Patent Publication Number: US-2012042436-A1

Title: Convertible trigger mitten shell and method of making

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/375,722 filed on Aug. 20, 2010, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure is directed to handwear, such as gloves, mittens, gauntlets, and the like, for use in cold environments and, more particularly, to a configurable mitten shell having a thumb, index finger, and an opening to expose remaining fingers that is covered by a closable flap and to a method of construction. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Garments for the hand have a variety of purposes, including utility, protection, warmth, ornamentation, and fashion. Such handwear can be found in various forms. Examples include, without limitation, mittens (a single enclosure for all four fingers and a separate contiguous enclosure for the thumb), gloves (in which each finger has its own enclosure extending from a hand portion), and gauntlets (in which a glove has a cuff that extends over at least a portion of forearm). 
     Fingerless handwear has also been designed in which a portion of the fingers is exposed to facilitate gripping and full tactile sensation with the fingers while providing protection and comfort for the rest of the hand. However, fingerless gloves provide no protection for the fingers from injury and the elements. In contrast, full-fingered gloves made of thin material allow for limited tactile sensation, although they can in some cases inhibit dexterity. Thick, protective or insulated gloves, such as gloves having a removable or nonremovable liner are bulky and inhibit tactile sensation, flexion, and dexterity. 
     Extreme cold environments in which temperatures are near or below freezing (0° C.) require sufficient insulation in the glove to maintain warmth. Gloves present a challenge in that the fingers of the hand are individually encased in the finger portions of the glove, isolating them from the warmth of the other fingers. Utilizing more insulation in the finger portion restricts the ability to bend the fingers, thus reducing dexterity. Where manipulation of small objects by the fingers is mission critical, such as in scientific and military applications, there is a need for gloves that provide enhanced flexure while maintaining thermal insulation. 
     Mittens with a separate trigger finger enclosure and a thumb enclosure have been developed, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,052 directed to a hand covering for use with firearms. A glove or mitten is described that includes a relatively thick insulating inner layer and an outer cover layer. The outer layer has an extra trigger finger receiving stall situated in front of the conventional trigger finger receiving stall. The single trigger finger receiving stall of the inner layer is received within the conventional trigger finger receiving stall of the outer layer. An opening, proximate the trigger finger receiving stall of the inner layer, permits the trigger finger of the wearer to extend through the inner layer and into the extra trigger finger receiving stall of the outer layer. Because the extra trigger finger receiving stall of the outer layer has no thick insulating inner layer therein, the trigger finger, when situated therein, can manipulate the trigger. Thus, the hand covering need not be removed to use the firearm. Clearly, this design requires additional material for the second trigger finger enclosure or stall. 
     Another design is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,291, which is directed to a mitt for cold weather use to provide a variety of modes of wear. The mitt is convertible between a fully closed position for covering the hand and fingers and open positions for exposure of the thumb or finger(s) or the entire hand. An internal pocket within the mitt permits continuous or intermittent warming of all or some of the fingers when the mitt is in either a generally open position or closed position. Insertion and removal of fingers and thumb relative the internal pocket is easily accomplished without use of the other hand. A thumb hole or finger hole for thumb or finger exposure is formed with an overlapping two-layer seal of stretchable material to prevent heat loss while ensuring easy thumb/finger insertion and removal. In one embodiment, stretchable fillets or side panels connect the terminal ends of the palm side and back side of the mitt to provide a snug fit about the wrist. The wearing modes include full exposure of a hand, exposure of the thumb or finger(s), exposure of the four finger tips, and full hand coverage. 
     While the foregoing designs may be suitable for their various purposes, they have disadvantages that include complexity of construction, bulky insulated areas that interfere with dexterity and flexion, undesirable relative movement between the layers, and difficulty in use. These and other disadvantages render the resulting products less than optimal for certain applications. 
