Golf glove and method of forming same

Details Golf glove and method of forming same Golf glove and method of forming same

2001-09-24

2004-03-23

Welch, Gary L. (Department: 3765)

Apparel

Hand or arm coverings

Gloves

C002S161100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06708346

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
Although golf has recently attracted younger athletes, many golfers begin playing golf much later in life due to the time and expense inherently involved with the sport. As a result, some athletes begin learning the sport in their thirties, forties and even fifties. Typically, these players enter the game after abandoning a more intense or more physically demanding contact sport such as football, hockey, lacrosse, etc. The impression most beginners have of the sport of golf is that it is a non-strenuous activity. After all, few professional athletes, except golfers, are able to pursue and actively participate in their profession into their forties, fifties and sixties. However and contrary to popular belief, golf is an intensely demanding activity and can be very strenuous on certain areas of the body especially the hand and wrist.
Therapists know that the various healing structures of the hand and wrist require protection during play. Moreover, these structures if injured require rehabilitation, time and rest to regain enough integrity and strength to resume athletic activities. Put simply, if not sufficiently rested and/or sufficiently protected, the muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and tissues are incapable of healing adequately to prevent a reoccurrence of the problem.
Superimposed upon this demand are the following factors which tend to exaggerate or exacerbate golf-related injuries:
1. The fact that many of these “athletes” enter golf having some degree of skeletal compromise or soft tissue damage due to past injuries suffered from another sport;
2. Athletes who have previously or concomitantly participate in bat, racquet, or other stick-handling sports are accustomed to gripping the instrument firmly prior to and/or during contact with the object, puck, ball, etc. This learned behavior is difficult to modify when transitioning to golf; and
3. Human frailties tend to dictate human limitations, e.g., nutrition to bones, joints, muscles and tendons and other soft tissues is significantly reduced as we age and as our overall blood supply diminishes. This increases human risk of injury and decreases human ability to recuperate from injury. Moreover, the risks of repetitive stress and/or cumulative trauma tend to increase as we age. These issues are well addressed by health professionals and by governmental agencies who work to protect the employee in the workplace. Ergonomics have entered our homes, schools and workplaces with redesigned tools and workstations. In the game of golf, repetition can only be controlled by the player's good judgment and discipline;
4. Athletes tend to depend heavily on anti-inflammatory medications and pain medications in the belief that these medications will reduce or relieve injuries. Although these medications are generally beneficial in their ability to control the re-inflammation of acutely or chronically healing tissues, they tend to mask the injury rather than help heal the injury. In the case of an acute injury, it is paramount that the athlete maximize the degree of primary healing to prevent the likelihood of re-injuring the healing/healed tissues.
Pain and injury can be best managed by the use of protective and preventative measures which have become increasingly essential in most sporting activities (professional and recreational). Many athletic programs mandate such protective devices and mandate certain protective measures for children participating in sporting activities. The effectiveness of these protective products do not guarantee safety, but, undeniably, these products reduce the overall danger associated with participation in the sport.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
Several manufacturers have attempted to modify a conventional golf glove for a variety of different reasons, i.e., to improve a golfer's grip on the shaft of a golf club; to facilitate a golfer grasping the golf club shaft in the proper and/or ideal manner; and/or to reduce the vibration of a golf club shaft at impact. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,903 provides a small ridge across the palm of a golf glove which abuts the golf club shaft to align the shaft relative to the wearer's hand at address. U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,741 provides two parallel pads which form a valley to receive the handle of the golf club to facilitate grasping the shaft with the proper grip. Other known golf gloves also aid in the gripping of golf club shaft and are known in the art, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,863,271, 4,329,741, and 5,253,367 disclose golf gloves having padding in the palm of the glove to aid in positioning and improve hand grip strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,022 provides visual markings disposed on the dorsal portion of the glove to aid a golfer's alignment during address. U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,827 provides a pad made from deer skin or elk skin to reduce the vibration of the club at impact. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,848,874, 4,962,547, and 5,184,353 also describe the use of indicia to visually determine and consistently position the golfer's hands on the shaft depending upon the type of shot desired, e.g., hook, draw, fade or slice.
It is also known to make the pads from a variety of different materials such as foams, rubbers, wools (natural or synthetic), animal hides and conventional flow-like gels. Other gloves include multi-layered pads to improve comfort and performance, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,022.
Reducing the amount of vibration traveling through the shaft to the hands at impact can aid in the relief of various maladies which affect a golfer's play, e.g., arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, “golfer's elbow”, common joint disorders, etc. Golfer's elbow is caused by damage to the tendons connecting the large muscles of the forearm to the small prominences of the elbow. As a result, further vibrations and shock can be excruciatingly painful, may create further damage and may even cause a player to abandon the sport entirely. A vibration reducing pad may actually prevent more damage or injury to these affected tendons or joints.
Some manufacturers have attempted to cushion these vibrations through the addition of pad made from conventional shock absorbing materials. For example, it is known to make these vibration-reducing pads from a variety of different materials such as foams, rubbers, wools (natural or synthetic), animal hides and conventional flow-like gels, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,022. However, the vibration reducing effects of the pads must be carefully weighed against playability with the pad and/or discomfort associated with wearing the pad during play. As can be appreciated, bulky, heavy and stiff pads will inhibit a player's performance and comfort. A golf glove must be thin and flexible to fit the wearer's hand and allow a good “feel” of the club.
Moreover and quite importantly, the associated pads, rubber, foam and/or conventional gels when used in connection with a golf glove tend to “shape” or “deform” over a short time or as a result of repeated use. These characteristics do not conform to the Section 14-3 of the United States Golf Associations Rules of Golf (USGA) and, as a result, a player cannot wear the glove during competitive play. For example, section 14-3 of the USGA Rules of Golf entitled “Artificial Devices and Unusual Equipment” reads in pertinent part: Except as provided in the rules, “during a stipulated round the player shall not use any artificial device or unusual equipment:
a. Which might assist him in making a stroke or in his play; or
b. For the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions which might affect his play; or
c. Which might assist him in gripping the club, except that:
i. plain gloves may be worn;
ii. resin, powder and drying or moisturizing agents may be used; and
iii. a towel or handkerchief may be wrapped around the grip.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved golf glove which reduces and/or absorbs the detrimental effects of shock transmission/vibration resonating from the shaft and through the body as a result of club-to-ball and/or club-to-turf c

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