Abstract:
An apparatus for releasably sealing the opening between a glove and the sleeve cuff to prevent ingress of water therebetween. The apparatus includes a pair of rings, one of which is attached to the wrist portion of a glove while the other is attached to the cuff portion of a sleeve. The rings are releasably engageable with one another in the sealed fashion under normal working conditions. The rings are capable of self-disengaging angularly and/or axially when subjected to an angular force or moment of predetermined magnitude and duration applied to the connection so as to permit detachment of the glove. The apparatus is particularly useful in wet mining applications not only to prevent water from entering the opening between the glove and cuff but also to disengage safely and assuredly should a glove get caught in any equipment.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/865,426, which was filed on May 29, 2001 now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to glove-to-cuff seals and, in particular, to an apparatus for releasably connecting the wrist portion of a glove to a sleeve cuff to prevent ingress of water. The apparatus is designed to readily connect a glove to a sleeve and readily disconnect for removal and/or safety purposes. The connection apparatus has a short connection length which permits immediate release, even under angularly applied forces. In wet environments, such as those found in the mining industry, workers or miners often require safety gloves and apparel which are waterproof. In underground mines, water which is present naturally or introduced in the mining process tends to infiltrate the miner&#39;s gloves through the separation between the glove and the sleeve of the jacket. Continuous exposure to these wet conditions is known to cause diseases of the hands. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a sealing arrangement at or near the glove/cuff interface which will prevent ingress of water. However, for safety reasons, since much of the machinery used in mines has moving parts in which clothing items such as gloves can be caught and pulled off the wearer, having a readily releasable glove is seen as a safety necessity. Accordingly, any connection between the cuff and the glove must be not only waterproof but also readily detachable to prevent serious injury should a glove get caught in machinery. For safety reasons, the disengagement under an applied force should occur automatically and without the need for the wearer to perform any specific operation or manipulation. 
     It is known to utilize a strap or similar constrictive element to compress an overlapped cuff and glove wrist portion at the wearer&#39;s wrist. It is also known to use a cylindrical intermediary to which both the cuff and sleeve are attached. The problem with such systems is that the releasability of the connection, even if it can occur without the requirement for manual manipulation or additional operations, does not occur in a safe, assured and controlled manner. 
     Known prior art sleeve-to-cuff connection systems are primarily concerned with providing a positive connection yet are not overly concerned about disconnectability. Disconnectability is a serious safety issue, particularly with workers utilizing machinery, where a glove is too often snagged on moving parts. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to ensure the glove will separate from the cuff automatically in response to a force of predetermined magnitude and duration. In this regard, it would be advantageous to be able to design or engineer this force threshold into the connection rather than permit a user to make a connection whose releasability is dependent on the manner by which the user effects the connection, such as can be the case for example with systems which employ user tightenable straps. Since the force applied to the connection when the glove is caught in machinery is not always axial with respect to the connection, it is also desirable to ensure disconnection can occur angularly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a simple, inexpensive and easy to implement apparatus for releasably sealing the wrist portion of a glove to a cuff to prevent ingress of water. In general, a first ring is sealingly attached or retained by the cuff while the wrist portion of the glove is sealingly attached to a second ring. The rings are sealingly connectable to one another and separable upon application of a force of predetermined magnitude, direction and duration. 
     By providing a separable connection apparatus having two components, each of which being temporarily but securely attachable to one of the cuff or the glove, one is better able to control through the manufacturing and material selection process and actually design or engineer quite precisely the resultant disengagement force threshold. 
     In general, the invention provides an apparatus for releasably securing a glove to a cuff comprising a first ring sealingly attachable to a cuff and second ring sealingly attachable to a glove. The first and second rings are releasably and sealingly connectable to one another to prevent ingress of water therebetween, and the rings are angularly disengageable from one another upon application of an angular separating force of predetermined magnitude and duration. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for releasably securing a glove to a cuff comprising: 
     a first ring sealingly attachable to a cuff and second ring sealingly attachable to a wrist portion of a glove, 
     one of the rings having an insertable portion which is insertable within a receiving portion of the other ring, there being a circumferential space between at least a part of said insertable portion and the receiving portion, 
     connecting means for releasably and sealingly connecting the rings together when the insertable portion is inserted within the receiving portion to prevent ingress of water between the rings, 
     the rings including stop means for limiting the extent to which the insertable portion is insertable within the receiving portion so as to permit angular disengagement of the rings under application of a predetermined angular force or moment on said rings. 
