LIMB PROTECTION DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR SHIN GUARD

Abstract

 Protective device and in particular with a shin guard comprising:
- at least one layer, optionally two or more layers (101, 102) of material superimposed on each other and coupled together, and said at least one layer or said combination of two or more layers presenting a face in contact with the body of a user and an opposite face intended to facing outwards, with means for retaining or clamping the said layer and/or said layers against the said anatomical zone and in which the said at least one layer is constituted by a material in the form of a polymeric gel and with an elasticity such as to return to the initial condition after a deformation following an impact or alternatively from an expanded plastic material which is also deformable and elastically compressible, and in which
the layer (101) whose face is intended to come into contact with the user's body is made with a three-dimensional conformation,
having the contact surface with the user's body areas (2, 3, 601) of contact projecting outwards towards the user's body to a greater extent than other areas (4, 5, 501) which are recessed with respect to said protruding areas and which recessed areas are interposed between said protruding areas and do not come into contact with the user's body in the absence of deformations caused by an impact.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for protecting limbs or other anatomical regions, in particular the shin, comprising at least one layer, optionally two or more layers of material superimposed on each other and coupled together, and said at least one layer or said combination of two or more layers presenting a face in contact with the body of a user and an opposite face intended to facing outwards and in contact with a retaining or clamping band of the said layer and/or said layers against the said anatomical area.

[0002] Devices of this kind are known at the state of the art and for their construction different types of materials are used both to form a single layer and a combination of two or more layers superimposed on each other.

[0003] There are various theoretical approaches relating to the creation of a device of the aforementioned type and in particular in relation to the mechanical and flexibility characteristics of the material which makes up the said two or more layers coupled together.

[0004] According to a first approach, the device is constructed as a relatively rigid protective shield with a substantially stable and morphologically adapted shape, at least in part to the conformation of the limb part to which the device is applied in contact.

[0005] This relatively rigid shield can be associated, at least on the face facing the area to be protected, with a softer and/or elastically compressible layer that allows a more delicate contact between the relatively rigid layer that constitutes the shield and the limb, also exerting a certain action of absorbing the energy from a body that comes into contact with the said shield. Examples of relatively rigid materials suitable to form the shield anatomically adapted or adaptable to the anatomical region or to the limb are plastic, Kevlar or carbon and others.

[0006] According to yet another approach, the shin guard is formed by at least one layer of flexible or elastically deformable material. An example of this type of material composed of a material in the form of a polymer gel with an elasticity such as to return to its initial condition after a deformation following an impact.

[0007] Alternatively the said flexible material is an expanded plastic material which is also deformable and elastically compressible.

[0008] Providing at least two layers, the device can also be formed by a layer made of said polymeric gel and the further layer is made of said expanded plastic material.

[0009] In the case of this second type, the device is adaptable, thanks to its deformability characteristics, to the anatomical area to be protected without requiring a prior adjustment of the device's morphology to the conformation of the application area.

[0010] Typically, all said protective devices are intended to be removably fixed to the anatomical areas to be protected by means of clamping elements, such as laces, bands, adhesive tapes, bandages or even by means of an elastic compression action exerted by the clothing worn by the patient that cover the anatomical region to which the device is applied.

[0011] In the case of shin guards, the device is inserted between the leg and the sock and is retained against the leg in the correct position thanks to the elastic radial compression action exerted by the sock.

[0012] At the present state, however, the known shin guards do not present high levels of protection, as the absorption of energy transmitted to the limb from an impact against an object is only absorbed or dissipated partially, while the remaining kinetic energy is transmitted to the user's body, so that, when the kinetic energy and thus the transmitted impulse are relatively high, the dissipation effect is not sufficient to avoid more or less serious or more or less painful traumatic effects on the anatomical area protected by the protective device.

[0013] The invention is therefore based on the problem of creating a shin guard of the type comprising at least one layer of material capable of absorbing the energy of an impact and being flexible enough to adapt through elastic deformation to the conformation of the contact area, which protective device, and in particular the shin guard, has improved abilities to absorb kinetic energy, that is, the impulse transferred from a body impacting on a predetermined anatomical area, in particular the shin area of a leg.

