Two-way protective pad construction

Abstract

A protective pad including a rigid shell bounded by a perimeter and a gasket engaging the perimeter so that forces applied to the shell are dissipated through the gasket before transferring to a wearer of the protective pad. The rigid shell cooperates with the gasket to provide a trampoline effect or two way spring. This effectively absorbs shock from forces generated by the opponent, so that the wearer and a colliding opponent both encounter reduced forces. The shell can bow outwardly to form a cavity above the wearer when the gasket is placed adjacent the wearer, which can prevent the rigid shell from bottoming out against the wearer upon impact. The protective pad can be implemented in a thumb protector including a stopper disposed between adjacent rigid shells covering proximal and distal portions of a digit. The stopper can engage the shells and effectively prevent hyperextension of the digit.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A protective pad comprising:
 a rigid shell having a concave interior surface, the rigid shell bounded by a shell edge around a shell perimeter immediately adjacent the shell edge;   a gasket constructed from a high density compliant material, the gasket including an outer gasket perimeter and an opposing inner gasket perimeter, the gasket including an upper surface and a lower surface joined by an outer gasket edge, the gasket including an inner gasket edge opposite the outer gasket edge, the gasket upper surface transitioning to a boundary wall located between the inner gasket edge and the outer gasket edge, the gasket including a support shelf that is transverse to the boundary wall and that transitions toward the inner gasket edge;   a shell recess defined by the gasket and extending around the inner gasket perimeter of the gasket, the shell recess cooperatively bounded by the boundary wall and the support shelf, the shell recess opening upward, with the shell perimeter disposed in the shell recess; and   an inner layer joined with the gasket and positioned adjacent the lower surface of the gasket, the inner layer separated from the concave interior surface of the rigid shell so that a cavity is formed therebetween, the inner layer being configured in an untensioned state,   wherein the rigid shell and gasket are configured so that forces of impact transferred from an impacting player to the rigid shell are transferred through the shell perimeter substantially entirely to the gasket to absorb the shock imparted by the force of impact, thereby decreasing the potential for injury to a wearer of the protective pad and the impacting player.   
     
     
         2 . The protective pad of  claim 1  comprising a cushion layer disposed above the convex exterior surface of the rigid shell and joined with the rigid shell. 
     
     
         3 . The protective pad of  claim 1  wherein the upper surface of the gasket terminates at the boundary wall, without extending over the support shelf and the shell recess, wherein the boundary wall extends downwardly from the upper surface to the support shelf. 
     
     
         4 . The protective pad of  claim 1  wherein the support shelf extends to the inner gasket edge, and wherein the boundary wall extends to the upper surface of the gasket. 
     
     
         5 . The protective pad of  claim 1  wherein the gasket outer edge at least one of abuts and is disposed adjacent the boundary wall, and wherein the concave interior surface engages the support shelf, but is not bonded to the support shelf, around the shell perimeter, and wherein the inner layer includes a lower surface, with the gasket being distal from the lower surface. 
     
     
         6 . The protective pad of  claim 1  wherein the shell perimeter is stitched to the gasket through the support shelf. 
     
     
         7 . The protective pad of  claim 1  comprising a cushion layer atop a convex exterior surface of the rigid shell, wherein the cushion layer includes an upper surface, wherein the cushion layer is disposed in the shell recess. 
     
     
         8 . The protective pad of  claim 7  wherein the upper surface of the cushion layer is generally coplanar with the upper surface of the gasket. 
     
     
         9 . The protective pad of  claim 1  wherein the shell edge is disposed in the shell recess but offset a distance from the boundary wall. 
     
     
         10 . The protective pad of  claim 1  wherein the rigid shell is constructed from plastic, the gasket is constructed from high density foam, and the inner layer is constructed from low density foam. 
     
     
         11 . A protective pad comprising:
 a rigid shell cap bounded by a perimeter and an outer edge, the rigid shell cap having an interior surface and an exterior surface;   an outer cushion layer disposed over the rigid shell cap; and   a gasket including an upper surface and defining an upwardly opening inner gasket perimeter recess bounded by a boundary wall and a support shelf that are transverse to one another, the upper surface terminating at the boundary wall so that the upper surface of the gasket extends outwardly away from the support shelf, without extending over the inner gasket perimeter recess;   wherein the outer edge of the rigid shell cap abuts the boundary wall,   wherein the interior surface of the rigid shell cap engages the support shelf of the gasket,   wherein the rigid shell cap bows outwardly above a wearer when the gasket is placed adjacent the wearer,   wherein the rigid shell cap transfers a force applied by an opponent to the rigid shell cap through the gasket to a wearer of the pad to absorb shock associated with the force,   whereby the rigid shell cap cooperates with the gasket to provide a trampoline effect to absorb shock from a force generated by the opponent, so that the wearer of the pad and the opponent both encounter a reduced amount of the force.   
     
     
         12 . The protective pad of  claim 11  wherein the outer edge of the rigid shell cap engages the boundary wall and transfers at least a portion of the forces through the boundary wall to the gasket. 
     
     
         13 . The protective pad of  claim 12  wherein at least one of the perimeter and the outer edge is stitched to the gasket. 
     
     
         14 . The protective pad of  claim 11  wherein the inner gasket perimeter recess is an open face recess, wherein the outer edge of the rigid shell cap is located in the recess without being overlapped on an exterior surface by the gasket, wherein the rigid shell cap exterior surface remains uncovered by the gasket. 
     
