System and Method for Forming a Boxing Knuckle Guard

Abstract

An adjustable system for forming a cushioning pad of a customized size, using a flexible material, includes a handle grip, a first extended portion attached to and extending away from the handle grip, a second extended portion slidably attached to the first extended portion and extending in parallel to the first extended portion, and a locking mechanism for locking the second extended portion in a fixed position relative to the first extended portion such that a separation between a first edge of the first extended portion and a second edge of the second extended portion is adjustable to the customize size. The first and second extended portions are configured for accommodating the flexible material to be wrapped a plurality of times around the first and second extended portions to form the cushioning pad having the customized size.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to boxing equipment and, more particularly, to protective gear for competitive boxing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In competitive boxing, there are strict requirements regarding protective hand wraps used under the requisite boxing gloves. Officiating organizations, such as the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and USA Boxing have specific rules regarding the materials that are permitted for use as hand wraps as well as padding used to cover the fighter's knuckles.

The padding used to cover the fighter's knuckles, referred herein as a knuckle guard, is required to be formed of cotton gauze, limited in dimensions to 5-meters (16-feet) in length and 10-centimeters (4-inches) in width, according to current AIBA and USA Boxing rules. Additionally, hand wraps and knuckle guards must be administered in the presence of boxing officials and, on occasion, personnel from the bout opponent's team, thus making it crucial for coaches to be able to create the knuckle guards quickly while under scrutiny.

The commonly used method used by coaches to generate the knuckle guard is to estimate the width of the fighter's knuckles using the coach's own hand, then wrapping the gauze around the coach's fingers until the desired thickness and width is achieved. Due to potential size differences between the coach's hand and the fighter's knuckle dimensions, the resulting knuckle guard may not properly fit the fighter's knuckles, thus often leading to wasted time and materials in having to remake the knuckle guard more than once. Having to repeat the process in front of boxing officials and rival team members may also lead to stress and frustration for the boxing coach and the fighter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the embodiments described herein, there is provided an adjustable system for forming a cushioning pad using a flexible material, the cushioning pad having a customized size. The adjustable system includes a handle grip, a first extended portion attached to and extending away from the handle grip, and a second extended portion slidably attached to the first extended portion and extending in parallel to the first extended portion. The adjustable system further includes a locking mechanism for locking the second extended portion in a fixed position relative to the first extended portion such that a separation between a first edge of the first extended portion and a second edge of the second extended portion is adjustable to the customized size. The first and second extended portions are configured for accommodating the flexible material to be wrapped a plurality of times around the first and extended portions to form the cushioning pad having the customized size.

In another embodiment, at least one of the first and second extended portions includes a clip for securing one end of the flexible material to the first extended portion before the flexible material is wrapped around the first and second extended portions.

In still another embodiment, the adjustable system further includes first and second guides attached to the first and second extended portions, respectively. The first and second guides are located at the first and second edges, respectively, and are further configured for measuring a distance between two points to define the customized size and setting the separation between the first and second edges to the customized size. The first and second guides may be further configured for measuring a distance between outer edges of a fighter's knuckles, and setting the separation between the first and second edges to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles so measured. Each one of the first and second guides may also include an angled inner slope for assisting in aligning the first and second guides with the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles.

In yet another embodiment, the first and second extended portions are slidably adjustable to define the customized size to be between 2-inches and 12-inches. In certain applications, the first and second extended portions may be slidably adjustable to define the customized size to be between 3-inches and 6-inches.

In a further embodiment, the first and second extended portions are configured for accommodating the flexible material having a material width between ½-inch and 6-inches

In a still further embodiment, the first extended portion extends from the handle grip at an obtuse angle with respect to the handle grip. The obtuse angle may be an angle between 90-degrees and 180-degrees with respect to the handle grip. Moreover, the locking mechanism may be, for instance, a combination of a screw and a wingnut, a spring-loaded assembly, a magnetic release assembly, a lever lock assembly, or a gear twist assembly.

