Abstract:
A partial glove is provided for use in preparing vegetables which is easy to put on and take off, which provides underside gripping features for preventing vegetable slippage and which provides protection against cutting or abrading during vegetable preparation.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application claims rights under 35 USC §119(e) from U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/586,286 filed Jan. 13, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to preparing of vegetables or fruits and more particularly to a protective partial or half glove for gripping vegetables or fruits and for protecting an individual during the food preparation process. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Peeling of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and other vegetables or fruits often times results in cuts due to the lack of protection of the hand holding the vegetable when the peeler or other cutting device is used to peel the vegetable. 
         [0004]    Taking potatoes for example, one normally grabs the potato, holds it over the sink or trash can and starts peeling slowly while turning the potato and trying not to lose ones grip. Potatoes are mostly damp and slippery such that as one tries to grip the slippery side of the already peeled potato, the potato tends to slip out of one&#39;s hands making it relatively impossible to peel the potato without cutting oneself. 
         [0005]    It is noted that if one cuts oneself and for instance bleeds over the vegetable being prepared, there is health factor involved, to say nothing of cut that the individual sustains. There is also a time factor involved in that it takes much too long to peel a potato when one is trying to protect ones hand from being cut. 
         [0006]    Carrots are in the same category. For carrots, one tends to cut one&#39;s first knuckle while holding the carrot and utilizing the peeler to push away from oneself. 
         [0007]    Moreover, whether it is a cucumber, carrot, potato or other vegetable, if the vegetable slips during the peeling process, often times it is dropped on the floor at which point it may have to be thrown out or otherwise cleansed. 
         [0008]    In short, preparing of vegetables by slicing or cutting often times results in injury due to the cutting device, be it a peeler or knife, in which the peeler or knife is invariably utilized adjacent to one&#39;s first or second knuckles, or adjacent the top side of one&#39;s hand. 
         [0009]    There is therefore a need for a method of peeling the vegetables that protects the individual while at the same time speeds of the vegetable preparation process. 
         [0010]    In the past, there have been mechanical slicing and dicing machines, but these machines do not peel the vegetables, but rather cut them in their unpeeled state. Moreover, just to be able to cook properly prepared vegetables one does not want to spend a large amount of money for a machine if one is going to have to wash, clean and store it. Moreover, one does not want to have to pay for new blades for the devices. 
         [0011]    If one sought to protect one&#39;s hand utilizing a traditional glove and more usually an oven mitt or glove, the problem is that they are much too bulky, and sometimes difficult to put on. Moreover, with these types of mitts and gloves due to the large size it is hard to grab the vegetable, with the glove not necessarily being sanitary depending what it is used for or what it is made of. As illustrated by the work glove illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,061 fingers and palms of a work glove can be manufactured with molded beads that act as gripping aids. Moreover, this glove is a full glove which is bulky and difficult to put on. Thus this glove is not suitable for hand protection when preparing vegetables due to its cumbersome nature. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0012]    In order to solve the problem of cut fingers, knuckles and the like when preparing vegetables utilizing cutting implements including scrapers, graters, knives and peelers, in the subject invention in one embodiment a simple three finger partial glove is provided made out of an elastameric flexible material that conforms to the fingers yet is strong enough to prevent skin damage when a cutting implement is utilized in the vegetable preparation process. The three finger glove covers the thumb and two fingers with the proper amount of coverage over the hands to protect the top side of the hand as well as the knuckles. The glove is a partial glove in that it extends from the juncture of the third finger to the base of the palm such that the glove only covers a portion of the palm as opposed to providing full glove coverage. 
         [0013]    Because of its simplistic three finger structure, it is easy to put the partial glove on. This is because of the remainder of the fingers of a normal glove are not there. Thus, the three finger glove slips quickly and easily onto the hand. Since the glove need not be fit around the entire whole palm or whole back of the hand it is easy to put on or remove. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, the partial glove is water proof and non toxic, with the underside of the thumb and two fingers having raised portions to provide for the gripping of the vegetable during the peeling process. In another embodiment there is an integral band at the cuff of the partial glove to assist in slipping on the glove by pulling on the band, note the band may be made of thicker material than the glove itself for ease in grasping. 
         [0015]    Moreover, it has been found that one can completely control the vegetable utilizing the thumb and one or two adjacent fingers, with the ring and fifth finger being unnecessary in the process. 
         [0016]    It is noted that in the peeling process the most vulnerable fingers are the first and second fingers away from the thumb, with the thumb not technically a finger but rather a digit. 
