Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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"DISPOSABLE DEVICE OR ACCESSORY TO FACILITATE AND IMPROVE
THE GRIP OF AN EQUIPMENT OR A BALL WHILE PLAYING SPORTS OR
WHILE WORKING"
DESCRIPTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an accessory or a device to facilitate and
improve the grip of equipment of various kind, in particular, but without
limitation,
sport equipment like tennis rackets, golf sticks, baseball bats and the like,
or to
improve the grip of the ball in sports like basket, rugby, American football
and the
like, at the same time protecting the hand skin during these activities.
Embodiments
described herein refer to a disposable accessory or device.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Many sports require gripping an equipment firmly. A correct grip is
fundamental to control the equipment, and it is therefore important for
example in
professional sports. Typically, a correct grip of the racket is essential in
tennis to
have maximal control over the ball. The same applies to other sports, such as
golf,
where the correct grip of the stick affects the trajectory of the golf ball,
or sports
where an optimal grip of the ball facilitates the throw accuracy.
Nowadays, this is achieved by covering the surfaces of the equipment to be
gripped, or of the ball to be thrown, with special films, wherein these
surfaces are
always into contact with the human skin. However, this contact is not optimal,
as the
human skin is not predisposed to this function. Especially in case of
sweating, as
usually occurs when playing sports, the grip becomes unsecure and not firm,
with an
increased risk of skin injuries.
In some sports gloves are used; however, due to their thickness and their
movement relative to the hand skin, they reduce sensitivity and are therefore
not
usable in many sports or activities.
A clear example of the existing need for systems improving the grip firmness
is given by tennis, wherein some players, especially professional players,
apply
plasters to their fingers for grip improvement and skin protection. These
attempts
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have, however, very poor results and the main reason therefor is that they
involve
only the small surface of the fingers, and not the whole hand palm. In fact,
plasters or
adhesive strips applied to partially cover the hand palm tend to detach
quickly from
the skin, both because of the mechanical interaction between the racket butt,
or other
equipment, and the perimeter edge of the plaster or band and the skin, and
because of
the sweating entering between plaster and skin.
It is therefore desirable to provide a device or accessory that overcomes or
limits the above mentioned problems and drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention discloses an accessory to facilitate the grip of an equipment or
tool or of a sport ball, comprising a sheet of shaped material, for example
synthetic,
semi-synthetic or natural material, with a first surface, onto which a
pressure
sensitive adhesive is applied, suitable to adhere to the skin, and a second
surface,
opposite to the first surface and preferably having a high coefficient of
friction. The
accessory or device comprises a central portion shaped and sized approximately
like
a hand palm, and a plurality of appendices that extend from a perimeter edge
of the
central portion and are configured to adhere to the back of a hand by means of
said
adhesive. A protective film protects the adhesive; as the film is subdivided
into a
plurality of segments or portions, it allows the accessory or device to be
easily
applied to the hand, perfectly adapting to the complex shape of the human
hand.
Namely, in order to apply it, each segment or portion of the protective film
is
removed singularly, and the uncovered area of adhesive film below is
immediately
pressed and attached to the skin, before moving to an adjacent segment or
portion.
The segments or portions are removed according to preferred sequences that
allow a
progressive and gradual adhesion of the adhesive sheet. In this way it is
possible to
avoid the accessory or device, while being applied to the hand, forming
creases or
wrinkles that cannot flatten, thus making the device unusable, notwithstanding
the
complex shape of the same accessory or device and the strong adhesion force of
the
adhesive.
The device or accessory according to the invention can be a disposable
accessory or device; it anatomically adapts to the human hand so as to cover
completely the palm without interruptions, thus replacing on the one hand the
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function of a glove, but avoiding the sliding movement on the skin that are
typical of
a glove; on the other hand, the device or accessory according to the invention
also
serves as a skin, i.e. it has the same function as the skin in the contact
with the sport
or working equipment, and can therefore be substituted for it. Essentially,
the device
is designed to facilitate and improve the grip of equipment of various kinds,
functioning as a "second skin" specifically designed and covering all the
friction
area.
