Ultimate Sport Glove

Abstract

A noise maker glove includes an elastically deformable bladder that generates a noise when the bladder is compressed by a wear clapping his or her hands together. or otherwise compressing the bladder.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates to amusement devices, namely noise makers for use at a sporting event or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Fans at sporting events want to make noise. Conventional noise makers such as horns require the fan to constantly pick up and put down the noise maker during the sporting event.

It is desirable to have a noise maker that is easily accessible for use while not requiring the fan to constantly pick up and put down the noise maker.

It is also desirable to have a noise maker that does not necessarily require use of both hands to generate the noise, thereby allowing use of the noise maker while the fan is holding food or a beverage.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The term “Ultimate Sport Glove” is a proposed trademark intended for use with the disclosed sport glove and is not a generic term for the disclosed sport glove.

Disclosed is a noise maker formed as a sport glove or mitten (bot the glove and mitten embodiments referred to as a glove herein) that can be worn on the hand by a fan during the sporting event. The glove leaves the hand free for eating or drinking without requiring the glove to be removed from the hand.

In an embodiment the disclosed noise maker glove includes a palm side that lies against the palm of a user hand when worn, an elastically deformable bladder on the palm side that defines an interior compartment when the bladder is unstressed, the bladder having an opening communicating with the interior compartment, and an orifice connected to the bladder opening fluidly connected with the bladder opening such that air flowing into and out of the bladder flows through the orifice whereby when the bladder is compressively deformed air flows out of the bladder through the orifice to make noise, and when the bladder returns from being deformed to its unstressed state the elastic deformation of the bladder draws air through the orifice and into the bladder.

Another embodiment of the noise maker glove includes a body portion and one or more finger portions extending from the body portion. The body portion receives the and into the glove, each of the one or more finger portions receiving a respective finger or fingers of the hand received into the glove.

The body portion includes a palm side being configured to overlay a palm of the hand when the glove is being worn on the hand. A bladder is attached to the palm side of the body portion, the bladder defining an interior volume of the bladder. The bladder is elastically compressible from an unstressed state to a compressed state and elastically expandable when returning from the compressed state to the unstressed state.

The bladder has an interior compartment with a volume when the bladder is in the unstressed state and a reduced volume when the bladder is in the compressed state. Air discharges from the bladder from the interior compartment during compression of the bladder and air enters the interior compartment during expansion of the bladder.

An orifice is fluidly connected to the interior compartment of the bladder. Air when discharging from the bladder flows through the orifice, the orifice being configured to generate noise while the air discharging from the bladder is flowing through the orifice.

In possible embodiments the orifice is defined by a two-way valve that throttles the flow of air out of the bladder and provides less or essentially no flow resistance for air flowing into the bladder.

Other objects and features of the disclosure will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing sheets illustrating one or more illustrative embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a palm isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosed noise maker glove, the glove shown worn on a hand.

FIG. 2 is an opposite view of the glove shown in FIG. 1, the glove off the hand.

FIG. 3-5 illustrate the bladder and valve of the disclosed noise maker glove.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a noise-making glove 10 in accordance with the disclosure. The glove has a body 12 with a palm side 14 and a back side 16. The body receives a hand into the glove and is shaped to conform generally to the palm and back of the user's hand.

Extending away from the body 12 is a number of finger portions or finger stalls 18 that each receives a respective finger or thumb of the hand. A finger stall can enclose the whole finger or thumb or the finger or thumb can extend out of an end of the finger stall.

The palm side 14 of the glove has a lower section 20 fabricated of a non-stretchable material such as leather and an upper section 22 fabricated of a relatively thin, flexible, or stretchable material such as fabric or other suitable material which also extends to and defines the finger stalls 18. The lower palm section 20 and the upper palm section 22 are joined by stitching 24 between the base of the finger stalls 18 and the transverse fold lines of the palm of a hand wearing the glove. The palm sides of the finger stalls and the palm side of the thumb stall are fabricated of or incorporate a stretchable material such as spandex, and the back side of the thumb stall is fabricated of the same non-stretchable material as the lower palm section 20

The back sides of the glove body 12 and the finger stalls 18 are preferably fabricated from a continuous piece of elastic or stretchable material, with leather sections over the stretchable material on the backs of the finger stalls and areas that would overlay the back of the hand of the user or wearer below the finger stalls.

