US3484869A - Protector glove - Google Patents

Description

PROTECTOR GLOVE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 23, 1968y INVENTOR.

THOMAS cUL|NAN,Jr.

F /GZ Dec. 23, 1969 T. L. cuLLmAN, .1R 3,484,869

FROTECTOR GLOVE Filed Aug. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,484,869 PROTECTOR GLOVE Thomas L. Cullinan, Jr., 109 Allen St., Summerville, Ga. 30747 Filed Aug. 23, 1968` Ser. No. 754,799 Int. Cl. A41d 19/00 U.S. Cl. 2-161 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A glove having an area of its palm trank in the region between the crotches of its finger stalls and the thumb stall formed into a sequence of small resiliently yieldable folds extending substantially in a direction lengthwise of the glove. In a glove thus constructed the palm area of the glove adapts itself more readily to the changes in the width and conformation of the wearers palm that occur during manipulation of the wearers lingers, and the formation of large bulges is prevented.

The present invention relates to gloves intended for hard usage, such as the protector gloves worn by linemen during electrical installations. Linemen usually wear rubber gloves to be protected from electrical shocks. These rubber gloves must in turn be protected from accidental damage and excessive wear because the slightest puncture in the glove may prove fatal to the wearer. For this purpose linemen pull protector gloves of sturdy material, such as leather or tough plastics over the rubber gloves. Unless these protector gloves are properly constructed, however, they are clumsy in use and they bunch and form bulges, especially in their palm areas. These bulges may have an abrasive effect upon the rubber gloves underneath as the workman manipulates his hand. This does not only limit the useful lifetime of the rubber glove severely, but reintroduces the danger of electrical accident.

It is an object of my invention to provide a glove for hard use, wherein the tendency of bulging and bunching of its palm area during manipulation of the Wearers fingers is greatly minimized.

Another object of the invention is to provide a glove, of the type referred to, whose palm area adapts itself automatically to changes in the width and conformation of the Wearers palm when the wearer manipulates his lingers.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a protector glove for use over the rubber gloves worn by linemen, which does not only protect the rubber glove from tears and punctures, but keeps abrasion of the rubber glove by the protector glove at a safe minimum.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof and wherein FIGURE l is a view of the palm side of a glove constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the inner surface of the palm trank of the glove shown in FIGURE 1 in a stage of its production, i.e., as bands of resilient material are secured to an area thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the inner surface of the palm trank after the bands of resilient material have been secured thereto; and

FIGURE 4 is a view of the back side of the completed glove.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention illus- 3,484,869 Patented Dec. 23, 1969 ICC trated in the accompanying drawing the palm trank 10 of the glove has parts 11, 12, 13 and 14 which form the palm areas of the finger stalls 15, 16, 17 and 18, respectively (FIGURES l, 2, and 4). In addition the palm trank has lateral extensions 20 and 21 (FIGURES 2, 3 and 4) at either side, that reach from the bottom edge of the trank to the tips of the stalls for the little and index lingers respectively. In assembling the glove from its com- `ponent parts these extensions 20 and 21 are folded backwardly to form the flanks and part of the back area ofthe glove, and the anks and the outer halves of the back areas of the stalls for the little and index fingers, respectively (FIGURE`4). Secured to the inner surface of the palm trank, i.e., the surface closest to the wearers hand, in a region of said surface below the crotches of the finger parts of the palm trank 10 and above the hole or excision 24 for the thumb stall 25, are two relatively spaced parallel strips 26 and 28 of elastic material, such as bands of fabric-covered rubber. In contracted condition said bands are of a lesser length than the width of the trank 10, but when they are being secured to the trank, they are expanded until they extend across the palm area of the trank from edge to edge thereof, as shown in FIGURE 2. In this condition they are stitched to the palm trank 10 along congruent zig-zag lines 30` and 32, and after they have been securely attached to the palm trank of the glove in the manner shown in FIGURE 2 and are released, they contract and in the process convert the area of the trank between, and to a limited extent directly above and below said strips, into a row or sequence of vertically extending folds 33 of limited depth (FIGURES l and 3).

In completing the glove a back trank .34 (FIGURE 4) is suitably secured to and between the edges of the backwardly folded lateral extensions 20 and] 22 of the palm trank 10, and suitably constructed fourchettes 35, 36, 37 are secured in the proper manner to the upper portions of the edges of said extensions, the upper edge of the back trank 34, the edges of the finger parts of the palm trank and to each other, as the case may be; and the thumb stall 25 is secured to the palm trank 10 around the excision 24 thereof (FIGURES l and 4). When the glove of my invention is intended for use as a. linemans glove, its bottom edge is usually provided with a cuff as shown at 38 in FIGURES l and 4 and the back trank 34 may be provided with shirrings 40 in the conventional manner. When not in use, the palm side of the assembled glove has the appearance shown in FIGURE l; but when the glove is slipped over the wearers hand, the bands 26 and 28 expand to an extent determined by the width of the wearers hand and in the process smooth out the folds 33 against the contracting force of said bands to a greater or lesser degree. Whenever the conformation and width of the wearers palm changes, as he manipulates his hand during work, the area of resiliently yifeldable folds 33 across the palm trank of the glove adapts itself automatically to these changes and makes it practically impossible for large bulges to form, such as might abrade the wearers hand or an underlying rubber glove. A glove constructed in accordance with my invention is, therefore, ideally suited for use as a linemans protector glove.

While I have explained my invention with the aid of an exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that my invention is not limited to the specific constructional details shown and described by way of example, which may be departed from without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A glove comprisinga palm trank having linger stalls and a thumb stall, and stitched to the inner surface of said palm trank along congruent zig-zag lines extending from lateral edge to lateral edge of said trank relatively spaced bands of resiliently yieldable material, said bands being of lesser length when in relaxed position than the width of said palm trank so as to form a row of resiliently yieldable folds extending substantially in a direction lengthwise of the glove.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner GEORGE V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner

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