Athletic gear with a printed cover

Abstract

An article of athletic gear, such as an article of protective athletic equipment (e.g., a leg pad, an arm pad, shoulder pads, a chest protector, or a protective glove), wearable by a user and comprising a core (e.g., comprising protective padding) and a cover that is disposed on the core and comprises synthetic material and a printed image (e.g., a digitally-printed image) on the synthetic material.

1 - 55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . A method for making an article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment wearable by a hockey goalkeeper to protect a given one of a leg and a hand of the hockey goalkeeper, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment being one of: a goalkeeper leg pad wearable on and configured to protect the leg of the hockey goalkeeper; and a goalkeeper blocker or catcher wearable on and configured to protect the hand of the hockey goalkeeper, the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment comprising: protective padding configured to be wider than the given one of the leg and the hand of the hockey goalkeeper; and an outer cover including an outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment, the method comprising:
 a) digitally printing on at least part of the outer cover such that the outer cover comprises digitally-printed graphics; and   b) placing the outer cover on the protective padding.   
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein: the outer cover comprises a digitally-printed layer including the digitally-printed graphics; and the method comprises applying a transparent protective layer over the digitally-printed layer after the digitally printing. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the transparent protective layer is thinner than the digitally-printed layer. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein a thickness of the digitally-printed layer is at least twice a thickness of the transparent protective layer. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the outer cover comprises:
 a base; and   a covering disposed on the base and including the digitally-printed graphics.   
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the covering is adhesively bonded to the base. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the covering is chemically bonded to the base. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the base comprises foam. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the base comprises molded material defining a shape of the outer cover. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 64 , wherein the molded material comprises molded foam. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 64 , wherein the covering is bonded to the molded material after molding of the molded material. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the covering comprises a plurality of separate covering pieces which include respective portions of the digitally-printed graphics and which are assembled together and affixed to the base. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics occupy at least a majority of a surface area of a front of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics span at least a majority of a length of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics span at least a majority of a width of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics extend from a first edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment to a second edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment that is opposite to the first edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment in a widthwise direction of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein: the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is the goalkeeper leg pad; the first edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is a lateral edge of goalkeeper leg pad; the second edge of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is a medial edge of goalkeeper leg pad; the goalkeeper leg pad comprises an edge projection at the lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad; and the digitally-printed graphics extend from the edge projection at the lateral edge of the goalkeeper leg pad to the medial edge of the goalkeeper leg pad. 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein: the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is the goalkeeper leg pad; the goalkeeper leg pad comprises an upper leg portion configured to overlie an upper leg region of the leg of the hockey goalkeeper, a knee portion configured to overlie a knee of the leg of the hockey goalkeeper, a lower leg portion configured to overlie a lower leg region of the leg of the hockey goalkeeper, and a foot portion extending transversally and forwardly relative to the lower leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad and configured to overlie a skate of the hockey goalkeeper; and the digitally-printed graphics are disposed in at least two of the upper leg portion, the knee portion, the lower leg portion, and the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 73 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics are disposed at least in the upper leg portion and the lower leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 73 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics are disposed at least in the upper leg portion, the lower leg portion, and the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 73 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics are disposed in the upper leg portion, the knee portion, the lower leg portion, and the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 73 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics are disposed in at least one of the upper leg portion, the knee portion, and the lower leg portion of the goalkeeper leg pad and in the foot portion of the goalkeeper leg pad. 
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the outer cover comprises digitally-printed sheet material including the digitally-printed graphics and extending over an entirety of the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein: the outer cover comprises digitally-printed sheet material including the digitally-printed graphics; and the article of hockey-goalkeeping equipment is free of material sewn over the digitally-printed sheet material. 
     
     
         80 . The method claim  1 , wherein the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is free of stitching through the digitally-printed graphics. 
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is free of stitching adjacent to the digitally-printed graphics. 
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is free of stitching. 
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is free of lacing extending through the outer cover and the digitally-printed graphics. 
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the outer cover comprises fibers. 
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein: the outer cover comprises a fiber-based layer including the fibers and a polymeric layer distinct from the fiber-based layer; and the digitally-printed graphics are digitally printed on the polymeric layer. 
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein: the outer cover comprises a digitally-printed layer including the digitally-printed graphics; and the method comprises affixing a graphical element over the digitally-printed layer such that the graphical element constitutes part of the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         87 . The method of any claim  1 , wherein: the outer cover comprises underlying material beneath the digitally-printed graphics; and the digitally-printed graphics cover a molded curved part of the underlying material. 
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the outer cover comprises molded recesses overlying the digitally-printed graphics. 
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 88 , wherein respective ones of the molded recesses are spaced from one another in a longitudinal direction of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment and a widthwise direction of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 88 , wherein the molded recesses impart a texture of the outer cover such that the outer cover is textured. 
     
     
         91 . The method of  claim 56 , comprising receiving data indicative of a desired design for the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment over a network, wherein the digitally-printed graphics are in accordance with the desired design for the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment. 
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 91 , wherein the desired design for the outer surface of the article of protective hockey-goalkeeping equipment is specified by the hockey goalkeeper using a computing device of the hockey goalkeeper connected to the network. 
     
     
         93 . A method for making a pair of goalkeeper leg pads for a hockey goalkeeper, the goalkeeper leg pads being wearable on legs of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the legs of the hockey goalkeeper, each goalkeeper leg pad comprising: protective padding configured to be wider than a given one of the legs of the hockey goalkeeper protected by the goalkeeper leg pad; and an outer cover including an outer surface of the goalkeeper leg pad, the method comprising:
 a) digitally printing on at least part of the outer cover such that the outer cover comprises digitally-printed graphics; and   b) placing the outer cover on the protective padding.   
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 93 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics of a left one of the goalkeeper leg pads and the digitally-printed graphics of a right one of the goalkeeper leg pads are visually combinable to form a visual continuation of one another. 
     
     
         95 . The method of  claim 93 , wherein the digitally-printed graphics of a left one of the goalkeeper leg pads depict a left part of an object and the digitally-printed graphics of a right one of the goalkeeper leg pads depict a right part of the object that is visually combinable with the left part of the object to visually form the object.