U.S. patent application number 12/134862 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-08 for cut, abrasion and/or puncture resistant knitted gloves.
This patent application is currently assigned to Higher Dimension Materials, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jim Boorsma, Nicole Smith.
Application Number | 20090007313 12/134862 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40130155 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090007313 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boorsma; Jim ; et
al. |
January 8, 2009 |
CUT, ABRASION AND/OR PUNCTURE RESISTANT KNITTED GLOVES
Abstract
An improved protective knitted glove assembly includes a knitted
glove and two or more non-coplanar arrays of printed guard plates.
The guard plates are small, regularly-spaced, generally uniform
thickness, non-overlapping, hard polymer material members arranged
in a predetermined pattern having an area parallel to a surface of
the glove with major and minor dimensions. The major dimension to
minor dimension aspect ratio of the guard plates is between about 3
and 1. The overall abrasion resistance of the glove assembly is
substantially greater than an abrasion resistance of the knitted
glove without the guard plates.
Inventors: |
Boorsma; Jim; (St. Paul,
MN) ; Smith; Nicole; (Roseville, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FAEGRE & BENSON LLP;PATENT DOCKETING
2200 WELLS FARGO CENTER, 90 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402-3901
US
|
Assignee: |
Higher Dimension Materials,
Inc.
Oakdale
MN
|
Family ID: |
40130155 |
Appl. No.: |
12/134862 |
Filed: |
June 6, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60942377 |
Jun 6, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/161.8 ; 2/163;
2/167; 2/169; 66/174 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 19/04 20130101;
A41D 19/01505 20130101; A41D 2500/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/161.8 ; 2/163;
2/167; 2/169; 66/174 |
International
Class: |
A41D 19/00 20060101
A41D019/00; A41D 19/015 20060101 A41D019/015; A41D 19/02 20060101
A41D019/02; D04B 7/34 20060101 D04B007/34 |
Claims
1. A protective knitted glove assembly; comprising: a knitted
glove; and two or more non-coplanar arrays of small,
regularly-spaced, generally uniform thickness, non-overlapping,
hard printed polymer material guard plates arranged in a
predetermined pattern and having an area parallel to a surface of
the glove with major and minor dimensions, wherein the major
dimension to minor dimension aspect ratio is between about 3 and 1
and the overall abrasion resistance of the glove assembly is
substantially greater than an abrasion resistance of the knitted
glove without the guard plates.
2. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 1 wherein the
glove assembly includes: a first array of guard plates on at least
portions of a palm side of the glove; and a second array of guard
plates on at least portions of sides of one or more fingers of the
glove.
3. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 2 wherein the
second array of guard plates is on at least a portion of the sides
of a thumb and forefinger of the glove.
4. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 3 and further
including a third array of guard plates on at least a portion of a
crotch between the thumb and forefinger of the glove.
5. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 4 and further
including a fourth array of guard plates on at least a portion of a
back of the glove.
6. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 5 wherein the
guard plates are arranged in a predetermined pattern free from
extended-length straight gap sections, the polymer material of the
guard plates partially penetrates into the knitted glove across the
area of the guard plates to provide a mechanical bond between the
guard plates and the glove, widths of the gaps between adjacent
guard plates are substantially less than the lengths of the minor
dimensions, and a thickness of the guard plates is substantially
less than the lengths of the minor dimensions.
7. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 1 wherein the
guard plates are arranged in a predetermined pattern free from
extended-length straight gap sections, the polymer material of the
guard plates partially penetrates into the knitted glove across the
area of the guard plates to provide a mechanical bond between the
guard plates and the glove, widths of the gaps between adjacent
guard plates are substantially less than the lengths of the minor
dimensions, and a thickness of the guard plates is substantially
less than the lengths of the minor dimensions.
8. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 1 wherein widths
of the gaps between guard plates are less than about 50 mils.
9. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 8 wherein the
major dimensions of the guard plates is less than about 200
mils.
10. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 1 and further
including elastomeric dots on at least a portion of the arrays of
guard plates.
11. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 1 and further
including a continuous layer of elastomeric material on at least a
portion of the arrays of guard plates.
12. The protective knitted glove assembly of claim 1 wherein at
least two of the non-coplanar arrays of guard plates are
non-parallel arrays.
12. A method for making a protective knitted glove assembly,
including: placing a first portion of a knitted glove on a
generally planar surface of a former; screen printing onto the
first portion of the knitted glove a first array of small,
regularly-spaced, generally uniform thickness, non-overlapping,
polymer material guard plates arranged in a predetermined pattern;
placing a second portion of the knitted glove that is non-coplanar
with the first portion on a generally planar surface of a former;
screen printing onto the second portion of the knitted glove a
second array of small, regularly-spaced, generally uniform
thickness, non-overlapping, polymer material guard plates arranged
in a predetermined pattern, wherein the second array of guard
plates is non-coplanar with the first array of guard plates; and
curing the polymer material to harden the guard plates.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein: placing a first portion of a
knitted glove on a former includes placing at least a portion of a
palm side of the glove on a former; screen printing onto a first
portion of the knitted glove includes screen printing the first
array of guard plates onto at least a portion of a palm side of the
knitted glove on the former; placing a second portion of the
knitted glove on a former includes placing at least a portion of a
side of one or more fingers on a former; and screen printing onto a
second portion of the knitted glove includes screen printing the
second array of guard plates onto at least a portion of a side of a
finger of the glove on the former.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein: placing at least a portion of a
side of one or more fingers on a former includes placing a former
between the thumb and forefinger with at least a portion of the
sides of the thumb and forefinger on a planar surface of the
former; and screen printing the second array of guard plates
includes screen printing guard plates onto at least a portion of
the sides of the thumb and forefinger.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein screen printing the second array
of guard plates includes screen printing guard plates onto at least
a portion of a crotch between the thumb and forefinger.
16. The method of claim 15 and further including: placing at least
a portion of a back of the glove on a former; and screen printing
an array of small, regularly-spaced, generally uniform thickness,
non-overlapping, polymer material guard plates arranged in a
predetermined pattern on at least a portion of the back of the
glove.
17. The method of claim 12 wherein curing the polymer material
includes: partially curing the polymer material of the first array
of guard plates before screen printing the second array of guard
plates; and fully curing the polymer material of the first and
second arrays after screen printing the second array of guard
plates.
18. The method of claim 12 and further including placing at a least
portion of the glove having the guard plates on a three dimensional
former before finally curing the guard plates.
19. The method of claim 12 and further including applying
elastomeric material over at least a portion of the arrays of guard
plates.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/942,377 filed on Jun. 6, 2007, and entitled
"Abrasion And Slash Resistant Knitted Gloves," which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates generally to knitted gloves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Conventional fabrics are often easily frayed or damaged when
they abrade against the rough surfaces of hard objects such as
coarse cement, rocks, and asphalt. Yarns and fibers, especially on
the surface of fabrics tend to abrade, lose mass, or even melt due
to the heat of friction when exposed to relatively high abrasion
conditions.
[0004] High-performance fabrics have been developed for some
abrasion applications. One approach is to tightly weave or knit
high denier yarn (e.g. nylon, polyester, etc.) into a fabric.
Thermoplastic coatings can be applied to such fabrics to enhance
abrasion resistance. Various high strength fibers (e.g.
Kevlar.RTM., PBO, steel, glass, Dyneema.RTM.) are sometimes used in
high performance fabrics. However, these high strength fibers tend
to be brittle, and therefore, are not associated with exceptional
abrasion performance in many applications.
[0005] Further, many current high performance or abrasion resistant
fabrics are bulky, stiff and expensive. Moreover, many abrading
objects have sharp or pointed features (e.g. tree branches or
rocks) that can snag the fabric and cause failure from tearing or
puncturing.
[0006] HDM manufactures and sells sheets of SuperFabric.RTM. brand
material that provide slash and abrasion resistance through the use
of hard plates screen printed onto and affixed to the surface of a
fabric in a closely spaced geometric pattern. This material is made
into gloves by die cutting parts from the sheets and sewing or
bonding the parts onto a glove. This results in a glove with
excellent cut and abrasion resistance. However, this glove
manufacturing method can be inefficient.
