Abstract:
A baseball or softball glove includes a strap to provide a compressive force across the fingers of a hand inserted into the glove. The compressive force facilitates the snapping the glove to catch and secure a ball. Additionally, the ring finger and the pinky finger may be inserted into the same finger stall of the glove to compensate for the weakness of the ring finger in making the snapping motion. The glove is still given the appearance of providing a separate finger stall for each finger. A guide wall is placed across the entrance to the unused finger stall to maneuver the ring finger into the pinky stall.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to protective sporting equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a baseball or softball glove that includes features to facilitate the closing of the glove around a ball. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Gloves are traditionally worn to protect the hands and to improve gripping ability. Depending on the application, gloves may insulate the hands from temperature extremes, they may protect against harsh or hazardous environments, and they may protect the hands mechanically by diffusing or absorbing applied forces that would otherwise cause damage. 
     Protective gloves are particularly common in athletics. Most athletic gloves seek to increase gripping ability and to diffuse or absorb applied forces without interfering with the hand range of motion that is necessary for athletic tasks. Some athletic gloves seek to provide adequate hand range of motion while preventing potentially damaging movements of the hand. 
     The use of protective gloves is especially common in baseball or softball, where the hard ball must be caught at relatively high speeds. To catch a baseball or softball using a glove, the ball impacts the palm side of the glove, and then the hand wearing the glove closes around the ball. This closing of the glove is sometimes referred to as “snapping” the glove. Baseball gloves or mitts are typically made from leather or similarly stiff materials, making snapping the glove relatively difficult until the glove is broken in by repeatedly creasing the palm portion of the glove. This problem is especially pronounced in young or inexperienced players who lack sufficient hand strength to open and close the glove. Such players may need assistance in using the glove even once the glove has been broken in. 
     Breaking in a glove so that it snaps easily occurs over time with regular use of the glove. However, in order to be able to more effectively use a glove sooner, players often artificially break in a glove. Artificially breaking in a glove typically includes the application of oils or other leather-softening materials, then mechanically deforming the leather of the glove. One such method involves saturating the glove with leather oil, tying the glove closed around a baseball, then placing the glove and ball underneath the mattress of the player&#39;s bed to deform the glove around the ball. Such breaking in activities can take considerable time and effort and may ultimately reduce the usable life of the glove if care is not taken when deforming the leather. 
     Some gloves have been developed to increase the flexibility of the glove, even when new. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,775 describes a glove having a palm notch and slits to increase the flexibility of the glove. The &#39;775 patent removes a portion of material from the heel area of the palm of the glove to decrease the overall stiffness of the palm of the glove. Additionally, slits are formed in the upper part of the pocket material. These slits decrease the stiffness of the pocket to allow the user to more easily bend the glove with one hand. The gloves in the prior art rely upon such scoring or removal of material to decrease the overall stiffness of the glove in order to facilitate the opening and closing of the glove. No known gloves mechanically or orthotically assist the hand in performing the opening and closing motions to catch a ball. 
     Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a glove enhances the ability of the hand to manipulate the glove. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first aspect, the invention provides a baseball or softball glove comprising a palm portion, a thumb stall extending from the palm portion, a first finger stall extending from the palm portion and spaced apart from the thumb stall, and a compression strap removably attachable to an outer surface of a rear face of the palm portion to provide a compressive force to at least one finger of a hand inserted into the glove. 
     In another aspect, a second finger stall extends from the palm portion; and the second finger stall is sized and dimensioned to receive at least two fingers. 
     In another aspect, the second finger stall has an outward appearance of two separate finger stalls. 
     In another aspect. the second finger stall has a guide wall formed near an entrance to the finger stall, the guide wall positioned to direct the two fingers into a portion of the second finger stall. 
     In another aspect, the portion of the second finger stall is at or near the edge of the glove. 
     In another aspect, a third finger stall extends away from the palm portion between the first finger stall and the second finger stall. 
     In another aspect, a portion of material is attached to the thumb stall and the first finger stall to form a pocket between the thumb stall and the first finger stall. 
     In another aspect, the pocket includes a woven portion. 
