Abstract:
The present invention comprises a precurved gusseted glove which provides a user&#39;s hand(s) with an outer layer of protection which does not bunch together in the palm of the user. In one embodiment, the precurved gusseted glove is useful in weight training. The precurved gusseted glove has a gusseted side panel which precurves the glove to more naturally fit the curve of a human hand and eliminates the gathering of excess material in the palm of the hand.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/168,249 filed Dec. 1, 1999 and entitled “Precurved Gusseted Glove”. 
     
    
     
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    NOT APPLICABLE  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0004]    The present invention comprises a precurved gusseted glove which provides a user&#39;s hand(s) with an outer layer of protection which does not bunch together in the palm of the user. In one embodiment, the precurved gusseted glove is useful in weight training. The precurved gusseted glove has a gusseted side panel which precurves the glove to more naturally fit the curve of a human hand and eliminates the gathering of excess material in the palm of the hand.  
           [0005]    2. Brief Description of the Related Art  
           [0006]    Many types of gloves have been designed for a wide variety of sports and activities. For example, a safety glove for football players is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,649; a basketball training glove is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,312; and a water-skiing glove is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,831. As other examples, a bowling glove is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,680; a sports glove for racquetball is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,877; a golf glove is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,154,197; and a baseball glove is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 425,887.  
           [0007]    With respect to weight-lifting, U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,651, issued to Gramsza et al., discloses a glove with an elastic wrist support strap. U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,321, issued to Walunga, discloses a glove with a detachable wrist support strap. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,384, issued to McCrane, discloses a glove with an inelastic wrist support strap. The Gramsza, Walunga and McCrane straps are constructed to encircle the wrist of a wearer in a shirt cuff fashion. Accordingly, the Gramsza, Walunga and McCrane gloves fail to keep the wearer&#39;s wrist and hand in a natural curled position without requiring a bunching of the glove material in the palm portion of the user&#39;s hand. Such bunching of glove material acts to prevent the wearer from acquiring a close and tight grip with an object such as a weight lifting bar.  
           [0008]    Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a glove, adapted for use in weight lifting, whereby the wearer&#39;s hand and wrist are kept in a natural curled position and which does not result in a bunching of glove material in the palm portion of the glove.  
           [0009]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention is a glove adapted to be disposed over an individual&#39;s hand and wrist to thereby support the hand and wrist in a natural curled position when gripping an object. In particular, the glove includes a glove assembly having a palm side, a back side and an opening for receiving a hand of an individual; and at least one means for maintaining the glove assembly in a natural curled position, wherein the at least one means for maintaining the glove assembly in a natural curled position is disposed between the palm side and the back side of the glove assembly.  
           [0011]    There are several embodiments of the glove of the present invention including a glove as described hereinabove further having a plurality of finger stalls and a thumb stall. In another embodiment the plurality of finger stalls and the thumb stall are open ended. In yet still another embodiment, glove of the present invention has a gusset which keeps the glove in a natural curled position.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of the glove of the present invention on a user&#39;s right hand.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a plan side view of the glove of the present invention on a user&#39;s right hand.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a plan side view of the little finger side of the glove of the present invention on a user&#39;s right hand.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a plan bottom view of the glove of the present invention on a user&#39;s right hand.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a plan top view of the glove of the present invention on a user&#39;s right hand.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    Before explaining in detail at least one embodiment of the invention in detail by way of exemplary drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.  
         [0018]    It is desirous to adapt gloves to the anatomy of the hand. By way of example, a previous glove has been suggested wherein the back portion of the glove has one or more parts that are extended with respect to the corresponding parts of the palm portion of the glove to adapt the glove to the form of the hand in its rest position or else in a position having one or more fingers curved. While this prior art glove does provide a more natural curving form, it does not address the flexibility of the glove in relation to the user&#39;s hand and also does not overcome the amount of clasping force a user must exert in order to open and close the palm portion. Furthermore, this prior art glove results in a bunching of material in the palm portion when the glove is used, providing the user with an uncomfortable and loose grip.  
         [0019]    Referring to the drawings in general, and to FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  in particular, shown therein and designated by the general reference numeral  10  is a precurved gusseted glove of the present invention, which includes a glove assembly  20  and an internal sleeve  100 .  
         [0020]    The glove assembly  20  includes a palm side  30 , a back side  40 , a thumb side  45 , a finger end  50 , a little finger side  55 , a wrist end  60 , and at least one means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position. The palm side  30  has an interior surface  32  and an exterior surface  34 . The back side  40  has an interior surface  42  and an exterior surface  44 . The finger end  50  includes four finger stalls  52  and a thumb stall  54 . The little finger side  55  has an interior surface  56  and an exterior surface  57 . The wrist end  60  has an interior surface  62  and an exterior surface  63 .  
         [0021]    The interior surface  32  of the palm side  30 , the interior surface  42  of the back side  40 , an interior surface  46  of the thumb side  45 , the interior surface  56  of the little finger side  55 , and the interior surface  62  of the wrist end  60  are operably connected to one another to thereby define an overall interior area  110  of the internal sleeve  100  of the glove assembly  20 . A user&#39;s hand  70 , which includes a wrist  75 , a palm  80 , knuckle area  85 , and fingers  90 , is placed within the overall interior area  110  of the internal sleeve  100  when in use.  
