U.S. patent application number 14/056243 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-23 for suspension padding for lacrosse glove.
This patent application is currently assigned to Under Armour, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Under Armour, Inc.. Invention is credited to Paul Gait, Chris Perra.
Application Number | 20150106990 14/056243 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52824857 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150106990 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gait; Paul ; et al. |
April 23, 2015 |
SUSPENSION PADDING FOR LACROSSE GLOVE
Abstract
A glove is provided and includes a wrist portion and a hand
portion attached to the wrist portion. The hand portion includes a
plurality of finger portions extending away from the wrist portion,
a palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of
the glove than the palm portion. The glove also includes a padded
panel attached to the back portion. The padded panel is attached to
the back portion at a first edge and is attached to the back
portion via a tether at a second edge.
Inventors: |
Gait; Paul; (Albany, NY)
; Perra; Chris; (Albany, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Under Armour, Inc. |
Baltimore |
MD |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Under Armour, Inc.
Baltimore
MD
|
Family ID: |
52824857 |
Appl. No.: |
14/056243 |
Filed: |
October 17, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/20 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2102/14 20151001;
A63B 2102/24 20151001; A63B 71/143 20130101; A41D 19/01523
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/20 |
International
Class: |
A63B 71/14 20060101
A63B071/14; A41D 19/015 20060101 A41D019/015 |
Claims
1. A glove comprising: a wrist portion; a hand portion attached to
said wrist portion and including a plurality of finger portions
extending away from said wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back
portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than said palm
portion; and a padded panel attached to said back portion, said
padded panel attached to said back portion at a first edge and
attached to said back portion via a tether at a second edge.
2. The glove of claim 1, wherein said first edge is formed on an
opposite side of said padded panel than said second edge.
3. The glove of claim 2, wherein said second edge is disposed
closer to said wrist portion than said first edge.
4. The glove of claim 3, wherein said second edge is selectively
movable relative to said back portion to allow said second edge to
move toward and away from said wrist portion.
5. The glove of claim 4, wherein said tether permits movement of
said second edge toward and away from said wrist portion.
6. The glove of claim 1, wherein said tether is movable between a
relaxed state and an expanded state to allow relative movement
between said second edge and said wrist portion.
7. The glove of claim 6, wherein said tether biases said second
edge toward said wrist portion.
8. The glove of claim 6, wherein said tether is formed from
elastic.
9. The glove of claim 1, wherein said tether is formed from elastic
and permits relative movement between said second edge and said
back portion.
10. The glove of claim 9, wherein said tether biases said second
edge toward said wrist portion.
11. The glove of claim 1, wherein said padded panel includes a
substantially T-shape.
12. A glove comprising: a wrist portion; a hand portion attached to
said wrist portion and including a plurality of finger portions
extending away from said wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back
portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than said palm
portion; and a padded panel attached to said back portion via a
tether, said tether permitting relative movement between said
padded panel and said back portion and biasing said padded panel
toward and said wrist portion.
13. The glove of claim 12, wherein said padded panel includes a
first edge formed on an opposite side of said padded panel than a
second edge.
14. The glove of claim 13, wherein said second edge is disposed
closer to said wrist portion than said first edge.
15. The glove of claim 13, wherein said second edge is selectively
movable relative to said back portion to allow said second edge to
move toward and away from said wrist portion.
16. The glove of claim 13, wherein said first edge is stitched to
said back portion and said second edge is stitched to said
tether.
17. The glove of claim 16, wherein said first panel is attached to
said back portion proximate to a base of said finger portions.
18. The glove of claim 16, wherein said tether is formed from
elastic.
19. The glove of claim 12, wherein said padded panel includes a
substantially T-shape.
20. The glove of claim 12, wherein said tether is formed from
elastic.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a protective glove and
more particularly to a protective glove for use during an athletic
activity such as lacrosse or hockey.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This section provides background information related to the
present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
[0003] Protective gloves are typically used in contact sports such
as lacrosse and hockey to protect a player's hand and wrist from
injuries caused by another player's stick. Such gloves are
specifically designed to protect against injuries when the player
is checked or slashed and, as a result, often include padding and
other protective materials that surround an exterior portion of the
glove.
[0004] While conventional protective gloves provide adequate
protection during play, the padding and other protective materials
that surround the exterior portion of the glove typically hinder
the player's ability to bend or flex the player's hand and properly
grasp a lacrosse or hockey stick.
SUMMARY
[0005] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure,
and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of
its features.
[0006] In one configuration, a glove is provided and includes a
wrist portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The
hand portion includes a plurality of finger portions extending away
from the wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed
on an opposite side of the glove than the palm portion. The glove
also includes a padded panel attached to the back portion. The
padded panel is attached to the back portion at a first edge and is
attached to the back portion via a tether at a second edge.
