BIOMETRICALLY DESIGNED LOW STRETCH GLOVE

Abstract

A glove that has a high percentage of low stretch materials and a method for the designing thereof provides an accurate fit to the majority of hand anatomies without relying on material stretch. The method includes determining a hand length, selecting four critical dimensions from among bridge length, thumb length, index finger length, middle finger length, ring finger length, and pinky finger length, and calculating the four selected dimensions such that ratios of the selected dimensions divided by the hand length fall within corresponding ranges, where the corresponding ranges are from 0.46 to 0.49 for the bridge length, from 0.61 to 0.63 for the thumb length, from 0.37 to 0.40 for the index finger length, from 0.40 to 0.43 for the middle finger length, from 0.37 to 0.40 for the ring finger length, and from 0.30 to 0.33 for the pinky finger length.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/900,050, filed Nov. 5, 2013, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to glove designs, and more particularly, to designs for gloves that are constructed at least partly from non-stretch materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The current state of the art for glove designs is based on many historical glove patterns. Because gloves have been made for hundreds years there is little incentive to change basic patterns and look again at the geometry of gloves. Moreover there is a very strong bias for materials with stretch in glove manufacturing. Leather, knit textiles and more open wovens combined with knits are most common. The elasticity of these commonly used materials avoids the necessity to address high performance, statistically rigorous glove fit criteria.

For many applications, it is important that a glove fit a user's hand accurately. A proper fit improves both the dexterity with which the glove can be used, and the comfort for the user. Human hands come in many sizes and shapes. Accordingly, most gloves are made from materials with high stretch, so that if the glove does not precisely fit to the hand, the stretch in the material can make up the difference.

However, it is not possible to use high stretch materials for all glove applications. In particular, gloves that contain layers designed to protect against cuts and punctures typically include materials that tend to have low stretch. As the percentage of low stretch materials in a glove increases, the ability of the glove to elastically conform to a user's hand is typically reduced, so that a close match between the shape of the glove and the user's hand becomes of greater importance. Accordingly, as the percentage of high stretch materials drops, the pattern of the glove needs to be a closer and closer match to the actual shape of the hand to maintain an accurate fit.

What is needed, therefore, is a method for designing glove patterns that provide an accurate fit even when the glove contains a high percentage of low stretch materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a glove and a novel statistical method for designing glove patterns that enables an accurate fit for a glove that has a high percentage of low stretch materials.

Based on the EN standard, there are 6 sizes for human hands. About 90% of all people fit into the middle four sizes, typically referred to as small, medium, large, and extra-large.

The seven most basic measurements or “axes” of the human hand are the lengths of each of the fingers, the length of the thumb, the length of the hand and the width of the hand. These can be seen to be the most basic measurements, because the length and width of the hand and the lengths of the fingers are the basis for the EN standard.

Human hands vary significantly in their measurements along these axes. An ideal, ergonomically fitting glove must therefore closely fit the average human hand on each of these axes.

We have compared these seven basic measurements for a plurality of individuals, and calculated least square linear fits to the data, from which we have determined the dimensional values that will provide the minimum least squares deviation for most hand shapes and sizes. The glove patterns defined by this method will have consistently lower Fit Error Values (“FEV”) than other glove shapes.

One general aspect of the present invention is a method for designing a glove. The method includes determining a hand length for the glove, selecting four critical dimensions for the glove from a group of six critical dimensions that includes bridge length, thumb length, index finger length, middle finger length, ring finger length, and pinky finger length, and calculating the four selected critical dimensions by multiplying the hand length by a corresponding factor, where the corresponding factors are between 0.46 and 0.49 for the bridge length, between 0.61 and 0.63 for the thumb length, between 0.37 and 0.40 for the index finger length, between 0.40 and 0.43 for the middle finger length, between 0.37 and 0.40 for the ring finger length, and between 0.30 and 0.33 for the pinky finger length.

In embodiments, all six of the critical dimensions are calculated by at least 60% of a palm area of the glove is constructed from low-stretch material.

In various embodiments, the hand length is determined by selection of a glove size from the 6 sizes for human hands defined by the EN standard. And in some of these embodiments the hand length is determined by selecting the glove size to be small, medium, large, or extra-large.

Another general aspect of the present invention is a glove that includes a low-stretch material. The glove includes a glove having a hand length and six critical dimensions, the critical dimensions including a bridge length, a thumb length, an index finger length, a middle finger length, a ring finger length, and a pinky finger length, wherein at least four of the critical dimensions are equal to a product of the hand length and a corresponding factor, where the corresponding factors are between 0.46 and 0.49 for the bridge length, between 0.61 and 0.63 for the thumb length, between 0.37 and 0.40 for the index finger length, between 0.40 and 0.43 for the middle finger length, between 0.37 and 0.40 for the ring finger length, and between 0.30 and 0.33 for the pinky finger length.

