Abstract:
A versatile enlarged hand-shaped novelty display is formed from a flexible foam body, with front and rear sides, configured with an outline defining five articulated digits consisting of four fingers and a thumb. Patches of releasable engagement material, such as Velcro hook-and-loop type, are affixed to the novelty hand at specially selected locations, such as the finger tips, that enable an unprecedented number of hand signs, signals and/or gestures to be set up and retained as long as desired and then easily released and set up differently. Engagement patches at the digit extremities can engage an engagement strip extending across the palm. In addition, engagement patches in the vicinity of the fingernail location on the backs of two of the fingers can be engaged onto the thumb or to the front patch of an adjacent finger.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of novelty display directed to public events such as sports games, and more particularly it relates to a novelty display shaped as an enlarged human hand with fingers and thumb capable of being readily configured into a large number of different shapes including many well-known hand signs and including the hand shape for holding a flag or pennant, each different hand shape being held in a stable condition for any desired time period by a special releasable engagement system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Enlarged simulated hands have become popular recreational novelties, both as a children&#39;s toy in the home and as often displayed both by children and adults at public gatherings such as concerts or sports events where, along with various signs, banners, flags and the like, the “big hands” are energetically flourished to catch the attention of others including players, officials, spectators and television viewers. 
     Hand simulators of known art for toys or public display are typically not intended or equipped to provide independent finger and thumb movement or shaping. Even if the hand simulator is made of flexible material such that the fingers and thumb can be moved to some extent, it is typical that any different shapes formed in this manner must be held in place manually, making it awkward to hold aloft and wave around in a desired manner. 
     Where “shape memory” capabilities have been provided in hand simulators, e.g. by utilizing disengagable fastenings, the number of different hand shapes available has been limited to only a few of the large number of well-known signs and gestures that can be formed by the human hand. 
     DISCUSSION OF KNOWN ART 
     There have been approaches seeking to provide limited flexing and shaping of one or more digits of novelty simulated enlarged hands along with some sort of disengagable fastenings or other “shape memory”, typically such approaches have been limited as to the number of fingers and the number of different shapes possible. 
     U.S. Des. Pat. No. 364,357 to Ledgerwood shows a NOVELTY HAND showing circular areas suggestive of disengagable fastenings on the palm side only, that suggest the potential of forming a small limited number of finger/thumb shapes. 
     U.S. Des. Pat. No. 449,423 to Lowsky shows a NOVELTY GLOVE that displays eyes mouth and tongue of a “happy face”. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,025 to Borghese discloses MOVABLE HAND SIGN AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME which is substantially non-enlarged such that the user&#39;s fingers extend nearly full length inside the hand sign so as to be capable of moving and bending individual fingers of the sign via the user&#39;s hand. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,052 to Matthews discloses a GLOVE FOR SPORTING EVENT SPECTATOR that envelopes the hand in the normal manner of a glove, featuring as novelty a pocket for containing a piece of cloth colored the same as an official penalty flag. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,317 to Provenzano discloses a MOVING HAND AMUSEMENT AND NOVELTY DEVICE with limited single-finger animation powered by a motor tucked into material attached to the rear of the wrist. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,975 to Harreld et al discloses an INFLATABLE NOVELTY DEVICE that includes a hand pocket and individual finger/thumb appendages that may be integrally connected to a main horse-shoe shaped body to form shapes that are generally limited to one or more extended fingers. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,963 to Matsua discloses a HAND SIMULATOR with five finger portions: the palm has holes in which the end of one or more corresponding finger portion may be inserted to give a manual sign or signal. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,817 to Kostelac discloses a HAND-SHAPED NOVELTY HAND SIGN having a plastic-covered foam rubber body portion with front and rear panels, configured with finger slits in the rear panel. 
     The foregoing patents and other known art fail to provide versatility and capabilities sought and obtained in the present invention. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an enlarged hand simulator that envelopes a human hand and displays an enlarged representation of a human hand in which the digits of the hand can be readily individually shaped to a straight or bent shape. 
     It is a further object to provide a readily releasable engagement system that holds one or more bent digits in place, retained temporarily in the bent shape for any desired time period and that is easily released. 
