SHOULDER PAD

Abstract

An elongate pad made out of a compressible material for providing a cushioning effect to a strap or handle is disclosed. The elongate pad has a plurality of tubular cavities. Each cavity is positioned in the interior of the pad and extends from one end of the pad to the other end. The pad is typically used with an optional cover that substantially encloses the pad and provides a space for a strap to pass through. In one embodiment, the pad has a cross section in the shape of a section of an ellipse, and its longitudinal axis may be curved to better conform to the torso of a user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application may include subject matter related to one or more of the following commonly-owned United States patent applications, each of which was filed on even date herewith, claims the benefit of, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/343,090, filed Apr. 24, 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to shoulder pads. More particularly the invention relates to shoulder pad cushioning material.

BACKGROUND

The use of straps for carrying bags, back packs, golf bags, vehicle seat belt and the like are pervasive in a multitude of commercial products. Many of these products include shoulder pads that are attached to the strap in a manner such that a cushioning material installed in the shoulder pad is positioned between the strap and the user's body at points where the pressure caused by the strap on the user is most prominent. The cushioning material often is a pad of soft resilient material that is held in place by a covering that slidingly fits on the strap. Other designs have the shoulder pad molded out of a material that both provide a cushioning effect and have openings that allow it to be attached to the strap.

Various improvements to these basic designs have been proposed. One approach has the cushioning pad constructed with hollow ribs made of rubber or a pliable plastic that runs the length of the pad. Another approach uses ribs, but has the ribs extending transverse to the pad's longitudinal axis. Still another approach uses circular and/or hollow cylinders running through the length of a foam rubber pad. When a load is placed on these pads, the ribs or cylinders compress, thereby providing a cushioning effect.

Some of these devices are relatively expensive to manufacture and are appropriate only for premium products. Others have only a limited cushioning effect. There is a need for an inexpensive cushioning device that may be produced inexpensively and provides a superior cushioning effect.

SUMMARY

The shoulder pad invention presented herein describes the design and construction of padding used in backpacks, luggage, or similar products that are carried over the shoulder or by hand to provide user comfort. The padding is used in conjunction with a strap, handle or is sewn into and substantially captured by surrounding materials.

The innovation described is a foam or rubber pad manufactured by extrusion or other manufacturing processes that creates a shape that has tubular cavities formed within the interior of the foam or rubber shape that extend from one end of the pad to the other end. In other embodiments, the cavities may be in the form of other geometric shapes or thin slots. These cavities reduce weight, increase perceived softness of the material, as well as increase the bendability of the shape. These cavities also allow the product to return back to the original shape after being compressed.

The foam or rubber pad typically has a cover, but may be captured by and sewn into surrounding materials. The pad may also be sewn directly onto a strap or handle.

The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate longitudinal and transverse sectional views of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1D illustrates a top view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate longitudinal and transverse sectional views of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2D illustrates a top view of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3B and 3C illustrate longitudinal and transverse sectional views of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3D illustrates a top view of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A illustrates a perspective view of the padded shoulder pad with a covering.

FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of a detail of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A illustrates a sectional view of the padded shoulder pad of embodiment one with a covering; the section taken transverse to the longitudinal axis of embodiment one as illustrated in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5B illustrates a sectional view of the padded shoulder pad of embodiment one with a covering; the section taken along the longitudinal axis of the first embodiment at an end as illustrated in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of the padded shoulder pad with a covering applied to a backpack.

FIG. 6B illustrates a perspective view of a detail of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates a perspective view of the padded shoulder pad with a covering applied to a carrying bag handle.

FIG. 7B illustrates a perspective view of a detail of FIG. 7A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, the terms top, bottom, left and right refer to the figure where each reference applies. The same numeral is used to denote the same part in different views. If more than one similar object occurs in a figure, only one may be indicated on the figure by a numeral.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment 100 of the present invention. FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrated sectional views of first embodiment 100 taken in longitudinal and transverse directions respectively as indicated in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1D illustrates a top view of first embodiment 100 with longitudinal axis L1.

Referring to FIGS. 1A through 1D, first embodiment 100 is comprised of an elongate extruded pad 102 having a transverse cross section (illustrated in FIG. 1C) of extruded pad 102 substantially the shape of a segment of an ellipse. First embodiment has a left end 105L and a right end 105R. Elongate extruded pad 102 is made of a compressible material. In one embodiment, the compressible material is foam. In other embodiments, the compressible material may be made of rubber, polystyrene, polyethylene, neoprene, and any other suitable compressible material.

Included in extruded pad 102 are tubular cavities 106 and 108 running parallel to longitudinal axis L1 extending from left end 105L to right end 105R. Also included in first embodiment 100 is an optional rectangular shaped cavity 104 with the longitudinal axis of rectangular shaped tubular cavity 104 parallel to longitudinal axis L1 of extruded pad 102. In other embodiments, the cavities may be in the form of other geometric shapes or thin slots. Cavities 106 and 108 provide “negative space”. These cavities reduce weight, increase perceived softness of the material, as well as increase the bendability of the shape for comfort. These cavities also allow the form to return back to the original shape after being compressed. The optional rectangular shaped cavity 104 is included to allow a stiffening material such as cardboard or a semi-rigid metal or plastic pad to be added to extruded pad 102. Another use of rectangular shaped cavity 104 is as a pass-though opening for a strap to be threaded through the hole in the pad. Only three cylindrical cavities are indicated in embodiment 100, however the actual number may vary, depending on the application.

FIGS. 2A through 2D illustrate a second embodiment 200 of the current invention. In this embodiment, multiple cavities 206 have a circular cross section. However, cavities 208 are also included with an approximately triangular cross section.

FIGS. 3A through 3D illustrate a third embodiment 300. A difference between embodiment 300 and the previous embodiments is that the longitudinal axis L3 is curved; this is best seen by the top view of FIG. 3D. FIG. 3D illustrates a particular shape of curved longitudinal axis L3; however, other curved shapes are considered within the scope of the inventive concept presented herein.

Three alternate embodiments 100, 200 and 300 have been presented above. Variations of these embodiments, such as different shapes, sizes, and counts for the cavities are considered within the scope of the inventive concept presented herein. For example, the cross sectional shape as illustrated in FIGS. 1C, 2C and 3C may deviate from the shape of an ellipse segment; the tubular cavities may not extend the full length of the pad, and the end of the pads may be tapered.

FIG. 4A illustrate embodiment 100 with a cover 400 installed on a flat shoulder strap S. A sectional view of FIG. 4A transverse to longitudinal axis L1 is illustrated in FIG. 5A, and a sectional view of FIG. 4A along longitudinal axis L1 at an end 105R of embodiment 100 is illustrated in FIG. 5B. FIG. 4B illustrates a partial cutout view of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A illustrates a sectional view of first embodiment 100 with an attached covering 400, the view taken transverse to the longitudinal axis L1. Referring to FIG. 5A, covering 400 is comprised of a bottom component 402, a top component 404 and two side binding components 406L and 406R. Side binding components 406L and 406R attach bottom component 402 to top component 404, leaving a space 412 that allows a flat strap (not shown in FIG. 5A) to pass through. Covering 400 serves several purposes; it provides a pleasant appearance; it provides structural stability to embodiment 100, and it permits embodiment 100 to be attached to a strap. Also shown in FIG. 5A is a semi-rigid material 408 such as cardboard installed in rectangular shaped tubular space 104.

FIG. 5B illustrates a sectional view of first embodiment 100 with an attached covering 400, the view taken along longitudinal axis L1 at end 403R of cover 400. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, bottom component 402 of covering 400 tapers towards top component 404 of covering 400, but leaves an opening 405R so that strap S may pass through it.

FIG. 6A illustrates embodiment 300 attached to a backpack BP. In FIG. 6A, cover 400 is installed with essentially the same construction as in FIG. 5A. However, in FIG. 6A, embodiment 300 and cover 400 are curved to comfortably accommodate a user's torso. FIG. 6B illustrates a cutout detail of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates embodiment 100 with cover 400 attached to a carrying bag CB. FIG. 7B illustrates a cutout detail of FIG. 7A.

The disclosure presented herein gives multiple embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are to be considered as only illustrative of the invention and not a limitation of the scope of the present invention. Various permutations, combinations, variations, and extensions of these embodiments are considered to fall within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A cushioning pad device comprising:

an elongate pad of a compressible material, wherein the elongate pad has a longitudinal axis, a first end and a second end, a top and a bottom, the elongate pad having a plurality of cavities, wherein each cavity is positioned interior to the elongate pad, extends from the first end of the elongate pad to the second end of the elongate pad, and runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate pad.

2. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 wherein the compressible material is selected from the group consisting of: foam, rubber, polystyrene, polyethylene, neoprene, or other suitable material.

3. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 wherein a transverse cross section of the elongate pad has a shape substantially that of a segment of an ellipse.

4. The cushioning pad device of claim 3 wherein the transverse cross section of the elongate pad has a shape substantially that of a segment selected from the group consisting of: rectangle, circle, or any geometric shape.

5. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 further comprising a rectangular tubular cavity positioned interior to the elongate pad, extending from the first end of the elongate pad to the second end of the elongate pad, and having a longitudinal axis that runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate pad.

6. The cushioning pad device of claim 5 wherein the rectangular tubular cavity is positioned and sized to accommodate a stiffening material.

7. The cushioning pad device of claim 5 wherein the rectangular tubular cavity is positioned and sized to serve as a pass through opening for a strap to be threaded.

8. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of cavities has a cross section shape selected from the group consisting of: circular, triangular, square, rectangular, or any geometric shape.

9. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 further comprising a cover, the cover having a cover first end and a cover second end, the cover substantially enclosing the top and bottom of the elongate pad, the cover having openings at the cover first end and the cover second end sized and positioned to allow a flat strap to pass through, the cover being further configured and sized to fit snugly around the elongate pad and such that a flat strap fits snugly between the elongate pad and the cover.

10. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 having a curved shape along the longitudinal axis of the elongate pad.

11. The cushioning pad device of claim 1 wherein the elongate pad is configured to accommodate a torso of a user.