Garment Protective Assembly with Ventilated Removable Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional knee and elbow pads are restrictive, uncomfortable, and interfere with mobility and ventilation, especially when worn under garments, and can cause garment damage due to their design and materials.
Innovation Solution
A garment protective assembly with a removable foam insert and a stiff, bendable cap integrated into the garment, featuring a central pocket with air slots for ventilation and a hook-and-loop fastener for secure attachment, allowing for greater mobility and comfort while protecting joints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If independent pads with tight elastic straps are used to securely attach protective padding to limbs, then protection and secure attachment are improved, but comfort and mobility are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the protective pad with the garment itself, integrating the protective element into the garment structure rather than using separate independent pads. This merging eliminates the need for tight elastic straps while maintaining secure attachment through the garment's existing fit to the body.
Solution Approach 2:
The garment serves multiple functions: it provides protection through the integrated protective element, maintains mobility through its flexible construction, and ensures comfort through proper fit. The garment structure itself becomes the attachment mechanism, eliminating the need for separate fastening systems.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If independent pads with hard shells are worn interior to the garment, then protection against cuts and abrasions is improved, but garment damage is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The protective element is merged with the garment structure, with the protective layer positioned between the garment fabric and potential hazards. This integration ensures the protective element protects both the wearer and the garment simultaneously, as the protective layer becomes part of the garment's outer surface.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If independent pads are worn exterior to the garment, then protection is improved, but mobility and ventilation are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The protective element is integrated into the garment structure rather than attached externally. This merging allows the protective function to be maintained while the garment's flexible fabric and construction preserve mobility and ventilation, eliminating the restriction caused by external hard shells.
4Ease of manufacture
If foam padding is removed to wash the garment, then garment cleanliness is improved, but protective function is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The protective assembly is segmented into the garment and the protective element. The protective element is designed to be removable from the garment, allowing the garment to be washed separately while the protective element can be cleaned or replaced independently. This segmentation maintains both washability and protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective element can be removed, cleaned, or replaced independently of the garment. If the protective element becomes damaged or worn, it can be discarded and replaced without affecting the garment itself, which can continue to be washed and reused.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced comfort and mobility by allowing for airflow and flexible attachment, reducing garment restriction and extending its lifespan while maintaining effective joint protection.
Implementation Method 1
A removable protective insert larger than the central opening and formed of resilient foam
Implementation Method 2
A stiffer unitary cap is sewn to the insert. The molded cap has an upper segment separated from a lower segment by a bending joint defined by at least one groove which extends substantially across the cap
Data Source
AI summary
A garment such as a shirt or pants has a front layer with portions which define a central opening defined by an inner periphery and positionable to overlie a portion of the joint to be protected such as a knee or an elbow. A removable protective insert is larger than the central opening and has a unitary cap sewn thereto. The cap has an upper segment separated from a lower segment by a bending joint defined by at least one groove which extends substantially across the cap. The upper segment and the lower segment are separately fixed to the protective insert by stitching. The upper segment and the lower segment have an outwardly projecting flange which overlies the protective insert, the flange having portions which engage the front layer of the garment between the cap flange and the protective insert. A slot in the insert ventilates through the front layer.