United States Patent
US Patent 5952078: Athletic guard including energy absorbing…
US 5952078 · granted 1999-09-14
Abstract
An athletic guard shaped to fit against a body part is provided for protecting the body part from injury. The athletic guard includes an energy absorbing laminate structure. The laminate structure includes a first array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles. A second array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles are cross-plied at an angle with respect to the first array of fiber bundles, and laminated to the first array of fiber bundles in the absence of adhesives or bonding agents. First and second polymeric films are bonded to outer surfaces of the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles without penetration of the films into the fiber bundles or through the laminate from one side to the other. A sufficient amount of film resides between the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles to adhere the first and second arrays of fiber bundles together to form the laminate structure.
| Patent Number | 5952078 |
|---|---|
| Title | Athletic guard including energy absorbing laminate structure |
| Filed | 1998-01-28 |
| Granted | 1999-09-14 |
| Inventor(s) | Park; Andrew D. |
| Number of Claims | 23 |
Abstract
An athletic guard shaped to fit against a body part is provided for protecting the body part from injury. The athletic guard includes an energy absorbing laminate structure. The laminate structure includes a first array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles. A second array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles are cross-plied at an angle with respect to the first array of fiber bundles, and laminated to the first array of fiber bundles in the absence of adhesives or bonding agents. First and second polymeric films are bonded to outer surfaces of the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles without penetration of the films into the fiber bundles or through the laminate from one side to the other. A sufficient amount of film resides between the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles to adhere the first and second arrays of fiber bundles together to form the laminate structure.
Claim 1
An athletic guard shaped to fit against a body part for protecting the body part from injury, and comprising an energy absorbing laminate structure, said laminate structurecomprising: (a) a first array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles; (b) a second array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles cross-plied at an angle with respect to said first array of fiber bundles, and laminated to said first array of fiber bundles in the absence of adhesives or bondingagents; and (c) first and second polymeric films bonded to outer surfaces of said laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles without penetration of said films into said fiber bundles or through the laminate from one side to the other,whereby a sufficient amount of film resides between the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles to adhere the first and second arrays of fiber bundles together to form the laminate structure.
Claims
23 totalAn athletic guard shaped to fit against a body part for protecting the body part from injury, and comprising an energy absorbing laminate structure, said laminate structurecomprising: (a) a first array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles; (b) a second array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented fiber bundles cross-plied at an angle with respect to said first array of fiber bundles, and laminated to said first array of fiber bundles in the absence of adhesives or bondingagents; and (c) first and second polymeric films bonded to outer surfaces of said laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles without penetration of said films into said fiber bundles or through the laminate from one side to the other,whereby a sufficient amount of film resides between the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles to adhere the first and second arrays of fiber bundles together to form the laminate structure.