Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SUSPENSION PADDING FOR LACROSSE GLOVE
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a protective glove and more
particularly to a protective glove for use during an athletic activity such as
lacrosse or hockey.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This section provides background information related to the
present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
[0003] Protective gloves are typically used in contact sports such as
lacrosse and hockey to protect a player's hand and wrist from injuries caused
by
another player's stick. Such gloves are specifically designed to protect
against
injuries when the player is checked or slashed and, as a result, often include
padding and other protective materials that surround an exterior portion of
the
glove.
[0004] While conventional protective gloves provide adequate
protection during play, the padding and other protective materials that
surround
the exterior portion of the glove typically hinder the player's ability to
bend or flex
the player's hand and properly grasp a lacrosse or hockey stick.
SUMMARY
[0005] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and
is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
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[0006] In one configuration, a glove is provided and includes a wrist
portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The hand portion
includes a plurality of finger portions extending away from the wrist portion,
a
palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than
the
palm portion. The glove also includes a padded panel attached to the back
portion. The padded panel is attached to the back portion at a first edge and
is
attached to the back portion via a tether at a second edge.
[0007] In another configuration, a glove is provided and includes a
wrist
portion and a hand portion attached to the wrist portion. The hand portion
includes a plurality of finger portions extending away from the wrist portion,
a
palm portion, and a back portion formed on an opposite side of the glove than
the
palm portion. The glove also includes a padded panel attached to the back
portion via a tether. The tether permits relative movement between the padded
panel and the back portion and biases the padded panel toward and the wrist
portion.
[0008] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this
summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to
limit the scope of the present disclosure.
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DRAWINGS
[0009] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only
of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not
intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective glove in accordance
with the principles of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 shown in
a
relaxed state;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a side view of the protective glove of FIG. 1 shown in
a
flexed state;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of FIG.
1
taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of FIG.
1
shown in a relaxed state and taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 6 shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 in a flexed
state;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the protective glove of FIG.
1
shown in a relaxed state and taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1; and
[0017] FIG. 8 shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 in a flexed
state.
[0018] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts
throughout the several views of the drawings.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0020] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will
be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the
art.
Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific
components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of
embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in
the
art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may
be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to
limit
the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known
processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not
described in detail.
[0021] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As
used
herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" may be intended to include the
plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The
terms
"comprises," "comprising," "including," and "having," are inclusive and
therefore
specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,
elements,
and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more
other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
groups
thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not
to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular
order
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discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of
performance.
It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be
employed.
[0022] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged
to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be
directly
on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or
intervening
elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to
as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or
"directly
coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or
layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements
should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus "directly
between,"
"adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term
"and/or"
includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed
items.
[0023] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein
to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,
these
elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by
these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element,
component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section.
Terms
such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms when used herein do not
imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a
first
element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a
second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the
teachings of the example embodiments.
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[0024] Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer," "beneath,"
"below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease
of
description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another
element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative
terms may
be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or
operation
in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the
device in
the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other
elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or
features. Thus, the example term "below" can encompass both an orientation of
above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or
at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein
interpreted
accordingly.
[0025] With reference to the figures, a glove 10 is provided and
includes a hand portion 12 and a wrist portion 14. The glove 10 may be worn by
a lacrosse player or a hockey player to protect the player's hand and wrist.
Namely, the hand portion 12 and the wrist portion 14 may cooperate to protect
the player's hand and wrist from injuries caused by another player's stick
while
concurrently allowing the player to easily grasp a lacrosse stick (FIG. 3) or
a
hockey stick.
[0026] The hand portion 12 includes a palm portion 16, a thumb portion
18, a plurality of finger portions 20, and a back portion 22. The palm portion
16 is
formed on an opposite side of the hand portion 12 than the back portion 22 and
opposes a lacrosse stick 24 (FIG. 3), for example, during use. The palm
portion
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16 may be formed from a material having embedded rubber to increase friction
between the hand portion 12 and the lacrosse stick 24, thereby allowing a
player
to firmly grasp the lacrosse stick 24. In addition, the palm portion 16 may
include
one or more gripping features 26 (FIG. 2) that further increase friction
between
the palm portion 16 and the lacrosse stick 24. Such gripping features 26 may
be
attached to the palm portion 16 via stitching and/or adhesive and may be
formed
from a combination of leather and rubber.
[0027] The thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 are sized and
spaced apart from one another to properly receive the thumb and fingers of a
player's hand. Each of the thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20 extend
in
a direction generally away from the wrist portion 14 and cooperate with the
back
portion 22 to encircle the player's thumb and fingers during use.
[0028] The back portion 22 is formed on an opposite side of the hand
portion 12 than the palm portion 16 and extends over the palm portion 16, the
thumb portion 18, and the finger portions 20. The back portion 22 may be
formed from a nylon mesh or other breathable material and may be attached to
the wrist portion 14 proximate to a junction 28 of the hand portion 12 and the
wrist portion 14.
