Playground Glove

Abstract

The invention provides a glove having connected back and palmar portions for overlaying and protecting respective back and palm regions of a human hand, the back and palmar portions having distal and proximal ends with a plurality of digital segments projecting from the distal ends, where the digital segments overlay the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers of the hand and are open over the distal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, where the palmar portion comprises a padded region overlaying the base of the metacarpal bones of the hand, and where the glove comprises a padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal of the hand.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to playground gloves, particularly, gloves adapted for protecting children's hands during various kinds of play.

2. Description of Related Art

Various gloves have been designed and developed having specialized padding in various regions of the palm, for instance, to protect against the formation of blisters and the like on a wearer's hand from gripping items or working with the gloves.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,809, provides a protective work glove with an open finger construction that includes a crescent shaped resilient carpal pad positioned on the palmar portion of the glove in the carpal area of the hand. The glove has additional pads arranged to cover the area of the palm that corresponds to the top of the metacarpal region.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,008, provides a martial arts training glove adapted for striking objects and having an open finger construction with padding at the area of the base of the metacarpal region, and also covering the carpal bones of the hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,214, describes a golf glove and golf gripping method where the glove is provided with a pad arranged to protect the area of the palm at the base of the fingers against stress of gripping the golf club.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,122, provides a work glove for maximized tactilegnosis, having an open finger construction that covers up to but not including the last joint of the fingers, i.e., the distal interphalangeal joint.

Each of these designs is provided to optimize protection for a wearer undertaking a particular hobby or avocation, with padding and other features designed to allow the wearer maximum freedom of movement in undertaking the particular activity, while maximizing protection to the wearer from the most common hazards to the hand inherent in the activity.

No design discloses a glove particularly adapted for use by children on the playground, with features tailored to allow participation in favorite playground activities, while offering protection against injuries to a child's hand from the myriad of hazards prevalent in the playground environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A glove is disclosed having connected back and palmar portions for overlaying and protecting respective back and palm regions of a human hand, the back and palmar portions having distal and proximal ends with a plurality of digital segments projecting from the distal ends, where the digital segments overlay the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers of the hand and are open over the distal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, where the palmar portion comprises a padded region overlaying the base of the metacarpal bones of the hand, and where the glove comprises a padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal of the hand.

Preferably, the padded region at the base of the metacarpal bones will extend to overlay at least a substantial portion of the carpometacarpal joints of the hand, for protection against forward falling.

Additionally, the padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal will preferably extend over the metacarpal-phalangeal joint of the fifth metacarpal bone.

In a further preferred embodiment, the palmar portion further comprises a padded region overlaying the metacarpal-phalangeal joints of the hand.

In one alternative embodiment of the invention, the digital segments will be provided with padded regions projecting from the palmar portion of the glove and offering some gripping protection to the fingers.

The padded regions may be secured to glove by any conventional means used in glove construction, such as by stitching.

In one preferred embodiment, the glove is adapted as a children's playground glove, with a wrist band projecting from the proximate ends. In a further preferred such embodiment, the wrist band is securable about the wrist of a wearer, such as reversible fastening means on the wrist band for securing the wrist band around the wrist of a wearer. In one such embodiment, the reversible fastening means are hook and loop fastening strips.

In another preferred embodiment, the playground glove comprises a region for identifying the owner of the glove, such as by providing a writable surface across the back portion of the glove.

Preferably, a pair of gloves for use on left and right hands of a wearer will be provided with some mechanism for attaching the gloves when not in use, such as a clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a diagrammatic perspective front view of a left handed playground glove according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, worn on the hand of a wearer;

FIG. 2 of the drawings is a plan view of the palmar surface of the playground glove of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a palm view of a right handed playground glove; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the back surface of the playground glove of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a glove, and more particularly, a glove adapted for supporting a children's hands during a variety of playground activities, and against common hazards of the playground environment.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, a playground glove according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown worn on the hand 10 of a wearer (indicated in phantom outline and showing fingers 12). The basic structure of the glove 20 is conventional, having a back portion 22, a palmar portion 24, and a plurality of digital segments 26 distally projecting from between the back portion 22 and the palmar portion 24.

While the glove 20 is intended to provide protection and cushioning for a child's hand, it will be appreciated that the glove must also be not overly bulky, must be breathable, and generally should be comfortable to wear. Various construction materials and methods will be known to those skilled in the art of glove making in order to optimize the effectiveness and comfort of the design.

The back portion 22, palmar portion 24 and digital segments 26 can be constructed from the same type of fabric, or a more durable material may be applied to the palmar portion 24, with a lighter, less heavy, and perhaps more breathable, material employed for construction of the back portion 22.

Fabrics known to be commonly employed in the construction of athletic or work gloves may be advantageously employed. Fabric choices employed in various sporting or work gloves include a woven or cloth fabric, either of natural or synthetic materials, leather, and rubber or synthetic rubber materials, and combinations of the above. While certain synthetic and rubber materials may be used, more preferred are breathable materials, or at the very least, those materials which are capable of wicking moisture away from the wearer's hand 10.

