Abstract An air-holding protective foam pad construction where open cell foam is enveloped in an air-holding cavity formed by top and bottom air-holding sheets. The foam is not attached to the top and bottom air-holding sheets and the sheets are totally and continuously sealed together around a narrow common perimeter. Upon potentially destructive impact, the open cell foam first absorbs some of the impact force, and secondly the air expelled from the foam bloats the air-holding cavity. The result of the latter is a redistribution of impact forces over a larger surface area, reducing the intensity of force at the site of initial impact. The pad construction thereby has a dual action attenuation of both absorbing and redistributing the intensity of an initial localized impact force.
An air-holding protective pad comprising: an unattached open cell foam pad in a noncompressed state, including top and bottom air-holding sheets, where the top and bottom air-holding sheets are completely and continuously sealed around their common perimeter by forming an air-holding envelope, the foam pad positioned within the envelope; wherein a force of impact imposed at a point on the unattached foam pad will cause the envelope to bloat, by redistributing the force to a surface area much larger than the point of impact.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
84 words
An air-holding protective pad comprising: an unattached open cell foam pad in a noncompressed state, including top and bottom air-holding sheets, where the top and bottom air-holding sheets are completely and continuously sealed around their common perimeter by forming an air-holding envelope, the foam pad positioned within the envelope; wherein a force of impact imposed at a point on the unattached foam pad will cause the envelope to bloat, by redistributing the force to a surface area much larger than the point of impact.