         [0022]    The exterior surface  34  of the palm side  30 , the exterior surface  44  of the back side  40 , an exterior surface  47  of the thumb side  45 , the exterior surface  57  of the little finger side  55 , and the exterior surface  63  of the wrist end  60  are operably connected to one another to thereby define an overall exterior area  120  of the glove assembly  20 . The overall exterior area  120  of the glove assembly  20  is the area that is apparent on the user&#39;s hand  70  as shown in FIGS.  1 - 5 .  
         [0023]    In one embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each one of the four finger stalls  52  of the finger end  50  have an open end  53  and a length  58  such that each finger  90  of the user&#39;s hand  70  is bare from a finger tip area  92  to a point  94  between the knuckle area  85  and a first finger joint  96  of the finger  90 . However, the glove assembly  20  may be constructed such that some or all of the four finger stalls  52  have any length  58 , from no length at all to full-finger length. Full length four finger stalls  52  may be close-ended rather than open-ended.  
         [0024]    In similar fashion, the thumb stall  54  typically has an open end  200  and a length  210  such that a thumb  82  of the user&#39;s hand  70  protrudes from the thumb stall  54 . However, the glove assembly  20  may be constructed such that the thumb stall  54  has any length  210 , from no length at all to full-thumb length. Full length thumb stall  54  may be close-ended rather than open-ended.  
         [0025]    The palm side  30  of the glove assembly  20  may be padded substantially as shown in FIG. 1, or in any other suitable manner so long as the padding does not interfere with the natural curled position of the precurved gusseted glove  10 . Typically, the glove assembly  20  is padded with foam rubber or the like stitched into the palm side  30  of the glove assembly  20 .  
         [0026]    The means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position is located on at least one of the thumb side  45  and/or the little finger side  55  of the glove assembly  20 . As shown in FIG. 1, the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position is shown as being located between the palm side  30  and the back side  40  of the glove assembly  20  and extends along a first length  250  from the finger end  50  to the wrist end  60  of the glove assembly  20 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position tapers from a first width  300  to a second width  320  along the first length  250 . In particular, the first width  300  is larger than the second width  320  such that the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position is effectively a gusset—thereby allowing the user&#39;s hand  70  while wearing the glove assembly  20  to grip an object without a buildup of material or padding in the palm side  30  of the glove assembly  20 .  
         [0027]    Similarly, as shown in FIG. 3, the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position is located as being on the little finger side  55  of the glove assembly  20 . Thus, it can be appreciated that the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position may be located solely on the thumb side  45  or the little finger side  55  or the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position may be located on both the thumb side  45  and the little finger side  55 . As shown in FIG. 3, the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position is located on the little finger side  55  between the palm side  30  and the back side  40  of the glove assembly  20 . When on the little finger side  55  of the glove assembly  20 , the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  tapers from a third width  330  to a fourth width  340  along a second length  275  from the finger end  50  to the wrist end  60  of the glove assembly  20 . In particular, the third width  330  is larger than the fourth width  340  such that the means  65  for maintaining the glove assembly  20  in a natural curled position is effectively a gusset—thereby allowing the user&#39;s hand  70  while wearing the glove assembly  20  to grip an object without a buildup of material or padding in the palm side  30  of the glove assembly  20 .  
         [0028]    As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wrist end  60  of the glove assembly  20  further includes a wrist cuff  500  and a securing strap  520 . The securing strap  520  has a bottom side  530  and a top side  540 . On the bottom side  530  of the securing strap  520  is a strip of material (not shown) that coordinates with a securing portion  550  of the wrist cuff  500 . This strip of material and the securing portion  550  of the wrist cuff  500  are typically made of complementary strips of hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro® or the like.  
         [0029]    On the back side  40  of the glove assembly  20 , the glove assembly  20  may have a flexible fabric panel  600 . At the wrist cuff  500  of the glove assembly  20 , the flexible fabric panel  600  may have a slit  620  which allows for the user&#39;s hand  70  to be more comfortably placed within the glove assembly  20 . Also, slit  620  will also allow the securing strap  520  to be tightened and secured to the wrist cuff  500  via the strip of material (not shown) on the bottom side  530  of the securing strap  520  and the securing portion  550  of the wrist cuff  500 , such that the wrist cuff  500  is securely positioned around the wrist  75  of the user&#39;s hand  70 .  
         [0030]    Typically, the glove assembly  20  is constructed of leather or the like. However, the glove assembly  20  may be made of any material which has properties consistent with the purpose of the present invention.  
         [0031]    The use of the precurved gusseted glove  10  is not limited to weight lifting. The precurved gusseted glove  10  may be used in any sort of activity where the user&#39;s hand is preferentially kept in a natural curled position when gripping an object and where it is desirous that the material of the chosen glove not bunch in the palm of the user when gripping the object. The precurved gusseted glove  10  is described hereinabove and illustrated in the drawings as a right-handed glove. However, it should be appreciated that the present invention contemplates and includes a left-handed precurved gusseted glove constructed in a manner consistent with the disclosure made herein.  
         [0032]    Thus, in accordance with the present invention, there has been provided a precurved gusseted glove that fully satisfies the objectives and advantages set forth above. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the specific drawings and language set forth above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the invention.