DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS

Abstract

A hand warmer assembly and method of using the same. The hand-warmer assembly may include a portable hand-warmer, a pocket, closure mechanism, and a connector. The pocket may be made from an air permeable material and have an opening at one end, with the pocket closed at all other sides. The pocket is provided to be sized and shaped to position a portable hand warmer therein. The opening may be secured with a closure mechanism, such as a flap, zipper, drawstring, hook and loop material such as Velcro® fastener, and/or a magnetic fastener. The connector may include a strap and a clasp, with the strap first end located and connected adjacent the open end of the pocket. A second end of the strap may be coupled to a clasp that is configured to be secured to a sleeve or other clothing material such as a mitten or glove.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/462,982 and U.S. Design Application No. 29/594,991, each filed Feb. 24, 2017, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent not inconsistent herewith.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to hand warmers holders. More particularly to novel hand warmer holder that can be removeably attached to clothing, including mittens and gloves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented elsewhere.

Many people wish to keep their hands warm, especially when engaged in outdoor activities during periods of cold weather. Such a wish is particularly true for parents with children that cannot hold onto anything for seemingly any period of time.

This is particularly challenging on the snow with the classic air-activated disposable hand warmers that are susceptible to getting wet when dropped onto the snow while removing the glove or mitten in which the warmer has been placed. This can ruin the hand warmer or at least adversely impact user comfort if the hand warmer is then put back into the mitten, making for a potentially challenging remainder of the day.

Hand warmers themselves are usually packets that are held in the hand and produce heat to warm cold hands. They are commonly used in outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing to keep extremities warm and assist in combination with a glove or mitten worn by a user. Hand warmers are usually rectangular in cross section, and have a length, height, and width. Such hand warmers are air activated, crush activated, lighter fuel powered, or battery powered.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a detachable holder for a hand warmer may include an air permeable pocket being a sealed compartment having a single open end and a cavity defining an inner surface configured to house a hand warmer; a closure mechanism for reversibly sealing the open end of the pocket; and a connecting mechanism with a first and second end, the first end being secured to the pocket and the second end having a gripping mechanism configured to be removeably attached to garment of a user. In another embodiment of the disclosure, the detachable holder may further include at least one of a mobile phone, a wallet, a makeup accessory, a set of keys, and the hand warmer. The detachable holder may further include the garment for which the gripping mechanism attaches.

In one embodiment, the pocket may be dimensionally sized and shaped as at least one of a rectangle, a circle, an oval, and a square. A pocket footprint area can reliably position a pocket warmer within the cavity. In one such embodiment, the pocket footprint area substantially matches a hand warmer footprint area, such as within 10% of the hand warmer footprint area. In another embodiment, the pocket footprint area corresponds to a cavity length that is between 8 cm and 12 cm and a cavity width that is between 5 cm and 8 cm.

In one embodiment, a pocket may be formed of a material having a rectangular shape having a bottom edge with a first bottom end and a second bottom end; a first side edge extending from the first bottom end and terminating at a distal first side end; a second side edge extending from the second bottom end and terminating at a distal second side end; and an open top edge extending between the distal first side end and the distal second side end to form single open end. The material may be a fabric and said rectangular shape is formed from said fabric in a folded configuration to provide a fabric front surface and a fabric back surface that defines said cavity. In one embodiment, the first side edge and the second side edge are each formed by stitches that attach the fabric front surface to the fabric back surface.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the closure mechanism may be at least one of a drawstring, a zipper, hook and loop material and/or a magnetic fastener. In one embodiment, the closure mechanism may be located on the inner surface of the pocket. In another embodiment the closure mechanism includes a first strip connected to a first position on the inner surface and a second strip connected to a second position on the inner surface; wherein the first position opposably faces the second position and the first strip and second strip reversibly connect to each other. The first strip may be one of a hook material and loop material and the second strip may be a respective one of a loop material and hook material. For example, a Velcro® fastener material may be used, with strips to reliably seal and close the pocket in a manner that facilitates reusability, so that disposable hand warmers may be removed after use and replaced, as desired, with a fresh hand warmer.

