Abstract:
A cleaning glove has a body made of a water-proof polymer material and five finger stalls each having a tip, a knuckle, a front and a back side, and left and right sides. Patches of animal grooming or cleaning materials are permanently affixed by permanent water-proof adhesive to the front side of each individual finger and extending up the front of the finger stall to the finger tip and down the back side of the finger to the knuckle, thereby leaving the left and right sides of each finger clear of the cleaning or grooming material, allowing much better manipulation of the fingers by the user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The application claims the benefit and priority of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/803,417 filed May 30, 2006 in the name of the same inventors and entitled Handy Andy scrub glove, and claims the priority and benefit of that earlier application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference. 
     
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0002]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d). 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    This invention relates generally to gloves, and specifically to water-proof work gloves. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH 
       [0004]    This invention was not made under contract with an agency of the US Government, nor by any agency of the US Government. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is helpful in numerous applications to use water-tight gloves of rubber, plastic or other polymers. These are commonly seen in kitchen and bathroom use, however, the actual applications extend considerably beyond ordinary household usage. In particular, commercial and industrial applications are far too numerous to list but include any type of situation in which toxic, hazardous, abrasive, or corrosive materials must be handled. For example, numerous types of building materials including plumbing solvents, flooring adhesives, cleaning compounds and so on are all inimical to human skin and for those doing work with these items such protection is recommended. In addition, numerous industries require use of such items for protection of workers from unsanitary substances, toxic or hazardous materials and so on during the construction of a wide variety of different materials, supplies and end products. 
         [0006]    Pet grooming, either in the home or as a professional service, is another example of a need for a glove which is water-tight. 
         [0007]    Various types of rubber or polymer gloves are known. 
         [0008]    Some polymer gloves have small patches on the tips of the fingers. U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,898 to Pucci et al on Apr. 4, 2006 is one such. U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,998 to Barry on Feb. 4, 2003 is another of this type. U.S. Pat. D459859 issued Jul. 9, 2002 to Poteat teaches small patches of abrasive material on one side of the fingers held on by band like rings which traverse around each finger rather than over the top of the fingertip. 
         [0009]    Another type of glove may have small patches of sponges or abrasive material on the tips of the fingers and a patch on the palm of the glove or elsewhere. US Patent Publication No. 20050111897 published May 26, 2005 to Presniakov shows such an arrangement, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,837 issued Feb. 1, 2000 to Andreu teaches fingers which have the entire front surface (but not the back surface) so covered. U.S. Pat. No. D347709 issued to Pearson on Jun. 7, 1994 is another such. U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,388 to Ortolivo (Nov. 11, 1986) shows the patches on the back but does not show them passing over the finger tips, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,427 has the same disposition but including a more expensive hook-and-loop fabric (such as VELCRO®) and separate cleaning units which must also have hook-and-loop fabric thereon in order to be used. U.S. Pat. D256184 issued Aug. 5, 1980 to Kupperman et al teaches numerous small patches, as does U.S. Pat. D256183 to the same inventor on the same day, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,545 to the same inventor on Sep. 25, 1979, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,840 to the same inventor on Aug. 22, 1978. U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,787 to Bianchi on Aug. 2, 1977 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,386 to Grzyll on Feb. 22, 1972. 
         [0010]    Another type of abrasive glove features abrasive or sponge material over substantially the entire surface area of the glove. U.S. Pat. Nos. D512540 to Salzman on Dec. 6, 2005, and D511028 to the same inventor on Oct. 25, 2005, and D510164 issued to Melton on Sep. 27, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. D502579 to Honermann on Mar. 1, 2005, US Patent Publication No. 20040250333 issued Dec. 16, 2004 to Friedman, U.S. Pat. No. D479972 to Cueto on Sep. 30, 2003 (abrasive covering most or all of front surface of glove), and US Patent Pub. No. 20020009966 published Jan. 24, 2002 to Orr. Others like this include U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,060 to Borucki-Mastej issued Dec. 14, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,148 issued Mar. 23, 1999 to Vargas et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,527 issued Jul. 1, 1997 to Savage, and U.S. Pat. No. D349373 to Marley on Aug. 2, 1994, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,228 issued Jun. 2, 1981 to Gaiser. U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,571 to Guzman on Jan. 25, 2000, teaches pads of material arranged in various ways not including fiver individual fingers each having an individual pad passing across the fingertip and down to the knuckle of the wearer. 
         [0011]    It will be appreciated that such devices cause an immense loss of flexibility and control. It would be desirable to allow the individual fingers of the user&#39;s hand to retain full functionality while still providing a large and usable scrubbing area on both front and back of fingers, which combination none of the devices discussed above provide. 
