CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/358,361, filed on Jul. 5, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a sports training glove and, more particularly, to a baseball/softball training glove to train a player in fielding a ball.

(2) Description of Related Art

Training gloves have long been used in the field to train players to field balls. Existing infield training gloves, also known as pancake gloves, are designed to help reinforce proper fielding techniques. In theory, the flat pancake surface of the glove is designed to force a fielder to use both hands softly when fielding the ball. Such existing pancake gloves are made such that the palm portion is inflexible, preventing the user from flexing the palm to catch a ball by squeezing it with his glove hand. Instead, the user is forced to use his free hand to trap a ball between the inflexible palm of the glove and the free hand. While operable for coaching the fielder to get their hands in front of their body, existing training gloves provide false positives. In other words, due to the flat pancake shape, existing gloves provide feedback to the user as if they have properly positioned the glove in fielding the ball. A problem with such a false positive is that it does not precisely train the fielder on glove positioning as the ball approaches. Further, due to the inflexibility of the palm, existing pancake gloves due not provide a realistic grasping motion as one would normally have with a regular glove.

Thus, a continuing need exists for an improved infield sports training glove that addresses the defects of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a training glove and, more particularly, to a baseball/softball training glove to train a player in fielding a ball. The training glove includes a glove portion having a plurality of fingers, and a palm portion affixed with the glove portion. The palm portion is formed with one or more flexion grooves to allow for flexion.

In another aspect, the plurality of fingers includes at least an index finger and a middle finger, with the palm portion being a rubber pad that is formed such that there exists no flexion grooves between the index finger and middle finger.

In yet another aspect, the palm portion is formed of a palm base component and a palm surface component, the palm base component being affixed to the glove component, and with the palm surface component being affixed to the palm base component.

Additionally, the palm portion includes an exterior surface, the exterior surface having a plurality of distinct pads with flexion grooves therebetween.

Further, the plurality of distinct pads includes at least a thumb pad, a ring finger pad, and a pinky finger pad, and a palm pad.

In yet another aspect, the plurality of distinct pads further includes a multi-finger pad.

Further, multi-finger pad extends to surround the palm pad.

In yet another aspect, the one or more flexion grooves includes intra-finger flexion grooves formed in at least one of the thumb pad, the ring finger pad, and the pinky finger pad.

Additionally, the one or more flexion grooves further includes one or more palm flexion grooves surrounding the palm pad.

In another aspect, the one or more palm flexion grooves separate the palm pad from the multi-finger pad.

In yet another aspect, the one or more flexion grooves further includes inter-finger flexion grooves that separate the finger pads from the multi-fingered pad.

Additionally, each of the inter-finger flexion grooves, one or more palm flexion grooves, and intra-finger flexion grooves have widths, such that the width of the inter-flexion groove is greater than the width of intra-flexion grooves.

In another aspect, the width of the one or more palm flexion grooves is greater than the width of intra-flexion grooves.

In yet another aspect, the plurality of fingers includes at least a pinky finger, and wherein a finger attachment is affixed with the pinky finger, the finger attachment being adapted to allow a user to selectively connect the finger attachment with an adjacent ring finger to affix the ring and pinky fingers together.

In yet another aspect, the palm portion includes a ring finger portion and a pinky finger portion, the palm portion being formed such that the ring finger portion is affixed adjacent to the pinky finger portion.

Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the invention described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:

FIG. 1A is a front, iso-view illustration of a sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a rear, iso-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a rear-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a front-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is an exploded, front, iso-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is an exploded, rear, iso-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view, taken from line C-C of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a partially assembled, front, iso-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a partially assembled, rear, iso-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, depicting a finger band being wrapped around a ring finger to affix the pinky finger to the ring finger; and

FIG. 6 is a front-view illustration of the sports training glove in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, depicting the ring finger and pinky joined to form a four fingered sports training glove.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a sports training glove and, more particularly, to a baseball/softball training glove to train a player in fielding a ball. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention.

However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction.

Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object.

(1) Description

Fielding training gloves are used to teach a baseball or softball player how to properly field a ball. While training gloves exist, such gloves are pancake shaped and not optimized for field training. The present invention improves upon existing training gloves as it is designed to teach redirection and transfer of a baseball or softball from the glove/fielding/catching hand of a player into the throwing hand.

As shown in FIGS. 1A through 2B, the sports training glove 100 of the present disclosure is unique as it captures the best of both worlds in (1) its usability as a flat trainer (where the player cannot easily squeeze/close the fingers) and (2) its flexibility allows a player to use it as they would a regular glove, squeezing the thumb, pinky and ring fingers to catch the ball.

