GB2310357A

GB2310357A - A mitt including an extendible sleeve

Info

Publication number: GB2310357A
Application number: GB9603905A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Clark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-11-16
Filing date: 1996-02-23
Publication date: 1997-08-27
Also published as: AU3788995A; GB9603905D0

Abstract

A mitt 10 has a sleeve which can be stored at the cuff 24 of the mitt or can be extended to cover the arm. The storage of the sleeve is preferably within a pouch 30. The mitt may incorporate material such as Lycra (RTM) or be treated with liquid such as Rayosan to provide a high level of UV radiation protection for the user's hands. The mitt may comprise a hand member 12 devoid of attachment to the fingers or hand of the user, simply resting upon the back of the hand and fingers. The sleeve may be detachable from the mitt.

Description

TITLE MITT WITH EXTENDIBLE SLEEVE HELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mitt with extendible sleeve particularly, although not exclusively, envisaged for use in screening Lw radiation from the skin of a person's hands and arms especially whilst driving or the like, including for use in leisure and recreational settings.

In the context of the present invention a "mitt" is a glove like garment which covers the user's hand and at least part of the user's fingers. Also, in the context of the present invention the mitt need not be attached to the user's hand or the fingers and need not enclose the fingers in a single compartment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Keeping Lw radiation exposure to the skin to a minimum has enormous health and safety benefits ranging from reduced aging of the skin to prevention of formation of melanoma in the skin on the person's hands and arms.

Protective creams can give some protection, but are messy, and in the case of driving can be dangerous since they can make the steering wheel slippery. Also, some people are allergic to such creams or develop allergies to the creams through repeated use.

Light weight gloves for driving and the like for the purpose of reducing exposure of the skin to Lw radiation are available but all have the disadvantage that they offer no protection to the user's arms. In one version the prior art gloves are fingerless and have an open palm. This has the added disadvantage that the fingers are exposed to the Lw radiation. Also, these gloves have loops to receive the user's fingers to attach the glove to the user's hand. However, it is tedious and slow for the user to insert his/her fingers through the finger loops.

It is also known to provide a separate sleeve which can be worn on the user's arm to reduce exposure to Lw radiation. However, such a sleeve is not attached to a glove and must be handled separately to any glove which may be used.

I have overcome these problems by providing a mitt which has a sleeve attached to it. The virtue of the mitt lies in its versatility. For example, if clothes having long sleeves are worn, the sleeve is stored away in the cuff of the mitt and need not be used. If clothes having a short sleeve, or no sleeve, are worn the sleeve is unrolled out of its stored location in the cuff of the mitt and is rolled up the user's arm.

Hence, I have achieved protection from exposure of a person's hands and arms to Lw radiation by the use of two articles of clothing (namely, two mitts with integral yet storable sleeves) instead of the four (namely, two gloves and two separate non-storable sleeves) previously used in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a mitt with extendible sleeve for screening Lw radiation from the skin of a person's hands and arms.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a mitt with extendible sleeve for protection of the hand and the arm of a user from exposure to Lw radiation, the mitt comprising: a hand member for receiving the hand of the user, the hand member protecting the back of the hand and the fingers at least down to the first knuckle from exposure to Lw radiation; a sleeve member attached to a cuff of the hand member for protecting the arm of the user from exposure to Lw radiation; and, a storage member located at the cuff of the hand member, the storage member storing the sleeve at the cuff the hand member when the sleeve member is in a storage mode, and the storage member allowing extension of the sleeve up the arm of the user when in an in use mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, seen from above, of a mitt in accordance with the present invention, shown with its sleeve in a storage mode; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the mitt of Figure 1 with the sleeve shown extended part way out of the storage pocket; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the mitt of Figure 1 with the sleeve shown extended all the way out of the storage pocket, in an in use mode; and, Figure 4 is a part cross-sectional side view of the mitt of Figure 1 shown on a user's hand whilst grasping a steering wheel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) As shown in the drawings the mitt 10 comprises a hand member 12, a sleeve 14 and a storage member in the form of a storage pocket 16. The mitt 10 is intended to be worn upon the hand 18 and arm 19 ofa user.

The hand member 12 has a tip 20, a knuckle 22 and a cuff 24. The tip 20 is located proximate the tip of the user's hand 18. The cuff 24 is located proximate the junction between the user's hand 18 and arm 19. The knuckle 22 is located intermediate the tip 20 and the cuff 24 and is raised with respect to the tip 20 and the cuff 24 so as to receive the knuckles of the user's hand when making a fist such as whilst gripping a steering wheel 26 (see Figure 4). That is the hand member 12 is concave when viewed from one of its sides.

