U.S. patent application number 11/021364 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-22 for glove with interchangeable padding.
Invention is credited to Paul Gait.
Application Number | 20060130210 11/021364 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36593827 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060130210 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gait; Paul |
June 22, 2006 |
Glove with interchangeable padding
Abstract
A sports glove comprising a palm side, a dorsal side positioned
opposite the palm side, and a plurality of interchangeable
protection sections positioned on the dorsal side. Each
interchangeable protection section includes a removable attachment
engaging the protection section to the dorsal side. This removable
attachment can comprise hooks and loops, zippers, adhesives, and
snaps. Preferably, each interchangeable protection section includes
a width and a length wherein less than half the width and less than
half the length is attached to the dorsal side. Alternately, a
majority of the width and a majority of the length can be attached
to the dorsal side. In another alternate embodiment each
interchangeable protection section includes a base wherein the base
is removably attached to the dorsal side.
Inventors: |
Gait; Paul; (Albany,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WADDEY & PATTERSON
1600 DIVISION STREET, SUITE 500
NASHVILLE
TN
37203
US
|
Family ID: |
36593827 |
Appl. No.: |
11/021364 |
Filed: |
December 22, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/160 ; 2/161.1;
2/267 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 71/143 20130101;
A41D 19/01523 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/160 ;
002/161.1; 002/267 |
International
Class: |
A41D 19/00 20060101
A41D019/00; A63B 71/14 20060101 A63B071/14 |
Claims
1. A sports glove comprising: a palm side; a dorsal side positioned
opposite the palm side; a plurality of interchangeable protection
sections positioned on the dorsal side.
2. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section includes a removable attachment engaging the
interchangeable protection section to the dorsal side.
3. The sports glove of claim 2, wherein the removable attachment
comprises hooks and loops.
4. The sports glove of claim 2, wherein the removable attachment
comprises at least one zipper.
5. The sports glove of claim 2, wherein the removable attachment
comprises adhesives.
6. The sports glove of claim 2, wherein the removable attachment
comprises snaps.
7. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section includes a width and a length, wherein less than
half the width is attached to the dorsal side and less than half
the length is attached to the dorsal side.
8. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section includes a width and a length, wherein a
majority of the width is attached to the dorsal side and a majority
of the length is attached to the dorsal side.
9. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section includes a width and a length, wherein
substantially all of the width is attached to the dorsal side and
substantially all of the length is attached to the dorsal side.
10. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section further includes a base, wherein the base is
attached to the dorsal side.
11. The sports glove of claim 10, wherein the base supports
multiple interchangeable protection sections and attaches the
multiple interchangeable protection sections to the dorsal
side.
12. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section further includes a base, wherein the base is
partially attached to the dorsal side.
13. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein a wearer of the sports
glove can selectively remove each interchangeable protection
section.
14. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein: a first interchangeable
protection section includes a first position and a second position
on the dorsal side; a second interchangeable protection section
includes a first position and a second position on the dorsal side;
and the first and second interchangeable protection sections can be
positioned in either first position.
15. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section includes a removable securement attaching the
interchangeable protection section to the dorsal side independent
of the adjacent interchangeable protection section.
16. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable
protection section is partially attached to the dorsal side.
17. A sports glove comprising: a palm side; a dorsal side
positioned opposite the palm side; a plurality of interchangeable
protection sections positioned on the dorsal side; wherein a wearer
of the sports glove can selectively remove each interchangeable
protection section; and wherein each interchangeable protection
section includes a removable securement attaching the
interchangeable protection section to the dorsal side independent
of the adjacent interchangeable protection section.
Description
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but
otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
[0002] All patents and publications described or discussed herein
are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates in generally to protective gloves.
More particularly, this invention relates to protective sports
gloves having uniquely attached padding to provide enhanced
protection while maintaining flexibility and the ability to arrange
the padding of the glove.
[0004] In many contact sports, it is essential to intentionally
strike the participants of the sport. Depending on the given sport,
certain body parts are under greater exposure and stress than
others. For example, in sports such as Lacrosse, hockey, and other
sports in which a stick type object is an essential part of the
game, a participant's hands are exposed to a large amount of
contact and as such it is important to protect those hands during
the course of play of the sport. It is also important to maintain a
high level flexibility in the participant's hands in order to
adequately participate in the sport. As such, a protective glove in
sports should both protect and retain flexibility.
