Abstract:
The invention relates to a novel golf glove and is characterized in that on the inside surface of the thumb of the glove, i.e. the surface that bears against the club shaft when playing, there is a pressure sensor that interacts with an acoustic signal transmitter or is part of an acoustic signal transmitter that delivers an acoustic signal when a predetermined trigger force acting on the sensor is exceeded.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/589,811. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Various versions of golf gloves are known. In particular, especially golf gloves are known with bulge-like position aids that are provided on the inside surface of the glove and that have at least one bulge-like projection for positioning of the club shaft on the hand, which then forms the contact surface for the shaft of the golf club (U.S. Pat. No.  5,253,367).    
           [0003]    Providing a golf glove with sensors in the form of switches (U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,492) consisting of electronic circuitry to produce an acoustic signal when these sensors are actuated is furthermore known.  
           [0004]    The object of the invention is to devise an improved version of a golf glove.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    In the embodiment as claimed in the invention the glove for the hand that bears directly against the shaft of the club when hitting the ball with the club has a pressure sensor on the free end of the thumb that forces the signal transmitter, for example the electronic circuitry, to deliver a preferably acoustic signal when a stipulated trigger force is exceeded, for example a trigger force of roughly 600-700 g. The pressure sensor is located on that side of the thumb of the glove with which (side) this thumb bears against the club shaft, so that with a single pressure sensor the force of this thumb and also the force with which the other hand or the inside surface of the hand or the ball of the thumb bears against the thumb of the first hand is monitored. Therefore, the golf glove as claimed in the invention indicates, in the course of a stroke, undesirable clenching of the club and thus enables especially even novice golfers to improve their stroke.  
           [0006]    The pressure sensor is made of two pressure point contacts or switches that pass from one state, for example from the opened state, into the other state, for example the closed state, only when the stipulated trigger force is exceeded.  
           [0007]    One advantage of the embodiment as claimed in the invention is that clenching of the club by the player is reliably indicated and the player is trained by muscle-remanent training such that the golf club finally lies loosely in the hand for the golf stroke to be correctly executed. The player is therefore guided to a looser swing and to successful golfing.  
           [0008]    The electronic circuitry is made for example to deliver an acoustic signal. There can also be a light display or a signal transmitter in the form of a vibrator instead or in addition. In place of an electronic pressure sensor with a signal transmitter, purely mechanical designs are also conceivable. Developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]    The invention is described in detail below based on the figures and one sample embodiment.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 shows in a simplified representation an overhead view of the inside surface of a golf glove as claimed in the invention for the left hand of a right-hander;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 shows the golf glove of FIG. 1 worn on the left hand of a right-hander, i.e. the hand gripping the shaft of the club;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 shows a representation similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment of the golf glove as claimed in the invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 shows the electronic circuitry of the signal transmitter with the pressure sensor;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 shows in a simplified representation an overhead view of the pressure sensor and the electronic circuitry. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    The golf glove generally designated as  1  in the figures is produced in the conventional manner as a fingered glove from leather or another suitable material and has a bulge-like position aid  3  on the inside surface  2  that projects over this inside surface and that extends from the index finger  4  in the direction of the little finger  5 . On the thumb  6  on the inside surface, i.e. on that side that bears directly against the club shaft  7  when the shaft  7  is grasped, there is an electric pressure sensor  8 . The latter interacts with electronic circuitry  9  sewn onto the back of the glove  10 , in the vicinity of the thumb  6  in the embodiment shown. The pressure sensor  8  is set such that when a predetermined force is exceeded, for example a force of 600-700 g, it is triggered and causes the electronic circuitry  9  to deliver an acoustic signal.  
         [0016]    When playing, conventionally the shaft  7  of the golf club is grasped with the left hand, whereby the thumb of this hand and thus the thumb  6  of the golf glove  1  bear against the shaft  7 . The right hand likewise bears with the thumb against the thumb of the left hand on the shaft. If the pressure or the force of the right hand exceeds the threshold value (600-700 g) that is stipulated by the pressure switch  8 , an acoustic signal is triggered.  
         [0017]    The advantage of using the golf glove  1 , therefore, is that when hitting the ball with the club, excess force of the right and left hand is monitored and especially also undue clenching of the club with these hands is indicated. Thus especially novice golfers can practice the optimum stroke with the golf club. The correct location of the club shaft  7  in the hand surface is also guaranteed in any case by the position aid  3  that is provided on the inner surface  2 .  
         [0018]    Also during execution of the stroke the pressure sensor  8  functions as a monitoring element, i.e. basic errors in the execution of the stroke or vibrations are acoustically indicated.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 shows in a representation similar to FIG. 1 as another possible embodiment a golf glove  1  a that differs from the glove of FIG. 1 in that instead of the bulge-like position aid  3  that is provided on the inside surface of the glove there is a position aid  3   a  that in turn, beginning in the area on which the index finger  4  of the glove passes into the inside surface of the glove (end  3   a ′), extends as far as the opposite side of the inside surface of the glove (end  3   a ″), the end  3   a ″ also having a greater distance from the passage of the little finger  5  to the inside surface  2  of the glove. The position aid  3   a  is curved such that its surface facing the fingers  4  and  5  has a convex profile. The radius of curvature is for example 750 mm.  
