PROTECTIVE GLOVE

Abstract

A glove for protecting a user from contact injuries that is flexible and functional enough for simple, daily use. More specifically, a protective glove having a fleece body, an elastic wrist extension, polyethylene foam segments attached to the fleece body on the back of the hand, finger portions, and thumb portions of the protective glove, and a nylon strip attached to the fleece body across the palm portion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/169,158 filed Jun. 1, 2015, titled PROTECTIVE GLOVE.

FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a flexible, protective glove. More specifically, it relates to a protective glove having a fleece body and polyethylene foam attached to the fleece body on the back of the hand, fingers, and thumb of the protective glove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Living in a northern climate exposes individuals to cold temperatures that require the use of gloves for hand protection. Most individuals wear simple cloth or fleece gloves to protect their hands. However, in some areas, individuals like to participate in outdoor winter activities, such as hockey, that require the use of specialized gloves to keep the hands warm and protect the hands from contact with other players or objects, such as hockey sticks or hockey pucks. Some of these activities, like hockey, can also be played indoors and by college or professional teams. While the gloves operate to protect players' hands, they restrict hand and finger movement and are, therefore, difficult to use other than when playing a game.

A glove is needed that has more flexibility and provides for a wider range of uses, but that can offer some protection when individuals play sports that can lead to contact injuries to hands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed device is a flexible, protective glove that offers protection from contact injuries and that is functional enough for simple, day-to-day use. More specifically, the protective glove is comprised of a fleece body, an elastic wrist extension, a plurality of polyethylene foam segments attached to the fleece body on the back of the hand, fingers, and thumb of the protective glove, and a nylon strip attached to the fleece body across the palm of the protective glove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left side view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 4 is a back perspective view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 5 is a front view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 6 is a front view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 7 is a back view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 8 is a back view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 9 is a top view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 10 is a top view of one embodiment of a right-handed glove.

FIG. 11 is a back perspective view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 12 is a back perspective view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 15 is a back perspective view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective glove.

FIG. 16 is a back perspective view of one embodiment of a right-handed protective glove.

FIG. 17 is a left side view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective mitten or golf head cover.

FIG. 18 is a right side view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective mitten or golf head cover.

FIG. 19 is a front view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective mitten or golf head cover.

FIG. 20 is a back view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective mitten or golf head cover.

FIG. 21 is a top view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective mitten or golf head cover.

FIG. 22 is a bottom view of one embodiment of a left-handed protective mitten or golf head cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the appended claims. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover application or embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims attached hereto. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The disclosed device is a flexible, protective glove that offers protection from contact injuries and that is functional enough for simple, day-to-day use. Generally, the protective glove is comprised of a base comprised of back and palm portions, four fingers, and a thumb. In one embodiment, the protective glove is comprised of a fleece body covering the entirety of a user's hand, an elastic wrist extension for covering a user's wrist, a plurality of polyethylene foam segments attached to the fleece body on the back of the hand, fingers, and thumb portions of the protective glove, and a nylon strip attached to the fleece body across at least a portion of the palm of the protective glove. In some embodiments, the outer body of the protective glove is waterproof or water resistant. The size of the protective glove can vary depending on the size of the wearer's hand.

In some embodiments, the protective glove can have a main body 102 that is made from one or more layers of the same or different material, such as fleece. For example, the protective glove may be comprised of two layers of fleece, and additional insulation material may be incorporated between the two layers of fleece to offer maximum protection against cold temperatures and wind. Further, the extra layers will each add a layer of protection against physical impact. In another embodiment, the protective glove may have a waterproof sleeve located between the at least two layers, enabling the user to maintain warm, dry hands even if the outer layer becomes damp. In some embodiments, the waterproof sleeve can be made of GORE-TEX® material.

In a preferred embodiment, the protective glove's main body 102 extends beyond the hand and covers the wrist. This wrist extension 104 may be an extension of the material used for the body of the protective glove, such as fleece, or may be a flexible, knit cuff that fits snugly to a user's wrist, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and 7-16, and that prevents wind or snow from easily penetrating the inside of the protective glove. In some embodiments, the wrist extension 104 can also provide protection against physical impact.

In some embodiments, the main body 102 may overlap with a flexible, knit cuff, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and 7-16. Further, the main body 102 may have a strap or flexible bungee closure near the overlap with the wrist extension 104 that enables a user to cinch the protective glove tighter around the user's wrist. For example, a strap may have a hook and loop feature that enables a user to pull the wrist extension closer together. In another example, an adjustable bungee may be located on or within the layer or layers of the protective glove, wherein a user can pull on the bungee to tighten it. If the bungee is located within layers, only a portion of the bungee may stick out of the layers.

