Abstract:
A glove holder for retaining a work glove or a sport glove on user&#39;s clothes in an easily accessible location. The holder has a moisture impermeable panel, which has dimensions greater than an outer periphery of the glove. A securing member is attached to an outside surface of the panel. A second securing member is attached adjacent a cuff portion of the glove. The securing members carry quick-release fasteners allowing ready engagement and disengagement of the glove with the panel. The panel may be secured on a waist belt of the user to provide easy access to the glove by the user.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a holder assembly with attachment means for securing work gloves or sports gloves in an easily accessible manner on clothes of a user.  
         [0002]     Many occupations require use of protective hand gear, such as work gloves, to protect user&#39;s hands from splinters, abrasions, or contact with toxic materials. Many workmen in lumber yards, lumber mills, chemical plants, and other such work places that involve manual labor require wearing of protective hand gear to prevent hands from coming into contact with potentially dangerous or damaging materials. However, in many cases the workers need to take notes, write reports and engage in other activities, wherein work gloves worn on the hands become a hindrance. The workers then have to remove the gloves, use the pen or other writing implement before returning to the job that requires wearing of the gloves again. As a result, many gloves become misplaced, lost, and require quick replacement, which may not be immediately available on site.  
         [0003]     Many sportsmen wear gloves as part of the desired hand protection. Gardeners often wear gloves when engaged in particularly dirty work with soil or mulch. Such individuals also require easy accessibility to the gloves and easy removal of the glove when the task requires finger dexterity, which might be hampered by wearing of the gloves.  
         [0004]     The industry has come up with several solutions to this long existing problem. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,373 (Taylor) teaches a holder assembly for removably holding a glove. The holder is connected to a pocket flap with an inner and outer surface. A permanent magnet is attached to one portion of the holder and another magnet is secured on the other portion of the holder. One portion of the holder is placed on the pocket, while the other portion is positioned to magnetically connect the pocket to the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,992 (Fischer, et al.) discloses a glove dispenser that comprises a case with a metallic clip attached thereto. A clip receives cuffs of disposable gloves. The gloves can be released when the case is the glove units from the dispenser. U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,599 (Pelt, et al) teaches a device for retaining a wet golf glove on the user&#39;s garment. The holder has an elongated panel made of flexible material and covered with leather material. Both ends of the panel have magnets and one side of the panel is situated into the pants pocket and belt and folded so that the two rectangular portions connect where the magnets are located. The exposed outside of the panel is provided with a patch of hook and loop fasteners to secure the wet glove for drying between golf activities.  
         [0005]     While the above solutions work satisfactorily in many instances, they do not seem to provide sufficient protection for the user&#39;s clothes against a soiled glove contacting the wearer&#39;s clothing. The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a glove holder assembly for retaining a working glove or a set of working gloves in an easily accessible manner.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a glove holder apparatus that can be secured on the user&#39;s clothes.  
         [0007]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a belt-mounted device for carrying gloves that has a protector positioned between the glove and the garment to prevent the soiled glove from contacting the user&#39;s garments.  
         [0008]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a belt-mounted assembly for carrying a work glove or a golf glove that can be easily positioned and released from its engagement with the holder.  
         [0009]     These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a glove holder that can be used with a waist belt for suspending one or more gloves. The holder has a moisture-impermeable panel, which carries a first securing member thereon. The panel is sized and shaped to have greater surface area than the glove. A second securing member is attached to the glove adjacent an inner cuff portion. The securing members carry quick release elements, which may be hoop-and-loop fasteners.  
         [0010]     The holder apparatus may be optionally provided with a flexible belt, to which the panel is secured. The belt has tightening buckle or hoop-and-loop fastening members to allow adjustment of the belt to different size waists. When the glove is suspended on the panel, the panel becomes an effective barrier between soiled glove and the user&#39;s garment. The glove is preferably made of a stiff material, which holds the glove&#39;s shape when the glove is positioned on the panel.  
         [0011]     To place the glove on the hand, the user slips the hand into the glove top opening and applies pressure on the glove, pulling the glove away from the panel. Once the task is completed, the user moves the gloved hand towards the panel and aligns the securing members. The user then applies a slight pressure on the glove, pressing the securing members together and attaching the glove to the panel. The user then withdraws his/her hand from the glove and continues with activities not requiring the protection of the glove. Meanwhile, the glove stays secure positioned on the panel, ready for easy access and use when the occasion requires.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the glove holder apparatus in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the holder apparatus, with the glove released.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the glove holder apparatus as mounted on a waist belt.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of the glove provided with a securing member according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]     Turning now to the drawings in more detail, numeral  10  designates the glove holder apparatus in accordance with the present invention. The apparatus  10  comprises a holder body, or panel  12  and a means  14  for securing a glove on the holder  12 . As can be seen in the drawings, the holder  12  comprises a flat panel having an outer surface  15 . The panel has an upper portion, which can be detachably or fixedly secured to a belt  16  of the user. The waist belt  16  may be made of flexible, stretchable or non-stretchable material, depending on the selected preference.  
