WO1992008379A1

WO1992008379A1 - Sports glove

Info

Publication number: WO1992008379A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/008479
Authority: WO
Inventors: John C. Weber; Jim Petrov
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-11-14
Filing date: 1991-11-13
Publication date: 1992-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 1993-05-14
Also published as: AU9132291A

Abstract

A sports glove (10) preferably for sports in which wrist control or restraint is important, has a pocket (40) for receiving inserts (42) to control flexibility of the hand at the wrist. The glove is fitted with a special pocket and the inserts are of different thicknesses and strengths such that combinations of the inserts can be used to provide varying degrees of flexibility.

Description

SPORTS GLOVE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a sports glove and pertains, more particularly, to a sports glove directed to provide varying degrees of wrist support to a wearer. The sports glove of this invention is an improvement over the conventional supporting glove appliance.

In sports there are several games that require the arm, wrist and hand to move as a unit for control of a ball, club or other instruments of the particular sport. In some of these sports the support of the wrist is important to the control necessary to be effective. In some instances the wrist must be rigid such that the arm moves as a single unit and others require that there be some flexibility at the wrist but still have support to be effective. To some extent the degree of flexibility or rigidness is also dependent on the individual style and experience of the player.

With the conventional glove appliance a fingerless glove is provided having a rigid stiffening member on the palm side of the glove and another rigid stiffening member on the back of the hand. A drawback associated with this form of glove is that it fits the hand in such a manner that the hand is held in a fixed position with respect to the arm and prevents any movement of the wrist. Other variations of the conventional glove all in one fashion or another provide a bowler's wrist support with some form of rigid stiffener such as a rigid core member curved longitudinally and laterally to cover both the wrist and the back of the hand. These existing glove appliances have the drawback of attaching securely to a wearer's hand and wrist by means of fastening bands, thereby fixing the hand such that the hand and forearm move only together. In the conventional glove appliance the wrist of the wearer may be slightly bent. Existing glove appliances may have an insert in the palm section to hold a bowling ball in a fixed position within the hand and a rigid stiffening member on the back of the hand extending over the wrist to prevent wrist movement. These variations may allow the bowler to obtain an improved grip upon the bowling ball but typically at the sacrifice of any wrist flexibility. Existing glove appliances include additional drawbacks that make them undesirable or ineffective for the athlete, bowler or golfer, including added weight, stiffness and lack of comfort, all of which are overcome by this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sports glove that is adapted to provide support of the wrist while allowing a degree of flexibility desired by the individual player. With the sports glove of this invention it will be recognized that flexible support for the wrist will be provided for a bowler, golfer, or other sportsman or woman engaging in a sport where controlled wrist flexibility without immobility is desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved an improved sports glove that is constructed to provide the bowler and other sport players with aids to assist in controlling the ball, club or other instrument of the sport.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sports glove that is adapted for a comfortable sports glove which can be worn for some time with out discomfort and further provides the athlete with interchangeable stiffening insert to adjust the flexibility of the wrist desired by the athlete.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sports glove to be used in aiding the athlete in controlling the roll of a bowling ball, the swing of a club or any similar sports equipment.

Still a further object of the present inveniton is to provide a sports glove which can be comfortably worn by the athlete.

Another object of the present is to provide a sports glove that provides a flexible wrist support in the longitudinal direction while generally restricting lateral movement of the hand within the glove in a conventional manner.

A further object of the present invention to provide a sports glove constructed such that the degree of flexibility in the wrist support can be adjusted as desired by the athlete, by the use of interchangeable inserts, either alone or in combination. The inserts, of various thicknesses and degree of flexibility, can be used individually or in combination to achieve the degree of flexibility desired by the individual athlete.

To accomplish the foregoing and other objects of this invention there is provided a sports glove to aid an athlete, such as a bowler or golfer, in controlling a bowling ball, golf club or other instruments of a sport, by providing a flexible wrist support, in which the athlete may adjust the degree of flexibility by the use of interchangeable inserts used either individually or in combination. In particular there is provided a glove.

