1. Field on the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to knitted articles and, more particularly, to knitted liners in the shape of gloves that have one or more yarns in one or more selected zones of the knitted liners to provide a balance of enhanced impact-, cut-, and heat-resistance while maintaining tactility and dexterity, and knitted liners having heat- and/or flame-resistant polymeric coatings disposed thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gloves are used in many settings to protect the hands of users. Furthermore, many gloves are designed to embody specific properties for specific industrial applications, for example, cut resistant yarns in knitted liners and gloves comprising knitted liners, for use by those who uses knives, saws, and the like. However, many users have multiple needs. For example, a metalworker, such as a welder, may need gloves that provide heat-resistance as well as cut-resistance. In particular, some welders perform very intricate but high-heat welding and, therefore, dexterity is desirable.
Designing gloves for such applications can be challenging because, for example, some properties, such as dexterity and tactility come at the expense of cut-resistance, heat-resistance, and durability. Also, past attempts by glove designers have used expensive, top grain leathers to provide feel and dexterity. Leathers used in these designs have generally been thin and, therefore, have inadequately protected users. Moreover, leather gloves are cut and sewn, and typically have seams on the inside of the fingerstalls, which creates gloves that are bulky and stiff. And, the stitches can be easily broken or burned, compromising the durability of the glove. Furthermore, past gloves do not manage moisture and/or perspiration adequately. If a glove is wet, electric shocks are possible. Moreover, a wet glove that becomes tight against the skin of the user, for example, from tightly grabbing a hot workpiece, creates pressure and runs the risk of flashing the moisture into steam, creating another burn hazard.
Additionally, for welding processes, one hand often performs a function different than that of the other hand, requiring different types of protection. Welders must then wear gloves that are over- or under-engineered for each hand or change gloves often during various activities, which is a sub-optimal practice.
Metalworkers need to protect their hands from cuts and extreme heat. Also, welders experience spatter from the liquid metals, i.e., “berries,” during welding processes. Furthermore, welding processes subject the welder, and the gloves of the welder, to ultraviolet light, which can degrade the gloves. Therefore, gloves offering protection from these hazards are needed.
There are several types of welding processes. Among these processes are Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Metal Inert Gas (MIG), and Metal Active Gas (MAG). Welders performing these welding processes have particular needs from gloves that are even more demanding than for conventional stick and/or flexrod welding. MIG welding, which employs a welding gun having a trigger, require lighter gloves than for stick welding. By way of example, MIG welders place a hand, the “support” hand, against a workpiece to be welded while the other hand, the “torch” hand, manipulates the trigger and performs the welding. The support hand is therefore in contact with metal in close proximity to the welding arc. Therefore, the support hand becomes extremely hot from the radiant heat of the arc while the torch hand needs enhanced dexterity. Gloves for MIG welders, which are typically cowhide or other types of leather, tend to be much heavier and bulkier to protect the welder from high-heats, at the expense of versatility, dexterity, and tactility.
TIG welding processes are used for slower, more intricate, high-quality and, in particular, alloy welds in which appearance of the weld is often critical, such as for bicycles, motorcycles, aerospace, and naval applications. TIG welding is akin to a high-heat soldering process. In other words, a TIG welder holds a torch in one hand and filler rod in the other, which is fed manually by the welder, requiring great care and precision. Therefore, TIG welders require precise control for both the torch hand and the rod hand (the hand holding the filler rod). Also, TIG welding typically requires continuous weld runs and once the weld is started, it cannot be stopped because the quality of the weld will suffer. In addition, the welds created by TIG welding processes are often thinner, used to join thinner materials, and requires considerable skill and attention to detail. Therefore, gloves for each hand of the TIG welder must offer comfort as well as dexterity and tactility. Furthermore, welders often perform different types of welding in a day and therefore have different needs, resulting in switching gloves during the day. If the gloves are not changed, the welder may use a glove that is inappropriate for a task. For example, if a welder uses the lighter TIG welding gloves for a MIG job, the gloves will wear quicker as well as inadequately protect the welder from higher heat.