         [0018]     A tightening buckle  18  is carried by the belt  16 . The buckle  18  may be substituted by hook and loop fastener strips, allowing adjustment of the belt  16  to a different size waist. If the holder  12  is fixedly secured on the belt  16 , it may be done by stitching, such as shown in phantom lines  20  or by a permanent adhesive. The waist belt is an optional feature of the instant apparatus  12 , as will be described in more details hereinafter.  
         [0019]     The holder  12  carries a first securing member  22  secured adjacent an upper portion of the outer surface  15 . The securing member  22  may be a strip of hook and loop fastening material or a quick release snap, or other such securing member since other attachment means may be employed for the structure of the securing member  22  as long as they allow easy and quick release of the glove upon demand.  
         [0020]     A second securing member  24  is secured on a glove  26  adjacent an inner cuff portion  28  thereof. The second securing member  24 , similar to the first securing member  22  may be secured by stitching  30  or by other means, such as adhesive and the like. The second securing member  24  is provided with attaching elements  32 . The attaching elements  32  mate with the attachment elements of the first securing member  22  when the securing members  22  and  24  are aligned and some pressure is applied to the second securing member  24 , forcing the mating engagement members to mating engage with each other.  
         [0021]     The holder  12  is configured to extend outside of the periphery of the standard work glove or golf glove  26 . Although the holder  12  is shown in the drawings as having a generally rectangular configuration, it will be understood that other shapes of the holder panel can be employed. The preferred requirement is that the surface area of the holder  12  exceeds the area of the glove to thereby form a protective barrier for the user&#39;s clothes.  
         [0022]     As a result, when the securing members  22  and  24  are engaged together, the soiled portions of the glove  26  contact the panel surface  15  and do not come into contact with the garment  34  of the user. The holder  12  is formed from a moisture impermeable, flexible material which can be either wiped clean when soiled by the glove  26  or cleaned by other convenient methods.  
         [0023]     The location of the first securing member  22  can be selected depending on the user&#39;s preference. For instance, the first securing member  22  can be moved higher or lower in relation to the waist belt  16  to adapt the height of the glove location to the preferred position. If desired, the waist belt  16  may be left not completely tightened about the user&#39;s waist and slow some slack, which will then effectively lower position of the holder panel  12  in relation to the user&#39;s waist.  
         [0024]     It is preferred that the glove  26  be made from a sturdy, stiff material capable of withstanding multiple uses as well as positioning and repositioning on the user&#39;s hand. As can be seen in  FIGS. 1, 3  and  4 , the front portion of the glove may be cut out, such as at  36  below the cuff line  28 . The lower cut of the outer surface of the glove  36  facilitates positioning of the hand within the glove  26 .  
         [0025]     In use, the user secures the belt  16  on the waist and tightens the buckle  18  or other tightening means. The belt  16  carries the holder  12  which is provided with the first securing member  22 . The glove  26  carrying the second securing member  24  is detachably secured on the holder  12 . The user slips his/her hand into the top opening  38  defined by the cuff line  28  and the low cut section  36 , sliding the hand into the glove and positioning the fingers within the finger extension portions of the glove  26 .  
         [0026]     The user then moves the glove  26  away from the holder  12  breaking the engagement between the mating members of the first securing member  22  and the second securing member  24 . The user then performs the tasks requiring protective gloves and, having finished with the task, lowers the hand and aligns the securing members  22  and  24 . The user then presses the glove  26  against the holder  12 , thus temporarily suspending the glove  26  on the holder  12 . The user then removes his hand from the glove  26  and performs the tasks that do not require hand protection. The steps of engaging the hand in the glove  26  and removing the hand from the glove  26  can be performed multiple times, with the glove staying in the designated place on the holder  12 .  
         [0027]     If desired, the belt  16  can be provided with a pair of holders, similar to the holder  12 , each on a side of the user&#39;s torso. In this case, the user can use left or right glove, depending on his preference, or use both gloves when the task so requires.  
         [0028]     The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive solution to the problem of retaining gloves in the designated place, at all times close to the user when the task requires hand protection. The soiled glove is retained away from the user&#39;s garment, with the holder panel protecting the garment against soil, chemicals, oils, and other substances that could damage the garment.  
         [0029]     It is envisioned that a kit containing a waist belt, a holder, and a pair of securing members can be provided to the user for retaining the work gloves or sporting gloves adjacent to the user. The user will then merely position the second securing member on the palm side of the glove and, if provided separately, secure the first securing member on the holder high or low on the panel front surface.  
         [0030]     It is also envisioned that a kit can be provided containing only the holder panel and two securing members, which user can incorporate into his work or sport clothes. The holder may be provided with a flap for engaging the user&#39;s waistband or with another set of hook and loop fasteners for attaching to the user&#39;s other portions of the garment.  
         [0031]     Many changes and modifications can be made in the design of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.