Athletic Glove

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward an athletic glove having a glove body and a friction-enhancing material. The glove body includes a palmar portion and a plurality of digit sheaths extending outwardly from the palmar portion. Each digit sheath includes a proximal end coupled to the palmar portion and an opposing distal end. Furthermore, each digit sheath is operable to receive at least one finger of a hand. The friction-enhancing material is coupled to the volar side of the glove body. The friction-enhancing material includes a plurality of extensions that align with the digit sheaths of the glove body. The friction-enhancing material also includes an outcropping disposed on the distal end of at least one extension such that the outcropping extends around the medial and lateral sides of the digit sheath.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a glove used in athletic activities, and in particular, to a football receiving glove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In athletic matches such as baseball, golf, and American football, players will typically wear one or more gloves for assistance on gripping items. Conventional athletic gloves contain a gripping area that is limited to the volar or palmar plane of the glove. Accordingly, the gripping assistance available to the wearer of these gloves is limited, as the tactile pad terminates in the palmar plane and does not extend around the sides of the digits of the glove.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide an athletic glove that provides increase gripping ability for the athlete.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward an athletic glove having an increased gripping ability for the wearer of the athletic glove. The athletic glove includes a glove body and a friction-enhancing material. The glove body is configured to cover the hand of a wearer. More specifically, the glove body includes a palmar portion and a plurality of digit sheaths extending outwardly from the palmar portion. The palmar portion is configured to cover the palm and back of the hand of the wearer of the athletic glove. Furthermore, each digit sheath is operable to receive at least one finger of the hand. Each digit sheath includes a proximal end coupled to the palmar portion and an opposing distal end. The friction-enhancing material is coupled to the volar side of the glove body. The friction-enhancing material includes a plurality of extensions that are configured to align with the digit sheaths of the glove body. The friction-enhancing material also includes an outcropping that is disposed on the distal end of at least one extension such that the outcropping extends around the medial and lateral sides of the digit sheath proximate to the distal end.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a digit sheath of an athletic glove. The digit sheath includes a proximal end that is coupled to a palm portion of the athletic glove and a distal end disposed opposite of the proximal end. The digit sheath further includes a fabric material and a friction-enhancing material. The fabric material may be disposed on a dorsal side of the digit sheath. Conversely, the friction-enhancing material may be disposed on a volar side of the digit sheath. Both the fabric material and the friction-enhancing material may span along the digit sheath on their respective sides from the proximal end to the distal end. The friction-enhancing material may further include an outcropping. The outcropping may extend from the volar side of the digit sheath to the dorsal side on both the medial and lateral sides of the digit sheath proximate to the distal end of the digit sheath.

In yet another embodiment, an athletic glove includes a body portion, at least one digit sheath, and a friction-enhancing material. The at least one digit sheath extends from the body portion. Furthermore, the at least one digit sheath includes a proximal end that is coupled to the body portion, a distal end that is opposite the proximal end, a medial side that spans from the proximal end to the distal end, and a lateral side that spans from the proximal end to the distal end opposite of the medial side. The friction-enhancing material may be disposed on a volar side of the body portion and the at least one digit sheath. The friction-enhancing material may contain an outcropping portion that is configured to extend over the distal end of the at least one digit sheath and around the medial and lateral sides of the at least one digit sheath at a location proximate to the distal end of the at least one digit sheath.

The above and still further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a glove in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the palmar side of the glove being shown.

FIG. 1B illustrates a rear view of the embodiment of the glove illustrated in FIG. 1A, the dorsal side of the glove being shown.

FIG. 2A illustrates a blank or template of the friction-enhancing material of the embodiment of the glove illustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the grip-enhancing material of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of a first digit of the embodiment of the glove illustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side elevational view of a medial side of the digit illustrated in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C illustrates a rear perspective view of the digit illustrated in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D illustrates a side elevational view of a lateral side of the digit illustrated in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A illustrates a front view of a second digit of the embodiment of the glove illustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side elevational view of a medial side of the digit illustrated in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C illustrates a rear perspective view of the digit illustrated in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4D illustrates a side elevational view of a lateral side of the digit illustrated in FIG. 4A.