The glove typically includes a conventional support glove with finger enclosures for the little finger and the index finger, a large opening for the thumb, and two openings for the middle and ring fingers. Therefore, the thumb, middle finger and ring finger are left unexposed so that they may be used to grip the bowling ball, golf club or other instruments. The glove is secured to the hand and wrist by adjustment straps which are provided with VELCRO or other types of suitable fasteners.

The glove contains a pocket which typically extends from the back of the hand across the wrist to the forearm. The pocket is on the inside of the back of the glove. The pocket is designed to receive, either individually or in combination, interchangeable flexible inserts.

The inserts are typically made from a plastic material, but any suitable material having the characteristics of being light weight, containing a degree of flexibility, and having the ability to return to its original position after being flexed may be used.

The inserts are contoured and are provided in a variety of thicknesses. The inserts may be used individually or in combination in order to provide the degree of flexibility or stiffness desired by the athlete.

The glove contains a slit along the side of the glove opposite the thumb opening to allow easy insertion of the glove. Once the glove is on the hand and the desired inserts are installed the adjustment straps are fastened to secure the glove to the hand and wrist. The adjustment straps are attached to the edge of the slit near the palm side of the glove. To secure the glove the adjustment straps are tightly pulled across the slit and fastened to the back of the glove by VELCRO or other fastening means.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sports glove constructed in accordance with the present invention depicted on a hand of a bowler;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an insert;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the allowable flexibility of the wrist and hand which is depicted gripping a conventional bowling ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a preferred embodiment for the sports glove of this invention. The sports glove is described in connection with a bowling application to provide flexible support for the wearer. The sports glove of the present invention is particularly adapted for providing desired flexible support and is characterized by an improved support for the wearer while engaging in the chosen sport.

A preferred embodiment of the sports glove of this invention is for use in bowling. Although the preferred embodiment of the invention is described in detail the sports glove of this invention may be used in other sports or events in which the user requires wrist support without departing from the spirit or inventive concept of this invention. With this in mind the following detailed description is provided. The drawings show the sports glove 10 in conjunction with a bowling application and provides a bowler with flexible wrist support to aid the bowler in controlling the release, speed and roll of a bowling ball. The bowling glove as illustrated and described is for a right handed bowler. However, this invention is also applicable to a left hand bowler with the necessary modifications as is obvious to one skilled in the art.

The sports glove 10 is typically made from a soft and pliable material, such as leather. However other material may also be used. It will be understood that the sports glove 10 has an overall resemblance to a conventional bowling or golf glove, however the resemblance is only in appearance.

In a preferred embodiment, the sports glove 10 contains a thumb opening 14 for thumb 30, pointer finger enclosure 16, a middle finger opening 18 for middle finger 32, a ring finger opening 20 for ring finger 34 and a little finger enclosure 22. The sports glove, as in an otherwise conventional glove, has a back or top side 24, a palm side 28 and opposing sides 26. The sides 26 may also have an elastic section 12 to allow a limited stretch capability to fit hands of various sizes and shapes.

The elastic typically extends around the side of the wearer's hand opposite the thumb and foirms the openings for the two middle fingers which are exposed in a preferred embodiment from approximately the knuckle to the end of the finger. A preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings includes ventilation openings 36 to provide ventilation of the hand and fingers contained in the glove and finger enclosures. Conventional stitching used to assemble the sports glove 10 is identified typically as reference character 54.

In the preferred embodiment, the thumb, middle and ring fingers are left exposed to grip the bowling ball, as illustrated in figure 5. In other embodiments and uses there may be no fingers exposed or any combination exposed dependent on the particular use of this invention, for example, a golf glove or batting glove may include finger enclosures for each finger and the thumb.

The side 26 opposite the thumb opening 14 contains a side slit or opening 56. This slit 56 is provided for ease of insertion of the hand into the glove 10. The slit 56 extends from the back of the glove approximately area adjacent to the first knuckle of the little finger.

An internal panel 38 is provided on the inside of the back or top side 24 of the sports glove 10. The internal panel is attached, for example by additional stitching 54, to an adjacent edge of the side slit or opening 56 and extends across the inside of the glove to the other side 26 where it is attached, again, by conventional stitching 54. A closed end 58 of the internal panel 38 and pocket is formed inside the glove 10 nearest the finger area and is further attached to the back or top side 24 of the glove 10, again by conventional-style stitching 54.

