Abstract: This invention concerns a protective body vest for protecting against impact upon a human torso when worn by an athlete during sporting activities. The invention comprises a multi-section one piece garment comprising of a vest sized and shaped to be worn on the torso of an athlete. The vest comprises of an hour glass simulated shaped shoulder portion with oversized apertures for the arms, a front portion, a pair of side portions and a back tapered design back portion. The front and back portions being sized and shaped in a tapered design. The invention further utilizes an offset opening located off a center axis of the vest to protect vital body parts. The invention further utilize an overlap to protect the body areas below the offset opening.

Abstract: A waterproof thermal insert for outdoor sport pants which is sewn into the rear of a pair of pants from the belt line to the region between the middle of the thigh to the back of the knee, from each outside seam to inside seam, and from the inside seam to the crotch. The insert is composed of three layers: (1) an outside layer of water repellant, closed cell foam neoprene; (2) a middle layer of a synthetic, thermal insulating fabric, such as Outlast.RTM. Zermatt; and (3) a soft, flexible material, such as polar fleece. The three layers are sewn together. If additional protection is desired at the sewn seams, the seams may be heat sealed with an overlay of thermoplastic tape. Alternatively, the insert may be composed of two layers: (1) an outside layer of water repellant, closed cell foam neoprene; and (2) an inner layer of a composite fabric combining a synthetic, thermal insulating material with a soft, flexible material, viz., Outlast.RTM. Glacier or Outlast.RTM. Glenpile.

Abstract: Expansible sport protective body pouches for torso and extremities are disclosed that dissipate impact energy away from the body by expanding and compressing at predesigned rates when subjected to the forces of impact trauma. Comprised of anatomically-shaped two layer expansible protective pouches, and removable replaceable internal impact deceleration control components, the design allows individual deceleration control elements; foam impact dispersant replaceable inserts with impact deceleration-body heat venting apertures, and replaceable penetration resistant impact trauma shields with impact deceleration control-body heat venting apertures, to be inserted or removed from the replaceable expansible protective pouch. The expansible protective pouch is constructed of various cloth material combinations selected by the wearer; internal impact deceleration control element materials are also a plurality wearer option.

Abstract: A jockey jacket actuates upon sensing a particular event, such as the jockey falling from the horse during a race. A series of air tracks are inflated by a gas generator to pump up a series of air-pockets, mini-airbags, and a collar protection region, preferably with a series of concentric circular cylinders which expand and provide resistance to motions that are transverse to the concentric axis. A plurality of caps are telescopically disposed within the tracks and are forced upwards by the injected gas. These caps form a column that, together with the other columns and a support member Within the jacket collar, forms an exoskeleton around the jockey's neck. A base webbing provides support for the columns. The jacket includes microelectronics to control the jacket actuation. The jacket is usable for other activities, such as motorcycling.

Abstract: A protective pad worn under the trousers, hooked to the trousers or belt, for protecting skaters from spinal injury when falling. The pad has a substantially rigid central flat panel curved at the bottom to conform to the human form and a hook at the top for clipping to the trousers. A foamed synthetic resin member covers the front of the central panel and a high density foamed synthetic resin member covers the rear. The central panel and foamed members are encased in a fabric sheath. The hook protrudes through the fabric sheath. The central panel and front and rear foamed members are perforated by ventilation holes. A gel filled cushion provides additional shock absorbency.

Abstract: An improved rigid safety-vest structure intended for general use in hazardous-construction environments, such as encountered by trench and tunnel workers. Sudden cave-in situations are said by the U.S. Federal-agency O.S.H.A. to tragically take many lives annually to insidious suffocation, attributable to simple impairment of a workers'upper-abdomen/thorax region by suddenly surrounding cave-in earth. The notion of the HardJacket.TM. being to prevent these fatalities, by providing the worker a light-weight aerated upper-torso safety-vest within which an earthen immobilized worker can maintain their vital breathing action, -while efforts are being made to bodily extricate them. The disclosure includes a three-paneled frontally opening self-donning structure fabricated with an interlaced metal truss-structure, preferably enveloped in a bright-colored aerating nylon-fabric; plus a generic-variant embodiment, formed of inner and outer rigid-skins separated by a rigid foam-core interior.

