Patent Publication Number: US-3874000-A

Title: Hot water mitt

Description:
United States Patent 1 91 1 11 3,874,000  
 Altman Apr. 1, 1975 [54] HOT WATER MITT FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 lnvemorl Max Altman, 362 Knowlton Ave, 942,208 4/1956 Germany 2/164 ore, NY. 217 427,865 5/1935 United Kingdom 2/158 22 Filed: Jan. 21, 1974 Primary ExammerGeorge V. Larkm PP 435,256 Attorney, Agent, or FirmChristel &amp; Bean [52] US. Cl 2/158, 2/164, 128/381 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl A4ld 19/00 A hot water mitt fol-med Of lightweight and flexible [58] of Search 2/1581 161 water-impervious material comprises inner and outer 2/164; 128/3791 381, 2581 403; walls which form liquid-receiving spaces at both faces 150/221 of the mitt with a central hand space therebetween so that a user inserting his hand into the hand space with [56] References C&#39;ted the double wall spaces filled with hot water derives the UNITED STATES PATENTS benefit of hot water heat application to both the front 543,177 7/1895 Daly 150/24 and a ac of the hand thus inserted in the 752,5]6 2/1904 Carney ISO/2,4 X mitt. A single filling opening serves to till the two op- 2,842,77l 7/l958 Foti 2/164 X posed double wall liquid-receiving chambers of spaces 2,966,684 1/1961 Bonin 2/164 x f the device 3,259,914 7/1966 Johnson 2/161 R 3,292,628 12/1966 Maxwell et al. 2/158 X 3 Claims, 4 Drawing F igures nor WATER MITT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to hot water mitts for use by arthritis sufferers and those afflicted with other ailments of the hand which are benefited or eased by the application of heat.  
  In the prior art there are examples of electrically heated gloves or mitts, usually intended for use outdoors to merely keep the users hands warm. In another class of patents there are therapeutic devices which consist of body encircling members or members for encircling the limbs of a patient with hot water circulating through the members to maintain a heated condition.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises generally a mittcomprising a double wall structure adapted to be filled with hot water and worn on the hand of a patient to keep the hand warm and thus ease an arthritic condition or other ailment which is ameliorated by the application of heat. No circulating water connections are employed and there is no necessity for electrical connections so that the user of the device may move about freely while wearing the device.  
  According to the present invention the mitt has double wall structures at both sides thereof so that the heat of the liquid therein maintains a warming condition at both the front and rear of a users hand. Preferably a single filling opening is provided in communication with the interiors of the double wall structures at opposite sides of the mitt.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a general elevational view of the rear side of a left-hand mitt or the front side of a right-hand mitt;  
  FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line IIII of FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line Illlll of FIG. 1; and  
  FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line lVlV of FIG. 1.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In the form of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing by way of example, a mitt is formed by folding two sheets of a water-impervious and highly flexible plastic or other sheet material along a line which is coincident with the left-hand vertical margin of the mitt illustrated in FIG. 1. The remaining portions of the two sheets are cut to form a hand portion 13 and a thumb portion 14 and the right-hand edge of the mitt as viewed in FIG. 1.  
  In the drawings the outer sheet is designated generally by the numeral 10 and the inner sheet is designated by the numeral 11. The folded portions of the sheets 10 and 11 are heat-sealed as shown at 15 in FIG. 2 and the remaining peripheries of the sheets extending around to a cuff portion 17 at the opposite side are heat-sealed as indicated at 18 in FIG. 4.  
  The lower folded portions of the sheets 10 and 11 from the bottom of the heat-sealed portion 15 to the cuff 17 at the lower portion of FIG. 1 are separated as shown in FIG. 3 whereby a filling and emptying fitting 20 which is sealed to outer sheet 10 as shown in FIG. 1 provides a communicating passage with the interiors of the double wall formations provided by the sheets 10 and 11 at both the back and front portions of the mitt so that the entire area of the mitt as shown in FIG. 1 contains a heated liquid at both sides of a patients hand, the latter obviously being inserted through the cuff 17 and into the central space 21 between the two folded portions of inner sheet 11.  
  A convenient plug type closure 22 is applied to the fitting 20 and may be permanently attached thereto by flexible plastic bands 23 in a well known manner.  
  Along the lower edge of the structure shown in FIG. 1 the outer and inner sheets 10 and 11 are heat-sealed as at 17. The sheets are separately heat-sealed at the front and rear portions of the device to form an encircling cuff portion through which the hand of a user of the device may freely be inserted.  
  It is obvious from the foregoing that the hot water mitt of the present invention is simply and effectively fabricated in an economical manner and is well adapted to home use and may of course be used in other environments as in a hospital, a clinic, or the like.  
  A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described herein and shown in the accompanying drawing to illustrate the underlying principles of the invention but it is to be understood that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention.  
 I claim:  
  1. A double wall mitt structure comprising a pair of blank sheets of flexible material juxtaposed and jointly folded along a medial line whereby the folded edge forms one marginal edge of the mitt structure, the ends of said blank sheets at one end of the structure and at the side opposite the folded edge being shaped to form hand and thumb receiving portions and secured along their edges to&#39;form a central hand receiving space and double wall portions at opposite sides of the hand receiving space, the edges of the inner and outer blank sheets at the other end of said structure being separately attached along their edges to form a central hand receiving opening and close the double wall structures at opposite sides thereof, and means for introducing heating liquid to said double wall spaces.  
  2. A double wall structure according to claim 1 wherein said means for introducing liquid comprises a filling passage along said fold line in communication with both of said double wall portions, and a removable closure for said passage.  
  3. In a device for applying heat to a persons hand, a mitt having outer front and rear wall portions and inner front and rear wall portions, said four wall portions being jointly secured to each other along their edges throughout the marginal outline of said mitt excepting at the cuff portion thereof and a filler opening portion thereof, the front inner and outer wall portins being secured to each other along said cuff portion, and the rear inner and outer wall portions being secured to each other along said cuff portin, whereby liquidreceiving spaces between the inner and outer wall portions at the front and rear of said mitt are isolated from each other excepting at said filler opening portion, and a filler opening at said filler opening portion for introducing and removing liquid to and from both of said liquid receiving spaces, and removable closure means therefor.