To provide this enhanced ability, the training glove 100 of the present disclosure has two main components, a glove portion 102 and a palm portion 104.

The glove portion 102 is any suitable glove that can be selectively affixed with a player's hand. For example, the glove portion 102 is a flexible fabric glove having a plurality of fingers and an attachable wrist strap 116 (e.g., Velcro strap or band, etc.) that can be used to tighten the glove portion 102 onto the user's hand.

Alternatively, the palm portion 104 is affixed to the glove portion 102 on a palm facing side of the glove portion 102 and operates as the flat trainer. In one aspect and as shown, the palm portion 104 is shaped to approximately match the outline of one or more of the plurality of fingers of the glove portion 102. To operate as a flat trainer, the palm portion 104 is a generally flat padded portion that is affixed with the glove portion 102. The palm portion 104 can be formed of any suitable material to allow for shock absorbency and some minor flexion.

Desirably, the palm portion 104 is one or more rubber pads (or a foam pad in another aspect) that is affixed (e.g., via glue, stitching, etc.) with the glove portion 102. The palm portion 104 can be any desired thickness. The palm portion 104 is desirably between ⅛ of an inch and ¾ an inch thick and, more desirably, between ¼ an inch and ⅜ of an inch thick. This allows for absorbency and some stiffness, while still allowing for feel and control of the ball.

The palm portion 104 can be formed in any suitable shape to assist the user in fielding the ball while also providing for shock absorption and shock displacement. Desirably, the palm portion 104 is in the shape of a hand and outlines or otherwise generally matches the hand-shape (and one or more fingers) of the glove portion 102.

As shown in FIG. 2B, being in the shape of the hand will eliminate “false positives” (as the with the other round products (e.g., pancake glove)) since the ball should always land in the palm/base of the pointer 202 and middle finger 204 when in use. In other words, with existing pancake-shaped fielding trainers, a ball hitting on the periphery or space between the user's fingers would provide a false positive, leading the player to believe that they centered and fielded the ball properly. However, in real play, that location in fielding the ball is undesirable.

Thus, since the palm portion 104 matches the outlines of one or more fingers of the glove portion 102, the training glove of the present invention does not include such peripheral components and forces the player to improve their hand-eye coordination and center the ball in the palm of the training glove 100 toward the palm pad 200.

Additionally and referring again to FIG. 1A, while the palm portion 104 can be formed in any suitable shape and thickness, desirably, the palm portion 104 is shaped to include distinct pad sections that are formed with different functionality. As a non-limiting example, the palm portion 104 includes three finger pads (i.e., a thumb pad 112′, a ring finger pad 112″, and a pinky finger pad 112′″) that correspond to a thumb, a ring finger, and a pinky finger. Additionally, a palm pad 200 is included that centers on and generally corresponds to the palm of a user's hand.

In one aspect, a multi-finger pad 114 is included that generally corresponds to two or more fingers. As a non-limiting example and as shown in FIG. 2B, the multi-finger pad 114 corresponds to the index finger 202 and middle finger 204.

In a desired aspect and as shown, the multi-finger pad 114 extends toward the pam and surrounds the palm pad 200. In this aspect, the palm portion 104 includes at least two fingers (e.g., index finger and middle finger) that are affixed with respect to one another (due to the stiffness of the multi-finger pad 114) such that there are no flexion grooves (as described in further detail below) between the two and at their base to prevent those two fixed fingers from easily moving with respect to one another.

While the palm portion 104 is designed to provide a flat surface, it is desirable to impart some flexibility to the user. Thus and as shown in FIG. 1A, flexion grooves are cut or otherwise formed in the palm portion 104 to decrease the thickness of the palm portion 104 and allow for flex at predefined points. The flexion grooves allow for the option of flexing/squeezing the fingers or keeping them straight depending on the drill and type of ball (backhand, pop up, fly ball, playing catch play, etc.). The flexion grooves can be channels cut or formed in the palm or fingers between the various joints or at the desired location. For example, intra-finger flexion grooves 106 are formed in the fingers of the palm portion 104 at the joint or natural bending parts of the user's fingers, while one or more palm flexion grooves 108 are formed as one or more grooves surrounding (e.g., with a circular shape, etc.) the palm pad 200. In one aspect and as shown, the palm flexion groove 108 separates the palm pad 200 from the multi-fingered pad 114 that extends from the fingers and surrounds the palm pad 200. Further, inter-finger flexion grooves 110 can be formed in the palm portion 104 to separate the finger pads 112′, 112″, and 112′″ from the multi-fingered pad 114.

