PAIR OF SPORTING GLOVES

Abstract

A pair of hockey gloves is asymmetrically constructed to accommodate for variances in material wearing during routine use. The pair includes a top hand hockey glove that is provided with a region of reinforcement that is not similarly provided in the bottom hand hockey glove. The top hand hockey glove includes an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define a hand-receiving cavity. In one embodiment, the inner sheet includes a plurality of relatively rigid reinforcement pads that is secured to the exterior surface of a base layer in a designated pattern. The inclusion of the reinforcement pads causes the stick gripping region of the top hand hockey glove to have both a greater resistance to tearing as well as a higher coefficient of friction than the stick gripping region of the bottom hand hockey glove.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to athletic equipment and more particularly to sporting gloves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sporting gloves are commonly worn by participants in a wide variety of athletic activities. In particular, participants of stick-related sports, such as hockey and lacrosse, typically wear padded sporting gloves to protect the hands of the user from potentially injurious contact when engaging in the sport.

Padded sporting gloves, such as traditional hockey gloves, typically include an inner sheet of material and an outer sheet of material that are sewn or otherwise joined together about the majority of their peripheries so as to define an interior cavity dimensioned to receive the hand and the wrist of the wearer. Because the back of the hand is primarily exposed for injurious contact when holding a stick, the majority of the padding for such a glove is typically secured to the outer sheet of material.

The padding provided on the outer sheet of material is generally rigid in nature and therefore significantly comprises the overall flexibility of the glove. To ensure that an adequate degree of flexibility is maintained, the inner sheet is commonly constructed out of a relatively thin and flexible material, such as a synthetic leather material. In this manner, the glove provides suitable protection to the encased hand but at the same time allows for an adequate grip to be maintained on the stick during its normal range of movement.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an image of a left-handed hockey player 11 wearing a pair of padded hockey gloves 13-1 and 13-2 and holding a hockey stick 15 in a conventional manner. It is important to note that a hockey player typically holds his/her hands in designated positions on a hockey stick when actively participating. Specifically, left-handed hockey player 11 typically disposes his/her right hand glove 13-1 at the top, or butt end, 15-1 of stick 15 and his/her left hand glove 13-2 on the handle, or shaft, 15-2 of stick 15 between top end 15-1 and blade 15-3. Although not shown herein, it is to be understood that a right-handed hockey player would hold his/her hands in the opposite positions on the stick.

In use, the non-dominant, or top, hand glove 13-1 is not only responsible for maintaining a continuous, stable grip on stick 15 but also serves as the primary pivot point about which stick 15 articulates during its normal manipulation, such as when shooting or passing a puck. By comparison, the dominant, or bottom, hand glove 13-2 periodically slides up and down along shaft 15-2 and is used principally to control the general movements of stick 15. Accordingly, it is clear that the top and bottom hands of a hockey player have considerably distinct roles and, as such, each of gloves 13-1 and 13-2 should have different requirements regarding its maneuverability, protectiveness, and roughness.

Nonetheless, most types of hockey gloves currently available in the marketplace do not differentiate each glove for use as either a top hand glove or a bottom hand glove. Rather, traditional pairs of hockey gloves are commonly constructed in a symmetric fashion, with the left hand glove constructed essentially as a mirror image of the right hand glove. These types of gloves, which are commonly referred to in the art simply as symmetrical gloves, are not constructed based on dominant hand of the user (i.e., based on the ultimate location and role of each glove on the hockey stick) but rather are designed universally for use by both left-handed and right-handed participants.

Because traditional hockey gloves are constructed symmetrically and therefore do not typically account for the significantly different range of movement and activity of each hand, it has been found that traditional hockey gloves tend to wear unevenly. In particular, it has been found that the glove worn on the dominant, or top, hand of the participant experiences a considerable degree of friction within the region that directly grips the stick due to (i) the relative thinness of inner sheet of material, which often becomes saturated with moisture, (ii) the constant contact with the enlarged stick end, which is often wrapped in abrasive tape to facilitate handling, and (iii) the substantial friction created as the stick pivots within the palm region. As a consequence, the gripping region on the glove worn on the dominant hand tends to abrade and tear quicker than the opposite glove. When wearing out of the palm region of the dominant hand glove becomes significant and limits proper operability, the user is typically required to purchase an entirely new pair of gloves.