     In another aspect, a first end of the compression strap is fixedly attached to the glove and a second end of the compression strap is removably attached to the outer surface of the rear face of the palm portion. 
     In another aspect, the first end of the compression strap is sewn to the glove. 
     In another aspect, a portion of material is attached to the thumb stall and the first finger stall to form a pocket between the thumb stall and the first finger stall, and the first end of the compression strap is fixedly attached to the glove near the pocket. 
     In another aspect, the first end of the compression strap is fixedly attached to an inner surface of the glove and the second end of the compression strap is threaded through an aperture formed in the rear face of the glove so that the second end of the compression strap may be attached to an outer surface of the rear face of the glove. 
     In another aspect, a ring is attached to the glove, the ring positioned within the aperture and the compression strap being threaded through the ring. 
     In another aspect, the ring is made of a rigid material. 
     In another aspect, a first portion of a securing mechanism is fixedly attached to the second end of the compression strap and a second portion of the securing mechanism is fixedly attached to an outer surface of the rear face of the glove. 
     In another aspect, the securing mechanism comprising a hook-and-loop system. 
     In another aspect, the invention provides a baseball or softball glove comprising a palm portion, a first finger stall extending from the palm portion, the first finger stall sized and dimensioned to receive at least two fingers, and a compression strap removably attachable to an outer surface of a rear face of the palm portion to provide a compressive force to a hand inserted into the glove. 
     In another aspect, the compressive force is applied to the main knuckles of the hand. 
     In another aspect, a thumb stall extends from the palm portion, a second finger stall extends from the palm portion and spaced apart from the thumb stall, and a portion of material is attached to the thumb stall and the first finger stall to form a pocket between the thumb stall and the first finger stall. 
     In another aspect, the invention provides a method for catching a ball comprising the steps of:
         (i) providing a glove having a strapping system capable of providing a compressive force across the knuckles of a hand inserted into the glove;   (ii) inserting a hand into the glove so that a thumb is positioned within a thumb stall and at least one finger is positioned within a finger stall;   (iii) applying a compressive force across the knuckles of the hand by adjusting a tension of the strapping system; and   (iv) bringing the finger stall and the thumb stall toward each other to capture the ball.       

     In another aspect, the compressive force inhibits movement of the hand and the at least one finger within and with respect to the glove. 
     In another aspect, the glove is configured so that at least two fingers are positioned within a single finger stall. 
     Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic rear view of a hand in a glove according to the present invention with the strapping system in an open position; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic front view of the glove shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic exploded view of the glove shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic cut away bottom view of the glove shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear view of the glove shown in  FIG. 1  with the strapping system in a closed position; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic rear view of the glove shown in  FIG. 1 , with the glove closed, as around a ball; and 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the glove of  FIG. 6 , taken along line  7 - 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a plan view showing a rear face  104  of a glove  100  having a strapping system  120  and a finger-positioning guide wall  116  that enhances the ability of a user to close or snap glove  100  around a ball. Although shown on a left hand  101 , glove  100  may alternatively be used on a right hand, if a mirror-image glove of glove  100  is provided.  FIG. 2  shows a front face  102  of glove  100 . Rear face  104  and front face  102  are preferably each made from a single panel of leather or leather-like material. Rear face  104  is attached to front face  102  to form an interior pocket configured to receive a hand  101  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Rear face  104  may be attached to front face  102  by any method known in the art, such as with stitches, an adhesive, or the like. 
     As with conventional gloves, glove  100  includes padding to absorb and dissipate the impact of the ball when caught. As shown in  FIG. 3 , an outer padding layer  127  is fixedly attached to rear face  104  using conventional techniques, such as with an adhesive, stitching, such as around the perimeter, or the like. Similarly, a front padding layer  129  is fixedly attached to front face  102  using conventional techniques. Outer padding layer  127  preferably has a generally similar shape as rear face  104 , and front padding layer  129  preferably has a generally similar shape as front face  102 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , glove  100  preferably includes a palm portion  111  with a thumb stall  106 , a first finger stall  108 , a second finger stall  110 , a third finger stall  112 , and a fourth finger stall  114  extending away from palm portion  111 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , thumb stall  106  is sized and dimensioned to receive a thumb  115 . First finger stall  108  is sized and dimensioned to receive the index or first finger  103 . Second finger stall  110  is sized and dimensioned to receive the middle or third finger  105 . In one embodiment, third finger stall  112  is sized and dimensioned to receive the ring or fourth finger  107 , and fourth finger stall  114  is sized and dimensioned to receive the pinky or fifth finger  109 . 
