专利详情

Protective athletic equipment

公开(公告)号：

EP3054802B1

公开(公告)日：

2018-08-15

申请号：

EP2014852297

申请日：

2014-10-08

授权日：

2018-08-15

受理局：

欧洲专利局

专利类型：

授权发明

简单法律状态：

失效

法律状态/事件：

权利终止

IPC分类号：

A42B3/12 | A41D13/015 | B29C64/112 | B33Y80/00 | B33Y30/00

战略新兴产业分类：

国民经济行业分类号：

C3353 | C2929

当前申请(专利权)人：

ROUSSEAU RESEARCH, INC.

原始申请(专利权)人：

ROUSSEAU RESEARCH, INC.

当前申请(专利权)人地址：

3122 Bandere Drive, Palo Alto, CA, US

工商统一社会信用代码：

工商登记状态：

工商注册地址：

工商成立日期：

工商企业类型：

发明人：

RUSSO, JOSEPH D.

代理机构：

HEUSCH, CHRISTIAN

代理人：

摘要：

Custom fitting protective athletic equipment composed of larger inflatable bladders to generally surround a body part as well as a plurality of smaller bladders, which can be shaped like mushrooms, outside the larger bladders. A hard polymer shell positioned either outside the bladders or between them can provide additional protection. Both the larger and smaller bladders are preferably filled with a compressible fluid, such as air or liquid. Valves are preferably provided in the bladders so that fluid can be released when a blow is received. A method is also disclosed to use three-dimensional scanning techniques and a three-dimensional printer to produce the protective athletic equipment of the present invention.

技术问题语段：

The patent text discusses the problem of sports injuries, particularly in football, and the limitations of current helmet technology in protecting against concussions. The technical problem is to create a helmet that can absorb, dampen, and protect against the few millimeters of motion that cause brain damage, while still allowing the player to see the game and cool their head. The text also mentions the development of various helmet technologies and the need for optimal protection of head, knees, and other body parts for millions of children and adults who play sports.

技术功效语段：

This patent provides a new way to custom fit athletic equipment for better protection against rotational blows. The invention has two levels of inflatable protection, with larger bladders surrounding the body part to be protected and smaller bladders shaped like mushrooms attached to the larger bladders. The method involves scanning the athlete's body part and using it to design the protective equipment using computer-aided design software. The design can then be printed layer-by-layer using a 3-D printer, allowing for flexibility in producing larger and smaller bladders.

权利要求：

1. A structure for protecting a body part from impact damage comprising a larger bladder (14, 22) with fluid inside with a surface positioned to contact said body part, characterized in that it further comprises a plurality of smaller bladders (24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) filled with fluid and connected to said larger bladder (14, 22) on a surface positioned away from said body part, wherein said smaller bladders (24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) are formed integrally with said larger bladder (14, 22) so as to share common interior space. 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said fluid is air or liquid. 3. The structure of claim 1, further comprising a valve (16, 26) to insert fluid into and allow fluid to be released from said larger bladder (14, 22) and/or comprising valves (46) on one or more of said smaller bladders (24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) to insert fluid into and allow fluid to be released from said smaller bladders (24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112). 4. The structure of claim 3, wherein the fluid pressure for said smaller bladders (24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) is different than the fluid pressure in said larger bladder (14, 22). 5. The structure of claim 1, wherein said larger and smaller bladders (14, 22, 24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) are formed from a thermoplastic polymer, preferably a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). 6. The structure of claim 1 further comprising a hard polymer shell (12). 7. The structure of claim 6, wherein either said hard polymer shell (12) is connected to said larger bladder (14, 22), smaller bladders (14, 22, 24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) or both. 8. The structure of claim 6, wherein said hard polymer shell (12) is formed from polycarbonate. 9. The structure of claim 1, wherein one or more of said smaller bladders (24, 44, 82, 92, 102, 112) are in the shape of a mushroom. 10. The structure of claim 1 or 7, wherein said structure either is configured to protect a user's head or wherein said structure is configured to protect a user's knee or elbow.

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