Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WATERPROOF TAPED GLOVE AND MITTEN WITH LAMINATED
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LEATHER
_
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention generally relates to a method of
laminating leather, which is
applied for making gloves or mittens that can be used for a variety of indoor
and outdoor
activities, especially in environments abundant with water or humidity.
BACKGROUND
[0002] One of the most important objectives of making gloves and
mittens that are
exposed to water is to ensure that they are waterproof while being breathable.
[0003] Currently in the art, gloves are most commonly
waterproofed by inserting a bag,
made of a waterproof material, into a glove. The bag is shaped according to
the glove that
contains it. Further, it is tacked at the fingertips and either sewn or glued
to the glove. This
process seals the glove in its entirety, but only on its inner side. However,
the outer layer of the
glove is made by sewing pieces of a desired material, e.g., leather, to each
other, which in turn
produces seams in the outer layer. The drawback of this method is that, as a
result, the outer
layer ceases to be waterproof at the seams and allows water to penetrate
through it and fill the
glove in the portion between the outer layer and the laminated bag.
Consequently, several
important properties of the glove made in this manner are diminished, some of
them being
breathability, weight, and the insulating and the drying capability of the
glove.
[0004] Another technique of waterproofing gloves, known in the
art, is developed to
eliminate the void between an outer layer and a waterproof membrane by
laminating the two
materials to each other in their flat form. As a result, however, this
technique tilts the balance
between the waterproof capabilities of the glove and its breathability against
the breathability of
the glove due to the direct integration of the outer layer with the membrane.
Namely, the
lamination process creates an overly robust and impermeable construction
consisting of the two
materials. Next, the laminate sheath is cut out into pieces and the pieces are
sewn together to
form a glove, inevitably producing seams in the glove. Having too many seams
further affects
the ability of the glove to allow vapor from perspiration to pass through,
because, in order for the
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glove to remain waterproof, the seams must be taped. Excessive taping
diminishes the
breathability of the glove made by this method.
[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for a leather lamination technique
for manufacturing
gloves and mittens, which ensures that they are waterproof without hindering
their breathability.
SUMMARY
[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of
laminating leather,
which is applied for making apparatus that can be used for a variety of indoor
and outdoor
activities, especially in environments abundant with water or humidity. One
example of such an
apparatus may include a dorsal section and a palmar section, wherein the
dorsal section and the
palmar section may be made of a laminate construction.
[0007] The laminate construction may include at least two materials
laminated to each
other, where a first of the at least two materials may be leather and a second
of the at least two
materials may be a waterproof breathable material. The waterproof breathable
material may
include a plurality of layers, where one of the plurality of layers may be a
waterproof membrane.
The waterproof membrane may be sandwiched between at least two other layers of
the plurality
of layers. The at least two other layers of the plurality of layers may be
made of breathable
materials. Then, the palmar section may be joined with the dorsal section.
[0008] Specifically, the palmar section and the dorsal section may be
sewn to each other
to form at least one seam, where the at least one seam may be taped to prevent
water from
penetrating through the seam. Moreover, the laminate construction may include
an adhesive
material placed between the leather material and the waterproof breathable
material, where the
adhesive material may be a dot adhesive material.
[0009] The leather material may be a natural leather material or a
synthetic leather
material, and it may be perforated.
[0010] In one example, the waterproof breathable material may be a shell
fabric
"sandwich" comprising a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a
tricot or woven
backer. In another embodiment, the waterproof breathable material may be a
soft shell fabric
"sandwich" comprising a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a
fleece or tricot
backer. Another example of the waterproof breathable material may be a "pocket-
liner" fabric
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"sandwich" comprising the waterproof membrane, and two layers of tricot or
woven backer
which may be laid above and below the waterproof membrane.
[0011] One example of a method of manufacturing hand-covering garments
may include
the steps of forming a waterproof breathable construction by sandwiching a
waterproof
membrane between at least two layers, where the at least two layers may be
made of breathable
materials, forming a laminate construction by using an adhesive material to
laminate the
waterproof breathable construction to a leather material, cutting the laminate
construction into
pieces, and sewing the pieces of the laminate construction into a hand-
covering garment.
