Abstract:
An Athletic Glove with an Enhanced Grip and Range of Motion provides for improved play in cold weather conditions. The glove may be comprised of a primary layer of flexible material with a low coefficient of friction and low adhesive properties, and tactile layers with a high coefficient of friction or high adhesive property layer on the front portions of the throwing fingers, whereby an athlete may achieve a natural tactile feel while wearing the glove. For example, a baseball glove may include high coefficient of friction material on the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers while the palm and remaining digits are of a low coefficient of friction material. A baseball glove may additionally include high coefficient of friction material on the inner side of the ring finger where the ring finger contacts the baseball. The athletic glove may also include striations or furrows in the high coefficient of friction areas to improve tactile feel in wet playing conditions.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    Applicant hereby claims priority under 35 USC §119 to provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/299,437, filed Feb. 24, 2016, entitled “Athletic Glove To Be Worn On The Throwing Hand In Inclement Weather For Baseball.” 
         [0002]    The entire contents of the aforementioned applications are herein expressly incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0003]    The present innovations generally addresses athletic gloves for use in inclement weather, and more particularly, includes, an Athletic Glove With Enhanced Tactile Feel. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    Many sports are played in inclement weather and as seasons lengthen and training extends throughout all weather conditions, even those athletes playing traditionally warm weather sports are more frequently faced with extreme weather conditions, including freezing or near freezing temperature. These conditions hinder and impair the athlete&#39;s ability to perform at the highest level and create increased risks of injuries. 
         [0005]    Baseball is one such sport meant to be played and practiced in pristine conditions, ideally warm weather with no precipitation. More recently, however, baseball and other fair weather sports are often played and practiced at all different temperatures in all different types of inclement weather. Indeed, Major League Baseball games in the United States, which begin in early April and can extend into November, have been played more and more frequently in sub-freezing temperatures. 
         [0006]    In the context of baseball, throwing is critical. In cold conditions the hand loses mobility and functionality as the ligaments, tendons and muscles are subjected to the elements. Sub-freezing and even sub-mild temperatures cause the fingers to loose optimal feeling as well. These conditions makes feeling the baseball and throwing it with accuracy increasingly difficult. 
         [0007]    While athletes and players can wear traditional athletic gloves to try to keep the muscles, ligaments and tendons warm in sever conditions, all of the known solutions severely impair and degrade an athlete&#39;s ability to throw the ball, and none are especially adapted for use in fielding and throwing a ball. Specifically, known athletic gloves either lack the tactile feel a player needs to accurately throw the ball, or do not isolate the tactile portions of the glove to the key contact points between the athlete&#39;s hand and the game ball. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    The present disclosure solves the above needs and deficiencies with known athletic gloves which have not been developed or adapted to be worn on a player&#39;s throwing hand. The present disclosure provides an athletic glove with a selectively enhanced grip and improved range of motion allowing games such as baseball to be played and practiced, effectively and comfortably in inclement weather conditions. 
         [0009]    The enhanced athletic glove may include a front and back portions joined to form the body of the glove, four finger portions, a thumb portion and an opening for receiving the hand, as well as, a strap, cinch or other mechanism for holding the glove on the hand. The glove may be composed of a primary layer of flexible material with a low coefficient of friction or low adhesive properties, and tactile portions or layers with a high coefficient of friction or high adhesive properties on the front and/or side portions of the throwing fingers, whereby an athlete may achieve a natural tactile feel while wearing the glove. 
         [0010]    For example, a glove for use by a baseball player may include high coefficient of friction materials on the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers while the palm and remaining digits are of a low coefficient of friction material with respect to the game ball material. A baseball glove may additionally include high coefficient of friction material on the inner side of the ring finger and thumb where the ring finger and thumb, respectively, contact a baseball. In other forms, a softball glove where all fingers are used in throwing may include a high friction material on the front portion of the thumb and four fingers and have a low friction material on the palm. The athletic glove may also include channels such as striations, furrows or pits in the high coefficient of friction areas to improve tactile feel in wet playing conditions. 
         [0011]    While the benefits and advantages of the athletic glove disclosed herein are generally described with respect to a baseball glove, the disclosed concepts have a broad range of uses, including other sports and activities where different grip patterns may be advantageous. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The accompanying drawings illustrate various non-limiting, examples, innovative aspects in accordance with the present descriptions: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of one embodiment of the Athletic Glove; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2 a    shows a front view of one embodiment of the Athletic Glove; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2 b    shows a back view of one embodiment of the Athletic Glove illustrative a thumb grip. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3 a    shows a front view of a single phalange embodiment of the Athletic Glove; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3 b    shows a front view of a double phalanges embodiment of the Athletic Glove; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4 a    shows a back view of an embodiment of the Athletic Glove in a closed position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4 b    shows a back view of an embodiment of the Athletic Glove in a open position; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5 a    shows a front view of a double phalanges embodiment of the Athletic Glove for softball; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 5 b    shows a front view of a triple phalanges embodiment of the Athletic Glove for softball. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Introduction 
       [0022]    In simplified overview, an athletic glove is described herein for improving athletic performance in less than ideal or adverse weather conditions. For example, in inclement weather during baseball games, the hand, a volatile extremity loses mobility and functionality as the ligaments, tendons and muscles are subjected to the elements. Freezing and sub-mild temperatures cause the fingers to loose optimal feeling as well. This makes feeling and throwing a game ball, such as a baseball, with accuracy increasingly difficult. The disclosure herein solves these problems. 
