Lacrosse Glove Padding Segmentation for Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional protective gloves for contact sports like lacrosse and hockey hinder hand flexibility and stick grasping due to padding that surrounds the exterior, compromising protection and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A protective sports glove with an improved padding arrangement featuring a dorsal portion with detachable edges and elastic tethers, allowing for increased flexibility by attaching padded segments at specific edges while keeping others detached, enabling better grip and movement during athletic activities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If padding and protective materials surround the exterior portion of the glove, then protection against injuries is improved, but flexibility and ability to bend the hand are hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The backside pad is divided into multiple segments: a first pad portion and a second pad portion, connected by a flexible connector. This segmentation allows each portion to move independently, providing protection while enabling hand bending and flexibility during athletic activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible connector dynamically adapts the padding structure to hand movement. When the hand bends or flexes, the connector allows relative movement between the first and second pad portions, maintaining protection while accommodating the changing geometry of the hand and wrist.
2Reliability
If padding surrounds the exterior portion of the glove, then protection is adequate, but ability to properly grasp a stick is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the backside pad into movable portions connected by a flexible connector, the padding provides protection without creating a rigid structure that would interfere with the fine motor skills needed to properly grasp a lacrosse or hockey stick.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible connector is positioned specifically to allow movement at the wrist area where bending is needed, while the pad portions maintain their protective function. This localized flexibility preserves grip ability on the stick while maintaining protection elsewhere.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The glove provides enhanced protection and flexibility, allowing players to grasp sticks more easily while maintaining injury protection, as the unique padding arrangement allows for greater range of motion without hindering movement.
Implementation Method 1
The tether may be comprised of an elastic material and biases the lower edge of the backside pad towards the wrist protection portion
Data Source
AI summary
A protective sports glove is provided with a padding arrangement having improved flexibility for the user of the protective glove. The glove includes: a palm portion that cooperates with a dorsal portion to receive a metacarpus part of a hand. A plurality of finger portions are formed at a joint along a top edge of the dorsal portion distal from a wrist. A backside pad is attached to the dorsal portion, such that the upper edge of the pad aligns with and extends along at least a portion of the joint but is detached from the dorsal portion. A plurality of padded segments are disposed along a length of each of said finger portions. The one padded segment is attached to the respective finger portion at opposing side edges thereof and detached along an edge adjacent to the joint with the dorsal portion.