AU599865B1 - Ambidextrous glove - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION 157 Form

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specificadtion-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Puiblished: lh imdounet1t iflS tie arnen'dimciits niade 11ndcr pIS~eI;tioii 4 9 and is correct fi- Priority: Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLiCANT Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: ROGER J, SYN OAt V, f$z1z:J11 44 MOUNTA114 VIEW ROAD, NORTH BALWYN, VICTORIA, 3150.x oi~v AUSTRALIA ROGER J. SYN P.O. Box 745, Glen Waverley, Victoria, 3150.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: AMBIDEXTROUS GLOVE 3 (1 The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:i rr r i ;r ii o 4 5 This invention relates to gloves which may be used for immersion *4f use in kitchen, laundry or other domestic areas.

Conventional immersible domestic gloves which may be used for immersion in hot water are rriade from rubber or some other suitable polymeric material and are designed to uniquely fit either the right or the left hand. Gloves of this type usually have the thumb displaced forward to resemble the morphology of the human hand. Consequently, the right hand say, cannot be inserted comfortably into the left hand glove because 25 the thumb will be displaced in the wrong direction. Accordingly, when one glove of a pair becomes unusable, the remaining glove cannot be used with any other gloves which happen to be available unless there is a spare glove of the appropriate hand. In such instances, some householders oftenA resort to turning a remaining glove inside out. The present invention 3 0 addresses this problem by providing an imnersible glove of antbidextrous design.

o z 0 4 4 5 This invention relates to gloves which may be used for immersion in hot iquids. It has particular, but not exclusive appication to gloves for use in kitchen, laundry or other domestic areas.

Conventional immersible domestic gbves which may be used for immersion in hot water are made from rubber or some other suitable polymeric material and are designed to uniquely fit either the right or the left hand. Gloves of this type usually have the thumb displaced forward to resemble the morphology of the human hand. Consequently, the right hand say, cannot be inserted comfortably into the left hand glove because 2 5 he thumb will be displaced in the wrong direction. Accordingly, when one glove of a pair becomes unusable, the remaining glove cannot be used with any other gloves which happen to be available unless there is a spare glove of the appropriate hand. In such instances, some householders often resort to turning a remaining glove inside out. The present invention 3 0 addresses this problem by providing an immersible glove of ambidextrous design.

-^722Nr -ri I I i /l 1- ll-- ~rrr rr; 2 Ambidextrous gloves are gloves that can be used interchangeably on either the right or the left hand. Ambidextrous gloves have been proposed for surgical, laboratory and general domestic applications, and are des;igned to conform to a hand which is laid flat so that the thumb and fingers lie in the same plane. H-owever these known gloves are composed of a thin, flexible material to allow the thumb sufficient flexibility, and the thinness of the material makes these gloves unsuitable for applications where the hands may need to be immersed in hot liquids.

o ao o 0 v 00 0 0*000 According to the present invention there is provided an ambidextrous glove, capable of being used for immersion in hot liquids, comprising opposed layers of waterproof resilient material defining opposite sides of the glove and shaped to provide fingers and a thumb which lie in substantially the same plane, wherein the glove is a snugly fitting glove except for the region at or adjacent to the base of the thumb at each side of the glove which is provided with a surplus of said material, said surplus allows deflection of the thurmb to both the right and left side of the plane.

A snugly fitting glove is defined as a glove which snugly fits the hand from the fingers to the palm and thereafter fits loosely around the wrist.

The surplus of material is preferably located in the region of the hand known as the "anatomical snuff box" and generally extends to the saddle joint between the thumb and index finger. This location is preferred because on deflection of the thumb of the hand to be inserted into the glove, this is the region of maximum stretch.

22 MAR 2 2 MAR 1990 p 3 It is preferred that said surplus of material be in the form of a single ridge, although it is to be appreciated that other forms, such as a plurality of ridges, may be used.

The waterproof resilient material may be either a natural or synthetic polymeric material, such as rubber, or any other material which possesses sufficient heat insulation and moisture resistance. The material may also provide protection against chemicals which are p. _ntially harmful to the skin. It is preferred that the glove is formed by latex dipping.

Ot The glove may have external surface features, such as stipples or markings, which may enhance surface friction and grip. Since the glove of S the present invention is intended for ambidextruus use, such markings i 5 would be duplicated on either side of the glove.

In order that the invention may be more fully described, an embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of one side of the glove, the other side being identical; and FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line X-X shown in Figure 1.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the ambidextrous glove has the thumb 1 and fingers 2 lying in substantially the same plane. The region at the base of the thumb 3 is provided with a surplus of material 4 which extends from the anatomical snuff box 5 to the saddle joint 6 3 0 between the thumb 1 and the index finger 2, because this is the region of maximum stretch when the thumb is deflected. The surplus of material 4 22 MAR 1990 .i 4 is present on both sides of the glove so that the thumb 1 can be deflected to both the right and left side of the plane in accordance with whatever hand the glove is placed on. In the embodiment shown, the surplus of material 4 is in the form of a single ridge 9, although it is to be appreciated that other forms such as a plurality of ridges may be used.

The glove is made of a waterproof resilient material, possessing sufficient heat insulation. It snugly fits the hand from the fingers 2 to the palm 7 and thereafter fits loosely around the wrist 8. The resilient material allows the fingers 2 to have sufficient flexibility when the glove is in use.

o 0 The glove of the present embodiment is made from natural rubber and is Vformed by latex dipping and is suitable for being used for immersion in 0q S hot water.

o oo oo°. 15 The embodiment has been advanced by way of example only. It is oi accordingly to be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the 0000 details of the illustrated construction and that many modifications and variations will fall within the spirit and scope of the invention which extends to every novel feature and combination of features 20 hereindisclosed.

22 MAR 1990

Claims (8)

1. An ambidextrous glove, capable of being used for immersion in hot liquids, comprising opposed layers of waterproof resilient material defining opposite sides of the glove and shaped to provide fingers and a thumb which lie in substantially the same plane, wherein the glove is a snugly fitting glove except for the region at or adjacent to the base of the thumb at each side of the glove which is provided with a surplus of said material, the surplus allows deflection of the thumb to both the right and left side of the plane.

2. An ambidextrous glove according to claim I wherein the surplus of 0 f I 1 said material is located in the region of the hand known as the anatomical snuff box" and generally extends to the saddle joint between 15 the thumb and index finger. 0 9

3. An ambidextrous glove according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the surplus of said material comprises one or more ridges.

4. An ambidextrous glove according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said material is a natural or synthetic polymeric material which possesses sufficient heat insulation and moisture resistance so that the glove is capable of being used for immersion in hot liquids.

5. An ambidextrous glove according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the glove comprises external surface features which enhance surface friction and grip, said features being duplicated or either side of the glove. 2 2 MAR 1990 p. I+ 6

6. An ambidextrous glove according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said material provides protection against chemicals which are potentially harmful to the skin.

7. An ambidextrous glove according to any one of claims wherein the glove is formed by latex dipping.

8. An ambidextrous glove substantially as hereinbefore illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. the preceding described and o oolO OU o O o 049 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 o 'r'l 5 li~ tir DATED THIS 22ND DAY OF MARCH, 1990. ROGER J. SYN, MARK W. SYN, PIIINEAS H. CHEW, WILLIAM E. LYE P.O. Box 745, Glen Waverley, Victoria, 3150. 2 2 MAR 1990 L~