EP0196637A1

EP0196637A1 - Work gloves

Info

Publication number: EP0196637A1
Application number: EP86104301A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mitsuo Abe
Original assignee: Daido Steel Co Ltd
Current assignee: Daido Steel Co Ltd
Priority date: 1985-03-27
Filing date: 1986-03-27
Publication date: 1986-10-08
Also published as: EP0196637B1; DE3679694D1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a work glove (10) which comprises a fingertip protector (12) attached to the forward end of the glove.

Description

The present invention relates to work gloves which are designed to protect the fingertips of a worker from external shocks and mechanical stresses, whereby preventing accidental injuries from occurring when a worker is engaged in machining and other heavy-duty works that might cause damage to fingers.
It has been a common practice that a worker wears fabric or leather work gloves when he operates a dangerous machine having exposed moving parts (such as rolls) or carries heavy articles. Work gloves are indispensable for heavy-duty works such as press operation, grinding, and carrying of heavy articles. According to usage, work gloves are provided with rubber coating for waterproofing, electrical insulation, and slip prevention. Not only do work gloves prevent the worker's hands from becoming dirty, but they also protect the worker's hands from a slight bruise and scratch during work.
In actual workshops, however, there often occur the damage to fingertips which cannot be prevented by the commonly used work gloves. For example, a worker often gets his fingertips caught between rolls or scratched by a grinder. Other common accidents are the crushing of fingertips that occurs when the fingers are caught under a heavy object or the fingers are caught between a sling and an object to be lifted by a crane. Conventional work gloves are useless for the protection of fingertips in heavy-duty works, and the worker's own carefulness has been the only possible way of avoiding accidents.
It is an object of the present invention to provide work gloves which are characterized in that each tip is provided with a fingertip protector. It is another object of the present invention to provide work gloves which are characterized in that the fingertip protector is constructed such that it can be easily removed from the tip of a worn glove and attached to the tip of a new one.
The work gloves of this invention will protect the worker's fingers from accidents that might occur during heavy-duty works.
The objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the work glove of the first example of the invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the fingertip part of the glove shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the fingertip protector to be attached to the work glove of this invention.
Fig. 4 is a plan sectional view of the work glove of the second example of the invention.
Figs. 5(a) and 5(b) are perspective views of another examples of the fingertip protectors to be attached to the work gloves shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is.a perspective view of another example of the fingertip protector.
Fig. 7 is a plan view of the work glove of the third example, with the fingertip protector shown in Fig. 6 attached.
Fig. 8 is a plan view of the work glove of the fourth example of the invention.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the work glove of this invention which is in use.
Fig. 10 is a plan sectional view of the work glove of the fifth example of the invention.
Fig. 11 is a plan sectional view of the work glove of the sixth example of the invention.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the work glove of the seventh example of the invention.
Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of Fig. 14.
Figs. 14 to 19 are perspective views of the fingertip protectors to be enclosed in the work glove.
Fig. 20 is a plan view of the work glove of the eighth example of the invention.
Fig. 21 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B of Fig. 20.
Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the work glove of the ninth example of the invention.
Fig. 23 is an exploded perspective view the work glove as shown in Fig. 22.
Figs. 24 to 28 are perspective views of the fingertip protectors to be externally attached to the glove.
Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the work glove of the tenth example of the invention.
Fig. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the work glove as shown in Fig. 29.
Fig. 31 is a perspective view of the work glove of the eleventh example of the invention.
Fig. 32 is an exploded perspective view of the work glove as shown in Fig. 31.
Fig. 33 is a perspective view of the work glove of the twelfth example of the invention.
Fig. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the work glove as shown in Fig. 33.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows the work glove of the first example of the invention. This work glove is made up of a five-finger glove 10 and fingertip protectors 12 externally attached to the respective tips of the glove 10. The fingertip protector ¹²has a caplike form as shown in Fig. 3, so that it entirely covers the fingertip 14 when the work glove is worn. (See Fig. 2.)
