Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ELASTOMERIC HAND AND FOOT PROTECTOR
RELATED APPLICTION
This application claims the benefit of co-pending US Provisional Patent
Application
Serial Number 60/670,769 filed April 13, 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
A protective hand glove, foot protector or knuckle protector made of an
elastomeric
material that provides protection to the tops of the hand, fingers, knuckles
or soles of the foot
for sports which require contact with those parts of the body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the field of protective hand gloves or foot protectors
that can be
used for both sports activities or in a work situation. For sports these hand
and foot
protectors may be use for boxing or the martial arts. In industry and work
environments,
these protectors can be used to prevent abrasions, lacerations, blistering and
impact injuries.
The gloves protect the wear's hand as it strikes training targets or
opponents. The foot
protector shields the wearer's foot as it strikes training targets or
opponents.
Traditionally boxing gloves contained a layer of padding. This padding is
intended to
be a protective cushion to prevent damage to the boxer's hand as he strikes
training targets or
another boxer. The padding is also used to prevent damage to the boxer's
opponent when
they are hit. The amount, type and quantity of padding vary from a small
amount in the case
of bag gloves, which merely protect the skin of the boxer's hand during
training with
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punching bags. A greater amount of larger and thicker padding is used for
training gloves to
maximize cushioning and to prevent damage. An intermediate amount of padding
is used for
gloves that are used in boxing matches. The composition of the padding is
typically
polyfoam, polyvinyl chloride closed cell and open cell layers and hair
substances such as
horsehair. Typical outer shell surface layer of the glove is a soft but
durable vinyl or leather.
These types of gloves are expensive and in many training situations a
relatively
inexpensive glove, which provides good protection to the hand is desired.
Common
fingerless gloves can be seen in US Patents 3,994,025 and 5,781,928. An
example of a
boxing glove can be seen in US Patent 5,781,928. In co-pending PCT Patent
Application No.
PCT/US 06/08874, designating the US, filed March 14, 2006 by M. Shelton; it is
known to
use combinations of styrenic blocked copolymers and oils to create fishing
lures.
In boxing with bag training, both heavy and speed, the person doing the
training often
wraps their hand for protection. This is also done in the martial arts where
both feet and
hands are wrapped. This wrapping takes time. What is need is a protective hand
glove or
foot covering made of a resilient material, which offers good protection and
is easy to put on
and take off.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention is drawn to a protective hand glove made of an
elastomeric
composition, which comprises a mitten having an orifice in the bottom adapted
for the
engagement of a thumb. This mitten is made from a styrenic block copolymer and
oil. The
styrenic block copolymer and oil have a Shore 00 hardness of greater than or
equal to 6.
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The instant invention is also drawn to a foot protector of an elastomeric
composition,
which comprises a moccasin having an orifice in the top adapted for the
engagement of a
foot. This moccasin is made from a styrenic block copolymer and oil. The
styrenic block
copolymer and oil have a Shore 00 hardness of greater than or equal to 6.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing will become more readily apparent by referring to the following
detailed description and the appended drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a top view of a protective hand glove.
Figure 2 is a bottom view of a protective hand glove.
Figure 3 is a rear view of a protective hand glove taken generally along lead
lines 3-3
of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a protective hand
glove.
Figure 5 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of a protective hand
glove.
Figure 6 is a rear view of an alternative embodiment of a protective hand
glove taken
generally along lead lines 6-6 of Figure 4.
Figure 7 is a side view of a protective foot moccasin.
Figure 8 the top view of the protective foot moccasin.
Figure 9 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a protective foot
moccasin.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention is drawn to a protective hand glove, foot protector or
knuckle
protector made of an elastomeric composition. This glove is to be used for
training for
boxing or the martial arts where the wearer's hand will come in contact with
an opponent or a
training target. The protective hand glove is comprised of a mitten 10, Figure
1, which has an
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orifice 15, Figure 2, in the bottom 20 adapted for the engagement of a thumb.
The mitten 10
in one embodiment has a top 25, a bottom 20, a closed finger end 30, an open
wrist end 35,
and an orifice 15 for the thumb. The open wrist end 35, Figure 3, has a hand
orifice 40. The
mitten is configured so that the thumb from either hand will fit through the
thumb orifice 15.
Each glove will fit on either the left or right hand.
In another embodiment, a knuckle protector is provided, Figure 4. The knuckle
protector 45, Figure 4, is comprised of a first element 50 adapted to cover
knuckles of a hand
and a second element 55, Figure 5, affixed to the first element 50. The
knuckle protector is
worn so that the second element 55 is positioned high on the palm and adapted
to secure the
first element 50 to cover the knuckles and fore fingers of the hand. If the
knuckle protector
45 is increased in size it can also be worn over the knee as a protective knee
pad. This device
could also be worn on the foot to provide a padded strike surface in martial
art training
applications.
In another embodiment the foot can also be protected by using a protective
moccasin
60, Figure 7, made of the elastomeric material. This moccasin 60 has a top 65
and a bottom
70 with an orifice 75 into which the foot can be inserted. The moccasin 60 has
a heel cover
80 but may also be configured without a heel 85 as shown by another embodiment
90, Figure
9. This moccasin can be worn with bare feet, socks or as a protective coving
over one's
shoes.
In one embodiment of the invention, the top 25 of the mitten 10 or the first
element 50
of the knuckle protector 45 can be configured thicker than the bottom 20 or
the second
element 55. This configuration will provide additional protection to the
knuckles, of the
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wearer's hand. Additionally the moccasin 60 can be configured so that the
bottom 70 has
additional padding for protection of the foot.
The protective hand glove, foot protector or the knuckle protector in one
embodiment
is made of a blend of a styrenic blocked copolymer with an excess of oil. This
composition
gives the article unique padding properties. These compositions also act as a
good insulator
and can be used to keep feet and hands warm in cold conditions or cool in warm
conditions.
These gloves transmit more energy to the intended target than normal foam or
horsehair
padded gloves, while still providing sufficient protection to the wearer's
hand. Additionally
the glove, knuckle protector and foot protector can be slipped on and take
off, in a faction of
the time than would be required to properly wrap these areas for training.
This elastomeric composition maybe a mixture of a styrenic block copolymer and
an
oil. The styrenic block copolymers are thermoplastic elastomers. Their
structure normally
consists of a block of a rigid styrene on each end with a rubbery phase in the
center. Styrenic
block copolymers include, but are not limited to, SBS (styrene butadiene
styrene), SIS
(styrene-isoprene-styrene), SEPS (styrene ethylene/propylene styrene), SEBS
(styrene
ethylene/butylene styrene), and SEEPS (styrene ethylene/ethylene-propylene-
styrene).
These styrenic block copolymers are commercially available from, for example,
SEPTON Company of America, Pasadena, Texas and Kraton Polymers, Houston,
Texas.
Exemplary SEPTON (US) products include SEPTON 4055 (SEEPS), SEPTON 8006
(SEBS), and SEPTON 2006 (SEPS). Exemplary Kraton (US) products include KRATON
1651 (SEBS).
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The copolymer component of the composition may comprise a single copolymer or
a
mixture of copolymers. If a single copolymer is used, SEBS works well,
although other
single copolymers could be used. If a mixture of copolymers is used, SEEPS and
SEBS or
SEPS/SEBS combinations work well. Elastomeric compositions made with SEBS
alone
provide good elastic and tear resistance properties, but mixtures may provide
superior elastic
and tear resistant properties. In the mixtures, in one embodiment the SEEPS
component may
be a major component. Exemplary copolymer component for a mixture formulation
include
0-28% SEEPS, 0-28% SEBS, 0-28% SEPS, 0-28% SBS and 0-28% SIS.
The oil refers to a mineral oil. The oil is mixed with the styrenic block
copolymer so
that the oil is in excess of the styrenic block copolymer used. The oil used
can have any
viscosity. It has been found that the use of an oil, which has a viscosity
from 1 - 120 cPs at
40 C, works well in this application. Such oils are commercially available
from, for
example, Crompton Corporation (Witco Refined Products), Greenwich,
Connecticut.
