US20060137067A1

US20060137067A1 - Flexible protective padding for baseball glove

Info

Publication number: US20060137067A1
Application number: US11/020,475
Authority: US
Inventors: Hsien-Chang Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-27
Filing date: 2004-12-27
Publication date: 2006-06-29

Abstract

A flexible protective padding for baseball glove fabricated from raw material provided with moisture absorption and perspiration repellent function, and corresponding overlays of shock absorbent packing fabricated from raw material provided with shock absorbing functionality and a three-finger shaped plastic piece provided with a degree of curvature and a plurality of ventilation holes. The material thus covers the shock absorbent packing and the three-finger shaped plastic piece interior thereof, and the flexible protective padding is externally inserted interior of finger portions of a baseball glove. Based on the aforementioned structural design, upon a user catching a ball with the baseball glove, the user can easily bend the baseball glove in order to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing shock and nullifying the collision force from the speeding ball, thereby preventing the ball from bouncing out of the glove.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible protective padding for baseball glove, and more particularly to the flexible protective padding that provides for when a user is catching a ball with the baseball glove, the user can more easily bend the baseball glove in order to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing shock and nullifying the collision force from the speeding ball, thereby preventing the ball from bouncing out of the glove, while safety of the hand of the user is safeguarded, thereby achieving enhancement in practical value and improving economical benefit of the baseball glove.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Baseball can be considered as one of the most popular sports worldwide, thus baseball sport related equipment have become a focus for enormous commercial opportunities, and such commercial opportunities are the primary reason for active investment by operators.
Accordingly, among baseball sport related products a baseball glove is an essential piece of equipment, and, moreover, is the product having highest unit price, thus, the baseball glove is that most favored by operators for research and development to produce innovative designs. Majority of conventional baseball gloves seen on the market are fabricated from materials such as rubber, leather, and so on, which are utilized to cover exterior of a main body of the glove, and from which a finger-shaped baseball glove is formed. Moreover, a multi-stitched inner lining is provided interior of the glove, and other materials (for instance, foam, felt, and so on) are added and stitched to the inner lining, and which are put to affect when a user is playing baseball.
According to the aforementioned, although the conventional baseball glove achieves efficacy of allowing the user to catch a ball, however, the following shortcomings are still apparent:
1. Although interior of the conventional baseball glove is stitched with the inner lining, however, majority of the inner linings are thin, thus when the user is playing baseball, and upon catching the ball, because of the thin inner lining, thus the baseball glove is unable to withstand collision force from speed of the ball, which thereby easily results in injury to the hand of the user. Moreover, majority of the inner linings are fabricated from materials that cannot easily absorb moisture or repel perspiration, and thus easily results in perspiration of the hand of the user, and upon the user attempting to catch the ball, successful catching of the ball is difficult or the user fumbles in their attempt.
2. Even if the inner lining is stitched with additional materials (for instance, foam, felt, and so on), because the additional materials (for instance, foam, felt) possess inadequate shock absorbent effect, upon the user catching the ball the baseball glove is unable to withstand the collision force from speed of the ball, which thus results in the ball easily bouncing out of the glove.
3. Upon the conventional baseball glove receiving the ball, the five fingers of the user necessarily simultaneously apply force in order to successfully catch the ball. Throughout the long period of time a baseball game is played over, and during which the five fingers of the user are necessarily employed to apply force in order to catch the ball, the fingers will certainly become fatigued or injured.
4. Majority of conventional baseball gloves have a high unit price, moreover, shock absorbent effect of a protective padding fitted interior of the glove is relatively poor, thus, if the user requires protective padding that provides greater protection to safeguard the hands, the user must purchase and use the higher-priced baseball glove as used by professional baseball players, which thereby results in increase in consumer expenditure of the general user.
Hence, in light of aforementioned shortcomings and inconvenience of a conventional baseball glove, the inventor of the present invention having carried out extensive study and exploration endeavoring for perfection applied professional insight and knowledge to ultimately design a flexible protective padding for baseball glove that is more practical, has a wider range of application, and, moreover, conforms to commercial utility value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A flexible protective padding for baseball glove of the present invention is structured from material fabricated from raw material provided with moisture absorption and perspiration repellent function, and corresponding overlays of shock absorbent packing fabricated from raw material provided with shock absorbing functionality and a three-finger shaped plastic piece provided with a degree of curvature and a plurality of ventilation holes. The material thus covers the shock absorbent packing and the three-finger shaped plastic piece interior thereof, and the flexible protective padding is externally inserted interior of finger portions of a baseball glove. Furthermore, the three-finger shaped plastic piece, which is provided with a degree of curvature and the plurality of ventilation holes, is fabricated from relatively hard plastic or material of similar hardness, can be stitched directly to an inner lining interior of the finger portions.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide the flexible protective padding that can be fitted within the baseball glove by externally inserting into the finger portions or internally stitching to lining of the finger portions of the baseball glove, and, thus, when a user is playing baseball, upon the user catching the ball, because of flexible relation of the three-finger shaped plastic piece, the user can easily bend the baseball glove in order to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing shock and nullifying the collision force from the speeding ball, thereby preventing the ball from bouncing out of the glove, while safety of the hand of the user is safeguarded.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide the flexible protective padding that can be externally inserted, and thus applicable for application in a conventional baseball glove, accordingly, the user can enjoy same safety and protection of a professional baseball glove without having to purchase the baseball glove as used by professional baseball players. Hence, the flexible protective padding of the present invention is both practical and economical.
