The present invention relates to a hand apparatus and, more particularly, to a glove or a mitten that is more conveniently securable on a user's hands. Gloves, or mittens, have many purposes. They can provide warmth by insulating heat. Additionally, they have functional uses such as providing grip. Gloves may also have an aesthetic purpose.
Typically, gloves may be pulled over the user's hand. They may be secured to the hand with an elastic band that tightens around the wrist or with a hook and loop. Such gloves, however, may be inconvenient. They may be especially difficult for children, the elderly, the arthritic, or the physically disabled. Gloves that can easily accommodate a variety of different users' hands are preferable.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a glove that encloses a user's hand inside the glove in a manner that is different than the elastic band or hooks and loop closure. The glove may comprise securing members on the body portion of the glove to provide a large space to put the hand.
The present invention addresses the needs above as well as other needs by providing a hand covering apparatus with securing members that comprise the body portion of a glove or mitten. The hand apparatus may comprise a hand receiving portion, one or more finger portions, a thumb portion, and a body portion. The body portion may comprise a dorsal side, palm side, a first securing member, a second securing member, and a third securing member. The securing members may be connected to the body portion, the first securing member extending from the near side of the body portion, the second securing member extending from the far side of the body portion, and the third securing member disposed on the dorsal side of the body portion between the near side and the far side. Furthermore, the securing members may comprise one or more fasteners that allow the securing members to be removably attachable to the other securing members.
The following description of the presently contemplated embodiments is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
A hand covering apparatus, generally known as a glove or mitten but hereinafter referred to as a glove, may be used to cover a hand. The fingers may be placed into finger portions and the body of the hand may be placed into a body portion of the hand covering apparatus. With the hand inside the glove, three separate securing members connected on the dorsal or palm side of a body portion of the glove may be used to secure the hand. The securing members may include one or more fasteners. The glove is in the closed position when the fasteners on one set of securing members are attached to the fasteners on another set of securing members. A fastener may comprise one or more hooks and loops, magnets, zippers, clasps, or buttons.
As shown in
Furthermore, the glove may be of various sizes. In one embodiment, the glove may be made to fit tightly around the hand. In another embodiment, the glove may be significantly large enough to fit a hand that is in a cast.
In one embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, the securing members may comprise, and be connected to, the palm side 501 of the body portion. The hand may be placed into the glove with the hand's dorsal side first and the securing members may attach on the hand's palm side.
In another embodiment, the glove may comprise the first securing member 108 and the second securing member 109 without the third securing member 106. The first securing member 108 and the second securing member 109 may comprise the body portion and sufficiently cover the hand.
In yet another embodiment, the securing members may be made of elastic material. The first securing member 108 may not reach the second securing member 109 unless force is used to stretch the first securing member 108 toward the second securing member 109 (or vice versa).
The securing members (108, 109 and 106) may also be of various shapes and sizes. In one variation, the first securing member 108, the second securing member 109 and the third securing member 106 may be rectangular. In another variation, the securing members may be triangular. In yet another variation, the securing members may be semi-circular. And in yet another variation, the securing members may be a combination of various shapes and sizes.
The securing members may be of various lengths. In one embodiment, the first securing member 108 and the second securing member 109 may both extend one or more inches from the near side and the far side of the body portion, respectively, to attach to each other. In another embodiment, one of the securing members may not extend while the other securing member extends one or more inches to engage with the other mean securing member by means of the fasteners.
In one embodiment, the first securing member 108, the second securing member 109 and the third securing member 106 may attach in the closed position so as to fully conceal the dorsal side of the body portion of the user's hand. This may be preferable in situations where the glove is used for heat insulation. In another embodiment, the securing members may be sized so as to expose a portion of the dorsal side of the body portion of the user's hand. This may be preferable, for example, in athletic gloves where the user may want a breathable glove that permits adequate airflow.
In one embodiment, the fasteners on the securing members may be visible when the glove is in the open position and not visible when the glove is in the closed position. In another embodiment, the fasteners may be embedded in the securing members and not visible on the outside. For example, when the glove uses magnetic fasteners, the fasteners may be embedded in between the exterior material and the interior material 202.
When the glove is in the open position, the finger inlets 201 for the plurality of finger portions 101 and the thumb inlet (not shown), adjacent to finger inlets 201, for the thumb portion 102 may be visible. This is advantageous and convenient for the user who may locate the inlet 201 for a particular finger portion from the glove's interior and guide the user's finger for insertion into the correct finger portion. In addition, this is helpful for a caretaker who may assist the user to more easily fit the user's fingers into the plurality of finger portions 101.
As shown in
In another embodiment, the first securing member 108 may fold in the closed position first. Afterwards, the second securing member 109 may fold in the closed position. The fasteners would be arranged so that the first securing member attaches to the second securing member.
Referring to
When the glove is in the closed position, the hand may be placed in the glove by opening the securing members to form the open position (see, e.g.,
In certain embodiments of the present invention, a wrist-securing elastic band 103 may be on the body portion 107 and may encompass the user's wrist when the user wears the glove. The elastic band 103 may be embedded between the interior material and exterior material of the glove but may also be embedded exclusively in the exterior material and/or the interior material themselves. The wrist-securing elastic band 103 can be advantageous for keeping the glove secured on the user's hand.
In one embodiment, the wrist-securing elastic band 103 may be embedded in the body portion but not in the portions thereof that extend into the first securing member 108 and/or the second securing member 109. In another embodiment, the wrist-securing elastic band may be embedded in the body portion, the first securing member 108 and the second securing member 109, and connected to the hook and loop fasteners in the first securing member 108 and the second securing member 109.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/126,765, filed Mar. 2, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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1404453 | Lynn | Jan 1922 | A |
1507153 | Binns | Sep 1924 | A |
5073988 | Lewis, Jr. | Dec 1991 | A |
5140709 | Cohn | Aug 1992 | A |
5444874 | Samelian | Aug 1995 | A |
5517693 | Noonan | May 1996 | A |
6052828 | Widdemer | Apr 2000 | A |
20080083131 | Wess | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20120210485 | Clement | Aug 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190082759 A1 | Mar 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62126765 | Mar 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15058022 | Mar 2016 | US |
Child | 16194628 | US |