[0007] In another configuration, a glove is provided and includes a
wrist portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The
hand portion includes a plurality of finger portions extending away
from the wrist portion, a palm portion, and a back portion formed
on an opposite side of the glove than the palm portion. The glove
also includes a padded panel attached to the back portion via a
tether. The tether permits relative movement between the padded
panel and the back portion and biases the padded panel toward and
the wrist portion.
[0008] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. The description and specific examples
in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and
are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0009] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes
only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations,
and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective glove in
accordance with the principles of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of the protective glove of FIG. 1
shown in a relaxed state;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a side view of the protective glove of FIG. 1
shown in a flexed state;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of
FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of
FIG. 1 shown in a relaxed state and taken along line 5-5 of FIG.
1;
[0015] FIG. 6 shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 in a flexed
state;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of
FIG. 1 shown in a relaxed state and taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1;
and
[0017] FIG. 8 shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 in a flexed
state.
[0018] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0020] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure
will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are
skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as
examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a
thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details
need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in
many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit
the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments,
well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known
technologies are not described in detail.
[0021] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be
limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the"
may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises,"
"comprising," "including," and "having," are inclusive and
therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,
operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the
presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The
method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to
be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the
particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically
identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood
that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
[0022] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on,"
"engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or
layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the
other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be
present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being
"directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or
"directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no
intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to
describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in
a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus "directly between,"
"adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the
term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of
the associated listed items.
[0023] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used
herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers
and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or
sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be
only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or
section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as
"first," "second," and other numerical terms when used herein do
not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the
context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section
discussed below could be termed a second element, component,
region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of
the example embodiments.
[0024] Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer,"
"beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be
used herein for ease of description to describe one element or
feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as
illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be
intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use
or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the
figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over,
elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or
features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or
features. Thus, the example term "below" can encompass both an
orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise
oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the
spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted
accordingly.
[0025] With reference to the figures, a glove 10 is provided and
includes a hand portion 12 and a wrist portion 14. The glove 10 may
be worn by a lacrosse player or a hockey player to protect the
player's hand and wrist. Namely, the hand portion 12 and the wrist
portion 14 may cooperate to protect the player's hand and wrist
from injuries caused by another player's stick while concurrently
allowing the player to easily grasp a lacrosse stick (FIG. 3) or a
hockey stick.
[0026] The hand portion 12 includes a palm portion 16, a thumb
portion 18, a plurality of finger portions 20, and a back portion
22. The palm portion 16 is formed on an opposite side of the hand
portion 12 than the back portion 22 and opposes a lacrosse stick 24
(FIG. 3), for example, during use. The palm portion 16 may be
formed from a material having embedded rubber to increase friction
between the hand portion 12 and the lacrosse stick 24, thereby
allowing a player to firmly grasp the lacrosse stick 24. In
addition, the palm portion 16 may include one or more gripping
features 26 (FIG. 2) that further increase friction between the
palm portion 16 and the lacrosse stick 24. Such gripping features
26 may be attached to the palm portion 16 via stitching and/or
adhesive and may be formed from a combination of leather and
rubber.
[0027] The thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 are sized
and spaced apart from one another to properly receive the thumb and
fingers of a player's hand. Each of the thumb portion 18 and the
finger portions 20 extend in a direction generally away from the
wrist portion 14 and cooperate with the back portion 22 to encircle
the player's thumb and fingers during use.
[0028] The back portion 22 is formed on an opposite side of the
hand portion 12 than the palm portion 16 and extends over the palm
portion 16, the thumb portion 18, and the finger portions 20. The
back portion 22 may be formed from a nylon mesh or other breathable
material and may be attached to the wrist portion 14 proximate to a
junction 28 of the hand portion 12 and the wrist portion 14.
[0029] The hand portion 12 additionally includes a padded portion
30 extending over and attached to the back portion 22. The padded
portion 30 includes a series of padded segments 32 and a padded
panel 34. The padded segments 32 each include an outer layer 36
that generally surrounds an inner, energy-absorbing pad or block
38. The outer layer 36 may be formed from virtually any material
such as, for example, leather, nylon, polyester knit, and
Lycra.RTM. and may surround the energy-absorbing pad 38 such that
the energy-absorbing pad 38 is not visible once the outer layer 36
and the energy-absorbing pad 38 are attached to the back portion
22. The energy-absorbing pad 38 may be formed from any suitable
energy-absorbing material such as, for example, foam.
