Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02676341 2009-08-21
GLOVE WITH FINGERNAIL PROTECTORS
FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates generally to gloves, and more
particularly
to gloves with protector pads positioned in the fingernail regions of the
glove to
protect a wearer's fingernails. The protector pads provide protection for the
fingernails without reducing the flexibility in the remainder of the glove or
reducing the wearer's manual dexterity.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A person's fingertips and fingernails are susceptible to damage when
performing manual tasks. Some types of manual work can be particularly hard on
the fingers and fingernails. These can include, for example, gardening, yard
work, cleaning, household chores, home repair and renovations, and moving
furniture and other large or heavy objects. Therefore people often wear
protective
gloves to protect their hands, fingers and fingernails. However, existing
gloves
can still damage the fingernails of a wearer. For example, the inner surface
of the
glove can rub and chafe against the nail thereby scratching, abrading or
chipping
the nail. Such damage is particularly undesirable where the wearer wishes to
preserve a coating of nail polish or the effects of a manicure.
[0003] Most existing protective gloves do not provide specific protection for
the wearer's fingernails. However, even the gloves that do provide additional
fingernail or fingertip protection suffer from a number of drawbacks. In some
gloves, the additional protection is located on the outer surface of the
glove.
Although some protection is provided, such exterior protection does not
prevent
the fingernails of the wearer from rubbing or scraping against the inside
surface
of the glove. In other gloves, the protection is positioned on the inside of
the
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glove. However, in some gloves this protection fails to protect the delicate
surface of the fingernails. In other gloves, the internal protection
substantially or
completely encases the fingertip, which reduces the flexibility of the glove
fingers
and the wearer's manual dexterity.
[0004] It can therefore be appreciated that a need exists for a glove that
provides protection for the fingernails without reducing the flexibility in
the
remainder of the glove or reducing the wearer's manual dexterity or sense of
touch.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present disclosure provides a glove that addresses the problems
described above. In particular, the present glove comprises protector pads
positioned in the fingernail regions of the glove to protect a wearer's
fingernails.
The protector pads prevent the fingernails from contacting the inner surface
of
the glove and also provide an additional layer of material to protect the
nails. The
protector pads can be made of a soft or smooth material so as not to scrape,
abrade or otherwise damage the nails, and to provide a protective cushion for
the
nails. The positioning of the protector pads in the fingernail regions of the
glove
provide protection for the nails without reducing the flexibility in the
remainder of
the glove or reducing the wearer's manual dexterity.
[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a glove,
comprising
a palm portion, a back portion, a plurality of flexible finger stalls
extending
outwardly from the palm and back portions, each finger stall having an inner
surface, an outer surface, and a fingernail region, and protector pads
disposed in
the fingernail region of the finger stalls, the protector pads having a
contact
portion that is exposed to a wearer's fingernail and is positioned and
dimensioned to prevent a wearer's fingernail from contacting the inner surface
of
the glove.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The present disclosure will be better understood having regard to the
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the back side of one embodiment of the
glove;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the palm side of the embodiment shown
in Figure 1;
Figure 3A is a sectional side view of one of the finger stalls of at least one
embodiment of the glove;
Figure 3B is a sectional side view of one of the finger stalls of the
embodiment shown in Figure 3B with a wearer's finger inserted;
Figure 4 is a sectional top view of one of the finger stalls of at least one
embodiment of the glove; and
Figure 5 is a sectional side view of one of the finger stalls of another
embodiment of the glove.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] The present glove is described in one embodiment in the following
description with reference to the Figures. While the described embodiment is
in
the form of a work glove, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended
to
be limited to work gloves. The present glove can be used for other
applications
and in other fields, including but not limited to safety gloves, protective
gloves,
cleaning gloves, sports gloves, cold weather gloves, and winter gloves.
[0009] The various features and components of the present glove are now
described with reference to the Figures.
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[0010] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in at least one embodiment, the glove 10
comprises a palm portion 22, a back portion 24, a wrist portion 26, and a
plurality
of finger stalls 30 extending outwardly from the palm and back portions 22,
24.
As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, each finger stall 30 comprises an inner surface
34, an outer surface 36, and a fingernail region 32 on the back side of and at
the
distal end of the stall 30. The fingernail region 32 is further identified as
the area
encircled by broken line A in Figure 1 and broken line B in Figure 3A.
[0011] As illustrated in Figures 3A and 3B, in at least one embodiment the
protector pad 40 is disposed on the inside of each finger stall 30 at the
fingernail
region 32. The protector pad 40 prevents a wearer's fingernail, and in
particular
the surface of the fingernail, from contacting the inner surface 34 of the
glove 10.
