US20170006942A1

US20170006942A1 - Tools Circumferentially Placed and Retractable Into a Glove

Info

Publication number: US20170006942A1
Application number: US14/793,868
Authority: US
Inventors: Bernardo Del Valle
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-07-08
Filing date: 2015-07-08
Publication date: 2017-01-12

Abstract

A glove or length of fabric which is wrapped around at least part of the hand and wrist, having a plurality of circumferentially disposed cavities there-around, is disclosed herein. The cavities hold elongated tools, the tools attached to reels of wire which pull the tools into the cavities. When it is desired to use a tool, one pulls a tool out of its cavity and grasps it in a hand. As the working end of the tool faces outwards towards the fingers of a user, the tool is already oriented substantially correctly for use. One needs only pull out the desired tool when using it and let it retract back into a cavity when not in use, while having access to use of all of one's fingers, which remain uncovered by the glove/fabric in embodiments of the disclosed technology.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

The disclosed technology relates generally to hand-held tools and methods of storing and using them, and, more specifically, to holding them around a hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

Hand-held tools enhance a person's abilities. With a hammer, one can apply greater force on an object. With a screwdriver, one can apply greater torque on a smaller area. With a flashlight, one can see further. With a knife, one can separate objects better. With a pen, one can make markings on objects.
The problem is that these objects must be stored, found, retrieved, and grabbed. While fictional characters can shoot lasers, spider webs, or projectiles directly from their hands, this isn't as easily accomplished by most of us. Therefore, various gloves have been developed which incorporate items in them. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,413,265 to Hoppes discloses a glove with a retractable ice pick. The glove has open fingers and a portal for placement of an ice pick which extends outwards from a palm. U.S. Patent 2012/0317,696 to Chapuis et al, discloses an open-fingered and partially open palm glove with a holder extending distally from the glove. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,210 to Robinson shows a glove with open fingers for writing. A pen, scissors, or other device is attached perpendicular to a hand while being attached to the glove.
Improvements to make such devices more versatile and useful are needed in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

A tool holder of embodiments of the disclosed technology has a flexible linear length of material having two elongated sides and two shorter sides, such as a rectangular length of fabric material. A thumb portal region forming a unitary structure along part of a length of a first elongated side of the two elongated sides is adapted for placement of a thumb through a portal. Multiple spaced-apart elongated cavities are attached to the material and oriented with an opening of each cavity of the multiple elongated cavities facing towards the first elongated side (facing distally). An attachment mechanism, such as a strap, holds the two shorter sides in place relative to each other around an arm. A plurality of spring-loaded reels can be frictionally held against the flexible material, each aligned with an elongated cavity of the multiple elongated cavities. A plurality of tools can be attached to a wire, and each wire attached to a spring-loaded reel of the plurality of spring-loaded reels.
Each cavity of the multiple cavities can have a first opening wider than an elongated tool held there-in, the tool being held in the cavity by a corresponding wire. A second opening smaller than a width of the tool held there-in can be present on the opposite side through which the corresponding wire passes, but the tool cannot pass. Each tool of the plurality of tools can be elongated, and remain longer in an elongated direction, than a corresponding cavity of the multiple cavities. A working end of each tool of the plurality of tools faces distally to a wearer of the tool holder, in embodiments. The tool holder can cover a wrist, part of a palm, and part of a thumb region of a hand of a wearer, leaving exposed a rest of said hand of the wearer, including at least a majority of a thumb and all of the remaining fingers.
Described in a different manner, a flexible fabric adapted to be held around part of arm and hand of a wearer has a plurality of elongated cavities oriented substantially parallel to a length of the arm. A plurality of elongated tools, each having, with reference to the arm, a distal working end and a proximal retractable wire, is attached to the flexible fabric (directly or by way of other objects, such as a wire and spring-loaded spool housing for the wire held in a pocket/cavity attached to the fabric).
A flexible fabric held between a thumb and index finger can form a unitary structure with the flexible fabric adapted to be held around part of said arm and said hand of said wearer. A tool of the plurality thereof can be held between a thumb and forefinger of a wearer of the glove, and the retractable wire extends through a respective cavity of the plurality thereof and can be attached to a respective spool.
The glove/tool holder can be used as follows. The tools are attached to retractable reels spaced apart circumferentially around the glove. The tools are placed in cavities of the glove, the cavities being spaced apart circumferentially around the glove. Each cavity can be elongated with openings at a distal side thereof, relative to a wearer, wherein a working end of each tool is pointed in a distal direction. A desired tool from among the tools is then pulled distally out of a respective cavity and used. The tool can be held between a thumb and forefinger of the wearer, and a wire can extend through a respective cavity and attached to a respective reel.
“Substantially” and “substantially shown,” for purposes of this specification, are defined as “at least 90%,” or as otherwise indicated. Any device may “comprise” or “consist of” the devices mentioned there-in, as limited by the claims.
It should be understood that the use of “and/or” is defined inclusively such that the term “a and/or b” should be read to include the sets: “a and b,” “a or b,” “a,” “b.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a glove with an extended longitudinally attached tool of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a glove with a retracted longitudinally attached tool of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a glove with an extended longitudinally attached pen of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 shows a tool with retractable cord used in embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 5 shows a glove with tool holder of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

