JP7550493B2 - Rugby tights - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to tights, and in particular to rugby tights worn by rugby football (hereinafter referred to as "rugby") players.

Rugby is a ball game in which two teams compete for points by fighting over a single spheroid ball, and is known as one of the international team sports loved in many countries and regions.

During a rugby match, if the ball goes outside the touchline, play is restarted with a lineout. In a lineout, players from both teams line up at right angles to the touchline, and the ball is thrown between them. In order to increase the success rate of the lineout, in recent years it has become common for two players to assist the player who jumps to catch the ball (hereafter referred to as the "jumper") from below.

However, if the athlete assisting the jumper (hereinafter referred to as the "lifter") has sweat that causes his/her hands to slip, there is a danger that the jumper may lose balance in the air. To avoid such a situation as much as possible, it is common to use a method to increase grip strength, such as wrapping tape around the jumper's thighs. Patent Document 1 also discloses a band-shaped assisting device that is attached to the jumper's thighs.

Special Publication No. 2006-524080

The assistive device disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a stretchable elastic material, and the elastic force of the material tightens the wearer's thigh, thereby fixing the position of the device on the thigh. This may cause discomfort in the wearer's legs. Rugby is a sport that is based on running around a field, and discomfort in the legs is closely related to performance, so the impact is by no means small.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to increase grip strength during lineouts in rugby games without causing discomfort to the wearer.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides rugby spats to be worn as an inner layer under shorts, characterized in that the surface of the leg portion covering the wearer's upper knee and thigh is provided with a high-friction area having a higher coefficient of friction than other portions.

In rugby spats having the above configuration, the high friction areas may be provided on both the front and rear sides of the leg portion.

In addition, a portion of the surface of the part covering the wearer's skin may have a partially raised portion.

Here, the raised portion may have a pocket on the underside of the leg portion, and may be configured so that a pad of the required thickness can be attached inside the pocket.

Furthermore, the high friction area may also be provided on the outer surface of the pocket that comes into contact with the wearer's skin.

In addition, it may have an adjustment means for adjusting the size around the hem.

According to the present invention, a high friction area is provided on the surface of the leg part of rugby spats worn as an inner layer of shorts, so that if a jumper wears the spats during a lineout, the lifter can place his hands on the part where the high friction area is provided to assist the jumper. This makes it possible to increase the grip during a lineout in a rugby game. In addition, since the high friction area is provided on the inner spats that many rugby players are in the habit of wearing during practice and games, there is no risk of the jumper feeling uncomfortable when wearing it.

1A and 1B are a front view and a rear view, respectively, of rugby spats according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are a front view and a rear view, respectively, showing the external appearance of the rugby leggings. FIG. 2A is a partially enlarged view of a high-friction area provided on the front side of the leg portion, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a mesh portion provided in the high-friction area. FIG. 2A is a partially enlarged view of a high-friction area provided on the rear side of the leg portion, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a mesh portion provided in the high-friction area.

Below, an embodiment of the rugby tights (hereinafter simply referred to as "tights") of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the spats 10 of the embodiment are worn by rugby players as an inner layer for their shorts, and basically have the same configuration as rugby spats that are widely available in the market.

The spats 10 of this embodiment are of the so-called long type and include a main body portion 12 and left and right leg portions 14L, 14R. The main body portion 12 is a portion that covers the wearer's crotch, and each of the leg portions 14L, 14R is a portion that covers the wearer's crotch, particularly from above the knee to the thigh. Although the spats 10 form an integrated item as a whole, for convenience, they will be described as the main body portion 12 and the leg portions 14L, 14R.

The main body 12 and the left and right leg portions 14L, 14R each use a base fabric made of synthetic resin (e.g., synthetic fiber material such as polyester or polyurethane) that is soft to the touch and stretchy. In addition, the waistband of the main body 12 uses a band-shaped elastic rubber material.