The hand member 12 resides with its concave side on top of the back of the user's hand 18 and over the back of the user's fingers 28 at least down to the first knuckle. The hand member 12 is relatively stiff so that the tip 20 remains proximate the users fingers 28 whilst the user's hands are being moved about such as during the act of driving a car (including the acts of operating the steering wheel 26, a gear lever, indicator and windscreen washer levers and the like).

The hand member 12 is defined with two sides 29 which preferably overlay the sides of the user's hand 18 so that Lw radiation is inhibited from coming into contact with the side of the user's hand 18.

The hand member 12 is typically made from fabric material (such as cotton or the like) with a stiff foamed plastic material insert. The fabric has the effect of being relatively comfortable on the user's skin, whilst the insert gives the hand member 12 form so that it does not flop about and hence does not lose its proximity to the back of the hand 18 and fingers 28. The hand member 12 by this design does not require any attachment over the palm of the hand 18 nor about the fingers 28. Hence, the hand member 12 allows normal feel and grip by the fingers 28 whilst providing protection from exposure to Lw radiation for those parts of the hand 18 and fingers 28 which would normally be exposed to light whilst the user is driving a vehicle or involved in some other activity.

The hand member 12 is attached to the user at their wrist (at the juncture of the hand 18 and the arm 19). Typically, the hand member has a releasable fastener at the wrist to allow adjustment of the amount of tension in the attachment to the user's wrist so as to accommodate user's with differing wrist dimensions. The releasable fastener could be craM) VELCR0lor the like. The hand member 12 could also have an elasticised band about the wrist to assist in attaching the mitt 10 to the user's wrist.

The sleeve 14 is attached to a cuff 24 of the hand member 12 and is shaped to slide up and down the arm 19 of the user. For this purpose the sleeve 14 is narrower at the cuff 24 than it is remote from the cuff 24. The sleeve 14 is made from fabric material so that it can be rolled or otherwise collected together and stored into the storage pocket 16.

The sleeve 14 could have one or more constrictive bands along its length for holding the sleeve 14 on to the arm 19 of the user for inhibiting the sleeve 14 from falling down the user's arm 19. Typically, the bands could be made from hat type elastic sewn into the wall of the sleeve 14 for providing a low level of constriction so as to ensure that the sleeve 14 is not uncomfortable to wear.

Particularly as shown in Figure 4, the storage member 16 is located at the rear of the hand member 12 attached to the cuff 24. The storage member 16 is, in the present embodiment, in the form of a pouch 30 having an inner portion 32 and an outer portion 34. The inner portion 32 is typically disposed proximate the arm 19 ofthe user and the outer portion 34 is disposed to overlay the inner portion 32 to form the pouch 30 into which the sleeve 14 can be stored. Typically, the inner portion 32 is stiffened with interface so as to provide a stable base for the pouch 30 as the sleeve 14 is stored into it and the outer portion is flexible enough to be rolled back over the cuff 24 to assist in storing the sleeve 14 into the pouch 30.

The storage member 16 could have a fastener, such as a fastener of the hook and loop kind, such as VELCRO, to close off the open end ofthe pouch 30 to ensure that the sleeve 14 remains in it.

In order to give a high Lw protection factor rating (UPF), the mitt 10 includes lycral(or some other material which inhibits transmission of Lw radiation) and/or is coated with a chemical known as RAYOSAN. RAYOSAN has the effect of preventing the transmission of Lw radiation by its unique Lw radiation absorbing properties.

Typically, a material consisting predominately of cotton and say 5 - 10 % of lycra is treated with RAYOSAN to produce a material which substantially absorbs all incident Lw radiation.

Other materials such as cellulose based fibres, wool, nylon, polyester and silk and the like could also be used instead of cotton.

Alternatively the material could have a naturally high rejection of Lw radiation as it the case with polyviscose. In this case treatment with RAYOSAN is not necessary.

In use, the user inserts his/her hand 18 through the cuff 24 and orients the hand member 12 so that its concave side covers the back of his/her hand 18 and fingers 28. The hand member 12 then inhibits Lw radiation from coming into contact with the user's skin in these areas.

When the user is wearing a long sleeved shirt or the like the sleeve 14 is left in the storage member 16. The storage member 16 is preferably disposed over the end of the shirt sleeve to prevent exposure of the user's arm 19 to Lw radiation. When the user is wearing a short sleeved or sleeveless shirt or the like the sleeve 14 is withdrawn from the storage member 16 and pulled up the user's arm 19. This then has the effect of inhibiting Lw radiation from coming into contact with the skin of the user's arm 19.

The sleeve 14 can be stored back into the storage member 16 by rolling the outer portion 34 ofthe pouch 30 back along the hand member 12 over the cuff24, rolling the sleeve 14 down onto the inner portion 32 of the pouch 30 and then rolling the outer portion 34 up over the sleeve 14.

