Sport glove and support insert

A sports glove has a single-piece support insert adapted to be received therein along the top of one or more fingers, the hand and the wrist in order to provide support, protection and performance enhancement to the user. The glove is flexible so it can provide firm yet resilient support in order to maintain the support insert in place during movement. The support insert can be molded or deformed for customized fit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to hand and wrist support devices 
for sports and, more specifically, to a support device and glove for 
bowling. 
In sports such as bowling it is necessary to repeatedly execute specific 
physical motions in a consistent manner to accurately cause the object, 
such as a bowling ball, to act in a certain way. A particular physical 
motion may demand a certain amount of strength, stamina and coordination, 
especially if executed repeatedly. For instance, to achieve a desired roll 
or spin in bowling while delivering the ball at the right speed, the 
bowler's body parts, especially the hand and wrist, must be held in a very 
specific position throughout execution. Such demand can cause fatigue or 
even injury. It is therefore desirable to provide a device that will aid 
an athlete in properly maintaining form throughout execution and in 
preventing fatigue and injury. 
Various known devices have been proposed for the problem described. Some 
devices include a multi-piece support apparatus that is adapted to rigidly 
hold the hand, wrist and one or more fingers in place. Such known devices 
require multiple adjustments or are bulky and cumbersome. Because they are 
bulky and cumbersome they require multiple straps or other means to secure 
them to the user's hand and they do not allow the user to wear a glove. 
Furthermore, such devices tend to be costly to manufacture. 
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a practical, versatile device that 
provides a user with the support and protection of prior known support 
devices, that enhances the user's performance, that is cost- and 
space-efficient, and that enables the user to wear a glove with it. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a support device and, alternatively, a 
support device with a corresponding sport glove, for overcoming the 
aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art and for providing support, 
protection and performance enhancement to the user. The present invention 
comprises a generally flat, rigid support member made of unitary 
construction and adapted to contact and support the back of the user's 
hand, fingers and, optionally, wrist. Portions of the support member 
corresponding to specific body parts such as a finger may be adjusted to 
the user's preference. The support member is adapted to be removably 
received securely in a flexible glove that is designed to provide the user 
with support and enhanced gripping ability.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention generally comprises an article, 
such as a glove 10, that can be worn around the user's hand, or hand and 
wrist. The glove 10 can be made from any suitable flexible material that 
will provide a snug fit to provide support for and to stay positioned with 
respect to the user's hand and wrist. Various suitable materials include 
any fabric having stretching properties such as spandex or polyester. The 
glove 10 of FIG. 1 includes a wrist portion 12 that is adapted to fit 
around and support the user's wrist. The wrist portion 12 may be a closed 
section that stretches around the user's wrist or it may be an open 
section that closes around the user's wrist by any known means including 
VELCRO, snaps, buckles or the like. The glove back section 14 should be 
made from stretchable fabric to maintain a snug supporting fit during any 
movement of the hand and wrist. It is preferable to construct the palm 
side 30, shown in FIG. 2, of the glove 10 from leather or leather-like 
vinyl to enable positive gripping contact with the object to be held, such 
as a bowling ball 62, as shown in FIG. 5. The portions of the glove 10 
covering the index finger 16 and the little finger 24 are preferably the 
full length of the user's finger's to protect the fingers and enhance 
gripping of the ball 62. The portions of the glove 10 that cover the 
middle finger 18 and the ring finger 22 may each have a cut end, as shown 
at 20, to enable the user's bare fingers to be inserted into the bowling 
ball 62. If further preferable, the glove 10 can be configured with a 
thumb opening 28 to allow the user's thumb 26 to be completely exposed. 
As shown in FIG. 3, an insert plate 32 is adapted, in the preferred 
embodiment, to fit against the back side of the user's hand, wrist and 
index finger. If desirable, it is possible to configure the insert plate 
to contact any one or more of the user's fingers, or to contact only the 
hand and fingers but not the wrist. The insert plate 32 shown in FIG. 3 
has a lower portion 34, an upper portion 36, a longitudinal axis 38 lying 
in a first plane, and a secondary axis 40 which lays in the first plane 
but is oriented at a first acute angle 42 with respect to the longitudinal 
axis 38. The secondary axis 40 is aligned with and defines the plate 
finger portion 41 which is adapted to support and maintain the position of 
the user's index finger. 
As shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable to form the plate finger portion 41 so 
that it lays in a second plane 44 which is at a second acute angle 46 
measured with respect to the first axis 38 of the first plane. While any 
desired angle may be used, the optimum range for angle 46 in the preferred 
embodiment is from about 5 to 20 degrees. The approximate point at which 
the first and second planes intersect is at the juncture 45 of the index 
finger and the hand. A finger side wall 48 is formed on the side of the 
index finger adjacent to the middle finger. The finger side wall 48 
maintains the position of the index finger with respect to the middle 
finger when the insert plate 32 is held relative to the hand. 
It is preferable to construct the insert plate 32 from a strong yet pliable 
material such sheet metal so that the finger portion 41, and any 
sub-portion of it, may be adjusted to any preferred. 
The lower portion 34 of the insert plate 32 may have contoured sides 50, 
52, as shown in FIG. 3, that are contoured to fit partially around the 
user's wrist in order to comfortably align and stabilize the insert plate 
32. The contoured sides 50, 52 diverge from the first plane at imaginary 
lines 54 and 56 shown in FIG. 3. The insert plate 32 may have further 
contour sections as shown at 58 and 60 which partially fit around the 
user's finger or ridge of the hand in order to add further support and 
stabilization. 
While the insert plate 32 can be attached to the user's hand, wrist and 
fingers by a variety of means including simple bandagelike straps or belts 
without the use of a glove, in the preferred embodiment the insert 32 is 
inserted directly inside the glove 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the interior of 
the glove 10 may include an insert pocket 62 or similar means adapted to 
securely maintain the insert 32 in a desired position within the glove 10. 
The insert pocket 62 may be constructed from a patch 64 of any. flexible 
material or fabric. It is preferable that the patch 64 be made from a 
soft, thick material such as foam rubber in order to provide padding for 
the user's comfort. The patch 64 is sewn or fixed in place by other means. 
It is preferable that the insert pocket 62 be adapted for easy insertion 
and removal of the insert 32. This enables removal of the insert 32 for 
washing of the glove or for adjustment or exchange of the insert 32. The 
insert 32 may be selectively bent to a desired shape or a set of multiple 
inserts configured for specific lane conditions or types of shots maybe 
utilized. 
A second embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 7. The 
second embodiment includes an insert plate 132, similar to the insert 
plate 32 of FIG. S 1-6, except that the lower portion 134 does not extend 
to the user's wriest, but instead terminates above the hand-wrist joint 
135, enabling bending movement of the wrist. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, 
the insert plate 132 is shown with one plate finger portion 141 for the 
index finger. It is contemplated, however, that the insert plate 132 may 
have portions that correspond to any one or more of the user's fingers. 
The insert plate 132 of FIG. 7 is adapted to have all the characteristics 
of and be used with a glove or other attaching means as discussed above 
with respect to FIG. S 1-6. 
It should be apparent that the present invention will provide the 
advantages of reduced fatigue and injury, enhanced accuracy and 
consistency, and enhanced gripping in sports. 
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein, 
it is contemplated that variations and modifications thereof may be made 
without departing from the scope of the presently claimed invention.