[0014] The invention solves this problem with a protective device and in particular with a shin guard comprising:

at least one layer, optionally two or more layers of material superimposed on each other and coupled together, and said at least one layer or said combination of two or more layers presenting a face in contact with the body of a user and an opposite face intended to facing outwards, with means for retaining or clamping the said layer and/or said layers against the said anatomical zone and in which the said at least one layer is constituted by a material in the form of a polymeric gel and with an elasticity such as to return to the initial condition after a deformation following an impact or alternatively from an expanded plastic material which is also deformable and elastically compressible, and in which

the layer whose face is intended to come into contact with the user's body is made with a three-dimensional conformation, wherein the contact surface has contact areas with the user's body projecting outwards towards the user's body and areas which are recessed with respect to said protruding areas and are interposed between said protruding areas and do not come into contact with the user's body in the absence of deformations caused by an impact.

[0015] In particular, with reference to a surface of the the said face facing the user's body, some protruding areas protrude beyond the said surface of the said recessed areas, in a predetermined measure with respect to other protruding areas, whereby in a condition not dynamically stressed, the said face facing the user's body comes into contact with the same only in correspondence with the said protruding areas.

[0016] In general, different distributions and/or configurations and/or different surface extensions of said protruding areas and/or of said recessed areas are possible which can be empirically defined according to the area of contact with an anatomical district or limb to which the said device must be applied and/or which are also defined according to the energy and/or the impact impulse that the said device must be able to absorb completely and/or at least partially.

[0017] In an embodiment of the invention the contact layer has in at least some predetermined areas a combination of ribs oriented in mutually non-parallel or crossed directions so as to generate a combination of adjacent cells delimited laterally and open on the side facing the user's body, as well as closed on the opposite side from the surface of said recessed areas.

[0018] The said conformation of alveolar cells side by side along the surface extension of at least some areas can further provide that in different areas of the face, facing the user's body, the said ribs that define the alveolar cells have heights, that is, protrusions different from the bottom side of the said alveolar cells, so that in some areas the ribs they come into contact with the user's body and in others they remain raised or slightly touch the user's body.

[0019] This allows the modulation of contact between the said face facing the limb or the anatomical area to be protected in such a way that this contact occurs progressively over a larger or smaller area of the limb or anatomical area, thereby generating a greater absorption dynamic of the impact energy.

[0020] In yet another aspect, the said cells can have different sizes in different areas of the said face facing the user's body, or different areas of greater or lesser size than the alveolar cells of other areas.

[0021] The passage between the different heights or protrusions of the ribs delimiting the alveolar cells and of the sizes of the alveolar cells from area to area can take place progressively according to a predetermined distribution curve, or the increase or decrease in the height and/or in the protrusion of the ribs and/or in the areas of the alveolar cells can take place in steps or stepped.

[0022] Such alternatives can also be provided simultaneously for the alveolar cells distributed on the said face facing the patient's body, so that in some areas the increase or decrease of the height and/or the protrusion of the ribs and/or in the areas of the alveolar cells is progressively, while in other areas, said increase and/or decrease are achieved in discrete steps.

[0023] The aforementioned alternative configurations advantageously contribute to precisely calibrating the dynamic behavior of the device concerning its ability to absorb a greater or lesser portion of the kinetic energy or impulse of an impact.

[0024] The selection of specific alternatives among those described above can be achieved through one-time empirical studies, and once determined, this selection can be applied serially to identical devices with the same functionality.

[0025] Optionally the surfaces of the lowered zones can also have different levels between them, being spaced from the anatomical area to be protected to a different extent, i.e. greater or lesser than the others.

[0026] It should be noted that concerning the term protrusion or measure of protrusion and the term recessed there is a relationship between the thickness of the layer forming the contact surface with the limb and/or the anatomical area to be protected. In fact, considering that the possible opposite face, optionally in contact with a further layer superimposed on it, has a substantially flat surface in correspondence with the protruding zones, i.e. the ribs, the said layer has a greater thickness than the thickness present in the recessed areas.

[0027] According to yet another characteristic, at least some of said areas provided with the alveolar structure consisting of the said protruding ribs and the recessed bottom side of the alveolar cells with respect to the crests of said ribs can be surrounded at least in part by other adjacent areas, by grooves or channels, the bottom of which is lowered with respect to the protrusion of the ribs which form the alveolar cells and/or from the bottom side of the said cells themselves.

[0028] Said separation grooves or channels have predetermined widths thus spacing out the adjacent areas provided with the three-dimensional alveolar structure in a predetermined measure. This distance may also vary along the length extension of the said channels or grooves, as well as the depth of the said channels or grooves.

[0029] According to yet another possible characteristic, the different zones provided with the alternating structure of protruding ribs and recessed zones and having different measures of the height or protrusion of said ribs and/or of the recessed areas, are surrounded by a perimeter rib closed on itself and which has a projection or a height substantially corresponding to that of the ribs which connect or terminate against said perimeter rib.

