WO1998051171A1

WO1998051171A1 - Sports glove

Info

Publication number: WO1998051171A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/001409
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Kershaw
Original assignee: Umbro Europe Limited
Priority date: 1997-05-15
Filing date: 1998-05-15
Publication date: 1998-11-19
Also published as: AU7441298A; GB9709856D0

Abstract

A one piece elastomeric sports glove (1) having a wall of non-uniform thickness. The glove (1) can comprise thickened portions (12, 17) to increase the shock absorbency of the glove (1). It can also include the portions (10, 11, 18) to increase the flexibility of the glove (1). At least one portion of the glove (1) can comprise a further elastomeric portion (9, 15) moulded to the glove, the further elastomeric portion being of a different elastomeric material.

Description

SPORTS GLOVE

This invention relates to sports gloves, more particularly to one piece elastomeric gloves having a wall of non-uniform thickness.

At present, sports gloves are usually manufactured from fabrics. Several pieces of fabric are cut to shape and then stitched together to form a glove. A foam or other padding material may be stitched to one side of the glove fabric before assembly in order to improve the shock absorbing characteristics of the glove. In addition, a layer of high friction material, such as a thin sheet of rubber, may be stitched or adhered to the outer surface of the fabric to improve the gripping characteristics of the glove.

The stitching together of flat fabric shapes to form a glove is a complex operation not amenable to automation. Sports glove fabrication is therefore labour intensive and hence expensive.

This existing method of manufacture of a sports glove tends to result in a glove with an underlying two dimensional nature. That is to say that when not been worn the glove tends to revert to a shape having fingers, palm and thumb all lying in the same plane. When relaxed, the human hand tends to form a cupped shape with the fingers and thumb curved gently out of the plane of the palm. The sports glove prevents the wearers hand from taking up this relaxed position making it uncomfortable to wear.

Fabric gloves have a very limited amount of flexibility. The gloves tend to flex only along lines in the stitching. During manufacture, stitching lines are added at the finger and thumb joint of the glove in order to aid flexibility. However, between these joints the glove is relatively inflexible. Also, there is very little padding at the stitching lines and consequently the fabric glove joints have very little shock absorbing ability. A small amount of texturing or shock absorbency can be added to fabric gloves by stitching or adhering a rubber layer to the outer surface of the fabric layer. However, such layers reduce still further the flexibility of the glove and tend to become detached during use.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention provides a one piece elastomeric glove, the wall of which has a non-uniform thickness.

Such a glove has properties that can be more precisely controlled than a fabric glove.

Preferably, the glove will have at least one thickened portion for increasing the shock absorbency of the glove.

The thickened portion may be thicker than the mean thickness of the glove wall or alternatively may merely be thicker than a surrounding portion of glove wall.

The thickened regions may be limited to areas of the glove likely to be used for gripping or holding such as the palm thumb or inner surface of the fingers. Preferably, such a glove will not have thickened portions in regions likely to reduce flexibility of the glove for example, over finger joints or between fingers.

Preferably at least part of the outer surface of the thickened portion is concave. Such concave regions of the thickened portions will behave as suction cups so increasing the grip of the glove.

Preferably, the wall of the one piece elastomeric glove may have a thin portion for increasing the flexibility of the glove.

The thin portion of the glove wall may be thinner than the mean thickness of the glove wall or alternatively may merely be thinner than the surrounding glove wall.

The thinned portion may be a groove, the thickened portion may be a ridge.

The glove wall may have a series of thinned and thickened portions to form an extended flexible region. Such an extended flexible region may be required in areas such as the palm or knuckles of the glove. In such areas a high degree of flexibility is required without significant reduction in impact protection. The thinned portions ensure adequate flexibility whilst the interlaced thickened portions provide adequate shock absorbency. Such extended flexible regions are difficult to manufacture in fabric gloves.

Moulded one piece elastomeric gloves are not restricted to shapes having the underlying two dimensional structure of fabric gloves. Such one piece elastomeric gloves may be moulded in the cup shape of a relaxed hand increasing comfort for the wearer.

Preferably, the one piece elastomeric glove has fingers which curve out of the plane of the palm of said glove.

The one piece elastomeric glove may have an integral fastenings means for securing the glove to the hand of a wearer.

Such a one piece elastomeric glove can be fabricated by a moulding process such as blow moulding or injection moulding.

Preferably, at least one portion of the glove comprises a further elastomeric portion moulded to said glove.

