Patent Publication Number: US-6654965-B2

Title: Goalkeeper&#39;s glove with a gusset

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a goalkeeper&#39;s glove including a thumb, a forefinger limiting, together with the thumb, a gusset space, the thumb and the forefinger forming part of an inner hand surface of the glove; a gusset located in the gusset space; and an edge seam associated with each of a thumb region and a forefinger region of the inner hand surface and narrowly defining a limited inner cross-section of the thumb and the forefinger, respectively, with both edge seams running toward the gusset. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     With goalkeeper&#39;s gloves of the type described above, the thumb and the forefinger of a hand of a goalkeeper wearing the glove pass well into the thumb and forefinger sections of the glove, with the thumb and forefinger sections being sidewise closed toward the gusset due to the presence of the edge seams. Because of the narrowly limited respective inner cross-sections, the thumb and the forefinger of the hand are reliably and firmly received in the thumb and forefinger sections of the glove. The gusset, which is formed by the edge seams, tightly engages the hand gusset from which the thumb and the forefinger of the hand extend. 
     DE 4241261A discloses a goalkeeper&#39;s glove of the type described above in which the gusset space remains empty and open. The gusset space does not contribute to the inner hand surface of the glove. With such a glove, the thumb of the hand, which is located in the thumb section of the glove, can, under an unfavorable load, as a result of natural extension, be immediately bent out of the glove. 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a goalkeeper&#39;s glove in which the gusset space is used to prevent thumb bending and to increase the inner hand surface of the glove. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved, according to the present invention, by providing a flexible gusset layer in the gusset space on the inner hand surface and securing the gusset layer with the edge seams associated with the thumb and the forefinger, with the gusset layer having a tear-resistant free edge extending between the two edge seams and spaced from the gusset along the thumb by a distance equal to at least one-fourth of the thumb length, and with the gusset layer widening away from the gusset. 
     Because of the gusset layer, the inventive goalkeeper&#39;s glove has an increase inner hand surface which increases the ball-catching reliability as the ball-engaging glove surface is increased. In the goalkeeper&#39;s glove according to the present invention, the thumb of the hand is reliably secured against outward bending resulting from a natural extension. The thumb section of the glove become attached in the gusset space, to the forefinger section, further contribution to the ball-catching reliability. The gusset layer does not tear the hand thumb upon an unfavorable load being applied to the hand. The gusset layer is a flexible part and, thus, does not affect the usability of the glove. The gusset layer had many similarities with a swimming web. The gusset layer does not adversely affect the tight positioning of the hand thumb in or guidance of the hand thumb into the thumb section of the glove. 
     It is particularly preferable and advantageous when the inner side surface of the gusset layer is formed of latex and/or when the inner side surface is made uneven. Latex or an equivalent material improves adhesion of the gusset layer to a catched ball, and the unevenness, e.g., waviness improves abutment of the gusset layer with the ball. 
     It is particularly preferable and advantageous when the gusset layer is formed of an insert that is folded backward to form the free edge. The fold improves the extension resistance of the free edge, and, generally, the folded gusset layer in much more rigid. The fold improves the overall appearance of the gusset layer and facilitate insertion of the gusset layer into the gusset space. 
     It is further preferable and advantageous to form the gusset layer as a separate piece and to sew it in the glove. The stitches are formed along the edges of the forefinger and the thumb sections around the gusset formed by these edges. 
     It is particularly preferable and advantageous when the gusset layer extends from the gusset to the free edge, and/or when the free edge, at the thumb, is spaced from the gusset at least by one-third of the thumb length. The gusset layer increases the useful surface and, thereby improves the desired ball-catching effect. 
     It is particularly preferable and advantageous when the thumb and forefinger-forming, inner hand part is sewed with the gusset layer by separate seams, and the edge seams connect the additional pieces of the thumb and the forefinger and additionally secure the gusset layer. In this way, the upper side of the associated region of the folded gusset layer is secured only by the edge seams. This simplifies the glove manufacturing. 