In another embodiment, the closure mechanism is a flap, the flap having a top margin, an inner surface, and an outer surface, and wherein the flap is connected to the pocket. The flap may further include at least one of a hook material and a loop material secured to the inner surface sized and shaped to mate with at least one of a respective loop material and hook material secured to the pocket, such that the mating of the respective hook and loop material closes the open end of the pocket. Similarly, one or more magnets may be positioned in the flap with a counter magnetizable material secured to the pocket, or vice versa. In this manner, the flap may be reliably and quickly releasably secured to close the pocket and released to provide pocket access.

In one embodiment, the connecting mechanism further includes a strap and the gripping mechanism is a clasp. A first end of the connecting mechanism may be located at least one of the open end, a side, a corner, or a closed end of the pocket.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, a method of providing heat to an interior portion of a glove or mitten, the method comprising the steps of: providing the detachable holder being any of the embodiments discussed above; inserting a hand warmer into the pocket; sealing the air permeable pocket with the closure mechanism to confine the hand warmer in the pocket; connecting the gripping mechanism to an edge of the glove or mitten; and inserting the air permeable pocket of the detachable holder into the interior portion of the glove or mitten.

Novel and unobvious hand warmer accessory detachable holders are set forth herein, as will be evident from reviewing the description below and the accompanying drawings.

Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, there may be discussion herein of beliefs or understandings of underlying principles relating to the devices and methods disclosed herein. It is recognized that regardless of the ultimate correctness of any mechanistic explanation or hypothesis, an embodiment of the invention can nonetheless be operative and useful.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and may include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

A further understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a side elevation view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1 in an open position.

FIG. 4B is a side elevation view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1 in a closed position.

FIG. 5 is another side elevation view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS in use with a mitten and a hand warmer shown in phantom.

FIG. 9A is a top perspective view of a DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS with a flap in an open configuration illustrating a VELCRO® hook and loop fastener system.

FIG. 9B is a top perspective view of an upper portion of a DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS with the flap in a closed configuration.

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a DETACHABLE HOLDER FOR HAND WARMERS illustrating a zipper closure mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional changes may be made. Moreover, features of the various embodiments may be combined or altered. As such, the following description is presented by way of illustration only and should not limit in any way the various alternatives and modifications that may be made to the illustrated embodiments. In this disclosure, numerous specific details provide a thorough understanding of the subject disclosure. It should be understood that aspects of this disclosure may be practiced with other embodiments not necessarily including all aspects described herein, etc.

FIGS. 1-8 illustrate a detachable hand warmer holder assembly 1 adapted to connect to a garment, glove, mitt, or cloth material 2 and hold a hand warmer 9 within a pocket 10 (FIG. 8). The detachable holder assembly 1 may include a pocket 10, a closure mechanism 20, and a connector assembly 30. The pocket 10 or body of the detachable holder assembly 1 and includes a front surface 21 and a back surface 23. The pocket 10 is suitably dimensioned to receive and reliably position and hold a hand warmer 9 and may be suitably dimensioned to carry one or more personal effects, such as a mobile phone, a wallet, a keychain, or the like. It is foreseen that the pocket 10 may be any geometrical shape, i.e. circular, oval, and square, etc. The pocket 10 may be made of or some combination of, lined with, or otherwise include a suitable cold-weather flexible light weight air permeable cloth material, such as fleece, synthetic material, linen, mesh, netting, and may be a generally rectangular, tubular member having an open end 12, two sealed sides 14, and a closed end 16. The pocket 10 may be to be at least partially air permeable so as to allow the heat from the hand warmer 9 to be transferred to a user (i.e. hand) (not shown). The material of the bag will be seen to be heat transferrable (noninsulative), transitioning the heat produced by the hand warmer 9 out of the cavity 13 of the pocket 10 and into a hand of a user (not shown).

