Abstract:
A glove used in sports such as football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, snowboarding or motorcycle riding or work such as construction or heavy machinery operation that includes stiffening components attached on top of each finger portion of the glove and anchored beyond the base knuckle on top of the glove to prevent the fingers from hyper-extending or jamming and creating a protective exoskeleton for the entire hand while minimally affecting the degree of freedom and range of motion for the fingers. Each stiffening component is comprised of multiple slits or hinges as well as a sliding swivel pivot hinge which allow the stiffening components to bend in unison with each finger but lock in place to form a solid element and prevent the fingers from hyper-extending when the finger and its accompanying stiffening component are straightened.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM, LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to an article of clothing, in particular a glove, that can be used in work or sport, which prevents the fingers from hyper-extending or jamming and acts as an exoskeleton protecting the hand. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0007]    There are many gloves containing stiffening components to prevent the fingers from hyper-extending or jamming which can be used while working or participating in sports. Numerous patents have been filed referencing stiffening components that are attached to a glove in order to prevent the user&#39;s fingers from hyper-extending or jamming. However, in all of these patents the stiffening components are attached to the glove from the tip of the glove&#39;s finger to beyond the base knuckle in one solid connection. This solid connection inhibits the glove wearer&#39;s fingers from moving in their natural positions. Therefore, there is a substantial need for a glove with stiffening components that are affixed in such a way as to allow full finger movement. 
         [0008]    There are many gloves containing stiffening components to prevent the fingers from hyper-extending or jamming which can be used while working or participating in sports but they share a common flaw. These designs do curtail hyper-extension injuries but they drastically inhibit the mobility of the wearer&#39;s fingers because the stiffening component is pressing on top of the finger for the full length of the digit, limiting mobility. Examples of this can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,037,549 to Saur and Knappworst for a Reinforcing Element, U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,215 to Mueller and Meythaler for a Reinforcing Element, U.S. Pat. No. 8,341,763 to Geyer et al. for a Reinforcing Element and U.S. Pat. No. 8,646,112 to Nix and Schwartz for a Reinforcing Element For A Glove in which the stiffening components are referred to as “reinforcing elements.” In U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,177 B2 to Hochmuth for a Glove With A Reinforcement Strip and U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,466 B2, also to Hochmuth for a Reinforcing Strip For A Goalkeeper&#39;s Glove, the stiffening component is referred to as a “reinforcement strip.” In U.S. Pat. No. 7,574,748 to Fisher et al. for a Glove With Support System and U.S. Pat. No. 7,958,568, also to Fisher et al. for a Glove With Support System, the stiffening components are referred to as “support systems.” In U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,296 to Beraznik and Makela for a Football Glove And Method Of Use the stiffening components are referred to as “unidirectional stiffeners.” In U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,178 to DeBlasis for a Goalkeeper&#39;s Glove With Protective Fingertip Extension the stiffening components are referred to as “extensions with attachment legs” and in U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,447 B2 to Fleischmann for a Finger Protector the stiffening components are referred to as “finger protectors.” None of these designs allow the fingers to move in their natural positions because none have the equivalent of a sliding swivel pivot hinge which means all of the stiffening components in the previously mentioned prior art sit directly on top of the finger portions of the gloves with no space between the stiffening component and the glove, inhibiting mobility. There is a need for a glove which prevents hyper-extension but allows full finger mobility and the present invention satisfies that need with the sliding swivel pivot hinge. 
         [0009]    Some prior art does reference designs which are similar to the present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge but these designs are used for shoulder harnesses. U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,043 to Gottsmann for a Swivelling Fracture Othosis includes a “joint shaft” that “engages in a swivellable manner.” This “joint shaft” allows the wearer to loosen or tighten the othosis without removing the entire apparatus and serves a different function than the present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge. The present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge acts as a base which allows the finger to move freely and also stops the stiffening component once it reaches a certain point, preventing the finger from hyper-extending. The “joint shaft” does allow additional movement but does not prohibit the shoulder from moving past a certain point like the present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge. U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,524 B2 to Carignan and Liszka for a Portable Arm Exoskeleton For Shoulder Rehabilitation includes a series of “links” and “axis” to create “rotational joints” but these rotational joints are designed to limit the degree of freedom for the arm and the present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge is designed to increase the degree of freedom for the fingers. US 20080009771 A1 to Perry and Rosen for an Exoskeleton also incorporates a series of “axis” to form “joints” in a shoulder harness but like U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,524 B2, this design limits degree of freedom for an arm while the present invention&#39;s design increases the degree of freedom for the fingers. 
