BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference now is made to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved hand sanding system incorporating a sanding and gripping glove and sanding cloth according to one embodiment of the invention being used by an operator to sand an object;
FIG. 2 is a palm side elevational view of the left handed glove similar to that shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view enlarge fragmentary view of the knit stitching of the fabric of the glove shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the fabric in a stretched position;
FIG. 5 shows the glove being worn and in a flexed position along creases that correspond to the flexing of the user's hand;
FIG. 6 shows a highly enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 in FIG. 5 showing the detail of abrasive particles, connecting the epoxy layer and the flex points in epoxy layer to retain flexibility of the fabric and elastomeric layer of the glove;
FIG. 7 illustrates the sanding cloth made of textile material and having an abrasive retained on one side shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 shows a highly enlarged cross-sectional view in showing the detail of abrasive particles retained by an epoxy layer and the flex points in the epoxy layer to retain flexibility of the cloth;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view illustrating the use of the sanding glove as a gripping tool for the sanding cloth;
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 showing the glove being and disengaging from the sanding cloth; and
FIG. 11 shows an alternate embodiment of the glove.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, an operator 10 is wearing an abrasive sanding work glove 12 that grips a sanding cloth 15 for sanding a complexly shaped object 14 such as a fluted column. The abrasive glove 12 may be either right handed as shown in FIG. 1 or left handed as shown in FIG. 2. The abrasive sanding work glove 12 as shown more clearly in FIG. 2 is made with a knitted fabric 13, i.e. a woven fabric with relatively large stitching and has flexibility and some elasticity between a relaxed position and a stretched position when worn on a hand. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate how the woven fabric looks between the relaxed and stretched position. The stretched position clearly illustrates the breathability of the fabric. The fabric of the knit glove can be cotton or any of well known synthetic fiber.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the exterior of the palm side 16 and front side of the fingers 20 have a soft elastomeric coating 18 on the fabric 13. The first elastomeric layer 18 may be a rubber and have a cushion or tacky feel to it. The fabric 13 may be partially or fully embedded in the elastomeric layer 18. The elastomeric layer 18 is coated with a plurality of abrasive particles 22. The abrasive particles may be aluminum oxide or a silicate. Diamonds particles are also foreseen when a harder abrasive is required. The abrasive particles are of a predetermined grit depending on the desired application. For many sanding and gripping applications, particles with a grit of 150 are suitable. It is foreseen that a wide range of grit size are applicable ranging from 80 to 400.
Referring now to FIG. 6, the particles 22 are secured onto the elastomeric layer 18 by a second thin harder shell adhesive connecting layer 21. The thin adhesive connecting layer 21 may be an epoxy or cured urethane or other suitable strong material with good adhesive properties. The layer 21 may be sprayed on the abrasive particles 22 and the elastomeric layer 18 and allowed to dry or be cured. The harder shell layer 21 is substantially thinner than the elastomeric layer 18 and the diameter of the abrasive particles 22. As the thin layer 21 settles, the adhesion coefficient provides that the material sticks to the proximate section 23 of the abrasive particles 22. The flex points 25 between the particles 22 is the thinnest section of the hard shell layer 21. Because of the vast plurality of flex points 25 throughout the abrasive particles 22 in layer 21, the glove retains great flexibility. Furthermore, the abrasive particles 22 extend up beyond the adhesive layer 21 to be exposed and form an abrasive surface 27 that substantially covers layer 21 to sand surfaces. In the shown embodiment, the elastomeric layer 18 is set, cured or dried before application of the second layer 21 such that the particles 22 are embedded only in the connecting layer 21. It is foreseen that the elastomeric layer 18 and abrasive particles 22 can be applied before the elastomeric layer 18 is fully dried such that the particles 22 may also partially extend into layer 18 and extend entirely through layer 21.
The rubber or soft tacky elastomer of the layer 18 provides cushioning to the hand. The urethane, epoxy or other adhesive material connecting layer 21 is much harder and has a less coefficient of friction than the layer 18. The layer 21 by curing or drying to a harder condition also provides a better securement to the abrasive particles than the first layer18. Thus the glove 12 provides cushioning but provides needed sliding against the work piece 14 if the layer 21 comes in contact with the work piece 14. The layer 21 helps prevent the rubber layer 18 from coming into direct contact with the work piece 14 and interfering with the sanding of the work surface with a high coefficient of friction. In addition, by lowering the coefficient of friction, with the interposition of the harder layer 21, the heat build up of the glove is also reduced during sanding operation.
The backside 24 of the palm 16 and fingers 20 and sides 26 may remain free of the layers 18, 21 and abrasive particles 22. The backside 24 and sides 26 may have its fabric stretched as shown in FIG. 4 when worn to provide extra breathability of the glove.
A knit glove with the hard shell 21 forming a plurality of thin flex points 25 retains flexibility to contour to the operators hand particularly about natural flex lines 28 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The back side 24 and sides 26 of the fingers 20 retain the flex and elasticity between the relaxed position and the stretched position to allow a formed fit with the operator's hand. The knit fabric at the sides 26 and the back side 24 of the fingers 20 allow for sufficient breathing of the glove to allow the hand to remain comfortable and dry and prevent the build up of humidity. The lowering of the heat build up also increases the comfort level of the hand in the glove 12.
The abrasive particles are securely bonded to the coating during the bonding process. The comfort of the glove promotes extended sanding time without removal of the glove. The comfort of the glove also allows extended wear time which allows other uses for the glove such as a general protective work glove or as an enhanced grip glove for paint brush, roller handles or a sanding cloth 15 described below.
In order to vastly increase durability of the glove 12, a sanding cloth 15 is used as the primary sanding surface. The cloth 15 has its abrasive particles 30 secured directly onto one side 35 of the cloth material 33 by an epoxy, urethane or other hard shell layer 31. The urethane, epoxy or other hard shell adhesive layer 31 is sprayed onto the abrasive particles 30 and cloth 15 and dried or cured thereon to secure the abrasive particles to the cloth as more clearly shown in FIG. 8. The cloth remains flexible due to the plurality of thin flex points 37 of the adhesive layer between the abrasive particles 30 in much the same fashion as described above for the glove.
The back side 36 of the cloth remains free of abrasive particles. The glove 12 has its abrasive particles surface 27 free to vertically lift from the weight of the cloth 15 as shown in FIG. 10. However when sanding is required, the glove has a very high coefficient of friction with respect to the cloth 15 to push and pull it along a sanding surface object 14 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9.
In this fashion, the glove provides total control of sanding motion of the abrasive cloth over the sanding object 14. The cloth and glove are flexible to provide total conformity to both the hard and sanding work surface and to provide tactile sensation to feel any roughness i.e. bumps in the work surface through the cloth 15 and glove 12. Grit size can be conveniently changed by switching to a sanding cloth with a different grit size. The cloth has the ability to wet sand. The back side 36 of the cloth 15 and glove 12 can both be used to wipe dust off the sanded surface. Furthermore, the glove easily disengages when lifted up from the cloth 15 as illustrated in FIG. 10.
FIG. 11 discloses an alternate embodiment 42 where the back side 44 of the glove 42 may also have abrasive particles 22 secured thereto in the same fashion as above described. The abrasive particles 22 may be secured directly on the fabric 13 via an adhesive epoxy layer or the fabric 13 may have an intervening elastomeric layer. With such a glove, it may be designed to fit on both a right and left hand.
The glove 12 provides total sanding control of a flexible abrasive cloth 16 which can sand complicated shapes and get into edges and corners. The cloth 15 can be reversed for engaging the back side 36 without the abrasive for wiping the sanding surface 14 clean. The glove 12 also by itself can be used for wiping and sanding. In one embodiment, the sanding glove may have the same grit size as the sanding cloth to allow the glove to be used as touch up sanding.
In this fashion, a superior hand sanding system is incorporated by using a glove as a gripping tool and a flexible abrasive cloth as the primary sanding instrument to add durability to the glove and provide total non-slip control of the sanding cloth on the sanding surface. It is also foreseen that the sanding cloth may be made from non-woven cloth or textile cloth. In certain applications, both sides of the cloth 15 may have abrasive particles adhered thereto. In other applications, a non-skid coating may be applied to the back side 36 of the cloth 15. In other embodiments, the sanding cloth 15 may be handled by a glove with other gripping and non-skid features.
Other variations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080090506
