Patent Publication Number: US-2023134336-A1

Title: Adjustable fit glove, kit, and methods therefor

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Reusable and disposable gloves have long been used in many industries as a safe and cost effective way to protect an individual from a product, a product from an individual, or simply to keep an individual’s hands clean. Several types of disposable gloves are readily available in the marketplace and are used to provide added protection for such individuals, such as rubber, latex, vinyl, nitrile, plastic, and/or polyethylene. Reusable and disposable gloves are utilized in several different industries and by individual consumers for home use. A variety of sizes are offered for disposable and reusable gloves to try to meet the needs of different users. 
     SUMMARY 
     The techniques of this disclosure generally relate to a glove that can be adjusted to fit various different hand sizes and/or shapes. 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an adjustable fit glove. The adjustable fit glove includes a heat activated shrink material that is shaped in the form of a glove. The heat activated shrink material shrinks upon the application of heat at 180° F. or higher. 
     In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an adjustable fit glove. The adjustable fit glove includes a heat activated shrink material. The heat activated shrink material is shaped in the form of a glove. The heat activated shrink material is made of polyolefin with one or more elofin varieties and has a shrink ratio of at least 1.5:1. The heat activated shrink material has a longitudinal shrinkage of +⅟-5%. The heat activated shrink material shrinks upon the application of heat at 190° F. or higher and has an operating temperature range after shrinkage of -55° C. to 175° C. 
     In another aspect, the disclosure provides a kit for an adjustable fit glove. The kit includes a glove and instructions. The glove is made of a heat activated shrink material. The heat activated shrink material comprises a polyolefin and has a shrink ratio of at least 1.5:1. The instructions instruct a user to place the glove over a hand. Once placed, the instruction instruct the use to apply a heat of at 180° F. or higher using a specific medium to the glove. 
     In a further aspect, the disclosure provides a method for making an adjustable fit glove. The method includes:
     selecting a synthetic material;   cross-linking the synthetic material;   dipping a hand shaped former in the cross-linked synthetic material;   heating the cross-linked synthetic material on the hand shaped former to create a glove; and   stretching the glove to at least 1.5 times the starting size.   

     The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a top view that illustrates one configuration of an adjustable fit glove placed over a user’s hand prior to the application of heat. 
         FIG.  2    is a top view that illustrates one configuration of an adjustable fit glove placed over a user’s hand after the application of heat. 
         FIG.  3    is a top view that illustrates one configuration of a kit for an adjustable fit glove. 
         FIG.  4    is a flow chart that illustrates one configuration of a method for using an adjustable fit glove. 
         FIG.  5    is a flow chart that illustrates one configuration of method for forming an adjustable fit glove. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, reusable and disposable gloves made out of rubber, latex, plastic, etc. have been utilized by many for several different purposes. However, the gloves are made in predetermined sizes. The predetermined sizes may not be a great fit for each and every user since hand size and/or shape may vary significantly between users. This misalignment in fit can make it hard to get a glove on or off and can affect a user’s dexterity while wearing the glove. As such, there is a need for a glove that can be adjusted to fit the various hand sizes and/or shapes of its users. 
       FIGS.  1  and  2    illustrate different configurations of an adjustable fit glove  100 .  FIG.  1    illustrates a configuration of an adjustable fit glove  100  on a hand  102  of a user prior to the application of heat or prior to adjusting the fit of the glove  100 . The glove  100  may be disposable after a single use or multiple uses. Alternatively, the glove  100  may be reusable or designed for multiple uses. The glove  100  may include any type of hand covering, such as mittens or other configurations with or without one or more separate parts for one or more fingers and/or the thumb. 
     The glove  100  has an adjustable fit because the glove  100  is made of a heat shrinkable material. In some embodiments, the heat shrinkable material is made of one or more polymers. The one or more polymers may include polyolefin. In some aspects, the polyolefin includes one or more elofin varieties. The heat shrinkable material shrinks in response to the application of heat at 180° F. or more. In some aspects, the heat shrinkable material shrinks in response to the application of heat at 190° F. or more. In other aspects, the heat shrinkable material shrinks in response to the application of heat at 200° F. or more. This list is exemplary and is not meant to be limiting. Any suitable application of heat for shrinking a material as would be known by a person of skill in the art may be utilized to adjust the fit of the glove  100 . 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a configuration of an adjustable fit glove  100  on a hand  102  of a user after the application of heat or after adjusting the fit of the glove  100 . The user may apply the required heat until the glove  100  shrinks to a desired fit of the user and/or until maximum heat application time frame is met. In some aspects, the glove  100  has an operating temperature range after shrinkage of -55° C. to 175° C. In other aspects, the heat shrink material has a shrink ratio of 1.5:1, 2:1, or 2.5:1 or other ratios similar to, around, and/or between the provided ratios. In some aspects, the heat activated shrink material has a longitudinal shrinkage of +⅟-5% or about +⅟-5%. The provided shrink ratios are exemplary and are not meant to be limiting. Any appropriate shrink ratio may be utilized as would be understood by a person of skill in the art. 
