Athletic protector cup

Abstract

An athletic protector cup is provided including a rigid cup-shaped base member and an impact resistant resilient body which is fixedly attached to an exterior surface and around a periphery of the base member. The resilient body includes a flange extending beyond portions of the base member edge and having a geometry for providing additional impact resistance.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates generally to athletic protector cups, and more particularly to an athletic protector cup having a flexible resilient portion molded thereto for providing improved protection and comfort to the wearer.[0003]2. Description of the Prior Art[0004]Devices for the protection of the male groin region are extensively utilized in athletics. In athletic competition, particularly body contact sports such as football, baseball, hockey, soccer and the like, protective devices are worn by the players to avoid injury due to inadvertent blows to the groin area. The most common protective device includes 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 struck a relatively severe blow.[0005]Historically, protector cups have been provided with a resilient...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]It is an object of the present invention to provide an athletic protector cup including a rigid plastic base having a resilient body extending over a substantial portion or entire outer surface thereof for dampening the impact of a blow to the outer surface of the cup.

[0009]It is another object of the present invention to provide an athletic protector cup having a peripheral flexible flange for further dampening the impact of a blow to the outer surface of the cup.

[0010]It is a further object of the present invention to provide an athletic protector cup having a peripheral flexible flange geometry designed to collapse under forces applied by the cup to the wearer during various body movements, or under the force of a sudden impact, in such a manner as to create a cushioning barrier between the rigid plastic base and the wearer's body.

[0011]It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an athletic protector cup having a flexible flange incorporating a surface geometry for providing improved comfort to the wearer by minimizing frictional contact with the wearer's skin.

[0012]It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an athletic protector cup incorporating a flexible resilient body portion molded to a rigid base in such manner as to minimize the risk of separation of the molded portion from the rigid base.

Problems solved by technology

Such conventional padded cups suffer a number of disadvantages and limitations.

For instance, the pad attachment procedure is both time consuming and costly, and the bond between the padding and the protector cup is often deficient.

Furthermore, such known structures, in view of the restricted extent of the padding, offer only limited impact absorption protection.

However, the athletic cup structure disclosed in this patent has some significant drawbacks and limitations.

Additionally, the disclosed binding surface geometry of the outwardly extending body portion includes sharp edges which could result in chafing during frictional contact with the wearer's body.

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