Patent Publication Number: US-2011047670-A1

Title: Batting glove with rollover strap

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Batting gloves are often worn by baseball and softball players to protect their hands from wear and to provide a better grip on a ball bat. Many players wear batting gloves on one or both hands when batting, and may also wear a batting glove on their “glove hand,” or non-throwing hand, when playing defensively in the field. 
     Batting gloves were initially designed primarily for male baseball players, and have typically been too large for many female players. Over the years, batting gloves have been designed for female fast pitch and softball players but the designs have generally been primarily aesthetic in nature. For example, batting gloves have been designed in a variety of colors that have been found to be appealing to many female players. Indeed, many female batting glove designs merely involve changing the color of an existing glove designed for male players. As a result, the batting gloves are often too long or otherwise uncomfortable for female players (and for some male players, as well). 
     SUMMARY 
     A batting glove includes a strap or cuff that folds about a seam or hinge line to shorten the length of the glove. Hook and loop material, or another suitable fastener, is included on the inside of one end of the strap or cuff, and on the outside of a free end of the strap or cuff, when the glove is in its full length position. Accordingly, when the strap or cuff is folded back about the hinge line to shorten the length of the glove, the fastener previously on the inside of the strap is exposed, allowing the wearer to secure the fastener on the free end of the strap or cuff to the exposed fastener. 
     Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a batting glove in its full length position, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the batting glove of  FIG. 1  with the strap rolled over such that the glove length is shortened and the hook and loop material on the strap is exposed. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the batting glove of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the free end of the strap secured to the exposed region via the hook and loop material. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures, functions, or materials may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments. 
     The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section. 
     Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. 
     Turning now in detail to the drawings, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a batting glove  10  in its full length position includes a main body  11 , finger receiving regions or “fingers”  12 , and a thumb-receiving region or “thumb”  14 . The batting glove  10  further includes a cuff or strap  16  having a first end  18  and a second end  20 . The first end  18  or free end of the strap  16  may optionally include a logo  22  or other design stitched, imprinted, or otherwise located thereon. 
     The strap  16  may be attached to the main body  11  of the glove via a stitched seam or via another connection that provides a hinge line  24  or fold line. In one embodiment, the strap  16  and the main body  11  may be made from a single piece of material and may include an integral hinge that delineates the strap  16  from the main body  11 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , after the glove  10  is fitted onto a wearer&#39;s hand, the strap  16  may be folded back or rolled over about the hinge line  24  to shorten the length of the glove  10  and reduce the portion of the wearer&#39;s wrist  26  or hand that is covered by the strap  16 . 
     The first end  18  of the strap  16  preferably includes a first fastening material  28  that is securable to a second fastening material  30  included on the second end  20  of the strap. The first and second fastening materials  28 ,  30  may include hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®, or may be one or more other suitable materials. The first and second fastening materials  28 ,  30  may be stitched or otherwise attached to the first and second strap ends  18 ,  20 , respectively. 
     The first fastening material  28  preferably faces away from the wearers hand or wrist  26  when the glove  10  is in the lengthened position, and faces the wearer&#39;s hand or wrist  26  when the glove  10  is in the shortened position. The second fastening material  30 , conversely, preferably faces the wearer&#39;s hand or wrist  26  when the glove  10  is in the lengthened position, and faces away from the wearer&#39;s hand or wrist  26  when the glove  10  is in the shortened position. Accordingly, when in an overlapped position, the first and second fastening materials  28 ,  30  face in opposite directions so they may be secured to each other in both the lengthened and shortened positions. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , once the strap  16  is folded back or rolled over, the wearer may secure the first fastening material  28  to the second fastening material  30  to comfortably secure the glove to the wearer&#39;s hand. In this position, the logo  22  on the first end  18  of the strap, if included, will be displayed on the back of the wearer&#39;s hand. One or more logos or other designs may optionally be located on the underside of the strap  16  or on other regions of the batting glove  10 , as well. Such a logo preferably would be located on the inside of the strap  16  when the glove  10  is in the lengthened position so that it would become exposed when the strap  16  is rolled or folded over to shorten the length of the glove  10 . 
     Providing the rollover strap  16  allows the wearer to shorten the length of the batting glove  10  to make it more comfortable and functional, while the added length of the strap  16  makes it easy for a wearer to pull the glove  10  onto his or her hand. Some wearers may choose to shorten the length of the glove only when batting or only when fielding, depending on personal preference. The rollover feature may also be aesthetically desirable to players who prefer to roll up their sleeves or pant legs, or to players who wish to expose more of their skin to the sun in order to promote even tanning. 
     The batting glove  10  preferably includes a breathable mesh material in the fingers  12  to provide added comfort, particularly in hot temperatures. The fingers  12  of the glove may also optionally be curved to fit the natural contour of a wearer&#39;s fingers. The main body  11  of the glove may be made from a leather material, or from a flexible fabric material, or from a combination of one or more leather and flexible fabric materials. In one embodiment, the palm region of the glove may be made from a single piece of leather to provide increased comfort and durability. 
     In use, a wearer pulls the batting glove  10  onto his or her hand via the strap  16  or main body  11  of the glove  10 . The wearer then folds or rolls the strap  16  about the hinge line  24  to expose the second fastening material  30  on the second end  20  of the strap  16 . The wearer then pulls the first end  18  of the strap  16  over the second end  20  of the strap  16  and presses it down to secure the first fastening material  28  to the second fastening material  30  in a tightened position. Alternatively, the wearer may choose not to roll over the strap  16 , and may optionally secure the first end  18  of the strap  16  to the second end  20  of the strap  16 , via the first and second fastening materials  28 ,  30 , by positioning the first end  18  underneath the second end  20  and pressing the second end  20  down onto the first end  18 . 
     While it is preferred when the batting glove  10  is in the lengthened position that the first fastening material  28  be oriented away from a wearer&#39;s hand or wrist  26 , and the second fastening material  30  be oriented toward a wearer&#39;s hand or wrist  26 , the first and second fastening materials  28 ,  30  could alternatively be oriented in the opposite directions. In such an embodiment, after folding or rolling over the strap  16 , the wearer could position the first end  18  of the strap  16  under the second end  20  strap before securing them together. 
     In one embodiment, the second end  20  of the strap  16  may include one or more loops through which the first end  18  of the strap  16  may slide, instead of, or in addition to, including hook and loop fastening material. In another embodiment, the first and second ends  18 ,  20  of the strap may include snap fittings or other connectors for securing the first and second ends  18 ,  20  to each other. Any other suitable connectors may additionally or alternatively be used. 
     Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another. Furthermore, the batting glove may include additional features not described herein. While specific embodiments have been shown and described, various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.