Abstract:
A glove for gripping an object having an inner glove with a lower palm section of relatively non-stretchable material and an upper palm section of relatively stretchable material that overlie the palm side of the hand of person wearing the glove, a back section that overlies the back of the hand, and stalls for receiving the fingers and thumb. An outer panel overlies substantially the entire palm section and is attached to the inner glove along the upper margin of the outer panel and partially or wholly detached from the inner glove along at least one side of the outer panel. The lower margin of the outer panel is also attached to the inner glove in some embodiments, and in others it is secured to the wrist separately from the inner glove. In some disclosed embodiments, the outer panel is fabricated of elastic material that draws the hand toward a closed position for gripping the object. In others, it is fabricated of a relatively non-stretchable material that is attached at one end to the base portion of the palm section and extends beyond the finger stalls, with a distal end portion of the panel being rolled back and attached to the front sides of the stalls so that it can flatten out and extend farther up the fingers when the hand is curled about the object.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    This invention pertains generally to gloves and, more particularly, to a glove for use by a person engaging in an activity such as weightlifting and other activities in which an object is gripped by the hand. 
         [0003]    2. Related Art 
         [0004]    People engaging in activities such as weightlifting where the grip on an object is important commonly use gloves to protect their hands and to get a better grip on the object. A common problem with such gloves is a bunching or gathering of the material between the hand and the object when the hand is wrapped about an object such as the bar of a barbell or dumbbell. Such bunching or gathering prevents a person from getting a firm, continuous grip on the object. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is, in general, an object of the invention to provide a new and improved glove for use by a person engaging in an activity such as weightlifting and other activities in which an object is gripped by the hand. 
         [0006]    Another object of the invention is to provide a glove of the above character which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of gloves heretofore provided for such use. 
         [0007]    These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by providing an inner glove having a lower palm section of relatively non-stretchable material and an upper palm section of relatively stretchable material that overlie the palm side of the hand of person wearing the glove, a back section that overlies the back of the hand, and stalls for receiving the fingers and thumb. An outer panel overlies substantially the entire palm section and is attached to the inner glove along the upper margin of the outer panel and detached from the inner glove along at least one side of the outer panel. In some disclosed embodiments, the lower margin of the outer panel also attached to the inner glove, and in others it is secured about the wrist separately from the inner glove. In some embodiments, the outer panel is fabricated of elastic material that draws the hand toward a closed position for gripping the object. In others, it is fabricated of a relatively non-stretchable material that is attached at one end to the base portion of the palm section and extends beyond the finger stalls, with a distal end portion of the panel being rolled back and attached to the front sides of the stalls so that it can flatten out and extend farther up the fingers when the hand is curled about the object. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front isometric view of one embodiment of a glove incorporating the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a front isometric view of another embodiment of a glove incorporating the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a rear elevational view of the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a front isometric view, partly broken away, of another embodiment of a glove incorporating the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is rear elevational view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of the inner glove in the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a front isometric view of another embodiment of a glove incorporating the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a side elevational view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9  with the glove on a hand which is gripping an object. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , the glove includes an inner glove  11  and an outer panel  12  on the palm side of the inner glove. 
         [0019]    The inner glove has a body  13  with a palm or front side  14  and a back side  16  which are shaped to conform generally to the palm and to the back of the user&#39;s hand. Finger stalls  17  extend from the upper portion of the body, and a thumb stall  18  extends from the front. The palm section has a lower section  19  fabricated of a substantially non-stretchable material such as leather and an upper section  21  fabricated of a relatively thin, flexible material such as a Lycra® fabric or other suitable material which extends to the tips of the finger stalls and forms the front walls or portions  17   a  of the finger stalls. The upper and lower palm sections are joined together by stitching  22  between the bases of the finger stalls and the transverse fold lines of the palm of a hand wearing the glove. 
         [0020]    The sides of the finger stalls  17   b  and the back of the thumb stall  18   a  are fabricated of a stretchable material such as spandex, and the front of the thumb stall  18   b  is fabricated of the same substantially non-stretchable material as the lower portion of the palm section  19 . The back  16  of the glove body  13  and the backs of finger stalls  17  are fabricated of a continuous piece of elastic or stretchable material such as Lycra® fabric, with leather sections  24  over the stretchable material on the backs of the finger stalls and the portion of the hand just below the finger stalls to minimize and control the amount of stretch to better fit the user&#39;s hand. 
         [0021]    Leather straps  28 ,  29  extend around the lower back side of the glove to secure the glove to the hand and anchor the lower end of outer panel  12  to the hand and wrist. The leather straps are attached to opposite sides of the inner glove and are secured together with a Velcro® fastener  30  on the back side of the hand. 