[0030] In an embodiment said perimeter rib separates the area provided with said protruding areas alternating with said recessed areas, or of the structure with the open alveolar cells, from the said separation grooves or channels of the zones having different configurations and/or dimensions relating to the protrusion or recess of the various zones and to the plan dimension of the open alveolar cells and/or their form.

[0031] In an embodiment, the protruding ribs which constitute the side walls of the alveolar cells have orientations such that said alveolar cells have a polygonal plan shape, preferably of regular or isosceles polygon.

[0032] A non-limiting and non-exhaustive list of preferred polygonal shapes comprises triangular, rhomboid, rectangular, hexagonal and octagonal shapes.

[0033] Thanks to this characteristic, that is the aforementioned channels or grooves or furrows, a greater dispersion of impact energy is ensured. The grooves or channels or the said furrows guarantee a guided deformation of the layer or layers of material at the moment of impact. The deformation allows an initial absorption of the energy derived from the impact, thus strengthening the absorption guaranteed by the material and its alveolar shape with differentiated dimensions as described above.

[0034] From a theoretical point of view, in physics the dimensional change of the object subjected to impact is correlated to the energy generated by the impact itself. Therefore it is possible to define which part of the energy generated by the impact is absorbed by elastic deformation of the material and which remaining part will be absorbed by the technical characteristics and conformation of the material used in contact with the user's body. Therefore, the protective capacity exercised by the protective device or shin guard is increased.

[0035] According another embodiment which can be provided in combination with one or more of the previous embodiments, at least one layer of material of the device according the present invention consists of a material with memory, so for example in the case of the shin guard there is no distinction between right and left as the shin guard adapts perfectly to the applying area, increasing the contact area with the leg without altering its dimensions. Once worn it immediately takes the shape of the shin as if it had been custom designed.

[0036] When said device comprises two or more layers, at least two or more layers are each respectively made up of a layer made of a different material selected from a polymeric gel or an expanded plastic material.

[0037] With particular reference to a protective device of the type intended to have a shin guard function, thanks to the elastic deformability of the material and therefore to the adaptability to the shape of the limb and/or the anatomical area to be protected and against which the device is to be placed, it is possible to form the device with a substantially symmetrical plan shape with respect to a longitudinal axis of the device itself, i.e. an axis intended to assume a substantially vertical position when the shin guard is in the operating position.

[0038] In particular, the plan form is substantially trapezoidal, in particular having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid with a major base and a minor base which have edges that are not straight, but curved or arched and which are intended to respectively form the upper side and the lower side of the shin guard, while the side edges are substantially straight.

[0039] At two corner zones between said lateral edges and the edge that forms the major base, i.e. the upper side of the shin guard, two zones are provided with position, size and plan shape substantially symmetrically identical with respect to the aforementioned median longitudinal axis of the trapezoidal shape and which areas comprise a three-dimensional conformation of the contact surface with the tibia area of a leg according to one or more of the variants described above.

[0040] In a particular embodiment, said upper corner zones have a conformation with open alveolar cells which cells are preferably hexagonal in shape and the ribs that delimit them have a greater protrusion towards the leg of an area adjacent to the said corner areas.

[0041] In an embodiment, in the lower region of the trapezoidal shape there is a region also provided with open alveolar cells which cells are preferably hexagonal in shape and the ribs that delimit them have a greater protrusion towards the leg than an adjacent area.

[0042] According an embodiment, the open alveolar cells of said two upper corner zones and of the lower zone are made with a substantially identical shape, with substantially identical plan dimensions and with substantially identical upward projections.

[0043] According to a further characteristic provided in combination with the aforementioned characteristics the said upper corner zones and/or the said lower zone which have the largest protrusions of the contact surface towards the anatomical zone to be protected are delimited by a continuous perimeter rib closed on itself both towards the outside and towards the adjacent zone/s having a smaller protrusion.

[0044] Between the said upper corner zones and the said lower zone which have a largest protrusions towards the anatomical area to be protected it is provided a zone being also shaped with a three-dimensional structure consisting of open alveolar cells on the contact side towards the anatomical area to be protected and which is realized according to one or more of the characteristics described above, having the protruding ribs and/or also the recessed areas, or the bottom walls of the said alveolar cells respectively a protrusion and/or a lower height with respect to the ribs of the alveolar cells of the said upper corner zones and/or of the lower zone and respectively a greater or lesser recess and/or a different level, in particular smaller than the bottom sides of the alveolar cells of the said upper corner zones and of the lower one.

