Patent Publication Number: US-8966666-B2

Title: Weightlifting glove with integrated hand and wrist support

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention pertains generally to gloves and, more particularly, to a glove for use by a person engaging in an activity such as weightlifting. 
     2. Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,384 discloses a glove designed to prevent hyperextension of the ligaments and tendons of the wrists of persons engaged in weightlifting and other activities where sprains to the wrist can occur. That glove has a wrist strap that is attached to the glove body and wrapped around the wrist to secure the glove to the hand and bind the wrist so that hyperextension does not occur. 
     Other gloves with straps that wrap about the wrist are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,939, Des. 320,872, and Des. 362,927. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, in general, an object of the invention to provide a new and improved glove for use by persons engaged in activities such as weightlifting. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a glove of the above character which provides integrated support for the hand and wrist. 
     These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by providing a glove comprising a body having a front side that overlies the palm of the hand and a back side that overlies the back of the hand, finger sleeves extending from the upper portion of the body, a thumb sleeve extending from the front side of the body, and a supporting wrap having a palm section that is affixed to front side of the body, overlies substantially the entire palm of the hand, and encircles the thumb, with a strap that extends laterally from the palm section and is wrapped about the wrist and a portion of the palm section to provide integrated support for the palm and thumb portions of the hand as well as the wrist. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of one embodiment of a glove in accordance with the invention on the hand of a user. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the front side of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the body of the glove flattened and the support strap in an unfolded state. 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the rear side of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the body flattened and the support strap in the unfolded state. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the front side of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the body flattened and the support strap in the unfolded state. 
         FIGS. 5-8  are isometric views of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the body of the glove on the hand of the user and the support strap being wrapped about the wrist. 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  showing the back and thumb sides of the glove on the hand of the user. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the glove has body  16  with a front side  17  and a back side  18  which are shaped to conform generally to the palm and to the back of the user&#39;s hand. As best seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  5 , the front side of the body extends beyond the palm and overlies a portion of the wrist when the glove is on the hand of the user. In that regard, it will be noted that the lower edge of front piece  17  curves downwardly across the front of the wrist from the little finger side of the body toward the thumb side. The front piece is formed of a strong, relatively flexible material such as leather. 
     The back side of the body includes a lower panel  19  of fabric or other suitable compliant material that overlies the back of the hand between the knuckles and the base of the hand. It also has an upper panel  21  of expandable material that overlies the knuckles at the base of the fingers. The back side of the body terminates at the base of the hand and does not extend over the wrist. 
     Finger sleeves  22  extend from the upper portion of the body, and a thumb sleeve  23  extends from the front side. The finger sleeves are formed of an expandable, flexible material, with sections of leather on the front and rear faces thereof. On the front side of the glove, front piece  17  has finger sections  24  which overlie the sleeves and are affixed to them by stitching. On the back side, a base section  26  is stitched onto the lower portions of the sleeves, and separate tip pieces  27  are stitched onto the upper portions. With all of the leather sections being separately attached to the sleeves, the sleeves are free to expand and flex along the sides of the fingers and also between the different sections on the back. 
     Thumb sleeve  23  is formed of the same material as front piece  17  and is attached to the front piece by stitching around a thumb opening in the front piece. 
     A supporting strap or wrap  29  is attached to the body of the glove and wrapped around the hand and wrist of the user in a manner that provides integrated support for the palm and thumb portions of the hand as well as the wrist. This support has a palm section  31  that overlies front piece  17  and is substantially coextensive with the front piece, thus covering both the entire the entire palm of the hand and a portion of his wrist. The palm section encircles the thumb and has an opening  32  through which the thumb sleeve extends. It is formed of a durable, inelastic material such as leather and is affixed to the front piece by stitching  33 ,  34  that extends peripherally about the palm section and around the thumb sleeve. 
     A thumb piece  36  extends along the inner side of the thumb sleeve to provide additional support for the thumb. The thumb piece is formed of the same material as the palm section and is affixed to the palm section by stitching  34  and to the thumb sleeve by stitching  35 . 
     The wrap extends laterally from the thumb side of the hand and tapers to an elongated section  37  of substantially uniform width. The taper  38  begins at the top of the palm section at the edge of the glove body and continues for a distance sufficient to wrap around the back side and the palm side of the hand, ending at a point just below the base of the thumb. The lower edge  39  of the strap is substantially straight except along the palm section where it follows the curvature  41  of the lower edge of front piece  17 . Elongated section  37  thus has a width slightly less than the distance between the base of the thumb sleeve and the lowermost edge of the palm section so that it will overlie the lower portions of the front piece and the palm section when wrapped about the wrist. 
     A cushioning pad  43  is provided on the front side of the glove in the area beneath the thumb sleeve where the strap wraps about the wrist. This pad is located in a pocket formed between the palm section of the strap and the front piece of the body by stitching  44 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated, the wrap is formed in two pieces  46 , 47  which are joined together by stitching  48 . The first piece  46  includes palm section  31  and the tapered section  49  that wraps about the back of the hand. The second piece is fabricated of the same inelastic material as front piece  17  and includes the remainder of the taper and elongated section  37 . The edges of the two pieces are bound with binding tape  50 . 
     A Velcro hook and loop fastener is provided for releasably securing the strap about the wrist of the user. This fastener includes a first pad  51  which is affixed to the front side of strap in an area beyond the taper and a second pad  52  which is affixed to the back side of the strap near the distal or free end of the strap. In the embodiment illustrated, pad  51  is the loop or female part of the fastener, and pad  52  is the hook or male part. 
     Grip enhancing pads  53 ,  54 , and  55  are provided in the palm, thumb, and finger areas on the front side of the glove. These pads are formed of a material such as rubber or other elastomer, with pads  53 ,  54  being disposed in cut-out areas  56 ,  57  of the palm section and the thumb piece of the supporting wrap and adhesively affixed to front piece  17  of the body and to the side of thumb sleeve  23 . Stitching  58 ,  59  secures the palm section and thumb piece to the front piece of the body and to the side of the thumb sleeve around the cut-out areas. Pads  55  are disposed in cut-out areas  61  in the leather on the front sides of finger sleeves  22 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5-10 , the glove is placed on the hand of the user by first inserting the hand into the body of the glove, with palm section  31  of the strap extending across the palm of the hand and a portion of the wrist and the free portion of the strap extending from the thumb side of the hand. The free portion is then wrapped about the back side of the hand and the wrist, with the tapered section  49  partially covering the back of the hand. The remainder of the tapered portion is then wrapped about the front side of the hand and wrist, overlapping the lower portions of the body of the glove and the palm section of the strap. The section of the strap with Velcro pad  51  is then wrapped about the back of the wrist, with the pad facing outward, and the wrapping continues until the two Velcro pads are engaged to secure the strap in place. 
     The invention has a number of important features and advantages. With the supporting wrap covering the entire palm and encircling the thumb as well as being wrapped about the wrist, the glove provides increased support for the entire hand, not just the wrist. Having the wrap integrated into the construction of the palm and lifting areas of the glove also allows the lifter to control his lifting movement more precisely. In addition, it enhances the ability to achieve proper positioning when lifting, thereby preventing hyperextension and increasing the total support the glove provides. Moreover, increasing the integration of the hand and wrist provides greater lifting efficiency and reduces hand fatigue. 
     It is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved weightlifting glove with integrated palm, wrist and thumb support has been provided. While only one presently preferred embodiment has been described in detail, as will be apparent to those familiar with the art, certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.