Woven materials of natural fabric, such as cotton, may provide a good choice where maximum comfort and breathability are desired. Cotton materials are available in heavier weights that can provide abrasion protection to the wearer, and still support the attachment of padded regions and allow moisture control and air circulation.

Canvas glove construction can be provided in various weights of fabric, such as 8, 10 or 12 ounce fabric. Cotton or other knitted gloves can also be provided with polyvinyl chloride. Small, evenly spaced PVC dots are often affixed over the palmar portions of gloves for better gripping ability and durability.

Leather gloves provide a great level of protection from abrasions and rough objects, such as rocks, asphalt or bark or stone materials encountered in the playground environment. Leather also provides breathability and moisture control, optimizing comfort, durability and dexterity along with abrasion protection. These advantages have made leather a traditional favorite for glove construction.

Cow leather is the most commonly used leather within the glove industry, though pigskin offers even greater breathability due to the porous texture of this material. Goat and chamois are other leathers that may be employed in glove construction.

The glove is also constructed of various pads, to provide increased protection. Pads are provided, for instance, to protect against the stresses of gripping playground equipment, such as monkeybars or other climbing construction bars, baseball bats, bicycle handle bars and the like that are grasped by the child's hand.

While one consideration for pad location is optimized protection for the gripping portions of the hand, the glove further provides optimized padding for regions of the hand that are used in striking objects, such as tetherballs, and in protecting against a fall.

The hand is constructed of many component bones which articulate in such a way as to form the commonly seen creases in the human hand. There are fourteen phalanges (finger bones) on each hand. A phalangeal bone that is attached to a metacarpal (bones of the palm) is called a proximal phalange. Phalanges at the tips of fingers and the thumb are distal phalanges. The four phalanges in the fingers that are connected to both a distal and proximal phalanx are called middle phalanges.

The phalanges and metacarpals are long bones that connect to each other at interphalangeal joints and to metacarpals at metacarpal-phalangeal joints. The term carpometacarpal joint refers to the articulations between the carpal bones, located in the lower palm region, and the metacarpal bones. The carpometacarpal joints are the articulations between the distal row of carpals and the bases of the first through fifth metacarpals. The first carpometacarpal joint is at the base of the thumb at the wrist area, while the fifth metacarpal is below the little finger, such that the fifth carpometacarpal joints is near the base of the outside of the hand.

The thenar area is the large cushion located at the base of the thumb, encircled by the thenar crease. Two transverse creases are also found in the palm, the upper transverse crease which is the crease below the fingers, and the lower transverse crease, which is the crease crossing the center of the palm, between the thenar crease and the upper transverse crease.

The playground glove 20 thus includes of a plurality of padded regions for absorbing shocks and blows and which protect in particular those regions of the hand that are most at risk from playground play. The first padded region 30 is positioned in the palmar portion 24 such as to protect the hand from various blows to this region of the hand, for instance when bracing against forward falls. During forward falling, with the palms are extended outwardly to brace the fall, and where, particularly in smaller children, rough contact with the ground often leads to damage to the hand, the padded region 30 will afford protection from abrasive types of injury, such as scrapes and cuts, as well as more serious injuries such as breaks or dislocations. The padded region 30 overlays the base of the metacarpal bones of the hand, and can be extended to protect a substantial region of the carpometacarpal joints of the hand. The use of additional padding may afford protection against forward falling at various angles and even allow for some slippage of the glove while still protecting the likely impact areas at the base of the palmar portion of the hand.

Other padded regions may be provided in the palmar portion 24, for instance at the site overlaying the metacarpal-phalangeal joints of the hand. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, such a padded region 32 generally covers the area of the palm that is distal to and adjacent the distal transverse palmar crease. While padded region 32 provides protection against some shocks and blows, it also provides cushioning against various stresses attendant to gripping and holding items on the playground, such as from climbing playground equipment or gripping sporting equipment.

The digital segments 26 may also be provided with padding as well, which may be constructed and an extension of the padded regions 32. Padding in the fingers which may aid in additional gripping protection to the wearer.

In reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, further padded region 34 is provided to overlay the length of the fifth metacarpal of the hand, which is the bone at the palm that is beneath the smallest finger. This padded region 34 may extend to overly the length of the fifth metacarpal to include the metacarpal-phalangeal joint. Padded region 34 provides protection against various forms of striking that the wearer may employ using the outer portion of the hand, such as when striking a tetherball or volleyball, as well as protection against falls where the fifth metacarpal may be employed to protect against the fall.

The padded regions 30, 32 and 34, may be made of any common materials used in providing glove padding, including natural or synthetic rubber, natural or synthetic rubber foams, conventionally available impact absorbent gels, which may or may not require membrane containment, or cotton or other natural or synthetic wadding materials.