Embodiments of the disclosed technology include a glove or length of fabric which is wrapped around at least part of the hand and wrist having a plurality of circumferentially disposed cavities there-around. The cavities hold elongated tools, the tools attached to reels of wire which pull the tools into the cavities. When it is desired to use a tool, one pulls a tool out of its cavity and grasps it in a hand. As the working end of the tool faces outwards towards the fingers of a user, the tool is already oriented substantially correctly for use. One need only to pull out the tool desired for use and let it retract back into a cavity when not in use, while having access to use all of one's fingers which remain uncovered by the glove/fabric, in embodiments of the disclosed technology.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology will become clearer in view of the following description of the drawings.
Referring first to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 shows a glove with tool holder of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. Here, one can see the device ‘flattened’ out or unrolled. In this condition, the fabric body 50 is clearly visible as a rectangle with a shorter width and longer length relative to each other. One wraps this device around one's forearm and hand, such that the various cavities (those items ending with a ‘0’ or ‘6’) are parallel, or substantially parallel, to the length of one's arm and open, at least or only distally and/or proximally with respect to a wearer. Rear cavities 10, 20, 30, and 40 are, when worn, more proximal than the cavities 16, 26, 36, and 46. The cavities are aligned with one another vertically (circumferentially, when worn) (e.g., cavities 16, 26, 36, 46) and horizontally (e.g., 30 and 36/40 and 46). It should be understood that any number of cavities can be used in embodiments of the disclosed technology, such as one column thereof, two columns thereof (e.g., 10 and 16), three columns thereof (e.g., 20 and 26) or four columns. While four rows are shown, one could employ 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 rows.
A thumb region 52 with thumb portal extends out from, and is fixedly attached to, or forms a unitary structure with, the elongated length of flexible material 50. When the material 50 is wrapped around a forearm, and/or wrist, and/or part of a hand, and/or part of a palm, the thumb region 52 anchors the glove around the thumb and/or between the thumb and index finger. In alternative embodiments, additional portals for additional fingers can be employed.
The straps 54 can be used to attach the ends of the material 50 to itself, such that the shorter sides are held close together, or closer together than if unrolled. The flat piece 50 then becomes a circular shape, wrapped around a person's arm/hand, as described above. In this manner, one can have and use one's tools with a length of fabric of material, and can also use the tools in the form of a glove.
Referring now to the tools, a plurality of tools is shown, namely a knife 18, a writing implement 28, and a light 38. Any tool can be used, such as an elongated tool, a tool being defined as an item designed to be held by one's hand and which has increased functionality over a hand by itself. Each tool is connected to a wire 14, 24, 34, or 44, respectively. Each wire, in turn, is connected to a spool or reel which can be spring-loaded in order to retract the wire into a housing 12, 22, 32, or 42, respectively. Each housing is held in a respective cavity or pouch 10, 20, 30, or 40. In this manner, each tool has a distal working end (e.g., the light at the distal end of the light 38) and a corded/attached proximal end.
Now moving on to the rest of the figures, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a glove with an extended longitudinally attached tool, of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. The tool, the knife 18, is shown pulled out from the body of the glove. The glove itself is wrapped around the fore-arm, wrist, and part of the hand/palm of the user, as shown. The thumb region 52 has a portal through which the thumb extends. Here, the wearer desires to access the knife 18, and so, with another hand, pulls the knife from its cavity 14 and places it in his fingers, such as between the thumb and forefingers, as shown. Meanwhile, other devices, such as the writing instrument 28, are held within their cavities, such as cavity 26. Referring again to the knife 18, the wire 14 extends through the cavity 16 which has an opening on the distal side (towards the top of the fingers) through which the tool—the knife 18—fits. At the other side, a smaller opening or portal allows for passage of the wire into the spool housing 12, which retracts the wire 14 and the knife 18—absent the knife 18 being held in the hand or pulled with stronger forces in a distal direction.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a glove with a retracted longitudinally attached tool of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. Here, the knife 18 is retracted into the cavity 16. Retracted tools can be longer than the cavities into which they fit, allowing the tool to be grasped easily and pulled out there-from. In the configuration shown in this figure, one can see the thumb region 52 wrapped between the thumb and palm/fingers keeping the glove from moving further proximally up the arm. When a tool is pulled or reeled back into a respective cavity, the thumb region 52 keeps the glove in place. Meanwhile, the wearer has direct access to, and can use, all of his fingers, including the thumb. The wire 14 maintains some pull and is tight (taut) between the spool/reel housing 12 and the tool 18.
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a glove with an extended longitudinally attached pen, of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. Similar to when the knife 18 was used, in this embodiment, the writing instrument 28 is pulled out from its cavity and is then ready to be used. In this embodiment, it is held between the thumb 1 and index finger 3, while the wire 24 connects it to the spool through a spool housing 22. The wire passes through the cavities 26, having openings, in this particular case, on both the proximal and distal sides of each cavity. As such, the wire 24 and writing instrument 28 can move longitudinally and in the proximal/distal direction with reference to the arm of the wearer.
FIG. 4 shows a tool with retractable cord, used in embodiments of the disclosed technology. Absent the glove and flexible material 50, each tool is attached to a reel or spool. Here, the tool is a knife 18 with a fixed connection to the wire 14. The wire enters a spool housing 12, where it is spring-loaded, such that a spool 2 applies force to pull the wire past an alignment flange 4 and around the spool. The housing 12 can be in a first cavity, while the tool can be in a second housing.
While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods and apparatuses described hereinabove are also contemplated and within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A tool holder comprising:

a flexible linear length of material having two elongated sides and two shorter sides;

a thumb portal region forming a unitary structure along part of a length of a first elongated side of said two elongated sides;

multiple spaced-apart elongated cavities attached to said material and oriented with an opening of each cavity of said multiple elongated cavities facing towards said first elongated side;

an attachment mechanism which holds said two shorter sides in place relative to each other.

2. The tool holder of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of spring-loaded reels fixedly held to said flexible material, each aligned with an elongated cavity of said multiple elongated cavities.

3. The tool holder of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of tools each attached to a wire, each wire attached to a spring-loaded reel of said plurality of spring-loaded reels.

4. The tool holder of claim 3, wherein each cavity of said multiple cavities comprises:

a first opening wider than an elongated tool held there-in, said tool held in said cavity by a corresponding said wire, and

a second opening smaller than a width of said tool held there-in through which said corresponding wire passes.

5. The tool holder of claim 4, wherein each tool of said plurality of tools is elongated and longer in an elongated direction than a corresponding cavity of said multiple cavities.

6. The tool holder of claim 5, wherein a working end of each tool of said plurality of tools faces distally to a wearer of said tool holder.

7. The tool holder of claim 6, wherein said tool holder covers a wrist, part of a palm, and part of a thumb region of a hand of a wearer, leaving exposed a rest of said hand of said wearer, including at least a majority of a thumb and all of the remaining fingers.

8. A glove comprising:

a flexible fabric adapted to be held around part of an arm and a hand of a wearer;

a plurality of elongated cavities oriented substantially parallel to a length of said arm;

a plurality of elongated tools each having, with reference to said arm, a distal working end and a proximal retractable wire attached thereto.

9. The glove of claim 8, wherein said proximal retractable wire further comprises a spring-loaded spool held in a cavity of said glove.

10. The glove of claim 9, further comprising a flexible fabric held between a thumb and index finger, forming a unitary structure with said flexible fabric adapted to hold around part of said arm and said hand of said wearer.

11. The glove of claim 10, wherein a tool of said plurality thereof is held between a thumb and forefinger of a wearer of said glove, and said retractable wire extends through a respective said cavity of said plurality thereof and is attached to a respective said spool.

12. A method of arranging and using tools in a glove comprising steps of:

attaching tools to retractable reels spaced apart circumferentially around a glove;

placing said tools in cavities of said gloves, said cavities spaced apart circumferentially around said glove, wherein said cavities are elongated each with openings at a distal side thereof, relative to a wearer, and wherein a working end of each tool is pointed in a distal direction;

distally pulling a desired tool of said tools out of a respective said cavity and using said tool.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said tool is held between a thumb and forefinger of said wearer, and a wire extends through a respective said cavity and is attached to a respective said reel.