Glove holder and a garment with a glove holder

Abstract

A glove holder is disclosed with a first side having a first portion of a hook-and-loop fastener. The glove holder can be attached to the user's belt, pocket or clothing. The glove holder may also be incorporated into an article of clothing where the glove can be attached directly to the clothing.

Description

The present invention relates to a glove holder, and more particularly, a glove holder for holding a glove with one portion of a hook-and-loop fastener and also a garment that includes a glove holder. The glove holder may also include a logo or other indicia, including names, team logos, club logos, initials, or slogans.

Typically, gloves used in sports like baseball and golf are usually stuffed into a pocket or thrown into or attached to a golf cart when the player takes them off. This causes several problems for the gloves. First, the gloves get wadded up and, if they are not taken out for a while, become hard and brittle. Second, the gloves are usually wet from sweat and cannot adequately dry when stuffed into a pocket. Third, it is possible that the glove falls out of the pocket and, the user not knowing that fell out, is accidentally left behind. The gloves, especially the cabretta leather golf gloves, are quite expensive and most players cannot afford to and do not want to lose them.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an glove holder that substantially obviates one or more of the problems and disadvantages in the prior art. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus and process particularly pointed out in the written description and claims, as well as the appended drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention is directed to a glove holder that includes a base having a first side and a first part of a hook-and-loop fastener attached to at least a portion of the first side of the base to hold a glove having another part of a hook-and-loop fastener.

In another aspect, the invention provides for a garment that holds a glove that includes an article of clothing and a first part of a hook-and-loop fastener integrally attached to the article of clothing on a waist portion of the article of clothing to hold the glove.

It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a glove holder according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the glove holder in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the glove holder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of another embodiment of a glove holder according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of another embodiment of a glove holder according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the glove holder of FIG. 4 with the attachment member in a closed position;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the glove holder of FIG. 4 with the attachment member in an open position;

FIG. 8 is side view of the glove holder of FIG. 4 with the attachment member in the closed position;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the glove holder of FIG. 4 with the attachment member in the open position;

FIG. 10a is a rear view of a garment having a glove holder attached thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10b is an enlarged view of a portion of the garment of FIG. 10a;

FIG. 10c is a rear view of a garment having a glove holder attached thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10d is a rear view of a garment having a glove holder attached thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10e is a rear view of a garment having a glove holder attached thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10f is a rear view of a belt having a glove holder attached thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10g is a rear view of another belt having a glove holder attached thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of a glove holder 20 according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The glove holder 20 has a base 22 with a first side 24 and a second side 26. On the first side 24, the glove holder 20 has a first portion 28 of a hook-and-loop fastener (such as Velcro® brand fasteners). In the preferred embodiment, the first portion 28 would be the loop portion of the hook-and-loop fastener. The first portion 28 covers at least a portion of the first side 24 of the glove holder 20, but as illustrated in FIG. 1, may cover a majority or even all of the first side 24. The glove holder 20 may also have a logo 30 or other indicia as desired by the user. For example, the logo 30 could correspond to a collegiate team, professional team, a home golf course, or be the user's initials or name. The logo 30 could be placed anywhere on the first side 24 of the glove holder 20. While it is illustrated at the top of the glove holder 20, it could be at the other end or in the middle. Similarly, the first portion 28 of the of the hook-and-loop fastener could cover more or less of the first side 24 of the glove holder 20. The first portion 28 of the of the hook-and-loop fastener could even be integral with or in between portions of the logo 30.

The glove holder 20 has a second side 26 with an attachment member 32 to attach the glove holder to the user. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the attachment member 32 is a spring clip that allows the user to slide the glove holder 20 over a belt, on a pocket edge, or to any other appropriate item or location. The back side 26 also preferably has a skid resistant member 34 that is placed between the second side 26 and the attachment member 32. The skid resistant member 34 assists in holding the glove holder 20 in place while the user attaches and removes the glove from the glove holder 20. The skid resistant member 34 is preferably a piece of rubber, but it can be any material (e.g., foam) that resists movement when attached to the user. While the skid resistant member 34 is illustrated as being about 40% of the area of the second side 26, it could be larger or smaller. In fact, the skid resistant member 34 could cover the entire second side 26. The skid resistant member may also be attached to the underside of attachment member 32.

The glove that will most likely be used with the glove holder 20 is a golf glove, although any type of glove with a hook-and-loop type closure can be used. Golf gloves are generally secured on a user's hand by a tab having the loop portion that joins with the hook portion on the glove situated on the back of the hand. See, e.g., U.S. Reissue Patent No. 32,538. The hook portion of the fastener on the main portion of the glove would then adhere to the loop portion on the glove holder 20. It is also possible that the first portion 28 of the hook-and-loop fastener on the glove holder 20 could also be hook portion and then the loop portion on the glove's tab would adhere to the glove holder 20.

A second embodiment of a glove holder 40 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The glove holder 40 similarly has a first side 42 and a second side 44 (see FIGS. 6-9). The first side 42 also has a first portion 46 of the hook-and-loop fastener, which is preferably the loop portion as it was for the first embodiment discussed above. The glove holder 40 also has the second portion 48 of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side 42. The second portion 48 is placed on the glove holder to also hold a ball marker 50, the underside of which is visible in FIG. 4. The top side of ball maker 50 has the other portion 52 of the hook-and-loop fastener to attach it to the glove holder 40. However, the glove holder 40 need not have both portions of the hook-and-loop to also hold the ball marker 50. For example, the glove holder may have only one of the portions of the hook-and-loop fastener and the ball marker may have the other portion of the hook-and-loop fastener.