[0007] Gloves are often made from a knitting process. Rubber dots
are sometimes printed onto knitted gloves to improve their grip
properties. However, the material used in these dots is purposely
chosen to be a relatively soft material since this gives the best
grip enhancement for many applications. These soft rubber dots,
however, provide little if any puncture or cut resistance.
Moreover, when soft rubber dots are used, the abrasion resistance
is not improved enough for practical applications where hard
abrading objects can cut into and damage the material of the rubber
dot.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention is an improved protective knitted glove
assembly. One embodiment of the invention includes a knitted glove
and two or more non-coplanar arrays of printed guard plates. The
guard plates are small, regularly-spaced, generally uniform
thickness, non-overlapping, hard polymer material members arranged
in a predetermined pattern having an area parallel to a surface of
the glove with major and minor dimensions. The major dimension to
minor dimension aspect ratio of the guard plates is between about 3
and 1. The overall abrasion resistance of the glove assembly is
substantially greater than an abrasion resistance of the knitted
glove without the guard plates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a knitted glove with printed
protective plates in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention, generally showing the palm, the side of the forefinger
facing the thumb, and the thumb crotch surface portions of the
glove.
[0010] FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the knitted glove shown in
FIG. 1A, generally showing the palm side of the glove.
[0011] FIG. 1C is an isometric view of the knitted glove shown in
FIG. 1A, generally showing the back and thumb crotch surface
portions of the glove.
[0012] FIGS. 2A-2C show various views of an example of a protective
material comprising hexagonal plates attached to a flexible knitted
substrate of the glove.
[0013] FIG. 3 shows an example of a protective material comprising
square and pentagonal plates with relatively tight gaps attached to
a flexible knitted substrate of the glove.
[0014] FIG. 4 shows an example of a protective material comprising
square and pentagonal plates with relatively wide gaps attached to
a flexible knitted substrate of the glove.
[0015] FIG. 5 shows an example of a protective material comprising
circular plates attached to a flexible knitted substrate of the
glove.
[0016] FIG. 6A shows a side view of protective plates attached to a
knitted substrate of the glove.
[0017] FIG. 6B shows an embodiment of the invention having a layer
of an elastomer over the tops of the plates and substrate of the
material shown in FIG. 6A.
[0018] FIG. 7A shows a top view of a secondary former used in
connection with one embodiment of the invention to make an array of
guard plates on the side of the glove shown in FIG. 1A between the
forefinger and the thumb.
[0019] FIG. 7B shows an alternative secondary former that allows
for additional coverage beyond that of the former shown in FIG.
7A.
[0020] FIG. 7C shows another alternative former that allows for
still more coverage beyond that of the former shown in FIG. 7B.
[0021] FIG. 8A shows a knitted glove that can be used in connection
with the invention.
[0022] FIG. 8B shows the knitted glove of FIG. 8A mounted to the
former shown in FIG. 7A.
[0023] FIG. 9 shows a top view of a glove former that can be used
in connection with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] FIG. 1A shows a front view of one embodiment of the glove
assembly of the present invention where guard plates 2 between the
thumb and forefinger region are visible. As shown in FIG. 1A, guard
plates 2 cover the generally planar palm side of the glove assembly
1, including the palm side of the fingers. The portion of the glove
assembly 1 with guard plates 2 between the thumb and forefinger is
effectively on the side of the forefinger and in the crotch between
the forefinger and thumb, surfaces that are effectively
non-coplanar and non-parallel with the guard plates on the palm of
the glove assembly. The edges of the guard plates 2 on the side of
the forefinger and in the thumb crotch are positioned adjacent to
the edges of the guard plates on the palm. FIG. 1B shows the palm
side of glove assembly 1. FIG. 1C shows glove assembly 1 from the
side of the back of the hand. An array of guard plates 2 is shown
on the sides of the thumb and forefinger and in the crotch of the
forefinger and thumb. Another array of guard plates 2 is shown on
the back of the glove assembly 1. The guard plates 2 on the sides
of the thumb and forefinger and in the crotch of the thumb are
non-coplanar and non-parallel with the guard plates 2 on the back
of the glove assembly 1.