     In another embodiment, the apparatus for releasably securing a glove to a cuff comprises: 
     a first ring having an external circumferential channel against which a cuff can be held by a first constriction means; 
     a second ring having an external circumferential channel against which a wrist portion of a glove can be held by a second constriction means, the second ring being coaxially insertable at least in part within the first ring so as to form an overlap between the rings; 
     sealing and retention means provided on an external circumferential surface of the first ring compressible against an internal circumferential surface of the second ring for releasably retaining the second ring in sealing engagement with the first ring, the internal circumferential surface of the second ring being spaced apart from the external circumferential surface of the first ring; and 
     stop means for limiting the extent of insertion of the second ring whereby the amount overlap of the first ring with respect to the second ring in conjunction with the spacing between the internal circumferential surface of the second ring and the external circumferential surface of the first ring is sufficient so as to permit angular disconnection of the rings upon application of an angular separating force or moment of predetermined magnitude and duration. 
     Preferably, in this embodiment, the sealing and retaining means takes the form of an o-ring. For safety reasons, the longitudinal extent to which the o-ring is engageable with the internal surface is minimal to reduce the duration a disengaging force would have to be applied before disengagement of said rings would occur. Because this embodiment relies on friction for retention purposes, a force sufficient to overcome the friction is all that is required for disengagement, i.e. disengagement occurs without any additional steps or operations. 
     The invention also provides for alternate structures for releasably connecting the rings in a sealed relationship. 
     The apparatus is simple, inexpensive, easy to implement, and should fit existing apparel/gloves. 
    
    
     Recent developments in mining technology have resulted in increased usage of water in certain mining operations. The present invention should encourage miners to adopt wetter working conditions. These and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded angular side view of the components which constitute the preferred embodiment of the subject invention shown with a glove and the cuff portion of a jacket sleeve; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are detailed, partial cross-sectional side views of the disengaged individual ring sections of the embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the ring sections of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in their engaged position. 
     FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the manner by which the ring sections can separate angularly; 
     FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional side view of the disengaged connection apparatus illustrating the manner of attachment of the glove and the cuff to the respective ring sections. 
     FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional side view similar to that shown in FIG. 4A, but showing the of the engaged connection apparatus and illustrating the manner in which the ring sections, and hence the glove and cuff, are sealingly connected. 
     FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional side view of the connection apparatus angularly separating in response to a transverse force applied to the thumb of the glove; 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional side views of a modified pair of connection rings illustrating their connection and angular disengagement; 
     FIGS. 5C and 5D are cross-sectional side views of another modified pair of connection rings illustrating their connection and angular disengagement; 
     FIGS. 6A-6D are cross-sectional side views of another pair of modified connection rings illustrating their connection and angular disengagement; 
     FIGS. 7A-7D are partial cross-sectional side views of yet another pair of modified connection rings illustrating their connection and angular disengagement; 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional profiles of a further pair of modified connection rings shown separated; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional profile of the rings of FIGS. 8A and 8B shown connected; 
     FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional profiles of a another pair of modified connection rings shown separated; 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional profiles of the rings of FIGS. 10A and 10B shown connected; 
     FIGS. 12A and 12B are cross-sectional profiles of yet another pair of modified connection rings shown separated; 
     FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional profile of the rings of FIGS. 12A and 12B shown connected; 
     FIGS. 14A and 14B are cross-sectional profiles of yet another pair of modified connection rings shown separated; 
     FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional profile of the rings of FIGS. 14A and 14B shown connected; 
     FIG. 16A is a cross-section of a modified form of cuff ring designed for use with a tapered sleeve; and 
     FIG. 16B is a partial cross-sectional view of a tapered sleeve with the modified cuff ring of FIG. 16A in the process of being inserted therein; 
     FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of the tapered sleeve showing the modified cuff ring of FIG. 16A retained therein and in disengaged relationship with its associated glove and respective ring portion of the connection apparatus; and 
     FIG. 18 is a cross-section showing the connection apparatus of FIG. 17 engaged and illustrating the manner in which the ring sections, and hence the glove and cuff, are sealingly connected. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown at  10  the preferred embodiment of the connection apparatus according to the present invention. The connection apparatus  10  is used to releasably connect in sealing relationship a glove  12  to the cuff  14  of a sleeve of a jacket, raincoat or similar apparel (not shown). In general, the preferred embodiment of the connection apparatus comprises a pair of generally rigid, annular rings  16 ,  18 , a resilient sealing and retaining element  20 , and a pair of bands or straps  22 ,  24 . 
