ANTI-BURN GARMENT

Abstract

A protective garment for a human forearm. The protective garment includes a main body portion having opposing first and second longitudinal ends. There is an interior surface that faces the forearm and an exterior surface that faces away from the forearm. The main body portion includes an expandable wrist band coupled to the first longitudinal end of the main body portion. The exterior surface includes a second plurality of raised portions that is configured to dissipate heat transferred from a heated surface contacting the exterior surface.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to protective garments and, more particularly, to high temperature protective garments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many occupations, workers are required to wear protective gloves and sleeves to prevent inadvertent contact with a hot surface or for when a splash hazard may be present. Cooks and home chefs frequently wear heat resistant gloves to prevent injury caused by such contact.

This is also a concern in the automotive industry and, particularly, in the quick oil change business. The various surfaces of an automobile may reach up to 600° Fahrenheit, including the engine and the exhaust system. In the process of conducting a quick oil change, the automobile is often brought into a service bay room after being driven to the facility and the engine and associated components are at normal operating temperature. The technician is thus exposed to these surfaces and temperatures and may wear protective gloves and clothing to prevent burn.

Injury from such inadvertent contact may occur at the initial contact with the heated surface, but may also occur some time after the initial contact as the technician's protective garment may transfer heat long after the technician is no longer in contact with the heated surface. In fact, it may take a certain period of time before the technician feels the heat from the inadvertent contact. If the protective garment absorbs sufficient heat, the technician may still be injured after contact with the heated surface is discontinued.

Previously, long term heat transfer was avoided by manufacturing protective garments from fibrous materials, which allow the heat to dissipate and reduce rapid transfer of heat across the surface of the protective garment. Such protective garments unfortunately are relatively expensive and, because the protective garments have a fibrous component, they accumulate oil, dirt, and grease, are difficult to clean, and require frequent replacement.

Fiber-based protective garments, clean or contaminated by the oil, dirt, and grease, often cause dermatological issues, such as contact dermatitis. Therefore, a more hypoallergenic design would be of particular benefit.

Thus, there exists a need for a protective garment that reduces the likelihood of heat transfer but that is also easily cleaned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the foregoing problems and other shortcomings, drawbacks, and challenges of existing protective garments. While the invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. To the contrary, this invention includes all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The present invention is premised on the realization that a protective garment may be formulated, which may contact a surface having a temperature of up to about 600° Fahrenheit and still protect the wearer by reducing rapid transfer of heat through the protective garment. The protective garment may be formed from an injection molded plastic, which has a plurality of raised portions on the exterior surface to slow the conduction of heat through the protective garment. The plurality of raised portions provides sufficient heat transfer to allow the wearer to identify that he/she has inadvertently contacted the heated surface. Once the wearer identifies such contact, he/she can move away from the heated surface and not be burned by continuing heat transfer through the protective garment.

Preferably, the plurality of raised portions on the exterior surface is in the form of a series of raised dimples. When raised, each dimple has a height ranging from about 1/64 inch (0.396875 mm) to about 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) and prevents the rapid transfer of heat.

In particular, the present invention utilizes an injection molded silicone rubber.

In a more preferred embodiment, the present invention includes a wrist portion, and a main body portion. The wrist portion has a narrower diameter than the main body portion, which allows an individual to pull the protective garment over their hand. The wrist portion expands to allow the hand to pass through but returns to a rest state to secure the protective garment in position.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a technician's arm wearing a protective garment in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the protective garment of FIG. 1, with a portion of an inner surface of the protective garment shown.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the protective garment of FIG. 1, taken along the Line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view of a protective garment in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a technician's arm wearing the protective garment of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the figures, and in particular FIG. 1, a technician 10 is shown while removing oil from an automobile 12. For a quick oil change facility, the technician 10 will typically work on an automobile 12 within 15 to 25 minutes of the automobile being driven to the facility. The recent operation of the engine will cause the temperature of the surface of the components of the automobile, including portions of the chassis 14, engine, and the exhaust system 16 to be relatively high and thus pose a potential injury risk to the technician.

After the technician 10 removes an oil plug (not shown) from an oil pan (not shown), the technician 10 may remove an oil filter 18. The oil filter 18 may be at least partially concealed behind these heated surfaces of the chassis 14 or the exhaust system 16. Furthermore, the oil plug is in direct contact with the heated oil and the oil pan. Thus, the technician's aim 20 may contact one of these heated surfaces and be burned. Also, when removing the oil filter 18, oil spillage may occur and contaminate nearby surfaces, including the technician's clothing and/or exposed skin.

The technician's arm 20 in FIG. 1 is covered from about the technician's wrist 22 up to or beyond the technician's elbow 24 with a protective garment 26. One embodiment of the protective garment 26 is shown and described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2. The technician 10 may opt for no extra protection for the hand 42, but typically would use some type of glove, of varying composition, to minimize the risk of causing injury to the hand 42.