The contact portion 42 of the protector pad 40 is the area of the pad that is
exposed to and contacts a wearer's fingernail. The contact portion 42 can be
non-abrasive so as not to damage the finger or the nail. In the absence of a
protector pad 40, the wearer's fingernail can rub and chafe against the inner
surface 34 of the glove, which can scratch, scuff or abrade the nail.
[0012] Having regard to Figures 3A, 3B, 4 and 5, each protector pad 40 can
be dimensioned to prevent an average wearer's fingernail from contacting the
inner surface 34 of the finger stall 30. In at least one embodiment, the pad
40
does not extend beyond the finger nail region 32, which is also identified as
the
area encircled by broken line A in Figure 1 and broken line B in Figure 3A. In
addition, the protector pad 40 can be of a thickness sufficient to provide
cushioning and protection for the fingernail, but not so thick that it makes
the
finger stalls 30 bulky or hinders a wearer's manual dexterity.
[0013] The contact portion 42 of the protector pad 40 is non-abrasive so as
not to scratch or otherwise damage the nail. The protector "pad 40 can be made
of a smooth or soft, and flexible material for absorbing an impact and for
providing comfort for the fingernail and fingertip. As illustrated in Figure
5, in at
least one embodiment, the protector pad 40 comprises a multi-layer
construction,
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comprising at least a contact layer 44 and a cushion layer 46, wherein at
least
part of the contact layer 44 constitutes the contact portion 42 of the pad 40
and is
therefore exposed to a wearer's fingernail. The contact layer 44 is disposed
in
the interior of the stall 30. As illustrated in Figure 5, in at least one
embodiment,
the cushion layer 46 is disposed on the exterior of the finger stall 30 so not
to
reduce the area in the fingernail region 32 of the stall 30 for a wearer's
finger, or
to otherwise interfere with a wearer's finger. The protector pad 40 can
further
comprise an outer layer 48 on the exterior of the stall 30 for covering and
protecting the cushion layer 46. The cushion layer 46 can be positioned
between
the outer surface of the finger stall 30 and the outer layer 48 of the pad 40.
[0014] The contact portion 42 of the protector pad 40 can be constructed of a
smooth or soft material that is non-abrasive so as not damage the nail. The
contact portion 42 can be made of polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton, wool, or
any
other suitable material known in the art. The cushion layer 46 can be soft and
flexible for absorbing an impact and for providing comfort for the fingernail
and
fingertip, and can be made of a sponge-like or foam-like material, or any
other
suitable material.
[0015] The glove 10 itself, meaning the palm and back portions 22, 24, and
the finger stalls 30, can be constructed of any suitable material or materials
known in the art, whether natural or synthetic, which include but are not
limited to
fabrics, rubber, latex, leather, or synthetic leather. In at least one
embodiment,
the glove 10 is made of synthetic materials that are breathable and water
resistant. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, in at least one embodiment, the
palm
portion 22 and the back portion 24 can be composed of different materials. For
example, the palm portion 22 can be made of a durable material, such as
leather
or synthetic leather, and the back portion 24 of a more flexible and
breathable
material, such as polyester.
[0016] As illustrated in Figure 2, the outer surface of the palm portion 22 of
the glove 10 can comprise a friction-enhancing surface. This surface can be
any
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suitable friction-enhancing surface known in the art. However, in at least one
embodiment, the outer surface of the palm portion 22 comprises a plurality of
protuberances 60, which can be made of silicon, rubber, vinyl, polyvinyl
chloride
(PVC) or any other suitable friction-enhancing material.
[0017] Furthermore, the glove 10 can comprise means to secure it to a
wearer's hand or wrist, or to otherwise provide a tighter fit. As shown in
Figures
1 and 2, in at least one embodiment, the glove 10 can comprise a pair of
straps
52, 54, which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the wrist portion 26 of
the
glove 10. The free ends of the straps 52, 54 can be coupled together using a
hook and loop fastener such as Velcro , or using any other suitable means
known in the art. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that a
different number of straps can be used. In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the
glove 10 can comprise an elastic tensioner 58 disposed in or on the wrist
portion
26 of the glove 10 to effect a better fit on the wearer's hand and wrist.
[0018] The previous detailed description is provided to enable any person
skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications
to
those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and
the
generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without
departing from the spirit or scope of the invention described herein. Thus,
the
present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown
herein,
but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein
reference
to an element in the singular, such as by'use of the article "a" or "an" is
not
intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather
"one or more". All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of
the
various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that are known or
later
come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be
encompassed by the elements of the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein
is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such
disclosure is
explicitly recited in the claims.
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