To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front elevational view according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a rear elevational view according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of an embodiment in practical usage according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of another embodiment in practical usage according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows an elevational view of a three-finger shaped plastic piece according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of FIG. 5 in practical usage according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a front elevational view and a rear elevational view respectively of a flexible protective padding for baseball glove of the present invention, and which can be externally inserted and thereby fitted interior of finger portions of a baseball glove, thereby allowing a user upon attempting to catch a ball to more easily bend the baseball glove so as to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing shock and nullifying collision force from catching the speeding ball, which thus avoids causing injury to the hand.
According to the aforementioned, a flexible protective padding 1 is structured from material 11 fabricated from raw material provided with moisture absorption and perspiration repellent function, and corresponding overlays of shock absorbent packing 12 fabricated from raw material provided with shock absorbing functionality and a three-finger shaped plastic piece 13 provided with a degree of curvature and a plurality of ventilation holes 131. The material 11 thus covers the shock absorbent packing 12 and the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13 interior thereof, and the flexible protective padding 1 is externally inserted interior of finger portions of the glove. Wherein the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13 is fabricated from relatively hard plastic or material of similar hardness. The plurality of ventilation holes 131 are punctured in a surface of the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13, thereby providing greater ventilation effectiveness of entire body of the flexible protective padding 1, and, moreover, realizes reduction in weight of the entire flexible protective padding 1. The material 11 fabricated from the raw material having moisture absorption and perspiration repellent effect encloses exterior of the flexible protective padding 1, thus, upon the flexible protective padding 1 being fitted interior of a baseball glove 2 (see FIG. 3), the palm of the user will not easily perspire because of warmth and humidity within the glove 2, which would otherwise result in failure to catch the ball.
Continuing from the aforementioned, the externally inserted flexible protective padding 1 is applicable for application in the conventional baseball glove 2, and is fitted in position of the index finger 21, the middle finger 22 and the ring finger 23 of the baseball glove 2, as depicted in FIG. 3 or is fitted in position of the middle finger 22, the ring finger 23 and the little finger 24 of the baseball glove 2, as depicted in FIG. 4. When the user is playing baseball, upon the user catching the ball, force is applied on one finger among the three-finger shaped plastic pieces 13 (for instance, the index finger 21), and because of flexible relation of the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13, the two other two fingers (for instance, the middle finger 22 and the ring finger 23) are immediately affected, thereby allowing the user to exert minimum force to easily bend the glove 2 in order to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing the shock and nullifying the collision force from the speeding baseball, thereby preventing the ball from bouncing out of the glove, and because of the shock absorbent packing 12, safety of the hand of the user is safeguarded.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, which show the flexible protective padding 1 of the present invention being applied in the baseball glove 2, whereby the flexible protective padding 1 can also be stitched interior of the finger portions of the baseball glove 2. The three-finger shaped plastic piece 13 of the flexible protective padding 1, which is provided with the degree of curvature and the plurality of ventilation holes 131, can be stitched directly to an inner lining interior of the finger portions (see FIG. 6), and the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13 is fitted in position of the index finger 21, the middle finger 22 and the ring finger. Because the inner lining of the finger portions are fabricated from raw material provided with moisture absorption and perspiration repellent function, and, moreover, because of the plurality of ventilation holes 131 punctured in the surface of the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13, thus the palm of the user will not easily perspire because of the warmth and humidity within the glove 2, which would otherwise results in failure to catch the ball. When the user is playing baseball, upon the user catching the ball, force is applied on one finger among the three-finger shaped plastic pieces 13 (for instance, the index finger 21), and because of flexible relation of the three-finger shaped plastic piece 13, the two other two fingers (for instance, the middle finger 22 and the ring finger 23) are immediately affected, thereby allowing the user to exert minimum force to easily bend the glove 2 in order to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing the shock and nullifying the collision force from the speeding baseball, thereby preventing the ball from bouncing out of the glove, and, moreover, safety of the hand of the user is safeguarded.
In conclusion, the flexible protective padding for baseball glove of the present invention assuredly enhances practical value and improves economical benefit of the baseball glove, and has achieved anticipated objectives and effectiveness. Furthermore, contents of the present invention have not been publicly disclosed prior to this application, and advancement and practicability of the present invention comply with essential elements as required for a new patent application. Accordingly, a new patent application is proposed herein.
It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A flexible protective padding for baseball glove, which can be externally inserted and thereby fitted interior of finger portions of a baseball glove, thereby allowing a user upon attempting to catch a ball to more easily bend the baseball glove so as to catch the ball, while simultaneously absorbing shock and nullifying collision force from catching the speeding ball, which thus avoids causing injury to the hand; and is characterized in that: the flexible protective padding is structured from material fabricated from raw material provided with moisture absorption and perspiration repellent function, and corresponding overlays of shock absorbent packing fabricated from raw material provided with shock absorbing functionality and a three-finger shaped plastic piece provided with a degree of curvature and a plurality of ventilation holes, the material thus covers the shock absorbent packing and the three-finger shaped plastic piece interior thereof, and the flexible protective padding is externally inserted interior of the finger portions of the glove; the three-finger shaped plastic piece, which is provided with the degree of curvature and the plurality of ventilation holes, can be stitched directly to an inner lining interior of the finger portions.

2. The flexible protective padding for baseball glove according to claim 1, wherein the inner lining of the finger portions is structured from raw material provided with moisture absorption and perspiration repellent function, and the three-finger shaped plastic piece is fabricated from relatively hard plastic or material of similar hardness.

3. The flexible protective padding for baseball glove according to claim 1, wherein the externally inserted flexible protective padding is fitted in position of the index finger, the middle finger and the ring finger of the baseball glove or is fitted in position of the middle finger, the ring finger and the little finger of the baseball glove.