     Given that the heat shrink material has a specific shrink ratio and will only be able to shrink so much, in some aspects, the glove  100  may be formed in different sizes to account for the variation in hand size and/or shape of the users. Currently utilized disposable gloves that are not adjustable in fit are often found the following sizes: extra-small (up to 2.9 inches), small (2.9 - 3.3 inches), medium (3.2 - 3.5 inches), large (3.5-4 inches), extra-large (3.9 - 4.4 inches), and/or double extra-large (4.4 inches and larger). The distance measurements above represent palm length measured along the head line between the base of the finger and base of the thumb. In some aspects, the adjustable fit glove  100  could be adjusted, upon the application of heat, to fit a hand sized from double extra-large (4.4 inches and over) to small (2.9-3.3 inches) based on the glove sizes above. For example, the glove  100  may have a palm length of 6 inches and be able to shrink to 3 inches upon the application heat, which is 2:1 minimum shrink ratio. In some aspects, the adjustable fit glove  100  could be adjusted, upon the application of heat, to fit a hand sized from double extra-large (4.4 inches and over) to extra small (up to 2.9 inches) based on the glove sizes above. For example, the glove  100  may have a palm length of 5 inches and be able to shrink to 2.5 inches upon the application heat, which is 2:1 minimum shrink ratio. These sizes and shrink ratios are merely exemplary and are not meant to be limiting. The size and shrink ratio of the adjustable fit glove  100  may vary as desired as would be understood by a person of skill in the art. While the glove  100  may be formed in different sizes to account for the variation in hand size and/or shape of the users, as shown by the examples above, the glove  100  could be provided in one-size fits all. In other aspects, the glove  100  may be provided in just a few different sizes, such as youth and adult, to account for variation in hand sizes and/or shapes unlike previously utilized gloves that did not adjust in size and required multiple sizes to account for variation in hand sizes and/or shapes. 
     In some aspects, the heat activated shrink material may have a thickness of 6 gauge or higher. In other aspects, the heat activated shrink material has a thickness of 5 millimeters, 6 millimeters, or 7 millimeters or higher. In additional aspects, the heat activated shrink material has a thickness of 8 millimeters, 9 millimeters, or higher. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates one configuration of a kit  108  for an adjustable fit glove  100 . The kit  108  includes a glove  100  made of a heat activated shrink material and a set of instructions  104 . The instructions  104  indicate a medium for applying heat to the glove  100 . In some aspects, the instructions  104  provide a time frame for applying the required amount of heat and/or a distance for heat application. In some aspects, the time frame is a maximum amount time a user should apply heat to the glove  100 . In further aspects, the instructions  104  instruct the user to dispose of the adjustable fit glove  100  after a single use. In other aspects, the instructions  104  instruct the user to dispose of the adjustable fit glove  100  after a predetermined number of uses. In alternative embodiments, the glove  100  provided in the kit  108  is reusable. In some aspects, the instructions  104  may indicate that heat should be applied to the glove  100  until a desired fit is obtained by the user and/or a maximum time limit is reached. In some aspects, the instructions  104  may instruct the user to place the glove  100  on his or her hand  102  prior to the application of heat. 
     The medium provides heat at 180° F. or higher, which may be required by the instructions  104 . In other aspects, the medium provides heat at 190° F. or higher, which may be required by the instructions  104 . In further aspects, the medium provides heat at 200° F. or higher, which may be required by the instructions  104 . In some embodiments, the instructions  104  instruct the user to use a hair dryer  106  as the medium for applying heat to the glove  100 . Other mediums may be utilized or provided in the instructions  104  as would be known by a person of skill in the art. In alternative embodiments, the kit  108  includes a medium for applying heat. In some aspects, the medium provided in the kit  108  is a hair dryer  106 . While the hair dryer  106  is not part of the kit  108  illustrated in  FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  3    is just one example embodiment and the hair dryer  106  may be included in the kit  108  in another embodiment. 
