WO1998027836A1

WO1998027836A1 - Blocker for a hockey goaltender

Info

Publication number: WO1998027836A1
Application number: PCT/CA1997/000987
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven G. Wagner
Original assignee: Bauer Inc.
Priority date: 1996-12-20
Filing date: 1997-12-19
Publication date: 1998-07-02
Also published as: CA2193548A1; AU5472798A

Abstract

A hockey blocker has a generally concave blocking surface (40) which in outline has rounded upper and lower ends and a lateral curvature from end-to-end. The internal structure of the blocker is made by the steps of providing a generally rigid insert of plastic sheet material moulded to a desired shape, surrounding the insert with a foam or foam-like material (20) and moulding the foam or foam-like material to a desired shape. The hockey blocker (40) comprises a glove portion (50) secured to the back of the blockingt unit (40), the glove portion (50) having a hand receiving area that is angled in relation to the length of the blocking surface. The blocker provides increased control and comfort.

Description

BLOCKER FOR A HOCKEY GOALTENDER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of hockey equipment and more particularly to an improved goaltender blocker and to a method for manufacturing the internal structure of the blocker.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, goaltender's blockers have a somewhat flat blocking surface comprising a relatively hard material which the goaltender may utilize to stop the puck. Over the last few years, new types of blockers have been developed which are intended to provide the goaltender with increased control. Examples of such blockers include those in which the upper portion of the blocking surface is angled forwardly, or wherein the upper portion is angled both forwardly and to the side so as to deflect the puck toward the corner of the ice rink. Examples of such blockers may be found in United States Patent No. 4,700,404 issued October 29, 1987 to Lesperance and in United States Patent No. 5,565,122 issued October 15, 1996 to Wagner. While providing generally satisfactory results, these blockers do not provide complete control, especially at the side areas thereof. Furthermore, since the side areas of the blocking surface are flat, when impacted by a high speed shot, the puck may simply tip off the side of the blocker and go into the net.

In order to maintain the blade of this stick on the ice, the goaltender has to keep his wrist bent with a lateral angulation. Since, in the blockers of the prior art, the hand always enters the blocker in a direction that is parallel to the length of the blocking surface, i.e. the glove portion of the blocker is not angled in relation to the blocking surface, the cuff area of the glove portion must be loose enough to allow for lateral angular movements of the wrist, with the result that the protection at this area is diminished. There is thus a need for a blocker that is more ergonomic and that offers better protection at the cuff area.

Furthermore, the internal structure of a conventional hockey goaltender's blocker usually consists of a first thick expanded foam layer (such as of Styrofoam) which is die-cut to form the shape of the blocker surface, the foam layer being overlaid by a hard plastic sheet usually made of polyethylene and a thin foam layer overlying such a polyethylene sheet to form a sandwich structure. A fabric cover forms the outer layer and this fabric cover is closed at its periphery by lacing.

This method of manufacturing goalie hockey blocker has various disadvantages. First, since the foam layers and the plastic insert are die-cut from flat sheets, it is not possible to provide a blocker having a truly concave surface which would provide the goaltender with increased control of the puck on rebounds. Furthermore, since the polyethylene insert is merely sandwiched between the foam layers, it has a tendency to move and this may result in its cutting the lacing or the fabric cover, thereby requiring repair. Such a method of manufacture is also expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved hockey goaltender's blocker and to provide a new method of manufacturing the blocking unit of the blocker.

The invention provides a blocker for use by a hockey goaltender, said blocker comprising a glove to be worn on the stick-side hand of the goaltender, and affixed to the back of said glove a blocker unit, wherein said blocker unit comprises an outwardly facing blocking surface that is concave in both the longitudinal and transverse directions thereof.

In another aspect the invention provides a method of manufacturing an internal structure for a blocker unit of a hockey goaltender's blocker, said method comprising (a) providing a generally rigid molded insert sheet of desired configuration; (b) surrounding said insert sheet with a foam or foam-like material; and (c) moulding said foam or foam-like material to a desired shape and into intimate contact with said insert sheet.

Preferably the blocking surface has rounded corners and convex lower and upper sides and is curved along its length so that one side (i.e. the side that is in use closest to the player's body) is convexly curved so that the blocker can be brought into close register with the players side below the shoulder. At its lower end the blocker unit on the side opposite the blocking surface is convexly tapered to the lower edge, since this enables the gloved hand attached to the blocking unit to be brought into closer proximity with the ice surface, which is particularly helpful if the goalkeeper has dropped his stick and has to pick it up from the ice surface. With conventional blockers this is often a very difficult task for the goalkeeper to achieve.

