic garment
configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic equipment
worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to contact the
protective athletic equipment; and a material comprising active elements to
manage moisture as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material comprising active
elements to facilitate drying of the material as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material to manage moisture
as
the wearer sweats. The material comprises: a base substance; and active
elements connected to the base substance.
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According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material to manage moisture
as
the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at least 2.1 ml/hr
according to
AATCC Test Method 201.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material to manage moisture
as
the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at least 15 ml/hr
according to
AATCC Test Method 200.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material to manage moisture
as
the wearer sweats. A surface area of the material is at least 300 cm2 per
square
centimeter of the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material comprising active
elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A surface area of the active
elements is at least 200 m2 per gram of the active elements.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
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equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material to manage moisture
as
the wearer sweats. The material is responsive to heat generated by the
wearer's
body to vaporize liquid moisture in contact with the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an athletic
garment configured to be worn by a wearer under or over protective athletic
equipment worn by the wearer. The athletic garment comprises: a surface to
contact the protective athletic equipment; and a material comprising active
elements to provide a cooling effect perceivable by the wearer as the wearer
sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material comprising
active
elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material comprising
active
elements to facilitate drying of the material as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to manage
moisture as the wearer sweats. The material comprises: a base substance; and
active elements connected to the base substance.
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According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to manage
moisture as the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at least 2.1
ml/hr
according to AATCC Test Method 201.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to manage
moisture as the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at least 15
ml/hr
according to AATCC Test Method 200.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to manage
moisture as the wearer sweats. A surface area of the material is at least 300
CM2
per square centimeter of the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material comprising
active
elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A surface area of the active
elements is at least 200 m2 per gram of the active elements.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
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outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to manage
moisture as the wearer sweats. The material is responsive to heat generated by
the wearer's body to vaporize liquid moisture in contact with the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of
protective athletic equipment to be worn by a wearer. The article of
protective
athletic equipment comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the wearer;
an
outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material comprising
active
elements to provide a cooling effect perceivable by the wearer as the wearer
sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material comprising active
elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material comprising active
elements to facilitate drying of the material as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material to manage moisture as
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the wearer sweats. The material comprises: a base substance; and active
elements connected to the base substance.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material to manage moisture as
the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at least 2.1 ml/hr
according to
AATCC Test Method 201.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material to manage moisture as
the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at least 15 ml/hr
according to
AATCC Test Method 200.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material to manage moisture as
the wearer sweats. A surface area of the material is at least 300 cm2 per
square
centimeter of the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
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equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material comprising active
elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A surface area of the active
elements is at least 200 m2 per gram of the active elements.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises: an article of protective
athletic
equipment; and an athletic garment to be worn under or over the article of
protective athletic equipment. A given one of the article of protective
athletic
equipment and the athletic garment comprises a material to manage moisture as
the wearer sweats. The material is responsive to heat generated by the
wearer's
body to vaporize liquid moisture in contact with the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided athletic gear
to be
worn by a wearer. The athletic gear comprises an article of protective
athletic
equipment. The article of protective athletic equipment comprises a vent. The
athletic gear comprises an athletic garment to be worn under or over the
article of
protective athletic equipment. The athletic garment comprises a vent. The vent
of
the article of protective athletic equipment and the vent of the athletic
garment
overlap when the athletic gear is worn by the wearer.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material
comprising active elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material
comprising active elements to facilitate drying of the material as the wearer
sweats.
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According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to
manage moisture as the wearer sweats. The material comprises: a base
substance; and active elements connected to the base substance.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to
manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at
least
2.1 ml/hr according to AATCC Test Method 201.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to
manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A drying rate of the material is at
least
15 ml/hr according to AATCC Test Method 200.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to
manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A surface area of the material is at
least
300 cm2 per square centimeter of the material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material
comprising active elements to manage moisture as the wearer sweats. A surface
area of the active elements is at least 200 m2 per gram of the active
elements.
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According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material to
manage moisture as the wearer sweats. The material is responsive to heat
generated by the wearer's body to vaporize liquid moisture in contact with the
material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate to be
worn
by a wearer. The skate comprises: an inner surface for facing towards the
wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; and a material
comprising active elements to provide a cooling effect perceivable by the
wearer
as the wearer sweats.
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 an example of athletic gear wearable by a user in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention, in which the athletic gear comprises an
athletic garment configured to be worn under or over protective athletic
equipment;
Figures 2 and 3 show front and rear views of the athletic garment;
Figures 4 and 5 show front and rear views of shoulder pads of the protective
athletic equipment;
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Figures 6 and 7 show side and rear views of an elbow pad of the protective
athletic equipment;
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate portions of a material making up at least part of
the
athletic garment;
Figure 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an active element of the
material of
Figures 8 and 9;
Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a protector of the athletic garment;
Figures 12 and 13 show front and rear views of a variant of the athletic
garment
in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 14 shows a front view of another variant of the athletic garment in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figures 15 and 16 illustrate portions of a material making up at least part of
the
athletic garment of Figure 14;
Figures 17 and 18 illustrate portions of a variant of the material making up
at
least part of the athletic garment in accordance with another embodiment of
the
invention;
Figures 19 and 20 show front and rear views of another variant of the athletic
garment in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 21 illustrates a portion of a material making up at least part of the
athletic
garment of Figures 19 and 20;
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Figure 22 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a front of the
shoulder
pads;
Figures 23 and 24 illustrate portions of a material making up at least part of
the
front of the shoulder pads;
Figure 25 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an active element of the
material of
Figures 23 and 24;
Figures 26 to 29 illustrate cross-sectional views of portions of other parts
of the
shoulder pads;
Figures 30 and 31 show front and rear views of a variant of the shoulder pads
in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 32 shows a front view of another variant of the shoulder pads in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figures 33 and 34 illustrate portions of a material making up at least part of
the
shoulder pads of Figure 32;
Figures 35 and 36 illustrate portions of a variant of the material making up
at
least part of the shoulder pads in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 37 illustrates a portion of a material making up at least part of a
variant of
the shoulder pads in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 38 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the elbow pad;
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Figures 39 and 40 show views of an example of a protective glove in accordance
with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 41 shows an example of protective pants in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
Figures 42 and 43 show views of an example of a leg pad in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention;
Figures 44 and 45 show views of an example of a helmet in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 46 shows an example of a neck guard in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
Figures 47 and 48 show a perspective view and an exploded view of an example
of a skate in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figures 49 and 50 show front and rear views of another variant of the athletic
garment in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figures 51 and 52 show front and rear views of another variant of the shoulder
pads in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 53 illustrates another variant of the athletic gear in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention;
Figures 54 and 55 illustrate another variant of the shoulder pads in
accordance
with another embodiment of the invention; and
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Figures 56 and 57 show front and back views of regions of an upper body of the
user.
It is to be expressly understood that 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 7 show an example of athletic gear 11 wearable by a wearer when
engaging in a sport (e.g., hockey, lacrosse, football, etc.) in accordance
with an
embodiment of the invention. The athletic gear 11 comprises protective
athletic
equipment 12 and an athletic garment 10 that is configured to be worn by the
wearer under or over the protective athletic equipment 12. In this embodiment,
the athletic garment 10 is an undergarment configured to be worn by the wearer
under the protective athletic equipment 12. More particularly, in this
embodiment,
the undergarment 10 is a baselayer garment configured to be worn in contact
with the wearer's body. In this example, the baselayer garment 10 is a
baselayer
shirt. The protective athletic equipment 12 is wearable by the wearer to
provide
impact protection, i.e., to protect the wearer's body against impacts with
another
person and/or an object (e.g., a puck, a ball, a stick, a playing surface, a
board, a
post, or any other object involved in the sport) as the wearer engages in the
sport. In this example, the protective athletic equipment 12 includes a
plurality of
articles of protective athletic equipment (i.e., protective athletic devices),
namely
shoulder pads 13 for protecting a chest, an upper back, and shoulders of the
wearer and elbow pads 151, 152 for protecting elbows and adjacent parts of the
wearer's arms. Specifically, in this embodiment, the wearer is a hockey player
playing hockey such that the shoulder pads 13 are hockey shoulder pads, the
elbow pads 151, 152 are hockey elbow pads, and the baselayer shirt 10 is a
hockey baselayer shirt.
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As further discussed below, in this embodiment, the athletic gear 11 provides
enhanced moisture management to deal with sweat produced by the player's
body. Notably, in this embodiment, the athletic gear 11 has a quick-drying
capability to increase a rate of evaporation of moisture within a "micro-
climate" of
the player. This is particularly useful in view of the protective athletic
equipment
12 worn by the player that increases sweating and humidity and reduces air
circulation about the player's upper body. In other words, the quick-drying
capability of the athletic gear 11 helps to deal with the player's micro-
climate that
is affected by the protective athletic equipment 12.
1. Athletic garment
The shirt 10 comprises an inner surface 17 for facing towards the player and
an
outer surface 19 for facing away from the player. In this embodiment in which
the
shirt 10 is a baselayer shirt to be worn under the protective athletic
equipment
12, the inner surface 17 is configured to contact the player's body and the
outer
surface 19 is configured to contact the protective athletic equipment 12.
The shirt 10 comprises a torso portion 14 including a front 16, a back 18, a
top
opening 20 for passing a neck and head of the player, and a lower opening 22
for
fitting around a lower torso region (e.g., a waist and hips) of the player. In
this
embodiment, the shirt 10 also comprises a pair of sleeves 241, 242 for
receiving
arms of the player. In this example, the sleeves 241, 242 are long sleeves
extending to wrists of the player. The sleeves 241, 242 may be short sleeves
(e.g., the shirt 10 may be a T-shirt) in other examples. In other embodiments,
the
shirt 10 may be sleeveless.
