Chest protector

Abstract

A chest protector for protecting the wearer from commotio-cortis. A snug-fitting garment, which avoids creating bulk or restricting movement, includes a pocket over the cardiac region of the chest. The pocket holds a protective pad. The pad has at least one layer of a visco-elastic polymer. The pad also may include another layer of the visco-elastic polymer, or foam, sandwiching therebetween a rigid plastic layer. Each layer may include either one sheet or more than one sheet. The visco-elastic polymer receives impact energy, converts a portion of the impact energy to heat, and dissipates the heat.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 585,677, filed on Jul. 6, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a chest protector, and more particularly to a protective garment for protecting wearers, such as athletes, from a condition known as commotio-cortis. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Athletes and other individuals who are active in the vicinity of hard, fast-moving objects, e.g., baseballs, lacrosse balls, hockey pucks, human fists, or the like, can be subject to a life-threatening injury known as commotio-cortis. Commotio-cortis, or “cardiac concussion” can occur when a person receives a powerful impact force in the cardiac region of the chest, e.g., the force created by being struck in the cardiac region by a fast-moving baseball, a lacrosse ball, a hockey puck, or even a human fist. If the impact occu...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] In accordance with the invention, the visco-elastic polymer of the pad is generally planar, and configured with a number of raised platforms, protrusions, or dots, spaced apart by gaps defined therebetween, the raised platforms being either rectangular, circular, or oval. It is preferable that the visco-elastic polymer is Sorbethane®, a known polymer, which receives an impact force, and converts the impact force to heat. The heat transfers to atmosphere via the open gaps between the raised portions, thereby substantially reducing the impact force applied to the chest.

Problems solved by technology

Athletes and other individuals who are active in the vicinity of hard, fast-moving objects, e.g., baseballs, lacrosse balls, hockey pucks, human fists, or the like, can be subject to a life-threatening injury known as commotio-cortis.

If the impact occurs when the athlete's heart is between beats, in some cases, the heartbeat can be stopped altogether, leading to rapid loss of blood pressure, unconsciousness, coma, and in some cases death.

The occurrence can be especially severe in the case of very young athletes, such as Little League baseball players.

Previous attempts have been made to develop protective garments for athletes to wear, e.g., garments supporting a protective quilted pad over the cardiac region, but for a variety of reasons, e.g., the garment is too cumbersome or bulky, or overly-restricts the athlete's range of motion, the protective pad is inadequate, or else the pad shifts out of place during athletic activity, these conventional protective garments are not commonly worn, and the occurrence of commotio-cortis, especially among young athletes, continues to rise.

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