Abstract:
An improved manufacturing method for golf gloves is presented that includes an improved process for manufacturing plastic latch connectors. The improved method uses less material and delays attachment of the golf glove closing latch until the last step of the process, improving flexibility for custom logo glove production.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to golf glove manufacturing and the method of attaching the hook and loop closure means to the glove.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This novel manufacturing means is intended to allow the attachment of the hook and loop closure device, or “latch”, after the closure device has been imprinted with a custom logo. Conventional golf glove manufacturing attaches the latch at a relatively early stage of manufacture, and this limits the ability of the manufacturer to delay the attachment of custom-logo-bearing latches until the last possible moment.  
         [0003]     There are other approaches to this problem. For example, in United States Patent Application US2002/0174478 by Litke, a method of forming a thermoplastic pad, printing a custom logo on the pad, and then adhering the thermoplastic pad to the glove on the back of the latch is taught. Other patents, for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,773 to Lowinger, use similar approaches to place logos on gloves. However, none of them delay attachment of the logo-bearing latch until the last minute, one of the main features of this invention.  
         [0004]     This patent also presents a new method of manufacturing an alternative attachment method, involving a process similar to the attachment means used in U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,350 to Litke. That patent teaches a method of late attachment of logo-bearing latches by using injection-molded plastic pieces. The present method uses a very low cost plastic sheet with cutting and thermaforming over a simple metal boss. The need in the Litke patent for a liner underneath their attachment means to improve wearer comfort is eliminated because of the softness of the plastic used in the present invention.  
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is an object of this invention to provide an attachment means for a golf-glove latch system that can be attached at the last minute during manufacturing.  
         [0006]     It is a further goal of this invention that with this invention, gloves without latches can be stored after manufacture and custom logo latches be attached as late as just before delivery.  
         [0007]     It is a further goal of this invention that an alternate method of attaching the latch be available to manufacturers that is an improvement over current injection molded latch attachment means.  
         [0008]     It is a further goal of this invention to reduce manufacturing cost for golf gloves to the minimum by eliminating the need for expensive sewing steps to attach latches to gloves.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention is an improved method of golf glove manufacturing that combines ease of manufacture with the flexibility to attach logo-bearing golf glove closure latches at the last minute. There are two methods of latch attachment presented, one based on a quick sewing step and the other using a pre-formed plastic connector.  
         [0010]     Golf gloves are an advertising item and can be made with custom logos on them, bearing for example the trademarked logos of the major golf equipment manufacturers. Delaying the attachment of the logo-bearing latches until the last practicable moment permits the gloves without latches to be sewn separately from the logo-bearing latches, stored, and then brought together with the appropriate logo-bearing latch just before delivery.  
         [0011]     The savings of time and money are obvious. It is possible to create exactly the right number of logo-bearing golf gloves just before they are delivered. There is no worry about having too many of one particular logo on hand or of spoilage when a particular logo-ed golf glove is no longer desired. Inventory problems are minimized.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The features of this invention will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description.  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a glove with an open latch  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a glove with a closed latch  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a view of the upper surface of the latch upper part  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a view of the bottom surface of the latch upper part  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a view of the bottom surface of the latch bottom part  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a view of the upper surface of the latch bottom part  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment attachment means  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is a flow diagram of the alternative embodiment manufacturing process  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]     The preferred embodiment of the invention can be seen best in  FIG. 1 , and it consists of a latch upper part  101 , a latch bottom part  102 , a base  103 , and a latch bottom part logo shield  104 . The golf glove  100  has a palm part and a back part  105 , which back part has a closure slit  106 . The invention is a mechanism for holding the two sides  107 , 108  of the closure slit  106  together by means of the hooks  109  and loops  110  of the latch upper  101  and bottom  102  parts being brought into contact with each other.  
         [0022]     In  FIG. 2 , the latch  101  is closed and the sides  107 , 108  of the closure slit  108  are touching. There is an upper part logo shield  111  on the upper surface  112  of the latch upper part  101  which can bear a printed or embossed logo.  
         [0023]     In the preferred embodiment, the process of assembling a golf glove with this closure system consists of manufacturing and sewing the golf glove  100  and latch bottom part  102  together such that the latch bottom part is placed as seen in  FIG. 1 . The optional latch bottom part logo shield  104  may be present or not. If present, there will be a reduced number of hooks in the hook pad comprising the latch bottom part upper surface  120 .  
         [0024]     The separately manufactured latch upper part  101 , with optional latch upper part logo shield  111 , is then attached by sewing a few stitches to one end of the latch upper part  101  to connect it to the base  103 , which makes a strong connection to one side of the closure slit  108 . The golf glove can now be closed by the user by stretching the latch upper part  101  across the closure slit  108  and bringing the latch upper part lower surface  110  into contact with the latch bottom part upper surface  120 .  
         [0025]     In  FIG. 7 , the alternate embodiment of the present invention uses a plastic hook and slot system to attach the latch upper part  101  to one side of the closure slit  108 . The side of the closure slit  108  possess a plastic receiver plate  130  fixedly connected to the side of the closure slit  108  with two receiver slots  131 . The latch upper part  101  now possess a set of two plastic hooks  132  which can be inserted into the corresponding receiver slots.  
         [0026]     At manufacturing time, the separately manufactured latch upper part  101 , with or without an upper part logo shield  111 , can be attached by inserting the plastic hooks  132  into the receiver slots  131 . As in  FIG. 8 , the receiver slots  131  and receiver base  130  can be easily manufactured by means of a single sheet of malleable plastic  133  being impressed over a metal die boss  134  to force the receiver slot  131  up and out of the plastic sheet  133 . Unlike other inventions in this field, this method of making the receiver slots  131  and receiver base  130  out of soft, malleable plastic results in a low-cost attachment means that does not require a soft plastic liner for the glove  100  to protect the user&#39;s hand.  
         [0027]     While the foregoing describes a preferred embodiment, variation on this design and equivalent designs may be resorted to in the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.