The glove holder 40 also has a logo or indicia 54 on the first side 42. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the logo 54 is located on the bottom of the glove holder 40. However, the logo or indicia 54 may be located anywhere on glove holder, i.e., the top or even the middle portions. As noted above with the other embodiment, the logo or indicia 54 may be a separate logo (a metal or fabric attachment) or integrally attached to the portion of the hook-and-loop fastener (embroidered).

A glove holder 60 with only one portion of the hook-and-loop fastener is illustrated in FIG. 5. Glove holder 60, similar to the glove holder 40, has only one of portions 62 of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side 64. The ball marker 50 could have the other portion of the hook-and-loop fastener mounted on the flat surface and be attached to the glove holder 60. Glove holder 60 may also have a logo or other indicia 66 as discussed above with respect to the other embodiments.

The glove holders 40,60 in FIGS. 4 and 5 may have an attachment member similar to the attachment member in FIGS. 1-3. However, the glove holders 40,60 may also have an attachment member 56 as illustrated in FIGS. 6-9. The attachment member 56 is known in the art and has a clasp member 58 that rotates around a central pin to lock the attachment member against the glove holders 40,60. Any other type of attachment member may also be used to secure the glove holders to the user or the user's clothing/equipment.

A garment 100 with a glove holder 102 is illustrated in FIG. 10a. The garment in FIG. 10a is a pair of shorts of any type or style, but typically golf shorts. In the garment 100, the glove holder 102 is preferably integrally sewn into the shorts so that the edges of the glove holder 102 are under the outer portion of the shorts for a clean, finished look. The glove holder 100 may also have a logo or indicia 104. While it is preferable that the logo or indicia 104 be embroidered or sewn in, it may also be of any material that would be consistent with the care given to the shorts 100.

The glove holder 102 is illustrated in FIGS. 10a and 10b as being at least partially in the waist band 106. However, the glove holder 102 may be located anywhere on the shorts 100. In fact, while the glove holder 102 is illustrated as being on the back portion of the shorts 100, it may be located anywhere on the shorts 100 and fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, the glove holder may be on the back portion of the shorts 100, but be below the waist band 106 and above the back pockets.

FIG. 10c illustrates another embodiment of a glove holder 110 according to the present invention. The glove holder 110 is illustrated with the long pants 112. The glove holder 110 is similar to the glove holder 102, but is on a pair of long pants 112. As with the glove holder 102, the glove holder 110 may be located anywhere on the pants 112, which are preferably a pair of golf pants. The glove holder 110 is also preferably integrally sewn into the pants 112 to provide a clean, finished look.

A glove holder may also be used with any other type of clothing, for example, the skirt 120 as illustrated in FIG. 10d and a pair of baseball pants 130, as illustrated in FIG. 10e. Preferably, the glove holder 122 in the skirt 120 is integrally sewn into the skirt 120 to provide the same clean, finished look noted above for the pants. Similarly, the glove holder 132, illustrated on a waist band portion, is also preferably sewn into the pants so there are no edges to catch during play. On those uniforms that have a stretch waistband or have belt loops and a belt, the glove holder 132 may be moved to another location on the pants 130.

A glove holder may also be located on a different article of clothing as illustrated in FIGS. 10f-10g. In FIG. 10f, a belt 140 has a glove holder 142 integrally attached to the belt 140. Again, the glove holder, as with those discussed above, may be either of the two portions of a hook-and-loop fastener. A similar, but thinner belt 150 is illustrated in FIG. 10g with a glove holder 152. Both of the glove holders 142,152 may also have a second area with the second portion of the hook-and-loop fastener as discussed above with respect to FIG. 4.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the integrated optical module interface of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A glove holder comprising:

a base having a first side; and

a first part of a hook-and-loop fastener attached to at least a portion of the first side of the base to hold a glove having another part of a hook-and-loop fastener.

2. The glove holder according to claim 1, wherein the base has a second side and further comprising an attachment element on the second side of the base to attach the glove holder to a user.

3. The glove holder according to claim 1, further comprising indicia on the first side.

4. The glove holder according to claim 3, wherein the indicia is selected from the group of symbols, words, logos, numbers, and a combination thereof.

5. The glove holder according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener comprises the hook portion.

6. The glove holder according to claim 1, further comprising a second part of a hook-and-loop fastener attached to a second portion of the first side.

7. The glove holder according to claim 2, wherein the attachment element is a spring clip.

8. The glove holder according to claim 2, further comprising a nonskid element attached to the second side of the base to cooperate with the attachment element to resist movement during use.

9. The glove holder according to claim 1, wherein the glove holder is attached to an article of clothing.

10. The glove holder according to claim 1, wherein the article of clothing is one of the group of pants, slacks, shorts, skirts, shirts, and belts.

11. A garment that holds a glove comprising:

an article of clothing; and

a first part of a hook-and-loop fastener integrally attached to the article of clothing on a waist portion of the article of clothing to hold the glove.

12. The garment according to claim 11, wherein the article of clothing is one of the group of pants, slacks, shorts, skirts, shirts, and belts.

13. The garment according to claim 11, wherein the glove is one of the group of golf gloves, hitting gloves, racket ball gloves, tennis gloves, driving gloves, and baseball gloves.

14. The garment according to claim 11, further comprising indicia on the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener.

15. The garment according to claim 14, wherein the indicia is selected from the group of symbols, words, logos, numbers, and a combination thereof.