     
         15 . The protective pad of  claim 11  comprising an inner layer of low density compliant material extending in a substantially un-tensioned state under the rigid shell cap, from a first side of the gasket to a second side of the gasket, wherein the rigid shell cap exterior surface remains uncovered by the gasket. 
     
     
         16 . The protective pad of  claim 11  comprising an inner layer of low density com pliant material disposed below the rigid shell cap, wherein the cavity is located between the inner layer and the interior surface of the of the rigid shell cap, wherein the inner layer is joined with the gasket and configured to prevent the rigid shell cap interior surface from engaging the inner layer and the wearer. 
     
     
         17 . The protective pad of  claim 11  wherein the gasket extends laterally away from the outer edge at least 10 mm, wherein the support shelf is at least 3 mm thick, and wherein the gasket is constructed from a high density foam having a density of at least 0.05 grams per cm 3 . 
     
     
         18 . A method for absorbing shock caused by an opponent applying a force to a wearer of a protective pad, the method comprising:
 placing a protective pad adjacent a wearer, the protective pad including a rigid shell bounded by a perimeter and an outer edge, the rigid shell cap having an interior surface, an outer cushion layer disposed over the rigid shell cap, and a gasket defining an upwardly opening inner gasket perimeter recess having a boundary wall and a support shelf, the outer edge at least one of adjacent and abutting the boundary wall, the interior surface engaging the support shelf, the rigid shell cap bowing outwardly so as to form a cavity above a wearer when the gasket is placed adjacent the wearer,   applying a force from the opponent to the wearer through the protective pad;   transferring applied force from the rigid shell cap substantially only through the perimeter and the outer edge of the rigid shell directly to the gasket;   absorbing the shock generated by the applied force by way of the rigid shell cooperating with the gasket to provide a trampoline effect so that the wearer and the opponent both encounter a reduced amount of the force.   
     
     
         19 . A glove comprising:
 a thumb member,   a protective pad joined with the thumb member, the protective pad comprising:   a gasket constructed from a high density foam padding, the gasket including an upper surface and defining a first upwardly opening inner gasket recess bounded by a first boundary wall and a first support shelf that are generally transverse to one another, the gasket defining a second upwardly opening inner gasket recess bounded by a second boundary wall and a second support shelf that are generally transverse to one another, the first upwardly opening inner gasket recess and the second upwardly opening inner gasket recess separated from one another by a gap;   a stopper disposed within the gap and separated from the first and second support shelves, the stopper joined with the gasket at a zone of flexure, the stopper and gasket being of a monolithic single piece construction,   a proximal rigid shell disposed within the first upwardly opening inner gasket recess, the proximal rigid shell including a first contact surface facing toward the stopper;   a distal rigid shell disposed within the second upwardly opening inner gasket recess, the distal rigid shell including a second contact surface facing toward the stopper;   wherein the protective pad is operable in a flexed mode when a digit in the thumb member is flexed, the first contact surface of the proximal rigid shell and the second contact surface of the distal rigid shell moving away from the stopper in the flexed mode,   wherein the protective pad is operable in an extended mode when a digit in the thumb member is extended, the first contact surface of the proximal rigid shell and the second contact surface of the distal rigid shell moving toward and engaging the stopper in the extended mode to prevent the digit from hyperextending.   
     
     
         20 . The glove of  claim 19  wherein the proximal and distal rigid shells articulate away from one another in the flexed mode, wherein the gasket dynamically flexes within the zone of flexure in the flexed mode. 
     
     
         21 . The glove of  claim 19  wherein the gasket includes a gasket base, wherein the stopper is joined with the gasket base, wherein the stopper is constructed in the form of an arch that arches over a user's digit within the thumb member. 
     
     
         22 . The glove of  claim 19  wherein the proximal rigid shell includes an exterior surface, wherein the stopper includes an exterior surface, wherein the stopper exterior surface is positioned above the rigid shell exterior surface when the protective pad is in the extended mode. 
     
     
         23 . The glove of  claim 19  wherein the proximal rigid shell includes a forward edge and the stopper includes a rearward engagement surface, wherein the forward edge engages the rearward engagement surface of the stopper in the extended mode, but disengages the rearward engagement surface of the stopper in the flexed mode. 
     
     
         24 . The glove of  claim 23  wherein the distal rigid shell includes a rearward edge and the stopper includes a forward engagement surface, wherein the rearward edge engages the forward engagement surface of the stopper in the extended mode, but disengages the forward engagement surface of the stopper in the flexed mode. 
     
     
         25 . A glove comprising:
 a thumb member;   a protective pad joined with the thumb member, the protective pad comprising:   a gasket including a first gasket recess and a second gasket recess separated from one another by a gap, the gasket including a proximal portion and a distal portion movably joined with one another;   a proximal rigid shell disposed in the first gasket recess, the proximal rigid shell including a first engagement surface;   a distal rigid shell disposed in the second gasket recess, the distal rigid shell including a second engagement surface; and   a stopper joined with the gasket and disposed in the gap, the stopper disposed between the first and second engagement surfaces,   wherein the first and second engagement surfaces engage the stopper when the pad reconfigures from a flexed mode to an extended mode to prevent a user's digit in the thumb protector from hyperextending.