Apparatus and method for shaping a baseball glove

Abstract

A method and apparatus for shaping a glove. The apparatus broadly includes an elongated shaping portion and a handle portion. The elongated shaping portion is made of a deformable material that holds its shape when bent without the use of heat and that is configured to be inserted into a single slot of the glove where a user's digit is positioned during use. The handle portion is connected to the shaping portion and is made of at least one of plastic, tape, and rubber.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 
     
         1 . A glove-shaping device for shaping a glove in preparation for use, the glove-shaping device comprising:
 a plurality of axially-extending shaping members, each shaping member presenting an elongated, flat strip that is configured to be stackable and including a shaping portion and a handle portion,   said shaping portion including bendable material that holds its shape when bent without the use of heat and being configured to be positioned in engagement with a movable glove element,   said shaping portion of each flat strip presenting axially-extending shaping faces, with the faces cooperatively defining the shaping portion so that the shaping portion is bendable along the length of the shaping faces,   said shaping members being shiftable into and out of a stacked condition where the shaping members are arranged to provide one or more pairs of adjacent shaping portions, with each pair of adjacent shaping portions having respective shaping faces removably engaged with one another.   
     
     
         2 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said shaping portion being made of at least one of aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, and a metallic alloy. 
     
     
         3 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 2 , said handle portion including a coated layer of cured liquid rubber. 
     
     
         4 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said shaping portions each presenting opposite axially-extending edges. 
     
     
         5 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 4 , said opposite axially-extending edges being round. 
     
     
         6 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , each shaping member including a proximal aperture and a distal aperture, wherein at least two shaping members are attached end-to-end via the proximal aperture and the distal aperture. 
     
     
         7 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said plurality of shaping members being in the stacked condition and configured to engage the movable glove element. 
     
     
         8 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 7 , said handle portion of each flat strip presenting axially-extending handle faces, with the handle faces cooperatively defining the handle portion, the handle portions being in the stacked condition to provide one or more pairs of adjacent handle portions, with each pair of adjacent handle portions having respective handle faces removably engaged with one another. 
     
     
         9 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said handle portion being made of at least one of plastic, tape, and rubber. 
     
     
         10 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , each of said shaping portions including an aperture. 
     
     
         11 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , each of said shaping portions having a thickness that is substantially constant along its length. 
     
     
         12 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , each of said handle portions including an aperture. 
     
     
         13 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 12 , further comprising a fastener configured to fit through the aperture of the handle portion, said fastener extending through the apertures of two or more handle portions, thereby securing two or more shaping members to one another. 
     
     
         14 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 13 , said plurality of shaping portions being in the stacked condition. 
     
     
         15 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said shaping members including an end for inserting into the slot of the glove, the end having a coating for protecting the glove from damage when inserting the end into the slot. 
     
     
         16 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said shaping members including an end for inserting into the slot of the glove, the end having rounded corners. 
     
     
         17 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said handle portion including a textured surface. 
     
     
         18 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said shaping portion having a frictional coefficient that is less than a frictional coefficient of the handle portion. 
     
     
         19 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 1 , said handle portions each presenting opposite axially-extending handle faces. 
     
     
         20 . The glove-shaping device of  claim 19 , said shaping members being in the stacked condition so that at least one pair of shaping members has adjacent handle faces that are in frictional engagement and adjacent shaping faces that are in frictional engagement, the frictional engagement of adjacent handle faces being high enough to restrict relative sliding movement of the handle portions, the frictional engagement of adjacent shaping faces being low enough to allow sliding along an axial direction to enable bending of the shaping portions.