Patent Application
20230105952
The inventive subject matter disclosed herein is generally directed to gloves. It is particularly directed to an ergonomic design for utility gloves assembled from a set of parts.
Gloves intended to provide user's hands with a protective covering against work or environmental risks are typically made from durable materials like leather, canvas, and other tough, synthetic, and natural materials that can protect the hands substantially better than the bare hands of the user or better than lightweight materials like single ply rubber, plastic, or cotton. Less durable materials like rubber can be easily manufactured as a unitary structure that conforms well to a user's hands during use. Unfortunately, such lightweight materials are not durable and may easily tear during anything more than light use. More durable and rugged material like leather and canvas cannot be formed into a unitary, hand-conforming glove structure. They must be formed into parts and assembled into the finished glove. There are many significant drawbacks to forming gloves from multiple parts, including that they consequently involve more manufacturing steps and costs; they create seam lines or joint lines that affect comfort, performance, and fit; creating a hand-conforming, three-dimensional structure from flat parts has challenges, and the more parts that are used, the more prone a glove can be to failure.
A key area for glove comfort fit and performance is the web of soft tissue between the thumb and index finger, which may also be referred to herein as the “crotch area.” That finger area provides a substantial portion of a hand's grip and dexterity.
However, conventional gloves, particularly those made of more durable and rugged materials are assembled in ways that impede those functions and comfort. They may include seam lines in the crotch area that affect comfort or durability; and they may impede flexion of the fingers by being stiff or bulky. Stiff or bulky materials also affect comfort. In view of the foregoing disadvantages in conventional utility gloves, an improved, ergonomic construction is needed for the crotch area between the thumb and index finger.
The inventive subject matter overcomes these and other problems in the prior art. The solutions are reflected in at least the following, non-limiting set of exemplary embodiments.
In certain embodiments, the inventive subject matter is directed to a glove assembled from plurality of parts, particularly flat parts, at least one part being a thumb-crotch part that is configured to span an area from the base of the index finger on the side facing the thumb to the base of the thumb on the side facing the index finger so as to cover the ridged webbing of soft tissue between those fingers.
The glove may include a flat dorsum-side part assembled to the palm side part, the assembled parts configured to receive at least a palm and dorsum of the user's hand. In the glove, a palm-side part and a dorsum part may each include one or more finger portions that join to define finger coverings. In the glove, a plurality of fourchettes may be joined to the palm-side and dorsum side parts that join to the finger portions to define a plurality of finger receivers.
In the glove, one or more of the finger receivers may be configured to partially cover a corresponding finger. In the glove, the palm-side part and the thumb-crotch part may each be a durable material, and the dorsum part may be a different material that is a relatively lighter weight, stretchier, and/or more breathable material.
In the glove, the palm-side part may be configured to be substantially free of material in the area where the thumb-crotch part is configured to cover the ridged web of soft tissue between the forefinger and the thumb. In the glove, the palm-side part may be leather. In the glove, the thumb-crotch part may be leather. In the glove, the palm-side part may be leather and the dorsum-side part may be a knit or woven textile. In the glove, at least one crotch part may be configured to cover a palm side of the ridged web of soft tissue. In the glove, at least one crotch part may be configured to cover a dorsum side of the ridged web of soft tissue. In the glove, the assembled first and second crotch parts may be configured to collectively cover both the dorsum and palm side of the ridged web of soft tissue. In the glove, the crotch part may be configured to extend above the ridged web of material to the tip of the thumb on the dorsum side of the thumb.
In certain embodiments, the inventive subject matter is directed to a method of making a glove that includes the steps of providing a plurality of flat parts and assembling them together to form the glove. The parts include at least a palm-side part configured to cover a user's palm, and at least a first thumb crotch part that is disposable between a forefinger receiver and thumb receiver in the glove. The thumb crotch part are configured to substantially cover and correspond to at least one side of the ridged web of soft tissue between the forefinger and thumb. The parts are assembled so that the thumb-crotch part is joined to the palm-side part so that it substantially covers and corresponds to at least a first side of the ridged web of soft tissue between the forefinger and thumb.
In the method, the steps may further include providing a second thumb-crotch part and joining it to the palm-side part and/or the first thumb crotch part, the second thumb-crotch part being configured and assembled to substantially cover and correspond to a second side of the ridged web of soft tissue between the forefinger and thumb. In the method, the steps may further include providing a dorsum-side part and assembling to other of the aforesaid parts to define a hand receiver for the glove.
These and other embodiments are described in more detail in the following detailed descriptions and the figures.
The following is a description of various inventive lines under the inventive subject matter. The appended claims, as originally filed in this document or as subsequently amended, are hereby incorporated into this Summary section as if written directly in. The foregoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list of embodiments and features of the inventive subject matter; persons skilled in the art can appreciate other embodiments and features from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.
The appended figures show embodiments according to the inventive subject matter unless noted as showing prior art.