[0045] According to yet another characteristic, the said alveolar cells of the intermediate areas between the said upper corner zones and the lower zone can have different plan shapes and/or dimensions to that of the said upper corner zones and of the lower corner zone. In a variant embodiment the plan shape of the alveolar cells of the intermediate zones is identical to that of the upper corner zones and of the lower corner zone, while the plan dimension of the said alveolar cells of the intermediate zones is smaller than that of the alveolar cells of the upper corner zones and of the lower area.

[0046] According to yet another characteristic, the intermediate zone/s and the upper corner zones and the lower zone are spaced apart along the adjacent edges by one or more said grooves or channels extending parallel to the segments of the perimeter ribs delimiting said upper corner zones and said lower zone on the side facing the said intermediate zone/s.

[0047] According to yet another characteristic, at least the said upper corner zones and/or the lower zone have a different protrusion of the ribs which form the side walls of the alveolar cells and which projection decreases from the outermost perimeter edge towards the innermost edge in at least one direction, for example in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shin guard.

[0048] In a variant embodiment, it is possible to provide that on the side facing the intermediate zone/s the perimeter rib of the said two upper corner zones and of the said lower zone has an arched trend, preferably with the intrados side facing respectively the corresponding corner and/or towards the minor base, the said trend being symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shin guard.

[0049] The advantages of the impact protection device and specifically the shin guard according to the present invention are as follows:
The special three-dimensional viscoelastic gel on the outside, combined with the viscoelastic foam on the inside, ensures a high level of impact absorption, distribution, and dispersion, thereby increasing the level of protection.

[0050] The padding structure consists of different zones with varying sizes of polygonal alveolar cells, specifically hexagonal. Each zone can be configured through experimentation to optimize its function in absorbing impact energy and is composed of various alveolar cells that enhance impact absorption and facilitate its dispersion.

[0051] The alveolar cells, in particular having an hexagonal shape composing the alveolar structure, have at least two different sizes and the different zones equipped with the alveolar structure and having varying protrusions towards the anatomical area to be protected are separated by grooves and in fact the parts with the larger plan shape of the alveolar cell are located on the sides, while the central part has alveolar cells with a smaller plan shape and also with a less protrusion towards the area to be protected, that is in which the layer has a smaller thickness. This ensures a greater dispersion of impact energy, and the grooves guarantee a guided deformation of the shin guard at the moment of impact. The deformation allows an initial absorption of the energy derived from the impact, thus strengthening the absorption guaranteed by the material and its alveolar shape with differentiated dimension.

[0052] The different plan dimensions of the alveolar cells and also the different height and/or the different protrusion of the alveolar cells that compose the structure of the layer or layers of absorbing material allow a three-dimensional deformation capacity of the entire structure of the shin guard when it is subjected to impact. Observing the shin guard in the area that will come into contact with the tibia, the different heights and/or protrusions and/or thicknesses of the materials are evident as well as the different shapes and/or sizes of the alveolar cells. The dimensional change of the object subjected to impact is related to the energy generated by the impact itself, so that part of the energy generated by the impact is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the material, while the remaining part will be absorbed by the technical characteristics and physical shape of the material used in contact with the tibia. This increases the protection capacity conferred by the device compared to known state-of-the-art devices.

[0053] The special internal foamed material manages to give greater lightness, softness and adaptability as well as high resistance and avoiding the movement on the skin of the person wearing it thanks also to the polygonal shapes of the ribs that delimit the alveolar cells.

[0054] The characteristic relating to flexibility allows to avoid a distinction between right and left, as the shin guard adapts perfectly to the morphology of the contact area, increasing the contact area with the leg without altering its dimensions. Once worn, it immediately takes the shape of the contact area with the tibia as if it had been made with an anatomically adapted shape tailored to the application area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0055] The above characteristics and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following description of some examples illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a perspective view on the face in contact with the tibia of a user and on the face opposite to the contact face of an example of a protection device according to the present invention configured for the function of shin guard.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the contact face of the shin guard according to the previous figures.

Figure 4 shows a side elevation view on the upper side of the shin guard according to the previous figures.

Figure 5 shows a side elevation view on the lateral edge of the shin guard according to the previous figures.

Figure 6 is a similar view to figure 3.

Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a sectional view according to the section plane perpendicular to the face of the shin guard facing the tibia and coinciding with the S2-S2 axis and according to the section plane perpendicular to the face of the shin guard facing the tibia and coinciding with the S1-S1 axis, i.e. the central longitudinal axis of the shin guard.