In addition to welding, welders often perform other ancillary metalworking tasks, including oxy-acetylene torch cutting, plasma cutting, and laser cutting, as well as grinding, brazing, and heat-treating, such as annealing, during which extremely high temperatures and sparks may be encountered. Therefore, welders require gloves having the impact- and cut-resistance that all metalworkers need in order to enhance safety. And, the TIG, MIG, and MAG welder needs a glove offering enhanced dexterity and tactility as well as high-heat and flame-resistance.
With the foregoing in view, providing a glove having an enhanced balance of desirable properties, tailored to and addressing the needs of various regions of the gloves, for all functional service requirements, i.e., high-heat and flame-resistance, cut-resistance, and flexibility, would represent an advance in the art.
Multifunctional gloves comprising impact-, cut-, and flame/heat-resistant yarns and/or flame/heat-resistant coatings in accordance with the present invention, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims, are disclosed. Various advantages, aspects, and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of an exemplary embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.
It is to be understood that the application uses the terms glove and knitted liner interchangeably. Some knitted gloves may be used as a glove while some gloves indicate a knitted liner having a polymeric coating or other features adhered thereto, such as a leather patch or different types of insulating members, or disposed thereon.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. It is to be understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be in other embodiments without further recitation and that, where possible, identical reference numerals have been used to indicate comparable elements that are common to the figures or embodiments of the invention.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a knitted liner having at least two different yarns. A first yarn exhibits a desired property, such as cut-resistance, and a second yarn exhibits a second desired property, for example, heat-resistance and is optionally knitted into different zones of the glove or liner than the first yarn. For example, a zone may be an upper palm, lower palm, upper backhand, lower backhand, fingers, thumb, or cuff zone. Knitted liners and gloves comprising knitted liners in accordance with embodiments of the invention may also specify different yarns for other properties, such as flame-resistance, moisture-control, chemical resistance, flexibility, impact-resistance, abrasion-resistance, and other desirable properties imparted by various yarns, blended yarns having several of the foregoing properties, and/or structures thereof.
Also, embodiments of the present invention comprise knitted liners and gloves that can be fabricated using vertical knit techniques. In other words, the courses or loops of the knitted liner run along a longitudinal axis of the knitted liner or glove, for example, from a cuff portion of a knitted liner to a fingertip portion. Additionally, a knitted liner or glove may comprise knitted courses that include both vertically and horizontally knitted courses.
Moreover, additional yarns and/or layers may be knitted using plaited structures, i.e., two yarns stitched within the same stitch for at least one course or more, to provide reinforcements or different properties in certain regions of the glove. And, any of the yarns may comprise different colors to provide visual recognition of specific properties. For example, a user can be made aware that a yellow yarn indicates cut-resistance while a black yarn indicates heat-resistance. A user can choose a glove having those properties in areas of the glove as needed for a specific task. More appropriately, though, the user now has the option of using one glove for all welding and other metalworking tasks, despite the competing properties of impact-, heat/flame-, cut-resistance and tactility and dexterity. This is an important advance in the art because personal protection equipment, such as gloves, is only useful if worn. Because of embodiments of the present invention, all welders need only one type of glove for all welding and metalworking tasks and activities if care is taken to choose an appropriate knitted liner or glove comprising a knitted liner.
As described above, the knitted liner or glove may comprise one or more yarns, and may include one or more plaited layers. A glove may be knitted by conventional knitting processes and comprise various yarns of various deniers and gauges. Gloves in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be knitted using automatic seamless glove knitting machines. Seamless glove knitting machines include, but are not limited to, models NSFG, NSFG-I, SFG-1, and SWG by Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd. Gloves knitted with the courses running vertically are knitted using a single whole garment machine, such as the SWG machine model manufactured by Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd.
