EP2641491B1 - Pirate pants type device equipped with padding for knees - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to pants of the corsair type comprising two sleeves intended to cover respectively one leg of the wearer who are equipped with a padding device to protect the knees from impacts and friction.

Activities such as yoga need to be supported on the knees for relatively long periods of time, eventually leading to pain and discomfort.

Indeed, in kneeling position, the weight of the body of the practitioner is supported on a small contact surface by the bony protuberances of the knees that are the patella and tibial tuberosity, more or less prominent according to the position adopted.

To protect the joints of the knees, kneepads dedicated to sports are known which are provided with an elastic sleeve and a protective padding to be placed at the front of the knee.

However, these knee pads have the disadvantage of being long to implement, to be strung and worn under pants to prevent slipping. The size of such a toggle should also be chosen carefully to the risk of causing its movement, wrinkles and friction uncomfortable during practice.

In addition, the use of kneepads can be uncomfortable and unsightly, especially when they are arranged under pants molding type, resulting in too much compression and unpleasant oversize.

To overcome these drawbacks, the document is known US-2009/0293167 yoga pants, each of the two sleeves comprises a padding device formed of several layers of foam and nylon for the protection of the front of the knees of said wearer, said device being associated with the inner face of said sleeve by sewing.

However, these pants are not entirely satisfactory in that the padding device is made in one piece and centered at the patella, not taking into account the relative movements of said pants relative to the body and not offering any tibial tubercle protection that is effective and dissociated from that of the patella.

Pants according to the preamble of claim 1 are described in the document GB 2 154 124 A .

The invention aims to improve the prior art by providing trousers equipped with padding devices arranged to cover the patella and tibial tuberosity differentially and regardless of the position of the wearer and the bending angle of his knees, in order to optimize the distribution of the pressures exerted when said wearer bears on said knees.

For this purpose, the invention proposes trousers of the corsair type comprising two sleeves intended to cover respectively the upper part of a leg of a wearer, each of said sleeves having a free lower edge intended to be disposed under the knee joint and an overlying portion of said knee surmounting said edge, each of said cover portions being provided with a padding device, each of the padding devices comprising an upper patella yoke and a lower tibial yoke for covering respectively the patella and the tibial tuberosity. anterior knee, said pieces being separated by at least one relative deflection zone which is arranged to allow the dissociation of the positioning of said yokes on the knee.

• les figures 1 à 3 sont des représentations schématiques d'un pantalon selon l'invention, respectivement en vue de devant (figure 1), en vue de côté (figure 2) et en vue de derrière (figure 3) ;
• la figure 4 est une représentation schématique en coupe d'une partie de recouvrement de genou du pantalon représenté sur les figures 1 à 3 ;
• la figure 5 est une représentation schématique d'une géométrie d'un dispositif de rembourrage selon l'invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the description which follows, made with reference to the appended figures, in which:

• the Figures 1 to 3 are schematic representations of trousers according to the invention, respectively in front view ( figure 1 ), in side view ( figure 2 ) and in view from behind ( figure 3 );
• the figure 4 is a schematic representation in section of a knee lap portion of the pants shown on the Figures 1 to 3 ;
• the figure 5 is a schematic representation of a geometry of a padding device according to the invention.

In connection with these figures, described below pants 1 corsair type for the practice of activities imposing pronounced supports on said knees, such as yoga.

In the embodiment shown, the pants 1 is made by assembling a front textile panel 2a, a rear textile panel 2b and a belt portion 3, associated along seam lines 4a, 4b, 4c, respectively disposed on the sides of said pants, at the crotch and the waist, said seam lines being preferably flat and extensible for better comfort and a reduction in the thickness of said pants.

The trousers 1 comprise two sleeves 5 having a length such that they cover the upper part of a wearer's leg substantially to below the knees, said sleeves being made of an extensible synthetic material so that said trousers are fitted close to the body. According to one embodiment, the synthetic material is labeled Equarea, promoting the evacuation of heat and perspiration.

In particular, each sleeve 5 has a free lower edge 6 intended to be disposed under the knee joint, an elastic and non-slip strip 7 being fixed to the inner face of said edge so as to adjust and maintain the positioning of said sleeve on the leg of the carrier. Preferably, the holding band 7 is silicone, thus avoiding any risk of irritation with the skin.

In relation to Figures 1 to 3 each of the lower edges 6 is surmounted by a covering portion 8 of the knee whose inner face is equipped with a padding device 9 for protecting the entire face prior to said knee during practice, particularly the areas on which are exerted stresses in the kneeling position.

Each padding device 9 thus comprises two inserts for protecting a protuberance of the knee, namely a superior patellar yoke 10 and a tibial lower yoke 11 which are respectively preformed to fit the patella and tibial tuberosity of a knee of the wearer.