The shirt 10 comprises a material 30 making up at least part of the shirt 10.
That
is, the shirt 10 is at least partly (i.e., partly or entirely) made of the
material 30. In
this embodiment, the shirt 10 is at least mainly (i.e., mainly or entirely)
made of
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the material 30. More particularly, in this embodiment, the material 30 makes
up
at least part of the torso portion 14 and each of the sleeves 241, 242.
In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 8, the material 30 is
a
fabric. The fabric 30 is a thin pliable textile material comprising a fibrous
base
substance 29 including fibers 311-31 F arranged in a network by weaving,
knitting,
interlacing, felting or otherwise crossing them. The fibers 311-31F may
include
any suitable natural or synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, nylon, spandex
(elastane),
or other fibers, or blends of these fibers). In this embodiment, the fabric 30
includes yarns 321-32y that comprise respective ones of the fibers 311-31F.
More
particularly, in this embodiment, the fabric 30 is a woven or knit fabric.
In this example of implementation, the shirt 10 is a compression shirt, i.e.,
a form-
fitting shirt that has a compression fit when worn by the player. This may
help to
keep muscles warm to reduce muscle strain and fatigue, wick sweat away from
the player's body, and prevent or reduce chafing and rashes. To that end, the
fibers 311-31F of the fabric 30 may include spandex (elastane) fibers or other
stretchable fibers having suitable elasticity. The shirt 10 may not be a
compression shirt in other examples of implementation.
For example, in this embodiment, the fibers 311-31F of the fabric 30 include
polyester and spandex fibers. For instance, the fabric 30 may comprise at
least
75% polyester fibers and at least 10% spandex fibers (e.g., the fabric 30 may
comprise 87% 75D/72F or 75D/48F textured polyester and 13% 40 denier
spandex, may be a single jersey construction weighing 155 g/m2, and may have
wicking finish applied to it). The fabric 30 may have any other suitable
composition in other embodiments.
The fabric 30 is configured taking into account an interface between the shirt
10
and the protective athletic equipment 12 worn by the player. Notably, the
fabric
30 has mechanical properties to resist tearing or other excessive damage due
to
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friction or other contact between the shirt 10 and the protective athletic
equipment 12. For example, in some embodiments, the fabric 30 may have an
abrasion resistance of at least 10000 rubs according to ASTM 4966 ¨ Option 1.
As another example, in some embodiments, the fabric 30 may have a bursting
strength of at least 40 psi if the fabric 30 weighs 3.4 oz./yd.2 or less, or
at least 55
psi if the fabric 30 weighs 3.5 oz./yd.2 or more, according to ASTM D3788. As
another example, in some embodiments, the fabric 30 may have a snagging
resistance of at least 3 according to ASTM D3939 (Mace Snap). These
properties of the fabric 30 may have any other suitable values in other
embodiments.
In this embodiment, the fabric 30 is a quick-drying material, i.e., a material
exhibiting a drying rate which is relatively high, to quickly evaporate
moisture as
the player sweats. For example, in some embodiments, the drying rate of the
fabric 30 may be at least 2.1 ml/hr, in some cases at least 2.3 ml/hr, in some
cases at least 2.5 ml/hr, and in some cases even more, according to AATCC
Test Method 201 of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
(AATCC). Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the drying rate
of
the fabric 30 may be at least 15 ml/hr, in some cases at least 20 ml/hr, in
some
cases at least 25 ml/hr, and in some cases even more, according to AATCC Test
Method 200 of the AATCC. The drying rate of the fabric 30 may have any other
suitable value in other embodiments.
More particularly, in this embodiment, to facilitate moisture evaporation, the
fabric
30 is configured to (1) spread moisture over a large surface area and (2)
harness
heat generated by the player's body to vaporize liquid moisture.
For example, in some embodiments, a surface area of the fabric 30 may be at
least 300 cm2 per square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 400 cm2
per
square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 500 cm2 per square
centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 600 cm2 per square centimeter of
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fabric, and in some cases even more. Alternatively or additionally, in some
embodiments, a surface area of a constituent of the fabric 30 may be at least
200
m2 per gram of the constituent, in some cases at least 400 m2 per gram of the
constituent, in some cases at least 600 m2 per gram of the constituent, in
some
cases at least 800 m2 per gram of the constituent, in some cases at least 1000
m2 per gram of the constituent and in some cases even more. The surface area
of the constituent of the fabric 30 may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
To harness heat generated by the player's body to vaporize moisture, a
constituent of the fabric 30 captures this heat to raise its temperature and
cause
vaporization of liquid moisture in contact with it. For example, in some
embodiments, a specific heat capacity of a constituent of the fabric 30 (i.e.,
an
amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a unit mass of the
constituent of the fabric 30 by one degree) may be relatively low. For
instance, in
some embodiments, the specific heat capacity of the constituent of the fabric
30
may be less than polyester's specific heat capacity and less than spandex's
specific heat capacity. The specific heat capacity of the constituent of the
fabric
30 may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. Additionally or
alternatively, in some embodiments, a molar absorptivity at an infrared
wavelength of a constituent of the fabric 30 (i.e., a measurement of how
strongly
a chemical species of the constituent of the fabric 30 absorbs electromagnetic
radiation at the infrared wavelength) may be relatively high. For instance, in
some embodiments, the molar absorptivity at an infrared wavelength of the
constituent of the fabric 30 may be greater than polyester's molar
absorptivity at
that infrared wavelength and greater than spandex's molar absorptivity at that
infrared wavelength. The molar absorptivity at the infrared wavelength of the
constituent of the fabric 30 may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
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Also, in some embodiments, a constituent of the fabric 30 may be configured to
manifest an exothermic reaction releasing heat to accelerate the drying
process.
That is, a constituent of the fabric 30 may be configured to exothermically
react
(i.e., produce heat when reacting) with liquid moisture. The exothermic
reaction
may be chemical and/or physical. For example, in some embodiments, the
exothermic reaction manifested by the constituent of the fabric 30 may be
adsorption of liquid moisture by the constituent of the fabric 30, such that
heat is
released when the liquid moisture is adsorbed by the constituent of the fabric
30.
With additional reference to Figure 9, in this embodiment, the fabric 30
comprises
active elements 401-40p to manage moisture as the player sweats, including to
enhance evaporation of liquid moisture in the fabric 30.. The active elements
401-
40p are "active" in that they have a property allowing them to induce a
chemical
and/or physical reaction in response to a stimulus at their surface. In this
example, this reaction induced by the active elements 401-40p helps accelerate
the drying process of the fabric 30. The fabric 30 thus dries faster than if
the
active elements 401-40p were omitted but the fabric 30 was otherwise identical
(i.e., dries faster than a comparative fabric identical to the fabric 30 but
without
the active elements 401-40p).
In this example of implementation, the active elements 401-40p are connected
to
the fibers 331-33K of the fibrous base substance 29. In other examples of
implementation, the fibers 331-33K of the fabric 30 may themselves be the
active
elements 401-40p that enhance the drying process of the fabric 30 on their
own,
without having distinct active elements connected to the fibers 331-33K.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the active elements 401-40p are active
particles distributed within the fabric 30. In this example, the active
particles 401-
40p have an adsorptive property that causes them to adsorb liquid moisture as
the player sweats. This reaction, i.e., adsorption, caused by the active
particles
401-40p helps evaporating the liquid moisture.
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With additional reference to Figure 10, in this embodiment, each of the active
particles 401-40p is a microporous particle that includes a multitude of pores
421-
42T (e.g., several thousands of pores) which can trap the liquid moisture.
Because of their pores 421-42T, the active particles 401-40p have a surface
area
which is very large, thereby vastly spreading the liquid moisture to aid
evaporating it. For example, in some embodiments, the surface area of the
active
particles 401-40p may be such that the surface area of the fabric 30 is at
least
300 cm2 per square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 400 cm2 per
square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 500 cm2 per square
centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 600 cm2 per square centimeter of
fabric, and in some cases even more. Alternatively or additionally, in some
embodiments, the surface area of the active particles 401-40p may be at least
200 m2 per gram of active particle, in some cases at least 400 m2 per gram of
active particle, in some cases at least 600 m2 per gram of active particle, in
some
cases at least 800 m2 per gram of active particle, in some cases at least 1000
m2
per gram of active particle and in some cases even more. The surface area of
the active particles 401-40p may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
Also, in this embodiment, the active particles 401-40p use heat generated by
the
player's body to vaporize moisture. For example, in some embodiments, a
specific heat capacity of the active particles 401-40p may be relatively low.
For
instance, in some embodiments, the specific heat capacity of the active
particles
401-40p may be less than a specific heat capacity of the fibrous base
substance
29 of the fabric 30. Thus, in this example, the specific heat capacity of the
active
particles 401-40p may be less than polyester's specific heat capacity and less
than spandex's specific heat capacity. The specific heat capacity of the
active
particles 401-40p may have any other suitable value in other embodiments.
Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, a molar absorptivity at an
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infrared wavelength of the active particles 401-40p may be relatively high.
For
instance, in some embodiments, the molar absorptivity at an infrared
wavelength
of the active particles 401-40p may be greater than a molar absorptivity at
that
infrared wavelength of the fibrous base substance 29 of the fabric 30. For
instance, in some embodiments, the molar absorptivity at an infrared
wavelength
of the active particles 401-40p may be greater than polyester's molar
absorptivity
at that infrared wavelength and greater than spandex's molar absorptivity at
that
infrared wavelength. The molar absorptivity at the infrared wavelength of the
active particles 401-40p may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
Furthermore, the adsorption of liquid moisture by the active particles 401-40p
is
an exothermic reaction releasing heat that helps to accelerate the drying
process.