[0025] FIG. 2A is a detailed view of a portion of an array of guard
plates 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. As
shown, a plurality of plates 2 is affixed to the knitted glove
fabric 3. The plates 2 are printed onto the outer surface 4 of the
knitted glove fabric 3 using standard screen printing processes
after placing the knitted glove over a generally planar former
plate 50 such as that shown in FIG. 9. The former plate 50 shown in
FIG. 9 is generally hand-shaped and can be used as a base for
printing guard plates 2 on the palm and back sides of the knitted
glove 3 such as that shown in FIG. 8A. The former plate 50 is
chosen so that the glove 3 fits snuggly on the former. The resin
used to form guard plates 2 is chosen to have a rheology suitable
to screen printing and to have cured properties suitable to
providing protective properties. The plurality of plates 2 enhances
the abrasion, wear, and cut resistance of glove 3. The resistance
of glove 3 to puncture by nails or items of similar dimension is
also enhanced by the plurality of plates 2. Puncture resistance to
smaller diameter objects, such as hypodermic needles, can be
enhanced by using multiple layers of guard plates 2 or multiple
layers of fabric substrates with the guard plates. For example a
two layer glove assembly can be made by taking two gloves and
stretching one over the other. A slightly larger outer layer glove
can be used to prevent excessive stretching from causing too tight
a fit. Three, or even more, layers could be used similarly.
[0026] Depending on application, abrasion resistance can range from
low intensity rubbing typical of gloves repeatedly worn and
laundered, to high intensity abrasion (high loading and/or high
speed) such as for gloves worn to provide protection in, for
example, motorcycle riding. It is noted that the fabrics of the
present invention can be heat resistant, which is meant to include
fabrics that are relatively heat tolerant and heat insulating.
[0027] Adding cut resistant plates 2 to the gloves 3, as is done in
this invention, will substantially improve the cut resistance and
other mechanical properties. The cut resistance can be further
increased by adding hard fillers, such as ceramic beads or glass
beads, to the resin used to construct the plates 2. Also the
thickness of the plates can be adjusted to provide a balance
between overall glove weight and the desired level of slash
resistance.
[0028] The present invention is an alternative way of making gloves
that incorporate the essential features of SuperFabric.RTM.
technology without the processing costs associated with making
SuperFabric.RTM. sheets into gloves. These gloves are made by
printing guard plates 2 directly onto the surface of a finished
knitted or woven glove 3. The resulting glove assembly 1 has
comparable abrasion resistance to gloves made from SuperFabric.RTM.
sheets without the extra costs associated with sewing in the
SuperFabric.RTM. patches. Although in some embodiments there may be
some modest reduction in cut resistance due to the stretchability
of the knitted glove, the gloves of the present invention offer
improved comfort compared to typical gloves made from
SuperFabric.RTM. sheets because of this stretchability afforded by
the knitted substrate.
[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, cut resistant
plates 2 are used with a sufficiently tight gap that it is
improbable or impossible for a blade to slash through the glove
without cutting the plates. In another embodiment, wear resistant
plates 2 are used and these can dramatically improve the lifetime
of the glove. Additionally, a relatively soft dot (not shown) can
be printed on top of the cut-resistant 2 plates for enhanced grip
properties if desired. Alternatively, a dip coating can be applied
over the plates 2. However, for some applications, the surface
properties of the hard plates 2 may be preferred.
[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, the base fabric
of the knitted gloves 3 is nylon. In other embodiments, polyester,
aramid, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or blends of these
materials are used. In still another embodiment, the base fabric
comprises a blend of aramid and thin steel wires.
[0031] FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate alternative geometries for the
plates 2. FIG. 3 shows a pattern having pentagons and squares. FIG.