Pocket 10 may be axially and/or radially rigid or flexible. Pocket 10 may be formed by sealing, sewing, or otherwise securing together two generally rectangular sheets of cloth material 11 on two sides or side edges 14 and an bottom end or edge 16, leaving an open end or edge 12. Each rectangular sheet of material 11 having a front surface 22 and a back surface 24, wherein the back surface define the cavity 13. It is foreseen that at least one of the front surface 22 and back surface 24 of the rectangular sheet of cloth material 11 may be folded such that at least one of the front surface 22 and back surface 24 of the respective other cloth material 11 may be attached together at the sides 14 and end 16 (FIG. 1). The pocket 10 further includes first and second bottom ends 15, 17, first and second distal side ends 19, 23. The side edge 14 runs from the first bottom end 15 to the first distal end 19. The respective other side edge 14 runs from the second bottom end 17 to the second distal end 23. Pocket 10 may have a length L or length of side edges 14 and a width W or width of distal open and bottom closed ends 12, 16. The dimensions L, W being suitable for receiving a standard hand warmer 9. At the same time, pocket 10 may be appropriately dimensioned to minimize the amount of unoccupied space within pocket 10 when pocket 10 is filled with a hand warmer 9. The cavity 13 creates an interior or footprint area 25, such that the footprint area 25 of the pocket 10 is within 10% of the area of the hand warmer. The footprint area 25 may have a length between 8 cm and 12 cm and a width between 5 cm and 8 cm, and any subranges thereof.

Pocket 10 may also be formed by sealing, sewing, or otherwise securing together two ends and a single side of a single rectangular sheet of cloth material to form one sealed side 14 and a folded side (not shown) and a closed end 16 and an open end 12.

The closure mechanism 20 may be used to selectively open and close the open end 12 of the pocket 10. In the illustrated example, the back surfaces 24 of the material 11 that makes up the pocket 10 define the cavity 13 interior or footprint area 25. Situated on one back surface 24 located near the open end 12 is a strip of hook material 26. Similarly situated on the respective other back surface 24 is a strip of loop material 28. It is foreseen that the orientation of the strips 26, 28 may be reversed. Each of the strips 26, 28 may extend the entire width W or some portion thereof and may be secured to the back surfaces 24 by means of adhesive, stitching as shown, or other means known in the art. The closure mechanism 20 may be other such mechanisms, such as a flap, a zipper, a drawstring, a magnetic fastener such as one or more magnetic elements that magnetically engage a magnetizable counter-element, or other means known or yet to be known to allow the open end 12 to be repeatedly closed and opened in a manner that inadvertent opening is avoided.

The connector assembly, also referred herein as a connecting mechanism 30, may include a strap 32 and a clasp 34. The strap 32 may be made from or some combination of an elongated flexible material, such as a woven polymer, metal link, elastomer, or similar material. The strap 32 includes a first end 36 and a second end 38. The first end 36, which may be disposed just inside the pocket 10, may be sewn, sealed, or otherwise secured to the side 14 at and generally near the closed end 16 at bottom edge 17. It is foreseen that the first end 36 of the strap 32 may be attached at a different location, such as at or near the open end 12. The first end 36 of the strap may pass through an aperture (not shown) at or near the bottom edge 17, and may be captured by a strap end piece (not shown) that has a larger circumference than the aperture so as to prevent the slipping out of the strap 32.

The second end 38 may be sewn, attached, or otherwise secured to a clasp 34. The clasp 34 may be conventional, including a relatively small alligator clip. The clasp 34 may comprise a first member 44, a second member 46, a release 45, and a ring 47 or may be any other clasping means known in the art. The ring 46 is attached, sewn, or otherwise secured to the second end 38 of the strap 32. In the illustrated example the second end 38 of the strap 32 is folded over itself to create a loop and then the loop is secured by a fastening means. The first member 44, second member 46, and the release 45 are sewn, attached, mounted or otherwise secured to the ring 47. The first and second members 44, 46 may be made of or some combination of metal, plastic or another similarly suitable material. The second member 46 may be hingedly mounted on the first member 44, such that the second member 46 in the closed position engages the first member 44 (FIG. 4). In the illustrated embodiment, both the first and second members 44, 46 may include teeth 51 (FIG. 6). It is foreseen that neither or one of the first and second members 44, 46 may include teeth to further aid in the grasping of the material 2. The release 45 may be integrally formed with either the first member 44 or the second member 46 and acts as a release from a closed position to an open position or vice versa. To close clasp 34, second member 46 may be pivoted towards the first member 44 and locked into place by the release 45 or vice versa, wherein the first member 44 is pivoted towards the second member 46.

Referring to FIG. 8, a detachable holder for the hand warmer 1 is shown in use with the garment 2. To use the detachable holder for hand-warmer assembly 1, a user may attach the clasp 34 to cloth material 2, for example, by opening the clasp 34, such that the first member 44 is a part from the second member 46, inserting cloth material 2 in-between the first and second member 44, 46, and then closing the clasp 34, such that the cloth material 2 is captured by the first and second member 44, 46. It is foreseen that the release 45 may be utilized to close the clasp 34. The cloth material 2 may be an end of a mitten as illustrated, but may also be a glove, pocket, or a sleeve to a jacket, sweater, long sleeve shirt, or coat. There can also be seen the hand warmer or heater 9 (shown in phantom) within the compartment or cavity 13 of the pocket 110. The attachment of the clasp 34 to the cloth material allows the hand warmer 9 to be easily accessible to hold and receive warmth from at the leisure of the user without fear of losing the hand warmer 9 housed within the pocket 10 of the detachable holder 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 9A-9B, a second embodiment of a detachable holder for a hand-warmer assembly 101 constructed according to the present disclosure is shown. The detachable holder assembly 101 may be similar in many respects to detachable hold for a handwarmer assembly 1, with some of the differences between the two assemblies being apparent from the discussion below.

The detachable holder assembly 101 may further include a flap 150 attached to an outer wall or surface 123 of the pocket 110 at the open end 112. The flap 150 is illustrated to be generally rectangular in shape, but may be any geometric shape, such as semi-circular, square, semi-oval, etc. The flap 150 may be made of or some combination of a suitable cold-weather flexible light weight air permeable cloth material, such as fleece, synthetic material, linen, mesh, netting, and may be made of the same material as the pocket 10. It is foreseen that the flap 150 and pocket 110 may be made of multiple layers including layers of mesh polyester, nylon, and wool.

The flap 150 is adjacent the open end 112 of the pocket 110, and is attached to the backside 123 of the pocket 110 by means such as conventional stitching, sealing, or fastening. The flap 150 has a top margin 156, an inner surface 158, and an outer surface 160. In this embodiment, the closure mechanism 120 includes a strip of hook material 126 located on the inner surface 158 near the top margin 156 of the flap 150 and a strip of loop material 128 located near the open end 112 of the pocket 110 on the front side 121. The strips 126, 128 may run the entire width W′ or some portion thereof. The closure mechanism 120 may further include a second set of strips of hook and loop material (not shown) to further secure the hand warmer within the cavity 113 of the pocket 110.

Referring now to FIG. 9B, in the closed position the inner surface 158 of the flap 150 engages the front surface 121 of the pocket 110, such that the strip of hook material 126 and the strip of loop material 128 engage and mate to lock the flap 150 against the pocket 110. It is foreseen that the flap 150 will be closed when the hand warmer or portable heater 9 is placed within the cavity 113 of the pocket 110.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a third embodiment of a detachable holder for a handwarmer assembly 201 constructed according to the present disclosure is shown. The detachable holder assembly 201 may be similar in many respects to detachable hold for a hand-warmer assembly 1, with some of the differences between the two assemblies being apparent from the discussion below.

The closure mechanism 220 is a zipper. The zipper 220 may be oriented so as to cause pocket 210 to be opened when zipper 220 is open and closed when moved in the opposite direction so as to cause pocket 210 to be closed. The pocket 220 may further include strips of hook and loop material (not shown) within the cavity (not shown) of the pocket 220. Similarly, another example of a closure mechanism 220 is a magnetic fastener.

