Variable pressure pad

A protective rib pad for protecting the ribs comprising:

• two superimposed plies of a lightweight, non-elastic fluid-impervious material forming a pressure tight inflatable pad which does not distend, the adjacent surface of said material being sealed around the periphery thereof and at regions internally of said periphery to form a plurality of fluid chambers and internal and peripheral flow passages, said flow passages having a cross sectional area smaller than said fluid chambers;
• and
• folds of said material being located at said flow passages to baffle flow between said fluid chambers, the folds at said peripheral fluid passages substantially blocking flow therethrough until an external force is applied to said pad flexing said peripheral folds apart to permit flow through said peripheral fluid passages;
• said folds at said flow passages permitting pressure equalization between adjacent fluid chambers and providing a baffling effect preventing sudden surges of fluid flow from one fluid chamber to another upon the impact of sudden forces placed on said fluid chambers.

A rib pad for protecting the ribs during sports activities comprising:

• an undergarment including a pressure tight pad adapted to contain a pressurized fluid without distending or otherwise losing its shape when pressurized and subjected to external forces;
• said pad being further characterized in that the walls thereof are thin, non-elastic and flexible, and at least the inner surfaces thereof are coated with a fluid-impervious thickness of heat-sealable material;
• a plurality of void, non-pressurizable regions within said pad sealing together the upper and lower walls of said pad in a predetermined pattern and disposed generally perpendicular to the transverse axis of the pad, said void regions comprising at least 20 percent of the total surface of the pad which is exposed to the ribs;
• a plurality of internal pressurizable chambers within said pad, defined by the pattern of said void regions, at least some of which chambers are fluidly communicable with adjacent chambers;
• fluid passageways located around the periphery of said pad to permit pressurized fluid flow between at least some chambers and defined between the outer walls of the pad and the internal sealed-off regions of the pad, said passageways being sized appropriately such that the fluid flow from one chamber is restricted, when the pad is pressurized, as a result of the flexible walls of the pad folding over themselves at the fluid passageways.