Abstract: A crotch cushion (20) for bicycle riders includes a right buttock seat (22) having a first upwardly facing concave surface (24), and a laterally opposite left buttock seat (26) having a second upwardly facing concave surface (28). An upwardly facing trough (30) is connected between right buttock seat (22) and left buttock seat (26). In a preferred embodiment, padding (40) covers crotch cushion (20). First (24) and second (28) upwardly facing concave surfaces are contoured to accept the lower right and left medial buttocks respectively of a human, and thereby transfer the rider's weight away from the central crotch and onto the buttocks. Trough (30) provides stress relief for the perineal region of a human.

Abstract: A protective pant for use in a contact sport comprises an outer shell, a back padded region, an upper padded member, right and left leg padded members and a check pad. The outer shell includes an upper region, a left leg region and a right leg region. The upper region includes a front side, a right side, a left side and a rear side. The back padded region is associated with the rear side of the upper region and includes multiple back padded members positioned in a substantially vertical orientation. The upper padded member is slidably movable and overlayingly positioned relative to the right and left leg padded members. The check pad is operably associated with the outer shell.

Abstract: An armor with rollers is provided that enables a user to move in all positions by rolling on a hard and smooth surface while constantly varying his bearing points on the ground. The armor includes a pair of gauntlets extending from beyond the user's hand to the user's elbow and having rollers at both ends thereof. The armor also includes a pair of rigid leg pads having rollers near the user's knees.

Abstract: The invention relates to a back protector (1) for a motorcyclist, the object of which is to take up the impacts the motorcyclist's back side is exposed to in case of an accident and to protect against abrasions caused by the ground surface. The back protector (1) according to the invention comprises a protective part (3), shoulder straps (4) and fastening means (5) for fastening the back protector (1) to driving trousers (2). The first ends of the shoulder straps (4) are fastened to the upper end of the protective part (3). The second ends of the shoulder straps (4) are fastened to the front side waistband of the driving trousers (2) by the fastening means (5). On the other hand, the lower end of the protective part (3) is fastened to the back side waistband of the driving trousers (2) by the fastening means (5). The back protector (1) according to the invention is easy to put on, comfortable to wear and it serves both as a protector against falling and as a brace.

Abstract: An impact absorbing garment is shown having a number of inflatable compartments attached to the garment. A source of pressurized gas is mounted to a manifold assembly also attached to the garment. The manifold assembly includes internal passageways connecting a gas inlet that receives gas from the source of pressurized gas to a gas outlet. Tubing attached to the garment connects the manifold assembly gas outlet to the inflatable compartments. The manifold assembly also houses a gas release valve. A toggle link mechanism supported within the manifold assembly provides a mechanical advantage by reducing the force required to maintain the gas release valve in a closed position against high pressure gas at the gas inlet. An electric solenoid moves a slide member to release the toggle link mechanism and open the gas release valve when an electrical circuit is closed between the solenoid valve and an electrical power source attached to the garment.

Abstract: A spine protector comprising a garment formed of a stretch-type material to provide a close fit about the trunk of a wearer is disclosed, the garment including means for receiving and retaining an elongate segmented member in a position substantially along the median line of the dorsal panel of the garment, whereby the garment, when worm, holds the segmented member tightly against the spine of the wearer. The elongate segmented member comprises a generally linear array of segments configured so as to allow said member to flex in the manner of a human spinal column.

Abstract: A radiation-attenuating garment which includes a main body portion covering the chest and thighs of a user, and a pair of flexible securing straps designed to wrap snugly around the user's lower back and abdomen to form a support segment. During use, variable degrees of lumbar/abdominal compression and support are obtained by circumferentially adjusting the support segment. This additionally results in a transference of the weight of the garment from the shoulders to the hips.

Abstract: A device for preventing or reducing the incidence or intensity of pain occurring in a region of the body of a wearer, includes insulating material (2) which is arranged to be worn in conformity and close proximity with the body region. The insulating material has at least one layer (14) for reducing heat loss from the body region by convection and at least one reflective layer (13) for reducing heat loss from the body by radiation, whereby a targeted local warming effect is achieved in the body region such that the skin and underlying musculoskeletal structures are in such an active state that they can function properly to provide a clinical benefit to the body region.

Abstract: A garment for protecting the hip and coccyx area while roller blading without inhibiting the freedom of maneuverability. It comprises a generally triangular garment worn over the derriere increasing in thickness from the sides to the center and tapering down between the legs. Straps around the upper legs and waist secure it to the user.

