In competitive wheelchair racing, it is known in the art that racing wheelchairs typically have a set of wheels configured with a propulsion rail structure attached to an outer wheel surface of the wheelchair such that a user grips the propulsion rail and applies torque to it. Force is transferred from the rail to the wheel surface and then to the wheels; thereby propelling the wheelchair forward. High speeds combined with the typically metallic propulsion rails of wheelchair requires the use of specialized gloves for gripping the rails and propelling the user.
Wheelchair racing gloves known in the art are configured to cover the entirety of the user's hands, binding fingers together separately from a thumb, in a mitt-like harness. Manufactured from suede, foam, or rubber; such racing gloves also include a strap designed to extend around the thumb and fasten the fingers to a back side of the user's hand, binding the hand in a fist-like configuration. This allows the user to grip the propulsion rings of the wheels using a “pinching” motion between a thumb and index finger and apply the torque needed to propel the wheelchair and user forward.
Such gloves known in the art and the aforementioned need of the user to execute a “pinching” motion produces an array of disadvantages. Beyond discomfort if bound for extended periods of time, attempts to put on the gloves typically require another person to assist with a second glove; since the user cannot fasten the second glove while their hand is bound inside a first glove. Additionally, wheelchair racing gloves known in the art are typically manufactured with padding that may absorb an inordinate amount of force exerted by the user, thereby decreasing energy transfer efficiency to the wheels, potentially tiring and slowing the user, and putting them at a disadvantage. When combined with the need to carry out the fine function of “pinching” the propulsion rail, the user may be susceptible to hand cramps, further decreasing racing performance. Additionally, the entirely enclosed structure of typical wheelchair racing gloves can quickly form unhygienic internal conditions due to accumulation of the user's sweat. This may result in odors, chaffing, blister formation, and general discomfort of the user's hands during and after use.
Wheelchair racing gloves known in the art have not been manufactured from largely rigid materials, resulting in a loss of force transfer from user to wheel. A rigid structure would disallow force absorption and promote transfer efficiency, allowing a user to propel a chair faster with less effort. Further, glove rigidity would eliminate a need for the user to affect the aforementioned “pinching” motion in order to grip and transfer force to the propulsion rail and wheel, conserving the user's energy and reducing potential injury from hand cramps. Additionally, non-binding and open-air glove structures would promote extended hygiene maintenance of a user's hand, as well as a greater ease of securing or releasing the glove to or from a user's hand without additional assistance.
The present invention related to a rigid wheelchair racing glove. The glove comprises a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface having an ergonomic gripping structure configured to allow comfortable handling of the glove and a cavity disposed therein for a user to insert and rest a thumb inside during handling and use. The thumb cavity of the gripping structure also comprises a plurality of ventilation holes disposed through the surface, promoting airflow to the user's thumb. The gripping structure also has an elongated member extending from an end and configured to allow coupling and retention of a fastener.
At another end, the gripping structure also has at least one depression, also configured to couple and retain a fastener. The fastener, once fastened to the glove, is designed to allow a user to fasten the glove to their hand during handling and use. The top surface of the glove may also have at least one padded segment disposed thereupon, facilitating further comfort and ergonomics for the user during use.
The bottom surface of the main body of the wheelchair racing glove may also comprise at least one force transfer member configured to absorb impact forces while also maintaining transfer efficiency of forces between the user's hand and a wheelchair propulsion rail. The at least one force transfer member may extend from the bottom surface of the main body to form an angled channel with the bottom surface. Dimensioned to accept the propulsion rail of a wheelchair wheel, the channel promotes grip between the wheelchair racing glove and the wheel, increasing force transfer and force transfer efficiency through structural characteristics rather than a user's finger gripping pressure.
The wheelchair racing glove may further comprise at least one frictional support member coupled to the at least one force transfer member and the bottom surface of the main body, made of dense padding or another material of limited compressibility and configured to promote impact force absorption. The at least one frictional support member may also be manufactured of a material having enhanced surface friction capabilities, thereby further increasing force transfer efficiency by reducing slippage between the at least one transfer member and bottom surface and the propulsion rail of the wheelchair wheel. Force transfer efficiency may also be accomplished by coating the at least one force transfer member in another material having enhanced frictional capabilities similar to or the same as the at least one frictional support member.
Moreover, the main body of the glove may also comprise an internal structure patterned with mesh, grid structures, or lattices. The internal structure is further configured to reduce overall weight of the glove, as well as promote impact absorption and force transfer efficiency in a similar fashion as the force transfer member. The main body may be manufactured from an impact resistant thermoplastic such as polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or polyvinyl alcohol (PVC). The wheelchair racing glove may be manufactured through three-dimensional printing techniques known in the art.
The foregoing features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the subsequent detailed description of representative embodiments, read in conjunction with the attached drawings. The detailed description and drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, with the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
The present invention relates to an improved wheelchair racing glove with a rigid main body and a force transfer member configured to simultaneously absorb impact forces while promoting lateral force transfer efficiency between a user's hand and a propulsion rail of a racing wheelchair.
The gripping structure 104 may further comprise ergonomic surface features such as grooves or indents, configured to nest a user's fingers and promote gripping functions while the glove is in use. An at least one end of the gripping structure 104 further comprises at least one depression 106, configured to couple and retain a fastener 107 thereto. The fastener 107 extends from a first end of the gripping structure 104 to a second end of the gripping structure 104 and is configured to couple and retain a user's hand to the glove during use. The fastener 107 may be composed of elastic, cloth, rubber, hook-and-loops, or another fastening method known in the art.
The second end of the gripping structure 104 may have, disposed upon a surface, a surface depression 108 similar to the at least one depression 106 of the first end, configured to couple and retain the fastener 107. In some embodiments of the invention, at least one of the ends of the gripping structure 104 may have a retention member 109 extending therefrom, configured to retain an end of the fastener 107. In some embodiments of the invention, at least one of the depressions 106, 108 of the gripping structure 104 may further comprise a hole disposed through the gripping structure 104, configured to allow the fastener 107 to be threaded therethrough and retained to the structure 104.
The top surface 102 of the wheelchair racing glove 100, as shown in
In some embodiments of the invention, the main body 101 of the wheelchair racing glove may further comprise at least one padded segment 112 disposed upon the top surface 102 thereof. The at least one padded segment 112 is configured to reduce vibrational and impact forces transferring to a user's hand, thereby facilitating comfort and ergonomics. In some embodiments, the at least one padded segment 112 may comprise raised structures coupled to the top surface 102 of the main body 101. In other embodiments the at least one padded segment 112 may comprise inlays of materials including but not limited to foam, gel, rubber, or other vibrational and impact-resistant materials known in the art.
A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the angled channel may be configured to couple varying propulsion rail diameters and cross-sections, the angle formed by the channel being classified as, but not limited to, acute, right, obtuse, straight, and reflex angles.
In some embodiments of the invention, the force transfer member and the bottom surface may comprise a continuous structure such that the angled channel is visually absent, forming an obtuse, straight, or reflex angle.
The force transfer member 113 may further comprise surface features having enhanced frictional capabilities and configured to reduce slipping between a surface of the transfer member 113 and the wheelchair propulsion rail. In other embodiments, the force transfer member 113 may comprise a molded structure, the surface features comprising a portion of the member itself.
The bottom surface of the wheelchair racing glove may further comprise an at least one frictional support member coupled thereto. The frictional support member may comprise a force absorption material having limited compressibility, including but not limited to a dense padding, foam, or plastic; configured to absorb an impact force, such as that of a user driving the glove 100 down upon an edge of a wheelchair propulsion rail. The frictional support member also comprises surface features with enhanced frictional capabilities, configured to reduce slippage between a surface of the force transfer member 113 and the wheelchair propulsion rail.
In some embodiments of the invention, the frictional support member may comprise a chemical coating, including but not limited to rubber, resin, vinyl, or other anti-slip material known in the art. In other embodiments, the frictional support member may comprise a covering, such as cloth or leather, coupled to both the force transfer member 113 and the bottom surface 103 of the glove 100 and configured to enclose each.
The main body 101 of the wheelchair racing glove 100 may further comprise a internal support system 116, shown in
A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the main body 101 may be manufactured from any impact-resistant thermoplastic, including but not limited to polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or polyvinyl alcohol (PVC). The wheelchair racing glove 100 may be manufactured through injection molding, thermoforming, compression molding, or other technique known in the art. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that the wheelchair racing glove 100 may be manufactured through three-dimensional printing techniques, including but not limited to stereolithography (SLA), fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering (SLS), or selective laser melting (SLM).
While the invention has been described with respect to various embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is capable of further modifications. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention generally following the principles of the invention, and includes such departures from the present disclosure within the known and customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains.
This invention claims priority from the previously filed provisional application, U.S. Pat. No. 62/659,021, filed Apr. 17, 2018; the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62659021 | Apr 2018 | US |