Fig. 4 shows the second example of the invention which is applied to a mitten. The mitten 16 has recessed parts 18 at proper intervals on the tip thereof where the second to fifth fingers are accommodated and also has projecting parts 20 adjacent to the recessed parts 18. The fingertip protectors 12 as shown in Fig. 3 are attached to the projecting parts 20 and the thumb 21. In this way, the fingertips are protected.
In the case of the work glove of ordinary type (with five fingers) as shown in Fig. 1, the caplike fingertip protector may be replaced by the fingertip protector as shown in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b). It has an opening 22 through which the finger pad 14 is exposed. The fingertip protector 12 of this type is made up of a nail cover 24 and a retainer 26 which is integral with the nail cover 24. The nail cover may be formed by punching and bending a 0.8 to 1.2 mm thick steel sheet. The retainer comes into contact with the finger pad, keeping the fingertip protector in place. The nail cover 24 covers the nail but the opening 22 permits the finger pad 14 to be exposed, so that the worker can feel the object with the finger pad 14 through the glove.
Fig. 7 shows the third example of the invention. It is designed for a mitten. The fingertip protector 12 as shown in Fig. 6 is externally attached to the mitten 16 so that the second to fifth fingers are covered. If necessary, the thumbtip protector 12 may be attached to the thumb of the mitten.
Fig. 8 shows the fourth example of the invention. In this example, the fingertip protector 12 is attached to the forward end of the square glove 28 which is used for gripping hot objects in a steel mill and the like, so that the fingertips 14 are effectively protected. The work glove proper is made of thick cloth like canvas so that it withstands heavy-duty works.
The fingertip protector 12 may take on any shape. It should preferably be made of hardened steel which is not easily crushed by great forces and shocks applied to it. It may also be made of , reinforced plastics and ceramics.
The fingertip protector attached to the external end of the work glove covers the fingertips almost completely. Thus the fingertips are protected from scratch, crush, fracture, and other injuries when they receive excessive mechanical stresses during heavy-duty works. The fingertip protector also prevents the fingertips from being caught by rolls as shown in Fig. 9. Even though the fingertip protector 12 comes into contact with the rolls 30, it is not caught by the rolls but it simply slips on the rolls.
Fig. 10 shows the fifth example of the invention. In this example, the mitten 16 is constructed such that small compartments 32 (4 pieces in this case) for the second to fifth fingers are formed inside the forward end. The caplike fingertip protectors 12 as shown in Fig. 3 are detachably inserted into the respective small compartments. When the glove is worn, the fingertips 14 are inserted into the respective fingertip protectors 12. Because the fingertip protectors 12 are independent from one another, there is some room for the fingers to move in the glove. In this example, the work glove is provided with four fingertip protectors 12; but, if necessary, the glove may be provided with five fingertip protectors for all the fingers.
Fig. 11 shows the sixth example of the invention. The square glove 28 is designed for gripping hot objects as described in relation to Fig. 8. As in the example shown in Fig. 10, small compartments 32 are formed inside the forward end, and the fingertip protectors 12 are detachably inserted into the compartments 32. The fingertip protectors 12 may be of the caplike shape or of the open type as shown in Fig. 5.
In the above-mentioned examples 5 and 6, the fingertip protectors 12 are detachably attached to the inside of the glove; but they may be fixedly attached to the inside of the glove.
Figs. 12 and 13 show the seventh example of the invention. The mitten 16 has a bag 34 that extends from the forward end to the back of the major part for four fingers. This bag 34 accommodates the fingertip protector 12. The mouth of the bag 34 is closed by means of the hook & loop fastener 36 and 38 as represented by Vercro's fastener. The fingertip protector 12 enclosed in the bag 34 has a U-shape so that it surrounds the tips and nails of the second and fifth fingers as shown in Fig. 14.
The work gloves and bags may be made of cloth, leather, or rubber according to their usage as in the conventional work gloves. The fingertip protector 12 may be made of metal, plastics, or ceramics which are hard and strong enough to protect fingers. The shape of the fingertip protector should preferably be properly changed according to the usage. For the works which are liable to cut or catch fingers, the fingertip protector 12 should have a form as shown in Fig. 14 or Fig. 15 so that the fingertip protector covers the fingers almost entirely. Where a worker is liable to get his fingertips caught but not liable to get his fingertips cut, the fingertip protector 12 may have a shape as shown in Fig. 16 so that it protects only the backside of the fingers. For protection of fingertips from cutting only, the fingertip protector 12 may have a shape as shown in Figs. 17 to 19.
Where the fingertip protectors 12 as shown in Figs. 17 to 19 are used, it is not necessary for the bag 34 to extend from the forward end of the glove. In that case, the bag 34 covering the forward end alone will suffice as shown in Figs. 20 and 21 (the eighth example).
