U.S. patent application number 13/212750 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-21 for anti-burn garment.
This patent application is currently assigned to ASHLAND LICENSING AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Todd S. Greene, Frances E. Lockwood, Joanne M. Stokley, Wen-Chen Su, Douglas E. Taylor, Gefei Wu. Invention is credited to Todd S. Greene, Frances E. Lockwood, Joanne M. Stokley, Wen-Chen Su, Douglas E. Taylor, Gefei Wu.
Application Number | 20130042378 13/212750 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47711520 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130042378 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu; Gefei ; et al. |
February 21, 2013 |
ANTI-BURN GARMENT
Abstract
A protective garment for a human forearm. The protective garment
includes a main body portion having opposing first and second
longitudinal ends. There is an interior surface that faces the
forearm and an exterior surface that faces away from the forearm.
The main body portion includes an expandable wrist band coupled to
the first longitudinal end of the main body portion. The exterior
surface includes a second plurality of raised portions that is
configured to dissipate heat transferred from a heated surface
contacting the exterior surface.
Inventors: |
Wu; Gefei; (Lexington,
KY) ; Taylor; Douglas E.; (Georgetown, KY) ;
Su; Wen-Chen; (Pinehurst, NC) ; Stokley; Joanne
M.; (Lancaster, KY) ; Greene; Todd S.;
(Lexington, KY) ; Lockwood; Frances E.;
(Georgetown, KY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wu; Gefei
Taylor; Douglas E.
Su; Wen-Chen
Stokley; Joanne M.
Greene; Todd S.
Lockwood; Frances E. |
Lexington
Georgetown
Pinehurst
Lancaster
Lexington
Georgetown |
KY
KY
NC
KY
KY
KY |
US
US
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
ASHLAND LICENSING AND INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY LLC
Dublin
OH
|
Family ID: |
47711520 |
Appl. No.: |
13/212750 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 13/08 20130101;
A41D 31/06 20190201 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/16 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/08 20060101
A41D013/08 |
Claims
1. A protective garment for a human forearm comprising: a main body
portion having opposed first and second longitudinal ends and
configured to be worn over the forearm, the main body portion
having an interior surface facing the forearm and an exterior
surface facing away from the forearm; and an expandable wrist band
coupled to the first longitudinal end of the main body portion,
wherein: the exterior surface includes a first plurality of raised
portions for dissipating heat transferred from a hot surface
contacting the exterior surface.
2. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the interior surface
includes a second plurality of raised portions for facing the
wearer's forearm.
3. The protective garment of claim 2, wherein the second plurality
of raised portions includes a plurality of ribs.
4. The protective garment of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality
of ribs has a rounded surface, the rounded surface having a radius
of about 0.8 mm.
5. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the first plurality
of raised portions includes a plurality of protruding dimples.
6. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality
of dimples protrudes from a base of the exterior surface by a
distance ranging from about 0.15625 mm to about 3.175 mm.
7. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality
of dimples defines a footprint of at least about 2 mm in width.
8. The protective garment of claim 7, wherein the footprint defined
by each of the plurality of dimples is substantially circular, the
footprint having a diameter of at least about 2 mm.
9. The protective garment of claim 5, wherein the plurality of
dimples is spaced from one another so as to define first and second
pairs of substantially linear paths intersecting one another.
10. The protective garment of claim 9, wherein: the first plurality
of raised portions includes a plurality of ribs spaced from one
another so as to define a corresponding plurality of substantially
linear interior surface paths, the interior surface paths being
angled relative to the first and second pairs of substantially
linear paths of the exterior surface.
11. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the main body
portion defines a first cross-sectional perimeter and the wrist
band defines a second cross-sectional perimeter that is smaller
than the first cross-sectional perimeter.
12. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the main body
portion comprises a single layer of silicone rubber.
13. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the single layer of
silicone rubber has a thickness not exceeding about 0.4 mm.
14. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the single layer
comprises unreinforced silicone rubber.
15. The protective garment of claim 12, wherein the single layer
comprises non-porous silicone rubber.
16. The protective garment of claim 1, further comprising: a thumb
band coupled to the expandable wrist band and extending away from
the wrist band, the thumb band configured to reside between a thumb
and an adjacent finger.