The further elastomeric portion can be moulded to a thickened portion of the glove. The further elastomeric portion may be of a different elastomeric material to said one piece elastomeric glove. The additional elastomeric material may be chosen to have properties which complement those of the one piece elastomeric glove.

The further elastomeric portion can be adapted to reinforce the areas of the glove where the hand requires protection.

The further elastomeric portion can be adapted to offer improved grip to the palm or knuckles of the glove.

The one piece elastomeric glove having these additional elastomeric portions may be formed by a one or two stage injection or blow moulding method.

Preferably the one piece glove further comprises a separate portion having means for interengagement with the glove. The separate portion may be a wrist portion. The glove may have corresponding interengagement means.

In addition to the interengagement means the glove and wrist portion may have corresponding fastening means. The fastening means is for mounting the glove on the hand of the wearer.

Such a glove comprising a wrist portion may be manufactured by separately injecting or blow moulding the glove and wrist portions. The two portions may then be interengaged to form the final product.

Alternatively the glove portion and wrist portion may be injected or blow moulded as a single piece, connected by a sprue. After moulding the sprue is cut and the wrist and glove interengaged .

The wrist portion may extend integrally from said glove. The present invention will now be described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention in side profile.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention in palm profile.

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention in palm profile.

The glove 1 shown in Figure 1 has a palm 2 fingers 3 thumb 4 a wrist 5 and a reverse portion 2a opposite the palm 3.

The palm 2 is described in more detail with reference to Figure 2.

Each of the fingers 3 is separated into three tubular sections 6, 7 and 8. The first tubular section 8 extends from the knuckle joint 9 to the first finger joint 10. The majority of the surface area of tubular section 8 comprises an extended flexible region of grooves and ridges extending around the tubular section perpendicular to the tube axis. This extended flexible region allows the whole of the tubular section to flex.

The second tubular section 7 extends from the first finger joint 10 to the second finger joint 11. A majority of the surface area of this section also comprises an extended flexible region. The flexible region comprises alternate grooves and ridges. The final tubular section 6 extends from the second finger joint 11 to the tip of the finger where it is closed. This tubular section is not designed to flex but to protect the tip of the finger and therefore has no extended flexible region.

Each of the three tubular sections 6, 7 and 8 has a concave thickened portion made of a second plastics material. These concave portions are blow moulded into the face of the tubular sections adjacent to the palm. The first tubular section 8 also has two convex plastics sections 9 and 15 blow moulded onto the face of the tubular section parallel to the reverse section 2a. These plastic sections are for increasing the shock absorbency of the glove in this area.

Each of the finger joints 10, 11 comprises at least one thin region shaped to allow the joint to flex towards the palm but not away from the palm to protect the fingers of the wearer.

Each of the fingers 3 extends integrally into a knuckle joint 9 which comprises a series of interlaced grooves and ridges extending around the full width of the glove.

On the palm side of the glove the knuckle joint 9 extends integrally into the palm portion 2.

The side and rear parts of the knuckle joint 9 are connected to a strengthened plastic support skeleton 21. The support skeleton 21 covers the reverse portion 2a and integrally extends into the wrist portion 5. The support skeleton 21 has a hole in the reverse portion 5 for exposing the reverse side of the wearers hand to the air when wearing the glove.

The support skeleton 21 extends from the reverse portion 5 around the side of the glove opposite the thumb to connect to the palm 2.

On the opposite side of the glove a thumb 4 is interposed between the palm 2 and support skeleton 21.

The thumb has a skin flex zone 18 connecting the thumb tip 16 to the knuckle joint 9. The skin flex zone 18 is an extended flexible region comprising alternate grooves and ridges extending from the palm 2 to the support skeleton 21 in a direction perpendicular to a line between the thumb tip 16 and knuckle joint 9.

The thumb tip 16 has, on its inner surface, a concave thickened portion 17 for increased grip.

A thumb support bar 25 extends from the thumb tip 16 to the support skeleton 21. The thumb support bar 25 and flexible skin portion 18 ensure, in combination, that the thumb 4 is free to move towards the fingers 3 but is restrained from moving more than a predetermined distance from the fingers 3.

The thumb 4 also has a support webbing in 19 extending from the thumb support bar 25 around the rear of the thumb to the thumb base 24. Whilst offering some support to the thumb 4 the support webbing also has a series of holes for exposing the thumb of the wearer to the air. The thumb base 24 will be described with reference to Figure 2.

