FORCE RESISTANT GARMENT
A force resistant garment provides a glove configured to at least partially cover a hand. The garment includes a force resistant material such as a para-aramid synthetic fiber. The garment also includes a body portion that at least partially covers a front side and a back side of the hand and wrist. In this manner, portions of the hand remain uncovered, while other portions of the hand that are prone to injuries while cutting, shearing, or applying other forces, remain protected by the garment. The garment includes a strength enhanced portion for providing additional resiliency against a force. The strength enhanced portion positions in proximity the fingers. The garment also includes non-strength enhanced portion for covering portions of the hand that require less protection, but still benefit from additional padding. The non-strength enhanced portion positions in proximity to a front side and a back side of the hand.
The present Utility patent application claims priority benefit of the U.S. provisional application for patent Ser. No. 61/562,989 entitled “Partial Glove Providing Resistance to Cuts”, filed on 22-Nov.-2011, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e). The contents of this related provisional application are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes to the extent that such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith or limiting hereof.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable.
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER LISTING APPENDIXNot applicable.
COPYRIGHT NOTICEA portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONOne or more embodiments of the invention generally relate to safety equipment. More particularly, one or more embodiments of the invention relate to cut resistant partial gloves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
The following is an example of a specific aspect in the prior art that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. By way of educational background, another aspect of the prior art generally useful to be aware of is that knives may be used in a multiplicity of environments including, without limitation, kitchens, restaurants, the meat industry, other industrial settings, hair salons, art studios, etc. Knives can be sharp, and powerful, and one may expect that the use of a knife may result in injury, especially if safety measures are not taken.
Typically, certain parts of the hand are more susceptible to injury such as, but not limited to, the thumb, index finger, and middle finger. The hand not holding the knife hand is herein referred to as the guiding hand. The guiding hand typically holds the item being cut to generally prevent the item from sliding around on the cutting board. This positioning may result in risk of injury to the guiding hand. With the knife blade moving up and down, it is desirable to tuck the fingertips away for safety, while still being able to firmly hold the item being cut.
In view of the foregoing, it is clear that these traditional techniques are not perfect and leave room for more optimal approaches.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTSThe present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.
It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials, manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications, described herein, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a reference to “a step” or “a means” is a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub-steps and subservient means. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Preferred methods, techniques, devices, and materials are described, although any methods, techniques, devices, or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the art, and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.
Although Claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any Claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention.
Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. The Applicants hereby give notice that new Claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” etc., may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment,” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.
As is well known to those skilled in the art many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal manufacture of a commercial implementation any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
There are various types of force resistant garments that may be provided by preferred embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, the force resistant garment may provide a glove configured to be operable to at least partially cover a hand. The garment may include a body portion that at least partially covers a front side and a back side of the hand and wrist. In this manner, portions of the hand may remain uncovered, while other portions of the hand that are prone to injuries while cutting, shearing, or applying other forces, remain protected by the garment. The force may include, without limitation, a cut, a tear, a shear, and a puncture. The force may be caused by various instrumentation, including, without limitation, knives, baseball bats, golf clubs, and graters. In some embodiments, the garment may include at least one strength enhanced portion for providing additional resiliency against a force. The at least one strength enhanced portion may position in proximity to at least one finger. In some embodiments, the garment may include at least one non-strength enhanced portion for covering portions of the hand that require less protection, but still benefit from additional padding. The at least one non-strength enhanced portion may position in proximity to a front side and a back side of the hand. Suitable materials for the force resistant garment may include, without limitation, Advanced Technology Aramid, Dyneema®, Fiber-Metal Blends, HexArmor®, Kevlar®, Leather, Metal Mesh, Spectra®, Steel Core, Twaron®, and Vectran®, with or without additional non-cut resistant material mixed in.