[0012] In one embodiment, this method may include creating seams along a
line of
sewing of the pieces of the laminate construction to each other and
waterproofing the hand-
covering garment by taping said seams.
[0013] Another example of this method may further include sewing the
pieces of the
laminate construction into a glove, where the glove may be formed in a
"reverse-gunn-cut"
pattern, or, more specifically, where the glove may be formed by sewing a
dorsal section and a
palmar section to each other in a manner where the palmar section may include
a front portion of
four finger cavities other than a thumb cavity, and the dorsal section may
include a back portion
of a second and a fifth finger cavity.
[0014] One embodiment of the present invention may be a hand-covering
garment which
may include a dorsal section and a palmar section joined together, where the
dorsal section and
the palmar section may be made of a laminate construction, which may include
at least two
materials laminated to each other. A first of the at least two materials may
be leather and a
second of the at least two materials may be a waterproof breathable material.
[0015] The waterproof breathable material may include a plurality of
layers that may be
stacked on top of each other to form a "sandwich" of layers. In such
embodiment, one of the
plurality of layers may be a waterproof membrane, where the waterproof
membrane may be
sandwiched between at least two other layers of the plurality of layers, the
two layers being made
of breathable materials.
[0016] Further, the "sandwich" of layers may be one of the following: a
shell fabric
"sandwich," a soft shell fabric "sandwich," and a "pocket-liner" fabric
"sandwich." While the
shell fabric "sandwich" may comprise a face fabric layer, the waterproof
membrane, and a tricot
or woven backer, the soft shell fabric "sandwich" may include a face fabric
layer, the waterproof
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membrane, and a fleece or tricot backer. Finally, the "pocket-liner" fabric
"sandwich" may
comprise the waterproof membrane and two layers of tricot or woven backer that
may be laid
above and below the waterproof membrane.
[0017] In addition, the hand-covering garment may constitute a mitten.
Finally, the hand-
covering garment may include darts on its top portion, and the darts may
provide a pre-curve fit
at the top portion of the garment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The present invention will become more fully understood from the
detailed
description given below and from the accompanying drawings. The drawings are
intended to
disclose but a few possible examples of the present invention, and thus do not
limit the present
invention's scope.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows one example of leather laminating where an adhesive
material is
used to laminate a leather material to a waterproof breathable material;
[0020] FIG. 2 shows one example of leather laminating where a waterproof
breathable
material is sandwiched between two layers prior to being laminated to a
leather material;
[0021] FIG. 3 shows one example of a long-gauntlet that is manufactured
by sewing
pieces of a laminate including a leather material and a waterproof breathable
material;
[0022] FIG. 4 shows one example of a short-gauntlet, i.e. under-cuff
glove that is
manufactured by sewing pieces of a laminate including a leather material and a
waterproof
breathable material;
[0023] FIG. 5 shows one example of a mitten manufactured by sewing pieces
of a
laminate of a leather material and a waterproof breathable material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The present invention generally relates to a method of laminating
leather, which
may be applied for making gloves or mittens that can be used for a variety of
indoor and outdoor
activities, especially in environments abundant with water or humidity. While
a preferred
example of laminating leather is described in detail below, a construction in
accordance with the
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present invention may be used in a broad range of products, such as indoor and
outdoor
garments, as well a variety of gloves, mittens and other apparel and
accessories.
[0025] One example of laminating leather in accordance with the present
invention is
shown in FIG. 1, where laminate 100 construction is described. The laminate
100 may include
three materials arranged on top of each other in their flat form: leather 101,
which may constitute
an outer layer of the laminate 100, waterproof breathable material (WPB) 102,
which may be an
inner element of the laminate 100 construction, and adhesive 103, which may be
placed between
the leather 101 and the WPB 102. The function of the adhesive 103 may be to
attach the leather
101 to the WPB 102 in a high-temperature environment, when the laminate 100
may be formed
as a result.
[0026] One of the advantages of laminating the leather 101 to the WPB 102
is that the
end product, the laminate 100, may constitute a waterproof leather
construction, i.e., a material
which may prevent water from penetrating through the leather 101 and from
being accumulated
between the leather 101 and the WPB 102. Joining the two materials in this
manner may improve
breathability, weight, and the insulating and the drying capability of a
garment made of the
laminate 100, as compared to the existing technologies, for the reasons that
will be discussed in
detail.
