1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protective glove for receiving the hand of a wearer for use in athletics. More particularly, the invention relates to a soccer goalkeeper""s glove.
2. Description of Background Art
The protective gloves used by soccer goalkeepers, otherwise known as goalies, typically include a dorsal element and a palmar element, both being fashioned from a latex foam, and an element for securing the glove to the goalkeeper""s wrist. Although goalkeeper gloves are similar in these respects, there are various modes of goalkeeper glove design that vary with respect to durability, flexibility, and seam placement, thereby affecting the goalkeeper""s ability to control the ball when catching, handling, or throwing.
Goalkeeper glove characteristics are most affected by the pattern from which the dorsal and palmar elements are cut. Unlike traditional gloves fashioned from leather, cloth, or a knitted yarn, latex foam is the material of choice among goalkeeper glove designers because of its flexible and protective qualities. The use of latex foam, although having desirable characteristics, affects glove design by necessitating a dorsal and palmar element with multiple seams that may interfere with ball control or reduce durability.
As noted, the pattern from which the dorsal and palmar elements are cut affects glove characteristics. The majority of goalkeeper gloves employ one of three patterns for the dorsal and palmar elements: the traditional cut, the gunn cut, or the rifle cut pattern.
In a traditional cut glove 10, shown in FIGS. 1-2, a dorsal element 11 and a palmar element 12 are each fashioned from a single section of latex foam material, with only palmar element 12, shown separately in FIG. 3, having an attached thumb region. Supplemental elements (not shown), formed from a flexible material, connect dorsal and palmar elements 11 and 12 in the second through fifth digit regions, thereby creating an interior space for each digit. In addition, the union of dorsal and palmar elements 11 and 12 with the supplemental elements creates a dorsal seam 13 and a palmar seam 14 on the periphery of dorsal and palmar elements 11 and 12, respectively. The dorsal thumb region includes a separate, flexible supplemental element 15 sewn to the edge of the thumb area of palmar element 12 and to dorsal element 11. This combination of elements gives traditional cut glove 10 a relatively flat, paddle-like configuration and palmar seam 14 limits the goalkeeper""s control of the ball and reduces glove durability.
A gunn cut glove 20, shown in FIGS. 4-5, includes a dorsal element 21 and a palmar element 22 that are each fashioned from a single section of latex foam material, with palmar element 22, shown separately in FIG. 6, including regions for the first, second, and fifth digits and dorsal element 21 including regions for the second through fifth digits. The second and fifth digit regions of palmar element 22 have a greater width than corresponding regions of dorsal element 21. To form the glove regions for the second and fifth digits, the wider palmar regions are flexed to meet the edges of the second and fifth digit regions of dorsal element 21 and then sewn, the flexed material defining a recess for the goalkeeper""s digits. A single, separate section 23, formed of latex foam material and shown separately in FIG. 7, is used to form the third and fourth digit regions of palmar element 22. Section 23 is flexed and sewn to corresponding regions on dorsal element 21 and at the base of the third and fourth digits, the flexing again forming recesses for the goalkeeper""s digits. The dorsal thumb region is formed from of a separate, flexible supplemental element 24 sewn to the edge of the thumb region of palmar element 22 and to dorsal element 21.
Unlike traditional cut glove 10, gunn cut glove 20 contains only one seam 25 joining dorsal and palmar elements 21 and 22 in the digit regions due to the lack of supplemental elements. The flexing of the second and fifth digit regions of palmar element 22 and the resulting smooth palmar surface embodies the primary advantage of the gunn cut pattern over the traditional cut pattern. The digit regions of gunn cut glove 20 are rounded and lack seams on the palmar surface that may interfere with ball control. However, the gunn cut glove is more complex and costly to manufacture. Moreover, seam 26 at the base of the third and fourth digits may be uncomfortable and lack durability.