Knitted liners and gloves in accordance with embodiments of the invention comprise several yarns, such as, but not limited to, cotton, wool, rayon, steel wire, glass fibers, filaments, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene yarns, such as DYNEEMA® and SPECTRA®, nylons, modacrylic yarns, oxidized-polyacrylonitrile (OPAN), meta-aramids, such as NOMEX®, para-aramids, such as KEVLAR® and TWARON®, aromatic polyesters, such as VECTRAN®, and the like or any blend of the fibers and materials. Any yarn may comprise one or more yarns, such as can be created by ring spun, rotor spun, friction spun, braiding, and other processes for blending yarns. Some yarns may be used for cut-resistance, such as steel wire, glass fibers, filaments, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, NOMEX®, TWARON®, KEVLAR®, and DYNEEMA®. Other yarns provide dexterity and fit properties, such as stretchable yarns, for example, SPANDEX® and LYCRA®. Yarns capable of moisture management, i.e., highly wicking yarns, such as STA-COOL® polyesters, HYDROTEC®, AQUARIUS®, and DRYENERGY®, may be included to withdraw moisture and perspiration from the skin, which also provide comfort. Furthermore, moisture and perspiration controlling yarns comprise antimicrobial agents, which are helpful in attenuating odors and/or preventing wounds and burns from becoming infected. Anti-microbial agents comprise surface or topical coatings applied on the yarn, such as silane quaternary ammonium and/or N-Halamine compounds. Elemental silver and silver-releasing compounds are also used. Additionally, silver compounds or other anti-microbial additives, such as TRICLOSAN® may be added and extruded within the thread or filament.
Also, some yarns, for example, OPAN, such as PANOX®, and ARSELON®, provide enhanced heat-resistance. Also, additional cut resistant layers may be plaited with a main body yarn of a heat-resistant yarn, to provide heat- and cut-resistance in the same region of a liner or glove. The additional cut resistant layer may include, as indicated above, steel wire, glass fibers, filaments, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, nylons, NOMEX®, TWARON®, KEVLAR®, DYNEEMA®, SPECTRA®, VECTRAN®, and the like or any blend of these fibers and materials.
Gloves and/or knitted liners in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be specified for specific end uses. For example, a glove or knitted liner intended for use by a TIG welder may include a cut-resistant yarn in one region of the glove or knitted liner and a heat- and/or flame-resistant yarn in another region. Furthermore, because each hand of a TIG welder is performing a different function, a glove or knitted liner for each hand may be tailored to the function. For example, the glove or knitted liner for the hand holding the torch may comprise a cut-resistant yarn in one region, such as the index finger and middle finger. However, in the support hand, the glove or knitted liner comprises a cut-resistant yarn in a different region.
Also, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the knitted liner 200 may comprise vertical courses, as discussed above, in the entirety of the knitted liner 200. Therefore, part of the upper palm 214 comprises a KEVLAR® yarn (the lighter colored yarn in the index finger 204, the middle finger 206, and the thumb 202 regions and under while the upper palm 216, near the little finger 210 and the ring finger 208, comprises an OPAN yarn (the darker colored yarn). Also, because of the vertical courses, a borderline 222, connecting the OPAN and KEVLAR® yarns can, but need not, embody a non-linear line. As shown, the borderline 222 is parabolic. In embodiments of this type, a user can protect the fingers from cuts while, the little finger and the side of the palm (in interface between the palm side and back hand side along the little finger) comprises the heat-resistant OPAN yarn, protecting from burns from a hot cutting surface.
Additionally, in embodiments of the present invention, gloves knitted with programmable knitting machines of the SWG model, manufactured by Shima Seiki, may switch from knitting vertical courses to horizontal courses easily and on-the-fly, i.e., real-time control over the needles, knit patterns as desired and modify the patterns so that patterns of several different types using different yarns can be created, allowing varied glove designs having different physical and chemical properties in any desired region of the glove. In other words, many multifunctional gloves or liners can be created without additional knitting processes. Moreover, before the present invention, it was required to invert a glove so that the courses that run horizontally on an exterior of a glove would run vertically on the exterior. Because of vertical course knitting in accordance with the present invention, inversion is no longer necessary. Gloves having vertical courses on the interior allow gloves to be donned with less friction against the hand of the user. Also, importantly, if a glove is compromised by burning embers of metal, i.e., “berries,” the wearer can remove the glove much easier, contributing to safety. The knitted liner 200 of
The glove 300 also optionally comprises a cuff 332, which comprises an elastic yarn, such as SPANDEX® or LYCRA®. In some embodiments of the invention, the glove 300 has a polymeric, elastomeric, or latex material 330 disposed on the knitted liner 301. The polymeric, elastomeric, or latex material 330 comprises for example, an oil-, flame-, and/or heat-resistant polychloroprene that is dip-coated, such as a full dip, % dip, palm dip, etc., as discussed below. As shown, the glove 300 comprises a knuckle dip, in which the polymeric, elastomeric, or latex material 330 is disposed on the palm side of the glove 300 and on the tips of the fingers 304, 306, 308, 310 and the thumb 302. The polymeric, elastomeric, or latex material 330 can also provide grip properties to the glove 300.
The glove 300 also optionally comprises the reversible flap 334 disposed thereon. In some embodiments of the invention, the reversible flap 334 extends from an edge 333 from the glove 300, which is the side of the glove nearest the little finger 310. In some embodiments of the invention, the reversible flap 334 extends from the edge of the glove near the thumb 302 (not shown). In some embodiments of the invention, the reversible flap 334 is knitted and an integral part of the glove 300. In this context, the term integral part indicates that the reversible flap 334 is knitted as part of the knitted liner 301 of the glove 300. The reversible flap 334 is capable of folding backward, providing an additional layer of protection to the back hand 318 of the glove 300. Also, if the user chooses, the reversible flap 334 optionally traverses the palm (not shown) of the glove 300, providing additional protection for the palm area. In some embodiments of the invention, the reversible flap 334 comprises an upper portion 336, which forms an opening 338. The upper portion 336 provides additional surface area so that it can protect from cuts, heat, flame, etc., more of the hand of the user. The opening 338 also allows the user to anchor or secure the reversible flap 334 on the thumb of the user, irrespective of whether the reversible flap 334 is worn protecting the palm or the backhand 318. In some embodiments, the reversible flap 334 may be secured to, for example, the thumb area by hook and loop fasteners, such as a VELCRO® fastener. Also, in some embodiments, there is no need for a loop part of the fastener because the hooks may directly interface with the loops of the yarns from which the glove 300 is made, securing the reversible flap 334 thereto. Also, the knitted liner 301 comprises a reversible flap 334 disposed on a cuff 332 (not shown), wherein the reversible flap includes a fastener (not shown) capable of securing the reversible flap to the cuff, as described above, using hooks and loops fasteners or simply hooks.
Programming instructions for knitting at least one exemplary embodiment of the invention, such as the knitted liner 301 having the reversible flap 334, as in
In some embodiments according to the invention, the reversible flap 334 has raised ridges knitted into the reversible flap by knitting over the same area until the height of the ridge is built up, as is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/598,134, which was filed on Feb. 13, 2012, and is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Ridges of this type provide additional grip while on the palm side as well as providing an insulating effect from heat as less surface area of the glove contacts the hot metal. If the ridges are disposed on the back hand side, additional cut- and impact-resistance is imparted to the glove.
The liner 401 has a heat-resistant insulation 416 disposed on the backhand side of the glove and a thumb-welt 424 disposed in the crotch between the thumb 402 and the index finger 404, which may be attached by sewing, adhesives, or otherwise attached. In some embodiments, the thumb-welt 424, which comprises leather or suede, which is optionally textured for enhanced grip, is attached with a double-stitch of KEVLAR® threads. In some embodiments of the invention, a leather or suede patch 420 is disposed in selected regions of the glove 400, such as by sewing or adhesives.
The glove 400 further comprises an index finger/trigger-finger 404 designed for enhanced comfort, flexibility, and tactility. For example, an index finger 404, comprises a yarn of a lighter denier than other regions of the glove, thus producing a glove in which the thickness of the liner 401 is not constant throughout the glove, even if the base yarn is the same thickness. In some embodiments, the index finger 404 may be only one-third the thickness of other regions of the liner 401. In other embodiments of the invention, the index finger 404 comprises a yarn that is both lighter and different than the rest of the liner. Moreover, a lighter denier yarn comprising the index finger may be plaited into the index finger 404.