[0029] The hand portion 12 additionally includes a padded portion 30
extending over and attached to the back portion 22. The padded portion 30
includes a series of padded segments 32 and a padded panel 34. The padded
segments 32 each include an outer layer 36 that generally surrounds an inner,
energy-absorbing pad or block 38. The outer layer 36 may be formed from
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virtually any material such as, for example, leather, nylon, polyester knit,
and
Lycra and may surround the energy-absorbing pad 38 such that the energy-
absorbing pad 38 is not visible once the outer layer 36 and the energy-
absorbing
pad 38 are attached to the back portion 22. The energy-absorbing pad 38 may
be formed from any suitable energy-absorbing material such as, for example,
foam.
[0030] In one configuration, the outer layer 36 is formed from
polyurethane (PU) leather that is laminated to ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)
foam.
The PU leather and the EVA foam are then compression molded to form an outer
layer of the padded segments 32. The EVA foam provides the padded segments
32 with a degree of rigidity while the PU leather provides a desired aesthetic
appearance. Further, compression molding the PU leather and EVA foam
creates a molded skin of each padded segment 32 that has a cavity shaped to
receive an energy-absorbing pad 38. The energy-absorbing pad 38 is inserted
into the cavity and may be secured therein via a suitable adhesive. Once the
energy-absorbing pad is received with in the cavity, the PU leather and EVA
foam is wrapped around the energy-absorbing pad 38 and held in place via a
suitable adhesive.
[0031] As described, the energy-absorbing pads 38 are constructed of
individual, discrete foam blocks that are wrapped by the outer layer 36 and
are
attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 40. The stitching 40 may extend
through a portion of the outer layer 36 (i.e., through the PU leather and the
EVA
foam) and into the back portion 22 to attach each of the energy-absorbing pads
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38¨via the outer layer 36¨at a desired location along a longitudinal axis 42
(FIG. 1) of each of the finger portions 20 and, likewise, along a longitudinal
axis
44 (FIG. 1) of the thumb portion 18.
[0032] With particular reference to FIGS. 4-6, the stitching 40
associated with each of the padded segments 32 is shown as extending along a
first edge 46 and a second edge 48 of each padded segment 32. The first edge
46 and the second edge 48 are disposed on opposite sides of the padded
segments 32 and each extend in a direction substantially parallel to the
longitudinal axis 42 of each finger portion 20 and, likewise, extend
substantially
parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18. The padded
segments 32 additionally include a third edge 50 and a fourth edge 52 that are
formed on opposite sides of the padded segments 32 and are each disposed
substantially perpendicular to the first edge 46 and the second edge 48.
Accordingly, the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 are formed substantially
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 42 of the finger portions 20 and are
formed
substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion
18.
[0033] As shown
in FIG. 4, only the first edge 46 and the second edge
48 are attached to the back portion 22 via stitching 40. The third edge 50 and
the fourth edge 52 are not attached to the back portion 22 and, as such, are
spaced apart and separated from the back portion 22 by a gap 54. The gap 54
extends along a length of each padded segment 32 in a direction substantially
parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of the finger portions 20 and in a
direction
substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18
such that
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a back surface 56 of each padded segment 32 is spaced apart and separated
from an outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 along the entire length of
each
padded segment 32.
[0034] The back surface 56 of the padded segments 32 includes a joint
between respective ends of the PU leather and EVA foam of the outer layer 36
caused by wrapping the outer layer 36 around each energy-absorbing pad 38.
The joint is therefore disposed within the gap 54 and opposes the outer
surface
58 of the back portion 22 to hide the joint from view once the padded segments
32 are attached to the back portion 22.
[0035] The gap 54 created between the back surface 56 of the padded
segments 32 and the outer surface 58 of the back portion 22 is accessible at
each of the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52, as the third edge 50 and the
fourth edge 52 are not attached to the back portion 22. Accordingly, a
passageway 60 extends along a length of each padded segment 32 in a direction
substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 42 of each finger portion 20
and
substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the thumb portion 18 and
is
accessible at each of the third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52.
[0036] The passageway 60 is defined generally between the back
surface 56 of each padded segment 32 and the outer surface 58 of the back
portion 22 and is bounded by the first edge 46 and the second edge 48. Namely,
because the first edge 46 and the second edge 48 are attached to the back
portion 22 along a length of each padded segment 32 via the stitching 40, the
passageway 60 is bounded by the first edge 46 and the second edge 48. In
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short, the size and shape of the passageway 60 is defined by attachment of the
first edge 46 and the second edge 48 to the back portion 22 via the stitching
40,
as well as by the opposing surfaces 56, 58 of the padded segments 32 and the
back portion 22, respectively.
[0037] Attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 at
only two edges (i.e., the first edge 46 and the second edge 48) while allowing
the
third edge 50 and the fourth edge 52 to be detached from the back portion 22
provides the thumb portion 18 and each finger portion 20 with increased
flexibility, thereby allowing a player to more easily grasp a lacrosse stick
24, for
example. Further, attaching the padded segments 32 individually to the back
portion 22 at the first edge 46 and at the second edge 48 allows each padded
segment 32 to be individually attached to the back portion 22 separate and
apart
from adjacent padded segments 32. Attaching the padded segments 32 to the
back portion 22 independent from adjacent padded segments 32 additionally
increases the flexibility of the thumb portion 18 and the finger portions 20
as
adjacent padded segments 32 do not hinder movement of one another. Finally,
attaching the padded segments 32 to the back portion 22 independent from one
another allows adjacent padded segments 32 to be spaced apart and separated
from one another, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0038] With particular reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the padded panel 34
is shown to include a substantially T-shape having a plurality of padded
portions
62 and a tether 64. The padded portions 62 each include an outer layer 66 that
covers an energy-absorbing pad 68. A bottom layer 70 is attached to the outer
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layer 66 via stitching 72 (FIGS. 7 and 8) to create a series of pockets 74 in
which
the energy-absorbing pads 68 are disposed.