         [0010]    The prior art showing designs similar to the present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge is not limited to shoulder harnesses. There is also prior art for gloves that incorporate some but not all of the features of the sliding swivel pivot hinge. U.S. Pat. No. 7,797,758 to Keppler and Spitzer for a Glove Reinforcement has a design that includes a “plate” in which “nipples” are pushed through holes so that the mobility of the members (fingers) is impeded in only one direction. The present invention&#39;s design is different in that the bottom of each protruding base in the sliding swivel pivot hinges could be considered a plate but there is a separate plate for each individual stiffening component and U.S. Pat. No. 7,797,758 uses one big plate for all five stiffening components protecting the fingers. One big plate resting on top of the hand inhibits movement of the hand while five separate plates allow freer movement of the hand. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,797,758 uses holes while the present invention uses slots. Holes limit movement of the fingers while slots allow movement and in order for the nipples to fit into the holes they have to be made of flexible material. This flexible material does enable the nipples to fit into the accompanying holes but when the fingers on the glove are pushed back in a manner that causes hyper-extension the flexible nipple will continue to bend and will not prevent the stiffening components attached to the fingers from stopping. U.S. Pat. No. US 20090307821 A1 to Chang for a Hand Protection Structure also includes holes for receiving the back of a stiffening component, referred to as a “finger protection unit,” but they are mounted directly onto the back of the hand in a hole and that limits the degree of freedom for the fingers. The slot in the present invention&#39;s design allows the stiffening component to move forward and back as well as side to side where the hole in the design for U.S. Pat. No. US 20090307821 only allows for side to side movement. Plus, the entire stiffening component for U.S. Pat. No. US 20090307821 sits directly on top of the finger portion of the glove for the full length of the finger and the stiffening component in the present invention&#39;s design is only attached to the front end of the finger portion of the glove and beyond the base knuckle on the dorsal side of the glove, leaving a gap between the majority of the stiffening component and the glove, allowing additional degree of freedom for the fingers. U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,145 to Hochmuth for a Glove Reinforcement has a design that includes a “stopping shank, stopping hub, stopping fastener and corridor.” This design is used to secure the elements which make up the stiffening components and in no way resembles or functions in a manner similar to the present invention&#39;s sliding swivel pivot hinge which provides an anchor and stopping point. The stiffening components in U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,145 are referred to as “reinforcements” and like all of the other designs, excluding the present invention&#39;s design, they sit directly on top of the fingers and limit movement. U.S. Pat. No. 8,262,594 to Sandusky and Altenburger for a Reinforced Support Device includes stiffening components that slide into one big plate covering the back of the hand. This design does absorb some of the force but like U.S. Pat. No. 7,797,758 discussed above, one big plate covering the back of the hand is much more cumbersome than five individual plates which the present invention incorporates. Also, the design in U.S. Pat. No. 8,262,594 allows the back of the stiffening components to slide into the plate, allowing front to back movement for the fingers but since only one plate is used if more than one stiffening component slides into the plate at the same time side to side movement of the fingers will be limited as the backs of the stiffening components will come into contact with one another under the plate. 
