Protective garment for baseball umpires having an inner cushioned layer and an outer layer of interconnected plates

A protective garment for the torso of a body for use by baseball umpires comprising in combination

• an inner layer in the forms of a flexible pad adapted to conform to the contour of the entire frontal area of the upper torso and having an inner surface adapted to confront the torso, an outer surface facing outwardly from the torso, and a perimeter defining the outlines of said inner and outer surfaces, said layer including an intermediate thickness of cushioning material between said inner and outer surfaces,
• an outer shell layer covering the entire frontal area of the upper torso and adapted to overlie said inner layer and comprising a plurality of interconnected plate elements, each plate element being positioned and arranged to overlie a selected area of the torso, and means interconnecting said plate elements to form a torso-fitting shell overlying said inner layer,
• said cushioning material adapted to distribute impacts against a given area of the outer layer over an area of the inner layer which is at least as great as said given area,
• said interconnecting means comprising at least one flexible strap spanning between adjacent first and second plate elements of said plurality, said strap having one end connected to one element and the other end connected to the adjacent element and being of a length to provide a clearance space between the adjacent elements to afford hinge-like displacement of said adjacent plate elements, said clearance space being less than the diameter of a baseball,
• said interconnecting means also including a second inflexible plate connector between two other plate elements of said plurality, said other plate elements having marginal edges positioned in confronting adjacent relation, said second connector comprising a cover element overlying the confronting marginal edges of said two other plate elements, said cover element being interconnected with each of said two other elements along said confronting marginal edges, and said plate elements and said cover element being a stiff, shock-resistant, lightweight material,
• said cover element of said shell providing a substantially rigid interconnection between said two other plate elements with an area of multiple thickness along each of the confronting marginal edges of said two other elements.