     It is a further object for the enlarged hand simulator of the invention to be made capable of a large number of different recognizable hand signals and/or signs. 
     It is a further object to make the enlarged hand simulator light in weight. 
     It is a still further object to provide an embodiment of the enlarged hand simulator that can be easily and economically manufactured and distributed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing objects have been met by the invention, a flexible foam body is configured with two panel sides, front and back, with an outline defining five digits: thumb and index, third, fourth and fifth fingers. The foam body is fitted with areas of releasable engagement material, such as Velcro hook-and-loop type, affixed by self-adhesive at strategically selected locations, such as the finger tips, that enable any of an unprecedented number of hand signs, signals and/or gestures to be set up, displayed and retained as long as desired. In a preferred embodiment, five engagement patches affixed on the front side at the fingertips and thumb can engage selected mating patches including an engagement strip on the front side extending across the palm and two patches on the rear side, specially located near the ends of the index and third fingers. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the back side of a novelty simulated hand in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a right hand side view of the simulated hand of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the palm side of the novelty hand of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a right hand side view of the novelty hand of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the novelty hand of hand of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the novelty hand of FIG. 3 with a human hand inserted in the pocket. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken through  7 - 7 ′ of FIG.  6 . 
     FIGS. 8-18 depict a variety of different hand signs as examples that can be made and retained in the novelty simulated hand of FIGS.  1 - 7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing the back side  10 A of a novelty hand  10  in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The outline shown is typically cut from a slab of soft foam rubber material such that the articulated fingers and thumb can be readily bent to form the various shapes that are desired as being readily recognizable as those often formed by the human hand. 
     The foam material may optionally be covered with another material such as velvet; in either case the novelty hand may be colored and optionally marked on one or both sides with graphic artwork such as the outline and features of a hand along with a logo or name as shown, printed in white, black or a contrasting color. 
     A rectangular patch  12 A 1  of releasable engagement material is affixed to the back of the index finger in the fingernail region as shown, and a similar patch  12 A 2  is affixed to the back of the third finger, located offset from the fingernail as shown; these are for releasable engagement with areas of mating engagement material attached on the reverse (palm) side. 
     FIG. 2, a right hand edge view of the novelty hand  10  of FIG. 1, shows the back side  10 A and the reverse (palm) side  10 B to be flat parallel opposite sides of the foam rubber body. 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the palm side of the novelty hand of FIG. 1, showing five circular patches of mating engagement material  12 B 1 - 12 B 5  attached onto the five corresponding digits (thumb and four fingers) near the end or fingertip/pad region, and a strip  14  of mating releasable engagement material, attached to and extending across the central region of the palm surface  10 B as shown. 
     The releasable engagement material may be of the well known Velcro type which utilizes two complementary mating surfaces known as hook and loop or clinging pile, and is available with self-adhesive backing for affixing the material in place. Patches  12 A 1  and  12 A 2  of FIG. 1, and strip  14  of FIG. 3 are of engagement material of one mating type (e.g. hook) while the five digit/pad patches  12 B 1 - 12 B 5  are of the opposite mating type (e.g. loop). 
     Releasable engagement material of a kind that utilizes a single self-engagable type of surface structure on both engaging surfaces could be used for all of the patches and the strip  14 , subject to availability of such material with adequate holding properties. 
     To form various hand signs, one or more of the five digits of hand  10  may be bent and shaped so that the round patch  12 Bn (n=1-5 as selected) at the tip of each digit selected engages the strip  14  and holds the digit in place until manually released. Additionally or alternatively, patches  12 A 1  and  12 A 2  of FIG. 1 can engage the front thumb patch  12 B 1 , or another selected front finger patch  12 Bn, typically that of an adjacent finger in a “crossed-finger” pattern. 
     A pocket  16 , for accommodating a human hand, is formed by slitting the foam rubber material internally, through the bottom or wrist edge, to the extent indicated by the hidden outline of the pocket. 
     A slot  18  provided in the region of the palm side  10 B, near the thumb, allows the shaft of a pennant or flag to be inserted into the pocket  16  where it can be retained passively or held and manipulated by the user&#39;s hand. 
     FIG. 4, a right hand edge view of the novelty hand  10  of FIG. 3, shows pocket  16  located midway between the palm side  10 B and the back side  10 A. 
