GLOVE STRUCTURE

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a ball glove structure that improves glove functionality for a player of baseball or softball even through provided with a box-like protective thumb-slot. The ball glove generally comprises an outer shell where the shell part Is formed by sewing together a ball catching palm surface part (1) and a backing surface part (2) provided with thumb and finger stalls or slots with a lace (3). The inventive glove structure comprises (A) a box-like thumb protective stall or slot (21) provided with a hem spread opening (21e) having an enlarged angle () at the bottom portion with regard to the center line of the thumb slot for easy movement of the thumb bottom at the time of opening/closing of the glove and also (B) a fixing structure comprising a pair of slits (10a, 10a) for dividing a hand opening band (5) into two parts; one is a thumb side and the other is a little finger side and a pair of straps (11a,11b) for fixing the bottom of the index finger to make a secure movement axis for opening/closing the glove as well as fastening the divided hand opening band for preventing the glove hand from slipping out from the hand opening band. Preferably, the little finger is fixed by the adjustable strap structure (23) to fix the little finger.

Claims

1. A ball glove structure for baseball or softball which comprises an outer shell formed by lacing together a ball catching palm surface part and a backing surface part provided with thumb and finger stalls, having a hand receiving opening with a pair of straps, wherein the thumb stall being a box-like protective stall or slot provided with a hem spread opening having an enlarged angle at its bottom portion with regard to the center line of the thumb stall and the hand receiving opening is divided by a pair of slits into two parts; one is a thumb side part and the other is a little finger side part at the bottom of an index finger and a pair of the straps comprising two parts; one is a thumb side strap and the other is a little side strap and the thumb side strap passed over the bottom of the thumb stall is inserted into the thumb side slit and out from the little finger side slit to connect the other little side strap for fixing the bottom of the index finger as well as the bottom of the thumb and for fastening the hand opening for preventing the glove hand from slipping out, thereby improving functionality for opening and closing actions by the thumb and the little finger with the center axis of index finger to be fixed, while preventing the hand from slipping out at the time of tag out by a pair of the straps to be fastened.

2. The ball glove structure set forth in claim 1, wherein the box-like protective stall or slot having an enlarged angle of 15 or more and 50 or less and comprises a metal or plastic hard piece inserted the upper part of the thumb stall or slot.

3. The ball glove structure set forth in claim 1, wherein a little finger base support part comprises a pair of two extraction laces to be tied together so as to adjust the support strength for the little finger.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view of a backing surface side of a catcher mitt according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

[0011] FIG. 2 is a front view of a palm surface side of the catcher mitt of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a front view of the hand backing part of the catcher mitt of FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a glove-hand is inserted into the catcher mitt of FIG. 1; and

[0014] FIG. 5 is a front view of a backing face part showing an operation of opening and closing the glove where a glove-hand is inserted into the finger slots provided on the backing face part.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a front view of a hand backing surface side of the catcher mitt showing a state in which a hand is inserted into the catcher mitt according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a backing face side of a catcher mitt according to a first embodiment of the present invention; while FIG. 2 shows a front view of a catching palm surface side of the catcher mitt according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The glove structure comprises a shell, a pad, a lining, a web, wherein the shell is formed by lacing a spherical palm part 1 and a backing face part 2 provided with finger slots at the rim by a binding string 3. The web part is provided between a thumb slot 6 and an index finger slot 7 and a hand opening 5 for inserting the glove-hand is also provided at the bottom between the palm face part 1 and the backing face part 2

[0017] FIG. 3 is a front view of the hand backing part 2 of the catcher submit of FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the backing part 2 comprises a backing leather 21a and a finger slot leather 21b and the hand opening 5 at the bottom between the backing leather 21a and the finger slot leather 21b, is divided by a slit 10a between an index finger 7 and a middle finger 8 and a slit 10b formed outside of a little finger 9 and the divided hand opening part can be connected by a binding band 11 to make a hand opening fastening structure 10 as shown in FIG. 4. The binding band 11 comprises a pair of straps (11a,11b); one is a thumb side strap 11a provided and the other is a little finger side strap 11b with a buckle, both of which can be connected together over a thumb protective stall or slot 21 and the hand opening for inserting the glove-hand from the thumb to the little finger can be tightened as shown in FIG. 4.