The active particles 401-40p may be implemented in any suitable way. In this
embodiment, the active particles 401-40p comprise activated carbon. The
activated carbon may be produced in various known ways. For instance, the
activated carbon may be produced from carbonaceous materials such as wood,
nutshells, coconut husk, coir, peat, lignite, coal, or other carbonaceous
substances using known processes (e.g., physical reactivation using hot gases
which involves carbonization and/or oxidation, or chemical activation using
chemicals on raw material prior to carbonization), or synthetically using
known
processes (e.g., pyrolysis of polystyrene beads). In other embodiments, the
active particles 401-40p may comprise activated alumina (aluminum oxide),
silica
gel, soda ash, aluminum trihydrate, baking soda, cinoxate (p-methoxy-2-
ethoxyethyl ester cinnamic acid), zinc oxide, zeolites, titanium dioxide, or
any
other suitable material.
The active particles 401-40p may be incorporated into the fabric 30 using any
suitable process. For example, in some embodiments, the active particles 401-
40p may be joined to the fibrous base substance 29 of the fabric 30 using: an
air
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dispersion process in which the active particles are entrained in a gaseous
carrier onto the fibrous base substance 29 of the fabric 30 where they are
fixed; a
padding process in which the fibrous base substance 29 of the fabric 30 is
passed through a bath of the active particles; a liquid suspension or mixture
of a
binder and the active particles applied to the fibrous base substance 29 of
the
fabric 30; or a xerographic process using electrostatic or magnetic attraction
to
transfer a toner formulation including the active particles towards the
fibrous base
substance 29 of the fabric 30. In some cases, a protective substance may be
provided onto the active particles 401-40p to protect these active particles
during
manufacturing of the fabric 30 and subsequently removed. Examples of such
processes are described in U.S. Patent 6,998,155, U.S. Patent Application
Publication 2008/0121141 and U.S. Patent 7,247,374, which are incorporated by
reference herein.
Examples of materials that can be used for the fabric 30 including the active
particles 401-40p may be commercially obtained from Cocona Inc., Boulder,
Colorado.
In addition to its quick-drying fabric 30 which enhances moisture management,
in
this embodiment, the shirt 10 has functional features to interact with the
protective athletic equipment 12, protect the player, and/or otherwise enhance
the player's comfort and performance.
For instance, in this embodiment, the shirt 10 comprises grippers 441-443 for
engaging and gripping the protective athletic equipment 12 to help hold it in
place. In this example, the grippers 441, 442 are located on the sleeves 241,
242
to engage the elbow pads 151, 152, while the gripper 443 is located on the
torso
portion 14 to engage the shoulder pads 13.
The grippers 441-443 can grip the protective athletic equipment 12 in any
suitable
way to help hold it in place. In this embodiment, each of the grippers 441-443
is a
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frictional gripper that helps to hold the protective athletic equipment 12 in
place
by friction. That is, a frictional force exerted by a gripper 44x on an
underside of
the protective athletic equipment 12 is greater than a frictional force
exerted by
the fabric 30 on the underside of the protective athletic equipment 12 (i.e.,
a
coefficient of friction between the gripper 44x and the underside of the
protective
athletic equipment 12 is greater than a coefficient of friction between the
fabric 30
and the underside of the protective athletic equipment 12).
The grippers 441-443 may comprise any suitable material to exert sufficient
friction. For example, in this embodiment, each of the grippers 441-443
comprises
a tackifying material 43 such as a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g.,
SantopreneTm),
polyurethane (thermoplastic or thermoset), polyvinyl chloride (e.g.,
Plastisol),
silicone, or any other suitable material providing tackiness. More
particularly, in
this example, each of the grippers 441-443 includes frictional gripping
members
451-45B which are made of the tackyfing material 43.
Any other suitable material providing a high coefficient of friction may be
used in
other embodiments. For instance, in some embodiments, each of the grippers
441-443 may comprise hooks or loops of a hook-and-loop fastener (e.g.,
VelCrOT9 to engage the underside of the protective athletic equipment 12. In
some cases, the underside of the protective athletic equipment 12 may include
complementary loops or hooks of the hook-and-loop fastener to engage the
hooks or loops of the grippers 441-443. In other cases, the underside of the
protective athletic equipment 12 may not include complementary loops or hooks,
in which case the grippers 441-443 may have hooks that anchor themselves in a
material (e.g., fabric) on the underside of the protective athletic equipment
12.
The grippers 441-443 may be provided in the shirt 10 in any suitable way. For
instance, in this embodiment, the grippers 441-443 may be printed (e.g.,
screen-
printed) onto the fabric 30. In other embodiments, the grippers 441-443 may be
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adhesively bonded to the fabric 30, stitched to the fabric 30, or provided
using
any other suitable process.
In this embodiment, the shirt 10 comprises a protector 48 for protecting a
body
part of the player. In this example, the protector 48 comprises a neck guard
at a
collar 39 of the shirt 10 to protect the player's neck against cuts from and
possibly other impacts with skates, hockey sticks, pucks, or other objects.
More particularly, in this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 11,
the
neck guard 48 comprises a cut-resistant material 50 to provide resistance
against
cuts from a skate's blade. In this example, the cut-resistant material 50 is a
cut-
resistant fabric. More specifically, in this example, the cut-resistant fabric
50 is a
para-aramid fabric (e.g., KevlarTm). The cut-resistant material 50 may be
implemented in any other suitable way in other examples (e.g., using high
performance polyethylene (HPPE), fiberglass, etc.).
Also, in this embodiment, the neck guard 48 comprises padding 51 to provide
padded protection and comfort to the player. The pad 51 may comprise foam,
such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam,
expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam (e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, polyurethane foam, or any other suitable foam,
and/or may comprise any other shock-absorbing material (e.g., a gel).
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the neck guard 48 comprises an outer covering
52 disposed over the cut-resistant material 50 and the padding 51 and forming
an external surface of the neck guard 48. In this example, the outer covering
52
is a fabric. More particularly, in this example, the fabric 52 is a quick-
drying fabric
as described above in respect of the fabric 30.
The neck guard 48 is configured to receive the player's neck when the player
puts on the shirt 10 and to be removed from the player's neck when the player
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takes off the shirt 10. In this embodiment, the neck guard 48 is openable to
receive and be removed from the player's neck. More particularly, in this
example, the neck guard 48 includes a closure 53 that is selectively openable
and closable to allow the player's neck to be received by and removed from the
neck guard 48. In this case, the closure 53 includes a fastener (e.g., a hook-
and-
loop fastener, a button, etc.) to keep it closed, and cooperates with a zipper
27
extending in the back of the shirt 10. In other examples, the neck guard 48
may
be stretchable to permit it to be stretched over the player's head and then
closed
by contracting around the player's neck when the player puts on the shirt 10.
Although it comprises a neck guard in this embodiment, the protector 48 may be
provided to protect another body part of the player in other embodiments
(e.g., a
pad secured to the fabric 30 to protect a chest, back, shoulder, elbow, or
other
body part of the player).
While the shirt 10 is constructed in a particular way in this embodiment, the
shirt
10 may be constructed in various other ways in other embodiments.
For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the drying
rate of the shirt 10 may differ over a plurality of areas 601-60D of the shirt
10. That
is, the drying rate of a given one of the areas 601-60D of the shirt 10 may be
different from (i.e., greater or lesser than) the drying rate of another one
of the
areas 601-60D of the shirt 10. For instance, the drying rate of a first one of
the
areas 601-60D of the shirt 10 that is disposed to (i) be covered by the
protective
athletic equipment 12 and/or (ii) overlie a first region of the player's body
which is
expected to generate more sweat may be greater than the drying rate of a
second one of the areas 601-60D of the shirt 10 that is disposed to (i) not be
covered by the protective athletic equipment 12 and/or (ii) overlie a second
region of the player's body which is expected to generate less sweat.
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For instance, in this embodiment, the area 601 of the shirt 10 is an area of
the
torso portion 14 of the shirt 10 that is disposed to overlie a front region of
the
player's torso and be covered the shoulder pads 13, the area 602 of the shirt
10
is an area of the torso portion 14 of the shirt 10 that is disposed to overlie
a back
region of the player's torso and be covered the shoulder pads 13, the areas
603,
604 of the shirt 10 are areas of the torso portion 14 of the shirt 10 that are
disposed to overlie lateral regions of the player's torso and not be covered
by the
shoulder pads 13, the areas 605, 606 of the shirt 10 are areas of the sleeves
241,
242 of the shirt 10 that are disposed to overlie elbow regions of the player's
arms
and be covered by the elbow pads 151, 152, and the areas 607, 608 of the shirt
10
are areas of the sleeves 241, 242 of the shirt 10 that are disposed to overlie
upper
arm regions of the player's arms and not be covered by the elbow pads 151,
152.
As an example, the drying rate of the areas 601, 602, 603, 604 of the shirt
10,
which overly regions of the player's torso that may generate more sweat, may
be
greater than the drying rate of the areas 605, 606, 607, 608 of the shirt 10,
which
overly regions of the player's arms that may generate less sweat. As another
example, the drying rate of the areas 601, 602 of the shirt 10, which overly
regions of the player's torso that are beneath the shoulder pads 13, may be
greater than the drying rate of the areas 603, 604 of the shirt 10, which
overly
regions of the player's torso that are not beneath the shoulder pads 13. As
yet
another example, the drying rate of the area 602 of the shirt 10, which
overlies
the back region of the player's torso that may generate more sweat, may be
greater than the drying rate of the area 601 of the shirt 10, which overlies
the
front region of the player's torso that may generate less sweat, even though
both
of the areas 601, 602 of the shirt 10 are covered by the shoulder pads 13. As
yet
another example, the drying rate of the areas 605, 606 of the shirt 10, which
overly regions of the player's arms that are covered by the elbow pads 151,
152,
may be greater than the drying rate of the areas 607, 608 of the shirt 10,
which
overly regions of the player's arms that are not covered by the elbow pads
151,
152.
