Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02656300 2009-02-24
Our File: 19622P0003CA01
GLOVE ARRANGEMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a garment to be worn in snow, cold and/or wet
conditions. The
garment has a sleeve portion that extends to the wearer's elbow and a hand-
covering
portion that is removably attachable from the sleeve portion. The garment is
suited for
snow, cold and/or wet conditions for individuals including adults and
children.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is common that people, especially children of young age, tend to lose at
least one of
their gloves or mittens over the course of the winter season. This is
especially true for
people who are active, including young children. Gloves or mittens are
typically lost
when the wearer temporarily removes one or both of them to perform a task that
requires increased dexterity. After completing the task, the wearer may forget
to put
back on the glove(s) or mitten(s). Young children are particularly likely to
take off their
gloves or mittens for the same reason or because they find the glove or
mittens to be
bulky or cumbersome. Gloves or mittens may also be lost when the wearer
temporary
removes them when the wearer encounters temporary dry and/or warmer conditions
(e.g. being inside of a building).
Furthermore, many gloves or mittens that are known only provide insulation to
a
wearer's hand and wrist region from snow, cold and/or wet conditions. When an
individual is outside and active, movement of their arms may reduce the
insulation
provided to their forearm as a gap may arise between the glove and the garment
covering the individual's torso and arms.
A novel garment is therefore needed that is not prone for a wearer to lose it
and which
also provides improved insulation to the wearer's wrist and forearm.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention seeks to provide a garment comprising a sleeve portion and a
removable
hand-covering portion.
In one aspect of the present invention, it discloses a garment comprising:
(a) a hand-covering portion having a proximate end;
(b) a first fastening means located at the proximate end of the hand-covering
portion, said means extending at least partially around the circumference
of the hand-covering portion;
(c) a sleeve portion having a distal end and a proximate end; and
(d) a second fastening means engageable with the first fastening means, the
second fastening means located at the distal end of the sleeve portion
and extending at least partially around the circumference of the sleeve
portion,
wherein the hand-covering portion is attachable to the sleeve portion by
engaging the
first fastening means and the second fastening means together and completely
or
partially removable by disengaging the first fastening means and second
fastening
means.
In another aspect of the present invention, it discloses a garment for use in
snow, cold
and/or wet conditions, comprising:
(a) a hand-covering portion having a proximate end;
(b) a first fastening means located at the proximate end of the hand-covering
portion, said means extending at least partially around the circumference
of the hand-covering portion;
(c) a sleeve portion having a distal end and a proximate end, the sleeve
portion being wearable under a coat of a wearer; and
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(d) a second fastening means engageable with the first fastening means, the
second fastening means located at the distal end of the sleeve portion
and extending at least partially around the circumference of the sleeve
portion,
wherein the hand-covering portion is attachable to the sleeve portion by
engaging the
first fastening means and the second fastening means together and completely
or
partially removable by disengaging the first fastening means and second
fastening
means, and wherein neither the sleeve portion nor the hand-covering portion is
inserted
into the other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described by way of reference to the drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of a second embodiment of the invention where the
first and
second fastening means comprise a zipper;
Figure 3 is a side view of a third embodiment of the invention where the first
and
second fastening means comprise fabric hook-and-loop fasteners;
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Figure 4A and 4B show a side view of a fourth embodiment of the invention
comprising third and fourth fastening means;
Figure 5A and 5B show a side view of a fifth embodiment of the invention where
the
first and second fastening means comprise a zipper and the invention further
comprises
third and fourth fastening means; and
Figure 6 is a side view of the first embodiment showing how the invention is
incorporated on the wearer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In this description, the term "distal" refers to a location or direction
towards an
individual's hand and "proximate" refers to a location or direction towards an
individual's elbow.
Further, in this description, the term "glove" describes a type of garment
which covers
the hand of a human. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger
and the
thumb. Gloves that cover the entire hand but do not have separate finger
openings or
sheaths are called mittens. There is also a hybrid of glove and mitten which
contains
open-ended sheaths for the four fingers (as in a fingerless glove, but not the
thumb) and
also an additional compartment encapsulating the four fingers as a mitten
would. This
compartment can be lifted off the fingers and folded back to allow the
individual
fingers ease of movement and access while the hand remains covered. The usual
design
is for the mitten cavity to be stitched onto the back of the fingerless glove
only,
allowing it to be flipped over (normally held back by Velcro TM or a button)
to
transform the garment from a mitten to a glove.
Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a garment (2) that has a hand-covering portion
(4)
and a sleeve portion (6). The hand-covering portion (4) comes in a variety of
sizes to
accommodate the hand size of a respective individual. The hand-covering
portion (4)
has an outer shell (8), which is preferably composed of a waterproof material
to prevent
liquids from entering. The waterproof material is preferably leather, nylon or
similar
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synthetic materials including but not limited to polyurethane, IsotexTM,
IndraTM, Gore-
TexTM, SympatexTM, ScantexTM materials, mixtures thereof, and many more. The
hand-
covering portion (4) has an inner shell (not shown), which may be made of a
soft and
thick material. The material for the inner shell is preferably selected from
the group
consisting of polyester, fleece, soft cotton and a mixture thereof.