[0030] In one configuration, the outer layer 36 is formed from
polyurethane (PU) leather that is laminated to ethylene-vinyl
acetate (EVA) foam. The PU leather and the EVA foam are then
compression molded to form an outer layer of the padded segments
32. The EVA foam provides the padded segments 32 with a degree of
rigidity while the PU leather provides a desired aesthetic
appearance. Further, compression molding the PU leather and EVA
foam creates a molded skin of each padded segment 32 that has a
cavity shaped to receive an energy-absorbing pad 38. The
energy-absorbing pad 38 is inserted into the cavity and may be
secured therein via a suitable adhesive. Once the energy-absorbing
pad is received with in the cavity, the PU leather and EVA foam is
wrapped around the energy-absorbing pad 38 and held in place via a
suitable adhesive.
[0031] As described, the energy-absorbing pads 38 are constructed
of individual, discrete foam blocks that are wrapped by the outer
layer 36 and are attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 40.
The stitching 40 may extend through a portion of the outer layer 36
(i.e., through the PU leather and the EVA foam) and into the back
portion 22 to attach each of the energy-absorbing pads 38--via the
outer layer 36--at a desired location along a longitudinal axis 42
(FIG. 1) of each of the finger portions 20 and, likewise, along a
longitudinal axis 44 (FIG. 1) of the thumb portion 18.
[0032] With particular reference to FIGS. 4-6, the stitching 40
associated with each of the padded segments 32 is shown as
extending along a first edge 46 and a second edge 48 of each padded
segment 32. The first edge 46 and the second edge 48 are disposed
on opposite sides of the padded segments 32 and each extend in a
direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of
each finger portion 20 and, likewise, extend substantially parallel
to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18. The padded
segments 32 additionally include a third edge 50 and a fourth edge
52 that are formed on opposite sides of the padded segments 32 and
are each disposed substantially perpendicular to the first edge 46
and the second edge 48. Accordingly, the third edge 50 and the
fourth edge 52 are formed substantially perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis 42 of the finger portions 20 and are formed
substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 44 of the
thumb portion 18.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, only the first edge 46 and the second
edge 48 are attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 40. The
third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 are not attached to the back
portion 22 and, as such, are spaced apart and separated from the
back portion 22 by a gap 54. The gap 54 extends along a length of
each padded segment 32 in a direction substantially parallel to the
longitudinal axis 42 of the finger portions 20 and in a direction
substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb
portion 18 such that a back surface 56 of each padded segment 32 is
spaced apart and separated from an outer surface 58 of the back
portion 22 along the entire length of each padded segment 32.
[0034] The back surface 56 of the padded segments 32 includes a
joint between respective ends of the PU leather and EVA foam of the
outer layer 36 caused by wrapping the outer layer 36 around each
energy-absorbing pad 38. The joint is therefore disposed within the
gap 54 and opposes the outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 to
hide the joint from view once the padded segments 32 are attached
to the back portion 22.
[0035] The gap 54 created between the back surface 56 of the padded
segments 32 and the outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 is
accessible at each of the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52, as
the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 are not attached to the
back portion 22. Accordingly, a passageway 60 extends along a
length of each padded segment 32 in a direction substantially
parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of each finger portion 20 and
substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb
portion 18 and is accessible at each of the third edge 50 and the
fourth edge 52.
[0036] The passageway 60 is defined generally between the back
surface 56 of each padded segment 32 and the outer surface 58 of
the back portion 22 and is bounded by the first edge 46 and the
second edge 48. Namely, because the first edge 46 and the second
edge 48 are attached to the back portion 22 along a length of each
padded segment 32 via the stitching 40, the passageway 60 is
bounded by the first edge 46 and the second edge 48. In short, the
size and shape of the passageway 60 is defined by attachment of the
first edge 46 and the second edge 48 to the back portion 22 via the
stitching 40, as well as by the opposing surfaces 56, 58 of the
padded segments 32 and the back portion 22, respectively.
[0037] Attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 at
only two edges (i.e., the first edge 46 and the second edge 48)
while allowing the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 to be
detached from the back portion 22 provides the thumb portion 18 and
each finger portion 20 with increased flexibility, thereby allowing
a player to more easily grasp a lacrosse stick 24, for example.
Further, attaching the padded segments 32 individually to the back
portion 22 at the first edge 46 and at the second edge 48 allows
each padded segment 32 to be individually attached to the back
portion 22 separate and apart from adjacent padded segments 32.
Attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 independent
from adjacent padded segments 32 additionally increases the
flexibility of the thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 as
adjacent padded segments 32 do not hinder movement of one another.
Finally, attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22
independent from one another allows adjacent padded segments 32 to
be spaced apart and separated from one another, as shown in FIGS. 5
and 6.
