Patent Publication Number: US-2013239291-A1

Title: Sports Glove

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/624,212 filed on Nov. 23, 2009 and entitled “Sports Glove,” which claims priority to and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/235,744 filed on Aug. 21, 2009 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office entitled “Football Glove,” both of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to sports gloves, and more particularly to gloves for catching and holding onto a ball, such as a football or soccer ball. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Gloves used in sports and other athletic competitions are well known in the art. In fact, form-fitting gloves that are designed to enhance a football player&#39;s ability to receive a football are available at a variety of sports and athletic equipment retailers. For example, the NFL Equipment Fade WR/RB Gloves are widely available. Although, these gloves may allow a football player to secure and control a football, the football player may be susceptible to jamming or otherwise injuring his fingers when catching a thrown football using such conventional sports gloves. 
     Thus, there is a need for a sports glove that reduces the possibility that a player catching a football or soccer ball will jam or otherwise injure his or her fingers. Moreover, there exists a further need for a glove that accommodates a football player who already has an injured finger and wishes to tape two fingers together in an effort to avoid any further injury. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide an athletic or sports glove. The sports glove includes a palm-receiving portion and a thumb-receiving portion extending from the palm-receiving portion. The thumb-receiving portion has a thumb-gripping projection disposed on it. The sports glove also includes an index finger-receiving portion that also extends from the palm-receiving portion. There is an index finger-gripping projection on the index finger-receiving portion. A little finger-receiving portion also extends from the palm-receiving portion and has a little finger-gripping projection on it. The sports glove also includes a dual finger-receiving portion that also extends from the palm-receiving portion and is configured to receive a middle finger and a ring finger of a human hand. There is a dual finger-gripping projection disposed on the dual finger-receiving portion. 
     In one embodiment, the present disclosure could reduce the possibility that a player&#39;s finger becomes jammed or otherwise injured when catching a football or soccer ball. 
     In one embodiment, the present disclosure could increase the ability of a football player to catch, grip, and secure a football once it is thrown to him. 
     In one embodiment, the present disclosure could cushion the impact of a football with certain portions of a receiver&#39;s hands. For example, the teachings of the present disclosure may cushion the impact of a football on a receiver&#39;s fingertips and palm when catching a football. 
     Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a palm-facing view of a right hand of a sports glove comprising a first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a palm-facing view of a left hand of a sports glove comprising a second embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a component which may be used in conjunction with the sports gloves shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a component which may be used in conjunction with the sports gloves of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a component which may be used in conjunction with the sports gloves of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a component which may be used in conjunction with the sports gloves shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear view of a right hand similar to the sports glove of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a palm-facing view of a sports glove comprising another embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 9  is a palm-facing view of a sports glove comprising a further embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure generally provides a sports glove including features that may be improvements over the prior art. In particular, one embodiment may reduce incidents of jammed fingers when catching and securing a football while still maintaining the feel and gripping ability of conventional sports gloves. Particular applications of a sports glove according to the teaching of the present disclosure may cushion the impact and allow improved catching and securing of a football, soccer ball, or other ball used in a variety of different sports. 
       FIG. 1  is palm-facing view of a right hand of a sports glove  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the sports gloves and other features shown in  FIGS. 1-9  are for illustrative purposes only and that any other suitable gloves could be used in conjunction with or in lieu of the illustrated sports gloves and features according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. 
     Referring to the drawings, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , the sports glove  10  comprising a first embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The sports glove  10  includes a dual finger-receiving portion  12  that receives both the middle finger and the ring finger of the wearer. The dual finger-receiving portion  12  may comprise a unitary structure. The dual finger-receiving portion  12  may be particularly useful in preventing jamming or other injury that might suffered by the middle or ring finger of the wearer when catching, for example, a football. In certain embodiments, a wearer may go further in reducing the risk of injury to his middle or ring finger by taping them together and then putting on the sports glove  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     The sports glove  10  also includes gripping projections  24  located near a fingertip portion of the sports glove  10 . Certain embodiments may also include the gripping projections  24  coupled to other portions of the sports glove  10 . For example, a dual finger-gripping projection  24   a  may be disposed on the dual finger-receiving portion  12 , an index finger-gripping projection  24   b  may be disposed on an index finger-receiving portion  14 , a little finger-gripping projection  24   c  may be disposed on a little finger-receiving portion  16 , and a thumb-gripping projection  24   d  may be disposed on a thumb-receiving portion  18 . In one embodiment, a palm-gripping projection  24   e  may be disposed on a palm-receiving portion  20 . The gripping projections  24  may be any suitable variety of shapes and sizes. For example, the gripping projections  24  may generally be diamond-shaped. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the generally diamond-shaped gripping projections  24  may define a generally frame-like feature with the respective dual-finger, finger, thumb, or palm surface of the sports glove  10  disposed within.  FIGS. 8 and 9  depict a sports glove having broken diamond-shaped gripping projections on the palm and fingertips according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     It has been found that by receiving the middle and ring fingers in a single enclosure and by providing gripping projections  24  at strategic locations on the sports glove  10 , the handling of a conventional football either during a game or during practice is substantially facilitated. 