In an alternative embodiment, a method for forming a cushioning pad having a customized size is disclosed. The method includes providing an adjustable tool, which in turn includes a handle grip, a first extended portion attached to and extending away from the handle grip, a second extended portion slidably attached to the first extended portion and extending parallel to the first extended portion, and a locking mechanism for locking the second extended portion in a fixed position relative to the first extended portion such that a separation between a first edge of the first extended portion and a second edge of the second extended portion is adjustable. The method further includes adjusting the separation between the first and second edges to the customized size, and engaging the locking mechanism to lock the second extended portion in the fixed position relative to the first extended portion. The method also includes providing a flexible material, wrapping the flexible material a plurality of times around the first and second extended portions, optionally, releasing the locking mechanism to collapse the second extended portion with respect to the first extended portion such that the separation between the first and second edges is collapsed to less than the customized size, and removing the flexible material so wrapped from the first and second extended portions so as to form the cushioning pad with the customized size.

In another embodiment, the method further includes securing the flexible material to a clip configured to secure the flexible material to the adjustable tool. Furthermore, adjusting the separation between the first and second edges may also include measuring the distance between the outer edges of a fighter's knuckles, and adjusting the separation between the first and second edges to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles.

In yet another embodiment, an adjustable tool for forming a protective pad using a flexible material is disclosed. The adjustable tool includes a handle grip, a neck portion attached to the handle grip, and a first prong fixedly attached to the neck portion and extending away from the handle grip at an obtuse angle with respect to the handle grip. The adjustable tool further includes a sliding portion slidably attached to the neck portion. The sliding portion includes a second prong, which is fixedly attached to the sliding portion and extending parallel to the first prong such that, when the sliding portion is slidably moved with respect to the neck portion, a separation between the first and second prongs is adjusted accordingly. The adjustable tool further includes a locking mechanism for locking the sliding portion with respect to the neck portion such that the separation between the first and second prongs may be releasably fixed. The adjustable tool is further configured for accommodating a flexible material to be wrapped a plurality of times around the first and second prongs to form the protective pad of the flexible material of a size corresponding to the separation between the first and second prongs. The adjustable tool may also include a clip for securing one end of the flexible material to the adjustable tool before the flexible material is wrapped around the first and second prongs. The adjustable tool may also include first and second guides attached to the first and second prongs, respectively, where the first and second guides are configured for measuring a distance between outer edges of a fighter's knuckles, and setting the separation between the first and second prongs to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles so measured. Each one of the first and second guides may include an angled inner slope for assisting in aligning the first and second guides with the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of a knuckle guard formed using wrapped gauze, shown here to illustrate the dimensions of the knuckle guard with respect to a hand.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a knuckle guard building tool in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, shown here measuring the knuckle size of a fighter's fist.

FIG. 3 illustrates the details of the example knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 2, shown here in a side view.

FIG. 4 illustrates the details of the example knuckle guard building tool as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates the details of the example knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 2, shown here in a front view.

FIG. 6 illustrates the details of the example knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 2, shown here in a bottom view with the sliding portion slightly extended and a portion of a gauze roll engaged in the clip.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of an alternative knuckle guard building tool in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates the details of the example knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 7, shown here in a top view.

FIG. 9 illustrates the details of the example knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 7, shown here in a bottom view with the sliding portion slightly extended.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for using the knuckle guard building tool in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates a third exemplary embodiment of an example knuckle guard building tool, shown here in a side view.

FIG. 12 illustrates the details of the third exemplary embodiment of the knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 11, shown here in an isometric perspective view.

FIG. 13 illustrates the details of the third exemplary embodiment of the knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 11, shown here in a bottom view.

FIG. 14 illustrates the details of the neck portion and prong assembly of the third exemplary embodiment of the knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 illustrates the details of the sliding portion and prong assembly of the third exemplary embodiment of the knuckle guard building tool of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “under,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” or “under” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms “below” and “under” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being “between” two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and may be abbreviated as “/”.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” “coupled to,” or “adjacent to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected, coupled, or adjacent to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” “directly coupled to,” or “immediately adjacent to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Likewise, when light is received or provided “from” one element, it can be received or provided directly from that element or from an intervening element. On the other hand, when light is received or provided “directly from” one element, there are no intervening elements present.

Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to cross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. Accordingly, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/or the present specification and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The present invention seeks to solve the problems described in the Background by providing a tool as well as an associated system and method for accurately and easily creating knuckle guards of size and dimensions customized to each fighter. The knuckle guard building tool is an adjustable tool that may be used to accurately measure the width of the fighter's fist, then assist in the preparation of the knuckle guard to the specific size of the fighter's fist.