4 is a similar pattern but with larger gaps. The gaps 5 between the
plates 2 in FIG. 4 are still small enough that a blade can not
penetrate the glove 3 for a significant distance without cutting
through guard plates 2. This allows the printed glove assembly 1 to
have significantly enhanced cut resistance as well as abrasion
resistance. FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment with circular
plates.
[0032] Having rigid plates with tight gaps 5 as shown in FIG. 2A
may reduce the overall stretchability of the glove assembly 1. The
glove assembly 1 can however be re-designed so that it fits the
appropriate sized hand after the printing operation. So, for
example, a glove 3 that was originally designed for a large sized
hand might fit a medium sized hand well after it is made into a
glove assembly 1 by printing with rigid plates 2. In one
embodiment, only certain areas of the glove 3 are covered with
guard plates 2 and the non-covered areas allows for
stretchability.
[0033] Plurality of plates 2 are non-overlapping and are arrayed
and affixed on the outer surface 4 of the knitted glove 3. Plates 2
define a plurality of gaps 5 between adjacent plates 2. Gaps 5 are
continuous and inter-linking and each has a selected width so that
the glove assembly 1 retains flexibility while simultaneously
inhibiting objects from abrading directly against and degrading the
glove's substrate 3. The glove 3 can be printed in several stages.
For example, after a glove such as 3 is placed on a former plate
such as 50, plates 2 can be printed on the opposite sides during
separate printing steps. The gaps 5 between the plates 2 can be
significantly smaller than the largest plate dimension when the
gloves are in the unstretched state.
[0034] FIGS. 2A, 3, 4 and 5 illustrate various plate 2 dimensions
and patterns that can be selected for a desired abrasion, cut
and/or puncture resistance. Plates 2 have an approximately uniform
thickness (shown on FIGS. 2B and 2C) that is in the range of 4 to
40 mils in some embodiments. In other embodiments, plates 2 have an
approximately uniform thickness in the range of 4 to 20 mils. It is
important to note that although plates 2 can be shaped as identical
regular hexagons, plates 2 can be embodied in any regular or
non-regular shape, and be identical or non-identical to one
another. In some embodiments, the maximum dimension is in the range
of 20 to 200 mils for any plate shape, including hexagonal.
[0035] For example, plates 2 can have any polygonal shape such as a
square, rectangle, octagon, or a non-regular polygon shape. Plates
2 can also have any curved shape such as a circle, ellipse, or a
non-regular curved shape. Plates 2 can also be embodied as a
composite shape or combination of any regular or non-regular
polygon and/or any regular or non-regular curved shape.
[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention the ratio of the
major dimension of the guard plate 2 to the minor dimension of the
guard plate is between 1 and about 3. This is a preferred range,
because horizontal aspect ratios greater than about 3 may result in
plates that are more prone to cracking and are more prone to
creating too much stress on the fabric. In other embodiments of the
invention the guard plates 2 can have horizontal aspect ratios
outside this range.
[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention the ratio of the
major dimension of the guard plate to the thickness the guard plate
is between 3 and about 10. This is a preferred range, because
vertical aspect ratios greater than about 10 would result in plates
that are more prone to cracking and vertical aspect ratios less
than about 3 would be difficult to produce in a screen printing
operation. In other embodiments of the invention the guard plates 2
can have vertical aspect ratios outside this range.
[0038] Gaps 5 are continuous due to the non-overlapping
characteristics of plates 2. Gaps 5 also have a width that can be
approximately uniform or non-uniform. However, generally, the gap 5
width is in the range of approximately 4 to 20 mils, which is the
same range provided for plate thickness. In other embodiments, both
gap 5 width and plate thickness is in the approximate range of 4 to
40 mils. The co-extending ranges for gap 5 width and plate
thickness have been found to be an appropriate compromise between
adequate flexibility and adequate mechanical strength against
outside forces (i.e. abrasion, wear, cut and tear resistance) as
well as providing optional heat resistance. Other embodiments of
the invention have dimension outside these ranges.
