WATER SPORTS HAND COVER
The invention provides a hand cover (10) for use in water sporting activities wherein a sports person grips a piece of equipment (6), such as a boom of a said windsurf. The hand cover comprises a wrist enclosing section, two side sections (2) and a main section (3), the two side sections and/or main section being shaped such that the hand cover has a pre-curled shape having a finger enclosing region. The wrist enclosing section, side sections and main sections together define an open section (4) of the hand cover through which part of a user's palm and fingers are exposed for making a bare-skin grip on the boom to mitigate against forearm fatigue that can be caused by over-gripping. The hand cover additionally comprises a biasing means (1) for urging the finger enclosing region of the hand cover to contact and fit against the boom, when gripped by a wearer of the hand cover, for aiding the hand cover in sealing around the wearer's hand and the part of the equipment being gripped.
The present invention relates to a water sports hand cover and particularly, but not exclusively, to a water sports hand cover that is generally pre-curled and/or shaped to follow the shape of a user's hand in a gripping position; that is flexible enough to allow a wearer of the hand cover to move their hand into a relaxed, non-gripping position; and that comprises a means for biasing a finger enclosing region of the hand cover to form around a wearer's fingers and contact equipment gripped by a wearer of the hand cover. The invention finds advantageous application in water sporting activities such as windsurfing, sailing and the like.
BACKGROUNDPeople engaged in water sports in colder temperatures, typically 0° C. to 12° C. usually need to wear some form of hand wear, gloves or mittens, to keep their hands within a comfortable temperature range. However, typical five finger gloves and fully enclosed mittens wrap a user's hand and fingers in a layer of insulating and waterproof material. Whilst this protects against the cold, a user's hand has to strain against the material of the glove or mitten in order to force the glove or mitten to adopt a gripping position. Additionally, having a layer of material on the underside of the fingers and hand palm can cause other problems for the water sports person. For example, in dinghy sailing, a loss of dexterity resulting from the presence of a glove or mitten may make it difficult to grab, feed and/or grip ropes, spinnaker poles, and tillers. In windsurfing and/or kite surfing applications, feedback from the sail or kite is passed to the surfer via his grip on the boom or bar of the windsurf and this feedback can become distorted and/or muffled by the presence of a mitten. This can result in the surfer gripping tighter to collect that feedback and tighter gripping typically results in forearm fatigue, aching and cramps. In canoeing and paddle boarding, a user's gloved grip on a paddle is less comfortable and less reliable than that of a bare hand grip. Again this can result in over-gripping and subsequent forearm fatigue, aching and cramps.
To partially reduce the problems associated with enclosed gloves and mittens, sportspersons have been using “palm-less” mittens wherein a hole in the mitten to exposes a palm of the user's hand and in some instances a section of the four fingers. However, so that such mittens stay in position over the end of a user's finger tips, these mittens rely on a layer of material, provided on the underside of the four fingers, running from the tips and then going between 30% and 80% along the fingers towards the palm of the user's hand. This means that there is still a layer of material between the user's finger tips and the equipment they are handling and since much of the feedback is detected via the fingertips and since the finger tips are key to a secure grip, over-gripping and/or loss of feedback can still occur even with palm-less gloves or mittens.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,459 to Kogler a permanently pre-curled palmless mitten is disclosed in which the mitten is generally permanently pre-shaped to follow the natural contour of a curled hand and which provides a bore space to allow a user of the mitten to transmit, substantially undiminished, hand exerted gripping force to a hand holdable rod such as a boom on a windsurf sail. Whilst this mitten mitigates against some of the aforementioned problems, disadvantageously the region of the mitten that encloses the four fingers of the user's hand together in a common cavity does not always provide a good seal around the ends of the user's fingers and the mitten being permanently pre-curled can make it difficult for a user to comfortable relax their hand and fingers into a straight position to rest the hand when it is not gripping a boom.
The present invention seeks to provide an improvement in the field of hand covers for water sporting and similar activities by providing a water sports hand cover that insulates the hand from wind chill and water spray but gives the sports person a completely or a substantially bare hand grip on a piece of equipment, such as a rope, a boom, a bar, a tiller or a paddle (herein referred to collectively and generically as “bar”). The invention may be utilised in applications other than for water sports where the user's hand temperature and the user's ability to grip and maintain sensitivity to feedback are key considerations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, aspects of the disclosure provide a hand cover to shield a hand from wind, rain and water spray and thereby help keep the hand warm during a surface water sport activity but which also provides a bare skin grip on a boom, bar, tiller, rope and/or paddle by leaving the hand palm and under side of the four fingers completely exposed to make contact with that boom, bar, tiller, rope and/or paddle.
