Performance Gloves

Abstract

The present invention relates to sports apparatus and equipment, and uses thereof, used in playing the game of various sports. The present invention and its multi-sport glove embodiments significantly enhance the overall performance in athletic tasks and / or execution commonly associated during sports play, particularly in, but not limited to, football and golf by configuring to meet the specific requirements of a football quarterback's throwing hand and a golfer's dominant hand, for example. The present invention unique finger configurations completely cover the thumb and pinkie finger of a user's hand. Additionally, at least a portion of the user's forefinger, middle finger and ring finger are uncovered. Furthermore, the present invention may offer grip enhancers on the palm area, the thumb segment or on any existing finger segments. Additionally, the present invention may offer protective properties on the dorsal segment of the glove and any wrist portion thereof.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to sports apparatus and equipment, and uses thereof, used in playing the game of various sports. The present invention and its multi-sport glove embodiments significantly enhance the overall performance in athletic tasks and / or execution commonly associated during sports play, particularly in, but not limited to, football and golf by configuring to meet the specific requirements of a football quarterback's throwing hand and a golfer's dominant hand, for example. The present invention unique finger configurations completely cover the thumb and pinkie finger of a user's hand. Additionally, at least a portion of the user's forefinger, middle finger and ring finger are uncovered. Furthermore, the present invention may offer grip enhancers on the palm area, the thumb segment or on any existing finger segments. Additionally, the present invention may offer protective properties on the dorsal segment of the glove and any wrist porti...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention offers a way to improve hand task performance and control in sports play. It can be used with any type of hand task activity or sports play. The invention provides a more stable grip on objects or balls, improves control during golf swings or football throws, and creates more safety for quarterback play. This technology helps provide better overall performance and control for users.

Problems solved by technology

This is largely because prior art consists of generic full-fingered gloves which are uncomfortable and burdensome on a quarterback's throwing hand, particularly on those fingers a quarterback places over the football laces.

This need to ‘feel’ a ball with a hand has therefore resulted in quarterbacks having to make a difficult choice.

It is no surprise that quarterback fumbles remain a significant problem in football, even at the highest performance levels, and currently remains an insoluble problem in the sport for amateurs and professionals alike.

Playing the position of quarterback without the help of gloves, however, can also be an inferior choice.

Whereas the fingers over the laces have a solid grip on the ball—primarily due to the football laces on the ball—the three digital segments off the laces (thumb, forefinger and pinkie finger) are virtually unsupported and therefore have a relatively weaker grip, creating a weak overall grip on the football.

This weak overall grip becomes more pronounced when added stress is placed on the thumb or forefinger.

Unfortunately, one need only view the statistics to see that fumbles persist as an insoluble problem, even at the professional level today.

On a wet football field, during extreme weather conditions (hot or cold), that weaker or looser grip makes for a much more difficult completed pass, less success at throwing a spiral, and inconsistency and inaccuracy in passing.

The ability of the quarterback to maintain control of the football was still problematic because of the lack of any grip enhancing device for the player to use; gloves that could be placed on the throwing hand such that the football quarterback could now more significantly control a ball with his arm, thereby creating an overall grip of the football throughout the football.

As a result of this unmet need, inconsistencies and turnovers were still high in the sport.

The introduction and subsequent proliferation in the use of gloves found some success but even with these advancements, however, fumbles and incompletes still persist today, partly because none of the prior art gloves could be useful, and are therefore inoperable, to quarterbacks.

Quarterback injuries can also become a big problem in the sport.

Gloves have proved useful in protecting other users playing other positions in football, but prior art gloves have not been configured for use by quarterbacks.

Prior art configuration problems cease to protect a quarterback's throwing hand.

As is well known, repeated exposure to hand injury can cause damage to the systems of the hand, such as the nervous system, the muscular system or the skeletal system.

Previous failures to create gloves to support a quarterback's throwing hand, not only while throwing the football but also while rushing with the football, is becoming a growing significant problem in need of a solution at the professional level and therefore certainly at the collegiate and amateur levels.

Additionally, constant swinging of a golf club at real swing speeds often results in soreness on and between the thumb and forefinger of a golfer's strong hand wearing no glove.

This is especially important in the sport of golf because even the smallest of slipping—during the golf swing or upon impact of the golf ball—can create enormous inconsistencies and inaccuracies, critical issues in determining overall performance in golf.

A further reason why golfers are not using gloves on their strong hand has to do with the fact that gloves innovations have not been effectively configured to best conform to a golfer's preferred golf grip.

The golf method of golfers wearing a standard full-fingered golf glove only on their weak-hand, while increasing the overall grip of the weak hand, can also be an inferior option in that it results in a significant loss of tactile capabilities on their weak-hand.

Although this method of gripping a golf club, by wearing only one golf glove, does provide some tactile sensation on the overall grip, the tactile sensation is limited to only the dominant hand.

This limitation of only allowing skin contact by the dominant hand has often resulted in several problems such as: difficulty in weak-hand and dominant hand coordination because skin contact between hands is blocked by the glove; difficulty in assessing proper golf club positioning by the weak-hand throughout the golf swing; and difficulty in getting proper feedback from weak-hand sensations if one completes an improper golf swing.

It is no surprise that golfers often have difficulty landing a golf ball on the fairway, even at the highest performance levels, and currently remains an insoluble problem in the sport for amateurs and professionals alike.

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