         [0017]    Because of the grips on the bottoms of the fingers, the vegetable is less likely to slip when one is rinsing vegetables underneath a faucet in order to get rid of the extra peels. 
         [0018]    Thus, providing a glove having a number of missing fingers nonetheless allows one to control the vegetable and not have to worry about getting cut because the material of the glove has a sufficiently sheer resistant nature that contact with a metal cutting instrument or the like does not sheer the material or cause bodily harm. Moreover, because of the waterproof nature of the glove one does not have to worry about getting water inside the glove. 
         [0019]    In short, the three digits most likely to be cut and therefore vulnerable are protected by this partial or half glove against cutting, dicing, slicing and peeling. 
         [0020]    For purposes of this invention the subject glove includes any glove which has a thumb and a number of fingers less than the total number of fingers of a hand. Thus, a four fingered glove, a three fingered glove, and a two fingered glove are within the scope of the subject invention. 
         [0021]    As to the material of the partial glove, it is important that it be elastameric, stretchable or elastic, yet have sufficient sheer resistance to protect the individual and resistant to heat. It must also conform to the fingers well to be able to handle even small items. As a result it is desirably at least partially stretchable such as the case with woven or elasticized Kevlar® or Nomex®. 
         [0022]    Note that while the glove conforms to the tops of the fingers and the top of the hand, it is not necessary that the palm portion of the glove be tight fitting and in fact it can be loose. The reason that it can be loose is because the bottom of the palm is not in a position to be cut by any of the above-mentioned equipment. 
         [0023]    While in one embodiment the glove may be made of a rubber or other stretchable material, the glove may also be provided with an inner liner that facilitates the putting on of the glove and its removal. 
         [0024]    Note, in one embodiment the way that the half glove is configured is that the underneath glove coverage of the palm is around fifty percent of the bottom area of the hand. In this embodiment glove coverage moves from the adjacent fingers in a moon or circle over the palm and then back down towards the base of the palm such that it runs all the way across the palm from a wrist band to in between the middle finger and the ring finger. Thus the fleshy part of the palm is protected. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, the appropriate material for the glove is rather, urethane or a moldable silicone namely a National Sanitation Foundation, NSF Pro silicone which provides maximum protection for one&#39;s hand and withstands heat up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit while maintaining 100 percent of its high sheer strength. This means that the NSF Pro silicone is exceedingly durable for handling the vegetables. Also the NSF Pro silicone is safe for use in ovens, boiling water, or with charcoal. The silicone feature provides a safe non slip grip and fits either hand, with the NSF Pro silicone being waterproof, dishwasher safe and machine washable. With this material it is also possible to be able to provide a partial glove as a one size fits all. Alternatively, three different sizes may be offered for sale. Note elastameric may be thermosetting or thermoplastic. 
         [0026]    In summary, a partial glove is provided for use in preparing vegetables which is easy to put on and take off, which provides underside gripping features for preventing vegetable slippage and which provides protection against cutting or abrading during vegetable preparation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    These and other features of the subject invention will be better understood in connection with the detailed description in conjunction with the Drawings of which: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic illustration of the peeling operation for potato illustrating the use of a peeler shown cutting the first knuckle of the individual holding the potato; 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic illustration of the subject partial glove indicating a three digit version in which the peeler rather than cutting the knuckle of the individual contacts the first finger of the glove adjacent to the thumb; 
           [0030]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic illustration of the use of the peeler for peeling a carrot in which the thumb of the individual holding the carrot is cut by the peeler; 
           [0031]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic illustration of the subject partial glove showing that the glove is utilized to hold the carrot and also showing that any impact of the peeler on the thumb prevents the thumb from being cut; 
           [0032]      FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic illustration of the utilization of a knife cutting a carrot illustrating the positioning of the knife with one&#39;s first and second knuckles showing the motion of the blade towards the knuckles and showing the chopping direction; 
           [0033]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic illustration of the cutting of one&#39;s first knuckle in a carrot cutting and chopping operation; 
           [0034]      FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic illustration of the utilization of the subject partial glove while positioning the blade of a knife during the chopping operation; 
           [0035]      FIG. 8  is a diagrammatic illustration of the protection offered by the subject partial glove during the chopping operation of  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0036]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the subject partial glove showing that the glove surrounds the thumb and the first two fingers of the individual, with the bottom parts of the fingers and the palm being provided with grabbing features to prevent slippage of the vegetable during the peeling operation, also showing a band at the base of the glove for pulling the glove onto the fingers. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0037]    Referring now to  FIG. 1  what is shown is a peeling process in which a vegetable in the form of a potato  10  is being peeled by a peeler  12 . Peeler  12 , is held by the right hand  14  of an individual whose left hand  16  is holding the potato. 