In addition, taking into account the relative movements of the pants 1 relative to the body, a clearance zone 12 is arranged between the two inserts 10, 11 to maintain the elasticity of the textile component of the pants 1 and to allow the dissociation of the positioning said inserts, so that they protect the articular area of the respective knee dedicated regardless of the position of said knee and its bending angle.

To promote the displacement of the two inserts relative to each other vertically during the flexion of the knee in particular, the lower edge of the patellar yoke 10 is dissociated from the covering portion 8.

Thus the patellar yoke 10 is movable at the deflection zone 12, the latter being formed between the upper edge of the tibial yoke 11 and the lower edge of said patellar yoke.

In order to optimize the knee protection surface, the patella yoke 10 and the tibial yoke 11 have a complementary geometry. In relation to the figure 5 , the tibial yoke 11 is triangular in shape, the patellar location 10 being inverted V-shaped so as to complete said tibial yoke by geometric interlocking.

In relation to Figures 1 to 3 , the triangle and V geometries may be slightly rounded to further improve the extent of the knee protection surface.

In particular, the dimensions of the inserts 10, 11 may be proportional to the size of the pants 1 and determined from two kneeling positions in which the bony protuberances are more or less protruding, and this in order to optimize the distribution of pressures.

Advantageously, the inserts 10, 11 are made of a cross-linked polyethylene foam (EV50 for example) whose absorption and resilience properties are adapted to the use constraints generated by the practice of activities such as yoga, requiring crushing said progressive foam and a slow compression dynamic.

Thus the foam has an intermediate resilience, ideally around 20% and less than 60%, for a thickness of about 5 mm and a lift of about 60 kPa, so as to maintain flexibility for its integration into the pants 1. The padding device 9 is integrated in the pants 1 and the foam is suitable for machine washing.

According to the embodiment shown in the figures, the padding devices 9 are integrated during the preparation of the pants 1 to be respectively disposed in a housing 13 formed by the combination of the covering portion 8 with an inner textile liner 14.

Each liner 14 is associated with a covering portion 8 by an upper seam 15a and a lower seam 15b in which are respectively associated the upper edge of the patellar yoke 10 and the lower edge of the tibial yoke 11.

In relation to the figure 5 , showing the position of the seams relative to the two inserts 10, 11, the lower seam 15b is doubled and arranged along the free edge 6 of the sleeve 5.

A third central seam 15c associates the upper edge of the tibial yoke 11 with the covering portion 8 and the inner liner 14 so that said yoke is fixed in a vertical position in the housing 13, without the risk of creasing under the yoke. action of gravity.

Claims (12)

1. Trousers of the capri pants type (1) comprising two sleeves (5) intended to cover respectively the upper portion of a leg of a wearer, with each one of said sleeves having a free lower edge (6) intended to be arranged under the knee joint and a cover part (8) of said knee overlying said edge, each one of said cover parts being provided with a cushioning device (9), each one of the cushioning devices (9) comprises an upper patellar insert (10) and a lower tibial insert (11) intended respectively to cover the patella and the anterior tibial tuberosity of the knee, said trousers being characterised in that said inserts are separated by at least one relative clearance region (12) that is arranged to allow dissociation of positioning of said inserts on the knee.
2. Trousers (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the patellar insert (10) and the tibial insert (11) have a complementary geometry, the clearance region (12) being formed between said inserts.
3. Trousers (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the clearance region (12) is formed between the upper edge of the tibial insert (11) and the lower edge of the patellar insert (10).
4. Trousers (1) according to claims 2 and 3, characterised in that the tibial insert (11) is of triangular shape, the patellar insert (10) having an inverted V shape.
5. Trousers (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the lower edge of the patellar insert (10) is dissociated from the cover part (8).
6. Trousers (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that each cushioning device (9) is arranged on the inner face of a cover part (8).
7. Trousers (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that each sleeve (5) comprises a lining (14) associated with the inner face of the cover part (8) by forming a housing (13) wherein the cushioning device (9) is arranged.
8. Trousers (1) according to claim 7, characterised in that the lining (14) is associated with the cover part (8) by an upper seam (15a) and by a lower seam (15b) which is arranged along the free edge (6).
9. Trousers (1) according to claim 8, characterised in that the upper edge of the patellar insert (10) is associated in the upper seam (15a).
10. Trousers (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the lower edge of the tibial insert (11) is associated in the lower seam (15b).
11. Trousers (1) according to any of claims 8 to 10, characterised in that the upper edge of the tibial insert (11) and the lining (14) are associated with the cover part (8) by a third central seam (15c).
12. Trousers (1) according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that a retaining strip (7) is fastened onto the inner face of the free lower edge (6) of each sleeve (5).

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