         [0012]    One versatile type of glove is U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,178 to Hoover on May 6, 2003. That device teaches a glove having hook-and-loop fabric (VELCRO® brand fabric, for example) passing from the front of the fingers over the tip to the back. However, the &#39;178 device teaches away from the present invention by teaching use of fabric fastener rather than abrasive material at that location: using the VELCRO® fabric at that location obviously makes using permanently affixed abrasive impossible. Since the fabric is disposed in this manner, it is easy to confuse that device with the present invention if only the pictures are examined, but the text of the document clearly argues away from leaving that space available for permanently affixed abrasive or pet grooming material. The &#39;178 device further requires additional costs in the form of sanding/abrasive devices which must have the corresponding abrasive affixed on the back thereof in order to be usable with the &#39;178 device. 
         [0013]    One final type of device is the single finger glove such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,549 issued Nov. 18, 2003 to McDevitt et al, and not having five finger stalls at all. 
         [0014]    It would be preferable to provide a device having superior combinations of flexibility and scrubbing surfaces. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    General Summary 
         [0016]    The present invention teaches a cleaning glove that has a body made of a water-proof polymer material and five finger stalls each having a tip, a knuckle, a front and a back side, and left and right sides. 
         [0017]    Patches of animal grooming or cleaning materials are permanently affixed to the body material of the glove by means of permanent water-proof adhesive such as marine glue or the like. The patches are located on the front side of each finger stall and extending up the front of the finger stall and over the finger tip, then back down the back side of the finger stall to the knuckle. 
         [0018]    This arrangement leaves the left and right sides of each finger clear of the cleaning or grooming material, allowing much better manipulation of the fingers by the user compared to previous designs which have the entire surface of the glove covered with the scrubbing material or pet grooming material, or which have “mitten-like” configurations which link together the fingers, thus reducing mobility. 
         [0019]    This design also offers superior scrubbing power as the scrubbing or grooming material may extend to the back knuckles of the user, thus allowing the user to lean on the knuckles for certain scrubbing operations. 
         [0020]    Summary in Reference to Claims 
         [0021]    It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment of the invention, in addition to those discussed previously, to provide a cleaning glove comprising: 
         [0022]    a body having a main portion and five finger stalls projecting therefrom, the body made of a water-proof polymer material, the five finger stalls each having a tip portion and further having a knuckle portion at the junction of the stall with the body, the body and finger stalls having front and back side, the finger stalls each having left and right sides; 
         [0023]    five patches of cleaning material, each one of the patches of cleaning material permanently affixed to the water-proof polymer material of one finger stall by permanent water-proof adhesive, the patch of cleaning material located on the front side of the finger stall and extending up the front of the finger stall and over the finger tip and down the back side of the finger stall to the knuckle, thereby leaving a patch of the water-proof polymer material bare on the left and right sides of each finger stall. 
         [0024]    It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment of the invention to provide a cleaning glove comprising: 
         [0025]    a body having a main portion and five finger stalls projecting therefrom, the body made of a water-proof polymer material, the five finger stalls each having a tip portion and further having a knuckle portion at the junction of the stall with the body, the body and finger stalls having front and back side, the finger stalls each having left and right sides; 
         [0026]    a first five patches of cleaning material, each one of the patches of cleaning material permanently affixed to the water-proof polymer material of one finger stall by permanent water-proof adhesive, the patch of cleaning material located on the front side of the finger stall 
         [0027]    a second five patches of cleaning material, each one of the patches of cleaning material permanently affixed to the water-proof polymer material of one finger stall by permanent water-proof adhesive, the patch of cleaning material located on the knuckle of the finger stall, 
         [0028]    thereby leaving a patch of the water-proof polymer material bare on the left and right sides of each finger stall. 
         [0029]    It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment of the invention to provide an animal grooming glove comprising: 
         [0030]    a body having a main portion and five finger stalls projecting therefrom, the body made of a water-proof polymer material, the five finger stalls each having a tip portion and further having a knuckle portion at the junction of the stall with the body, the body and finger stalls having front and back side, the finger stalls each having left and right sides; 
         [0031]    five patches of bristle material, each one of the patches of bristle material permanently affixed to the water-proof polymer material of one finger stall by permanent water-proof adhesive, the patch of bristle material located on the front side of the finger stall and extending up the front of the finger stall to the finger tip and down the back side of the finger stall to the knuckle, thereby leaving a patch of the water-proof polymer material bare on the left and right sides of each finger stall. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment of the glove of the invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is a rear view of the first embodiment of the invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a second embodiment of the invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a third embodiment of the invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the invention, having animal grooming bristles. 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of various embodiments of the invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of various embodiments of the invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of any of the glove embodiments which do not have the abrasive or pet grooming material extending onto the back. 
           [0040]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the glove of the invention. 
           [0041]      FIG. 10  is a top view of the glove of the invention. 
           [0042]      FIG. 11  is a first side view of the glove of the invention. 
           [0043]      FIG. 12  is a second side view of the glove of the invention. 
       
