| Athletic protector cup -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Athletic protector cupRelated Patent Categories: Surgery: Splint, Brace, Or Bandage, Bandage Structure, Support Covering, For A Particular Body Portion, Perineal SupportThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080058693. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/308,861 filed Dec. 3, 2002 which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/359,774, filed on Feb. 26, 2002, entitled IMPROVEMENTS ON ATHLETIC PROTECTOR CUP, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to athletic protector cups, and more particularly to an athletic protector cup having a flexible member in addition to a hardened member. [0003] Devices for the protection of the male groin region are extensively utilized in athletics. In athletic competitions, such as boxing, football, and hockey, athletic protector cups are worn by the players to avoid injury from blows to the groin area. Common protective devices include a cup supported by a jockstrap. Protector cups of this character are usually formed from a plastic material, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, which is sufficiently rigid to retain its shape even when subjected to a strong impact. [0004] Often protector cups are provided with a resilient padding about their periphery. The resilient padding increases the comfort of the wearer and helps absorb a blow to the protector cup. The resilient padding is usually formed from a soft, flexible foam-like material, such as foam rubber or polyurethane foam, and is usually provided in the form of a limited elongated strip attached to the peripheral edge of the cup with an adhesive. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] The present invention, according to an exemplary embodiment, is directed to an athletic protector cup having a resilient member with an inner surface faceable toward a body of a wearer and an outer surface. The athletic protector also has a rigid member having an inner surface coupled to the outer surface of the resilient member. The athletic protector cup of the invention can also have one or more of the features described below. [0006] The resilient member can be provided with flex panels along each side, each panel having a double wave shape. The rigid member may also be shaped to correspond to the shape of the flex panels. For example, the rigid panel is provided with a bulge located between adjacent waves of the double wave shape of the resilient member. Such a design permits the cup to twist in a manner to mirror the movement of an athlete's body. The resilient member may also have a third flex panel opposite the tip of the cup. The third flex panel may be wave shaped or rounded. [0007] The rigid member can also have an anchor portion along an outer edge that is coupled to the resilient member. The resilient member also has an outer edge shaped as a round bead and the anchor of the rigid member is a cylinder type flange. [0008] An aperture can extend through both the resilient member and the rigid member. Additionally, the rigid member can have an aperture through which a portion of the resilient member extends. The resilient portion extends through the aperture in the rigid member so as to be flush with the outer surface of the rigid member. Alternatively, the resilient portion extends through the aperture in the rigid member and protrudes from the outer surface of the rigid member. [0009] The flex panels of the resilient member can also be thickened so that the outer surface of the flex panels are flush with the outer surface of the rigid member. In one embodiment, resilient member is made of rubber and the rigid member is made of polypropylene. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, in which: [0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an athletic protector cup according to an embodiment of the present invention; [0012] FIG. 2 is a cross section along line A-A of FIG. 1; [0013] FIG. 3 is a top view of an outer side of the athletic protector cup according to an exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1; [0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-section along B-B of FIG. 3; [0015] FIG. 5 is a side view of an outer surface of an athletic protector cup according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; [0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rigid member of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and [0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the resilient member of the embodiment of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0018] As shown in FIG. 1, an athletic protector cup 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention has a resilient member 12 and a rigid member 14. When the athletic protector cup is fully constructed, the resilient member 12 and the rigid member 14 are integrated to form a single cup structure. However, for the purpose of clarity, in portions of the following description, the resilient member and the rigid member are described isolated from each other (See also FIGS. 6 and 7). [0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the resilient member 12 has an inner surface 16 and an outer surface 18. The inner surface 16 is placed against the body of the wearer. The resilient member 12 is preferably made from a flexible and resilient elastomer material having a chemical structure compatible with the rigid member 14 to ensure adequate adhesion thereto. In particular, adhesion at the interfaces should be sufficient to minimize interfacial separation over time under normal cup usage conditions. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art of molding technology, many elastomer materials are commercially available for use with the present invention, such as rubber and polyurethane. Another suitable material is a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Continue reading... Full patent description for Athletic protector cup Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Athletic protector cup patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Athletic protector cup or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Window dressing Next Patent Application: Plasma lipids in-vitro filtering method and apparatus Industry Class: Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Athletic protector cup patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14062 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Software: Finance , AI , Databases , Development , Document , Navigation , Error |
||
