US2751595A - Wrist guard - Google Patents

Description

June 26, 1956 D. T. PATRAW ET AL 2,751,595

WRIST GUARD Filed March 51, 1954 12 if Z3 INVENTOR F. Donald 7. Pafr'aw John E. Nekaw/fsc/z A ORNEY United States Pateht O WRIST GUARD Donald T. Pan-aw and John E. Nekowitsch, St. Paul, Minn.

Application March 31, 1954, Serial No. 419,976

3 Claims. or. 2-59 This invention relates to an improvement in wrist guards and deals particularly with a guard useful in protecting the wrists and forearms of packing house workers and the like.

In packing houses and similar establishments where large sharp knives are used, there is often a considerable danger of slashing the forearms and wrists due to the knife slipping from the meat on which the knife is being used. As a result it is customary for such workers to Wear heavy gloves usually impregnated with metal strands of some type, and also to use a guard which encircles the wrist and forearm.

Various types of wrist guards have been used for the purpose. Heavy leather guards have been used but these guards have the disadvantage of absorbing moisture and giving ofl small particles of cut leather, and are, accordingly, not particularly sanitary. The applicant has attempted to use heavy plastic material, such as Plexiglas, for this purpose, but such guards have the disadvantage that they will shatter in use. They are also too brittle, and lack flexibility. The present invention relates to an improvement in such guards and in making the guards of a resilient flexible plastic material, such as Fiberglas in one form or another.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a wrist guard formed of Fiberglas cloth or mat material and in forming the guard so that it will normally encircle the Wrist and forearm. Fiberglas has the advantage of being practically indestructible in normal use and has the advantage over previous materials that it will not absorb moisture and will not crack or shatter. As a result, guards of this type are more sanitary to use and cannot contaminate the meat with which they may come in contact. They also possess greater elasticity, greater tensile strength, and greater durability, and can give off no foreign material which can possibly contaminate meat products.

A feature of the present invention lies in forming a wrist guard in the shape of a tapered sleeve, with longitudinal edges arranged in overlapping relationship. The guard fits over the forearm, the wrist, and over the palm of the hand, leaving no exposed area. Other guards usually terminate short of the wrist, thus exposing portions of the arm. As a result guides of this type may protect the wrist without requiring any fastening means for fastening the edges of the guard together. Most of the guards previously constructed have been equipped with lacings or snaps of one type or another to hold the guard in wrist encircling relation.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the material is sufliciently flexible so that it may be spread apart to fit over the hand and at the same time will continuously protect the wrist when in use. The guard is generally oval in cross section so as to fit the shape of the arm and the wrist opening is sufficiently large so that it can fit about the wrist portion of the glove, the resilience of the material holding the guard snugly in place.

2 A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a guard which is economical to construct, is light in weight, and is sufliciently thin so that it does not hamper the use of the arm.

These andother objects and novel features of the invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the wrist guard in wrist protecting position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the wrist guard removed from the wrist.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the shape of the blank which is used in the formation of the guard.

The wrist guard is indicated in general by the letter A and is usually worn about the wrist or forearm to extend over the gauntlet portion of a glove, such as B. A glove B is usually of the type incorporating metal strands or the like or the glove may be formed of metal mesh of one type or another so as to protect the hand.

The guard A is indicated in its blank form in Figure 3 of the drawings. Actually, while a rough blank of the general type illustrated is made at the beginning of the operation, the material is usually trimmed after the material has set and cured so that the starting blank is usually somewhat larger than the finished product.

The guard A comprises a sheet of Fiberglas cloth or mat which is of sutficient thickness to give the desired protection. It has been found that a sheet having a thickness of approximately one-sixteenth of an inch or slightly less, will give the necessary protection to the Wrist and at the same time will be light in weight and will be sufiiciently flexible and resilient so that it may be easily used. The sheet 10 of Fiberglas is usually narrowest at its center point, being usually provided with a generally V-shaped wide notch 11 at approximately its center point. On either side of the notch 11, the sheet is rounded as indicated at 12 and 13 and continues to form somewhat rounded end portions 14 and 15 respectively.

The opposite edge of the guard is slightly curved as shown at 16, blending into the rounded end 15 and communicating with the rounded end 14 along a relatively sharper corner 17.

When the guard is completed, it appears as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings. In the particular form of construction illustrated, the edge 14 lies outwardly of the edge 15 which it overlaps. However, in actual practice either of the edges may overlap the other and be outermost.

As will be noted from a comparison of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the notch 11 extends along the lower side of the arm while a somewhat similar notch 19 is formed by the rounded edges 12 and 13 adjoining the overlapped edges 14 and 15. The overlapped edges are shown on the upper surface of the arm. Thus, it will be seen that the lateral sides of the guard are somewhat longer than the top and bottom, thus providing a maximum of protection with a minimum of confinement of the arm muscles.

It is usual practice to take the Fiberglas cloth and mat and impregnate it with suitable chemicals which soften the material and permit it to be bent into any shape. The material is then bent around a suitable form and held in approximate position shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings until the material has cured suificiently so that it can be used. At the present time the guards are usually kept for a period of several days before they are removed from the forms and used.

The material is sufiiciently flexible so that the guard may be rolled into a flat form if sufficient pressure is exerted thereupon. However, normally the guard will assume the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 and will re- 3 main inthi's position unless the ends of the guard are spread apart. As a result the guard may be expanded sufiiciently to permit the gloved hand to be inserted or removed fromthe guard with little dithculty.

In the formed position, the guard is usually oval in cross section to fit the contour of the arm. The guards may-also be produced invarious sizes if desired; although because of the flexibility of the material, a single size of guard fit most arms. When the materiak is formed and cured, it will not absorb liquid to any appreciable extent and, accordingly, is sanitary to use and provides 7 utmost protection even though it is extremely light in weight. The color is molded into the material.

Fiberglas is capable of being molded to the desired shape either at room temperature or higher temperatures. Usually, several laminations of matenial are combined, the layers being of Fiberglas mat or cloth, cotton or nylon, passed through a bath and impregnated with catalyzed resin.v This material is then cured as a laminate, either at room temperature or at elevated temperatures.

In. accordance with the patent statutes, We have de-' scribed the principles of construction and operation: of our wrist guard, and while vwe have endeavored to' set forth the best embodiment thereof, We desire to have itiunder- 2 stood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our-"invention.

We claim: l. A guard for use by packing house Workers and the like comprising an elongated, relatively stable tapered sleeve of flexible resilient plastic impregnated Fiberglas material capable of returning to its original form after being flexed out of its normal shape, said sleeve being I V References (Zited in the file of this patent,

UNITED STATES PATENTS 741,133 Haynes Oct. 13-, 1903 2,311,613 Slayter Feb. 16-, 1943 2,425,333 McCar-l Aug. 12, 1947 2,513,268 Steinman June 27, 1950

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