In a rifle cut glove 30, shown in, FIGS. 8-9, a dorsal element 31 and a palmar element 32 are each formed from a single section of foam material, with palmar element 32, shown separately in FIG. 10, including only the first, second, fourth, and fifth digit regions and dorsal element 31 including the second through fifth digit regions. The second digit region of palmar element 32 has a greater width than the corresponding region of dorsal element 31. A single, separate section 33 of latex foam material, also shown in FIG. 10, forms the third digit region of palmar element 31 and is sewn to palmar element 31 at the base of the third digit region. Supplemental elements (not shown), formed from a flexible material, connect edges of the dorsal and palmar elements in the third, fourth, and fifth digit regions, thereby creating an interior space for each digit. The union of dorsal and palmar elements 31 and 32 with the supplemental elements creates seams 34 and 35 on the periphery of the dorsal and palmar elements, respectively. To form the glove regions for the second digit, the wider palmar region is flexed to meet the edges of the second digit region of dorsal element 31 and then sewn, the flexed material thereby defining a recess for the goalkeeper""s second digit. The dorsal thumb region includes a separate, flexible supplemental element 36 sewn to the edge of the thumb region of palmar element 32 and to dorsal element 31.
The primary advantage of rifle cut glove 30 lies in the rounded palmar surface of the second digit. Like gunn cut glove 20, rifle cut glove 30 is more complex and costly to manufacture than traditional cut glove 10. In addition, seam 37 at the base of the third digit may cause discomfort and represent an area of low durability.
Although gloves fashioned on the traditional cut, gunn cut, and rifle cut patterns are common among goalkeeper""s gloves, other variations have emerged in recent years, including the variations disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,896 to Hochmuth, U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,985 to Hochmuth, U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,842 to Hochmuth, U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,473 to Hochmuth, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,830 to Chen.
Based on the above discussion, soccer goalkeepers have a variety of glove designs to choose among. However, many of the existing designs include seams that interfere with ball control or generate regions of low durability. In addition, many of the designs that attempt to reduce seams often use multiple palmar elements that increase the difficulty, and thereby cost, of manufacturing. The present invention utilizes a unique goalkeeper""s glove pattern that reduces the disadvantages of the prior art by removing seams that interfere with ball control, while providing a glove with high durability and low cost.
The present invention relates to an athletic glove for protecting and receiving a hand of a wearer. The glove includes a base portion connected to a protective portion, the protective portion having a palmar element and a dorsal element. The palmar element is formed of a first shock-absorbing material and is located to substantially cover a palmar metacarpal area of the wearer""s hand and a palmar side of a first digit, a second digit, a third digit, a fourth digit, and a fifth digit of the wearer""s hand. The palmar element also has at least one additional section that wraps around a medial or a lateral side of at least one of the second through fifth digits to cover at least a portion of a dorsal side of the digit wrapped by said at least one additional section. The dorsal element is located opposite the palmar element and substantially covers a dorsal metacarpal area of the wearer""s hand and the dorsal side of the second digit, the third digit, the fourth digit, and the fifth digit that are not covered by the at least one additional section of the palmar element.
The areas of the glove that are critical to ball control while catching, handling, or throwing include lateral sides of the first and second digit regions of the palmar element; the palmar sides of the third and fourth digits; and the medial side of the fifth digit region of the palmar element. In order to ensure that these sides and the areas connecting these sides remain free from seams that may inhibit ball control, the palmar element of the preferred embodiment contains additional sections on the first, second, and fifth digit regions. Each additional section extends from the palmar element and wraps around to the corresponding region to connect with the dorsal element, thereby creating a smooth, seamless surface. In further embodiments, the palmar element may contain at least one digit region with two additional sections that each wrap around one of the lateral or medial sides of an individual digit so as to create a greater seamless area.
In one preferred embodiment, the additional section of each of the second and fifth digit regions of the palmar element wraps around and abuts the corresponding digit region of the dorsal element. Attached to the abutting edges and lying on the interior of the glove is a length of flexible, connecting material. The flexible, connecting material may be comprised of either a separate element or sections of the base portion referenced above. This configuration provides a flexible joint on the dorsal surface that promotes ball control by facilitating bending of each of the second and fifth digits.
Prior art gloves succeed in creating smooth surfaces in the critical areas, but do so by sacrificing durability. Seams on the palmar surface that join two or more elements experience high levels of stress while the goalkeeper attempts to catch or otherwise gain control of the ball. As such, these seams tend to represent areas of low durability. The present invention alleviates the trade off between ball control and durability through a glove design that lacks seams in portions of the palmar surface that experience high levels of stress and are critical to ball control. In addition, the absence of seams decreases the difficulty of manufacture, thereby decreasing overall cost.
Together, the placement of additional regions and the absence of seams on portions of the palmar surface provide a goalkeeper""s glove with an enhanced level of ball control without sacrificing durability or creating a complex, and thereby costly, glove to manufacture.