In an alternative arrangement the storage member 16 has a ring attached to the rear end of the inner portion 32 and the outer portion 34 so as to define the shape of the rear end of the pouch 30 and to provide a relatively small gap between the inner portion 32 and the outer portion 34 at their free ends. This allows for the pouch 30 to billow intermediate the length of the inner portion 32 and the outer portion 34, whilst still providing a secure retainer for storing the sleeve 14.

In a further alternative arrangement the hand member 12 is in the form of a conventional glove with finger recesses to receive the fingers of the user. The finger recesses and the palm of the hand member 12 could have mesh portions so as to increase the "feel" that the user experiences, for example of a steering wheel.

In a still further alternative arrangement the hand member 12 is also in the form of a conventional glove, but with the finger recesses cut off between the first and second knuckle so that the tips of the user's fingers protrude so as to increase the touch sensation the user experiences.

In either of the above alternatives the palm of the hand member 12 could be omitted to increase the grip that the user experiences.

The mitt 10 of the present invention has the advantage that the fingers 28, hands 18 and arms 19 of a user can be protected from exposure to Lw radiation. Also, the mitt 10 can be adjusted to accommodate for the sleeve length of the clothing being worn by the user of the mitt 10 to ensure protection from exposure to Lw radiation whether the user is wearing long or short sleeved clothing or sleeveless clothing.

Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skill addressee are considered within the scope of the present invention. For example, the hand member 12 and the sleeve 14 could be made from differing materials. Still further, the sleeve 14 could have mesh type material on its underside to increase the circulation of air through it. Still further, the sleeve 14 could be detachable from the hand member 12 for cleaning or the like purposes.

Claims

1. A mitt with an extendible sleeve for protection of the hand and the arm of a user from exposure to Lw radiation, the mitt comprising: a hand member for receiving the hand of the user, the hand member protecting the back of the hand and the fingers at least down to the first knuckle from exposure to Lw radiation; a sleeve member attached to a cuff of the hand member for protecting the arm of the user from exposure to Lw radiation; and, a storage member located at the cuff of the hand member, the storage member storing the sleeve at the cuff the hand member when the sleeve member is in a storage mode, and the storage member allowing extension of the sleeve up the arm of the user when in an in use mode.

2. A mitt according to Claim 1, in which the hand member is devoid of attachment to the fingers and/or the hand of the user and the hand member has a concave side which rests on or proximate to the back of the user's hand and fingers.

3. A mitt according to Claim 1, in which the hand member is relatively stiff.

4. A mitt according to Claim 3, in which the hand member has a fabric material outer and a relatively stiff inner chosen from one of foamed plastics material, plastics material, interface, and the like.

5. A mitt according to Claims 2, in which the hand member has a cuff which attaches the mitt to the user about the user's wrist.

6. A mitt according to Claim 2, in which the hand member has a fabric material outer and a relatively stiff inner chosen from one of foamed plastics material, plastics material, interface, and the like, and the hand member having a cuff which attaches the mitt to the user about the user's wrist.

7. A mitt according to Claims 1, in which the storage member is in the form of a pouch formed with an inner portion and an outer portion, the inner portion being locatable against the arm of the user and the outer portion overlaying the inner portion, the outer portion being able to be rolled back over the hand portion to allow the sleeve member to be collected on to the inner portion whereafter the outer portion can be drawn over the sleeve member and hence over the inner portion to capture the sleeve portion and revert it to its storage mode.

8. A mitt according to Claim 7, in which the ends of inner and outer portions have a securing means for securing the free ends together to retain the sleeve member within the pouch.

9. A mitt according to Claim 7, in which the free ends of the inner portion and the outer portion each have a ring member, the free ends defining a relatively small annular aperture to retain the sleeve member when the outer portion overlays the inner portion.

10. A mitt according to Claim 1, in which the sleeve member is removably attached to the hand member at its cuff.

11. A mitt according to Claim 10, in which the sleeve member has a mesh material on its under side for allowing more circulation of air through the sleeve member and hence reducing heat build-up in the sleeve member.

12. A mitt according to Claim 10, in which the sleeve has an elasticised band located proximate its free end for holding the free end of the sleeve against the user's arm when in the in use mode so that the sleeve is inhibited from falling down the user's arm.

13. A mitt according to Claim 1, in which the hand member and/or the sleeve member are made of fabric material which is resistant to penetration by Lw radiation.

14. ( A )mitt according to Claim 13, in which the fabric material includes a small amount of Iycralfor inhibiting the penetration ofthe mitt by Lw radiation.

15. A mitt according to Claim 13, in which the lycra is in the amount of between 5% and 10%.

16. A mitt according to Claim 13, in which the fabric material impregnated by RAYOSAN.

17. A mitt with an extendible sleeve for protection of the hand and the arm of a user from exposure to Lw radiation, the mitt being substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of the accompanying drawings.