         [0022]    Outer panel  12  includes a non-stretchable leather section  31  at the base of the palm and a stretchable section  32  of a material such as Lycra® fabric that overlies the rest of the palm, with the two sections being joined together by stitching  33 . The lower edge portion of the leather section is attached to the lower edge portion of the lower palm section  19  of inner glove  11  by stitching  34 , and the upper edge portion of the stretchable section is attached to the upper palm section  21  of the inner glove by stitching  36  just below the bases of the finger stalls. 
         [0023]    Outer panel  12  is attached to the inner body of the glove along the ring finger side of the body, but is detached from the body along the thumb side of lower palm section  19 , with a free edge  12   a  of the panel extending generally along the base of thumb stall  18 . Being detached in this manner the outer panel is free to move relative to the palm section of the inner glove, with minimal friction on the surface of the skin on the palm. The outer panel pre-tensions the palm section and expands and contracts as the hand is curled and uncurled, gently drawing the hand toward the curled position to facilitate gripping of the object. 
         [0024]    Pads are provided on the fronts of the finger stalls and on the palm section of the glove to further enhance the grip on the object. Thus, pads  38  and  39  are attached to finger stalls  17  in position to overlie the lower and middle sections of the four fingers, and pads  41 - 44  are attached to outer panel  12  in position to overlie the fleshier areas of the palm. 
         [0025]    In a presently preferred embodiment, the pads on the finger stalls and the upper part of the palm contain a moldable, clay-like substance that is substantially non-compressible and retains its shape without hardening. Being malleable and readily reshapable, the material fills in gaps between the fleshy parts of the fingers and palm and provides a substantially continuous gripping surface for engagement with a cylindrical object about which the hand is curled. The material is preferably one which is also cohesive and non-oozing such that it does not require a liquid-tight bladder to contain it. The two pads on the lower part of the palm contain a resilient foam material, although they can also be filled with the moldable, clay-like material instead of the foam, if desired. Such pads and their use on gloves for gripping objects are described and illustrated in greater detail in copending application Ser. No. 12/842,362, filed of even date, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0026]    The pads on the finger stalls and the pads on the palm section are spaced apart along lines that correspond generally to the joint lines of the fingers and palm of the person wearing the glove, with the thin, flexible material between the pads forming living hinges between the pads. The spacing between the pads is such that when the hand is curled about the object such as a bar, the thin, flexible material connecting the pads flexes, allowing adjacent portions of the pads to come together and form a substantially continuous gripping surface that matches the contour of the bar. At the same time, the moldable material fills the voids between the fleshy parts of the palm and fingers, thereby providing a firm, solid grip between the hand and the bar, with only the leather portions of the glove contacting the bar. 
         [0027]    The embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 4-5  is generally similar to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , and like reference numerals designate corresponding elements in the two. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 4-5 , inner glove  11  is identical to the inner glove shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , with wrist straps  28 ,  29  securing the lower portion of the inner glove about the base of the hand and wrist. 
         [0028]    In this embodiment, outer panel  12  once again has a substantially non-stretchable leather section  31  at the base of the palm and a stretchable section  32  of a material such as Lycra® fabric that overlies the rest of the palm. Here, however, the stretchable material extends all the way to the lower edge of the glove beneath the leather section, and the leather is attached to it by stitching  33 - 35 . Straps  46 ,  47  wrap around the back side of the glove below the base of the thumb and are secured together over straps  28 ,  29  by a Velcro® fastener  49 . Straps  46 ,  47  are attached to or formed integrally with the outer panel and are not attached to the inner glove. 
         [0029]    Outer panel  12  is attached to the inner body of the glove by stitching  34  along the lower edge portion of leather section  31  and by stitching  36  along the upper edge portion of stretchable section  32  just below the bases of the finger stalls. The upper portion of the stretchable section is also attached to the thumb and ring finger sides of the inner glove above the thumb stall and the transverse creases of the hand in the areas designated by reference numerals  51  and  52 . Otherwise the lateral edges  31   a ,  31   b  of leather section  31  and the lateral edges  32   a ,  32   b  of stretchable section  32  are detached from the body of the glove. 
         [0030]    With the outer panel being detached in this manner, it is free to move relative to the palm section of the inner glove, with minimal friction between the inner and outer palm layers as well as on the surface of the skin on the palm. As in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the outer panel is anchored about the wrist by securing straps  46  &amp;  47  in the wrist area located at the base of the hand below the palm and thumb, pre-tensioning the palm section to expand and contract as the hand is curled and uncurled, gently drawing the hand toward the curled position to facilitate gripping of the object. 
         [0031]    In the embodiment of  FIGS. 6-8 , the inner glove differs from the inner gloves of the previous embodiments in that the stretchable upper section  21  on the palm side terminates part way up the finger stalls rather than extending to the tips of the stalls. It is attached to the upper edge portion of the non-stretchable lower section  19  by stitching  22 , and it is also attached to the lower portions of the side panels or fourchettes  17   b  of the finger stalls. 