[0005] Various protective sporting gloves have been developed over
the years for use in lacrosse, hockey, and other similar contact
sports. These gloves are designed protect the user of the glove, or
player of the sport, against impacts and blows to their hands
during participation in the sporting event. Unfortunately, as the
protection provided by these gloves increases, the user of these
prior art gloves experiences a reduction in the amount of
flexibility he has in his hand due to the configuration of the
glove. This reduction in flexibility can substantially reduce the
effectiveness and level of play of a participant wearing the glove.
Traditionally, however, as the level of flexibility allowed by a
protective glove would remain high, the protection provided by that
glove would be limited.
[0006] There are several areas of the hand that need to maintain an
increased level of flexibility and yet still need a high level of
protection. These areas include the various joints of the fingers
and hand including the knuckles. For example, the knuckle joints of
a participant's hand need to maintain as close to the full range of
flexibility as possible in order to properly grip the equipment
used during the sport, and sometimes the other participants in the
sport.
[0007] Traditionally, compounding this issue is the very padding
located at the knuckle areas. In order to sustain as complete of a
range of motion as possible for the fingers of the hand, the
padding or protection on the fingers should not substantially
restrict the flexibility of the finger. Otherwise, the amount of
the rotational range in the fingers of the hand when flexed will be
limited due to the increased padding and protective materials in
the glove.
[0008] For example, as the fingers move from an extend position to
a curled position, padding located on the back of the glove above a
knuckle will move from being adjacent to one another to create a
gap of over ninety degrees. As such, additional protection is
needed to fill this gap. However, when the additional protection
was added, the additional protection reduced the range of movement
of the fingers, especially when attempting to extend the
fingers
[0009] Most of the prior art has used segmented padding pieces in
order to attempt to both protect the hand of the participant and
maintain flexibility. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,339, U.S.
Pat. No. 4,137,572, U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,242, U.S. Pat. No.
5,745,916, U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,720, U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,354, U.S.
Pat. No. 6,122,769, U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,057, U.S. Pat. No.
6,550,069, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,643,844, all disclose various sports
gloves having segmented padding sections. Some of these prior art
gloves have attempted to specifically protect the knuckles of a
participant while maintaining flexibility. However, these prior art
attempts have either tried to create overlapping padding, add a
piece of soft cloth material to cover the gaps between the padding
where the piece spans from one padding section to another or used
cloth material folded and placed within the padding joint.
[0010] Additionally the prior art gloves have failed to provide a
user of a glove with flexibility in the arrangement of the padding.
These prior art gloves have the padding fixed in a set location and
in a set arrangement upon the glove. As such there is no allowance
for a user to arrange the padding of the prior arts gloves as
specifically desired to create an appearance or protection
scheme.
[0011] Additionally, any padding in the prior art gloves are fixed
to the glove over the width and length of that padding. As such,
the flexibility of a prior art glove is limited due to the
constraints of the padding being completely attached over its
length.
[0012] What is needed then is a sports glove having padding that is
attached to the glove to facilitate flexibility in the glove while
maintaining a proper level of protection of the hand of a wearer of
the glove. Additionally, this needed glove can be arranged to
provide the user of a glove options in the placement of the padding
on the glove to create a desired protection pattern or to conform
the aesthetic look of the glove to a user's desires. A glove
containing these features is lacking in the art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Included herein is a sports glove comprising a palm side, a
dorsal side positioned opposite the palm side, and a plurality of
protection sections positioned on the dorsal side. Preferably, each
protection section is partially attached to the dorsal side and
includes a length and a width wherein preferably less than half of
the length and less than half of the width is attached to the
dorsal side. Additionally, each partially attached protection
section can include a base wherein the base includes the partial
attachment of the protection section to the dorsal side. As such,
use of the sports glove by a wearer partially separates the
plurality of partial attachment protection sections from the dorsal
side. Alternately described at least a portion of each partially
attached protection section is not attached to the dorsal side, or
is separated from, the dorsal side of the glove.
[0014] Alternately each protection section can include a casing
wherein the casing includes a partial attachment of the protection
section to the dorsal side. Each partially attached protection
section can deflect independent of the adjacent partially attached
protection section. The partial attachment of the protection
section permits a substantial deflection of each protection section
with respect to the dorsal side in order to absorb energy from an
impact to the glove and to protect the hand of a wearer.