[0039] As noted above, the knitted gloves can be printed by
mounting the gloves on a flat hand former 50 such as that shown in
FIG. 9 and then screen printing resin onto the gloves in a flat-bed
screen printing operation. Tack can be applied to the former 50 in
order to prevent the glove 3 from pulling up from the former during
the printing operation. In some embodiments, the former is chosen
to have an extended shape so that when the printed glove 1 is
removed from the former, guard plates 2 will be present on the
sides of the glove. The former 50 shown in FIG. 9 has widened pinky
and thumb areas for this purpose. For example, FIG. 1A shows a
knitted glove 3 with guard plates 2 on the side of the small finger
(i.e. pinky) extending down the side of the hand. This is achieved
by using a wide area pinky in the former 50 which causes some of
the fabric making up the side of the glove 3 to be stretched into
place on the top surface of the former and therefore printed during
the screen printing step. Using wide areas in the formers can give
a 3-D effect when the guard plates 2 are cured since this tends to
hold one surface in a stretched out configuration which results in
curved shapes. This is most noticeable in the fingers which tend to
become rounded. This 3-D shaping can give a more comfortable glove
fit.
[0040] In some embodiments of the invention, a second, third or
even more screen printing stages or steps are applied. As shown in
the embodiment of glove assembly 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, for
example, it is sometimes desirable to have guard plates 2 on the
back side or some portion of the back side of the glove. When the
back of the glove 3 is to be printed, the second printing can take
place on the same former 50 by simply rotating the former 180
degrees and then applying the second printing step. If the glove 3
needs to be removed from the first former 50 and placed onto a
second former for the second printing (e.g., as would be the case
for printing between the thumb and forefinger area as described
below), it is generally preferable to pre-cure the first array of
guard plates 2 before removing the glove from the first former. The
glove 3 would then be placed over the second former and the second
screen printing would be applied.
[0041] In some embodiments such as those shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, the
area on the side of the glove 3 between the thumb and the
forefinger is printed in a secondary printing step where an
appropriately shaped former is used to stretch the area of the
glove 3 extending from the thumb through the forefinger area into a
flat surface. When screen printing a glove 3 mounted to such a
former, a second array of guard plates is created that is
non-coplanar with the first printed array of guard plates. An
example of a former 52 that can be used for this purpose is shown
in FIG. 7A. One end of this former 52 can be inserted into the
forefinger of the glove 3 and the thumb of the glove can then be
stretched over the other end of the former. The former 52 thereby
provides a flat area on which a screen printing operation can be
carried out to form guard plates 2 that will be located on the
sides of the fingers. FIGS. 8A and 8B show an un-mounted glove 60
and the glove 60 mounted on the former of FIG. 7A, respectively. As
shown in FIG. 8B, the former 52 provides a generally planar surface
perpendicular to the palm of the glove 60 between the tips of the
thumb and forefinger. The appropriate shape for this former 52 will
vary with the size of the glove. In one embodiment, the shape of
the former 52 is a rectangular shape with rounded ends having a
length of about 6''-12'' and a width of about 0.5'' to 1.5''. In
other embodiments (shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C), the shape of this
former (52' and 52'') is bulged out in the thumb crotch area (the
area between the thumb and the forefinger) in order to give
extended coverage in that area. In some embodiments it is difficult
to stretch the glove 60 so that the forefinger and thumb fit over
the former. In these cases the former can be made in two or more
pieces (not shown) that can attach together after the parts are
placed into the glove. When more than one printing step is used to
manufacture the glove assembly 1 having non-coplanar arrays of
guard plates 2, the guard plates formed during each individual
printing step can be pre-cured after those steps. The guard plates
2 can then be exposed to heat, or UV radiation, or otherwise cured,
during a final curing step.
[0042] Embodiments having guard plates 2 in the thumb though
forefinger area are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C. The guard plates in
these embodiments are located in the thumb crotch region, but in
other embodiments the guard plates can extend the full length
between the thumb and the forefinger.
