Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
TITLE
Shin Guard for Ball Hockey or the Like
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure concerns protective equipment for
ball hockey. More specifically, the present disclosure is concerned with a
shin
guard for ball hockey.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Shin guards are well-known pieces of equipment worn on
the
front of a sports athlete's shin to protect it from injury. There are mainly
two-
types of shin guards: a stand-alone protector for the shin or a combined shin
and knee protective device.
[0003] The stand-alone type includes a single protector hard
shield
and either straps for securing the shield to the athlete's leg or it is
attached to
a sleeve which is to be slid onto the leg.
[0004] The second category of shin guards is used for example in
ice hockey or the like and typically includes a first protector shield for the
shin
and a second protector shield for the knee. Both protectors are assembled and
relatively positioned on a padded support, which can be attached to a leg
using
straps.
[0005] Ball hockey, which is also called floor hockey, cosom
hockey
or dek hockey, is a derivative of the sport of ice hockey. As such, ball
hockey
is closely related to ice hockey, with a main difference that the game is
played
on foot on a non-ice surface. The player's equipment is also different,
including
a ball that is used instead of a hockey puck.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04
[0006] Ball hockey being derivative from ice hockey, the shin
pads
used by the ball hockey players closely resemble those of ice hockey, as
described hereinabove.
[0007] However, the range of movements of the legs of the ball
hockey player being greater than those of ice hockey players, it has been
found
that traditional ball hockey shin pad construction results in a lack of
flexibility
and, as such, might feel uncomfortable and bulky to the player, while
restricting
its movements. This is mainly because their shin and knee protectors are
integrated in a single piece of material.
[0008] A shin guard for ball hockey that is free of the above
drawback is therefore desirable.
SUMMARY
[0009] The problem of the lack of flexibility of the traditional
ice
hockey shin guards when used in ball hockey is solved by disconnecting the
knee protector from the shin protector. This is achieved by mounting both
protectors to a sleeve, each protector including an independent padding,
yielding free movements of the knee protector relative to the shin protector.
[0010] According to an illustrative embodiment, there is
provided a
shin guard for ball hockey or the like comprising:
[0011] a sleeve adapted to be worn on a person's leg;
[0012] a shin protector attached to the sleeve; and
[0013] a knee protector attached to the sleeve so as to be
distanced
from the shin protector.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04
[0014] Other objects, advantages and features of embodiments of
a
shin guard for ball hockey will become more apparent upon reading the
following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given
by
way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In the appended drawings:
[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shin guard according
to an
illustrative embodiment; the shin guard being shown in an extended position;
[0017] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shin guard from
Figure
1; the shin guard being shown with the knee section partly bent relative to
the
shin section;
[0018] Figure 3 is a front elevation of the shin guard from
Figure 1;
and
[0019] Figure 4 is a back elevation of the shin guard from
Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] In the following description, similar features in the
drawings
have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down
the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were
already identified in a precedent figure.
[0021] The use of the word "a" or "an" when used in conjunction
with
the term "comprising" in the claims and/or the specification may mean "one",
but it is also consistent with the meaning of "one or more", "at least one",
and
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04
"one or more than one". Similarly, the word "another" may mean at least a
second or more.
[0022] As used in this specification and claim(s), the words
"comprising" (and any form of comprising, such as "comprise" and "comprises"),
"having" (and any form of having, such as "have" and "has"), "including" (and
any form of including, such as "include" and "includes") or "containing" (and
any
form of containing, such as "contain" and "contains"), are inclusive or open-
ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements.
[0023] An illustrative embodiment of a shin guard 10 for ball
hockey
of the like is shown in Figures 1 to 4.
[0024] The shin guard 10 comprises a sleeve 12, having a shin
section 14 and a knee section 16, a shin protector 18, attached to the sleeve
12 on the shin section 14 thereof, and a knee protector 20, attached to the
sleeve 12 on the knee portion 16 thereof.
[0025] The sleeve 12 is a generally tubular body made of an
elastic
fabric, such as without limitations NylonTM, SpandexTM polyester, etc. or a
combination thereof.
[0026] The sleeve 12 includes first and second elastic bands 22
and
24 mounted to the sleeve near the lower and upper ends 26 and 28 thereof.
The bands 22 and 24 are made of an elastic fabric similar to the main body of
the sleeve 12 but having a lesser elasticity so as to result in a greater
pressure
on the user's leg (not shown) near the lower and upper ends 26 and 28 . The
elastic bands 22 and 24 contribute to i) holding the sleeve 12 in place on the
leg during movements thereof and ii) preserving the integrity of the sleeve
12.