Disposed on the glove palm side 14 is a bladder 26 and a two-way valve 28. See FIG. 3. The bladder can be attached to the glove material by glue, mechanical attachment, or the like. The bladder may be covered by fabric as shown in FIG. 2 or can be exposed through a hole or cutout in fabric as shown in FIGS. 3-5. The bladder is centrally located on the palm side and the two-way valve is on the lower end of the bladder as shown in FIG. 3.

The bladder 26 is elastically deformable and is normally in an unstressed or substantially unstressed state. The bladder defines an interior compartment when in the unstressed or substantially unstressed state, the bladder having an opening communicating with the interior compartment. The valve 28 defines an orifice connected to the bladder opening and fluidly connected with the bladder opening such that air flowing into and out of the bladder flows through the orifice. The orifice is configured to cause an audible noise to be generated while air suddenly discharged from the bladder is flowing through the orifice.

In use with the glove 10 worn on the hand of a user, when the bladder is compressively deformed in a way that suddenly increases air pressure within the bladder, the air flowing out of the bladder and through the orifice makes an audible noise. When the bladder returns from being deformed to its unstressed state, the elastic deformation of the bladder draws air through the orifice and back into the bladder.

The bladder can be compressed by the user simply clapping his or her hands together (while wearing the disclosed sport glove on one or both of the hands, or by slapping the hand wearing the glove against a seat or other flat surface.

While this disclosure includes one or more illustrative embodiments described in detail, it is understood that the one or more embodiments are each capable of modification and that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the precise details set forth herein but include such modifications that would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art including (but not limited to) changes in material selection, size, environment of use, and the like, as well as such changes and alterations that fall within the purview of the following claims.

Claims

1. A noise-making glove for wearing on a human hand, the glove comprising:

a body portion, the body portion being configured to receive the hand into the glove, the body portion comprising a palm side being configured to overlay a palm of the hand when the glove is being worn on the hand;

a bladder being attached to the palm side of the body portion, the bladder defining an interior volume of the bladder, the bladder being elastically compressible from an unstressed state to a compressed state and elastically expandable when returning from the compressed state to the unstressed state, the bladder having an interior compartment with a volume when the bladder is in the unstressed state and a reduced volume when the bladder is in the compressed state, air discharging from the bladder from the interior compartment during compression of the bladder and air entering the interior compartment during expansion of the bladder;

an orifice fluidly connected to the interior compartment, air when discharging from the bladder flowing through the orifice, the orifice being configured to generate noise while the air discharging from the bladder is flowing through the orifice.

2. The glove of claim 1 wherein the air entering the bladder flows through the orifice.

3. The glove of claim 2 comprising a valve, the valve comprising the orifice, the valve restricting the flow of air discharging from the bladder more than the flow of air entering the bladder.

4. The glove of claim 1 wherein the valve is disposed outside of the bladder.

5. The glove of claim 1 wherein the bladder is attached to a portion of the palm side of the body, said portion being formed of a non-stretchable material.

6. The glove of claim 5 wherein the non-stretchable material is leather.

7. The glove of claim 1 further comprising one or more finger portions extending from the body portion, each one or more finger portions being configured and disposed to receive a respective finger or thumb of a human hand when the glove is worn on the hand.

8. The glove of claim 1 wherein the one or more finger portions includes a little-finger finger portion, a ring-finger finger portion, a middle-finger finger portion, and an index-finger finger portion.

9. The glove of claim 1 wherein the body portion is formed as a mitten that receives the fingers of a human hand when the glove is worn on the hand.

10. A glove comprising:

a palm portion that faces a palm of a user wearing the glove;

an elastically deformable bladder attached to the palm portion, the bladder having an opening for flowing air into and out of the bladder; and

a noise-generating orifice fluidly connected with the bladder opening wherein compressing the bladder by impact flows air through the orifice and thereby generates an audible noise.

11. The glove of claim 10 wherein the orifice is located outside of the bladder.

12. The glove of claim 10 wherein the orifice forms part of a two-way valve attached to the palm portion, the two-way valve acting as a flow restriction for air being discharged from the bladder and substantially not acting as a flow restriction for air flowing into the bladder during expansion of the bladder.

13. The glove of claim 10 comprising five finger portions, the five finger portions being configured to receive separately a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger of a human hand.

14. The glove of claim 10 wherein the glove is formed as a mitten.