U.S. patent application number 10/752748 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-15 for hand protector for use with sports equipment.
This patent application is currently assigned to COSOM Sporting Goods. Invention is credited to Tyler, Eric.
Application Number | 20040138012 10/752748 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32718001 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040138012 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tyler, Eric |
July 15, 2004 |
Hand protector for use with sports equipment
Abstract
A hand protector is for use with sports equipment having an
elongated shaft and an operative end. The hand protector has an
outer protective sleeve and a inner sleeve. The outer protective
sleeve has a first end and a second end. The tubular inner sleeve
is generally flexible and tubular for slidably receiving the shaft.
The inner sleeve is positioned within the outer protective sleeve
and is engaged with the first end of the outer protective sleeve.
The inner sleeve has an inner surface and an outer surface. The
outer protective sleeve surrounds at least a portion of the inner
sleeve, whereby a user places a hand around the outer surface of
the inner sleeve and compresses the outer surface to cause the
inner surface to deflect inward and grip the shaft, thereby
increasing a frictional engagement of the hand protector with the
shaft.
Inventors: |
Tyler, Eric; (Hockessin,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD L.L.P.
ONE COMMERCE SQUARE
2005 MARKET STREET, SUITE 2200
PHILADELPHIA
PA
19103-7013
US
|
Assignee: |
COSOM Sporting Goods
|
Family ID: |
32718001 |
Appl. No.: |
10/752748 |
Filed: |
January 7, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60438745 |
Jan 8, 2003 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/446 ;
473/458; 473/464 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2102/24 20151001;
A63B 60/00 20151001; A63B 2208/12 20130101; A63B 59/70 20151001;
A63B 71/14 20130101; A63B 2102/22 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/446 ;
473/458; 473/464 |
International
Class: |
A63B 069/00 |
Claims
I/We claim:
1. A hand protector for use with sports equipment having an
elongated shaft and an operative end, the hand protector
comprising: an outer protective sleeve having a first end and a
second end; and a generally flexible tubular inner sleeve for
slidably receiving the shaft, the inner sleeve being positioned
within the outer protective sleeve and being engaged with the first
end of the outer protective sleeve, the inner sleeve having an
inner surface and an outer surface, the outer protective sleeve
surrounding at least a portion of the inner sleeve, whereby a user
places a hand around the outer surface of the inner sleeve and
compresses the outer surface to cause the inner surface to deflect
inward and grip the shaft, thereby increasing a frictional
engagement of the hand protector with the shaft.
2. The hand protector of claim 1, wherein the inner sleeve is
positioned within the outer protective sleeve such that the hand of
the user is at least partially surrounded by the outer protective
sleeve when the hand is gripping the outer surface of the inner
sleeve.
3. The hand protector of claim 2, wherein the outer protective
sleeve is generally cup-shaped.
4. The hand protector of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the
inner sleeve is generally rectangular.
5. Combination sports stick and protector therefor, the combination
comprising: a stick having an elongated shaft and an operative end;
and a hand protector having an outer protective sleeve having a
first end and a second end and a generally flexible tubular inner
sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner
sleeve being positioned within the outer protective sleeve and
being engaged with the first end of the outer protective sleeve
such that the outer protective sleeve surrounds at least a portion
of the inner sleeve, the inner sleeve slidably receiving the shaft,
the shaft being positioned within the inner sleeve, such that at
least a portion of the shaft is surrounded by the inner sleeve,
whereby a user places a hand around the outer surface of the inner
sleeve and compresses the outer surface to cause the inner surface
to deflect inward and grip the shaft, thereby increasing a
frictional engagement of the hand protector with the shaft.
6. The combination of claim 5, wherein the inner sleeve is
positioned within the outer protective sleeve such that the hand of
the user is at least partially surrounded by the outer protective
sleeve when the hand is gripping the outer surface of the inner
sleeve.
7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the outer protective sleeve
is generally cup-shaped.