         [0020]    The special advantage of the position aid  3   a  consists in the fact that with a length proceeding from the end  3   a ′ it ensures an aid for the correct positioning of the club shaft  7  or club handle on the golf glove  1   a  or in the hand of the player, especially also correct positioning of the club shaft  7  with reference to the pressure sensor and for this purpose forms a side stop on the concave side against which, with the hand closed, the shaft  7  bears and that with the end  3   a  it forms a rest for the end of the club shaft or club handle  7  such that this end of the position aid  3   a  provides wear protection that counteracts wearing through of the glove la on its inside surface  2 .  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 shows the electronic circuitry  9  that is triggered by the pressure sensor  8  and contains the acoustic signal transmitter  21  (piezo buzzer). The circuitry consists essentially of the two transistors  22  and  23 , which make up an astable multivibrator  20  and of which each transistor  22  and  23  is connected with its base by means of a coupling capacitor  24  or  25  with the collector of the other transistor  23  or  22 . The signal transmitter  21  is located parallel to the collector emitter route of the transistor  22 . The collectors of both transistors  22  and  23  are connected by means of their collector resistors  26  and  27  with a connection  28  of the pressure sensor  8 , which is connected by means of its other connection  29  with a connection of the battery  30 . The connection  30  is furthermore connected by means of a resistor  31  with the resistor network  32 , which is located parallel to the base emitter route of the two transistors  22  and  23 .  
         [0022]    The resistor network  32 , the emitters of the two transistors  22  and  23 , one connection of the signal transmitter  21  and one connection of the battery  30  are connected with the circuit mass GND.  
         [0023]    As FIG. 4 shows, the pressure sensor consists of two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b  that are located parallel to each other and that change from the opened state to the closed state upon exceeding a stipulated threshold pressure, so that upon closing of only one of the two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b , the astable multivibrator  20  is connected with the battery  30  and the signal transmitter  21  is triggered to deliver an acoustic signal.  
         [0024]    As FIG. 5 shows, the two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b  are located on a common board or substrate  33  and are made of a highly elastic material, separate from the board or substrate  34  on which the battery  30  and the multivibrator  20  and the signal transmitter  21  are located. As FIG. 5 also shows, the two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b  are located on the board  33  in a partially overlapping and staggered arrangement in the longitudinal direction of the thumb, for example on different sides of this board, so as to achieve a relatively large area for the pressure sensor  8 . The board  33  i s sewn onto the thumb and the board  34  is sewn onto the back of the golf glove, both being covered.  
         [0025]    The invention was described above based on one sample embodiment. It goes without saying that numerous changes and modifications are possible without departing from the underlying inventive idea of the invention. For example, the golf glove of the left hand for a right-hander, i.e. the glove directly adjoining the club shaft  7  in the case of application, is described above. It goes without saying that for lefthanders this glove is one for the right hand.  
         [0026]    The embodiment as claimed in the invention also has the advantage that with the two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b , both the pressure of the thumb of the left hand and the pressure of the thumb of the right hand can be monitored, since a right-hander, when executing a normal strike with the golf club, places the ball of the thumb of the right hand above the thumb of the left hand. Since the pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b  a re staggered in relation to each other in the longitudinal direction of the thumb  6  of the golf glove  1 , the pressure switch  8   a , which is closer to the free end of the thumb  6 , monitors the left hand of the player and the other pressure switch  8   b  monitors the right hand of the player. This applies to right-handers. For a left-hander, it is exactly the opposite. In this ebodiment, the two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b  can be positioned on opposite sides of the thumb, namly one pressure switch on the inner side and one pressure switch on the outer side of the thumb. even in this case the two pressure switches  8   a  and  8   b  are positioned in overlapping ralation in respect to the thumb logitudinal axis.  
       Reference Number List  
       [0027]    [0027] 1  golf glove  
         [0028]    [0028] 2  inside surface of the glove  
         [0029]    [0029] 3  position aid  
         [0030]    [0030] 4  index finger  
         [0031]    [0031] 5  little finger  
         [0032]    [0032] 6  thumb  
         [0033]    [0033] 7  shaft of the club  
         [0034]    [0034] 8  pressure sensor  
         [0035]    [0035] 9  electronic circuitry for producing an acoustic signal  
         [0036]    [0036] 10  back of the glove  
         [0037]    [0037] 11  electric switch or astable multivibrator  
         [0038]    [0038] 12  acoustic signal transmitter  
         [0039]    [0039] 22 ,  23  transistor  
         [0040]    [0040] 24 ,  25  coupling capacitor  
         [0041]    [0041] 26 ,  27  collector resistor  
         [0042]    [0042] 28  switch point  
         [0043]    [0043] 29  switch point  
         [0044]    [0044] 30  battery  
         [0045]    [0045] 31  resistor  
         [0046]    [0046] 32  network  
         [0047]    [0047] 33 ,  34  board