[0018] On the other hand, the thumb stall or slot 21 in which a metal or a plastic hard piece is inserted is provided on the thumb part of the backing face part 2. The thumb stall or slot 21 comprises a backing face leather 21a, a cover leather 21b, a hard piece 21c inserted into the cover and a stopper leather 21d, combination of which makes the impact on the thumb to be alleviated at the time of catching the ball. In FIG. 3, as shown in A-A line cross-sectional view, B-B line cross-sectional view and C-C line cross-sectional view, the thumb stall or slot 21 is formed into a box-like shape which is tapered toward the front end while the bottom of box-like stall becomes enlarged like a hem-spread at the opening 21e for thumb by an angle (preferably 15 or more and 50 or less) with respect to the vertical center line of the thumb stall or slot (21). This enlarged angle is good for the operation of the thumb at the time of glove opening/closing. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a support part for a little finger (23) is provided in the vicinity of a slit (10b) which is deeply formed in the little finger part. The little finger base support part (23) includes an inner annular part 23a and two extraction lace parts (23b, 23b) which are extracted from the backing face to outside and the base support strength of the little finger can be adjusted by the knot of two extraction lace parts (23b, 23b). Further, a finger-out opening (22) is provided on the index finger part of the hand-backing face part, as shown in FIG. 5 and the index finger (7) coming out from the finger-out opening (22) functions as the center axis of the glove opening/closing, so that the thumb part (6) and the little finger part (9) can co-operate together with the index finger to make a fixing structure (10) for opening/closing the glove.

[0019] In the above embodiment, the straps (11a,11b) are connected, and the thumb is inserted into the thumb stall (21). Next, the index finger is out from the finger out opening (22) and a little finger is inserted into the base support part (23). Under the situation, two extraction laces or strings (23b, 23b) are tied together to adjust the support strength of the little finger. Finally, the strap (11a) on the thumb side and the buckle-attached strap (11b) on the little finger side are connected to fasten the divided hand opening parts (5) to prevent the glove-hand from falling-off from the glove.

[0020] As is apparent from the above description, according to the glove structure of the present invention, the opening/closing operability (functionality) of the glove is improved without splitting off the hand from the glove. Further, the structure of the present invention has been described in the catcher mitt, but the invention can also be applied to other gloves. Various changes are accompanied in application of other gloves, but as long as the divided hand opening part of the glove can be provided with a fixing structure 10 for the index finger, that is, the divided hand opening part is connected at the bottom of the index finger by a pair of straps (11a,11b) and the bottom of the index finger can be fixed for using the index finger as the center axis of opening/closing operation of the glove and also the thumb stall or slot is designed as a box-like and provided with a hem spread part for allowing the thumb good movement at the time of opening/closing gloves.

[0021] Many glove structures are intended to be modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, a first arrangement relates to the thumb stall or slot 21. The first embodiment is exemplified by a metal or a rigid plastic piece insertion type, a thumb stall or slot disclosed in JP-a-10-225547 or JP-a-11-216218 may be used so long as it is a box-like shape. Although in case of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the thumb-side adjuster, that is, the thumb side strap 11a extends over the bottom of the thumb-stall or slot 21 and after passing through the slits (10a, 10a) it is connected with the little finger side strap 11b at the bottom of the index finger. In case of the second embodiment as shown in FIG. 6, the thumb side strap 11a extends over the bottom of the thumb-stall or slot 21 and after that the strap 11a just comes into the slit 11c and then into the slit 10a at the bottom of the index finger, the thumb side strap 11a may be connected with the little finger side strap 11b for securely fixing the thumb and the index finger respectively.

[0022] Further, a second arrangement relates to the attached position of the little finger strap. Although as shown in FIG. 1, the little finger side strap 11b is attached at the right side (thumb side) of the second slit 10b, if the little finger side strap 11b is attached at the left side (little finger side) of the second slit 10b, an additional slit should be formed close to the right side of the second slit 10b and the little finger side strap should be entered into the second slit 10b and then comes out from the additional slit. That is, the second slit 10b is important for the little finger fixing structure, so that the little finger side strap (11b) should be decided depending on whether the second slit (10b) is closed or not closed. That is, according to the invention, it is important that the hand opening is divided by the slit at the bottom of the index finger and the divided hand opening is fastened by connecting the thumb side strap with the little finger side strap at the slit positioned at the bottom of the index finger to make a structure 10 for improved functionality of glove, so that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF CODES

[0023] 1: catching spherical part [0024] 2: hand back face part [0025] 3: binding lace [0026] 4: Web for catching [0027] 5: hand opening part [0028] 10: Fastening structure of hand opening part [0029] 10a, 10b: slit [0030] 11: 11a, 11b straps [0031] 21 Thumb stall or slot [0032] 23 little finger support part