In this manner, in a preferred embodiment, is formed a pocket 40 is defined between the internal panel 38 and the back or top side 24 of the glove 10. The internal panel 38, when the glove is in use is in contact with the back of the hand. Thus, the internal panel 38 is preferably made from a soft material to provide a cushion for comfort to the wearer for extended use.

An insert 42 is inserted into pocket 40 to provide support for the wrist. Typically the insert 42 is made from a plastic material but other material may also be used. The inserts 42 provide the support for the users wrist by being held tightly in place by the glove and having some degree of flexibility. The inserts 42 can be inserted into the pocket 40 either individually or in combination. The individual inserts 42 are constructed in various thicknesses and each may have a varying degree of flexibility depending upon the material used in their manufacture.

By using the inserts 42 individually or in combination the user can achieve the desired amount of flexibility. The inserts are preferably the same shape although not necessarily the same thickness or material.

Along one edge 44 of the insert 42 is an indentation 52. This indentation 52 provides space and room for the bones of the user's wrist. This allows the sports glove 10 to be used for an extended time without discomfort and pressure on the bones of the wrist. The inserts 42 also typically have a rounded edge 50 which is inserted into the pocket 40 first and a flat edge 48 which is the end of the insert 42. Edges 44 and 46 may be generally parallel to each other with the edges 44 and 46 closer together between the indentation 52 and end 48.

The inserts 42 provide support for the wrist while allowing flexibility in the longitudinal direction and restricting the movement. The degree of flexibility can be selected and changed by the user as desired by changing or mixing the inserts 42.

In operation, an intended wearer 60 of the sports glove 10 (e.g., bowling glove embodiment) inserts his or hand 62 into the opening 64 defined by an open end 66 of glove. In a preferred embodiment, a pair of straps 68 and 70 are pulled over the top side 24 and fixed by means of respective hook and loop fastener material 72 (typical) and 74, for example, VELCRO® brand fasteners. Other closure means would be adequate, such as a conventional strap and buckle arrangement (not shown) .

Prior to tightening the straps one or more inserts 42 (only one is depicted in the drawings) are chosen to provide a desired amount of flexibility in the wearer's wrist. These inserts are placed within the pocket and the straps fixed to comfortably secure the sports glove 10 onto the hand of the wearer. A bowling ball 76 is selected and the thumb and fingers are inserted into the appropriate holes 78 (thumb) and 80 (finger, one shown).

It is known that the object of the game of bowling is to achieve a high score by knocking down a number of pins. The bowler, standing at one end of a bowling alley, throws a bowling ball down the alley towards the pins at the other end of the alley. The ball is thrown in such a manner that the ball rolls down the alley to knock down the pins. Thus, in order to achieve a high score the bowler must be able to control the roll of the ball.

Ball control in bowling depends in part on the ability of the bowler to break or bend the wrist in varying degrees. (Similarly, in golf or baseball, for example, it is known and recognized that wrist movement or control is desirable.) The more proficient at the sport the better a player is able to control and duplicate desired wrist movements to maximize the result for the greatest score. As a player progresses or as a young player matures less control is needed and with greater proficiency comes an ability to exert more body (and wrist) control.

In a preferred embodiment it will be presumed that six (6) inserts are provided with the sports glove, e.g., two A inserts, two B inserts, and two C inserts. The A inserts for purposes of this example are an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene material approximately 1/8" thick. The B inserts, likewise, are a low density extruded polyethylene, also approximately 1/8" thick. Finally, the C inserts are a high impact polystyrene approximately 1/32" thick.

A is the stiffest, B is less stiff and C is the most flexible insert, used for example, to adjust the degree of flexibility. A novice or young bowler might well use an A insert. (It should be noted that the inserts, like the gloves, will be manufactured in various sizes in order to accommodate different size hands. ) As the bowler matures he or she should require less restraint in order to maintain a desired degree of flexibility. At this point the A insert would be removed and a B insert or a B and a C insert would be used.

