Abstract:
The present invention provides a goalie blocking glove that features a non-binding front blocking board surface that incorporates a carbon fiber front layer over the ultra-high density internal foam core, for lighter weight and added protection under extreme impacts. An adjustment mechanism is also included in the blocker glove, to allow the goalie to customize the fit of the inner glove to his or her individual hand size.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/147,621, entitled “Goalie Blocker Glove,” filed Apr. 15, 2015. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is in the field of blocker gloves for ice hockey goalies. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In ice hockey, the goaltender, also known colloquially as the “goalie”, is the player who defends his or her team&#39;s goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his or her team&#39;s net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. Because of the power of shots, the goaltender wears special equipment designed to protect the body from direct impact of the puck. Special goaltending equipment is subject to specific regulations. For example, many other professional and non-professional ice hockey leagues adhere to equipment size regulations based on International Ice Hockey Federation rules. The National Hockey League (“NHL”) specifies maximum dimensions of goaltending equipment to prevent goalies from having an unfair puck blocking advantage. Current NHL rules for blocking gloves limit padding attached to the back or forming part of the goaltender&#39;s blocking glove to eight inches (8″) in width and fifteen inches (15″) in length at any point. Further, the blocking glove must be rectangular in shape. The flap protecting the thumb and wrist must be fastened to the blocker and must follow the contour of the thumb and wrist. This thumb protection must not exceed seven inches (7″) in extreme length when measured from the top of the blocking surface. Further, raised ridges are not to be added to any portion of the blocking glove. All goaltenders must use one of each of a blocking glove and catching glove that meet League-approved sizing specifications. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a goalie blocking glove that features a non-binding front blocking board surface that incorporates a carbon fiber front layer over the ultra-high density internal foam core, for lighter weight and added protection under extreme impacts. The hand location on the board base is carefully designed to provide for balance and feel and to optimize stick placement during paddle down moves on the ice. The bottom edge of the board base is beveled to allow the catching glove to get tight to the ice and to reduce weight on the lower end of the catching glove for improved balance. The top section of the blocking board is curved and laced through the body of the catching glove; this secures the blocking surface to the inner foam core, providing more consistent deflection and control when making saves. New floating cuff functions provide greater range of motion for the wrist and aid in improving the glove angle to the puck. Large finger protectors with a wide base for stability wrap the finger sides and ends for more complete protection. The index finger has a double layer inside edge padding for additional protection. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The Description of Exemplary Embodiments will be better understood with reference to the following figures: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a top view of the inventive blocker glove. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a pinky side view of the inventive blocker glove. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a fingertip side view of the inventive blocker glove. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a cuff side view of the inventive blocker glove. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a thumb side view of the inventive blocker glove. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a thumb side view showing the interior of the inventive blocker glove. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the inventive blocker glove. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and/or use the invention. For purposes of explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Descriptions of specific embodiments or applications are provided only as examples. Various modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest possible scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. 
         [0014]    The front blocking board  1  is designed to protect the goalie&#39;s hand and wrist from impacts from pucks. The front blocking board  1  consists of a hand and wrist plate  2  that covers the top of the hand and wrist of the goalie while the glove  3  is in use. In the preferred embodiment, the front blocking board  1  is rectangularly shaped. The wrist end  4  of the front blocking board  1  is flared upward away from the goalie&#39;s wrist to enhance puck blocking capacity. In the preferred embodiment, the front blocking board  1  is constructed of several layers of material. The outer shell  5  of the front blocking board  1  may be constructed of synthetic leather or similar material. The inner layers  6  may include foam or carbon fiber to enhance the padding and/or stiffness of the front blocking board  1 . In the preferred embodiment, the front blocking board  1  has a thick ultra-high density foam layer  7  reinforced with carbon fiber  8 , providing increased protection to the top of the hand while enlarging the coverage and blocking area of the glove  3 . 
         [0015]    A side shield  9  is connected to the thumb side of the front blocking board  1 . The side shield  9  is designed to protect the pointer finger, thumb and inner wrist of the goalie while the glove  3  is in use. A cut out  10  is placed in the side shield  9  in order to allow the goalie&#39;s stick to move through the thumb shield  11  and be grasped by the goalie&#39;s hand. The side shield  9  may be constructed of several layers. In the preferred embodiment, the side shield  9  has a thick ultra-high density foam layer  12  reinforced with polyethylene plastic  13  providing increased protection to the side of the hand while enlarging the coverage and blocking area of the glove  3 . The outer layer  14  of the side shield  9  may be constructed of synthetic leather or other similar material. Optionally, an additional soft thumb pad  15  may be inserted on the inside of the side shield  9 . In the preferred embodiment, this thumb pad  15  is constructed of soft foam and is removeably attached to the inside of the thumb shield  11  using a hook and loop fastener  16  or similar attachment method. The side shield  9  may be stitched to the front blocking board  1  and additionally connected, using laces  17  threaded through holes  18  in the top of the side shield  8  and the inside edge of the front blocking board  1 . 