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For example, in some embodiments, a ratio of (i) the drying rate of a given
area
6O of the shirt 10 over (ii) the drying rate of another area 60j the shirt 10
may be
at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.2, in some cases at least 1.3, in some
cases at least 1.4, in some cases at least 1.5, and in some cases even more
(e.g., 2 or more). The difference between the drying rate of the area 601 of
the
shirt 10 and the drying rate of the area 60j of the shirt 10 may take on any
other
suitable value in other embodiments.
The variation of the drying rate over the areas 601-60D of the shirt 10 can be
implemented in any suitable manner. In this embodiment, this may be achieved
by varying a concentration or loading of the active particles 401-40p of the
fabric
30 over the areas 601-60D of the shirt 10. The concentration or loading of the
active particles 401-40p of the fabric 30 in a given area 60 of the shirt 10
may be
greater than the concentration or loading of the active particles 401-40p of
the
fabric 30 in another area 60j of the shirt 10 such that the drying rate of the
area
601 of the shirt is greater than the drying rate of the area 60j of the shirt
10. The
concentration or loading of the active particles 401-40p of the fabric 30 in a
particular area 60x of the shirt 10 can be measured as a weight percent of the
active particles 401-40p in the area 60x of the shirt 10, i.e., a weight of
the active
particles 401-40p in the area 60x of the shirt 10 divided by a total weight of
the
area 60x of the shirt 10 and multiplied by one hundred. For example, in some
embodiments, a ratio of (i) the concentration or loading of the active
particles
401-40p of the fabric 30 in the given area 601 of the shirt 10 over (ii) the
concentration or loading of the active particles 401-40p of the fabric 30 in
the
other area 60j of the shirt 10 may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least
1.2, in
some cases at least 1.5, in some cases at least 2, in some cases at least 4,
and
in some cases even more (e.g., 8 or more). In some examples of implementation,
an area 60x of the shirt 10 may be free of active particles, i.e., there is no
active
particle in the area 60x of the shirt 10, such that the concentration or
loading of
the active particles 401-40p of the fabric 30 in the area 60x of the shirt 10
is
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substantially zero. The variation of the drying rate over the areas 601-60D of
the
shirt 10 can be implemented in other ways in other embodiments (e.g., by
varying a yarn size or fabric weight in different areas).
To further enhance moisture management, in some embodiments, with additional
reference to Figures 14 to 16, in addition to its fabric 30 which is a quick-
drying
material, the shirt 10 may comprise a cooling material 65 providing a cooling
effect perceivable by the player. As the quick-drying material 30 works to
accelerate moisture evaporation to help dry the shirt 10, the cooling material
65
may help the player feel cooler.
In this embodiment, the cooling material 65 is a fabric. The cooling fabric 65
comprises a fibrous base substance 37 including fibers 331-33R, which may
include any suitable natural or synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, nylon,
spandex
(elastane), or other fibers, or blends of these fibers). In this example, the
cooling
fabric 65 is a woven or knit fabric.
The cooling effect provided by the cooling fabric 65 may be implemented in any
suitable way. In this embodiment, the cooling fabric 65 comprises active
elements 701-70v to generate the cooling effect. More particularly, in this
embodiment, the active elements 701-70v are connected to the fibrous base
substance 37. For example, in some embodiments, the cooling fabric 65 may be
configured to cool down when absorbing moisture as the player sweats, i.e., a
moisture-activated cooling fabric. For instance, the active elements 701-70v
may
be swellable elements configured to swell when absorbing moisture to create
the
cooling effect. Examples of materials that can be used for the cooling fabric
65
that is moisture-activated are fabrics including NexarTM polymers which may be
commercially obtained from Kraton Performance Polymers Inc., Houston, Texas.
As another example, in some embodiments, the cooling fabric 65 may be
configured to cool down when absorbing heat from the player's body, i.e., a
heat-
activated cooling fabric. For instance, the active elements 701-70v may be
phase-
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change material (PCM) elements (e.g., microencapsulated PCM elements)
configured to change phase when absorbing heat to create the cooling effect.
Examples of materials that can be used for the cooling fabric 65 that is heat-
activated are fabrics including ThermoculesTm PCM elements which may be
commercially obtained from Outlast Technologies LLC, Boulder, Colorado. In
other embodiments, the fibers 331-33R of the cooling fabric 65 may themselves
be the active elements 701-70v that generate the cooling effect on their own,
without having distinct active elements connected to the the fibers 331-33R of
the
fibrous base substance 37. For instance, the fibers 331-33R of the cooling
fabric
65 may be configured to cool down when absorbing and trapping moisture inside
them as the player sweats. Examples of materials that can be used for this
purpose may be commercially obtained from CoolCore, Portsmouth, New
Hampshire. Other examples of materials that can be used for the cooling fabric
65 may include IceFil by Ventex, Luxicool, Cool Jade, Advansa's Thermo Cool,
and HeiQ's Adaptive.
The quick-drying fabric 30 and the cooling fabric 65 may be arranged in any
suitable manner in the shirt 10. For example, in this embodiment, a quantity
of
the quick-drying fabric 30 in the shirt 10 is greater than a quantity of the
cooling
fabric 65 in the shirt 10. More particularly, in this embodiment, the quick-
drying
fabric 30 is present in a bulk of the shirt 10, while the cooling fabric 65 is
present
only in a limited area of the shirt 10 where the cooling effect may be better
perceived by the player. Thus, in this embodiment, the cooling fabric 65 is
present in a quick-cooling spot of the player's body, i.e., a spot of the
player's
body that is more efficient at cooling. The quick-cooling spot includes a
pulse
point, i.e., an area where the player's pulse can be felt since blood vessels
are
closer to his/her skin's surface, meaning that blood and body temperature can
be
more easily cooled. In this example, the cooling fabric 65 is disposed in the
collar
39 of the shirt 10 since the cooling effect at the player's neck may be well
perceived by the player. In cases where the shirt 10 includes the neck guard
48
as discussed previously, the outer covering 52 of the neck guard 48 may
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comprise the cooling fabric 65. In other examples, the cooling fabric 65 may
be
disposed in other quick-cooling spots of the player's body (e.g., a crook of
the
elbow, a wrist, a forehead, an inner thigh, a bend of the knee, or an ankle).
In some embodiments, the fabric 30, which makes up at least part of the torso
portion 14 and the sleeves 241, 242 of the shirt 10, may be a quick-drying and
cooling fabric. That is, the fabric 30 may be configured such that (1) its
drying
rate is relatively high and (2) it provides a cooling effect perceivable by
the
player. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, the
fabric 30 may comprise (1) the active elements 401-40p for quick-drying and
(2)
the active elements 701-70v for the cooling effect connected to the fibrous
base
substance 29. This may be done by applying the active elements 401-40p and the
active elements 701-70v to the fibrous base substance 29 in a common process
or sequential processes using known techniques (e.g., from companies
mentioned above) to provide these elements in fabrics.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 49 and 50, the shirt 10 may
comprise vents 661-66A for ventilation. Facilitating air circulation may
further
enhance the quick-drying capability of the shirt 10. Each of the vents 661-66A
allows a greater air flow than parts of the shirt 10 outside of the vents 661-
66A.
More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the vents 661-66A comprises a
mesh material 63 (i.e., a material having an open texture) for ventilation. In
this
example, the vents 661-66A are respectively located in underarm, back, neck,
lateral sides, and arm areas of the shirt 10. The vents 661-66A may be
disposed
in any other suitable manner in other examples. The vents 661-66A may be
implemented in various other ways in other embodiments (e.g., openings).
In some embodiments, the shirt 10 may comprise an indicator 71 to indicate a
current quick-drying effectiveness of the quick-drying fabric 30. This "quick-
drying
effectiveness indicator" 71 may be useful in cases where the effectiveness of
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fabric 30 at quickly-drying itself can decrease (e.g., after the shirt 10 has
been
repeatedly used or has been washed with a detergent) in order to allow the
player to know when the shirt 10 may no longer work as desired.
While in embodiments considered above it is a fabric making up a bulk of the
shirt 10, the quick-drying material 30 may be another type of material making
up
one or more smaller parts of the shirt 10 in other embodiments. For example,
in
some embodiments, as shown in Figures 19 to 21, the quick-drying material 30
may be foam making up parts 691-69G of the shirt 10 (e.g., pads secured to a
fabric 21 making up a bulk of the shirt 10). For instance, the quick-drying
foam 30
may comprise a cellular (i.e., foamed) base substance 67 (e.g., EVA, EPP, EPE,
VN, PU or any other suitable cellular substance) and active elements 681-68G,
such as the active particles 401-40p discussed above, connected to the
cellular
base substance 67 to enhance evaporation of liquid moisture in the foam 30. As
another example, in some embodiments, the quick-drying material 30 may be a
membrane.
In some embodiments, the quick-drying material 30 may be anti-microbial. For
instance, in some embodiments in which it is a fabric, the quick-drying
material
30 may be treated (e.g., via a pad bath or exhaust process) or may have yarn-
based anti-microbial or anti-odor technology.
