Support Shirt Restriction Panel for Arm Extension Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional support shirts lack effective restriction to prevent the wearer's arms from extending beyond a safe position during weightlifting, leading to potential injury and uneven energy storage due to uneven stretching of elastic materials.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a restriction panel with a lower elasticity than the sleeves, positioned between the sleeves on the front portion of the shirt body, to restrict arm movement beyond a certain point, thereby preventing the weightlifting bar from contacting the wearer's chest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional support shirts use elastic material throughout, then the shirt can store energy to assist lifting, but the elastic material stretches unevenly during weightlifting resulting in loss of stored energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different elasticity characteristics to different regions of the support shirt. The sleeves and chest area use high-elasticity material to store and release energy during lifting, while the restriction panel uses low-elasticity material to maintain its length and prevent uneven stretching. This local differentiation of material properties ensures that energy is stored efficiently in the elastic regions without being lost to uneven deformation across the entire garment.
2Ease of operation
If traditional support shirts allow full arm extension, then the wearer has greater range of motion, but the arms can extend beyond a safe position causing injury or the bar contacting the chest
Solution Approach 1:
The restriction panel is designed to preemptively prevent harmful arm extension before it can occur. By positioning the low-elasticity restriction panel between the high-elasticity sleeves, the panel creates a mechanical stop that limits arm extension to a safe range. This preliminary constraint prevents the wearer's arms from extending beyond the safe position where the bar could contact the chest or cause injury, while still allowing sufficient range of motion for proper lifting form.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the chest area of traditional support shirts is made of elastic material, then the shirt can store energy, but the chest area lifts away from the wearer's chest during arm extension which may be prohibited in powerlifting organizations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent differentiates the elasticity properties of different shirt regions to simultaneously achieve energy storage and rule compliance. The chest area uses low-elasticity material that maintains constant length and stays in contact with the wearer's chest, ensuring compliance with powerlifting regulations. Meanwhile, the sleeves use high-elasticity material to provide the necessary energy storage and release mechanism for lifting assistance, resolving the conflict between energy storage capability and regulatory compliance.
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 restriction panel effectively limits arm extension, preventing injury and maintaining energy storage efficiency by ensuring consistent stretching of the sleeves, allowing wearers to lift heavier weights safely.
Implementation Method 1
the pair of sleeves has a sleeve elasticity, the restriction panel has a restriction elasticity less than the sleeve elasticity
Data Source
AI summary
A support shirt including a shirt body including a front portion having a top edge and an opposite bottom edge, a pair of sleeves extending outwardly from the front portion, and a restriction panel provided on the front portion between the pair of sleeves and extending from the top edge toward the bottom edge, the restriction panel defined by a pair of restriction seams, wherein the sleeves have a sleeve elasticity and the restriction panel has a restriction elasticity less than the sleeve elasticity.