Abstract:
A method of fabricating a temperature resistant and fluid impermeable protective glove having front and back panels joined by at least one seam. During manufacture, the glove is dipped into a first thin liquid to coat the exterior surface of the glove. The first liquid penetrates through gaps in the seam and seals those gaps as it solidifies. The first liquid coated glove is then dipped into a second thicker liquid to coat the entire exterior surface including the sealed seam. A third coating may be applied to the interior surface of the glove prior to joining the front and back panels together. The glove may also include an interior liner and an exterior protective member for added comfort and protection.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/974,795 filed Dec. 21, 2010, which application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/289,246, filed Dec. 22, 2009, the entire specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    This invention generally relates to gloves. More particularly, the invention relates to protective gloves used in industries where workers encounter extremely high or extremely low temperature substances or potentially come into contact with any number of a variety of caustic substances. Specifically, the invention relates to a glove having a first coating on its exterior surface that penetrates and seals the seams and a second coating that overlays the first coating, and to a method of manufacturing gloves incorporating these elements. 
         [0004]    2. Background Information 
         [0005]    In many industries, workers may have to handle articles that potentially can injure them. In the food services industry, for example, workers are frequently exposed to heated surfaces and hot liquids and gases that may cause severe burns. It has therefore become commonplace for workers in such environments to wear protective clothing, including temperature and fluid resistant gloves. The gloves in question need to prevent radiant heat from reaching the skin and they need to be fluid impermeable to prevent liquids and gases from penetrating into the interior of the glove, causing a contact-type injury. Similar requirements are necessary in industries where the workers are exposed to extremely cold substances, such as liquid nitrogen, or to caustic substances such as acids and bases that can severely damage flesh if they come into contact with the skin. 
         [0006]    While gloves currently known in these industries function quite well, one of the problem areas that persists is the tendency for liquids and gases to be able to penetrate the seams of the gloves. Since most gloves are stitched together, the fabric at the seams is effectively secured together only by small lengths of thread that are separated from each other by small gaps. Liquids and gases tend to penetrate into the interior of the glove through these small gaps and thereby cause injury to the wearer. 
         [0007]    There is therefore a need in the art for an improved protective glove that is temperature resistant and/or fluid impermeable, especially in the region of the seams, and to an improved method of manufacturing this type of glove. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The device of the present invention comprises a temperature resistant and fluid impermeable protective glove having front and back panels joined together by at least one seam. During manufacture, the glove is dipped into a first thin liquid to coat the exterior surface of the glove. The first liquid penetrates through gaps in the seam and seals those gaps as it solidifies. The first liquid coated glove is then dipped into a second thicker liquid to coat the entire exterior surface including the sealed seam. A third coating may be applied to the interior surface of the glove prior to joining the front and back panels together. Preferably, the third coating is a blade-coating that improves the gloves cut and penetration strength. The glove may also include an interior liner and an exterior protective member for added comfort and protection. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a glove in accordance with the present invention being used to protect a worker&#39;s hand from a hot or caustic liquid; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the glove of the present invention showing the exterior surface thereof; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side elevational view of the glove of  FIG. 2  being lowered over an expandable glove former; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3   a  is an exploded front elevational view of the glove of  FIG. 2  being lowered over the expandable former; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the glove on the glove former, illustrating the former being expanded to open up the glove&#39;s seams to obtain access to the gaps between the threads of the stitching; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view showing the glove and former being dipped into a tank of a first liquid to coat the exterior of the glove and showing some of that first liquid flowing into the expanded seam; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a top cross-sectional view of the glove through line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of the highlighted region of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the highlighted region of  FIG. 6  shown with the former returned to its non-expanded condition and illustrating how the first fluid has sealed the seam in the glove by filling the gaps between the threads; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the glove on the former when in a non-expanded state, with the glove being dipped a second time to apply a coat of a second liquid over the solidified first layer of the first liquid; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a top cross-sectional view of the glove of  FIG. 9  removed from the former and showing the solidified first and second layers; 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged top view of the highlighted region of  FIG. 10 ; showing the second layer of the second liquid coated over the solidified first layer and forming the exterior surface of the glove; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11   a  is an enlarged top view of the highlighted region of  FIG. 10  showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a blade-coating is additionally applied to the interior surface of an outer shell of the glove; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is an exploded front view of the glove of the present invention along with a cotton liner that is received in the interior of the glove and which directly contacts the worker&#39;s hand, together with a Kevlar mitt that is slipped over the exterior surface of the top portion of the glove of the present invention to give added temporary protection to a workman&#39;s hand. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-12 , there is shown a protective glove in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated at  10 .  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  12  show various details of the structure of glove  10 .  FIGS. 3-11   a  illustrate how glove  10  is manufactured and how the process constructs the structure of glove  10 .  FIG. 11   a  illustrates an alternative structure for the glove in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0025]    Glove  10  as illustrated herein is of a mitt style and includes a thumb region  14  and a single finger region  16  that would cover and protect all four of the wearer&#39;s fingers together. It will be understood that if it is desirable to protect the wearer&#39;s fingers in a different manner, that glove could alternatively include a thumb region and two, three or four finger regions. These alternative versions of the glove are not illustrated herein but are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0026]    As indicated previously, glove  10  is designed for applications where protection is needed from one or more of hot, cold or caustic substances that are able to penetrate into the interior of the glove through the seams. It should be understood that the term “temperature resistant” used herein means resistance to both heat and cold, and the term “fluid impermeable” means impermeability or resistance to both liquids and gases. It will further be understood that glove  10  will also protect the wearer&#39;s hand from exposure to hot, cold and caustic solid materials but solid materials are less likely to be of such a nature that they are able to penetrate into the interior cavity of the glove through the seams. However, the glove of the present invention will also substantially prevent particulate-type solid materials that are extremely hot, extremely cold or extremely caustic from penetrating into the interior cavity through the glove&#39;s seams. Consequently, the term “fluid” should also be considered, for the purposes of this description, to refer to particulate-type solid materials and “fluid impermeability” to refer to impermeability of the seams with reference to particulate-type solid materials. 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  shows glove  10  in use protecting a person&#39;s hand against injury during exposure to a hot liquid  12 . Glove  10  is designed to extend for a distance beyond the wrist of the wearer and to terminate approximately midway between the wrist and elbow. Alternately, the glove may extend entirely up the length of the user&#39;s arm. 
         [0028]    Glove  10  is manufactured by cutting two substantially identical pieces of fabric and then stitching those pieces together to form an outer shell  18 . Outer shell  18  has a front  20  and a back  22  that are joined together by sewing along a seam  24  to form a plurality of stitches that hold the two pieces of fabric together. Front  20  is designed to abut the palm of the wearer and back  22  is designed to abut the back of the wearer&#39;s hand. Front  20  and back  22  bound an interior cavity  26  ( FIG. 6 ), configured to receive the hand and a portion of the wearer&#39;s wrist and arm therein. Cavity  26  is accessed through an opening (not shown) at a lowermost end  20   a,    22   a  ( FIG. 3 ) of front  20  and back  22 . 
         [0029]    In accordance with the present invention, the base fabric used to manufacture outer shell  18  preferably is a poly/cotton, a cotton jersey or a cotton interlock fabric that is not blade-coated. Blade-coating is accomplished by applying a silicon or nitrile coating onto one face of front  20  and back  22  either before or after cutting them out and prior to sewing. Alternatively, the fabric used for front  20  and back  22  is one of a poly/cotton, a meta-aramid and a poly-aramid fabric that is blade-coated. When front  20  and back  22  are cut out and sewn together, the blade-coated face of the two pieces of fabric is disposed on the interior of the glove and therefore bounds cavity  26 . 
         [0030]    In accordance with methodology of the present invention, once front  20  and back  22  of outer shell  18  have been sewn together, outer shell  10  is slipped over an expandable former  28  ( FIGS. 3 and 3   a ). Former  28  comprises a first member  28   a  and a second member  28   b  that are movable horizontally toward and away from each other. Former  28  is therefore able to be moved between a non-expanded condition ( FIG. 3 ) and an expanded condition ( FIG. 4 ). When in the non-expanded condition, first and second members  28   a,    28   b  abut each other along a midline  29 . When in the expanded condition, first and second members  28   a,    28   b  are separated from each other by a small vertical space  31 . The former illustrated in  FIGS. 3-4  is a former for a mitt and therefore includes a thumb region  33  and a single finger region  35 . It will be understood, however, that if the glove to be manufactured is to have a thumb region and four finger regions, that the former used in that instance would likewise include a thumb region and four finger regions. 
