GARMENT FOR ENHANCED BALL SECURITY

Abstract

Various systems, processes, and products may be used to provide a garment for enhanced ball security. In particular implementations, a garment for enhanced ball security may include a first portion adapted to cover an inner portion of a human arm, a second portion adapted to cover an outer portion of a human arm, and a number of rectangular patches on the second portion. The patches may extend towards the second portion in their long direction and be adapted to adhere to a ball.

Description

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to clothing, and more particularly to garments for sports participants.

In many sports (e.g., football and rugby), a player is required to carry a ball while players on the other team try to tackle him. Being tackled can result in the ball being given to the other team (e.g., for failing to attain a specified yardage or goal), not to mention that the impact may result in injury and/or the ball becoming dislodged, which may allow the other team to take possession of the ball.

One technique for lessening the impact during tackling is for a player to wear padding, which can reduce injury and the chance of the ball becoming dislodged. Traditionally, padding has been incorporated into jerseys (e.g., in rugby) or worn underneath a jersey (e.g., football). In more modern times, players have also taken to wearing padded shirts underneath their jerseys to also assist in absorbing some of the impact.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This disclosure generally relates to garments for sports participants. In one general aspect, a garment may include a first portion adapted to cover an inner portion of a human arm, a second portion adapted to cover an outer portion of a human arm, and a number of rectangular patches on the first portion. The patches may extend toward the second portion in their long dimension and be adapted to adhere to a ball.

The garment may, for example, be adapted to cover a substantial portion of a human arm. In these implementations, there may be a plurality of patches for the forearm portion and a plurality of patches for the bicep portion. The patches may, for example, extend into the first portion.

In particular implementations, the garment may also include a body adapted to cover a torso of a human and a sleeve. The sleeve may include a first portion adapted to cover an inner portion of a human arm, a second portion adapted to cover an outer portion of a human arm, and a number of patches on the first portion. These patches may also extend towards the second portion in their long dimension and be adapted to adhere to a ball.

The details and features of various implementations will be conveyed by the following description, along with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-B are line drawings illustrating an example garment for enhancing ball security.

FIGS. 2A-B are line drawings illustrating another example garment for enhancing ball security.

FIGS. 3A-B are line drawings illustrating an additional example garment for enhancing ball security.

FIGS. 4A-B are line drawings illustrating yet another example garment for enhancing ball security.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-B illustrate an example garment 100 for enhancing ball security. FIG. 1A illustrates the front side of garment 100, and FIG. 1B illustrates the back side. As illustrated, garment 100 is a shirt suitable for wearing by a human. In certain implementations, garment 100 may be worn underneath another garment (e.g., a jersey).

Garment 100 includes a body 110 and sleeves 120. Body 110 and sleeves 120 may be made of cotton, spandex, polyester, and/or any other appropriate material. In particular implementations, body 110 and sleeves 120 may be made of about 10-20% spandex and 80-90% polyester.

Body 110 is adapted to fit over the torso of a human, and sleeves 120 are adapted to fit over human arms. Sleeves 120 include an inner portion 122 (i.e., near body 110) and an outer portion 124 (i.e., away from body 110). Sleeves 120 may, for example, be secured to body 110 by stitching. In certain implementations, body 110 and sleeves 120 may be made of stretchable material and, hence, fit snuggly against a human. In particular, garment 100 may be a compression garment.

Garment 100 also includes a first set of patches 130 and a second set of patches 140 on each sleeve 120. Patches 130 are located on a forearm portion 128 of sleeves 120, and patches 140 are located on a bicep portion 126 of the sleeves. Thus, portion 129 of the sleeves around the elbow is generally free from patches to allow for ease of bending. As illustrated, bicep portions 126 are larger than forearm portions 128, but this is not necessary for all implementations, especially if garment 100 is stretchable.

In this example, each of patches 130, 140 is a rectangular strip that extends around the perimeter of sleeves 120 from an inner portion 122. As illustrated, patches 130, 140 extend approximately 70% of the way around the perimeters of sleeves 120 (i.e., towards outer portion 124). In other implementations, the patches may extend between about 25% to about 80% of the way around the perimeters of sleeves 120. Patches 130, 140 may be secured to sleeves 120 by stitching, adhesive, and/or any other appropriate technique.

