Thick glove, equipped with means for facilitating the hand articulation

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a very thick glove, equipped with mechanical characteristics that facilitate its use. In particular, the invention is adapted to be used in the foodstuff field and for handling hot objects such as vessels for cooking foods.

[0002] The prior art deals with: gloves in general (A41D19/00: Gloves); instruments and accessories in surgery (A61B19/00: Instruments, implements or accessories for surgery or diagnosis); moulding technique (B29C41/14: Shaping by coating a mould, core or other substrate); sport accessories (A63B71: Games or sports accessories).

[0003] In the above cited categories, the glove for both hands can be found, used in a kitchen for handling objects when cooking, freezing and storing foodstuff, made of a very thick homogeneous material (about 5 millimetres), that is partially or completely elastic.

[0004] The prior art, represented by document US3148235, anticipates both the shape of the glove with three fingers and the use of an elastomer (Adiprene made by DuPont), Teflon, or silicone.

[0005] From the mechanics point of view, a glove made of very thick elastic homogeneous material is subjected to difficulties in moving the fingers of a hand, due to its high thickness and stiffness.

[0006] The solution of this problem is the object of the invention, that discloses a new glove, in particular a kitchen glove, which has slits or ribs arranged as bellows, said slits or ribs being adapted to concentrate, along their geometry, the necessary elastic hinge for rotating the glove portions, limiting or removing its uncontrolled distortion.

[0007] According to US 6,223,551, a vessel of a thermal substance capable of modifying its own status from liquid to solid by decreasing the temperature, is composed of a series of regularly-shaped cells 3, 8 shown in the drawing in Fig. 1, whose junction edges 5, 6, 10, 11 are kept flexible when the temperature changes, enabling the mutual rotation of said stiffened cells 3, 8.

[0008] US 2002/166156 A1 discloses a glove according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0009] Starting from the above described known prior art, the flexibility function of the elastic hinge is translated to a glove, as claimed in claim 1, made of very thick elastic and homogeneous material, therefore free from additional elements, in particular of the type used in a kitchen, equipped with tubular recesses for containing the fingers of a hand, at least one surface edge of the glove being equipped with a slit or a groove that is able to perform the function of an elastic joint or elastic hinge as regards the edge of section of glove surface when moving the hand, in particular in the step of moving fingers and palm of the hand.

[0010] The glove of the invention is described in detail with reference to the enclosed drawings:

• figure 3 and figure 6: axonometric views of a glove, not part of the invention, comprising means 5 and 6 adapted to facilitate the movement of fingers and palm of a hand;
• figure 4 and figure 7 this latter one not part of the invention, : sectional views of the glove equipped with means 5 and 6 for facilitating the articulation;
• figure 5 and figure 8, this latter one not part of the invention in the two provided embodiments.

[0011] A glove 1 is delimited by an external surface, that is smooth or equipped with protuberances or micro-projections, adapted to ensure gripping the objects, and by an internal surface, that is smooth or coated with a layer of material for protecting the hand skin. The glove 1 is made of an elastic, homogeneous, very thick (about 3 - 5 mm) material and is composed of: a tubular portion 103 in which palm and back of a hand are housed; several tubular recesses 2 closed at their ends, projecting from the tubular portion 103, whose number is equal to or less than the number of fingers. A glove of the present invention has the known shapes with two, three or five tubular recesses 2.

[0012] The intrados glove surface is equipped with one or more slits 5 next to the hand articulation along palm and fingers. A variation of the invention provides, in place of the slit 5, a bellows-shaped elastic joint or elastic hinge 6 composed of several parallel slits 5 that are mutually in contact.

[0013] Both slit 5 and bellows hinge 6 operate on the internal surface of the glove.

[0014] In order to allow using the glove with both hands, also the extrados surface is equipped with a slit 5 or bellows-type hinge 6 in the same way provided for the intrados surface.

[0015] A further variation of the invention provides for realizing means 5, 6 for facilitating the hand articulation, inside the glove, thereby obtaining the advantage of keeping an external surface free from irregularities.

[0016] The glove 1 equipped with means 5, 6 for facilitating the hand articulation, is preferably made of elastic deformable material, of the type known in the foodstuff field according to directives in force. In particular, reference is made to a thermoplastic, silicone, elastomer material; namely: platinum silicone, particularly adapted for freezing at -50°C and cooking at 300°C; peroxide silicone; elastomer adapted for cooking at 300°C and freezing at -50°C.

