AU3876401A - Kneepad - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant: KNEEON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD A.C.N. 067 574 690 Invention Title:

KNEEPAD

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2

KNEEPAD

The present invention relates to a protective padding for use on joints on the body but particularly for protection of the knee.

Kneepads are regularly used in protecting elbows and knees during sporting and leisure activities such as roller blading and gardening. Tradespersons such as carpenters also use kneepads for repeatedly kneeling on hard surfaces.

Traditional protective kneepads comprise rigid pad members fitted to the knee with straps above and below the knee.

This has been found to be uncomfortable for the wearer as the straps tend to dig into the wearer's flesh when the knee is bent. The rigidity of the pad member does not allow the kneepad to bend with the knee and thereby causes the straps to dig into the back of the knee. Whilst it has been found that less rigid pads meliorate comfort, there is still sufficient pull on the straps to cause discomfort to the wearer.

Variations of the traditional kneepad include providing a single strap designed to wrap around the leg just below the back of the knee. Whilst this design has proved moderately successful, there is some discomfort and inconvenience with the strap slipping if not taut or gathering behind the leg.

The present invention intends to overcome the above problems by providing a kneepad that is comfortable to wear at all times and that will firmly remain on the leg.

According to the present invention, there is provided a kneepad comprising: an elongate member formed from an elastomeric material adapted to cover the front of a knee, the member having a front surface and a rear surface; and substantially rigid arms extending from lower side portions of the elongate member and rearwardly of the member such H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 3 that, in use, the arms grip around a wearer's leg below the knee extending only partly around the leg.

According to the present invention there is further provided a kneepad comprising: an elongate member formed from an elastomeric material adapted to cover the front of the knee, the member having a front surface, a rear surface and two side portions; and a plurality of substantially rigid arcuate arms extending from a lower half of each side portion and rearwardly of the elongate member such that, in use, the arms grip around the wearer's leg below the knee extending only partly around the leg.

The arms are preferably curved to grip around a leg. There are preferably a plurality of parallel arms extending laterally of the elongate member, and more preferably three arms. Cushioning pads can be provided on the ends of the arms to increase comfort for the wearer.

Preferably, the front surface of the elongate member is convex whereas the rear surface is concave to accommodate the shape of the knee. The elongate member is preferably formed with an outer layer, a middle layer and an inner layer fixed together. The arms are preferably an extension **25 of the middle layer which is formed of a substantially .rigid material such as polyvinyl chloride. The outer layer is preferably semi-rigid and typically made from medium density polyurethane. The inner layer is a cushion made from natural rubber or the like.

The front surface further preferably comprises a series of flexible individual segments defining an arc in an upper portion of the elongate member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment, incorporating all aspects of the invention, H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 4 will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a rear view of the kneepad according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the kneepad; Figure 3 is a front view of the kneepad; Figure 4 is a side sectional view of the kneepad; and Figure 5 is a top sectional view of the kneepad at section of figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE

INVENTION

A kneepad 10 as illustrated in the figures comprises a main, elongate pad member 11 with a front surface 12 and a 20 rear surface 13 and having substantially rigid, curved arms 14 extending rearwardly from each side 15 of the pad member 11 and from a lower portion of member 11. Specifically, there are three curved arms extending rearwardly from the sides 15 of the pad member. Webbing 17 between the arms and pad member 11 reinforce the structural rigidity of the arms 14. The kneepad 10 is adapted to fit over a knee with the arms 14 wrapping around the leg immediately below the knee. However, the arms only extend partly around the leg leaving the back of the leg clear and unencumbered resulting in greater comfort and flexibility for the wearer. The arms are biased towards each other and have sufficient flexibility to allow them to be pulled slightly apart to fit the kneepad onto a leg. The pressure exerted by the biased arms on the leg is sufficient to ensure the kneepad does not slip but remains comfortably on the leg.

The elongate pad member 11 is curved to conform to the H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 5 shape of a knee. The front surface 12 is therefore convexed and the rear surface 13 concaved. An upper section 18 of the pad member 11 fits neatly over the knee and leg immediately above the knee whilst a lower section 19 surrounds the front lower leg below the knee. Further to being curved to fit the circumferential shape of the leg, the upper section 18 is also inclined rearwardly by approximately 150 to provide more coverage to the knee and the area immediately above the knee. This inclination is apparent from Figures 2 and 4. The inclination of upper section 18 is such to provide maximum protection to the knee when the leg is bent or straight but is not too far inclined to cause the upper edge 20 of upper section 18 to 0:0.

dig into the wearer's leg when it is straight. As seen in Figure 5, the curvature of arms 14 follow on from the o curvature of pad member 11 more or less according to the circumferential shape of a leg. The cross-sectional curvature of the kneepad is in fact slightly smaller than the circumferential shape of the leg on which it is 20 intended to be fitted because the arms are required to exert a degree of pressure on the leg for the kneepad to remain firmly in position. Since not all legs are the same size, it is envisaged that the kneepad will be manufactured in a range of curvature sizes to fit most legs. Circular pads 30 are provided on the end of each arm 14 to increase comfort and prevent arms 14 from digging into the wearer's flesh. Pads 30 further have contact surfaces with an adequate degree of friction to assist the kneepad to remain in place on the leg.