The protective garment 26 is comprised of a main body portion 28 having first and second longitudinal ends 30, 32. An interior surface 34, when the protective garment 26 is worn, faces and may contact the technician's forearm 36 directly, or overlay clothing or other layers of material, while an exterior surface 38 faces away from the forearm 36.

An expandable wrist band 40 is coupled to the first longitudinal end 30. As shown, the expandable wrist band 40 may be a cylindrical portion having a length ranging from about 1/2 inch to about 2 inches and is configured to expand from a rest state to an expanded state. In this way, the wrist band 40 may expand over the technician's hand 42 while the technician 10 slides the protective garment 26 over his/her hand 42 and onto the forearm 36. Once the protective garment 26 is properly positioned, the wrist band 40 may return to its rest state and thereby be secured onto the wrist 22 of the technician 10. The elasticity of the wrist band 40 is also configured to secure other clothing and/or gloves. More specifically, a sleeve may extend distally down the technician's forearm 36 and under the wrist band 40 and/or a glove may extend proximally from the technician's hand 42, under the wrist band 40, and up the forearm 36. Therefore, the wrist band 40 may secure the sleeve and/or glove to resist exposing the technician's skin to extreme temperatures.

The exterior surface 38 of the protective garment 26 includes a plurality of raised portions 44 that are configured to dissipate heat that is transferred from a hot surface when the exterior surface 38 of the protective garment 26 contacts the heated surfaces of the automobile 12. The plurality of raised portions 44 are illustrated as protruding dimples, each of which may protrude from the exterior surface 38 by about 0.7 mm (generally, ranging from about 0.15625 mm to about 3.175 mm) and have a circular footprint (i.e., a circular base) of about 2 mm in diameter. However, other shapes of raised portions may also be used.

The dimples 44 may be arranged in a particular arrangement to delay the transfer of heat by reducing the contact area of the protective garment 26 to the heat source. In one particular embodiment, the dimples 44 may be arranged into linear, intersecting paths 46, 48.

The plurality of raised portions 44 on the exterior surface 38 provides the benefit of slowing the conduction of heat through the protective garment 26. Further, the plurality of raised portions 44 permits sufficient heat transfer to allow the technician 10 to identify contact with a heated surface while resisting burn.

As shown in FIG. 2, the exterior surface 39 of the wrist band 40 and the second longitudinal end 32 are constructed without a plurality of raised portions 44. However, this is not required and the raised portions 44 may extend over the exterior surface 38 of the protective garment 26 as well.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the details of the interior surface 34 are shown in greater detail. The interior surface 34 may include a plurality of raised portions 50 that may contact the forearm 36 of the technician 10. As shown, the each raised portions 50 is comprised of a rib having a rounded surface with a radius of about 0.8 mm However, other structures may also be used, including the dimples as described previously. Generally, the raised portions 50 are spaced away from one another such that an interior surface path 52 is formed between adjacent ones of the raised portions 50. Accordingly, the surface paths 52 facilitate airflow along the interior surface 34 of the protective garment 26 and further facilitate heat transfer.

The plurality of ribs 50 of the illustrative interior surface 34 may be angled with respect to the plurality of raised portions 44 of the exterior surface 38. For example, and as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of ribs 50 is angled with respect to the linear paths 46, 48 that are formed by the plurality of dimples 44 on the exterior surface 38. This structure resists the formation of thickened portions of the protective garment 26 where a rib 50 along the interior surface 34 aligns with a linear path 46, 48 of dimples 44 along the exterior surface 38.

The second longitudinal end 32 of the protective garment 26 may include a curvilinear edge 54 such that the external surface 38 has a first length 56 and a second length 58 that is longer than the first length 56. As shown in FIG. 1, this structure allows the protective garment 26 to be worn such that the second length 58 extends over the technician's elbow 24 and the first length 56 falls within the joint that opposes the elbow 24. While this structure is not required, the curvilinear edge 54 improves the comfort of the protective garment 26.

The protective garment 26 of the figures may be constructed as a unitary structure of silicone rubber. Silicone rubber provides the particular benefits of temperature resistance of up to about 600° Fahrenheit and the rapid transfer of heat. The silicone rubber may be injection molded as a single layer having a thickness that does not exceed 0.4 mm Generally, the silicone rubber is unreinforced and nonporous. The lack of reinforcement allows for greater flexibility of the wrist band 40, to thereby facilitate expanding the write band 40 over the technician's hand 42.

Silicone rubber also provides the benefit of providing a hypoallergenic barrier that also protects the technician 10. Also, the ease of clean-up is improved because the technician 10 does not have to use harsh fabric soaps or solvents and the silicone rubber surface dries more rapidly than a fabric-based material. Additionally, the silicone rubber material does not wick or retain petroleum and/or glycol products in the way that a porous material such as fiber would. Only de minimis amounts of oil and glycol are released during cleaning to the environment.

FIG. 4 illustrates still another embodiment of a protective garment 60 that includes a main body portion 62 and an expandable wrist band 64 and was described previously. The instant embodiment further includes a thumb band 66 coupled to and extending substantially longitudinally from the wrist band 64.

The thumb band 66 extends from a first location 68 on the wrist band 64 to a second location 70 on the wrist band 64. The second position 70 may be diametrically opposed to the first position 68; however, it may be advantageous for the second position 70 to be off-set from a diametrically-positioned location on the wrist band 64. In this way, an open end 72 at the wrist band 64 is sub-divided into a first portion 74 and a smaller second portion 76. The second portion 76 is shaped to allow the technician's thumb 80 (FIG. 5) to extend therethrough while the fingers 82, 84, 86, 88 (FIG. 5) extend through the first portion 74.

The thumb band 66 may be constructed as a string or like material with the opposing ends embedded or affixed to the first and second locations 68, 70 on the wrist band 64. Alternatively, the thumb band 66 may be constructed from the same material comprising the protective garment 60.

In use, as the technician 10 (FIG. 1), while wearing the protective garment 60 as shown in FIG. 5, raises his/her hand 42 upwardly, such as when reaching to remove or install the oil filter 18 (FIG. 1), the thumb band 66 may slide into, and reside against, the joint between the thumb 80 and the first finger 82. As a result, the thumb band 66 assists the wrist band 64 in retaining the protective garment 60 on the technician's arm 20 (FIG. 1) such that the protective garment does not slide downward to expose at least a portion of the technician's wrist 22 to potential burn.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments, and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The various features of the invention may be used alone or in any combination depending on the needs and preferences of the user. This has been a description of the present invention, along with methods of practicing the present invention as currently known. However, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A protective garment for a human forearm comprising:

a main body portion having opposed first and second longitudinal ends and configured to be worn over the forearm, the main body portion having an interior surface facing the forearm and an exterior surface facing away from the forearm; and

an expandable wrist band coupled to the first longitudinal end of the main body portion, wherein:

the exterior surface includes a first plurality of raised portions for dissipating heat transferred from a hot surface contacting the exterior surface.

2. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the interior surface includes a second plurality of raised portions for facing the wearer's forearm.

3. The protective garment of claim 2, wherein the second plurality of raised portions includes a plurality of ribs.

4. The protective garment of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of ribs has a rounded surface, the rounded surface having a radius of about 0.8 mm.

5. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of raised portions includes a plurality of protruding dimples.

6. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of dimples protrudes from a base of the exterior surface by a distance ranging from about 0.15625 mm to about 3.175 mm.

7. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of dimples defines a footprint of at least about 2 mm in width.

8. The protective garment of claim 7, wherein the footprint defined by each of the plurality of dimples is substantially circular, the footprint having a diameter of at least about 2 mm.

9. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein the plurality of dimples is spaced from one another so as to define first and second pairs of substantially linear paths intersecting one another.

10. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein:

the first plurality of raised portions includes a plurality of ribs spaced from one another so as to define a corresponding plurality of substantially linear interior surface paths, the interior surface paths being angled relative to the first and second pairs of substantially linear paths of the exterior surface.

11. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the main body portion defines a first cross-sectional perimeter and the wrist band defines a second cross-sectional perimeter that is smaller than the first cross-sectional perimeter.

12. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the main body portion comprises a single layer of silicone rubber.

13. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the single layer of silicone rubber has a thickness not exceeding about 0.4 mm.

14. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the single layer comprises unreinforced silicone rubber.

15. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the single layer comprises non-porous silicone rubber.

16. The protective garment of claim 1, further comprising:

a thumb band coupled to the expandable wrist band and extending away from the wrist band, the thumb band configured to reside between a thumb and an adjacent finger.

17. A protective garment for a human forearm comprising:

a main body portion having opposed first and second longitudinal ends, made of non-reinforced silicone rubber, and configured to be worn over the forearm, the main body portion having an interior surface facing the forearm and an exterior surface facing away from the forearm; and

an expandable wrist band coupled to the first longitudinal end of the main body portion, wherein:

the exterior surface includes a plurality of protruding dimples for dissipating heat transferred from a hot surface contacting the exterior surface.

18. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein the plurality of dimples is spaced from one another so as to define first and second pairs of substantially linear paths intersecting one another.

19. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein the interior surface includes a plurality of ribs.

20. The protective garment of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of ribs is spaced from one another so as to define a corresponding plurality of substantially linear interior surface paths, the interior surface paths being angled relative to the first and second pairs of substantially linear paths of the exterior surface.

21. The protective garment of claim 17, further comprising:

a thumb band coupled to the expandable wrist band and extending away from the wrist band, the thumb band configured to reside between a thumb and an adjacent finger.