The size and the shape of the central portion are advantageously such that the
latter extends, once the accessory has been applied to the hand, from the
finger bases
up to the palm area of the wrist, and from one side to the other side of the
hand. In
this way, the whole palm is completely covered and protected, with the edge
delimiting the sheet forming the adhesive accessory arranged outside the
contact and
grip area between hand and equipment or tool, thus avoiding the detachment
that
usually occurs along the edge of adhesive film applied to the skin due to the
movement of the equipment or tool held by the hand.
The idea underlying the invention is to transfer the grip from the tool,
equipment or sport ball directly to the human hand by means of a device that
anatomically adapts to the hand shape and completely covers the palm, i.e. the
grip
area, adhering to the palm like a "second skin", thus optimizing the grip and
allowing
to transfer the maximal power to the equipment or tool or sport ball while
ensuring
maximal sensitivity, thus guaranteeing the best result and, at the same time,
protecting the skin.
Obviously, devices for the right hand and the left hand can be produced, as
well as devices of different sizes so as to adapt to the different hand sizes.
Further features and embodiments of the device according to the present
invention are described hereunder with reference to examples of embodiment and
in
the appended claims, which form an integral part of the present description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood by following the description and the
accompanying drawing, which shows non-limiting practical embodiments of the
invention. More in particular, in the drawing:
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Fig. 1 is a back view of an embodiment of the accessory or device according
to the invention, configured to be applied to the right hand;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the accessory or device of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a view of the hand palm with the accessory or device applied
thereto;
Fig. 4 is a view of the hand back with the accessory or device applied
thereto;
Figs. 5 and 6 show the back surface and the front surface of a different
embodiment of the accessory or device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The detailed description below of example embodiments is made with
reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numbers in different
drawings identify the equal or similar elements. Furthermore, the drawings are
not
necessarily to scale. The detailed description below does not limit the
invention. The
protective scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims.
In the description, the reference to "an embodiment" or "the embodiment" or
"some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure or element
described
with reference to an embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment of the
described object. The sentences "in an embodiment" or "in the embodiment" or
"in
some embodiments" in the description do not therefore necessarily refer to the
same
embodiment or embodiments. The particular features, structures or elements can
be
furthermore combined in any adequate way in one or more embodiments.
Figs. 1-4 show a first embodiment of the device or accessory according to the
invention, indicated as a whole with number 1. The device or accessory 1
comprises
a shaped sheet of suitable thickness, made for example of synthetic, semi-
synthetic
or natural material. In some embodiments, the shaped sheet is made of cotton,
or a
mixture of cotton and synthetic fiber, for example nylon, or aromatic
polyurethane
polyether or other material. The shaped sheet has a thickness comprised
between
gm and 3000 gm, for example between 10 gm and 3000 gm based upon the
activity or sport for which the device is intended, to achieve optimal
results. One of
the two surfaces of the shaped sheet has a high coefficient of friction, set
for example
according to the use for which the device or accessory is intended.
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The sheet 1 comprises a first surface 1A, partially shown in Fig. 1, and a
second
surface 1B shown in Fig. 2.
An adhesive, indicated with A in Fig. 1, is applied to the surface 1A. More in
particular, the adhesive A may be a pressure adhesive, thus providing a self-
adhesive
sheet. The adhesive A is typically compatible with the skin, i.e. it is
suitable to stay
into contact with the skin for a long time. Typically, the adhesive A is an
adhesive
like that used for sticking plasters.
The sheet forming the device or accessory 1 has a shaped perimeter line
indicated
with P.
In practical embodiments, the sheet 1 has a shaped central portion 3. As it is
clearly apparent from Fig. 3, once applied to the user's hand M in the way
described
below, the shaped central portion 3 substantially covers the whole palm of the
hand
M.
