Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02594319 2007-07-20
HAND PROTECTOR WITH FRICTION INDUCING ELEMENTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is generally related to hand protectors. More
particularly, the
present invention relates to hand protectors with friction inducing elements.
[0005] Hand protectors, such gloves and mitts, are useful for protecting a
wearer's hand
while performing many tasks. For example, teniperature resistant gloves or
mitts may offer
protection to a wearer required to manipulate objects that are at extreme
temperatures. Such
tasks may range from everyday household tasks, such as cooking, removing hot
items from
the oven, handling frozen items, to industrial tasks, such as handling metal
pipes that are at
higli temperatures.
[0006) A common problem with hand protectors, and especially temperature
resistant haud
protectors, is that the protective material of the glove may be bulky and
cause the wearer to
lose a certain amount of dexterity in the protected hand. Another common
problem is that the
protective material of the glove may not offer a good grip to the wearer. That
is, the iiiaterial
of the hand protector fails to induce sufficient friction with the items being
gripped by the
wearer to give the wearer a secure grip on the item. In combination, the loss
of dexterity and
lack of sufficient grip can be a substantial and dangerous problem for the
wearer, who, in the
CA 02594319 2007-07-20
case of temperature resistant gloves, may be handling dangerously hot or cold
objects while
wearing the glove (e.g., steaming hot food in a kitchen, liquid nitrogen in a
laboratory).
[0007] In light of the above, an improved hand protector that enhances a
wearer's grip is
desired.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Aspects of the present invention are directed to a hand protector with
friction
inducing elements attached to the exterior of the protector. The hand
protector may, for
example, be in the form of a five-finger glove or a mitt and may equally
accommodate either
hand (i.e., lack handedness). The hand protector may be a temperature
resistant hand
protector and may be formed from temperature resistant materials. In
particular, the hand
protector may be formed from heat resistant and flame resistant materials. The
hand
protector may include an interior lining and an exterior body, one or both of
which may be
formed from temperature resistant materials. In one example, the hand
protector may include
aramid fiber. In another example, a combination of Dupont Nomex and Dupont
Kevlar
may be used in the hand protector.
[0009] The friction inducing elements attached to the hand protector may
provide greater
friction when contacting a gripped object than otherwise provided by an outer
material of the
hand protector. The friction inducing elements may be formed from a
temperature resistant
material, particularly a heat resistant material. The friction inducing
elements may be
identically affixed on both sides of the protector to enable increased
friction in a palm side of
the protector when worn on either hand. The friction inducing elements may
take the form of
elongated stripes of material that run, at least in part, laterally across the
palm of the hand
protector (i.e., substantially perpendicular to the direction of fingers
inserted into the hand
protector). In one example, the friction inducing elements may be formed from
silicon.
[0010] One aspect of the present invention is directed to a hand protector
including a body
with temperature resistant material that is configured to individually
accommodate fingers of
a hand. The body has first and second sides and is configured to equally
accommodate either
hand. Friction inducing elements affixed to both the first and second sides of
the body enable
increased friction at a palm side when used by either hand.
[0011] In related aspects, the friction inducing elements may comprise
elongated stripes of
friction inducing material, at least some of which may run laterally across
the body
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substantially perpendicular to finger projections of the body. The friction
inducing elements
may cover substantially the entire body and may be affixed to the finger
projections of the
body. The temperature resistant material may be heat resistant and flame
resistant. The
temperature resistant material may be heat resistant up to 540 F. The
temperature resistant
material may be an aramid fiber and may be at least one of Dupont Nomex and
Dupont
Kevlar .
[0012] In other related aspects, the friction inducing material may be
configured to provide
greater friction than an exterior material of the body. The friction inducing
material may be
heat resistant. The friction inducing material may be silicon. The temperature
resistant
material may be specifically configured to protect against high temperatures
and the friction
inducing material may be configured for contact with objects at high
temperatures. The
temperature resistant material may be specifically configured to protect
against low
temperatures and the friction inducing material may be configured for contact
with objects at
low temperatures. The body of the hand protector may comprise an interior
lining made of
knit cotton. The body may comprise woven temperature resistant material.
[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a hand protector
that includes
a body comprising temperature resistant material. The body has first and
second sides and is
configured to equally accommodate either hand. Elongated stripes of friction
inducing
material are affixed to both the first and second sides of the body to enable
increased friction
at a palm side when used by either hand. At least some of the stripes run
laterally across the
body substantially perpendicular to a direction of insertion of the hand.
[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a hand protector
that includes
a body configured to individually accommodate fingers of a hand comprising an
exterior
layer of woven heat resistant material and an interior lining within the
exterior layer. The
body has first and second sides and is configured to equally accommodate
either hand.
Elongated stripes of friction inducing material are affixed to both the first
and second sides of
the body to enable increased friction at a palm side when used by either hand.
At least some
of the stripes run laterally across the body of the glove substantially
perpendicular to
projections of the fingers.
[0015] Further aspects and detailed embodiments of the invention are described
below with
reference to the figures.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a first side of a hand protector in accordance with one
embodiment of
the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a second side of a hand protector in accordance with the
embodiment
of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the hand protector in accordance
with one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The present invention generally provides a temperature resistant hand
protector with
friction inducing elements attached to an exterior thereof for improving a
wearer's grip.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In
particular,
FIG. 1 shows a first side of a hand protector 100. Hand protector 100 may
equally
accommodate use by either hand. That is, protector 100 may not possess any
features of left
or right handedness that would make it difficult or uncomfortable to
interchangeably wear the
protector on either hand. Therefore, the view of protector 100 in FIG. 1 is
that of a wearer's
right palm or the back of the wearer's left hand. Similarly, the view of
protector 100 in
FIG. 2 is that of a wearer's left palm or the back of the wearer's right hand.
FIG. 2 is
substantially a mirror image of FIG. 1.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, exemplary protector 100 is a glove with five
fingers. However,
it should be understood that protector 100 may also take the shape of a mitt
with less than
five finger projections (e.g., a mitt with two projections, one for the thumb
and another for
the four fingers). Protector 100 has a body 20, which may include a
temperature resistant
material for protecting the wearer's hand against extreme heat or cold. As
illustrated in
FIG. 3, the body 20 may have an exterior she1122, which may include a
temperature resistant
material. For example, a heat resistant and flame resistant material may be
used for shell 22.
In addition, support materials that increase a durability or toughness of the
she1122 may also
be incorporated. In one embodiment, the shel122 may include a combination of
Dupont
Nomex and Dupont Kevlar . The heat resistance of the she1122 may protect a
wearer's
hand from temperatures of 540 F or higher. Aramid fiber or other materials
specifically
configured to protect against extreme heat or, alternatively, against extreme
cold may also be
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used in shell 22. The body 20 may also include an interior lining 24, which
may be double-
knit cotton in one embodiment. Alternatively, lining 24 may be any of the
aforementioned
temperature resistant materials or support materials, or a combination
thereof.
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, friction inducing elements 26 are
affixed to both
the first and second sides of the body 20 to enable increased friction at a
palm side of the
body when either hand is inserted into the protector 100. In the illustrated
embodiment, the
friction inducing elements 26 are substantially identically applied to both
sides of the body 20
so as to create substantially the same pattern and effect on both sides. In
the illustrated
embodiment, the friction inducing elements 26 are elongated stripes of
friction inducing
material, such as a heat resistant polymer like silicon. As shown in FIGS. 1
and 2, stripes 26
may run laterally across the body 20 substantially perpendicular to finger
projections 28 of
the body. It should be understood that although the illustrated embodiment
shows the friction
inducing elements 26 as latitudinal stripes, other patterns or shapes may be
easily substituted.
For example, patterns of friction inducing dots or triangles, elongated
stripes that run
substantially parallel with the finger projections, and friction patches at
the contact points of a
wearer's hand, such as the heel of the thumb, the four callous points of the
palm, and the tips
of the fingers, may all be used. Moreover, ornamental patterns or text may
also be formed
using the friction inducing material to provide a desirable appearance to the
friction inducing
elements of the glove.
[0023] The friction inducing elements 26 may cover substantially the entire
body 20 and
may also be affixed to the finger projections 28 to improve grip at the
fingers. The material
used for the friction inducing elements 26 may provide greater friction than
an exterior
material of the body 20 (e.g., the material of shell 22). The friction
inducing material 26 may
be matched with the temperature resistant material of the body 20. For
example, if the
body 20 is specifically configured to be flame resistant and heat resistant,
then friction
inducing elements 26 may be formed from a material suited for contact with
high
temperatures (e.g., a material that will not melt under high heat).
Accordingly, if the body 20
is specifically configured to resist extremely low temperatures, then friction
inducing
elements 26 may be formed from a material suited for contact with low
temperatures (e.g., a
material that will not become overly rigid or crack under low temperatures).
[0024] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, friction inducing elements 26A may
also be
affixed to the fingertips of the finger projections 28. Friction inducing
elements 26A may be
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formed from the same material as elements 26, or may be formed from a
different material.
Elements 26A may be applied to body 20 in a different pattern or shape than
elements 26.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each element 26A is a three-part
pattern forming a
hemisphere, rather than the elongated stripes of elements 26. Elements 26A may
provide
increased friction at the fingertip areas of projection 28 by covering more of
that area with
friction inducing material than the other areas of the body, or by using a
material with higher
frictional properties, or both.
[0025] Accordingly, aspects of an improved hand protector with friction
inducing elements
are provided. In one preferred embodiment, the protector 100 is a five-finger
glove that
includes an outer shell 22 made of a combination of Dupont Nomex and Dupont
Kevlar
and an inner lining 24 made of double-knit cotton. The outer shell is both
flame resistant and
heat resistant and protects a wearer from a temperature of 540 F. Silicon
stripes 26 are
affixed to the outer shell 22 and run laterally across the palm and the
fingers of the glove.
Fingertip friction elements 26A are also provided.
[0026] While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been
described in
detail for clarity of understanding and by way of example, a variety of
changes,
modifications, and adaptations are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art
and are
encompassed by the spirit of the invention. Hence, the scope of the present
invention is
limited solely by the appended claims.
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