Abstract:
A holder for retaining small articles, such as a work glove or a hand tool 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 the user&#39;s clothing article, such as a waist belt. 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. A small tool holder is secured to the waist belt a distance from the panel. The tool holder may be a retractor with a retractable string, which suspends the hand tool on the belt.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Ser. No. 10/974,166 filed on Oct. 27, 2004 entitled “Glove Holder Apparatus,” the full disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, and priority of which is hereby claimed. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a holder assembly with attachment means for securing work tools in an easily accessible manner to a belt worn by a user.  
         [0003]     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.  
         [0004]     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.  
         [0005]     In addition to gloves, many other items and hand tools are needed in performing certain tasks. There are repetitive tasks wherein such small tools are needed continuously. Such small tools are often carried in tool boxes and have to be retrieved quite often during work. Then the tool must be placed in the tool box again for next task, which may be within a span of several minutes.  
         [0006]     The industry has come up with several solutions to the problem of making the work glove more easily accessible to the user. 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.  
         [0007]     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. Additionally, the known solutions do not allow easy access and retrieval of small hand tools by the user.  
         [0008]     The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a glove holder assembly for retaining a working glove and small working tool(s) or a set of working gloves or tools in an easily accessible manner.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     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.  
         [0010]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a belt-mounted device for carrying gloves and small hand tool.  
         [0011]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a belt-mounted assembly for carrying a work glove and/or a hand tool that can be easily positioned and released from its engagement with the holder.  
         [0012]     These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a glove and tool holder that can be used with a waist belt for suspending one or more gloves and hand tools. The holder has a moisture-impermeable panel, which is secured to the waist belt. The panel is sized and shaped to have greater surface area than the glove. A first securing member is secured to the belt above the panel, while 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.  
         [0013]     The belt has a tightening buckle or hoop-and-loop fastening members to allow adjustment of the belt to different size waists. When the glove is suspended over 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.  
         [0014]     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 belt. 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 belt. 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 belt, ready for easy access and use when the occasion requires.  
         [0015]     A small tool holder can be secured to the same belt by a retractor with retractable string, which is wound on a spool inside the retractor housing. The retractor can be secured to the belt by a clip or other suitable means. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the tool holder apparatus in accordance with the present invention showing the detachable gloves.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the tool holder apparatus showing a glove secured on the belt.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tool holder apparatus showing the user placing a hand in the glove suspended from the belt.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the holder apparatus, with the glove released.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the tool holder apparatus showing a second glove secured on the belt.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the tool holder apparatus showing the user placing a hand in the second glove suspended from the belt.  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the holder apparatus, with the second glove released.  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a detail view illustrating the hand tool suspended from the belt, in a retracted position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating the hand tool suspended from the belt, in a retracted position.  
         [0026]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating movement of a hand tool into a position distant from the user.  
         [0027]      FIG. 11  is a detail view showing a left-hand with the cutout formed in the back of the glove.  
         [0028]      FIG. 12  is a detail view illustrating the left-hand glove with the second securing member attached to the palm side of the glove.  
         [0029]      FIG. 13  is a detail view showing a right-hand with the cutout formed in the back of the glove.  
         [0030]      FIG. 14  is a detail view illustrating the right-hand glove with the second securing member attached to the palm side of the glove.  
         [0031]      FIG. 15  is detail view showing a releasable buckle for use with the belt of the present invention.  
         [0032]      FIG. 16  is a detail view illustrating an adjustable means for regulating the width of the belt in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0033]     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 carrying belt  16 , a protective panel  12  and a means  14  for securing a glove on the belt  16 . As can be seen in the drawings, the panel  12  comprises a flat panel having an outer surface  15 . The panel has an upper portion, which can be detachably or fixedly secured to the belt  16  by hook-and-loop fasteners or by stitching. To reduce interference with the movement of the user&#39;s hands, the top edge  17  ( FIGS. 4 and 7 ) of the panel  12  is secured to the back, inner surface of the belt  16 . The panel  12  may be made from flexible, moisture-impermeable material, of desired.  
         [0034]     The waist belt  16  may be made of flexible, stretchable or non-stretchable material, depending on the selected preference. 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.  
         [0035]     The belt  16  carries a first securing member  22  secured adjacent an upper portion of the panel  12 . 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.  
         [0036]     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 adapted for mating 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 matingly engage with each other.  
         [0037]     The second securing member  24  can be formed in different shapes and configurations. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the second securing member  24  has an irregular shape and its surface area is somewhat larger than the surface area of the first securing member  22 , which facilitates engagement of the glove  26  with the first securing member  22  without the user having to strictly align the second securing member  24  with the strip  22 , which forms the first securing member.  