         [0031]    When outer shell  18  is properly positioned on former  28 , the former  28  is moved from its non-expanded condition ( FIG. 3 ) to its expanded condition ( FIG. 4 ). This movement causes front  20  of glove  10  to move slightly away from back  22  of glove  10  thereby causing seam  24  to slightly open up along substantially the entire length thereof. Seam  24  is expanded to a degree sufficient to make the individual strands  30  of the thread used to sew front  20  and back  22  together more evident ( FIGS. 4 &amp; 6 ). The strands  30  of thread extend between front  20  and back  22  and retain the two together. Seam  24  also includes a plurality of gaps  32 , where each gap  32  is disposed between two adjacent strands  30 . Gaps  32  permit fluid communication through seam  24  between interior cavity  26  and the air surrounding the exterior surface  18   a  of outer shell  18 . In other words, gaps  32  permit some flow of liquids and gases through the seam  24  between interior cavity  26  and the air surrounding exterior surface  18   a  of outer shell  18 . When former  28  is expanded, strands  30  become more visible and the gaps  32  are widened to a greater degree than when outer shell  18  was in the non-expanded condition. 
         [0032]    In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, once seam  24  is expanded ( FIG. 6 ), a first coating  34  of a suitable liquid is applied to the exterior surface  18   a  of outer shell  18 . This step may require moving former  28  from a first location to a second location in some manner. Thus, in a first instance shown in  FIG. 5 , former  28  with the expanded outer shell  18  disposed thereon is dipped into a vat  36  holding a quantity of a first liquid  38 . This dipping procedure is the preferred manner of applying first liquid  38 . First liquid  38  preferably will make outer shell  18  one or both of temperature resistant and fluid impermeable. A suitable first liquid  38  for this purpose would be nitrile or neoprene. First liquid  38  preferably is in the form of a low viscosity fluid, meaning that it is more thin and runny and less sticky. In order to attain the correct viscosity for the first liquid  38 , the liquid may need to be heated. 
         [0033]    When outer shell  18  is dipped into first liquid  38 , the liquid  38  covers exterior surface  18   a  and effective obstructs gaps  32  thereby cutting off fluid communication between interior cavity  26  and the air surrounding exterior surface  18   a  of outer shell  18 . More particularly, first liquid  38  penetrates into seam  24 , flowing into and through gaps  32  between adjacent strands  30  of threads. First liquid  38  also flows around and coats strands  30  and may penetrate slightly into the same. First liquid  38  preferably also flows through seam  24  and flows for a short distance along the interior surfaces of front  20  and back  22  ( FIG. 7 ) that define and bound cavity  26 . After being immersed for a length of time sufficient to allow first fluid  38  to flow into and through gaps  32 , outer shell is removed from being further exposed to first liquid  38 . The length of time involved will vary with the viscosity of first fluid  38  from just a few seconds to several minutes. While outer shell  18  is being removed from first liquid  38 , former  28  is moved from its expanded condition back to its non-expanded condition. At the same time, the previously heated first liquid  38  begins to cool and solidify and seam  24  begins to close back to its original non-expanded condition. Thus, strands  30  move closer together and gaps  32  close but, as this occurs, a quantity of the cooling first liquid  38  becomes entrapped in the gaps  32  between adjacent strands  30  ( FIG. 8 ) and thereby fills and seals the same. Thus, fluid communication through the seam  24  between interior cavity  26  and the air surrounding the exterior of outer shell  18  is effectively cut off. Sufficient time is allowed to pass after removing outer shell  18  from first liquid  38  to permit the quantity of first liquid  38  on exterior surface  18   a  to cool and solidify to form a first coating  34 . Since the entire outer shell  18  preferably is dipped into first liquid, first coating  34  covers the entire exterior surface  18   a.  It will be understood, however, that if only a portion of outer shell  18  was dipped into first liquid  38 , then first coating  34  will only form on the area of outer shell  18  that was dipped. First coating  34  effectively seals off both the interior and exterior regions of seam  24  because both of the interior and exterior regions thereof have had a quantity of first liquid  38  applied thereto. This sealing of seam  24  ensures that liquids cannot flow through gaps  30  in seam  24  and into interior cavity  26  of glove  10 . Substantially the entire length of seam  24  is sealed by first coating  34 , thus rendering outer shell  18  liquid impermeable. This first coating  34  therefore substantially prevents liquid from being able to penetrate into the interior cavity  26  of glove  10  by way of entering through seam  24  and thereby substantially reduces the likelihood of the worker being burned or injured by hot, cold or caustic substances. 