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the force resistant garment 198 may provide a garment configured to be operable to cover a hand 196. In some embodiments, the force resistant garment may be configured to form into a hand covering or partial glove leaving some parts of the hand exposed or covered with non-cut resistant material or with a lower level cut resistant material. Those skilled in the art, in light of the present teachings, will recognize that other parts of the hand, which are typically more susceptible to injury, are covered and protected with cut resistant fabric. One embodiment of the cut resistant partial glove may covers the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and front palm with additional fabric (cut resistant or non-cut resistant) added for comfort and to aid the partial glove in fitting appropriately. It is believed that the sides of the thumb, index, middle finger as well as the front palm are injury prone parts of the non-cutting free hand, or guide hand, and the index finger, middle finger, palm, and thumb are the most injury prone parts of the cutting hand. Therefore, one may expect that a cut resistant partial glove design according to an embodiment of the present invention may increase comfort, touch and dexterity while generally maintaining a great deal of safety. Non-limiting examples of persons which may use force resistant garments include, without limitation, safety conscious persons, owners of kitchen knives, BBQ users, fast food and restaurant industry workers, meat industry workers, artists, hair stylists, fashion and beauty industry workers, etc.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the top of force resistant garment 198 comprises top finger portions 105 and 106, a top thumb portion 107, top knuckle portions 108, 109, and 110, a back-hand portion 111, and a top wrist portion 112. Top finger portion 105 aids in generally preventing cuts to a finger located within top finger portion 105. Top finger portion 106 aids in generally preventing cuts to a finger located within top finger portion 106. Knuckle portions 108, 109 and 110 aid in generally preventing cuts to respective knuckles located within knuckle portions 108, 109 and 110. Top thumb portion 107 aids in generally preventing cuts to the thumb located within top thumb portion 107. Back-hand portion 111 aids in generally preventing cuts to the back of hand 196 located internal to back-hand portion 111. Top wrist portion 112 aids in generally preventing cuts to the wrist located internal to top wrist portion 112. Tops of fingers 100 and 101, tops of knuckles 102 and 103 and a hand portion 104 are not covered by force resistant garment 198.
In one embodiment of the present invention, force resistant garment 198 comprises a bottom thumb portion 118, bottom finger portions 119 and 120, under knuckle portions 121, 122, and 123, an under hand portion 124 and an under wrist portion 125. Bottom thumb portion 118 aids in generally preventing cuts to a thumb located within bottom thumb portion 118. Bottom finger portion 119 aids in generally preventing cuts to a finger located within bottom finger portion 119. Bottom finger portion 120 aids in generally preventing cuts to a finger located within bottom finger portion 120. Under knuckle portion 121 aids in generally preventing cuts under a knuckle located within under knuckle portion 121. Under knuckle portion 122 aids in generally preventing cuts under a knuckle located within under knuckle portion 122. Under knuckle portion 123 aids in generally preventing cuts under a knuckle located within under knuckle portion 123. Under hand portion 124 aids in generally preventing cuts to the under portion of hand 196 located internal to under hand portion 124. Under wrist portion 125 aids in generally preventing cuts to the under portion of the wrist associated with hand 196 located internal to under wrist portion 125. The undersides of fingers 100 and 101, under knuckles 115 and 116 and a hand portion 117 are not covered by force resistant garment 198.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the force resistant garment 198 may be made by cutting a five finger glove to the appropriate specifications or by forming the partial glove from raw materials. Non-limiting examples of cut resistant materials that may be used for fabricating force resistant garment 198 include, without limitation, various forms of Advanced Technology Aramid, Dyneema®, Fiber-Metal Blends, HexArmor®, Kevlar®, Leather, Metal Mesh, Spectra®, Steel Core, Twaron®, and Vectran®, with or without additional non-cut resistant material mixed in. The use of additional fabrics, which may not necessarily be cut resistant, can be built into the partial gloves in some embodiments to make the gloves aesthetically appealing. Additional fabrics can include, but are not limited to, silk, chenille, cotton, bamboo cotton, polyethylene, suede, polyester, and leather. For example, without limitation, a piece of suede may cover the top side of the hand that connects to the cut resistant material at the knuckles and the cut resistant material at the wrist, a Dyneema® and bamboo cotton mix may be used, or any other combination of cut resistant materials blended with other materials may be used. In some embodiments, the wrist area may comprise an elastic band, a fitting band, or a strap that can aid in fitting the glove to the wrist of the user. In some embodiments, the wrist portion or another portion of the glove may comprise a hook for hanging. Gloves may be configured with a variety of ranges for resistance in some embodiments. For example, without limitation, gloves may be configured for resisting abrasions, cuts, tears, and punctures from 1-6, based on the ANSI/ISEA 105-2005 Mechanical Ratings. Gloves can also range in resistance to abrasions, cuts, tears, and punctures, based on the European Standard or EN 388 Mechanical Ratings, ISO 13997:1999 Blade Cut Resistance Levels, ASTM F-1790 Blade Cut Resistance Levels, EN 388:2003 Tear Resistance Levels and EN 388:2003 Abrasion Resistance Levels. Depending on the types of materials used, in some embodiments gloves may be machine washable, lint free, waterproof, or washable. Some embodiments may incorporate the use of a heat resistant material or may be configured for use with raw meat with the exclusion of any materials that are disallowed by FDA/USDA for fear of contamination. Some embodiments may be made without latex or other allergenic materials. Other embodiments may be configured with non-stick grips of various different materials such as, but not limited to, rubber or nitrile. However, these types of gloves may not be suitable for activities where the glove may come into contact with food. Gloves may be configured as one size to fit everyone or may be available in multiple sizes and shapes depending on the user. Moreover, gloves may be configured as a pair or configured as signal items.