Although in this embodiment the baselayer garment 10 is an undershirt, the
baselayer garment 10 may be any other baselayer garment in other
embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the baselayer garment 10
may be underpants (e.g., shorts or a cup supporter) configured to be worn
under
protective pants (e.g., protective shorts), a sock configured to be worn under
a
shin guard, a compression sleeve (e.g., arm or shin sleeve) configured to be
worn under an arm pad (e.g., an elbow pad) or a leg pad, or a head cap
configured to be worn under a helmet.
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While in this embodiment the athletic garment 10 is configured to be worn
under
the protective athletic equipment 12, the athletic garment 10 may be
configured
to be worn over the protective athletic equipment 12 in other embodiments. For
example, in some embodiments, the athletic garment 10 may be a jersey (e.g., a
team jersey) configured to be worn over the protective athletic equipment 12.
2. Protective athletic equipment
The shoulder pads 13 protect various regions of the player's upper body. As
shown in Figures 56 and 57, the player's thorax has a front side FS and a back
side BS. The front side FS of the player's thorax, which can also be referred
to as
a "chest" or "ventral" side, comprises left and right pectoral regions LPR,
RPR
overlying left and right pectoral muscles of the player and a sternum region
SR
overlying a sternum of the player. The back side BS of the player's thorax,
which
can also be referred to as a "dorsal" side, comprises a thoracic spinal region
TSR
overlying thoracic vertebrae of the player, left and right trapezius regions
LTR,
RTR overlying left and right trapezius muscles of the player, and left and
right
latissimus dorsi regions LLR, RLR overlying left and right latissimus dorsi
muscles of the player. Each of the player's shoulders has a clavicle region
CR, a
scapular region BR, an acromioclavicular joint region ACR, and a deltoid
region
DR respectively overlying a clavicle, a scapula, an acromioclavicular joint,
and a
deltoid muscle of that shoulder.
The shoulder pads 13 comprise an inner surface 23 for facing towards the
player
and an outer surface 25 for facing away from the player. In this embodiment in
which the shoulder pads 13 are to be worn over the shirt 10, the inner surface
23
of the shoulder pads 13 is configured to contact the outer surface 19 of the
shirt
10.
The shoulder pads 13 comprise a front 54, a back 55, left and right shoulder
arches 561, 562, and left and right shoulder protectors 571, 572. The front
54, the
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back 55, and the shoulder arches 561, 562 define a neck opening 58 for
receiving
the player's neck. In this embodiment, the shoulder pads 13 also comprise left
and right upper arm protectors 591, 592.
The front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 is configured to cover at least part of
the
front side FS of the player's thorax. In this embodiment, the front 54 of the
shoulder pads 13 comprises left and right pectoral portions 721, 722 for
covering
the left and right pectoral regions LPR, RPR of the player, a sternum portion
73
for covering the sternum region SR of the player, and a top edge 74 delimiting
the neck opening 58.
In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 22, the front 54 of
the
shoulder pads 13 comprises protective padding 75 disposed between an inner
liner 76 and an outer covering 77. The protective padding 75 provides padded
protection to the left and right pectoral regions LPR, RPR and the sternum
region
SR of the player. The protective padding 75 comprises a shock-absorbing
material 47. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the shock-
absorbing material 47 may comprise foam, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
foam, expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam
(e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE) foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, or any
other
suitable foam, or any other shock-absorbing substance other than foam (e.g., a
gel).
The outer covering 77 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 faces away from
the player's body. The outer covering 77 comprises a material 78 making up at
least part of the outer covering 77. That is, the outer covering 77 is at
least partly
(i.e., partly or entirely) made of the material 78. For instance, in some
embodiments, the material 78 may be a flexible material (e.g., a woven fabric,
a
polyurethane or other elastomeric layer, etc.). In other embodiments, the
material
78 may be a rigid material (e.g., polycarbonate, high-density polyethylene
(HDPE), polypropylene, etc.) that forms a rigid shell.
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The inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 faces the player's
body.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the inner liner 76 faces and engages
the
shirt 10. The inner liner 76 comprises a material 80 making up at least part
of the
inner liner 76. That is, the inner liner 76 is at least partly (i.e., partly
or entirely)
made of the material 80. In this embodiment, the inner liner 76 is at least
mainly
(i.e., mainly or entirely) made of the material 80.
In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figures 23 and 24, the
material
80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 is a fabric.
The
fabric 80 is a thin pliable material comprising a fibrous base substance 81
including fibers 821-82R arranged in a network by weaving, felting, knitting,
interlacing, or otherwise crossing them. The fibers 821-82R may include any
suitable natural or synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, nylon, spandex
(elastane), or
other fibers, or blends of these fibers). In this embodiment, the fabric 80
includes
yarns 831-83T that comprise respective ones of the fibers 821-82R. More
particularly, in this embodiment, the fabric 80 is a woven or knit fabric.
For example, in this embodiment, the fibers 821-82R of the fabric 80 of the
inner
liner 76 include polyester fibers. For instance, the fabric 80 may comprise
different types of polyester fibers (e.g., the fabric 80 may comprise 51%
75D/48F
textured polyester and 49% 50D/72F polyester and weigh 120 g/m2). The fabric
80 may have any other suitable composition in other embodiments.
The fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 is
configured taking into account movements of the player. In this example, the
fabric 80 is also configured taking into account an interface between the
shirt 10
and the shoulder pads 13. For instance, in this embodiment, the fabric 80 has
mechanical properties to resist tearing or other excessive damage due to
movements of the player and/or friction or other contact between the shirt 10
and
the shoulder pads 13.
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In this embodiment, the fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the
shoulder pads 13 is a quick-drying material, i.e., a material exhibiting a
drying
rate which is relatively high, to quickly evaporate moisture as the player
sweats.
In this example, at least some liquid moisture evaporated by the fabric 80 may
have been transported to the inner liner 76 by the shirt 10 which wicked this
liquid moisture away from the wearer's body. For example, in some
embodiments, the drying rate of the fabric 80 may be at least 2.1 ml/hr, in
some
cases at least 2.3, in some cases at least 2.5, and in some cases even more,
according to AATCC Test Method 201 of the American Association of Textile
Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). Alternatively or additionally, in some
embodiments, the drying rate of the fabric 80 may be at least 15 ml/hr, in
some
cases at least 20 ml/hr, in some cases at least 25 ml/hr, and in some cases
even
more, according to AATCC Test Method 200 of the AATCC. The drying rate of
the fabric 80 may have any other suitable value in other embodiments.
More particularly, in this embodiment, to facilitate moisture evaporation, the
fabric
80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 is configured
to (1)
spread moisture over a large surface area and (2) harness heat generated by
the
player's body to vaporize liquid moisture.
For example, in some embodiments, a surface area of the fabric 80 may be at
least 300 cm2 per square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 400 cm2
per
square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 500 cm2 per square
centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 600 cm2 per square centimeter of
fabric, and in some cases even more. Alternatively or additionally, in some
embodiments, a surface area of a constituent of the fabric 80 may be at least
200
m2 per gram of the constituent, in some cases at least 400 m2 per gram of the
constituent, in some cases at least 600 m2 per gram of the constituent, in
some
cases at least 800 m2 per gram of the constituent, in some cases at least 1000
m2 per gram of the constituent and in some cases even more. The surface area
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of the constituent of the fabric 80 may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
To harness heat generated by the player's body to vaporize moisture, a
constituent of the fabric 80 captures this heat to raise its temperature and
cause
vaporization of liquid moisture in contact with it. For example, in some
embodiments, a specific heat capacity of a constituent of the fabric 80 (i.e.,
an
amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a unit mass of the
constituent of the fabric 80 by one degree) may be relatively low. For
instance, in
some embodiments, the specific heat capacity of the constituent of the fabric
80
may be less than polyester's specific heat capacity. The specific heat
capacity of
the constituent of the fabric 80 may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, a molar
absorptivity at an infrared wavelength of a constituent of the fabric 80
(i.e., a
measurement of how strongly a chemical species of the constituent of the
fabric
80 absorbs electromagnetic radiation at the infrared wavelength) may be
relatively high. For instance, in some embodiments, the molar absorptivity at
an
infrared wavelength of the constituent of the fabric 80 may be greater than
polyester's molar absorptivity at that infrared wavelength. The molar
absorptivity
at the infrared wavelength of the constituent of the fabric 80 may have any
other
suitable value in other embodiments.
Also, in some embodiments, a constituent of the fabric 80 may be configured to
manifest an exothermic reaction releasing heat to accelerate the drying
process.
That is, a constituent of the fabric 80 may be configured to exothermically
react
(i.e., produce heat when reacting) with liquid moisture. The exothermic
reaction
may be chemical and/or physical. For example, in some embodiments, the
exothermic reaction manifested by the constituent of the fabric 80 may be
adsorption of liquid moisture by the constituent of the fabric 80, such that
heat is
released when the liquid moisture is adsorbed by the constituent of the fabric
80.
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In this embodiment, the fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the
shoulder pads 13 comprises active elements 841-84E to manage moisture as the
player sweats, including to enhance evaporation of liquid moisture in the
fabric
80. The active elements 841-84E are "active" in that they have a property
allowing
them to induce a chemical and/or physical reaction in response to a stimulus
at
their surface. In this example, this reaction induced by the active elements
841-
84E helps accelerate the drying process of the fabric 80. The fabric 80 thus
dries
faster than if the active elements 841-84E were omitted but the fabric 80 was
otherwise identical (i.e., dries faster than a comparative fabric identical to
the
fabric 80 but without the active elements 841-84E).
