Patent Publication Number: US-6981283-B2

Title: Gardening gloves with cushion insert to protect fingernails

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to protective gloves and more particularly to a gardening glove especially suited to use by women to protect their finger tips and especially their fingernails. 
   2. Background 
   Long fingernails are especially prone to damage when a woman is gardening as the nails may strike rocks and small stones, roots and the like, or in doing household chores, the fingers may strike inadvertently against furniture and other hard objects which can cause cracking or breaking of the nails. I am not aware of any gloves especially designed for use by women which will protect their fingernails and which are comfortable to wear. Because the length of women&#39;s nails may vary from long to short, a glove is needed which will accommodate varying length of nails and protect them against damage from inadvertent contact with hard objects. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention provides a gardening glove especially designed for women with fingernails which may be easily damaged when gardening or performing other tasks that subjects the nails to risk of damage from encountering hard or sharp objects. This is accomplished by providing a foam insert in the distal end of each finger stall of the glove. The insert is held in compression within the finger stall and is provided with a slit lying in or parallel with the plane of the glove (herein sometimes referred to as a horizontal slit) and which will receive the fingertip and fingernail of the wearer. The slit in the foam insert is dimensioned so that it will encase both a short and a long fingernail. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a gardening glove embodying my invention; 
       FIG. 2A  shows a wearer&#39;s finger inserted in a finger stall of my improved glove, as at the area  2 A of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 2B  shows a wearer with a longer fingernail than that of  FIG. 2A  inserted in a finger stall of my improved glove, as at the area  2 B of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  shows an elastic compressible foam insert in the distal end of a finger stall with the insert held under compression by the walls of the finger stall and showing the horizontal slit in the insert; 
       FIG. 4  shows a foam insert preparatory to insertion in the finger stall of a glove; 
       FIG. 5  shows schematically how the insert installing tool and the insert are oriented preparatory to pressing the insert into a glove; 
       FIG. 6  shows the insert being pushed into a finger stall; and 
       FIG. 7  shows the insert fully placed in the distal end of the finger stall of a glove in accordance with the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
   In  FIG. 1 , I have shown a protective glove, such as a gardening glove, embodying my invention. The exact overall form and appearance of the glove may differ from that here depicted which is for purposes of explanation and not intended to be stylish. 
   The invention in prototype form has been constructed using readily available gardening gloves which have been modified as herein explained. The glove will typically comprise a fabric glove body  10  with finger stalls  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20 , the glove body and stalls having been coated or impregnated with a moisture resistant layer of flexible plastic material. The finger stalls  12 ,  14 , 16 , 18  and  20  open interiorly into the body at their proximal ends  22  and are closed at their distal ends  24 . 
   The distal end of each finger stall is provided with a compressible elastic foam insert, sometimes described as sponge rubber, which is water resistant. This type of foam is made by several companies and may be described as having a flexibility up to about 50%, an elasticity or expandability of about 25%–50%, and a density of from about ¼ inch to 2 inches. Flexibility was determined by bending the foam without it breaking. Bent at a right angle just before breaking, I considered about 50%, while bent double just before breaking, I considered 100%. I determined elasticity or expandability by stretching the foam. When it stretched one and one-quarter times its length without breaking, I considered that 25% and when stretched to one and one-half times its length and began to break, I considered that 50%. Density of ¼ inch will be suitable for a woman&#39;s glove, while for a man&#39;s glove, it may be two inches. All of these specifications may be varied to suit the particular circumstances. 
   The foam, in the form of a foam block  23  measuring, for example, 1½ inches by ½ inch before insertion into the finger stalls is cut to the general shape shown in  FIG. 4  where flat faces  26  and  28  are generally parallel, the side  30  and its complement (not shown) are also parallel, and the side  32  (only an edge of which is shown) is generally parallel to the side  34 / 34   a  interrupted by a wedge shaped notch  36 . The notch is defined by an upper longer surface  38  and a lower shorter surface  40 . The longer surface  38  is intended to overlay the upper surface of the finger tip  41  or  41   a  and fingernail  43  or  43   a , while the shorter surface  40  underlies the finger tip and nail when the wearer inserts a hand into the glove with the fingernail aligned horizontally with the notch. The surface  40  is shorter because the face  34  of the block is cut away as at  34   a.    
   As the sponge or foam block as depicted in  FIG. 4  is inserted into the glove and finger stall as schematically shown in  FIGS. 5–7 , the block is squeezed together both vertically and horizontally thereby closing the notch which, as shown in  FIG. 3  becomes a simple horizontal slit  36   a  in the foam. The squeezing together of the foam increases its density and accordingly its resistance to distortion as from a hard object against which the finger stall may be struck. The slit is oriented relative to the finger stall so that the slit is in a horizontal plane, which is a plane parallel to the general plane of the glove. 
   The length of the sponge or foam is such, in combination with the length of the slit  36   a , that the foam will completely encase the finger tip  41  and  41   a  and finger nail  43  and  43   a  of a wearer as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Furthermore, the slit stops short of the extreme distal end of the stall such that a foam cushion of approximately ½ inch will exist beyond the distal end of the finger. Such cushion is shown at  44  and  44   a  in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  respectively. 
   As schematically depicted in  FIGS. 5–7 , the foam block  23  of  FIG. 4  is inserted in the finger stalls of the glove by an arrow-shaped plunger  46  whose head  48  is received in the notch  36  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The arrow is oriented such that the slit  36   a  resulting after withdrawal of the plunger is disposed with the slit in a horizontal plane. 
   The foam inserts may be retained in the finger stalls by adhesive retention or by sewing. For adhesive retention, the foam block may be coated on the surfaces, except the surfaces  38  and  40 , with a heat-activated adhesive, and then the foam inserted in the stalls. When in place, the stalls are subjected to heat sufficient to effect bonding of the foam within and to the walls of the stalls. 
   By forming the glove of water resistant materials, they may be washed as desired, and suitable decorations imprinted thereon to make them attractive and stylish. 
   While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.