Attempts have been made in the art to resolve the issue of premature wearing in the palm regions of standard hockey gloves. As an example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,339 to B. B. Brucker, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is shown a hockey glove that includes a palm portion reinforced with layers of waterproof top grain boar hide in the regions of greatest wearing. As another example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,639 to A. Aoki, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed an ice hockey glove that includes a palm section that can be removed from the remainder of the glove and replaced, as needed.

Hockey gloves of the type described above, which have been specifically designed to either improve the durability or allow for the replacement of the primary stick contact region, have been found to suffer from a notable drawback. Most notably, sporting gloves of the type set forth above are manufactured and sold as complementary pairs, with each glove in the pair including the particular design feature utilized to limit glove wear. Because the integration of such a tear-resistant feature often renders each glove relatively rigid and unwieldy, it has been found that the non-dominant, or bottom, hand, which typically requires a very precise level of touch and dexterity, is substantially impaired in both functionality and/or comfort, which is highly undesirable.

Furthermore, it should be noted that, by incorporating a tear-resistant feature into each glove, the overall cost of manufacturing the pair of gloves is substantially increased, which is highly undesirable. Because the bottom hand glove only experiences limited frictional forces during routine use, the excess manufacturing costs associated with the manufacture of the non-dominant hand glove is wasteful and unnecessary.

Asymmetrically constructed hockey gloves are known in the art. As defined herein, use of the term “asymmetrical” in connection with a pair of complementary sporting gloves denotes that the gloves are not constructed merely as mirror images of one another. For instance, a pair of asymmetrical gloves may be constructed such that one of the pair of gloves includes one or more unique structural attributes that are not similarly provided in the other glove. Accordingly, it is to be understood that asymmetrical gloves require different constructions for use by left-handed and right-handed players.

Examples of asymmetrical hockey gloves are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,744 to R. McDuff and U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,615 to T. V. Wilder et al., the disclosure of each which is incorporated herein by reference. These types of asymmetrical glove pairs are designed to reflect the intended position and role of each glove on the hockey stick during use, with the glove designed for the top hand to be constructed differently than the glove designed for the lower hand.

However, it should be noted that asymmetrical gloves of the type described above are typically designed to account for variances between the two hands with respect to hand orientation (e.g., wrist hinge angle) and the vulnerability of selected fingers to injury. Asymmetrical gloves do not currently recognize and/or resolve either (i) the issue of uneven wearing between gloves, which is the primary factor in determining the durability and effective life of a pair of hockey gloves, or (ii) the different functional requirements within the palm region of each glove (i.e., the lower glove hand requires a greater degree of suppleness as well as lower frictional characteristics to allow it to slide easily up and down along the stick shaft, whereas the top glove hand has the opposite requirements since it largely remains in contact with the stick at a fixed position).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pair of sporting gloves.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pair of asymmetrical sporting gloves.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pair of sporting gloves of the type as described above that is highly durable and constructed to wear evenly.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pair of sport gloves of the type as described above that includes a minimal number of parts and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Accordingly, as one feature of the present invention, there is provided the combination of (a) a first sporting glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity, and (b) a second sporting glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity, (c) wherein the inner sheets for the first and second sporting gloves have asymmetric constructions.

As another feature of the present invention, there is provided the combination of (a) a top hand hockey glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity, and (b) a bottom hand hockey glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity, (c) wherein the inner sheets for the first and second sporting gloves have asymmetric constructions.

Various other features and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, various embodiments for practicing the invention. The embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a hockey player wearing a pair of prior art hockey gloves and holding a hockey stick in a conventional position;

FIG. 2 is a front view perspective view of a pair of asymmetrical sporting gloves that is constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section view of the top hand glove shown in FIG. 2, taken along lines 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section view of a first modification to the top hand glove shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section view of a second modification to the top hand glove shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Construction of Sporting Gloves 111 and 113

Referring now to FIG. 2, there are shown first and second sporting gloves that are constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, the first and second sporting gloves being identified generally by reference numerals 111 and 113, respectively. As will be described further below, gloves 111 and 113 are designed as a complimentary pair, with gloves 111 and 113 being asymmetrically constructed to accommodate for variances in material wearing between gloves 111 and 113 during routine use.

For simplicity purposes only, gloves 111 and 113 are represented and described herein as gloves designed principally for use in playing ice hockey. However, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to hockey gloves. Rather, it is to be understood that the principal novel elements of gloves 111 and 113 could be similarly integrated into alternate types of sporting gloves, such as lacrosse gloves, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As will be described further below, glove 111 is designed to be worn on the top hand, which is typically the non-dominant hand, and glove 113 is designed to be worn on the bottom hand, which is typically the non-dominant hand. As referenced briefly above, gloves 111 and 113 are asymmetrically constructed to accommodate for variances in material wearing during routine use, with glove 111 being reinforced to account for the greater frictional forces typically applied thereto.

