HIP PROTECTORS

Abstract

A hip protector in accordance with at least one of the present inventions includes right and left pad assemblies, which each include a plurality of elongate pads that define respective anterior and posterior ends, extend in anterior-posterior directions, and are spaced from one another in a superior-inferior direction such that there is a gap between the anterior ends of adjacent elongate pads, and a garment on which the right and left pad assemblies are carried such that portions of the right and left pad assemblies respectively cover the right and left greater trochanters, the garment being configured to permit the size of the gap between the anterior ends of at least some of the adjacent elongate pads of the right and left pad assemblies to decrease as the wearer moves from a standing position to a sitting position.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present inventions relate generally to hip protectors.

2. Related Art

Hip fractures are a well-known problem, especially within elderly populations, that are frequently the result of falls and the associated impacts to the greater trochanter of the femur. Some conventional hip protectors include a wearable garment on which compressible foam pads are mounted. The garment positions the foam pads in the hip regions, and each pad is sufficiently sized to cover an entire hip region. The level of impact protection provided by the foam pads is a function of foam density. The relatively dense foams that are necessary to provide adequate protection (i.e., foam that will not “bottom out”) tend to be stiff. Alternatively, hard shell covers (which are very stiff) may be laminated onto more compressible foam pads. Turning to the pad supporting garments, the garments tend to be tight, much like bicycle pants, in an effort to maintain the pads in the intended location over the greater trochanter.

The present inventors have determined that conventional garment-based hip protectors are susceptible to improvement. For example, the present inventors have determined that conventional garment-based hip protectors are uncomfortable and, accordingly, are less likely to be worn. The combination of tight garments and stiff pads can make conventional hip protectors difficult to get on and off, especially for elderly persons. The relatively stiff foam pads also tend to buckle outwardly, as a whole and into a somewhat arcuate shape, when the wearer moves from a standing position to a sitting position, which makes sitting uncomfortable. Additionally, pads with hard shell covers do not breathe and can trap heat between the hard shell cover and the skin, which can cause the wearer to sweat. An improperly placed pad with a hard shell cover can also actually increase the likelihood of injury from a fall.

SUMMARY

A hip protector in accordance with at least one of the present inventions includes right and left pad assemblies, which each include a plurality of elongate pads that define respective anterior and posterior ends, extend in anterior-posterior directions, and are spaced from one another in a superior-inferior direction such that there is a gap between the anterior ends of adjacent elongate pads, and a garment on which the right and left pad assemblies are carried such that portions of the right and left pad assemblies respectively cover the right and left greater trochanters, the garment being configured to permit the size of the gap between the anterior ends of at least some of the adjacent elongate pads of the right and left pad assemblies to decrease as the wearer moves from a standing position to a sitting position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inventions will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a hip protector in accordance with one embodiment of a present invention with the wearer in a standing position.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the hip protector illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the hip protector illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of a portion of the hip protector illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a plan view of a portion of the hip protector illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5A is a section view taken along line 5A-5A in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5B is an enlarged version of a portion of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a section view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 7 is a left side view of the hip protector worn under clothing with the wearer in a sitting position.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the hip protector worn under clothing with the wearer in a sitting position.

FIG. 8A is a left side view of the hip protector with the wearer in a sitting position.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a portion of the hip protector illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a hip protector in accordance with one embodiment of a present invention.

FIG. 11 is a section view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following is a detailed description of the best presently known modes of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the inventions.

A hip protector in accordance with one embodiment of one of the present inventions is generally represented by reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 1-3. The hip protector 10 includes a wearable garment 100 and first and second pad assemblies 200. The wearable garment 100 and pad assemblies 200 are respectively configured and positioned relative to one another such that the pad assemblies 200 will be located over, and centered relative to, the greater trochanters (whose locations are represented by the circled GT) in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 when the hip protector is worn. The pad assemblies 200 are also formed from material (discussed below) that is flexible enough to comfortably wrap around the hip area when the hip protector 10 is worn.

