WO1995020425A1

WO1995020425A1 - Scorekeeping wristband

Info

Publication number: WO1995020425A1
Application number: PCT/US1995/001236
Authority: WO
Inventors: James S. Gill
Original assignee: Gill James S
Priority date: 1994-01-31
Filing date: 1995-01-30
Publication date: 1995-08-03

Abstract

A scorekeeping wristband (10) having a tubular band (20) fittable around the wrist of a user and at least one strip of material (60) attached to an outer surface of the band (20), the strip of material (60) having an outer face (61) fabricated from one of a complimentary hook and loop fastening material; a plurality of generally planar tabs (80) each having front and back faces fabricated from the other of the complimentary hook and loop fastening material, each tab (80) having a bottom edge flexibly attached to the strip of material (60) such that each tab (80) is pivotable back and forth along its bottom edge and such that the front and back faces of the tabs are each fastenably engageable with the outer face of the strip of material (60).

Description

SCOREKEEPING WRISTBAND

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to portable scorekeeping devices used by a player of a physical game during the course of the game and more particularly to a lightweight non-obstrusive scorekeeping band worn on the wrist or arm of the person playing the physical game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Prior scorekeeping devices worn by physical game players typically employ metal bands, pins, buttons, knobs, snaps, strings or other complex cumbersome or expensive mechanisms. The present invention comprises a lightweight band of cloth material such as terri cloth, cotton, lycra, leather or other lightweight and inexpensive clothing material. The band is tubular in shape and is provided with an expandable and resiliently contractable elastic or other conventional resiliently stretchable material such that the tubular band can be expanded to allow a human hand to fit completely through the band and subsequently positioned around the wrist or other arm section of the player in a contracted state. The band is biased toward a contracted state by the resiliently stretchable and contractable material provided within the fabric of the band such that once the band is fitted around the wrist or arm of the user, the band remains in a contracted state and will not slip off the wrist by virtue of interference with the hand which is wider than the diameter of the band in its contracted state as shown in Fig. 2.

In one embodiment, the expandable band has two strips of a hook or loop fastening material attached, e.g. , via sewing or stitching, to the outer surface of the band. Each strip of hook or loop fastening material has a plurality of tabs attached thereto along a flexibly bendable or foldable attachment point such as a stitch line. The tabs have opposing faces of a complementary hook or loop material which is fastenably engageable with the strips. The tabs are manually pivotable or bendable around their points of attachment to the strips by the user. Thus the user can easily bend the tabs such that one face of each tab fastenably engages the strip and lies flat thereon. A score number or other indicium of scoring may be imprinted or embroidered on a face of a tab or on an area of the strip which the face of a tab may fastenably engage such that the score number/indicium is concealed from view when the appropriate tab face is fastenably engaged. When a score is to be registered by the user, the user may easily disengage the fastened tab face and engage the opposite face of the same tab thus exposing the score. Once either face of a tab is fastenably engaged with the strip surface the tab remains stationary relative to the strip until actively/positively disengaged by the user.

A typical complementary hook and loop fastening material is the well known Velcro® materials typically sold in generally planar strip forms.

Therefore, in accordance with the invention there is provided a scorekeeping wristband comprising: a tubular band snug fittable around the wrist of a person, the band being expandable for receiving the person's hand therethrough and resiliently contractable for snug fitting around the wrist such that the hand does not fit through the band when in a contracted state; at least one strip of material having a longitudinal length extending between a top edge and a bottom edge and a width extending between a right edge and a left edge, the strip being attached to an outer surface of the band, the strip having an outer face of material comprising one of a complementary hook and loop fastening material; a plurality of generally planar tabs each having front and back faces of a material comprising the other of the complementary hook and loop fastening material, each tab having a longitudinal length extending between a top and bottom edge

FIG. 4 is a side view of the FIG. 1 wristband in a collapsed state showing the movable tabs in a second fastened position revealing the indicia of scorekeeping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS There is shown in FIG. 1 one embodiment of a wristband 10 according to the invention. The wristband 10 comprises a tubular band 20 of collapsible cloth material. The band 20 is shown in FIG. 1 in a non-collapsed state wherein the tubular configuration of the band has a central axis X and a mouth diameter D. Incorporated into the fabric of the wall of the band 20 is a stretchable or elastic material shown in schematic form as lines 30 in FIG. 1. The elastic/stretchable material 30 enables the walls of the band 20 to be stretched such that the diameter D may be temporarily enlarged to allow the hand 40 of a person, FIG. 2, which is wider than diameter D to be received fully through the tubular length of the band 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the band 20 is in a non-expanded state wherein the elastic material is fully contracted. Preferably, the fully contracted state diameter D of the band 20 is preselected such that the band 20 snugly engages the distal arm section 50, e.g., the wrist area, of the user thereby ensuring against movement of the band 20 on the arm during typical violent motion of the person when engaged in physical sport activity.