     Pocket  16  extends to the bottom end, corresponding to the wrist region, where pocket  16  appears as a pocket-entry slot, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom view. 
     FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the palm side  10 B of novelty hand  10  as in FIG. 3, showing the user&#39;s right arm  20  with the hand inserted in pocket  16 . 
     FIG. 7, a cross-section taken through  7 - 7 ′ of FIG. 6, shows the pocket  16  spread open to contain the human hand of arm  20 . 
     In the practice of the invention, patches  12 A 1  and  12 A 2  on the front side of the fingers (FIG. 1) can be used (a) to form crossed-finger configurations by engaging a front patch  12 Bn of another digit or (b) when either of these fingers is bent and engaged onto strip  14 , to further engage the thumb or other digits in the formation of special shapes and signs. 
     FIGS. 8-18 show different hand signs that can be made and retained in the novelty simulated hand of FIGS. 1-7. 
     FIG. 8 “V for victory” is formed by leaving the index and third fingers extended and engaging the other two fingers and thumb onto the palm strip. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of simulated hand  10  as in FIGS. 1-7 shown formed into an “OK” sign by engaging the front side thumb fastening patch ( 12 B 1 FIG. 3) onto the index finger rear patch ( 12 A 1  FIG.  1 ). A somewhat similar sign could be made using the third finger with its rear patch ( 12 A 2 , FIG.  1 ). 
     FIGS. 10-18 are examples of additional different hand signs that can be formed by engaging one or more finger patches  12 Bn onto the palm strip  14  (FIG. 3) in combination with other engagements. 
     FIG. 10 shows a common finger sign that can mean “number one”, “up” or a general warning; the single index finger points up, the other three fingers are folded down with their front patches engaged onto the palm patch, then the thumb patch is engaged onto the rear patch of the third finger. By turning the hand about 90 degrees, the index finger can be made to point in a desired horizontal direction, e.g. to point out an object or person. 
     FIG. 11 shows a “thumbs up” sign of approval. This can be redirected downwardly as in FIG. 12 to show “thumbs down” disapproval. For both of these signs, the four front finger patches engage the palm strip. 
     FIG. 13 depicts a typical crossed-finger pattern obtained by engaging the front patch of the third finger onto the rear patch of the index finger. 
     FIG. 14 depicts an alternative crossed-finger pattern: in a reversal of the pattern in FIG. 13, the front patch of the index finger is engaged onto the rear patch of the third finger. 
     FIG. 15, depicting a clenched fist formed by engaging the front patches of four fingers onto the palm strip and engaging the thumb onto the rear patch of the index and/or third finger. 
     FIG. 16 depicts a double-finger V hand sign that can be formed by linking the appropriate two finger pairs in either of two methods: (a) a pair of engagement link strips of the type of engagement material that will engage patches  12 B 2 /B 3  and  12 B 4 /B 5  (FIG.  3 ), or (b) two additional pairs of engagement patches affixed onto interfacing sides of the second/third fingers and the fourth/fifth fingers near their ends as indicated, 
     FIG. 17 signifies “don&#39;t forget” with a ribbon attached by a loop that engages the front and/or rear patch on the index finger. 
     FIG. 18 depicts a hand holding a penant whose shaft can be inserted in slot  18  (FIG.  3 ). 
     The foregoing examples are only a fraction of many other different forms of finger signs and patterns that can be formed from the novelty hand of the present invention. 
     The locations shown for engagement patches in the preferred embodiment are regarded as optimal, however the invention can be practiced with fewer or more than the total number of patches shown, and with patches in locations other than those suggested. 
     The structure shown with parallel flat sides represents an economical and practical implementation that can be made from a flat slab of foam material; however the invention could be practiced with other overall shapes such as a fully three-dimensional hand with rounded shapes for the fingers and thumb. 
     While the drawings show the novelty simulated hand  10  in a right-hand version that would normally be placed on the user&#39;s right hand, a left-hand version that is a mirror image of the version shown can be easily made by simply reversing the original foam hand back-to-front, locating the engagement patches accordingly and modifying any impacted graphic artwork. 
     The invention may be embodied and practiced in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all variations, substitutions and changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.