Abstract:
The invention is an article of manufacture comprising a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a forefinger region and a character disposed across the middle finger and thumb regions. The character is placed such that the top of the character&#39;s face and mouth is across the middle finger region, and the bottom of the mouth is across the thumb region. The mouth is therefore open when the thumb region and middle finger region are not touching each other, and is closed when the thumb region and middle finger region are touching.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 61/063,540 filed Feb. 4, 2008, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to the field of garments for hands. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to providing a whimsical feature on a glove or mitten or on a pair of gloves or mittens, with the primary purpose to be to entice young children or mentally challenged adults to wear hand protection. Many times children or mentally challenged adults balk at wearing hand protection, even in cold weather, and the result is that their hands become cold and/or chapped. This can lead to discomfort, which could ruin an outing for the child or mentally challenged adult and accompanying others, or, in extreme cases, lack of hand protection may lead to frostbite. Chapped hands are more susceptible to infection and can provide an entry point into the body for disease. Additionally, unprotected wet hands can get stuck to frozen features outside, causing pain upon removal. 
         [0004]    Other instances when hand protection may be desirable is anyplace that diseases are readily transmitted, for instance, a caretaker may want a child or mentally challenged adult to wear protective hand gear when riding in a grocery cart and putting his/her hands on the handrail of the cart. Children or mentally challenged adults who are particularly susceptible to disease may be encouraged to wear gloves in many other situations as well, or any time they go to a public place. 
         [0005]    Prior art that is relevant to the present invention is described below. None of the prior art teaches the present invention. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,660 teaches a child&#39;s glove with an elongated opening that can be opened for a child to insert his/her hand into the glove. The opening is then closed to provide a snug fit after the hand is in place inside the glove. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,065 teaches a walking hand puppet in the figure of a walking or crawling land or sea animal, bird, insect or the like, comprising a body with finger-insertable appendages, and a non-functional glove on the body, said glove having a passage formed therein through which a hand is insertable to insert the fingers into the appendages and to manipulate them in simulation of walking or crawling. The presence of the glove creates the optical illusion that the hand is received and held therein, which raises the question of how the appendages are manipulated. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,425 teaches a glove puppet assembly simulating a creature with movable claws that has a body member and forwardly extending claw members with lever arm portions which extend into the cavity of the body member. A bell crank assembly in the cavity is pivotally connected to the inner ends of the lever arm portions, and an actuator connected to the bell crank assembly extends outwardly of the body member so that it may be manually actuated to pivot the bell crank assembly and cause the forward ends of the claw members to move relative to each other. A glove is secured to the lower outer surface of the body member and has a finger thereof extending through a ring portion on the actuator so that the user&#39;s finger may be pivoted downwardly to provide the desired manual action. The creature also includes a tail member pivoted to the body member, and it is pivotable by relative motion between the forearm and hand of the user in the glove. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,025 teaches a hand puppet figure that has head components which can be moved, by manipulation of the operator&#39;s finger, relative to a body which is held substantially immobile on the operator&#39;s hand. The puppet figure may have wings capable of simulating flapping movement, while producing an audible sound, and the glove employed is both functional and contributes to aesthetic appeal. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,889 teaches a stuffed bear for teaching sign language to deaf children. The stuffed bear has a pair of hollow tubular arms through which the arms of a teacher pass, so the hands project beyond the front edge surface of each arm. Each arm is secured by stitching to a side of the main body of the stuffed bear along one-quarter of the circumferential length of the rear edge surface of the arm, which length is the upper and forward section thereof, so that complete articulation of the arm may be achieved to allow for the signs of sign language to be performed. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,209 teaches a child&#39;s baseball glove that includes a hand member, including a palm section, a finger section, a thumb section, and a webbing section connecting the thumb section to the finger section, and a padded pocket member which extends along the front side of the thumb section, across the base portion of the palm section, along the front side of the outer portion of the finger section and across the upper end portion of the front side of the finger section to substantially define the perimeter of a pocket in the glove. The glove preferably further includes an elongated padded retainer member which is detachably secured to opposite side portions of the pocket member and extends in outwardly spaced relation across the base portion of the palm section. The glove can be initially used by a young child with the retainer member in place in order to enable the child to more easily catch and retain a ball in the pocket of the glove, and after the child has developed an initial level of proficiency at utilizing the glove, the retaining member can be removed to enable the glove to be used in a manner similar to a conventional baseball glove. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,507 teaches a shirt-like garment having an upper body torso merging into a sleeve portion wherein a figure is applied to the torso portion and to the sleeve portion to appear as an integrated image. The sleeve preferably terminates in a puppet head at its distal end so that a wearer may insert a hand into the puppet head for manipulation as a convention puppet. The mouth of the puppet head is preferably formed with upper and lower inner mouth pieces defining a slot through which a hand of a wearer may extend free from the puppet head. When so extended, the puppet head will be fastened about the wrist of the wearer by suitable fasteners. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,445 teaches a device for use in a puppet to effect theatrical motion of the mouth and head by pivoting up the top part of the head while simultaneously lowering the jaw. This method of actuating both parts of the head to simulate mouth movement also allows for rotation, tilting and exchange of the head in a glove type hand puppet. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,610 teaches a mitten set that is arranged to include a first, second, and third glove member to permit simultaneous warming and securement between an adult and an associated child, wherein the first glove member is a first sizing, and the second glove member a second sizing greater than the first sizing. The first glove member and the second glove member each include respective first and second glove member fingers, and the third glove member includes a third glove member finger, as well as a second entrance opening arranged to receive a hand of a child therethrough to permit securement of the individual child within the third glove member to thereby share the third glove member by an associated adult and child. 
         [0015]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,415 teaches a child&#39;s mitten that comprises an insulation member overcovering the hand, including the thumb and fingers. A water-resistant shell covers the insulation member and includes a flared arm portion configured to extend up the wearer&#39;s lower arm and over the elbow. An elastic member in a cuff at the upper end of the arm portion holds the mitten above the elbow. An additional elastic member may be placed within the wrist portion to compress it about the wearer&#39;s wrist, the insulation member abutting or overcovering the wearer&#39;s jacket or coat cuff to maintain a continuous insulative layer over the wearer&#39;s wrist. In another feature of the invention, a universal thumb enclosure has a base width equal to the base width of the finger enclosure, or nearly so, enabling its use on either of the wearer&#39;s left or right hand. 
         [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,461 teaches a hand puppet that includes: a puppet glove to be worn by a player hand, a mouth-manipulating device secured in a head portion of the puppet glove having a mandible plate embedded in a lower-jaw sheath of a mouth portion of the puppet glove and a maxilla plate embedded in an upper-jaw sheath of the mouth portion of the puppet glove, and a sound generator mounted in the mouth-manipulating device, whereby upon pivoting of the maxilla plate about the mandible plate to open the upper-jaw sheath to actuate the sound generator, a sound may be produced from the sound generator for imitating an animal or man&#39;s cry or singing for increasing a player&#39;s interest. 
         [0017]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,269 teaches a toy figure that includes a torso supporting a pair of pivotally secured legs and a pair of pivotally secured arms. One of the legs is further pivotable in an inward direction and is coupled to a pivotal lever supported within the torso interior. One of the arms is coupled to a grasping claw having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw pivotal with respect thereto. A cable mechanism is coupled between the movable jaw and the internally supported lever to provide opening and closing of the grasping claw in response to inward motion of one leg with respect to the torso. The opening and closing of the grasping claw is independent of the pivotal motion of the arm and the rotational motion of the grasping claw and is instead solely dependent upon the inward motion of the coupled leg. 
         [0018]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,943 teaches a sound-producing toy configured to represent a living being having movable parts to simulate a natural form of animation of a mouth and includes a sound-producing unit operable in the response to the simulated animation. Animation may be simulated by a hand inserted in the toy, by operation of an actuator incorporated in the toy, or by a remote control device. The apparatus includes a switch that activates a sound-producing unit, which produces a sequence of syllables that is capable of being synchronized with the animation of the mouth. The onset, coda, and duration of each syllable&#39;s nucleus is controlled by the user of the toy with the ability to synchronize visual animation and the vocal performance of a familiar song, poem, or other series of verbal audio events divided into individual syllables, in a totally realistic manner. In another aspect of the invention, a musical instrumental sequenced performance may be synchronized with the vocal presentation and the synchronized visual animation of the toy. 
         [0019]    U.S. Design Pat. No. D512,752 teaches an ornamental design for a glove puppet. 
         [0020]    None of the art cited above teaches the present invention, and the present invention has advantages that the prior art lacks. The present invention is simple, easy to manufacture, and easy to clean in a standard washer and dryer. Prior art for gloves and mittens that have an audible component or devices inside for moving the parts of the garment may be difficult to clean because the components or devices may be damaged in a washing machine. Other art cited involves functional features of gloves unrelated to puppets. 
         [0021]    None of the art addresses adding an ornamental feature to a protective hand garment to encourage use of the garment by a child or mentally challenged adult. Unlike the prior art, this invention also serves a dual purpose: to protect the hands of the user and to provide entertainment value to the user. The garment of the present invention could be used in many ways to encourage one to wear the glove. The child or mentally challenged adult may be delighted to wear a puppet on their hand and may look forward to wearing and playing with their gloves. They could also play with the glove character during outings when they get bored. For the child or mentally challenged adult who balks at protective hand garments, the character face could be used to encourage them to wear the garments. For instance, a caregiver may pretend the character face is talking, and may tell the child or mentally challenged adult that the character face will only be quiet once the glove is on their hand. The caregiver may also encourage the child by assigning a name and emotions to the character face, such as ‘Cindy kitty will be sad if you don&#39;t put her on your hand and warm her face up!’ The caregiver may also play any number of games with the child or mentally challenged adult using the character face on the garment, either to encourage the child or mentally challenged adult to wear the garment or just to entertain the child or mentally challenged adult. The entertainment value is particularly important during outings when other games or toys may not be readily available, such as when running errands and when waiting in line. 
         [0022]    The caregiver and child or mentally challenged adult may also have matching or complementary hand garments. The caregiver can then encourage the child or mentally challenged adult to wear the garment by putting on their own version of the garment, and they may come up with many games employing the garments together or individually. 
         [0023]    Two or more children or mentally challenged adults may wear the protective hand garments simultaneously and may invent many games based on the garments. 
         [0024]    Preferred embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    The invention is an article of manufacture comprising a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a middle finger region and a character face disposed across the thumb and middle finger regions. The invention solves the problem of convincing children or mentally challenged adults to wear protective hand gear, particularly gloves or mittens. It also provides hand protection and entertainment in one garment. The invention consists of a face or other feature on the hand garment. The face has a mouth or other type of opening that has one portion on the thumb portion of the hand garment, and a second portion on the middle finger portion of the hand garment. The mouth is closed when the hand garment is on the hand and the thumb and forefinger are brought together to touch. While the preferred garment is a glove or mitten to be worn in cold weather, the invention can also be used with lighter fabric or disposable materials to provide germ protection and entertainment value. 
         [0026]    It is an object of the invention to provide a means to encourage children and mentally challenged adults to wear protective hand gear. 
         [0027]    It is an object of the invention to provide a whimsical character on a protective hand garment. 
         [0028]    It is an object of the invention to provide a picture or scene on a protective hand garment. 
         [0029]    It is an object of the invention to encourage children and mentally challenged adults to wear gloves or mittens in cold weather. 
         [0030]    It is an object of the invention to encourage the use of gloves or mittens in situations where hand protection is required to discourage the spread of disease. 
         [0031]    It is an object of the invention to entertain children and mentally challenged adults by playing games with the characters on the hand garments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing character faces on a set of gloves on the hands of the user. 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a glove with the thumb distended away from the forefinger such that the mouth of the character face is open. 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a cat face disposed on the glove. 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a bunny face disposed on the glove. 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a Santa face disposed on the glove. 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a moveable flap that can conceal or reveal the character face on the glove. 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a picture of a rainbow and a pot of gold disposed on the glove. 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a picture of a ladybug and a flower disposed on the glove. 
           [0040]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a space scene disposed on the glove. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0041]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-6  of the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals. 
         [0042]      FIG. 1  shows a pair of gloves  100 , with a left glove  110  and a right glove  120 . Each glove has a thumb region  130 , a forefinger region  140 , a middle finger region  145  and a character face  150 . The character face  150  is disposed such that a lower portion  170  is disposed on the thumb region  130 , and an upper portion  160  is disposed on the forefinger region  140 . The glove is shown on the hand of the user, with the user arm  180  extending from the glove opening  190 . 
         [0043]    The gloves are on the hands of the user and the thumb and forefinger are touching in a way that allows the mouth of the character to be closed. Although this figure illustrates the invention with identical character faces on both gloves, the character faces may be the same or different for the right and left gloves, and the invention may be used for mittens or any other type of garment that covers the hand fully or partially, including garments such as but not limited to gloves that are open at the fingertips, and hand garments that extend to cover the arms or other body parts either fully or partially. 
         [0044]      FIG. 1  illustrates the character face on the thumb and forefinger region, but the character face may be on any portion of the hand garment up to the middle finger region  210 . For instance but not limited to, the face may be in the palm of the hand, or between the ring and pinky fingers. Additionally, the character face may be disposed across two hand garments such that the face is whole when the two hand garments are brought together, such as but not limited to, putting part of the face on the left glove and the other part of the face on the right glove. 
         [0045]    Materials for the manufacture of the hand garments include fabrics such as, but not limited to, wool, acrylic, nylon, polyester, elastane, leather, faux leather, canvass, vinyl, cotton, rayon, modal, bamboo, soy, or any combination thereof. Other materials for the hand garments include but are not limited to, fur, plastics, thermoplastics, rubber, synthetic rubber, latex, neoprene, metals, Kevlar, Velcro, any type of paper, or any combination thereof. The character face may be made from any of the above materials and also may employ inks, adhesives, photographs, or any combination thereof. 
         [0046]    The face components may be fastened to the hand garment by, but not limited to, sewing, embroidering, using adhesives, using Velcro, snapping. The face may also be integrated into the garment, by, but not limited to, printing onto the garment or weaving into the garment fabric during manufacture. 
         [0047]    The character face may be two dimensional or three dimensional. The character face may be an original design, an existing design that is either freely available in the public domain or is used with the owner&#39;s permission, or an image that is printed or transferred onto the hand garment, such as a photograph or other digital image. The character face may be anything that can be construed to have a face, including but not limited to, any living being such as humans, animals, reptiles and birds, protozoa, dinosaurs, insects, and plants. 
         [0048]    The animal class may contain, but not be limited to, aardvark, addax, alligator, alpaca, anteater, antelope, aoudad, ape, argali, armadillo, baboon, badger, basilisk, bat, bear, beaver, bighorn, bison, boar, budgerigar, buffalo, bull, bunny, burro, camel, canary, capybara, cat, chameleon, chamois, cheetah, chimpanzee, chinchilla, chipmunk, civet, coati, colt, cony, cougar, cow, coyote, crocodile, crow, deer, dingo, doe, dog, donkey, dormouse, dromedary, duckbill, dugong, eland, elephant, elk, ermine, ewe, fawn, ferret, finch, fish, fox, frog, gazelle, gemsbok, gila monster, giraffe, gnu, goat, gopher, gorilla, grizzly bear, ground hog, guanaco, guinea pig, hamster, hare, hartebeest, hedgehog, hippopotamus, hog, horse, hyena, ibex, iguana, impala, jackal, jaguar, jerboa, kangaroo, kid, kinkajou, kitten, koala, koodoo, lamb, lemur, leopard, lion, lizard, llama, lovebird, lynx, mandrill, mare, marmoset, marten, mink, mole, mongoose, monkey, moose, mountain goat, mouse, mule, musk deer, musk-ox, muskrat, mustang, mynah bird, newt, ocelot, okapi, opossum, orangutan, oryx, otter, ox, panda, panther, parakeet, parrot, peccary, pig, platypus, polar bear, pony, porcupine, porpoise, prairie dog, pronghorn, puma, puppy, quagga, rabbit, raccoon, ram, rat, reindeer, reptile, rhinoceros, roebuck, salamander, seal, sheep, shrew, silver fox, skunk, sloth, snake, springbok, squirrel, stallion, steer, tapir, tiger, toad, turtle, vicuna, walrus, warthog, waterbuck, weasel, whale, wildcat, wolf, wolverine, wombat, woodchuck, and zebra. 
         [0049]    The face may also be that of an inanimate object, including but not limited to, automobiles, buildings, furniture, toys, nature displays, fruits, vegetables, clouds, raindrops, the sun, planets, household items, construction items, geometric shapes such as but not limited to stars or triangles, or any item that can be made to show a face. The faces may include, but are not limited to rockets, insects, ladybugs, flowers, rainbows, planes and dinosaurs. 
         [0050]      FIG. 2  shows the left glove  110  with the character face  150 .  FIG. 2  illustrates what a glove looks like with the forefinger region  140  separated from the thumb region  130 , so that the upper portion of the character face  160  and the lower portion of the character face  170  are not touching. The dashed lines on  FIG. 2  further illustrate the approximate geographical areas of forefinger region  140  and middle finger region  210 . In a preferred embodiment, the character face  150  is defined by the middle finger region  145  to the thumb region  130  to the middle finger region  210 , and most preferably thumb region  130  to forefinger region  140 . Where  FIG. 1  showed the character face  150  with its mouth closed,  FIG. 2  shows character face  150  with its mouth open.  FIG. 2  also shows glove opening  190 , middle finger region  210 , ring finger region  220 , pinky finger region  230 , and hand back region  240 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 3  shows the left glove  110  with a cat face  350 . Cat face  350  has an upper portion  360  and a lower portion  370 . Glove  110  has a thumb region  130 , a forefinger region  140 , a glove opening  190 , and a user arm  180  extending from the glove opening  190 . 
         [0052]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate that the character can represent a season, such as but not limited to, the Easter Bunny or a personified egg for Easter; Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, a reindeer, elf, personified star or tree for Christmas; a personified dreidel or menorah for Hanukkah; a leprechaun or personified shamrock for St. Patrick&#39;s Day; a ghost, pumpkin or witch for Halloween, or any other holiday symbols, either living or capable of being personified with a face. 
         [0053]      FIG. 4  shows the left glove  110  with a bunny face  450 . Bunny face  450  has an upper portion  460  and a lower portion  470 . Glove  110  has a thumb region  130 , a forefinger region  140 , a glove opening  190 , and a user arm  180  extending from the glove opening  190 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 5  shows the left glove  110  with a Santa face  550 . Santa face  550  has an upper portion  560  and a lower portion  570 . Glove  110  has a thumb region  130 , a forefinger region  140 , a glove opening  190 , and a user arm  180  extending from the glove opening  190 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 6  shows the left glove  110  with a character face  150 . Character face  150  has an upper portion  160 , and a lower portion  170 . Glove  110  has a thumb region  130 , a forefinger region  140 , a glove opening  190 , a middle finger region  210 , a ring finger region  220 , a pinky finger region  230 , and hand back region  240 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a moveable flap  610  that can be placed in position to cover and hide the character face  150 , or can be flipped up or removed to reveal the character face  150 . Flap  610  can be an integral part of the hand garment or can be attached by means, including but not limited to, Velcro to make it removable. Although the flap is shown as a particular shape in  FIG. 6 , this is for illustrative purposes only, and the flap can be of any shape, including but not limited to, the shape of the character or other face it&#39;s covering, any geometric shape such as a polygon, star or circle, and it can be placed and fastened on any side or sides of the character or other face. 
         [0056]    Also illustrated in  FIG. 6  is that the glove may have a method of keeping the flap  610  open, by employing a device such as but not limited to, a male securing tab  620  on hand back  240  that corresponds to a female securing tab  630  on flap  610 . The glove can be manufactured with or without the male securing tab  620  and female securing tab  630 . The securing tab can be made using fastening devices that include but are not limited to, Velcro, a snap, or a pair of tie strings. The flap and fastening device can be made of any of the materials outlined above in discussion of  FIG. 1 . The same method and materials could be employed to keep the flap closed. 
         [0057]      FIGS. 7-9  illustrate the invention using an inanimate scene in place of the character face on the glove. The scenes may include, but are not limited to rockets, insects, ladybugs, flowers, rainbows, planes and dinosaurs. The inanimate scene is completed when the thumb is opened or closed, most preferably when it is closed against the forefinger region. Materials for the manufacture of the hand garments include fabrics such as, but not limited to, wool, acrylic, nylon, polyester, elastane, leather, faux leather, canvass, vinyl, cotton, rayon, modal, bamboo, soy, or any combination thereof. Other materials for the hand garments include but are not limited to, fur, plastics, thermoplastics, rubber, synthetic rubber, latex, neoprene, metals, Kevlar, Velcro, any type of paper, or any combination thereof. The picture or scene may be made from any of the above materials and also may employ inks, adhesives, photographs, or any combination thereof. 
         [0058]      FIG. 7  shows a left glove  110  with a picture that is completed when the thumb is touching the forefinger. The glove  110  has rainbow  710  on the forefinger region  140 , that ends in a pot of gold  720  when the thumb region  130  and forefinger region  140  are touching as illustrated. When the thumb region  130  and forefinger region  140  are spread apart, the rainbow may be ‘looking for its pot of gold.’ Glove  110  has a middle finger region  210 , a ring finger region  220 , a glove opening  190 , and a user arm  180  extending from the glove opening  190 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 8  shows a left glove  110  with ladybug  810  on the glove forefinger region  140 , and a flower  820  on the glove thumb region  130 . When the thumb and the forefinger are touching, as in the  FIG. 8 , the ladybug has ‘landed’ on the flower. When the thumb and forefinger are spread apart, the ladybug has ‘flown away.’  FIG. 8  also shows that glove  110  has a middle finger region  210 , a ring finger region  220 , glove opening  190 , and a user arm  180  extending from the glove opening  190 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 9  shows left glove  110  with a space ship and stars scene  910  disposed across the forefinger region  140  and middle finger region  210 , with a planet and star scene  920  disposed across thumb region  130 . When the thumb region  130  and forefinger region  140  are touching, the spaceship may be ‘landing’ on the planet. In particular, glove  110  may have a middle finger region touchpoint  145  and a thumb region touch point  135  which touch when thumb region  130  is closed against forefinger region  140 . When the thumb region  130  and the forefinger region  140  are spread apart, the spaceship may be ‘hunting for the planet.’  FIG. 9  also shows ring finger region  220 , pinky finger region  230 , hand back region  240 , and glove opening  190 . 
         [0061]    Picture or scene components may be fastened to the hand garment by, but not limited to, sewing, embroidering, using adhesives, using Velcro, snapping. They may also be integrated into the garment, by, but not limited to, printing onto the garment or weaving into the garment fabric during manufacture. 
         [0062]    Picture or scene components may be two dimensional or three dimensional. The picture or scene may be an original design, an existing design that is either freely available in the public domain or is used with the owner&#39;s permission, or an image that is printed or transferred onto the hand garment, such as a photograph or other digital image. 
         [0063]    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.