US20170144054A1

US20170144054A1 - Hand protection sports pad

Info

Publication number: US20170144054A1
Application number: US15/359,645
Authority: US
Inventors: Shmuel LANDAU
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-11-25
Filing date: 2016-11-23
Publication date: 2017-05-25

Abstract

A kit for buffering between a body part and an object includes a pad, adjustably placeable over the body part and the object having at least a multiplicity of holes; and at least one connector to connect the pad to the body part and the object via at least one of the holes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/259,686, filed Nov. 25, 2015, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hand protection generally and to sports in particular.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hands experience a lot of wear and tear during all forms of sports in which the sportsman is required to grasp or grip his equipment. This can apply to many sports ranging from baseball and weight lifting to golf and even bicycle riding. The need for a constant grip can cause callouses, burns, cuts and other ailments.
Furthermore, often a sportsman may struggle to retain his grip of the pertinent equipment due to excess perspiration which may cause slipping. It is known in the art to use a piece of rubber between skin and a piece of machinery in order to prevent slipping due to perspiration.
Prior art solutions include purpose designed gloves, half gloves and protective pads that can be held in place and may be secured using fixed finger loops, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,499, US Patent Publication 2009/0193560 and Great Britain Publication 2311715.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

There is provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a kit for buffering between a body part and an object. The kit includes a pad, adjustably placeable over the body part having at least a multiplicity of holes and at least one connector to connect the pad to at least one of: the body part and the object via at least one of the holes.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pad has at least one slot.
Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one connector is at least one pin having a head and a rod.
Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one connector is at least one ring having a head and a ring loop.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ring loop is stretchable.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pad is formed of antibacterial substances.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pad is formed of a material with a pleasant smell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a sports pad for protecting the hand together with the different accessories for holding it in place, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of different orientations of the placement of the pad of FIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic illustrations of the use of a bracelet loop to hold the pad of FIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic illustrations of the use of ring loops to hold the pad of FIG. 1, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of how the pad of FIG. 1 may be rotated about a hand, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic illustrations of how multiple pads of FIG. 1 may be used, constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of how the pad of FIG. 1 may be attached to an object; constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.
Applicant has realized that a simple pad may be attached to part of a user's body, using a bracelet like loop with or without some pins, or using one or more ring like loops or any combination thereof, may protect the body part in question during some form of contact with sports and other equipment. Applicants have realized that such a pad may be maneuvered and adjusted over different parts of the body, part, such as a hand, a foot a knee or the like, according to necessity and may be used for several purposes while being simple to use and inexpensive to manufacture and sell.
In one embodiment, when used with a hand, the pad may be held in place over the palm of the user using a simple bracelet like loop connected to the pad, to secure it to the wrist, and purposely designed pins also connected to the pad and held in between fingers, to secure it in place. In another embodiment, the pad may be held in place over the palm of the user using several ring-like loops connected to the pad to secure it to the fingers. In other embodiments, the pad may be held over other areas of the hand such as the fingers or a combination of fingers and palm.
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which illustrates a sports pad 10, a loop 20, and two types of connectors, a pin 30 and a ring 40, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Pad 10 may be oval in shape and may comprise multiple holes 12 and/or multiple slots 14. The spacing of holes 12 and of slots 14 may be predetermined. In alternative embodiments, pad 10 may have different shapes with more or less curves, symmetric or asymmetric, such as pad 10A.
As shown in FIG. 2, to which reference is now made, sports pad 10 may be placed on the underside of the hand in whichever orientation and location is most comfortable to the user for example, it may be placed over the palm of the hand in one orientation or over the palm and the fingers. It will be appreciated that the orientations illustrated are merely examples and that pad 10 may be placed in any desired orientation and location.
Loop 20 may be solid, or may alternatively comprise spaced holes 22 similar to holes 12 of pad 10. Loop 20 may be of any size and may be used to attach pad 10 to a body part to be contact with human skin. Loop 20 may allow a user to tightly or loosely tie pad 10 to their wrist. Loop 20 may be passed through slot 14 and may be looped within itself to attach it to pad 10. For a tighter fit, loop 20 may be doubled over. The width of loop 20 may be similar to or smaller than the width of slot 14.
Pin 30 may comprise a head 32 and a rod 34. It will be appreciated that the diameter of rod 34 may be the same as or smaller than, the diameters of holes 12 and 22 so that rod 34 may pass through and snugly fit into holes 12 and 22.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B to which reference is now made, pins 30 may be placed within any of holes 12, such that head 32 may lie on top of pad 10. After that, pins 30 may be placed between two fingers of any sized hand and held there between.
It will be appreciated that holes 12 and 22 may be spaced to ensure maximum possible attachment permutations. Additionally, a single rod 34 may tightly fit into a hole 12 so that it does not fall out of pad 10. Alternatively and as shown in FIG. 3B, several pins 30 may also be used.