A plurality of appendices, indicated with 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15A, 15B, 17A, 17B
in
Figs. 2, 3 and 4, extend from the central portion 3. The appendices may be
different
in shape and number from what indicated in the drawing. What is important is
that
the device or accessory has appendices allowing it being firmly fixed on the
hand
back, as it will be explained below. Preferably, at least one appendix is
provided for
each between-the-fingers space, i.e. between adjacent fingers. As it will be
described
below, in advantageous embodiments the device has appendices that are
configured
so as to extend over the palm surface of the wrist and that allow completely
to cover
the palm, in addition to appendices extending over the hand back for firm
fixing.
In the illustrated embodiments, the sheet forming the accessory or device 1
comprises four appendices 5, 7, 9, 11, indicated below as "between-the-fingers
appendices", as they are intended to be inserted in the four spaces between
the
fingers. In particular, as shown in Fig. 3, the between-the-fingers appendix 5
is
applied between little finger D1 and ring finger D2 of the hand M. The between-
the-
fingers appendix 7 is applied between ring finger D2 and middle finger D3. The
between-the-fingers appendix 9 is applied between middle finger D3 and
forefinger
D4. The between-the-fingers appendix 11 is applied between forefinger D4 and
thumb D5.
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The adhesive sheet furthermore comprises a side appendix 13, to be applied to
the hand side between thumb D5 and wrist PL. In advantageous embodiments, a
pair
of appendices 15A, 15B is provided, that are applied to the hand side between
little
finger D1 and wrist PL. Appendices 17A, 17B are also provided, that can be
advantageously applied so as to surround partially the wrist PL or to reach
the palm
portion, or palm surface, of the wrist, i.e. the surface that is on the palm
side, thus
ensuring the palm is completely covered.
Fig. 4 shows the positions taken by the appendices 5-17B described above once
the accessory or device 1 has been applied to the hand M. The appendices have
a
sufficient length so that they can extend at least partially over the back of
the hand M
until they overlap at least partially one another, as shown in the central
area of the
hand back DS in Fig. 4.
The partial overlapping between appendices, in particular between the between-
the-fingers appendices 5, 7, 9, 11 and the side appendices 13, 15A, 15B,
allows the
device 1 to be more firmly attached to the hand. In an advantageous
embodiment, the
between-the-fingers appendices 5, 7, 9 extend up to the wrist, where they can
be
furthermore fixed by means of a strip of film equal to that of the accessory
or device
1 or simply by means of a wrist band, often used in sports.
As it is readily apparent from Figs. 3 and 4, where the device 1 is shown
applied
to the user's hand M, the central portion 3 of the sheet forming the device or
accessory 1 covers the palm practically completely. Namely, the sheet has such
an
extension that, when the user holds a tool or equipment, for example a tennis
racket,
the perimeter edge P delimiting the central portion 3 is positioned in areas
where
there is no pressure contact with the tool or equipment. In this way, the self-
adhesive
sheet does not become detached from the hand palm, as this detachment is
usually
caused by the mechanical action exerted by the tool or equipment over the line
between the perimeter edge of the device and the skin and by the sweating
entering
between the self-adhesive sheet and the skin.
The accessory or device is firmly fixed to the hand M by means of the
appendices
5-17B, folded and fixed to the hand back and/or to the wrist, in areas where
there is
no contact with the tool or equipment, i.e. in areas where the sheet forming
the
device or accessory 1 is not subjected to the mechanical stress of the tool or
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equipment that would tend to detach the self-adhesive sheet P from the skin,
starting
from the perimeter edge.
Several tests performed for different sports, have proven that such a shaped
sheet,
i.e. a sheet that, after having been applied, has no edges on the hand palm,
that is in
the area subjected to friction during use, remains firmly fixed to the hand
also for
long periods of physical training, for example during a tennis match,
notwithstanding
the strong friction exerted by the tool or equipment, for example by the
racket
handle, on the whole palm. With the exception of particular hyperhidrosis
cases,
sweating is poor in the hand palm; therefore, a firm fixing is ensured by
means of the
adhesive A between the central portion 3 of the sheet forming the device or
accessory 1 and the skin of the hand palm. The hand back, to which the side
appendices 5-17B are fixed, is not subjected to the mechanical stresses caused
by the
grip on the tool or equipment, and therefore a firm fixing is ensured also in
case of
sweating.