In this example of implementation, the active elements 841-84E are connected
to
the fibers 821-82R of the fibrous base substance 81. In other examples of
implementation, the fibers 821-82R of the fabric 80 may themselves be the
active
elements 841-84E that enhance the drying process of the fabric 80 on their
own,
without having distinct active elements connected to the fibers 821-82R.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the active elements 841-84E are active
particles distributed within the fabric 80. In this example, the active
particles 841-
84E have an adsorptive property that causes them to adsorb liquid moisture as
the player sweats. This reaction, i.e., adsorption, caused by the active
particles
841-84E helps evaporating the liquid moisture.
With additional reference to Figure 25, in this embodiment, each of the active
particles 841-84E is a microporous particle that includes a multitude of pores
851-
85L (e.g., several thousands of pores) which can trap the liquid moisture.
Because of their pores 851-85L, the active particles 841-84E have a surface
area
which is very large, thereby vastly spreading the liquid moisture to aid
evaporating it. For example, in some embodiments, the surface area of the
active
particles 841-84E may be such that the surface area of the fabric 80 is at
least
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300 cm2 per square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 400 cm2 per
square centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 500 cm2 per square
centimeter of fabric, in some cases at least 600 cm2 per square centimeter of
fabric, and in some cases even more. Alternatively or additionally, in some
embodiments, the surface area of the active particles 841-84E may be at least
200 m2 per gram of active particle, in some cases at least 400 m2 per gram of
active particle, in some cases at least 600 m2 per gram of active particle, in
some
cases at least 800 m2 per gram of active particle, in some cases at least 1000
m2
per gram of active particle and in some cases even more. The surface area of
the active particles 841-84E may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
Also, in this embodiment, the active particles 841-84E use heat generated by
the
player's body to vaporize moisture. For example, in some embodiments, a
specific heat capacity of the active particles 841-84E may be relatively low.
For
instance, in some embodiments, the specific heat capacity of the active
particles
841-84E may be less than a specific heat capacity of the fibrous base
substance
81 of the fabric 80. Thus, in this example, the specific heat capacity of the
active
particles 841-84E may be less than polyester's specific heat capacity.. The
specific heat capacity of the active particles 841-84E may have any other
suitable
value in other embodiments. Additionally or alternatively, in some
embodiments,
a molar absorptivity at an infrared wavelength of the active particles 841-84E
may
be relatively high. For instance, in some embodiments, the molar absorptivity
at
an infrared wavelength of the active particles 841-84E may be greater than a
molar absorptivity at that infrared wavelength of the fibrous base substance
81 of
the fabric 80. For instance, in some embodiments, the molar absorptivity at an
infrared wavelength of the active particles 841-84E may be greater than
polyester's molar absorptivity at that infrared wavelength.. The molar
absorptivity
at the infrared wavelength of the active particles 841-84E may have any other
suitable value in other embodiments.
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Furthermore, the adsorption of liquid moisture by the active particles 841-84E
is
an exothermic reaction releasing heat that helps to accelerate the drying
process.
The active particles 841-84E may be implemented in any suitable way. In this
embodiment, the active particles 841-84E comprise activated carbon. The
activated carbon may be produced in various known ways. For instance, the
activated carbon may be produced from carbonaceous materials such as wood,
nutshells, coconut husk, coir, peat, lignite, coal, or other carbonaceous
substances using known processes (e.g., physical reactivation using hot gases
which involves carbonization and/or oxidation, or chemical activation using
chemicals on raw material prior to carbonization), or synthetically using
known
processes (e.g., pyrolysis of polystyrene beads). In other embodiments, the
active particles 841-84E may comprise activated alumina (aluminum oxide),
silica
gel, soda ash, aluminum trihydrate, baking soda, cinoxate (p-methoxy-2-
ethoxyethyl ester cinnamic acid), zinc oxide, zeolites, titanium dioxide, or
any
other suitable material.
The active particles 841-84E may be incorporated into the fabric 80 using any
suitable process. For example, in some embodiments, the active particles 841-
84E may be joined to the fibrous base substance 81 of the fabric 80 using: an
air
dispersion process in which the active particles are entrained in a gaseous
carrier onto the fibrous base substance 81 of the fabric 80 where they are
fixed; a
padding process in which the fibrous base substance 81 of the fabric 80 is
passed through a bath of the active particles; a liquid suspension or mixture
of a
binder and the active particles applied to the fibrous base substance 81 of
the
fabric 80; or a xerographic process using electrostatic or magnetic attraction
to
transfer a toner formulation including the active particles towards the
fibrous base
substance 81 of the fabric 80. In some cases, a protective substance may be
provided onto the active particles 841-84E to protect these active particles
during
manufacturing of the fabric 80 and subsequently removed. Examples of such
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processes are described in U.S. Patent 6,998,155, U.S. Patent Application
Publication 2008/0121141 and U.S. Patent 7,247,374, which are incorporated by
reference herein.
Examples of materials that can be used for the fabric 80 including the active
particles 841-84E may be commercially obtained from Cocona Inc., Boulder,
Colorado.
The back 55 of the shoulder pads 13 is configured to cover at least part of
the
back side BS of the player's thorax. In this embodiment, the back 55 of the
shoulder pads 13 comprises a spinal portion 85 for covering the thoracic
spinal
region TSR of the player, left and right trapezius portions 881, 882 for
covering
the left and right trapezius regions LTR, RTR of the player, left and right
latissimus dorsi portions 891, 892 for covering the left and right latissimus
dorsi
regions LLR, RLR of the player, and a top edge 89 delimiting the neck opening
58.
In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 26, the back 55 of the
shoulder pads 13 comprises protective padding 90 disposed between an inner
liner 91 and an outer covering 92. The protective padding 90 provides padded
protection to the thoracic spinal region SR, the left and right trapezius
regions
LTR, RTR, and left and right latissimus dorsi regions LLR, RLR of the player.
The
inner liner 91 faces the player's body, while the outer covering 92 faces away
from the player's body. In this example of implementation, these components of
the back 55 of the shoulder pads 13 may be constructed similarly to the
protective padding 75, the inner liner 76, and the outer covering 77 of the
front 54
of the shoulder pads 13. Notably, in this embodiment, the inner liner 91 of
the
back 55 of the shoulder pads 13 comprises a quick-drying fabric 180 like the
fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 (e.g.,
including active elements such as the active particles 841-84E of the fabric
80).
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The left and right shoulder arches 561, 562 are configured to respectively
arch
over the left and right shoulders of the player and interconnect the front 54
and
the back 55 of the shoulder pads 13.
In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 27, each of the
shoulder
arches 561, 562 comprises protective padding 93 disposed between an inner
liner
94 and an outer covering 95. The protective padding 93 provides padded
protection, the inner liner 94 faces the player's body, and the outer covering
95
faces away from the player's body. In this example of implementation, these
components of each of the shoulder arches 561, 562 may be constructed
similarly
to the protective padding 75, the inner liner 76, and the outer covering 77 of
the
front 54 of the shoulder pads 13. Notably, in this embodiment, the inner liner
94
of each of the shoulder arches 561, 562 comprises a quick-drying fabric 280
like
the fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13
(e.g.,
including active elements such as the active particles 841-84E of the fabric
80).
The shoulder protectors 571, 572 are configured to respectively cover at least
part
of the left and right shoulders of the player. In this embodiment, each of the
shoulder protectors 571, 572 comprises an acromioclavicular joint portion and
a
deltoid portion for respectively covering at least part of the
acromioclavicular joint
region ACR and the deltoid region DR of the shoulder it protects.
Each shoulder protector 57x is connected to at least one of the front 54, the
back
55, and a given one of the shoulder arches 561, 562. In this embodiment, the
shoulder protector 57x, is connected to the shoulder arch 56x arching over the
shoulder that it protects. Also, in this embodiment, the shoulder protector
57x is
connected to the arm protector 59x which is on the arm extending from the
shoulder it protects. The shoulder protector 57x may be directly connected
(e.g.,
sewed) to the shoulder arch 56x and/or the arm protector 59x or may be
indirectly
connected (e.g., via one or more straps sewed) to the shoulder arch 56x and/or
the arm protector 59x.
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In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 28, the shoulder
protector
57x comprises protective padding 96 disposed between an inner liner 97 and an
outer covering 98. The protective padding 96 provides padded protection, the
inner liner 97 faces the player's body, and the outer covering 98 faces away
from
the player's body. In this example of implementation, these components of the
shoulder protector 57x may be constructed similarly to the protective padding
75,
the inner liner 76, and the outer covering 77 of the front 54 of the shoulder
pads
13. Notably, in this embodiment, the inner liner 97 of the shoulder protector
57x
comprises a quick-drying fabric 380 like the fabric 80 of the inner liner 76
of the
front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 (e.g., including active elements such as the
active particles 841-84E of the fabric 80).
The upper arm protectors 591, 592 are configured to cover at least part of the
left
and right arms of the player. Each of the upper arm protectors 591,592
comprises
an outer arm portion for overlying an outer region of the arm it protects and
a
strap for retaining itself on the arm.
In this embodiment, with additional reference to Figure 29, each upper arm
protector 59x comprises protective padding 99 disposed between an inner liner
100 and an outer covering 101. The protective padding 99 provides padded
protection, the inner liner 100 faces the player's body, and the outer
covering 101
faces away from the player's body. In this example of implementation, these
components of the upper arm protector 59x may be constructed similarly to the
protective padding 75, the inner liner 76, and the outer covering 77 of the
front 54
of the shoulder pads 13. Notably, in this embodiment, the inner liner 97 of
the
upper arm protector 59x comprises a quick-drying fabric 480 like the fabric 80
of
the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 (e.g., including
active
elements such as the active particles 841-84E of the fabric 80).
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While the shoulder pads 30 are constructed in a particular way in this
embodiment, the shoulder pads 30 may be constructed in various other ways in
other embodiments.