[0056] In the present description and in the claims, the term protrusion or recess, or the term height or level or the term greater or lesser thickness refers to a measurement in a direction perpendicular to a non-curved plane, which plane presents only a two-dimensional extension, and which presents a position for example parallel to the face of a layer on the side of said layer opposite to that of contact with an anatomical area to be protected or which constitutes a reference level for determining the dimensions in a direction perpendicular to said plane and at least in the direction of the face facing the anatomical area to be protected.

[0057] The definition of a reference plane having only two dimensions substantially parallel or tangential to the surface, i.e. the skin of the anatomical area to be protected, is necessary, since, although in the example of the illustrated figures the face of the device opposite to the anatomical area to be protected or the face of mutual contact of the at least two layers 101, 102 is flat - in the sense of the term defined above - these faces could also present a conformation having a three-dimensional structure constituted by a combination of elements protruding and/or recessed in the direction of the contact face of the adjacent layer.

[0058] However, the meaning is clear, univocal and unambiguous in view of the previously mentioned definition and figures which show an exemplary embodiment of a shin guard.

[0059] Without the embodiment constituting a limitation regarding the conformation and dimensions of the various areas of the surface of the face in contact with the area to be protected, the illustrated embodiment shows a shin guard 1 which has a combination of at least two layers coupled together and indicated with 101 and 102, respectively.

[0060] The layer that forms the contact surface with the anatomical area to be protected and which in use is brought to rest against the same has a three-dimensional conformation according to the definition indicated above.

[0061] In particular, the shin guard has a substantially symmetrical plan shape with respect to a longitudinal axis which in use is oriented substantially vertically.

[0062] In particular, the shape is similar to that of an isosceles trapezium with the major base facing upwards and the minor base facing downwards.

[0063] As will be indicated in more detail below, the materials that form the layers 101 and 201 are flexible and therefore the shin guard is adaptable to the shape of the area to be protected, in this case the tibia area.

[0064] Thanks to this flexibility, it is possible to create the device for the right leg and that for the left leg substantially identical to each other, so only one example is shown in the figures.

[0065] In use, the shin guard device, i.e. each of the right and left elements is held in the position of contact with the area to be protected by means of clamping members which can be made in various ways.

[0066] A possible embodiment provides that the sock itself, thanks to its elasticity in the sense of radial compression against the leg, holds each element of the shin guard in the position of use.

[0067] Alternatively, it is possible to provide different fixing and/or clamping members, such as laces, strings, bands, bandages, and adhesive tapes or tapes provided with couplings using mutual coupling elements such as for example Velcro or the like.

[0068] In the illustrated embodiment the shin guard element represents an embodiment that is intended to be held in position by the sock itself.

[0069] As shown in the figures, in a preferred embodiment which provides for a high absorption of the energy of an impact or a blow inflicted in the protected area, the said device has on the side in contact with the leg at least three areas having an alveolar open cell structure towards the area to be protected and a greater protrusion than other additional areas which are lowered or recessed compared to these.

[0070] Two areas with greater protrusion are indicated with 2 and are provided in each corner zone between the lateral edges and the upper side which forms the major base of the trapezoidal shape.

[0071] These two areas are made symmetrically substantially identical with respect to an axis of symmetry indicated by the section plane S1-S1 of figure 6.

[0072] Each of these areas is formed by a plurality of alveolar cells placed side-by-side and indicated as a whole with 201 and which are delimited laterally by a plurality of ribs 601 which cross each other forming the side walls and said alveolar cells 201.

[0073] Although the preferred plan shape of the alveoli is hexagonal, this is not to be understood as limiting. The bottom side 501 of the alveolar cells is recessed with respect to the crests of the ribs 601 facing the area to be protected.

[0074] In the illustrated embodiment the shape and dimension of the alveolar cells 201 is identical for the said two zones 2.

[0075] According to a characteristic, both zones 2 are peripherally delimited by an edge which is constituted by an annular rib closed on itself and indicated with 6.

[0076] In the lower zone, i.e. in the zone of the minor base and substantially for an extension less than half the longitudinal extension of the element 1, a similar zone 3 is provided which has a greater protrusion and which is formed by side-by-side alveolar cells 301, preferably hexagonal and composed of a combination of protruding ribs 601 which cross each other forming the side walls of the alveolar cells 301 and delimit the recessed bottom side 501.

[0077] As become evident in this case too, the alveolar cells form opened cells towards the area to be protected with which the said face comes into contact during use.

[0078] Without constituting a limitation, in the present example the configuration and/or dimensions in plant and/or relating to the protrusion of the alveolar cells 301 is substantially similar to that of the alveolar cells 201.