     For example, military helicopter crews spend prolonged periods of time in an open cabin exposed to extremely cold wind. Combat and training situations require swift action by the crew, which means their hands need to stay warm and have dexterity at a moment&#39;s notice. Although the &#39;291 patent provides for pulling off and pivoting the finger and thumb portions of the glove to a position under the glove to expose the fingers and thumb, there is no provision for maintaining the warmth of the trigger finger and the thumb, both of which are used to activate or trigger the weaponry, such as a machine gun having a thumb trigger. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed to handwear and to a method of making the same. In accordance with one embodiment, a mitten for use with the human hand is provided that includes a shell have a palm section, an index finger enclosure and a thumb enclosure adjacent the index finger enclosure that extend from the palm section, and a convertible finger section extending from the palm section, the finger section sized and shaped to receive at least the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the human hand, the finger section having a closable flap that is operable to open and expose an opening in the finger section. The thumb and all four fingers can extend through distal opening, as can the entire hand, if desired. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are dorsal and palmar views, respectively, of a right hand mitt and  FIGS. 1C and 1D  are dorsal and palmar views, respectively, of a right hand liner glove formed in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of Gortex pattern pieces of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A-1B ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the lofted tricot insulation pattern pieces of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A-1B ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the leather pattern pieces of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A-1B ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the fleece pattern pieces of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A-1B ; 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the hook pattern pieces of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A-1B ; 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the loop pattern pieces of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A-1B ; 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are dorsal and palmar views, respectively of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  showing the flip top in the open position exposing the user&#39;s fingers; and 
         FIG. 9  is a palmar view of the convertible mitten shell of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  showing the flip top in the open position exposing the user&#39;s fingers. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn, are not intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements, and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with different types of hand wear, methods of construction, and material selection have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments. 
     Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, such as “including, but not limited to.” 
     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. 
     As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
     The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the embodiments. 
     The present disclosure provides for human handwear that can be converted using an openable flap to permit one or more fingers to extend out of the handwear. In one aspect of the disclosure, the handwear includes a shell have a palm section, an index finger enclosure and a thumb enclosure adjacent the index finger enclosure that extend from the palm section, and a finger section extending from the palm section, the finger section having an interior sized and shaped to receive at least the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the human hand. The finger section is designed with an opening in the finger section that communicates with an interior of the shell. The opening is sized to receive up to four fingers and a thumb from the human hand when the human hand is inside the handwear, and the opening is covered with a flexible flap or cover. 
     Preferably, the opening of the finger section is formed with a circumscribing elastic band to gather the opening and reduce a diameter or circumference thereof while permitting expansion of the diameter or circumference to accommodate up to four fingers and a thumb of the human hand extending out through the opening. This expansion and contraction keeps the material snug around the finger(s) and thumb in order to keep the remaining portions of the hand inside the shell warm, dry, and otherwise protected. 
     In a preferred design, a configurable mitten is provided that has a shell formed with a palm section having an interior sized and shaped to receive the human hand. An index finger enclosure and a thumb enclosure extend from the palm section and have corresponding interiors that communicate with the interior of the shell. A finger section extends from the palm section, the finger section having an interior that communicates with the interior of the shell, with the finger section sized and shaped to receive at least the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the human hand. A closable flap operable to expose an opening in the finger section that communicates with the interiors of the finger section, the palm section, the index finger enclosure, and the thumb enclosure. Ideally, the opening sized to allow up to four fingers and a thumb from the human hand to extend therethrough when the human hand is inside the handwear. As described above, the opening is formed with an elastic band that gathers the opening to contract and reduce the operable circumference and to expand and increase or enlarge the operable circumference of the opening. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , shown therein are dorsal and palmar views, respectively, of a right hand convertible handwear shell  10  formed in accordance with the present disclosure.  FIGS. 1C and 1D  are dorsal and palmar views, respectively, of a matching right hand glove liner  12  structured to be worn by a user and placed inside the shell  10  for additional warmth. This liner  12  is not essential to the construction and use of the shell  10  and will not be described in greater detail herein. 
     The shell  10  is configured in this embodiment to include palm section  14 , an index finger enclosure  16 , and a thumb enclosure  18  adjacent the index finger enclosure  16  that extend from the palm section  14 . A convertible finger section  20  extends from the palm section adjacent the index finger enclosure  16 . The finger section  20  is sized and shaped to receive at least the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the human hand. The palm section  14  includes a palm piece  22  and an opposing dorsal or back piece  24  that form the enclosure for the human hand. At a proximal end  26  of the palm section  14  is a wrist section  28  that is followed by a cuff  30  having a proximal opening  32  to receive the human hand. 
     The convertible finger section  20  includes a closable top  34  that is structured to fold back across the dorsal piece  24  and expose a distal opening  36  in the finger section  20 . The distal opening  36  is sized to allow at least the last three fingers (middle, ring, and little fingers) to extend outside the palm section  14  as shown in  FIGS. 8A and 8B  while leaving the index finger and thumb insider their respective enclosures  16 ,  18  to remain protected from the elements. However, in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the distal opening can be sized to permit the thumb and all four fingers to extend there through. Alternatively, the entire hand can be extended out of the shell  10  through the convertible finger section  20  if desired. 