By making the hand cover out of a rubber neoprene or similar material and being shaped in the clenched first or bar grip hand posture, the cover may provide a substantially wind and spray proof seal against the boom, bar, tiller, rope and/or paddle all the way around the edge of the hands grip thereof.
By making the hand cover out of a rubber or neoprene or similar material the hand cover may flex and stretch away from its natural clenched first shape to allow the fingers to straighten, as it does so, by virtue of the hand cover's natural clenched first shape, a block of material running along the finger tips will be pulled underneath the finger tips ensuring that the cover is held firmly in place during hand manoeuvres.
Instead of simply having a wall of material, the hand cover has a block of soft rubber or neoprene or similar material running along the finger tips and the finger tips will partially sink into that block of material, but not to the extent that the block interferes with the grip, and thereby provides the user with control of the hand cover when the hand is gripping the boom, bar, tiller, rope and/or paddle.
By making the hand cover out of a rubber or neoprene or similar material, a single shaped, sized hand cover may flex and stretch to create a substantially wind and spray proof seal against a range of booms, bars, tillers, ropes and/or paddles of different diameters.
According to one aspect of the invention for which protection is sought, there is provided a hand cover for use in water sporting activities wherein a sports person grips a piece of equipment, such as a boom or bar. The hand cover may comprise a wrist enclosing section, two side sections and a main section. The two side sections and/or main section are shaped such that the hand cover has a pre-curled shape having a finger enclosing region. The wrist enclosing section, side sections and main sections together define an open section of the hand cover through which part of a user's palm and fingers are exposed for making a bare-skin grip on the piece of equipment, for example, the boom or bar. Advantageously, the hand cover comprises a biasing means for urging the finger enclosing region of the hand cover to contact and fit against the piece of equipment when gripped by a wearer of the hand cover for aiding the hand cover in sealing around the wearer's hand and the part of the equipment being gripped.
Optionally, the biasing means comprises a block of material. Optionally, the block of material has at least one curved side and is attached to the main section of the hand cover along that curved side.
The block of material may be formed from two or more layers of material that are bonded together.
The block of material may be formed from two or more layers which each may have at least one curved side edge. The two or more layers may be bonded together such that the curved side edges are stacked in flush alignment.
Optionally, the other side edge of each layer also has a curved shape and each layer may have the same width such that the other curved side edges are also stacked in flush alignment.
Optionally, the hand cover is formed from an elastomer foam with a waterproof lining and optionally the biasing means is formed from an elastomer foam with or without a waterproof lining that has a thickness that is equal to or greater than the thickness of the elastomer foam with a waterproof lining from which the hand cover is formed.
The hand cover and/or the biasing means may be formed from neoprene rubber.
The hand cover may additionally comprise a thumb enclosing section.
Optionally, the hand cover comprises two main parts: a first part and a second part, wherein the second part fits partially within the first part and wherein the relative position of the first and second parts is adjustable such that an overall length of the hand cover and/or the position of one or both side sections and/or the position of the biasing means can be adjusted. The adjustment can take place in-situ, i.e. once the two parts have been assembled together and then placed onto a user's hand. Beneficially therefore the hand cover can be adjusted once the wearer is “on the water” and therefore adjusted in response to the wearer's grip on a piece of equipment being used.
Optionally, the first part provides the wrist enclosing section and a thumb enclosing section and the second part may provide the side sections, main section and biasing means.
Optionally, the hand cover further comprises an attachment means for attaching the first and second parts for mitigating against complete separation of the first and second parts without interfering with the adjustment of the relative positioning of the first and second parts.
The second part of the hand cover may comprise an adjustment section which can be grasped by a user of the hand cover for adjusting the position of the second part relative to the first part. The adjustment section may be tapered and the first and second parts may be held together by a friction fit.
Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.
One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Detailed descriptions of specific embodiments of the hand covers of the present invention are disclosed herein. It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the way in which certain aspects of the invention can be implemented and do not represent an exhaustive list of all of the ways the invention may be embodied. Indeed, it will be understood that the hand covers described herein may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimised to show details of particular components. Well-known components, materials or methods are not necessarily described in great detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. Any specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the invention.