Representative embodiments according to the inventive subject matter are shown in
The inventive subject matter may be applied to a range of utility gloves, including gloves for work or safety; outdoor gloves for protection from the elements; sports gloves like ski gloves or baseball batting gloves; etc. The gloves may take a range of forms, e.g., full, five-fingered gloves, and mittens or mitten-like gloves with a separate receiving area for the thumb and one or more other receiving areas for multiple fingers.
As used herein, a “user” or “wearer” is the person for whom a glove is sized and shaped to fit. For example, if the glove is a standard size medium, it is intended for someone with a medium-sized hand.
The parts shown in
In addition to cutting, the flat parts can be formed into intended shapes from any other known techniques, including, for example, molding (e.g., injection of compression molding, knitting, weaving, and printing. The parts may be formed from pliable materials. For example, they may be made of textile materials (e.g., wovens and knits) or non-textile materials (e.g., plastics, rubbers, leathers (natural or synthetic), felt and other matted materials, polymer membranes, metallic foils, etc.).
As is well known in the art, the parts can have one or more plies or layers to impart desired properties, e.g., moisture absorption, waterproofness and/or breathability, durability, fireproofness, grippiness, etc. The layers can also define cavities for receiving insulative materials like down or other fill elements, foam, batting, etc.
More particularly, the inventive subject matter is directed to a glove assembled from a plurality of flat parts, at least one part being a thumb-crotch part that is configured to span an area from the base of the index finger on the side facing the thumb to the base of the thumb on the side facing the index finger so as to cover the ridged webbing of soft tissue between those fingers.
In anatomical terms, the thumb crotch part or parts are arranged to cover the gap or crotch 2 formed just above the trapezoid and tubercle of trapezium bones of the thumb-index finger gap. Another way to describe the coverage is that the crotch parts generally are configured to cover between the index finger and thumb, namely (1) the first dorsal interosseus muscles on the dorsum side; and (2) the head of the adductor pollicis muscles on the palm side. This crotch area 2 may also be described as a ridged web of soft tissue spanning between the forefinger and thumb.
By using a discrete part or assembly of parts over the crotch area 2, the palm-side and dorsum-side parts 10, 12 of the glove can be free of material in the crotch area 2. If the material were over such areas of those parts, particularly in the case of thicker or stiffer rugged materials like leather or canvas, the assembled glove would tend to bulk up or to impinge flexion when constructed from a flat cut part. In contrast, the crotch area parts 17, 18 can be flat parts that cover and align with the ridge formed of soft tissue that appears when the forefinger and thumb are spread apart from one another. The arrangement of parts does not leave exposed seams over the area soft tissue between the lateral edges of crotch part 17, which can degrade from contact with gripped objects or cause comfort issues. When joined to the flat cut parts of the frontside and backside parts 10, 12, the crotch part or parts 17, 18 will conform to this three-dimensional area 2 without excessive bulking or creasing, thereby improving comfort, fit, and performance.
In the embodiment shown, thumb-crotch part 17 is configured to cover from at or about the top of the ridge of the web of soft tissue between the forefinger and thumb and extend down over the adductor pollicis muscles at or about where the tubercle of trapezium portion of the thumb bone and the trapezoid portion of the forefinger bone adjoin each other.
Crotch part 18 is configured to cover from at or about the top of the ridge of the web of soft tissue between the forefinger and the thumb and extend down over the first interosseus muscles. In the embodiment shown, a portion 181 of the thumb crotch part 18 optionally extends along the dorsum side of the thumb to the thumb's tip. Although the Figures show crotch part 17 overlapping crotch part 18, the overlap could be reversed, with crotch part 18 overlapping crotch part 17.
The glove can be tuned to have different material properties in different areas by selective placement of different materials in adjacent areas. In some embodiments, a first area may have multiple layers of the same or different materials. A second, adjacent area may have a different material or a different layering of the same or different materials from what is in the first area.
As used herein, a glove may be a full or partial hand covering. In the embodiment shown, the glove covers all fingers, the front and back of the palm, and the wrist of the wearer. In other embodiments, a glove could omit one or more finger coverings and leave the front and/or opposite side of the hand or fingers fully or partially open. Typically, the parts can be assembled by joining the parts along edges. Any known or to be discovered technique for joining the contemplated parts materials may be used, including stitching, gluing, taping, welding, fusing of materials, or any combination of such techniques.
Looking more particularly at the parts of glove 1,
Advantageously, the inventive subject matter allows for a glove of hybrid materials. For example, the backside part 10, which is not involved in grip, may not need to be as protective and the palm-side part 12. Therefore, backside part 10 can be made of a lighter, less durable material than palm-side part 12. For example, the backside part can be a lightweight or synthetic stretch material like Lycra, knit or woven materials, or synthetic leather. The palm-side material can be a durable, rugged material like natural or synthetic leather or a knit or woven blended material. The thumb crotch part 17 can be a durable material like leather, synthetic leather, or a knit or woven blended material. Or it could be another kind of material that is the same as or different from the backside part 10 and/or the palm-side part 12.