The connector assembly 230 may include a strap 232 and a clasp 234. The strap 232 includes a first end 236 and a second end 238. The first end 236, which may be disposed just inside the pocket 210, may be sewn, sealed, or otherwise secured to the side 214 at or a short distance from open end 212 at distal end 223. The first end 236 of the strap 232 may pass through an aperture (not shown) at or near the corner 223, and may be captured by a strap end piece (not shown) that has a larger circumference than the aperture so as to prevent the slipping out of the strap 232.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations may be of utility and may be employed within the scope of the disclosure. Further, various steps set forth herein may be carried out in orders that differ from those set forth herein without departing from the scope of the present methods. This description shall not be restricted to the above embodiments.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.

Whenever a range is given in the specification, for example, a size range, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are intended to be included in the disclosure. It will be understood that any subranges or individual values in a range or subrange that are included in the description herein can be excluded from the claims herein.

As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim element. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms “comprising”, “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A detachable holder for a hand warmer comprising:

an air permeable pocket being a sealed compartment having a single open end and a cavity defining an inner surface configured to house a hand warmer;

a closure mechanism for reversibly sealing the open end of the pocket; and

a connecting mechanism with a first and second end, the first end being secured to the air permeable pocket and the second end having a gripping mechanism configured to be removeably attached to a garment.

2. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, wherein the pocket is dimensionally sized and shaped as at least one of a rectangle, a circle, an oval, or a square.

3. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism comprises at least one of a drawstring, a zipper, a hook and loop material, or a magnetic fastener.

4. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism is located on the inner surface of the air permeable pocket.

5. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, wherein the connecting mechanism further includes a strap and the gripping mechanism is a clasp.

6. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, wherein the first end of the connecting mechanism is located at the open end, a side, a corner, or a closed end of the air permeable pocket.

7. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a flap, the flap having a top margin, an inner surface, and an outer surface, and wherein the flap is connected to the pocket.

8. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 7, wherein the flap further comprises at least one of a hook material and a loop material secured to the inner surface sized and shaped to mate with at least one of a respective loop material and hook material secured to the pocket, such that the mating of the respective hook and loop material closes the open end of the pocket.

9. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 7, wherein the flap is dimensionally sized and shaped as at least one of a rectangle, a semi-circle, an semi-oval, and a square.

10. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a mobile device, wallet, keychain, makeup accessory, and hand warmer situated within the pocket.

11. The detachable holder for a hand warmer of claim 1, further comprising a garment being removeably connected to the gripping mechanism.

12. The detachable holder of claim 11, wherein the garment is a mitten or a glove.

13. The detachable holder of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism comprises:

a first strip connected to a first position on the inner surface; and

a second strip connected to a second position on the inner surface;

wherein the first position opposably faces the second position and the first strip and second strip reversibly connect to each other.

14. The detachable holder of claim 13, wherein the first strip is at least one of a hook material and loop material and the second strip is a respective one of loop material and hook material.

15. The detachable holder of claim 1, wherein the air permeable pocket is formed of at least two materials each having:

a rectangular shape;

a bottom edge with a first bottom end and a second bottom end;

a first side edge extending from the first bottom end and terminating at a distal first side end;

a second side edge extending from the second bottom end and terminating at a distal second side end; and

a top edge extending between the distal first side end and the distal second side end and the top edges of the at least two materials being left apart to form a single open end.

16. The detachable holder of claim 15, wherein said material is a fabric and said rectangular shape is formed from said fabric in a folded configuration to provide a fabric front surface and a fabric back surface that defines said cavity.

17. The detachable holder of claim 16, wherein said first side edge and said second side edge are each formed by stitches that attach said fabric front surface to said fabric back surface.

18. The detachable holder of claim 1, having a pocket footprint area to reliably position a pocket warmer within the cavity, wherein the pocket footprint area is within 10% of a hand warmer footprint area.

19. The detachable holder of claim 18, wherein the pocket footprint area corresponds to a cavity length that is between 8 cm and 12 cm and a cavity width that is between 5 cm and 8 cm.

20. A method of providing heat to an interior portion of a glove or mitten, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the detachable holder of claim 1;

inserting a hand warmer into the air permeable pocket;

sealing the air permeable pocket with the closure mechanism to confine the hand warmer in the pocket;

connecting the gripping mechanism to an edge of the glove or mitten; and

inserting the air permeable pocket of the detachable holder into the interior portion of the glove or mitten.