Protective assembly for a human torso to be worn during a contact sport

Abstract

A protective torso assembly to be worn by a player engaged in a contact sport, includes an outer protective member assembly including left and right front chest members having upper recessed segments and left and right arch members having frontal portions coupled to the chest members by flexible couplers such that said frontal portions overlie the upper recessed segments. When the protective torso assembly is in a neutral state, a first reference point of the frontal portion of the left arch member is positioned a first distance from a second reference point of the recessed segment of the left chest member. When the protective torso assembly is in an extended state, the left arch member pivots about the recessed segment of the left chest member, whereby the first reference point is positioned a second distance from the second reference point, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

1 . A protective torso assembly to be worn by a player engaged in the play or practice of a contact sport, the protective torso assembly comprising:
 an outer protective member assembly including: (i) a left front chest member having an upper recessed segment, (ii) a right front chest member having an upper recessed segment, (iii) a left arch member having a frontal portion that is coupled to the chest member by a flexible coupler assembly such that said frontal portion overlies the upper recessed segment of the left chest member; and (iv) a right arch member having a frontal portion that is coupled to the chest member by a flexible coupler assembly such that said frontal portion overlies the upper recessed segment of the right chest member;   an inner energy attenuation assembly releasably connected to the outer protective member assembly;   wherein when the torso protective assembly is in a neutral state, a first reference point of the frontal portion of the left arch member is positioned a first distance from a second reference point of the recessed segment of the left chest member; and   wherein when the torso protective assembly is in an extended state, the left arch member pivots about the recessed segment of the left chest member, whereby the first reference point is positioned a second distance from the second reference point, the second distance being greater than the first distance.   
     
     
         2 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein in the extended state, an external region of the frontal portion of the left arch member resides external to (outward of) the recessed segment of the left member. 
     
     
         3 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 2 , wherein in the extended state, an internal region of the frontal portion of the left arch member resides internal to (inward of) the recessed segment of the left member. 
     
     
         4 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein in the neutral state, a first frontal interface region is formed by the frontal portion of the left arch member overlying the upper recessed segment of the front member. 
     
     
         5 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 4 , wherein in the extended state, a second frontal interface region is formed by the frontal portion of the left arch member overlying the upper recessed segment of the front member, and wherein the second interface region has dimensions that are less than dimensions of the first interface region. 
     
     
         6 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the dimensions of the first frontal interface region define a surface area of the first interface region and the dimensions of the second frontal interface region define a surface area, and wherein the surface area of the second frontal interface region is less than the surface areas of the first frontal interface region. 
     
     
         7 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first reference point is located at a lowermost edge of the frontal portion of the left arch member. 
     
     
         8 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the first reference point is located at a midpoint of the lowermost edge of the frontal portion of the left arch member. 
     
     
         9 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the second reference point is located at a side wall of the recessed segment of the left chest member. 
     
     
         10 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the second reference point is located at a midpoint of the side wall of the recessed segment of the left chest member. 
     
     
         11 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the left and right front chest member includes a side wall that provides a transition between the recessed segment and a main segment of the chest member that is not recessed. 
     
     
         12 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the left and right front chest member includes a side wall that defines a corrugation between the recessed segment and a main segment of the chest member that is not recessed. 
     
     
         13 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer protective member assembly also includes: (v) a left rear back member having an upper recessed segment that is coupled to a rear portion of the left arch member by a flexible coupler assembly such that said rear portion of the left arch member overlies the upper recessed segment of the left rear back member, and (vi) a right rear back member having an upper recessed segment that is coupled to a rear portion of the right arch member by a flexible coupler assembly such that said rear portion of the right arch member overlies the upper recessed segment of the right rear back member. 
     
     
         14 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 13 , wherein in the extended state, an external region of the rear portion of the left arch member resides outward of the recessed segment of the left rear back member. 
     
     
         15 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 14 , wherein in the extended state, an internal region of the rear portion of the left arch member resides inward of the recessed segment of the left rear back member. 
     
     
         16 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 13 , wherein in the neutral state, a first rear interface region is formed by the rear portion of the left arch member overlying the upper recessed segment of the rear back member. 
     
     
         17 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 16 , wherein in the extended state, a second rear interface region is formed by the rear portion of the left arch member overlying the upper recessed segment of the rear back member, and wherein the second rear interface region has dimensions that are less than dimensions of the first rear interface region. 
     
     
         18 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the dimensions of the first rear interface region define a surface area of the first rear interface region and the dimensions of the second rear interface region define a surface area, and wherein the surface area of the second rear interface region is less than the surface areas of the first rear interface region. 
     
     
         19 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the left arch member includes a raised inner edge collar, and wherein the inner energy attenuation assembly includes a left upper pad member with an upwardly extending inner lip member that resides inwardly adjacent to the raised inner edge collar. 
     
     
         20 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer protective member assembly is formed from a spatial data collection, processing and fitment system that utilizes best fit concepts to select at least one of said members of the outer protective member assembly. 
     
     
         21 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the inner energy attenuation assembly is formed from a spatial data collection, processing and fitment system that utilizes best fit concepts to select at least one pad of the inner energy attenuation assembly. 
     
     
         22 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer protective member assembly is formed from a spatial data collection, processing and fitment system that utilizes custom fit concepts to design, fabricate and select at least one of said members of the outer protective member assembly. 
     
     
         23 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the inner energy attenuation assembly is formed from a spatial data collection, processing and fitment system that utilizes custom fit concepts to design, fabricate and select at least one pad of the inner energy attenuation assembly. 
     
     
         24 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner energy attenuation assembly comprises foam pads that are formed from a molding process. 
     
     
         25 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner energy attenuation assembly includes a left front chest pad with a recess that receives an extent of the left front chest member in the neutral state. 
     
     
         26 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the left arch member includes an internal recess, wherein a substantial extent of said internal recess is occupied by a left arch pad member of the inner energy attenuation assembly. 
     
     
         27 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupler assembly includes a flexible link and a plurality of connector pins, wherein first and second connector pins couple a lower end of the flexible link to an inner surface of the recessed segment of the left front chest member and a third connector pin couples an upper end of the flexible link to an inner surface of the left arch member. 
     
     
         28 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 27 , wherein in the neutral state, the frontal portion of the left arch member obscures from view the location where the first and second connector pins couple the lower end of the flexible link to the recess segment of the left front chest member. 
     
     
         29 . The protective torso assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the flexible link is flexible band formed from a polyester material with one of a TPU or PVC coating, and wherein the flexible band: (i) undergoes elongation from a first length to a second length when the torso protective assembly moves from the neutral state to the extended state, and (ii) then returns to its first length when the torso protective assembly moves from the extended state to the neutral state.