Goal post pad with flat sides and removable display plates

Abstract

A pad is designed to be easily attachable about the lower portion of a football goal post by virtue of a longitudinal split extending throughout its entire length allowing the pad to be flexed apart at the split to be installed over the goal post. The pad has internal padding that may consist of closed-cell foam or any flexible batting to provide suitable padding to cushion the post so that collisions by football players and referees do not result in injury. In the preferred embodiment, the periphery of the inventive pad has a square cross-section including four flat sides, each extending the entire vertical length of the pad. Each flat surface includes an attachment device such as VELCRO® fastener allowing releasable attachment of an elongated plate that may bear advertising indicia.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a goal post pad with flat sides and removable display plates. In the prior art, pads designed to be used to protect football players from injury when running into goal posts are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,875 to Doyle, U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,724 to Rottman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,941 to Pease, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,882 to Wagner each teach the concept of a goal post pad. In each patent, however, the goal post pad has a generally cylindrical cross-section and has no flat surfaces on which a removable plate can be affixed carrying advertising display. The present invention distinguishes from the teachings of these patents as contemplating a goal post pad having at least one flat surface and, preferably, four flat surfaces in a square cross-section to allow releasable affixation of up to four plates, each of which may carry display advertising.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a goal post pad with flat sides and removable display plates. The present invention includes the following interrelated objects, aspects and features:

[0003] (1) In a first aspect, the present invention contemplates a pad designed to be easily attachable about the lower portion of a football goal post. For this purpose, in the preferred embodiment, one face of the inventive pad has a longitudinal split extending throughout its entire length allowing the pad to be flexed apart at the split to be installed over the goal post.

[0004] (2) The pad itself has internal padding that may consist of closed-cell foam or any flexible batting to provide suitable padding to cushion the post so that collisions by football players and referees do not result in injury. The pad includes a flexible cover made of a material such as plastic, cloth or rubber.

[0005] (3) In the preferred embodiment, the periphery of the inventive pad has a square cross-section including four flat sides, each extending the entire vertical length of the pad. Each flat surface includes attachment means allowing releasable attachment of an elongated plate that may bear advertising indicia. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attachment means may consist of hook and pile fastening means known by the well known Trademark VELCRO®. The plates are preferably made of metal or plastic.

[0006] As such, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a goal post pad with flat sides and removable display plates.

[0007] It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device in which the pad has a square cross-section including four flat sides related to one another by a perpendicular relationship.

[0008] It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide such a device in which display plates are removably affixed to each flat side of the pad through the use of any desired fastening means.

[0009] It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a device in which the fastening means consists of hook and pile fastening means known by the well known Trademark VELCRO®.

[0010] These and other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the present invention with two of the display plates omitted to show detail.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a front view of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 4 shows a front view of the present invention with the display plate facing in the view removed.

[0015] FIG. 5 shows a rear view of the present invention with the display plate facing removed to show the longitudinal split allowing assembly of the pad to a goal post.

[0016] FIG. 6 shows a top view similar to that of FIG. 3 but with the display plates removed.

[0017] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] With reference, first, to FIGS. 1-3, the inventive pad is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and is seen to include an elongated square cross-section body 11 having four sides 13, 15, 17 and 19. As seen in FIG. 5, the side 17 has a longitudinal split 21 that extends its entire length. The split 21 is provided so that the pad 10 can be flexed at the area of the split 21 to allow it to be assembled over a goal post 1 as seen in FIG. 7. The sides 13, 15, 17 and 19 comprise a flexible covering 14 (FIG. 7) made of a material such as plastic, cloth or rubber.

[0019] The body is preferably substantially rigid while being sufficiently flexible enough to permit removable installation on a goal post as explained above.

[0020] With reference back to FIG. 1, the pad 10 includes a hole or passageway 23 that extends the length of the pad 10 as also seen in FIG. 7.

[0021] As also shown in FIG. 1, each of the faces of the pad 10 have fastening means at the side edges thereof. In the example of the face 13, two elongated strips 25 and 27 are provided, which are representative of the strips located on the other faces. (See also FIGS. 4 and 6). In the preferred embodiment, each of the strips consists of one-half of a hook and pile fastening means, well known by the Trademark VELCRO®. The strips 25 and 27 may comprise either the hook half or the pile half of the VELCRO® fastener.

[0022] With further reference to FIG. 1, plates 28 are seen to include an outer face 29 and an inner face 31. As shown in FIG. 1, the inner face 31 includes elongated strips 33 and 35 which consist of the other half of the hook and pile fastening means provided so that the halves engage one another when the plate 28 is placed over one of the sides 13, 15, 17 or 19 of the pad 10 to releasably fasten the plate 28 thereon.

[0023] As seen in FIG. 2, indicia 37 is provided on the face 29 of the plate 28 to provide an advertising display that is quite prominently situated on a football field during the playing of a football game.

[0024] With reference to FIG. 7, the goal post 1 is seen to be surrounded by the pad 10 with its closed-cell foam interior 12. Again, as explained above, any desired padding material may be suitably employed.

[0025] The plates 28 may be made of any suitable material such as plastic or any desired metal such as, for example, aluminum.

[0026] As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects of the invention as set forth hereinabove, and provides a new and useful goal post pad with flat sides and removable display plates of great novelty and utility.

[0027] Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof.

[0028] As such, it is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A resilient pad comprising:

a) an elongated body having an axis of elongation and a passageway extending along said axis an entire length of said pad;

b) said body having an outer surface with at least one flat area thereon;

c) said body being filled with a resilient material extending between said outer surface and an outer periphery of said passageway.

2. The pad of claim 1, said body having an elongated split extending said entire length and from said outer surface of said body to said outer periphery of said passageway.

3. The pad of claim 1, wherein said at least one flat area comprises a plurality of flat areas.

4. The pad of claim 3, wherein said body has a square cross-section with four flat sides.

5. The pad of claim 1, further including a flat plate removably mounted over said at least one flat area.

6. The pad of claim 5, further including attachment means for removably attaching said flat plate to said flat area.

7. The pad of claim 6, wherein said attachment means comprises hook and pile fastening means.

8. The pad of claim 5, further including advertising indicia on a face of said plate.

9. The pad of claim 1, wherein said resilient material comprises closed-cell foam.

10. The pad of claim 7, wherein one-half of said hook and pile fastening means is mounted on said body and another half thereof is mounted on said plate.

11. The pad of claim 5, wherein said plate is made of metal.

12. The pad of claim 5, wherein said plate is made of plastic.

13. The pad of claim 4, further including a flat plate mounted over each of said flat sides.

14. A resilient pad comprising:

a) an elongated body having a square cross-section, an axis of elongation and a passageway extending along said axis an entire length of said pad;

b) said body having an outer surface with four flat areas thereon;

c) said body being filled with a resilient material extending between said outer surface and an outer periphery of said passageway;

d) said body having an elongated split extending said entire length and from said outer surface of said body to said outer periphery of said passageway; and

e) a flat plate removably mounted over each of said flat areas.

15. The pad of claim 14, further including attachment means for removably attaching said flat plates to said flat areas.

16. The pad of claim 15, wherein said attachment means comprises hook and pile fastening means.

17. The pad of claim 14, further including advertising indicia on a face of at least one of said plates.

18. The pad of claim 14, wherein said resilient material comprises closed-cell foam.

19. The pad of claim 14, wherein one-half of said hook and pile fastening means is mounted on said body and another half thereof is mounted on a said plate.

20. The pad of claim 14, wherein said plates are made of a material chosen from the group consisting of metal and plastic.