Impact Innovative Products, LLC

Extrude Hone Corporation

John M Matechen

Lawrence J Rhoades

Jeffrey S Hartung

Mark J Rosner

A garment has a piece of clothing with at least one pad of conformable, energy dissipating media. The pad is positioned at a location on the clothing of the wearer to dissipate the energy resulting from a sudden impact at that location. The pad may be retained against the garment by a connector attached to the surface of the clothing or may be secured within a pocket on the garment. Additionally, the pad may be used in conjunction with hard shell padding.

Garment with energy dissipating conformable padding

Glove pad

A vibration dissipating sports glove for use in holding a bat while hitting a baseball having an energy-absorbing front pad between the index finger and the thumb. The glove also has a back padding covering the metacarpal portion of the hand and may furthermore have knuckle padding for covering the middle knuckle of each of the fingers. By using padding in a discriminate fashion, only in areas of the hand most vulnerable to impact and vibration, the glove maintains adequate flexibility and feel while, at the same time, protects the batter from bat-induced vibration and, furthermore, from pitched balls which may hit the batter's hand. Additionally, the front pad conforms between the batter's hand and the bat to provide to the batter a more secure grip upon the bat.

Sports glove with padding

Sports glove

The present invention relates to an energy absorbent medium which is compliant and conformable in the absence of an applied force, and stiffens in response to the rate of an applied force to dissipate energy. The medium comprises a blend of a polymer and a lubricant incompatible with the polymer to produce a conformable absorbent which exhibits dilatant (shear thickening) characteristics under high rates of force or stress. The polymer has reformable sacrificial chemical bonds which are broken under a high rate of deformation and which reform under static conditions. Suitable polymers for the invention include polyborosiloxanes. Applications for the medium include absorbent for sports padding, athletic equipment, motor vehicle seats, bulletproof vests, medical equipment, industrial equipment, weaponry, and playing fields.

Growing community of inventors

Irwin, PA, United States of America

John M Matechen