     The closable top  34  is attached with stitching, preferably seam sealed, at a proximal dorsal end  38  to the back piece  24  adjacent the distal opening. It includes a closed end portion  40  that is sized and shaped to be received over and cover the distal opening  36 , overlapping both the palm piece  22  and back piece  24 . A palmar segment  42  extends from the closed end portion  40  to over the palm piece  22  and is secured in place with hook-and-loop fasteners  44 ,  46 . A tab  48  extends out from the palmar segment  42  to provide a means to grasp or grip the closable top  34  in order to pull the hook-and-loop fasteners  44 ,  46  apart and rotate the top  34  over to the back piece where it is held in an open position by additional hook-and-loop fasteners  50 ,  52  positioned on a dorsal panel  54  of the closed end portion  40  and on the back piece  24 , respectively, as shown in  FIG. 8A . 
     The wrist section  28  is preferably formed with elastic material that gathers the wrist so that it can remain snug against the user&#39;s wrist while stretching and expanding to accommodate insertion and removal of the user&#39;s hand. The elastic material can extend entirely around the wrist  28  or by positioned only on the palmar side of the wrist. As shown in  FIG. 1A , there is an adjustable strap  56  attached on both sides of the shell  10  at the wrist section  28  over the dorsal side to allow a user to cinch the wrist down for secure attachment. 
     The cuff  30  has an elastic draw cord  58 , preferably positioned inside the perimeter at the proximal opening  32  of the handwear or mitten shell  10 , which can be used to adjustably draw the cuff  30  closed. A security cord or lanyard  60  is also attached at the end of the cuff  30  to form a closable loop that can be used to secure the handwear shell  10  to the user&#39;s wrist or forearm. 
     Various additional features of the mitten shell  10  can be found in  FIGS. 2 through 7 , which depict the pattern pieces  62  for constructing the right hand mitten shell  10 . The corresponding pattern pieces for the left hand mitten shell are not shown inasmuch as these pieces are identical except for orientation for the left hand. 
       FIG. 2  shows the pattern pieces  62  formed of Goretex™ material, including, without limitation, the right back, right top back, and front elastic tunnel, the pinky sidewall, right palm, and right gauntlet. Also shown are the back of the closable top and various other pieces for the index and thumb enclosures. 
       FIG. 3  shows the pattern pieces  64  formed of lofted tricot insulation, including without limitation the gauntlet portion, back portion, closable top portions, sidewall for the top, and the back of the thumb. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the pattern pieces  66  formed of leather, which include without limitation the palmar segment  42  of the top  34  with the tab  48 , the palm piece  22 , and various other pieces for the thumb and finger enclosures. 
       FIG. 5  shows the fleece pattern pieces  68 , including without limitation the right front and thumb portions.  FIGS. 6 and 7  show the hook pieces  70  and loop pieces  72  for the closable top  34  and dorsal panel  54  of the top and dorsal piece  24  of the palm section  14 . 
       FIGS. 8A and 8B  show the mitten shell  10  in use wherein a user&#39;s hand is inserted into the shell  10 . The closable top  34  maintains warmth and comfort when closed and is quickly opened by the user pulling on the tab  48  with their other hand or teeth to release the hook-and-loop fasteners on the palmar side of the palm section  14 . The user&#39;s middle, ring, and little fingers, referred to collectively with reference number  74 , are shown in  FIG. 8B  extending out of the distal opening  36 . In  FIG. 8   a , the index finger  76  is also shown extending out of the distal opening  36  along with the other three fingers  74 . It is to be understood that the user&#39;s thumb can also be extended out of the distal opening  36  along with the entire hand. Furthermore, the hand can be used in the shell  10  with or without the glove liner  12 . 
       FIG. 9  is the mitten shell  10  in use wherein all four fingers and a user&#39;s thumb, referred to collectively with reference number  75 , are inserted through the proximal opening  32  and extend out of the distal opening  36 . The user may use the shell  10  with or without the glove liner  12 . 
     Hence, the glove system of the present disclosure can consist of the mitten shell  10  alone or in combination with the glove liner  12 . It will find use in hunting, military applications and other applications where maintaining warmth and protection of the hands is desired and where allowing one or more fingers to be quickly extended from the shell is required. 
     The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments. 
     These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. For example, the top  34  can be tucked into a pocket formed on the dorsal piece  24  of the palm section  14  instead of using or in addition to using the hook-and-loop fasteners  50 ,  52 . In addition, other means of fastening can be substituted for the hook-and-loop fasteners as known to those skilled in the art. 
     In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.