In
The wall sections 2 are optionally similarly shaped and sized, albeit as mirror images of one another, and as can be seen in
The main section 3 of the hand cover 10 may be formed of a similar or different material and in this illustrated arrangement, is also formed from rubber neoprene. The main section 3 is joined to each wall section 2 and as such has a (neutral) cross-sectional shape that follows the general “J”-shape of the wall sections 2. In this way the hand cover 10 adopts a pre-curled shape that will naturally follow the shape of a hand in a gripping position (as shown in
The open section 4 of the hand cover 10 leaves a sufficient portion of the palm of the hand of the wearer exposed and without cover to enable the wearer to make a bare skin contact with a piece of equipment, such as a bar 6. In addition and in contrast to the prior art, the open section 4 is sized and arranged such that a substantial portion or all of the fingertip side of the wearer's four fingers is also exposed to make a bare skin contact with a piece of equipment 6. In
The thumb covering section 7 completely encloses the wearer's thumb and permits the covered thumb to wrap around the bar 6 in the opposite direction to the path the four fingers take whilst being fully protected against water spray and wind chill.
The termination of the open section 4 along the palm is defined by the cut off line 8. The position of this cut-off line 8 may be selected in dependence upon the intended use of the hand cover 10. In the present arrangement, the hand cover 10 is intended for use in windsurfing where the sportsperson will grip a boom 6 (also referred to as “bar”) of the windsurf. It is whilst windsurfing is being undertaken and the hands are in contact with the boom 6 that wind chill and water spray can cause considerable discomfort, (to the point of the windsurfer having to stop the activity), to a user not wearing any gloves or other hand protection. The hand cover 10 of the present disclosure is intended to act as a barrier to that wind chill and water spray (“the external environment”) by enclosing the wearer's hand around the boom 6. As such, the position of the cut-off line 8 may be selected in consideration of the general diameter of windsurfing booms 6 and so that the cut-off line 8 is positioned just between the user's palm and the boom 6 (rather than below the boom 6 which would expose palm). In
It will be appreciated that the hand cover 10 is shaped, configured and/or formed to cover over all of the exposed aspects of the sportsperson's hand when the hand is in a clenched position griping onto a bar 6 or other water sporting apparatus 6. It can be appreciated that in a gripping position (as shown in
Of further beneficial advantage, the hand cover 10 additionally comprises a biasing means 1 positioned in a finger enclosing region of the hand cover 10. The biasing means 1 is provided to urge the finger enclosing region to curl so that it fits well around a user's gripping hand. The biasing means 1 is also provided to urge the finger enclosing region of the hand cover 10 to return and curl around to such an extent that it “snaps” against and snugly fits against the boom 6. This results in a secure positioning of the hand cover 10 and a good seal around the user's hand. Additionally, this natural resilience of the hand cover 10 to adopt a good sealing position against the boom 6 makes the hand cover 10 easy to wear and use without the user having to try and specifically position the hand cover 10 so that it fits against the boom 6 in order to achieve good sealing. In this way the positioning of the hand cover 10 around a user's hand and its positioning against the boom 6 is improved compared to gloves and mittens of the prior art.
In the present embodiment, the biasing means 1 is provided by a block 1 of soft rubber neoprene (or similar material) that runs along the end of the finger tips, substantially alongside the finger nails. The block 1 optionally follows a curved path and has curved side edges. The weight and/or position and/or curved shape of the block 1 may contribute to the biasing effect of the block 1. In a clenched or bar grip position the very end of the finger tips contact and/or partially sink into the block 1 of neoprene but as shown in
In summary and as best illustrated in
In
When a wearer's fingers are relaxed and stretched out straight, the wall sections 2 and main section 3 of the hand cover 10 will stretch and flex, thus allowing the wearer the freedom to relax their hand out of the gripping position and away from the clenched first “default shape”. As the wearer straightens their fingers, the wall sections 2 on either side and the main section 3 start to pull the block 1, that runs alongside the fingertips, underneath the fingertips and alongside the pads of the fingers, thus ensuring that the hand cover 10 remains firmly in position over the back of the wearer's hand. In this way the wearer has significant freedom to move and stretch their hand and conduct various hand actions without the finger enclosing region of the hand cover 10 simply falling off the wearer's fingers.