         [0038]     The panel  12  is configured to extend outside of the periphery of the standard work glove or golf glove  26 . Although the panel  12  is shown in the drawings as having a generally rectangular configuration, it will be understood that other shapes of the panel can be employed. The preferred requirement is that the surface area of the panel  12  exceeds the area of the glove  26  to thereby form a protective barrier for the user&#39;s clothing.  
         [0039]     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.  
         [0040]     The glove  26  is formed with a top opening  38  defined by the cuff line  28  and the low cut section  36 . A reinforcing strip  40  is secured along the line of the glove opening  38  to reinforce the open part of the glove and adapt the glove for multiple uses. The strip may be formed from the same material as the glove or other compatible material, as desired.  
         [0041]     The present invention provides for an optional use of a second glove  21  securable to the belt  16  in a location convenient for the right-hand user. Of course, the primary right-hand glove may be provided without the left-hand glove  26 , if desired. The location of right-hand glove is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 1 , and  5 - 7 . A flat panel  23  is secured to the belt  16 . The panel  23  has an outside surface  25  and an upper edge  27 . A first securing means  29  is secured to the belt  16  above the upper edge  27 . Similarly to the glove  26 , the glove  21  has an inner, or palm surface  31 , which carries a second securing means  33  near a top opening  35 . The securing means  33  can be secured to the glove  21  by stitching  37 , if desired, or by other means, such as adhesive and the like.  
         [0042]     A cutout  39  is formed in the glove  21 , and a reinforcing band  41  is attached to the glove  21  around the opening  39 , extending to the cuff portion  43 . The strip may be formed from the same material as the glove or other compatible material, as desired.  
         [0043]     The location of the first securing members  22  and  29  can be selected depending. on the user&#39;s preference. For instance, the first securing members  22 ,  29  can be moved closer to the front buckle  45 . Depending on the preferred location of the securing member  22 ,  29 , the panels  12 ,  23  can be moved, as well, so that the panels  23 ,  26  are suspended below the securing means  22 ,  29 . 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 panels  12 ,  23  in relation to the user&#39;s waist.  
         [0044]     It is preferred that the gloves  21 ,  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.  
         [0045]     Turning now to  FIGS. 8-10 , an optional accessory for securing a hand tool is shown in more detail. As can be seen in the drawings, a tool holder, for instance a retractor device  50  is positioned on the belt  16 . The retractor device may be detachably secured by a clip, bracket, or other securing means. The retractor device comprises a retractable string  52 , which is wound on a spool (not shown) mounted within the housing of the retractor device  50 . An attachment member  54  is secured to a distant end of the string  52 . A small tool  60  is detachably secured to the attachment member  54 . The tool  60  may be a pair of pliers, scissors, screwdriver, or other tool often used in performing a particular task. More than one retractable devices  50  may be mounted on the belt  16  for retaining more than one tool  60 .  
         [0046]     In use, the user secures the belt  16  on the waist and tightens the buckles  18 ,  45  or other tightening means. The belt  16  carries the first securing members  22 ,  29 . The gloves  21 ,  26  carrying the second securing members  24 ,  33  are detachably secured on the belt  16 . 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 . This step is illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 6 . 4   
         [0047]     The user then moves one glove  26  or  21 , or both gloves  21 ,  26  away from the body, as illustrated in  FIG. 4  and  7 , breaking the engagement between the mating members of the first securing members  22 ,  29  and the second securing members  24 ,  33 . The user then performs the tasks requiring protective gloves and, having finished with the task, lowers the hand and aligns the securing members  22 ,  29  and  24 ,  33 . The user then presses the gloves  21 ,  26  against the belt  16 , thus temporarily suspending the gloves  21 ,  26  on the belt  16 . 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 hands in the gloves  21 ,  26  and removing the hands from the gloves  21 ,  26  can be performed multiple times, with the gloves staying in the designated place on the belt  16 .  
         [0048]     Depending on the design, the belt  16  can be provided with a pair of protective panels  12 ,  26  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.  
         [0049]     When the user needs to use the tool  60 , the user releases a stop, which is incorporated in the structure of the device  50  and pulls on the tool  60 , extending the string  52  to a desired length to allow comfortable work with the tool  60 . Once the work with the tool  60  is finished or paused, the user releases the tool, the string  52  is automatically retracted into the housing  50 , pulling the tool  60  towards the belt  16 .  
         [0050]     The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive solution to the problem of retaining gloves and small tools in the designated place, at all times close to the user when the task requires the use of these items. 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.  
         [0051]     It is envisioned that a kit containing a waist belt, a panel, a retractor device, and a pair of securing members can be provided to the user for retaining the gloves or tools 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 belt. The user will also secure the retractor on the belt with a provided clip or other attachment device.  
         [0052]     It is also envisioned that a kit can be provided containing only the holder panel and two securing members, which the 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.  
         [0053]     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.