In some embodiments, the palm portion of the protective glove may include a strip of fabric or material, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, to enable a user to better grip an object such as a hockey stick or ski pole. The strip 1302 may be a different texture than the body of the protective glove such as nylon, rubber, leather, or another grip-enabling fabric or material. The strip 1302 may cover at least a part of the palm portion of the protective glove, the entire palm portion of the protective glove, or, in some embodiments, the entire bottom of the protective glove including the bottom of the fingers. In some embodiments, the strip 1302 may extend onto the fingers of the protective glove continuously from the palm or intermittently. For example, the strip 1302 may be located on the palm and the fingertips with a gap in the fabric or material there between. In a preferred embodiment, the strip 1302 covers at least the portion of the palm of the protective glove located between the thumb section and the fingers, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14.

In preferred embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-12, 15, and 16, the top of the protective glove has segments of polyethylene foam attached to the fabric or material making up the main body. In some embodiments, the polyethylene foam may be 1.5-pound polyethylene foam. In other embodiments, the polyethylene foam may be 2-pound polyethylene foam. The polyethylene foam may also be of any density between 1.5 and 2 pounds per cubic foot. In some embodiments, other types of flexible materials are used instead of polyethylene foam such as, but not limited to, polyurethane foam, high density foam, Evlon foam, high resilience foam, latex rubber foam, supreem foam, rebond foam, memory foam, closed cell foam, open cell foam, and rubber.

The size and shape of the individual segments of polyethylene foam can vary depending on the portion of the protective glove the segment is located on. For example, there may be a plurality of polyethylene foam segments on the top of the protective glove, and these foam segments that cover the back of the hand may be shorter than they are wide. Further, they may be wide enough to cover the entire width of the top of the protective glove, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-12. Having a plurality of wide segments enables a user to curl the user's hand into a fist more comfortably than if the polyethylene foam was one large segment covering the entirety of the back of the hand.

In a preferred embodiment, there are five wide segments on the top of the protective glove, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. These wide segments may be uniform in height. However, in some embodiments, four of the five wide segments are a similar height while the fifth wide segment, which is located closest to the wrist extension 104, is shorter than the other four wide segments. Other variations in the number of, or height of, the wide segments are possible.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-4, one of the wide polyethylene foam segments on the portion of the protective glove that covers the back of the hand may be a decorative segment 106. This decorative segment 106 may have a decorative pattern or may have the ability to attach to a decorative object. For example, an additional piece of fabric or material may be attached to the decorative segment 106. For example, if the decorative pattern is on a separate piece of material, the separate piece of material may be removable or permanently attached to the decorative segment 106. In one example of a removable segment, the separate piece of material can have a hook and loop fastening means. A first half of the hook and loop connector may attach permanently to the polyethylene foam and a second half of the hook and loop connector may be attached to, or contain, the decorative pattern. Therefore, the second half of the hook and loop connector containing the decorative segment 106 can connect to the first half of the hook and loop connector attached to the protective glove, and the decorative segment 106 will be visible on the protective glove. In this embodiment, the decorative pattern may be capable of being interchanged with other separate pieces that have different decorative patterns. For example, one decorative pattern may display a professional hockey team's logo and a second decorative pattern may display a college hockey team's logo. If a user has both decorative segments 106, the user can personalize the protective glove and display support for the desired hockey team by interchanging the two decorative segments 106.

In some embodiments, more than one of the wide polyethylene foam segments may be decorative segments 106, although the decorative attachment may be as simple as a sticker or a design imprinted in or on the polyethylene foam. The design itself may be transferred to the decorative segment 106 using dye sublimation.

In some embodiments, the polyethylene foam segments may all be decorative, wherein each polyethylene foam segment has a pattern such as a texture and/or color associated with sporting equipment. For example, the text, pattern, and/or color may be that of a basketball, a football, a traditional soccer ball, a baseball, etc. In this case, an additional decorative segment 106 may be added on top of the pattern in one spot on the protective glove. The decorative segment 106 may coordinate with the pattern in that, if the protective glove has a basketball pattern, the decorative segment 106 may contain the logo for a basketball team. However, in some embodiments, the decorative segment 106 may not be included at all if the polyethylene foam segments have a decorative pattern.