[0079] The zone 3 with the greatest protrusion is also peripherally delimited by an annular rib closed on itself, also indicated in this case by 6.

[0080] For both zones 2 and zone 3, said perimeter rib 6 follows the external perimeter edge of the plan shape of the shin guard, while the branches directed towards the central zones are made arched with the intrados side facing towards the median zone of the corresponding alveolar part of zones 2 and 3.

[0081] A further alveolar zone 4 is provided between the said two upper corner zones 2 and the lower zone 3 and is indicated with 4. This zone is also made up of a plurality of alveolar cells open on the side facing the anatomical area to be protected and indicated with 401. This zone 4 is also peripherally delimited by a continuous rib closed on itself, indicated also in this case with 6.

[0082] As shown in the figures and without constituting a limitation, but only a preferred example of configuration, the alveolar cells 401 are also hexagonal. Furthermore, the alveolar cells 401 have a smaller plan size than that of the alveolar cells 201 and 301 of zones 2 and 3 and also a smaller protrusion of the ribs that form the side walls delimiting the alveolar cells as can be seen better from figure 1 and from the section along the plane S1-S1 and along the plane S2-S2 of figures 7 and 8.

[0083] According to yet another characteristic, between the substantially intermediate zone 401 which divides the two upper corner zones 2 and the lower zone 3 having a greater protrusion towards the anatomical area to be protected, spacing grooves or channels or furrows are provided which extend along the segments of the perimeter ribs 6 of the said zones 2, 3 and 4 facing each other. Said grooves or said channels or furrows 5 have a bottom side which can have a higher or lower level than the bottom sides of the alveolar cells 401 of the intermediate zone 4 and/or of the alveolar cells 201 and/or 301 of the upper corner zones 2 and the lower zone 3.

[0084] The width of said grooves or channels or of said furrows 5 can vary and is greater than the maximum diameter of the alveolar cells 401 and is of the same order of magnitude or slightly greater than the maximum diameter of the alveolar cells 201 and/or 301.

[0085] According to yet a further characteristic, the side walls delimiting the alveolar cells 201 and/or 301 of the upper corner zones 2 and/or of the lower zone 3 and optionally also those of the intermediate zone 4 have non-identical protrusions that slope down along a certain profile, at least in one direction which can be a direction parallel to the median longitudinal axis defined by the plane S1-S1 referred to in figure 6 or by a transversal axis parallel to the plane indicated with S2-S2 or according to a direction which is a combination of components in the said two directions S1-S1 and S2-S2 and which can also follow a non-straight, curved line.

[0086] An example is clearly shown in figures 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8.

[0087] In particular, and solely as a preferred but not limiting example, the two corner zones 2 have walls delimiting the alveolar cells 610 which slope down or become less protrusive starting from the two side edges towards the median zone, as is evident from figure 2 , 4 and 7.

[0088] Figure 5 shows the extension of the protrusion of the ribs 601 delimiting the alveolar cells 301 of the lower zone 3 which slope down in the direction of the lower peripheral edge towards the outside and the upper peripheral edge towards the adjacent zone 4.

[0089] In the illustrated embodiment and without constituting a limitation, the zone 4 has instead alveolar cells whose delimiting walls all have the same height or protrusion.

[0090] Still according to an embodiment, the shin guard 1 can be composed of just two layers 101 and 201, one of which has a free face intended to come into contact with the area to be protected and the other layer whose free face is intended to be facing away from the area to be protected, i.e. towards the outside and/or towards, for example, a sock or other member for fastening or retaining in position.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the layer 101 on the side facing the area to be protected is made up in a preferably but not limiting way of an expanded, viscoelastic plastic material which is shaped so as to present the three-dimensional structures described above on the face facing the area to be protected, while the layer intended to form the external face of the shin guard is made of a three-dimensional viscoelastic gel.

[0092] Preferably, said expanded plastic material and said gel are composed of materials having shape memory so as to guarantee the adaptation of identical shin guards to the conformation of the right and left leg to which they adapt anatomically.

[0093] The ribs of the alveolar area that come into contact with the user's skin also have the additional effect of generating increased friction elements that prevent the shin guard from slipping on the limb. Furthermore, the areas which, thanks to the three-dimensional structure, do not come into contact with the skin of the area to be protected, allow for a ventilation effect which avoids excessive sweating and/or allows sweating to evaporate.