The leggings 10 having the above basic configuration are worn by rugby players, particularly by players who are in charge of jumping during lineouts. These leggings 10 are designed to be useful during lineouts. The characteristic specifications of the leggings 10 will be described in detail below, with reference to Figures 1 to 4 as appropriate.

In the spats 10 of this embodiment, the surfaces of the left and right leg portions 14L and 14R are provided with high-friction regions 16 having a higher friction coefficient than other portions (e.g., the main body portion 12). The high-friction regions 16 are printed with silicone resin. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the high-friction regions 16 are formed by a rectangular mesh portion (Figs. 3(b) and 4(b)) in which silicone resin is printed in a mesh pattern within a rectangular region (note that in Figs. 3(a) and 4(a), the outer frame is shown for the convenience of clearly indicating the region). The wire diameter (width of the silicone resin portion) of the mesh in this high-friction region 16 is approximately 1 mm, and the mesh opening (the distance between adjacent silicone resin portions) is approximately 2 mm. In addition, the thickness of the silicone resin is formed as thin as possible (e.g., approximately 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm) so as not to cause discomfort to the wearer.

In this embodiment, high friction regions 16 having the above-described configuration are provided on the front and rear sides of each of the left and right leg portions 14L and 14R. Each high friction region 16 is formed to have the same texture as the taping wrapped around the thighs of a jumper.

A pocket (not shown) is formed on the back surface (the surface that touches the wearer's skin) of the front side of the leg portions 14L and 14R. In this embodiment, this pocket is located just behind the high friction area 16 provided on the front side of the leg portions 14L and 14R. A urethane pad having a required thickness is attached inside this pocket. The thickness of the pad is not particularly limited, but a minimum thickness is required to function as a hook when the lifter's hand touches it. On the other hand, it is desirable to keep the thickness of the pad to a minimum necessary so as not to give the wearer a sense of discomfort. The thickness of the pad is generally about 5 mm to 20 mm. When the pad is attached in this way, a part of the surface of the leg portions 14L and 14R is partially raised. That is, in this embodiment, a raised portion is formed by attaching a pad inside the pocket. In addition, a high friction area (not shown) having a configuration similar to that of the high friction area 16 is also provided on the outer surface of the pocket (the surface that touches the wearer's skin).

Furthermore, the hems of the leg portions 14L, 14R are made of rubber material, similar to the waist area of the main body portion 12 described above. Also, adjustment belts 18L, 18R are provided at the inner thigh area of the hems as an adjustment means for adjusting the size of the hems. Male and female hook-and-loop fasteners are attached to the areas where the adjustment belts 18L, 18R and the rubber material face each other. The size of the hems can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the male hook-and-loop fastener attached to the adjustment belts 18L, 18R relative to the female hook-and-loop fastener attached to the rubber material.

Next, the advantages of wearing the spats 10 of this embodiment will be described. When a jumper is wearing the spats 10, the lifter can support the jumper by placing his hands on the part where the high friction area 16 is provided. This can increase the grip force during a lineout in a rugby game, and as a result, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the risk of the lifter's hands slipping due to sweat and the jumper losing balance in the air. In addition, since the high friction area 16 is provided in the inner spats that many rugby players are accustomed to wearing during practice and games, there is no risk of the jumper feeling uncomfortable when wearing it.

In addition, a material is selected for the high friction region 16 that has the same texture as the taping wrapped around the thighs of the jumper. Therefore, even if wearing spats 10 is not permitted in a match such as an official game, if the spats 10 are worn during regular practice, practice can be performed with the same feel as the taping used in a match, and the specifications are such that there is little discomfort even during a match. Also, since there is no need to take the trouble of wrapping tape around the thighs during practice to match the feel of a match, there is no need to waste taping, which is advantageous in terms of economy.

Furthermore, by installing pads inside the pockets, the lifter's fingers can be hooked onto them, making the support of the jumper even more stable. This has the added benefit of improving safety for both the jumper and the lifter.

In addition, the size adjustment means around the hem and the high friction areas on the outside of the pockets make it less likely for the jersey to slip off the wearer during lineouts. This is an advantage in terms of safety, and is also useful in terms of contributing to a more comfortable playing environment for the wearer.

The above describes the rugby tights of the present invention based on an embodiment, but the present invention is of course not limited to the above-mentioned form and may be embodied in the following form, for example.

<Modification>
(1) The aspect of the high friction region described in the above embodiment is merely a preferred example, and other aspects may be adopted. For example, in the above embodiment, the high friction region is provided on the front side and the back side of each of the left and right leg parts, but the high friction region may also be provided on the side part between the front side and the back side. In that case, the high friction region may be provided continuously from the front side to the back side of the leg part. This reduces the man-hours for printing, and ultimately reduces the manufacturing cost of the entire product. In addition, the high friction region may also be provided in the rubber material part around the hem. In that case, it is more preferable to provide it at a position that is continuous with the high friction region provided in the leg part. Alternatively, the high friction region may be divided into multiple regions according to the shapes of the fabric parts that constitute the main body part and the leg part of the spats. For example, the high friction region on the front side or the back side may be divided into two parts to avoid the seam.

In the above embodiment, the high friction area has a rectangular shape, but the shape is not particularly limited as long as it has a certain area. For example, the shape may include curves in the outline, or may be a shape that resembles a human hand or finger.

Furthermore, the shape of the silicone resin mesh that constitutes the high friction region is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment. For example, a coarse mesh with a thicker wire diameter and larger openings may be used. Alternatively, a fine mesh may be used as long as the gripping force is increased to the desired extent.

In addition, the high friction region does not necessarily have to be mesh-shaped. For example, it may be a pattern of zigzag straight lines that are alternately and continuously bent in the opposite direction to the longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel at regular intervals. It may also be a pattern in which silicone resin is printed over the entire high friction region. In this case, the thickness of the silicone resin may be uniform over the entire region, or it may be partially uneven to form a mesh or zigzag uneven pattern.

(2) In the above embodiment, so-called long-type spats are exemplified, but the length of the leg part can be changed as desired. For example, the present invention can also be applied to spats with even longer leg parts (leggings that cover from the knees to the ankles, or tights that cover from the knees to the toes). In short, it is sufficient that a high-friction area is provided at the position where the hands of the lifter who assists the jumper during a lineout come into contact.

(3) There are no particular limitations on the materials used for the main body and left and right leg portions and the materials used for the portions that make up the high friction regions. At the very least, the high friction regions need to have a higher friction coefficient than the main body and left and right leg portions. In addition, it is not necessary for the high friction regions to have the highest friction coefficient of any material used in the spats.

(4) In the above embodiment, the raised portion is formed by attaching the pad in the pocket formed on the back surface, but for example, the pad may be sewn directly to the fabric of the spats 10. Alternatively, the pad may be attached by covering it with a patch or the like. Furthermore, the present invention can of course be embodied in a form that does not have the raised portion as described above.

The present invention may be implemented in various forms that include improvements, modifications, or variations based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the invention may be implemented in a form in which any of the invention-specific features are replaced with other technologies within the scope of the same action or effect.

10 Rugby leggings 12 Main body 14L Leg part 14R Leg part 16 High friction area 18L Adjustment belt 18R Adjustment belt

Claims (4)

Rugby spats to be worn under shorts,
A high-friction area having a higher friction coefficient than other areas is provided on the surface of the leg portion covering the wearer's upper knee and thigh ,
Rugby spats characterized in that the leg parts have pockets on the undersides thereof, and a pad having a required thickness is fitted into the pockets, thereby forming a partially raised portion on a part of the surface of the part covering the wearer's skin. The rugby leggings according to claim 1, wherein the high friction areas are provided on the front and rear sides of the leg portion. The rugby leggings according to claim 1 , wherein the high friction area is also provided on an outer surface of the pocket that comes into contact with the wearer's skin. The rugby leggings according to claim 1, which have an adjustment means for adjusting the size of the hem.

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