Stitchless Dorsal Padding for Protective Sports Gloves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stitched dorsal padding in sports gloves compromises flexibility and tactile feel while trying to provide protection, and the manufacturing process is complex and costly due to the need for multiple seams and stitching.
Innovation Solution
A unitary dorsal panel made from a molded synthetic panel or multiple panels fused together, directly attached to the scrim material without stitching, providing a tightly-packed array of protective elements with zero-elevation interstitial spaces for increased protection and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional stitched dorsal padding is used, then protection is provided, but flexibility and tactile feel are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple protective pad segments into a single unitary dorsal panel constructed from one piece of foam material. This eliminates the need for stitching between pads and creates a continuous protective surface that moves with the hand, maintaining both protection and flexibility simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the stitching component from the traditional multi-pad construction. By removing the stitching element that connects individual pads, the design achieves a simpler single-piece structure that inherently provides better flexibility while maintaining protective coverage.
2Reliability
If conventional stitched dorsal padding is used, then protection is provided, but tactile feel is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective function with the tactile surface by creating a unitary panel where the foam material directly contacts the hand without interruption from stitching or multiple separate pads. This continuous contact surface preserves natural tactile sensitivity while providing comprehensive protection.
3Reliability
If conventional stitched dorsal padding is used, then protection is provided, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing steps into a single process by forming the entire dorsal panel as one piece of foam material. This eliminates the need for separate steps to cut, stitch, and assemble individual pad segments, significantly simplifying manufacturing while maintaining protective coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the stitching operation from the manufacturing process. By eliminating this complex step entirely, the design reduces production time, labor requirements, and manufacturing complexity while achieving the same protective function through a simpler single-piece construction.
4Ease of operation
If larger spacing between adjacent pads is used, then flexibility is increased, but protection is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges adjacent protective segments into a continuous unitary panel, effectively eliminating the spacing between pads. This creates an uninterrupted protective surface that maintains close contact with the hand, providing comprehensive protection while allowing natural hand movement and flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A protective glove having a unitary dorsal panel formed from an inner scrim material and a plurality of protective elements molded directly to an exterior surface of the inner scrim. The plurality of protective elements are formed in an array of discrete islands each separated by zero-elevation interstitial spaces. The unitary dorsal panel is sewn or otherwise attached circumferentially to the palmer sections of the glove. This array provides increased protection to the user's fingers, hands, wrists, and lower forearms while maintaining flexibility and tactile feel on both palmar and dorsal sides of the glove, increasing flexibility where needed without compromising protection.