The layer of adhesive A applied to the back surface of the self-adhesive sheet
1 is
protected by means of a removable protective film. The protective film can be
made
of paper, cardboard, fabric or other material, even a synthetic material, that
is
suitably treated, for instance, but without limitation, with silicone, so that
it can be
easily peeled off from the layer of adhesive A.
To facilitate the application of the device or accessory 1 to the hand M, due
to the
complex shape and the wide surface thereof, in some embodiments the protective
film, instead of being made of a single piece or of two portions, is
subdivided into a
number of portions greater than two, delimited by separation or cutting lines
shown
in particular in Fig. 1, that allow the user to apply the self-adhesive sheet
to the hand
one portion after the other where the protective film has been removed,
without the
risk that the various parts or appendices of the self-adhesive film stick to
one another
causing wrinkles that could not be flattened and would make the device
unusable.
Fig. 1 illustrates, just by way of example, a possible subdivision of the
protective film, that is indicated as a whole with PP and covers the adhesive
A on the
surface lA of the sheet forming the device or accessory 1 before use. PP1,
PP2, ....
PP15 respectively indicate fifteen segments or portions of protective film,
each of
which may be removed separately from, and independently of, one another.
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In some embodiments, the accessory or device 1 is produced starting from a
continuous or discontinuous composite web, formed by a base sheet, an adhesive
layer A and a continuous protective film applied to protect the adhesive. By
means of
die cutting, laser cutting or the like, from the continuous web the single
devices or
accessories 1 are cut with their back protective film PP, that can be
subdivided, at the
same time or later, into single portions PP1-PP15 by means of laser cutting,
die
cutting or the like.
In this way, to apply the accessory or device 1 to the hand M the user
removes a portion of the protective film and makes the adhesive surface
portion
below, no longer protected by the protective film, adhere to the skin; then
he/she
does the same with an adjacent portion, according to precise advantageous
sequences, one of which is numerically indicated in Fig. 5. This kind of
application
allows to wear the accessory or device like a "hand garment", that perfectly
adapts
without causing imperfections or wrinkles, that could not be avoided if the
areas of
adhesive film to be applied would be too wide.
Once applied, the accessory or device 1 allows the user a more effective and
accurate grip on the tool or equipment or ball, wherein the grip is also
completely
dry, and thus allowing the maximum powerful athletic movement, ensuring great
sensitivity and optimal skin protection. The adhesion of the accessory or
device 1
lasts for a long time, also for the whole duration of a sport match, thanks to
the
particular shape described above, which avoids gradual detachment in the area
where
the hand presses firmly on the tool.
To improve the effectiveness of the device or accessory 1, the surface 1B into
contact with the tool or equipment may be treated in a known manner to
increase the
friction coefficient thereof, or the base synthetic material of which the
device is made
may have a sufficient friction coefficient per se.
Figs. 5 and 6 show a further embodiment of an accessory or device 1
according to the present invention. The same reference numbers indicate the
same or
equivalent parts to those described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. The
accessory or
device of Figs. 5 and 6 is intended for the right hand. Fig. 5 shows the back
surface
that shall adhere to the hand, and illustrates an advantageous sequence for
removing
the protective film portions and for making adjacent areas of the adhesive
sheet
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progressively adhere to the skin one after the other. Fig. 6 shows the front
surface,
with high friction coefficient, that remains exposed.
In this second embodiment again, the device or accessory 1 comprises a shaped
sheet of suitable thickness made of a suitable material, for example a
synthetic,
natural or semi-synthetic material, wherein the sheet is shaped along a
perimeter line
P. The sheet 1 comprises a first surface 1A, partially shown in Fig. 5, and a
second
surface 1B, shown in Fig. 6. An adhesive A is applied to the surface 1A.