In some embodiments, a plurality of the polyethylene foam segments may be short and narrow. Occasionally, these segments may be square with each side having the same length. In other embodiments, the segments may be rectangular. Some rectangular segments may have side lengths that are similar to each other and, therefore, almost, but not perfectly, square.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, short and narrow polyethylene foam segments would accommodate the finger portions of the protective glove. Similar to the wide segments, the short segments function best if they are broken up into several segments as they enable a user to easily bend his or her fingers. If each finger segment is one solid segment that covers a whole finger, it may be difficult for a user to easily bend his or her fingers. However, despite this limitation, some embodiments of the protective glove may have solid segments on the fingers. The limitation may be mitigated if the foam material is thinner. Alternatively, a user may not require as much finger movement and, therefore, a thick, non-broken segment may be used.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the four fingers of the protective glove has three narrow polyethylene foam segments located on the top of the finger portions of the protective glove, as illustrated in FIGS. 5-6 and 9-12. The fingers may be equidistant apart and the narrow segments may be uniform in height. However, in some embodiments, one or more of the narrow segments are of various heights. For example, the narrow segment located closest to the fingertip may be shorter than the narrow segments located closer to the wide segments. Several variations in the number of, or height of, the narrow segments are possible. In a preferred embodiment, the outside of the narrow polyethylene foam segments on the left-most fingertip aligns with the outside of the wide polyethylene foam segments. Similarly, the outside of the narrow polyethylene foam segments on the right-most fingertip aligns with the outside of the wide polyethylene foam segments.

The polyethylene foam segments may also take non-standard geometrical shapes, as shown in FIGS. 2, 13, 14, and 16. These non-standard geometrical shapes better accommodate the thumb portion of the protective glove. In a preferred embodiment, the thumb portion of the protective glove will have a narrow, wedge-shaped polyethylene foam segment near the base of the thumb where the joint connects the thumb to the user's hand. This shape allows the user to easily bend his or her thumb at that joint. The remainder of the thumb portion may then have one or more longer segments. If there is one longer segment, it may have two long sides, a rounded tip, and a flat base that aligns with the wedge-shaped polyethylene foam segment. If there are two longer segments, the two segments may form the same general shape as the one longer segment, but there may be a space near the user's outermost thumb joint that separates the two longer segments from each other. For example, the middle longer segment located adjacent to the wedge-shaped polyethylene foam segment on the top of the thumb portion may have a roughly trapezoid shape, and the top longer segment located near the tip of the top of the thumb portion may be roughly rectangular with a rounded tip.

The configuration of the several polyethylene foam segments enables a user to have maximum flexibility in regard to bending the user's fingers and hand. At the same time, the ample coverage and thickness of the polyethylene foam segments provides considerable protection against physical impact by an object. However, it is not necessary for the protective glove to have polyethylene foam segments over the entire back of the protective glove. It is possible that the segments will only cover the fingers in part or in their entirety, only cover the back of the hand in part or in its entirety, cover parts of either or both the fingers and the back of the hand, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the protective glove may be a protective mitten or may function as a golf club head cover, as illustrated in FIGS. 17-22. Similar to the protective glove's main body 102, the protective mitten or golf head cover can have a main body 1702 that is made from one or more layers of the same or different material, such as fleece. If the main body 1702 is comprised of several layers, the outer two layers may be fleece and an inner layer, if it exists, may be insulation or may be a waterproof layer. The protective mitten or golf head cover may also have a wrist extension 104, with the features described above, it may have a strip of fabric or material on the palm portion to enable a user to better grip an object, and it may have segments of polyethylene foam attached to the fabric or material on the top of the protective mitten or golf head cover making up the main body 1702, wherein the size and shape of the individual segments of polyethylene foam can vary depending on the portion of the protective mitten or golf head cover the segment is located on. Additionally, one or more of the polyethylene foam segments may be a decorative segment 106.

In some embodiments, the size and shape of the individual segments of polyethylene foam on the protective mitten or golf head cover will mirror the size and shape of the segments for the protective glove described above. In other embodiments, the protective mitten or golf head cover may not have any segments sized for individual fingers and will instead have segments that are a continuation of the short and wide segments located on the portion of the protective mitten or golf head cover that covers the back of the hand.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 21, the protective mitten or golf head cover may have five, relatively uniform, short and wide segments covering the back of the protective glove. Further, the finger covering portion of the protective mitten or golf head cover may be comprised of four rows of three short and narrow segments, wherein the two middle rows have relatively uniform, short and narrow segments, while the outer two rows have middle and bottom segments that are similar in shape to the narrow segments in the middle two rows but a top segment that is rounded on its outer edge to give the protective mitten or golf head cover the appearance of a rounded fingertip portion. The thumb portion is preferably similar to the thumb portion of the protective glove, wherein it is comprised of three segments: a wedge-shaped base segment, a roughly trapezoid-shaped middle segment, and a roughly rectangular-shaped end segment with a rounded tip.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A protective glove comprising:

a fabric body that covers a back portion, a palm portion, four finger portions, and a thumb portion of the protective glove;

an elastic wrist extension that covers a user's wrist and is connected to the fabric body;

