Patent Publication Number: US-2015082511-A1

Title: Grip enhancing hand and wrist covering

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to wearable garments and, more particularly, to a hand and wrist covering which improves a user&#39;s grip for holding a structure. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of hand or wrist coverings, such as a gloves or wristbands, is well known. Gloves have been adapted for many purposes, including without limitation, for protection from cold, heat, friction, and harmful substances; for hygiene and contamination protection, for improving grip or reducing friction, or for a plurality of such purposes. Wristbands are encircling strips worn around a user&#39;s wrist and have also been adapted for many purposes, including for perspiration control, identification or information presentation, and social function. 
     In some sports, it is common to see participants wear gloves and/or wristband while playing. In American football for example, many players were gloves to assist with grip and for protection from cold. Wristbands are also commonly worn in football for perspiration control and for information presentation. Despite the structure of conventional gloves and wristbands used in football, a problem which still exists is players often still have a difficult time holding or catching the ball. Throughout a game, it is not uncommon to see players make mistakes while attempting to catch a pass or fumble a ball that they are holding. Thus, there remains a need for a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering which includes a plurality of suction cups to assist in holding or catching a ball. It would be helpful if such a hand and wrist covering was configured as two discrete coverings which were removably attachable to one another. It would be additionally desirable for such a hand and wrist covering to assist players during their developmental stage to improve their skill in securing the ball. 
     The Applicant&#39;s invention described herein provides for a hand and wrist covering for improving a user&#39;s ability to grip a ball. The primary components of Applicant&#39;s grip enhancing hand and wrist covering are a glove component, a wrist component, and a plurality of suction cups. When in operation, the hand and wrist covering allows a user to catch and/or hold a ball by increasing a user&#39;s gripping power. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by conventional gloves and wristbands are removed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A grip enhancing hand and wrist covering for improving a user&#39;s ability to grip a ball, comprising a glove component and a wrist component, each having a plurality suction cups disposed thereon. Each suction cup provides a grip enhancing means. The glove component provides a hand covering means and is defined by a conventional glove body having a plurality of suction cups spanning the surface of each finger and the thumb on the palmar side. A hook and loop fastener is disposed on the outside surface at the base of the glove component so as to allow the glove component to removably attach to a wrist component of the grip enhancing hand and wrist covering. 
     The corresponding wrist component provides a wrist covering means and is defined as an elongated hollow cylinder having a proximal end and a distal end. Disposed across the anterior side of the wrist component are suction cups. A hook and loop fastener component is disposed on the inside surface of the hollow cylinder at the proximal end. The corresponding hook and loop fastener portion on the glove component and hook and loop fastener portion of the wrist component together provide a fastening means for removably attaching said hand covering means with said wrist covering means. 
     The grip enhancing hand and wrist covering, which can be manufactured for use on either hand, uses the plurality of suction cups to improve the gripping ability of its user. As it includes both a hand covering and an attachable wrist covering, it provides much more surface area than conventional gloves or wristbands. 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering which includes a plurality of suction cups to assist in holding or catching a ball. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a hand and wrist covering configured as two discrete coverings which were removably attachable to one another. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a hand and wrist covering adapted to assist players during their developmental stage to improve their skill in securing the ball. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of the palmar side of a glove component of a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 1   b  is a perspective view of the dorsal side of a glove component of a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2   a  is a perspective view of the anterior side of a wrist component of a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2   b  is a perspective view of the posterior side component of a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the wrist component of a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering built in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings and in particular  FIG. 1   a , the palmar side of a glove component  10  of a grip enhancing hand and wrist covering is shown having a conventional glove body  11  defined by a palm portion  12 , four finger portions  13 , and a thumb portion  14 . Spanning each finger portion  13  and the thumb portion  14  on the palmar side are a plurality of suction cups  15  permanently attached to the surface of said glove component  10 . A hook and loop fastener component  16  is disposed at the base of the glove component  10  so as to allow the glove component to removably attach to a wrist component of the grip enhancing hand and wrist covering. In the preferred embodiment, the hooks of the hook and loop fastener component  16  are disposed on said glove component  10  near the opening  17  configured to receive a user&#39;s hand. 
     Referring now to Figure lb, the dorsal side of the glove component  10  of the grip enhancing hand and wrist covering is shown, again having a conventional glove body  11  defined by a palm portion  12 , four finger portions  13 , and a thumb portion  14 . As the hook and loop fastener component  16  encircles the base of the glove component  10  in the preferred embodiment, the dorsal side of the glove component  10  also includes the hook and loop fastener component  16  is disposed at the base of the glove component  10 . Unlike the palmar side, however, the dorsal side lacks any suction cups. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b , and  3 , the wrist component  20  is defined as an elongated hollow cylinder  21  having a proximal end  21   a  and a distal end  21   b . Disposed across the anterior side of the wrist component  20  is a plurality of suction cups  22  permanently attached to the surface of said wrist component  20 . No suction cups are present on the posterior side of the wrist component  20 . A hook and loop fastener component  23  is disposed on the inside of the hollow cylinder  21  at the proximal end  21   a.  It is understood that the hook and loop fastener component  23  on the wrist component  20  is the opposing aspect than the hook and loop fastener component  16  on the glove component  10  so as to allow the hook and loop fastener component to engage to form a removable attachment. It is additionally contemplated that the hooks of the fastener are placed on the glove component so that they do not scratch the hand or wrist of the user when the grip enhancing hand and wrist covering is put on. This is due to the fact that the hook and loop fastener component  16  on the glove component  10  is on the exterior of the glove component  10  while the hook and loop fastener component  23  on the wrist component  20  is on the interior of the wrist component  20 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the glove body  10  and the hollow cylinder  21  are both constructed of a leather or suede material and the suction cups  16 ,  22  are constructed of rubber. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the hook and loop fastener component on the wrist component and the opposing hook and loop fastener component on the glove component are located on only the anterior/palmar or the posterior/dorsal side of the wrist component and glove component, respectively. 
     The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.