US980679A - Base-ball glove. - Google Patents

Description

B. T. ROGERS.

BASE BALL GLOVE.

APPLICATION 11,111; 001529, 1908.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

INVENZOR.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURT T. ROGERS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO VICTOR SPORTING GOODS COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

BASE-BALL GLOVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Application filed October 29, 1908. Serial No. 460,055.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURT T. ROGERS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Base-Ball Gloves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of a combined glove and mitt such as is used by players of the game of base-ball.

Heretofore it has been customary to manufacture a mitt, so called, which is used especially by a player occupying certain positions in the game, and a glove which is used by players occupying certain other positions. There are many reasons why it is desirable to use a protective covering for the hand of the player which will possess the qualities of both of these devices. When a glove is used, a ball striking it can be much more firmly and surely held than would be possible if the player wore a mitt; and on the other hand, the fingers of the glove being separated the leather is very frequently split where the fingers join the palm owing to the hard impact of the ball thereagainst. Furthermore, with a hand covering in the form of a mitt possessing the requisite flexibility in the finger portion, a player is less likely to fail of catching a ball than where a glove construction is used, owing to the fact that a ball is more completely pocketed in a mitt than in a glove; but a mitt, as at present generally constructed, is not flexible enough to permit the fingers to freely close over a ball, the finger portions of a mitt being sewed along their edges to the back of the mitt to provide separate, but not separated or separable, finger portions.

The object of the present invention is to provide a hand covering having all of the characteristics of flexibility found in a glove, together with the command of the finger portion thereof, and at the same time embodying the more desirable characteristics of a mitt.

The invention consists essentially in a complete fielders glove, the palm' side of which has applied thereto a loose facing of leather or like flexible material which is stitched to the edges of the glove and to the tips of the fingers thereof, as hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,-

Figure 1 is an elevation of the back side of a combined glove and mitt embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line 22, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on line 33, Fig. 1.

Referring to these drawings, a indicates the glove as a whole; I) the lining or the internal padding thereof, and c the flexible covering of leather or like material applied to the palm side thereof. The glove may be in all respects like an ordinary fielders glove provided with the usual internal felt padding for the palm and finger portions. The facing of flexible covering 0 of leather or the like is cut to conform to the contour of the main portion of the glove, and following a line tangent to the tips of the separated fingers of the latter, to the end that this facing may be stitched to the glove along the bottom edge thereof and on each side up as far as the end of the little finger and the end of the thumb, said facing bridging the space between the thumb and fore finger and each of the other fingers, the latter being secured to the facing, preferably only at the tips thereof, the object being to cover the palm side of the glove with a loose flexible facing attached to the glove, preferably atthe border thereof only.

l/Vhen the finger-tips are secured to the facing the fingers are spread apart to the end that this facing may act as a loose Web between the fingers thereby permitting the requisite lateral movement to the fingers necessary to insure to the player the complete use or command of the fingers, both laterally and at right angles thereto as when the fingers close over a ball.

In fielders gloves asordinarily constructed at present, a Web d of leather is stitched to the outside of the fore finger and the inside of the thumb to close the space between these two members whereby a more complete pocket for the ball may be formed in the palm; and, preferably, this web is embodied in the construction forming the subject matter of this application, and the edge of the facing 0 contiguous to the edge of this web stitched thereto, as at 6, Figs. 1 and 3, thereby providing a double thickness of web between the thumb and fore finger. This provision, however, of a double thickness of web between these members is not considered as an essential feature of the invention for by taking pains to strongly secure the tip of the fore finger and the tip of the thumb to the casing that part of the latter between the fore finger and thumb would be made to serve the same purpose the web (Z serves in an ordinary fielders glove; but, as stated, the preferred construction is to use the glove as atpresent generally constructed and provide the same with the facing in the manner described, thus doubling the thickness of the web cl.

The herein described combined glove and mitt has all of the advantages of both of these devices, viz.,it has the same fiexibility as a glove and leaves the fingers free for movement both laterally and at right angles thereto, and the facing applied to the glove not only serves to prevent the splitting of the palm where the fingers are joined thereto but the loose facing for the palm side of the glove serves as a material added protection to the hand and therefore will permit a reduction in the thickness of the padding in the glove. Furthermore, the extension of the facing over the palm side of the glove, and the provision of the loose webbing between the fingers not only assures a safer handling of the ball but greatly protects the fingers of the player as the latter are, by reason of the webbing between them,

- made self-supporting in a measure: that is to say with the facing extending over the palm side of the glove and. attached to the latter as described, if a ball should strike the second finger, for example, near the tip, if the player had 011 an ordinary glove that linger would have no support whatever and might be forced backward and injured; when, however, the tips of the fingers are secured to the border of a facing material, as leather, and the end of the second finger should be so struck, the resistance of all four fingers would be available to resist the impact of the ball since the four fingers are all connected together by the facing. And, furthermore, it is possible to easily remove the facing and apply a new one, the glove itself being practically indestructible because of the facing applied to the palm which is the part subjected to the greatest wear. In some fielders gloves, as gen erally constructed, the web d is replaced by a lacing and in that case the facing a would be applied in the same manner as described herein except that it would not be attached thereto between the fore finger and the thumb.

That I claim, is

A glove consisting of separate and independent finger-pieces and a loose pliable facing therefor having substantially the outline of the hand when the fingers are more or less spread, said glove being secured to the facing only at points along the border there of with the fingers spread more or less to provide a loose web between the fingers when the latter are spread apart.

BURT T. ROGERS.

Witnesses:

K. I. CLnMoNs, H. W. BOWEN.

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