Abstract:
The present embodiment provides a glove and a support for a glove. The support is configured to releasably retain a glove in a position which enables the glove to be donned by a user. The protective gas glove includes a shielding rubberized expandable element with a transparent and retractable plastic protection shaped to receive the fingers of a user for easy and rapid fitting of all the fingers and palm of the hand. The retractable plastic protection collapse when the hand is pulled back against holding magnets on the dorsal area of the glove.

Description:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
       [0001]    N/A 
       RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0002]    N/A 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The present invention relates generally to a protective body device, more specifically, to a hand protective device, such as an expandable and retractable glove. The present protection device prevents human contact with unwanted surfaces avoiding possible contamination. 
         [0005]    2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
         [0006]    Medicine has revealed basically two way to get infected for many kinds of diseases, infectious which are those that are passed through physical contact, air, water and food, and the non-infectious diseases that cannot be spread through personal contact. Recently studies demonstrate that the gas pump handles, ATM buttons, mailbox handles and escalator rails are amongst the most germ-ridden and dirtiest surfaces that people touch every day. Therefore is recommended, by health authorities, to use hygiene products in order to reduce the risk of getting sick from a transmitted illness. 
         [0007]    However, even when the use of hygiene products is recommended, such as hand sanitizer and gloves, people do not used because of cost and the inconvenient of hanging around with a bottle and gloves. 
         [0008]    Further is well known that gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease. In other words gloves provide a guard for what a bare hand should not touch. Several materials are used to complete gloves, such as polymers, latex, nitrile rubber or vinyl disposable. However, one of the generally unattended deficiencies of the available hygiene products, more particularly gloves, is that any is provided for convenient daily use in particular places such the gas pump handles in such way that is easy to carry and use. Therefore there is a need to provide a protective device for the hands in order to avoid the physical contact with the gas pump handles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The disclosed embodiment of the present invention provides an expandable and retractable protective device for the hands in order to avoid the physical contact with the gas pump handles. The disclosed invention comprises a hand protection device comprising an expandable element and a retractable protection guard, wherein said expandable element is mechanically coupled to the retractable protection guard at a distal end. 
         [0010]    Therefore, it can be appreciated that the glove is compressed in such way that the expandable element is compressed to define a hollow body, wherein said retractable protection guard is positioned inside the hollow body once the retractable protection guard is retracted. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills the need of providing an easy to carry device due to the expandable and retractable properties of the hand protection device. 
         [0011]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand protection device comprising attaching means, such as magnets, in order to attach or fix said expandable element to the vehicle. 
         [0012]    Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide a hand protection device comprising attaching means, such as hook and loops fasteners, in order to attach or fix said retractable element to the vehicle. 
         [0013]    Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a hand protection device comprising at least two part mechanically coupled to be easily donned by the user. 
         [0014]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand protection device that permits the grasping of the gas handle while avoiding the direct physical contact with the gas handle surface. 
         [0015]    Further another object of the present invention is to provide a hand protection device that permits to wear and removed. 
         [0016]    It is the object of the present disclosure to provide a hand protection device which can be securely located at the gas tank inlet chamber. 