Patches 130, 140 may be made of leather, synthetic leather, or any other appropriate material. Patches 130, 140 may be treated so that they provide adherence to a ball. In particular implementations, patches 130, 140 may be slightly to moderately tacky. In some implementations, patches 130, 140 may provide adhesion (e.g., tackiness) in wet and dry conditions. Suitable materials for patches 130, 140 are made by a variety of companies (e.g., Hydragrip™ and Magnigrip™ from Nike, Inc. of Beaverton, Oreg., ArmorTac™ from Ridell Corp. of Elyria, Ohio, DURA-TACK™ and GRIP-TACK II™ from Palmgard International, Inc. of Randallstown, Md., C-Tack™ from Cutters Gloves of Phoenix, Ariz., and Neumann™ from Adams USA Inc. of Cookeville, Tenn.

Garment 100 has a variety of features. For example, garment 100 may allow player carrying a ball (e.g., in football or rugby) to maintain better control of it because the patches increase grip on the ball at two points of ball contact (i.e., forearm and bicep) players often use. Thus, the chances that the ball is dislodged (e.g., by being dropped by the carrier or knocked out by an opponent) are reduced. Additionally, because a number of patches are used, garment 100 may more readily conform to and move with a player's body. Furthermore, garment 100 may provide insulation for a player in cooler weather.

Although FIGS. 1A-B illustrate an example garment 100, other implementations may have fewer, additional, and/or a different arrangement of components. For example, the patches may be on a garment that is just worn over an arm (e.g., a sleeve). As another example, the garment may be part of a larger garment that covers most of the body. As a further example, a larger patch may be used in place of a number of patches. Furthermore, the patches may have shapes other than rectangles (e.g., circles, squares, triangles, ovals, etc.). Additionally, the patches may be of smaller sizes, which may allow a relatively larger number of patches to cover an area. Moreover, not all of the patches in a set need to be the same size. As another example, patches may be included in the elbow portion.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate another example garment 200 for enhancing ball security. FIG. 2A illustrates the front side of garment 200, and FIG. 2B illustrates the back side. As illustrated, garment 200 is a shirt suitable for wearing by a human. In certain implementations, garment 100 may be worn underneath another garment (e.g., a jersey).

Similar to garment 100, garment 200 includes a body 210 and sleeves 220. Body 210 and sleeves 220 may be made of cotton, spandex, polyester, and/or any other appropriate material. Sleeves 120 include an inner portion 222 (i.e., near body 210) and an outer portion 224 (i.e., away from body 210).

Garment 200 also includes a first patch 230 and a second patch 240 on each sleeve 220. Patches 230 are located on a forearm portion 228 of sleeves 220, and patches 240 are located on a bicep portion 226 of the sleeves. Thus, portion 229 of the sleeves around the elbow is generally free from patches to allow for ease of bending. As illustrated, bicep portions 226 are larger than forearm portions 228, but this is not necessary for all implementations.

In this example, each of patches 230, 240 is a relatively large rectangle on inner portion 222 of each sleeve 220. As illustrated, patches 230, 240 extend approximately 50% of the way around the perimeters of sleeves 220 (i.e., towards outer portions 224). In other implementations, the patches may extend between about 25% to about 80% of the way around the perimeters of sleeves 220. Patches 230, 240 may be secured to sleeves 220 by stitching, adhesive, and/or any other appropriate technique.

Patches 230, 240 may be made of leather, synthetic leather, or any other appropriate material. Patches 130, 140 may be treated so that they provide adherence (e.g., tackiness) to a ball. In particular implementations, patches 130, 140 may be slightly to moderately tacky. In some implementations, patches 130, 140 may provide adhesion (e.g., tackiness) in wet and dry conditions.

Garment 200 has a variety of features. For example, garment 200 may allow a player carrying a ball (e.g., in football or rugby) to maintain better control of the ball as it increases grip on the ball at two points of contact (i.e., forearm and bicep) players often use. Furthermore, garment 200 may provide insulation for a player in cooler weather.