The hand-covering portion (4) has a restricted region (10) to hold the hand-
covering
portion (4) in place on a wearer. The restricted region (10) may extend around
the
entire circumference of the hand-covering portion (4). The restricted region
(10) is
preferably caused by elastic, pleats, or other tightening means such as using
an
engaging loop closed by a button means or fabric hook-and-loop fasteners means
such
as VelcroTM.
The hand-covering portion (4) preferably has an increased gripping zone (12)
on the
palm side of the outer shell (8).
The sleeve portion (6) comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate different
sized
individuals. The sleeve portion (6) extends approximately from the wearer's
wrist
region to their elbow and is preferably made of a tight, soft and stretchy
material. The
material for the sleeve portion (6) may be cotton. The sleeve portion (6) has
a restricted
region (14) located at its end that is proximate to the wearer's elbow. The
restricted
region (14) may extend around the entire circumference of the sleeve portion
(6). The
restricted region (14) is preferably caused by elastic and similar means.
The sleeve portion (6) preferably has a projection (16) at its proximate end
that assists a
user in pulling the sleeve portion (6) up their arm.
The hand-covering portion (4) has first fastening means (18a) located at its
proximate
end. The first fastening means (18a) preferably exists approximately one inch
from the
users wrist region towards the direction of the wearer's elbow. The first
fastening
means (18a) correspond to and are removably engagable with second fastening
means
(1 8b) located at the distal end of the sleeve portion (6). The first
fastening means (18a)
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and second fastening means (18b) extend at least partially around the
circumference of
the hand-covering portion (4) and the sleeve portion (6) respectively.
Preferably, the
first fastening means (18a) and second fastening means (18b) extend completely
around
the circumference of the hand-covering portion (4) and the sleeve portion (6)
respectively. The fastening means are preferably selected from the group
consisting of
hooks, buttons, fabric hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers and the like.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention where
the first
fastening means (18a) and second fastening means (18b) comprise zipper means.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention where
the first
fastening means (18a) and second fastening means (18b) comprise fabric hook-
and-
loop fasteners means such as VelcroTM.
Figure 4A and 4B is a prospective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention
where
the hand-covering portion (4) preferably has third fastening means (22a)
located at its
proximate end that correspond to and are removably attachable to fourth
fastening
means (22b) located at the distal end of the sleeve portion (6). The third and
fourth
fastening means (22a and 22b) prevent the hand-covering portion (4) from being
completely separated from the sleeve region (6) when the first fastening means
(18a)
and second fastening means (18b) do not extend completely around the
circumference
of the hand-covering portion (4) and the sleeve portion (6). The third and
fourth
fastening means (22a and 22b) may comprise plastic clip and corresponding loop
respectively as shown in Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4A shows the third and
fourth
fastening means (22a and 22b) not engaged and Figure 4B shows the third and
fourth
fastening means (22a and 22b) engaged. However, any fastening means that is
removably engageable would be suitable. Figure 4A and 4B provides an
illustrative
example where the sleeve portion is inserted into the hand-covering portion,
however,
the arrangement can be reversed, for example, the hand-covering portion is
inserted
into the sleeve portion, or the sleeve portion and the hand-covering portion
can be
joined by fastening means where neither portion is inserted into the other.
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Figure 5A and 5B is a prospective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention
where
the first and second fastening means comprise zipper means and the hand-
covering
portion (4) preferably has third fastening means (22a) located at its
proximate end that
correspond to and are removably attachable to fourth fastening means (22b)
located at
the distal end of the sleeve portion (6). Figure 5A and 5B provides an
illustrative
example where the sleeve portion and the hand-covering portion are joined by
fastening
means where neither portion is inserted into the other.
To use the garment (2), an individual first pulls on the sleeve portion (6)
over their arm
as shown in Figure 6. The individual may be assisted by the projection (16).
After the
sleeve portion (6) is in place, the individual puts on their regular coat
(20). The
individual then attaches the first fastening means (18a) of the hand-covering
portion (4)
to the second fastening means (18b) of the sleeve portion (6). Preferably, the
individual
then attaches the third fastening means (22a) of the hand-covering portion (4)
to the
fourth fastening means (22b) of the sleeve portion (6). When the individual
temporarily
encounters conditions that are dry and/or warm, or when the individual
requires the
precise movement of their hands, the individual disengages the first fastening
means
(18a) and second fastening means (18b). The individual then re-engages the
first
fastening means (1 8a) and second fastening means (1 8b) when they re-
encounter snow,
cold and/or wet conditions or no longer require the precise movement of their
hands.
While the hand-covering portion (4) in Figure 1 is depicted as a mitt, it is
contemplated
that the hand-covering portion (4) may have a glove configuration (not shown)
or a
combined mitt/glove configuration (not shown).
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