Two-piece articulating chest protector with stretchable hinge

Abstract

A chest protector for accommodating a female figure may include an upper portion sized to at least partially surround a user's bust region and having a neck opening shaped to receive a user's neck region. The chest protector may further include a lower portion sized to at least partially surround a user's abdominal region. A flexible element may connect the upper and lower portions to allow the upper portion to articulate with respect to the lower portion. The upper portion may include a breast covering section extending in an anterior direction to form a breast volume for accommodating the user's breasts or breast region. The breast volume may be formed at least in part by connecting a pair of edges positioned on opposing lateral sides of the upper portion. Optionally, the upper portion may overlap the lower portion. The chest protector may be formed from resilient foam or other materials.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A chest protector comprising:
 an upper portion sized to at least partially surround a user's bust region and having a neck opening shaped to receive a user's neck region;   a lower portion sized to at least partially surround a user's abdominal region; and   a flexible element connecting the upper portion and the lower portion to allow the upper portion to articulate with respect to the lower portion; wherein   the upper portion includes a breast covering section extending in an anterior direction from the upper portion and forming a breast volume for accommodating a breast region, the breast volume being formed at least in part by two pairs of connected edges, each pair of connected edges being positioned on an opposing lateral side of the upper portion.   
     
     
         2 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein a lower part of the upper portion overlaps an upper part of the lower portion. 
     
     
         3 . The chest protector of  claim 2  wherein the upper part of the lower portion is positioned between an interior side of the chest protector and the lower part of the upper portion. 
     
     
         4 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein the edges of each pair of connected edges are directly connected together. 
     
     
         5 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein the edges of each pair of connected edges are connected together by an intermediate element. 
     
     
         6 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are each formed from a plurality of segments. 
     
     
         7 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein the flexible element extends along a full transverse width of the chest protector. 
     
     
         8 . The chest protector of  claim 1  wherein the upper portion or the lower portion includes a foam material. 
     
     
         9 . A chest protector comprising:
 a chest portion positioned to at least partially surround a user's bust region; and   an abdominal portion moveably attached to the chest portion; wherein   the chest portion includes a breast volume extending from the chest protector, the breast volume being formed by connecting edges of laterally opposed notches in the chest portion.   
     
     
         10 . The chest protector of  claim 9  further comprising a flexible element connecting the chest portion and the abdominal portion. 
     
     
         11 . The chest protector of  claim 9  wherein the chest portion overlaps the abdominal portion. 
     
     
         12 . The chest protector of  claim 9  wherein the edges of one of the notches are connected together by an intermediate element. 
     
     
         13 . The chest protector of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the chest portion and the abdominal portion is formed from a plurality of segments. 
     
     
         14 . The chest protector of  claim 9  further comprising a strap and at least one buckle. 
     
     
         15 . The chest protector of  claim 9  wherein the chest portion and the abdominal portion include a resilient foam material. 
     
     
         16 . A chest protector comprising:
 a chest portion positioned to at least partially surround a user's chest region and having a breast covering section extending from the chest protector in an anterior direction to form a breast volume;   an abdominal portion positioned to at least partially surround a user's abdominal region; and   a flexible element connecting the chest portion and the abdominal portion and positioned to allow the chest portion and the abdominal portion to articulate with respect to each other.   
     
     
         17 . The chest protector of  claim 16  wherein the chest portion comprises a pair of laterally opposing notches, each notch having a pair of opposing edges, and wherein each pair of opposing edges is connected together to cause the breast covering section to have a concave shape that includes the breast volume. 
     
     
         18 . The chest protector of  claim 16  wherein the chest portion at least partially overlaps the abdominal portion. 
     
     
         19 . The chest protector of  claim 16  wherein the chest portion is formed from a plurality of segments. 
     
     
         20 . The chest protector of  claim 19  wherein at least one of the segments carries a protective plate or foam block.