Although FIGS. 2A-B illustrate an example garment 200, other implementations may have fewer, additional, and/or a different arrangement of components. For example, the patches may be on a garment that is just worn over an arm (e.g., a sleeve). As another example, the garment may be part of a larger garment that covers most of the body. As another example, a patch may extend over the elbow portion. As a further example, a larger patch may be used in place of a number of patches. Furthermore, the patches may have shapes other than rectangles (e.g., squares or ovals).

FIGS. 3A-B illustrate an additional example garment 300 for enhancing ball security. As illustrated, garment 300 is a sleeve suitable for wearing by a human. FIG. 3A illustrates the outer side of garment 300 (i.e., away from the body), and FIG. 3B illustrates the inner side (i.e., toward the body).

Garment 300 includes an outer sleeve 302 and an inner sleeve 304. Outer sleeve 302 and inner sleeve 304 may be made of cotton, spandex, polyester, and/or any other appropriate material. Outer sleeve 302 and inner sleeve 304 may, for example, be secured to each other by stitching.

Garment 300 is adapted to fit over a human arm. In certain implementations, garment 300 may be made of stretchable material and, hence, fit snuggly against an arm. In particular, garment 300 may be a compression garment.

Garment 300 also includes a set of patches 310 on the outside (i.e., away from the covered skin) of inner sleeve 304. In this example, each patch is a rectangular strip of material that extends around the perimeter of garment 300 from inner sleeve 304. In this implementation, patches 310 extend approximately 50% of the way around the perimeter of garment 300 (i.e., towards outer sleeve 302). As illustrated, the patches may extend between about 25% to about 80% of the way around the perimeter of garment 300. Patches 310 may be secured to inner sleeve 304 by stitching, adhesive, and/or any other appropriate technique.

As illustrated, patches 310 are spaced along a substantial portion of inner sleeve 304. In other implementations, patches 310 may be separated into two sets, with one set generally located on a forearm portion of garment 300, and the other set generally located on a bicep portion of garment 300, leaving the portion of the garment around the elbow easier to bend.

Patches 310 may be made of leather, synthetic leather, or any other appropriate material. Patches 310 may be treated so that they provide adherence to a ball. In particular implementations, patches 310 may be slightly to moderately tacky. In some implementations, patches 310 may provide adhesion (e.g., tackiness) in wet and dry conditions.

Garment 300 has a variety of features. For example, garment 300 may allow a player carrying a ball (e.g., in football or rugby) to maintain better control of the ball because it increases grip on the ball at two points of contact (e.g., forearm and bicep) players often use. Furthermore, garment 300 may provide insulation for a player in cooler weather.

Although FIGS. 3A-B illustrate an example garment 300, other implementations may have fewer, additional, and/or a different arrangement of components. For example, the garment may be part of a larger garment that covers more of player's body (e.g., a shirt). As a further example, a larger patch may be used in place of a number of patches. Furthermore, the patches may have shapes other than rectangles (e.g., circles, squares, triangles, ovals). Additionally, the patches may be of smaller sizes, which may allow a relatively larger number of patches to cover an area. Furthermore, not all of the patches in a set need to be the same size.

FIGS. 4A-B illustrate an additional example garment 400 for enhancing ball security. As illustrated, garment 400 is partial sleeve, or arm cuff, suitable for wearing by a human. FIG. 4A illustrate the outer side of garment 400 (i.e., away from the body), and FIG. 4B illustrates the inner side (i.e., toward the body).

Garment 400 includes an outer portion 402 and an inner portion 404. Outer portion 402 and inner portion 404 may be made of cotton, spandex, polyester, and/or any other appropriate material. Outer portion 402 and inner portion 404 may, for example, be secured to each other by stitching.

Garment 400 is adapted to fit over a portion of a human arm (e.g., forearm or bicep). In certain implementations, garment 400 may be made of stretchable material and, hence, fit snuggly against an arm. In particular implementations, garment 400 may be a compression garment.