Like reference numerals have been used to identify like elements throughout this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an athletic glove with grip-enhancing portion disposed on the palmar or volar side of the glove, where the grip-enhancing portion is configured to at least partially wrap or extend around the sides of the digits of the glove to extend the grip-enhancing material beyond the volar side of the glove.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying figures which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Aspects of the disclosure are disclosed in the description herein. Alternate embodiments of the present disclosure and their equivalents may be devised without parting from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that any discussion herein regarding “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an exemplary embodiment”, and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, and that such particular feature, structure, or characteristic may not necessarily be included in every embodiment. In addition, references to the foregoing do not necessarily comprise a reference to the same embodiment. Finally, irrespective of whether it is explicitly described, one of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that each of the particular features, structures, or characteristics of the given embodiments may be utilized in connection or combination with those of any other embodiment discussed herein.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order than the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.

An athletic glove 10 capable of receiving a human hand is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The athletic glove 10 may be utilized and applied for use as a receiving glove for American football. Other embodiments of the glove 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be utilized and applied for use in any type of glove, including, but not limited to, a batting glove, a golf glove, a hockey glove, etc. While the example embodiment depicted in the FIGS. 1A and 1B shows a glove 10 configured for a right hand, it is noted that the same or similar features can also be provided for a glove 10 configured for a left hand (where such features of the right handed glove are reflection or “mirror image” symmetrical in relation to a left handed glove).

The glove 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B includes a glove body 100 with a hand portion 110 and a cuff portion 120. The glove body 100 defines a volar or anterior side 130A (also called a palmar side) and a dorsal or posterior side 130B. The glove body 100 includes a lateral side 102 (i.e., the “pinky side” of the hand) and a medial side 104 (i.e., the “thumb side” of the hand). The glove body 100 further includes a first end 106 (i.e., the tips of the fingers of the hand) and an opposite second end 108 (i.e., the wrist end of the hand). The hand portion 110 includes one or more digit sheaths 112A-112E coupled to a palm section 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the glove 10 includes a first or thumb sheath 112A, a second or index finger sheath 112B, a third or middle finger sheath 112C, a fourth or ring finger sheath 112D, and a fifth or pinky finger sheath 112E. The first sheath 112A extends from the palm section 114 of the hand portion 110 proximate to the medial side 104 of the glove body 100, while the second, third, fourth, and fifth sheaths 112B-112E extend from the palm section 114 of the hand portion 110 proximate to the first end 106 of the glove body 100. Each sheath 112A-112E possesses dimensions (e.g., is sized and shaped) to snugly receive and cover its associated digit, as well as to permit curvature of the fingers about an object, such as an American football.

The glove body 100 may be formed of a plurality of material selectively coupled in predetermined positions to cover desired areas of the hand. More specifically, the glove body 100 may include a unitary base layer of fabric material, with supplemental layers of material secured to the base layer at predetermined positions. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the dorsal side 130B of the glove body 100 includes a fabric body 140 that spans a substantial portion of the dorsal side 130B of the glove body 100. As illustrated, the fabric body 140 extends across the dorsal side 130B of the hand portion 110 of the glove body 100 from the lateral side 102 to the medial side 104. The fabric body 140 also extends along the dorsal side 130B from the tips of the digit sheaths 112A-112E to the cuff portion 120. The fabric body 140 may be formed of a knitted, woven, or nonwoven fabric with stretch properties, e.g., a breathable fabric including elastane.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1B, the dorsal side 130B of the glove body 100 further includes a series of supplemental layers 142, 144 selectively disposed on the fabric body 140 at various positions. As illustrated, transparent supplemental layer 142 is disposed proximate to the tip of digit sheath 112B and along the lateral side 102 of the hand portion 110 of the glove body 100. Furthermore, a patterned supplemental layer 144 is disposed at an intermediate location on digit sheath 112A, disposed proximate the tips of digit sheaths 112C-112E, and substantially disposed over half of the hand portion 110 of the glove body 100 proximate to the medial side 104 of the glove body 100. The supplemental layers 142, 144 may be disposed on the fabric body 140 via any conventional means, such as, but not limited to, stitching, bonding, adhesives, etc. Furthermore, the supplemental layers 142, 144 may be formed of a thermoplastic film that includes, but is not limited to, polyurethane.