Extending from the rear of the support skeleton 21 is the wrist 5. This wrist 5 covers the wrist of the wearer of the glove. The wrist 5 has an integral mounting means 22 for securing the glove to the wearer. The wrist 5 comprises an extended flexible portion of consecutive thinned and thickened tubular regions of plastics material. This portion allows the wrist of the wearer some degree of movement but prevents injury due to over flexing at this joint.

Shown in Figure 2 is a palm 2 and thumb base 24 of a second embodiment of the invention. The thumb base 24 extends integrally from the thumb 4 and extends integrally into the palm 2 and skin flex portions 18. The thumb base 24 comprises a large concave thickened section made of a second plastics material. This thickened section shaped both to support thumb 4 and to act as a suction cup improving grip.

The palm 2 extends integrally from the thumb base 24 to the knuckle joint 9 and wrist 5. The palm 2 is connected to the support skeleton 21 at the side of the glove opposite the thumb 4 and to the skin flex region 18. The palm 2 comprises an extended flexible region of interlaced grooves and ridges extending parallel to the grooves of the knuckle joint 9. The palm 2 also comprises a concave thickened portion 22 to improve the grip of the palm 2. The thickened portion 22 has a series of grooves running parallel to the knuckle joint 9 to improve the flexibility of the thickened portion 22.

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the glove having a separate wrist portion 25. The separate wrist portion 25 is interengaged with an integral wrist portion 26 by interengagement means located on the rear of said glove.

The integral wrist portion 26 has a series of slits 27. The series of slits 27 enable the integral wrist portion 26 to expand in diameter so facilitating the passage of the wearers hand through the wrist portion and into the glove.

The separate wrist portion 25 has a series of velcro patches 29 on its inner surface. These velcro patches 29 and corresponding velcro patches 28 on the outer surface of the integral wrist portion 26 together comprise a fastening means for maintaining the integral and separate wrist portions in fixed relationshp hence maintaining the glove on the hand of the user.

The separate wrist portion 25 has a series of padded ridges for protecting the wrist of the wearer. In a further embodiment not shown, the strengthened support skeleton 21 is manufactured from a first elastomeric material adapted to reinforce the hand of the wearer. The wrist portion 5 and the remainder of the glove are manufactured from a second elastomeric material having a greater flexibility than the first elastomeric material.

In a further embodiment not shown, the glove of the invention is manufactured from three elastomeric materials. The support skeleton 21 is manufactured from a first relatively inflexible elastomeric material to support the hand of the wearer. Portions 12-14 are manufactured from a second elastomeric material having a high co-efficient of friction to increase the wearers grip on a ball. The remainder of the glove is manufactured from a further elastomeric material chosen for its flexibility.

Gloves according to the invention can be manufactured by a varity of moulding methods, in particular by blow moulding or injection moulding.

In order to blow mould the glove of the invention the elastomeric material is injected at low pressures into an open cavity mould. Air is then used to force the injected material onto the walls of the cavity. Finally, the mould is opened and the finished glove removed. Such a process can be used to manufacture a glove from a single density material. Alternatively it can be used to produce a glove from multiple elastomeric materials having different properties such as density on hardness.

In order to injection mould the glove of the invention the elastomeric material is injected at high pressure, between an inner core or hand and an outer mould. The outer mould is then opened and the glove and inner core removed. The inner core is then removed from the glove. The glove of the invention can also be injection moulded in separate parts which are intergaged to form the glove once the moulding steps are complete.

Claims

1. A one piece elastomeric glove, the wall of said glove having a non uniform thickness.

2. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in Claim 1, said glove wall having a thickened portion for increasing the shock absorbency of said glove.

3. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in Claim 2 a portion of the outer surface of said thickened portion being concave.

4. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in either of Claims 2 or 3 having thickened portions arranged on at least one of the palm thumb or fingers of said glove.

5. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 , the wall of said glove having a thinned portion for increasing the flexibility of said glove at said portion.

6. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 , said glove wall having a series of adjacent thickened and thinned portions to form an extended flexible region.

7. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 the fingers of said glove being curved out of the plane of the palm of the glove.

8. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 further comprising a separate wrist portion having means for interengagement with said glove.

9. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein at least one portion of the glove comprises a further elastomeric portion moulded to said glove.

10. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in claim 9, wherein the further elastomeric portion is moulded to a thickened portion of the glove.

11. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in either of claims 9 or 10 wherein the further elastomeric portion is of a different elastomeric material to said one piece elastomeric glove.

12. A one piece elastomeric glove as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the at least one further elastomeric portion is adapted to offer improved grip to the palm or knuckles of the glove.