When the hand returns to its grip position the natural weight and/or resilience of the block 1 urges the hand cover to return to its pre-curled and clenched first position with the block running along the fingertips and clear of the underside of the fingers and pads of the fingers to allow for a substantially bare grip on the bar 6. This is also illustrated in
As will be understood, in making the hand cover 10 out of a material having elastic, flexible and waterproof properties, such as but not limited to neoprene rubber, a single shaped and sized hand cover 10 will flex and stretch to create substantially wind and spray proof seal against a range of bars of different diameters.
Referring now to
The second part 110b comprises the side wall sections 102, that form the shaping of the pre-curled hand cover 130, which extend alongside the forefinger and little finger of a user's hand ‘H’ as well as the main section 103 of the hand cover 130 and the biasing means 101. In this arrangement, the biasing means 101 is provided by three layers of thick neoprene foam rubber, each approximately 6 mm thick. The three layers are adhered together by means of adhesive, though other means for adjoining the three layers may be used. Each layer has curved side edges and optionally the three layers are not of equal width between the curved side edges. The three layers are, in this arrangement affixed to the main section 103 and provide part of the finger enclosing region of the hand cover 130. The three bonded layers are affixed together in a stack such that along one side curved edge, the layers are all flush with one another and on the opposite (innermost side edge), the layers are staggered. An innermost layer has the lowest width and that the outermost layer has the greatest width, such that the biasing means 101 provides an approximate 1.8 mm deep (thick) curved block at the finger end of the main section 103, the inner side edge of which is curved and stepped. The stepped nature of the biasing means 101 may allow for a secure contact between a user's finger nails and the biasing means 101 as the finger nails partially sink into the biasing means 101.
At the opposite end to the biasing means 101, the main section 103 terminates in an adjustment section 115 which is optionally tapered and which may be sized (lengthwise) to extend beyond the underside section 105 when the two parts 110a, 110b are assembled together and is provided for adjusting the relative position of the first and second parts 110a, 110b.
The second part 110b slides into the first part 110a and is optionally held in place by a friction fit. The hand cover 130 is assembled as shown in
The degree of adjustment provided for by the two-part hand cover 130 arrangement provides for secure sealing of the hand cover 130 against a piece of apparatus 6 such as a boom of a windsurfing sail, and accommodates for different hand sizes; different positioning of hands on the boom 6; and different sizes and/or shape of boom 6. Once the appropriate relative position of the first and second parts 110a, 110b has been selected, the strap ‘S’ can be used to tighten the hand cover 130 about the user's wrist and in doing so the first and second parts 110a, 110b are held securely together and in the selected position. To some degree, after tightening of the strap ‘5’ adjustment may still be possible.
In
As a user moves their hand into a gripping position (illustrated in sequence in
It can be appreciated that various changes may be made within the scope of the present invention, for example, in other embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that the biasing means may take other forms from that illustrated herein. Specifically it is envisaged that whilst the biasing means may be a single solid continuous block extending between the side wall sections of the hand cover and depending from the main section of the hand cover, that the biasing means in other embodiments is formed from one or more layers each having the same or different materials, shapes, thicknesses and widths. Optionally the biasing means is formed from the same material as the rest of the hand cover in other embodiments; the biasing means is made entirely or partially from a different type and/or thickness of material. In envisaged arrangements, the biasing means does not extend continuously between the side wall sections of the hand cover and rather is made from two or more adjacent or spaced sections or blocks. The block or blocks of the biasing means may comprise shaping to promote fingertip placement and grip and to improve the ergonomic characteristics of the glove.
Optionally in envisaged arrangements, the biasing means is covered by a piece of material and optionally that piece of material is provided as an extension of the main section or as an extension of one or both of the side sections.
Whereas the illustrations show a left-handed glove, it will be appreciated that a right-handed glove may comprises similar or identical features, albeit the right-handed hand cover will be a mirror-image of the left-handed hand cover.
Some sportspersons may prefer to wear only one hand cover as disclosed herein and sports persons having a prosthetic hand may only have a requirement for a single hand cover. As such the term “hand-cover” as used herein refers to a single hand-cover for either a left or right hand and the term “pair of hand covers” refers to two hand covers: one for a right hand and one for a left hand.
Whereas neoprene rubber has been identified herein as a suitable material from which the wall sections, main sections, thumb enclosing section of the hand cover, first and second parts therefor and/or the biasing means therefor can be constructed, it will be appreciated that other suitable materials may be used instead of or in combination with neoprene rubber in forming the wall sections, main sections, thumb enclosing section of the hand cover, first and second parts therefor and/or the biasing means therefor.