One or more sheaths 112A-112E may include one or more fourchettes formed of elastic material to permit enhanced motion of the digit. In the illustrated embodiment, an elastic fourchette 160 is disposed on digit sheath 112A such that the fourchette 160 extends from the medially-facing side (i.e., side facing away from the other digit sheaths 112B-112E) of digit sheath 112A, around the tip of digit sheath 112A, and down the laterally-facing side (i.e., side facing toward the other digit sheaths 112B-112E) of digit sheath 112A. The other digit sheaths 112B-112E may include a medially-facing (i.e., facing toward the thumb), elastic fourchette 162 and a laterally facing (i.e., facing away from the thumb), elastic fourchette 164. The medially-facing, elastic fourchettes 162 may be configured to substantially span the medial sides of the fingers disposed within the respective sheaths 112B-112E. Similarly, laterally-facing, elastic fourchettes 164 may be configured to substantially span the lateral sides of the fingers disposed within the respective sheaths 112B-112E. The material forming the elastic fourchettes 160, 162, 164 may include a breathable fabric formed of nylon and spandex (e.g., LYCRA).

The volar side 130A of the glove further includes a grip- or friction-enhancing material 150 operable to enhance the gripping ability of the glove 10 to aid in gripping objects, such as an American football. The friction-enhancing material 150 generally covers the palmar surface of the glove, extending longitudinally from the tip of each sheath 112A-112E to the bottom of the hand portion 110 of the glove body 100. In an embodiment, and as discussed in greater detail below, the friction-enhancing material 150 is configured to wrap around the sides of some of the digit sheaths 112A-112E proximate to the distal tips of the digit sheaths 112A-112E. The embodiment of the glove 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B further includes a second friction-enhancing material 152 disposed on the dorsal side 130B of the first sheath 112A proximate to the distal tip of the first sheath 112A.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the template 200 of the friction-enhancing material 150 substantially matches the volar side 130A of the glove 10. Similar to the volar side 130A of the glove 10, the template 200 includes a lateral side 202 (i.e., the “pinky side” of the hand) and a medial side 204 (i.e., the “thumb side” of the hand). The template 200 further includes a first end 206 (i.e., the tips of the fingers of the hand) and an opposite second end 208 (i.e., the wrist end of the hand). The template 200 further includes a palm portion 210 and one or more digit extensions 220A-220E coupled to and extending from the palm portion 210. The palm portion 210 generally aligns and covers the palm section 114 of the glove body 100, while the digit extensions 220A-220E generally align with the volar side 130A of the digit sheaths 112A-112E. The first extension 220A extends from the palm portion 210 proximate to the medial side 204 of the template 200, while the second, third, fourth, and fifth extensions 220B-220E extend from the palm portion 210 proximate to the first end 206 of the template 200. As further illustrated, the palm portion 210 may further include a channel or slit 212 that extends into the palm portion 210 between the first and second extensions 220A, 220B. The slit 212 prevents the friction-enhancing material 150 from limiting the movement of the first sheath 112A and the other sheaths 112B-112E with respect to one another. Furthermore, the slit 212 also prevents an excessive or obtrusive amount of folds or gathering forming in the friction-enhancing material 150 when the first sheath 112A and the other sheaths 112B-112E move toward one another.

Continuing with FIG. 2A, the second, third, fourth, and fifth extensions 220B-220E each include wings or outcroppings 230B-230E proximate to the distal tips or ends of the extensions 220B-220E. As illustrated, the outcroppings 230B-230D of the second, third, and fourth extensions 220B-220D are substantially similar to one another, where the outcroppings 230B-230D extend outwardly from the distal tips of extensions 220B-220D on the medially-facing sides (i.e., the side facing toward the first extension 220A), around the ends of the tips, and on the laterally-facing sides (i.e., the side facing away from the first extensions 220A). Outcropping 230E differs from the other outcroppings 230B-230D in that outcropping 230E only extends outwardly from the medially-facing side of the distal tip of extension 220E. As explained in further detail below, the outcroppings 230B-230D are configured to wrap around the medially-facing and/or laterally-facing sides of the digit sheaths 112B-112E to provide additional friction-enhancing material on the medial and/or lateral sides of the sheaths 112B-112E when compared to traditional athletic gloves equipped with a friction-enhancing material.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the friction-enhancing material 150 is a multilayer fabric including an interior or base layer 240 (also called a substrate layer) and an exterior or gripping layer 250 (also called a tacky layer) disposed on the base layer 240. In an embodiment, the base layer 240 may be a flexible, non-stretch fabric (e.g., suede). By way of example, the base layer 240 may include textiles, fabric, leather, synthetic leather, etc.

