Protective glove with a wrist guard including an integral cuff

Abstract

A protective glove includes a hybrid wrist guard with an integral cuff. The glove can include a hand portion, a cuff portion joined with the hand portion and defining a cuff opening, and a wrist guard joined with the hand portion, the wrist guard including an elongated band and a secondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the elongated band and covering the cuff opening. The wrist guard can include a wrist guard tertiary backhand panel extending forward from the elongated band and covering a dorsal opening defined by the backhand of the hand portion. The wrist guard provides enhanced flexibility to the glove, particularly during wrist extension, and can reduce the overall weight of the glove by combining different structural features in the wrist guard.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A protective glove, comprising:
 a hand portion including a hand palmar portion and an opposing hand dorsal portion, the hand portion including a lateral side and a medial side, the hand portion including a hand portion rearward edge, the hand dorsal portion defining a dorsal opening spanning from the hand portion rearward edge toward a finger portion joined with and extending from the hand portion;   a thumb portion joined with and extending from the hand portion;   a first cuff panel extending rearward from the hand portion substantially only on the lateral side, the first cuff panel including a first cuff panel forward edge that is flexibly joined at a first joint with the hand portion rearward edge;   a second cuff panel extending rearward from the hand portion substantially only on the medial side, the second cuff panel including a second cuff panel forward edge that is flexibly joined at a second joint with the hand portion rearward edge at a location distal from the first joint so that the first cuff panel and second cuff panel can move independently of one another, the first cuff panel and second cuff panel define a cuff opening therebetween; and   a wrist guard joined with the hand portion, the wrist guard including a first elongated band extending toward the lateral side and covering the first joint, the wrist guard including a second elongated band extending toward the medial side and covering the second joint, the wrist guard including central portion between the first and second elongated bands, the central portion having a rearward part;   a secondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the rearward part of the central portion a first distance over the cuff opening so that the secondary wrist guard cuff protects a wrist when the wrist is under the cuff opening.   
     
     
         2 . The protective glove of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff includes a medial side edge and a lateral side edge,   wherein the medial side edge is elastically joined with an interior edge of the second cuff panel,   wherein the lateral side edge is elastically joined with an interior edge of the first cuff panel.   
     
     
         3 . The protective glove of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the medial side edge is joined with the interior edge of the second cuff panel via an elastic strap.   
     
     
         4 . The protective glove of  claim 1 , comprising a floating cuff disposed under the first cuff panel, the second cuff panel and the secondary wrist guard cuff. 
     
     
         5 . The protective glove of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a tertiary backhand panel extending from a forward edge of the wrist guard, opposite the secondary wrist guard cuff,   wherein the tertiary backhand panel extends over and at least partially covers the dorsal opening.   
     
     
         6 . The protective glove of  claim 4 ,
 wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff includes a medial side edge and a lateral side edge,   wherein the medial side edge and lateral side edge are each disposed closer to a longitudinal axis of the glove than the first cuff panel and the second cuff panel.   
     
     
         7 . The protective glove of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the wrist guard includes a plurality of pads covered by a common cover,   wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff includes a secondary pad, separately and independently constructed from the plurality of pads,   wherein the cover extends rearward over the secondary pad.   
     
     
         8 . The protective glove of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff is joined with the rearward part of the central portion of the wrist guard at an articulating joint configured to enable the secondary wrist guard cuff to articulate downward upon extension of a wrist of a wearer of the glove.   
     
     
         9 . A protective glove, comprising:
 a hand portion including a rearward edge and a backhand portion defining a dorsal opening;   a cuff portion joined with the hand portion along a joint at the rearward edge, the cuff portion including first and second cuff panels separated from one another by a cuff opening in the cuff portion;   a wrist guard joined with the hand portion, the wrist guard having an elongated band portion extending substantially around a wrist portion of the hand portion, a secondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the elongated band portion and covering the cuff opening in the cuff portion and configured to thereby protect a wrist of a wearer lying directly under the secondary wrist guard cuff, the wrist guard including a wrist guard tertiary backhand panel extending forward from the elongated band portion and covering the dorsal opening.   
     
     
         10 . The protective glove of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the hand portion includes a binding that extends forward from the rearward edge,   wherein the binding connects a lateral backhand pad and a medial backhand pad, the lateral backhand pad and medial backhand pad being separated by the dorsal opening.   
     
     
         11 . The protective glove of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the binding is secured to the wrist guard between the lateral backhand portion and the medial backhand portion.   
     
     
         12 . The protective glove of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the hand portion includes no pads over the dorsal opening between the lateral backhand portion and the medial backhand portion,   wherein the wrist guard tertiary backhand panel of the wrist cuff is the only element covering the dorsal opening.   
     
     
         13 . The protective glove of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the first cuff panel includes a first cuff panel forward edge that is flexibly joined at a first joint with a hand portion rearward edge of the hand portion,   wherein the second cuff panel includes a second cuff panel forward edge that is flexibly joined at a second joint with the hand portion rearward edge of the hand portion,   wherein the wrist guard covers the first joint and the second joint and a binding extending between the first joint and the second joint.   
     
     
         14 . A protective glove, comprising:
 a hand portion;   a finger portion joined with the hand portion;   a cuff portion joined with the hand portion along a joint, the cuff portion including a forward edge and a rearward edge, the cuff portion defining a cuff opening extending from the forward edge to the rearward edge; and   a wrist guard joined with the hand portion, the wrist guard including an elongated band portion and a secondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the elongated band portion and covering the cuff opening,   wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff extends from adjacent the joint to the rearward edge so that the secondary wrist guard cuff, first cuff panel and second cuff panel cooperatively protect a wrist of a wearer lying directly under the secondary wrist guard cuff, the first cuff panel and the second cuff panel,   wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff does not substantially overlap the first cuff panel or the second cuff panel adjacent the cuff opening.   
     
     
         15 . The protective glove of  claim 14 ,
 wherein the hand portion defines a dorsal opening;   wherein the wrist guard includes a wrist guard tertiary backhand panel extending forward from the elongated band portion and covering the dorsal opening.   
     
     
         16 . The protective glove of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the wrist guard tertiary backhand panel is joined with an upper dorsal pad,   wherein the wrist guard tertiary backhand panel extends at least half a distance between the elongated band and the upper dorsal pad.   
     
     
         17 . The protective glove of  claim 14 ,
 wherein the cuff portion includes first and second cuff panels that are attached to the secondary wrist guard cuff via at least one elastic strap.   
     
     
         18 . The protective glove of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the first cuff panel includes a first interior edge,   wherein the second cuff panel includes a second interior edge,   wherein the first interior edge is anchored to the secondary wrist guard cuff with a first elastic strap and the second interior edge is anchored to the secondary wrist guard cuff with a second elastic strap.   
     
     
         19 . The protective glove of  claim 14 ,
 wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff is a trapezoidal shape with a forward portion adjacent the elongated band portion and a rearward portion, that is wider than the forward portion, distal from the elongated band portion.   
     
     
         20 . The protective glove of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the cuff portion includes a lateral first cuff panel and a medial second cuff panel,   wherein the lateral first cuff panel includes a first width,   wherein the medial second cuff panel includes a second width,   wherein the first width is less than the second width.