US 7,506,384 B2
Shoulder pad for contact sports
Thad M. Ide, Chicago, Ill. (US); and Christopher D. Oby, Barrington, N.H. (US)
Assigned to Riddell, Inc., Rosemont, Ill. (US)
Filed on Sep. 12, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/224,493.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/609489, filed on Sep. 13, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2006/0053535 A1, Mar. 16, 2006
Int. Cl. A41D 13/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 2—459 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A shoulder pad that is worn by a player in a contact sport, the shoulder pad comprising:
a central body having a pair of protective arch members operably connected, each arch member having a protective lower chest portion and a protective lower back portion and an upper portion with a raised upper segment;
a side pad assembly operably connected to each arch member, the side pad assembly having an epaulet and a shoulder cap, wherein the shoulder cap overlies an acromion bone of the player and wherein the epaulet overlies a portion of both the arch member and the shoulder cap, and wherein the shoulder cap has a raised cap segment that is cooperatively dimensioned with the raised upper segment;
a fastening assembly with a single, continuous flexible band that secures both the epaulet and the shoulder cap to the arch member; and,
wherein the raised upper segment is aligned with the raised cap segment when the shoulder pad is worn by the player.