Protective pad assembly with elastic band and securing components for garment

Abstract

A protective pad assembly for releasably attaching to a garment. The protective pad assembly comprises an inner member adapted to be disposed inside the garment, two inner securing components mounted to the inner member and provided to be disposed inside the garment, an outer member provided to be disposed outside the garment, and two outer securing components mounted to the outer member and provided to be disposed outside the garment. The outer member includes an elastic band member attached to the two outer securing components. A distance between the outer securing components of the elastic band member in a relaxed state is less than a distance between the two inner securing components mounted to the inner member. The distance between the two outer securing components of the elastic band member in a stretched state is equal to the distance between the two inner securing components mounted to the inner member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective pad assembly for releasably attaching to a garment worn by a user of the protective pad assembly for positioning substantially over one of an elbow and a knee of the user, the protective pad assembly comprising:
 an inner member provided for engaging the one of the elbow and the knee of the user, the inner member adapted to be disposed inside the garment and aligned with the one of the elbow and the knee of the user;   two inner securing components mounted to the inner member and provided to be disposed inside the garment;   an outer member provided to be disposed outside the garment in alignment with the inner member; and   two outer securing components mounted to the outer member and provided to be disposed outside the garment;   the outer securing components and the inner securing components configured to be releasably attractable to each other;   the outer member including an outer elastic band member provided with the two outer securing components attached to the outer elastic band member;   the outer elastic band member being stretchable between a relaxed state and a stretched state.   
     
     
         2 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein each of the inner securing components is a magnetically attractive element, wherein each of the outer securing components is a magnetically attractive element, and wherein the outer magnetically attractive elements and the inner magnetically attractive elements are magnetically attractable to each other. 
     
     
         3 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 2 , wherein one of the inner magnetically attractive elements and the outer magnetically attractive elements include a magnet for magnetically attracting the inner and outer members together. 
     
     
         4 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the other one of the inner magnetically attractive elements and the outer magnetically attractive elements also include a magnet. 
     
     
         5 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the other one of the inner magnetically attractive elements and the outer magnetically attractive elements are ferromagnetic parts that are not magnets. 
     
     
         6 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein one of the inner securing components and the outer securing components are female members, wherein the other one of the inner securing components and the outer securing components are male members, wherein the outer securing components and the inner securing components are configured to be releasably mechanically mated to the male member with the garment worn by the user captured therebetween, and wherein each of the female members includes a socket, and each of the male members includes a plug configured to be inserted into the socket and releasably mechanically mated to the female member. 
     
     
         7 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the plug of the male member and the socket of the female member are configured to releasably mechanically mate with one another to capture the garment therebetween to prevent slippage of the garment relative to the releasably mechanically mated male and female members. 
     
     
         8 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the plug of the male member is attached to a corresponding plug plate, and wherein the socket of the female member is attached to a corresponding socket plate. 
     
     
         9 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the plug of the male member and the socket of the female member are configured to include a clearance therebetween when releasably mechanically mated with one another, the clearance being configured to receive and capture the garment. 
     
     
         10 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the inner member is a flexible inner protective pad made of an impact absorbing, flexible cushioning material. 
     
     
         11 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 10 , wherein each of the inner securing components is secured directly to the inner protective pad. 
     
     
         12 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the inner protective pad has two holes therethrough, wherein inner member includes two looped elastic bands each extending through one of the holes through the inner protective pad, and wherein each of the inner securing components is secured to one of the two looped elastic bands so that the outer magnetically attractive elements on the elastic band member are disposed adjacent to a convex outer surface of the inner protective pad. 
     
     
         13 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the inner protective pad has two holes therethrough, wherein inner member includes an inner elastic band member extending through the two holes through the inner protective pad, and wherein each of the inner securing components is secured to the inner elastic band member so that the inner securing components on the inner elastic band member are disposed adjacent to a convex outer surface of the inner protective pad. 
     
     
         14 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the outer member includes solely the outer elastic band member. 
     
     
         15 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the outer member further includes an outer protective pad made of hard or semi-hard material, and wherein the outer elastic band member is mounted to the outer protective pad. 
     
     
         16 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 15 , wherein the outer protective pad has two holes therethrough, and wherein the outer elastic band member extends through each of the holes through the outer protective pad so that the two outer securing components on the elastic band member are disposed adjacent to a concave inner surface of the outer protective pad. 
     
     
         17 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the outer member further includes an outer protective pad made of an impact absorbing, flexible cushioning material, and the outer elastic band member is mounted to the outer protective pad. 
     
     
         18 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 17 , wherein the outer protective pad has two holes therethrough, and wherein the outer elastic band member extends through each of the holes through the outer protective pad so that the two outer securing components on the outer elastic band member are disposed adjacent to a concave inner surface of the outer protective pad. 
     
     
         19 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the two inner securing components are disposed adjacent to distal ends of the inner member, and wherein each of the two outer securing components are disposed adjacent to distal ends of the outer elastic band member. 
     
     
         20 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 2 , wherein one of the inner magnetically attractive elements and the outer magnetically attractive elements includes a magnet for magnetically attracting the inner and outer members together, and wherein the magnet is secured to the outer elastic band member by a fastener through a ferromagnetic inner washer and an outer washer. 
     
     
         21 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 20 , wherein the other one of the inner magnetically attractive elements and the outer magnetically attractive elements includes a recessed cup forming a recessed cavity, and wherein the magnet is geometrically complementary to the recessed cavity of the recessed cup. 
     
     
         22 . The protective pad assembly as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a distance between the two outer securing components of the outer elastic band member in the relaxed state is less than a distance between the two inner securing components mounted to the inner member, and wherein the distance between the two outer securing components of the outer elastic band member in the stretched state is equal to the distance between the two inner securing components mounted to the inner member.