Sports glove with inverted finger pads

Abstract

A sports glove, such as a hockey or lacrosse glove, includes inverted finger pads connected such that exterior gaps are not present between some or all of the adjacent pads when a wearer grips a stick or otherwise closes his or her hand. The inverted pads optionally include stiffening elements attached to or integral with their outer surfaces to provide additional protection to the wearer's fingers. The finger pads covering the base regions of the fingers optionally are attached to the main body of the glove via an elastic material or similar material that allows the finger pads to move away from the main body during closure of a wearer's hand. These finger pads may further be attached to the main body via an inelastic strap or similar feature that prevents the finger pads from being pulled forward beyond the rear housing or cover that overlies these finger pads.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sports glove, comprising:
 a main body including a palm region and a rear region opposite the palm region;   a plurality of finger portions extending from the main body, with each finger portion including a plurality of finger pads in a casing material, with the finger portions and the finger pads having an inner side toward the palm region of the glove and an outer side toward the rear region of the glove;   wherein the casing material connects at least two adjacent finger pads at their outer sides in at least one of the finger portions, such that no exterior gap is present between the adjacent finger pads both when the finger section is in a straight position and when the finger section is in a curved position.   
     
     
         2 . The sports glove of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the finger pads is pre-curved. 
     
     
         3 . The sports glove of  claim 1  wherein the finger pads in at least one of the finger sections include a base pad, a knuckle pad, and a tip pad. 
     
     
         4 . The sports glove of  claim 3  wherein the casing material connects the base pad and the knuckle pad at their outer sides. 
     
     
         5 . The sports glove of  claim 4  wherein the casing material further connects the knuckle pad and the tip pad at their inner sides. 
     
     
         6 . The sports glove of  claim 1  wherein one of the finger pads in at least one of the finger sections comprises a base pad, with the base pad connected to the main body via an elastic connector such that the base pad is movable relative to the main body to facilitate closing of a wearer's fingers. 
     
     
         7 . The sports glove of  claim 6  wherein each of the finger sections includes a base pad, and wherein each of the base pads is connected to the main body via an elastic connector. 
     
     
         8 . The sports glove of  claim 6  further comprising an inelastic connector connecting the base pad to the main body to limit longitudinal movement of the base pad. 
     
     
         9 . The sports glove of  claim 8  wherein each of the finger sections includes a base pad, and wherein each of the base pads is connected to the main body via an inelastic connector. 
     
     
         10 . The sports glove of  claim 8  further comprising a cover over the base pad that defines a finger-pad housing, wherein the inelastic connector prevents the base pad from moving completely out of the finger-pad housing. 
     
     
         11 . The sports glove of  claim 1  further comprising a stiffening element on the outer side of at least one of the finger portions. 
     
     
         12 . The sports glove of  claim 11  further comprising a plurality of ribs on an outer surface of the stiffening element. 
     
     
         13 . A sports glove, comprising:
 a main body including a palm region and a rear region opposite the palm region;   a plurality of finger portions extending from the main body, with each finger portion including a plurality of finger pads, with the finger portions and the finger pads having an inner side toward the palm region of the glove and an outer side toward the rear region of the glove;   wherein at least two of the finger pads in at least one of the finger portions are connected such that no exterior gap is present between them, both when the finger section is in a straight position and when the finger section is in a curved position.   
     
     
         14 . The sports glove of  claim 13  wherein at least two of the finger pads in each of the finger portions are connected such that no exterior gap is present between them, both when the finger sections are in a straight position and when the finger sections are in a curved position. 
     
     
         15 . The sports glove of  claim 13  wherein one of the finger pads in at least one of the finger sections comprises a base pad, with the base pad connected to the main body via an elastic connector such that the base pad is movable relative to the main body to facilitate closing of a wearer's fingers. 
     
     
         16 . The sports glove of  claim 15  further comprising an inelastic connector connecting the base pad to the main body to limit longitudinal movement of the base pad. 
     
     
         17 . A sports glove, comprising:
 a main body including a palm region and a rear region opposite the palm region;   a plurality of finger portions extending from the main body, with each finger portion including a plurality of finger pads, wherein one of the pads in at least one of the finger portions comprises a base pad connected to the main body via an elastic connector such that the base pad is movable relative to the main body to facilitate closing of a wearer's fingers.   
     
     
         18 . The sports glove of  claim 17  wherein at least two of the finger pads in each of the finger sections are connected such that no exterior gap is present between them, both when the finger sections are in a straight position and when the finger sections are in a curved position. 
     
     
         19 . The sports glove of  claim 17  further comprising an inelastic connector connecting the base pad to the main body to limit longitudinal movement of the base pad. 
     
     
         20 . The sports glove of  claim 19  further comprising a cover over the base pad that defines a finger-pad housing, wherein the inelastic connector prevents the base pad from moving completely out of the finger-pad housing.