The range in adjustment for the knuckle guard can be between 2-inches to 12-inches within +/−¼-inch. At the ends of the prongs are guide features, which are approximately ½-inch in length with an angled inner slope to align with the outer end of the knuckle to provide an accurate measurement of the clinched fist. Optionally, at the base of each prong is a holding clip that is intended to hold the gauze in place to start the building process. The overall length of the knuckle guard building tool may be, for example, approximately 9-inches and a closed width of approximately 4-inches.

The knuckle guard building tool is used by having the fighter make a clenched fist with the knuckles lined horizontally. The prongs of the knuckle guard building tool are then adjusted to the width of the knuckles by placing the guide features on the outer edges of the index finger and pinky finger knuckles. The prongs are locked in place at a separation approximating the width of the knuckles by using a locking mechanism. The coach then winds the regulation gauze around the prongs until the desired thickness of gauze padding has been achieved. Finally, the locking mechanism is released so that the prongs can be moved closer together, thus releasing the gauze padding for use as the customized knuckle guard.

The knuckle guard building tool described herein may improve the speed and accuracy with which knuckle guards may be created by eliminating the guesswork of the user in measuring the knuckle width of the fighter. Consequently, a knuckle guard with a more exact fit over the fighter's knuckles may be built, thus reducing wasted time and materials. The knuckle guard building tool may also include one or more holding clips to hold in place an edge of the gauze material so as to make it even easier to start the knuckle guard building process.

A knuckle guard 100, formed using wrapped cotton gauze, is shown in FIG. 1. When placed on a hand 102, knuckle guard 100 should be of sufficient size, indicated by a double-headed arrow 110, and width, as indicated by a double-headed arrow 112 shown in FIG. 1, to cover the knuckles of hand 102. The specific size and width of knuckle guard 100, as well as its thickness, are determined by the preference of the fighter and coach. However, unlike in previous methods wrapping gauze around the coach's hand to approximate the size of the fighter's knuckles, it would be desirable to have a more accurate way of measuring the fighter's knuckles, as well as reliably forming knuckle guard 100 to user specifications.

An example of a knuckle guard building tool 200 is shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, knuckle guard building tool 200 is being placed against a first 202 to measure the knuckle width of the fist. Further details of knuckle guard building tool 200 are described with reference to FIGS. 3-6 below.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of knuckle guard building tool 200. Knuckle guard building tool 200 includes a handle grip 302 attached to a neck portion 304. A sliding portion 306 is attached to neck portion 304 via a locking mechanism 310. A first prong 320 extends from neck portion 304, and may include a first guide 322 and a first clip 324. First guide 322 and first clip 324 are optional features, as will be described in further detail hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 3, neck portion 304 and first prong 320 extend at an obtuse angle with respect to handle grip 302, as indicated by a curved arrow 327. The obtuse angle may range from 90-degrees (i.e., handle grip 302 and first prong 320 are at right angles) to 180-degrees (i.e., handle grip 302 and first prong 320 are in a plane). For ergonomics, an angle between 90- and 180-degrees, such as the approximately 135-degrees shown in FIG. 3, may be used, although other configurations are contemplated.

Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 3, an isometric perspective view of knuckle guard building tool 200 is described. In FIG. 4, a second prong 330 attached to sliding portion 306, along with a second guide 332 and a second clip 334, are visible. First guide 322 and second guide 332 are configured to be aligned with the outer edges of a fighter's closed fist such, as shown in FIG. 2, such that the separation between the outer edges of first prong 320 and second 330, indicated by a double-headed arrow 402 as shown in FIG. 4, corresponds to the measured knuckle size of the fighter and, thus, the size of the desired knuckle guard. Sliding portion 306 is slidably attached to neck portion 304 such that the prong separation may be adjusted to the desired size of knuckle guard 100 of FIG. 1.

Once the prong separation is set by adjusting the position of sliding portion 306 with respect to neck portion 304 then engaging locking mechanism 310, then a flexible material, such as cotton gauze conforming to competitive boxing regulations, may be wrapped around first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, to form knuckle guard 100. The size of resulting knuckle guard 100 will be set by the prong separation, and the knuckle guard width may be varied by adjusting the length of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, covered by gauze during the wrapping process. In an optional embodiment, first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, may be configured to be extendable and/or collapsible using, for instance, a telescoping mechanism. Optionally one of first and second clips 324 and 334, respectively, may be used to hold the start of a gauze roll against the respective prong to facilitate the starting of the gauze wrapping process.