The thumb crotch part 17 can be disposed over another piece of material, e.g., a portion of the dorsum side part 10 or the palm side part 12, or it may span a space left open by one or both parts. In one possible embodiment, the palm-side part 10 is made of a knit or woven stretch textile like a spandex polyester blend, the palm side part 12 is made from a durable or rugged material like leather or synthetic leather, and the thumb crotch part 17 is made from a separate piece of a rugged or durable material.
In the embodiment shown, the palm-side part 12 includes a notch or gap 22 corresponding to the crotch area 2 between the forefinger and thumb, as described earlier. In the assembled glove, thumb-crotch part 17 fills in and spans the notch 22. The convex side 171 of thumb-crotch part 17 is joined to the curved perimeter of the notch 22. The opposite side 172 of part 17 is relatively straight (except for a minor convexity) and joins with side 182 in adjacent thumb-crotch part 18. Part 18 is generally elongate to follow the thumb and has a crooked section 182 for receiving side 172 of part 17. Edge 182, at an upper portion, joins with edge portion 121 in palm-side part 12. Side 182 is overlapped with and joined to side 131 in dorsum-side thumb part 13. The opposite side 132 of part 13 is joined to an edge of palm-side part 12.
Thumb crotch part 18 includes a base portion with a straight edge 183 that joins with the straight, thumb-side edge 101 of dorsum-side part 10.
The palm-side part 12 includes index finger flap 24 that wraps around to the backside of the index finger. This allows the durable material of the palm side to offer protection to a vulnerable area on the back of the top of the index finger. Similarly, the thumb of the palm side part includes a flap 26 that wraps around to the backside of the thumb. This allows the durable material of the palm side to offer protection to a vulnerable area on the back of the top of the thumb.
As persons skilled in the art will appreciate from the Figures, all of the parts have perimetrical edges that join with perimetrical edges of other parts to complete the full enclosure of the glove that defines a cavity for receiving a wearer's hand. Typically, there is a slight overlap of edges at stitched seams that join parts. However, in other techniques, for example, gluing, taping, welding, or fusing, edges could abut each other without overlap.
As used herein, a “user” or “wearer” is the person for whom a glove is sized and shaped to fit. For example, if the glove is a standard size medium, it is intended for someone with a medium-sized hand. While the foregoing parts are suitable for covering the hands and fingers of a user, a glove according to the inventive subject matter may have fewer or more parts. For example, the area of the glove for covering the and fingers could be a single part, two parts, three parts, etc. The palm side part could also include a wrist covering portion all in a single piece. The glove could also omit parts; for example, a glove could omit some finger coverings. Or it could have an open backside that exposes the back of the hand.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate from the teachings herein that there are a wide range of possibilities for constructing a glove that includes a crotch area part according to the inventive subject matter.
The gloves, according to the inventive subject matter, generally can be made using conventional assembly steps. For example, in one possible conventional glove assembly, the stitching is on the inside of the glove, thus being initiated inside out.
1. A glove palm-side part is first cut from flat materials, e.g., a roll or sheet of material (additional material pieces may be added);
2. Thumb-crotch parts are stitched to the palm-side part.
3. A glove dorsum part is cut/assembled from flat materials;
4. Fourchettes (sides of fingers) and any dorsum side finger-tip parts are stitched to the dorsum part (at this point, each fourchette is stitched to the glove back along one side of the fourchette, leaving the other side free);
5. The glove palm-side part with thumb crotch is then stitched to the fourchettes along their free sides, bringing the two halves together. A continuous stitch line may be employed to join all of the fingers of the palm to all of the fourchettes. As this stitch line passes around the end of each finger, it joins the glove palm material and back material together with a seam at the finger-tip (these stitches occur in a flat plane, none of the turns in the stitch line making a tight 180° turn);
6. The remainder of the glove palm and back (areas other than the fingers) are stitched together.
7. The glove is turned right-side out. The seams at the finger-tips are thus pointed inward.
Persons skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations are possible in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts and actions which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the inventive subject matter, and that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit and scope of the teachings and claims contained therein.
All patent and non-patent literature cited herein is hereby incorporated by references in its entirety for all purposes.
As used herein, “and/or” means “and” or “or,” as well as “and” and “or.” Moreover, any and all patent and non-patent literature cited herein is hereby incorporated by references in its entirety for all purposes.
The principles described above in connection with any particular example can be combined with the principles described in connection with any one or more of the other examples. Accordingly, this detailed description shall not be construed in a limiting sense, and following a review of this disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the wide variety of systems that can be devised using the various concepts described herein. Moreover, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can be adapted to various configurations without departing from the disclosed principles.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed innovations. 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 this disclosure. Thus, the claimed inventions are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of 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 features described and claimed herein. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed as “a means plus function” claim under US patent law, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or “step for.”
The applicant reserves all rights to the subject matter disclosed herein, including the right to claim all that comes within the scope and spirit of the following claims:
