An ankle protector comprises an elastic webbing element, formed with a tubular construction thereby to surround and embrace a user's ankle region. The webbing element is defined by upper and lower apertures to enable a user's foot to pass therethrough when putting the ankle protector on. Each of said upper and lower apertures is formed by overlock-stitching an edge of the elastic webbing material, such that said apertures have no perceptible ribs. A cushioning element is attached to the webbing element (11) and is adapted to cover and protect a user's Achilles tendon. The cushioning element protrudes inwardly relative to the circumference of the tubular webbing element.
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1. An ankle protector, to be worn over a user's ankle region during the performance of contact sports, comprising:
an elastic webbing element, formed from a substantially non-absorbent, impermeable material comprising nylon and neoprene, and having a tubular construction thereby to surround and embrace a user's ankle region;
upper and lower apertures defining said elastic webbing element and enabling a user's foot to pass therethrough when putting the ankle protector on;
overlock-stitching provided on each edge of the substantially non-absorbent, impermeable material, thereby to define each of said upper and lower apertures, such that said apertures have no perceptible ribs;
a cushioning element attached to the elastic webbing element and adapted to cover and protect a user's Achilles tendon, said cushioning element protruding inwardly and outwardly relative to a circumference of the elastic webbing element; and
a pair of disc-shaped shield elements located within the elastic webbing element and adapted to cover and protect a user's lateral and medial malleoli, wherein, when the ankle protector is in use, the elastic webbing element extends from the lower aperture located immediately below the user's malleoli and above the user's foot to the upper aperture located immediately above the user's ankle joint.
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This invention relates to an ankle protector. In particular, the invention relates to an ankle protector to be worn over a user's ankle region during the performance of contact sports.
The present invention has been developed for use in contact sports in general, and association football (soccer) in particular. The invention will therefore be described herein with particular emphasis on the sport of football, though it should be understood that the ankle protector of the present invention is equally suitable for use in other contact sports such as rugby, American football and hockey—and indeed for use in non-contact sports to give protection against accidental contact with other players or equipment.
The use of protective apparel by footballers has become widespread at both professional and amateur level. Aside from the stresses and strains applied to an athlete's body by the performance of any physical sport, the most likely cause of an injury occurring during a football game is by the accidental, but often inevitable, contact between opposing players' feet and legs during the execution of a tackle. For this reason, most players wear shin pads to absorb such impacts.
Many commercially available shin pads now incorporate an ankle protector section stitched onto the main part of the shin pad, and adapted to be secured under the user's foot by means of an elastic loop or stirrup. However, such shin pad and ankle protector combinations tend to be cumbersome and uncomfortable for the user, and can restrict the range of motion of the ankle joint.
Separate ankle protectors are also available, which avoid the motion restriction problems associated with combined shin pad and ankle protection systems. However, existing ankle protectors suffer from shortcomings which at best make them uncomfortable for the user to wear, and at worst leave the user prone to injury. One such shortcoming derives from the typical construction of the ankle protector from conventional elasticated fabric material. In order to prevent the fabric material unravelling, the protectors are generally formed with a thick hem or seam—generally referred to herein as a “rib”—around the upper and/or lower apertures through which the user's foot passes when putting the ankle protector on. As the protector is designed to be worn tightly against the user's skin under a sock, these ribs can press into the skin of the user's foot and lower leg during a football game, causing severe discomfort—or worse, if a poorly timed tackle happens to impact at the exact location of a rib.
Another shortcoming of existing ankle protectors is that they tend to concentrate on providing compressive support to the ankle joint, so as to protect against ankle twists, strains and sprains. Whilst this kind of protection is important, it is at least equally as important for a footballer to be protected against impact during tackles. Existing ankle protectors tend to overlook this aspect, with the user's lateral and medial malleoli often left effectively unprotected, and protection for the Achilles tendon usually neglected altogether.
The present invention seeks to address the above issues by providing an improved ankle protector, developed particularly for use by footballers, which provides improved levels of comfort to the user by dispensing with the need for cumbersome ribs around the protector's apertures, without compromising the level of protection afforded to the user of the integrity of the protector. In preferred embodiments, the ankle protector also addresses the issues of providing enhanced impact protection to the user's malleoli and Achilles tendon.
According to the present invention there is provided an ankle protector comprising:
The term “perceptible” is used in this context to mean that no discomfort will be caused to the user by the edges of the ankle protector in contact with his or her skin, when the ankle protector is in use, for example during a game of football. Ideally, the user will be substantially unable to feel the edges of the ankle protector through his or her skin, during use.
The elastic webbing element is preferably formed from a substantially non-absorbent, impermeable material. This ensures that the material does not absorb moisture—either from atmospheric humidity or precipitation, or from the user's perspiration—so that it does not swell or slip during use.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic webbing element is formed from a material comprising nylon and neoprene. Most preferably, the material comprises substantially 61% nylon and substantially 39% neoprene.
The cushioning element addresses the issue of providing enhanced support and impact protection. The cushioning element preferably comprises a pair of elongate cushioning members, arranged substantially parallel to one another and adapted to embrace either side of the tendon.
The tubular elastic webbing element may desirably be formed with a continuous, seamless construction. However, in practice such a construction may not always be achievable. Where a seam is present, it may be located at the front of the ankle protector, diametrically opposite the cushioning element. Alternatively, a seam may be located between the parallel elongate cushioning members so as to minimise or eliminate the user's perception of the seam. Where a seam is present, it is preferred that the webbing element be formed with only a single seam, said single seam being located in either one or the other of the above described locations.
The cushioning element is preferably formed from expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam, and may conveniently be stitched into or onto the elastic webbing element. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the cushioning element protrudes both inwardly and outwardly relative to the circumference of the tubular webbing element. The inwardly-directed protrusion is adapted to embrace either side of the user's Achilles tendon as described above, whilst the outwardly-directed protrusion serves to cushion the Achilles tendon against impact. The preferred thickness of the cushioning element, to provide optimum protection without compromising comfort or mobility has been found to be substantially 5 mm.
In order to provide additional impact protection to the user, the ankle protector preferably further comprises a pair of disc-shaped shield elements located within the webbing element and adapted to cover and protect a user's lateral and medial malleoli. The shield elements will generally be formed from plastics material, preferably polyethylene (PE), and stitched into the elastic webbing element.
The ankle protector of the present invention preferably further comprises an elastic stirrup attached to the webbing element and adapted to embrace the underside of a user's foot, thereby to retain the ankle protector in position on the user's ankle. In order further to enhance the comfort provided to the user, it is preferred that the stirrup should be formed from a single piece of elastic material, without any seams. It is particularly preferred that no seams are located adjacent the underside of the user's foot.
The present invention has been described thus far in terms of a single ankle protector. In reality of course, the user will have need for a pair of such ankle protectors, one to be worn on each ankle. The scope of the present invention therefore extends to encompass an ankle protector kit comprising a pair of ankle protectors as hereinbefore described, one member of said pair being shaped so as in use to embrace a user's left ankle, and the other member of said pair being shaped so as in use to embrace a user's right ankle.
In order that the present invention may be better understood, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described, though only by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring first to
The upper and lower apertures 12, 13 are each formed by applying overlock stitching to an edge of the elastic webbing material 11, so that the apertures 12, 13 have no perceptible ribs.
The ankle protector 10 is provided with an elasticated stirrup 14 bridging the lower aperture 13. The stirrup 14 is designed to pass under the user's foot and to retain the ankle protector 10 in position during use, and is formed from a single piece of elastic material, so that no seams are brought into contact with the underside of the user's foot.
The ankle protector 10 is further provided with disc-shaped shield elements 15, stitched into or onto the elastic webbing material 11 by a ring of heavy duty zig-zag stitching 16. As shown in
Referring now to
The cushioning element 17 comprises a pair of elongate cushioning members 19, adapted to embrace and cushion either side of a user's Achilles tendon. As shown in
Referring now to
As can be seen from
Scheffer, Harald, Steed, Robert
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jun 25 2008 | S1 Sport International Limited | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Dec 18 2009 | STEED, ROBERT | S1 Sport International Limited | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 023763 | /0344 | |
Dec 23 2009 | SCHEFFER, HARALD | S1 Sport International Limited | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 023763 | /0391 |
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