The exterior or gripping layer 250 possess a high adhesion property relative to the other materials forming the glove 10. Additionally, the gripping layer 250 generates a high coefficient of friction with the material that forms conventional game balls, such as leather. For example, the gripping layer 250 may be formed of materials such as elastomers (e.g., polyurethanes), thermoset plastics (e.g., silicones), other plastics, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), rubber, synthetic rubber, leather, synthetic leather, or other polymeric materials. The gripping layer 250, moreover, may be a coating applied to the base layer 240. The gripping layer 250 may be a continuous layer, completely covering the base layer 240. Alternatively, the gripping layer 250 may be discontinuous, covering a portion (or selected portions) of the base layer 240. In an embodiment, the exterior layer is a thermoset plastic (e.g., silicone) that completely (or at least substantially) covers the volar side 130A of the hand portion 110, extending from the distal ends of the digit sheaths 112A-112E down to the heel of the palm (i.e., the bottom of the palm above the wrist) proximate to the cuff portion 120.

In another embodiment, the friction-enhancing material 150, instead of being generally non-stretching, may be configured to provide four-way stretch. For example, the friction-enhancing material 150 may include a base layer 240 possessing four-way stretch. The friction-enhancing material 150 may include additional layers, such as graphics adhesion layer, a graphics layer, and/or a protective layer. This enables the gloves 10 to display a message either individually or in combination across the palms of a pair of gloves 10 (e.g., left and right gloves).

The gripping layer 250 may be secured to the base layer 240 via stitching, adhesives, etc. Additionally, the gripping layer 250 and/or the base layer 240 may be perforated to improve breathability of the layers 240, 250.

Turning to FIGS. 3A-3D, while only the third digit sheath 112C is illustrated, it will be understood that the following description of the third digit sheath 112C may also apply to the second and fourth digit sheaths 112B, 112D because the second and fourth digit sheaths 112B, 112D are substantially similar to the third digit sheath 112C.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3D, the digit sheath 112C includes a medial side 300, a lateral side 310, and a distal tip 320 spaced from the palm section 114 of the glove body 100. The third extension 220C of the friction-enhancing material 150 is disposed predominantly on the volar side 130A of the digit sheath 112C. When forming a portion of digit sheath 112C, the outcropping 230C of the third extension 220C of the friction-enhancing material 150 extends at least partially around the portion of the digit sheath 112C proximate to the distal tip 320. More specifically, a portion of the outcropping 230C extends partially over, and is folded into, the distal tip 320, where the outcropping 230C is coupled to the fabric body 140 and supplemental layer 144 disposed on the dorsal side 130B of digit sheath 112C. While not illustrated, the outcropping 230C may be coupled (e.g., via stitching, bonding, adhesives, etc.) to the fabric body 140 and the supplemental layer 144 such that the coupling is disposed within the interior of the glove body 100. Thus, the fabric body 140, the supplemental layer 144, and the outcropping 230C of the third extension 220C of the friction-enhancing material 150 collectively form the distal tip 320 of digit sheath 112C. As further illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3D, the outcropping 230C is also configured to at least partially extend around the medial and lateral sides 300, 310 of digit sheath 112C proximate to the distal tip 320 such that the outcropping 230C is coupled to the that the fabric body 140 and the supplemental layer 144 on both the medial and lateral sides 300, 310 of digit sheath 112C. Similar to the portion of the outcropping 230C that extends over the distal tip 320, the portions of the outcropping 230C that extend around medial and lateral sides 300, 310 of digit sheath 112C are coupled (e.g., via stitching, bonding, adhesives, etc.) to the fabric body 140 and supplemental layer 144 such that the coupling is disposed within the interior of the glove body 100. FIGS. 3B-3C illustrate that fourchette 162 disposed on the medial side 300 of digit sheath 112C extends downwardly along the medial side 300 from the portion of the outcropping 230C on the medial side 300 of the digit sheath 112C to the palm section 114 of the glove body 100. FIG. 3D further illustrates that fourchette 164 disposed on the lateral side 310 of digit sheath 112C extends downwardly along the lateral side 310 from the portion of the outcropping 230C on the lateral side 310 of the digit sheath 112C to the palm section 114 of the glove body 100.

In other words, the medial side 300 of digit sheath 112C is formed of the combination of a portion of outcropping 230C and fourchette 162, where the outcropping 230C portion is disposed proximate to the distal tip 320 of digit sheath 112C. Similarly, the lateral side 310 of digit sheath 112C is formed of the combination of a portion of outcropping 230C and fourchette 164, where the outcropping 230C portion is disposed proximate to the distal tip 320 of digit sheath 112C. Thus, the outcropping 230C seamlessly extends the friction-enhancing material 155 around the medial and lateral sides 300, 310 of the digit sheath 112C. This digit sheath construction enables the digit sheaths to still remain flexible and able to move with the movements of a user's digit or finger disposed within the digit sheaths (e.g., adduction, abduction, extension, flexion, etc.), while remaining secured/fixed to the fingertip of the finger disposed within the digit sheath 112C and providing additional friction-enhancing material 150 around the medial and lateral sides 300, 310 of the digit sheath 112C.

Turning to FIGS. 4A-4D, the digit sheath 112E includes a medial side 400, a lateral side 410, and a distal tip 420 spaced from the palm section 114 of the glove body 100. Similar to the other digit sheaths 112B-112D, the fifth extension 220E of the friction-enhancing material 150 is disposed predominantly on the volar side 130A of the digit sheath 112C. The fifth digit sheath 112E differs from digit sheaths 112B-112D, however, in that the outcropping 230E of the fifth extension 220E of the friction-enhancing material 150, as previously explained, is only disposed on the medial side 204 of the fifth extension 220E of the friction enhancing material 150. Thus, when forming a portion of digit sheath 112E, the outcropping 230E of the fifth extension 220E of the friction-enhancing material 150 only extends at least partially around the medial side 400 of the digit sheath 112E proximate to the distal tip 420. As illustrated in FIGS. 4B-4C, the outcropping 230E is configured to at least partially extend around the medial side 400 of digit sheath 112E proximate to the distal tip 420 such that the outcropping 230E is coupled to the fabric body 140 and the supplemental layer 144 on the medial side 400 of digit sheath 112E. FIGS. 4B-4C further illustrate that the fourchette 162 disposed on the medial side 400 of digit sheath 112E extends downwardly along the medial side 300 from the portion of the outcropping 230E on the medial side 400 of digit sheath 112E to the palm section 114 of the glove body 100. Unlike the digit sheaths 112B-112D, the fourchette 164 disposed on the lateral side 410 of digit sheath 112E extends along the entire length of the lateral side 410 from the distal tip 420 to the palm section 114 of the glove body 100, and may extend, at least partially, over the lateral portion of the distal tip 420. Furthermore, because the outcropping 230E is only disposed on the medial side 204 of the fifth extension 220E, a small portion of the outcropping 230E may extend at least partially over, and may be folded into, a medial portion of the distal tip 420.

Thus, the medial side 400 of digit sheath 112E is formed of the combination of a portion of outcropping 230E and fourchette 162, where the outcropping 230E portion is disposed proximate to the distal tip 420 of digit sheath 112E. Furthermore, the lateral side 410 of digit sheath 112E is formed only from fourchette 164, not a combination of outcropping 230E and the fourchette 164 like that of digit sheaths 112B-112D. Additionally, the distal tip 420 may be collectively formed by the coupling, to one another, of the outcropping 230E, the fourchette 164, the fabric body 140 disposed on the dorsal side 130B of digit sheath 112E, and the supplemental layer 144 disposed on the dorsal side 130B of digit sheath 112E. Thus, the outcropping 230E seamlessly extends the friction-enhancing material 155 around the medial side 400 of the digit sheath 112E. This construction enables the digit sheath 112E to remain flexible and able to move with the movements of a user's digit disposed within the digit sheath 112E (e.g., adduction, abduction, extension, flexion, etc.), while remaining secured/fixed to the fingertip of the finger disposed within the digit sheath 112C and providing additional friction-enhancing material 150 around the medial side 400 of the digit sheath 112E.