         [0011]    The present invention uses a strip made of elastic, or other stretchable material, to keep the stiffening component taut when the finger accompanying it is straightened. The prior art does include similar, but different, designs for using a strip of elastic, or other stretchable material. U.S. Pat. No. 7,406,720 to Hoelscher for a Glove With Support For Hyper-Extension Resistance includes “elastically stretchable strips” which are placed on both the palm and dorsal sides of the finger elements to enhance curl and assist with grip. The elastic, or other stretchable material, strip used in the present invention is only used on the stiffening components, does not touch the palm of the glove and does not assist with grip. U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,137 to Fowler for a Protective Hand Guard uses “bands” and “flexible linkages” to fasten “digit guards” to a glove. These bands and flexible linkages do provide freer movement of the fingers but do nothing to prevent the fingers from hyper-extending. Like the previously mentioned patents above, the Fowler digit guards sit directly on top of the fingers, limiting movement of the fingers. Also, the Fowler glove is designed to be used by health service providers to protect them from unwanted punctures from sharp implements such as hypodermic needles and does nothing to prevent hyper-extension. U.S. Pat. No. 8,678,980 to Land and Mantelmacher for a Low Profile Hand-Extension/Flexion Device includes a “spring member” which is attached directly to the finger portions of the glove to stretch joints for partially paralyzed victims and the elastic, or other stretchable material, strip of the present invention is attached to the top of stiffening components to pull it taut after the fingers have been bent. U.S. Pat. No. 8,029,414 to Ingvast et. al. for a Strengthening Glove includes “artificial tendons” attached to the inside of a glove but like U.S. Pat. No. 8,678,980 they are used to assist finger movement, in this case for strengthening the hand, and the present invention uses the elastic, or other stretchable material, strip to assist stiffening component movement. US 20050114982 A1 to Gremmert for a Reinforced Protective Glove includes “fastening strips” securing “phalangeal guards” while the present invention uses an elastic, or other stretchable material, strip to keep stiffening components taut. The phalangeal guards of US 20050114982 A1 are designed to protect the hand from blunt force trauma but do nothing to prevent hyper-extension. U.S. Pat. No. 8,849,453 to Bergelin et al. for a Human Grasp Assist Device includes a “flexible tendon” passing through a series of “phalange rings” that resembles a stiffening component but this flexible tendon is pulled by an actuator assembly to improve grasp strength for someone operating office equipment such as a keyboard while the elastic, or other stretchable material, strip used in the present invention is used to keep the stiffening component taut once the finger below it is moved forward. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention is a glove which prevents fingers from being hyper-extended or jammed by affixing stiffening components to the top of the distal, intermediate or proximal phalanges on the fingers and the top of the distal or proximal phalanx on the thumb with an anchoring component composed of a sliding swivel pivot hinge attached beyond each base knuckle; a slot in the sliding swivel pivot hinge allows it to be affixed to a protruding base which provides free movement of the finger enabling lateral, front to back, side to side as well as up and down movement while preventing the finger from hyper-extending. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       Figures 
         [0013]    FIG.  1 —Stiffening Component (top view) 
           [0014]    FIG.  2 —Stiffening Component Covered with Optional Piece of Elastic or Other Stretchable Material (top view) 
           [0015]    FIG.  3 —Stiffening Component in Straight Position Attached to the Fore Finger Portion of a Non-Slip Glove (side view, right hand) with Anchoring Component Attached Beyond Base Knuckle 
           [0016]    FIG.  4 —Stiffening Component in Curved Position Attached to the Fore Finger Portion of a Non-Slip Glove (side view, right hand) with Anchoring Component Attached Beyond Base Knuckle 
           [0017]    FIG.  5 —Stiffening Components Attached to Each Finger and Thumb on a Non-Slip Glove (top view, left hand) 
           [0018]    FIG.  6 —Alternate Stiffening Component Made of Planks Rather than Blocks (top view) 
           [0019]    FIG.  7 —Alternate Stiffening Component Covered with Optional Piece of Elastic or Other Stretchable Material (top view) 
           [0020]    FIG.  8 —Alternate Stiffening Component in Straight Position Attached to the Fore Finger Portion of a Non-Slip Glove (side view, right hand) with Anchoring Component Attached Beyond Base Knuckle 
           [0021]    FIG.  9 —Alternate Stiffening Component in Curved Position Attached to the Fore Finger Portion of a Non-Slip Glove (side view, right hand) with Anchoring Component Attached Beyond Base Knuckle 
           [0022]    FIG.  10 —Alternate Stiffening Components Attached to Each Finger and Thumb on a Non-Slip Glove (top view, left hand) 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]      FIG. 1  presents a perspective view of a stiffening component  10  (sized to the wearer&#39;s corresponding individual finger measurements) made of plastic or other sufficiently rigid and strong material. Slits  12  are shown in the middle of the stiffening component  10  and blocks  14  made of plastic or other sufficiently rigid and strong material are attached between each slit  12 . This allows the stiffening component  10  to bend in conjunction with the wearer&#39;s finger and stiffen when the wearer&#39;s finger is straightened. A sliding swivel pivot hinge  16  including a protruding base  18  creates an anchoring component which locks at the wearer&#39;s base knuckle when the wearer&#39;s finger raises to approximately a 45 degree angle. This greatly reduces force and prevents the wearer&#39;s finger from hyper-extending or jamming. The top  20  of the protruding base  18  is slightly larger than a slot  22  cut into the sliding swivel pivot hinge  16  to allow the stiffening component  10  to move freely and prevent it from detaching. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  presents a perspective view of stiffening component  10  with an optional strip of elastic  24  (or other stretchable material) attached at the front and back to allow bending but return the stiffening component  10  to a straight position when taut. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  presents a perspective view of stiffening component  10  in a straight position attached at the intermediate phalanx above the fore finger and just beyond base knuckle of a skin tight glove  26  covered in non-slip material (such as latex, rubber, silicone or comparable material). A pad  28  made of neoprene or other lightweight, flexible and durable material creates a cushion and allows the stiffening component to move freely. Optional piece of elastic  24  (or other stretchable material) is taut, closing the slits  12  and pressing all the blocks  14  together transforming the stiffening component  10  into a solid element which stops when it hits the protruding base  18  of sliding swivel pivot hinge  16  via the slot  22  and prevents finger from hyper-extending or jamming. The top  20  of protruding base  18  prevents the stiffening component  10  from detaching from glove  26 . A wrist wrap  30  made of elastic (or other comparable material) and a hook and loop fastener is attached to the base of the glove  26  and wrapped around wearer&#39;s wrist to keep the glove  26  in place. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  presents a perspective view of the same stiffening component  10  attached at the intermediate phalanx above the fore finger and just beyond base knuckle of glove  26  in a curved position. A pad  28  made of neoprene or other lightweight, flexible and durable material creates a cushion and attaches the stiffening component  10  to the glove  26  while allowing the stiffening component  10  to move freely. When the wearer&#39;s finger is bent the optional piece of elastic  24  (or other stretchable material) stretches, opening the slits  12  and moving the blocks  14  in the same curved position as the finger. Slot  22  allows the stiffening component  10  to move forward while the protruding base  18  of sliding swivel pivot hinge  16  anchors the back of the stiffening component  10  to the glove  26 . The top  20  of protruding base  18  prevents the stiffening component  10  from detaching from glove  26 . A wrist wrap  30  made of elastic (or other comparable material) and a hook and loop fastener is attached to the base of the glove  26  and wrapped around wearer&#39;s wrist to keep the glove  26  in place. 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  presents a perspective view of the stiffening components  10  (sized to the wearer&#39;s corresponding individual finger and thumb measurements) attached to glove  26  for all fingers and thumb which curve when wearer&#39;s fingers are bent but stiffen when wearer&#39;s fingers are straightened. Stiffening components  10  are sized to the exact measurements of wearer&#39;s fingers and are attached to the top of the intermediate phalanges on the fingers and the top of the proximal phalanx on the thumb with an anchoring component attached beyond each base knuckle. A wrist wrap  30  made of elastic (or other comparable material) and a hook and loop fastener is attached to the base of the glove  26  and wrapped around wearer&#39;s wrist to keep the glove  26  in place. 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  presents a perspective view of an alternate stiffening component  32  which is composed of an intermediate phalanx plank  34  (sized in correspondence to the wearer&#39;s individual finger measurements), a proximal phalanx plank  36  (sized in correspondence to the wearer&#39;s individual finger measurements) and a sliding swivel pivot hinge  42 . The back of the intermediate phalanx plank  34  is connected to the front of the proximal phalanx plank  36  with a front hinge  38  and the back of the proximal phalanx plank  36  is connected to the front of the sliding swivel pivot hinge  42  with a back hinge  40 . The alternate stiffening component  32  works in the same manner as the stiffening component  10  mentioned above with front hinge  38  and back hinge  40  serving the same purpose as slits  12  and blocks  14  allowing the stiffening component  32  to bend and straighten in conjunction with the wearer&#39;s finger. Like the sliding swivel pivot hinge  16  with protruding base  18  above, sliding swivel pivot hinge  42  with protruding base  44  create an anchoring component which locks at the wearer&#39;s base knuckle when the wearer&#39;s finger raises to approximately a 45 degree angle. This greatly reduces force and prevents the wearer&#39;s finger from hyper-extending or jamming. The top  46  of the protruding base  44  is slightly larger than a slot  48  cut into the sliding swivel pivot hinge  42  to allow the stiffening component  32  to move freely and prevent it from detaching. 
         [0029]      FIG. 7  presents a perspective view of alternate stiffening component  32  with an optional strip of elastic  50  (or other stretchable material) attached at the front and back to allow bending but return the stiffening component  32  to a straight position when taut. 
         [0030]      FIG. 8  presents a perspective view of alternate stiffening component  32  in a straight position attached at the intermediate phalanx above the fore finger and just beyond base knuckle of a skin tight glove  52  covered in non-slip material (such as latex, rubber, silicone or comparable material). A pad  54  made of neoprene or other lightweight, flexible and durable material creates a cushion and attaches the stiffening component  32  to the glove  52  while allowing the stiffening component  32  to move freely. Optional piece of elastic  50  (or other stretchable material) is taut, closing front hinge  38  and pressing the intermediate phalanx plank  34  against the proximal phalanx plank  36  and also closing back hinge  40  pressing the proximal phalanx plank  36  against sliding swivel pivot hinge  42  transforming the stiffening component  32  into a solid element which stops when it hits the protruding base  44  of sliding swivel pivot hinge  42  via the slot  48  and prevents finger from hyper-extending or jamming. The top  46  of protruding base  44  prevents the stiffening component  32  from detaching from glove  52 . A wrist wrap  56  made of elastic (or other comparable material) and a hook and loop fastener is attached to the base of the glove  52  and wrapped around wearer&#39;s wrist to keep the glove  52  in place. 
         [0031]      FIG. 9  presents a perspective view of the same alternate stiffening component  32  attached at the intermediate phalanx above the fore finger and just beyond base knuckle of glove  52  in a curved position. A pad  54  made of neoprene or other lightweight, flexible and durable material creates a cushion and allows the stiffening component to move freely. When the wearer&#39;s finger is bent the optional piece of elastic  50  (or other stretchable material) stretches, opening front hinge  38  and back hinge  40  and moving the intermediate phalanx plank  34  and proximal phalanx plank  36  in the same curved position as the finger. Slot  48  allows the stiffening component  32  to move forward while the protruding base  44  of sliding swivel pivot hinge  42  anchors the back of the stiffening component  32  to the glove  52 . The top  46  of protruding base  44  prevents the stiffening component  32  from detaching from glove  52 . A wrist wrap  56  made of elastic (or other comparable material) and a hook and loop fastener is attached to the base of the glove  52  and wrapped around wearer&#39;s wrist to keep the glove  52  in place. 
         [0032]      FIG. 10  presents a perspective view of the alternate stiffening components  32  (sized to the wearer&#39;s corresponding individual finger and thumb measurements) attached to glove  52  for all fingers and thumb which curve when wearer&#39;s fingers are bent but stiffen when wearer&#39;s fingers are straightened. Stiffening components  32  are sized to the exact measurements of wearer&#39;s fingers and are attached to the top of the intermediate phalanges on the fingers and the top of the proximal phalanx on the thumb with an anchoring component attached beyond each base knuckle. The alternate stiffening component for thumb  33  does not have the intermediate phalanx plank as thumbs do not have intermediate phalanges. A wrist wrap  56  made of elastic (or other comparable material) and a hook and loop fastener is attached to the base of the glove  52  and wrapped around wearer&#39;s wrist to keep the glove  52  in place. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  8  and  9  present perspective views of a single stiffening component attached to the glove. This design is for sports such as basketball or volleyball where one finger, in this case the fore finger, has been injured and the stiffening component assists in preventing further injury. In scenarios where only one stiffening component is needed, the stiffening component can be attached directly to the front of the injured finger, using tape or other means, and the anchoring component of the sliding swivel pivot hinge can be attached to a fingerless glove (not shown). 
         [0034]      FIGS. 5 and 10  present perspective views of multiple stiffening components attached to the glove. This design is for sports such as football, soccer, snowboarding or motorcycle riding and work such as construction or heavy machinery operation where all four fingers and the thumb need to be protected. 
         [0035]    Not Pictured. Two elements of the invention which are not shown in the drawings is a dorsal side cover that will cover the back of the glove including all stiffening components. Also, a second alternate stiffening component, where the elements comprising the stiffening component are made of “Z” shaped blocks rather than the rectangular shaped blocks which are shown in the original stiffening component shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 .