[0043] The glove assembly 1 can be given a 3-D shape to improve
comfort by printing the glove on a flat former (such as 50 and 52),
only partially curing the resin while it is on the flat former,
then removing the glove from the flat former and placing it on a
former (not shown) having a 3-D shape corresponding to the desired
shape of the portion of the glove with the plates 2 (e.g.,
hand-shaped). Upon fully curing the resin at least, some of the 3-D
shape can be retained by the glove assembly 1. This 3-D effect can
alternatively be created by using a dipping operation where
nitrile, polyurethane or some other elastomer is applied to the
glove assembly 1 while the glove is on a 3-D former (not shown).
Curing the elastomer while on the former causes the 3-D shape to be
retained by the glove assembly 1. In embodiments where an elastomer
is applied, the final full cure of the resin can be carried out
before or after the dipping operation. FIG. 6A shows a side view of
plates 2 attached to a substrate 3. FIG. 6B shows a layer of an
elastomer 6 applied over the tops of the plates 2 as an example of
this embodiment of the invention.
[0044] Abrasion is a complex phenomenon or process and is
influenced, for examples, by the types of materials that are being
abraded, the surface characteristics, the relative speed between
surfaces, lubrication, and the like. There exist many standardized
abrasion tests designed to reflect many varied abrasion conditions.
One typical test is the ASTM D 3884. In this test, two round-shaped
wheels with specified surface characteristics apply pressure and
rotate on the surface of the test sample with a given speed under a
predetermined load (e.g. up to 1000 g). Test results are given
either as the number of cycles for the fabric to wear through or as
the fabric's weight loss after a fixed number of cycles.
[0045] Unfortunately, standardized abrasion tests are often limited
due to the limited loading level and speed that can be applied
against test fabric. Due to these limitations, other tests are
developed to more closely simulate real world conditions. For
example, one test can comprise washing gloves continuously in a
washing machine containing rocks. In another example, gloves can be
wrapped around a concrete weight and thrown from a speeding vehicle
in order to test gloves suitable for wear by motorcycle riders and
the like.
[0046] In some embodiments, the affixed plates enhance the abrasion
and wear resistance of the base glove fabric by a enhancement
factor F. An enhancement factor F is the ratio of abrasion and/or
wear resistance of the fabric assembly of the glove to that of the
knitted fabric. Thus, for example, assuming the abrasion resistance
of the flexible substrate is 50 cycles on a Taber test and the
abrasion resistance of the composite knit glove assembly is 500,
then the enhancement factor is given by F=10. It is noted that the
enhancement factor F can be the ratio of any measurement that is
associated or correlated with abrasion and/or wear resistance.
[0047] The enhancement factor can be influenced by selecting
various substrate fabrics, guard plate shape and dimensions such as
thickness, gap width, plate diameter or maximum dimensions. The
enhancement factor can generally range from 2 to 200 depending on
various selections made. In other embodiments, the enhancement
factor can range from 3 to 100, 3 to 10, 10 to 50, and 12 to 30,
respectively.
[0048] The present invention offers a number of advantages over
known gloves such as those having printed rubber material dots on
the knitted gloves. One major improvement of the present invention
is the increase in both abrasion resistance, cut and puncture
resistance from using a geometry where the gaps between plates are
smaller than the largest plate dimension. Using smaller gaps will
generally enhance abrasion resistance since a larger area of the
fabric will be covered. Using gaps sufficiently small that extended
straight lines between plates are avoided improves both the
abrasion and slash resistance since it will reduce the chances of
any sharp edges penetrating the fabric. Using a gap smaller than
likely puncturing object, will provide puncture resistance against
those objects. Using multiple layers of the gloves can further
enhance the puncture resistance. In some embodiments of the present
invention, the width of the gaps, when the glove is unstretched, is
between 4 and 75 percent of the size of the largest plate
dimension. In other embodiments, the width of the gaps, when the
glove is unstretched, is between 4 and 20 percent of the size of
the largest plate dimension. In other embodiments of the invention
the dimensions can be outside these ranges.
[0049] A second major advantage of the present invention is the use
of a cut resistant plate. The plates used in the present invention
provide slash protection due either to the inherent hardness of the
resin used to construct the plate or to hard fillers added to the
resin (or from a combination of both effects). Using cut resistant
plates increases the real-world abrasion resistance as well as the
slash resistance, since the cut resistant plates will prevent sharp
edges of rocks, for example, from cutting into the gloves.
