US3261040A

US3261040A - Swimmer's gloves

Info

Publication number: US3261040A
Application number: US315786A
Authority: US
Inventors: Everett M Olson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-10-14
Filing date: 1963-10-14
Publication date: 1966-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 1983-07-19

Description

July 19, 1966 E M. OLSON SWIMMERS GLOVES Filed Oct. 14, 1963 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. E VERE 77' M OLSON ATTOR/i'j? United States Patent 3,261,040 SWIMMERS GLOVES Everett M. Olson, 3535 Olsen Drive, San Jose, Calif. Filed Oct. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 315,786 3 Claims. (Cl. 9-308) This invention relates to plastic swimmers gloves in general. More particularly this invention relates to a plastic swimmers glove which leaves the thumb free.

An object of this invention is to provide a plastic swimmers glove made of a material that sticks to the swimmers fingers even when wet and wont accidentally slip off.

Another object of this invention is to provide a swimmers glove which when pulled on the hand forms a tight fit and once in place will not slip off even when the swimmer is handling objects under water.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved plastic swimmer's glove shaped so that one embodiment thereof will snugly fit a range of hand sizes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved plastic swimmers glove in which the openings for the fingers are open at both ends so that water may be released from the finger holes when the glove is being applied to the hand under water.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved plastic swimmers glove that is made of very light and pliable material so that it may be easily transported and folded into a small wad into a standard pocket of the swimmers suit.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved plastic swimmers glove that is shaped so that it may be applied either to the left hand or to the right hand.

Other and further objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the [following specification, claims and drawing.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a plastic swimmers glove of simple design that is made of two superposed sheets of suitable plastic such as vinyl. The side edges of these two sheets of superposed plastic are heat sealed as are also the web portions between the fingers. Thus suitable finger holes are provided between the superposed sheets for the four fingers of the hand and the thumb of the hand is left free. The glove is formed so that it forms a web over the four fingers and therebetween so as to provide a surface that may be stretched out when the fingers are spread apart.

The outer ends of the finger holes are left open so that when the glove is being pulled over the fingers of the hand Water is not trapped in the finger holes. Also, the webs between the fingers need not extend all the way into the crotches between the fingers so that the plastic forming the finger holes may be drawn over the fingers until it snugly engages the fingers without interference [from the webs. The finger holes are substantially uniformly spaced whereby the glove may be worn on either the left hand or the right hand. The swimmers thumb is also left free so that a swimmer wearing these gloves may easily handle such objects as boat oars and swimmers accessories as well as objects under water.

Further features and details of this invention will be set forth in the specification, claims and drawing in which briefly:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a glove of this invention shown applied to a swimmers hand; which is shown in broken outline, the four fingers of the swimmers hand being spread apart to show the webs between the fingers;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

ice

Referring to the drawing in detail, there is shown in FIG. 1 a plan View of a swimmers glove made of light and pliable plastic material such as vinyl or polyethylene adapted to be worn over the four fingers of either the right or left hand 10 leaving the thumb free. This glove is made of two overlying plastic sheets '11 and 12 and the edge portions =13 and 14 of these sheets are heat sealed or cemented together a short distance so that these edge portions provide strong, narrow flaps along the sides of the gloves. Also the plane between the sheets 11 and 12 forms a plane of symmetry of the glove so that the glove may be worn either on the right hand or the left hand. This is an advantage to a swimmer particularly where he desires to put the gloves on while swimming under water.

Double thickness web portions 15 and .16 and '17 are formed by heat sealing or cementing together the areas of the sheets 11 and 12 that are between the

finger holes

18, 19, 20 and 21. Thus the web portion 15 is provided between the

finger holes

18 and 19, web portion 16 is provided between

finger holes

19 and 20, and web portion 17 is provided between finger holes 20 and 21. These web portions are all of substantially the same area and shape so that the finger holes are spaced apart substantially equally. Thus the glove is shaped so that it may be worn either upon the right hand or upon the lefthand and finger holes 18 and 21 are each adapted to receive either the forefinger or the little finger of the hand. In this way, the swimmer does not have to examine the glove to determine which hand it is prior to wearing it.