Exemplary oils include: BLANDOL white mineral oil, and SEMTOL white mineral
oil. It
has been learned that use of two different oils, which each have a different
viscosity can be
used to reduce tack in the styrenic copolymer article. What is needed is to
use an excess of
oil with a lower viscosity to the oil with the greater viscosity.
The elastomeric compositions used in these protective hand gloves need to be
both
tear resistant and elastic. The compositions are not so soft as to be tacky or
easily defomied.
The elastomeric compositions can be stretched several times their original
length. The
compositions should be relatively soft, but provide plenty of protection to
the wearer's hand.
The elastomeric composition, in one embodiment, has a Shore 00 hardness
greater than or
equal to 6. In another embodiment of the invention, the elastomeric
composition has a Shore
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00 hardness greater than or equal to 10. In another embodiment of the
invention, the
elastomeric composition has a Shore 00 hardness greater than or equal to 15.
In another
embodiment of the invention, the elastomeric composition has a Shore 00
hardness greater
than or equal to 20. While these composition may have an upper end of a Shore
00 of 60 or
greater, generally these compositions have an upper end of less than or equal
to Shore 00 of
35. It has been found that the styrenic bloclc copolymer in the range of 20 to
35 Shore 00
work well. A range of 15 to 35 Shore 00 provides good results. The range of 6
to 20 Shore
00 provides very good results. The Shore hardness is measured with an
apparatus known as
a Durometer and consequently is also known as 'Durometer hardness'. The
hardness value is
determined by the penetration of the Durometer indenter foot into the sample.
Because of the
resilience of rubbers and plastics, the indentation reading my change over
time - so the
indentation time is sometimes reported along with the hardness number. The
ASTM test
method designation is ASTM D2240 00 and is generally used in North America.
Related
methods include ISO 7619 and ISO 868; DIN 53505; and JIS K 6301, which was
discontinued and superseded by JIS K 6253. The results obtained from this test
are a useful
measure of relative resistance to indentation of various grades of polymers.
In order to obtain a composition, which has the desired Durometer readings the
oil in
the elastomeric composition is 72 to 88 % by weight of the elastomeric
composition. The
styrenic block copolymer makes up from 12 to 28% by weight of the elastomeric
composition. It should be noted that this composition may contain up to 2% of
other
additives by weight.
Other additives that might be used are other conventional additives. Such
additives
include: UV-stabilizer, heat-stabilizer, pigments, dyes, and the like. An
example of a heat
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stabilizer or oxidation inhibitor is Endex 160 a hydrocarbon resin which is
available from
Eastman Chemical Company. An example of a UV-stabilizer is Tinuvin available
from Ciba
specialties chemicals. An example of an anti-oxidant is Iriganox HP2215FF
available from
Ciba specialties chemicals.
In another embodiment of the invention the elastomeric composition may further
comprise color. This color can be created from pigments, dyes, colorants,
micas, glitter or
other similar compounds used to impart color to a molded piece.
Examples
In the tables below are some examples of formulations for elastomeric
compositions,
which have a Shore 00 durometer measurement in the range of 6 to 31.
Component/sample# A B C D
Oil 84% 83% 82% 81%
SEEPS 7% 7% 7% 9%
SEPS 3% 3% 3% 2%
SEBS 4% 4% 6% 6%
Other additives 2% 2% 2% 2%
Total 100 100 100 100
Durometer 10 12 15 18
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Component/sample# E F G H
Oil 88% 81% 82% 82%
SEEPS 4% 0% 6% 0%
SEBS 7% 19% 11% 17%
SEBS 1% 0% 1% 0%
Other additives 0% 0% 0% <.1 %
Total 100 100 100 100
Durometer 6.6 18.2 15.9 14.8
Component/sample# I
Oil 76%
SEEPS 13%
SEPS 1%
SEBS 9%
Other additives 0.6%
Total 100
Durometer 30.5
In Example J 21% of oil A was mixed with 62% of oil B and 5% SEEPS and 17%
SEBS to form 18.14 Kg of material which had a Shore 00 durometer of 12.3. In
this
example, oil A had a higher viscosity than Oil B.
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