Abstract:
Baseball gloves are provided that include an adjustable ball pocket. Some baseball gloves include a quick release adjustment device and a lacing pattern that allow the depth of the ball pocket to be easily adjusted by a wearer of the glove.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to baseball gloves, and more particularly to baseball gloves having an adjustable pocket. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Baseball gloves are used in different ways, depending on the position being played by the wearer of the glove, and the individual playing style of the wearer. For example, a pitcher may use a baseball glove to hide his or her grip, a first baseman or catcher is primarily concerned with catching the ball, and an infielder is primarily interested in being able to quickly remove the ball from the glove for quick throwing. As a result, pitchers, first baseman and catchers generally prefer a deeper ball pocket than infielders. Even at a given position, different players have different personal preferences with regard to the depth of the ball pocket. 
     Attempts have been made to make baseball gloves adjustable to suit the preference of the wearer. For example, some baseball gloves include ball pockets that are adjustable by drawing up or loosening a laced portion of the ball pocket, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,452,695 and 2,510,218, or by selectively threading a lace through eyelets of varying spacing, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,460. 
     SUMMARY 
     The baseball gloves of the present invention include ball pockets that can be quickly and easily adjusted, e.g., so that the wearer can adjust the ball pocket depth during a game. In preferred baseball gloves, the depth of the ball pocket can be adjusted without tying or untying a knot or removing any of the lacing of the glove. 
     In one aspect, the invention features a baseball glove including (a) a glove body, constructed to receive a wearer&#39;s hand, defining at least a glove index finger and a glove thumb, (b) a webbing, extending between the glove index finger and the glove thumb, (c) an adjustment line disposed so as to adjustably fasten a side edge of the webbing to a side edge of the glove index finger and glove thumb to define a ball pocket of adjustable depth, and (d) a releasable adjustment device slidably arranged on the adjustment line to allow adjustment of the length of the adjustment line, to permit adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket, by sliding the adjustment device along the adjustment line to adjust the spacing between the side edge of the webbing and the opposed side edges of the glove index finger and glove thumb. 
     Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The releasable adjustment device is a spring button clamp. The adjustment line is laced between glove and webbing so as to allow adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket by adjusting the length of a portion of the adjustment line that extends from the ball pocket. The adjustment line extends from a lower portion of the ball pocket. The releasable adjustment device is positioned along the portion of the adjustment line. An upper edge of the ball pocket is fixedly attached at upper portions of the glove index finger and glove thumb. The adjustment line is laced through a plurality of guides on the ball pocket and the glove index finger and the glove thumb. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a criss-crossing manner. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern. The depth of the ball pocket can be adjusted without untying or removing the adjustment line. 
     In another aspect, the invention features a baseball glove including (a) a glove body, constructed to receive a wearer&#39;s hand, defining at least a glove index finger and a glove thumb, (b) a webbing, extending between the glove index finger and the glove thumb, (c) an adjustment line disposed so as to adjustably fasten a side edge of the webbing to a side edge of the glove index finger and glove thumb to define a ball pocket of adjustable depth, the adjustment line being laced so as to allow adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket by adjusting the length of a portion of the adjustment line that extends from the ball pocket, and (d) a securing line disposed so as to fixedly attach an upper portion of the webbing to upper edges of the glove index finger and glove thumb so that the spacing between the webbing and the glove index finger and glove thumb is substantially fixed at the upper edge of the ball pocket. 
     Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The portion of the adjustment line extends from a lower portion of the ball pocket. The adjustment line is laced through a plurality of guides on the ball pocket and the glove index finger and the glove thumb. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a criss-crossing manner. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern. 
     In a further aspect, the invention features a baseball glove including (a) a glove body, constructed to receive a wearer&#39;s hand, defining at least a glove index finger and a glove thumb, (b) a webbing, extending between the glove index finger and the glove thumb, (c) an adjustment line disposed so as to adjustably fasten a side edge of the webbing to a side edge of the glove index finger and glove thumb to define a ball pocket of adjustable depth, the adjustment line being laced in a double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern. 
     Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern defines two loops, and the loops are substantially fixed in an upper area of the webbing so that the length of one of the loops is adjustable on the thumb side of the webbing and substantially fixed on the index finger side of the webbing, and the length of the other loop is adjustable on the index finger side of the webbing and substantially fixed on the thumb side of the webbing. The glove further includes a securing line disposed so as to fixedly attach an upper portion of the webbing to upper edges of the glove index finger and glove thumb so that the spacing between the webbing and the glove index finger and glove thumb is substantially fixed at the upper edge of the ball pocket. 
     The invention also features methods of adjusting the depth of a ball pocket of a baseball glove. 
     The term “baseball glove”, as used herein, includes gloves used in baseball, softball, and other similar games. 