In embodiments, n all six of the critical dimensions are equal to the product of the hand length and the corresponding factor. In some embodiments, at least 60% of a palm area of the glove is constructed from low-stretch material.

In various embodiments, the hand length corresponds to a glove size selected from the 6 sizes for human hands defined by the EN standard. And in some of these embodiments, the hand length corresponds to a glove size of small, medium, large, or extra-large.

The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a drawing of a human hand that illustrates the definitions of hand length, bridge length, thumb length, index finger length, middle finger length, ring finger length, and pinky finger length as used herein;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the palm of a glove that contains a layer of low stretch material;

FIG. 3 is a graph that present data and least squares linear fits from 120 individuals for measurements of hand length as compared to bridge length;

FIG. 4 is a graph that present data and least squares linear fits from 120 individuals for measurements of hand length as compared to thumb length;

FIG. 5 is a graph that present data and least squares linear fits from 120 individuals for measurements of hand length as compared to index finger length;

FIG. 6 is a graph that present data and least squares linear fits from 120 individuals for measurements of hand length as compared to middle finger length;

FIG. 7 is a graph that present data and least squares linear fits from 120 individuals for measurements of hand length as compared to ring finger length; and

FIG. 8 is a graph that present data and least squares linear fits from 120 individuals for measurements of hand length as compared to pinky finger length.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is a novel statistical method for designing glove patterns that enables an accurate fit for a glove that includes a high percentage of low stretch materials.

Applicant notes the following definitions of terms as they are used herein:

Low Stretch

A low stretch glove material is defined herein as a material for which the elongation is less than 5% @ 5 lbf/inch in the machine direction, less than 5% @ 5 lbf/inch in the cross machine direction, and less than 10% @ 5 lbf/inch at 45 degrees off the machine direction.

Palm Area

Palm area is defined herein as the projected area of the glove when lying flat on the back side of the hand.

With reference to FIG. 1, the seven most basic measurements, or “axes,” of the human hand are the lengths of each of the fingers (D-G), the length of the thumb (C), the length of the hand (A) and the width of the hand (B). These can be seen to be the most basic measurements because the length and width of the hand and the finger lengths are the basis for the EN standard.

Human hands vary significantly in their measurements along these axes. An ideal, ergonomically fitting glove would closely fit the average human hand on each of these axes, as averaged and binned for the sizes defined in EN420. However, with reference to FIG. 2, gloves that are designed to contain layers 200 that protect against cuts and punctures typically include materials that tend to have low stretch properties.

We have compared measurements of these seven basic hand axes for a plurality of individuals, and calculated least square linear fits to the data, from which we have determined dimensional values for each of the 6 sizes for human hands, as defined by the EN standard, that will provide the minimum least squares deviation for most hand shapes and sizes. The glove patterns defined by the present method will therefore have consistently lower Fit Error Values (“FEV”) than all other glove shapes, where the FEV is defined by:

FEV=abs(User Index_Glove−Index)+abs(User_Middle−Glove_Middle)+abs(User_Ring−Glove_Ring)+abs(User_Pinkie−Glove_Pinkie)+abs(User_Thumb−Glove_Thumb)+abs(User_Hand_Length−Glove_Hand_Length)+abs(User_Hand_Width−Glove_Hand_Width).

The data sets presented in FIGS. 3-8 were generated from 120 individuals using a photometric method for collection of hand measurements. These figures present the data and least squares linear fits for measurements of hand length as compared to bridge length, thumb length, index finger length, middle finger length, ring finger length, and pinky finger length, respectively. The least squares linear fits presented in the figures are expressed as ratios of the measured axes to the measured hand length. A summary of these ratios, including upper and lower bounds that will provide an accurate fit for most users, is presented in Table 1 below. Since the fits are linear, these ratios apply to all glove sizes.

	TABLE 1
	Dimension	Lower Bound	Upper Bound
	Bridge	0.46	0.49
	Thumb	0.61	0.63
	Index	0.37	0.40
	Middle	0.40	0.43
	Ring	0.37	0.40
	Pinky	0.30	0.33

According to the present invention, the glove is designed such that at least four of the six critical dimensions listed in Table 1, when divided by the hand length, fall into the ranges shown in the table. In embodiments, at least 60% of the palm area is constructed from low stretch material.

The hand lengths are based on the EN 420 standard, and are thereby grouped into size categories by picking the middle dimension in the range defined by the standard.

EXAMPLES

1) Shell materials: 210 denier 13 gauge string knit with an insert of woven PET having 110 epi of 220 denier PET and a filling of 60 epi of 220 denier PET. The area of the insert is 100% of the palm. The insert meets the criteria for a low stretch material and the shell is high stretch. The insert is attached to the shell and shapes the glove according to the criteria of the present invention.