a plurality of polyethylene foam segments attached to the fabric body, wherein: the plurality of polyethylene foam segments have a density between 1.5 and 2 pounds per cubic foot; the plurality of polyethylene foam segments includes a plurality of wide polyethylene foam segments, a plurality of narrow polyethylene foam segments, a wedge-shaped segment, a roughly trapezoid-shaped segment, and a roughly rectangular-shaped segment having a rounded tip; at least four wide polyethylene foam segments cover the back portion of the protective glove; each of the four finger portions of the protective glove are covered by at least three narrow polyethylene foam segments; the wedge-shaped segment covers a base of the thumb portion of the protective glove; the roughly trapezoid-shaped segment covers a middle part of the thumb portion of the protective glove; and the roughly rectangular-shaped segment having a rounded tip covers a top part of the thumb portion of the protective glove; and

a nylon strip attached to the fabric body and located on the palm of the protective glove between the four finger portions and the thumb portion.

2. The protective glove of claim 1, wherein one of the wide polyethylene foam segments is a decorative segment that is removably attached to the protective glove.

3. The protective glove of claim 1, wherein the fabric body is water resistant.

4. The protective glove of claim 1, wherein the fabric body is made of fleece.

5. The protective glove of claim 4, wherein the fabric body has two layers of fleece.

6. The protective glove of claim 5, wherein a waterproof layer is located between the two layers of fleece.

7. The protective glove of claim 5, wherein insulation is located between the two layers of fleece.

8. A protective glove comprising:

a fabric body that covers a back portion, a palm portion, four finger portions, and a thumb portion of the protective glove; and

a plurality of polyethylene foam segments attached to the fabric body, wherein: the plurality of polyethylene foam segments includes at least one wide polyethylene foam segment, a plurality of narrow polyethylene foam segments, a wedge-shaped segment, and a longer segment having two long sides, a rounded tip, and a flat base; the at least one wide polyethylene foam segment covers the back portion of the protective glove; each of the four finger portions of the protective glove are covered by at least one narrow polyethylene foam segment; the wedge-shaped segment covers a base of the thumb portion of the protective glove; and the longer segment covers a top part of the thumb portion of the protective glove and the flat base of the longer segment aligns with the wedge-shaped segment.

9. The protective glove of claim 8, further comprising a nylon strip attached to the fabric body and located on the palm of the protective glove between the four finger portions and the thumb portion.

10. The protective glove of claim 8, further comprising an elastic wrist extension that covers a user's wrist and is connected to the fabric body.

11. The protective glove of claim 8, wherein the plurality of polyethylene foam segments have a density between 1.5 and 2 pounds per cubic foot.

12. The protective glove of claim 8, wherein at least four wide polyethylene foam segments cover the back portion of the protective glove and each of the four finger portions of the protective glove are covered by at least three narrow polyethylene foam segments.

13. The protective glove of claim 8, wherein the longer segment is comprised of a roughly trapezoid-shaped polyethylene foam segment that covers a middle part of the thumb portion of the protective glove and a roughly rectangular-shaped segment having a rounded tip that covers a top part of the thumb portion of the protective glove.

14. The protective glove of claim 8, wherein one of the wide polyethylene foam segments is a decorative segment that is removably attached to the protective glove.

15. The protective glove of claim 8, wherein the fabric body is water resistant.

16. The protective glove of claim 8, wherein the fabric body is made of fleece.

17. The protective glove of claim 16, wherein the fabric body has two layers of fleece and a waterproof layer is located between the two layers of fleece.

18. The protective glove of claim 16, wherein the fabric body has two layers of fleece and a layer of insulation is located between the two layers of fleece.

19. A protective mitten comprising:

a fabric body that covers a back portion, a palm portion, a finger portion, and a thumb portion of the protective mitten;

an elastic wrist extension that covers a user's wrist and is connected to the fabric body; and

a plurality of polyethylene foam segments attached to the fabric body, wherein: the plurality of polyethylene foam segments have a density between 1.5 and 2 pounds per cubic foot; the plurality of polyethylene foam segments includes a plurality of wide polyethylene foam segments, a plurality of narrow polyethylene foam segments, a wedge-shaped segment, a roughly trapezoid-shaped segment, and a roughly rectangular-shaped segment having a rounded tip; at least four wide polyethylene foam segments cover the back portion of the protective glove; at least four rows of narrow polyethylene foam segments cover the finger portion of the protective glove, wherein each row contains three narrow polyethylene foam segments; the wedge-shaped segment covers a base of the thumb portion of the protective glove; the roughly trapezoid-shaped segment covers a middle part of the thumb portion of the protective glove; and the roughly rectangular-shaped segment having a rounded tip covers a top part of the thumb portion of the protective glove.

20. The protective mitten of 19, further comprising a nylon strip attached to the fabric body and located on the palm of the protective glove between the four finger portions and the thumb portion.