    
    
     Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front (palm-side) view of a baseball glove according to one embodiment of the invention 
     FIG. 2 is a rear view of the baseball glove of FIG.  1 . FIG. 2A is an enlarged partial rear view of the baseball glove of FIG. 1, with the lacing pattern of the adjustment line indicated by arrows and dotted lines. FIG. 2B is a highly enlarged detail view of the lacing of the adjustment line through a guide. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a baseball or softball glove  10  has a webbing  12 , e.g. of sheet or woven straps of leather or other suitable material, positioned to extend across the opening between the glove index finger  14  and the thumb  16  to create a ball pocket  18  for catching a ball. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 2A, the upper edge portion  40  of the webbing is substantially fixedly attached between the upper portions of the index finger  14  and thumb  16  by lacing  42 . The side edge  41  of the webbing is adjustably attached to the generally U-shaped edge  39  that is defined by the index finger, thumb and palm of the glove. The depth of ball pocket  18  can be adjusted, as will be discussed below, by varying the distance between edges  39  and  41 . 
     A series of loops or guides  25   a ,  25   b ,  27   a  and  27   b  extend from edge  39  at the index finger  14  and thumb  16 , respectively. A series of loops or guides  30   a ,  30   b ,  32   a  and  32   b  extend from the edge  41  of the webbing, generally opposite loops  25   a ,  25   b ,  27   a  and  27   b , respectively. The body portion  44  of the webbing is positioned between the index finger and the thumb by an adjustment line  34 , which is laced through these loops as indicated by the arrows in FIG.  2 A and discussed below. The selected length of the adjustment line  34 , and, in tum, the spacing between edges  39  and  41  and the resulting depth of the pocket, is maintained by releasable clamp  36  (e.g. a spring button clamp is shown) mounted at the ends of the adjustment line  34  (which preferably are secured together or connected to form a loop  38 , as shown). (Thus, the clamp  36  maintains the length of the adjustment line that is on the webbing side of the clamp  36 , which length determines the depth of the ball pocket.) 
     To loosen the adjustment line  34 , and thereby provide a relatively deep pocket  28 , the clamp  36  is moved along the adjustment line  34  toward the end of the adjustment line  34 . The adjustment line  34  is then eased through loops  25   a  and  30   a , on the index finger side of the webbing, and loops  27   a  and  32   a , on the thumb side of the webbing, to increase the spacing between edge  39  and edge  41 . Conversely, to provide a relatively shallower or tighter pocket  28 , the adjustment line  34  is pulled through loops  25   a  and  30   a , and  27   a  and  32   a , to increase the length of the adjustment line extending below the webbing and decrease the distance between edges  39  and  41 . Clamp  36  is then moved along the adjustment line  34  toward the base of the webbing to secure the adjustment line at this length. 
     As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2A, the adjustment line  34  is laced in a pattern that will be referred to herein as a “double-loop criss-crossed lacing”. Thus, starting at the lower right hand side of the loop  38  and following the direction of the arrows, the line  34  passes through clamp  36  and guide  49 , is threaded upward through loops  25   a  and  30   a  along the index finger side of the webbing, through a channel in the body  44  of the webbing (dotted lines), and downward through loops  27   b  and  32   b  along the thumb side of the webbing. This completes the first “loop” of the lacing pattern. The line  34  is then laced, in criss-crossing fashion, over and under itself, upward through loops  25   b  and  30   b  along the index finger side of the webbing  12 , enters an opening  50  in the index finger  14 , passes through the index finger (dotted lines), exits the index finger at opening  52 , passes through a channel  54  in the top edge  42  of the webbing (dotted lines), passes through the thumb  16  (dotted lines), and is threaded downward through loops  27   a  and  32   a  on the thumb side of the webbing. The adjustment line then passes through the guide  49 , crossing itself as shown in FIG. 2B, to complete the second “loop” of the lacing pattern. Line  34  then passes again through the clamp  36  and is secured by holder  58  to form loop  38 . 
     This lacing pattern allows the line  34  to be loosened and tightened by releasing or pulling it through loops  25   a ,  30   a ,  27   a  and  32   a , as discussed above. The portion of the line that passes through loops  25   b ,  30   b ,  27   b  and  32   b  remains substantially stationary during adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket, due to the friction between the line  34  and the channels through which it passes at the top of the webbing. 
     The invention thus provides a baseball or softball glove having a ball pocket depth that can be adjusted to accommodate the user, or to accommodate the requirements of the field position to which the player is assigned. For example, the adjustment line may be loosened to create a deeper pocket to facilitate catching the ball, e.g., for use at a position where receiving the ball is the primary concern, e.g. at first base, or to permit the pitcher to better hide the nature of his or her grip on the ball prior to pitching. The adjustment line may also be tightened to make the ball pocket more shallow to facilitate removing the ball, for example for use at positions where removing the ball from the glove for throwing is a primary concern, e.g. at shortstop or other infield positions. 
     Other embodiments are within the claims. For example, while the invention has been described above as including an adjustment device, alternatively, adjustment can be performed by tightening or loosening the adjustment line as described above. The adjustment line may be secured, e.g., using a slip knot, bow, or other knot that could be quickly tied and untied by the user. Moreover, if an adjustment device is desired, any type of slidable, releasably locking device may be used.