The versatility of the glove in picking up a dropped stick, and in laying the stick along the ice surface as is sometimes done by a goalkeeper in a defensive manoeuvre, is further enhanced by the arrangement of the finger stalls of the glove. Preferably the finger stalls are covered by paddle-type stiff protectors, each paddle protector being articulated along its length, having two sections that can be bent relative to one another, the distal end of the second paddle section being linked to one of the finger stalls by a tie strap. With this arrangement of the articulated paddle protection, resistance to bending motion of the fingers is reduced as compared with known gloves.

The glove has a hand section and a cuff section and preferably these are laterally angulated with respect to each other to match the typical wrist angulation which is adopted by a hockey goaltender when using the blocker and setting up in a defensive stance. An adjustable fastener means extends across the glove in the region of the heel of the user's hand and is selectively operable to effect tightening of the glove in this region to better conform the glove to the player's hand and thus make the blocker more responsive to movements of that hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a description, given by way of example only, of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1A is a top perspective view from the front end and one side of a molded reinforcing insert sheet for incorporation in the blocking unit of a hockey goaltender's blocker; Figure 1 B is a view showing the cross-sectional configuration of the blocking unit as taken on the line 1 B-1 B in Figure 1 C and showing the reinforcing insert molded into a foam body;

Figure 1C is a foreshortened longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 1C-1 C in Figure 1 B;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a hockey goaltender's blocker embodying the features of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the blocker illustrating the improved cuff area; Figure 4 is a front view of the blocker illustrating the outline of the blocking surface;

Figure 5 is a somewhat schematic side view of the goaltender's blocker in use; and

Figure 6 is a front view of the blocker in use by a goaltender.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Figures 1 B and 1 C, there is shown a moulded internal structure for the blocking unit 11 of a blocker. This internal structure essentially comprises a generally rigid moulded insert sheet 10 (Figure 1A) that is surrounded by a lightweight foam or foam-like material 20. As shown the insert 10 comprises an array of ribs for added stiffness, these including longitudinally spaced V-ribs 12 and a peripheral rib 13. The insert 10 may be made from any suitable material such as polyethylene, or composite material and includes a series of apertures 14, and the foam or foam-like material 20 may consist e.g. of expanded polypropylene which can be provided in the form of beads. The internal structure of the blocker is manufactured in essentially two steps. First, the insert sheet 10 is moulded into the desired shape, such as in a concave shape in which the middle portion 30 of the blocking surface is lower than the side areas 32, 34 and front and rear areas 36, 38 (see also Figure 4).

In a second step, the moulded insert 10 is placed in a second mould (not shown) wherein the foam or foam-like material 20 is injected and surrounds the insert thereby providing the composite structure shown in Figure 1 B and 1C. It will be seen that the foam completely surrounds the insert and protects it, the edges of the insert 10 being embedded within the foam and the foam being in intimate contact with the ribs 12, 13 and the apertures 14, thus immobilizing the insert in the foam. While this particular embodiment has been described as using a rigid insert 10, it would be possible to provide an internal structure 11 moulded directly into the desired shape without the need of an insert, provided that the foamed material used has the required stiffness and resistance to sustain high speed impacts from a hockey puck. The new method of manufacturing the internal structure has various advantages in comparison with the prior art. First, this method lowers manufacturing costs. Also, since the foam or foam-like material 20 completely surrounds the insert 10, the latter will not move and wear out the lacing of the fabric cover of the blocker. Also, by using such a moulding method, the invention is not limited to the generally flat blocker surfaces of the prior art but allows for the manufacture of a blocker having a true generally concave blocking surface, i.e. a blocking surface that is concave in both the longitudinal direction (Figure 1C) and in the transverse direction (Figure 1 B). The new method of manufacture also facilitates fabrication of a blocker that has a blocking surface that is not generally rectangular but rather is generally kidney-shaped as illustrated in Figure 4. This feature is important since the generally kidney-shaped blocking surface provides improved slot blocking performance because it allows the goaltender to pull his blocker closer to his shoulder and side as shown in Figure 6, and also as is later described, allows him to more easily pick up his stick should it fall to the ice as frequently occurs in game situations. Figure 6 shows that the convex side and top of the blocker can be brought into close contact with the side of the player from armpit to hip without leaving gaps. This particular shape also allows the blocking surface of the blocker to be properly managed and this is important since the rules of the National Hockey League limit the maximal width of a blocker. The improved hockey goaltender's blocker shown in Figures 2, 3 and

4 comprises a thick blocking unit 40 which as mentioned has a generally concave front face, and behind which is a glove portion generally referred to at 50. As seen more particularly in Fig. 1 C, the glove-facing side of the blocking unit 40 comprises a front or lower portion 42 and a rear or upper portion 44 both of which are convexly tapered towards the respective lower and upper edges 43, 45 rather than being square, and thereby allow the goaltender to bring the shaft of his hockey stick (which is gripped in the glove portion 50) closer to the ice surface or closer to his body.