         [0017]    A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The following drawings should be read with reference to the detailed description. Like numbers refer to like elements. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, illustratively depict embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary gas pump handle with germ-ridden surface and grasping process in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary gas chamber inlet in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary gas chamber inlet Gas tank inlet inner area with a hand protective device attached to it surface in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4A-4C  shows an first exemplary embodiment of the protective device in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 5A-5B  shows a method of donning and removing a protective device from a user the first exemplary embodiment of the protective device in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6A-68  shows a method of donning a glove onto a hand for the first exemplary embodiment of the protective device attached to the gas chamber inlet Gas tank inlet inner area in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7A-7B  shows a first exemplary embodiment of the extendable element of the protective device in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 8A-8C  shows a first exemplary embodiment of the retractable element of the protective device in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary gas pump handle process, more particular a user&#39;s hand  1  approaching and grabbing the gas pump handle  2  with germ-ridden surface  3 . As shown the hand is physically in contact with the infected area and therefore the risk of infection is higher. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is directed to an exemplary gas chamber inlet comprising a gas tank inlet area  5 A cover by a gas tank inlet door  5 B of a vehicle  4 , where the gas pump&#39;s nozzle is inserted to provide gasoline for the car gas tank. An exploded view of the gas chamber inlet in accordance with the principles of the present invention, wherein said gas chamber inlet further comprises a gas tank inlet inner surface  8 , a gas tank cap  6  and a tank cap protrusion  7 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  is directed to an exemplary gas chamber inlet, more particularly tank inlet inner surface  8  and a protective device  100  mechanically coupled to said surface by attaching means  103  which are explained later. The protective device  100  is located on top of inner surface  8  and surrounds the tank cap  6 . In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure the diameter of the protective device  100  depends or is configured to surround the tank cap  6  but small enough to fit inside the gas chamber inlet  5 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 4A-4C  shows first exemplary embodiment of the protective device  100  in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The protective device  100  comprises an extendable member  101  and a retractable member  102 , wherein said extendable member  101  is mechanically coupled to the retractable member  102 . The extendable member  101  is configure to create a hollow body, wherein inside said hollow body the retractable member  102  rests until, as show in  FIG. 4B , until said retractable member  102  is expand while using or wearing the protective device  100 , as shown in  FIG. 4C . 
         [0031]      FIGS. 5A-5B  shows a method of donning and removing the protective device  100 . For example  FIG. 5A , while the protective device  100  is not being used is preferred that the expandable member  101  is compressed and the retractable body  102  is located inside the hollow body, as mentioned before. Further, once the user decides to wear the protective device  100  the expandable member  101  starts to decompressed and the retractable member  102  is extended away from the expandable member  101 . The extendable member  101  further comprises pulling means  200 , such as strips, to assists with the process of putting on the protective device  100 , more particularly the user grasp and pulls the pulling means  200  away from the retractable member  102  in order to assists with the process of inserting the hand inside the protective device  100 . The extendable member  101  and retractable member  102  are configured to mimic a hand shape. Further an attaching mean  103 , which assist with the process of extending the retractable member  102 , is located at the distal end of the retractable member  102 . 
         [0032]    Once the protective device  100  is used to avoid contact with the infected surface  3 , it is removed from user and stored. Removing the protective device  100  might be a hazard if the user uses his/her free hand to pull the protective device  100  away from the hand being protected by folding, holding or grasping the retractable member  102 . Therefore in order to avoid the contact with the outer part of the retractable member  102  a removing mean  201 , such as an inner hook, is provided inside the retractable member  102  as shown in  FIG. 5B . The removing mean  201  assists with the process of removing and folding the retractable member  102  before the protective device  100  is stored. The removing mean  201  can be simply hold by two or one finger in order to pullback the retractable member  102  inside the hollow body of the extendable member  101 . Basically the free hand is used to push way the extendable member  101  from the hand  1  while the hand inside the protective device pulls the retractable member  102  inside the hollow body by means of the removing men  201 . Once removed a part of the protective device  100  should be identify as the clean side C which basically is the side wherein the hand is inserted and a dirty side D which is the side retractable member  102  extends. 