     To close glove  100  around a ball, all of the fingers and finger stalls are folded toward thumb stall  103 . Fourth finger stall  114  forms the edge of glove  100 , so fourth finger stall  114  is moved the furthest while closing glove  100 . Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, third finger stall  112  and fourth finger stall  114  are connected to allow ring finger  107  and pinky  109  to occupy the same finger stall. As is known, ring finger  107  is the weakest of the fingers because it shares a flexor muscle with both middle finger  105  and pinky finger  109 . By placing ring finger  107  and pinky finger  109  in the same finger stall, ring finger  107  and pinky finger  109  may move in unison to both compensate for the weakness of ring finger  107  in moving on its own and to provide additional power in moving fourth finger stall  114 . 
     Preferably, third finger stall  112  and fourth finger stall  114  are configured to appear as conventional, separate finger stalls from the exterior. However, guide wall  116  is placed at or near the entrance to third finger stall  112 . Guide wall  116  is preferably fixedly attached to both rear-side inner panel  127  and palm-side inner panel  129  in order to close off third finger stall  112 . Additionally, guide wall  116  is preferably positioned at an angle so that when ring finger  107  is being inserted into glove  100  and encounters guide wall  116 , ring finger  107  is pushed along guide wall  116  and directed into the correct position within fourth finger stall  114 . Guide wall  116  is preferably made from leather or the same or similar material as that of rear-side inner panel  127 . 
     In another embodiment, ring finger  107  may be inserted into the same finger stall as middle finger  105 . In another embodiment, middle finger  105 , ring finger  107 , and pinky finger  109  may all be inserted into a single stall which is sized and dimensioned to accommodate all three fingers. In yet another embodiment, all four fingers may be inserted into a single stall. 
     A pocket  117  is preferably disposed between thumb stall  106  and first finger stall  108 . Pocket  117  is a flap of material forming a web-like structure to prevent a ball being caught from readily slipping through the gap between thumb stall  106  and first finger stall  108 . Pocket  117  is formed of material which is the same or similar to the material of rear face  104  and/or front face  102 , such as leather. Pocket  117  is attached to thumb stall  106  and to first finger stall  108  using conventional methods, such as stitching or with an adhesive. Preferably, neither padding layer  127 ,  129  extends to pocket  117 . 
     Pocket  117  may include an optional woven panel  118 , although in other embodiments, pocket  117  may be solid or include slots. Woven panel  118  is preferably made by weaving strips of the material of pocket  117  to form the desired shape, then fixedly attaching woven panel  118  to a central portion of pocket  117 , such as by stitching. Woven panel  118  increases the flexibility of pocket  117  by reducing the stiffness of the material of pocket  117 . This allows hand  101  to open and close glove  100  more readily. 
     Strapping system  120  also enhances the natural ability of the hand to close or snap glove  100  around a ball. Strapping system  120  includes a compression strap  122 . Compression strap  122  is preferably positioned over the main knuckles  113  of hand  101 , the knuckles forming the joint between the fingers and the hand, to provide a compressive force onto knuckles  113 . The force on knuckles  113  may be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the tension of compression strap  122 . In other embodiments, compression strap  122  may be positioned over different part of hand  101  or the fingers. For example, in another embodiment, compression strap  122  may be positioned over the first finger joints of hand  101 , the second finger joints of hand  101 , or at any point along the fingers. 
