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  Ball catching apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20070226867Title: Ball catching apparatus Abstract: A ball catching apparatus comprises a main body in which a back-of-hand-side inner skin and a palm-side inner skin are respectively secured to a back-of-hand-side outer skin and a palm-side outer skin, and a thumb hook provided at a base-end portion of a thumb pocket part of the main body and allowing a position of a thumb to be secured and released, wherein the thumb hook comprises a first belt and a second belt respectively secured to the palm-side inner skin, the first belt allows the thumb to be pressed from a forefinger side, the second belt is provided along an outer peripheral side of the first belt and in such a manner as overlapping with the first belt, and a state where the thumb is pressed by the first belt is maintained in such a manner that the second belt is stretched, so that the position of the thumb is determined while the thumb is being comfortably fitted by the first and second belts. (end of abstract) Agent: Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP - Irvine, CA, US Inventor: Akio Aoki USPTO Applicaton #: 20070226867 - Class: 002019000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Apparel, Guard Or Protector, Hand Or Arm, Baseball Gloves The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070226867. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a ball catching apparatus. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] In the case of a ball catching apparatus such as a glove for baseball, it is necessary for the glove itself to perfectly fit a user's hand because an agile ball-catching operation is demanded. A part of the glove into which a thumb is inserted, in particular, should necessarily have a size corresponding to a size of the user's thumb to thereby fit the thumb because the one finger has to reliably take charge of the ball-catching operation as well the other four. [0005] For example, No. 2003-126324 of the Publication of the Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications (U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,724 B1) recites an invention of such a glove, wherein a thumb hook by which a position of the thumb can be secured and released is provided in a thumb pocket part of a main body of the glove, and the thumb hook comprises a belt capable of pressing the thumb from a forefinger side and a belt capable of pressing the thumb from an opposite side relative to the forefinger side, so that a band along a width direction of the hand for receiving and supporting a back of the hand can be pressed onto the hand using one of the bands. [0006] However, it cannot be guaranteed that the glove according to the conventional technology always suitably fits any glove user's hand irrespective of the size of his/her finger. Another disadvantage of the conventional glove is a failure to respond to individual differences in terms of a suitable position of the thumb in the glove. Therefore, there has been a demand for further improvements. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is, in order to solve the foregoing problems, to provide a ball catching apparatus capable of assuring a suitable position of a finger irrespective of a size and a shape of the finger of who uses the ball catching apparatus which are individually different, and comfortably fitting the finger. [0008] The foregoing object is achieved by the inventions recited in the Scope of Claims. A ball catching apparatus according to the present invention comprising: [0009] a main body in which a back-of-hand-side inner skin and a palm-side inner skin are respectively secured to a back-of-hand-side outer skin and a palm-side outer skin; and [0010] a thumb hook provided at a base-end portion of a thumb pocket part of the main body and allowing a position of a thumb to be secured and released, wherein [0011] the thumb hook comprises a first belt and a second belt respectively secured to the palm-side inner skin, the first belt allows the thumb to be pressed from a forefinger side, [0012] the second belt is provided along an outer peripheral side of the first belt and in such a manner as overlapping with the first belt, and [0013] a state where the thumb is pressed by the first belt is maintained in such a manner that the second belt is stretched, so that the position of the thumb is determined while the thumb is being comfortably fitted by the first and second belts. [0014] According to the foregoing constitution, the first and second belts constituting the thumb hook are secured to the palm-side inner skin, and the presence of the second belt provided along the outer peripheral side of the first belt allowing the thumb to be pressed from the forefinger side and so as to overlap with the first belt serves to maintain the stretched state of the first belt set so that the thumb can be more comfortably fitted when a tensile force is applied to the second belt. Therefore, when an edge of the first belt provided on an inner side is stretched from an outer side of the back-of-hand-side outer skin with respect to the inserted thumb, the second belt provided on an outer side is stretched and fastened after the thumb is most comfortably fitted, so that the suitable position of the thumb can be determined irrespective of the size and shape of the thumb which are individually different. [0015] As a result, the ball catching apparatus capable of determining the suitable position of the thumb irrespective of the individually different size and shape of the finger of who uses the ball catching apparatus, and comfortably fitting the thumb could be provided. [0016] As a preferable mode of the constitution, base portions of the first and second belts are securely seamed with the palm-side inner skin, and widths of the first and second belts are respectively reduced into string shapes from substantially intermediate parts in a longitudinal direction. These edges of the first and second belts each having the string shape reach the outer side of the outer skin, and the edge of the second belt is formed into a two-string shape and can be fastened and released on the outer side of the outer skin. [0017] According to the preferable mode of the constitution, the edge of the second belt having the two-string shape can be easily fastened and released, which allows the user to easily obtain an optimally fastened state. [0018] As another preferable mode of the constitution, the edge of the first belt goes around the inserted thumb, and extends toward the outer side of the back-of-hand-side outer skin through an insertion hole formed in the back-of-hand-side inner skin. The edge of the second belt once enters into between the palm-side inner skin and the palm-side outer skin, and extends again toward the outer side of the back-of-hand-side outer skin through an insertion hole formed in the palm-side inner skin in the same manner as the edge of the first belt. [0019] According to the another preferable mode of the constitution, the second belt is fastened while the tensile force is being applied thereto after the tensile force is applied to the first belt so that the thumb is optimally fitted, which allows the user to more reliably and solidly obtain the optimally fastened state. More specifically, the thumb hook of the conventional glove was disadvantageously easily loosened since it was fastened in one direction from downward to upward. The thumb hook according to the foregoing constitution can be fastened from upward to downward, which makes it difficult for the thumb hook to be loosened. [0020] As still another preferable mode of the constitution, the band along the width direction of the hand for receiving and supporting the back of the hand is provided in the main body in such a manner that the hand can be thereby pressed and released from the pressing. [0021] According to the still another preferable mode of the constitution, a wrist can be easily fitted in a suitable manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Continue reading... Full patent description for Ball catching apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ball catching apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Ball catching apparatus or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Reinforcing element Next Patent Application: Cyclist trousers Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Ball catching apparatus patent info. 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