Traffic Control Safety Gloves

Abstract

This present invention relates to a safety and traffic directing accessory, such as a glove or set of gloves. The glove has a palmar portion for substantially covering the palm of the hand of a wearer, a dorsal portion for substantially covering dorsal region of the hand, finger portions for accommodating fingers, a thumb portion for the thumb and a cuff portion for securing around the wrist. The palmar portion and inner surface of the finger portions and cuff portion (positioned in extension of palmar portion) are a bright, reflective red to indicate a stop signal. The dorsal portion and outer surface of the finger portions and cuff portion are a bright, reflective green to indicate a go signal. In use, the red color is shown to communicate a stop signal and green color is shown to communicate a go signal to drivers, pedestrians, and motorists.

Claims

1. A traffic control accessory comprising: a glove having a palmar portion and a dorsal portion on an opposite side on the glove from the palmer portion; the palmar portion and the dorsal portion are connected to finger and thumb portions and a wrist area opposite the finger portions; the wrist area including an opening; each of the palmar portion and the dorsal portion having an area for signaling traffic flow control instructions; and the area may include a color and a retroreflective element.

2. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 1, wherein the color of the palmar portion is red.

3. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 2, wherein the color of the dorsal portion is green.

4. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 1, wherein the retroreflective element is one of a beaded or prismatic material.

5. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 4, wherein the beaded material includes beads that range in size from 0.59 mm to 1.68 mm.

6. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 4, wherein the prismatic material is comprised of a plurality of micro prismatic, truncated prisms.

7. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 1, wherein the retroreflective element is attached by one of a sewing or an adhesive.

8. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 7, wherein the adhesive is a permanent adhesive covered by a release liner.

9. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 1, wherein the retroreflective element provides directional graphics or an indica.

10. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 1 further comprising a RFID chip embedded or attached to the glove, wherein the RFID chip is wirelessly connected to a smart device.

11. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 10, wherein the smart device provides information on a traffic flow.

12. The traffic control accessory as recited in claim 1, wherein the area for signaling is less than an area of the glove.

13. A traffic safety directing accessory comprising: a right-hand glove and a left-hand glove, each of the right and left hand gloves having a palmar and dorsal area, finger portions, a thumb portion and a wrist portion, with the wrist portion having an opening; each of the right hand and left-hand gloves having a color on the palmar area and a color on the dorsal area and the color on the palmar area is different than the color on the dorsal area; and each of the palmar and dorsal areas are reflective.

14. The traffic safety directing accessory as recited in claim 13 further comprising a plurality of retroreflective elements that are a select one beaded or prismatic.

15. The traffic safety directing accessory as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of retroreflective elements are attached by one of a sewing or an adhesive.

16. The traffic safety directing accessory as recited in claim 13, wherein the palmar area color is red and the dorsal area color is green.

17. The traffic safety directing accessory as recited in claim 13, wherein the palmar area and the dorsal area are smaller than a total area of each of the right hand and left-hand gloves.

18. The traffic safety directing accessory as recited in claim 13 further comprising a RFID chip attached or embedded in one of the right hand or left-hand gloves, wherein the RFID chip is wirelessly connected to a smart device.

19. A kit for providing a traffic safety directing accessory, the kit comprising: a pair of gloves; a set of strips of retroreflective materials; a set of dots of retroreflective materials; the set of strip and dots of retroreflective materials include one of prismatic or beaded materials; and directional and informational retroreflective elements.

20. The kit for providing a traffic safety directing accessory as recited in claim 19 further comprising a RFID chip.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of one potential embodiment of traffic directing accessory of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

[0020] FIG. 2A illustrates a rear perspective view of one potential embodiment of traffic directing glove of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

[0021] FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of the flow control accessory showing the reflective or directional area on the accessory in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing a method of using the safety gloves of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view showing a method of using the safety gloves of the present invention to indicate a stop signal in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view showing a method of using the safety gloves of the present invention to indicate a go signal in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates another potential embodiment of the safety glove of the present invention in the shape of a mitten in accordance with the disclosed architecture; and

[0026] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of a kit for providing the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0027] The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.

[0028] As noted above, there is a long-felt need in the art for a unique accessory that improves the safety of traffic or flow control officers or other authorized individuals while directing traffic or other motive flows. There is also a long-felt need in the art for an improved way of directing traffic that maximizes visibility and safety. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved accessory for directing traffic that ensures drivers, pedestrians and other individuals can see whether they should be passing through an intersection. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for an accessory that is easily used by traffic control officers and other authorized individuals. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a traffic directing aid device that displays different colors to aid in the flow control, such as a red side and green side to show drivers to stop or go. The colored areas may be enhanced by retroreflective elements such as prismatic or beaded elements. Furthermore, there is a long-felt need in the art for a traffic officer accessory that can be used at night or in other low light conditions. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a flow control accessory that can be easily used by traffic officers and prevents accidents and serious injuries from occurring at traffic stops, intersections, and other areas where crossing patterns of traffic occurs.

[0029] The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a set of novel safety accessories used for safely controlling vehicular, pedestrian, or other traffic. The accessories or gloves are designed to act as a visual or directional indicator to communicate a stop or go signal, or other traffic commands, that does not require the issuance of audible instructions when worn by a traffic control officer or other authorized individual. Each glove of the set of safety gloves has a front portion featuring a palm region, inner surface of fingers portion, inner surface of thumb portion and inner surface of cuff portion; the front portion is bright and reflective and may have a colored area, such as red in appearance to indicate a stop signal when shown to motorists and drivers; a back portion featuring a dorsal region, outer surface of fingers portion, outer surface of thumb portion and cuff portion; the back portion is bright and reflective and may have a colored area, such as green in appearance to indicate a go signal when shown to motorists, pedestrians, and drivers. The officer performs traffic controlling hand gestures showing the front portion to stop drivers and motorists; and the wearer performs traffic controlling hand gestures showing the back portion to allow drivers and motorists to go. The colored areas may be solid or may be provided in a pattern such as stripes, dots, squares, or any other suitable arrangement.

[0030] FIGS. 1-2 illustrate the front portion and back portion of the traffic and flow control accessory of the present invention, respectively. Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of the traffic directing accessory or glove of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed specification. The traffic directing glove or accessory 100 of the present invention is designed to be worn by a traffic officer, law officer, other authorized individual to safely and easily direct the flow of traffic. The accessory or glove 100 has a shape, size, and configuration to be worn on a human hand and, in the preferred embodiment, a pair of gloves (one for the right hand and one for the left hand) are provided. The glove 100 is non-slippery and conforms generally to the shape of the human hand. Further, the glove 100 can be worn over a conventional glove such as a uniform glove or glove worn in cold climate by officers. More specifically, the glove 100 has a one-piece structure and has a palmar or anterior portion 102 and an opposite dorsal portion 104. The palmar portion 102 is configured to cover the palm underside and the dorsal portion 104 is configured to cover dorsal or back portion of the hand of the wearer. A cuff portion 106 of the glove 100 provides an opening 107 which allows a user's hand to be inserted into the glove 100 such that the finger portion 108 accommodates the fingers and the thumb portion 110 accommodates the thumb of a wearer. The finger portion 108 and the thumb portion 110 completely accommodate the fingers and thumb, respectively and therefore, the glove 100 covers and accommodates the hand of a wearer.

[0031] For easily providing traffic directions, the palmar portion 102, the finger portions and thumb inner surface 112 and cuff portion's inner surface 114 are provided in with a bright, reflective color such as red to emulate a stop signal, indicating drivers to stop their movement. It should be understood that different colors may be used as may be required in different jurisdictions or for different types of events. The dorsal portion 104, the finger portions and thumb's outer surface 116 and cuff portion's outer surface 118 are provided in a bright, reflective color such as green, to emulate a go-ahead signal indicating drivers, pedestrians, or other operators to resume movement (as illustrated in FIG. 2A). The bright colors increase visibility ensuring that the drivers, operators, and pedestrians clearly see the indicated traffic signal while using the glove 100 and provides safety to the wearer of the glove at night and low light condition. The glove 100 has a reflective coating making the glove 100 waterproof and further can have an additional layer of waterproof film. The accessory 100 may be provided with additional directional or graphical indicia 111 which may be made from a retroreflective tape and provided in a beaded or prismatic format, such as may be available from 3M or Avery Dennison. The directional or graphical indicia 111 may be, for example, an arrow to show the operators and pedestrians the direction they are to pursue or could be in the shape of stop sign to further illustrate the point that the operators and pedestrians are to stop. Additional retroreflective strips 113 may be provided near the cuff area 106 and the fingers may also be provided with retroreflective dots or strips 115, 117 to increase the visibility of the flow control accessory. The additional retroreflective strips and dots may be provided on one side or both sides of the flow control accessory 100.

[0032] FIG. 2A also provides a RFID chip 123 which is sewn on or embedded in the glove. The chip 123 is wirelessly connected to a smart device 121 such as a smartphone. The chip 123 is used to help show the location of the officer and the smart device 121 can be used to transmit information to the traffic control individual to alert them to traffic patterns, congestion, and whether they no longer need to provide directional assistance to motorists, operators, or pedestrians.

[0033] The glove or accessory 100 is elastic and may be made from weatherproof material so that it can be used in rain and inclement weather. The gloves of the invention function as a means of communication without having to issue audible commands for indicating a traffic signal and safely directing traffic or other flow. In one embodiment of the present invention, the gloves or accessories come in the form of a kit including a pair of gloves for both hands of a wearer as will be described in connection with FIG. 7. In cases, where the color on the glove starts fading, the glove can be flipped inside out and worn as the interior surface of the glove 100 has the same color pattern allowing to direct traffic signals.

[0034] FIG. 2B illustrates a front perspective of the traffic flow control accessory 200 illustrating the outer portion of the glove 201 and the inner portion of the glove 203 which has the colored and or retroreflective area as well as indicia 205, in this example, it is a stop sign to assist the traffic control person with communicating the requested flow control action. The inner colored area 203 is shown as being about 25% less area, but may be as much as 50 or 75% less than the area of the outer glove 203 so that the reflective and colored areas stand out against the background of the outer glove.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing a method of using the safety gloves of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In use, a traffic officer 300 wears a glove on each hand 302, 304 to make hand gestures to direct vehicular traffic. As illustrated, the officer 300, for example, makes hand gestures to direct drivers to make a left turn with the dorsal region 104 shown to the motorists, operators, or pedestrians. Accordingly, the bright, reflective green color of the dorsal region 104 and outer surface 116 of the finger portion 108 are visible to the motorists, thereby acting as a visual indicator for a “go” signal. As the green color is reflective, it is visible from long distances and even in low light, thereby ensuring that drivers easily see the directions made by the officer or traffic control individual 300.

[0036] The gloves or safety accessory can be used by anyone, such as a driver, to indicate to other drivers to indicate a stop or go signal. For example, a driver can extend his/her hand from a vehicle while driving, with the palm region showing to a driver behind him/her to indicate a stop signal (the rear driver is shown bright red color). The gloves can also be worn by supervisors, security guards, and other individuals in scenarios where people wear masks, and it can be difficult to be heard. It should be appreciated that the traffic directing gloves of the present invention are extremely helpful to assist traffic officers to safely and conveniently direct traffic. The glove 100 has a one-piece structure, is easy to wear and is re-usable.

[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view showing a method of using the safety gloves of the present invention for indicating a stop signal in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In use, the traffic officer 300 wears a glove on each hand 302, 304 to make hand gestures to direct vehicular traffic. As illustrated, the officer 300, for example, shows the front region including the palm region 102 and inner portions 112, 114 to direct drivers to stop movement. Accordingly, the bright, reflective material is visible to the motorists, thereby acting as a visual indicator for a stop signal. As the red color is retroreflective, it is visible from long distances and even in low light, in that it reflects oncoming light back to the source of the light making the signal indication visible, thereby ensuring that drivers easily see the directions made by the officer 300.

[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view showing a method of using the safety gloves of the present invention to indicate a go signal in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In use, the traffic officer 300 wears a glove on each hand 302, 304 to make hand gestures to direct vehicular and other traffic. As illustrated, the officer 300, for example, shows the back portion of the gloves including the dorsal region 104 and outer portions 116, 118 to direct drivers to resume movement. Accordingly, the bright, retroreflective areas are visible to the motorists, pedestrians, and operators, thereby acting as a visual indicator for a “go” signal.

[0039] FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the safety glove of the present invention in the shape of a mitten in accordance with the disclosed architecture. For officers that like to wear mittens in winter, the glove 600 of the present embodiment is in the form of a mitten with the front portion 602 configured to cover palm with a bright, reflective area and the back portion 604 configured to cover dorsal region of hand with a bright, reflective area. The mitten glove 600 can be worn over any conventional mittens worn by officers.

[0040] FIG. 7 provides a kit 700 which includes a container 702 which is suitable for retail as well as online sales. The kit 700 includes at least a pair of gloves 704 and 706 and it should be understood that more than one pair of gloves are provided. The kit 700 further includes one or more retroreflective strips 708 which may be sewn on or adhered by adhesive, such as a permanent adhesive which has a removable release liner. A number of different colored retroreflective dots 710 are also provided and can be applied to different portions of the gloves such as to the finger and thumb areas to increase the reflectivity of the gloves. The kit may further include a chip 716 which can be programmed and wirelessly connected to a smart device such as a smartphone to provide traffic and other relevant information from a central dispatch. The retroreflective dots and strips 710 and 708, respectively, are made from one of a beaded or prismatic material. The beads in the beaded material range from 0.59 mm to 1.68 mm with about 0.84 mm to about 1.68 mm being preferred. The prismatic material uses micro prismatic, truncated prisms. The kit 700 may also include other directional or information materials such as an arrow 714 and a stop sign 712 which can also be adhered to the gloves through the use of a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive. The gloves may be made from natural, synthetic, or combinations of materials.

[0041] Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “traffic directing accessory”, “safety glove”, “glove”, “traffic accessory”, and “traffic guidance glove” are interchangeable and refer to the traffic directing safety glove 100, 600 of the present invention.

[0042] Notwithstanding the foregoing, the traffic directing safety glove 100, 600 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the traffic directing safety glove 100, 600 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the traffic directing safety glove 100, 600 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the traffic directing safety glove 100, 600 are important design parameters for user convenience, the traffic directing safety glove 100, 600 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.

[0043] Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.

[0044] What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.