[0094] Despite what has been specifically developed through experimentation for the creation of impact protection devices for use as shin guards, as stated above, it is evident that, thanks to a configuration carried out on an empirical basis through typical tests within the field of the activities of the technician skilled in the art, it is possible to specifically configure protection devices for other regions or anatomical areas of the human body, such as for example - but not limited to - for the protection from impacts of one or more anatomical areas of the upper limbs and/or wrists.

[0095] Still according to an embodiment it is possible that the said protection device is constituted, at least in some zones or for its entire extension in plan, of three or more than three layers, each of which is made of flexible and deformable and preferably viscoelastic material and has different mechanical characteristics relative to the materials of the other layers.

Claims

1. Protective device and in particular with a shin guard comprising:

- at least one layer, optionally two or more layers (101, 102) of material superimposed on each other and coupled together, and said at least one layer or said combination of two or more layers presenting a face in contact with the body of a user and an opposite face intended to facing outwards, with means for retaining or clamping the said layer and/or said layers against the said anatomical zone and in which the said at least one layer is constituted by a material in the form of a polymeric gel and with an elasticity such as to return to the initial condition after a deformation following an impact or alternatively from an expanded plastic material which is also deformable and elastically compressible, and in which

the layer (101) whose face is intended to come into contact with the user's body is made with a three-dimensional conformation,

having the contact surface with the user's body areas (2, 3, 601) of contact projecting outwards towards the user's body to a greater extent than other areas (4, 5, 501) which are recessed with respect to said protruding areas and which recessed areas are interposed between said protruding areas and do not come into contact with the user's body in the absence of deformations caused by an impact.

2. Device according to claim 1, in which on the said face, facing the user's body, some protruding areas (2, 3, 601), protrude beyond the said surface of the said recessed areas (4, 5, 501), in a predetermined measure with respect to other protruding areas, whereby in a condition not dynamically stressed, the said face facing the user's body comes into contact with the same only in correspondence with the said protruding areas.

3. Device according to claims 1 or 2, in which different distributions and/or configurations and/or different surface extensions of said protruding areas (2, 3, 601) and/or of said recessed areas (4, 5, 501) are provided which can be empirically defined according to the area of contact with an anatomical district or limb to which the said device must be applied and/or which are also defined according to the energy and/or the impact impulse that the said device must be able to absorb completely and/or at least partially.

4. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the contact layer has in at least some predetermined areas a combination of ribs (601) oriented in mutually non-parallel or crossed directions so as to generate a combination of adjacent cells (201 , 301, 401) delimited laterally (601) and open on the side facing the user's body, as well as closed (501) on the opposite side from the surface of said recessed areas,
the said combination of alveolar cells (201, 301, 401) side by side along the surface extension of at least some areas (2, 3, 4) can optionally provide that in different areas of the face, facing the user's body, the said ribs (601) that define the alveolar cells (201, 301, 401) have heights, that is, protrusions different from the bottom side (501) of the said alveolar cells (201, 301, 401), so that in some areas the ribs (601) they come into contact with the user's body and in others they remain raised or slightly touch the user's body.

5. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the said cells (201, 301, 401) can have different sizes in different areas (2, 3, 4) of the said face facing the user's body, or different areas of greater or lesser size than the alveolar cells of other areas.

6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the passage between the different heights or protrusions of the ribs (601) delimiting the alveolar cells (201, 301, 401) and of the sizes of the alveolar cells from area to area (2, 3 , 4) can take place progressively according to a predetermined distribution curve, or the increase or decrease in the height and/or in the protrusion of the ribs (601) and/or in the plan dimensions of the alveolar cells can take place in steps or stepped and optionally the surfaces of the lowered areas can also have different levels between them, they are spaced from the anatomical area to be protected to a different extent, i.e. greater or lesser than the others.

7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of said areas (2, 3, 4) provided with the alveolar structure consisting of the said protruding ribs (601) and the recessed bottom side (501) of the alveolar cells (201, 301, 401) with respect to the crests of said ribs (601) are surrounded at least in part by other adjacent areas, by grooves or channels (5), the bottom of which is lowered with respect to the protrusion of the ribs (601) which form the alveolar cells (201, 301, 401) and/or from the bottom side (501) of the said cells themselves, said separation grooves or channels (5) have predetermined widths thus spacing out the adjacent areas (2, 3, 4) provided with the three-dimensional alveolar structure in a predetermined measure.

8. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the different zones provided with the alternating structure of protruding ribs (601) and recessed zones (501) and having different measures of the height or protrusion of said ribs (601) and/or of the recessed areas (501), are surrounded by a perimeter rib (6) closed on itself and which has a projection or a height substantially corresponding to that of the ribs (601) which connect or terminate against said perimeter rib (6) .