[0015] Also included is a sports glove comprising a palm side, a
dorsal side positioned opposite the palm side, and a plurality of
interchangeable protection sections positioned on the dorsal side.
Each interchangeable protection section includes a removable
attachment engaging the protection section to the dorsal side. This
removable attachment can comprise hooks and loops, zippers,
adhesives, and snaps. Preferably, each interchangeable protection
section includes a width and a length wherein less than half the
width and less than half the length is attached to the dorsal side.
Alternately, a majority of the width and a majority of the length
can be attached to the dorsal side. In another alternate embodiment
each interchangeable protection section includes a base wherein the
base is removably attached to the dorsal side.
[0016] A wearer of this sports glove can selectively remove each
interchangeable protection section and arrange the protection
sections upon the dorsal side as desired. As such, each
interchangeable protection section includes a removable securement
attaching that interchangeable protection section to the dorsal
side. This removable securement can be independent of any
attachment of adjacent interchangeable protection sections to the
dorsal side. Alternately described, the first and second
interchangeable protection sections include first and second
positions on the dorsal side wherein the first and second
interchangeable protection sections can be positioned in either
first or second positions on the dorsal side.
[0017] It is therefore a general object of the current invention to
provide a protective sports glove.
[0018] It is another object of the current invention to provide a
sports glove having partially attached protection sections.
[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
sports glove having interchangeable protection sections.
[0020] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
a sports glove having padding that is rearrangeable on the sports
glove.
[0021] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
sports glove having padding sections where less than a majority of
the length and less than a majority of the width of the padding
sections are attached to the glove.
[0022] And yet another object of the present invention is to
provide a sports glove having padding sections that deflect
independently of adjacent padding sections.
[0023] Other and further objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the
art upon reading of the following description and a review of the
attached figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a sports
glove made in accordance with the current disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows
an example of various padding sections of FIG. 1 rearranged to show
a new configuration.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view along one of the fingers of
a glove made in accordance with the current disclosure. FIG. 3
shows examples of various forms of attachment between the padding
and the dorsal side of the glove.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a glove made in
accordance with the current disclosure. FIG. 4 shows the
relationship between the padding and the glove as the glove
flexes.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 4. FIG. 5
shows an example of the independent movement of the padding when
struck by a force.
[0029] FIG. 6 shows a bottom perspective view of a padding section
made in accordance with the current disclosure, wherein the
attachment section only comprises part of the width and part of the
length of the padding section.
[0030] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment
of padding made in accordance with the current disclosure. FIG. 7
shows a base attached to the padding wherein the base includes a
removable attachment.
[0031] FIG. 8 is a top view of the padding section shown in FIG.
7.
[0032] FIG. 9 is a side view of the padding shown in FIGS. 7-8.
[0033] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the padding shown in FIGS.
7-9.
[0034] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the padding showing the padding encasing.
[0035] FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment
of padding made in accordance with the current disclosure. FIG. 12
shows a base attaching multiple padding sections to the glove.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0036] Referring generally now to FIGS. 1-12, a sports glove made
in accordance with the current disclosure is shown and generally
designated by the numeral 10. The sports glove 10 can be used to
protect the hand (not shown) of a participant of a contact sporting
event, such as lacrosse, hockey, and the like. The sports glove 10
comprises a palm side 12, a dorsal side 14 positioned opposite the
palm side 12, and a plurality of protection sections 16 positioned
on the dorsal side 14. Each protection section 16 includes a length
18 and a width 20. In a preferred embodiment each protection
section 16 is partially attached to the dorsal side 14 wherein less
than half the width 20 and less than half the length 18 are
attached to the dorsal side 14.
[0037] Alternately the amount of attachment of the partially
attached protection sections 16 to the dorsal side 14 can vary in
order to facilitate the flexibility and level of protection of the
hand of a user of the sports glove 10. For example, between 25%-75%
of the length 18 of the protection section 16 can be attached to
the dorsal side 14 and between 25%-75% of the width 20 can be
attached to the dorsal side 14. Alternately, between 35%-50% of the
length 18 and between 35%-50% of the width 20 can be attached to
the dorsal side 14. In a most preferred embodiment between 25%-50%
of the length 18 and 25%-50% of the protection section 16 can be
attached to the dorsal side 14 to secure the protection section 16
to the dorsal side 14. Alternately described, at least 25% of each
partially attached protection section 16 is not attached, or is
separated from, the dorsal side (14).
