PROTECTIVE GLOVE WITH RESTRICTIVE PADS

Abstract

A protective glove for a human hand has a metacarpus portion comprising a palm side attached to an opposing dorsal side which together cover the metacarpals of the human hand, and four finger portions attached to the metacarpus portion, each finger portion having a bottom side and a top side which together surround one of the fingers of the human hand. A plurality of rigid pads are attached to the top side of at least one of the finger portions, wherein the rigid pads have end surfaces that abut each other, and are positioned so that the end surfaces are positioned over one of the phalangeal joints while being worn. When the finger portions are straightened, the rigid pads restrict any backward flexion. At least one rigid metacarpus pad is attached to the dorsal side, having a side edge positioned over the metacarpophalangeal joint and formed at an angle to the end surface of the adjacent rigid pads. The angle is between approximately 10-50 degrees, so that limited backward flexion is allowed.

Claims

1. A protective glove for a human hand having four metacarpals, each forming a metacarpophalangeal joint with one of four fingers, each of the four fingers having three phalanges connected with phalangeal joints, the protective glove comprising: a metacarpus portion comprising a palm side attached to an opposing dorsal side which together cover the metacarpals of the human hand; four finger portions attached to the metacarpus portion, each finger portion having a bottom side and a top side which together surround one of the fingers of the human hand; a plurality of rigid pads attached to the top side of at least one of the finger portions, wherein each of the rigid pads has an end surface that abuts an end surface of an adjacent rigid pad, the rigid pads being positioned so that the end surfaces of abutting rigid pads are positioned over one of the phalangeal joints when the protective glove is being worn; wherein the end surfaces are formed to abut each other when the finger portions are straightened to an axis of each of the relevant finger portions, but to restrict any backward flexion of those joints beyond the axis of each of the finger portions while the protective glove is being worn, and also to not interfere with forward flexion of the finger portions; at least one rigid metacarpus pad attached to the dorsal side of the metacarpus portion adjacent the finger portions, wherein a side edge of the at least one rigid metacarpus pad is positioned over the metacarpophalangeal joint and is formed at an angle to the end surface of the adjacent rigid pad of each of the finger portions, the angle being between approximately 10-50 degrees, so that limited backward flexion of the finger portions relative to the metacarpus portion is allowed when the protective glove is being worn, but is restricted from further backward flexion.

2. The protective glove of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rigid pads includes a bottom surface with a perimeter edge, and wherein each of the plurality of rigid pads is attached to its respective portion of the protective glove along the entire perimeter edge of the bottom surface.

3. The protective glove of claim 1, further including a fifth finger portion for a pollex of the human hand.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective glove according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a finger portion of the protective glove shown in a straightened position;

[0018] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof, shown with forward flexion; and

[0019] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof, shown with partial backward flexion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a pair of gloves that are adapted to protect the user's fingers from being bent backwards and hyper-extended, potentially causing dislocation.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective glove 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one of four finger portions 24 of the protective glove 10 shown in a straightened position. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the protective glove 10 is adapted to be worn by a human hand 12 having four metacarpals 14, each forming a metacarpophalangeal joint 16 with one of four fingers 15, and each of the four fingers 15 having three phalanges 18 connected with phalangeal joints 19. The protective glove 10 includes a plurality of rigid pads 26 that restrict backward flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joints 16 and the phalangeal joints 19, which may prevent hyper-extension or finger jamming while being worn, such as while playing a sport or performing manual labor.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the protective glove 10 comprises a metacarpus portion 20 having a palm side 22a attached to an opposing dorsal side 22b which together cover the metacarpals 14 of the human hand 12, and four finger portions 24 attached to the metacarpus portion 20. Each finger portion 24 has a bottom side 24a and a top side 24b which together surround one of the fingers 15 of the human hand 12. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the protective glove 10 further includes a fifth finger portion 25, for the pollex (thumb) of the human hand. In some embodiments, a wrist portion 21 may be included, which may include any typically associated features, e.g., elastic material, a fastener, etc., as is well-known in the art. In various embodiments, the metacarpus portion 20 and the finger portions 24 and 25 may be formed of any suitable materials, e.g., leather, synthetic leather, PVC, latex, neoprene, cotton, etc., or a combination of these, or any other materials compatible with the invention as-claimed. For example, the palm side 22a of the metacarpus portion 20 and the bottom sides 24a of the finger portions 24 and 25 may include a high-friction material to enhance grip, while the dorsal side 22b and top sides 24b include more breathable materials. However, any suitable combination of materials, in any locations of the protective glove 10, may be constructed.

[0023] As illustrated, the plurality of rigid pads 26 may be attached to the top side 24b of each of the finger portions 24 and/or 25. However, in some constructions, the plurality of rigid pads 26 may be applied to only one or some of the finger portions 24/25. The protective glove 10 further includes at least one rigid metacarpus pad 32 attached to the dorsal side 22b of the metacarpus portion 20 adjacent the finger portions 24. In this embodiment, there are three rigid metacarpus pads 32 of different shapes and sizes, but any suitable number of metacarpus pads may be included, in any functional shapes and locations. As shown, each of the plurality of rigid pads 26 includes a bottom surface 28 with a perimeter edge 30, wherein each pad may be attached to its respective portion of the protective glove 10 along the entire perimeter edge 30 of the bottom surface 28 via stitching, a permanent adhesive, or some other means of attachment. The rigid pads 26 may be constructed of a high density foam material, which may be constructed of rubber, leather, plastic, silicone, spandex, neoprene, nylon, polyester, etc., or a combination of these. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of rigid pads 26 is in a generally rectangular shape and sized to extend the length of each phalange of the hand. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the plurality of rigid pads 26 is in a slight hourglass shape, but other shapes may be implemented, as long as the rigid pads 26 are compatible with the present invention as-claimed.

[0024] Importantly, each of the rigid pads 26 has an end surface 34 that abuts an end surface 34 of an adjacent rigid pad 26, the rigid pads 26 being positioned so that the end surfaces 34 of abutting rigid pads 26 are positioned over one of the phalangeal joints 19 of the hand when the protective glove 10 is being worn. Furthermore, a side edge 36 of the at least one rigid metacarpus pad 32 is positioned over the metacarpophalangeal joint 16 and abuts the adjacent end surfaces 34 of the rigid pads 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the end surfaces 34 of the rigid pads 26 are formed to abut each other when the finger portions 24 and/or 25 are straightened to an axis of each of the finger portions 24. The side edge 36 of the at least one rigid metacarpus pad 32 is positioned over the metacarpophalangeal joint 16 and is formed at an angle to the end surface 34 of the adjacent rigid pad 26 of each of the finger portions 24 and 25. The end surfaces 34 and the side edge 36 are also shown in FIGS. 3-4 and discussed in further detail below.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of one of the finger portions 24 of the protective glove 10, shown with forward flexion, and FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof, shown with partial backward flexion. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the end surfaces 34 further restrict any backward flexion of the respective joints beyond the axis of each of the finger portions 24 and 25 while the protective glove 10 is being worn. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the rigid pads 26 do not interfere with forward flexion of the finger portions 24. Furthermore, as discussed, the side edge 36 of the at least one rigid metacarpus pad 32 is positioned over the metacarpophalangeal joint 16 and is formed at an angle to the end surface 34 of the adjacent rigid pad 26 of each of the finger portions 24 and 25. In various embodiments, the angle is between approximately 10-50 degrees, so that limited backward flexion of the finger portions 24 and 25 relative to the metacarpus portion 20 is allowed when the protective glove 10 is being worn, but is restricted from further backward flexion. In this manner, the phalangeal joints 19 of the human hand 12 cannot flex beyond the straightened position shown in FIG. 2, while the metacarpophalangeal joints 16 have limited additional flexion due to the angle created by the side edge 36 of the metacarpus pad 32 and the end surface 34 of the adjacent rigid pad 26. As illustrated, there may be a thickening of the material of the pads 32 and 26 adjacent each join 19 and 16, wherein the materials thickness may impart additional strength to resist hyper-extension.

[0026] The title of the present application, and the claims presented, do not limit what may be claimed in the future, based upon and supported by the present application. Furthermore, any features shown in any of the drawings may be combined with any features from any other drawings to form an invention which may be claimed.

[0027] As used in this application, the words a, an, and one are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms approximately and about are defined to mean +/10%, unless otherwise stated. Also, the terms have, include, contain, and similar terms are defined to mean comprising unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application. While the invention has been described with reference to at least one particular embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the scope of the invention is defined by claims made to the invention.