For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 30 and 31, the drying
rate of the shoulder pads 13 may differ over a plurality of areas 1601-160H of
the
shoulder pads 13. That is, the drying rate of a given one of the areas 1601-
160H
of the shoulder pads 13 may be different from (i.e., greater or lesser than)
the
drying rate of another one of the areas 1601-160H of the shoulder pads 13. For
instance, the drying rate of a first one of the areas 1601-160H of the
shoulder
pads 13 that is disposed to overlie a first region of the player's body which
is
expected to generate more sweat may be greater than the drying rate of a
second one of the areas 1601-160H of the shoulder pads 13 that is disposed to
overlie a second region of the player's body which is expected to generate
less
sweat.
In this embodiment, the area 1601 of the shoulder pads 13 is an area of the
front
54 of the shoulder pads 13 that is disposed to overlie a chest region of the
player's torso, the area 1602 of the shoulder pads 13 is an area of the back
of the
shoulder pads 13 that is disposed to overlie a back region of the player's
torso,
and the areas 1603, 1604 of the shoulder pads 13 are areas of the shoulder
protectors 571, 572 that are disposed to overlie shoulder regions of the
player's
torso.
As an example, the drying rate of the areas 1601, 1602 of the shoulder pads
13,
which are overlying regions of the player's body which may generate more
sweat, may be greater than the drying rate of the areas 1603, 1604 of the
shoulder pads 13, which are overlying regions of the player's body which may
generate less sweat. As another example, the drying rate of the area 1602 of
the
back 55 of the shoulder pads 13, which overlies the back region of the
player's
body, may be greater than the drying rate of the area 1601 of the front 54 of
the
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shoulder pads 13, which overlies the front region of the player's body that
may
generate less sweat than the back region of the player's body.
For example, in some embodiments, a ratio of (i) the drying rate of a given
area
1601 of the shoulder pads 13 over (ii) the drying rate of another area 160j of
the
shoulder pads 13 may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.2, in some
cases
at least 1.3, in some cases at least 1.4, in some cases at least 1.5, and in
some
cases even more (e.g., 2 or more). The difference between the drying rate of
respective ones of the areas 1601-160H of the shoulder pads 13 may take on any
other suitable value in other embodiments.
The variation of the drying rate over the areas 1601-160H of the shoulder pads
13
can be implemented in any suitable manner. In this embodiment, this may be
achieved by varying a concentration or loading of active particles of a
fabric, such
as the active particles 841-84E of the fabric 80 of the front 54 of the
shoulder pads
13 and similar active particles of the fabric of other parts of the shoulder
pads 13,
over the areas 1601-160H of the shoulder pads 13. The concentration or loading
of the active particles of the fabric in a given area 1601 of the shoulder
pads may
be greater than the concentration or loading of the active particles of the
fabric in
another area 160j of the shoulder pads 13 such that the drying rate of the
area
1601of the shoulder pads 13 is greater than the drying rate of the area 160j
of the
shoulder pads 13. For example, in some embodiments, a ratio of (i) the
concentration or loading of the active particles of the fabric in the given
area 1601
of the shoulder pads 13 over (ii) the concentration or loading of the active
particles of the fabric in the other area 160j of the shoulder pads 13 may be
at
least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.2, in some cases at least 1.5, in some
cases
at least 2, in some cases at least 4, and in some cases even more (e.g., 8 or
more). The concentration or loading of the active particles of the fabric in a
particular area 160x of the shoulder pads 13 can be measured as a weight
percent of the active particles in that particular area 160x of the shoulder
pads 13,
i.e., a weight of the active particles in the area 160x of the shoulder pads
13
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divided by a total weight of the fabric of the area 160x of the shoulder pads
13
and multiplied by one hundred. In some examples of implementation, an area
160x of the shoulder pads 13 may be free of active particles, i.e., there is
no
active particle in the area 160x of the shoulder pads 13, such that the
concentration or loading of the active particles of the fabric in the area
160x of the
shoulder pads 13 is substantially zero. The variation of the drying rate over
the
areas 1601-160H of the shoulder pads 13 can be implemented in other ways in
other embodiments (e.g., by varying a yarn size or fabric weight in different
areas).
In some embodiments, the drying rate of a given area of the shirt 10 may be
different from the drying rate of an overlapping area of the shoulder pads 13
which overlaps the given area of the shirt 10. For example, in some
embodiments, the drying rate of the given area of the shirt 10 may be greater
than the drying rate of the overlapping area of the shoulder pads 13 since the
shirt 10 is more directly exposed to the player's sweat. For instance, in this
example of implementation, the concentration or loading of the active
particles of
the fabric in the given area of the shirt 10 may be greater than the
concentration
or loading of the active particles of the fabric in the overlapping area of
the
shoulder pads 13 such that the drying rate of the given area of the shirt 10
is
greater than the drying rate of the overlapping area of the shoulder pads 13.
For
example, in some embodiments, a ratio of (i) the concentration or loading of
the
active particles of the fabric in the given area of the shirt 10 over (ii) the
concentration or loading of the active particles of the fabric in the
overlapping
area of the shoulder pads 13 may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.2,
in
some cases at least 1.5, in some cases at least 2, in some cases at least 4,
and
in some cases even more (e.g., 8 or more).
To further enhance moisture management, in some embodiments, with additional
reference to Figures 32 to 34, in addition to comprising a quick-drying
material
(i.e., the fabric 80 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 and similar
fabrics of
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other parts of the shoulder pads 13 in this embodiment), the shoulder pads 13
may comprise a cooling material 165 providing a cooling effect perceivable by
the player. As the quick-drying material works to accelerate moisture
evaporation
to help dry the shoulder pads 13, the cooling material 165 may help the player
feel cooler. This may be particularly useful in a portion of the shoulder pads
13
contacting the player's body (e.g., in cases where the shirt 10 is not worn or
another shirt covering less of the player's body is worn).
In this embodiment, the cooling material 165 is a fabric. The cooling fabric
165
comprises a fibrous base substance 137 including fibers 1331-133K, which may
include any suitable natural or synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, nylon,
spandex
(elastane), or other fibers, or blends of these fibers). In this example, the
cooling
fabric 165 is a woven fabric.
The cooling effect provided by the cooling fabric 165 may be implemented in
any
suitable way. In this embodiment, the cooling fabric 165 comprises active
elements 1701-170c to generate the cooling effect. More particularly, in this
embodiment, the active elements 1701-170c are connected to the fibers 1331-
133K of the fibrous base substance 137. For example, in some embodiments, the
cooling fabric 165 may be configured to cool down when absorbing moisture as
the player sweats, i.e., a moisture-activated cooling fabric. For instance,
the
active elements 1701-170c may be swellable elements configured to swell when
absorbing moisture to create the cooling effect. Examples of materials that
can
be used for the cooling fabric 165 that is moisture-activated are fabrics
including
NexarTM polymers which may be commercially obtained from Kraton
Performance Polymers Inc., Houston, Texas. As another example, in some
embodiments, the cooling fabric 165 may be configured to cool down when
absorbing heat from the player's body, i.e., a heat-activated cooling fabric.
For
instance, the active elements 1701-170c may be phase-change material (PCM)
elements (e.g., microencapsulated PCM elements) configured to change phase
when absorbing heat to create the cooling effect. Examples of materials that
can
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be used for the cooling fabric 165 that is heat-activated are fabrics
including
ThermoculesTm PCM elements which may be commercially obtained from Outlast
Technologies LLC, Boulder, Colorado. In other embodiments, the fibers 1331-
133K of the cooling fabric 165 may themselves be the active elements 1701-170c
that generate the cooling effect on their own, without having distinct active
elements connected to the fibers 1331-133K of the fibrous base substance 137.
For instance, the fibers 1331-133K of the cooling fabric 165 may be configured
to
cool down when absorbing and trapping moisture inside them as the player
sweats. Examples of materials that can be used for this purpose may be
commercially obtained from CoolCore, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Other
examples of materials that can be used for the cooling fabric 165 may include
IceFil by Ventex, Luxicool, Cool Jade, Advansa's Thermo Cool, and HeiQ's
Adaptive.
The quick-drying material (i.e., the fabric 80 of the front 54 of the shoulder
pads
13 and similar fabrics of other parts of the shoulder pads 13 in this
embodiment)
and the cooling fabric 165 may be arranged in any suitable manner in the
shoulder pads 13. For example, in this embodiment, a quantity of the quick-
drying material in the shoulder pads 13 is greater than a quantity of the
cooling
fabric 165 in the shoulder pads 13. For instance, in this embodiment, the
cooling
fabric 165 may be present only in a limited area of the shoulder pads 13 where
the cooling effect may be better perceived by the player. Thus, in this
embodiment, the cooling fabric 165 is present in a quick-cooling spot of the
player's body, i.e., a spot of the player's body that is more efficient at
cooling. In
this example, the cooling fabric 165 is disposed about the neck opening 58
since
the cooling effect at the player's neck may be well perceived by the player.
In
other examples, the cooling fabric 165 may be disposed in other quick-cooling
spots of the player's body (e.g., a crook of the elbow, a wrist, a forehead,
an
inner thigh, a bend of the knee, or an ankle).