As defined herein, use of the term “asymmetrical” denotes that complimentary gloves 111 and 113 are not constructed merely as mirror images of one another. Rather, each of gloves 111 and 113 is uniquely constructed in a manner which is dependent upon the intended position and role of each glove on the hockey stick during use, with top hand glove 111 constructed differently than bottom hand glove 113. Accordingly, it is to be understood that uniquely constructed pairs of gloves 111 and 113 would be required for use by left-handed and right-handed players.

In the present embodiment, gloves 111 and 113 are shown for use by a left-handed player, with top hand glove 111 designed to receive the right hand of the player and bottom hand glove 113 designed to receive the left hand of the player. However, it is to be understood that mirror images of gloves 111 and 113 could be constructed to allow for use by a right-handed player without departing from the spirit of the present invention (i.e., with top hand glove 111 designed to receive the left hand of the player and lower hand glove 113 designed to receive the right hand of the player).

As seen most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, top hand glove 111 includes an outer sheet, or member, 115 and an inner sheet, or member, 117 that are sewn or otherwise joined about the majority of their peripheries to define an interior cavity 119 that is dimensioned to receive the hand and wrist of the player. Although inner and outer sheets 115 and 117 are represented herein as two separately manufactured sheets of material that are subsequently joined together, it is envisioned that glove 111 could be alternatively constructed from a single sheet of material that is ultimately formed into the same shape.

Together, outer sheet 115 and inner sheet 113 define a body portion 121 that is dimensioned to receive the hand of the user and an open cuff portion 123 that is dimensioned to receive the wrist of the user. As can be seen, body portion 121 includes a palm section 125, four separate finger stalls 127-1 thru 127-4 and a thumb stall 129.

Outer sheet 115 preferably includes one or more padded layers that together protect the back of the hand of the wearer. In the present example, outer sheet 115 is shown comprising an inner liner 131 and an outer cover 133 between which is disposed a plurality of individual foam segments 135, with liner 131 and cover 133 sewn together in the immediate region around each segment 135 to limit its movement therebetween. Preferably, foam segments 135 are limited in size to enable outer sheet 115 to flex to the extent necessary that glove 111 can grip a hockey stick.

As will be described in detail below, inner sheet 117 of top hand glove 111 is provided with a reinforced region 137 within selected portions of palm section 125, finger stalls 127-1 thru 127-4 and thumb stall 129. Reinforced region 137 provides top hand glove 111 with additional durability in the areas most susceptible to wearing and, as a consequence, serves as a principal novel feature of the present invention.

Inner sheet 117 comprises a base layer 139 that is preferably constructed out of a natural or synthetic leather material, base layer 139 including an interior surface 139-1 and an exterior surface 139-2. In the present embodiment, reinforcement region 137 is created by sewing or otherwise securing reinforcement members, or pads, 141 to exterior surface 139-2 of base layer 139. Specifically, small, square-shaped reinforcement pads 141-1 thru 141-4 are secured to base layer 139 at the base, or proximal end, of finger stalls 127-1 thru 127-4, respectively, a small rectangular reinforcement pad 141-5 is secured to base layer 139 at the base, or proximal end, of thumb stall 129, and an enlarged reinforcement pad 141-6 is secured to base layer 139 in the upper region of palm section 125.

However, it is to be understood that reinforcement region 137 in top hand glove 111 need not be created solely through the use of reinforcement pads 141. Rather, as will be described further in detail below, different functional characteristics (e.g., relating to rigidness and friction) between the stick-handling regions of gloves 111 and 113 could be alternatively achieved by constructing a least a portion of the stick-handling regions of the pair of gloves using either (i) entirely different materials or (ii) similar materials that differ in thicknesses, treatment, or another similar manner.

Preferably, reinforcement pads 141 are constructed out of any durable and tear-resistant material, natural or synthetic, which has a relatively high coefficient of friction. Examples of materials suitable for in the construction of reinforcement pads 141 include, but are not limited to, leathers, such as suede, split and synthetic leathers, high-tensile polyamide fabrics, such as Cordura® and schoeller®-dynatec fabrics, polyurethanes, rubbers and composites thereof.

