Patent Grant
7694352
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glove suitable principally for sports such as golf, baseball, and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In a sport such as golf, baseball, or the like that involves the gripping of a club or a bat, gloves are used principally for protecting the hands. When a hand assumes a state of gripping a club or a bat from an opened state, the shape of the hand changes significantly. Particularly, the back of the hand has significant changes in shape in the vicinities of the proximal phalanxes and the middle phalanxes. Therefore, if gloves are formed with a non-stretchable material such as leather, the glove is too stiff to provide a feeling of fitting, and the feeling when it is put on is impaired also. In contrast, in the case where gloves are formed exclusively with a mesh material or a stretchable material, a feeling of looseness is provided when it is put on, though good stretchability is obtained. Regarding the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger, it has been found that the axes of joints thereof are twisted in an action of gripping something, thereby causing a displacement between the glove and the hand. This causes seam lines to be shifted to between a gripped thing and the hand, and as a result discomfort is caused.
To solve these problems, a glove has been proposed in which a stretchable member is arranged in a gusset portion (lateral portion) on the thumb side of each finger covering part so as to eliminate the twisting upon gripping (Patent Document 1). This proposal eliminates the twisting by using a stretchable fabric on one side (on the thumb side) of each finger covering part, but another problem arises in that the finger covering parts do not fit to the fingers, while the control of a twist angle and the magnitude of the same is difficult.
As another proposal, a glove has been proposed in which each gore is cut in a shape bent toward the palm side so that the finger covering part is bent toward the palm side preliminarily (Patent Document 2). This proposal has a problem that the glove fits to the hand when the fingers are bent in a gripping state, but does not fit when the fingers are stretched out, and further, the glove is not capable of following a twist.
As described above, in the prior art, there is a problem that a glove cannot follow complicated three-dimensional changes in the shape of the hand and fingers.
[Patent Document 1] JP 3031396 U
[Patent Document 2] JP 4(1992)-136265 A
To solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a glove that is capable of following changes in shape of a hand caused by a gripping action, providing both of the feeling of fitting and the feeling of being supported (hereinafter referred to as feeling of support), and having a high-level protection function and a high-level mobility function.
A glove of the present invention is a glove having finger covering parts, wherein a finger covering part corresponding to at least one finger selected from the third finger (middle finger), the fourth finger (ring finger), and the fifth finger (little finger) is configured by arranging protective members on anterior and posterior sides of the same, and arranging stretchable members on both lateral sides of the same; an inner perimeter of each finger covering part is substantially equal to an outer perimeter of the finger corresponding thereto; straining properties of the stretchable members on the lateral sides of the fingers are set so that, regarding each of these fingers a straining property on the first finger (thumb) side is higher than a straining property on the fifth finger (little finger) side; and when the glove is bent from an opened state to a gripping state, the finger covering part is bent with a twist at a gripping angle toward the first finger (thumb) side.
The glove of the present invention is capable of following changes in the shape of the hand caused by a gripping action, providing both of the feeling of fitting and the feeling of support, and having a high-level protection function and a high-level of mobility function. More specifically, when the glove is bent from an opened state to a gripping state, junction portions between anterior protective members and stretchable members on the thumb side are not shifted toward a palm side, and the junction portions are fixed on lateral sides of the fingers. In other words, the finger covering parts are twisted at gripping angles toward the first finger (thumb) side. This causes the glove to follow changes in shape caused by a gripping action of the hand. Besides, since protective members are arranged on the anterior and posterior sides of the finger, a force of the hand is conveyed easily to the glove, and this allows the glove to provide the feeling of support. As a result, this makes it possible to provide the glove having a high-level protection function and a high-level mobility function.
For the description of the present invention, first of all, bones of the hand and fingers are described.
The inventors of the present invention made various analyses by focusing attention on motions of finger joints in a gripping action in sports such as baseball and golf. The third finger (middle finger), the fourth finger (ring finger), and the fifth finger (little finger) in particular, when assuming a gripping state from a opened state, do not exhibit a bending motion like that of a simple hinge structure, but exhibit a bending motion with rotation axes themselves being twisted. Thus, these fingers bend with a twist to the thumb side. For example, with the palm opened state being a reference state, average twist angles of the third finger (middle finger), the fourth finger (ring finger), and the fifth finger (little finger) in an action for gripping a bat were 3.2°, 6.9°, and 10.7°, respectively. In this case, the angle refers to an angle of twist, which is an angle between a direction of a longitudinal axis of a distal phalanx in a palm opened state and a direction of the same with a twist in a gripping state, which is determined by projecting the directions onto a plane obtained by extending the palm along the proximal phalanxes as a reference. To cause the glove to follow such motions of the fingers, finger covering parts are configured by arranging protective members on anterior and posterior sides of the fingers, and stretchable members on both lateral sides of at least the third finger (middle finger), the fourth finger (ring finger), and the fifth finger (little finger). As an example, by forming the protective members and the stretchable members so that the protective members have widths equal to or smaller than widths of corresponding fingers, respectively, and the stretchable members have widths equal to or smaller than thicknesses of corresponding fingers, respectively, an inner perimeter of each finger covering part is set to be substantially equal to an outer perimeter of the finger. Besides, by setting straining properties of the stretchable members on the lateral sides of the fingers so that, regarding each of these fingers a straining property on the first finger (thumb) side is higher than a straining property on the fifth finger (little finger) side, the glove is configured so that when the glove is bent from an opened state to a gripping state, the foregoing finger covering parts are twisted at gripping angles toward the first finger (thumb) side, while remaining fitted to the fingers, respectively.
In the present invention, an inner perimeter of each finger covering part is substantially equal to an outer perimeter of the finger corresponding thereto. Here, the phrase “substantially equal” means that an inner perimeter of each finger covering part is in a range of ±10% of an outer perimeter of the finger corresponding thereto.
An example of the present invention is described below in more detail with reference to the drawings.
In the present invention, to set straining properties of the stretchable members on the lateral sides of the third to fifth fingers so that, regarding each of these fingers, a straining property on the first finger (thumb) side is higher than a straining property on the fifth finger (little finger) side, the following methods, for example, can be used.
In the case of (2) above, more specifically, it is preferable that when the stretchable members and the protective members are integrated by sewing or bonding, a difference between a length of a junction allowance (A1) of the stretchable member on the first finger (thumb) side and a length of a junction allowance (B1) of the protective member corresponding to the junction allowance (A1) is set greater than a difference between a length of a junction allowance (A2) of the stretchable member on the fifth finger (little finger) side and a junction allowance (B2) of the protective member corresponding to the junction allowance (A2). Further preferably, one or a plurality of narrowed portions are formed in either the junction allowance (B1) on the first finger (thumb) side of the protective member, or the junction allowance (B1) on the first finger (thumb) side and the junction allowance (B2) on the fifth finger (little finger) side, so that the junction allowance (B1) on the first finger (thumb) side is longer than the junction allowance (B2) on the fifth finger (little finger) side. In the above-described case, on both of the thumb side and the little finger side, a greater difference between the pre-junction length of the stretchable member and the pre-junction length of the protective member (“difference” herein implies how much shorter the stretchable member is than the protective member), the stretchable member is more tensioned upon junction. This results in a higher straining property, and makes it possible to generate a twist toward the thumb side. The following description is on the premise that the stretchable members are tensioned upon junction, and such a difference between the junction lengths of the stretchable member and the protective member is referred to simply as “junction distance” in some cases.
The stretchable members are formed with a knitted fabric or a woven fabric, or alternatively, a natural leather, a synthetic leather, or an artificial leather relatively more stretchable than the protective members. Preferably, the stretching force is set such that an extension ratio of a 5 cm-wide piece of the stretchable member under a load of 4.9 N (500 gf), measured according to JIS 1096, is in a range of 5 to 150% in at least one selected from the warp and weft directions. With the stretching force in this range, the stretchable members allow the glove to follow motions of the hand and fingers and provide a high-level feeling of fitting. In the case where the width is less than 5 cm, the load is decreased proportionally. For example, in the case where the width is 1 cm, the load is decreased to ⅕. The stretchable members preferably have a density (weight per unit area) in a range of 100 to 400 g/m2. With the density in this range, weight is not felt, while a high-level feeling of fitting is provided.
Preferably, the stretching forces of the stretchable members are set so that the stretching force of the stretchable member (4a, 5a, 6a) on the lateral side of each finger on the first finger (thumb) side is 4 to 20% higher than that of the stretchable member (4b, 5b, 6b) on the lateral side of each finger on the fifth finger (little finger) side.