17. A protective garment for a human forearm comprising: a main
body portion having opposed first and second longitudinal ends,
made of non-reinforced silicone rubber, and configured to be worn
over the forearm, the main body portion having an interior surface
facing the forearm and an exterior surface facing away from the
forearm; and an expandable wrist band coupled to the first
longitudinal end of the main body portion, wherein: the exterior
surface includes a plurality of protruding dimples for dissipating
heat transferred from a hot surface contacting the exterior
surface.
18. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein the plurality of
dimples is spaced from one another so as to define first and second
pairs of substantially linear paths intersecting one another.
19. The protective garment of claim 17, wherein the interior
surface includes a plurality of ribs.
20. The protective garment of claim 19, wherein each of the
plurality of ribs is spaced from one another so as to define a
corresponding plurality of substantially linear interior surface
paths, the interior surface paths being angled relative to the
first and second pairs of substantially linear paths of the
exterior surface.
21. The protective garment of claim 17, further comprising: a thumb
band coupled to the expandable wrist band and extending away from
the wrist band, the thumb band configured to reside between a thumb
and an adjacent finger.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to protective
garments and, more particularly, to high temperature protective
garments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In many occupations, workers are required to wear protective
gloves and sleeves to prevent inadvertent contact with a hot
surface or for when a splash hazard may be present. Cooks and home
chefs frequently wear heat resistant gloves to prevent injury
caused by such contact.
[0003] This is also a concern in the automotive industry and,
particularly, in the quick oil change business. The various
surfaces of an automobile may reach up to 600.degree. Fahrenheit,
including the engine and the exhaust system. In the process of
conducting a quick oil change, the automobile is often brought into
a service bay room after being driven to the facility and the
engine and associated components are at normal operating
temperature. The technician is thus exposed to these surfaces and
temperatures and may wear protective gloves and clothing to prevent
burn.
[0004] Injury from such inadvertent contact may occur at the
initial contact with the heated surface, but may also occur some
time after the initial contact as the technician's protective
garment may transfer heat long after the technician is no longer in
contact with the heated surface. In fact, it may take a certain
period of time before the technician feels the heat from the
inadvertent contact. If the protective garment absorbs sufficient
heat, the technician may still be injured after contact with the
heated surface is discontinued.
[0005] Previously, long term heat transfer was avoided by
manufacturing protective garments from fibrous materials, which
allow the heat to dissipate and reduce rapid transfer of heat
across the surface of the protective garment. Such protective
garments unfortunately are relatively expensive and, because the
protective garments have a fibrous component, they accumulate oil,
dirt, and grease, are difficult to clean, and require frequent
replacement.
[0006] Fiber-based protective garments, clean or contaminated by
the oil, dirt, and grease, often cause dermatological issues, such
as contact dermatitis. Therefore, a more hypoallergenic design
would be of particular benefit.
[0007] Thus, there exists a need for a protective garment that
reduces the likelihood of heat transfer but that is also easily
cleaned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention overcomes the foregoing problems and
other shortcomings, drawbacks, and challenges of existing
protective garments. While the invention will be described in
connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that the
invention is not limited to these embodiments. To the contrary,
this invention includes all alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the
present invention.
[0009] The present invention is premised on the realization that a
protective garment may be formulated, which may contact a surface
having a temperature of up to about 600.degree. Fahrenheit and
still protect the wearer by reducing rapid transfer of heat through
the protective garment. The protective garment may be formed from
an injection molded plastic, which has a plurality of raised
portions on the exterior surface to slow the conduction of heat
through the protective garment. The plurality of raised portions
provides sufficient heat transfer to allow the wearer to identify
that he/she has inadvertently contacted the heated surface. Once
the wearer identifies such contact, he/she can move away from the
heated surface and not be burned by continuing heat transfer
through the protective garment.
[0010] Preferably, the plurality of raised portions on the exterior
surface is in the form of a series of raised dimples. When raised,
each dimple has a height ranging from about 1/64 inch (0.396875 mm)
to about 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) and prevents the rapid transfer of
heat.
[0011] In particular, the present invention utilizes an injection
molded silicone rubber.
[0012] In a more preferred embodiment, the present invention
includes a wrist portion, and a main body portion. The wrist
portion has a narrower diameter than the main body portion, which
allows an individual to pull the protective garment over their
hand. The wrist portion expands to allow the hand to pass through
but returns to a rest state to secure the protective garment in
position.