The exemplary wearable garment 100 includes a pelvic portion 102, with hip regions 104 and 106 and a crotch region 108, and a pair of leg portions 110 and 112 that extend from the pelvic portion. A waist band 114 is connected to the top (or “superior”) end of the pelvic portion 102, and leg apertures 116 and 118 are located at the bottom (or “inferior”) ends of the leg portions 110 and 112. The leg portions 110 and 112 may be lengthened, shortened or omitted in other implementations. The wearable garment 100 also defines a front (or “anterior”) side 120 and a rear (or “posterior”) side 122, and the pelvic portion 102, leg portions 110 and 112, and waist band 114 have anterior and posterior sides. It should also be noted here that the wearable garment 100 is a loose fitting garment that is intended to be worn under clothing.

The exemplary pad assemblies 200, which are identical in the illustrated implementation, each include a plurality of elongate pads 202 that define respective anterior and posterior ends 204 and 206. Although the present inventions are not so limited, there are five elongate pads 202-1 to 202-5 (FIG. 4A) in the illustrated implementation. The elongate pads 202 extend generally in the anterior-posterior direction, i.e., the pads need not be parallel to one another and may be offset from the horizontal anterior-posterior direction by up to 12°. The elongate pads 202 are also spaced apart from one another in the superior-inferior direction such that there is a gap 208 between the anterior ends of adjacent elongate pads. There may also be gaps 210 between the posterior ends 206. As used herein in the context of the elongate pads 202, two elongate pads are both “adjacent” to one another and separated by a gap when the two elongate pads face one another with no other elongate pad (or resiliently pad material other than the optional thin border 218 that occupies a portion of the gap) between the two pads. In those instances where the magnitudes of the gaps 208 vary in the anterior-posterior direction, the distance between the anterior ends 204 of adjacent pads 202 will be greater that the distance between the posterior ends 206.

The exemplary pad assemblies 200 also each include a connector pad 212 that extends in the inferior-superior direction. The connector pad 212 provides additional coverage for the greater trochanter and simplifies the manufacturing process (as compared to a pad assembly without the connector pad). The connector pads 212 include portions of the associated elongate pads 202. In other implementations, the connector pads 212 may be omitted, as is discussed below with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

As noted above, the exemplary pad assemblies 200 comfortably curve around the hip areas. To that end, and referring to FIGS. 4A and 5A, the elongate pads 202 may include regions of increased flexibility (relative to the remainder of the elongate pads) 214 that, in the illustrated implementation, are located in the middle regions of the pads. The regions of increased flexibility 214 create hinge points where the elongate pads can more easily bend. When the hip protector 10 is worn in its intended manner, the regions of increased flexibility 214 will be immediately anterior of the greater trochanter. The increased flexibility is created by reducing the thickness of the resilient material which forms the elongate pads 202. Alternatively, the increased flexibility may be accomplished by, for example, forming the pads from two or more pieces that are connected to one another with a thin piece of material. It should also be noted that the regions of increased flexibility 214 extend in a direction that is transverse to, and not perpendicular to, the longitudinal axis LA of the elongate pads 202, which helps the elongate pads fold and wrap around the thigh when the wearer is in both the standing position and the sitting position. The regions of increased flexibility 214 may also be omitted in other implementations.

Additionally, as discussed in greater detail below with references to FIGS. 7 and 8, the exemplary hip protector 10 is configured in such a manner that elongate pads 202 will move relative to one another (i.e., bend, twist, bunch up or otherwise articulate relative to one another) so that the pad assemblies 200 can compress, without substantial bulging, as the wearer moves from a standing position to a sitting position. The aforementioned regions of increased flexibility 214 are one aspect of the pad assemblies 200 that augment this functionality. Referring to FIG. 4A, relative movement of the elongate pads 202 may be further augment by regions of increased flexibility 216 located in portions of the connector pad 212 that are between the elongate pads 202. Here too, the regions of increased flexibility 216 may be created by reducing the thickness of the resilient material which forms the connector pads 212 or by, for example, forming the pads from two or more pieces that are connected to one another with a thin piece of material.

Each exemplary pad assembly 200 also includes a thin border 218 that extends around the perimeter of the pad assembly, including inwardly and outwardly between adjacent elongate pads 202. The border 218 occupies portions of the gaps 208 and all of the gaps 210. The border facilitates attachment of the pad assemblies 200 to the garment 100 by way of techniques such as heat sealing and sewing.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-6, the anterior and posterior ends 204 and 206 and the sides 220 and 222 of the pads 202 may be slanted (as shown), rounded or otherwise contoured in order to reduce the visibility of the pad assemblies 200 through an outer garment that is worn over the hip protector 10. The portions of the connector pad 212 that are between the elongate pads 202 may be similarly contoured.