Abstract: A lower body garment apparatus for a patient, which protects a lower region of the patient while facilitating dress, undress and accessibility to the lower region of said patient, with minimal movement and reorientation of said patient, to, in turn, minimize the risk of trauma and injury to the patient, comprises a front panel, an encircling panel, two attachment members and a padded member. The front panel includes two side edges and covers a lower front region of a patient. The encircling panel includes two side edges and likewise extends around at least one of a right and left hip region and at least a portion of a lower rear region of a patient. Attachment members releasably attach the front panel side edges to the encircling panel at either side edges of the encircling panel.

Abstract: A decubitus pad system includes a peripheral padding positionable about a decubitus ulcer. The padding has an interior layer and an exterior layer. The interior layer has a plurality of foam supports secured thereto. The padding has a plurality of openings formed through the interior layer and the exterior layer adjacent to the foam supports whereby the plurality of foam supports surrounding each of the plurality of openings whereby the plurality of openings are positioned over a bedsore of a patient.

Abstract: A sport protector includes a chest-and-back protector, two shoulder guards and two arm guards. The chest-and-back protector and the arm guards have elastic paddings provided with air apertures and small air holes in walls of each air aperture for air to flow out so as to disperse shock in addition to absorb shock at the same time. Further, the air apertures are useful for heat produced by the body of a user to escape out, furnishing comfort to the user in wearing the protector. Besides, a reinforcing plate is respectively added on an outer side of the chest-and-back protector and the arm guards to increase endurable force against shock.

Abstract: The invention provides a personally-worn system for security and combat units, comprising modular, interchangeable, load-bearing front and back panels having predesignated pouch arrangements integrally formed therewith, the front and back panels being interchangably secured to each other via interconnecting shoulder straps. The load-bearing panels are each further provided with interconnection means for optional releasable attachment of front or back body armour panels to an inner-facing surface thereof, and each of the body armour panels, when attached to the load-bearing panels, is secured to the body of the wearer by means of the respective load-bearing panel to which it is attached.

Abstract: A garment for use by a wearer when seated comprises a waist band with a rectangular pad depending downwardly from the rear of the waist band having a width to extend around the rear of the wearer and a depth to extend downwardly beyond the crotch of the wearer. On an inner or front surface of the pad is provided a utility pocket with a bottom edge of the pocket at the bottom edge of the pad and a pocket arranged centrally with a top edge of the pocket below the crotch of the wearer so that the pocket is presented forwardly between the legs of the wearer when the wearer is seated. On the outside of the pad is provided a transparent plastic cover defining a pocket for receiving printed information such as a sports logo with the upper edge of the pocket at the waist band so that the pocket is closed by pulling the waist band around the waist of the wearer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a protective gear having a primary front protective pad and a rear protective pad, the front and rear pads being flexibly connected to one another and being adjustable relative to one another. This allows the primary front protective pad to extend to a greater or lesser extent downwardly over the player's abdomen, so as to accommodate the desired positioning of the front protective pad on the player's body. The protective gear also has arm sections that are adjustable in length to permit desired positioning on the player's arms. In a variant, the protective gear of the invention also has an adjustable secondary front pad which is attached to the primary front pad and the rear pad and which is configured to cover the player's upper chest and clavicle areas. The protective gear according to the invention is particularly useful for ice hockey players and particularly goaltenders.

Abstract: The protective brace is worn by a figure skater to prevent impact borne bone bruising resulting from one or more falls of the skater on the ice. The brace has a semi-rigid, resilient plastic shell. The latter has a generally rectangular web defining a longitudinal axis and having two downwardly oriented, wide, curved extensions at the respective extremities of the longitudinal axis. The shell has a lower and an upper tongue integrally and orthogonally extending from the middle of the web respectively downwardly and upwardly. The shell is molded to fit a particular skater, the web resting on the lombo-sacral area of the back of the skater and molded so as to position the longitudinal axis partially around the hips, the two curved extensions projecting downwardly from the hips over the thighs, the lower tongue straddling over the coccygeal section of the spine and the upper tongue extending over the lombo-thoracic section of the spine.

Abstract: A substantially flat, wearable cushion (10) that a baby carries behind the head. The cushion (10) comprises a substance having impact absorbency (18) that is covered by a wrapper (20). Its corners are rounded and its size is wide enough to surround the baby's head and shoulders and long enough to hold two shoulder straps (12). Shoulder straps (12) are stretchable to ease the baby's arms into the device. Cushion (10) is supported behind the baby's head without any elements that visually or physically protrude around or upon the baby's head. If the baby slips, its head, as well as its neck and shoulders, will fall against cushion (10).