The

finger holes

18, 19, 20 and 21 are each tapered so that the

outer ends

18a, 19a, 20a and 21a thereof respectively are the small ends thereof. These small ends are open and water cannot be trapped in the finger holes when the glove is being pulled onto the hand. The tapered finger holes provide for a snug fit therein of the swimmers fingers since the light and pliable plastic clings to and conforms to the shapes of the fingers. The glove may be applied to the hand simply by gripping the portion 22 with the other hand and pulling it over the fingers until the fingers engage the inner walls of the finger holes snugly. Thereafter the glove sticks to the wearers skin even when wet and will not slip off. Also with this construction a glove of one size may be applied to hands of different sizes as long as the crotch portions 18b, 19b and 20b thereof do not engage the corresponding crotch portions between the fingers of the swimmers hand so as to prevent the glove finger holes from fitting the swimmers fingers closely.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is capable of variation and modification from the form shown so that its scope should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. A swimmers glove made of two sheets of light and pliable plastic material that are overlaid and extend over the four outstretched fingers of the swimmers hand leaving the thumb free, said overlaid sheets being joined together along opposite edge portions so that these edge portions form strong narrow flaps, web portions formed by joining said sheets between adjacent finger receiving portions, said web portions being of V-shape and substantially uniform size and said finger receiving portions being tapered so that the swimmers fingers are adapted to be inserted therein far enough so that the light, pliable plastic sheet material conforms to the shape of the fingers and clings thereto even when wet, corresponding parts of said finger receiving portions also being uniformly spaced so that the glove will fit either on the left or the right hand.

2. A swimmers glove made of two sheets of light and pliable plastic material that are overlaid and extend over the four outstretched fingers of the swimmers hand leaving the thumb free, said overlaid sheets being sealed together along opposite edge portions so that these edge portions form strong double thickness narrow flaps, web portions formed by sealing said sheets between adjacent finger receiving portions, said web portions being of V-shaped and substantially uniform size and said finger receiving portions being tapered and open at the smaller outer ends thereof so that the swimmers fingers are adapted to be inserted therein far enough so that the light, pliable plastic sheet material conforms to the shape of the fingers and clings thereto even when wet, corresponding parts of said finger receiving portions also being uniformly spaced so that the glove will fit either on the left or the right hand.

3. A swimmers glove made of two sheets of light and pliable plastic material that are overlaid and extend over the four outstretched fingers of the swimmers hand leaving the thumb free, said overlaid plastic sheets being heat sealed together along opposite edge portions so that these edge portions form strong narrow flaps of double thickness of the plastic material, web portions formed by heat sealing said sheets together between adjacent finger receiving portions, said web portions being of V-shaped and substantially uniform size and said finger receiving portions being tapered and open at the smaller outer ends thereof so that the swimmers fingers are adapted to be inserted therein far enough so that the light, pliable plastic sheet material conforms to the shape of the fingers and clings thereto even when wet, corresponding parts of said finger receiving portions also being uniformly spaced so that the glove will fit either on the left or the right hand.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,684,714- 9/1928 Perry 9308 2,692,995 11/1954 Bihan 9-308 2,845,628 8/1958 Dell 2-20 3,063,070 11/ 1962 Nichol 9-308 FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

A. E. CORRIGAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A SWIMMMER''S GLOVE MADE OF TWO SHEETS OF LIGHT AND PLIABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL THAT ARE OVERLAID AND EXTEND OVER THE FOUR OUTSTRETCHED FINGERS OF THE SWIMMER''S HAND LEAVING THE THUMB FREE, SAID OVERLAID SHEETS BEING JOINED TOGETHER ALONG OPPOSITE EDGE PORTIONS SO THAT THESE EDGE PORTIONS FROM STRONG NARROW FLAPS, WEB PORTIONS FORMED BY JOINING SAID SHEETS BETWEEN ADJACENT FINGER RECEIVING PORTIONS, SAID WEB PORTIONS BEING OF V-SHAPED AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE AND SAID FINGER RECEIVING PORTIONS BEING TAPERED SO THAT THE SWIMMER''S FINGERS ARE ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED THEREIN FAR ENOUGH SO THAT THE LIGHT, PLIABLE PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL CONFORMS TO THE SHAPE OF THE FINGERS AND CLINGS THERETO EVEN WHEN WET, CORRESPONDING PARTS