AU2012321030B2

AU2012321030B2 - Element or addition for protecting the fingers of safety gloves

Info

Publication number: AU2012321030B2
Application number: AU2012321030A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jorge Ruben Sgombich Perez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-10-07
Filing date: 2012-07-05
Publication date: 2016-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 2032-07-05
Also published as: EP2850957B1; CA2851319A1; CA2851319C; ES2663969T3; HUE036693T2; RS57095B1; EP2850957A4; AU2012321030A1; US20140304879A1; PT2850957T; WO2013049950A1; EP2850957A1; PL2850957T3; HRP20180476T1

Abstract

Protective element or addition for placing on a finger of a glove, which comprises a hard, resistant, trough-shaped part that is closed at the tip and open at the opposite end and on part of the lateral sides thereof. Furthermore, the top part of said element is shaped as an elongate semicircle connected to a half-ring. In addition, a description is given of the safety glove that has at least one protective element located on the upper back part of one of the glove fingers.

Description

to the field of the safety of the 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 1

PROTECTION ELEMENT OR ATTACHMENT FOR SAFETY GLOVE FINGERS

Field of the invention

DESCRIPTION

[001] The present invention relates industrial safety, more specifically to fingertips .

[002] The present invention consists in a protective element for fingers corresponding to a special attachment which is fixed to the fingertips of a safety glove, so that the fingertips are protected from smashes, bumps, scratches, cuts or pricks in carrying out a potentially dangerous job. The attachment is a piece made of hard, resistant material with a shape similar to that of a half-round closed on one end, which provides protection and does not interfere with fine motor skill and the sense of comfort in its use. 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 2

Background of the invention [003] The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.

[004] In order to protect workers from all the risks arising from handling sharp tools or materials, cutting edges, metal swarf, certain bumps and many other physical risks, appropriate Workplace Safety measures need to be taken to prevent accidents.

[005] Particularly for protecting hands from the described risks, there are different types of Gloves made from different materials which conform to Workplace Safety requirements . 3 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 [006] Safety gloves must be worn by all Company personnel, both production and supervision, exposed to the detailed risks. Thus, the present invention solves the problem of workplace safety, since a third of work accidents in the industry involves fingers, hands and arms.

[007] A myriad of work gloves used in the industry are widely known, which have incorporated specific elements according to the activity to be carried out. The most widely used gloves are leather gloves, which have been modified, e.g. reinforced by incorporating a larger number of layers in those areas which are more exposed to damages by cuts, scratches, etc. Moreover, their stitching design has been modified, making them more resistant, or elements like rubber or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) dots have been incorporated so as to make them non-slip.

[008] Some researches have addressed the problem of finger protection, e.g. with metal elements, such as patent US2008216209 which incorporates metal rings around the fingers, incorporated in the glove; however, this will only provide a certain degree of protection to the fingers. With these rings, the glove does not lose flexibility or ease of handling, but provides only partial protection. 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 4 [009] Furthermore, numerous patents have attempted to solve the problem of protecting specific areas of the hand, such as nails, e.g. patent US20110041225, which refers to a glove having protective pads located inside the glove at the top dorsal part of the fingertips to prevent the top of the fingers from being damaged due to contact with the outside and rubbing or friction against the inner surface of the glove. The protective pads can be made of a soft or smooth material to avoid scratching, filing or damaging nails.

[0010] Another example is patent US20100071114, which relates to a construction glove comprising a glove in the shape of a human hand, said glove having end portions associated therewith, and a plurality of protectors in the form of elongated members extending substantially along the length of the fingers and thumb, adjacent portions of the tips of the fingers and thumb, a layer having upper and lower surfaces. However, this design prevents the development of an activity requiring fine motor skill, since the protective elements incorporated at the finger length makes it very rigid. 5 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 [0011] In patent JP2009062649, a hand protector is incorporated, obtained by covering finger parts corresponding to the second finger through the fifth finger of a glove with a tubular reinforcement comprising a plurality of tubes, wherein workability is reduced because the reinforcement elements are tubular. This patent incorporates tubular elements along the entire length of the finger, i.e. the inner and outer sides of the finger, thereby making handling very difficult.