Neck portion 304 and sliding portion 306 may be slidably coupled together using a system of grooves. Other mechanisms, such as and not limited to a finger grip mechanism, a ratchet assembly, a magnetic glide assembly, or a turnstile gear, may also be used to allow neck portion 304 and sliding portion 306 to be moved relative to one another.

Locking mechanism 310 shown in FIG. 3 is a combination of a screw and a wingnut. Alternatively, locking mechanism 310 may include a spring-loaded assembly, a magnetic release assembly, a lever lock assembly, a gear twist assembly, or other suitable mechanism to allow neck portion 304 and sliding portion 306 to be adjustably moved then locked in place with respect to each other as desired.

Referring to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIGS. 1-4, further details of knuckle guard building tool 200 are discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 5, which shows knuckle guard building tool 200 in a frontal view, first guide 322 and second 332 includes a first inner slope 502 and a second inner slope 504, respectively. First and second inner slopes 502 and 504 are configured to accurately align the outer edges of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, to the outside edges of a fighter's knuckles. Thus, once locked in place via locking mechanism 310, the outer edges of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, accurately corresponds to the fighter's knuckles, thereby ensuring accurate sizing of the resulting knuckle guard.

The advantages of the design of first and second guides 322 and 332, respectively, may be further described as follows. For instance, without first and second guides 322 and 332, respectively, the user may estimate the appropriate prong separation by visual inspection (i.e., “eyeballing”) the alignment of the outer edges of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, with the fighter's fist, which may result in non-ideal sizing of the knuckle guard. Alternatively, the user may estimate the size of the required knuckle guard by fitting the fighter's first between first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, which would result in the knuckle guard being too large by the diameters of the two prongs. First and second guides 322 and 332, respectively, helps to avoid such sizing problems by more accurately aligning the outer edges of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, with the outer edges of the fighter's fist.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in conjunction with FIGS. 1-5, a bottom view of knuckle guard building tool 200 is described. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, sliding portion 306 includes a groove 602 configured to accommodate locking mechanism 310 such that the position of sliding portion 306 may be slidably adjusted with respect to neck portion 304 then locked in place by locking mechanism 310.

As mentioned above, locking mechanism 310 may be, for instance, a simple combination of a screw and a wing nut. Alternative mechanisms, such as a gear mechanism which may be operated with one hand, are also contemplated, as discussed in further detail hereinafter.

Still referring to FIG. 6, a portion of gauze 610 shown engaged in knuckle guard building tool 200. An end of gauze 610 is held against first prong 320 (not visible—hidden behind gauze 610) by first clip 324 as the rest of the gauze is poised to be wrapped around second prong 330 to begin the wrapping process around first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively. The prong separation, defined by the distance between the outer edges of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, accurately corresponds to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's fist to be covered with the knuckle guard. The knuckle guard width may be adjusted by varying the length of first and second prongs 320 and 330, respectively, wrapped by gauze 610. Once a knuckle guard of desired size and width has been created, locking mechanism 310 is released to reduce the prong separation and to allow the resulting knuckle guard to be removed from knuckle guard building tool 200.

An alternative embodiment of a knuckle guard building tool is illustrated in FIGS. 7-9. FIG. 7 shows a side view of a knuckle guard building tool 700. Knuckle guard building tool 700 includes a handle grip 702, a neck portion 704, and a sliding portion 706. In this exemplary embodiment, sliding portion 706 is slidably engaged with neck portion 704 by a gear mechanism 710 such that, by rotating gear mechanism 710, the relative position of sliding portion 706 with respect to neck portion 704 may be adjusted.

The exemplary embodiment of knuckle guard building tool 700 further includes a first gauze clip cutout 724, which is better visible in FIG. 8, which shows a top view of knuckle guard building tool 700. As shown in FIG. 8, a second guide 732 is attached to sliding portion 706 (not visible in FIG. 8). It may be noted that, in knuckle guard building tool 700, the flexible material is wrapped directly around the neck and sliding portions, unlike in knuckle guard building tool 200, which included prongs attached to the neck and sliding portions for wrapping the flexible material therearound. Knuckle guard building tool 700 may have advantages in manufacturability using known manufacturing techniques, such as plastics extrusion.