The padded regions 30, 32 and 34, may be affixed to the palmar portion 24 of the playground glove 20 by conventional means, such as gluing or stitching, as are known to the art. Padded regions 30, 32 and 34, may be located on an inner surface of palmar portion 24, with the palmar portion 24 then attached by conventional stitching about the perimeter of each padded region. Alternatively, the padded regions 30, 32 and 34, may secured to the outer surface of the palmar portion 24, such as by conventional stitching.

When utilizing other securement means, particularly gluing, care must be had to ensure that the securement means are designed to withstand the heat, abrasion and humidity generated by the active hand of a wearer playing on a playground.

The glove 20 may be provided with a wrist band 40 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Various means, such as reversible fastening means on the wrist band 40, may be employed for securing the wrist band 40 around the wrist of a wearer. As best seen in reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the wrist band 40 can be fitted with a releasable fastening means 42 to permit the wrist band to be adjustably, releasably closed around the wrist of the wear. A conventional fastening means such as hook and loop fastening would be acceptable for such securement, though zippers, snaps, buttons and the like may also be employed.

In reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the playground glove 20 optionally comprises a region for identifying the owner of the glove. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, this may constitute affixing a writable surface 48 across the back portion 22 of the glove 20.

Where a pair of gloves for use on left and right hands of a wearer are be provided, a mechanism for attaching the gloves when not in use is preferred, such as a clipping mechanism 44. Hook and loop fastening strips, snaps, buttons and the like may also be employed for attaching the gloves together.

The glove 20 is constructed such that the digital segments 26 are of a partial, or open, construction, meaning that the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers of the hand are covered, while the distal interphalangeal joints of the fingers 12 are open through the fingertips. While many padded work or sporting gloves are provided with enclosed digital segments to afford maximal protection against blows or abrasions, the playground glove 20 has partial digital segments to provide fingertip sensitivity to games or other playground endeavors that require fine motor skill control. This may include the throwing of a ball, such as a baseball or football, but even such activities as skipping rope, jacks, marbles, and other games or specific applications where the playground wearer will require the precision and sensitivity the fingertips.

While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A glove having connected back and palmar portions for overlaying and protecting respective back and palm regions of a human hand, said back and palmar portions having distal and proximal ends with a plurality of digital segments projecting from said distal ends,

wherein said digital segments overlay the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers of said hand and are open over the distal interphalangeal joints of said fingers,

wherein said palmar portion comprises a padded region overlaying the base of the metacarpal bones of said hand, and

wherein said glove comprises a padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal of said hand.

2. The glove of claim 1 wherein said padded region at the base of the metacarpal bones extends to overlay at least a substantial portion of the carpometacarpal joints of said hand.

3. The glove of claim 1 wherein said palmar portion further comprises a padded region overlaying the metacarpal-phalangeal joints of said hand.

4. The glove of claim 1 wherein said padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal extends over the metacarpal-phalangeal joint of said fifth metacarpal.

5. The glove of claim 1 wherein said digital segments have padded regions projecting from the palmar portion of said glove.

6. The glove of claim 1 comprising a wrist band connected proximately to the back and palmar portions.

7. The glove of claim 1 wherein said padded regions are secured to glove by conventional stitching.

8. A protective glove for a child, said glove having connected back and palmar portions for overlaying and protecting respective back and palm regions of a human hand, said back and palmar portions having distal and proximal ends with a plurality of digital segments projecting from said distal ends and a wrist band projecting from said proximate ends,

wherein said palmar portion comprises a padded region overlaying the base of the metacarpal bones of said hand, and

wherein said glove comprises a padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal of said hand.

9. The protective glove of claim 8 wherein said padded region at the base of the metacarpal bones extends to overlay at least a substantial portion of the carpometacarpal joints of said hand.

10. The protective glove of claim 8 wherein said palmar portion further comprises a padded region overlaying the metacarpal-phalangeal joints of said hand.

11. The protective glove of claim 8 wherein said padded region overlaying the length of the fifth metacarpal extends over the metacarpal-phalangeal joint of said fifth metacarpal.

12. The protective glove of claim 8 wherein said digital segments have padded regions projecting from the palmar portion of said glove.

13. The protective glove of claim 8 further comprising a region for identifying the owner of said glove.

14. The protective glove of claim 13 wherein said identifying region comprises a writable surface.

15. A pair of The protective gloves according to claim 8 adapted for use on left and right hands of a wearer.

16. The protective gloves of claim 15 comprising a clip segment for attaching said gloves when not in use.

17. The protective glove of claim 8 wherein said wrist band is securable about the wrist of a wearer.

18. The protective glove of claim 17, further comprising reversible fastening means on said wrist band for securing said wrist band around the wrist of a wearer.

19. The protective glove of claim 18 wherein said reversible fastening means are hook and loop fastening strips for securing said wrist band.

20. The protective glove of claim 20 wherein said digital segments overlay the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers of said hand and are open over the distal interphalangeal joints of said fingers.