         [0033]    The protective device  100  is intended or is preferred to be stored inside the inlet chamber  5  as mentioned above. As shown in  FIG. 6A  the first exemplary embodiment of the protective device  100  is located inside inlet chamber  5  and surrounds the tank cap  6 . While the gas tank inlet door  5 B is open the user can reach the protective device  100 . Mainly the protective device  100  is attached to the tank cap  6  by means of an attaching mean  103  located at the retractable member  102  distal end and a receiving mean  104  located or fixed to the tank cap, more particularly the cap tank protrusion. The attaching mean  103  and receiving mean  104  serves as a mechanism to attach and detach said protective device  100  from said gas tank cap  6 . In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure the attaching mean  103  can comprise hooks and the receiving mean  104  can comprise loops in such way that said hooks and loops are fastened by close contact. Other means serving to attach and detach the retractable member  102  can be used. It is important to understand that the attachment of the retractable member  102  to the cap  6  assists with the process of extending said retractable member  102  from said expandable member  101  with removing the protective device  100  from the inlet chamber  5   
         [0034]      FIG. 7A-7B  is more directed to the extendable member  101  of the protective device  100  in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The extendable member  101  includes pulling means  200 , a first distal end  1012 , a second distal end  1013 , an extendable member cover  1011  and an extendable member frame  1010 . The frame  1010  expands in accordance with the principles of the present invention, wherein the frame comprises a structure with elastic properties, for example a spring frame. The frame&#39;s material is preferred to be a fire-retardant, non-metallic and/or noncorrosive material due to the environment which it is exposed. The extendable member cover  1011  should continuously cover the frame independently of the frame deformation. The extendable member cover  1011  should be made of a fire-retardant material that avoid or serves as a repellent for odors, more particularly gasoline odors and simultaneously pleasant to wear due to the contact with the users skin. Different type of polymers may be used for this purpose. 
         [0035]    Additionally at least one of the two distal ends  1012 , 1013  may be made of a magnetic material in such way that assists the attaching and/or compressing action of the extendable member  101  while it is located inside the chamber inlet  5 . In the exemplary embodiment the distal end more distant from the inlet surface  8  is made of magnetic material. The magnetic material should be enough to provide enough attraction between the magnet and the vehicle&#39;s metallic body. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 8A-8C  are directed to the retractable member  102 . The retractable member  102  first embodiment comprises a first distal end  1022 , a second distal end  1021 , an attaching mean  103 , a removing mean  201 , and a main body  1020 . At least one of the purposes of the retractable member  102  is to provide cover to the user skin; more particularly user&#39;s palm and fingers. The retractable first end  1022  is mechanically couple or fixed to the extendable member at one of the distal ends  1012 , 1013  in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The main body  1020  may vary in configuration however enough space should be provided to cover the user&#39;s palm and fingers. In the instant case the main body  1020  comprises a first chamber  1023  as shown in  FIG. 8A  to fits the thumb. In another embodiment the main body  102  provide configuration to fits all the fingers in just one space, as shown in  FIG. 8B . Another configuration for the main body  102 , as shown in  FIG. 8C , comprises at least three different chambers. The first chamber  1023  fits the thumb, the second chamber  1024  fits the index finger and a third chamber fits the rest of the fingers. A second chamber  1024  assists with the process of pressing and/or pointing several things or surfaces. For example, some gas stations are provided with Point of sale (POS) machines at the gas pump. The user may use the index finger to press keyboards at the POS machines. The second chamber  1024  may include a materially different contacting area  1025  in such way that an user can easily appreciate when a surface is contacted by the exterior surface of the second chamber  1024 , for example during the process of pressing the keyboard. 
         [0037]    The retractable member  102  is preferably made of an fire-retardants and odor repellent transparent material, in such way that the user can actually see the fingers. Using a translucent material assists the user with donning the protective device  100 . 
         [0038]    The invention is not limited to the precise configuration described above. While the invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention after considering this specification together with the accompanying drawings. 
         [0039]    Accordingly, all such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by this invention as defined in the following claims and their legal equivalents. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses, if any, are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. 
         [0040]    All of the patents, patent applications, and publications recited herein, and in the Declaration attached hereto, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein. All, or substantially all, the components disclosed in such patents may be used in the embodiments of the present invention, as well as equivalents thereof. The details in the patents, patent applications, and publications incorporated by reference herein may be considered to be incorporable at applicant&#39;s option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentable distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.