[0017] Thermoplastic materials or elastomers, containing thermo-coloured pigments, allow making a glove 1 with elastic hinges 5, 6 that is able to point out the temperature of the environment in which the glove is immersed or the temperature of the object with which it is in contact.

[0018] Thermoplastic materials or elastomers, suitably treated in the vulcanising step (dynamic vulcanising), able to capture and keep air with the result of obtaining a light and insulating structure, allow making a glove 1 with elastic hinges 5, 6 with better insulating and lightness characteristics.

[0019] Thermoplastic materials or elastomers, worked in plates and suitably pre-moulded and assembled with glass fabric, allow making a glove 1 with elastic hinges 5, 6 with high mechanical characteristics for resisting engraving with cutting objects.

Claims

1. Elastic or semi-elastic glove (1) comprising a first surface on the back side of a hand, and a second surface on the palm side of the hand, of a type particularly adapted in a foodstuff field, said glove (1) having means (5, 6) for facilitating an articulation of the hand, characterised in that said glove (1) is essentially made of an elastic, homogeneous, material with a thickness ranging from 3 to 5 mm, and said means (5, 6) for facilitating the hand articulation are made inside the glove (1), keeping the external surfaces of the glove (1) free from irregularities.

2. Glove (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the second surface is equipped with at least one slit (5) next to the hand articulation.

3. Glove (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the slit (5) operates as elastic hinge with respect to the articulation of the two sections of the second surface of the glove joined to said slit (5).

4. Glove (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the second surface is equipped with at least one bellows-type hinge (6) next to the hand articulation.

5. Glove (1) according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that said means (5, 6) for facilitating the hand articulation involve the first glove surface, in addition to the second glove surface.

Ansprüche

1. Gummi- (1) oder Halbgummihandschuh, der eine erste Oberfläche auf der Handrückenseite und eine zweite Oberfläche auf der Handflächenseite einschließt, und ein besonders für die Nahrungsmittelbranche geeigneter Typ ist, der genannte Handschuh (1) hat Hilfsmittel (5, 6) für das Handgelenk, und ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der genannte Handschuh (1) im Wesentlichen aus einem homogenen Gummimaterial mit einer variablen Stärke von 3 bis 5 mm besteht, und dass sich die genannten Hilfsmittel (5, 6) für das Handgelenk intern im Handschuh (1) befinden, und die Außenflächen des Handschuhs (1) von Unregelmäßigkeiten freihalten.

2. Handschuh (1) gemäß Patentanspruch 1, der dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass die zweite Oberfläche mit mindestens einem Schlitz (5) am Handgelenk ausgestattet ist.

3. Handschuh (1) gemäß Patentanspruch 2, der dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass der Schlitz (5) als Gummiband hinsichtlich des Gelenks der beiden Abschnitte der zweiten Oberfläche des Handschuhs dient, die mit dem genannten Schlitz (5) verbunden sind.

4. Handschuh (1) gemäß Patentanspruch 1, der dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass die zweite Oberfläche mit mindestens einem Gelenkband mit Einsatz (6) am Handgelenk ausgestattet ist.

5. Handschuh (1) gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Patentansprüche, der dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass die genannten Hilfsmittel (5, 6) für das Handgelenk die erste Oberfläche sowie die zweite Oberfläche des Handschuhs einschließen.

Revendications

1. Gant (1) élastique ou semi - élastique comprenant une première surface de la partie du dos de la main, et une seconde surface de la partie de la paume de la main, d'un type particulièrement adapté pour le secteur alimentaire, ledit gant (1) possédant des moyens (5, 6) pour faciliter l'articulation de la main, caractérisé en ce que ledit gant (1) est essentiellement composé d'une matière élastique homogène avec une épaisseur variant entre 3 et 5 mm, lesdits moyens (5, 6) pour faciliter l'articulation de la main qui se trouvent à l'intérieur dudit gant (1), maintiennent les surfaces extérieures du gant (1) exemptes de toute irrégularité.

2. Gant (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la seconde surface est munie d'au moins une entaille (5) en correspondance de l'articulation de la main.

3. Gant (1) selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que l'entaille (5) fait fonction de charnière élastique pour l'articulation des deux parties de la seconde surface du gant rattachées à cette entaille (5).

4. Gant (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la seconde surface est munie d'au moins une charnière à soufflet (6) en correspondance de l'articulation de la main.

5. Gant (1) selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que lesdits moyens (5, 6) pour faciliter l'articulation de la main engagent, outre la seconde surface du gant, la seconde surface de ce même gant.

Drawing