Because reinforcement pads 141 may compromise the overall flexibility of glove 111, it is preferred that pads 141 be spaced apart from one another and arranged in a particular pattern that does not significantly limit the range of flexion required. Most notably, reinforcement pads 141 are preferably configured not to directly overlie any crease in the hand of the wearer, thereby ensuring the user with requisite level of hand flexibility to grasp and handle a hockey stick.

However, it is should be noted that pads 141 need not be configured in the particular pattern, or arrangement, shown herein. Rather, it is to be understood that alternate numbers, sizes, shapes and patterns of pads 141 could be utilized to form reinforcement region 137 without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For instance, if the material utilized to construct reinforcement pads 141 is suitably flexible, it is envisioned that a single, enlarged reinforcement pad 141 could be configured in the same general shape as base layer 139 and thereby cover at least the majority of exterior surface 139-2.

Bottom hand glove 113 is constructed in a similar fashion to top hand glove 111 in that bottom hand glove 113 includes an outer sheet, or member, 145 and an inner sheet, or member, 147 that are sewn or otherwise jointed about the majority of their peripheries to define an interior cavity (not shown) that is dimensioned to receive the hand and wrist of the player. Together, outer sheet 145 and inner sheet 147 define a body portion 151 that is dimensioned to receive the hand of the user and an open cuff portion 153 that is dimensioned to receive the wrist of the user. As can be seen, body portion 151 includes a palm section 155, four separate finger stalls 157-1 thru 157-4 and a thumb stall 159.

It should be noted that bottom hand glove 113 is a mirror image of top hand glove 111 with one notable distinction, namely, bottom hand glove 113 is not provided with a region of reinforcement in at least a portion of its inner sheet 147. As can be appreciated, this distinction in the construction of gloves 111 and 113 provides a number of notable advantages, which are enumerated in detail below.

Features and Advantages of the present invention

As referenced above, top hand glove 111 and bottom hand glove 113 are asymmetric in construction and are specifically designed to account for the variances in wear between gloves 111 and 113 during routine use. In particular, glove 111 is provided with reinforcement pads 141 in its principal stick gripping area whereas glove 113 is not similarly provided with such a reinforcement region.

Accordingly, the principal stick gripping, or contact, region of top hand glove 111 preferably has both (i) a more durable and tear-resistant construction and (ii) a higher coefficient of friction than the corresponding contact region for bottom hand glove 113. In this capacity, top hand glove 111 is able to withstand the greater frictional forces applied thereto during routine use and thereby limit risk of premature wearing, which is a principal object of the present invention.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that reinforcement pads 141 are not similarly provided on the primary stick contact region of bottom hand glove 113 since limited frictional forces are typically applied thereto during routine use. As a result, the lack of similar reinforcement pads 141 on bottom hand glove 113 serves to (i) limit the overall cost of manufacturing gloves 111 and 113, (ii) ensure the bottom hand glove 113 has a lower coefficient of friction and is thereby able to slide easily along the shaft of the stick during normal use, and (iii) provide bottom hand glove 113 with the additional flexibility that is required of the bottom hand glove in relation to the top hand glove.

Additional Embodiments and Design Modifications

Numerous design modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the scope of the appended claims for the present invention may be practiced otherwise than specifically described.

As referenced above, reinforced region 137 in top hand glove 111 is not limited to any particular type, style, shape, number or arrangement of reinforcement pads 141. Rather, it is to be understood that the creation of a region of reinforcement in the primary stick contact region in top hand glove 111 that has either (i) durable and tear-resistant characteristics and/or (ii) a relatively high coefficient of friction could be achieved using a wide variety of alternative designs.

For example, referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a first modified top hand glove that is constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and identified generally by reference numeral 211. As can be appreciated, top hand glove 211 is designed for use with bottom hand glove 113 in place of glove 111.

Top hand glove 211 is similar to glove 111 in that glove 211 includes an outer sheet, or member, 215 and an inner sheet, or member, 217 that are sewn or otherwise jointed about the majority of their peripheries to define an interior cavity 219 that is dimensioned to receive the hand and wrist of the player. Furthermore, outer sheet 215 is preferably constructed in similar fashion to outer sheet 115 in that outer sheet 215 includes an inner liner 231 and an outer cover 233 between which is disposed a plurality of individual foam segments 235.

