Patent Abstract:
A capacitive touch sensitive glove includes a glove having a moisture penetration resistant material forming interior and exterior portions of the glove, and an electrically conductive element extending through the material from the interior to the exterior portions, wherein the conductive element is arranged with the material to prevent transmission of moisture between the interior and exterior portions.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates generally to moisture resistant gloves and more particularly to moisture resistant gloves enabling a user to operate capacitive touch sensitive devices such as cell phones and media players while wearing the gloves. 
         [0003]    2. Background 
         [0004]    Consumers are increasingly becoming accustomed to operating interactive devices with touchscreen technology based on capacitive sensing. This technology generates a continuing demand for devices with user friendly and intuitive interfaces, such as, for example, smart phones like the Apple iPhone™ and tablets like the Apple iPad™. Such demand includes access to such user friendly devices under varied and often less than user friendly circumstances. For example, outdoor winter sports enthusiast, such as snow boarders and skier, wear insulated water repellant or water resistant gloves for comfort. At the same time, widespread cellular coverage enables a sports enthusiast to communicate while also enjoying the winter outdoor environment. Gloves for such extreme weather conditions often include an outer shell of leather, waterproof, water resistant, or water repellant material, such as GORE-TEX® fabric, water repellant aerosol treated fabric, and the like. Unfortunately, extreme weather gloves are not equipped with capacitive touch sensitive capability to operate a touchscreen device, and the glove has to be removed to operate the device. There is a need, therefore, for a water resistant extreme weather glove compatible with interactive touch screen devices. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In an aspect of the disclosure, a capacitive touch sensitive glove includes a glove having a moisture penetration resistant material forming interior and exterior portions of the glove, and an electrically conductive element extending through the material from the interior to the exterior portions, wherein the conductive element is arranged with the material to prevent transmission of moisture between the interior and exterior portions. 
         [0006]    In an aspect of the disclosure, a method of making a capacitive touch sensitive glove compatible with capacitive touchscreen devices includes providing a glove comprising a moisture penetration resistant material forming interior and exterior portions of the glove, and attaching at least one electrically conductive element to the glove extending through the material from the interior to the exterior portions, wherein the conductive element is arranged with the material to prevent transmission of moisture between the interior and exterior portions. 
         [0007]    In an aspect of the disclosure, a glove operable with a touchscreen device, includes a moisture penetration resistant material arranged to define an interior and an exterior portion of the glove, wherein the interior portion is arranged to receive a user&#39;s hand, and an electrically conductive element extending through the moisture penetration resistant material to permit electrical conduction from the user&#39;s hand interior to the glove to the device touchscreen exterior to the glove. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a conceptual illustration of a glove compatible with capacitive touchscreen devices in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2A  is a cross-section of a conceptual illustration of an electrically conductive element for use in the glove of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 2B  is a cross-section view of a conceptual illustration of the electrically conductive element of  FIG. 2A  arranged with a finger of the glove of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a conceptual illustration of a snow glove  100  compatible with capacitive touchscreen devices. The glove comprises a back  10  (indicated with a phantom lead line), a palm  11 , and a plurality of fingers including a thumb  12 , an index finger  13  and additional fingers  14  to accommodate the hand and fingers of a user within an interior  15  of the glove. The glove includes an outer surface that is waterproof and/or resistant to penetration of moisture. Various materials that may be used in such gloves include leather, GORE-TEX® fabric, water repellant aerosol treated fabric, and the like, but are not limited to the materials mentioned. 
         [0012]    The thumb  12  and index finger  13  are shown arranged with an electrically conductive element  20  preferably in the vicinity of the finger tips, although the electrically conductive element may be arranged elsewhere on any portion of the fingers  12 ,  13 ,  14 , or even on the back  10  or palm  11  of the glove. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the electrically conductive element  20  includes an exterior portion  21  that is arranged with an outer surface of the glove  100  and an interior portion  22  that penetrates through a hole  30  in the glove at a selected location, such as the thumb  12 , index finger  13 , or elsewhere. The interior portion  22  is arranged in contact with the user&#39;s skin when worn by the user. 
         [0014]    The electrically conductive element  20  is arranged with the glove  100  through the hole  30  to prevent moisture from passing through the hole  30 , with the intention of keeping the user&#39;s hand dry when, for example, the user is engaged in outdoor winter sports, such as skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, etc. To that end, the electrically conductive element  20  and hole  30  may be configured with a water impermeable seal  40  to prevent the moisture from passing through the hole  30  along or around the electrically conductive element  20 . 
         [0015]    In one aspect of the disclosure, the water impermeable seal  40  may be a curable adhesive sealant, such as a curable polymer, for example, between the electrically conductive element  20  and the hole  30 . Alternatively, the water impermeable seal  40  may be obtained by sewing the electrically conductive element  20  into the hole  30  and sealing with an adhesive sealing tape or material placed over the stitching, such as GORE-SEAM® tape, or the like. 
         [0016]    In another aspect of the disclosure, the electrically conductive element  20  may be formed from a one or more conductive fibers substantially impregnated with the water impermeable seal  40 , where the water impermeable seal  40  may be a curable adhesive sealant. Thus, the impregnated electrically conductive element  20  may be positioned in the hole  30  of the glove  100 , and the sealant allowed to cure. Alternatively, the sealant in the electrically conductive element  20  may be cured first, and then additional sealant applied at the hole  30  when the electrically conductive element  20  is positioned in the hole  30 , and the additional sealant may be cured. 
         [0017]    In another aspect of the disclosure, the electrically conductive element  20  may be formed from a water impermeable seal  40  comprising, for example, the curable sealant, which has been impregnated with one or more conductive fibers. The conductive fiber impregnated water impermeable seal  40  may be installed in the glove using additional sealant applied at the hole  30 , as above, which is then cured. Alternatively, as described above, adhesive sealing tape may be applied to provide the water impermeable seal  40 . 
         [0018]    The conductive fibers may be any of filamentary conductive carbon fibers, filamentary metal wires, filamentary semiconductor fibers, or the like. 
         [0019]    In an aspect of the disclosure, the electrically conductive element  20  may terminate at the fingertip in a conductive cap  50  or plate, and the cap  50  or plate may be positioned at the exterior portion  21  to enable conductive contact to a touchscreen, at the interior portion  22  to enable conductive contact the user&#39;s skin, or both. The cap  50  may be in electrical contact with the one or more conductive fibers or other conductive material from which the electrically conductive element  20  is formed. The interior portion  22  is positioned to be in contact with the user&#39;s skin when the glove  100  is properly worn. 
         [0020]    When the user wished to access applications on a touchscreen device, the electrically conductive element  20  provide continuity between the capacitive touch sensitive screen and the users skin as if the user had applied his fingertips directly to the screen. 
         [0021]    In an aspect of the disclosure, the electrically conductive element  20  may include an inelastic or elastic material, such as plastic, rubber, a curable polymer, or the like, charged with conductive particles, such as silver or other conductive granules. 
         [0022]    It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed is an illustration of exemplary processes. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods may be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless specifically recited therein. 
         [0023]    The claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects of this disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

Technology Classification (CPC): 8