Josh Bradley's Homework

Due Monday, January 24

Patent 4272847, Baseball player's chest protector
- Issued on June 16, 1981
The idea behind this invention was to improve on the existing chest protector (US Patent No. 3574861, Apr 1971[1]) used by catchers in baseball. The invention is a lightweight baseball catcher's chest protector that permits circulation of air to the user's body, does not absorb perspiration even after prolonged useage, has a minimum restrictive action on the movement of the user, and minimizes the tendency of a missed baseball that strikes the chest protector to bounce in an unpredictable direction. It uses foam to deaden the impact of the ball better than its predecessors. I found this patent interesting because baseball has been a big part of my life, as a player and a fan. This was the first modern chest protector that led to the ones used in Major League Baseball today, and is also referenced in patents for modern chest protectors in other sports, like football and hockey. I found this patent while searching on "Patentstorm" and the link can be found here: [2]. It is also available on Google patents: [3].

Analysis of the Non-Obviousness of 4272947, described in homework due Monday, January 24.