8. The combination of claim 5, wherein the cross-section of the
inner sleeve is generally rectangular.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application 60/438,745, entitled "Hand Protector for Use with
Sports Equipment", filed Jan. 8, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a hand protector
and, more particularly, to a hand protector which is used with
sports equipment for protecting the hand of a user.
[0003] Sports, particularly sports played by young children and/or
teenagers can result in injuries. This is particularly true with
hockey related sports such as ice hockey, floor hockey, field
hockey, etc. where each participant carries a stick or other such
implement for hitting a puck, ball or the like. Typically, users
hold hockey sticks with two hands with one hand, particularly the
non-dominant hand, on the upper end of the stick and the other
hand, typically the dominant hand, grasping the stick at different
points between the two ends. It is the second hand, which is
nearest the end of the stick used for hitting the puck or ball
which is most exposed to the potential for injury by being struck
by the stick of another player. A common occurrence in hockey and
other stick sports is that a first player will forcibly swing his
stick in the vicinity of a second player. The stick will impact a
distal end of the second player's stick and slide or ride up the
shaft of the stick to impact the second player's fingers gripping
the stick. This can result in jammed, bruised, or broken fingers,
hands, wrists, or arms of the second player.
[0004] Padded protective gloves are often used by players of such
sports to protect their hands against injury. However, these gloves
are relatively expensive due to the materials involved and the
craftsmanship required to make a pair of protective gloves. For
this reason, these gloves are typically used by frequent players of
the sport, such as members of organized teams, who deem it cost
effective and necessary to purchase and use such gloves. Less
frequent players, such as participants in a school gym class or
after-school activity, for instance, generally will participate in
the sport without any protection for their hands due to protective
gloves not being furnished to them (either because the school or
activity center has not purchased any or because the participants
(or guardians thereof) do not deem it necessary to buy expensive
gloves for such an infrequent activity). Additionally, even if
gloves are originally furnished, because they are not attached to
the sticks, they often become separated from the sticks, lost,
stolen, or otherwise forgotten about, leaving the participants to
play the sport without hand protection.
[0005] It would be desirable to have inexpensive and effective hand
protectors for use with sports, specifically sports in which sticks
are used such as hockey and lacrosse, for instance. It would be
further desirable to have hand protectors that can be attached to
the sticks such that the separation of the hand protector from the
stick is less likely to happen. The hand protector of the present
invention seeks to provide inexpensive hand protection for players
of stick sports and remedy the problems associated with protective
gloves.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Briefly stated, the present invention is a hand protector
for use with sports equipment having an elongated shaft and an
operative end. The hand protector comprises an outer sleeve and an
inner sleeve. The outer protective sleeve has a first end and a
second end. The inner sleeve is generally flexible and tubular for
slidably receiving the shaft. The inner sleeve is positioned within
the outer protective sleeve and is engaged with the first end of
the outer protective sleeve. The inner sleeve has an inner surface
and an outer surface. The outer protective sleeve surrounds at
least a portion of the inner sleeve, whereby a user places a hand
around the outer surface of the inner sleeve and compresses the
outer surface to cause the inner surface to deflect inward and grip
the shaft, thereby increasing a frictional engagement of the hand
protector with the shaft.
[0007] In another aspect, the present invention is a combination
sports stick and protector therefor. The combination comprises a
stick and a hand protector. The stick has an elongated shaft and an
operative end. The hand protector has an outer protective sleeve
having a first end and a second end and a generally flexible
tubular inner sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface.
The inner sleeve is positioned within the outer protective sleeve
and is engaged with the first end of the outer protective sleeve
such that the outer protective sleeve surrounds at least a portion
of the inner sleeve. The inner sleeve slidably receives the shaft.
