Musculature Promoting Gloves

Abstract

Disclosed are a pair of gloves having weights rigidly attached to outer surfaces of fingers and palm. The fingers may be partially cut off or have removable tips. At least several of the fingertips having crush resistant caps embedded within the outer layer of the fabric. A user may utilize touchscreen technology without remove the gloves as the outer layer of the gloves and liner are embedded with current conductive threading.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to gloves suitable for wearing while performing routine activities of daily living, or during exercise, to raise the resistance levels for multiple musculature groups.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to add an ability to increase muscle mass of the upper arms or increase caloric burn during everyday activities, or during exercise. For example, when walking or jogging, a user's legs and respiratory functions are being strengthened and toned. However, the musculature of the arms would not receive any strengthening for either exercise unless a user finds a way to include this muscle group in the exercise.

During a person's daily routine, he or she tracks many miles doing ordinary things, such as getting dressed, preparing meals, doing chores, commuting to and from work, shopping or exercising at the gym. Increasing the weight on some of the appendages in an unobtrusive way will permit people to go about their day while simultaneously increasing the aggregate caloric burn from all of their usual basic activities.

Within the exercise spectrum, users are confronted with narrow application trainers. This means that a majority of the present exercise machines and devices are directed at a very narrow set of musculature or bodily functions. At the same time, there has been a proliferation of touch screen controls installed on these training devices, which are used to adjust the intensity of workout or to change channels and adjust volume on the integrated television screen. While many of these trainers require the use of hands, frequently hands are not the targeted muscle group, as in the case of a treadmill or an elliptical trainer. In those cases, a user may wish to train arms while keeping them available to support a given ongoing activity. Simultaneously, a user may not wish to take off gloves to flip a channel or to answer his/her smart phone.

Yet another determinative factor in the utility of the disclosed device, is wearers comfort. Existing gloves tend to increase pressure on joints as a user curls his or her hands into fists. Naturally, a curved finger requires a longer glove finger. Since the glove finger has a finite length, curled fingers force the glove material to stretch over the curled finger, thus putting additional pressure on the finger's skin tissue and joints. While a healthy person does not usually notice the slight increase in pressure, a person suffering from a hand injury or an arthritic condition requires additional padding to absorb the pressure caused by making a fist.

Still another benefit that is severely underrepresented in the prior art devices is the lack of protection for fingers from an impact by heavy items. Since one of the applications of the disclosed gloves is usage in the weightlifting environment, a user will be constantly manipulating handling heavy objects, such as weight disks. It is highly foreseeable that one of these may fall on one's arm causing an injury. The section of arms most vulnerable to a resultant injury are fingers. Therefore, it is highly beneficial that a glove to be used during exercises have protective crush resistant elements.

All of the foregoing improvements and solutions have been integrated into the disclosed invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention is a pair of gloves featuring load elements strategically placed so as to provide additional weight and thereby burden ordinary movement of hands and arms. At the same time, such weights but not interfere with dexterity of the hand, and a user may continue carrying out ordinary activity after getting used to the additional load. The load elements are securely attached to the gloves and do not shift while the gloves are being used, thus other than the additional weight, the user does not need to pay any attention to the additional weight.

The gloves are composed of a sleeve and five fingers. The sleeve and fingers incorporate conductive threads to be able to interact with touch screen technology. Internally, the glove is lined with wire mesh lining, or a different type of material, to maximize internal padding. Furthermore, the gloves contain reinforced inserts hidden within the fabric of the glove. These reinforced inserts protect fingers from being crushed while lifting weights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a contextual demonstration of the disclosed invention.

FIG. 2 is a figure of a left arm, showing the inner padding.

FIG. 3 is a glove for the right arm, demonstrating external load elements.

FIG. 4 is a sideview, demonstrating crush resistant forward section of the fingers.

FIG. 5. is another sideview demonstrating the conductive surfaces enabling the usage of the glove with a smart screen technologies.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiment of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, the figures illustrate a pair of gloves intended to provide an arm workout even while exercising a different part of the body or carrying out routine tasks. For example, in FIG. 1A the user is shown walking or jogging down a street while wearing the gloves 1. This can be a leisurely excursion, an aerobic run or a trip to work or another errand. The gloves 1 are on the user's hands while these oscillate in direction 44 and 45 as part of regular locomotion. In FIG. 1B, a user shown involved with aerobic treadmill exercise. Weighted gloves increase the heart rate and caloric burn without adding to the length of the workout.

FIG. 2 demonstrates the inside of the glove 1. Shown is the glove for the left hand. Shown is the sleeve 7 and fingers 4. At least one of the fingers 4B are partial fingers or may have removable sleeve to expose fingers whenever necessary. Shown in FIG. 2 is a cutaway of the surface of the sidewall 5 to reveal the glove liner 6. It is preferred that the liner 6 is comprised of at least one layer of intersecting resinous or plastic fibers that form a mesh and are embedded within a layer of liner made of spandex, cotton, foam or gel. The wire mesh impregnated liner 6 provides ample cushioning, without sacrificing the overall density of the sidewall 5 and also extends the cushioning characteristics of the liner. Without armature, cushioning tends to become compressed, loosing elasticity and resilience. Note that the liner 6 is especially desirable in areas of bone joints 8, since this is where the material tends to exert most pressure against hand surfaces and come into a tight correspondence with user's skin and bones.

Shown also is the weight on the wrist weight 10, together with a tightening band 12, which contains a cutout or a concave slot 14 for the wrist weight 10. A latch 27 is designed to be fastened to a catch located on the wrist area 28. The latch 27 may be a hook and loop connector, a clasp, or a snap fastener. As shown in FIG. 3 the wrist portion may contain a second weight 10B, which would appear on the dorsal portion of the wrist. Also shown in FIG. 3 is a first wrist weight 20 and a second wrist weight 18. A glove may contain either one or both weights. Weights 20 and 18 may each weigh one to several pounds. The weights may be attached using rivets 21 or be sown into the fabric of the glove if several layers of fabric are used. The fingers contain weights 14 and 16 which correspond to the phalanx bones of the fingers.

It is preferred that the combined weight range of the weights shown is between 2-7 pounds and be made of stainless steel or cast iron. Finger weights 16 may each weigh between 2 and 4 ounces, with weights 20, 18, 10 and 10B ranging between 2 and 5 pounds. The specific shape of each weight disclosed may vary without sacrificing the desired density and mass.

FIGS. 2 and 3 further demonstrate that some of the fingers 4 may be a half finger 4B, with at least one phalanx of a finger exposed. The exposed fingers may be the pinky or ring finger and ring finger, or for the index finger and thumb. Alternatively, different fingers may be removed on each glove to provide additional dexterity for handling various exercise apparatuses. The tips 33 may be re-attachable along the edge 36 to the edge 37 of the fingers 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates a sideview of the right hand glove 1. Note that the tip areas 32 contain conductive threading for at least one of the fingers. Conductive threading may exist throughout the finger and sleeve areas. Additional weights 40 and 42 may be attached to base weights 20 and 16, respectively. Such attachment may be done using hook means or by magnetizing the weights. Note that in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the wrist weights 10 and 10B may also be implemented, to bring to overall weight of the glove above seven pounds.

Note that the forward portion of the fingers 35 may contain a metallic sleeve 34 that is sown beneath the outer fabric of the tip 33. FIG. 5 is a sideview of the left-handed glove demonstrating the conductive threading in the tip area 32.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A glove comprising, a sleeve for palm, said sleeve having five fingers and a thumb; a weight firmly attached to dorsal section of said sleeve, at least one weight firmly attached to a top portion of each of said fingers, wherein said each said weight corresponding to a phalanx of a user's finger, and an adjustment strap at base of said sleeve corresponding to a wrist of said user.

2. The glove of claim 1, further comprising a weight rigidly attached to the dorsal section of said sleeve located substantially at base of said sleeve, wherein said adjustment strap contains a lot for said weight at wrist.

3. The glove of claim 2, further comprising a weight rigidly attached to a ventral section of said sleeve located substantially at base of said sleeve.

4. The glove of claim 1, wherein at least one of the fingers is partially removable.

5. The glove of claim 1, wherein material used in fingers conducts electricity.

6. The glove of claim 2, wherein material used in fingers conducts electricity.

7. The glove of claim 2, wherein the forward section of at least one of said fingers contains a crush resistant tip.

8. The glove of claim 4, wherein the forward section of at least one of said fingers is crush resistant.

9. The glove of claim 2, wherein said weight on said dorsal section of said sleeve servers as a mounting point for one additional weight.

10. The glove of claim 1, wherein said weights on each of said fingers is capable of serving as mounting point for one additional weight.

11. In combination a glove having a sleeve for palm, said sleeve having five fingers and a thumb; a weight firmly attached to dorsal section of said sleeve, at least one weight firmly attached to a top portion of each of said fingers, wherein said each said weight corresponding to a phalanx of a user's finger, and an adjustment strap at base of said sleeve corresponding to a wrist of said user; and a fabric of said one of said fingers capable of conducting an electric charge.

12. The combination of claim 10, further comprising a crush resistant cap integrated into a surface of at least one fingers.

13. The combination of claim 11, further comprising additional weights, wherein said weights removably mounting on weights on said sleeve and weight of said finger.

14. A combination comprising two gloves glove, each of said gloves having a sleeve for palm, said sleeve having five fingers and a thumb; a weight firmly attached to dorsal section of said sleeve, at least one weight firmly attached to a top portion of each of said fingers, wherein said each said weight corresponding to a phalanx of a user's finger, an adjustment strap at base of said sleeve corresponding to a wrist of said user; and wherein said sleeve and said fingers having a wire mesh liner reinforcement.

15. The glove of claim 14, further comprising a weight rigidly attached to the dorsal section of said sleeve located substantially at base of said sleeve, wherein said adjustment strap contains a lot for said weight at wrist; and an additional weight rigidly attached to a ventral section of said sleeve located substantially at base of said sleeve.

16. The glove of claim 14, wherein at least one of the fingers is partially removable.

17. The glove of claim 14, wherein material used in fingers conducts electricity.

18. The glove of claim 14, wherein the forward section of at least one of said fingers contains a crush resistant cap, said cap embedded beneath an outer letter of said fingertip.

19. The glove of claim 14, wherein said weight one at least one finger and said weight on said dorsal portion of said sleeve further comprising additional removable weights, wherein each said additional removable weight removably attaches to said at weight on said at least one finger or said weight on said dorsal portion of said sleeve.

20. The glove of claim 1, wherein said weights on each of said fingers is capable of serving as mounting point for one additional weight.