GB2225706A - Glove preserver/drying tree - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a skeletal frame over which gloves, be they for whatever duty, may be slid, to hold them open, for the purpose, for example, of allowing them to dry out. In the present embodiment a flexible, adjustable frame built up of a limited number of mouldings permits the said frame to be used with a range of gloves, of either hand, whether be they large or small over which gloves may be slid to hold them open, be it to allow them to dry or for whatever purpose. <IMAGE>

Description

(,'LOVE 1'HIISISRVEH The present invention relates to the field of gloves, and in particular, though not exclusively, to the drying of gloves, of any type, which have become wet for whatever reason, by aiding their ventilation.

Many people use gloves for a wide variety of purposes, for example, farmers when erecting barbed wire fencing, construction workers on building sites, pilots and sportsmen of many kinds, such as climbers, sailors, and golfers, and in the course of using them, may get them wet, either by reason of environment or by perspiration. If left wet they are liable to deteriorate, by, for example, growing moulds. For the sake of simplicity this application is written with reference to golf gloves, since these are made of very high quality leather and are accordingly expensive, but without prejudice to the use of the invention with other gloves, for any reason, be they formed of whatsoever material or for whatever purpose.

The present inventions is a" skeletal" frame over which a glove may be slidden, and so held in an opened up manner to assist the circulation of air within it. A rigid assembly is disadvantageous, in that fitting the glove over the same may be difficult, and in the preferred embodiment, described hereafter by way of example, an adjustable, flexible, articulated, skeletal frame is used to support the glove in an open handed position. The said frame does not act as a stretcher, that is, it does not entirely fill the interior of any glove fitted over it, but merely holds the said glove, principally by supporting it on the tips of the outstretched "fingers", the interior of the said glove being held in a relatively opened up manner, so allowing air to enter the same.Gloves formed after the fashion of mittens, that is without finger tips, may be placed over the said frame in the same manner, and are likewise held open, so permitting the air to flow relatively freely within them. The preferred embodiment is built up a number of items in such a way that the same set of components can be so arranged as to support either a right hand or a left hand glove, within a range of sizes from large to small. The said frame is built up upon a base means, made, in the preferred embodiment, like the remainder of the said invention, of a material such as polyethylene, whizz same may be freely moulded, is sufficiently rigid for the purpose in mind if properly formed, and sufficiently pliable to be used as either a springing means or as a hingeing means if properly designed.The said base means corresponds, for ease of explanation, to a "wrist", and adjacent palm of the hand, and is so formed as to be capable of supporting the said frame as a free standing unit, or of allowing it to be hung in a convenient manner from a hook, and of permitting the display of advertising means thereon, which same space is of advantageous commercial value. In the same manner the colouring of the said frame means may be changed to match advertisers requirements.

In the preferred embodiment the said glove drying frame may be rapidly adjusted to permit it's employment in conjunction with either right or left hand gloves, be they large or small by changing the thumb from one side of the assembly to the other, for which purpose it need not be dismounted, and adjusting it's mounting point in the vertical axis, and hence it's effective length, and adjusting the length of the fingers.

A general view of an embodiment of an assembled glove support may be seen, by way of example, in Figure 1, adjusted to fit a large glove, and in Figure 2 to fit a small glove. At A is the said base means. At B, for example, are extensions thereof, apertures therein permitting the said frame to b hung, as above described. At C is an area which may be advantageously employed to display advertising# and which same serves a second purpose, to wit, forming a base for the finger roots of said frame. AtDmay be seen for example, afin, one of aplurality, which by holding the said#io"e cicarvf the surface of Ille said base rneaiis i,crinits pclmils tlie free entry of air lo tiie intcrielr of the same.At Fl, F2, F3, and F4 are extensions of the said base means forming the finger roots, being mounted upon the said base by transversely located hinge means h - h, which may be integrally formed, and whose axes lie parallel with the plane of the underside of the said base means, such the that said fingers roots may be moved radially about the said hinge means as though outstretched fingers of the hand, whose tips may be held together or moved apart whilst the fingers remain straight. The upper extremities of F1, F2, F3, and F4 have formed integrally upon them cooperative engaging means whereby "fingertips", G, may be slidden upon the same and adjustably mounted.At U is the adjustable thumb means, mounted, in this example, upon the lower portion of the finger root F2 whereon it is slidably engaged, the said thumb-like extension being radially pivotted at j -j upon it's mounting means in the same manner as the said finger roots, and which same may be both moved up and down axially upon the said finger root, and rotated from one side of the said finger assembly to the other, in conjunction with co-operative mounting means integrally formed upon the said finger root means, so permitting both left and right hand gloves to be fitted over the said drying frame, be they large or small.The said co-operative finger tip and thumb root mounting means may be marked with glove sizes appoximating to the setting in use, by, for example, marking the face of the finger root means adjacent to the bottom of the finger tip element and thumb mounting means such that the appropriate size marking is that exposed nearest the said lower edge.