With respect to materials, the garment 100 may be formed from materials that are commonly used in loose fitting garments such as, for example, cotton, polyester, and cotton and spandex blend (less than 10% spandex), polyester and spandex blend (less than 10% spandex) and cotton, polyester and spandex blends (less than 10% spandex). The pad assemblies 200 may be formed from any material that provides the desired level of impact protection. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, foams and elastomers, including smart foams that harden on impact such as those sold under the tradename D3O®. Bladders filled with air and viscoelastic fluids may also be employed. In the illustrated implementation, a thin layer of low friction material 224 (FIG. 5B), such as polyester fabric with an outermost layer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) that acts as a bonding agent, is secured to the top surfaces of the pads 202 and 218 and the border 218. The low friction material 224 allows the wearer's pants or other outer garment to move freely relative to the pad assemblies.

The pad assemblies 200 may be secured to, or otherwise carried by, the garment 100 in a variety of ways. The pad assemblies 200 may be permanently affixed to the garment 100 through techniques such as gluing, bonding, heat sealing, and sewing. Alternatively the pads may be removable from the garment 100 and, for example, carried within pockets on the garment. In those embodiments where the connector pads 212 have been omitted (e.g., FIGS. 10 and 11), the elongate pads may affixed to a substrate, such as a fabric sheet or plastic sheet, so that the pads may be placed into the garment (and removed from the garment) as a single unit. In either case, the pad assemblies 200 may be located on the exterior surface of the garment (as shown), which faces away from the wearer, or the interior surface.

Turning to the dimensions of the exemplary pad assembly 200, and referring to FIG. 4B, the overall size of the pad assembly (less the border 218) is about 6.25 inches in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction and is about 8.5 inched in the superior-inferior (SI) direction. With respect to the elongate pads 202 (from the anterior end 204 to posterior end 206), the lengths L1 to L5 of the elongate pads 202-1 to 202-5 are respectively about 3.8 inches, about 5.3 inches, about 6.1 inches, about 6.1 inches and about 4.5 inches. The widths W1 to W5 of the elongate pads 202-1 to 202-5, measured perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis LA (FIG. 4A) are respectively about 1.0 inch, 1.25 inches, 1.25 inches, 1.25 inches, and 1.0 inch. The gaps 208 are large enough to permit relative movement of adjacent elongate pads 202, but small enough to ensure that impact forces are spread across the top of the pad assemblies 200 during a fall. To that end, the distances D1 to D4 between adjacent elongate pads 202 are about 1.1 inches, 1.25 inches, 1.25 inches and 1.25 inches, respectively. Turning to FIG. 4A, the angles Θ1 to Θ1 are between adjacent elongate pads 202 are about 10°, 10°, 9° and 10°, respectively. It should also be noted that, as used herein, the term “about” means±10%, and that the pad assemblies in accordance with the present inventions are not limited to the exemplary dimensions.

As illustrated for example in FIGS. 7 and 8, both the pad assemblies 200 of the hip protector 10 are compressed in a manner that is more comfortable for the wearer (as compared to conventional hip protectors) when the wearer moves to a sitting position with the hip protector worn under an outer garment (e.g., pants). For example, the distance between the anterior ends 204 of the elongate pads 202 decreases and the anterior ends of adjacent pads are pushed into the gaps 208 toward one another. The loose fitting garment material within the gaps 208 between adjacent pads 202 simply folds. Portions of the elongate pads 202 may also twist about, for example, their longitudinal axis LA (FIG. 4A). The connector pads 212 also bend to accommodate movement into the sitting position. As a result, the pad assemblies 200 compress, i.e., the size of the outer perimeter decreases, instead of bulging when the wearer moves to the sitting position. Put other way, the pad assemblies 200 compress in a manner similar to a typical pair of pants when the wearer moves from the standing to sitting position.

It should be noted here that, due to the loose fitting properties of the garment 100 and the relative stiffness of the pad assemblies 200, the pad assemblies will not compress in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 (or will only compress slightly) unless the hip protector 10 is worn under an outer garment that holds the pad assemblies 200 against the wearers body. To that end, and referring to FIG. 8A, the looseness of the garment pelvic and leg portions 102, 110 and 112 allows the pad assemblies 200 to move slightly relative to the wearer and relative to the tight waistband 114.

Another advantage of the present hip protector 10 is associated with the shape of the pad assemblies 200. To that end, and referring to FIG. 9, the present pad assemblies 200 cover more area in the superior-inferior direction than a circularly-shaped pad (represented by dashed line CSP) that is the same size in the anterior-posterior direction. As a result, the present pad assemblies 200 can better accommodate movement of the pads during use and wearers with the same waist size and differences in other anatomical aspects, such as waist to crotch distance.

Another exemplary pad assembly, which is generally represented by reference numeral 200a in FIGS. 10 and 11, is substantially similar to pad assembly 200 and similar elements are represented by similar reference numerals. To that end, pad assembly 200a includes a plurality of elongate pads 202a, having anterior and posterior ends 204a and 206a, gaps 208a between the anterior ends, and gaps 210a between the posterior ends. A thin border 218a extends around the perimeter of the pad assembly and between adjacent elongate pads 202a. A pair of the pad assembly 200a may be incorporated into a garment, such as the garment 100, to form a hip protector. In contrast to the pad assemblies 200, the pad assemblies 200a do not include a connector pad that extends in the inferior-superior direction. The elongate pads 202a also have an oval shape, as opposed to the more rectangular shape of the pads 202, and there are four elongate pads in the pad assembly 200a, as opposed to five in the pad assembly 200.

Although the present inventions have been described in terms of the preferred embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. By way of example, but not limitation, hip protectors may include pad assemblies that are not identical to one another. It is intended that the scope of the present inventions extends to all such modifications and/or additions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for protecting a wearer's right and left greater trochanters, comprising:

a right pad assembly including a plurality of elongate pads that define respective anterior and posterior ends, extend in anterior-posterior directions, and are spaced from one another in a superior-inferior direction such that there is a gap between the anterior ends of adjacent elongate pads;

a left pad assembly including a plurality of elongate pads that define respective anterior and posterior ends, extend in anterior-posterior directions, and are spaced from one another in a superior-inferior direction such that there is a gap between the anterior ends of adjacent elongate pads; and

a garment on which the right and left pad assemblies are carried such that portions of the right and left pad assemblies respectively cover the right and left greater trochanters, the garment being configured to permit the size of the gap between the anterior ends of at least some of the adjacent elongate pads of the right and left pad assemblies to decrease as the wearer moves from a standing position to a sitting position.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the right pad assembly includes an elongate connector pad that extends in a superior-inferior direction and includes portions of the elongate pads that extend in anterior-posterior directions; and

the left pad assembly includes an elongate connector pad that extends in a superior-inferior direction and includes portions of the elongate pads that extend in anterior-posterior directions.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

at least some of the adjacent elongate pads in the right pad assembly are not parallel to one another; and

at least some of the adjacent elongate pads in the left pad assembly are not parallel to one another.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the size of the gap between at least some of the adjacent elongate pads in the right pad assembly increases from the posterior ends to the anterior ends; and

the size of the gap between at least some of the adjacent elongate pads in the left pad assembly increases from the posterior ends to the anterior ends.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the right pad assembly includes a layer of low friction material; and

the left pad assembly includes a layer of low friction material.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the right pad assembly elongate pads comprise foam pads that harden on impact; and

the left pad assembly elongate pads comprise foam pads that harden on impact.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

there is a gap between the posterior ends of adjacent elongate pads in the right pad assembly; and

there is a gap between the posterior ends of adjacent elongate pads in the left pad assembly.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the respective configurations of the garment and the first and second pad assemblies are such that the elongate pads will not overlap when the apparatus is worn by a wearer and the wearer is in the standing position and at least some adjacent elongate pads will overlap when the wearer is in the sitting position.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

at least some of the elongate pads include a region of decreased stiffness.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first and second pad assemblies are identical.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the garment includes a pelvic portion and left and right leg portions.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the garment is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, and cotton and spandex blend (less than 10% spandex), polyester and spandex blend (less than 10% spandex) and cotton, polyester and spandex blends (less than 10% spandex).