Further details of knuckle guard building tool 700 are illustrated in FIG. 9, showing a bottom view of knuckle guard building tool 700 with sliding portion 706 slightly displaced with respect to neck portion 704. In the present embodiment, the outer edges of the neck and sliding portions themselves, rather than extended prongs, serve to define the size of the final knuckle guard. As shown in FIG. 9, first and second guides 722 and 732, respectively, are configured such that, when the guides are fitted across a fighter's closed fist and neck portion 704 and sliding portion 706 are positioned accordingly, a neck portion outer edge 904 of neck portion 704 and a sliding portion outer edge 906 of sliding portion 706 together define the appropriate knuckle guard size. When a flexible material, such as cotton gauze that conforms to regulations, is wrapped around neck portion outer edge 904 and sliding portion outer edge 906, the resulting knuckle guard is customized to fit the width of the fighter's knuckles.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 9, neck portion 704 includes first gauze clip cutout 724 and sliding portion 706 includes a second gauze clip cutout 734 configured for holding an end of a gauze roll onto knuckle guard building tool 700. First and second gauze clip cutouts 724 and 734 are optional and are shaped to help facilitate the gauze wrapping at the start of the process. After a knuckle guard of desired size and width has been achieved, gear mechanism 710 may optionally be released to collapse sliding portion 706 with respect to neck portion 704 so the knuckle guard may be removed from knuckle guard building tool 700. Alternatively, the knuckle guard may be simply slid off of neck and sliding portions 704 and 706, respectively, without collapsing the neck and sliding portions

An example of a method of using the knuckle guard building tool embodiments as described herein is shown in FIG. 10. A method 1000 begins with a step 1002 to provide an adjustable tool for building a knuckle guard. A suitable adjustable tool would be, for example, knuckle guard building tool 200 described in FIGS. 3-6 or knuckle guard building tool 700 described in FIGS. 7-9.

Using the adjustable tool, the knuckle width of a fighter is measured in a step 1004. The adjustable tool is then adjusted to set the tool to the fighter's knuckle width in a step 1006. The adjustable tool is then locked at the fighter's knuckle width using a locking mechanism (such as locking mechanism 310 for knuckle guard building tool 200), a gear mechanism (such as gear mechanism 710 for knuckle guard building tool 700), or another suitable mechanism in a step 1008.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 10, gauze or another suitable flexible material is provided in a step 1010. Optionally, the gauze is clipped onto the adjustable tool using a clip (as optionally provided in knuckle guard building tool 200) or a clip cutout (as optionally provided in knuckle guard building tool 700) in a step 1020. The gauze is then wrapped around the adjustable tool to build a knuckle guard of desired size and width in a step 1030. Once the knuckle guard has been formed, the locking mechanism (or gear mechanism) of the adjustable tool is released in a step 1032, then the wrapped gauze is removed from the adjustable tool for use as the customized knuckle guard for the fighter.

The knuckle guard building tool and the associated method may form a complete knuckle guard building system in combination with the appropriate flexible material, such as cotton gauze, with regulation-compliant dimensions. The system would enable the user to form customized knuckle guards tailored for the knuckle dimensions of a specific fighter with increased ease as well as reduced time and material waste.

Still another embodiment of a knuckle guard building tool is shown in FIGS. 11-15. FIG. 11 illustrates a third exemplary embodiment of an example knuckle guard building tool, shown here in a side view. A knuckle guard building tool 1100 includes a handle grip 1102 attached to a neck portion 1104. A sliding portion 1106 is attached to neck portion 1104 via a locking mechanism 1110. A first prong 1120 extends from neck portion 1104, and includes a first guide feature 1122 at a distal tip away from sliding portion 1106. Optionally, handle grip 1123 includes a hole 1123, through which a string or o-ring may be attached to enable attachment of knuckle guard building tool 1100 to a coach's kit, for example.