     The operational arrangement of the rings  16 ,  18  and the sealing and retaining element  20  are shown in more detail in FIGS. 2A,  2 B,  3 A and  3 B. Ring  16  shown in FIG. 2B includes a generally circular central opening  26  and has an annular shoulder  30  so as to delineate first and second internal cylindrical surfaces  32 ,  34  of differing diameters d 1 , d 2 , respectively. A pair of annular flanges  36 ,  38  extend radially outwardly from the ends of the ring  16  thereby forming a circumferential channel  40  therebetween. 
     Ring  18  shown in FIG. 2A includes a circular central opening  42  of substantially constant diameter d 3  which, preferably, is the same as diameter d 1  of ring  16  so a substantially contiguous surface forms upon connection of the rings as shown in FIG.  3 A. The internal surface  43  of opening  42  of ring  18  along with the internal surface  32  of opening  26  of ring  16  should be smooth and comfortable as they will be in contact with the user&#39;s wrist and hand. Ring  18  has an annular flange  44  which extends radially outwardly at or near one end  48  of the ring  18 , and a second annular flange  46  which extends radially outwardly from the other end  50  of the ring  18 . Flanges  44 ,  46  form an external circumferential channel  52  therebetween. Flange  44  includes an annular recess  56  (see also FIG. 1) for seating the sealing and retaining element  20 . 
     While the outside diameter d 4  of the flange  44  is less than the inside diameter d 2  of the larger internal cylindrical surface  34 , the diameter d 5  to which the sealing and retaining element  20  extends when the rings  16 ,  18  are not in engagement is slightly greater than the inside diameter d 2  of the larger internal cylindrical surface  34 , thereby causing the sealing and retaining element  20  to be compressed in a sealing and frictionally retaining manner against cylindrical surface  34  when the rings  16 ,  18  are engaged as shown in FIG.  3 A. During insertion, the sliding of the compressed element  20  against the surface  34  serves to wipe the surface  34  clear of any foreign particles or liquid so neither will hinder disengagement or detract from the normal retention capability. 
     As shown in FIG. 3A, the shoulder  30  of ring  16  provides a stop against which the end  48  adjacent flange  44  abuts to limit the amount of insertion and to ensure channel  52  remains exposed for purposes which will be described hereinbelow. The location of the shoulder  30  is designed to minimize the amount of travel of the sealing and retaining element  20  along the cylindrical surface  34  during engagement and disengagement of the rings  16 ,  18 . The travel distance should be sufficient to ensure full contact of the entire compressed width of element  20  against the surface  34  when in the engaged position which should prevent the sealing and retaining element  20 , and hence the ring  18 , from accidentally “popping” out of engagement with the ring  16  under normal use conditions. By minimizing the travel distance, the duration of a given force necessary to disengage the rings  16 ,  18  (as compared with a longer travel distance) is also minimized thereby enabling more ready disengagement of the rings  16 ,  18  should it be necessary for safety reasons. The location or depth of the shoulder  30  is also designed to ensure the amount of overlap/underlap does not hinder disengagement of the connection in circumstances where the separating force does not have a predominant axial component, thus causing a moment M or twisting force to be applied at the connection as shown in FIG.  3 B. As will be demonstrated more clearly hereinbelow, the limit to which the inserted portion of one cylindrical ring can extend within the other cylindrical ring yet still enable pure angular disconnection is dependent on the difference between the external diameter of the inserted portion and the internal diameter of the overlapping portion, i.e. the amount of play between the overlapping/underlapping portions of the rings, as well as the shape of the inserted and overlapping portions. As shown in FIG. 3A, the insertion depth of ring  18  into ring  16  is limited by shoulder  30  while the outside diameter d 4  of the flange  44  is sufficiently less than the inside diameter d 2  of the larger internal cylindrical surface  34 , so as to permit angular disconnection of the rings  16 ,  18  as shown in FIG.  3 B. The difference in the diameters d 2  and d 4  is sufficient to permit clearance of the corners  49 ,  51  of the respective rings  16 ,  18  upon angular separation. If the shoulder  30  were provided at a deeper location (not shown), the difference in the diameters d 2  and d 4  would likely not be sufficient to prevent corner  51  from binding against surface  34  and preventing angular separation of the rings  16 ,  18 . 