[0038] In an alternate embodiment each partially attached
protection section 16 further includes a base 22 wherein the base
22 includes a partial attachment 24 of the protection section 16 to
the dorsal side 14. In yet another alternate embodiment each
partially attached protection section 16 includes a casing 26,
wherein the casing 26 includes the partial attachment 24 of the
protection section 16 to the dorsal side 14.
[0039] Use of the sports glove 10 by a wearer partially separates
the partially attached protection sections 16 from the dorsal side
14. This is best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown, each
partially attached protection section 16 can deflect independently
of the adjacent partially attached protection section 16. Also, the
partial attachment of each protection section 16 to the dorsal side
14 permits a substantial deflection of each protection section 16
with respect to the dorsal side 14. This deflection allows
absorption of an energy force 28, which can be described as a blow
to the hand of the user. This absorption by deflection facilitates
protection of the hand of a user of a glove 10 while maintaining
flexibility in the glove 10.
[0040] The glove 10 includes a finger end 30, including all of the
fingers 31, and a cuff end 32, including the cuff 33. Each
protection section 16 includes an attachment side 34 and a
separated side 36 wherein the attachment side 34 is positioned
substantially between the separated side 36 and the finger end 30
of the glove 10. This positioning facilitates the movement of the
padding and flexibility of the padding of the glove 10 during use
of the glove 10 by a wearer, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0041] The partially attached protection sections 16 can be
removably secured or permanently fixed to the dorsal side 14. When
removably secured each protection section 16 can be attached to the
dorsal side 14 through such items such as hooks and loops, zippers,
adhesives, snaps, and other fasteners known in the art. When
permanently fixed to the dorsal side, the partially attached
protection section 16 can be permanently adhered, sewn, or be
permanently affixed by other fasteners known in the art.
[0042] Alternately, the sports glove 10 includes a plurality of
interchangeable protection sections 16 positioned on the dorsal
side 15. The interchangeable protection section 16 includes a
removable attachment 38 engaging the interchangeable protection
section 16 to the dorsal side 14. This removable attachment can
include hooks and loops, zippers, snaps, and other fasteners known
in the art.
[0043] Each interchangeable protection section 16 includes a length
18 and a width 20. In a preferred embodiment less than half of the
length 18 and width 20 is attached to the dorsal side 14. In an
alternate embodiment a majority of the length 18 and width 20 is
attached to the dorsal side 14. In another alternate embodiment the
interchangeable protection section 16 include a base 22 wherein the
base 22 is removably secured to the dorsal side 14. This base 22
can also be partially attached to the dorsal side 14 to further
facilitate flexibility and protection of the hand of the user of
the sports glove 10. In an alternate embodiment, the base 22 base
supports multiple interchangeable protection sections 16 and
attaches the multiple interchangeable protection sections 16 to the
dorsal side 14. This is best illustrated in FIG. 12.
[0044] A user of the sports glove 10 can selectively remove each
interchangeable protection section 16 and rearrange each
interchangeable protection section 16 as best illustrated in FIGS.
1 and 2. The interchangeable nature of the interchangeable
protection section 16 facilitates color coordination and design
configuration of the external padding and look of the sports glove
10.
[0045] Alternately described a first interchangeable protection
section 40 includes a first position 44 and a second position 46
while a second interchangeable protection section 42 includes a
first position 48 and a second position 50. The first and second
interchangeable protection sections 40 and 42 can be positioned in
any one of the first and second positions 44, 46, 48 and 50. As
such the first and second interchangeable padding sections 40 and
42 are rearrangeable on the dorsal side 14 of the sports glove 10
in multiple positions as desired by a user of the sports glove 10.
As such each interchangeable protection section 16 includes the
removable attachment 38, which can also be described as a removable
securement 38 attaching that protection section 16 to the dorsal
side 14 independent of the attachment of any adjacent protection
section 16.
[0046] Thus, although there have been described particular
embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful Glove With
Interchangeable Padding, it is not intended that such references be
construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as
set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *