Patent Application
20180078842
Examples described herein relate to a lightweight ball glove often used for catching an object.
Ball gloves or mitts are used in numerous sports from kids' backyard pick-up games to adult's professional athletic events. However, it takes an amount of preparation and pre-planning to have a mitt available at an event. The planning often includes the mitt being mentioned in the invite, a bag to transport the mitt to and from the event, etc. As such, when a spur of the moment event occurs, people often will attempt to use numerous different at hand objects to act as a mitt. Such objects can include a hat, a shoe, a bare hand, a drinking cup, a paper food tray, an oven mitt, and the like. In many cases, the at-hand object is not a very practical or even a semi-useful substitute.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments and, together with the Description of Embodiments, serve to explain principles discussed below. The drawings referred to in this brief description should not be understood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the subject matter, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the subject matter discussed herein will be described in conjunction with various embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the subject matter to these embodiments. On the contrary, the presented embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the Description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present subject matter. However, embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the described embodiments.
When kids get together they often like to play games. Many times the games include some type of hitting and/or catching, such as whiffle ball, stick ball, snowball fights, and the like. One of the main aspects of a pick-up style ball game, or even a training practice, is the use of balls that are much lighter weight than a regulation baseball. For example, a major league baseball weighs about 5 ounces. In contrast a perforated, light-weight, resilient plastic ball, e.g., a whiffle ball, may be approximately the same size as a major league baseball but weigh in at approximately 20 grams.
Thus, the use of the plastic ball (or other light weight ball, rock, snowball, dirt clod, shuttle cock, or the like) can allow a game or practice to occur on much smaller fields and often without the safety gear that is necessary for an actual baseball game, e.g., batting helmet, catcher's gear, etc. Moreover, it is often helpful to train with the lightweight balls during batting practice. The reduced flight range and ballistics allow the batting practice to be performed at an increased cadence, in a smaller area, and with a significantly reduced need for safety gear as well as a significant reduction in the chance of an impact injury occurring.
However, because of the significant weight difference between the actual baseball gear and the lightweight ball, it is often difficult if not impossible to use baseball gear when playing with a lightweight ball. For example, an actual baseball bat will significantly damage a lightweight ball. Similarly, catching a lightweight ball in a baseball glove is very difficult. More often than not, the lightweight ball will simply bounce off or out of the baseball glove. That is, because the baseball glove is designed to catch a ball that is 7-8 times heavier than the lightweight ball. As such, the impact of the lightweight ball on the baseball glove is not enough to evoke the proper operational characteristics of the glove. In other words, there is almost no “feel” when a lightweight ball hits a real baseball glove.
In the following discussion, a number of different views of the parts and components are shown. Although a number of parts and components are discussed herein, it should be appreciated that different embodiments may include different parts, equivalent parts, replacement parts, different parts groupings, a combination of parts into a single part, dissemination of a single part into a plurality of parts, and the like. Moreover, although illustrative embodiments have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, variations to specific embodiments and details are encompassed by this disclosure. It is intended that the scope of embodiments described herein be defined by claims and their equivalents.
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In one embodiment, lightweight ball glove 100 also includes a logo area 291 upon which a logo may be affixed. For example, the logo may be a favorite team's logo, a friend group personalized logo, and the like. The logo in logo area 291 may be user selectable, defined at time of manufacture, dependent upon the market within which the glove is being sold, or the like. In one embodiment, the logo may be stitched, glued, silk screened or the like onto logo area 291. In another embodiment, logo area 291 may be a hook and pile tape area such that different logo devices may be affixed via the hook and pile tape connection to allow a user to change out, or switch between, logos as desired. Moreover, although a logo area 291 is shown, due to the materials utilized, there may be numerous logos, colors, images, quotes, sayings, or the like printed on different areas of the glove or the entire glove, in a similar manner such as how they can be placed on a baseball hat.
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Shock cord tension system 350 also includes an opening 318 on an outside portion of a pinky-palm joint. A cord 358 is routed into opening 318, through the plurality of loops 355a-d and back out opening 318. A cordlock 357 is used on cord 358 outside of opening 318 to provide an adjustable locking mechanism for holding tension on cord 358. In one embodiment, cord 358 is an elastic cord. However, in another embodiment, cord 358 may be a non-elastic material.