In one embodiment of the present invention, cut resistant partial gloves may be worn on the left and right hands while cutting. Alternately, a force resistant garment may be worn on only one hand. The user can wear the partial glove on either hand, yet it is more often worn on the hand that more likely to be injured, which is typically the guide hand not holding the cutting instrument. With partial force resistant garment 198 on the guide hand, the user may be able to feel the item being cut for example, without limitation, a vegetable with the parts of his fingers that are not covered. This may enable the user to experience greater dexterity and range of motion from wearing less material than one would wear with a force resistant garment covering the entire hand. This may also enable the user to be more precise while using the cutting instrument. Partial force resistant garments according to some embodiments may be used in a multiplicity of suitable environments such as, but not limited to, in the kitchen while someone is cutting food with a sharp knife, near a BBQ, while playing sports including, without limitation, golf, baseball, football, bowling, Frisbee® or polo to generally prevent skin irritation, tearing or cuts, in art studios, by hair stylists using sharp scissors, in the fashion industry, to protect kids when doing arts and crafts and/or working with sharp objects, etc. With appropriate use, force resistant garment 198 may provide protection from cuts as well as scrapes and other types of irritation from contact with instruments such as, but not limited to, knives, baseball bats, golf clubs, graters, scissors, etc.
Those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of and in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, that gloves in some embodiments may be formed in various different configurations covering a multiplicity of suitable combinations of fingers, knuckles, wrists, palms, or forearms, depending various different factors including, without limitation, safety, comfort, and design. As a non-limiting example, some embodiments may have designs where the fingers are covered and not the palm or wrist. Other embodiments may be fabricated by embedding an increased concentration of cut resistant material to specific parts of the glove while removing cut resistant material from others parts of the glove either partially or completely. Furthermore, some embodiments may comprise material covering the ring finger and pinky past the second knuckle leaving just the finger tips exposed. Yet other embodiments may comprise material covering the wrist, thumb, index finger, and part of the side of the middle finger facing the thumb. Yet other embodiments may comprise material covering the wrist, thumb, index finger, middle finger, and ring finger. Yet other embodiments may comprise material covering the wrist, thumb, and index finger. Furthermore, in some embodiments combinations may exist where the user's nails are uncovered, which may help the user maintain feeling and in some cases for style, for example, without limitation, if a women would like to have her nail polish in view. Some embodiments may comprise combinations where at least one part of one finger or a whole finger is left uncovered to provide the user with additional comfort, dexterity, and sense of touch. Furthermore, cut resistant material in some embodiments can cover the entire partial glove or just specific parts of the partial glove, which are likely the parts of the partial glove covering the parts of the hand that are likely to be injured while cutting. Furthermore, the above exemplary embodiments may comprise or exclude a covering for the top part of hand from below or above the knuckles to the wrist. Moreover, the above exemplary embodiments may cover different parts of the fingers to varying degrees up to or past the first, second, or third knuckles, where the first knuckle is at root of finger. Some embodiments may comprise combinations in which the wrist is uncovered. Other embodiments may comprise combinations with a sleeve that covers up to the elbow or partially up the forearm. This sleeve can be permanent or removable.
Some embodiments may comprise cut resistant inserts that can be removed from and replaced into the partial gloves. These embodiments may enable the user to change the cut resistance of the gloves by changing the inserts. These embodiments may also be easier to wash when the inserts are removed.
