Abstract:
A protective glove comprising a glove body having a padded cuff, an exterior covered with padding, finger pockets and a thumb pad, a palm flap integrally connected to the glove body adjacent the opening of the finger pockets such that the interior surface of the palm flap can be positioned to face the interior surface of the glove body, the palm flap further including a thumb pad pocket adapted to receive the thumb pad of the glove body, and an adjacent thumb pocket for receiving the wearer&#39;s thumb, flexible releasable fasteners situated along the periphery of the palm flap and at corresponding locations on the glove body for releasably connecting the palm flap to the glove body such that the palm flap and the glove body define a hand cavity when they are connected that communicates with the finger pockets.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a protective glove for hockey and similar sports requiring protective gloves padded on the back side of the hand, specifically the invention relates to a hockey glove which may be opened to expose the inside of the glove. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In sports such as hockey, lacrosse and similar contact sports, players require padded gloves to protect their fingers and hands from injury due to the physical contact of the game. Typically, the glove includes padded finger pockets or stalls as well as padded portions for protecting the hand, wrist, and lower forearm. These known gloves usually have finger pockets in which the protective padding for the fingers takes the form of long and narrow pads which extend lengthwise along the finger and are often provided with at least one transverse weakening or joint in order to facilitate the bending of the fingers. The padding for protecting of the back of the hand usually consist of a number of larger cushions which are separated from each other in order to allow bending of the hand. Protection for the thumb is usually provided by a padded cushion that extends along the outer side of the thumb and in which a relatively stiff protective strip is embedded. Some thinner padded cushions are also provided in the cuff of the glove along the upper forearm and a relatively stiff protective plate with padding can be placed in the cuff in order to cover the inside of the forearm. 
     Protective gloves of this type have proved to be comparatively satisfactory but have also shown disadvantageous. Ice hockey or other similar contact sports require vigorous activity, and over a prolonged period, the palm area of the glove collects moisture from player perspiration as well as from melted ice. Conventional gloves allow little air circulation, which means that the inside of the gloves remains wet or damp for long periods after use. Over time, bacteria build up on the palm and on the liners of the glove, causing undesirable odors and an unsanitary condition that can lead to infections of the player&#39;s hands. 
     An attempt to overcome this problem is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,639 to Aoki, which discloses a protective glove for ice hockey wherein the palm area can be removed and replaced. The glove is formed of a back member covering the back of the user&#39;s hand and having the exterior surface of the back member covered with padding appropriate to protect the user&#39;s hand. A removable front portion is attached to the back member by a zipper, which extends around the peripheral edges of the glove. While the glove disclosed by Aoki allows the glove to be opened for increased air circulation, the use of a zipper as disclosed would produce a relatively inflexible peripheral ridge on the glove, which would impede the player&#39;s dexterity and the ability to handle the hockey stick, or like implement. Furthermore, the glove in Aoki lacks the close fit and overall comfort that conventional hockey gloves produce and that is required for skilful play. 
     Accordingly there is a need for a protective glove, such as for playing hockey and similar contact sports, that has the ability to be opened to expose the internal liners for drying, cleaning or replacement, and which maintains the overall fit and feel characteristics offered by conventional gloves. The protective gloves of the present invention are provided to fulfill this need as will be understood from the following description. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above shortcomings may be addressed by providing, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a protective glove for ice hockey, or similar sport requiring a glove with padding on the back of the hand, comprising a glove body having a padded cuff, an interior surface and an exterior surface that is substantially covered with padding, the glove body further including a plurality of finger pockets and a thumb pad, a palm flap having an interior surface and an exterior surface and being integrally connected to the glove body adjacent the opening of the finger pockets such that the interior surface of the palm flap can be positioned to face the interior surface of the glove body, the palm flap further including a thumb pad pocket adapted to receive the thumb pad of the glove body, and an adjacent thumb pocket for receiving the wearer&#39;s thumb, a plurality of flexible releasable fasteners situated along the periphery of the palm flap and at corresponding locations on the glove body for releasably connecting the palm flap to the glove body such that the palm flap and the glove body define a hand cavity when they are connected that communicates with the finger pockets. In some embodiments, the finger pockets of the glove body include first joint portions that correspond to the proximal interphalangeal joints of a wearer&#39;s hand, and the palm flap is connected to the glove body adjacent the first joint portions. The protective glove may include a removable backhand liner releasably connected to the inside surface of the glove body, and it may also include a removable wrist liner releasably connected to an inside surface of the cuff. Preferably, the flexible releasable fasteners comprise hook and loop type fasteners, such as VELCRO™ type fasteners. In some embodiments, the palm flap includes an outside edge portion having the fasteners and the glove body includes a corresponding outside edge flap having fasteners and that overlays the outside edge portion, wherein the outside edge flap releasably connects to the outside edge portion when the palm flap in positioned against the glove body. 
     In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a protective glove for ice hockey, or similar sports requiring a glove with padding on the back of the hand, comprising a glove body having a padded cuff, an interior surface and an exterior surface that is substantially covered with padding, the glove body further including a plurality of finger pads and a thumb pad, a palm flap having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a plurality of finger pockets adapted for receiving a wearer&#39;s fingers, and a plurality of finger pad pockets located above the finger pockets and being adapted to releasably receive the finger pads of the glove body to enable the palm flap to be releasable connected to the glove body such that the interior surface of the palm flap can be positioned to face the interior surface of the glove body, the palm flap further including a thumb pad pocket adapted to receive the thumb pad of the glove body, and an adjacent thumb pocket for receiving the wearer&#39;s thumb, a plurality of flexible releasable fasteners situated along the periphery of the palm flap and at corresponding locations on the glove body for releasably connecting the palm flap to the glove body such that the palm flap and the glove body define a hand cavity when they are connected that communicates with the finger pockets. The protective glove may further include a removable backhand liner releasably connected to the inside surface of the glove body, as well as a removable wrist liner releasably connected to an inside surface of the cuff. Preferably, the flexible releasable fasteners comprise hook and loop type fasteners. In some embodiments, the palm flap includes an outside edge portion having the fasteners and the glove body includes a corresponding outside edge flap having fasteners and that overlays the outside edge portion, wherein the outside edge flap releasably connects to the outside edge portion when the palm flap in positioned against the glove body. 
     Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a left side perspective view of a hockey glove for a left hand showing primarily the thumb support and forefinger support in the foreground, and the padding on the backside of the glove; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the glove in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the bottom of the glove in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the bottom of the glove in  FIG. 1  showing the wrist strap disengaged from wrist flap, and the bottom edge flap disengaged from the lateral edge portion of the palm flap; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the glove in  FIG. 4  further showing the wrist flap disengaged the palm flap; 
         FIG. 6  is a left perspective view of the glove in  FIG. 5  further showing the outer thumb flap disengaged the inner thumb flap; 
         FIG. 7  is a left perspective view of the glove in  FIG. 6  further showing the inner thumb flap displaced from the thumb support; 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of the glove in  FIG. 7  further showing the palm flap disengaged from the glove body; 
         FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the glove in  FIG. 8  in the open configuration; 
         FIG. 10  is a close-up top plan view of a portion of the glove in  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a right rear perspective view of a palm flap from another embodiment of the present invention showing the inside surface of the palm flap with its finger pockets, finger pad pockets and thumb support; 
         FIG. 12  is a top plan view of a glove body that releasably connects with the palm flap of  FIG. 11  in the steps of assembling the glove of this second described embodiment; 
         FIG. 13  is a left perspective view of the glove body of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a left perspective view of the palm flap of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 15  is left perspective view of the palm flap of  FIG. 11  connected to the glove body of  FIG. 12  in a partially assembled glove; and 
         FIG. 16  is close up of a portion of the glove of  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a protective sports glove such as hockey glove in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at  10 . Hockey glove  10  includes a padded thumb support  12  having an internal thumb pocket, padded finger supports  14  each with an internal finger pocket, and padded wrist cuff  18 . The back and lateral sides of the hockey glove  10  are provided with a plurality of protective pads  20  for absorbing impacts to the back of a user&#39;s hand. The protective pads  20  are arranged to generally correspond with the bone structure of a user&#39;s hand and include first joint portions  21  of the glove corresponding to the proximal interphalangeal finger joints, and second joint portions  22  corresponding to the metacarpophalangeal joints to provide flexibility for enabling the glove to articulate in conjunction with the user&#39;s hand. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , hockey glove  10  is shown palm side up and has a wrist flap  26  and a wrist strap  28 . Along the bottom edge  30  opposite to the thumb is an edge flap  32 . And on the thumb support  12  there is provided an outer thumb flap  34 . In  FIG. 3 , the wrist flap  26 , the wrist strap  28 , the bottom edge flap  32  and the outer thumb flap  36  are shown in a closed configuration. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , hockey glove  10  is shown palm side up with the wrist strap  26  and the bottom edge flap  32  shown in an open configuration. These are held in the closed configuration by means of hook and loop type fasteners, such as Velcro™ fasteners. Thus in  FIG. 4 , the wrist strap has the hook portions  40  of the fasteners on its underside and the outer surface  42  of wrist flap  26  has the loop portions  44  such that the wrist strap  28  can be releasable fastened to the outer surface of the wrist flap  26 . Likewise, the inside surface of the edge flap  32  has the hook portions  46  of the fasteners and the outside surface of the edge portion  31  has the loop portions  48  of the fasteners. Accordingly, the wrist strap  28  can be fastened to the outer surface  42  of the wrist flap  26  and the edge flap  32  can be fastened to the edge portion  31  of the palm panel or flap  33 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , hockey glove  10  is shown palm side up with the wrist strap  28 , the bottom edge flap  32  and the wrist flap  26  shown in an open configuration. The inside surface  50  of the wrist flap  26  has loop portions  52  of the hook and loop fasteners and the outer surface  56  of the palm panel flap  33  has corresponding hook portions  58  of the hook and loop fasteners for fastening the wrist flap  26  onto the palm panel  33 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , glove  10  is shown thumb side up and the outer thumb flap  36  is in an open configuration, as are the writs flap  26  and the wrist strap  28 . The inside surface of the outer thumb flap  36  has a hook portion  60  and the outer surface of inner thumb flap  62  has a corresponding loop portion  64  of a hook and loop fastener for fastening the outer thumb flap  36  to the inner thumb flap  62 . Note that inner thumb flap  62  comprises padding material and provides additional protection for the thumb. Also illustrated in this Figure is the ergonomic curvature of the finger supports  14  in which the pinky finger support  71  is curved the most inward, followed by the ring finger support  72 , the middle finger support  73  and finally the index finger support  74  which has the least amount of curvature. The ergonomic curvature of the finger supports  14  mimics the curvature of a hand when in a grasping posture used for grasping a hockey stick or like game playing implement. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , glove  10  is show in a similar orientation as in the previous figure but with the inner thumb flap  62  in an open configuration in which it is folded away from the thumb support  12 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8-10 , glove  10  is shown completely open in which palm flap  33  is folded away from the main glove body  76  to expose the inside lining  78  and removable back hand moisture trap lining  80  and palm moisture trap lining  82 . Palm flap  33  is integral with the body of glove  10  from the end of the finger supports up to the second joints of the finger supports, corresponding to the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, thereby defining finger pockets for receiving the wearer&#39;s fingers. Otherwise, the palm flap  33  is releasably fastened to the body of the glove  10  by hook and loop type fasteners, such as Velcro™ fasteners. In other embodiments, the palm flap may be integral with the body of the glove up to the knuckle joints (metacarpophalangeal joints) of the finger supports, or alternatively, to the first (distal interphalangeal joints). 
     However, higher points at which the palm flap is connected to the glove body are preferred so that the finger pockets in the glove body are longer for a better fit of the glove to the wearer&#39;s fingers, which enables better stick handling control. 
     Along the bottom edge of the glove, the palm flap  33  is fastened to the glove body by the edge flap  32 . Along the opposite side of the glove adjacent the thumb, the palm flap  33  is fastened to the body of the glove by releasable engagement of hook portion  88  on the palm flap  33  with the corresponding loop portion  89  adjacent the thumb. The palm flap  33  and the glove body  76  thereby define palm cavity in which the wearer&#39;s is received in the glove. The thumb support  12  is integral with the palm flap  33  and it defines a thumb pad pocket  90  and a thumb pocket  91  to receive the wearer&#39;s thumb. The glove body  76  has thumb pad  92  which fits within the thumb pad pocket  90  of the thumb support  12  and, during the act of closing the glove, the thumb pad  92  is positioned within the thumb pad pocket  90  as palm flap  33  is brought towards the glove body  76  and then fastened thereto as described above. The thumb pad  92  is releasable fastened to the thumb pad pocket  90  by the releasable engagement of hook portion  94  on the inside of said pocket with loop portion  96  on the outside of thumb pad  92 . A moisture back hand moisture trap liner  80  shown folded back toward the wrist is releasably fastened to the glove body  76  at a location adjacent the wrist portion by means of hook and loop fasteners  98  and at a location adjacent the base of the thumb by means of hook and loop fasteners  99 . In its operable position with the glove closed, the back hand moisture trap liner  80  lays against the inside surface  100  of the glove body  76 , and may comprise a hydrophilic layer such as cotton on the side that faces the inside surface  100  of the glove body, and a hydrophobic layer such as NYFOAM™ on the side that faces the back of the wearer&#39;s hand. The NYFOAM™ absorbs the moisture from the back of the wearer&#39;s hand and the cotton traps the moisture. However, other materials suitable for hockey glove liners may be substituted. A wrist moisture trap liner  82 , shown folded back towards the wrist, is releasably fastened to the inside surface of wrist flap  26  by means of hook and loop fasteners  102 . In its operable position with the glove closed, the wrist moisture trap liner  82  lays against the inside surface  104  of the palm flap  33 , adjacent the wrist, and it has a similar construction as the back hand moisture trap liner  80  wherein the NYFOAM™ side rests against the wearer&#39;s wrist and the cotton side against the inside surface  104 . Both of the moisture trap liners may be removed from the glove and are washable, or may be replaceable with replacement moisture trap liners. 
     The glove  10  in the open configuration as show in  FIGS. 8-10  exposes the inside liners and the finger cavities to the atmosphere to enable the glove to be dried quickly after use, which reduces the build up of bacteria. Also, the moisture trap liners may be removed and dried, washed or replaced. Once the glove is dry, it may be closed as follows in preparation for use. The backhand moisture trap liner  80  is folded downward so that it lays against the inside surface  100  of the glove body  76 . The palm flap  33  is brought toward the glove body  76  and the thumb pad  92  is inserted into the thumb pad pocket  90 . The palm flap is secured to the glove body  76  by fastening the loop portion  46  to the hook portions  48  along the edge of the glove and the loop portion  89  to the hook portions  88  adjacent the thumb side of the glove. The thumb pad  92  is secured to the thumb support  12  by fastening the loop portion  96  to the hook portion  94 . The wrist flap  26  is secured to the outside surface of the palm flap by fastening the loop portion  52  to the hook portions  58 . The wrist moisture trap  82  is folded into the glove cavity, now defined by the glove body and the palm flap, so that it lays against the inside surface of the palm flap at a location adjacent the wearer&#39;s wrist. The inner thumb flap  62  is folded against the thumb support  12 , and the outer thumb flap  36  is folded over and secured to the inner thumb flap by fastening the hook portion  60  to the loop portion  64 . And finally, the wrist strap  28  is secured to the outer surface  42  of the wrist flap  26  by fastening the hook portions  40  to the loop portions  44 . Minor adjustments to the position of the various straps and flaps may be made by selectively unfastening certain of the hook and loop fasteners, repositioning them relative to each other, and then refastening them. The assembled glove is ready to use and provides a hockey glove that advantageously has the protective qualities of a conventional hockey glove, provides a good, secure fit for the wearer, provides the requisite amount of flexibility for stick handling, while at the same time it enables the glove to be opened to expose the inner liners for the purposes of drying or cleaning. And in some embodiments, removable liners are also provided which may be washed or replaced in their entirety. The opening of the glove to expose the liners is accomplished in reverse order. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11-16 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which the palm flap and the glove body are completely separable which allows for either part to be replaced as required. With reference to  FIGS. 11 &amp; 14 , palm flap  110  is similar to the previously described embodiment except that it includes finger pockets  112  for receiving the fingers of a wearer&#39;s hand, and above the finger pockets is provided finger pad pockets  116 . Referring to  FIGS. 12 &amp; 13 , the glove body  120  is similar to the embodiment previously described with the exception that the finger supports are not provided with finger pockets, but instead they terminate in distal finger pads  126 . The finger pad pockets  116  of the palm flap  110  are adapted to receive the distal finger pads  126  of the glove body  120  and thereby function to releasably connect the palm flap  110  to the glove body  120  for enabling the glove to be assembled. The releasable connection is achieved by the close fit of the distal finger pads  126  into the finger pad pockets  116 , and is further enhanced by releasable fasteners, such as a hook and loop type fasteners provided on the outside of the distal finger pads and at a corresponding location on the inside of the finger pad pockets. Specifically, loop portions  128  of the hook and loop fasteners are provided on the distal finger pads  126 , and hook portions  118  are provided on the inside of the finger pad pockets  116 . Once the distal finger pads  126  of the glove body are inserted into the finger pad pockets  116  of the palm flap, releasable loop straps  130  and  131  on the glove body  120 , each comprising of a strip of material having hoop and loop fasteners at its base and tip respectively, is threaded through loops  132  and  133  respectively on the palm flap  110  and secured to itself to enhance the connection between the palm flap and the glove body. 
       FIGS. 15 &amp; 16  show the palm flap  110  connected to the glove body  120  wherein the distal finger pads  126  are received within the finger pad pockets  116 . From this stage, the hockey glove may be assembled or closed in preparation for use as described in the previous embodiment. And, once closed, the glove may be opened to the configuration as shown in  FIG. 15  by reversing the steps previously described. From the configuration as shown, the palm flap  110  may be separated from the glove body  120  by inserting a flat, rigid tool  136  into the finger pad pockets  116  in between the upper pocket wall and the distal finger pads  126  to separate the hook portions  118  from the loop portions  128  of the hook and loop fasteners, as shown in  FIG. 16 . Once the fasteners are separated, the distal finger pad may be withdrawn from its finger pad pocket. This is repeated with each finger support until all of the distal finger pads are withdrawn from the finger pad pockets, thereby disengaging the palm flap from the glove body. 
     While the above description and illustrations constitute preferred or alternate embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.