2) Shell material: goat skin that is 1 mm or less in thickness, with a woven para-aramid insert of 110 epi of 50/2 cc, and a filling of 70 epi 25/2 para-aramid coated with a urethane resin.

The area of the insert is 115% of the area of the palm. The insert meets the criteria for low stretch and the shell is high stretch. The insert is attached to the shell and shapes the glove according to the criteria of the present invention.

3) Shell materials: 25/2 para-aramid 13 gauge string knit with an insert of woven PET having 110 epi of 220 denier PET and a filling of 60 epi of 220 denier PET coated with urethane resin. The area of the insert is 110% of the palm. The insert meets the criteria for a low stretch material and the shell is high stretch. The insert is attached to the shell and shapes the glove according to the criteria of the present invention.

4) Shell material: 210 denier nylon 13 gauge string knit with a 2 ply woven PET insert having 110 epi of 220 denier PET and a filling of 60 epi of 220 denier PET coated with urethane resin. The area of the first ply of the insert is 100% of the palm the area, and the area of the second ply of the insert is 115% of the palm area. The insert meets the criteria for a low stretch material and the shell is high stretch. The insert is attached to the shell and shapes the glove according to the criteria of the present invention.

5) Shell materials: 210 denier nylon 13 gauge string knit with a dipped coating covering the palm and the fingers, including the areas of the finger nail beds, with a 2 ply woven PET insert having 110 epi of 220 denier PET and a filling with 60 epi of 220 denier PET coated with urethane resin. The area of the first ply of the insert is 100% of the palm area, and the area of the second ply of the insert is 115% of the palm area. The insert meets the criteria for a low stretch material and the shell is high stretch. The insert is attached to the shell and shapes the glove according to the criteria of the present invention.

6) Shell materials: woven PET with a 2-ply insert, both plys having 110 epi of 220 denier PET and a filling of 60 epi of 220 denier PET coated with urethane resin. The area of the first ply of the insert is 100% of the palm area, and the area of the second ply of the insert is 115% of the palm area. The insert meets the criteria for a low stretch material and the shell is low stretch. The shell and the insert meet the criteria in of the present invention.

7) Shell materials: 210 denier 13 gauge string knit with a first woven PET insert of 110 epi of 220 denier PET and filling of 60 epi of 220 denier PET. The area of the first insert is 115% of the palm area, and is attached on the palm side of the glove. A second insert is also made of the same 110×60 PET construction, has an area that is 60% of the palm area, and is attached to the back of the glove. The inserts meets the criteria for a low stretch material, and the shell is high stretch. The inserts are attached to the shell and shape the glove according to the criteria of the present invention.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Each and every page of this submission, and all contents thereon, however characterized, identified, or numbered, is considered a substantive part of this application for all purposes, irrespective of form or placement within the application. This specification is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for designing a glove, the method comprising:

determining a hand length for the glove;

selecting four critical dimensions for the glove from a group of six critical dimensions that includes bridge length, thumb length, index finger length, middle finger length, ring finger length, and pinky finger length; and

calculating the four selected critical dimensions such that a ratio of each selected critical dimension dived by a hand length falls within a corresponding range, where the corresponding ranges are from 0.46 to 0.49 for the bridge length, from 0.61 to 0.63 for the thumb length, from 0.37 to 0.40 for the index finger length, from 0.40 to 0.43 for the middle finger length, from 0.37 to 0.40 for the ring finger length, and from 0.30 to 0.33 for the pinky finger length.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ratios of each of the six critical dimensions divided by the hand length falls within the corresponding ranges.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 60% of a palm area of the glove is constructed from low-stretch material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand length is determined by selection of a glove size from the 6 sizes for human hands defined by the EN standard.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the hand length is determined by selecting the glove size to be small, medium, large, or extra-large.

6. A glove that includes a low-stretch material, the glove comprising:

a glove having a hand length and six critical dimensions, the critical dimensions including a bridge length, a thumb length, an index finger length, a middle finger length, a ring finger length, and a pinky finger length;

wherein at least four of the critical dimensions have a ratio when dived by the hand length that falls within a corresponding range, where the corresponding ranges are from 0.46 to 0.49 for the bridge length, from 0.61 to 0.63 for the thumb length, from 0.37 to 0.40 for the index finger length, from 0.40 to 0.43 for the middle finger length, from 0.37 to 0.40 for the ring finger length, and from 0.30 to 0.33 for the pinky finger length.

7. The glove of claim 6, wherein ratios of each of the six critical dimensions divided by the hand length falls within the corresponding ranges.

8. The glove of claim 6, wherein at least 60% of a palm area of the glove is constructed from low-stretch material.

9. The glove of claim 6, wherein the hand length corresponds to a glove size selected from the 6 sizes for human hands defined by the EN standard.

10. The glove of claim 9, wherein the hand length corresponds to a glove size of small, medium, large, or extra-large.