Those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of and in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, that some embodiments may comprise a multiplicity of suitable design traits for example, without limitation, patterns, color, art work, or jewels (real or fake) can be used (e.g., leopard print, sparkles, silver, gold), silk screen or heat transfer may be used to put a custom logo on the gloves including, without limitation, logos of sports teams or other types of designs, customization features such as, but not limited to, the owner's name can be incorporated into the partial gloves, labels may be included, without limitation, inside the glove, etc. In addition, features to appeal to the mass market, including a typical consumer, may be incorporated into the gloves. For example, without limitation, lights can be embedded into the gloves that may flash, stay on, or remain off, or glow in the dark material can be incorporated into the partial gloves. In some embodiments gloves may incorporate energy generating technology to store energy created while user is wearing the partial glove. Some embodiments may comprise sound effects as a gag or may play music. In some embodiments, gloves may be packaged with coordinating items such as, but not limited to, kitchen knives, a grater, a BBQ, a set of BBQ tools, an aesthetic glove covering, a thinner glove that covers all five fingers, a cut resistant outfit, an apron, other kitchen supplies, etc.
All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention, other equivalent or alternative methods of providing a force resistant garment according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention has been described above by way of illustration, and the specific embodiments disclosed are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. For example, the particular implementation of the glove may vary depending upon the particular type of opening used. The openings described in the foregoing were directed to non-adjustable implementations; however, similar techniques are to provide gloves with adjustable openings using adjustment means such as, but not limited to, hook and loop material, snaps, buttons, buckles, zippers, etc. Adjustable implementations of the present invention are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.
Claims
1. A garment comprising:
- a body portion, said body portion being configured to be operable to at least partially cover a hand, said body portion comprising a force resistant material, said force resistant material being configured to resist a force; and
- at least one extension portion, said at least one extension portion being configured to be operable to at least partially cover at least one finger, said at least one extension portion comprising said force resistant material, said force resistant material being configured to resist a force.
2. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a glove.
3. The garment of claim 2, in which said glove comprises a right handed glove or a left handed glove.
4. The garment of claim 1, in which said force resistant material comprises a para-aramid synthetic fiber.
5. The garment of claim 1, in which said force comprises a cut, a scrape, an abrasion, a tear, or a puncture.
6. The garment of claim 1, wherein said body portion is operable to at least partially cover a front side and a back side of said hand.
7. The garment of claim 1, in which said at least one extension portion comprises at least one glove finger.
8. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises at least one strength enhanced portion.
9. The garment of claim 8, wherein said at least one strength enhanced portion is disposed to position in proximity to said at least one finger.
10. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises at least one non-strength enhanced portion.
11. The garment of claim 10, wherein said at least one non-strength enhanced portion is disposed to position in proximity to said body portion.
12. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a bottom thumb portion, said bottom thumb portion being configured to protect a bottom thumb from said force.
13. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a top thumb portion, said top thumb portion being configured to protect a top thumb from said force.
14. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a top thumb portion, said top thumb portion being configured to protect a top thumb from said force.
15. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a bottom finger portion, said bottom finger portion being configured to protect a bottom finger from said force.
16. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a top finger portion, said top finger portion being configured to protect a top finger from said force.
17. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a knuckle portion, said knuckle portion being configured to protect a knuckle from said force.
18. The garment of claim 1, in which said garment comprises a wrist portion, said wrist portion being configured to protect a wrist from said force.
19. A garment comprising:
- means for adorning a garment at least partially on a hand;
- means for gripping an instrumentation;
- means for applying a force on an object with said instrumentation; and
- means for restricting said force from said hand.
20. A garment consisting of:
- a body portion, said body portion being configured to be operable to at least partially cover a hand, said body portion comprising a glove, said body portion further comprising a non-strength enhanced portion, said body portion comprising a force resistant material, said force resistant material comprising a para-aramid synthetic fiber, said force resistant material being configured to resist a force, said force comprising a cut; and
- at least one extension portion, said at least one extension portion comprising at least one glove finger, said at least one extension portion further comprising a strength enhanced portion, said at least one extension portion being configured to be operable to at least partially cover at least one finger, said at least one extension portion comprising said force resistant material, said force resistant material comprising said para-aramid synthetic fiber, said force resistant material being configured to resist a force.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 19, 2012
Publication Date: May 22, 2014
Inventor: Jeffrey B. Katz (Brookeville, MD)
Application Number: 13/681,363