       FIG.  4    is a flow chart that illustrates an example of a method  400  for using an adjustable fit glove  100 . Method  400  begins at block  402  by providing an adjustable fit glove  100 . Next, at block  404 , the glove  100  is placed on the hand  102  of the user. At block  406 , a minimum amount of heat is applied to the glove  100  while on the hand  102  of the user. Block  408  is a decision step, where the user determines if the glove  100  has reached a user desired fit. If a desired fit is reached, method  400  proceeds to block  412 . If a user desired fit has not been reached, method  400  proceeds to decision block  410 . Block  408  is a decision step where the user determines if the maximum amount of time for the application of heat has been reached. If the maximum amount of time for the application has not been reached, then method  400  proceeds back to block  406 . If the maximum amount of time for the application has been reached, then method  400  proceeds to block  412 . At block  412 , the heat application is stopped. Next, at block  414 , the glove  100 , which has shrunk in size, is ready for use by the user. 
       FIG.  5    is a flow chart that illustrates an example of a method  500  for making an adjustable fit glove  100 . Method  500  begins at block  502  where a synthetic material is selected. In some aspects the synthetic material is for a nitril glove. For example, the synthetic material may be nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). In other aspects, the synthetic material is for a vinyl glove. For example, the synthetic material may be a polymer, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In some aspects, plasticizer is added to the PVC to make the material more flexible. 
     Next, at block  504 , the synthetic material is crossed-linked to form a cross-linked synthetic material. The cross-linking may be accomplished in different ways, such as: heat, the addition of chemical cross-linking compounds, and/or a change in pressure or pH. In other aspects, radiation can also be used to form cross-links. Cross-linking the synthetic material with radiation changes the thermal properties of the material and induces a memory in the material. 
     At block  506 , one or more hand shaped formers are dipped into the cross-linked synthetic material. In some aspects, the hand shaped formers are made of ceramic. In other aspects, at block  506 , the hand shaped formers are run through water and/or bleach and then dried to clean the hand-shaped formers prior to being dipped into the cross-linked synthetic material. In further aspects, at block  506 , the hand shaped formers are dipped in a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium nitrate and then dried. This mixture may help the cross-linked synthetic material coagulate around the formers. In some embodiments, the hand shaped formers have a palm length of 5 inches. In other aspects, the hand shaped formers have a palm length of 4 inches. In further aspects, the hand shaped formers have a palm length of 3 inches. The palm lengths provided above are exemplary only and are not meant to be limiting. The palm lengths of the hand shaped formers may vary as desired as would be know by a person of skill in the art. 
     Next, at block  508 , the cross-linked synthetic material on the one or more hand shaped formers is heated to form one or more gloves. In further aspects, the gloves are dried once formed at block  508 . The temperature applied will vary depending upon the cross-linked synthetic material and/or the thickness of the cross-linked synthetic material as would be known by a person of skill in the art. 
     At block  510 , the one or more gloves are stretched to provide for an adjustable fit. In some aspects, the gloves are stretched to two times the starting size. In other aspects, the gloves are stretched to 1.5 times the starting size. In additional, aspects the glove may be stretched to 2.5 times the starting size. This list is exemplary and is not meant to be limiting. The gloves may be stretched as suitable for the material as would be know by a person skill in the art. 
     In some embodiment, method  500  also includes block  512 . At block  512  any desired finishing treatments may be applied to the glove. In some aspects, block  512  is performed after block  510 . In other aspects, block  512  is performed before block  510 . For example, at block  510 , to help nitrile gloves go on more easily, these types of gloves may undergo one of two processes: chlorination or polymer coating. Chlorination involves exposing the gloves to chlorine. The chlorine may be an acid mixture or gas. The chlorine hardens the material and makes the material slicker. In other embodiments, at block  512 , a polymer coating is applied to the glove to lubricate the glove surface by adding a layer of polymer. In further aspects, at block  512 , blasts of air are applied to the one or more gloves to remove the one or more gloves from the former. 
     It should be understood that various aspects disclosed herein may be combined in different combinations than the combinations specifically presented in the description and accompanying drawings. It should also be understood that, depending on the example, certain acts or events of any of the processes or methods described herein may be performed in a different sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., all described acts or events may not be necessary to carry out the techniques). In addition, while certain aspects of this disclosure are described as being performed by a single module or unit for purposes of clarity, it should be understood that the techniques of this disclosure may be performed by a combination of units or modules associated with, for example, a medical device.