The idea of a metal rod reinforcing a mitt did not die out with Joe Gunson's mitt and Ted Kennedy's patent. In 1949 Jon Gregg patented a catchers mitt reinforced with segmented metal rods that was something of an intricate engineering feat. Each rod segment in line had a slot and a tongue that was held together by a pin. The front corner of the tongue was rounded so the segments would only hinged forward to catch a ball and would resist deflection backward if a ball hit the edge of the mitt.