In embodiments where the hand cover comprises first and second parts, the hand cover may further comprise an attachment means for attaching the first and second parts for mitigating against complete separation of the first and second parts. The attachment means does not interfere with the adjustment of the relative positioning of the first and second parts, but may help to prevent loss of one part of the hand cover. Optionally, the attachment means may comprise a length or strip of material or a cord attached at one end to the outer surface of the wrist enclosing section of the first part and at the other end to the inner surface of the adjustment section of the second part. The length of the material or cord is sufficient to ensure that the attachment means does not interfere with the adjustment of the relative positioning of the first and second parts.
Claims
1. A hand cover for use in water sporting activities wherein a sports person grips a piece of equipment, the hand cover comprising a wrist enclosing section, two side sections and a main section, at least one of the two side sections and the main section being shaped such that the hand cover has a pre-curled shape having a finger enclosing region, the wrist enclosing section, side sections and main sections together defining an open section of the hand cover through which part of a user's palm and fingers are exposed for making a bare-skin grip on a piece of equipment, the hand cover comprising a biasing means disposed in the finger enclosing region, the biasing means for urging the finger enclosing region of the hand cover to contact and fit against a piece of equipment when gripped by a wearer of the hand cover for aiding the hand cover in sealing around the wearer's hand and the part of the equipment being gripped and/or the biasing means for preventing the finger enclosing region from slipping off a wearer's hand when the hand is not in a gripping position.
2. The hand cover of claim 1 wherein the biasing means comprises a block of material.
3. The hand cover of claim 1 wherein the block has at least one curved side and is attached to the main section of the hand cover along that curved side.
4. The hand cover of claim 2 wherein the block of material is formed from a single piece of material or from two or more layers of material that are bonded together.
5. The hand cover of claim 4 wherein the block of material is formed from two or more layers each having at least one curved side edge and wherein the two or more layers are bonded together such that the curved side edges are stacked in flush alignment.
6. The hand cover of claim 5 wherein the other side edge of each layer also has a curved shape and wherein each layer has the same width such that the other curved side edges are also stacked in flush alignment.
7. The hand cover of claim 1 wherein the hand cover is formed from an elastomer foam with a waterproof lining and wherein the biasing means is formed from an elastomer foam with or without a waterproof lining that has a thickness that is equal to or greater than the thickness of the elastomer foam with a waterproof lining from which the hand cover is formed.
8. The hand cover of claim 7 wherein the hand cover and biasing means are formed from neoprene rubber.
9. The hand cover of claim 1 wherein the hand cover additionally comprises a thumb enclosing section.
10. The hand cover of claim 1 wherein the hand cover comprises two main parts: a first part and a second part, wherein the second part fits partially within the first part and wherein the relative position of the first and second parts is adjustable such that an overall length of the hand cover and/or the position of one or both side sections and/or the position of the biasing means can be adjusted.
11. The hand cover of claim 10 wherein the first part provides the wrist enclosing section and a thumb enclosing section and wherein the second part provides the side sections, main section and biasing means.
12. The hand cover of claim 10 wherein the hand cover further comprises an attachment means for attaching the first and second parts for mitigating against complete separation of the first and second parts without interfering with the adjustment of the relative positioning of the first and second parts.
13. The hand cover of claim 11 wherein the second part of the hand cover comprises an adjustment section for adjusting the position of the second part relative to the first part.
14. The hand cover of claim 12 wherein the adjustment section is tapered and wherein the first and second parts are held together by a friction fit.
15. A pair of hand covers comprising two hand covers according to claim 1.
16. A hand cover for use in water sporting activities wherein a sports person grips a piece of equipment, the hand cover comprising a wrist enclosing section, two side sections and a main section, at least one of the two side sections and the main section being shaped such that the hand cover has a pre-curled shape having a finger enclosing region and the wrist enclosing section, side sections and main sections together defining an open section of the hand cover through which part of a user's palm and fingers are exposed for making a bare-skin grip on a piece of equipment, and the hand cover comprising a block in the finger enclosing region of the hand cover which aids sealing of the hand cover about a gripped piece of equipment and which mitigates against the finger enclosing region slipping off a wearer's hand.
17. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 29, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2016
Inventor: Iain Richard SMITH (Rugby, Warwickshire)
Application Number: 14/908,579