Further details of knuckle guard building tool 1100 may be seen in FIG. 12, which shows an isometric perspective view of knuckle guard building tool 1100. As may be seen in FIG. 12, a second prong 1130 is attached to sliding portion 1106. Like first prong 1120 and first guide feature 1122, second prong 1130 includes a second guide feature 1132. First and second guide features 1122 and 1132, respectively, are configured to be aligned with the outer edges of a fighter's closed fist such that separation between the outer edges of first prong 1120 and second prong 1130, indicated by a double-headed arrow 1202 in FIG. 12, corresponds to the measured knuckle size of the fighter and, thus, the size of the desired knuckle guard. The curvature of first and second guide features 1122 and 1132, respectively, is configured to provide a precise fit around the fighter's knuckles. Also, in this embodiment, first and second guide features 1122 and 1132, respectively, are integrated into the shape of first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively. In this way, it is possible to form first prong 1120 and first guide feature 1122 (and correspondingly second prong 1130 and second guide 1132) as a single piece by, for instance, injection molding.

Still referring to FIG. 12, knuckle guard building tool 1100 also includes optional clips 1124 and 1134 for clipping an edge of a flexible material, such as gauze, to first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively. By clipping the edge of the flexible material to one of the prongs at the start of the knuckle guard building process, the initialization of the wrapping of the flexible material around the prongs is facilitated. While locking mechanism 1110 is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 as a combination of a screw and a wingnut, other mechanisms, such as a gear mechanism, spring-loaded assembly, a magnetic release assembly, or a lever lock assembly, may also be used. In order to form a knuckle guard, a flexible material, such as gauze, is wrapped around first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively, to form a knuckle guard pad of the desired size and width. The resulting pad of gauze may simply be slid off of first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively, or neck portion 1104 and sliding portion 1106 may be collapsed such that separation 1202 between first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively, is reduced and the pad of gauze may be easily slipped off of knuckle guard building tool 1100.

Referring now to FIG. 13, which illustrates additional details of knuckle guard building tool 1100, shown here in a bottom view, a groove 1302 in sliding portion 1106 may be seen. The groove allows sliding portion 1106 to be slidably movable with respect to neck portion 1104 such that separation 1202 may be adjusted to the fighter's knuckle width, then locked in place by locking mechanism 1110. In this way, the outer edges of first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively, defines the size of the knuckle guard (shown as double-headed arrow 110 in FIG. 1). Also, by varying how much of the length (indicated by a double-headed arrow 1320) of first and second prongs 1120 and 1130, respectively, is wrapped with the flexible material, the width of the knuckle guard (shown as double-headed arrow 112 in FIG. 1) may be adjusted.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show details of combinations of neck portion 1104 and first prong 1120, and sliding portion 1106 and second prong 1130 of an exemplary embodiment in which each of these combinations are formed as a single piece, for instance, by injection molding. As shown in FIG. 14, neck portion 1104, first prong 1120, first guide feature 1122, and, optionally, first clip 1124 are integrally formed as a single piece. A locking mechanism hole 1130 is also integrated into the design of neck portion 1104 for accommodating locking mechanism 1110 therein. FIG. 15 shows sliding portion 1106, including groove 1302, second prong 1130, second guide feature 1132, and, optionally, second clip 1134 are integrally formed as a single piece. By integrating the prongs into the neck portion and sliding portion designs, manufacturing of knuckle guard building tool 1100 is simplified.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. For example, as discussed above, the locking mechanism may be a screw-wingnut combination as shown in some of the figures, or, alternatively, a gear mechanism, a spring-loaded assembly, a magnetic release assembly, lever lock assembly, gear twist assembly, or other suitable locking mechanism may be used. Additionally, the sliding mechanism may be, for example but not limited to, a finger grip style assembly, a ratchet style assembly, a magnetic glide assembly, or a turnstile gear assembly. Additionally, different portions of the knuckle guard building tool may be integrally for ease of assembly; for example, the handle grip may be integrally formed with the neck portion as a single piece.

Accordingly, many different embodiments stem from the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. As such, the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination.

In the specification, there have been disclosed embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. An adjustable system for forming a cushioning pad using a flexible material, the cushioning pad having a customized size, the adjustable system comprising: a handle grip;a first extended portion attached to and extending away from the handle grip;a second extended portion slidably attached to the first extended portion and extending in parallel to the first extended portion; anda locking mechanism for locking the second extended portion in a fixed position relative to the first extended portion such that a separation between a first edge of the first extended portion and a second edge of the second extended portion is adjustable to the customized size,wherein the first and second extended portions are configured for accommodating the flexible material to be wrapped a plurality of times around the first and second extended portions to form the cushioning pad having the customized size.

2. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the first extended portion includes a clip for securing one end of the flexible material to the first extended portion before the flexible material is wrapped around the first and second extended portions.

3. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the second extended portion includes a clip for securing the flexible material to the second extended portion before wrapping the flexible material around the first and second extended portions.

4. The adjustable system of claim 1, further comprising first and second guides attached to the first and second extended portions, respectively, the first and second guides being located at the first and second edges, respectively, andthe first and second guides further configured for measuring a distance between two points to define the customized size and setting the separation between the first and second edges to the customized size.

5. The adjustable system of claim 4, wherein the first and second guides are further configured for measuring a distance between outer edges of a fighter's knuckles, and setting the separation between the first and second edges to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles so measured.

6. The adjustable system of claim 5, wherein each one of the first and second guides includes an angled inner slope for assisting in aligning the first and second guides with one of the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles.

7. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the first and second extended portions are slidably adjustable to define the customized size to be between 2-inches and 12-inches.

8. The adjustable system of claim 7, wherein the first and second extended portions are slidably adjustable to define the customized size to be between 3-inches and 6-inches.

9. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the first and second extended portions are configured for accommodating the flexible material having a material width between ½-inch and 6-inches.

10. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the first extended portion extends from the handle grip at an obtuse angle with respect to the handle grip.

11. The adjustable system of claim 10, wherein the first extended portion extends from the handle grip at an angle between 90-degrees and 180-degrees with respect to the handle grip.

12. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a screw and a wingnut.

13. The adjustable system of claim 1, wherein the second extended portion is slidably attached to the first extended portion using a geared mechanism.

14. A method for forming a cushioning pad having a customized size, the method comprising: providing an adjustable tool including a handle grip,a first extended portion attached to and extending away from the handle grip,a second extended portion slidably attached to the first extended portion and extending parallel to the first extended portion, anda locking mechanism for locking the second extended portion in a fixed position relative to the first extended portion such that a separation between a first edge of the first extended portion and a second edge of the second extended portion is adjustable;adjusting the separation between the first and second edges to the customized size;engaging the locking mechanism to lock the second extended portion in the fixed position relative to the first extended portion;providing a flexible material;wrapping the flexible material a plurality of times around the first and second extended portions;releasing the locking mechanism to collapse the second extended portion with respect to the first extended portion such that the separation between the first and second edges is collapsed to less than the customized size; andremoving the flexible material so wrapped from the first and second extended portions so as to form the cushioning pad with the customized size.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjustable tool further includes a clip, and the method further comprising, before wrapping the flexible material, securing the flexible material to the adjustable tool using the clip.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the separation between the first and second edges further includes measuring a distance between outer edges of a fighter's knuckles, and adjusting the separation between the first and second edges to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles.

17. An adjustable tool for forming a protective pad using a flexible material, the adjustable tool comprising: a handle grip;a neck portion attached to the handle grip;a first prong fixedly attached to the neck portion and extending away from the handle grip at an obtuse angle with respect to the handle grip;a sliding portion slidably attached to the neck portion, the sliding portion including a second prong, the second prong being fixedly attached to the sliding portion and extending parallel to the first prong such that, when the sliding portion is slidably moved with respect to the neck portion, a separation between the first and second prongs is adjusted accordingly; anda locking mechanism for locking the sliding portion with respect to the neck portion such that the separation between the first and second prongs may be releasably fixed,wherein the adjustable tool is configured for accommodating a flexible material to be wrapped a plurality of times around the first and second prongs to form the protective pad of the flexible material of a size corresponding to the separation between the first and second prongs.

18. The adjustable tool of claim 17, further comprising a clip for securing one end of the flexible material to the adjustable tool before the flexible material is wrapped around the first and second prongs.

19. The adjustable tool of claim 17, further comprising first and second guides attached to the first and second prongs, respectively, the first and second guides being configured for measuring a distance between outer edges of a fighter's knuckles, and setting the separation between the first and second prongs to the distance between the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles so measured.

20. The adjustable tool of claim 19, wherein each one of the first and second guides includes an angled inner slope for assisting in aligning the first and second guides with the outer edges of the fighter's knuckles.