The shaft is positioned within the inner sleeve, such that at least
a portion of the shaft is surrounded by the inner sleeve. A user
places a hand around the outer surface of the inner sleeve and
compresses the outer surface to cause the inner surface to deflect
inward and grip the shaft, thereby increasing a frictional
engagement of the hand protector with the shaft.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The following detailed description of the preferred
embodiment of the invention will be better understood when read in
conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of
illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings the
embodiment which is presently preferred. It should be understood,
however, that the invention is not limited to the precise
arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
[0009] In the drawings:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand protector in
accordance with the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the hand protector
enlarged of FIG. 1 with a sports stick positioned therein, taken
along line 2-2 of FIG. 3; and
[0012] FIG. 3 is an bottom plan view of a hand protector of FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Certain terminology is used in the following description for
convenience only and is not limiting. The words "right", "left",
"upper", and "lower" designate directions in the drawings to which
reference is made. The terminology includes the words above
specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar
import.
[0014] Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals
indicate like elements throughout, there is shown in FIGS. 1-3 a
preferred embodiment of a hand protector 10 in accordance with the
present invention. The hand protector 10 is adapted for use with
sports equipment, for example, a stick 12, which may be used for
playing hockey, including ice hockey, field hockey, and floor
hockey. While the hand protector 10 is shown and described as being
used with a hockey stick 12, it will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art that the hand protector 10 may be used
with any other type of sports equipment, such as a lacrosse stick
or a hurling stick, or non-sports equipment such as with a shovel
or rake, where a user wishes to protect his or her hand.
Accordingly, the present invention should not be viewed as merely a
hand protector for hockey sticks. The stick 12 has an elongate
shaft 12a with an operative end 12b extending from one end of the
elongate shaft 12b. The operative end 12b (i.e. a blade of a hockey
stick, netting of a lacrosse stick, etc.) is used to contact a
playing object (i.e. a puck or ball) during playing of the sport,
allowing the player to pass, receive passes, shoot, etc.
[0015] The hand protector 10 comprises a tubular inner sleeve 20
having a generally rectangular cross-section and further having an
interior or inner surface 20a and an exterior or outer surface 20b.
Although the cross-section of the inner sleeve 20 shown is
rectangular, it is within the spirit and scope of the present
invention that the cross-section have other shapes in order to
accommodate differently shaped sticks or handles, such as circular,
oval, elliptical, or polygonal having more or less than four
sides.
[0016] The cross-sectional dimensions of the inner surface 20a of
the inner sleeve 20 are preferably at least slightly greater than
the cross-sectional dimensions of the shaft 12a of the stick 12
with which the hand protector 10 is to be used. In this manner, the
inner surface 20a of the inner sleeve 20 surrounds the shaft 12a,
as shown in FIG. 2. Because the inner dimensions of the inner
sleeve 20 are slightly greater than the dimensions of the shaft
12a, the hand protector 10 may freely move or slide axially along
the length of the shaft 12a of the stick 12. In this manner, the
hand protector 10 may be easily moved upwardly and downwardly along
the length of the shaft 12a of the stick 12 to accommodate movement
of the lower hand of the user along the length of the shaft 12a of
the stick 12 during play.
[0017] Preferably, the inner sleeve 20 is made of a flexible,
lightweight polymeric material such as polyvinylchloride or the
like. In this manner, as a user grasps and compresses the outer
surface 20b of the inner sleeve 20, the inner surface 20a of the
inner sleeve 20 in turn deflects inwardly to grip the stick 12,
increasing the frictional engagement of the hand protector 10 with
the shaft 12a and allowing the user to tighten or loosen his grip
of the shaft 12a at any point along the shaft 12a. The inner
surface 20a of the inner sleeve 20 may include knurling, grooves or
the like (not shown) to allow for greater frictional engagement of
the hand protector 10 with the shaft 12a, further enhancing the
ability of the user to tightly grip the stick 12 through the inner
sleeve 20.