Garment 400 also includes a set of patches 410 on the outside of inner portion 404. In this example, each patch is a rectangular strip of material that extends around the perimeter of garment 400 from inner portion 404. As illustrated, patches 410 extend approximately 50% of the way around the perimeter of garment 400 (i.e., towards the outer portion 402). In other implementations, the patches may extend between about 25% to about 80% of the way around the perimeter of garment 400. Patches 410 may be secured to inner portion 404 by stitching, adhesive, and/or any other appropriate technique. As illustrated, patches 410 are spaced along a substantial portion of inner portion 404. In other implementations, patches 410 may be on spaced on only a portion of inner portion 404.

Patches 410 may be made of leather, synthetic leather, or any other appropriate material. Patches 410 may be treated so that they provide adherence to a ball. In particular implementations, patches 410 may be slightly to moderately tacky. In some implementations, patches 410 may provide adhesion (e.g., tackiness) in wet and dry conditions.

Garment 400 has a variety of features. For example, garment 400 may allow a player carrying a ball (e.g., in football or rugby) to maintain better control of the ball better because it increases grip on the ball at a point of contact (e.g., forearm or bicep) players often use. Furthermore, garment 400 may provide insulation for a player in cooler weather.

Although FIGS. 4A-B illustrate an example garment 400, other implementations may have fewer, additional, and/or a different arrangement of components. For example, the garment may be part of a larger garment that covers more of a player's body (e.g., a sleeve or shirt). As a further example, a larger patch may be used in place of a set of patches. Furthermore, the patches may have shapes other than rectangles (e.g., circles, squares, triangles, or squares). Additionally, the patches may be of smaller sizes, which may allow a relatively larger number of patches to cover an area. Furthermore, not all of the patches in a set need to be the same size.

The various implementations discussed and mentioned herein have been used for illustrative purposes only. The implementations were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application and to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various implementations with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, the actual physical configuration of components may vary. For example, the mentioned size(s) of components and their illustrated sizing relative to each other may vary based on application. Moreover, the shapes of one or more components may vary depending on application. Thus, the illustrative implementations should not be construed as defining the only physical size, shape, and relationship of components.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular form “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in the this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups therefore.

The corresponding structure, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or steps plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present implementations has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the implementations in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The implementations were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application and to enable others or ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various implementations with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

A number of implementations have been described for a garment for enhanced ball security and several others have been mentioned or suggested. Moreover, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that a variety of additions, deletions, modifications, and substitutions may be made to these implementations while still achieving a garment for enhanced ball security. Thus, the scope of the protected subject matter should be judged based on the following claims, which may capture one or more concepts of one or more implementations.

Claims

1. A garment comprising:

a first portion adapted to cover an inner portion of a human arm;

a second portion adapted to cover an outer portion of a human arm; and

a plurality of rectangular patches on the first portion, the patches extending towards the second portion in their long dimension and adapted to adhere to a ball.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is adapted to cover a forearm portion and a bicep portion of a human arm.

3. The garment of claim 2, wherein there are a plurality of patches for the forearm portion and a plurality of patches for the bicep portion.

4. The garment of claim 3, wherein the patches extend into the first portion.

5. The garment of claim 4, wherein the patches are shorter than the outside perimeter of the first portion and the second portion combined.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the patches do not extend into an elbow portion of the garment.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the patches extend into the first portion.

8. The garment of claim 7, wherein the patches are shorter than the outside perimeter of the first portion and the second portion combined.

9. The garment of claim 1, further comprising:

a body adapted to cover a torso of a human; and

a sleeve comprising a first portion adapted to cover an inner portion of a human arm, a second portion adapted to cover an outer portion of a human arm, and a plurality of rectangular patches on the first portion, the patches extending towards the second portion in their long dimension and adapted to adhere to a ball.

10. The garment of claim 9, wherein there are a plurality of patches for the forearm portion and a plurality of patches for the bicep portion.

11. The garment of claim 10, wherein the patches extend into the first portion.

12. The garment of claim 11, wherein the patches are shorter than the outside perimeter of the first portion and the second portion of the sleeve combined.

13. The garment of claim 9, wherein the patches on the sleeve are shorter than the outside perimeter of the first portion and the second portion of the sleeve combined.