Pad member 11 comprises three separate layers having a different material, construction and purpose: the outer layer 22, which defines the front surface, is formed from medium density polyurethane; the middle layer 23 is formed from a hard polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride; and the soft inner layer 24, which defines the rear surface 13, is a natural rubber or other soft material. The layers are H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 6 glued together by conventional means. Arms 14 are an extension of hard middle layer 23. Middle layer 23 takes the form of the curved elongate protection pad which covers the front of the leg with the arms 14 and webbing 17 extending rearwardly from a lower portion 26 of the middle layer 23. The material of the rigid middle layer provides sufficient flexibility to enable the arms to be separated when fitting and apply sufficient pressure on a leg to prevent the kneepad from slipping. The frictional resistance of the rigid material itself contributes in preventing slippage.

Semi-rigid outer layer 22 provides a stable and protective work platform that avoids uncomfortable rocking experienced when wearers of hard shell kneepads kneel on a surface.

The semi-malleable face conforms, to some extent, to the o work surface. As seen in Figures 2 and 3 front surface 12 S* includes a series of ridges 27 along the upper section 18.

Ridges 27 run horizontally on convexed front surface 12.

20 The lower section 19 of front surface 12 includes a planar rectangular section 28 provided centrally of the lower section 19. Ridges 27 are also provided on either side of planar section 28 but are wider and flatter than the ridges of the upper section 18. The combination of ridges and planar section allow the pad to compensate for uneven S. kneeling surfaces and will assist in stability for the wearer. The semi-rigid front surface further contains frictional characteristics which allow the kneepad to grip and reduce sliding when worn on inclined or slippery surfaces. The semi-rigid outer layer in combination with the rigid middle layer provides a wearer with a high level of protection for the knee.

The soft inner layer acts to directly protect the knee by absorbing impacts to the kneepad. Foam padding can be incorporated in the inner layer to enhance its dampening effects. Since kneepads are frequently worn on bare knees H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 7 the inner layer provides a comfortable contact surface against the knee and leg area immediately above and below the knee.

When standing, the kneepad will cover the wearer's entire knee region as well as the leg immediately above and below the knee. Since the kneepad is fitted to a leg immediately below the knee, it remains aligned with the knee and leg immediately below the knee when kneeling. Therefore, whether the wearer is standing or kneeling the kneepad protects the knee and parts of the leg most prone to injury. The absence of retaining straps or arms around the leg above the knee eliminates discomfort of straps or arms pulling against the back of the knee experienced during 15 kneeling when the upper section 18 of pad member 11 moves .*oo naturally away from the upper leg. Furthermore, given that the arms extend only partly around the leg, the back of the leg is left free and unimpeded significantly improving comfort and circulation to the wearer's leg.

S It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

For the purposes of this specification it will be clearly understood that the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to", and that the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning.

H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01

Claims (19)

1. A kneepad comprising: an elongate member formed from an elastomeric material adapted to cover the front of a knee, the member having a front surface and a rear surface; and substantially rigid arms extending from lower side portions of the elongate member and rearwardly of the member such that, in use, the arms grip around a wearer's leg below the knee extending only partly around the leg.

2. The kneepad claimed in claim 1 wherein the arms are arcuate in shape to enable gripping around a wearer's leg.

3. The kneepad claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein a plurality of parallel arms extend from each lower side portion of the elongate member. 20

4. The kneepad claimed in claim 3 wherein three parallel arms extend from each lower side portion of the elongate member.

The kneepad claimed in any one of the preceding 25 claims wherein cushioning pads are provided on the ends of the arms to contact the wearer's leg.

6. The kneepad claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the front surface of the elongate member is convex and the rear surface is concave to accommodate the shape of a knee.

7. The kneepad claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the elongate member is formed with an outer layer, a middle layer and an inner layer.

8. The kneepad claimed in claim 7 wherein the arms H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 9 are an extension of the middle layer.

9. The kneepad claimed in claims 7 or 8 wherein the middle layer is formed from a substantially rigid material.

The kneepad claimed in claim 9 wherein the substantially rigid material is polyvinyl chloride.

11. The kneepad claimed in claim 7 wherein the outer layer is formed from a semi-rigid material.

12. The kneepad claimed in claim 11 wherein the semi- rigid material is medium density polyurethane.

13. The kneepad claimed in claim 7 wherein the inner layer is formed from an impact absorbent material.

14. The kneepad claimed in claim 13 wherein the impact absorbent material is natural rubber.

The kneepad claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the front surface comprises a series of flexible individual segments defining an arc in an upper portion of the elongate member.

16. The kneepad claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein webbing between the arms and elongate member structurally reinforces the kneepad.

17. A kneepad comprising: an elongate member formed from an elastomeric material adapted to cover the front of the knee, the member having a front surface, a rear surface and two side portions; and a plurality of substantially rigid arcuate arms extending from a lower half of each side portion and rearwardly of the elongate member such that, in use, the H:\Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01 4 10 arms grip around a wearer's leg below the knee extending only partly around the leg.

18. The kneepad claimed in claim 17 wherein three arms extend in parallel from each lower side portion.

19. A kneepad substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. Dated this 2 0 t h day of April 2001 KNEEON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys 15 GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia o..oo S H: \Shonal\Keep\Speci\P41896 KNEEPAD 20/04/01