BATTING GLOVE WITH ROLLOVER STRAP

Abstract

A batting glove includes a strap or cuff that folds about a seam or hinge line to shorten the length of the glove. Hook and loop material, or another suitable fastener, is included on the inside of one end of the strap or cuff, and on the outside of a free end of the strap or cuff, when the glove is in its full length position. Accordingly, when the strap or cuff is folded back about the hinge line to shorten the length of the glove, the fastener previously on the inside of the strap is exposed, allowing the wearer to secure the fastener on the free end of the strap or cuff to the exposed fastener.

Description

BACKGROUND

Batting gloves are often worn by baseball and softball players to protect their hands from wear and to provide a better grip on a ball bat. Many players wear batting gloves on one or both hands when batting, and may also wear a batting glove on their “glove hand,” or non-throwing hand, when playing defensively in the field.

Batting gloves were initially designed primarily for male baseball players, and have typically been too large for many female players. Over the years, batting gloves have been designed for female fast pitch and softball players but the designs have generally been primarily aesthetic in nature. For example, batting gloves have been designed in a variety of colors that have been found to be appealing to many female players. Indeed, many female batting glove designs merely involve changing the color of an existing glove designed for male players. As a result, the batting gloves are often too long or otherwise uncomfortable for female players (and for some male players, as well).

SUMMARY

A batting glove includes a strap or cuff that folds about a seam or hinge line to shorten the length of the glove. Hook and loop material, or another suitable fastener, is included on the inside of one end of the strap or cuff, and on the outside of a free end of the strap or cuff, when the glove is in its full length position. Accordingly, when the strap or cuff is folded back about the hinge line to shorten the length of the glove, the fastener previously on the inside of the strap is exposed, allowing the wearer to secure the fastener on the free end of the strap or cuff to the exposed fastener.

Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a batting glove in its full length position, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the batting glove of FIG. 1 with the strap rolled over such that the glove length is shortened and the hook and loop material on the strap is exposed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the batting glove of FIGS. 1 and 2 with the free end of the strap secured to the exposed region via the hook and loop material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures, functions, or materials may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.

The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.

Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list.

Turning now in detail to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 1, a batting glove 10 in its full length position includes a main body 11, finger receiving regions or “fingers” 12, and a thumb-receiving region or “thumb” 14. The batting glove 10 further includes a cuff or strap 16 having a first end 18 and a second end 20. The first end 18 or free end of the strap 16 may optionally include a logo 22 or other design stitched, imprinted, or otherwise located thereon.

The strap 16 may be attached to the main body 11 of the glove via a stitched seam or via another connection that provides a hinge line 24 or fold line. In one embodiment, the strap 16 and the main body 11 may be made from a single piece of material and may include an integral hinge that delineates the strap 16 from the main body 11. As shown in FIG. 2, after the glove 10 is fitted onto a wearer's hand, the strap 16 may be folded back or rolled over about the hinge line 24 to shorten the length of the glove 10 and reduce the portion of the wearer's wrist 26 or hand that is covered by the strap 16.

The first end 18 of the strap 16 preferably includes a first fastening material 28 that is securable to a second fastening material 30 included on the second end 20 of the strap. The first and second fastening materials 28, 30 may include hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®, or may be one or more other suitable materials. The first and second fastening materials 28, 30 may be stitched or otherwise attached to the first and second strap ends 18, 20, respectively.

The first fastening material 28 preferably faces away from the wearers hand or wrist 26 when the glove 10 is in the lengthened position, and faces the wearer's hand or wrist 26 when the glove 10 is in the shortened position. The second fastening material 30, conversely, preferably faces the wearer's hand or wrist 26 when the glove 10 is in the lengthened position, and faces away from the wearer's hand or wrist 26 when the glove 10 is in the shortened position. Accordingly, when in an overlapped position, the first and second fastening materials 28, 30 face in opposite directions so they may be secured to each other in both the lengthened and shortened positions.

As shown in FIG. 3, once the strap 16 is folded back or rolled over, the wearer may secure the first fastening material 28 to the second fastening material 30 to comfortably secure the glove to the wearer's hand. In this position, the logo 22 on the first end 18 of the strap, if included, will be displayed on the back of the wearer's hand. One or more logos or other designs may optionally be located on the underside of the strap 16 or on other regions of the batting glove 10, as well. Such a logo preferably would be located on the inside of the strap 16 when the glove 10 is in the lengthened position so that it would become exposed when the strap 16 is rolled or folded over to shorten the length of the glove 10.

Providing the rollover strap 16 allows the wearer to shorten the length of the batting glove 10 to make it more comfortable and functional, while the added length of the strap 16 makes it easy for a wearer to pull the glove 10 onto his or her hand. Some wearers may choose to shorten the length of the glove only when batting or only when fielding, depending on personal preference. The rollover feature may also be aesthetically desirable to players who prefer to roll up their sleeves or pant legs, or to players who wish to expose more of their skin to the sun in order to promote even tanning.

