Glove reinforcement

Abstract

A glove including a four sided reinforcement patch overlying a palm cover panel is disclosed. The patch may include a convex top edge, a concave thumb edge, a convex bottom edge, and a lateral edge opposite the concave thumb edge. The patch may be secured to the palm cover by perimetric stitching and several additional lines of stitching between the convex top edge and the convex bottom edge of the palm reinforcement patch. The additional lines of stitching may be parallel, spaced apart from one another, and arranged to track natural creases of the palm. The glove and patch may be of leather, and may include ventilation holes in the patch and fingers of the glove. The palm sheath may have a slit to facilitate size adjustment, and a closure tab for securing the palm sheath at a selected adjustment by a hook and loop fastener.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A palm reinforcement patch for a glove, the palm reinforcement patch comprising a substrate of a flexible material configured to overlie a central portion of a palm of a hand of a user and to have, when overlying the hand of the user:
 a convex top edge extending laterally from a thenar crease of the overlain hand to a lateral surface of the palm;   a concave thumb edge extending from a first end of the convex top edge at the thenar crease to about the midpoint of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle;   a convex bottom edge extending from a first end of the concave thumb edge to a side of the palm opposite the thumb; and   a lateral edge opposite the concave thumb edge, the lateral edge extending from a second end of the convex top edge to a second end of the convex bottom edge.   
     
     
         2 . The palm reinforcement patch of  claim 1 , wherein the convex top edge is longer than the convex bottom edge. 
     
     
         3 . The palm reinforcement patch of  claim 1 , wherein the lateral edge opposite the concave thumb edge is longer than the concave thumb edge. 
     
     
         4 . The palm reinforcement patch of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of ventilation holes extending entirely through the substrate of the reinforcement patch. 
     
     
         5 . The palm reinforcement patch of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate of the flexible material comprises leather. 
     
     
         6 . A reinforced glove, comprising:
 an envelope dimensioned and configured to enclose a hand of a wearer, the envelope including a palm sheath including a palm cover panel, an opposed cover panel, an opening for insertion of the hand and an enclosed space within the palm sheath, a plurality of finger sheaths each projecting from the palm sheath and in internal communication with the enclosed space of the palm sheath, and a thumb sheath projecting from the palm sheath and in internal communication with the palm sheath; and   a reinforcement patch overlying and coupled to the palm cover panel, wherein the reinforcement patch comprises
 a substrate of a flexible material configured to overlie a central portion of a palm of a hand of a user and to have, when overlying the hand of the user, 
 a convex top edge extending laterally from a thenar crease of the overlain hand to a lateral surface of the palm, 
 a concave thumb edge extending from a first end of the convex top edge at the thenar crease to about the midpoint of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle; 
 a convex bottom edge extending from a first end of the concave thumb edge to a side of the palm opposite the thumb, and 
 a lateral edge opposite the concave thumb edge, the lateral edge extending from a second end of the convex top edge to a second end of the convex bottom edge. 
   
     
     
         7 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , wherein the convex top edge is longer than the convex bottom edge. 
     
     
         8 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , wherein the lateral edge opposite the concave thumb edge is longer than the concave thumb edge. 
     
     
         9 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of ventilation holes extending entirely through the substrate of the reinforcement patch. 
     
     
         10 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , wherein the substrate of the flexible material comprises leather. 
     
     
         11 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of ventilation holes in each of the finger sheaths on the palm side of the palm sheath. 
     
     
         12 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of ventilation holes in each of the finger sheaths on a side of the palm sheath opposite the palm side. 
     
     
         13 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , further comprising stitched seams coupling the palm reinforcement patch to the palm cover panel of the palm sheath, the stitched seams including:
 perimetric stitching along the convex top edge, the concave thumb edge, the convex bottom edge, and the lateral edge opposite the concave thumb edge; and   additional stitching within the perimetric stitching.   
     
     
         14 . The reinforced glove of  claim 13  wherein the additional stitching comprises at least two lines of stitching extending from the concave thumb edge of the palm reinforcement patch to the lateral edge of the palm reinforcement patch where such additional stitching lies between the convex top edge of the palm reinforcement patch and the convex bottom edge of the palm reinforcement patch. 
     
     
         15 . The reinforced glove of  claim 14 , wherein at least two of the at least two lines of stitching extending from the concave thumb edge of the palm reinforcement patch to the lateral edge of the palm reinforcement patch are generally parallel to the convex bottom edge of the palm reinforcement patch. 
     
     
         16 . The reinforced glove of  claim 15 , wherein the perimetric stitching along the convex top edge, the perimetric stitching along the convex bottom edge, and the at least two lines of additional stitching are generally evenly spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
         17 . The reinforced glove of  claim 6 , further comprising a slit in the palm sheath on the side of the palm sheath opposite the palm side, and a closure configured to secure palm sheath at a selected degree of spreading of the slit. 
     
     
         18 . The reinforced glove of  claim 17 , wherein the closure comprises a closure tab extending from a lateral side of the palm sheath. 
     
     
         19 . The reinforced glove of  claim 18 , wherein the palm sheath comprises a patch of a hook and loop manual fastener, and the closure tab comprises a complementary patch of a hook and loop manual fastener overlying the patch of a hook and loop manual fastener of the palm sheath when the closure tab secures the palm sheath at the selected degree of spreading of the slit. 
     
     
         20 . The reinforced glove of  claim 19 , wherein the closure tab has an attachment side coextensive with the lateral edge of the reinforcement patch opposite the concave thumb edge.