The wristband 10 has two strips 60, 70 of elongated material having at least an outer surface 61, 71 which is either a hook or complementary loop fastening material. Each strip 60, 70 has a series of tabs 80 attached at their bottom ends along a stitch line 81 to the outer surface of the strips 60, 70. The tabs are pivotable/bendable around the attachment lines 81 back and forth between one fastened position, FIG. 3, and another fastened position, FIG. 4. Each tab 80 is generally flat and has a back face 82, FIG. 3, and a front face 83, FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the front faces 83 of all of the tabs 80 are fastenably engaged with the outer surface of strips 60, 70. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear faces 82 of all of the tabs 80 are fastenably engaged with the outer surface of strips 60, 70 and the indicia of scorekeeping P, Q, R, P', Q', R' are visually observable.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 the width, WS, of the strips 60, 70 relative to the top edge 85 to bottom edge 81 length, LT, of each tab 80 and the point of attachment 81 are selected such that the top edges 85 of the tabs 80 extend beyond the left 61, 71 and right 62, 72 side edges of the strips 60, 70 thereby enabling the user to readily manually grab the top edge 85 of a tab 80 and pull and disengage the tabs 80 when their faces 82, 83 are fastenably engaged with the surface of a strip 60, 70.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the tabs 80 are disposed successively along the length, LB, of the strips 60, 70 such that the widths, WT, of the tabs 80 do not overlap or interfere with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4 the strips 60, 70 are attached to the surface of the tubular band 20 such that their lengthwise axes Y, Y" are disposed generally parallel to axis X of the band 20 which enables the user to more readily manipulate the tabs 80 and observe the score indicia P, Q, R, P', Q', R' when desired.

As shown, the indicia are imprinted, sewn or otherwise visibly disposed, adhered or attached on the surface of the strips 60, 70. As can be readily imagined, the indicia can be alternatively located on the faces 82 or 83 of the tabs 80. The indicia can be placed on the surface of the hook or loop fastening materials in any conventional manner such as gluing, stitching, printing or the like.

In the embodiment shown, two strips 60, 70 are provided for keeping score with respect to two separate players or teams such as in a tennis match where the indicia P and ?' would be 15, Q and Q' would be 30, R and R' would be 40. In this embodiment, the user can readily keep both player's or

Claims

1. A scorekeeping wristband comprising: a tubular band fittable around the wrist of a person, the band being expandable for receiving the person's hand therethrough and resiliently contractable for fitting around the wrist such that the hand does not fit through the band when in a contracted state; at least one strip of material having a longitudinal length extending between a top edge and a bottom edge and a width extending between a right edge and a left edge, the strip being attached to an outer surface of the band, the strip having an outer face of material comprising one of a complementary hook and loop fastening material; a plurality of generally planar tabs each having front and back faces of a material comprising the other of the complementary hook and loop fastening material, each tab having a longitudinal length extending between a top and bottom edge and a width extending between a right and left edge; each tab being flexibly attached at its bottom edge to the strip at a position between the right and left edges of the strip such that each tab is pivotable back and forth along its bottom edge and such that the front and back faces of the tabs are each fastenably engageable with the outer face of the strip; the tabs being successively arranged along the length of the strip such that the widths of the tabs do not overlap with each other when pivoted back or forth along their attached bottom edges.

2. The wristband of claim 1 wherein one face of each tab conceals an indicium of scorekeeping when fastenably engaged with the outer face of the strip.

3. The wristband of claim 2 wherein an indicium of scorekeeping is imprinted on either one face of each tab or on the outer face of the strip which fastenably engages with the face of a tab.

4. The wristband of claim 1 wherein the length of one or more tabs is selected, the width of the strip is selected, and the bottom edge of the one or more tabs are attached to the strip such that the top edge of the one or more tabs extends beyond the right or left edge of the strip when a face of the one or more tabs is fastenably engaged with the outer face of the strip.

5. The wristband of claim 1 wherein the band has a lengthwise axis and the at least one strip has a lengthwise axis, the strip being attached to the outer surface of the band such that the axes of the band and the strip are substantially parallel.

6. The wristband of claim 1 wherein the wristband includes two of said strips each having a lengthwise axis and a plurality of said tabs attached thereto, said two strips being attached to the outer surface of the tubular band such that the axes of said strips are disposed substantially parallel to each other.

7. The wristband of claim 6 wherein the tubular band has a longitudinal lengthwise axis, the strips being attached to the outer surface of the band such that the axes of the band and the axes of the strips are substantially parallel.

8. The wristband of claim 6 wherein the length of one or more of the tabs attached to each strip are selected, the width of each strip is selected, and the bottom edge of the one or more tabs attached to each strip is attached such that the top edge of the one or more tabs attached to each strip extends beyond the right or left edge of each strip when a face of the one or more tabs attached to each strip is fastenably engaged with the outer face of a corresponding strip.