US Patent 7412731 Athletic protective undergarment

A protective undergarment, such as trousers or a shirt intended for use under other clothing, employs seamless welding to permanently affix one or more protective pad segments to the main body of material. An ultra-sonic welding process may be employed. Thus, a welding material, such as a suitable polymeric film, may be used to fuse a small-area fabric member to the main body material of the undergarment, so as to form a pocket for a pad segment. To ensure that the pad segment does not fold or otherwise move within the pocket, at least one channel may be formed within the pad segment to allow welding within the interior of the pad segment.