The batting glove 10 preferably includes a breathable mesh material in the fingers 12 to provide added comfort, particularly in hot temperatures. The fingers 12 of the glove may also optionally be curved to fit the natural contour of a wearer's fingers. The main body 11 of the glove may be made from a leather material, or from a flexible fabric material, or from a combination of one or more leather and flexible fabric materials. In one embodiment, the palm region of the glove may be made from a single piece of leather to provide increased comfort and durability.

In use, a wearer pulls the batting glove 10 onto his or her hand via the strap 16 or main body 11 of the glove 10. The wearer then folds or rolls the strap 16 about the hinge line 24 to expose the second fastening material 30 on the second end 20 of the strap 16. The wearer then pulls the first end 18 of the strap 16 over the second end 20 of the strap 16 and presses it down to secure the first fastening material 28 to the second fastening material 30 in a tightened position. Alternatively, the wearer may choose not to roll over the strap 16, and may optionally secure the first end 18 of the strap 16 to the second end 20 of the strap 16, via the first and second fastening materials 28, 30, by positioning the first end 18 underneath the second end 20 and pressing the second end 20 down onto the first end 18.

While it is preferred when the batting glove 10 is in the lengthened position that the first fastening material 28 be oriented away from a wearer's hand or wrist 26, and the second fastening material 30 be oriented toward a wearer's hand or wrist 26, the first and second fastening materials 28, 30 could alternatively be oriented in the opposite directions. In such an embodiment, after folding or rolling over the strap 16, the wearer could position the first end 18 of the strap 16 under the second end 20 strap before securing them together.

In one embodiment, the second end 20 of the strap 16 may include one or more loops through which the first end 18 of the strap 16 may slide, instead of, or in addition to, including hook and loop fastening material. In another embodiment, the first and second ends 18, 20 of the strap may include snap fittings or other connectors for securing the first and second ends 18, 20 to each other. Any other suitable connectors may additionally or alternatively be used.

Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another. Furthermore, the batting glove may include additional features not described herein. While specific embodiments have been shown and described, various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A batting glove, comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of finger-receiving regions extending from the main body;

a thumb-receiving region extending from the main body;

a strap connected to the main body along a hinge line, with the strap including a first end and a second end, wherein the strap is foldable about the hinge line between a lengthened position and a shortened position;

a first fastening material on the first end of the strap, wherein the first fastening material faces away from a wearer's hand or wrist when the strap is in the lengthened position, and faces the wearer's hand or wrist when the strap is in the shortened position; and

a second fastening material on the second end of the strap and connectable to the first fastening material, wherein the second fastening material faces a wearer's hand or wrist when the strap is in the lengthened position, and faces away from the wearer's hand or wrist when the strap is in the shortened position.

2. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the first and second fastening materials each comprise a hook and loop fastening material.

3. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the strap is connected to the main body along the hinge line via stitching.

4. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the strap and the main body comprise a single piece of material with which the hinge line is integral, wherein the hinge line delineates the strap from the main body.

5. The batting glove of claim 1 further comprising a logo on the second end of the strap, wherein the logo faces the wearer's hand or wrist when the strap is in the lengthened position, and faces away from the wearer's hand or wrist when the strap is in the shortened position.

6. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the finger-receiving regions comprise a breathable mesh material.

7. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the main body comprises a leather material.

8. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the finger-receiving regions are curved to fit the contour of a wearer's fingers.

9. The batting glove of claim 1 wherein the first and second fastening materials are stitched to the first and second ends of the strap, respectively.

10. A batting glove, comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of fingers extending from the main body;

a thumb extending from the main body;

a strap connected to the main body at a fold line, wherein the strap is foldable about the fold line between a lengthened position and a shortened position;

a first fastener on a first end of the strap; and

a second fastener on a second end of the strap, wherein the second fastener is securable to the first fastener.

11. The batting glove of claim 11 wherein the first and second fasteners are connectable to each other via a snap-fit.

12. The batting glove of claim 11 wherein the first fastener comprises a free end of the strap, and the second fastener comprises a loop through which the free end of the strap may pass.

13. The batting glove of claim 11 wherein the first and second fasteners each comprise a hook and loop fastening material.

14. The batting glove of claim 11 wherein the strap is connected to the main body along the fold line via stitching.

15. The batting glove of claim 11 wherein the strap and the main body comprise a single piece of material with which the fold line is integral, wherein the fold line delineates the strap from the main body.

16. A batting glove, comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of fingers extending from the main body;

a thumb extending from the main body;

means for shortening the length of the glove; and

means for tightening the glove.

17. The batting glove of claim 16 wherein the fingers comprise a breathable mesh material.

18. The batting glove of claim 16 wherein the main body comprises a leather material.

19. The batting glove of claim 16 wherein the fingers of the glove are curved to fit the contour of a wearer's fingers.

20. The batting glove of claim 16 wherein the shortening means is connected to the main body via stitching.