Patent Publication Number: US-10314350-B2

Title: Glove with impact guard

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS 
     Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to gloves, and more particularly to a protective glove that is particularly adapted for use in tight spaces. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Protective gloves are known in the art, including gloves that include various forms of protective panels and ridges for protecting the back of the user&#39;s hand. For example, Shinagawa, U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,548, teaches a glove with protective ridges that extend down the backs of all of the fingers to a traverse region that protects the knuckles of the user. Importantly, when a glove includes such protective ridges, the extend down all of the fingers, including the index finger, and the knuckle protecting traverse region extends all the way across the back of the glove to the index finger. 
     The disadvantage of such a glove construction is that the protective ridges are thick enough to impede work in confined spaces. The protective ridge on the index finger, and in a region around the index finger and the thumb, especially impedes work in a confined space. The above-described reference is hereby incorporated by reference in full. 
     The prior art teaches protective gloves that include protective ridges on all fingers, or on none. However, the prior art does not teach a glove that includes protective ridges on fingers excluding the index finger, but leave the index finger unencumbered. The prior art also does not teach the inclusion of an insulating pad in the region, to protect the user from burns in the critical region. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below. 
     The present invention provides a glove for protecting a hand. The glove comprises a top panel for covering a back of the hand; a bottom panel for covering a palm of the hand, the top and bottom panels being connected to form a main glove body; fingers, including an index finger and other fingers, extending from the main glove body, each of the fingers having a top side and a bottom side corresponding with the top panel and bottom panels of the main glove body; and a thumb extending from the main glove body. A region, at a juncture of the index finger and the main glove body on or adjacent the top panel and/or the thumb, has an insulating pad covering a portion of the region. 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a glove having advantages not taught by the prior art. 
     Another objective is to provide a glove that includes an insulating pad over a region of the glove that is particularly susceptible to injury. 
     A further objective is to provide a glove that includes an index finger that does not include protrusions, so that the index finger may be inserted into tight places without hindrance from the glove. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a glove according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view thereof; and 
         FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of an index finger of the glove, illustrating an insulating pad of the glove. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a glove for protecting a hand of a user. The glove particularly well adapted for working in tight places, and includes a specially configured index finger having an insulating pad operatively positioned to protect the user&#39;s hand without interfering with the use of the index finger within the tight place. 
       FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the glove  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view thereof. As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the glove  10  includes a top panel  20  for covering a back of the hand, an opposed bottom panel  22 , and fingers  24 .  FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of an index finger  24 A of the glove  10 , illustrating an insulating pad  40  of the glove  10 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , the top panel  20  is shaped and constructed for covering a back of the hand. The bottom panel  22  is shaped and constructed for covering a palm of the hand. The top and bottom panels  22  are connected (e.g., sewn) to form a main glove body  26 . The fingers  24 , including an index finger  24 A and other fingers  24 B,  24 C, and  24 D, extend from the main glove body  26  and are shaped to each receive a finger of the hand. Each of the fingers  24  includes a top side  30 A,  30 B,  30 C, and  30 D and a bottom side  32 A,  32 B,  32 C, and  32 D corresponding with the top panel  20  and bottom panels  22  of the main glove body  26 . A thumb  34  extends from the main glove body  26  shaped to accommodate the user&#39;s thumb  34 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2 , a closure member  55  is positioned on a bottom surface in a cuff region  54  of the glove  10 . The closure member  55  is positioned between two of the three panels connected to the bottom panel and an edge of the cuff region  54 . The general construction of the glove  10  is similar to prior art gloves  10 , and is therefore not discussed in greater detail. The bottom panel  22  can comprise one or more panels that can extend along a portion of the bottom panel  22  of glove  10 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , panels  63 ,  65 , and/or  67  can connect to bottom panel  22 . Panel  67  can be positioned between one or more of fingers  24  (e.g., fingers  24 A,  24 B,  24 C,  24 D) and panel  63  and/or panel  65 . Panel  67  can comprise extensions that extend along a portion of one or more of fingers  24 . For example, panel  67  can comprise extensions that extend over junctures between one or more of fingers  24   a ,  24   b ,  24   c ,  24   d  and the main glove body  26  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     Critical to the invention is the insulating pad  40  positioned within a region  42  at a juncture of the index finger  24 A and the main glove body  26  on or adjacent the top panel  20  and/or the thumb  34 . In one embodiment, the insulating pad  40  is a rubberized grip insert that is sewn, bonded, or otherwise attached to the region  42  of the glove  10 . The insulating pad  40  is positioned to protect the user&#39;s hand from damage, and in particular from burns, when the user is inserting his or her hand into a tight location that might have elements that are hot (e.g., inside an engine, etc.). In one embodiment, the insulating pad  40  does not extend beyond the region  42 , but is only positioned within the region  42  for protecting the user from injuries particular to this region  42 . In the preferred embodiment, the insulating pad  40  is positioned over the proximal phalange of the user&#39;s index finger, and does not extend to the medial phalange or the metacarpal of the user&#39;s hand. 
     To further protect the user&#39;s hand, the glove  10  may further include thermoplastic or molded rubber protective ridges  44  extending upwardly from the top panel  20  of each of the other fingers  24 B,  24 C, and  24 D. However, it is preferred that the index finger  24 A not include such a protective ridge  44 . The protective ridges  44  can have a width that is smaller than a width of a top side of the associated finger. The protective ridges  44  can have a length extending at least two-thirds or at least three-fourths of the length of the associated finger. The protective ridge  44  has a distal end comprising a tapering surface  45  tapering from a top surface of the protective ridge  44  toward a top side of a fingertip region of a finger such that the distal end has a smaller thickness than a more proximal portion. The protective ridges  44  can have one or more flex points  47 , which can enhance the flexibility of the protective ridges  44  when the glove  10  is in use. The one or more flex points  47  can comprise one or more serrated portions defined by one or more cuts. For example, the one or more flex points  47  can comprise serrated portions defined by at least one, at least two, or at least three cuts. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the glove  10  further includes a knuckle protector  46  extending across a knuckle region  48  of the top panel  20 . The knuckle panel may be integrally formed with the protective ridges  44  of the other fingers  24 B,  24 C, and  24 D, but preferably does not extend into the region  42  of the insulating pad  40 . The knuckle protector  46  comprises an extension away from the fingers, the extension comprising a tail portion  49  extending in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to a direction of the thumb and a main region  51  extending from the tail portion in a direction that is generally parallel to at least one of the fingers. The knuckle protector  46  can include one or more flex points  53 , which can enhance the flexibility of the knuckle protector  46  when the glove  10  is in use. For example, the tail portion  49  can include one or more flex points  53  along a portion thereof. The one or more flex points  53  can comprise one or more serrated portions defined by one or more cuts. For example, the one or more flex points  47  can comprise at least one, at least two, at least three, or at least four cuts. 
     In this manner, the index finger  24 A of the glove  10  does not include protrusions that extend outwardly from the glove  10  in a manner that might restrict use of the glove  10  in tight spaces; and yet the insulating pad  40 , carefully positioned in the region  42  specified, operates to protect the user from injury and burns in this region  42  that is particularly susceptible to injury when being used in this manner. 
     As used in this application, the words “a,” “an,” and “one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms “have,” “include,” “contain,” and similar terms are defined to mean “comprising” unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application.