Protective equipment having a rebound controlling insert

Claim 1

In combination, a changeable rebound characteristic hockey goalie pad for protecting a hockey player and a plurality of inserts for the hockey goalie pad, said changeable rebound characteristic hockey goalie pad and said plurality of inserts comprising: a cosmetic component layer forming an outermost portion of the hockey goalie pad, a backing pad layer forming an innermost portion of the hockey goalie pad, a closed-cell foam layer of a predetermined thickness having two sides and being removably sandwiched between said cosmetic component layer and said backing pad layer for controlling a rebound characteristic of a hockey puck striking against said cosmetic component layer, one side of said closed-cell foam layer facing said cosmetic component layer and the other side of said closed-cell foam layer facing said backing pad layer, said one side having a predetermined geometric grid pattern of lacerations extending from said one side towards a center of said closed-cell foam layer and extending substantially completely over said one side with a predetermined depth of the lacerations of the geometric pattern to produce a desired amount of rebound of a hockey puck striking said cosmetic component layer, and said closed-cell foam layer being replaceable with another closed-cell foam layer having a different geometric grid pattern of lacerations extending from said one side towards a center of said closed-cell foam layer and extending substantially completely over said one side to form a plurality of land members between the lacerations with an increase in surface of the land members resulting in an increase in distance of rebound and when the depth of the lacerations of the geometric grid pattern is increased, a decrease in the distance of rebound occurs to change by a predetermined amount, as compared to the original closed-cell foam layer, the rebound of a hockey puck striking said cosmetic component layer, and means for gaining access to said closed-cell foam layer by a hockey player prior to, during and after an ongoing hockey game to remove said closed-cell foam layer from between said cosmetic component layer and said backing pad layer for replacing said closed-cell foam layer with said another closed-cell foam layer during the ongoing game and securing said another closed-cell foam layer between said cosmetic component layer and said backing pad layer to change by a predetermined amount during the ongoing game, as compared to the original closed-cell foam layer, the rebound of a hockey puck striking said cosmetic component layer so that during an ongoing hockey game said another closed-cell foam layer is substituted for said closed-cell foam layer to change the rebound characteristic of the hockey puck and thereby confuse players of an opposing team as to the amount and direction of expected rebound when the substitution occurs.