     Preferably, tightenable straps  22 ,  24  are used (see FIGS.  1  and  4 A- 4 C) in order to attach the glove  12  to ring  16  and the cuff  14  to the ring  18 , respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the straps  22 ,  24  have a buckle  58  at one end  60  through which the distal end  62  is inserted and pulled to tighten. Preferably, the straps are provided with hook-and-loop-type fasteners  63  (such as Velcro™) so that the end  62  can be secured after tightening. Alternatively, the buckle itself can be such as to self tighten as the distal end  62  is pulled and can be provided with a release mechanism when withdrawal or loosening is desired. In any event, the specific form of the straps  22 ,  24  is not overly important. Their purpose is to serve as constriction or compression elements which hold the wrist portion  64  of glove  12  or the end  66  of the cuff  14  against the exterior of the rings  16 ,  18  and, thereby, serve to seal the wrist portion  64  of glove  12  or the end  66  of the cuff  14  to their respective rings  16 ,  18 . Preferably, the straps  22 ,  24  entrap wrist portion  64  of glove  12  or the end  66  of the cuff  14  within the circumferential channels  40 ,  52 , and between the respective flanges  36 ,  38  and  44 ,  46 . In this regard, the widths of straps  22 ,  24  should be less than the widths of the channels  40 ,  52  to allow sufficient room for the thicknesses of the glove and cuff materials. Likewise, the depths of the channels  40 ,  52  should be sufficient to ensure the wrist portion  64  of the glove or the end  66  of the cuff  14  cannot easily be pulled off the respective rings  16 ,  18  when the straps  22 ,  24  have been applied and tightened. By providing flanges  36 ,  38 , and  44 ,  46  with sharp, i.e. substantially square, edges  36 ′,  38 ′ and  44 ′,  46 ′ adjacent channels  40  and  52 , respectively (see FIGS. 2A,  2 B), additional retention capability is provided. 
     Similar constriction means, such as constrictive (elastic) bands or the like could also be employed as the constricting elements for attaching the glove  12  and cuff  14  to their respective rings  16 ,  18 , although the Velcro™ straps are preferred due to their ease of use. 
     Since both the glove  12  and cuff  14  are preferably made from waterproof materials, the compressive force of the tightened straps  22 ,  24  should suffice to attain a water-resistant, if not waterproof seal between the glove  12  and the ring  16  and between the cuff  14  and the ring  18 . 
     As aforesaid, by configuring the relationship between the flange  44  and shoulder  30  to the ensure the channel  52  is exposed, i.e. not inserted into ring  16 , access to the strap  24  is guaranteed whether or not the rings  16 ,  18  are engaged. This arrangement also serves to ensure that if any overhang  68  of the end  66  of cuff  14  exists which projects beyond strap  24 , it is kept from interfering with the engagement or disengagement operations since it is pushed out of harm&#39;s way by the end face  28  of the ring  16 . While separation of the rings  16 ,  18  can occur axially under a force of predetermined magnitude and duration, in circumstances where the separating force does not have a predominant axial component, for example if the thumb  13  of the glove  12  was pulled transversely (see FIG.  4 C), thus causing a moment or angular twisting force to be applied at the connection, the rings  16 ,  18  can disengage angularly, thereby permitting detachment of the glove from the cuff in a safe manner. 
     The rings  16 ,  18  can generally be made from any suitable material which is relatively lightweight and unaffected by exposure to water. The material should be sufficiently rigid to withstand the pressures applied by straps  22 ,  24  for securing the glove and cuff thereto. The material should be selected to ensure an appropriate coefficient of friction with respect to the material of the sealing and retaining element  20  for retaining and releasing purposes. Although the rings  16 ,  18  can be machined, moulding such as by plastic injection is preferred due to its economy of scale. A commonly available O-ring can serve as the sealing and retaining element  20 . The O-ring should be sufficiently resilient to be compressible in a sealing relationship against the inner surface  34  and sufficiently elastic so as to remain seated in the annular recess  56  provided therefor in the flange  44 . Dimensions and finishes for the various components are selected to ensure the hand and wrist can be easily and comfortably accommodated and with standard glove and sleeve sizes in mind. 
     Because the sealing and retention mechanism is designed between the rings, the mechanism can be engineered to be separable at a predetermined separating force threshold and manufactured in a quality-controlled environment for to ensure consistency and reproducibility of release. The design separating force is “predetermined” to be an amount greater than the nominal force need for maintaining the connection during normal working conditions but not so great as to prevent a wearer from effecting the disconnection, which should be somewhat difficult but not impossible. Such a predetermined separating force should be appropriate to enable disengagement of the rings either axially or angularly, and hence separation of the cuff and glove should the glove be caught in machinery or the like. 
     In FIGS. 5A and 5B, the insertable portion of the ring  18   a  is provided with an alternate configuration having an arcuate leading edge  48   a  which is adapted to abut against a corresponding arcuate shoulder  30   a . Similarly, the insertable portion of the ring  18   b  in FIGS. 5C and 5D, is provided with an alternate configuration having a tapered leading edge  48   b  which is adapted to abut against a complementary tapered shoulder  30   b . The spacings  69   a ,  69   b  located between respective pairs of rings  16   a ,  18   a  and  16   b ,  18   b  are sufficiently large to ensure angular separation of each should the need arise. Such shapes facilitate registration of the insertable portion within the overlapping portion and, hence, permits easier engagement of the rings. 
     As mentioned above, the limit to which a portion of one rigid ring is insertable within another whilst ensuring that angular separation of the rings can occur is dependent to a great extent on the diametrical differences between the rings. In FIGS. 6A-6D, there is provided a first ring  16   c  having an opening of diameter d 6  and a second ring  18   c  having an annular flange  44   c  of a lessor diameter d 7  which supports o-ring  20   c . The difference between d 6  and d 7  is greater than the difference between d 2  and d 3  of rings  16 ,  18  shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The greater difference is bridged by a larger o-ring  22   c  which provides the sealing and retaining function. Due to the greater diametrical difference, annular flange  44   c  can be extended as compared with annular flange  44  of ring  18  of FIG.  2 A. The depth at which the shoulder  30   c  is located can be made to correspond substantially with the width of the annular flange  44   c  so that when rings  16   c  and  18   c  are engaged, channel  52   c  remains exposed as shown in FIG.  6 C. While the amount of overlap/underlap shown in FIG. 6C is considerably more than that shown in FIG. 3A, the greater diametrical difference still permits angular disengagement of the rings  16   c ,  18   c  as shown in FIG. 6D because the path R that corner  49   c  follows during angular disengagement remains beyond the extremities of ring  18   c , such as corner  51   c.    
     An alternate embodiment of the angularly disengageable glove-to-cuff connection apparatus is shown in FIGS. 7A-7D. As compared with ring  18  of FIG. 2A, ring  118  includes a flexible extension portion  154  extending generally from the annular flange  144  so as to provide an opening  142  of substantially constant diameter d A  through the ring  118 . The outside diameter d B  of cylindrical end portion  154  of ring  118  is less than the inside diameter d E  of the ring  116  to facilitate registration of the annular central flange  144  and its associated sealing and retaining element  120  of ring  118  within the larger internal cylindrical surface  134  of the ring  116  as shown in FIG.  7 C. While the outside diameter d C  of the central flange  144  is less than the inside diameter d F  of the larger internal cylindrical surface  134 , the diameter d D  to which the sealing and retaining element  120  extends when the rings  116 ,  118  are not in engagement is slightly greater than the inside diameter d F  of the larger internal cylindrical surface  134 , thereby causing the sealing and retaining element  120  to be compressed in a sealing and frictionally retaining manner against cylindrical surface  134  when the rings  116 ,  118  are engaged. As shown in FIG. 7C, when rings  116 ,  118  are engaged, the opening  142  forms the entire inner surface of the connection, thereby eliminating any possibility of pinching of skin or clothing. The extension  154  is formed of a flexible material capable of being seamlessly welded, fused or otherwise connected to the remaining rigid ring portion. The flexibility permits the extension portion  154  to deflect and/or partially collapse as shown in FIG. 7D so as not to inhibit angular disengagement in cases where the extent to which the ring  118  is inserted in the ring  116  in conjunction with the amount of play between the rings would be insufficient to permit angular disconnection had the extension portion  154  been formed entirely of rigid material. 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B show a cross-sectional portion of pair of disengaged rings  16   d ,  18   d  similar to the rings  16 ,  18  of FIGS. 2A and 2B. However, in this embodiment, the inner surface  34  of ring  16   d  includes an annular recess or locating groove  70 . During engagement of the rings  16   d ,  18   d  as shown in FIG. 9, the sealing and retaining element  20  seats within groove  70  to provide a more positive location between the rings  16   d ,  18   d . Thus, in this embodiment, the retention of rings is not effected by friction alone. 
     For comfort and safety, certain edges of the rings may be rounded, particularly those internal edges which might be in contact with the wearer, and exposed outer edges. As exemplified in FIGS. 8A,  8 B and  9 , rings  16   d ,  18   d  are provided with rounded internal edges R 1 -R 4 . Rounded distal edges R 1  and R 2  would help guard against abrasion of the wearer&#39;s skin or prevent catching on any clothing being worn such as shirt sleeves. Rounded proximal edges R 3  and R 4  would help prevent potential pinching of skin or clothing between abutting portions of rings  16   d  and  18   d  when they are being connected. A rounded edge R 5  may be provided on ring  16   d  on the external edge which is exposed when the rings  16   d ,  18   d  are connected. Furthermore, the distal external edges of rings  16   d ,  18   d  may be provided with rounded edges R 6  and R 7  to lessen local strain on the glove and cuff material. 
     A variation of the sealing and retention arrangement of the rings  16   d ,  18   d  of FIGS. 8A,  8 B and  9  is shown in FIGS. 10A,  10 B and  11  wherein in lieu of a separate o-ring  20 , a bead  20 ′ is provided integrally on the ring  18   e  which cooperates with the seating groove  70 ′ provided in ring  16   e . The bead  20 ′ and/or the flange  71  may be somewhat resilient or flexible to compress or expand, respectively, to permit the relative insertion of the ring  18   e  within the ring  16   e  and so that the bead  20 ′ sealingly seats in the groove  70 ′ as shown in FIG.  11 . 
     It has been found that the sealing and connection function between the cuff ring and the glove ring can also be effected by providing cooperating annular flanges  72 ,  74  as shown on disengaged rings  16   f ,  18   f  in FIGS. 12A and 12B. Flange  72  is disposed outwardly of flange  74  and is provided with a projection  76  on its inward periphery while flange  74  is provided with a projection  78  on its outside periphery. The inside diameter of the annular projection  76  is less than the outside diameter of the annular projection  78 . At least one of the flanges  72 ,  74  and/or the projections  76 ,  78  are sufficiently resilient to cause it to flex when the rings  16   f ,  18   f  to be pushed together as shown in FIG. 13 to enable the projections  76 ,  78  to slide over and behind one another (i.e. over-centered) into a secure position. By selecting appropriate dimensions between the ends  80 ,  82  and the projections  76 ,  78 , it will be possible to cause at least one of the ends  80 ,  82  to forceably abut in a sealing manner the opposed flange  44   f  (as shown in FIG. 13) or the opposed shoulder  30   f , respectively, (or some other opposed portion of the opposite ring) as the projections  76 ,  78  over-center against one another. In this regard, the sealing and retaining capability of this connection functions in a similar manner as plastic push-on/snap-on covers for containers. 
     A similar arrangement is provided in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14A,  14 B and  15 . In this case, the sealing connection between rings  16   g  and  18   g  is realized by providing one of the rings, i.e. ring  18   g , with an axially projecting annular flange  84  having at its end a bead  86 . The other ring, i.e. ring  16   g , has a pair of annular flanges  88 ,  90  that extend so as to form therebetween an annular slot  92  that terminates in an enlarged end portion or cavity  94  shaped to accommodate bead  86 . When the flange  84  is inserted between flanges  88 ,  90 , one or both of the flanges  88 , 90  flex outward with respect to one another as the bead  86  moves between them initially. The rounded shapes of the bead  86  and the enlarged end portion  94  cause the bead  86  to be drawn into enlarged end portion  94  and the flanges  88 ,  90  to retract to surround the bead  86  when the bead  86  reaches the enlarged end portion  94 . The lengths of the flanges  84 ,  88 ,  90  are such that the ends of the flanges  88 ,  90  of ring  16   g  will be compressed against the shoulders  96  of ring  18   g  as shown in FIG. 15 whereby both an effective seal and connection between the rings  16   g ,  18   g  are provided. 
     In any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 9,  11 ,  13  and  15 , when a separating force which is generally axially directed, or consists of a moment or a combination of both, acts on the rings which is of sufficient magnitude, the respective resilient elements  20 ;  20 ′,  71 ;  72 ,  74 ;  88 ,  90  flex so as to disengage the one ring from the other. 
     Depending on the construction of the sleeve/cuff, it may be possible to retain and seal the cuff ring in situ with an appropriate modification of the cuff ring without the need for a separate retention element. For example, a sleeve that has a cuff or cuff opening of limited stretchability could in general retain a cuff ring if the cuff ring were provided with a portion of greater width than the maximum width of the cuff or cuff opening. The retention is provided by the inability to force the expanded portion through the limited opening. In this regard, there is shown in FIG. 16A a modified cuff ring  218  similar to cuff ring  18  of FIG.  2 A. An annular ridge  244  is provided which includes an annular groove  256  for seating the sealing and retention element (i.e O-ring)  120 . A frustoconical extension  252  flares outwardly from the ridge  244  to a distal end  248  of diameter d 9 . 
     FIG. 16B shows the insertion of cuff ring  218  into the cuff portion  214  of a tapered sleeve. The cuff  214  terminates in an end opening  266  that has a limited or maximum opening width or diameter d 10  which is sufficiently less than the width or diameter d 9  of the end  248  of cuff ring  218  to ensure that the cuff ring  218  cannot be pulled/pushed entirely through the cuff ring end  248 . When “tapered” is referred to herein with respect to the sleeve and/or cuff, it means that the portion of the cuff inward of its end opening either has, or can extend/stretch to, a greater internal diameter than the limited diameter of the end opening. As the cuff ring  218  is continued to be pulled/pushed toward the end opening  266  of the cuff  214 , it becomes wedged or jammed therein due to the slope of the frustoconical extension  252  as shown in FIG. 17, providing a substantially waterproof fit. Thus the cuff ring  218  can be retained by the cuff  214  provided there is a portion of the cuff ring  218  which is greater in dimension than the maximum dimension to which the opening  266  and where the portion of the cuff  214  inward of its end opening  266  either has, or can extend/stretch to, a greater internal diameter than the limited diameter of the end opening  266 . The end  266  of the cuff  114  may include a seam  267 , which may or may not include an elastic or is itself elasticized but regardless of which, it is limited to expand to a diameter d 10  no greater than the maximum diameter d 9  of the cuff ring  218 . 
     As shown in FIG. 16B, the slope of the frustoconical extension  252  is designed for a given sleeve/cuff arrangement to ensure that its lesser diameter d 9 ′ is less than the limited opening diameter d 10  of the cuff opening  266  and to ensure that the ridge  244  protrudes through or is accessible through the cuff opening  266  when the cuff ring  218  is wedged therein. In that way, a glove  212  attached to a glove ring  216  which is, in general, the same arrangement shown in FIG. 4 can readily be connected to the cuff ring  216  as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18. Ridge  244  of cuff ring  218  has a shoulder  245  which abuts the shoulder  230  of the glove ring  216  to limit the length of insertion of the cuff ring  218  within the glove ring  216  while the o-ring  220  compresses sealingly against the internal cylindrical surface  234  to frictionally retain the rings  216 ,  218  together in the same manner as the arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Similarly, the rings  216 , 218  are disengageable under application of a predetermined axial and/or an angular force of sufficient magnitude and duration to overcome the frictional retention. 
     Thus while there has been shown and illustrated several embodiments of an apparatus for releasably securing a glove to a cuff, the cuff and the glove are not attached or sealed specifically to one another but rather each are sealingly connected to one of a pair of rings and it is the rings which are sealingly connected to prevent ingress of water between the cuff and glove. It will be appreciated that in most of the embodiments illustrated herein, it is immaterial as to which ring the cuff or the glove is connected as the rings can simply be attached to either. Furthermore, while the rings have been shown to be generally circular, it will be appreciated that the shapes could be elliptical if desired. Notwithstanding that fact that the various paired-ring embodiments described herein are all capable of angular disengagement, it will be appreciated that axial disengagement or a combination of axial and angular disengagement could occur, depending on the forces applied to the connection and is an inherent feature of the invention.