[0013] The above and other objects and advantages of the present
invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and
the description thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and, together with a general description of the
invention given above, and the detailed description of the
embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a technician's arm wearing a
protective garment in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the protective garment
of FIG. 1, with a portion of an inner surface of the protective
garment shown.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the protective garment
of FIG. 1, taken along the Line 3-3 in FIG. 2.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view of a protective garment in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a technician's arm wearing
the protective garment of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Turning now to the figures, and in particular FIG. 1, a
technician 10 is shown while removing oil from an automobile 12.
For a quick oil change facility, the technician 10 will typically
work on an automobile 12 within 15 to 25 minutes of the automobile
being driven to the facility. The recent operation of the engine
will cause the temperature of the surface of the components of the
automobile, including portions of the chassis 14, engine, and the
exhaust system 16 to be relatively high and thus pose a potential
injury risk to the technician.
[0021] After the technician 10 removes an oil plug (not shown) from
an oil pan (not shown), the technician 10 may remove an oil filter
18. The oil filter 18 may be at least partially concealed behind
these heated surfaces of the chassis 14 or the exhaust system 16.
Furthermore, the oil plug is in direct contact with the heated oil
and the oil pan. Thus, the technician's aim 20 may contact one of
these heated surfaces and be burned. Also, when removing the oil
filter 18, oil spillage may occur and contaminate nearby surfaces,
including the technician's clothing and/or exposed skin.
[0022] The technician's arm 20 in FIG. 1 is covered from about the
technician's wrist 22 up to or beyond the technician's elbow 24
with a protective garment 26. One embodiment of the protective
garment 26 is shown and described in greater detail with reference
to FIG. 2. The technician 10 may opt for no extra protection for
the hand 42, but typically would use some type of glove, of varying
composition, to minimize the risk of causing injury to the hand
42.
[0023] The protective garment 26 is comprised of a main body
portion 28 having first and second longitudinal ends 30, 32. An
interior surface 34, when the protective garment 26 is worn, faces
and may contact the technician's forearm 36 directly, or overlay
clothing or other layers of material, while an exterior surface 38
faces away from the forearm 36.
[0024] An expandable wrist band 40 is coupled to the first
longitudinal end 30. As shown, the expandable wrist band 40 may be
a cylindrical portion having a length ranging from about 1/2 inch
to about 2 inches and is configured to expand from a rest state to
an expanded state. In this way, the wrist band 40 may expand over
the technician's hand 42 while the technician 10 slides the
protective garment 26 over his/her hand 42 and onto the forearm 36.
Once the protective garment 26 is properly positioned, the wrist
band 40 may return to its rest state and thereby be secured onto
the wrist 22 of the technician 10. The elasticity of the wrist band
40 is also configured to secure other clothing and/or gloves. More
specifically, a sleeve may extend distally down the technician's
forearm 36 and under the wrist band 40 and/or a glove may extend
proximally from the technician's hand 42, under the wrist band 40,
and up the forearm 36. Therefore, the wrist band 40 may secure the
sleeve and/or glove to resist exposing the technician's skin to
extreme temperatures.
[0025] The exterior surface 38 of the protective garment 26
includes a plurality of raised portions 44 that are configured to
dissipate heat that is transferred from a hot surface when the
exterior surface 38 of the protective garment 26 contacts the
heated surfaces of the automobile 12. The plurality of raised
portions 44 are illustrated as protruding dimples, each of which
may protrude from the exterior surface 38 by about 0.7 mm
(generally, ranging from about 0.15625 mm to about 3.175 mm) and
have a circular footprint (i.e., a circular base) of about 2 mm in
diameter. However, other shapes of raised portions may also be
used.
[0026] The dimples 44 may be arranged in a particular arrangement
to delay the transfer of heat by reducing the contact area of the
protective garment 26 to the heat source. In one particular
embodiment, the dimples 44 may be arranged into linear,
intersecting paths 46, 48.
[0027] The plurality of raised portions 44 on the exterior surface
38 provides the benefit of slowing the conduction of heat through
the protective garment 26. Further, the plurality of raised
portions 44 permits sufficient heat transfer to allow the
technician 10 to identify contact with a heated surface while
resisting burn.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the exterior surface 39 of the wrist
band 40 and the second longitudinal end 32 are constructed without
a plurality of raised portions 44. However, this is not required
and the raised portions 44 may extend over the exterior surface 38
of the protective garment 26 as well.
