Hockey-goalkeeper pads

Abstract

Hockey-goalkeeper pads wearable on body parts (e.g., legs) of a hockey goalkeeper to protect these body parts against impacts from a projectile (i.e., puck or ball) while playing hockey, in which the hockey-goalkeeper pads may be configured to enhance performance, use, and/or other aspects of goalkeeping by the hockey goalkeeper, such as by being more durable (e.g., reducing crushing of padding material), improving rebounding of the projectile (e.g., increasing a rebound speed of the projectile and/or a coefficient of restitution), and/or facilitating their donning and securing by the hockey goalkeeper (e.g., connecting to skates).

1 . A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg, the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the main pad member comprising:
 a. an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad;   b. an inner liner for facing the leg; and   c. protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; and a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.   
     
     
         2 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured to generate a springboard effect when a puck or ball impacts the main pad member. 
     
     
         3 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.8. 
     
     
         4 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.9. 
     
     
         5 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.90. 
     
     
         6 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.95. 
     
     
         7 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of 80 km/h is at least 0.35. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein a material of a third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         11 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 10 , wherein the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is disposed between the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         12 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 11 , wherein the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is an outermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is an intermediate one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is an innermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         13 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 12 , wherein the material of the outermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements corresponds to the material of the innermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         14 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 11 , wherein each of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is denser than the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         15 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 11 , wherein each of (i) a ratio of a density of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over a density of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and (ii) a ratio of a density of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the density of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is at least 1.1. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 11 , wherein each of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is stiffer than the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         18 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 11 , wherein each of a modulus of elasticity of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and a modulus of elasticity of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is greater than a modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         19 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 18 , wherein each of (i) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and (ii) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is at least 1.1. 
     
     
         20 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 18 , wherein each of (i) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and (ii) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is at least 1.3. 
     
     
         21 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 11 , wherein each of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is foam. 
     
     
         22 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 21 , wherein the foam of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the foam of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the foam of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements are based on a common base polymer. 
     
     
         23 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 22 , wherein the common base polymer is polypropylene. 
     
     
         24 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 10 , wherein the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements are affixed together fastenerlessly. 
     
     
         25 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 10 , wherein the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements are fused together. 
     
     
         26 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 1 , wherein a thicker one of the padding elements is disposed rearwardly of the front one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         27 . The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of  claim 26 , wherein the thicker one of the padding elements is an intermediate one of the padding elements disposed between the front one of the padding elements and a rear one of the padding elements. 
     
     
         28 . A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg, the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the main pad member comprising:
 a. an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad;   b. an inner liner for facing the leg; and   c. protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; a material of a third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; and the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is disposed between the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.   
     
     
         29 . A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg, the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the main pad member comprising:
 a. an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad;   b. an inner liner for facing the leg; and   c. protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured to generate a springboard effect when a puck or ball impacts the main pad member.   
     
     
         30 .- 59 . (canceled)