Weighted Exercise Glove

Abstract

A glove to be worn on the hands of persons, and particularly practicing pianists, to exercise their fingers by the lifting of weights applied so as to resist raising of each finger independently. A selectively replaceable weight is inserted into a rearwardly opening pocket overlying the terminal phalange of each finger. The opening of the pocket includes a margin free of attachment structure but constructed out of material which causes the free margin to be pulled tight against the glove when the glove is worn. Thus the weights are captured in their pockets when the glove is worn and are captured in their working positions by fitting into the depressions over the finger nails and against the raised and forwardly faced shoulders of skin tissue at the quick of the nails.

Description

The vocation of a pianist calls for practice and exercise, and the piano is a percussive instrument which requires force to be applied by the fingers upon a keyboard and which operates an action that strikes the strings with hammers. Thus, the manual control and actuation of the piano keys and action requires muscular ability and physical control, and all of which must be perfected. Heretofore, many arrangements have been contrived to promote the exercise and control of finger muscles, and among these there have been gloves in which the fingers are weighted, such as disclosed in my Letters U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,034 issued Feb. 28, 1956. Said patent teaches close-fitting sheaths encasing the finger tips and miniature weights as well, the sheath comprising a rubber coating. Despite the general practicality of my prior art Finger Exercising Glove, there are features thereof which limit their use, which encumber them and which make them difficult to manufacture. Firstly, the weights were installed in such a way that they could not be changed. Secondly, the encasing sheaths of rubber over the finger tips altered and/or destroyed the feel of the fingers upon the keys. And thirdly, the process of encasing the weights in rubber and simultaneously in place was difficult, time consuming and consequently expensive.

In view of the desired effects resulting from the use of gloves weighted in the manner heretofore provided, it is a general object of this invention to extend their utility, to unencumber them and to facilitate their manufacture. With the present invention an improved exercise glove is provided wherein; firstly the weights that are carried thereby are selectively replaceable, secondly the rubber encasements are eliminated and a direct feel through a single layer of material is restored, and thirdly a single added feature is applied to the glove which is otherwise conventional and unaltered. Consequently, any suitable glove design and/or manufacturing technique can be employed with the added feature characterized by a pocket overlying each finger tip.

An object of this invention is to provide a glove with a single feature of minimum complexity and which affords several improvements, namely to provide for selective replaceability of weights, to eliminate prior art encumbrances, and to facilitate manufacturing. In accordance with the present invention, a pocket overlies the dorsal side of each finger in the area of the third row of phalanges, including the thumb. That is, a pocket overlies the terminal phalange and in each instance a pocket that is closed at its outer end of the finger and opened toward the back of the hand.

Another object of this invention is to provide a glove of the type under consideration wherein the feel required for the development of dexterity is not impaired any more than necessary; and to this end a tight fitting supple glove is employed and which clings to the hand. In accordance with the invention, the pockets that carry the weights are tight constrictive pockets fitting onto the said weights when the glove is on the hand of the person, but otherwise loose when the glove is removed from the hand. The latter condition supplies accessibility for selective replacement of weights. Further, the operative position of the weight is in each instance assured by its complementary fit within the tightly constrictive pocket and against the contour of the person's finger as established by the depression of uniform convexity and defined by the confining shoulder established by the flesh at the quick. Thus, the weights are assuredly captured in working position and are not loose during finger exercises.

DRAWINGS

The various objects and features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of the typical preferred form and application thereof, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a back view of the weighted glove.

FIG. 2 is a palm view of the weighted glove.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section of a finger tip and taken as indicated by line 3--3 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a section taken as indicated by line 4--4 in FIG. 3.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A right-hand glove is shown disassociated from the hand of a person, except in FIG. 3 where the fingernail depression and shoulder of the quick is shown, and it is to be understood that a left-hand glove is also provided as a mirror opposite of that which is shown. Generally, the glove involves a back piece 10, a palm piece 11 and a thumb piece 12. It is preferred that the glove be tight fitting and is therefore made of kidskin or the like which is a supple and pliant leather that can be stretched onto the hand. Also, it is preferred that the glove be adapted to variations in hand size, in which case the pieces 10, 11 and 12 are joined into the glove formation by elastic webs, there being an elastic web 13 coextensive with the inside of the thumb piece 12, and there being an elastic web 14 coextensive with both sides of the remaining four fingers, the inside web of the index finger and the outside web of the little finger continuing to the wrist. The webs 13 and 14 are, in practice, made of a stretchable textile such as jersey or the like. The finger tips of each back piece and palm piece are sewn together and the webs 13 and 14 are sewn coextensively to the pieces between which they extend. The thumb piece 12 is sewn into an elongated opening in the palm piece 11 and in alignment with the index finger portion thereof, both the back piece 10 and palm piece 11 having extended finger portions for each of the fingers but the thumb. Each finger therefore, including the thumb, has an anterior and a dorsal side comprised of a single uninterrupted layer of material, such as for example a thin layer of supple leather.