Top hand glove 211 differs from glove 11 in that inner sheet 217 does not include reinforcement pads 141. Rather, a region of reinforcement is achieved in inner sheet 217 of top hand glove 211 using a single base layer 239 that is, at least in part, inherently more tear-resistant and/or has a higher coefficient of friction than inner sheet 147 for bottom hand glove 113. In the present embodiment, base layer 239 is represented as being thickened to achieve a greater degree of rigidity and, as a consequence, durability. The thickening of base layer 239 can be achieved either by using a thicker layer of the material than is used to form base layer 139 in glove 111 or by subsequently injecting and embedding a reinforcement material, such as silicone, therein.

As another example, referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a second modified top hand glove that is constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and identified generally by reference numeral 311. As can be appreciated, top hand glove 311 is designed for use with bottom hand glove 113 in place of glove 111.

Top hand glove 311 is similar to glove 111 in that glove 311 includes an outer sheet, or member, 315 and an inner sheet, or member, 317 that are sewn or otherwise jointed about the majority of their peripheries to define an interior cavity 319 that is dimensioned to receive the hand and wrist of the player. Furthermore, outer sheet 315 is preferably constructed in similar fashion to outer sheet 115 and therefore includes an inner liner 331 and an outer cover 333 between which is disposed a plurality of individual foam segments 335.

Top hand glove 311 differs from glove 11 in that inner sheet 317 does not include reinforcement pads 141. Rather, a region of reinforcement is achieved in inner sheet 317 of top hand glove 311 using a single base layer 339 that is constructed, at least in part, out of an entirely different type of material than base layer 139, namely, a material which is inherently more tear-resistant and/or has a higher coefficient of friction than inner sheet 147 for bottom hand glove 113.

The embodiments shown in the present invention are intended to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. The combination of:

(a) a first sporting glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity; and

(b) a second sporting glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity,

(c) wherein the inner sheets for the first and second sporting gloves have asymmetric constructions.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein exactly one of the first and second sporting gloves includes a region of reinforcement in its corresponding inner sheet.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein exactly one of the first and second sporting gloves includes an inner sheet comprising:

(a) a base layer having an interior surface and an exterior surface; and

(b) one or more reinforcement pads secured to the exterior surface of the base layer.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein each of the one or more reinforcement pads is constructed of a material from the group consisting of leathers, high-tensile polyamide fabrics, polyurethanes and rubbers.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein each of the first and second sporting gloves is shaped to define a body portion and a cuff portion, the body portion including a palm section, a plurality of finger stalls and a thumb stall.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the one or more reinforcement pads are secured to the exterior surface of the base layer within each of the palm section, the plurality of fingers stalls and the thumb stall.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the inner sheet of the first sporting glove has a level of rigidity that is greater than the level of rigidity for the inner sheet of the second sporting glove.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the inner sheet of the first sporting glove has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the inner sheet of the second sporting glove.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the inner sheet of the first sporting glove is more tear-resistant than the inner sheet of the second sporting glove.

10. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inner sheet for each of the first and second gloves has an exposed outer surface.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein at least a portion of the exposed outer surface of the inner sheet for the first sporting glove has a greater coefficient of friction than the exposed outer surface of the inner sheet for the second sporting glove.

12. The combination of:

(a) a top hand hockey glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity; and

(b) a bottom hand hockey glove comprising an outer sheet and an inner sheet that are joined together so as to define an interior cavity,

(c) wherein the inner sheets for the first and second sporting gloves have asymmetric constructions.

13. The combination of claim 12 wherein only the top hand hockey glove includes a region of reinforcement in its corresponding inner sheet.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein the top hand hockey glove includes an inner sheet comprising:

(a) a base layer having an interior surface and an exterior surface; and

(b) one or more reinforcement pads secured to the exterior surface of the base layer.

15. The combination of claim 12 wherein at least a portion of the inner sheet of the top hand hockey glove has a level of rigidity that is greater than the level of rigidity for the inner sheet of the bottom hand hockey glove.

16. The combination of claim 12 wherein at least a portion of the inner sheet of the top hand hockey glove has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the inner sheet of the bottom hand hockey glove.

17. The combination of claim 12 wherein at least a portion of the inner sheet of the top hand hockey glove is more tear-resistant than the inner sheet of the bottom hand hockey glove.

18. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inner sheet for each of the top and bottom hand hockey gloves has an exposed outer surface.

19. The combination of claim 18 wherein at least a portion of the exposed outer surface of the inner sheet for the top hand hockey glove has a greater coefficient of friction than the exposed outer surface of the inner sheet for the bottom hand hockey glove.