Patent Application
20150047087
The present invention relates to a glove for a hockey or lacrosse player,
Hockey and lacrosse players typically wear protective gloves during game play in order to prevent injuries to their hands. As such, much attention is given to the design and construction of the gloves in order to provide an appropriate level of protection and comfort.
In a traditional glove construction, the dorsal portion comprises a plurality of distinct dorsal protectors (padding elements enclosed in separate pockets) for protecting the dorsal side of the player's hand and that are separated by a plurality of gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexion zones. The dorsal portion often includes distinct dorsal protectors of different shapes which are stitched beside one another to cover the entirety of the dorsal side of the player's hand. Each of the padding elements is contained within a respective pocket. The dorsal protectors are thus slightly spaced apart in order to provide flexibility to the dorsal portion of the glove. By virtue of the plurality of distinct dorsal protectors and plurality of flexion zones, the traditional glove therefore permits a level of flexibility while also providing protection.
However, it is understood that providing a plurality of dorsal protectors involves a plurality of components and manufacturing steps, because for each dorsal protector, a pocket enclosing a padding element must be stitched to the dorsal sheet. As such, there is a need in the industry for a hockey or lacrosse glove which is less costly to manufacture while still providing a suitable level of protection and flexion to the player's hand. Thus, it is a feature to produce gloves that provide flexibility, comfort and protection and to produce gloves that reduce design and production costs, that are less complex in design, and that have fewer components and/or require less manufacturing steps.
The present invention provides a glove for protecting a hand of a hockey or lacrosse player, the player's hand having a wrist, a palm, a dorsal side with medial and lateral edges, four fingers and a thumb, each finger extending from a proximal articulation to a distal end, the hockey or lacrosse glove defining a longitudinal axis generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the player's hand and comprising a hand receiving portion and a cuff for at least partially covering the wrist, the cuff extending longitudinally from a proximal end to a distal end, the hand receiving portion comprising: (a) a thumb sheath for protecting the thumb of the player's hand; (b) four finger sheaths for protecting the four fingers of the player's hand, each finger sheath having a finger gusset for receiving the finger and a finger protector covering the finger gusset, each finger gusset having a proximal end for covering the proximal articulation of the finger and a distal end for covering the distal end of the finger; (c) a palm sheet for covering the palm of the player's hand; (d) a dorsal sheet for covering the dorsal side of the player's hand when the glove is in use, the dorsal sheet extending longitudinally from a proximal end proximate the distal end of the cuff to a distal end proximate the proximal end of each finger gusset and extending transversally from a medial end proximate the medial edge of the dorsal side of the player's hand to a lateral end proximate the lateral edge of the dorsal side of the player's hand, the dorsal sheet having a maximal length measured between its proximal and distal ends and a maximal width measured between its medial and lateral ends; and (e) a dorsal protector covering the dorsal sheet, the dorsal protector comprising (i) a single pocket mounted to the dorsal sheet and occupying at least three-quarters of the maximal length of the dorsal sheet and at least three-quarters of the maximal width of the dorsal sheet and (ii) a padding element contained in the single pocket, the padding element comprising a flexion zone such that, in use, flexing of the player's hand imparts movement of the padding element of the dorsal protector.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to the persons skilled in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
A detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided herein below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the drawings, the embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
To facilitate the description, any reference numerals designating an element in one figure will designate the same element if used in any other figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
As shown in
Each finger has a palm surface PS, a dorsal surface DS, a lateral surface LS, a medial surface MS, a metacarpal M, a proximal articulation PA, a proximal phalanx PP, a middle articulation MA, a middle phalanx MP, a distal articulation DA and a distal phalanx DP.
The metacarpals M of the human hand define a metacarpal region MR having a medial edge ME, a lateral edge LE, a proximal edge PE and a distal edge DE. The thumb T also has a palm surface PS and a dorsal surface DS.
As best seen in
The prior art glove 10 includes a plurality of dorsal protectors 20 which cooperatively cover the dorsal region of the glove and which generally overly the dorsal side of the player's hand. As best seen in
In the prior art glove 10, the dorsal protectors 20 are spaced such as to provide a level of flexibility in both a longitudinal and a lateral direction of the glove 10. The dorsal protectors 20 are thus separated by gaps, spaces, grooves or channels 19 which act as flexion zones that allow flexion of the dorsal region of the glove 10 when the player's hand flexes. For example, as seen in
As it is well known in the art, the flexibility of the prior art gloves along their dorsal portion is largely dependent on the presence of these gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexion zones between the distinct dorsal protectors and a prior art glove thus generally comprises at least three distinct dorsal protectors separated by two gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexion zones.
