Message-Conveying Interlocking Athletic Gloves
A message-conveying athletic glove with enhanced gripping is provided. The glove comprises a palm-side portion and a back portion connected to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand. A first image portion of a complete image is located on one or more of the palm-side portion or the back portion of the glove. When the glove is worn by the user and interlocks with a second glove having a second image portion of the complete image displayed, the complete image is displayed by the interlocked gloves, conveying a message. The palm-side portion of the glove is made of a material to enhance gripping.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/326,121, filed on Dec. 14, 2011 and titled “Message-Conveying Interlocking Athletic Gloves,” attorney docket number NIKE.164986, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/787,213, filed May 25, 2010 and title “Message-Conveying Interlocking Athletic Gloves,” attorney docket number NIKE.154502, the disclosure of each is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to athletic gloves. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pair of athletic gloves, each glove having a portion of a complete image. When the gloves are interlocked, the gloves convey a message by forming the complete image.
BACKGROUNDBoth professional and amateur athletes often wear athletic gloves to enhance gripping. In football, for example, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, and others whose performance depends upon the ability to effectively grip the football often wear gloves to enhance their grip on the football. Conventional athletic gloves do not typically perform other functions in addition to enhancing grip.
SUMMARYThis Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an athletic glove that conveys a message. The glove comprises a palm-side portion and a back portion. The back portion is connected to the palm-side portion to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand. The opening is located opposite the four finger sheaths and corresponds approximately to the wrist of a user when the glove is worn by the user with fingers of the user extending within the four finger sheaths and the thumb of the user extending within the thumb sheath. The glove also comprises a first image portion of a complete image displayed on one or more of the palm-side portion or the back portion. When the glove is worn by the user and interlocks with a second glove having a second image portion displayed, the complete image is displayed by the interlocked gloves, conveying a message.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
Referring now to
When the glove is worn in this manner, the back portion corresponds to the back of the user's hand, and palm-side portion 102 corresponds to the palm of the user's hand. In some embodiments, palm-side portion 102 is made in part or completely of a gripping material. The gripping material may be a synthetic leather, plastic, rubber, or other material. The gripping material may be a coating applied to an underlying material of which palm-side portion 102 is made. In some embodiments, glove 100 is a football glove such as a wide receiver's glove.
A first image portion 116 of a complete image (shown in
A second image portion 216 of a complete image (shown in
As discussed above, glove 100 is a right-hand glove, and glove 200 is a left-hand glove.
In some embodiments, this design is accomplished by including more than half of complete image 302 in each of first image portion 116 and second image portion 216 such that gloves 100 and 200 are overlappingly interlocked until complete image 302 is properly formed and displayed. Gloves 100 and 200 are overlappingly interlocked such that, from the point of view of a person viewing complete image 302, thumb portion 112 of glove 100 is placed in front of thumb portion 212 of glove 200, and finger sheaths 204, 206, 208, and 210 of glove 200 are placed in front of finger sheaths 104, 106, 108, and 110 of glove 100.
First image portion 116 and second image portion 216 may be designed so that complete image 302 is also formed when thumb portion 212 of glove 200 is placed in front of thumb portion 112 of glove 100, and finger sheaths 104, 106, 108, and 110 of glove 100 are placed in front of finger sheaths 204, 206, 208, and 210 of glove 200. In some embodiments, the design of first image portion 116 and second image portion 216 allows complete image 302 to be displayed using both of the above overlapping configurations. In other embodiments, approximately half of complete image 302 is included in first image portion 116 and half in second image portion 216.
Turning now to
In some embodiments the image portions may be located substantially on the back portions of the gloves, rather than on the palm-side portions as shown in
The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A message-conveying glove capable of receiving a human hand, comprising:
- a palm-side portion;
- a back portion connected to the palm-side portion to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand, the opening located opposite the four finger sheaths and corresponding approximately to the wrist of a user when the glove is worn by the user with fingers of the user extending within the four finger sheaths and the thumb of the user extending within the thumb sheath; and
- a first image portion of a complete image displayed on the palm-side portion of the glove or the back portion of the glove, wherein a location of the first image portion and a rotation of the first image portion are both based on a configuration of interlocking comprising (1) touching a first web of the glove with a second web of a second glove, then (2) touching the bases of the thumb sheath of the glove in front of the bases of a thumb sheath of the second glove, then (3) touching the backs of at least three of the four finger sheaths of the glove to at least three of the four finger sheaths of the second glove.
2. The glove of claim 1, wherein the location of the first image portion is on the thumb sheath and adjacent to the web of the glove.
3. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a left-hand glove, the first image portion is displayed on the palm-side portion of the glove, and the rotation of the first image portion is at a specific angle in a clockwise direction when the first image portion is facing a user.
4. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a left-hand glove, the first image portion is displayed on the back portion of the glove, and the rotation of the first image portion is at a specific angle in a counterclockwise direction when the first image portion is facing a user.
5. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a right-hand glove, the first image portion is displayed on the palm-side portion of the glove, and the rotation of the first image portion is at a specific angle in a counterclockwise direction from when the first image portion is facing a user.
6. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a left-hand glove, the first image portion is displayed on the back portion of the glove, and the rotation of the first image portion is at a specific angle in a clockwise direction when the first image portion is facing a user.
7. The glove of claim 1, wherein the complete image is an athletic team name or city.
8. The glove of claim 1, wherein the complete image is an athletic team logo or mascot.
9. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a football glove.
10. Two message-conveying gloves, each capable of receiving a human hand, that convey a message, the two message-conveying gloves comprising:
- a first glove having a first palm-side portion and a first back portion connected to the first palm-side portion to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand, the opening located opposite the four finger sheaths and corresponding approximately to the wrist of a user when the first glove is worn by the user with fingers of the user extending within the four finger sheaths and the thumb of the user extending within the thumb sheath;
- a second glove having a second palm-side portion and a second back portion connected to the second palm-side portion to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand, the opening located opposite the four finger sheaths and corresponding approximately to the wrist of a user when the second glove is worn by the user with fingers of the user extending within the four finger sheaths and the thumb of the user extending within the thumb sheath;
- a first image portion of a complete image on the first palm-side portion, the first image portion being configured on the first palm-side portion at a first location and first rotation based on an interlocking configuration; and
- a second image portion of the complete image on the second palm-side portion, the second image portion being configured on the second palm-side portion at a second location and second rotation based on the interlocking configuration,
- wherein the interlocking configuration comprises (1) touching a first web of the first glove with a second web of the second glove, then (2) touching the bases of the thumb sheath of the first glove in front of the bases of a thumb sheath of the second glove, then (3) touching the backs of at least three of the four finger sheaths of the first glove to at least three of the four finger sheaths of the second glove.
11. The two message-conveying gloves of claim 10,
- wherein the first location of the first image portion is on the thumb sheath of the first glove and adjacent to the web of the first glove, and
- wherein the second location of the second image portion is on the thumb sheath of the second glove and adjacent to the web of the second glove.
12. The two message-conveying gloves claim 10, wherein the first glove is a left-hand glove and the first rotation of the first image portion is at a specific angle in a clockwise direction when the first image portion is facing a user.
13. The two message-conveying gloves claim 12, wherein the second glove is a right-hand glove and the second rotation of the second image portion is at a specific angle in a counterclockwise direction from when the second image portion is facing the user.
14. The two message-conveying gloves of claim 10, wherein the complete image is an athletic team name or city.
15. The two message-conveying gloves of claim 10, wherein the complete image is an athletic team logo or mascot.
16. The two message-conveying gloves of claim 10, wherein the two message-conveying gloves are football gloves.
17. Two message-conveying gloves, each capable of receiving a human hand, that conveys a message, the two message-conveying gloves comprising:
- a first glove having a first palm-side portion and a first back portion connected to the first palm-side portion to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand, the opening located opposite the four finger sheaths and corresponding approximately to the wrist of a user when the first glove is worn by the user with fingers of the user extending within the four finger sheaths and the thumb of the user extending within the thumb sheath;
- a second glove having a second palm-side portion and a second back portion connected to the second palm-side portion to form four finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and an opening capable of receiving a human hand, the opening located opposite the four finger sheaths and corresponding approximately to the wrist of a user when the second glove is worn by the user with fingers of the user extending within the four finger sheaths and the thumb of the user extending within the thumb sheath;
- a first image portion of a complete image on the first back portion, the first image portion being configured on the first back portion at a first location and first rotation based on an interlocking configuration; and
- a second image portion of the complete image on the second back portion, the second image portion being configured on the second back portion at a second location and second rotation based on the interlocking configuration, wherein the interlocking configuration comprises (1) touching a first web of the first glove with a second web of the second glove, then (2) touching the bases of the thumb sheath of the first glove in front of the bases of a thumb sheath of the second glove, then (3) touching the backs of at least three of the four finger sheaths of the first glove to at least three of the four finger sheaths of the second glove, wherein the first glove is a left-hand glove and the first rotation of the first image portion is at a specific angle in a counterclockwise direction when the first image portion is facing a user, and wherein the second glove is a right-hand glove and the second rotation of the second image portion is at a specific angle in a clockwise direction when the second image portion is facing a user.
18. The two message-conveying gloves of claim 17,
- wherein the first location of the first image portion is on the thumb sheath of the first glove and adjacent to the web of the first glove, and
- wherein the second location of the second image portion is on the thumb sheath of the second glove and adjacent to the web of the second glove.
19. The two message conveying gloves of claim 17, wherein the complete image is an athletic team logo or mascot.
20. The two message-conveying gloves of claim 17, wherein two message-conveying gloves are football gloves.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 9, 2013
Publication Date: Aug 29, 2013
Applicant: Nike, Inc. (Beaverton, OR)
Inventor: Nike, Inc.
Application Number: 13/859,448
International Classification: A41D 19/00 (20060101);