[0029] Turning now to FIG. 3, the details of the interior surface
34 are shown in greater detail. The interior surface 34 may include
a plurality of raised portions 50 that may contact the forearm 36
of the technician 10. As shown, the each raised portions 50 is
comprised of a rib having a rounded surface with a radius of about
0.8 mm However, other structures may also be used, including the
dimples as described previously. Generally, the raised portions 50
are spaced away from one another such that an interior surface path
52 is formed between adjacent ones of the raised portions 50.
Accordingly, the surface paths 52 facilitate airflow along the
interior surface 34 of the protective garment 26 and further
facilitate heat transfer.
[0030] The plurality of ribs 50 of the illustrative interior
surface 34 may be angled with respect to the plurality of raised
portions 44 of the exterior surface 38. For example, and as shown
in FIG. 2, the plurality of ribs 50 is angled with respect to the
linear paths 46, 48 that are formed by the plurality of dimples 44
on the exterior surface 38. This structure resists the formation of
thickened portions of the protective garment 26 where a rib 50
along the interior surface 34 aligns with a linear path 46, 48 of
dimples 44 along the exterior surface 38.
[0031] The second longitudinal end 32 of the protective garment 26
may include a curvilinear edge 54 such that the external surface 38
has a first length 56 and a second length 58 that is longer than
the first length 56. As shown in FIG. 1, this structure allows the
protective garment 26 to be worn such that the second length 58
extends over the technician's elbow 24 and the first length 56
falls within the joint that opposes the elbow 24. While this
structure is not required, the curvilinear edge 54 improves the
comfort of the protective garment 26.
[0032] The protective garment 26 of the figures may be constructed
as a unitary structure of silicone rubber. Silicone rubber provides
the particular benefits of temperature resistance of up to about
600.degree. Fahrenheit and the rapid transfer of heat. The silicone
rubber may be injection molded as a single layer having a thickness
that does not exceed 0.4 mm Generally, the silicone rubber is
unreinforced and nonporous. The lack of reinforcement allows for
greater flexibility of the wrist band 40, to thereby facilitate
expanding the write band 40 over the technician's hand 42.
[0033] Silicone rubber also provides the benefit of providing a
hypoallergenic barrier that also protects the technician 10. Also,
the ease of clean-up is improved because the technician 10 does not
have to use harsh fabric soaps or solvents and the silicone rubber
surface dries more rapidly than a fabric-based material.
Additionally, the silicone rubber material does not wick or retain
petroleum and/or glycol products in the way that a porous material
such as fiber would. Only de minimis amounts of oil and glycol are
released during cleaning to the environment.
[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates still another embodiment of a protective
garment 60 that includes a main body portion 62 and an expandable
wrist band 64 and was described previously. The instant embodiment
further includes a thumb band 66 coupled to and extending
substantially longitudinally from the wrist band 64.
[0035] The thumb band 66 extends from a first location 68 on the
wrist band 64 to a second location 70 on the wrist band 64. The
second position 70 may be diametrically opposed to the first
position 68; however, it may be advantageous for the second
position 70 to be off-set from a diametrically-positioned location
on the wrist band 64. In this way, an open end 72 at the wrist band
64 is sub-divided into a first portion 74 and a smaller second
portion 76. The second portion 76 is shaped to allow the
technician's thumb 80 (FIG. 5) to extend therethrough while the
fingers 82, 84, 86, 88 (FIG. 5) extend through the first portion
74.
[0036] The thumb band 66 may be constructed as a string or like
material with the opposing ends embedded or affixed to the first
and second locations 68, 70 on the wrist band 64. Alternatively,
the thumb band 66 may be constructed from the same material
comprising the protective garment 60.
[0037] In use, as the technician 10 (FIG. 1), while wearing the
protective garment 60 as shown in FIG. 5, raises his/her hand 42
upwardly, such as when reaching to remove or install the oil filter
18 (FIG. 1), the thumb band 66 may slide into, and reside against,
the joint between the thumb 80 and the first finger 82. As a
result, the thumb band 66 assists the wrist band 64 in retaining
the protective garment 60 on the technician's arm 20 (FIG. 1) such
that the protective garment does not slide downward to expose at
least a portion of the technician's wrist 22 to potential burn.
[0038] While the present invention has been illustrated by a
description of various embodiments, and while these embodiments
have been described in some detail, they are not intended to
restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to
such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily
appear to those skilled in the art. The various features of the
invention may be used alone or in any combination depending on the
needs and preferences of the user. This has been a description of
the present invention, along with methods of practicing the present
invention as currently known. However, the invention itself should
only be defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *