This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/595,420 filed on Feb. 6, 2012.
This invention relates to sports equipment. In particular, this relates to material used to form baseball or softball gloves.
The prior art teaches that the best way to form a baseball or softball glove is with a series of straps that can be tightened or loosened independent of one another. This is needlessly time consuming and wrongheaded.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,127 issued to Danz teaches a device to form and maintain a glove shape, comprising, elastic straps mechanically coupled to one another by stitching and a hook and loop fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,746 issued to Watson teaches a panel member having a plurality of straps where the straps are mechanically coupled to a panel member by a hook and loop fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,805 issued to Dun teaches a strapping assembly comprising a pair of parallel straps cross connected at their ends with hook and vane cross fasteners. Unlike Danz, Dunn only has fasteners on straps in the parallel direction. None of these devices teach a separately sewn leather or vinyl section. Further each of these devices teaches away from the single unit teaching in the present invention with a needlessly complicated and ineffective plurality of straps.
A web assembly can be used for making and maintaining a contour of a baseball or softball glove. The web assembly comprises a plurality of horizontal straps comprising a top strap and a bottom strap mechanically coupled to a plurality of vertical straps comprising a left strap and a right strap. A right durable strap and left durable strap are mechanically coupled to at least one horizontal strap where the at least one horizontal strap is further mechanically coupled to the right strap and the left strap. In this manner, a user can wrap the web assembly around the glove and affix the right durable strap to the left durable strap with a hook and loop fastener, and allowing for the straps to deform slightly to make and maintain the contour of the glove.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention overcome many of the obstacles associated with forming baseball and softball gloves, and now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings that show some, but not all embodiments of the claimed inventions. Indeed, the invention may 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 satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
The plurality of horizontal straps 10 further comprises a top strap 10 and a bottom strap 10. Top strap 10 is mechanically coupled to top right corner strap 22 by stitching 12 and top left corner strap 22 by stitching 12. Likewise, bottom strap 10 is mechanically coupled to bottom right corner strap 22 by stitching 12 and bottom left corner strap 22 by stitching 12.
Bottom left corner strap 22 and top left corner strap 22 are further mechanically coupled to left strap 10 by stitching 12. Likewise, bottom right corner strap 22 and top right corner strap 22 are further mechanically coupled to right strap 10 by stitching 12.
Right durable strap 14 is mechanically coupled to at least one horizontal strap 10 by heavy duty stitching where at least one horizontal strap 10 is further mechanically coupled to right strap 10 by stitching 12. Likewise, left durable strap 14 is mechanically coupled to at least one horizontal strap 10 by heavy duty stitching where at least one horizontal strap 10 is further mechanically coupled to left strap 10 by stitching 12.
In the preferred embodiment, straps 10 and corner straps 22 are made from elastic webbing. Stitching 12 is made from an elastic thread stitching, cross stitching 16 is made from an elastic thread cross-stitching. Durable strap 14 is made from leather which is thicker than straps 10 and corner straps 22.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5346208 | Wood, Sr. | Sep 1994 | A |
5456390 | McFarland | Oct 1995 | A |
5672127 | Danz | Sep 1997 | A |
5758805 | Dunn | Jun 1998 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2000-014857 | Jan 2000 | JP |
2007-202711 | Aug 2007 | JP |
Entry |
---|
May 13, 2013 International Search Report and Written Opinion of Korean Intellectual Property Office. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61595420 | Feb 2012 | US |