     It is particularly, preferable and advantageous when an intermediate piece which is located between forefinger upper and inner regions and at a side of the forefinger adjacent to the thumb, and a thumb upper hand part form an integral cut-out piece associated with the gusset layer. 
     The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the Drawings: 
     FIG. 1 shows a bottom, inner hand side, view of a goalkeeper&#39;s glove according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a top, upper hand side, view of the goalkeeper&#39;s glove according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a gusset layer-forming insert in its expanded condition; and 
     FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a cut-out section for forming thumb and forefinger regions of the goalkeeper&#39;s glove according to the present invention in its expanded condition. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A goalkeeper&#39;s glove according to the present invention, which is shown in the drawings, had a thumb  1 , a forefinger  2 , three other front fingers  3 , a palm/back region  4 , and a wrist region  5 . The wrist region  5  is surrounded by a band  6 . On the upper hand side, a forefinger region  7 , three other front finger regions  8 , and a back region  9  are formed by a one-piece upper hand part  10 . On the inner hand side, a thumb region  11 , a forefinger region  12 , three other front finger regions  13 , and a palm region  14  are formed by a one-piece, inner hand part  15 . 
     Between the upper hand part  10  and the inner hand part  15 , at the forefinger  2  and the three other front fingers  3 , there are provided six layer strips  16  and two intermediate pieces of which only one, a forefinger intermediate piece  17 , shown. 
     For forming the thumb  1 , there is provided a thumb upper hand part  18  for forming the upper hand side of the thumb  1 . As shown in FIG. 4, the thumb upper hand side-forming upper hand part  18  forms with the forefinger intermediate piece  17  a one-piece cut-out section  19  that extends along the back region  9 . The inner hand part  15  has its outer surface formed of latex and forms an essential portion of an inner or palm side surface  29 . The intermediate piece and the layer-strips are sewed with upper hand part  10  and the inner hand part  15  by edge seams. The thumb region  11  is sewed to the thumb upper hand part  18  with edge seams. Of these seams, one edge seam  20  connects the forefinger intermediate piece  17  with the forefinger region  12 , and one edge seam  21  connects the inner hand side thumb region  11  with the thumb upper hand part  18 . With the bent gusset  22 , both edge seams  21 ,  20  pass into each other and limited a gusset space  23 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-2, a gusset layer  24  is provided in the gusset space  23 . The gusset layer  24  is formed by an insert  25 , which is shown in FIG.  3 . One side of the insert  25  is formed of latex having an uneven, wave-shaped surface  32 , with the opposite side being formed of cloth carrier layer. The insert  25  is formed of two half-piece connected along a central line forming a free edge  26 . 
     The inner of the half-pieces of the insert  25  is connected with the forefinger intermediate piece  17  and the thumb upper hand part  18  by seams  27 ,  28 , respectively. The other half-piece of the insert  25 , after being folded, is connected to the respective elements of the glove as shown in FIG. 2, by the edge seams  20  and  21  which, as it has been described previously, connect the forefinger intermediate space  17  with the forefinger region and the inner hand side thumb region  11  with the thumb upper hand part  18 . 
     One of the half-pieces of the insert  25  is connected with the forefinger intermediate piece  17  and the thumb upper hand part  18  by seams  27 ,  28 , respectively. The other half-piece of the insert  25 , after being folded, is connected to the respective elements of the glove by the edge seams  20  and  21 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the inner side surface of the thumb  1  has a central line along which the thumb length  30  from the gusset  22  is determined. Starting from the gusset  22 , the free edge  26  has, along the central line, a length  31 . The gusset layer  23  forms a surface part  33  of the inner side surface  29 . 
     Though the present invention was shown and described with references to the preferred embodiment, such are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not to be construed as a limitation thereof, and various modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, not intended that the present invention be limited to the disclosed embodiment or details thereof, and the present invention includes all of variations and/or alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.