In Figure 3 may be seen an elevation of the base and finger root assembly. In Figure 4 is a scrap section through the centreline, X - X. The said base means is seen in plan in Figure 5. Figure 6 is a view on the base and root assembly as seen in figure 5 in the direction of the arrow Y. In Figure 7 details of the construction of a finger root tip are shown, being a scrap elevation of the upper end of a said finger root, showing a plurality of teeth, H, after the manner of rack gearing, with cross sections at the tip and base of such a tooth at M and N, C - A being the transverse centreline, i.e. in the same plane as h - h.In Figure 8 is an elevation of a finger tip, and on different scale, a scrap cross section of such a finger tip located upon the said finger root, in which an inward projection J, being an extension of the said finger tip and radially movable about an axis lying approximately at L may be seen co-operatively engaging the said rack, so locating the said finger tip upon the said finger root. Figure 9 shows a view on the same assembly in the direction of arrow Z in figure 8.At K may be seen a a slot circumscribing the sides and base of the said co-operative tooth means, which same is attached by it's upper end to the body of the said finger tip, the said point of attachment permitting, by deformation in the preferred embodiment, the approximately radial outward movement of the said projection J, needed to disengage the said rack when required, whilst supplying sufficient springing force to hold the same securely in situ when properly located in the said "rack" of cooperative teeth. Figure 10 shows a cross section at R - R in Figure 8, showing the projection J and the said slots K at either side thereof, a second cross section at Q - Q, Figure 8, and a scrap section on the said tooth at S- S, Figure 8, showing the tip assembly and omitting the root upon which it is mounted.Figure 11 shows a plan upon the said finger tip, a cross section of the uppermost part thereof at T - T, and an elevation of the same showing the loop whereof it is formed. Figure 12 shows in elevation the thumb assembly, in the plane P - P shown in the cross section adjacent, which relates the same to the axis C- A previously cited in Figure 7. The said thumb assembly is slidably engaged upon finger root F2, and slidden down, to be located upon the lower rack, whose cross-section is that cited showing the axis P - P. It will be observed therein that two racks lie adjacent to eachother such that the included angle of intersection between the corresponding outer edges of their respective teeth is ninety degrees or thereabouts. The thumb assembly is placed pointing to one side or other of the said finger root assembly according to the hand of the glove to be fitted over the same, and the radially movable tooth, W, similar to those desribed above for the finger tips, engages one or other rack. The manner of adjusting the finger tips and thumb assembly is identical in principal: the fingertip is moved by rotating the same ninety degrees in either direction, to bring the said inwardly facing projection onto the axis C - A so disengaging it from the said rack, by causing it to ride up onto the edge of the finger root whereon it is mounted, whereafter it may be raised or lowered as required. In the case of the thumb a rotation of forty five degrees or thereabouts to bring the said tooth onto the axis C - A will cause such a disengagement, after which it may be likewise moved.

The present invention is an advance on the current state of the art, wherein no such device exists, and is accordingly of commercial value.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS What we claim is:

1. A glove preserver comprising a former, howsoever constructed, over which a glove may be put, in order to hold the same open, be it for whatever purpose. .

2. A glove preserver as in claim 1 above performed in a flexible material, for example polythene, be it of whatever configuration.

3. A glove preserver according to the above claims wherein the said frame is made of a plurality of co-operative parts moulded in a medium such as polyethylene, which, when suitably formed, maybeendowed bothwithsufficientrigiditytoholdthesaid glove open, and sufficient flexibility where so required as to ease theadjustmentthereof, howsoeverthesaidadjustmentsbeperformed, or for whatever purpose.

4. A glove preserver according to the above claims wherein the said frame is possessed of a base element means whereon it may be stood, or whereby it may be hung, surmounted by radially moveable finger root extensions attached thereto through hinge means, which said finger root means may be adapted to work co-operatively with adjustable finger tip means engaged thereon, and a thumb means co-operatively and adjustably engaged upon one such finger root means, howsoever the said hinge means, co-operatively engaged adjusting finger tip means, and cooperatively engaged adjustable thumb means be performed.

5. A glove preserver according to the above claims wherein the said thumb supporting element may be adjusted to enable the said glove preserver to be used with either left or right hand gloves, of differing sizes, irrespective of where and howsoever the said thumb means be mounted, or howsoever the said adjusting and mounting means be performed.

6. A glove preserver according to the preceding claims wherein the said thumb element is slidably and co-operatively mounted upon one of the said finger root elements, whereon it's height may be set through the said co-operative mounting means, and about which it may rotated to permit it to be set to take either left or right hand gloves.

7. A glove preserver according to the preceding claims wherein the said preserver may be endowed with a space whereon advertising may be carried, howsoever the said provision be performed.

8. A glove preserver according to the preceding claims whose colouring or combination of coloursene according to the said advertisers requirements.