Chest Protector

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a catcher's chest protector which includes, among other things, a harness with one strap holding the neck of the chest protector firmly against the neck of the player and a second strap to hold the chest portion of the protector against the chest. The harness is designed to be quickly adjustable and secure for a variety of body sizes and shapes so that the protector can rapidly be switched between different players while still fitting them all well. The catcher's chest protector may also forego any metal or leather components so as to be washable in a fabric care machine for simplified care. The catcher's chest protector may also include a specially designed neck guard designed to hold a cooling liquid or gel against the major blood vessels in the neck to help keep the catcher cool under all their protective gear. Further, the chest protector may also include a cross or other realignment mechanism which can help the pitcher to quickly return their gaze to the strike zone after watching other occurrences such as a potential base stealing runner.

1 . A chest protector comprising: 
 a chest portion, a neck portion, a left shoulder portion, and a right shoulder portion;    a protective collar, attached to said neck portion and in raised relation thereto;    a chest strap having two ends, the first of said two ends being attached to said chest portion, and the second of said two ends having a fastener portion; and    a neck strap having two ends, the first of said two ends being attached to said protective collar, and the second of said two ends having a fastener portion;    wherein said chest strap fastener portion wraps around the torso of a user and attaches to a mating chest fastener portion attached to said chest portion and said neck strap fastener portion wraps around the neck of a said user and attaches to a mating neck fastener portion attached to said protective collar when said chest protector is being worn.    
     
     
         2 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein said protective collar includes at least one area into which a package of cooled material can be placed.  
     
     
         3 . The chest protector of  claim 2  wherein said area comprises a pocket.  
     
     
         4 . The chest protector of  claim 2  wherein said package of cooled material comprises a flexible bag.  
     
     
         5 . The chest protector of  claim 2  wherein said cooled material comprises at least one of a liquid and a gel.  
     
     
         6 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein at least one of said chest strap and said neck strap comprise an elastic material.  
     
     
         7 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein at least one of said chest strap fastener portion, said neck strap fastener portion, said mating chest fastener portion, and said mating neck fastener portion comprise hook and loop fastener.  
     
     
         8 . The chest protector of  claim 1  further comprising a realignment mechanism.  
     
     
         9 . The chest protector of  claim 8  wherein said realignment mechanism comprises material forming a cross having at least four arms.  
     
     
         10 . The chest protector of  claim 9  wherein at least one of said arms comprises at least a portion of said chest strap.  
     
     
         11 . The chest protector of  claim 8  wherein said realignment mechanism is in a color contrasting with the color of said chest portion.  
     
     
         12 . The chest protector of  claim 1  further including padding.  
     
     
         13 . The chest protector of  claim 12  wherein said padding comprises a pelletized material.  
     
     
         14 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein said chest strap can be attached at a plurality of attachment points, attachment at each of said plurality of attachment points resulting in said chest strap fitting a player of a different torso girth.  
     
     
         15 . The neck protector of  claim 1  wherein said neck strap can be attached at a plurality of attachment points, attachment at each of said plurality of attachment points resulting in said neck strap fitting a player of a different neck girth.  
     
     
         16 . A catcher's chest protector comprising: 
 a chest portion, a neck portion, a left shoulder portion, and a right shoulder portion;    a chest strap having two ends, both of said two ends being attached to said chest portion by a flexible attachment.    
     
     
         17 . The catcher's chest protector of  claim 16  wherein at least one of said two ends is sewn to said chest portion.  
     
     
         18 . The catcher's chest protector of  claim 16  wherein at least one of said two ends is attached via a flexible fastener portion to said chest portion.  
     
     
         19 . A chest protector comprising: 
 a chest portion, a neck portion, a left shoulder portion, and a right shoulder portion; and    a realignment mechanism positioned on said chest portion wherein said realignment mechanism draws attention to a predetermined point on said chest portion.    
     
     
         20 . The chest protector of  claim 19  where in said realignment mechanism comprises a cross shape.