[0012] Thus, the present invention addresses a problem which has no solution in the prior art, fully satisfying safety requirements without compromising fine motor skill for manipulation.

[0013] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to develop a protective element for a glove finger.

Summary of the invention [0014] The present invention consists in a protective element or attachment for a glove finger and a glove having at least one of said elements, corresponding to a protective attachment made of a resistant material. 6 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 [0015] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a protective element for use in conjunction with fingers of a glove, the protective element comprising a body being adapted to receive at least a portion of a finger of a user, the body having an upper surface comprising a front end, a rear end and a centre portion joining together the front and rear ends, the front end comprising a wall extending downward from the front end to define a closed front end and the rear end comprising a plurality of legs extending downwards from sides of the rear end defining a half ring for receiving the user's finger, wherein the legs and the front wall are arranged in a spaced apart arrangement with respect to each other to define a spacing between the front end and the rear end and below the centre portion.

[0016] Preferably, the body of the protective element is adapted to be located at top dorsal parts of the fingers of the glove.

[0017] Preferably, the body of the protective element is adapted to be positioned inside the fingers of the glove.

[0018] Preferably, the body of the protective element is adapted to receive the fingers of the glove to position the protective element outside the finger of the glove.

[0019] Preferably, the upper surface comprises a curved upper surface defining inner curved upper surface of the protective element. 7 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 [0020] Preferably, the front end comprises a curved surface defining an inner curved front surface.

[0021] Preferably, the inner curved surface are configured to receive at least partially the user's finger.

[0022] Preferably, the rear end comprises an extended width when compared to the width of the front end.

[0023] Preferably, the legs extend beyond the rear end defining the extended width of the rear end.

[0024] Preferably, said element is made of metal.

[0025] Preferably, said element is made of hard plastic.

[0026] Preferably, said element is made of glass fiber.

[0027] Preferably, said element is made of polymeric materials such as polyamide.

[0028] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided safety glove comprising at least one any of the preceding claims. one finger of the glove the protective element being one finger of the glove the protective element being protective element as defined in [0029] Preferably, at least comprises a protective element, located inside said finger.

[0030] Preferably, at least comprises a protective element, located outside said finger. 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 8 [0031] Preferably, at least one finger of the glove comprises a protective element at the top dorsal part of said finger .

[0032] Preferably, the at least one protective element is fixed to said finger.

[0033] Preferably, the at least one protective element is fixed to said finger via glue.

Preferably, each finger of the glove comprises a protective element.

Brief description of the figures [0034] Further features of the present invention are more fully described in the following description of several nonlimiting embodiments thereof. This description is included solely for the purposes of exemplifying the present invention. It should not be understood as a restriction on the broad summary, disclosure or description of the invention as set out above. The description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 9 2012321030 07 Oct 2016

Figure 1 schematically depicts a first arrangement of a finger protecting element in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 schematically shows protective element shown in figure 1 incorporated inside a glove and located at the tip of the glove and in use;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the protective element shown in figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a rear view of the protective element shown in figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a top view of the protective element shown in figure 1;

Figure 6 schematically depicts a second arrangement of the finger protecting element in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention; and 10 2012321030 07 Oct 2016

Figure 7 shows a the protective element shown in figure 6 in use

Detailed description of the invention [0035] The need of a protecting element for the fingers 16, without reducing mobility and comfort, leads to the idea of incorporating a special attachment at the ends of the glove fingers protecting the fingertips from bumps, cuts, scratches, pricks or hard smashes, such that there is one protective element or attachment 10 per finger and every glove may contain as many protective elements 10 as fingers 18. This element or attachment 10 is a piece with a shape similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 7.