[0027] A material used for the leather 101 may be a natural leather
material, for example,
goat, cow, pig, or sheep leather, or any other leather material deemed
suitable for making leather
garments. Further, the material used for the leather 101 may be any synthetic
leather material
including, but not limited to, synthetic suede or rubber. Moreover, leather
101 may be vented, or
perforated, in order to increase the overall vapor permeability of the
laminate 100 compared to
existing lamination technologies. On the other hand, in instances where
waterproof properties are
preferred to breathability, non-perforated leather may be applied.
[0028] Moreover, the adhesive 103 may constitute a film adhesive, or it
may be a dot
adhesive, illustrated in FIG. 1. Applying dot adhesive material improves
breathability of the
laminate 100 in comparison with existing lamination technologies, due to
intermittent placement
of glue within the adhesive material.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the WPB 102 may include three layers: membrane
204, and
two additional layers which may sandwich the membrane 204. A material used for
the membrane
204 may be waterproof, which may render the entire WPB 102 construction
impenetrable to
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water. In addition, the other two layers of the WPB 102 may be made of
materials that may
enhance the breathability of the WPB 102. Namely, sandwiching the membrane 204
between
two such materials may place a layer in-between the membrane 204 and the
leather 101, which
may allow vapor from perspiration to pass through, without diminishing the
waterproof
properties of the WPB 102, and consequently, the laminate 100.
[0030] In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2(a), the WPB 102 may
constitute shell
fabric "sandwich" (SFS) 205 construction, which may include the membrane 204,
face fabric
(FF) 206, and tricot or woven backer (TWB) 207. The FF 206 may be made of any
material
deemed suitable for permeating vapor. Moreover, the FF 206 may be made of
nylon, polyester,
or any other synthetic material. In one example, the FF 206 may be used as an
interface between
the WPB 102 and the leather 101, joined together to form the laminate 100.
[0031] In another embodiment, depicted in FIG. 2(b), the WPB 102 may
constitute soft
shell fabric "sandwich" (SSFS) 208 construction, which may include the
membrane 204, the FF
206, and fleece or tricot backer (FTB) 209. The FF 206 of this embodiment may
be made of any
material deemed suitable for allowing vapor from perspiration to pass through.
In addition, the
FF 206 of the SSFS 208 may be used as an interface between the WPB 102 and the
leather 101,
joined together to construct the laminate 100.
[0032] In yet another example, shown in FIG. 2(c), the WPB 102 may
constitute "pocket-
liner" fabric "sandwich" (PLFS) 210 construction, which may include the
membrane 204 and
two TWB 207 layers laid over and under the membrane 204. One of the two TWB
207 layers
may be used as an interface between the WPB 102 and the leather 101, joined
together to form
the laminate 100.
[0033] Next, the laminate 100 may be cut into pieces to manufacture a
variety of
garments. In comparison with the existing technologies, a garment made of such
material shows
improved durability, because the inserted layer protects the membrane 204 in
case of
delamination.
[0034] In one of the examples shown in FIG. 3(a), the laminate 100 may be
used to form
long-gauntlet (LG) glove 300, by sewing together pieces of the laminate 100.
As a result, seams
311 may form along lines where the pieces of the laminate join. Thus, in order
to maintain the
LG glove 300 fully waterproof, the seams 311 may be taped with a waterproof
tape (not shown
in the drawing).
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[0035] Moreover, assembling the LG glove 300 by using as few
pieces of the laminate
100 as possible may be desirable, in order for fewer seams 311 to be created,
resulting in fewer
paths for water to pass through the LG glove 300. Accordingly, less tape would
need to be used
=
to tape the seams 311, which would, in turn, enhance the breathability of the
glove, considering
the general characteristic of taping materials to block the vapor from passing
through. In one
embodiment, a "reverse-gunn-cut" pattern may be applied to minimize the number
of the pieces
used for manufacturing the LG glove 300, as illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0036] The "reverse-gunn-cut" pattern may be created by sewing
dorsal section 312 to
palmar section 313. In one example, the dorsal section 312 may include a
backside of the second
and the fifth finger cavities of the LG glove 300, and the palmar section 313
may incorporate
front portions of all four finger cavities of the LG glove 300, not counting a
thumb cavity.