The glove 100 has side protectors 101 for protecting the side portion of the player's index finger. The glove 100 also includes a lateral protective region 121 for protecting the lateral portion of the player's hand. In the embodiment shown, the lateral protective region 121 includes a number of protectors (such as lateral protectors 121A, 121B).
The glove 100 has a hand covering portion 102 including a dorsal portion 114 for covering the dorsal side of the player's hand. As best seen in
The hand covering portion 102 comprises four finger sheaths 104. Each finger sheath 104 includes a proximal finger sheath end 104A, a distal finger sheath end 104B, a medial finger sheath edge 104C and a lateral finger sheath edge 104D (see
As best shown in
As best shown in
The four finger protectors 116 protect the dorsal surfaces of the index finger F1, middle finger F2, ring finger F3 and little finger F4 respectively. Each of the finger protectors 116 extends from a proximal end 116A to a distal end 116B and has a medial edge 116C and a lateral edge 116D. The proximal end 116A of each finger padding element 116 is positioned near the distal dorsal end 114B of the dorsal portion 114 and the distal end 116B of each finger padding element 116 is generally positioned near the respective distal phalanxes of the player's fingers. Each of the finger protectors 116 has a protective padding element 118 for protecting the fingers of a player's hand. This padding element 118 is contained in a pocket 117 that is affixed to one of the dorsal finger sheets 109.
Reverting to
The lower and upper sheets 120, 122 may be made of a suitable flexible material such as soft leather, leather-like materials, synthetic suede, or Nash fabric. An example of a suitable material is commercialized under the name CLARINO™. The lower and upper sheets 120, 122 may also be treated with silicone to improve stick control and may further be reinforced with a protective layer.
The dorsal portion 114 of the glove 100 includes a padding element 140 enclosed in a single pocket 138 for forming a first dorsal protector 139 for overlying and protecting the dorsal side of the player's hand. The single pocket 138 is formed by stitching a layer of material to the dorsal sheet 108 via stitches 130 that at least partially surround the padding element 140. The dorsal protector 139 made of the single pocket 138 and padding element 140 overlies a substantial portion of the dorsal side of the player's hand when the player's hand is received in the hand covering portion 102 of the glove. As best shown in
The periphery of the dorsal portion 114 can include curved and/or straight profiles. In the embodiment shown, the proximal dorsal end 114A is delimited by a curved profile provided in the proximal end portions of the protectors 139, 139′ while the lateral dorsal edge 114D has an inwardly bent profile defined by two substantially straight edges provided in the lateral side portion of the protector 139′. It is therefore understood that a variety of shapes delimiting the first and second dorsal protectors 139, 139′ of the dorsal portion 114 may be contemplated by a skilled person in the art.
While the length L and width W of the dorsal portion 114 may vary from one embodiment to another, a glove in accordance with the present invention includes one dorsal protector made of a single pocket enclosing a padding element, the dorsal protector covering a substantial portion of the dorsal side of the player's hand. More specifically, the dorsal protector should occupy more than half of the length L of the dorsal sheet 108 and more than half of the width W of the dorsal sheet 108. In some embodiments, the dorsal protector may occupy at least three-quarters of the maximal length L of the dorsal sheet 108 and at least three-quarters of the maximal width W of the dorsal sheet 108. In the embodiment of
The glove 100 may also comprise overlay elements 160 mounted, affixed, molded, stitched or glued on an upper surface or layer of the single pocket 138 (or 138′). More specifically, a pattern of overlay elements 160 is provided on the dorsal portion 114 of the glove 100. In the embodiment shown, the overlay elements 160 generally have an elongated shape. Overlay elements 160 may be made of any material that may provide an additional level of protection to the dorsal side of a player's hand thereby acting as reinforcement elements. For example, overlay elements 160 may be made of plastic such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephtalate (PET), etc. Furthermore, overlay elements 160 may be attached to the pocket 138 via any appropriate means such as by fusing the plastic to the fabric, sewing, via an adhesive, etc.
In some embodiments, a majority of the single pockets 138, 138′ may be covered with the overlay elements 160. Other patterns and shapes can however be envisioned by a person of skill in the art to provide a desired level of reinforcement and/or a desired visual appearance to the glove 100.
Thus, the overlay elements 160 can provide an inexpensive option to enhance the level of protection provided by the glove 100. Furthermore, the overlay elements 160 can also give the glove 100 a decorative and more detailed visual appearance, thereby mimicking the appearance of a glove having a plurality of different and distinct dorsal protectors separated by a plurality of gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexion zones. It is understood that the overlay elements 160 may be primarily aesthetic while providing little additional protection.
