Molded Foam Hockey Goalkeeper Leg Pad with Composite Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hockey goalkeeper leg pads made of synthetic leather or fabric have limitations in providing protection and often require additional components for decoration and attachment of straps, necessitating improvements for enhanced performance.
Innovation Solution
A leg pad design featuring a molded outer shell with a bent configuration, an inner liner, and protective padding, which includes multiple types of padding materials to control rebound effects and provide customizable protection, integrated with a skin or foam layer for enhanced shock absorption and aesthetic appeal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If synthetic leather or fabric is used for the outer covering, then the leg pad can be made with simple structure, but the protection capability is limited and additional components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a molded outer shell made of foam material with synthetic leather or fabric panels. The foam material provides structural protection and shock absorption, while the synthetic leather or fabric panels provide durability and aesthetic coverage. This composite structure resolves the contradiction by achieving both simple construction (single molded piece) and enhanced protection capability (combined material properties).
2Reliability
If additional components like fabric overlays and separate panels are added, then protection and decoration are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the outer shell by molding decorative patterns and structural features directly into the foam material. This eliminates the need for separate fabric overlays and decorative panels, reducing the number of components while maintaining protection and aesthetic appeal. The merging principle resolves the contradiction by integrating decoration and protection functions into the primary structural element.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional materials are used, then manufacturing is simple, but rebound control and customizable protection are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by incorporating padding materials with different densities and rebound characteristics in specific zones of the outer shell. This allows different areas of the leg pad to have customized protection properties - softer materials for comfort areas and denser materials for high-impact zones. The local quality principle resolves the contradiction by enabling customized protection profiles while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process through molded-in-place padding.
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 leg pad offers improved protection, customizable rebound profiles, and enhanced aesthetic design without the need for fabric overlays, addressing the limitations of traditional materials and providing better impact resistance and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
protective padding disposed between the molded outer shell and the inner liner
Implementation Method 2
The outer shell comprises molded foam
Implementation Method 3
The molded outer shell has a molded bent configuration such that the molded outer shell is bent in a longitudinal direction of the leg pad
Data Source
AI summary
A leg pad for a hockey goalkeeper playing hockey (e.g., ice hockey) is provided. The leg pad comprises a frontal portion, a medial portion, and a lateral portion respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a front, a medial side, and a lateral side of a goalkeeper's leg when the leg pad is worn on the leg. The leg pad comprises an outer shell comprising an outer surface of the leg pad, an inner liner for facing the leg, and protective padding disposed between the molded outer shell and the inner liner. The outer shell may comprise molded foam.