Sewing the dorsal section 312 to the palmar section 313 may be performed along
a single seam,
i.e. lateral seam 314, thereby minimizing the number of seams created. Next,
back middle
portion 315 may be joined with the palmar section 313 and the dorsal section
312 along knuckle
seam 316. Further, inner thumb section 317 may be sewn to outer thumb section
318 and the
construction of the two may be attached to the remainder of the LG glove 300.
Subsequently, all
the seams may be taped, in order to preserve the waterproof capabilities of
the LG glove 300. On
the other hand, the seams of the "reverse-gunn-cut" pattern may remain not
taped, and this
construction may be built with a traditional insert construction. Finally, the
"reverse-gunn-cut"
pattern may be made with no insert at all.
[0037] One of the advantages of this glove manufacturing pattern,
in addition to limiting
the number of seams in a glove, may be that, in comparison with a regular
"gunn-cut" pattern,
known in the art, gloves made in the "reverse-gunn-cut" pattern may be more
comfortable and
more durable. Namely, by reversing the gunn-cut pattern, the middle portion
315 may be
attached to a base of the LG glove 300 at the knuckles area, and not at a
palmar crease area, in
contrast with the regular "gunn-cut" pattern. Thus, when an object is held
while wearing the LG
glove 300, the seam attaching the middle portion 315 may not be located in a
grab area of the LG
glove 300, and, thus, it would neither interfere with the bending motion of
the fingers, nor be
placed in a direct contact with the grabbed object. As a result, the "reverse-
gunn-cut" pattern
may reduce tearing of the LG glove 300 at the seam, and it may also render the
glove 300 more
comfortable to wear.
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[0038] One embodiment of the current invention may include darts
319 at the middle
_ .
knuckle of each finger. Such feature of the LG glove 300 may further improve
its durability,
because it may prevent puckering of taped areas of the LG glove 300 by
providing a pre-curve fit
at finger cavities.
[0039] In another example, illustrated in FIG. 4, laminate 100
may be used to form short-
gauntlet (SG) glove 400, by sewing together pieces of the laminate 100. The SG
glove 400 may
be under-cuff, i.e. shortened around the wrist area.
[0040] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment that may prioritize thermal
insulation and
breathability related benefits of a hand-cover garment made of the laminate
100 over its
functionality and over the tactile sense that the garment permits to the
fingers. In one of the
examples of the present invention, pieces of the laminate 100 may be sewn
together to form
mitten 500. The mitten 500 may contain four fingers in a same cavity, thereby
further decreasing
the number of seams needed to manufacture it. Namely, the mitten 500 may omit
the middle
portion 315 depicted in FIG. 3(b), and, thus, the knuckle seam 316 may be
eliminated.
Consequently, the taping of the seams may be reduced, which may, in turn,
increase the
breathability of the mitten 500. Moreover, by containing four fingers
together, the mitten 500
may expose less area surface of the fingers to the garment, thereby decreasing
heat exchange
between the fingers and the surrounding environment.
[0041] In one embodiment, darts 524 may be created in back
portion 525 of the mitten
500. Such feature of the mitten 500 may further improve its durability,
because it may prevent
puckering of taped areas of the mitten 500 by providing a pre-curve fit at a
top portion of the
mitten 500.
[0042] Finally, similarly to the glove embodiments discussed
above, the mitten 500 may
be either a long-gauntlet mitten or an under-cuff mitten, shortened around the
wrist area.
[0043] While various embodiments have been described, other
embodiments are
plausible. It should be understood that the foregoing descriptions of various
examples of using
laminated leather to manufacture gloves or mittens are not intended to be
limiting, and any
number of modifications, combinations, and alternatives of the examples may be
employed.
[0044] The examples described herein are merely illustrative, as
numerous other
embodiments may be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present
invention. Moreover, while certain features of the invention may be described
above only in the
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context of certain examples or configurations, these features may be
exchanged, added, and
removed from and between the various embodiments or configurations while
remaining within
. the scope of the invention.
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