[0050] In the present invention, the plate material is applied in a
wet form and slightly permeates and affixes to outer surface 4.
Plate material includes resins such as epoxy resins, phenol-based
resins, and other like substances. Such materials can require heat
or ultraviolet curing.
[0051] Plate materials can be resins such as epoxy or phenol based
resins that are capable of being solid or hard. It is generally
preferred that plate material has tensile strength higher than
about 100 kgf/cm.sup.2 (typical epoxy tensile strength when cured
of approximately 700 kgf/cm.sup.2). It is also generally preferred
that the plate hardness be higher than about Shore D 10. In some
embodiments, additives can be added to the resins in order to
increase abrasion, wear and/or slash resistance when appropriate.
Examples of additives include alumina or titanium particles or
ceramic or glass beads. Resin materials can also be specifically
selected for their heat resistant properties.
[0052] In some embodiments of the present invention, an additional
layer of plate material can be applied to the outer surface of the
printed glove either by a printing operation or by dip coating.
This material can be chosen to be polyurethane, nitrile, silicone,
plastisol, or other elastomeric material for improved grip
properties. In some embodiments the material will go between the
gaps in the guard plates to form a bond with the underlying knitted
fabric of the base glove layer. In one embodiment, the diameter of
the elastomeric material is applied as dots with a diameter between
10 and 500 mils and with gaps between 10 and 500 mils.
[0053] In one embodiment of the present invention, plate dimensions
are selected so that plate maximum dimension is in the range of
approximately 20 to 200 mils. In another embodiment, the plates are
shaped as polygons such as equilateral hexagons; curved shapes; or
composite shapes arrayed in a pattern with gap widths between
adjacent plates in the range of 4 to 100 mils. In another
embodiment, the plate thickness is in the range of 4 to 100 mils.
In other embodiments, plate thickness and gap width is in the range
of 4 to 20 mils. Other embodiments of the invention have other
dimensions and features.
[0054] It is sometimes desirable to enhance the abrasion and/or
resistance of one or more entire glove surfaces. Alternately,
abrasion and/or slash enhancement can be limited to selected
locations on the glove, such as the fingers area or the palm area.
These various print patterns can be achieved by the appropriate
selection of a screen in the screen printing operation. The plates
formed during the several printing steps can also be positioned
sufficiently close to one another as to provide an essentially
seamless characteristic.
[0055] Another desirable feature of the present inventions is that
the glove assembly is considered attractive. The plates can be
colored to match or contrast with the glove's fabric substrate.
Also, the plates can be arrayed in attractive patterns. It is also
possible that plate patterns and/or colors can be selected to form
images or lettering due to the small yet discrete characteristics
of the affixed plates. The affixed plates can also be made to be
heat insulating.
[0056] Various embodiments of protective material and methods of
manufacturing the protective material that can be used in
connection with the gloves described herein are described in
commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,962,739, titled SUPPLE PENETRATION
RESISTANT FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING, filed Jul. 6, 2000, U.S.
Pat. No. 7,018,692, entitled PENETRATION RESISTANT FABRIC WITH
MULTIPLE LAYER GUARD PLATE ASSEMBLIES AND METHOD OF MAKING THE
SAME, filed Dec. 21, 2001, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
20040192133, entitled ABRASION AND HEAT RESISTANT FABRICS, Ser. No.
10/734,686, filed on Dec. 12, 2003, U.S. Patent Application
Publication No. 20050170221, entitled SUPPLE PENETRATION RESISTANT
FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING, Ser. No. 10/980,881, filed Nov. 3,
2004, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20050009429,
entitled FLAME RETARDANT AND CUT RESISTANT FABRIC, Ser. No.
10/887,005, filed Nov. 3, 2004, all herein incorporated by
reference in their entirety. The plate printing methods and plate
configurations, dimensions and other features shown in these patent
documents can be incorporated into the invention described
herein.
[0057] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will
recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *