Abstract:
A dark, disposable glove engineered for professional haircoloring. A disposable glove shall be defined as one that is manufactured, marketed, and intended for a single application—one that is discarded after each use.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    A dark, disposable glove engineered for professional haircoloring. A disposable glove shall be defined as one that is manufactured, marketed, and intended for a single application—one that is discarded after each use.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Disposable gloves have long been used in the professional Beauty Industry as a safe and cost effective way to protect a worker&#39;s hands from prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals found in shampoos and conditioners, and more specifically, chemical relaxers and haircoloring products. There are many types of disposable gloves used in the Beauty Industry by salon professionals, each having different chemical compositions, physical properties, and various selling prices.  
           [0003]    Disposable polyethylene or copolymer gloves have long been utilized inside “home type” retail haircolor kits sold to consumers. Haircare manufacturers provide these types of gloves because they are the least expensive disposable gloves on the market, thus keeping manufacturing costs as low as possible. Traditionally, these gloves are clear or translucent in color as polyethylene is clear in its natural original form. Being the least expensive, these gloves are extremely thin (traditionally 1-2 mils), and provide a poor quality, sloppy/baggy fit. Due to their poor fit and quality, these gloves are rarely found in the professional Beauty Industry (in salons) where professionals are working with their hands all day long. Average salon cost is about $0.025/glove.  
           [0004]    Disposable latex gloves are also used by salon professionals as a cost effective means to provide hand protection. Traditionally, these gloves are beige in color (resembling that of an elastic band or surgical glove) as this is the color of the natural raw material solution used to form these gloves. Since latex has terrific stretch capabilities, these gloves provide a more precise and better fit than polyethylene gloves. Traditional disposable latex gloves are typically 5 mils in thickness and thus stronger than that of a disposable polyethylene glove. They are readily available in the marketplace in either a powdered or unpowdered version with an average salon cost of $0.07/glove.  
           [0005]    Disposable vinyl gloves (also known as PVC gloves and sometimes as synthetic vinyl gloves) are also used by salon professionals as a cost effective means to provide hand protection. Traditionally, these gloves are clear or translucent in color as this is the color of the natural raw material solution used to form these gloves. Due to its slightly looser fit than a disposable latex glove, vinyl gloves allow the hand to breathe more easily, preventing the hand from fatiguing over time. The slightly looser fit of a vinyl disposable glove also allows the glove to be put on/off easier than a latex disposable glove. Like latex disposable gloves, vinyl disposable gloves are traditionally 5 mils in thickness and are readily available in the marketplace in either a powdered or unpowdered version. Average salon cost is about $0.07/glove. Vinyl disposable gloves are an excellent alternative to those whose skin is sensitive to latex products.  
           [0006]    Disposable synthetic gloves, in recent years, have gained in popularity in all industries, including the Beauty Industries. The term “synthetic”, in its truest sense, applies to a disposable glove that is non-latex and non-vinyl, although the word is often used in association with vinyl disposable gloves. Such an example of a disposable synthetic glove would be that of a disposable nitrile glove which is comprised from a blend of synthetic (man-made) polymers. These synthetic polymers offer different physical properties to the gloves once produced; e.g. softer feel, increased stretch capacity of the material, etc. Disposable nitrile gloves, although used by salon professionals, has not really taken off in the professional Beauty Industry much in part to its high costs. Average salon cost is $0.18/glove. Disposable nitrile gloves are traditionally 5 mils thick but the nitrile properties make for a more durable glove than its latex or vinyl counterpart. In some cases, disposable nitrile gloves are puncture resistant. For this reason, this glove is mostly seen in the medical industry, as it resembles many of the properties found in latex gloves but without any latex in the glove. Disposable nitrile gloves are also an excellent alternative to those whose skin is sensitive to latex products. These gloves are traditionally blue in color so as to not confuse them with latex products and are available in the marketplace in either a powdered or unpowdered version. Other known colors include white or beige, and even clear/translucent if describing a vinyl synthetic glove.  
                                                 Types of Gloves                    Traditional   Avg Salon       Material   Traditional Color   Thickness   Cost/glove               Polyethylene   Clear   1-2 mils   $.02       Latex   Beige     5 mils   $.07       Vinyl (PVC)   Clear     5 mils   $.07       Synthetic   Blue, beige, or white     5 mils   $.18                  
 
           [0007]    In the early days, for the most part, the use of color additives to adjust the final color of a disposable glove in the manufacturing process was not utilized. The final color of the gloves was merely a function of the components and ingredients that made up the glove, and the marketplace readily accepted this.  
           [0008]    In recent years, colored disposable gloves (blue, red, green, etc.), in the various materials discussed above, have become more popular in specific industries for different reasons. For example, in the foodservice industry, supermarket employees working in the poultry area might wear a blue glove to cut raw poultry; while employees in the deli department might wear a clear glove to slice deli meat; while employees in the seafood department might wear a red glove to handle raw seafood; while the maintenance crew might wear a green glove to sanitize the floor. The use of colored gloves in this instance is specifically to prevent cross contamination between departments that could potentially endanger public health; e.g. salmonella,  E. coli , campylobactor, etc. While the colored gloves in this application play an important role in general, it makes no difference which department uses which color glove.  
           [0009]    Another example of colored gloves exists in the dental and medical fields simply for esthetic purposes. For example, pastel colors such as light pink, light green, and light blue have been used to help create a more relaxed (non medical) atmosphere in these types of environments, but the specific color used has no function in its application with the patient.  
           [0010]    The professional Beauty Industry saw its first colored glove in the early 90&#39;s with the development of a thick, brown, reusable, latex glove. Since these gloves are reusable, (marketed as such on their packaging), and very thick (often 10 mil) the gloves are very expensive. In many cases the reuseable latex glove is 30 times the cost of a disposable glove as its average salon cost is $2/glove. Since the glove is designed and marketed to be used time and time again, the dark color glove masks (or hides) most stains that develop on the glove&#39;s surface. This is important, as even the most seasoned haircolorist has no way to prevent haircolor from coming in contact with their gloves while applying color to a client&#39;s hair. The marketing concept of this brown, reusable glove was twofold: 1) to keep the glove esthetically pleasing to the eye of customers and onlookers, thus giving off the appearance of a clean and sanitary glove, and 2) to reduce costs associated with a single-use disposable glove. Prior to this dark color glove, haircolor stains on traditional disposable gloves made for an unsightly and less than professional appearance. This appearance closely resembled that of an auto mechanic with motor oil all over their gloves. Since many salons are well decorated, this unsightly appearance is not desired.  
           [0011]    In the late 90&#39;s, further improvements were made to this category of reusable gloves, as brown gloves were not totally effective at hiding all the stains used in the haircoloring process. Reusable black latex gloves became popular because they sold at a slightly better price point (average salon cost of $1.00/glove) and were more efficient at hiding all haircoloring stains. Unlike the foodservice industry and the medical and dental fields discussed above, the specific color of this glove in the Beauty Industry played an important role with its specific application; to hide the haircoloring stains.  
           [0012]    Although the two types of reusable gloves mentioned above did offer the benefit of hiding haircoloring stains, there were many disadvantages associated with their use including issues related to latex, sanitation, maintenance, fit/feel, and finally cost. Each of these issues is discussed below.  
           [0013]    In recent years, the use of latex products has been subject to much criticism in all industries including the highly profiled Medical Industry. More and more people every year suffer from latex allergies as a result of either wearing or coming in contact with latex products. Some latex allergies are so severe that it can be life threatening. The use of latex products promotes risk for both the operator (colorist) and their client. For this reason, there has been a major shift away from latex gloves in all industries including the Beauty Industry. Other latex free alternatives were found in vinyl and synthetic disposable gloves.  
           [0014]    Despite the intimate interaction with clients (touching ones hair and scalp), reusable gloves are widely used in the professional Beauty Industry. Such practices would not be accepted nor tolerated in the Medical Industry as this could promote the risk of spreading germs, infections, or even disease. The same risks apply to the Beauty Industry, but no local or federal agency has yet to get involved. Reusing a glove that comes in contact with more than one individual is highly unsanitary. Disposable gloves offer sanitary conditions as they are discarded after each use.  
           [0015]    Maintenance of these latex reusable gloves is another big problem, as the only way to preserve the longevity of the gloves is to constantly wash and dry the gloves. The tedious process of constantly washing these gloves ensures that they are as clean as possible (inside and out), and prevents mold and odor from forming. Properly drying the glove prevents the walls of the latex gloves from sticking together. Sticking is a problem as it can lead to the glove ripping or tearing in these specific areas when being donned after the initial application. This on-going daily maintenance consumes valuable time throughout a salon professional&#39;s day. Disposable gloves are maintenance free as they are discarded after each use.  
           [0016]    Since reusable latex gloves are made to a thicker specification to last time and time again, this thicker glove can interfere with the feel of the hair. A precise feel is very important so a professional haircolorist can quickly and efficiently touch and determine the present condition of the hair. Further, the surface of certain types of latex gloves, based on their physical properties, stick to and pull a client&#39;s hair. This pull is not desired and is uncomfortable to the client. Due to the physical properties of non-latex gloves, vinyl or synthetic products do not stick, nor pull the hair.  
           [0017]    Finally, cost is major issue for reusable latex gloves. Since reusable latex gloves are made to a thicker specification to last time and time again, their costs are significantly higher than that of a disposable glove. In some cases the cost could be as high as 2000% more than its disposable counterpart.  
           [0018]    Inherent problems with all reusable latex haircoloring gloves are compared to the advantages of disposable haircoloring gloves and are summarized in the following chart:  
                                   Advantages of           Disposable   Disadvantages of Reusable       Haircoloring Gloves   Haircoloring Gloves                   Very economical   Very Expensive       Available in latex   All thus far are latex based which can cause       alternatives including    serious skin irritations for operators/clients       vinyl and synthetic       compounds       Provides ultra   Extra thick latex can interfere with feel and stick       sensitive fit/feel   to hair       that will not stick       to hair       Single use.   Promotes health risks due to unsanitary       Always completely   conditions       sanitary       Maintenance free.   On-going daily maintenance. Must be washed       Saves time.   continuously to ensure best performance and           prevent odors. Must be dried properly to prevent           cracking/tearing during repeated uses                  
 
           [0019]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,445 relates to a disposable cosmetic glove which includes an outer glove shell of lotion impervious material and an inner glove lining of lotion absorbent material. The inner glove lining is preferably uniformly impregnated with a cosmetic lotion; however, the glove may be provided with a lining which is not impregnated thereby permitting a lotion of personal choice to be injected into the lining prior to use. In a preferred embodiment, the disposable glove comprises an outer shell of thermoplastic resin material to which a thin layer of polyether or polyester urethane foam is bonded.  
           [0020]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,832 relates to a disposable vinyl glove having a fastening belt which includes a hollow formed seamless body member, an open proximal end, and a cuff portion at the proximal end. The cuff portion has a fastening belt fixed on the outside surface of the cuff portion. The end of the fastening belt has an adhesive area, an adhesive layer is covering the adhesive area and a removable release sheet is covering the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer can stick with the surface of the cuff or tying belt together. After the glove is worn, the cuff of the glove is tightened on the wearer&#39;s wrist by the fastening belt and the adhesive means sticks the fastened tying belt and the outer surface of the cuff together, thereby the disposable vinyl glove is tightly secured on the wearer&#39;s hand.  
           [0021]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,394 relates to a disposable elastomeric glove having a distinct protuberance in proximal position with respect to a thenar eminence of a wearer thereby allowing for a quick and safe glove removal procedure. The protuberance is grasped to safely remove the glove from the hand.  
           [0022]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,570 relates to a powderfree medical film glove comprising an elastomer base layer, preferably vinyl, having a sprayed, intermittent coating formed on the hand-contacting surface of the glove.  
           [0023]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,856 relates to a anti-static glove that is formed from a porous cloth-type material having the palm inner thumb, and inner finger surfaces covered by a cutout of thin anti-static polyvinyl chloride film. The cutout is attached by stitching or by an adhesive.  
           [0024]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,386 relates to a flexible polyvinyl chloride article and method of making the same. A two layer flexible article includes a first layer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and a second layer of polyester polyurethane which incorporates a texturizing agent. The article is preferably a glove formed by the method of dipping a hand shaped form into a first bath containing a PVC plastisol and a second bath containing a polyester polyurethane emulsion incorporating a texturizing agent and a slip agent. In a finished glove the PVC layer forms the outside or patient contacting surface and the polyester polyurethane with the texturizing agent and the slip agent incorporated therein forms the inner user contacting surface. Theses gloves are substantially donnable without the need for donning powders.  
           [0025]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,843 relates to a method of detecting the spatial position and rotational position of suitably marked objects in digital image sequences. The images of the sequence are put into binary form by applying a threshold value operation. In a gray-level image having a varying background, it is a very difficult problem to recognize a human hand in real time at this level of generality. This problem is substantially simplified when the hand stands out distinctly from the background and markings are provided on the hand whose shape and size are known. For this reason, it is advantageous in conjunction with the method according to the invention to use, for example, a black glove on which white markings are provided and which the user of the method according to the invention pulls over his hand. The image of the human hand is taken in this method with the aid of a gray-level camera, subjected to an adaptive threshold value operation and converted into a segmented binary image. Subsequently, features are calculated relative to all the image objects and with the aid of these features the markings are recognized and their position in space is calculated.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0026]    The present invention relates to a professional Beauty Industry glove with the following characteristics: a dark colored glove that hides haircoloring stains which is disposable and offers a completely sanitary environment. A dark colored glove is defined as a glove that masks (or hides) most stains that develop on the glove&#39;s surface. Masking or hiding stains is important, as even the most seasoned haircolorist has no way to prevent haircolor from coming in contact with their gloves while applying color to a client&#39;s hair.  