It will be appreciated that a user may also use pins 30 within holes 22 in order to adjust the sizing of loop 20 as needed.
FIGS. 3A and 3B also illustrate different positions and orientations for attaching pad 10 to a hand using loop 20 and pins 30. In FIG. 3A, pad 10 is vertically attached to a hand and is secured by loop 20 and one pin 30 while in FIG. 3B, pad 10 is horizontally attached to a hand and is secured by loop 20 and three pins 30.
It will be appreciated that loop 20 (depending on its length) may be attached to pad 10 using slots 14. Thus, even without the use of pins 30, if pad 10 falls away from the hand, it may still be attached to the wrist and may be repositioned. Alternatively, loop 20 may be used to attach pad 10 to a hand by doubling it over the hand itself, such that pad 10 may be held securely in place without the necessity of pins 30.
In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B to which reference is now made, one or more rings 40 may be utilized to attach pad 10 to the palm. Ring 40 may comprise a head 42 and a ring loop 43 where a width W of ring loop 43 may be the same as, or smaller than, the diameters of holes 12 and 22 as is illustrated in FIG. 1 back to which reference is now made. Thus, when ring loop 43 is squeezed flat, ring loop 43 may be inserted into one of holes 12, leaving head 42 on the opposite side of pad 10. Once ring loop 43 has been inserted through hole 12 or 22, it may return to its original loop shape, to be looped onto the body part, such as a finger. Head 42, on the outer side of pad 10, may secure pad 10 to the palm and ring 40 may hold pad 10 to the finger or other body part. Ring 40 may any size in order to comfortable and securely fit the size of a finger, arm or leg. Ring 40 may be used on its own or in conjunction with loop 20.
It will be appreciated that one or more rings 40 may be placed within any of holes 12 and may be used to attach pad 10 to one or more fingers. As illustrated in FIG. 5, to which reference is now briefly made, pad 10, attached via a single ring 40 to the palm, may rotate around ring 40, to be placed in the best location and orientation for any specific activity.
It will also be appreciated that holes 12 on pad 10 may also be numbered so that a user may recreate the same orientation of pad 10 for repeated use.
In a further embodiment, shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B to which reference is now made, ring 40 may be utilized to attach more than one pad 10 simultaneously if the need for multiple pads arises. Multiple pads 10 may be attached using a single ring 40 or multiple rings 40, each penetrating at least one hole in one or more pads 10. Multiple pads may be used to cover a larger surface area of the hand or may be overlapped
Applicant has realized that pad 10 and either pin 30 or ring 40 may form a kit useful in providing a buffer between a body part and an object. Applicant has further realized that such a buffer may be placed directly on the object to be held, rather than on the hand, in any comfortable location and orientation.
This is illustrated in FIG. 7, to which reference is now made, where pad 10 covers an object 50 and is held in place by multiple rings 40 and/or loops 20. This may be achieved by placing pad 10 in its desired position on object 50 and securing it using any number of loops 20 and/or rings 40. It will be appreciated that in this embodiment, ring 40 may be of any suitable size to match the size of object 50 to be gripped. Alternatively, it may be stretchable.
It will be appreciated that there is significant flexibility in how to attach pad 10 to a body part. For example, if a user has callouses from continuous sports use, pad 10 may be placed over the callouses in order to prevent further agitation. In addition, only two sizes of pad 10 may be necessary as multiple pads 10 may be used simultaneously, enlarging the coverage area when needed.
It will be appreciated that pad 10 may be cheaply manufactured from molds in different sizes from Pad 10, loop 20, pins 30 and rings 40 may be made of rubber or silicon such as TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) in any size and thickness that may be washable and breathable for enhanced hygiene. It will also be appreciated that holes 12 not only allow attachment of pad 10 to a body part via connectors such as pins 30 or rings 40, but may also allow for air flow and ventilation thus enabling pad 10 to breathe and thus reduce possible slippage from the hand due to perspiration. The rubber nature material of pad 10 may ensure that pins 30 may be held in place and may also be easily removed. Pad 10 may cover only possible touch points between the body part and the object allowing the “not in touch” body part, such as the fingers and the back of the hand, to breathe normally while using the pad.
Pad 10 may also contain antibacterial substances and may be washable to ensure repeat use, and in addition, it may have a variety of smells and colors. The smells may not only provide a pleasant smell for pad 10 but may also hide undesirable smells caused by perspiration.
It will be appreciated that pad 10, along with loop 20, pins 30 and/or rings 40 may also be used with non-sports equipment, such as gardening and work tools, on the handles of a tool, on the handlebars of a bicycle or motorcycle, a wheel, a joystick, weights, horizontal bars, parallel bars, uneven bars, sticks and the like or any other device to be gripped, to protect the hands and to guarantee a firm grip. It will be further appreciated that pad 10 may also be used with an already gloved hand.
Thus, a simple pad may be conveniently secured to a body part or to an object, in any location and with any orientation, using any number of connecting parts, to provide a buffer between the body part and the object, thereby to protect the body part from the friction caused by constant contact between the body part and the object.
While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A kit for buffering between a body part and an object, said kit comprising:

a pad, adjustably placeable over said body part and said object having at least a multiplicity of holes; and

at least one connector to connect said pad to said body part and said object via at least one of said holes.

2. The kit according to claim 1 and wherein said pad has at least one slot.

3. The kit according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one connector is at least one pin having a head and a rod.

4. The kit according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one connector is at least one ring having a head and a ring loop.

6. The kit according to claim 4 and wherein said ring loop is stretchable.

7. The kit according to claim 1 and wherein said pad is formed of antibacterial substances.

8. The kit according to claim 1 and wherein said pad is formed of a material with a pleasant smell.