In accordance with the invention, a pocket 20 of supple and pliant leather is secured to each finger top of the glove, the pockets being sewn along both sides and around the tip of each extended finger portion, including the thumb. The pockets 20 overlie the finger extensions of the back piece 11 coextensive with the third row of, or terminal, phalanges, and open rearwardly at the dorsal side of the finger and toward the back or wrist of the hand. The free margin of the pocket is reinforced by a rope stitch 21 that is substantially nonstretchable. In practice, the termination of the pocket 20 and location of the stitch 21 is at or overlying the joint between the second and third row of phalanges as shown.

The glove is equiped with an elastic wrist band 25 disposed transversely of the palm piece 11, to constrict the glove onto the hand.

The weights 30 are preferably of heavy metal of concavo-convex configuration and each adapted to overlie the dorsal side of a third, or terminal, phalange. The weights 30 are elongated solids each with a cylindrically concaved inner face 31 that fits over the dorsal side of the finger between the tip of the nail, overlying the nail, and the joint of the second and third phalanges. The exterior face 32 is convexly curved (compound) from the ovular perimeter of the weight to give it a domed configuration. Thus, the weight 30 of solid metal such as lead ranges from 1/8 to 3/4 of an ounce as circumstances require. Normally, a 1/4 ounce weight is first employed, followed by use of increased weights as and when muscular development is attained. However, in no case does excessive weight benefit the exerciser and it is significant that the use of uniform weights is commensurate with the uniformity in action of the keys which are activated during exercising.

In carrying out the invention, a set of weights 30 of uniform size is inserted into the loose pockets 20 of the glove before wearing. The faces 31 are opposed to the dorsal sides of the fingers and upon the third phalange portion of the finger extremity of the back piece 11. The weights more or less fill the pockets and are inserted well ahead of the reinforcing rope stitch 21. The gloves are then pulled onto the hand of the person and stretched comfortably tight, whereupon the weights are captured forwardly of the rope stitch 21 and tightly within the confinements of the pockets 20 which too are stretched over the weights. The thickened flesh at the quick of the fingernail builds up toward the first knuckle and faces forwardly, this flesh being higher than the contour of the fingernail, establishing a shoulder that is inclined and inherently urges the weights forwardly toward the finger tips.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a very practical glove is provided and wherein simple pockets of supple material give way to the variations in size of weights that are to be selectively inserted therein; that the weights are easily insertable when the gloves are removed from the hands; and that the weights are immovably retained in working condition over the dorsal side of the finger when the gloves are worn. The facility of manufacture is in accord with techniques normally employed in the making of gloves, and there are no encumbering features to adversely affect the normal feel of the keys through the single layer of material at the anterior side of the finger tips.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any modifications or variations that may appear to those skilled in the art.

Claims

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A weighted exercising glove fitted to the hand and including joined back and palm pieces with individual finger enclosing extensions and a thumb enclosing piece extending from the palm piece and in alignment with the first adjacent finger enclosing extension, a rearwardly opening pocket overlying the dorsal side of the third and terminal phalange portion of each finger enclosing extension of the back piece and including the dorsal side of the thumb enclosing piece, the opening of each pocket being defined by a margin free of attachment means connecting the extension and the pocket thereof, which margin is pulled tight onto the dorsal side of the glove extension whenever the glove is worn by a user, there being a selective weight replaceably inserted into each pocket when the glove is removed from the hand of a user and captured therein by said margin to overlie the terminal phalange at such time as the glove is worn by a user.

2. The weight exercising glove as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the pockets are of supple and stretchable material and each with a substantially nonstretchable free margin to pull tight onto the dorsal side of the glove extension, closing the pocket and thereby capturing the weight therein.

3. The weight exercising glove as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the selective weights are concavo-convex and of elongated configuration with a cylindrically convex inner wall to fit upon the dorsal side of the terminal phalange and with a convex compound curved exterior.

4. The weight exercising glove as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the selective weights are concavo-convex and of elongated configuration substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extent of the terminal phalange of each finger and thumb.

5. The weight exercising glove as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the selective weights are concavo-convex and of elongated configuration substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extent of the terminal phalange of each finger and thumb and with a cylindrically concave inner wall to fit upon the dorsal side of the terminal phalange and with a convex compound curved exterior.

6. The weight exercising glove as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selective weights are concavo-convex and of elongated configuration substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extent of the terminal phalange of each finger and thumb and with a cylindrically concave inner wall to fit upon the dorsal side of the terminal phalange and with a convex compound curved exterior, and wherein the pockets are of supple and stretchable material and each with a substantially nonstretchable free margin to pull tight onto the dorsal side of the glove extension, closing the pocket and thereby capturing the weight therein.