         [0023]    Specifically, the disclosed athletic glove creates an essential and necessary covering to keep the hand at an optimal temperature for mobility and performance while maintaining an enhanced tactile feel. In one embodiment, the enhanced performance athletic glove may be achieved by a glove made of an insulating material with an exterior surface having a generally low coefficient of friction, wherein preferably only the pressure point contacts of the glove are enhanced with a higher coefficient of friction material, such as, silicone. For example, a synthetic skin substitute, on the front of the fingers (e.g., pointer finger and middle finger) as well as on the thumb may be used to enable the athlete to touch the ball with a tactile, skin-like material, while also keeping the hand warm. 
         [0024]    In one example, in the context of a baseball glove for protecting the throwing hand from the elements while maintaining a natural tactile feel on the ball, the glove may have silicone or other high coefficient of friction material at the point contacts with a baseball. These point contacts are preferably restricted to a high coefficient of friction material contact or exterior surface, such as silicone, on the pad of the thumb which also wraps around the side of the thumb up toward the cuticle of the thumb nail, the inside portion of the ring finger, and in various configurations the pads or distal phalanges of the front of the middle and index finger. In alternative embodiments, the high coefficient of friction surfaces may also cover the proximal and medial phalanges of the middle and index finger. 
         [0025]    While the disclosure herein is presented in the context of a baseball glove and with respect to particular materials by example, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the concepts may be applied to other sport gloves where a natural tactile feel is necessary to maintain a high level of skill and performance and to the use of other materials. With the foregoing overview in mind, specific details will now be presented, bearing in mind that these details are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be exclusive. 
       Cold Weather Baseball Glove 
       [0026]      FIG. 1 , illustrates in simplified form, one example arrangement of the athletic glove described herein for use by baseball players or other games using a baseball sized game ball. As shown in  FIG. 1 , an athletic glove is provided that is capable of being worn on the throwing hand of an athlete and engaging with a game ball, such as a baseball. 
         [0027]    The glove shape is preferably in the form of a traditional glove, having a front portion (see  FIGS. 3 a  and 3 b   ) covering the ventral portion of the hand including palm ( 160 ), the pinky ( 110 ), ring ( 120 ), middle ( 130 ), and index ( 140 ) fingers and thumb ( 150 ), and a back portion (see  FIGS. 4 a  and 4 b   ) covering the dorsal portion of the hand including the back of the hand opposite the palm ( 260 ) and the dorsal portions of the pinky ( 210 ), ring ( 220 ), middle ( 230 ), and index ( 240 ) fingers, and thumb ( 250 ). The front ventral portion mates with and engages the back dorsal portion to form a glove having an interior surface (not shown) which rests against the hand and an exterior surface (shown in all Figures) exposed to the elements. At one end of the glove is an opening ( 190 ) for receiving a hand and which is arranged around the player&#39;s wrist when the glove is being worn. The glove may also include a mechanism ( 180 ) to secure the glove to a player&#39;s hand. The securing mechanism may be of any known type including a cinch cord, Velcro type strap, snap or elastic. 
         [0028]    The body or base of the glove is preferably made from an insulating material such as neoprene but may include any material suitable for a glove including such materials as leather or leather like substitutes (sheep or goat skin), cotton, wool, or spandex, nylon, polyester or other synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. The glove is preferably made from woven material for breathability and typically has an exterior surface with a low coefficient of friction against sports balls such as neoprene on a baseball, softball or football made of leather or synthetic leather materials such as vinyl. The woven material may be cut to shape and sewn to form the glove, or may be woven into the glove shape. Alternatively, in other embodiments the glove could be molded to shape. 
         [0029]    The enhanced athletic glove preferably includes high coefficient of friction materials at the typical contact points on a player&#39;s hand that engage with the ball when throwing. Referring to  FIG. 2 a   , these contact points may include the ventral or front surfaces of the middle finger ( 132 ,  134 ,  136 ) and index finger ( 142 ,  144 ,  146 ), as well as, the front thumb portion ( 152 ) and inside or inwardly facing thumb portion ( 154 ).  FIG. 2 b    illustrates the glove with the thumb extended to depict the positioning of the high coefficient of friction area ( 154 ) around the side of the thumb. In addition, referring back to  FIG. 1 , it is preferable to include a high coefficient of friction material on the inside or inwardly facing portion ( 122 ) of the ring finger ( 120 ). As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the thumb and fingers are arranged and illustrated in the gripping position for throwing the baseball wherein the contact or pressure points discussed above are arranged in the spherical shape of a ball. 
         [0030]    It is preferable that the high coefficient of friction material be confined to these primary contact points and not extend to other areas outside of the contact region and immediate vicinity that may graze the ball during the throwing motions and provide unnatural friction against the ball. For example, in a baseball glove, it is preferable that the front or ventral surface of the pinky finger ( 110 ) and ring finger ( 120 ) and palm ( 160 ) have an exterior surface of low friction material. 