The stretchable members (3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, and 6b) and the protective members (anterior members 1a to 1e, posterior members 2a to 2e) are integrated with each other by sewing or bonding, and in the case where junction distances on the thumb side for the third to fifth fingers are set greater than junction distances on the little finger side, it is preferable that the junction distance of the stretchable and protective members on the thumb side is 4 to 8% greater than that on the little finger side for the third finger (middle finger), 10 to 14% greater for the fourth finger (ring finger), and 15 to 19% greater for the fifth finger (little finger). This configuration also makes it possible to achieve a twist toward the thumb side. In this case, the stretchable members (4a, 5a, 6a) on the thumb side and the stretchable members (4b, 5b, 6b) on the little finger side can be formed with materials having the same stretching force, and the straining properties are measured by sensory testing with the glove being put on a hand. More specifically, a comparative glove is prepared in which the stretching force (4a, 5a, 6a) on the lateral side on the thumb side for each finger is set 4 to 20% higher than the stretching force (4b, 5b, 6b) on the lateral side on the little finger side for the same finger and the junction distances on the thumb side and the little finger side are set equal as described above, and it is determined by sensory testing by wearing the gloves whether or not the glove in the above-described case exhibits identical straining properties to those of the comparative glove. The measurement is performed by sensory testing also in the case where the stretchable member is junctioned by increasing the tension on the first finger (thumb) side relative to that on the fifth finger (little finger) side. In
To set the junction distances for the stretchable and protective members longer, in the case of a glove for the left hand, as shown in
It is preferable that the protective member is formed with a natural leather, a synthetic leather, or an artificial leather. This allows the glove to maintain a protection function for protecting the fingers and a mobility function at high levels. Here, the “natural leather” refers to leather of an animal such as cowskin, pigskin, sheepskin, buckskin, or the like. The “synthetic leather” refers to a woven or knitted fabric made of nylon or the like whose surface is coated with a synthetic resin such as a polyurethane resin or a vinyl chloride resin. The “artificial leather” refers to a non-woven fabric as a base whose surface is coated with a synthetic resin such as a polyurethane resin, a polyamino acid resin, a nylon resin, or a vinyl chloride resin, and is subjected to surface treatment, for example, so as to be sueded.
The stretching force of the stretchable members on the first finger (thumb) side may be set higher than the stretching force of the stretchable members on the fifth finger (little finger) side. This makes it possible to set the stretching force on the first finger (thumb) side higher than the stretching force on the fifth finger (little finger) side regarding the lateral sides of each finger.
It is preferable that the stretching force on the first finger (thumb) side is 4 to 8% greater than that on the fifth finger (little finger) side for the third finger (middle finger), 10 to 14% greater for the fourth finger (ring finger), and 15 to 19% greater for the fifth finger (little finger). More preferably, the stretching force on the first finger (thumb) side is 5 to 7% greater than the stretching force on the fifth finger (little finger) side for the third finger (middle finger), 11 to 13% greater for the fourth finger (ring finger), and 16 to 17% greater for the fifth finger (little finger). This configuration allows the glove to follow twisting motions of the fingers.
Further, as shown in
Further, it is preferable that a twist angle when the glove is bent from an opened state to a gripping state is, in a direction toward the first finger (thumb) side, in a range of 2° to 4.5° for the third finger (middle finger), in a range of 5.5° to 8.5° for the fourth finger (ring finger), and in a rang of 9° to 12° for the fifth finger (little finger). More preferably, the foregoing twist angle is in a range of 2.7° to 3.7° for the third finger (middle finger), in a range of 6.4° to 7.4° for the fourth finger (ring finger), and in a range of 10.2° to 11.3° for the fifth finger (little finger).
Next,
The present invention is described more specifically, with reference to Examples.