The sheet 1 has a shaped central portion 3 intended to cover substantially the
whole palm of the user's hand. A plurality of appendices, indicated with 5, 7,
9, 11,
13, 15, 17A, 17B in Fig. 6, extend from the central portion 3. More in
particular, in
this embodiment, the sheet forming the accessory or device 1 comprises four
appendices 5, 7, 9, 11, indicated below as "between-the-fingers appendices",
as they
are destined to be inserted in the four spaces between the fingers. In
particular, the
between-the-fingers appendix 5 is applied between little finger and ring
finger. The
between-the-fingers appendix 7 is inserted between ring finger and middle
finger.
The between-the-fingers appendix 9 is inserted between middle finger and
forefinger.
The between-the-fingers appendix 11 is inserted between forefinger and thumb.
The adhesive sheet furthermore comprises a side appendix 13 to be applied to
the
hand side between thumb and wrist. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5
and 6, a
long appendix 15 is furthermore provided, to be applied to the hand side
between
wrist and little finger up to the hand back and then around the wrist.
Similarly to the previous embodiment, further appendices 17A, 17B are
provided,
that can be applied so as to surround partially the wrist or to achieve the
palm portion
or palm surface of the wrist, i.e. the surface that is on the side of the hand
palm, thus
completely covering the hand palm surface. The length of the appendix 15 is
sufficient to surround at least partially the wrist, overlapping the
appendices 17A and
17B and thus keeping them fixed.
As in the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1-4, the central
portion 3
of the sheet forming the device or accessory 1 covers the palm almost
completely; in
particular, the extension of the central portion is such that, when the user
grips the
tool or equipment, for example a tennis racket, a golf stick or other tool or
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equipment, the perimeter edge P delimiting the central portion 3 is positioned
in
areas where there is no pressure contact with said tool or equipment. In this
way, the
self-adhesive sheet does not become detached from the hand palm, as this
detachment is usually caused by the mechanical action exerted by the tool or
equipment over the line between the device perimeter edge and the skin and by
the
sweating entering between the self-adhesive sheet and the skin.
In this case again, the accessory or device is firmly fixed to the hand by
means of
the appendices 5-17B, folded and fixed to the hand back and/or to the wrist,
in areas
where there is no contact with the tool or equipment, i.e. in areas where the
sheet
forming the device or accessory 1 is not subjected to the mechanical stress of
the tool
or equipment that would tend to detach the self-adhesive sheet P from the
skin,
starting from the perimeter edge.
The layer of adhesive A applied to the back surface of the self-adhesive sheet
1 is
protected by means of a removable film. To facilitate the application of the
device or
accessory 1 to the hand, due to the complex shape and the wide surface
thereof, also
in the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6 the protective film, instead of being made
of a
single piece or of two portions, is subdivided into a number of portions
greater than
two, delimited by separation or cutting lines, shown in particular in Fig. 5,
that allow
the user to apply the self-adhesive sheet to the hand one portion after the
other
according to preferred sequences, one of which is shown in Fig. 5 (the order
corresponds to the reference number sequence), without the risk that the
various parts
or appendices of the self-adhesive film stick to one another before being
completely
applied to the hand. Fig. 1 illustrates, just by way of example, a possible
subdivision
of the protective film, that is indicated as a whole with PP and covers the
adhesive A
on the surface lA of the sheet forming the device or accessory 1 before use.
PP1,
PP2, .... PP22 respectively indicate twenty two segments or portions of
protective
film, which may be removed separately from, and independently of, one another.
Namely, the user shall advantageously remove one portion of protective film at
a
time, make the adhesive portion below, no longer protected by the protective
film,
immediately adhere to the skin, and then do the same with the subsequent
portion.
While the particular embodiments of the invention described above have been
shown in the drawing and described integrally in the description above with
features
and characteristics relating to different example embodiments, those skilled
in the art
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will understand the modifications, changes and omissions are possible without
however departing from the innovative learning, the principles and the
concepts
described above and the advantages of the object described in the attached
claims.
Therefore, the scope of the described improvements shall be determined only
based
upon the widest interpretation of the attached claims, so as to include all
the
modifications, changes and omissions. The scope of the invention also includes
any
combination of the features claimed in one or more of the dependent claims and
the
features of any one of the independent claims.
