Reduced seam protective sports glove

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a protective sports glove having a novel combination of liner sections, breathable mesh sections, stretch joints, and shock absorbing cushions to provide maximum protection to the user's fingers, hands, wrists, and lower forearms while r maintaining as much flexibility within the glove and tactile feel on both palmar and dorsal sides of the glove as possible. A novel 2-panel palmar section construction eliminates the presence of seams, stitching or excess material in a critical area on the palmar side of a wearer's hand to further improve tactile feel and grip.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective sports glove, comprising:
 a hand portion configured to cover a user's hand inclusive of fingers, thumb and carpometacarpal joints and extend down approximately to a wrist crease of said user's hand, said hand portion having a dorsal side and a palmar side, the palmar side of said hand portion including a palmar section comprising two discrete panels of material cut in complementary shapes and joined together to form the palmar section, defining a seamless crescent-shaped area configured to extend between said carpometacarpal joints and said wrist crease proximate said thumb joint.   
     
     
         2 . The protective sports glove of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of said palmar section configured to cover an index finger and a middle finger of said user's hand comprises a unitary, undivided pocket of material. 
     
     
         3 . The protective sports glove of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of said palmar section configured to cover an index finger, a middle finger and a ring finger of said user's hand comprises a unitary, undivided pocket of material. 
     
     
         4 . The protective sports glove of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of said palmar section configured to cover an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger and a pinky of said user's hand comprises a unitary, undivided pocket of material. 
     
     
         5 . The protective sports glove of  claim 1 , wherein said palmar section has no seams in an area configured to cover a crease between a user's index finger and thumb. 
     
     
         6 . The protective sports glove of  claim 1 , wherein said palmar section has no seams in an area configured to cover an area directly below the proximal phalanges of the user's hand. 
     
     
         7 . The protective sports glove of  claim 1 , wherein said first panel further comprises a finger roll gusset on a portion of said palmar section configured to cover an outer edge of said user's index finger, said finger roll gusset configured to wrap around an outer edge of said glove between the palmar section and the dorsal section. 
     
     
         8 . A protective sports glove, comprising:
 a palmar section configured to cover a palmar side of a user's hand inclusive of fingers, thumb and carpometacarpal joints and extend down approximately to a wrist crease of said user's hand, said palmar section including a palmar section comprising two discrete panels of material cut in complementary shapes and joined together to form the palmar section, said two discrete panels of material including,   a first panel configured to cover a majority of the palmar side of the user's hand except for an open notch with ingress beginning at the base of the little finger and projecting laterally across toward the thumb, whereby the first panel forms an unbroken bridge running beneath the proximal phalanges of the hand, circling below the index finger proximate the thumb joint and arching inward to the center of the base of the palm, and   a second panel joined over the open notch of said first panel and configured to cover at least a portion of the user's lower palm.   
     
     
         9 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein said notch is tear-shaped, whereby a rounded bottom portion of said tear shape is configured to point towards a purlicue of said user's hand. 
     
     
         10 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein said first panel is folded in an area configured to cover a purlicue of said users hand, such that a lower portion of said first panel is configured to cover a palmar side of said user's thumb and a lower portion of said user's palm in an area proximate the thenar group of muscles of the user's hand with an unbroken and unstitched panel. 
     
     
         11 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein the assembled combination of said first and second panels provides a glove having no seams in an area configured to cover a crease between a user's index finger and thumb. 
     
     
         12 . The protective sports glove of  claim 11 , wherein the assembled combination of said first and second panels provides a glove having no seams in an area configured to cover an area directly below the proximal phalanges of the user's hand. 
     
     
         13 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein said first and second panels are attached to an underlying scrim material. 
     
     
         14 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , further comprising one or more dorsal panels assembled to comprise a dorsal section of said glove, wherein said dorsal section is attached at outer edges thereof to an outer edge of said first panel in an area of said first panel configured to cover an exterior edge of a palmar side of user's pinky finger, an exterior edge of a palmar side of said user's index finger, and both edges of a palmar side of said user's thumb. 
     
     
         15 . The protective sports glove of  claim 14 , wherein said first panel further comprises a finger roll gusset on a portion of said first panel configured to cover an outer edge of said user's index finger, said finger roll gusset configured to wrap around an outer edge of said glove between the palmar section and the dorsal section. 
     
     
         16 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein a portion of said first panel configured to cover an index finger and a middle finger of said user's hand comprises a unitary, undivided pocket of material. 
     
     
         17 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein a portion of said first panel configured to cover an index finger, a middle finger and a ring finger of said user's hand comprises a unitary, undivided pocket of material. 
     
     
         18 . The protective sports glove of  claim 8 , wherein a portion of said first panel configured to cover an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger and a pinky finger of said user's hand comprises a unitary, undivided pocket of material. 
     
     
         19 . A protective sports glove, comprising:
 a hand portion configured to cover a user's hand inclusive of little finger and thumb, and carpometacarpal joints, and extending down approximately to a wrist crease of said user's hand, said hand portion having a dorsal side and a palmar side, the palmar side of said hand portion including a digit panel of material having an upper portion separated from a lower portion by a notch with ingress beginning at a base of the little finger and projecting laterally across toward the thumb.   
     
     
         20 . The protective sports glove of  claim 19 , wherein said palmar side of the hand portion has no seams in an area configured to cover a crease between a user's index finger and thumb. 
     
     
         21 . The protective sports glove of  claim 19 , wherein said palmar side of the hand portion has no seams in an area configured to cover an area directly below the proximal phalanges of the user's hand.