         [0038]    During the course of the peeling often times peeler  12  cuts the individual as seen by the cutting of the first knuckle  18  which can cause bleeding as illustrated at  20 . 
         [0039]    Because the processing of vegetables including peeling, cutting and the like often times results in injury, as shown in  FIG. 2  a partial glove  38  is pulled onto hand  16  which protects the fingers  32 ,  34  and  36  from being cut by an implement such as peeler  12 . Also partial glove  30  covers the upper portion of the hand as illustrated at  38  so as to protect not only the finger and thumb of the hand but also the top portion of the hand which is exposed to the cutting implement. 
         [0040]    For purposes of the subject invention, a partial glove is defined to be a glove that is missing one or more fingers. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a three finger glove is illustrated, with the thumb counting as a finger and with the first and second fingers removed from the thumb used in addition to the thumb to grip the vegetable. 
         [0041]    The partial glove is also provided with a partial wristband  40  which is used to pull the glove over the fingers of the hand and may be made thicker than the glove itself to assist in gripping. 
         [0042]    As will be discussed in  FIG. 9 , the bottom portion of the fingers and the thumb as well as the palm of the glove is provided with gripping features to prevent the vegetable from slipping out from the control of the individual during the vegetable processing operation. 
         [0043]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , here it can be seen that a carrot  42  is to be peeled by peeler  12  which is gripped by right hand  14 , with the carrot being gripped by left hand  16 . As seen, peeler  12  slices the individual&#39;s thumb here as illustrated at  36  during the peeling process of the vegetable. 
         [0044]    The carrot is illustrated as being a relatively narrow vegetable in which gripping of the vegetable is somewhat difficult due to the small diameter of the carrot itself. Thus, it is important to be able to grip the carrot utilizing one&#39;s thumb and one&#39;s first finger in a way in which the carrot does not slip during the peeling process. 
         [0045]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the partial glove  30  of  FIG. 2  is utilized to protect the thumb  36  of the individual from being injured during the carrot peeling process. Here it can be seen that the second finger  32  need not be utilized in the peeling process. 
         [0046]    Referring to  FIG. 5  if the carrot  42  is to be sliced, in general one procedure is to rest the blade  50  of the knife  52  against the knuckles  54  and  56  of left hand  16 , with the knife held by hand  14  and guided in the direction of double ended arrows  56  after having been moved against the knuckles in the direction of arrow  58 . 
         [0047]    As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , in such a procedure, knuckle  60  may be injured by blade  50  unless left hand  16  is protected. 
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , left hand  16  is provided with the subject partial glove  30  such that when the blade  50  is positioned adjacent knuckle  54  and  56  of the blade comes to rest against the partial glove, the glove protects the hand. 
         [0049]    As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , blade  50  is shown contacting glove  30 . However, there is no injury to the individual due to the utilization of the partial glove. 
         [0050]    The under side of partial glove  30  is shown in  FIG. 9  in which the partial glove surrounds thumb  36  and fingers  32  and  34 , with the ring finger  70  and the pinky finger  72  being left exposed. 
         [0051]    Here it can be seen that the partial glove covers a portion of the palm shown at  74  such that the underside of the glove runs from a position between the third finger and the ring finger, here illustrated as  76 , in a circle towards the juncture of the palm and the thumb, here illustrated at  78 . As can be seen from the underside of the hand, the partial glove covers approximately half of the underside of the hand. 
         [0052]    It will also be seen that the underside of the glove is provided with gripping features  80  on the thumb, features  82  on the under side of the fingers of the glove and features  84  on the portion of the glove between the fingers and the base of the palm. 
         [0053]    It will be appreciated is that this partial glove is exceptionally easy to slip on and slip off due to the fact that it is not necessary to insert all of the fingers of the hand into a glove. It is also important to note that it is only the thumb and one or two of the adjacent fingers that are necessary to thoroughly control the vegetable during the peeling, cutting, chopping or other processing operation. 
         [0054]    In one embodiment, the glove is made of a moldable material which is waterproof and is flexible enough to mold to the fingers of the individual while at the same time being dishwasher safe and providing a certain measure of heat resistance based on the thickness of the partial glove material and the layering thereof. 
         [0055]    It will be seen that the hand can be completely protected utilizing the subject partial glove while at the same time providing the individual with the means to firmly grip the vegetable that is being processed. 
         [0056]    While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications or additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.