Apparel – Guard or protector – Hand or arm
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-10
2001-06-26
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Guard or protector
Hand or arm
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249915
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to baseball gloves, and more particularly to baseball gloves having an adjustable pocket.
BACKGROUND
Baseball gloves are used in different ways, depending on the position being played by the wearer of the glove, and the individual playing style of the wearer. For example, a pitcher may use a baseball glove to hide his or her grip, a first baseman or catcher is primarily concerned with catching the ball, and an infielder is primarily interested in being able to quickly remove the ball from the glove for quick throwing. As a result, pitchers, first baseman and catchers generally prefer a deeper ball pocket than infielders. Even at a given position, different players have different personal preferences with regard to the depth of the ball pocket.
Attempts have been made to make baseball gloves adjustable to suit the preference of the wearer. For example, some baseball gloves include ball pockets that are adjustable by drawing up or loosening a laced portion of the ball pocket, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,452,695 and 2,510,218, or by selectively threading a lace through eyelets of varying spacing, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,460.
SUMMARY
The baseball gloves of the present invention include ball pockets that can be quickly and easily adjusted, e.g., so that the wearer can adjust the ball pocket depth during a game. In preferred baseball gloves, the depth of the ball pocket can be adjusted without tying or untying a knot or removing any of the lacing of the glove.
In one aspect, the invention features a baseball glove including (a) a glove body, constructed to receive a wearer's hand, defining at least a glove index finger and a glove thumb, (b) a webbing, extending between the glove index finger and the glove thumb, (c) an adjustment line disposed so as to adjustably fasten a side edge of the webbing to a side edge of the glove index finger and glove thumb to define a ball pocket of adjustable depth, and (d) a releasable adjustment device slidably arranged on the adjustment line to allow adjustment of the length of the adjustment line, to permit adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket, by sliding the adjustment device along the adjustment line to adjust the spacing between the side edge of the webbing and the opposed side edges of the glove index finger and glove thumb.
Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The releasable adjustment device is a spring button clamp. The adjustment line is laced between glove and webbing so as to allow adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket by adjusting the length of a portion of the adjustment line that extends from the ball pocket. The adjustment line extends from a lower portion of the ball pocket. The releasable adjustment device is positioned along the portion of the adjustment line. An upper edge of the ball pocket is fixedly attached at upper portions of the glove index finger and glove thumb. The adjustment line is laced through a plurality of guides on the ball pocket and the glove index finger and the glove thumb. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a criss-crossing manner. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern. The depth of the ball pocket can be adjusted without untying or removing the adjustment line.
In another aspect, the invention features a baseball glove including (a) a glove body, constructed to receive a wearer's hand, defining at least a glove index finger and a glove thumb, (b) a webbing, extending between the glove index finger and the glove thumb, (c) an adjustment line disposed so as to adjustably fasten a side edge of the webbing to a side edge of the glove index finger and glove thumb to define a ball pocket of adjustable depth, the adjustment line being laced so as to allow adjustment of the depth of the ball pocket by adjusting the length of a portion of the adjustment line that extends from the ball pocket, and (d) a securing line disposed so as to fixedly attach an upper portion of the webbing to upper edges of the glove index finger and glove thumb so that the spacing between the webbing and the glove index finger and glove thumb is substantially fixed at the upper edge of the ball pocket.
Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The portion of the adjustment line extends from a lower portion of the ball pocket. The adjustment line is laced through a plurality of guides on the ball pocket and the glove index finger and the glove thumb. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a criss-crossing manner. The adjustment line is laced through the guides in a double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern.
In a further aspect, the invention features a baseball glove including (a) a glove body, constructed to receive a wearer's hand, defining at least a glove index finger and a glove thumb, (b) a webbing, extending between the glove index finger and the glove thumb, (c) an adjustment line disposed so as to adjustably fasten a side edge of the webbing to a side edge of the glove index finger and glove thumb to define a ball pocket of adjustable depth, the adjustment line being laced in a double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern.
Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The double-loop criss-crossed lacing pattern defines two loops, and the loops are substantially fixed in an upper area of the webbing so that the length of one of the loops is adjustable on the thumb side of the webbing and substantially fixed on the index finger side of the webbing, and the length of the other loop is adjustable on the index finger side of the webbing and substantially fixed on the thumb side of the webbing. The glove further includes a securing line disposed so as to fixedly attach an upper portion of the webbing to upper edges of the glove index finger and glove thumb so that the spacing between the webbing and the glove index finger and glove thumb is substantially fixed at the upper edge of the ball pocket.
The invention also features methods of adjusting the depth of a ball pocket of a baseball glove.
The term “baseball glove”, as used herein, includes gloves used in baseball, softball, and other similar games.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2629096 (1953-02-01), Latina
patent: 3042929 (1962-07-01), Kobos
patent: 5983396 (1999-11-01), Morrow et al.
Calvert John J.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Hoey Alissa L.
Joyful Long Industries Ltd.
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