Patent Application
20090271911
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing a cheer for a sports team or the like.
Sports teams, schools, colleges, universities and other entities often adopt a mascot in the form of a human caricature or an animal. Sometimes the mascot selected is tied to the name of the team or entity. For example, team names and their associated mascots have included the: Bears, Cougars, Lions, Hawks, Sharks, Gators, etc.
Often the mascots selected are animals of prey, such as birds, fish, or reptiles having jaws, beaks, etc., bearing teeth or sharp edges which are used for capturing, tearing apart, and devouring the animals prey or enemies.
At least one college institution in the United States, the Florida Gators, of The University of Florida, have adopted a cheer for use at sporting events and the like which involves a fan extending their arms, essentially one above the other, and then moving the arms toward and away from another to simulate a “chomping” action of the jaws of their team mascot, an alligator.
While cheers, such as the one performed by the fans of the Florida Gators, are widely practiced and recognized, it is desired to provide an apparatus and method for enhancing such cheers, and for performing new cheers. It is desired that such an apparatus and method for performing a cheer be applicable not only to institutions or entities who currently practice similar cheers, such as the Florida Gators, but also be extendible for use by entities having mascots other than an alligator and who do not currently practice a similar cheer.
It is desirable that such an apparatus and method be provided in a form which can readily and conveniently be utilized for performing a cheer periodically, without significantly interfering with other activities between cheers that the person performing the cheer may wish to engage in, such as eating, drinking, handling binoculars or a camera, etc.
The invention provides an apparatus and method for performing a cheer through use of a pair of gloves, including a first glove and a second glove which are not connected to one another, but which, when used together in accordance with the invention form a depiction of the head of an animal having a pair of jaws which can be manipulated to perform a cheer.
In one form of the invention, a pair of gloves are provided, wherein a first glove and a second glove of the pair, are not connected to one another, but together form a depiction of the head of an animal having an upper and a lower jaw. The first glove depicts an upper portion of the animal head including the upper jaw, and the second glove depicts a lower portion of the animal head including the lower jaw. The first and second gloves have coordinating facing surfaces thereof, extending along the upper and lower jaws, which, when brought into and out of proximity with one another emulate the closing and opening of the jaws of the depicted animal head.
The first and second gloves may be cooperatively configured for receiving one arm of a person into the first glove, and the other arm of the person into the second glove.
At least one of the first and second gloves may include one or more holes extending through the facing surface of the glove, for extension therethrough of one or more of the fingers and/or thumb of the hand of a person wearing the glove. The holes in the facing surface may be configured to allow at least one forefinger and the thumb of the hand to extend through the facing surface for grasping an object, such as food or drink, binoculars or a camera, with the at least one finger and thumb, while wearing the glove. By virtue of this construction, it will be appreciated that the gloves can be worn continually by a person while attending a sporting event, for example, so that the person wearing the gloves can engage in normal activities between use of the gloves without the necessity of removing and re-donning the gloves.
The facing surface of at least one of the first and second gloves may include a representation of one or more teeth extending therefrom. The first glove may include a representation of at least one eye or other features of the animal head.
The invention may also be practiced in the form of a method for performing a cheer. Such a method may include donning a pair of gloves, including a first glove and a second glove, not connected to one another, that together form a depiction of the head of an animal having an upper and a lower jaw. The gloves may be donned by placing one arm of a person into the first glove and the other arm of the person into the second glove. Where the first glove depicts an upper portion of the animal head including the upper jaw, and the second glove depicts a lower portion of the animal head including the lower jaw, with the first and second gloves having coordinating facing surfaces thereof extending along the upper and lower jaws, which when brought into and out of proximity with one another emulate closing and opening of the jaws of the depicted animal head, the method may include placing the gloved arms in proximity with one another with the facing surfaces of the gloves adjacent to one another to emulate the animal head.
A method, according to the invention, may including moving the gloved arms toward and away from one another in a scissors-like fashion to emulate closing and opening of the jaws of the animal head. The method may include periodically moving the gloved arms into proximity with one another and performing the cheer. Between cheers, the method may include moving the gloved arms out of proximity with one another while the arms remain gloved.
Where one or both of the first and second gloves includes one or more holes extending through the facing surfaces thereof, for extension through the one or more holes of one or more of the fingers and thumb of the hand of a person wearing the glove, for grasping an object with the extending at least one finger and thumb while wearing the glove, the method may further include grasping an object between cheers.
In forms of the invention where the facing surface of at least one of the first and second gloves includes a representation of one or more teeth extending therefrom, the method may further include emulating biting with the one or more teeth as the gloved arms are moved into and out of proximity with one another.
A method for performing a cheer, according to the invention, may include positioning two persons adjacent one another with each person wearing at least one of the first and second gloves. The two adjacent persons then perform the cheer by placing an arm of one person wearing the first glove in proximity with an arm of the second person on which the second glove is being worn, and having the two adjacent persons perform the cheer by moving their respective arms in coordination, in a scissors-like fashion to emulate closing and opening of the jaws of the animal head. It will be appreciated that, according to the invention, a line of adjacent persons standing or seated next to one another in a row of seats in a stadium, for example, could simultaneously all join in performing the cheer together.
Other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings of exemplary embodiments.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
As shown in
The first and second gloves 12, 14 have coordinating facing surfaces 24, 26 thereof, extending along the upper and lower jaws 16, 18, which when brought into and out of proximity with one another, in accordance with the invention, emulate the closing and opening of the jaws 16, 18 of the alligator head 15. In the alligator head 15, of the exemplary embodiment 10, the facing surfaces 24, 26 of both the first and second gloves 12, 14 include rows of teeth 28, 30, to further enhance the depiction of the alligator head 15.
As best seen in
As will be readily understood from
It will appreciated that, in other embodiments of the invention, the first and second gloves 12, 14 may be configured to depict an animal head for an animal other than an alligator. It is further contemplated, that the term “animal head,” as used herein, is meant to be broad enough to depict any member of the animal kingdom having a pair of jaws, including, but not limited to, humans and other types of mammals, marsupials, reptiles and amphibians, birds, bony and cartilaginous fishes or any other animal having a head including a pair of jaws which may be depicted by a first and a second glove according to the invention.
As further illustrated in
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventor for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor intends for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
