Abstract:
Method and apparatus for covering a hand in a manner that provides a high level of protection against abrasion as a side area of a palm is dragged across a physical component. This is accomplished by moving the seam used to attach a top and bottom component of a hand away from the side region of the palm toward the top of the hand. In this way, the seam remains undisturbed as the palm is dragged across a work product.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The art of manufacturing gloves is not overly sophisticated and most of what is known in the field has been known for decades, if not centuries. Gloves have been made and used since at least as early as the Egyptian dynasty of Tutankhamen. In fact, a pair of linen gloves was discovered in Egypt in the tomb of King Tutankhamen dating some 1,400 years BC. And, in all this time, the art of making gloves has advanced little. 
         [0002]    The fact that it is so simple to make a glove has really retarded the development of new features. A glove is a glove and in such a narrow field of art, it is easy to appreciate that there are two major components to a glove and not much more. The first component includes a posterior portion, which is used to substantially cover the top portion of a hand. The second component, as one might easily guess, is the anterior portion that covers most of the bottom of the hand. Some portion, typically a region proximate to a boundary line where the anterior and posterior portions are sewn together. 
         [0003]    Some of the newer features in glove making include concepts such as providing for additional material at areas where high wear is anticipated. One such example is found in a welder&#39;s glove. A welder, for example, will steady the hand on a corner surface proximate to a weld line. The welder most often does this by setting a portion of a side of the palm, opposite the thumb, on such a corner. As the weld is accomplished, the welder will slide his hand along the corner. As such, the glove will experience great abrasion on the side of the palm. In all known glove designs, a stitched seam, which is typically right at the middle of the side of the palm, will be subject to this abrasion. Once the stitching fails, the glove will typically fall apart. As a consequence, this type of wear results in a much shorter service life for the glove. This may be good for the glove manufacturer, but it certainly is annoying to discard an otherwise perfectly good glove just because of a failure of the interface stitching resulting from a typical usage scenario. 
         [0004]    Some glove manufacturers have hoped to reduce this type of failure by adding additional material to the side of the palm of the glove. This is typically accomplished by placing a patch over the stitching so that abrasive wear can be restricted. However, once the patch is worm through, it makes for a fabulous guide that directs subsequent abrasion the stitching. Failure of the stitched interface between the top and bottom components of the glove is simply inevitable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Several alternative embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings and figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial diagram that depicts the anatomical structure of a typical human hand; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram that depicts one example, general method for protecting a hand from repeated abrasion; 
           [0008]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are flow diagrams that depict several another alternative example methods for resisting repeated abrasions to a side palm are of a hand; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram that depicts an alternative method that provides for additional resistance against abrasion that may be applied to a side portion of a palm region of a hand; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a flow diagram that depicts an alternative method for protecting a hand from repeated abrasion while promoting easy clenching of the hand; and 
           [0011]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are pictorial depictions of a glove that embodies various alternative methods as herein described. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial diagram that depicts the anatomical structure of a typical human hand. It is important that we consider the anatomy of a hand as such anatomy can serve as a guide regarding the structuring of a glove in accordance with the various alternative methods and embodiments disclosed herein. The hand, as depicted in this figure, includes five digits, numbered  1  through  5 . The first digit is the thumb  100  and the last digit is the “pinky finger”  105 . Each digit includes various regions that are sequentially juxtaposed to each other. 
         [0013]    For the purposes of this disclosure, another region of interest is the metacarpal region  110  of each digit. The metacarpal region is situated immediately outward from the wrist  115 . There are bones included in the wrist that are also of interest as reference points including the triquetral bone  120 . Also, the position of the fourth digit  125  and fifth digit  130  are also good references to note as the alternative methods and embodiments disclosed herein are fully described. Each digit includes a metacarpal region that is referred to by the digit, e.g. a second metacarpal region is the metacarpal region of the second digit. 
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram that depicts one example, general method for protecting a hand from repeated abrasion. According to this example method, protecting a hand from repeated abrasion is accomplished by a series of steps including covering a top portion of the hand with a single component (step  5 ). In an alternative method, a bottom portion of the hand is covered with a single component. According to this example method, the same single component is used to cover a side palm region of the hand (step  15 ). It should be appreciated that the side palm region covered by this same component is that side region that is opposite to the side of the hand proximate to a thumb  100 , which is part of the hand. In this example method, a portion of an opposite side of the hand is also covered using the same component (step  20 ). 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  also shows an alternative example method where the amount of material that is gathered in that one single component, especially in that region that covers the side of the palm, is minimized (step  25 ). This allows the hand to operate more freely because such gathering of material works to oppose the natural clenching motion of a user&#39;s hand. The remainder of the hand, according to various alternative methods is accomplished by applying a covering that includes one or more other components in addition to the one single component used to cover the hand as described in these alternative example methods. 
         [0016]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are flow diagrams that depict several another alternative example methods for resisting repeated abrasions to a side palm are of a hand. In one such alternative example method, a first component is used to cover a top portion of a hand (step  30 ). It should be noted that this first component is used to cover most of the top of the hand including a second, third and fourth metacarpal regions of the hand. 
         [0017]    According to this alternative example method, a second component is then used to cover a bottom portion of a hand, including substantially all of the palm (step  35 ). This second component is also used to cover a substantial portion of the side of the palm (step  40 ) and the top of the hand in a region that is defined as a substantial portion of the fifth metacarpal region (step  45 ). 
         [0018]    In order to create a complete covering for the hand, the second component is attached to the first component beginning on top of the hand at a point that substantially overlays a triquetral bone  120  in the hand (step  50 ). In this example method, attachment of the first and second components continues along a path on top of the hand that traverses across the fifth metacarpal region (step  55 ) and then proceeds along a boundary region lying between the fifth and fourth metacarpal regions (step  60 ). 
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram that depicts an alternative method that provides for additional resistance against abrasion that may be applied to a side portion of a palm region of a hand. In this alternative method, addition material is added to the second component in that region that substantially covers the side of the palm (step  65 ). It should be appreciated that, according to one alternative method, such augmentation is accomplished by placing a third component immediately over this abrasive prone region of a glove. 
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a flow diagram that depicts an alternative method for protecting a hand from repeated abrasion while promoting easy clenching of the hand. In this alternative example method, material in the first component, which is used to cover a substantial portion of the top of the hand, is cinched along a path that runs around the wrist beginning at a point on the top of the hand in a region proximately overlaying a region where a hamate bone ( 121  in  FIG. 1 ) and a forth metacarpal bone share a joint. This path, and the cinching of material, continues around the wrist until it meets with an interface between the first and second components (step  70 ). 
         [0021]    This alternative method further includes a step for cinching the material in the second component, which is used to cover a substantial portion of the bottom of the hand, at a point proximately overlaying the triquetral bone  120  and continuing around the wrist until it meets an interface between the first and second components (step  75 ). It should be appreciated that cinching the material, at least according to one alternative example methods comprises applying a gathering material and stitching the gathering material one of the components (i.e. at least one of the first component and the second component) while the gathering material is in an expanded state. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are pictorial depictions of a glove that embodies various alternative methods as herein described.  FIG. 7  depicts a top, or posterior view of a glove.  FIG. 8  depicts a bottom, or anterior view of a glove. According to one example embodiment, a glove comprises a first component  150  and a second component  160 . It should be appreciated that either of the first component or the second component, in various alterative embodiments, comprises one or more elements. One noteworthy aspect of this example embodiment is that the side area of a palm opposing a thumb  100  is free of attachment lines. 
         [0023]    Hence, so long a stitching along the side of the palm is avoided, at least one of the first component and the second component include one or more elements (i.e. subcomponents). Accordingly, the claims appended hereto are not intended to be limited to embodiments that include only two contiguous components. As such, embodiments that include two components where one or more of these components includes subcomponents are to be considered within the scope of the claims hereto attached. 
         [0024]    As depicted in  FIG. 7 , the first component  150  is used to cover a substantial portion of the top if the hand, including the second, third, and fourth metacarpal regions. These regions are substantially defined as regions overlaying the second  165 , third  170  and fourth  175  metacarpal bones.  FIG. 7  also depicts that the second component  160  is used to cover a substantial portion of the palm region of the hand and a side region of the palm that is opposite to the thumb  100 . This second component also covers a substantial portion of the fifth metacarpal region on the top of the hand. 
         [0025]    It is appropriate to notice the included seam line  180  on the top of the hand that is used to attach the first and second components along a path that begins at a point on the top of the hand that proximately overlays at least one of the triquetral bone  120  and the pisiform bone  122  and continues to traverse the fifth metacarpal region and continues along an interface between the fifth and fourth metacarpal regions. This path is but one example embodiment that allows the side of the palm to be substantially devoid of a seam line. 
         [0026]      FIG. 8  further depicts that, according to one alternative example embodiment, a glove further includes a patch of material  190  that is used to augment the thickness of the second component  150  in a region substantially defined by the side of the palm where abrasion is likely to occur. This patch covers the side of the palm opposite the thumb  100  and wraps around the top and bottom of the hand further extending the region of added abrasion resistance. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 7 and 8  also depict an alternative embodiment that provides for easier clenching of the hand. In such alternative embodiments, a gathering stich is included in the first and second components. The first component  150  includes a first gathering stich  152  and the second component includes a second gathering stich  162 . It should be appreciate that the first gathering stich  152  included in the first component  150  is set to traverse across the first component  150  along a path that is substantially orthogonal to a radius bone  193  in the hand. The second gathering stich  162  included in the second component  160  is likewise set to traverse across the second component  160  along a path that is substantially orthogonal to the radius bone  193  in the hand. As can be seen in the figure, the first gathering stich  152  is set at a first distance from the radius bone  193  and the second gathering stich  162  is set at a second distance from the radius bone  193 . The first distance is, according to this alternative example embodiment, is greater than the second distance. 
         [0028]    In yet another alternative example embodiment, the first gathering stich  152  begins on the top of the hand at a point that proximately overlays an interface between the hamate bone  121  and the fourth metacarpal bone. This first gathering stich  152  continues across the first component  150 , substantially orthogonal to the radius bone  193 , until it meets the second component  160 . The second gathering stich  162  also begins on the top of the hand at a point proximately overlaying the triquetral bone  120  and continues around the wrist to the bottom of the hand and traverses the second component so as to be substantially orthogonal to the radius bone  193  and continues until it meets the first component  150 . 
         [0029]    While the present method and apparatus has been described in terms of several alternative and exemplary embodiments, it is contemplated that alternatives, modifications, permutations, and equivalents thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and study of the drawings. It is therefore intended that the true spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto include all such alternatives, modifications, permutations, and equivalents.