[0027] According to another embodiment (not shown), the first
and/or second elastic bands 22 and 24 are omitted. According to such another
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04
embodiment, the fabric of the sleeve 12 can be made tighter at anyone or both
of its lower and upper ends.
[0028] The shin protector 18 includes i) a rigid outer layer 30
that is
configured to cover, at least partially, and conform to the shape of a human
shin
(not shown), and ii) a soft padding layer 32, between the outer layer 30 and
the
sleeve 32.
[0029] The rigid and soft layers 30 and 32 are attached together
and
to the sleeve 12 by sewing. According to another embodiment (not shown), any
one of the pairs of rigid and soft layers 30 and 32 and soft layer and sleeve
12
is attached using an adhesive or fasteners.
[0030] The rigid layer 30 is made of polypropylene but is not
limited
to such material and can be made of another material, such as, without
limitations another polymeric material.
[0031] The soft padding layer 32 is made of foam EVA (Ethylene-
Vinyl Acetate) but is not limited to such material and can be made of another
resilient material, such as, without limitations another polymeric material,
rubber, etc.
[0032] The rigid layer 32 is generally shaped to partially
contour the
shin portion of a person's leg and may include patterns thereon for aesthetic
or
marketing purposes.
[0033] According to the illustrated embodiment, the padding
layer 32
extends from the rigid layer 32 from all sides, and this, mainly for comfort
purposes. According to another embodiment, the padding layer 32 has a
contour generally similar than the rigid layer 30 or smaller.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04
[0034] According to still another embodiment, anyone or both of
the
rigid and padding layers 30 and 32 includes opening or grooves therein.
[0035] The knee protector 20 also includes a rigid outer layer
34 and
a soft padding layer 36, but shaped and sized to generally conform to the
shape
of a person's knee (not shown).
[0036] Since the knee protector 20 is similar in construction to
the
shin protector 18, it will not be described herein in more detail for
concision
purposes.
[0037] The general shapes and sizes of the shin and knee
protectors
18 and 20 may differ than illustrated.
[0038] According to another embodiment, anyone of the rigid and
soft layers 30 and 32 is omitted.
[0039] The rigid layer 32 of the shin protector 18 further
includes
upper and lower elongated openings 38-40 and 42-44 on each lateral sides
thereof, that receive respectively upper and lower adjustable straps 46 and
48.
According to another embodiment (not shown), a pair of eyelets or other straps-
receiving elements are provided to receive the straps 46 and 48. According to
still another embodiment, the straps-receiving elements are omitted and the
straps are configured to be attached around the shin protector 18 and sleeve
12. According to a further embodiment, more or less than two straps are
provided or the straps are omitted.
[0040] The shin guard 10 further includes a link 50 between the
shin
and knee protectors 18 and 20, in the form of a band of fabric that is
attached
to both the upper edge 52 of the rigid layer 32 of the shin 18 and to the
lower
edge 54 of the rigid layer 34 of the knee protector 20.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04
[0041] Such as band 50 of flexible material is provided to limit
the
range of movement of the knee protector 20 relative to shin protector 18 and
maintain their relative positioning within a predetermined distance defined by
the height of the band 50. Indeed, since the shin and knee protectors 18 and
20 are not mounted on a same padded support as conventional two-parts shin
guards, the band of fabric 50 allows maintaining a relative positioning of the
protectors 18 and 20.
[0042] The lateral and longitudinal dimensions of the link 50
can be
greater or lesser than illustrated. According to another embodiment, a
plurality
of link element is provided between the shin and knee protectors 18 and 20.
[0043] The dimensions of the sleeve 12, shin and knee protectors
18 and 20, and of the band 50 are generally adapted to the size of a user's
leg.
[0044] In operation, the shin guards 10 is put on like a
stocking and
positioned on a person's leg until the knee protector 20 covers the knee of
the
person (not shown). The straps 46 and 48 are then attached as shown in
Figure 4.
[0045] While the person's move, including while he or she bends
its
knee, the knee protector 20 is free to comfortably move in unison with the
person's knee by the absence of a rigid or semi-rigid link between the shin
and
knee protectors 18 and 20, and this, while the shin protector 18 is firmly
maintained in place on the person's shin.
[0046] Although a shin guard for ball hockey has been described
hereinabove by way of illustrated embodiments thereof, it can be modified. It
is
therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the
illustrative embodiments and that the scope of the claims should not be
limited
by the preferred embodiment but should be given the broadest interpretation
consistent with the description as a whole.
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