As shown more particularly in Figure 3, the hockey blocker in the area at which the hand enters the glove portion is angled (see angle θ in Figure 3) so as to conform better to the angle at which the wrist is usually articulated when the player holds his hockey stick on the ice in a defensive stance. By providing for such an angular entrance, it is possible to have a cuff 62 that fits more closely with the wrist of the goaltender thereby providing added protection without unduly restricting the wrist movement. This design is also more ergonomic. The cuff can be adjusted through a lace 64 to more closely conform the glove to the hand and wrist and thus enable the blocker to respond instantaneously to movement of the g goalie's hand.

As seen in Figure 2, 3 and 5, the glove portion 50 includes a thumb stall 51 covered by large convex protective paddle 52 and a series of finger stalls 53 covered by elongate flattened convex paddles 54, 55. The paddles 54 and 55 are longer than the finger stalls, and as best seen in Figure 3 are each connected to one of the finger stalls by a respective tie strap 54a, 55a. The finger stalls 53 corresponding to the middle and small fingers are unrestrained by the straps 54a, 55a and can be flexed freely. Each of the paddles 54, 55 is articulated so that it can bend to follow curving movements of the fingers. As shown in Figure 2 the paddle 54 has a proximal section 56 which partially overlaps a distal section 57. Several advantages of the novel blocker will be evident from a consideration of Figure 5 which shows the position of which would have to be assumed by the blocker when the goalie attempts to retrieve a stick 59 that has fallen on the ice surface 23. In this situation the curved shape of the rear of the lower part of the blocker enables the glove 50 to be brought closer to the ice surface 23, and the articulated form of the paddle 54 facilitates movement of the finger stalls 53 and thus gripping of the stick handle 59 between the finger stalls 53 and the thumb stall 51. It will be seen that upon bending of the finger stall 33 the strip 54a causes articulation of the front section 57 of the paddle 54. In contrast, with a more conventional blocker having a relatively square lower edge 43a as illustrated in broken lines in Figure 5, the blocker will contact the ice surface 23a while the glove portion is still spaced substantially above the ice thus hampering the players efforts to pick up the stick handle 59a.

The above description of a preferred embodiment should not be interpreted in a limiting manner since variations and refinements are possible which are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A blocker for use by a hockey goaltender, said blocker comprising a glove to be worn on the stick-side hand of the goaltender, and affixed to the back of said glove a blocker unit, wherein said blocker unit comprises an outwardly facing blocking surface that is concave in both the longitudinal and transverse directions thereof.

2. A blocker as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blocker unit blocking surface has rounded corners and convex lower and upper ends.

3. A blocker as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said blocking surface is laterally curved along its length having on one side a concave configuration, and on the opposite side a convex configuration.

4. A blocker as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said blocker unit tapers gradually in thickness on the rear side thereof in a region approaching its lower edge.

5. A blocker as claimed in claim 4 wherein said blocker unit is smoothly convexly tapered across the upper rear portion thereof to the upper edge of the unit.

6. A blocker as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said glove has a hand section and a cuff section which are laterally angulated relative to each other to match a typical wrist angulation adopted by a hockey goaltender when using the blocker.

7. A blocker as claimed in claim 6 including an adjustable fastener means extending across the glove in the region of the heel of the user's hand and selectively operative to effect tightening of the glove in this region to better conform it to the player's hand.

8. A blocker as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein to the rear of the blocker unit the glove is formed with a plurality of finger stalls to receive the fingers of the goaltender's hand, there being at least one paddle type protector overlying and extending beyond the distal ends of said finger stalls to provide protection thereto, said at least one paddle protector being articulated to facilitate grasping movement of the finger stalls.

9. A blocker as claimed in claim 8 wherein at least one of said articulated paddle protectors is of shingled configuration comprising longitudinally offset partially overlapping sections.

10. A blocker as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said blocker unit comprises a thick foam layer within which is embedded a stiff molded reinforcing insert sheet.

11. A blocker as claimed in claim 10 wherein said sheet is configured with apertures and/or undulations to provide intimate contact between said foam and said reinforcement sheet.

12. A blocker as claimed in claim 11 wherein said foam is polypropylene and said sheet is polyethylene.

13. A method of manufacturing an internal structure for a blocker unit of a hockey goaltender's blocker, said method comprising (a) providing a generally rigid molded insert sheet of desired configuration;

(b) surrounding said insert sheet with a foam or foam-like material; and

(c) moulding said foam or foam-like material to a desired shape and into intimate contact with said insert sheet.

14. The method of claim 13 including the step of fabricating said insert sheet with undulations and or apertures therein to enhance engagement of the insert sheet to said foam-like material.

15. The method of claim 13 or claim 14 including the step of fabricating said insert sheet with a concave shape both longitudinally and transversely and moulding said foam-like material to provide a blocking surface that has a curvature corresponding to that of the insert sheet.