     In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , compression strap  122  is preferably a strip of material that is attached to glove  100  so that compression strap  122  is divided into an inner portion  124  and an external or exposed portion  126 . In one embodiment, compression strap  122  is made from multiple materials fixedly attached together. For example, a first type of material may be used for inner portion  124  and a second type of material for external portion  126  so that a more aesthetically pleasing or weatherproof material is used for the exposed external portion  126 . In other embodiments, compression strap  122  may be made from a unitary piece of material. Compression strap  122  is preferably made from a non-elastic and durable material such as leather, though compression strap  122  may be made from other natural or synthetic materials, such as cotton, polyvinyl chloride, rubber, Spandex®, etc. 
     Inner portion  124  is fixedly connected to an inner portion of glove  100 , preferably between outer padded layer  127  and rear face  104 . Alternatively, inner portion  124  may be connected to glove  100  between outer padded layer  127  and inner padded layer  129 , although care would need to be taken to ensure that hand  101  is inserted correctly into glove so hand  101  is inserted between inner portion  124  and inner padded layer  129 . 
     Inner portion  124  is preferably fixedly attached to glove  100  only at its end or edge, as shown in  FIG. 4 , although in other embodiments, inner portion  124  may be secured to glove  100  along a portion of or even its entire length. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the end of inner portion  124  is stitched to glove  100  near pocket  117  with stitches  123 . In other embodiments, other types of conventional attachment may be used, such as an adhesive. 
     Compression strap  122  is then threaded between outer pad layer  127  and rear face  104  to an aperture  134  formed in rear face  104 . Aperture  134  is preferably an elongated hole extending through rear face  104 . In other embodiments, such as where inner portion  124  of compression strap  122  is positioned between padded layers  127 ,  129 , aperture  134  may extend through both rear face  104  and outer padded layer  127 . 
     A ring  136  is optionally provided within aperture  134 . Ring  136  is preferably rigid with a substantially similar shape as aperture  134 , for example, an elongated oval or rectangle. Ring  136  is preferably made of a rigid material such as metal, plastic, or the like. Ring  136  is preferably fixedly attached to either or both of outer padded layer  127  and inner padded layer  129 . Ring  136  may be attached by any conventional method, such as by stitching or with an adhesive. Compression strap  122  is preferably threaded through ring  136  and aperture  134  to stabilize and strengthen aperture  134 . As compression strap  122  is pulled through aperture  134  to be attached to or detached from rear face  104  or is pulled tightly through aperture  134  and held in position, compression strap  122  pulls on and wears at aperture  134 . Over time, aperture  134  may be deformed from its original size and shape or may even tear, thereby decreasing the ability of compression strap  122  to provide a sufficient level of force to knuckles  113 . Ring  136  prevents this wear and tear, as ring  136  is less prone to being readily deformed. 
     Compression strap  122  passes through aperture  134  to expose external portion  126  of compression strap  122 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , external portion  126  may be folded across rear face  104  toward pocket  117  and removably attached to rear face  104 . External portion  126  of compression strap  122  is sized to be easily grasped by the user so that compression strap  122  is easily maneuvered using only one hand. In particular, the length of external portion  126  should be sufficiently long to provide such easy manipulation. Preferably, external portion  126  is long enough to extend at least half-way between aperture  134  and pocket  117 . In other embodiments, external portion  126  may be long enough to extend less than half-way between aperture  134  and  117 , to pocket  117 , or beyond picket  117 . It will be appreciated that the length of external portion  126  varies during normal use of glove  100 . For example, when compression strap  122  is tightened, part of internal portion  124  may be pulled through aperture  134  to become part of external portion  126 . Similarly, when compression strap  122  is loosened, part of external portion  126  may be drawn through aperture  134  to become part of internal portion  124 . Preferably, the adjustment of the tension in compression strap  122  by pulling or loosening compression strap  122  only negligibly affects the fit of glove  100  on hand  101 . 
     The side of external portion  126  of compression strap  122  opposite rear face  104  of glove  100  includes at least a portion of a securing mechanism. The securing mechanism may be any reusable conventional securing mechanism, such as snaps, button and buttonhole, buckle, or similar devices. However, the securing mechanism is preferably a hook and loop mechanism, such as Velcro®. A hook and loop mechanism makes securing external portion  126  to rear face  104  using only one hand simpler than trying to perfectly align and manipulate a snap, button, slide, or similar mechanism. 
     A first portion  130  of the securing mechanism is fixedly attached to external portion  126 . Though shown in  FIG. 1  as the loop portion, first portion  130  may be either the hook portion or the loop portion. A second portion  132  of the securing mechanism is fixedly attached to rear face  104  of glove  100 . First portion  130  and second portion  132  may be attached using any conventional method, such as by sewing or using an adhesive. 
     Second portion  132  is positioned on rear face  104  so that first portion  130  is able to come into contact with and engage second portion  132  when external portion  126  has been folded across glove  100 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Once first portion  130  and second portion  132  are engaged, such as by being pressed together, external portion  126  is retained in position to maintain the desired tension of compression strap  122 . 
     First portion  130  and second portion  132  are preferably similar in length to allow for a very secure connection of the two portions. However, in other embodiments, second portion  132  may be smaller than first portion  130  or larger than first portion  130 . Also, second portion  132  is preferably co-extensive with first portion  130  when external portion  126  is attached to rear face  104 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . However, in other embodiments, parts of second portion  132  may still show when external portion  126  is attached to rear face  104 , for example, if a user desires that compression strap  122  provide only a small amount of force to knuckles  113 . Similarly, compression strap  122  may be pulled very tightly to provide additional force to knuckles  113 . In such a case, external portion  126  and first portion  130  of the securing mechanism may extend toward pocket  117  beyond the terminus of second portion  132 . 
       FIGS. 1 ,  5 ,  6 , and  7  show how strapping system  120  is used to enhance the ability of the hand to snap glove  100 . In  FIG. 1 , hand  101  has just been inserted into glove  100 . Compression strap  122  is in an open position so that first securing portion  130  of outer portion  126  is not attached to second securing portion  132  on rear face  104 . At this point, no additional force is being applied to hand  101 . 
       FIG. 5  shows glove  100  after first securing portion  130  has been removably attached to second securing portion  132 . To do so, outer portion  126  of compression strap  122  is grasped by the non-gloved hand, in this case, the right hand (not shown). Compression strap  122  is pulled until the desired level of tension in compression strap  122  is achieved so that the desired level of pressure is applied to knuckles  113  of hand  101 . During this pulling step, a segment of inner portion  124  may be pulled through aperture  134  in order to tighten compression strap  122  sufficiently. Outer portion  126  is then folded across rear face  104  toward thumb stall  106 . First securing portion  130  is then engaged with second securing portion  132 , such as by pressing the two portions together, to maintain the relative position of external portion  126  and rear face  104 . 
       FIG. 6  shows glove  100  as it is being snapped or closed. Finger stalls  108 ,  110 ,  112 ,  114  are being folded toward thumb stall  106  as fingers  103 ,  105 ,  107 ,  109  apply a force on finger stalls  108 ,  110 ,  112 ,  114  by bending fingers  103 ,  105 ,  107 ,  109  at knuckles  113 . However, hand  101  may slip or wiggle within glove  100 , wasting the force applied by the fingers and causing the fingers to expend additional energy to achieve the desired result. Over the course of play in a game, this wasted energy may contribute to early fatigue of hand  101 . As indicated by the arrows, compression strap  122  applies a force in the same direction as the force applied by the fingers, i.e., toward thumb stall  106 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the force from compression strap  122  urges hand  101  toward an interior surface  140  of padded layer  129 . In  FIG. 7 , only one finger  105  is shown for clarity, however, all fingers in glove  100  are positioned similarly. The force from compression strap  122  maintains the position of hand  101  against interior surface  140  to prevent slippage of finger  105  against that surface. Additionally, the force applied by compression strap  122  maintains the fingers in position with respect to each other, so that the ability of the fingers to wiggle and waste energy in inhibited. In a preferred embodiment, this compressive force is applied across knuckles. By preventing the loss of energy due to slippage of hand  101  and wiggling of the fingers, the ability of the athlete to snap glove  100  is increased. 
     While various embodiments of the invention have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.