    
    
     INDEX OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0044]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Body/embodiment 
                 100 
               
               
                   
                 Finger stall 
                 102 
               
               
                   
                 Finger stall 
                 104 
               
               
                   
                 Finger stall 
                 106 
               
               
                   
                 Finger stall 
                 108 
               
               
                   
                 Finger stall 
                 110 
               
               
                   
                 Front of finger stall 
                 112 
               
               
                   
                 Tip of finger stall 
                 114 
               
               
                   
                 Back of finger stall 
                 116 
               
               
                   
                 Cleaning material patch 
                 120 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 200 
               
               
                   
                 Patch of cleaning material 
                 230 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 300 
               
               
                   
                 Palm patch of cleaning material 
                 340 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 350 
               
               
                   
                 Patch of pet grooming material 
                 360 
               
               
                   
                 Individual bristle 
                 362 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 400 
               
               
                   
                 Patch of cleaning/pet grooming material 
                 470 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 500 
               
               
                   
                 Knuckle of glove 
                 580 
               
               
                   
                 Patch of cleaning or pet grooming material 
                 582 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 600 
               
               
                   
                 Embodiment body 
                 700 
               
               
                   
                 Knuckle of glove/finger stall 
                 790 
               
               
                   
                 Cleaning/grooming patch on knuckle 
                 792 
               
               
                   
                 Finger side 
                 794 
               
               
                   