[0018] The hand protector 10 further includes an outer protective
sleeve 30 having a first end 30a and a second end 30b. The outer
protective sleeve 30 is preferably generally cup-shaped such that
the first end 30a is generally closed and the second end 30b is
open. Specifically, it is preferred that the outer protective
sleeve have a generally cylindrical portion 32 having a diameter
which is substantially greater than the outer dimensions of the
inner sleeve 20 in order to receive and accommodate a hand (shown
in phantom in FIG. 2) of the user. A forward end 32a of the
cylindrical portion 32 tapers downwardly along a generally conical
portion 34 which is connected at a distal end 34a to a forward end
20c of the inner sleeve 20 to form a unitary structure. In this
way, the inner sleeve 20 is preferably positioned within the outer
protective sleeve 30, such that, when the user places his hand
around the outer surface 20b, the user's hand is at least partially
and preferably completely surrounded by the outer protective sleeve
30.
[0019] Preferably, the second end 30b of the outer protective
sleeve 30 is flared generally outwardly. This configuration better
accommodates the wrist and/or arm of the user by providing a more
comfortable surface against which the user's arm and/or wrist
rests. Although this configuration is preferred, it is within the
spirit and scope of the present invention that the hand protector
10 have an straight, un-flared second end 30b. Additionally, it is
further within the spirit and scope of the present invention that
padding (not shown) could be placed in or on the hand protector 10,
including around the second end 30b, so as to help prevent any
chafing the hand protector 10 may cause the user during use.
[0020] The outer protective sleeve 30 is preferably made of the
same polymeric material as the inner sleeve 20. However, one
skilled in the art would understand and appreciate that the outer
protective sleeve 30 may be made of some other material, if
desired.
[0021] In use, the user places the hand protector 10 on the shaft
12a such that the conical portion 34 faces downwardly toward the
operative end 12b of the stick 12. The user then places one hand on
the shaft 12a, preferably upward from the hand protector 10, and
the other hand into the second end 30b of the outer protective
sleeve 30 to grasp the outer surface 20b of the inner sleeve 20.
The user can then engage in playing the sport by sliding the hand
protector 10 along the shaft 12a or gripping the shaft 12a by
respectively loosening and tightening the grip on the outer surface
20b of the inner sleeve 20.
[0022] In this way, the user's lower-most hand on the stick 12 is
protected by the hand protector 10 such that the hand protector 10
surrounds at least a portion of the hand to at least partially
absorb an impact from another user's stick 12. For instance, the
hand protector 10 helps to guard against the impact from another
user's stick riding up the user's stick when forcibly swung. When
such an event occurs, the other user's stick 12 impacts the distal
end 34a of the conical portion 34 and then deflects along the
tapered conical portion 34 away from the user's hand situated
within the hand protector 10. Preferably, the hand protector 10, or
at least the outer protective portion 30, is made of a material
that is sufficiently rigid so as to absorb and deflect a sufficient
amount of the force of impact to lessen the chance of injury to the
user's hand.
[0023] The hand protector 10 of the present invention is capable of
being produced inexpensively due to its preferably unitary
construction which can be easily and quickly molded using
techniques well known in the industry. This translates to a less
expensive alternative means for hand protection than protective
gloves for use during stick sports, such as hockey. Another benefit
of the present invention is that the hand protector 10 can be
maintained on the stick 12, even when not in use. This is
accomplished by sliding the hand protector 10 onto the shaft 12a of
a stick 12 and then placing a butt on the end of the stick 12
opposite the operative end 12b. The butt, whether formed by
wrapping tape around the end of the stick or using a preformed
rubber end, has larger cross-sectional dimensions than the inner
sleeve 20. Because the inner sleeve 20 cannot accommodate the
larger butt end, the hand protector 10 cannot be slid over the butt
end, and the hand protector 10 remains on the shaft 12a (bounded on
the other end by the larger operative end 12b). In this way,
because the stick 12 and the hand protector 10 are kept together,
it is less likely the hand protector 10 could be misplaced or
lost.
[0024] From the foregoing description, it will be understood that
the present invention comprises a hand protector which is
particularly well suited for protecting the forward hand of a user
of a hockey stick. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above
without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. For
instance, a user may prefer to use two hand protectors 10, one each
on the left and right hand, when manipulating the stick 12. It is
understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the
particular embodiments disclosed, but is intended to cover all
modifications within the sphere and scope of the present
invention.
* * * * *