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In some embodiments, a fabric of an inner liner of the shoulder pads 13 (e.g.,
the
fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 or a
similar
fabric of another inner liner of the shoulder pads 13) may be a quick-drying
and
cooling fabric. That is, the fabric may be configured such that (1) its drying
rate is
relatively high and (2) it provides a cooling effect perceivable by the
player. For
example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 35 and 36, the fabric 80 of
the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 may comprise (1) the active elements 841-
84E for quick-drying and (2) the active elements 1701-170c for the cooling
effect
connected to the fibrous base substance 81. This may be done by applying the
active elements 841-84E and the active elements 1701-170c to the fibrous base
substance 81 in a common process or sequential processes using known
techniques (e.g., from companies mentioned above) to provide these elements in
fabrics.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 51 and 52, the shoulder pads 13 may
comprise vents 1661-166F for ventilation. Facilitating air circulation may
further
enhance the quick-drying capability of the shoulder pads 13. Each of the vents
1661-166F allows a greater air flow than parts of the shoulder pads 13 outside
of
the vents 1661-166F.
More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the vents 1661-166F comprises a
an opening 163 and a mesh material 263 (i.e., a material having an open
texture)
disposed within the opening 163 for ventilation. In this example, the vents
1661-
166F are respectively located in front and back areas of the shoulder pads 13.
The vents 1661-166F may be disposed in any other suitable manner in other
examples.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 53, a vent 1661 of the shoulder pads
13 may overlap a vent 661 of the shirt 10. This may further facilitate air
flow
though the athletic gear 11. For instance, in some embodiments, such as shown
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in Figures 49 to 52, each of the vents 1665-1668 in the back of the shoulder
pads
13 may overlap a respective one of the vents 668-6611 in the back of the shirt
10.
The vents 1661-166F may be implemented in various other ways in other
embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, a vent 166x may include the
opening 163 without any mesh material in it (e.g., a through-hole extending
through the shoulder pads 13). As another example, in some embodiments, as
shown in Figures 54 and 55, a vent 166x may comprise a channel 257 to direct
air flow in a particular direction or to a particular location (e.g., a
particular
location on the shirt 10 or the player's body that is expected to have more
moisture). The channel 257 may extend within the shoulder pads 13, as shown in
the embodiment of Figure 54, and/or may extend on an inner side 240 of the
shoulder pads 13 as shown in the embodiment of Figure 55.
In some embodiments, the shoulder pads 13 may comprise an indicator 171 to
indicate a current quick-drying effectiveness of a quick-drying fabric (e.g.,
the
fabric 80 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13 or a similar fabric of
another part
of the shoulder pads 13 in this embodiment). This "quick-drying effectiveness
indicator" 171 may be useful in cases where the effectiveness of the fabric at
quickly-drying itself can decrease (e.g., after the shoulder pads 13 have been
repeatedly used or has been washed with a detergent) in order to allow the
player to know when the shoulder pads 13 may no longer work as desired.
While in embodiments considered above the shoulder pads 13 comprise a quick-
drying material that is a fabric making up at least part of an inner liner of
the
shoulder pads 13 (e.g., the fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front 54 of
the
shoulder pads 13 or a similar fabric of another inner liner of the shoulder
pads
13), in other embodiments, the shoulder pads 13 may comprise a quick-drying
material that is another type of material making up another part of the
shoulder
pads 13. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 37, the
shoulder pads 13 may comprise a quick-drying material 230 that is foam making
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up protective padding 232 of the shoulder pads. For instance, the quick-drying
foam 232 may comprise a cellular (i.e., foamed) base substance 267 (e.g., EVA,
EPP, EPE, VN, PU or any other suitable cellular substance) and active elements
2681-268w, such as the active particles 841-84E discussed above, connected to
the cellular base substance 267 to enhance evaporation of liquid moisture in
the
foam 232. For example, in some embodiments, the protective padding 232 may
be the protective padding 75 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads 13, the
protective padding 90 of the back 55 of the shoulder pads 13, the protective
padding 93 of each of the shoulder arches 561, 562, the protective padding 96
of
each of the shoulder protector 571, 572, or the protective padding 99 of each
of
the upper arm protectors 591, 592.
In some embodiments, the quick-drying material may be anti-microbial. For
instance, in some embodiments in which it is a fabric, the quick-drying
material
may be treated (e.g., via a pad bath or exhaust process) or may have yarn-
based
anti-microbial or anti-odor technology.
The elbow pads 151, 152 are wearable to protect the player's elbows and
adjacent parts his/her arms. Each elbow pad 15x comprises an inner surface 123
for facing towards the player and an outer surface 125 for facing away from
the
player. In this example in which the elbow pad 15x is to be worn over the
shirt 10,
the inner surface 123 of the elbow pad 15x is configured to contact the outer
surface 19 of the shirt 10. In this embodiment, with additional reference to
Figure
38, each elbow pad 15x comprises protective padding 190 disposed between an
inner liner 191 and an outer covering 192. The protective padding 190 provides
padded protection to the elbow and adjacent parts of the player's arm. The
inner
liner 191 faces the player's body, while the outer covering 192 faces away
from
the player's body. In this example of implementation, these components of the
elbow pad 15x may be constructed similarly to the protective padding 75, the
inner liner 76, and the outer covering 77 of the front 54 of the shoulder pads
13.
Notably, in this embodiment, the inner liner 191 of elbow pad 15x comprises a
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quick-drying fabric 680 like the fabric 80 of the inner liner 76 of the front
54 of the
shoulder pads 13 (e.g., including active elements such as the active particles
841-84E of the fabric 80). Also, in this example of implementation, any
feature or
variant mentioned above in respect of the shoulder pads 13 (e.g., areas of
different drying rates, inclusion of a cooling material, etc.) is applicable
to the
elbow pad 15x.
While in this embodiment the protective athletic equipment 12 comprises the
shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151, 152, in other embodiments, other
articles of protective athletic equipment may be constructed using principles
described herein in respect of the shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151,
152
to provide enhanced moisture management.
For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 39 and 40, a protective
glove 200 may be constructed using principles described herein in respect of
the
shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151, 152. The protective glove 200
comprises an inner surface 223 for facing towards the player and an outer
surface 225 for facing away from the player. For instance, the protective
glove
200 may comprise a quick-drying material making up at least part of an inner
liner 202 or protective padding 204 of the glove 200 and/or may comprise a
cooling material making up at least part of the inner liner 202 of the glove
200.
As another example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 41, protective
pants 300 may be constructed using principles described herein in respect of
the
shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151, 152. The protective pants 300
comprises an inner surface 323 for facing towards the player and an outer
surface 325 for facing away from the player. For instance, the protective
pants
300 may comprise a quick-drying material making up at least part of an inner
liner 302 or protective padding 304 of the protective pants 300 and/or may
comprise a cooling material making up at least part of the inner liner 302 of
the
protective pants 300.
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As another example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 42 and 43, a
leg pad 400 (i.e., a shin guard) may be constructed using principles described
herein in respect of the shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151, 152. The leg
pad 400 comprises an inner surface 423 for facing towards the player and an
outer surface 425 for facing away from the player. For instance, the leg pad
400
may comprise a quick-drying material making up at least part of an inner liner
402 or protective padding 404 of the leg pad 400 and/or may comprise a cooling
material making up at least part of the inner liner 402 of the leg pad 400.
As another example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 44 and 45, a
helmet 500 may be constructed using principles described herein in respect of
the shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151, 152. The helmet 500 comprises an
inner surface 523 for facing towards the player and an outer surface 525 for
facing away from the player. For instance, the helmet 500 may comprise a quick-
drying material making up at least part of an inner liner 502 or protective
padding
504 of the helmet 500 and/or may comprise a cooling material making up at
least
part of the inner liner 502 of the helmet 500.
As another example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 46, a neck guard
600 may be constructed using principles described herein in respect of the
shoulder pads 13 and the elbow pads 151, 152. The neck guard 600 comprises
an inner surface 623 for facing towards the player and an outer surface 625
for
facing away from the player. For instance, the neck guard 600 may comprise a
quick-drying material making up at least part of an inner liner 602 or
protective
padding 604 of the neck guard 600 and/or may comprise a cooling material
making up at least part of the inner liner 602 of the neck guard 600.
The athletic gear 11 may comprise any other athletic equipment constructed
using principles described herein in respect of the shoulder pads 13 and the
elbow pads 151, 152 to provide enhanced moisture management. For example, in
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some embodiments, as shown in Figures 47 and 48, a skate 700 may be
constructed using principles described herein in respect of the shoulder pads
13
and the elbow pads 151, 152. In this example, the skate 700 is an ice skate.
In
other examples, the skate 700 may be a roller skate (e.g., an inline skate).
The
skate 700 comprises an inner surface 723 for facing towards the player and an
outer surface 725 for facing away from the player. For instance, the skate 700
may comprise a quick-drying material making up at least part of an inner liner
702 of a skate boot 704 and/or may comprise a cooling material making up at
least part of the inner liner 702 of the skate boot 704. Other parts of the
skate
700, such as a tongue 709 for example, may comprise a quick-drying material
and/or a cooling material in other embodiments.
Although in this embodiment the athletic gear 11 is hockey gear, in other
embodiments, athletic gear constructed using principles described herein in
respect of the athletic gear 11 may be other athletic gear wearable a player
playing another type of contact sport (e.g., a "full-contact" sport) in which
there
are significant impact forces on the player due to player-to-player and/or
player-
to-object contact. For example, in other embodiments, athletic gear
constructed
using principles described herein in respect of the athletic gear 11 may be
lacrosse gear for a lacrosse player, football gear for a football player, or
baseball
gear for a baseball player.
While in embodiments considered above the athletic gear 11 is for a user
playing
a contact sport, in other embodiments, athletic gear 11 constructed using
principles described herein in respect of the athletic gear 11 may be used in
athletic activities other than contact sports in which impact protection is
desired.
In some embodiments, any feature of any embodiment described herein may be
used in combination with any feature of any other embodiment described herein.
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Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain
embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be
within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain
embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element
that is not specifically disclosed herein.
Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for
the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various
modifications
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.
54
