Baseball mitt or glove

Claim 2

A ball glove comprising a shell having palm and back plies provided with detached margins which define a hand receiving opening leading into and providing access to a hand receiving pocket enclosed between the plies, the plies being joined except at said hand receiving opening to provide a thumb section and a plurality of finger sections in the shell, the back ply having a finger opening located therein intermediate the hand-receiving opening and the inner end of one of the finger sections, the finger opening providing an exit from the hand-receiving pocket to the exterior of the shell and being sized and located to receive only one of the fingers on the user''s hand, whereby the one finger of the user''s hand may be extended from the hand receiving pocket and positioned against the outwardly presented surface of the back ply.

Claim 3

A glove according to claim 1 wherein one of the finger sections aligns with the index finger of the user''s hand when the user''s hand is in the hand-receiving pocket, and wherein said finger opening is located in alignment with the user''s index finger.

Claim 4

A glove according to claim 1 and further characterized by a lining positioned against the inwardly presented surfaces of the back and palm plies; and wherein the lining has an opening which marginally registers with said finger opening in the back ply, the back ply and the lining beIng attached to each other along the registered margins of their respective finger openings.

Claim 5

A glove according to claim 1 wherein the finger opening is a slot, the major dimension of which is transverse to the axis of the finger section with which the slot aligns.

Claim 6

A glove according to claim 1 wherein the finger opening is positioned in the vicinity of the inner end of the user''s index finger when the user''s hand is in the hand receiving pocket.

Claim 7

A ball glove comprising a shell having thumb and finger sections and palm and back plies which extend along the thumb and finger sections as well as rearwardly therefrom, the palm and back plies beyond the inner ends of the finger sections terminating at detached margins which form a hand-receiving opening leading into the interior of the glove, a lining in the shell and forming a hand-receiving pocket, access to which is gained through the hand-receiving opening, the hand-receiving pocket including finger stalls which are formed in the lining and open toward the hand-receiving opening for receiving the fingers of the user''s hand and for generally locating the user''s hand and fingers in a predetermined position in the glove, the back ply of the shell being provided with a finger opening sized to comfortably accommodate only one finger on the user''s hand and aligned with the lining finger stall which receives that one finger, the finger opening providing an exit from the hand-receiving pocket to the exterior of the shell and being spaced from the detached margin of the back ply a sufficient distance to enable the one finger, at the option of the user, to project through the finger opening from the hand-receiving pocket and extend along the external surface of the back ply when the user''s hand is located in the predetermined position within the hand-receiving pocket.

Claim 8

A ball glove comprising a shell having thumb and finger sections and palm and back plies which extend along the thumb and finger sections as well as rearwardly therefrom, the palm and back plies beyond the inner ends of the finger sections terminating at detached margins which form a hand-receiving opening leading into the interior of the glove, a lining in the shell and forming a hand-receiving pocket, access to which is gained through the hand-receiving opening, the hand-receiving pocket including finger stalls which are formed in the lining and open toward the hand-receiving opening for receiving the fingers of the user''s hand and for generally locating the user''s hand and fingers in a predetermined position in the glove, the back ply of the shell being provided with a finger opening sized to comfortably accommodate only one finger on the user''s hand and aligned with the lining finger stall which receives that one finger, the finger opening providing an exit from the hand-receiving pocket to the exterior of the shell and being spaced from the detached margin of the back ply a sufficient distance to enable the one finger, at the option of the user, to project through the finger opening from the hand-receiving pocket and extend along the external surface of the back ply when the user''s hand is located in the predetermined position within the hand-receiving pocket.