         [0031]    Referring back to  FIG. 1 , in one preferred embodiment the high coefficient of friction material covers the front of all three phalanges of the middle finger ( 130 ) and index finger ( 140 ). This material is illustrated by high coefficient of friction pads ( 132 ,  134 ,  136 ,  142 ,  144 ,  146 ).  FIGS. 3 a  and 3 b   , illustrate alternate embodiments of the disclosure which restricts the presence of high coefficient material to the primary pressure point contacts in the example of a baseball glove. In  FIG. 3 b   , the high coefficient of friction material is present only on the distal and medial phalanges ( 132 ,  134 ,  142 ,  144 ) of the middle and index finger, and in  FIG. 3 a    the high coefficient of friction material is limited to the distal phalanges ( 132 ,  142 ) 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3   a  and  3   b , it is preferably that the high coefficient of friction material not extend over the joint area between the phalanges where the fingers flex or bend. The absence of material from this area beneficially relieves strain or compressive opposition to movement that would potentially arise if additional material were placed in the region. The absence or reduction of high coefficient material from the area is therefore preferred to improve mobility while not detracting from the enhanced grip and tactile feel. Such benefit may also be achieved by adding a detent or cut away in the joint region. 
         [0033]    The high coefficient of friction material is preferable a silicone or rubber based material or substance. The material may comprise a fabric or other woven base which permits it to be cut or sewn in place, or may be formed by adhesion or application directly to the glove base or low coefficient of friction material or substrate. While silicone based materials provide a preferred tactile feel and grip, it is possible to use other materials which have a similarly high coefficient of friction against the material of a baseball. These material may include those with high coefficients of friction or strong adhesion, as well as, other that have improved adhesive or friction properties when wet. 
         [0034]    In wet or damp weather conditions, the coefficient of friction between the glove and game ball can be reduced with adverse consequences. Accordingly, in some embodiments the high coefficient of friction areas or portions may be further enhance with channels ( 170 ), such as, pits, grooves, furrows or the like. The addition of channels in the material helps shed water and moisture to maintain a high coefficient of friction, and maintain the player&#39;s grip and tactile feel on the ball. The texture of the channels or grip pattern may be of a variety of shapes or arrangements. In one embodiment the channels or grip pattern is in the form of two small perpendicular channels that form a plurality of v-shaped pits. While this is one exemplary shape, it will be appreciated that there are many shapes that can also increase grip in wet weather conditions, including channels or pits with shape edges or ridges at the surface contact with the ball. 
         [0035]    In some embodiments the enhanced athletic glove also includes a securing mechanism to help secure the glove to the player&#39;s hand. Referring to  FIGS. 4 a  and 4 b   , the back or dorsal side of one embodiment of the enhanced athletic glove is shown, including dorsal side of fingers ( 210 ,  220 ,  230 ,  240 ) and thumb ( 250 ), as well as, the high coefficient of friction area ( 154 ) extending around the inwardly or inside facing side of the thumb portion. Referring to  FIG. 4 a   , a Velcro type securing mechanism is illustrated in a secure position for securing the glove to the player&#39;s hand.  FIG. 4 b    shows the securing mechanism in an open position. While in this embodiment a Velcro type strap is shown, it will be appreciated that other mechanisms may be used to secure the glove, including, a cinch cord, Velcro type strap, snap or elastic. 
       Cold Weather Softball Glove 
       [0036]      FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b   , depict yet another embodiment of the enhanced athletic glove in which the pressure point contacts of high coefficient of friction material have been expanded to match the point contacts of a softball. In these embodiments, the high coefficient of friction material is extended to the pinky finger ( 110 ) and ring finger ( 120 ). In  FIG. 5 a   , the distal phalanges ( 112 ,  122 ,  132 ,  142 ) and medial phalanges ( 114 ,  124 ,  134 ,  144 ) of the fingers are covered with high coefficient of friction material, as well as, the thumb pad ( 152 ) and thumb side ( 154 ). In the alternative embodiment in  FIG. 5 b   , the high coefficient of friction material has been extended to the proximal phalanges ( 116 ,  126 ,  136 ,  146 ). 
         [0037]    In the alternative embodiments of  FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b   , the enhanced athletic glove provides softball players with improved warmth, grip and tactile feel in cold or inclement weather conditions. This embodiment may also include the additional feature described above in the context of the baseball glove, including, channels in the high coefficient of friction material and a securing mechanism. Similarly, those of skill in the art will appreciate that all of the materials and means of construction discussed above are equally applicable to other glove variants including the softball glove. 
         [0038]    It should be understood that this description (including the figures) is only representative of some illustrative embodiments. For the convenience of the reader, the above description has focused on representative samples of all possible embodiments, and samples that teaches the principles of the invention. The description has not attempted to exhaustively enumerate all possible variations. That alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention, or that further undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion, is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate embodiments. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that many of those undescribed embodiments incorporate the same principles of the invention as claimed and others are equivalent.