         [0034]    It will be understood that instead of dipping outer shell  18 , alternatively, former  28  with the expanded outer shell thereon, may be moved through a zone in a piece of equipment (not shown) where a quantity of first liquid  38  is sprayed over exterior surface  18   a  of outer shell  18 . Any other procedures for applying a quantity of the first liquid to the exterior surface  18   a  of outer shell  18  are also considered to fall within the spirit and scope of this invention. Dipping is, however, preferred as it ensures that substantially the entire seam  24  will be exposed to first liquid  38 . 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIGS. 9-11 , and in accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, once seam  24  is sealed with first liquid  38 , a second coating  40  is applied to the exterior surface  34   a  of the first coating  34  on outer shell. A suitable substance for use as second coating  40  is nitrile, neoprene or any other substance that improves the temperature resistance and/or liquid impermeability qualities of the glove. A second coating  40  may also be provided to give the glove better abrasion and/or gripping qualities and materials that provide these features can be used to form second coating  40 . 
         [0036]    At this point, the first-liquid coated outer shell  18  is still engaged on former  28  and the former is in the non-expanded condition. Keeping former  28  in this non-expanded condition, the former is moved to permit a second coating  40  to be applied to the first-liquid coated outer shell  18 . Preferably, second coating  40  is applied by dipping the first-liquid-coated outer shell  18  and former  28  into a vat  42  of a suitable second liquid  44 . Any other suitable method of applying the second coating, such as spraying, may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Preferably, second liquid  44  is of a higher viscosity than is first liquid  38 , meaning that second liquid  44  preferably is more tacky and thicker than first liquid  38 . In order to attain the correct viscosity for the second liquid  44 , the liquid may need to be heated or cooled to a certain degree. When the first-liquid-coated outer shell  18 / 34  is dipped into second liquid  44 , it coats and sticks to exterior surface  34   a  of first coating  34  and completely covers the area of the glove that is dipped therein. The twice coated outer shell  18  on former  28  is then removed from vat  42  and, once again, sufficient time is allowed to permit second liquid  44  to cool, solidify or set so as to form the second coating  40  over the exterior surface  34   a  of first coating  34 . Once both of the first and second coatings  34 ,  40  have been applied and set, the manufacture of glove  10  is completed and glove  10  is removed from former  28  by sliding it off the same. 
         [0037]      FIG. 11   a  is an enlarged top view of the highlighted portion of  FIG. 10  showing an alternative embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 11   a  shows that a blade-coating  46  has been applied to the fabric used to construct the front  20  and back  22  of outer shell  18  before the front and back are sewn together. Blade-coating  46  preferably comprises a silicon or nitrile coating, or any other substance that improves the temperature resistance, fluid impermeability or the resistance of the glove to penetration or cuts from sharp objects. This blade-coating layer also tends to enable the glove to be used for applications involving higher temperatures than a glove that includes only the first and second coatings  34 ,  40 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 12  shows the glove  10  being used as part of a protection assembly for a worker. The assembly includes a fabric liner  50 , the glove  10  described above, and a separate protective member  56 . Fabric liner  50  preferably is made from a soft material that is feels good to the touch, such as cotton. The cotton liner  50 , is inserted into the cavity  26  of glove  10  such that an exterior surface of the liner abuts the interior surface of glove  10 . Complementary hook and loop fasteners are applied to liner  50  and glove  10 .  FIG. 12  shows a strip of hook and loop fastener  52  applied to the end portion of liner  50  and a complementary strip of hook and loop fastener  54  applied to an end portion of the interior surface of glove  10 . The hook and loop fastener holds liner  50  and glove  10  together, but allows them to be separated for cleaning or replacement purposes. It will be understood that the exact configurations and locations of the hook and loop fasteners  52 ,  54  is immaterial and they may be applied in several different locations on glove  10  and liner  50 . 
         [0039]    Protective member  56  is in the form of a mitt that is slidable over the exterior surface  40   a  of the first and second liquid coated glove  10 . Preferably, this mitt  56  is manufactured from a material such as KEVLAR and provides extra strength and heat resistance to glove  10  for temporary applications where such qualities are required. Specifically, the protective member  56  is manufactured from a material that is one or more of temperature resistant, fluid impermeable, provides improved cut strength (i.e., resistance to cuts) and penetration strength (i.e., resistance to penetration by sharp objects). 
         [0040]    As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , protective member  56  has a length from a top end  56   a  of a finger region to a bottom end  56   b  adjacent an opening to the interior cavity thereof; and glove  10  has a length from a top end  10   a  of a finger region to a bottom end  10   b  adjacent the opening into the interior cavity of the glove, and wherein the length of the protective member  56  is substantially smaller than the length of the glove  10 . 
         [0041]    In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. 
         [0042]    Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention are an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.