Protective Garment

Abstract

The invention provides a protective garment tailored for ice hockey players to safeguard critical areas susceptible to blade injuries. This garment includes a collar, left and right sleeves with specific upper arm and forearm portions, and a torso portion. Strategically integrated portions of cut-resistant polyethylene material are present in the collar and forearm sections. Some embodiments also incorporate other fabrics, such as aramid variants, while non-cut-resistant sections may be made from blends like polyester and spandex.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective sports garment, the garment comprising:
 a collar;   a left sleeve having a left upper arm portion and a left forearm portion;   a right sleeve having a right upper arm portion and a right forearm portion;   a torso portion extending between said left and right sleeves and adjacent to said collar;   wherein the collar and said left and right forearm portions are formed of a cut-resistant material, one or more of the collar, left forearm, and right forearm portions comprising polyethylene as the cut-resistant material.   
     
     
         2 . The protective garment of  claim 1 , wherein said polyethylene is ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         3 . The protective garment of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the cut-resistant portions comprise or are reinforced by an aramid fabric. 
     
     
         4 . The protective garment of  claim 3 , wherein the aramid fabric is selected from the group consisting of Nomex®, Kevlar®, and Twaron®. 
     
     
         5 . The protective garment of any of  claim 1 , wherein said torso portion and said left and right upper arm portions are made from a non-cut-resistant material. 
     
     
         6 . The protective garment of  claim 5 , wherein said non-cut-resistant material comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of spandex, polyester, synthetic, microfiber, nylon, and polypropylene fabrics. 
     
     
         7 . The protective garment of  claim 6 , wherein said non-cut-resistant fabric comprises a blend of 80-90% polyester and 10-20% spandex. 
     
     
         8 . The protective garment of  claim 6 , wherein said non-cut-resistant fabric is a blend comprising about 85% polyester and about 15% spandex. 
     
     
         9 . The protective garment of  claim 1 , further comprising a placket extending through said collar and a yoke of said torso portion, wherein said placket facilitates donning and removal of said protective garment. 
     
     
         10 . The protective garment of  claim 9 , wherein said placket includes hook and loop fasteners for transitioning between an open and closed position. 
     
     
         11 . The protective garment of  claim 9 , wherein said placket further includes one or more selected from the group consisting of buttons, zippers, studs, buckles, snap fasteners, and eyelets for transitioning between the open and closed positions. 
     
     
         12 . The protective garment of  claim 1 , wherein said left and right upper arm portions comprise high friction gripping elements on their outer surfaces. 
     
     
         13 . The protective garment of  claim 12 , wherein said gripping elements comprise silicon dots. 
     
     
         14 . The protective garment of  claim 1 , further comprising cuffs on said left and right sleeves formed of a non-cut-resistant material. 
     
     
         15 . The protective garment of  claim 14 , wherein said cuffs on said left and right sleeves form thumbholes.