Front-to-back and side-to-side custom-molded protective device

Abstract

A protective pad for being custom-fitted to a body member to be protected, and including a first flexible cushion layer for being placed against the body member in a first orientation, and an initially flexible intermediate layer having a first side positioned adjacent to the first layer. The intermediate layer is formed of a fabric impregnated with a moisture-curable resin which hardens upon curing to form a rigid structure of the fabric which retains a body part-defined shape into which it is molded during curing, thereby also holding the flexible first cushion layer in the same body-part defined shape. A second flexible cushion layer is positioned adjacent a second side of the intermediate layer for being held by the intermediate layer in the same body-part defined shape as the intermediate layer for being placed against the body part to be protected in a second orientation. Sewing stitches connect together the first and second flexible cushion layers and the intermediate layer sandwiched therebetween to form the protective pad into a unitary structure. The protective pad has a shape which is asymmetrical from top-to-bottom and from side-to-side and is anatomically shaped to provide enhanced protection to a different area of the body part being protected depending on its side-to-side and top-to-bottom orientation.