If four inserts are used, then it would be preferred to provide one A, one B and two C inserts. The pocket 40 should be of a sufficient size to accept all four to give the firmest combination of inserts. If desired additional inserts may be used, since the panel 38 is preferably of a material that stretches or gives sufficiently to accept additional inserts. The mature professional bowler may find that as his or her skills increase that only one or possible two C inserts will be sufficient to provide the necessary resistance to over flexing the wrist while allowing the bowler to effectively vary wrist movement so as to provide the desired amount of wrist and ball control.

The more experienced the bowler becomes with the use of the present invention, the more he or she will realize that as the axis of the bowler's arm 82 varies from position 84 in which the wrist is broken, for example in order to make the ball go straighter, to position 86 in which the ball is cupped. It is known to cup the ball for more lift and turn and additional striking power or hook depending upon lane conditions. It is intended that the bowler's natural finesse be enhanced by the use of the present invention.

From the foregoing description those skilled in the art will appreciate that all of the objects of the present invention are realized. A sports glove has been shown and described for providing an aid for an athlete, such as a bowler or golfer, in controlling a bowling ball, golf club or other instruments of a sport. The sports glove provides a flexible wrist support which allows the athlete to readily adjust the degree of flexibility by the use of interchangeable inserts used either individually or in combination.

The present invention provides an improved sports glove with wrist support and flexibility. The flexible support is constructed so as to provide the wearer with an aid for controlling a ball, club or other instrument of the sport. The present invention is comfortable and easily used. The sports glove provides a flexible wrist support in the longitudinal direction while generally restricting lateral movement of the hand within the glove in a conventional manner.

The use of the inserts provide a degree of flexibility in the wrist support that can be adjusted as desired by the athlete, by the use of interchangeable inserts, either alone or in combination. The inserts, of various thicknesses and degree of flexibility, can be used individually or in combination to achieve the degree of flexibility desired by the individual athlete.

While specific embodiments have been shown and described, many variations are possible. The particular design of the glove and the shape of the insert including all horizontal and vertical dimensions, thickness, and material may be changed as desired to suit the glove with which it is used. The inserts materials may vary although plastic is preferred. The configuration and the number of the inserts may vary although the preferred embodiment refers to six, four may be sufficient to give the range of flexibility desired.

Having described the invention.in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made of the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:

Claims

1. A sports glove which comprises: a glove made from a flexible material to give support to the wrist of an athlete; an internal piece fitted inside said glove being attached to and extending across to said two sides, said internal piece and backside defining a pocket; inserts made from a sturdy flexible material, said inserts being inserted, either individually or in multiples, into said pocket, said inserts each being made of various thicknesses and degree of flexibility; and a strap means on said glove to secure said glove and insert to the hand and wrist of said athlete.

2. A sports glove to provide wrist support for an athlete which comprises: a glove made from a flexible material having a backside, palmside and two sides, one of the two side having a slit for easy insertion of the hand into said glove; said glove having a thumb opening, pointer finger enclosure, middle finger opening, ring finger opening and little finger enclosure located on said glove to properly cover a hand; an internal piece fitted inside said glove being attached to and extending across to said two sides, said internal piece and backside defining a pocket; inserts made from a sturdy flexible material, said inserts being inserted, either individually or in multiples, into said pocket, said inserts each being made of various thicknesses and degree of flexibility; and a strap mean having a fastening means attached to said side having said slit and extending across said slit to a fastening mean on said backside of said glove, such that said strap means securely holds said glove and insert in proper position on the athlete's hand to provide support.

3. A sports glove as set forth in claim 2 in which the strap means consists of two straps, said straps being parallel to each other and attached to said glove such that said straps extend over said slit and fasten to the backside of said glove by a fastening means securing said glove the hand and wrist of the athlete.

4. A method of providing wrist support to an athlete which comprises: providing a glove having a thumb opening, pointer finger enclosure, middle finger opening, ring finger opening and little finger enclosure to fit over a hand of an athlete participating in a sport; defining a pocket within said glove by the portion of the glove that covers the back of the hand and an internal piece; inserting an insert, individually or in multiples, into said pocket to provide flexible support to the athlete's wrist, said inserts being made from a sturdy flexible material each being made with various thicknesses and degree of flexibility, and securing said glove and insert to the wrist and hand of said athlete by a strap means on said glove.