           [0027]    It is an object of the present invention for the glove to always look professional. It is an object of the present invention for the glove to be a non-latex glove that would not have any adverse effects on the skin. It is an object of the invention for the glove to be a non-powdered glove that would not have any adverse affects on the skin. It is an object of the present invention for the glove to not interfere with the feel of the hair nor pull the hair. It is an object of the present invention for the glove to be maintenance free. It is an object of the present invention for the glove to be economical.  
           [0028]    The present invention provides all the characteristics needed in a professional haircoloring glove and represents a significant improvement over any other glove on the market. The present invention is a dark, non-latex, non-powdered, economical, disposable haircoloring glove, specifically designed for use in the professional Beauty Industry and offering a multitude of additional benefits including: always looking clean and professional, always completely sanitary, offering a terrific feel, requires no maintenance, does not interfere with the feel of the hair nor stick to hair.  
           [0029]    Its average salon cost is about $0.09/glove and thus in line with other traditional disposable gloves yet significantly less expensive then its dark reusable counterpart. The dark color was specifically chosen as it provides a specific function in the haircoloring process: to hide stains and to look professional. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0030]    Disposable gloves for the professional Beauty Industry are a safe and cost effective way to protect a worker&#39;s hands from prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals found in shampoos and conditioners, and more specifically, chemical relaxers and haircoloring products.  
         [0031]    In an embodiment, the gloves are a dark, disposable latex glove which is a cost effective means to provide hand protection. Latex has terrific stretch capabilities and provides a more precise and better fit than polyethylene gloves. Traditional disposable latex gloves are typically 5 mils in thickness and thus stronger than that of a disposable polyethylene glove. In an embodiment the gloves are available in either a powdered or unpowdered version.  
         [0032]    In an embodiment, dark disposable vinyl gloves (also known as PVC gloves and sometimes as synthetic vinyl gloves) are used. They are a cost effective way to provide hand protection. Due to its slightly looser fit than a disposable latex glove, vinyl gloves allow the hand to breathe more easily, preventing the hand from fatiguing over time. The slightly looser fit of a vinyl disposable glove also allows the glove to be put on/off easier than a latex disposable glove. In an embodiment the gloves are available in either a powdered or unpowdered version. Vinyl disposable gloves are an excellent alternative to those whose skin is sensitive to latex products.  
         [0033]    In an embodiment, dark, disposable synthetic gloves are used. Synthetic glovers are non-latex, non-vinyl gloves. Such an example of a disposable synthetic glove would be that of a disposable nitrile glove which is comprised from a blend of synthetic (man-made) polymers. These synthetic polymers offer different physical properties to the gloves once produced; e.g. softer feel, increased stretch capacity of the material, etc. . . . Disposable nitrile gloves are traditionally 5 mils thick but the nitrile properties make for a more durable glove than its latex or vinyl counterpart. In an embodiment, the disposable nitrile gloves are puncture resistant. Disposable nitrile gloves are an excellent alternative to those whose skin is sensitive to latex products. In an embodiment the gloves are available in either a powdered or unpowdered version.  
         [0034]    In an embodiment, dark, disposable polyethylene or copolymer gloves are used. These types of gloves are the least expensive disposable gloves on the market, thus keeping manufacturing costs as low as possible. In an embodiment, the gloves are available in either a powdered or unpowdered version.  
         [0035]    A precise feel is very important so a professional haircolorist can quickly and efficiently touch and determine the present condition of the hair. Further, the surface of certain types of gloves, based on their physical properties, stick to and pull a client&#39;s hair. This pull is not desired and is uncomfortable to the client. Due to the physical properties of non-latex gloves, vinyl or synthetic products do not stick, nor pull the hair.  
         [0036]    Advantages of disposable haircoloring gloves include: ultrasensitive, fit/feel that will not sick to hair; economical; single use, always completely sanitary; maintenance fee, saves time and; available in latex alternatives, including vinyl and synthetic compounds.