         [0032]    The back side of the inner glove in this embodiment consists primarily of a continuous piece of spandex  16  which extends from to lower edge of the glove to the tips of the finger stalls, with leather reinforcing strips  54  extending diagonally across the back of the hand and up the back walls  17   c  of the finger stalls. The back section  18   a  of the thumb stall is also spandex, and the front section  18   b  is the same substantially non-stretchable leather material as the lower section  19  of the palm side. 
         [0033]    In this embodiment, outer panel  12  has a lower section  31  of substantially non-stretchable material such as leather, a middle section  57  of stretchable material such as Lycra fabric, and an upper section  58  of substantially non-stretchable material. As in the embodiment of  FIGS. 4-5 , the stretchable material extends all the way to the lower edge of the glove beneath the leather section, and the leather is attached to it by stitching  33 - 35 , with straps  46 ,  47  being attached to the leather and/or the stretchable material and wrapping around the back side of the glove. 
         [0034]    The side edges  57   a ,  57   b  of stretchable material  57  extend freely around the base of thumb stall  18  and for a short distance above the leather section on the little finger side of the glove. The edge portion of the stretchable material that extends around the base of the thumb is wide enough that it rides up higher on the thumb as the thumb is curled, thereby preventing the edge portion from rolling over or under and interfering with the movement of the thumb. The upper section of substantially non-stretchable material  58  extends from the upper edge portion of the stretchable material to the tips of the finger stalls and forms the front walls  17   a  of the stalls. It also overlies the upper part of the palm and extends down into the lower section of the palm where it is spaced from the upper edge  31   a  of lower section  31  and side edge  57   a  of the stretchable section by a distance on the order of one-half inch. The upper section is attached to side panels  17   b  of the finger stalls and to the thumb and little finger sides of body  13  down to about the transverse fold lines of the palm. 
         [0035]    A pad  59  of grip enhancing and/or protective material such as leather is attached and overlies the palm portion of the upper section  58  of outer panel  12 . This pad is attached to the palm portion by peripheral stitching  61  and by interior stitching  62  which generally follows the fold lines of the palm. 
         [0036]    As in the other embodiments, the outer panel is free to move relative to the palm section of the inner glove, with minimal friction on the surface of the skin on the palm as well as minimal friction between the two palm layers of the glove. Here also, the outer panel, anchored at the wrist, pre-tensions the palm section and expands and contracts as the hand is curled and uncurled, gently drawing the hand toward the curled position to facilitate gripping of the object. 
         [0037]    In the embodiment of  FIGS. 9-10 , inner glove  11  has a lower palm section  19  of relatively non-stretchable material such as leather which extends from the base to the upper part of the palm and an upper palm section  21  of highly flexible material such as spandex which extends from the upper part of the palm to the tips of finger stalls  17  and forms the front walls  17   a  of the stalls. This structure is similar to that shown in  FIG. 2 .  In this embodiment, outer panel  12  consists entirely of a substantially non-stretchable material such as leather which is attached lower palm section  19  by stitching  63  along the side and lower edge portions of the panel. The panel begins near the base of the thumb and extends up the palm on the inner side of thumb stall  18  without being attached directly to the thumb stall although it is attached to palm section  19  along the inner side of the thumb stall by stitching  63 . 
         [0038]    The upper or distal portion  64  of panel  12  is rolled over toward the back of the hand and attached to the front sides  17   a  of the finger stalls by stitching  66 , with the rolled edge roughly even with the tips of the finger stalls. Pads  67  are attached to the inner side of the outer panel on the front sides of the finger stalls. These pads are preferably filled with a non-hardening, moldable material as discussed in greater detail in application Ser. No. 12/842,362. Alternatively, they can be filled with a resilient foam, or they can be omitted entirely, if desired. 
         [0039]      FIG. 10  shows the glove on a hand  69  in gripping engagement with an object  71  such as the bar of a barbell or dumbbell. As the hand grips the object, outer panel  12  is free to move relative to the palm section of the inner glove and to itself, with minimal friction on the surface of the skin on the palm or fingers. As the grip is tightened, the rolled portion  64  of the outer panel is flattened out and extends farther up the fingers  72  toward the tips to protect that portion of the fingers and improve the grip between the fingers and the object. 
         [0040]    The invention has a number of important features and advantages. It protects the hand of a wearer and provides a better grip with no bunching up or gathering of material between the palm and the object. With the outer panel free to move relative to the palm section of the inner glove, there is no friction on the surface of the skin of the palm when the hand wraps about and grips an object, as there would be without the glove or with other gloves. When the outer panel includes a stretchable or elastic material, it pre-tensions the palm section, maintains that tension, and makes the glove fit like skin. With the rolled panel, the glove provides additional protection for the upper portions of the fingers and provides enhanced gripping of the object. 
         [0041]    It is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved glove for use in weightlifting and other activities involving the gripping of an object has been provided. While only certain presently preferred embodiments have been described in detail, as will be apparent to those familiar with the art, certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.