                 Finger side 
                 796 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0045]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment of the glove of the invention, while  FIG. 2  is a rear view of the first embodiment of the invention. 
         [0046]    Body/embodiment  100  has a large “palm” or “hand” portion into which the user&#39;s hand may be fitted, as well a five finger stalls, respectively numbers  102  (little finger),  104  (ring finger),  106  (middle finger),  108  (the index finger) and the thumb, finger stall  110 . The finger stalls of the invention may be referred to more generally as “fingers” herein. 
         [0047]    It will be seen that each finger stall has a front and back surface, as well as a tip portion, left and right sides, and a number of “knuckle” portions which may be defined as the areas a user&#39;s knuckle is likely to be inside of, on the back of the finger. More particularly, the primary knuckle may be defined as the junction of the finger stall and the body of the glove on the back side of the glove, the term “the knuckle” as used herein refers to the primary knuckle and the more complete coverage down to that knuckle. 
         [0048]    Exemplary front of finger stall  112 , tip of finger stall  114 , and back of finger stall  116  (from finger stall  108 , the index finger, but similar for other fingers shown) show the three areas which the present invention teaches may be profitably covered with cleaning material or pet grooming material. It may also be clearly seen in the diagrams that each finger stall&#39;s left and right side are not so covered. It will be immediately appreciated that most people do very little cleaning or other work with the sides of their fingers, but for certain applications, it can be desirable to have the back, all the way down to the knuckles, covered with cleaning material. In addition, many users find cleaning material at the extreme tips of the fingers to be useful. 
         [0049]    The exact cleaning material used may be any of a wide variety of substances without departing from the scope of the present invention. Reticulate cleaning material, scouring materials, sand paper, wire, roughened polymer surfaces, bristles and the like may all be used. 
         [0050]    Cleaning material patch  120  is not limited to merely the exact size and shape shown, as in alternative embodiments of the invention, the shape and size of the cleaning material on the front, tip and back of the fingers may be adjusted. 
         [0051]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a second embodiment of the invention. Embodiment body  200  Patch of cleaning material  230  may be seen to be, in fact, a different size and shape, while  FIG. 4  is a front view of a third embodiment of the invention which has on embodiment body  300  an additional palm patch of cleaning material  340 , as in certain applications it is convenient to use the palm for cleaning. This is particularly true in pet grooming applications, in which a patch of material on the palm may be useful for an easy combing operation. 
         [0052]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the invention, having animal grooming bristles. Embodiment body  350  has the palm area covered by patch of brush-like pet grooming material  360  as discussed in the previous paragraph. 
         [0053]    Individual bristle  362  may demonstrate the difference between the typical cleaning bristle which is designed to “dig in” and scour dirt from a hard surface and a pet grooming bristle ( 362 ), which will be generally soft and flexible, perhaps with a rounded or otherwise blunted head, so that on passage through animal fur or animal hair, the animal is not discomforted. 
         [0054]    In embodiments, the pet grooming material may be permanently affixed using marine adhesive or the like, or it may be integrally molded as a single piece with the glove body material and thus no affixation is required. 
         [0055]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of various embodiments of the invention. Embodiment body  400  has thereon patch of cleaning/pet grooming material  470  which actually extends down the back side of the device at least as far as one or two of the smaller knuckles of the fingers. This is useful, although the preferred embodiment and best mode now contemplated may have the material pass down further than this, all the way to the primary knuckle, as shown in the next figure,  FIG. 7 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of various embodiments of the invention in which the coverage of the pet grooming material or cleaning material extends fully to the primary knuckle of each finger. Embodiment body  500  has knuckle of glove  580  (this area of the primary knuckle is generally located at the junction of the finger stall and body, and thus may be considered to be part of the finger stall, part of the body, or partially on either one). 
         [0057]    Knuckle  580  is covered by patch of cleaning or pet grooming material  582 , allowing the user an extended area of cleaning and the option of using knuckles for cleaning, scraping, sanding and similar operations as needed. 
         [0058]    Coverage of the back side of the individual fingers is in contrast to prior art designs which show no coverage of the back of the fingers by permanently affixed cleaning material, or which show only limited coverage of the fingers not including the primary knuckle at the base of the back of the finger. 
         [0059]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of any of the glove embodiments which do not have the abrasive or pet grooming material extending onto the back. Embodiment body  600  may be free of the pet grooming or cleaning material on the back, in alternative embodiments. 
         [0060]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the glove of the invention. The interior of the body may be seen along with the openings to three of the finger stalls. 
         [0061]      FIG. 10  is a top view of the glove of the invention. The thumb and small finger stalls stick out at an angle while the three middle fingers are seen more or less “end on”. 
         [0062]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the glove of the invention. Embodiment body  700  may have exemplary knuckle of glove/finger stall  790  seen to be covered by the cleaning/grooming patch on knuckle  792 . However, finger side  794  and finger side  796  may be seen to be free of cleaning/grooming material, with only polymer material present at those locations, and thus these areas do not impede the user or tire the hand during wearing of the glove. This is in contrast to prior art which shows an entire glove covered with cleaning or grooming material.  FIG. 12  is a side view of the glove of the invention, showing that both sides of the fingers may be kept clear, with the polymer material of the glove body showing rather than the scrubbing material. 
         [0063]    The disclosure is provided to allow practice of the invention by those skilled in the art without undue experimentation, including the best mode presently contemplated and the presently preferred embodiment. Nothing in this disclosure is to be taken to limit the scope of the invention, which is susceptible to numerous alterations, equivalents and substitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is to be understood from the appended claims.