The overglove 500 may comprise a one-, two- or three-finger knitted overglove, and further comprising a thumb. The overglove 500 comprises heat-resistant yarns, cut-resistant yarns, and/or both yarns, similar to any liner or glove disclosed herein. In some embodiments of the present invention, a glove having both cut-resistant and heat-resistant yarns may have one layer in which some regions have one or the other yarn. In other words, the overglove 500 may comprise, for example, an index finger 504 and a middle finger 506 knitted from a cut-resistant yarn and a thumb 502 knitted from a heat-resistant yarn or vice-versa. In yet some other embodiments of the invention, both yarns are present in the same region, for example by plaiting, as discussed below. For example, the overglove 500 may comprise a thumb 502 in which the thumb region includes a cut-resistant yarn plaited with a heat-resistant yarn and an index finger 504 having only a cut-resistant or heat-resistant yarn. Any combination of yarns in the finger, or thumb, whether a plaited layer and a non-plaited layers, and whether a single or double layer, is possible. Also, the overglove 500 may be detachably placed over any other glove or a bare hand. The knitted overglove 500 may, optionally, comprise any of the features of
In any glove or liner disclosed herein, additional fabric layers may be plaited into the glove or liner, and can be knitted in several ways. For example, an additional layer can be formed by changing a main yarn to an additional cut resistant yarn while varying stitch dimensions, for example, yarn tension. The tension of the yarn may be varied by adjusting the tension of the yarn between a pinch roller and a knitting head by computer control of a knitting machine, as is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,422, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Stitch dimensions can also be controlled by varying the depth of penetration of the knitting needle into the knitted glove, formed by a main yarn, and by casting off or picking up additional stitches in a knitted course. An additional layer may also be formed by variable plaiting the additional cut resistant yarn on top of the main yarn while varying the tension of the plaited cut resistant yarn. Liners may be formed with, for example and not by way of limitation, the SWG, SFG-I and NSFG model machines of Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd. Substituting or plaiting one course at a certain tension forms a glove having additional cut resistance. Knitting two or more courses, such as three, four, five, etc., to as many as is practical, courses, provides a glove having an even greater density to the additional layer, thereby providing a glove having enhanced cut-resistance. Furthermore, some gloves or liners comprise a three-dimensional aspect. For example, regions may comprise tapered sections or variable thickness layers, bumpers, ridges, etc., or other structures on a knitted glove in a z-direction with respect to the horizontally and vertically knitted courses. Building up on a knitted course in a z-direction also provides zonal reinforcement in desired regions of the glove.
In some embodiments of the invention, the main body yarn comprises highly stretching yarns, such as SPANDEX® or LYCRA®, which imparts stretchability for ease of donning, doffing, and comfort during use. Also, the main body yarn may comprise yarns capable of moisture management, such as STA-COOL® polyesters, HYDROTEC®, AQUARIUS®, and DRYENERGY®. Such yarns have high wicking properties, which promote the transfer of moisture away from wet or sweaty skin to less wet areas or to reservoirs for eventual storage and/or evaporation, technologies that are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/571,569, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
All gloves in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may comprise yarns having colors contrasting to each other. Where the color of one region of the glove differs from another region, the user can easily and visually identify the particular glove type, so that where a particular glove is heat- and/or flame-resistant, cut-resistant, or other properties is known to the user.
All gloves in accordance with embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this application may comprise a polymeric, elastomeric, or latex coating disposed on all or part of the gloves. Transparent or translucent coatings provide a glove in which the indicia provided by different colored yarns, as discussed above, may still be known to the user. Coatings may comprise natural or synthetic coatings or mixtures thereof. Any knitted liner may be coated with a material. For example, a latex coating may comprise a natural latex, such as guayule or polyisoprene, synthetic latexes, such as synthetic polyisoprene, carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene, non-carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene, butyl latex, polychloroprene, nitriles, aqueous- and non-aqueous-polyurethanes, styrene-butadiene, acrylonitrile-butadiene, and the like, or mixtures thereof. The coating on liners can comprise a palm dip, knuckle dip, finger dip, three-quarters dip, full dip, and the like as needed for specific applications using the dip processes as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,571, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In some embodiments, knitted liners of any glove of the present invention may be dipped or sprayed with a coagulant, such as calcium nitrate and the like. The coagulant causes the polymeric coating to set on the fabric of the liner, preventing strikethrough of the coating. Also, gloves in accordance with embodiments of the invention may further comprise coatings that are foamed (open cell or closed cell) or unfoamed. Additionally, coatings may be built up in layers or in varying thickness. The layers may comprise the same or different polymeric materials. Additionally, the coatings may further comprise textured surfaces (not shown). Open cell and closed cell foamed layers and/or textured coatings may impart additional friction during use, allowing superior gripability and safety properties, such as is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,378,043, 7,771,644, and 8,001,809 which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
This application claims the benefit of the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/768,784, filed on Feb. 25, 2013; which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61768784 | Feb 2013 | US |