9. Device according to claim 8, wherein said perimeter rib (6) separates the area (2, 3, 4) provided with said protruding areas (601) alternating with said recessed areas (501), or of the structure with the open alveolar cells (201, 301, 401), from the said separation grooves or channels (5) of the zones having different configurations and/or dimensions relating to the protrusion or recess of the various zones and to the plan dimension of the open alveolar cells and/or their form.

10. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the protruding ribs (601) which constitute the side walls of the alveolar cells (201, 301, 401) have orientations such that said alveolar cells have a polygonal plan shape, preferably of regular or isosceles polygon among which preferred polygonal shapes are triangular, rhomboid, rectangular, hexagonal and octagonal shapes.

11. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein at least one layer of material (101, 201) consists of a material with memory.

12. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterized in that it is a shin guard and has a substantially symmetrical plan shape with respect to a longitudinal axis (S1-S1) of the device itself, i.e. an axis intended to assume a substantially vertical position when the shin guard is in the operating position.

13. Device according to claim 12, in which the plan form is substantially trapezoidal, in particular having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid with a major base and a minor base which have edges that are not straight, but curved or arched and which are intended to respectively form the upper side and the lower side of the shin guard, while the side edges are substantially straight.

14. Device according to claims 12 or 13, in which at two corner zones between said lateral edges and the edge that forms the major base, i.e. the upper side of the shin guard, two zones (2) are provided with position, size and plan shape substantially symmetrically identical with respect to the aforementioned median longitudinal axis (S1-S1) of the trapezoidal shape and which areas (2) comprise a three-dimensional conformation of the contact surface with the tibia area of a leg according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 11.

15. Device according to one or more of claims 12 to 14, in which said upper corner zones (2) have a conformation with open alveolar cells (201) which cells are preferably hexagonal in shape and the ribs that delimit them have a greater protrusion towards the leg of an area (4, 5) adjacent to the said corner areas (2).

16. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 to 15, in which in the lower region of the trapezoidal shape there is a region (3) also provided with open alveolar cells (301) which cells are preferably hexagonal in shape and the ribs (601) that delimit them have a greater protrusion towards the leg than an adjacent area (4).

17. Device according to claim 16, in which the open alveolar cells (201, 301) of said two upper corner zones (2) and of the lower zone (3) are made with a substantially identical shape, with substantially identical plan dimensions and with substantially identical upward projections.

18. Device according to one or more of claims 12 to 17, in which the said upper corner zones (2) and/or the said lower zone (3) which have the largest protrusions of the contact surface towards the anatomical zone to be protected are delimited by a continuous perimeter rib (6) closed on itself both towards the outside and towards the adjacent zone/s (4, 5) having a smaller protrusion.

19. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 to 18, in which a zone is provided between said upper corner zones (2) and said lower zone (3) which have a greater protrusion towards the anatomical zone to be protected (4) said zone being also shaped with a three-dimensional structure consisting of open alveolar cells (401) on the contact side towards the anatomical zone to be protected and is made according to one or more of claims 1 to 11,
having the protruding ribs (601) and/or also the recessed areas (501), or the bottom walls of the said alveolar cells (401) respectively a protrusion and/or a lower height with respect to the ribs (601) of the alveolar cells (201, 301) of the said upper corner zones (2) and/or of the lower zone (3) and respectively a greater or lesser recess and/or a different level, in particular smaller than the bottom sides (501) of the alveolar cells (201, 301) of the said upper corner zones (2) and of the lower one (3).

20. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 to 19, in which the said alveolar cells (401) of the intermediate areas (4) between the said upper corner areas (2) and the lower area (3) have a plan shape identical to that of the upper corner zones and of the lower corner zone, while the plan dimension of the said alveolar cells (401) of the intermediate zones (4) is smaller than that of the alveolar cells (201, 301) of the upper corner (2) and/or of the lower area (3).

21. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 to 20, in which the intermediate zone/s (4) and the upper corner zones (2) and/or the lower zone (3) are spaced apart along the adjacent edges by one or more said grooves or channels (5) extending parallel to the segments of the perimeter ribs (6) delimiting said upper corner zones (2) and/or said lower zone (3) and/or said zone or of said intermediate zones (4) on the sides facing each other.

22. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 to 21 in which at least the said upper corner zones (2) and/or the lower zone (3) have a different protrusion of the ribs (601) which form the side walls of the alveolar cells (201, 301) and which projection decreases from the outermost perimeter edge towards the innermost edge in at least one direction, for example in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shin guard.

Drawing