The embodiment of the athletic glove 10 described herein provides an improved athletic glove that increases the grip of the athletic glove 10. First, the construction described above enables the digit sheaths 112B-112E to sit tight against fingertips of the fingers disposed within the digit sheaths 112B-112E, creating a more locked-in feel for the glove 10 (i.e., the glove 10 does not shift or move with respect to the hand disposed within the glove 10 when the hand articulates movements). In other words, the distal tips 320, 420 construction secures the distal tips 320, 420 firmly against the fingertips disposed within the digit sheaths 112B-112E. The combination of the fabric material 140 and the supplemental layers 142, 144 on the dorsal side 130B of the glove 10 is less resilient and flexible than the elastic fourchettes 162, 164. Furthermore, the friction-enhancing material 150 is also less resilient and flexible than the elastic fourchettes 162, 164. Thus, with the distal tips 320, 420 of the digit sheaths 112B-112E being constructed by the direct coupling of the friction-enhancing material 150 to the combination of the fabric material 140 and the supplemental layers 142, 144, the distal tips 320, 420 of the digit sheaths 112B-112E are stabilized against the fingertips of the fingers disposed within the digit sheaths 112B-112E. The digit sheath construction described herein prevents or limits the movement of the digit sheaths 112B-112E with respect to fingers disposed within the digit sheaths 112B-112E (e.g., rotation of the digit sheaths 112B-112E about the fingers) when gripping, catching, handling, and/or throwing an athletic object (e.g., football, etc.).

Second, the construction described above also provides an additional surface area of the friction-enhancing material 150 on and around each of the digit sheaths 112B-112E. For example, when catching a football, as the football impacts the fingers of a user's hand, the momentum of the football causes the fingers to slightly with respect to the football. Thus, the medial and/or lateral edges/sides of the digit sheaths 112B-112E of the glove 10 come into contact with the football during the catching process. With the outcroppings 230B-230E being disposed on the medial sides 300, 400 and lateral sides 310 of the digit sheaths 112B-112E, the outcroppings 230B-230E are capable of providing additional grip to the glove 10 when the user's hands and/or fingers are slightly rotated about the football during the catching process. The additional surface area of the friction-enhancing material 150 provided by the outcroppings 230B-230E also improves the grip of the gloves 10, not only for catching a football, but for also handling and carrying a football. When a first football player is swiping and striking at a football being held by a second football player, the impacts from the swiping and striking of the first football player may cause the hand(s) of second football player to rotate or shift about the football being held. The additional surface area of the friction-enhancing material 150 provided by the outcroppings 230B-230E may enable the second football player to retain their grip on the football despite the shifting of the hand(s) with respect to the held football.

In addition, constructing a portion of the medial sides 300, 400 and the lateral sides 310, 410 of the digit sheaths 112B-112E from the combination of the outcroppings 230B-230E and elastic fourchettes 162, 164 enables the digit sheaths 112B-112E to bend, flex, and move in unison with the fingers disposed within the sheaths 112B-112E without inhibiting the movement of the fingers. Furthermore, the construction enables the digit sheaths 112B-112E to bend, flex, and move in unison with the fingers while still providing additional surface area of the friction-enhancing material 150 and securing the distal ends 320, 420 to the fingertips of the fingers disposed within the sheaths 112B-112E, as described above.

It is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points or portions of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration. Further, the term “exemplary” is used herein to describe an example or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as exemplary is not to be construed as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, but rather as one example or illustration of a possible embodiment of the invention.

Although the disclosed inventions are illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. In addition, various features from one of the embodiments may be incorporated into another of the embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. An athletic glove comprising: a glove body configured to cover a hand of a wearer, the glove body comprising: a palmar portion configured to cover a palm region and a back region of the hand, anda plurality of digit sheaths extending from the palmar portion, each digit sheath including a proximal end coupled to the palmar portion and an opposing distal end, each digit sheath being operable to receive at least one of a finger of the hand; anda friction-enhancing material disposed on a volar side of the glove body, the friction-enhancing layer comprising: a plurality of extensions that align with the digit sheaths of the glove body, andan outcropping disposed on at least one extension such that the outcropping extends around a medial side and a lateral side of at least one of the plurality of digit sheaths that aligns with the at least one extension proximate to the distal end of the at least one digit sheath.

2. The athletic glove of claim 1, wherein the friction-enhancing material is a multilayer material including a base layer and a gripping layer.