[0036] The present invention consists in a protective element or attachment 10 made of different resistant materials, such as, but not limited to: hard plastic, polymeric materials such as polyamide, glass fiber or metal. This attachment 10 is glued or fixed firmly to each end of the glove, either on the inside or outside thereof, and contemplates a height carefully designed not to obstruct handling. The piece may undergo minor variations in shape and size depending on the finger 18 to which this attachment 10 will be attached, with the possibility of being incorporated 11 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 to one or more fingers 18, as required, but the concept will remain the same - to serve as protection for the fingers 16.

[0037] The protecting element or attachment 10 differs significantly from the existing inventions having the same objective, mainly because its shape considers not only factors regarding the effective protection of extremities, which is the main objective, but also ergonomic factors which provide incomparable benefits as to the fine motor skill and sense of comfort in its use, as compared to the models comprising a full protective cover of the extremity. This is explained by the fact that the protective covers proposed herein rarely contact each other, given they are located on the glove fingers 18, generating less friction and interference among the fingers 18 when the glove is being used. This is also because the inventive protective element 10 contemplates the back supports at the height of the first phalanges of the fingers, which are naturally located at different distances from the base of the hand in accordance with the different lengths of the fingers 16.

[0038] The protective element or attachment 10 may be made of various hard materials and has a half-round shape closed on its end and open at the opposite end and partly on its lateral sides, wherein said element 10 is located at the 2012321030 07 Oct 2016 12 distal end of the back of the glove fingers, and said element 10 has its top 12 in the shape of an elongated semicircle connected to a half-ring 14, its lateral side 20 is discontinuous and the front end closed 22.

[0039] The glove having at least one of said protective elements or accessories is also described.

Claims

1. A protective element for use in conjunction with fingers of a glove, the protective element comprising a body being adapted to receive at least a portion of a finger of a user, the body having an upper surface comprising a front end, a rear end and a centre portion joining together the front and rear ends, the front end comprising a wall extending downward from the front end to define a closed front end and the rear end comprising a plurality of legs extending downwards from sides of the rear end defining a half ring for receiving the user's finger, wherein the legs and the front wall are arranged in a spaced apart arrangement with respect to each other to define a spacing between the front end and the rear end and below the centre portion.

2. A protective element according to claim 1, wherein the body of the protective element is adapted to be located at top dorsal parts of the fingers of the glove.

3. A protective element according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the body of the protective element is adapted to be positioned inside the fingers of the glove.

4. A protective element according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the body of the protective element is adapted to receive the fingers of the glove to position the protective element outside the finger of the glove.

5. A protective element according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the upper surface comprises a curved surface defining an inner curved upper surface and the front end comprises a curved surface defining an inner curved front surface .

6. A protective element according to claim 5 wherein the inner curved front and upper surface are configured to receive at least partially the user's finger.

7. A protective element according to claim 6 wherein the body is configured to cover the first phalanges of the user's finger .

8. A protective element according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rear end comprises an extended width when compared to the width of the front end.

9. A protective element according to claim 8 wherein the legs extend beyond the rear end defining the extended width of the rear end.

10. The protective element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said element is made of metal.

11. The protective element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said element is made of hard plastic.

12. The protective element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said element is made of glass fiber.

13. The protective element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said element is made of polymeric materials such as polyamide .

14. A safety glove having at least one finger, the safety glove comprising at least one protective element as defined in any one of the preceding claims incorporate to the finger.

15. A safety glove according to claim 14 wherein, the protective element is located inside said finger.

16. A safety glove according to claim 14 the protective element is located outside said finger.

17. A safety glove according to any one of claims 14 to 16 wherein at least one finger of the glove comprises a protective element at the top dorsal part of said finger.

18. A safety glove according to any one of claims 14 to 17 wherein the at least one protective element is fixed to said finger .

19. A safety glove according to claim 18 wherein the at least one protective element is fixed to said finger via glue.

20. A safety glove according to any one of claims 14 to 19 comprising a plurality of fingers, wherein each finger of the glove comprises a protective element as defined in any one of claims 1 to 13.