[0039] As with the padded segments 32, the outer layer 66 and the
bottom layer 70 may be formed from virtually any material such as, for
example,
leather, nylon, polyester knit, and Lycra , to provide the padded segments 32
with a desired aesthetic appearance. Further, the energy-absorbing pads 68
may be formed from virtually any energy-absorbing material such as, for
example, foam.
[0040] The padded panel 34 may be attached at a first end 76 to the
back portion 22 proximate to a base of the finger portions 20 via stitching
78.
The stitching 78 extends through the outer layer 66, the bottom layer 70, and
the
back portion 22 to attach the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 to the
back
portion 22. Because the energy-absorbing pads 68 are disposed within the
pockets 74 and are attached to the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70 via
the
pockets 74, the stitching 78 likewise serves to attach the energy-absorbing
pads
68 to the back portion 22 via the outer layer 66 and the bottom layer 70.
[0041] The padded panel 34 is attached to the back portion 22 at a
second end 80, opposite the first end 76, via the tether 64 to allow the
padded
panel 34 to move between a relaxed state (FIG. 7) and a flexed state (FIG. 8)
relative to the back portion 22. When the padded panel 34 is in the relaxed
state,
the second end 80 is disposed in proximity to the wrist portion 14.
Conversely,
when the padded panel 34 is in the flexed state, the padded panel 34 is moved
in
a direction away from the wrist portion 14. While the padded portion 30 is
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described and shown as including a padded panel 34 having a single tether 64,
the padded panel 34 could be attached to the back portion 22 by more than one
tether 64. Further, the padded panel 34 could include separate movable
segments (not shown) that are individually attached to the back portion 22 via
separate tethers 64.
[0042] The tether 64 may be formed from a material that biases the
padded panel 34 into the relaxed state such as, for example, elastic. While
the
material of the tether 64 biases the padded panel 34 into the relaxed state,
the
material also permits movement of the padded panel 34 from the relaxed state
and into the flexed state as the player moves the hand portion 12 between a
relaxed state (FIG. 2) and a flexed state (FIG. 3) when grasping a lacrosse
stick
24, for example. The tether 64 may be attached to the second end 80 of the
padded panel 34 via stitching 82 and may likewise be attached to the back
portion 22 via stitching 84.
[0043] In operation, when the hand portion 12 is in the relaxed state
(FIG. 2), the tether 64 is likewise in a relaxed state and biases the padded
panel
34 into a position substantially parallel to the back portion 22 (FIG. 7).
When a
force is exerted on the padded panel 34 when the hand portion 12 is moved into
the flexed state (FIG. 3), a force is applied on the tether 64. The force
causes
the tether 64 to expand, which allows the padded panel 34 to likewise move
into
the flexed state (FIG. 8) to take the shape of the back portion 22 when the
hand
portion 12 is moved into the flexed state. In other words, when the back
portion
22 is moved into a substantially arc shape caused by the hand portion 12 being
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moved from the relaxed state to the flexed state, the padded panel 34 is
likewise
permitted to take a substantially arc shape, as the tether permits movement of
the padded panel 34 in a direction substantially away from the wrist portion
14.
The padded panel 34 is therefore allowed to conform to the shape of the
player's
hand when the player moves the hand portion 12 into the flexed state when
grasping a lacrosse stick 24, for example.
[0044] The padded panel 34 is further allowed to move into the shape
shown in FIG. 8 due to the individual padded portions 62. Namely, because the
energy-absorbing pads 68 are received within discrete pockets 74, gaps 86 are
formed between adjacent padded portions 62 that provide the padded panel 34
with additional flexibility when the hand portion 12 is moved from the relaxed
state into the flexed state.
[0045] When the force applied to the hand portion 12 is relaxed and the
hand portion 12 is moved from the flexed state to the relaxed state, the
tether 64
applies a force on the padded panel 34, thereby returning the padded panel 34
to
the position shown in FIG. 7 due to the elastic nature of the tether 64.
Accordingly, the tether 64 acts to return the padded panel 34 to a position
substantially adjacent to the back portion 22 when the hand portion 12 is
returned to the relaxed state.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the padded panel 34 is disposed generally
between the finger portions 20 of the hand portion 12 and the wrist portion
14.
Accordingly, the padded panel 34 extends substantially over a back portion of
a
player's hand to protect the player's hand from injury during use.
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[0047] The
foregoing description of the embodiments has been
provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to
be
exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a
particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment,
but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected
embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be
varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure
from
the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within
the
scope of the disclosure.
