CA1242051A

CA1242051A - Neck-protecting device

Info

Publication number: CA1242051A
Application number: CA000481637A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Robert Lagace
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-05-15
Filing date: 1985-05-15
Publication date: 1988-09-20

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A neck-protecting device to be secured to a helmet and to a garment at the level of the shoulder portion thereof. The protecting device consists of an outer and an inner sheet layer, made of sweat-absorbing flexible material and secured one to the other and forming a neck-surrounding collar, and an intermediate layer, made of a plurality of inter-engaged sturdy, light armour members.
The armour members are relatively movable solely along a plane parallel to that of the inner or outer layers, so as to facilitate movements of the head without hampering the shielding properties thereof for the neck against blows or shearing action.

Description

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to protective devices for players in violent games, and particularly those that protect the whole neck, including the throat, and collar-bones of such players.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In violent games, such as hockey, it is not uncommon that injuries occur at the level of the neck of the players. If the jugular vein or carotic artery is cut by a hockey blade or a skate blade, death is a likely c-vent.
Players usually wear some protective equi}?men~
(such as a helmet or shoulder pads), but as of today, the neck has never been adequately protected. The prior art discloses a few neck-protecting devices; however, players have not been interested, in fact, in wearing these devices, since the inventor is not aware of it being used Gr any scale in hockey leagues. The reasons for such a situation will be outlined below.
In the Canadian patent n 1,172,803, issued August 21, 1984 to Jean-Marc Gauthier, or corresponding U.S.
patent n 4,449,251, issued vay 22, 1984, a neck protector i:s disclosed including inner absorbent textile pad 44, outer r?ad 46, and a few intermediate armour members 5Q sandwiched therebetween.
The armour members 50 are full plates, relat.vely large and are supported by another pad 48. The weigh o'~
collar 44-50 is thus relatively high and constitutes a non-comfortable assembly. Furthermore, a similar sheet arrangement 24-34 is secured to the bottom of the collar 44-50, and looks like an apron. Thus, not only will the bulk and weighl of thid device discourage potential users ,. ~2~051 to wear it, but the solid armour members 30 and 50 will hamper movements of the head.
In the ~.S. patent n 3,825,952, issued July 30, 1974 to Roscoe Pershing, a skirt 24, made of coarse knit material, is releasably secured to a helmet. This skirt 24 is designed to permit fresh air to flow therethrough, so that the operator will have sufficient air for breath-ing, together with blocking the direct entrance of air into the helmet and to channel the body heat of the operator up into the helmet.
Of course, this skirt 24 will not protect the neck of the wearer against injuries.
Somehow, a lighter, very efficient, less bully device for pre'ecting the neck below a hat or helmet should be requ red for any game of at least ice hockeyj and for that matter, should be of a type that would not discourage users to wear it.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a device which is effective in protecting the neck, including the throat and also the ears, of a helmet-wearing person against lnjuries, and which concurrently does not hamper natural movements of the head in any signlficant way.
Another object of the invention is that the material constituting the said protective device has at least one of the following characteristics:
a) soft and non irritating to the skin of a wearer;
b) capability of absorption of sweat.

Accessory objects of the above invention are to pro-vide such a safety device having at least one of the follow=

ing characteristics:
a) ease of manufacture;

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b) low manufacturing cost;
c) lightweight A further object of this invention is the versatility provided by such a neck-protecting device, which can fit any type of heImet or other hats.
A still further object of the above invention is to concurrently protect the collarbones of the wearer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly with the objects of the invention there is provided a neck-protecting device to be secured to a helmet and to a garment at the level of the shoulder portion thereof. The protecting device consists of a main cylinder-forming layer, made of a plurality of inter-engaged sturdy, light armour members, which are mcvable one relative to the others, so as to facilitate movements of the head without hampering the shielding properties thereof for the neck against shearing action or blows.
Preferably, the armour members are small intertwined coplanar ringsO The rings are advantageously metal]ic.
-Preferably, the main layer is covered on both sides by a flexible sweat absorbing fabric sheet forming an outer and inner layer. The outer sheet layer of the device can be -releasably secured to the garment by a few connecting members, comprising: a small strip,fixedly secured at one end to the outer sheet layer and a pressure adhesive band, fixedly secured to the other end of the strip.
The present protecting device would also be suitable for a visor-equipped helmet. The visor is secured to the front of the helmet and made of a network of metal wires and a few large metal annuli, spacedly intertwined with a 1242~151.
corresponding number of rings and engaging the peripheral wires of the visor, to fixedly secure the sheet layers to the visor, through the rear edge portion of the helmet, to fixedly secure the said sheet layers to the helmet. The sheet layers have a front recess for receiving the visor.
For a stronger outfit, the outer and inner layers are interconnected by top and bottom lines of stitching extending slightly short of the edges. The Ann engaging rings project through the outer and inner layers at the level of the top line of stitching.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hockey player, with the helmet whereof being provided with the neck-protecting device of the invention;
Figure 2 is " perspective view of the helmet and neck-protecting device of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the above-neck-protecting device.
Figure 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the wall o_ the above-mentioned neck-protecting device, also showing in perspective view a pressure adhesive band secured thereto;
Figure 6 is a fragmented perspective view of the above-mentioned necX-protecting device, showing the two layers of textile material and the intermediate layer of e armour members; and Figure / is a plan view of the above-men-tioned intermediate layer.
DÆTAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
. _ .... _ . .. _ A hockey player 10 usually protects his head during a game by a helmet, such as the one shown at 12. This helmet l'Z~O~l.

oomprises a main, generally semi-spherical rigid shell 14. The front edge of the helmet 12, at 16, is upwardly offset relative to the rear edge thereof, at 18, to accom-modate a frort open visor 20, secured thereto and made of intercrossed rigid horizontal and vertical wires 22,24, respectively. A peripheral wire 26 encloses wires 22, 24.
According to the features of the invention, a neck-. protecting device 28 is secured to the helmei.r~ar edg_ 18 to the visor peripheral wire 26, and to the upper portion of the sweater 30, but preferably of the undergarments of the hockey player 10. Device 28 consists of inner and outer layers of absorhent flexible material, at 32, 34, respect-ively, and of an intermediate open layer 36, made of a plurality of small intertwined metallic rings 38.
Rings 38 are substantially coplanar. Layers 32, 34 are sewn together along lines of stitching slightly short of the top and bottom edges thereof, at 40, 42, respectively, and across layer 36.
Layers 32-36 form a neck-surrounding collar, wherein the rings 38 are relatively movable along a plane parallel to that of layers ~2-34, so as to facilitate movemer.ts of the head without hampering the shielding properties therlof for the neck against blows, such as hockey pucks, hockey blades et al, which directional vector is normal thereto.
Sheet layers 32, 34 define a front recess (see figure

2) for receiving the lower portion of the visor 20. The material of layers 32, 34 is sweat-absorbing, must be soft for the skin a the wearer and should have the property of preventing glare from the metallic rings 38.
A few large annuli 44 are spacedly intertwined to a corresponding number of small rings 38A at the upper line of stitching 40, the latter rings projecting outwardly from outer layer 34. Some of annuli 44 engage around 3L;~4~

peripheral wire 26, or around one horizontal wire 22, as seen in figure 2, which laterally protrudes outwardly of wire 26, while other annuli hookingly engage mating bores 46 made in shell 14 slightly short of rear edge 18 Annuli or rings 44 form fasteners which are preferably releasable, such as key rings or spring clips.
A few attachment hands 48 spacedly project from the lower end of layers 32, 34-. Each band 48 consists of a narrow strip 50 stitched at one end against the lower end of outer layer 34, and a pressure adhesive member 52 stitched on its back face to the other end of strip 50.
As clearly seen in figure 5, the stitches that secure strip 50 to layers 32, 34 are of four types. The firs-t type of stitch secures layers 32-36 to strip 50, at 54.
The second type of stitch secures layer 34, a ring 38 and strip 50 together, at 56. A third type of stitching secures layers 34 to strip 50, at 58. And the fourth type of stitching secures layers 32, 34 at the lower line of stitching 42, at 60.
Pressure adhesive member 52 may be of hook- and loop-fastening type, such as disclosed under the VELCRO regis-tered trademark, whereby the sweater 30 being of a material such as wool or cotton, the male-type VELCRO band will be adapted to releasably hookingly fasten to a female-type VELCRO
band secured to the sweater.
Of course, this neck-protecting device is not limited to helmets for the game of hockey, since players in lacrosse, handball and other such games, where agressiveness in between players can be expected, would also benefit from this safety device. In fact, any type of hat could be pro-vided with this device.
Other uses for this safety device are also envisioned without departing from the spirit of the invention.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED, ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A neck-protecting device secured to a helmet and a garment at the level of the shoulder portion thereof;
said device consisting of a main cylinder-forming layer, made of a plurality of interengaged sturdy, light armour members; said armour members being movable one relative to the others, so as to facilitate movements of the head without hampering the shielding properties thereof for the neck against shearing action or blows, and securing means to secure one end of said cylinder-forming layer to the lower edge of said helmet.

2. The neck-protecting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said armour members are small intertwined co-planar rings.

3. The neck-protecting device as defined in claim 2, wherein said rings are metallic.

4. The device as defined in claim 1,further including an inner and an outer flexible sheet layer covering the inside and outside of said main layer, said inner and outer layers made of sweat-absorbing material.

5. The neck-protecting device as defined in claim 4, wherein said outer sheet layer is releasably secured to said garment by a few connecting members comprising: a small strip, fixedly secured at one end to said outer sheet layer, and a pressure adhesive band, fixedly secured to the other end of said strip.

6. The neck-protecting device as defined in claim 2, wherein said helmet is of the type having an open visor, secured to the front of said helmet and made of a network of metal wires and a peripheral metal wire, said device including a few large metal annuli, spacedly intertwined with a corresponding number of rings and engaging the peripheral wire of the visor to fixedly secure said main layer to said visor, said main layer having a front recess for receiving said visor.

7. The neck-protecting device as defined in claim 4, wherein said outer and inner layers are interconected by top and bottom lines of stitching, said securing means extending through at least one of said outer and inner layers at the level of said top line of stitching.