In general, when the user's hand 333 is put in lightweight ball glove 100, it rests between the back portion 205 and palm portion 210. Shock cord tension system 350 is used to allow different hand sizes to fit within lightweight ball glove 100. For example, after hand 333 is inserted into lightweight ball glove 100, a user can grasp cord 358 and pull it to tighten the fit of lightweight ball glove 100. When lightweight ball glove 100 is properly tightened, cordlock 357 is then used to keep the tension on cord 358 such that it does not come loose. When it is time to remove lightweight ball glove 100, the user can simply release cordlock 357 at which time cord 358 will loosen and shock cord tension system 350 will no longer be providing tension between lightweight ball glove 100 and the user's hand 333.
In one embodiment, shock cord tension system 350 also includes one or more loops 375a-b located about a web portion side of thumb side 379 within lightweight ball glove 100. In addition, a second opening 381 is formed on an outside portion of the thumb area. A second cord 378 is routed into second opening 381, through one or more loops 375a-b and back out of second opening 381. A second cordlock 377 is used on cord 378 outside of second opening 381 to provide a second adjustable locking mechanism for holding tension on second cord 378.
In general, when the user's hand is put in lightweight ball glove 100, it rests between the back portion 205 and the front portion 210 as shown in
With reference again to
For example, in one embodiment the wrist strap components are hard plastic. In general, on the wrist strap, button portion 260 of a snapback size adjustment system is provided on a first side of opening 255. Moreover, tongue portion 265 of the snapback size adjustment system is provided on a second side of opening 255. Similar to a hat design, tongue portion 265 has a plurality of holes therein which can be removably coupled with a plurality of buttons located on button portion 260 to provide a size adjustment capability to opening 255.
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In one embodiment, web portion 215 includes a monofilament mesh 218. For example, in following along with a lightweight ball glove design that mimics a baseball hat; one embodiment utilizes monofilament mesh 218 that mimics, looks similar to, or is made from the same mesh as that found on a baseball hat. In addition, a surrounding frame 217 consisting of the plurality of lightweight layers is fixedly coupled with a side and bottom portion of monofilament mesh 218. In one embodiment, a bridge 216 is fixedly coupled with a top of monofilament mesh 218.
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Because of the characteristics of the lightweight ball glove discussed herein, kids and adults alike will be able to utilize the lightweight ball glove when they get together to play games that include some type of hitting and/or catching, such as whiffle ball, stick ball, snowball fights, and the like, without having to bring heavier and more expensive “real” baseball gloves. Moreover, because of its portability, stow ability, and lightweight characteristics, it will be easier to transport the lightweight ball glove in a pocket or keep one or more in a vehicle, a sports bag, or the like. As such, the lightweight ball glove will be readily available for a pick-up style ball game, or even a training practice that uses balls that are much lighter in weight than the regulation baseball.
Moreover, when there is a game intending the use of a plastic ball (tennis ball, rubber ball, or other light weight ball, rock, snowball, dirt clod, shuttle cock, or the like) the lightweight ball glove can be utilized to increase catchability. In addition, the use of lightweight ball gloves can allow a game or practice to occur on much smaller fields and often without the safety gear necessary for an actual baseball game, e.g., batting helmet, catcher's gear, etc.
Moreover, because of the similar weight characteristics between the lightweight ball glove and the lightweight ball, catching a lightweight ball in the lightweight ball glove is very similar to catching a regular baseball in a regular glove. That is, instead of the lightweight ball bouncing off or out of the lightweight ball glove, the impact of the lightweight ball on the lightweight ball glove will be enough to evoke the proper operational characteristics of the glove. In other words, there will be good “feel” when a lightweight ball hits the lightweight ball glove.
The foregoing Description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form described. Instead, example embodiments in this Description have been presented in order to enable persons of skill in the art to make and use embodiments of the described subject matter. Moreover, various embodiments have been described in various combinations. However, any two or more embodiments may be combined. Although some embodiments have been described in a language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed by way of illustration and as example forms of implementing the claims and their equivalents.