Other embodiments, such as glove 200 shown in
With specific reference to
The respective padding elements 140, 240 include a plurality of substantially rectangular padding blocks 142, 242, base portions 144, 244 and flexion zones 150, 250 positioned between the rectangular padding blocks 142, 242 to accommodate flexing of the player's hand by easing the flexing of the glove in the dorsal portions 114, 214. In the embodiment shown, the flexion zones 150, 250 are shaped such that they generally extend along flexion axes 151, 251. Flexion axes 151, 251 are arranged in a checkerboard pattern in
The padding elements 140, 240 may be thermoformed in order to produce the plurality of rectangular blocks 142, 242 and flexion zones 150, 250. A variety of different types of foam may be used for the padding elements 140, 240. For example, the padding elements 140, 240 may be made of polyether foam, polyester foam, ethafoam, volara, etc.
Furthermore, the padding elements 140, 240 may each have a thickness T of approximately 1.75 to 2.0 cm while the flexion zones 150, 250 may define channels, grooves, gaps or spaces S of approximately 1.0 to 1.5 mm between the rectangular blocks 142, 242 and may have a thickness of approximately 5% to 95% of the thickness T of the padding element.
In other embodiments, the thickness T and spaces S of the padding elements 140, 240 could be of different dimensions in order to modify the amount of flexion and protection provided by the padding elements 140, 240. For example, the padding elements 140, 240 may have a thickness of 1.5 cm and spaces of 2 mm in order to further ease flexion of the dorsal side of the player's hand. Other combinations are possible in order to optimize the desired level of flexion and protection for a given glove.
Furthermore, depending on the inherent flexibility of the type of padding material used, the padding element may have only one flexion zone. In addition, other physical characteristics of the padding elements 140, 240 may be selected to satisfy a specific purpose. For example, the padding element may be slightly curved in order to wrap around the player's hand. The curvature may be along the lengthwise and/or widthwise directions of the glove.
The padding elements 140, 240 may be cut from a sheet of padding material having a plurality of padding blocks or projections separated by flexing zones in order to produce a shape which is tailored to the dimensions of the dorsal protectors 139, 139′ of the gloves 100 and dorsal protector 239 of the glove 200. Thus, a single uniform sheet of padding material may be manufactured and used to form padding elements 140, 240 for a plurality of gloves. As there are a virtually unlimited number of cutting lines along which the padding material may be cut, the shape of the padding elements 140, 240 may be easily shaped to accommodate the requirements of a specific glove. Moreover, the padding material may be cut to accommodate a plurality of gloves having a variety of designs and sizes.
While the padding elements 140, 240 have been shown as a single piece held within respective single pockets 138, 138′, 238, it is understood that each of the padding elements 140, 240 can refer to a plurality of pieces contained within the respective single pockets 138, 138′, 238. In such embodiments, the manufacturing of flexion zones 150, 250 may be omitted and a predefined amount of spacing may be provided between the individual pieces of the dorsal padding elements in order to create an effect similar to that of spaces S of the dorsal padding elements 140, 240. In such embodiments, it is understood that a single pocket 138, 138′, 238 would contain the plurality of individual pieces of the dorsal padding elements.
Thus, while prior art gloves (such as glove 10) rely on the presence of a plurality of gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexing zones between a plurality of dorsal protectors, a glove in accordance with the present invention provides such flexibility with a simpler arrangement. More specifically, a substantial portion or the entirety of the dorsal side of a player's hand is protected with a dorsal protector made of a single pocket enclosing a padding element while still permitting flexion of the player's hand via one or more gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexion zones provided in the padding element or between individual pieces of the padding element.
With specific reference to
In
In the embodiment of
In both embodiments, namely the one where the overlay elements 160 are directly exposed and the one where the overlay elements are covered by the covering layers 162, the overlay elements 160 form bumps projecting upwardly from the upper surface or layer of the pocket 138 (138′ or 238) for creating a decorative pattern on the dorsal portion 114 (or 214) of the glove. The overlay elements 160 or covering layers 162 may be contrastingly colored in comparison to the rest of the dorsal portion 114 (or 214) to emphasize the presence of the overlay elements 160 or simply for aesthetic value.
As indicated previously, the overlay elements 160 may provide further protection or may be purely aesthetic for adding decorative value. The overlay elements 160 and covering layers 162 may be patches of additional fabric of different color affixed to the pocket 138 (138′ or 238) and/or thermoformed material fused to the pocket 138 (138′ or 238).
Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation. Various embodiments and examples have been presented for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
