Insulated handwear with increased flexion and method of making

Abstract

Handwear and a method of making are provided in which a glove system includes a glove and a liner, the liner including an insulated dorsal panel, an insulated palmar panel, and a seam coupling the dorsal panel to the palmar panel, the seam having an uninsulated seam segment that facilitates flexion while maintaining the insulative properties of the liner.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]1. Technical Field[0002]The present disclosure is directed to handwear, such as gloves, mittens, gauntlets, and the like, and, more particularly, to an insulated glove system having a removable liner with a unique seam design that increases flexion, and to a method of construction.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Garments for the hand have a variety of purposes, including utility, protection, warmth, ornamentation, and fashion. Such handwear can be found in various forms. Examples include, without limitation, mittens (a single enclosure for all four fingers and a separate contiguous enclosure for the thumb), gloves (in which each finger has its own enclosure extending from a hand portion), and gauntlets (in which a glove has a cuff that extends over at least a portion of forearm).[0005]Fingerless handwear has also been designed in which a portion of the fingers is exposed to facilitate gripping and full tactile sensation with the fingers while providing p...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the seam includes an insulated segment having a layer of insulating material attached to an inside surface of an outer layer of the seam panel. Ideally, the uninsulated seam segment is sized to bring the insulated seam segment into contact with an adjacent the dorsal and palmar panels. More preferably, the uninsulated segment is sized and shaped to permit relative movement of the insulated segment with the adjacent dorsal and palmar panels to provide enhanced flexure of the at least one finger of the liner. In addition, the insulated segment of the seam panel attaches to a first edge of the uninsulated segment and to an intermediate location on the uninsulated segment that is spaced from a second edge of the uninsulated outer layer of the seam panel. The first edge of the uninsulated segment is attached to the dorsal panel, and the second edge of the uninsulated outer layer is attached to the palmar panel.

[0012]In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a glove liner with enhanced finger flexure is provided, the liner including at least one finger, the at least one finger having an outer layer and an insulating layer, the insulating layer having at least one gap at a seam that forms at least one uninsulated seam segment along a side of the at least one finger that is adjacent a top and bottom of the at least one finger. Ideally, the at least one uninsulated segment is sized and shaped to allow contact between the insulating layer on each side of the at least one uninsulated segment to maintain insulation in the glove liner while allowing relative movement between the insulating layers on each side of the at least one uninsulated segment to provide enhanced flexure of the glove liner.

[0013]In accordance with yet a further embodiment of the present disclosure, handwear with enhanced flexibility is provided. The handwear includes an insulated panel having an outer layer and an inner insulating layer, the handwear further having an uninsulated seam section of the outer layer, ideally between a top portion and a bottom portion of the handwear, to provide enhanced flexion for bending of the handwear.

[0014]In accordance with another aspect of the foregoing embodiment, the uninsulated section is bounded by the inner insulated layer on a top boundary and the inner insulated layer on a bottom boundary, the uninsulated section sized to bring the inner insulated layers on the top and bottom boundaries into contact to maintain insulation in the handwear while facilitating relative movement between the inner insulated layers on the top and bottom boundaries.

Problems solved by technology

However, fingerless gloves provide no protection for the fingers from injury and the elements.

Thick, protective or insulated gloves, such as gloves having a removable or nonremovable liner are bulky and inhibit tactile sensation, flexion, and dexterity.

Gloves present a challenge in that the fingers of the hand are individually encased in the finger portions of the glove, isolating them from the warmth of the other fingers.

The construction of this design requires the use of rectangular-shaped protrusions that aid in forming the tucks, thus complicating the sewing of the glove.

While the foregoing designs may be suitable for their various purposes, they do not address the needs of users in environments of extreme temperatures, such as extreme cold temperatures, where dexterity and flexion need to be enhanced while maintaining thermal protection.

Images