[0038] With particular reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the padded panel
34 is shown to include a substantially T-shape having a plurality
of padded portions 62 and a tether 64. The padded portions 62 each
include an outer layer 66 that covers an energy-absorbing pad 68. A
bottom layer 70 is attached to the outer layer 66 via stitching 72
(FIGS. 7 and 8) to create a series of pockets 74 in which the
energy-absorbing pads 68 are disposed.
[0039] As with the padded segments 32, the outer layer 66 and the
bottom layer 70 may be formed from virtually any material such as,
for example, leather, nylon, polyester knit, and Lycra.RTM., to
provide the padded segments 32 with a desired aesthetic appearance.
Further, the energy-absorbing pads 68 may be formed from virtually
any energy-absorbing material such as, for example, foam.
[0040] The padded panel 34 may be attached at a first end 76 to the
back portion 22 proximate to a base of the finger portions 20 via
stitching 78. The stitching 78 extends through the outer layer 66,
the bottom layer 70, and the back portion 22 to attach the outer
layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 to the back portion 22. Because
the energy-absorbing pads 68 are disposed within the pockets 74 and
are attached to the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 via the
pockets 74, the stitching 78 likewise serves to attach the
energy-absorbing pads 68 to the back portion 22 via the outer layer
66 and the bottom layer 70.
[0041] The padded panel 34 is attached to the back portion 22 at a
second end 80, opposite the first end 76, via the tether 64 to
allow the padded panel 34 to move between a relaxed state (FIG. 7)
and a flexed state (FIG. 8) relative to the back portion 22. When
the padded panel 34 is in the relaxed state, the second end 80 is
disposed in proximity to the wrist portion 14. Conversely, when the
padded panel 34 is in the flexed state, the padded panel 34 is
moved in a direction away from the wrist portion 14. While the
padded portion 30 is described and shown as including a padded
panel 34 having a single tether 64, the padded panel 34 could be
attached to the back portion 22 by more than one tether 64.
Further, the padded panel 34 could include separate movable
segments (not shown) that are individually attached to the back
portion 22 via separate tethers 64.
[0042] The tether 64 may be formed from a material that biases the
padded panel 34 into the relaxed state such as, for example,
elastic. While the material of the tether 64 biases the padded
panel 34 into the relaxed state, the material also permits movement
of the padded panel 34 from the relaxed state and into the flexed
state as the player moves the hand portion 12 between a relaxed
state (FIG. 2) and a flexed state (FIG. 3) when grasping a lacrosse
stick 24, for example. The tether 64 may be attached to the second
end 80 of the padded panel 34 via stitching 82 and may likewise be
attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 84.
[0043] In operation, when the hand portion 12 is in the relaxed
state (FIG. 2), the tether 64 is likewise in a relaxed state and
biases the padded panel 34 into a position substantially parallel
to the back portion 22 (FIG. 7). When a force is exerted on the
padded panel 34 when the hand portion 12 is moved into the flexed
state (FIG. 3), a force is applied on the tether 64. The force
causes the tether 64 to expand, which allows the padded panel 34 to
likewise move into the flexed state (FIG. 8) to take the shape of
the back portion 22 when the hand portion 12 is moved into the
flexed state. In other words, when the back portion 22 is moved
into a substantially arc shape caused by the hand portion 12 being
moved from the relaxed state to the flexed state, the padded panel
34 is likewise permitted to take a substantially arc shape, as the
tether permits movement of the padded panel 34 in a direction
substantially away from the wrist portion 14. The padded panel 34
is therefore allowed to conform to the shape of the player's hand
when the player moves the hand portion 12 into the flexed state
when grasping a lacrosse stick 24, for example.
[0044] The padded panel 34 is further allowed to move into the
shape shown in FIG. 8 due to the individual padded portions 62.
Namely, because the energy-absorbing pads 68 are received within
discrete pockets 74, gaps 86 are formed between adjacent padded
portions 62 that provide the padded panel 34 with additional
flexibility when the hand portion 12 is moved from the relaxed
state into the flexed state.
[0045] When the force applied to the hand portion 12 is relaxed and
the hand portion 12 is moved from the flexed state to the relaxed
state, the tether 64 applies a force on the padded panel 34,
thereby returning the padded panel 34 to the position shown in FIG.
7 due to the elastic nature of the tether 64. Accordingly, the
tether 64 acts to return the padded panel 34 to a position
substantially adjacent to the back portion 22 when the hand portion
12 is returned to the relaxed state.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the padded panel 34 is disposed
generally between the finger portions 20 of the hand portion 12 and
the wrist portion 14. Accordingly, the padded panel 34 extends
substantially over a back portion of a player's hand to protect the
player's hand from injury during use.
[0047] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been
provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual
elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not
limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are
interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if
not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in
many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure
from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be
included within the scope of the disclosure.
* * * * *