       FIG. 2  is a palm-facing view of a left hand of a sports glove  30  according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In accordance therewith, the sports glove  30  includes a separate receptacle for each of the fingers of the human hand. Similarly to the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 , the sports glove  30  includes an index finger-gripping projection  24   b  that may be disposed on an index finger-receiving portion  14 , a little finger-gripping projection  24   c  that may be disposed on a little finger-receiving portion  16 , and a thumb-gripping projection  24   d  that may be disposed on a thumb-receiving portion  18 . In addition, the sports glove  30  includes a middle finger-receiving portion  32  and a ring finger-receiving portion  34 , as opposed to the dual finger-receiving portion  12  of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . With respect to the middle finger-receiving portion  32  and the ring finger-receiving portion  34  of the sports glove  30 , the gripping projection is split forming a generally half-frame-like feature, as shown at  24 ′. Thus, the sports glove  30  of  FIG. 2  functions substantially similar to that of the sports glove  10  shown in  FIG. 1  when the sports glove  30  is in use. In one application, the sports glove  30  may be slipped over the hand of the wearer, and then the middle finger-receiving portion  32  and the ring finger-receiving portion  34  may be taped together with athletic tape. This may allow the sports glove  30  to function similarly to the sports glove  10  in preventing jamming of the fingers of the wearer while still providing improved gripping ability. 
     The palmar side of the embodiment of the sports glove  10  shown in  FIG. 1  may include the dual finger-receiving portion  12 , the index finger-receiving portion  14 , the little finger-receiving portion  16 , the thumb-receiving portion  18 , and the palm-receiving portion  20 . The palmar side of the embodiment of the sports glove  30  shown in  FIG. 2  may include the index finger-receiving portion  14 , the little finger-receiving portion  16 , the thumb-receiving portion  18 , the middle finger-receiving portion  32 , the ring finger-receiving portion  34 , and the palm-receiving portion  20 . The palmar side of embodiments of the sports gloves  10  and  30  of the present disclosure may comprise a tacky material to aid gripping a football. For example, the palmar side may be covered with a tacky polymer that may be used in gloves sold under the trademark of Reebok International Ltd., GRIPTONITE. GRIPTONITE polymer may have unique properties in that it may get tackier and grip even better in cold, snowy, or rainy weather. Embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to GRIPTONITE polymer but may comprise any suitable tacky material as a coating or covering for the palmar side of sports gloves  10  and  30 . For example, tacky materials such as rubber or other suitable material or coating may be used consistent with the teachings of this disclosure. 
       FIGS. 3 through 6 , inclusive, illustrate variations of the gripping projections  24  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and described hereinabove in conjunction therewith.  FIG. 3  illustrates a diamond-shaped gripping projection  50  having a pyramid-shaped upper surface projecting therefrom.  FIG. 4  illustrates a diamond-shaped gripping projection  54  having a flat upper surface.  FIG. 5  illustrates a diamond-shaped gripping projection  52  having a generally frame-like shape, similar to gripping projection  24  shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a non-diamond-shaped gripping projection  56 , which is oval in shape and comprises a hollow interior, similar to gripping projections  24  and  52 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the projections shown in  FIGS. 3 through 6  can be used interchangeably or can be used in combination depending upon the requirements of particular applications of the sports gloves  10  and  30 . 
     Gripping projections  24 ,  24 ′,  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  each may cushion an impact with the fingertips and the palm of the wearer when the wearer catches a football. Gripping projections  24 ,  24 ′,  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  may also aid in gripping the football through their tackiness. In certain embodiments, gripping projections  24 ,  24 ′,  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  may comprise any suitable material with sufficient elasticity and tackiness. For example, gripping projections  24 ,  24 ′,  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  may be made of a polymer, such as rubber. 
       FIG. 7  is an illustration of the reverse or dorsal side of a right hand of the sports glove  10  similar to that shown in  FIG. 1  and described hereinabove. The sports glove  10  may include a back hand-receiving portion  58  that may be constructed at least partially of a flexible material  60 . For example, the flexible material  60  may comprise spandex, neoprene, leather, cotton, polyester, and the like. As illustrated, the back hand-receiving portion  58  is shown on only a portion of certain of the finger portions of the sports glove  10 , but certain embodiments may include the flexible material  60  on a substantial portion or all of the back hand-receiving portion  58 . The use of the flexible material  60  on the reverse side on one or more of the finger portions comprising the sports glove  10  is useful in allowing the fingers of the football player to curl inwardly thereby facilitating a secure reception of the football. As also shown in  FIG. 7 , the various sports gloves  10  and  30  disclosed and described herein may be provided with indicia  62 , which may identify the glove with a particular football team, a particular football player, a supplier of football gloves, and the like. In certain embodiments, the sports gloves  10  and  30  may also include a wrist closure that comprises a hook and loop material that adhere when pressed together, commonly sold under the trademark VELCRO. 
     While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations, and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.