Gloves and/or other hand-receiving devices with inflatable components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12471650-B2
Application number	US-202217844957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2022
Priority date	Jun 21, 2021
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Hand-receiving devices, such as gloves (e.g., sports gloves including baseball gloves, softball gloves, batting gloves, cricket gloves, golf gloves, America football gloves, weightlifting gloves, exercise gloves, goalkeeper gloves (e.g., for soccer, hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, etc.), and the like) include an inflatable component, such as a fluid-filled bladder component. The fluid-filled bladder component may be structured and arranged within a glove base member to engage two or more digits of a wearer's hand (e.g., two or more of the thumb and/or fingers on one hand). Inflation of the bladder component may displace one or more layers of the glove base member (e.g., fabric layers) to adjust fit, help properly position the wearer's fingers and/or hand within the glove, help maintain the position of the wearer's fingers and/or hand within the glove and/or provide cushioning. Features of this technology also may be used to control stiffness and/or rigidity of the glove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A glove, comprising:
a glove base member, wherein the glove base member includes a plurality of separated digit-receiving compartments including a first digit-receiving compartment configured to receive only a first digit of a human hand and a second digit-receiving compartment configured to receive only a second digit of a human hand, wherein open space exterior to the glove base member separates the first digit-receiving compartment from the second digit-receiving compartment, and wherein outer edges of the plurality of separated digit-receiving compartments are unattached to one another; and a bladder system engaged with the glove base member, wherein the bladder system includes: a bladder component including a first wall and a second wall, wherein the bladder component includes:
(a) a base region,
(b) a first digit-engaging member extending into the first digit-receiving compartment of the glove base member, the first digit-engaging member including: (i) a first side fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall, (ii) a second side fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall, (iii) a first free end fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall and connecting the first side fluid chamber and the second side fluid chamber, and (iv) a first bonded region where an interior surface of the first wall is bonded to an interior surface of the second wall, the first bonded region separating the first side fluid chamber and the second side fluid chamber and extending continuously from the first free end fluid chamber to a first closed end, wherein the first bonded region further includes: (1) a first longitudinal bonded portion extending continuously from the first free end fluid chamber to the first closed end, the first longitudinal bonded portion being located between and separating the first side fluid chamber and the second side fluid chamber, (2) a first knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the first longitudinal bonded portion at a first longitudinal location, and (3) a second knuckle-flexion bonded portion separated from the first knuckle-flexion bonded portion, the second knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the first longitudinal bonded portion at a second longitudinal location, wherein the second longitudinal location is located a greater distance from the first free end fluid chamber than is the first longitudinal location, and
(c) a second digit-engaging member extending away from the base region and into the second digit-receiving compartment of the glove base member, the second digit-engaging member including: (i) a third side fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall, (ii) a fourth side fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall, (iii) a second free end fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall and connecting the third side fluid chamber and the fourth side fluid chamber, and (iv) a second bonded region where the interior surface of the first wall is bonded to the interior surface of the second wall, the second bonded region separating the third side fluid chamber and the fourth side fluid chamber and extending continuously from the second free end fluid chamber to the base region, wherein the second bonded region includes: (i) a second longitudinal bonded portion extending continuously from the second free end fluid chamber to the base region, the second longitudinal bonded portion being located between and separating the third side fluid chamber and the fourth side fluid chamber, (ii) a third knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the second longitudinal bonded portion at a third longitudinal location located within the second digit-receiving compartment, (iii) a fourth knuckle-flexion bonded portion separated from the third knuckle-flexion bonded portion the fourth knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the second longitudinal bonded portion at a fourth longitudinal location located within the second digit-receiving compartment, wherein the fourth longitudinal location is located a greater distance from the second free end fluid chamber than is the third longitudinal location, and (iv) a fifth knuckle-flexion bonded portion separated from the third knuckle-flexion bonded portion and the fourth knuckle-flexion bonded portion, the fifth knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the second longitudinal bonded portion at a fifth longitudinal location, wherein the fifth longitudinal location is located a greater distance from the second free end fluid chamber than is the fourth longitudinal location.

2 . The glove according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of separated digit-receiving compartments includes a third digit-receiving compartment configured to receive only a third digit of a human hand, wherein open space exterior to the glove base member separates the third digit-receiving compartment from the first digit-receiving compartment and the second digit-receiving compartment, wherein the bladder component includes a third digit-engaging member extending away from the base region and into the third digit-receiving compartment of the glove base member, the third digit-engaging member including: (i) a fifth side fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall, (ii) a sixth side fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall, (iii) a third free end fluid chamber defined between the first wall and the second wall and connecting the fifth side fluid chamber and the sixth side fluid chamber, and (iv) a third bonded region where the interior surface of the first wall is bonded to the interior surface of the second wall, the third bonded region separating the fifth side fluid chamber and the sixth side fluid chamber and extending continuously from the third free end fluid chamber to the base region.

3 . The glove according to claim 2 , wherein the third bonded region includes: (i) a third longitudinal bonded portion extending continuously from the third free end fluid chamber to the base region, the third longitudinal bonded portion being located between and separating the fifth side fluid chamber and the sixth side fluid chamber, (ii) a sixth knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the third longitudinal bonded portion at a sixth longitudinal location located within the third digit-receiving compartment, (iii) a seventh knuckle-flexion bonded portion separated from the sixth knuckle-flexion bonded portion, the seventh knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the third longitudinal bonded portion at a seventh longitudinal location located within the third digit-receiving compartment, wherein the seventh longitudinal location is located a greater distance from the third free end fluid chamber than is the sixth longitudinal location, and (iv) an eighth knuckle-flexion bonded portion separated from the sixth knuckle-flexion bonded portion and the seventh knuckle-flexion bonded portion, the eighth knuckle-flexion bonded portion extending across and intersecting the third longitudinal bonded portion at an eighth longitudinal location, wherein the eighth longitudinal location is located a greater distance from the third free end fluid chamber than is the seventh longitudinal location.

4 . The glove according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of separated digit-receiving compartments includes a fourth digit-receiving compartment configured to receive only a fourth digit of a human hand, wherein open space exterior to the glove base member separates the fourth digit-receiving compartment from the first digit-receiving compartment, the second digit-receiving compartment, and the third digit-re

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Kim George S

Classifications

• A63B71/081

  fluid-filled, e.g. air-filled · CPC title

• A41D2400/14

  inflatable · CPC title

• A41D19/01582

  with means to restrain or support the hand · CPC title

• A41D19/01523 Primary

  absorbing shocks or vibrations · CPC title