Protective structure for sporting equipment

A protective structure for sporting equipment comprising a curved support rib structure of a material or material composition that is suited for injection molding, which support rib structure comprises an outer frame formed of at least one outer support rib forming a closed outer perimeter of the protective structure and inner cells formed of support ribs, said inner cells being fitted into the interior space of the outer frame with a portion of the inner cells being connected to the outer frame and to other inner cells and a remainder of the inner cells being connected only to other inner cells in order to form a uniform curved mesh-like or cell-like support rib structure, wherein the material thickness of the support rib structure varies in a direction perpendicular to the curve of the support rib structure so that the material thickness is greater at the middle of the support rib structure compared to the material thickness at edges of the support rib structure, wherein the material thickness of the support rib structure decreases from the middle of the support rib structure to the edges with the decrease in thickness being continuous and uniform and with the material or material composition of the support rib structure being smooth, and wherein the outer frame comprises first and second elongate support ribs running in a first direction and second and third elongate support ribs running in a transverse direction.

A protective structure for sporting equipment comprising a curved support rib structure of a material or material composition that is suited for injection molding, which support rib structure comprises an outer frame formed of an elongate support rib or a plurality of elongate outer support ribs forming a closed outer perimeter of the protective structure and inner cells formed of support ribs, said inner cells being fitted into the interior space of the outer frame with a portion of the inner cells being connected to the outer frame and to other inner cells and a remainder of the inner cells being connected only to other inner cells in order to form a uniform curved mesh-like or cell-like support rib structure, wherein the material thickness of the support rib structure varies in a direction perpendicular to the curve of the support rib structure so that the material thickness is greater at the middle of the support rib structure compared to the material thickness at edges of the support rib structure, wherein the material thickness of the support rib structure decreases from the middle of the support rib structure to the edges with the decrease in thickness being continuous and uniform and with the material or material composition of the support rib structure being smooth, and wherein the support ribs forming the inner cells intersect the outer frame at respective points that are spaced from each other.