In the case of the work glove 16 as shown in Fig. 12, the fingertip protector 12 is retained in the bag 34 by means of the hook & loop fasteners 36 and 38. For the retention of the fingertip protector 12, . the mouth of the bag 34 may be partly sewn on to the glove proper. Alternatively, the fingertip protector 12 may be retained in the bag 34 by attaching projections to both sides of the opening and engaging the projections with slits formed on the mouth of the bag. In the seventh and eighth examples, the fingertip protector 12 is designed to protect the second to fifth fingers all together; but it may be modified such that it protects the fingers individually or in proper group.
Figs. 22 and 23 show the ninth example of the invention. In this example, the fingertip protector is detachably attached to the glove by means of the retainers fixed to the glove. The fingertip protector is formed in U-shape as illustrated so that it protects the tips of the second to fifth fingers in a mitten 16. The retainer 40 is a short strap sewn on to the glove. Hook & loop fasteners 36 and 38 are attached to the retainer and the glove, respectively. To attach the fingertip protector 12 to the glove 16, the two retainers 40 are passed through the holes 12a formed at both ends of the fingertip protector and turned back so that the fasteners (36 and 38) engage with each other
In this example, the shape of the fingertip protector 12 should be properly changed according to the usage as in the seventh example mentioned above. If it is necessary to protect the fingers entirely,.-. the fingertip protector 12 as shown in Fig. 24 should be used. If it is necessary to protect only the fingertips, the fingertip protector 12 may have the shape as shown in Figs. 25 and 26. To protect the tips and back of the fingers, the one shoyn in Fig. 27 should be used. To protect only the back of the fingers, the one shown in Fig. 28 should be used.
It is possible to secure the fingertip protector 12 to the glove 16 by means of hook & loop fasteners attached to the inside of the fingertip protector and the forward end of the glove.
Figs. 29 and 30 show the tenth example of the invention. The glove 16 has two short straps 42 on the back side thereof. A snap 44a (socket) is sewn on to one end of the strap 42, and a snap 44b (stud) is sewn on to the glove 16. A hole 12b for the strap 42 to pass through is made on the upper side of the fingertip protector 12. To secure the fingertip protector 12 to the glove 16, the strap 42 is passed through the hole 12a and the snap 44a on the strap is fitted to the snap 44b on the glove. For the firmer securing, the fingertip protector 12 may be provided with a vertical partition wall 46 to be inserted into a slit 16a formed between the third finger and the fourth finger as shown in Fig. 30.
Figs. 31 and 32 show the eleventh example of the invention. The work glove in this example is provided with the bag 48 which entirely covers the fingertip protector 12 mounted on the outside of the glove. The bag 48 is secured to the glove 16 by means of hook & loop fasteners 50 and 52. In this example, the bag 48 entirely covers the fingertip protector 12 to provide protection for it.
Ftgs. 33 and 34 show the twelfth example of the invention. The fingertip protector 12 designed to protect the fingertips alone is secured to the glove 16 by means of the hook & loop fasteners 50 and 52 attached to the inside of the fingertip protector and the forward end of the glove. This example produces the same effect as the eleventh example mentioned above, and in addition, it has an advantage that the fingertip protector 12 can be attached very easily.
As mentioned above, the present invention provides a work glove provided with a fingertip protector which securely protects the fingertips from excessive mechanical forces during heavy-duty works. Thus the work glove prevents scratch, crush, fracture, and other injuries to the fingers. The fingertip protector is easily removed from the worn glove and secured to a new one for reuse.

Claims

1. A work glove, characterized in that a fingertip protector (12) is attached to the forward end of the glove.

2. A work glove according to claim 1, characterized in that the fingertip protector (12) is attached to the outside of the forward end of the glove.

3. A work glove according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a receiver for the fingertip protector (12) is attached to the forward end of the glove, whereby the fingertip protector can be detachably mounted in the receiver.

4. A work glove according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an engaging means permits the fingertip protector (12) to be secured to the forward end of the glove, whereby the fingertip protector (12) is detachably mounted.

5. A work glove according to claim 1, characterized in that the fingertip protector (12) is provided inside the forward end of the glove.

6. A work glove according to claim 5, characterized in that the protector (12) is made up of a covering part (24) to cover the fingernail and that a retainer (26) is integrally connected to the covering part, said retainer (26) coming into contact with the finger pad to prevent the fingertip protector (12) from slipping off the finger.