3. The athletic glove of claim 1, wherein the plurality of digit sheaths of the glove body include: a first digit sheath corresponding to a thumb of the hand of the wearer;a second digit sheath corresponding to an index finger of the hand of the wearer;a third digit sheath corresponding to a middle finger of the hand of the wearer;a fourth digit sheath corresponding to a ring finger of the hand of the wearer; anda fifth digit sheath corresponding to a pinky finger of the hand of the wearer.

4. The athletic glove of claim 3, wherein the plurality of extensions of the friction-enhancing material include: a first extension that aligns with the first digit sheath;a second extension that aligns with the second digit sheath;a third extension that aligns with the third digit sheath;a fourth extension that aligns with the fourth digit sheath; anda fifth extension that aligns with the fifth digit sheath.

5. The athletic glove of claim 4, wherein the second extension, third extension, and fourth extension of the friction-enhancing material each include the outcropping.

6. The athletic glove of claim 5, wherein each of the outcroppings are a first type of outcropping, the friction-enhancing material further comprising: a second outcropping disposed on the fifth extension of the friction-enhancing material such that the second outcropping extends around a medial side of the fifth digit sheath proximate to a distal end of the fifth digit sheath.

7. The athletic glove of claim 1, further comprising: a cuff portion coupled to the glove body and configured to cover a wrist of the wearer and secure the athletic glove on the hand of the wearer.

8. A digit sheath of an athletic glove comprising: a proximal end coupled to a palm portion of the athletic glove;a distal end opposite the proximal end;a fabric material disposed on a dorsal side of the digit sheath and spanning from the proximal end to the distal end; anda friction-enhancing material disposed on a volar side and spanning from the proximal end to the distal end, the friction-enhancing material further comprising: an outcropping extending from the volar side to the dorsal side over the distal end and on a medial side and a lateral side proximate to the distal end.

9. The digit sheath of claim 8, further comprising: a first fourchette disposed on the medial side and coupled to the fabric material and the friction-enhancing material, the first fourchette spanning from the outcropping on the medial side to the proximal end.

10. The digit sheath of claim 9, further comprising: a second fourchette disposed on the lateral side and coupled to the fabric material and the friction-enhancing material, the second fourchette spanning from the outcropping on the lateral side to the proximal end.

11. The digit sheath of claim 10, wherein the first and second fourchettes are formed of a combination of nylon and elastane.

12. The digit sheath of claim 8, wherein the friction-enhancing material is a multilayer material including a base layer and a gripping layer.

13. The digit sheath of claim 12, wherein the gripping layer is silicone

14. The digit sheath of claim 1, wherein the outcropping of the friction-enhancing material is directly coupled to the fabric material at the distal end.

15. An athletic glove comprising: a body portion;at least one digit sheath extending from the body portion, the at least one digit sheath comprising: a proximal end coupled to the body portion;a distal end opposite the proximal end;a medial side spanning from the proximal end to the distal end; anda lateral side spanning from the proximal end to the distal end opposite the medial side; anda friction-enhancing material disposed on a volar side of the body portion and the at least one digit sheath, friction-enhancing material having an outcropping portion that extends over the distal end of the at least one digit sheath and around the medial and lateral sides of the at least one digit sheath proximate to the distal end.

16. The athletic glove of claim 15, wherein a fabric layer is disposed on a dorsal side of the body portion and the at least one digit sheath, the outcropping portion of the friction-enhancing material being coupled to the fabric layer.

17. The athletic glove of claim 15, wherein the at least one digit sheath further comprises: a medial side forchette spanning along the medial side of the at least one digit sheath from the outcropping portion on the medial side of the at least one digit sheath to the proximal end; anda lateral side forchette spanning along the lateral side of the at least one digit sheath from the outcropping portion on the lateral side of the at least one digit sheath to the proximal end.

18. The athletic glove of claim 17, wherein the medial side forchette and the lateral side forchette are constructed of a combination of nylon and spandex.

19. The athletic glove of claim 18, wherein the friction-enhancing material is a multilayer material including a base layer and a silicon gripping layer.

20. The athletic glove of claim 19, wherein the friction-enhancing material and the fabric material disposed on the dorsal side have a lower degree of resiliency than the medial side forchette and the lateral side forchette.