In some aspects (not shown), radial flexion grooves can also be included that spread outward from the palm 200 and cut across one or more palm flexion grooves 108. In another aspect, the flexion grooves can also be cut or formed through the palm portion as a V-shape (in cross-section) or similar shape to allow for a desired amount of flexion that will stop flexion once the V is closed during flexion (e.g., going from a V-shaped cross-section to an II-shaped cross section).

In one aspect, the palm portion 104 is formed of a single pad (e.g., plastic or rubber pad). However, desirably and as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the palm portion 104 is formed of two or more distinct components (e.g., molded rubber components). As a non-limiting example and as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the palm portion 104 is formed of a palm base component 300 and a palm surface component 302. Although not required, the palm base component 300 is desirably thinner than the palm surface component 302. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the palm base component 300 is attached with the glove portion 102 using any suitable technique for affixing said components. As anon-limiting example and as shown, the palm base component 300 is stitched or otherwise affixed (using glue, etc.) to the glove portion 102. Further, the desirably thicker palm surface component 302 is glued or otherwise affixed to the palm base component 300 to collectively form the sports training glove 100.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, all of the separate pads and flexion grooves as referenced above with respect to the palm portion 104 are formed in the exterior surface 304 of the palm surface component 302. Alternatively and as shown in FIG. 3B, the interior surface 306 of the palm surface component 302 is recessed to accommodate and formyl fit over the palm base component 300.

As noted above and as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3C, the flexion grooves are formed within the exterior surface 304 of the palm surface component 302. Shown are the intra-finger flexion grooves 106, palm flexion grooves 108, inter-finger flexion grooves 110. While the flexion grooves can be formed in any suitable shape to impart a degree of flexibility, they are desirably formed to impart different degrees of flexibility to the user. As a non-limiting example, the widths 308 of the grooves decrease in order from the inter-finger flexion grooves 110 (greatest width) to the palm flexion grooves 108 to the intra-finger flexion grooves 108 (smallest width). The wider flexion grooves allow for more flexibility between the adjacent components than the smaller width flexion grooves. Further, both the inter-finger flexion grooves 110 and palm flexion grooves 108 have depths 310 that are deeper than the intra-finger flexion grooves 108. The deeper depths similarly allow for more flexion between the adjacent components than the shallower depths.

In some aspects it may be desirable to connect adjacent fingers to one another to reduce the flexion between the two fingers. For example and as shown in FIG. 5, a finger attachment 500 can be connected with one of the fingers to allow a user to selectively attach the finger attachment 500 to an adjacent finger to affix the two fingers together. For example, the finger attachment 500 can be an elastic band that is attached to and extends from a pinky 502. In this aspect, a user can selectively expand the finger attachment 500 to wrap around the adjacent ring finger 504 to affix the two fingers together to prevent free motion of the two fingers. In another aspect, the finger attachment 500 can be a Velcro strip that is used to selectively affix with an attachment point on the adjacent finger. In either case, the finger attachment 500 is attached with a finger to allow a user to selectively affix the finger attachment 500 with an adjacent finger. As a non-limiting example, the finger attachment 500 can be sewn to the glove portion on the pinky (or between the palm portion and glove portion on the pinky finger), etc.

In yet another aspect and as shown in FIG. 6, instead of using a finger attachment to selectively attach adjacent fingers (as shown in FIG. 5), the sports training glove 100 can be formed in any suitable manner such that the ring and pinky fingers are permanently affixed together. As a non-limiting example, the glove portion 102 can be sewn so that the glove portion 102 is a four finger glove, with the palm portion 104 affixed thereto. Further, the palm portion 104 is formed such that there is no cut separating the ring finger portion 600 and pinky finger portion 602, thereby affixing the two adjacent fingers. Or, in another aspect, a typical five finger glove portion 102 can be used, with the palm portion 104 being used to affix the fingers (i.e., ring and pinky fingers) together since there is no cut separating the ring finger portion 600 from the pinky finger portion 602.

Finally, while this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the invention may have other applications in other environments. It should be noted that many embodiments and implementations are possible. Further, the following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the specific embodiments described above. In addition, any recitation of “means for” is intended to evoke a means-plus-function reading of an element and a claim, whereas, any elements that do not specifically use the recitation “means for”, are not intended to be read as means-plus-function elements, even if the claim otherwise includes the word “means”. Further, while particular method steps have been recited in a particular order, the method steps may occur in any desired order and fall within the scope of the present invention.