HAND GRIP FOR EXERCISING AND REHABILITATION
A hand grip includes a hand portion structured and arranged to at least partially cover a palm of a wearer's hand, a plurality of holes in the hand portion, a wrist strap extending from a base of the hand portion, and a finger strap extending from the hand portion.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/500,494 filed Jun. 23, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to hand grips to be worn during activities such as exercising and rehabilitation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATIONVarious situations arise in which it would be desirable to secure a user's hand around the handle of exercise equipment for various types of exercises and/or rehabilitation. For example, a rehabilitation patient may need to grasp a handle on an exercise device. In addition a user may need assistance in gripping various equipment such as pulleys, exercise bikes, dumbbells, therapy weight bars, hand exercisers, sports activities/equipment, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn aspect of the present invention is to provide a hand grip that includes a hand portion structured and arranged to at least partially cover a palm of a wearer's hand, a plurality of holes in the hand portion, a wrist strap extending from a base of the hand portion, and a finger strap extending from the hand portion.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.
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In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the front surface 24 of the hand grip comprises a non-slip material that helps the wearer securely grasp articles such as exercise or rehabilitation equipment. The non-slip material may be provided over the entire front surface of the hand grip, or over a portion thereof. The hand grip may be made from a single layer of material; however, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the hand grip comprises at least two sheets of material 26, 28. For example, the front and back sides may be made from the same or similar non-slip material attached together by any suitable means such as sewing or adhesive. The layers of non-slip material may be made from commercially available materials, such as high friction coefficient fabric comprising a non-slip PVC layer on a flexible PPE substrate backing layer sold by Harrison Technologies Inc. under the designation Toughtek.
A layer of stretchable cushioning fabric 30 may be sandwiched between the two non-slip layers, for example in the hand region of the hand grip. The stretchable cushioning material has a thumb hole 32 and finger holes 34, 36 of smaller size than the corresponding thumb and finger holes of the non-slip layers, such that the wearer's thumb and fingers contact the stretchable cushioning material during use rather than contacting the edges of the thumb and finger holes of the non-slip layers. A means to secure the position of the stretchable cushioning material relative to the top and bottom sheets of material, such as stitching, adhesive, or other fastening means, can be included to keep the stretchable cushioning material centered in the holes.
Additional padding may be provided at any desired location. For example, in the embodiment shown in the figures, one or more padded disks 38 can be provided between the two sheets of material 26, 28 in the hand portion. Such padded disks can be included where cushioning is desired, for example at the base of the palm to provide additional padding for that portion of the hand during use.
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The hand grip may be provided in left-handed and right-handed versions, and may be provided in any desirable size. For example, the hand grip may be provided in small sizes for pediatric use, as well as medium and larger adult sizes as necessary.
In one embodiment of the invention, the hand grip may be used to secure the user's hand around the handle of exercise equipment for various types of exercises and/or rehabilitation. For example, a typical routine for a rehabilitation patient may be as follows: (1) a therapist places the hand grip on the affected hand of a patient; (2) the hand and grip are placed on an exercise device while the finger strap is extended; and (3) the finger strap is wrapped around the exercise device to thereby close and secure the patient's hand around the device. An illustration of a hand grip securing the hands of a user to a hand crank exercise is shown in
In addition to the exercise described above, the hand grip may be used for various different types of exercises such as pulleys, exercise bikes, dumbbells, therapy weight bars, hand exercisers, sports activities/equipment, and the like.
In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the hand grip may be used by various types of rehabilitation patients, such as post-stroke, quadriplegics, rheumatoid arthritis, nerve/muscle injuries, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.
Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A hand grip comprising:
- a hand portion structured and arranged to at least partially cover a palm of a wearer's hand;
- a plurality of holes in the hand portion;
- a wrist strap extending from a base of the hand portion; and
- a finger strap extending from the hand portion.
2. The hand grip of claim 1, wherein the hand portion comprises:
- a layer of stretchable fabric sandwiched between two layers of material.
3. The hand grip of claim 3, wherein at least one of the layers of material comprises a non-slip material.
4. The hand grip of claim 2, wherein plurality of holes comprises a thumb hole and two finger holes
5. The hand grip of claim 4, wherein the stretchable fabric includes a thumb hole and two finger holes positioned in the thumb hole and two finger holes of the hand portion, wherein the thumb hole and two finger holes of the stretchable fabric are smaller than the thumb hole and two finger holes of the hand portion.
6. The hand grip of claim 1, wherein the hand portion comprises:
- two layers of material and a cushion between the two layers.
7. The hand grip of claim 6, wherein at least one of the layers of material comprises a non-slip material.
8. The hand grip of claim 1, further comprising:
- a fastening device for securing the wrist strap in a position around a wrist of a user.
9. The hand grip of claim 8, wherein the fastening device comprises a hook and loop fastener.
10. The hand grip of claim 1, further comprising:
- a fastening device for securing the finger strap in a position around fingers of a user.
11. The hand grip of claim 10, wherein the fastening device comprises a buckle.
12. The hand grip of claim 1, wherein the wrist strap and the finger strap extend from the hand portion at about a right angle with respect to each other.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 21, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 24, 2013
Inventor: Louis J. Gaston (Sarver, PA)
Application Number: 13/529,485