A glove for use in baseball was produced as shown in
natural cowskin with a density of 297 g/m2.
natural cowskin with a density of 297 g/m2.
two-way (stretchable in the warp and weft directions) knitted fabrics with a density of 215 g/m2 made of nylon and polyurethane fibers; the following types of fabrics with the following extension ratios of 5 cm-wide pieces thereof under a load of 4.9 N (500 gf) were used:
on the lateral side on the thumb side of the middle finger: a fabric piece with an extension ratio of 75% in the warp direction and 70% in the weft direction was arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction on the finger lateral side;
on the lateral side on the little finger side of the middle finger: a fabric piece with an extension ratio of 82% in the warp direction and 75% in the weft direction was arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction on the finger lateral side;
on the lateral side on the thumb side of the ring finger: a fabric piece with an extension ratio of 72% in the warp direction and 67% in the weft direction was arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction on the finger lateral side;
on the lateral side on the little finger side of the ring finger: a fabric piece with an extension ratio of 82% in the warp direction and 75% in the weft direction was arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction on the finger lateral side;
on the lateral side on the thumb side of the little finger; a fabric piece with an extension ratio of 70% in the warp direction and 65% in the weft direction was arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction on the finger lateral side; and
on the lateral side of the palm and the little finger; a fabric piece with an extension ratio of 82% in the warp direction and 75% in the weft direction was arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction of the finger lateral side.
The inner perimeters of portions covering joints between the proximal phalanxes and the middle phalanxes of the fingers were set as follows so as to make the inner perimeters of the finger covering parts were substantially equal to outer perimeters of the fingers, respectively. The following values are equivalent to outer perimeters of the fingers of an average human:
thumb: 65 mm
forefinger: 55 mm
middle finger: 58 mm
ring finger: 55 mm
little finger: 50 mm
a two-way knitted fabric made of nylon and polyurethane fibers with a density of 215 g/m2 and an extension ratio of a 5 cm-wide piece thereof under a load of 4.9 N (500 gf) of 82% in the warp direction and 75% in the weft direction, arranged so that the weft direction coincided with the lengthwise direction of the back of the hand.
As a result, a glove was configured so that twist angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 for the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger as shown in
When a baseball bat was gripped with the glove thus configured being put on the hand, it was recognized that the finger covering parts for the respective fingers were twisted at gripping angles toward the first finger (thumb) side while being fitted to the fingers. Besides, it was recognized also that the glove followed changes in shape caused by a gripping action of the hand, provided the feeling of fitting and the feeling of support without shift of the protective members on the palm side (natural leather) to the left or right side and without shift of seam lines into between the hand and the bat, and exhibited a high-level protection function and a high-level mobility function.
A glove for use in baseball was produced as shown in
natural cowskin with a density of 297 g/m2.
natural cowskin with a density of 297 g/m2.
a two-way knitted fabric made of nylon and polyurethane fibers with a density of 215 g/m2 and an extension ratio of a 5 cm-wide piece thereof under a load of 4.9 N (500 gf) of 82% in the warp direction and 75% in the weft direction, arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction of the lateral sides of the fingers.
the inner perimeters of the finger covering parts were set identical to those of Example 1.
a two-way knitted fabric made of nylon and polyurethane fibers with a density of 215 g/m2 and an extension ratio of a 5 cm-wide piece thereof under a load of 4.9 N (500 gf) of 82% in the warp direction and 75% in the weft direction, arranged so that the warp direction coincided with the lengthwise direction of the back of the hand.
The glove was sewn with narrowed portions being provided in the protective members for the fingers, as shown in
Narrowed portions were provided in the protective members for the fingers as in Example 2, and the stretchable members on the thumb side and on the little finger side were formed with knitted fabrics having different stretching forces, respectively, as in Example 1. The other portions were formed in the same manner as that in Example 1.
As a result, a glove was formed so that twist angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 for the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger as shown in
When a baseball bat was gripped with the glove thus configured being put on the hand, it was recognized that the finger covering parts for the respective fingers were twisted at gripping angles toward the first finger (thumb) side while being fitted to the fingers. Besides, it was recognized also that the glove followed changes in shape caused by a gripping action of the hand, provided the feeling of fitting and the feeling of support without shift of the protective members on the palm side (natural leather) to the left or right side and without shift of seam lines into between the hand and the bat, and exhibited a high-level protection function and a high-level mobility function.
The glove of the present invention can be used suitably in sports such as golf, baseball, tennis, badminton, squash racquets, ski, mountaineering, and walking, as well as in riding a motorbike, a bicycle, etc.
The invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments disclosed in this application are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not limiting. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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