         [0016]    An additional thumb and wrist pad  19  may be added. The thumb and wrist pad  19  is added to protect the inner wrist and thumb of the goalie when the blocker glove  3  is in use. The thumb and wrist pad  19  may be constructed of any material suitable for blocking pucks, including nylon, synthetic leather and foam padding. In the preferred embodiment, several materials are used such as foam and nylon in order to provide specific cushioning characteristics. The constituent parts of the thumb and wrist pad  19  are typically held together using stitching  20 . The thumb and wrist pad  19  is also attached to a lower wrist guard  21 , which may be constructed out of similar materials. The lower wrist guard  21  is shaped to cover the bottom of the goalie&#39;s wrist and attaches to the front blocking board  1  on both sides of the wrist. In the preferred embodiment, this attachment is accomplished using stitching and/or laces  22 . The lower wrist guard  21  also has a wrist strap  23  that may be used to tighten the wrist portion of the blocker glove  3  around the goalie&#39;s wrist. In the preferred embodiment, the wrist strap  23  is equipped with a hook and loop fastener  24  that may be adjustably tightened around the goalie&#39;s wrist. 
         [0017]    Finger pads  25  may also be added to the blocker glove  3 . In the preferred embodiment, two finger pads  25  are included. The pointer finger pad  26  surrounds the thumb side of the goalie&#39;s pointer finger and the point of the pointer finger, as well as the top. The second finger pad  27  covers the outside of the goalie&#39;s pinky finger and the top of the pinky, ring, and middle fingers, as well as the tip of the pinky, ring, and middle fingers. The finger pads  25  can be attached to an adjustable inner glove  28  of the blocker glove  3 . 
         [0018]    The adjustable inner glove  28  may be constructed of any material suitable for conforming to the goalie&#39;s hand. In the preferred embodiment, nylon mesh  29  is used to aid in ventilation of the hand while the blocker glove  3  is in use. The palm  30  is preferably constructed of a material to improve gripping of the goalie&#39;s stick. In the preferred embodiment, the palm features MSH≠3 base material, with a grip layer for added stick control. The palm  30  design is optimized for the hand in the grip position, with each finger having a pre-shaped curve  31  to the design. The palm  30  also is equipped with mesh gussets  32  for flexibility and air flow, and a cushion pad  33  on the back hand to further increase protection. The inner glove  28  is attached to the finger pads  25  using elastic straps  34 , so that the inner glove  28  has greater mobility than the finger pads  25 . In the preferred embodiment, one elastic strap  34  is connected to the pointer finger of the inner glove  25  and the pointer finger pad  26 . Another elastic strap  34  is connected to the middle finger of the inner glove  25  and the pinky, ring and middle finger pad  27 . A third elastic strap is attached from the pinky finger of the inner glove  25  and to the second finger pad  27 . 
         [0019]    The inner glove  28  is connected to the front blocking board  1  using stitching. In the preferred embodiment, pieces of synthetic leather  35  are used to reinforce this connection and provide a medium to stitch through. One synthetic leather connection strip  35  is located on the pinky side of the goalie&#39;s hand. Another synthetic leather connection strip  35  is located on the thumb side of the inner glove  28 . 
         [0020]    An adjustment mechanism  36  is also included in the blocker glove  3 , to allow the goalie to customize the fit of the inner glove  28  to his or her individual hand size. Adjustment laces  37  are run from the wrist end  4  of the front blocking board  1 , through the front blocking board  1 , to the portion of the inner glove  28  between the thumb and pointer finger. A cinch clip  38  is provided at the rear of the front blocking board  1 . The cinch clip  38  may be used to adjust the amount of lacing  37  used to tighten the inner glove  28  around the goalie&#39;s hand. The front of the adjustment mechanism  36  includes two holes  39  for the lacing  37  that connect to a synthetic leather anchor plate  40 . The anchor plate  40  is stitched to the front blocking board  1  and the inner glove  28  and facilitates the connection of the adjustment laces  37  to the inner glove  28 . A lace  37  is routed through the front blocking board  1  near the web of the pointer finger and thumb of the inner glove  28 , routed into the anchor plate  40 , and then through pockets  41  in the palm of the inner glove  28 . The adjustment lace  37  is then anchored into a second anchor plate  42  on the pinky side of the inner glove  28 . When the goalie pulls on the wrist end of the adjustment lacing  37 , pressure is applied to the palm of the inner glove  28  via the laces  37 . The cinch clip  38  can then be used to fix the amount of pressure applied by the adjustment laces  37  to the palm of the goalie&#39;s hand.