Therapeutic Massage and Utility Gloves for Handling Animals

Abstract

A pair of massaging gloves is provided for therapeutically massaging a horse. The gloves have a hand member, a plurality of finger members, a thumb member and a plurality of massaging projections. The finger members are secured to an upper portion of the hand member, and the thumb member is secured to a side portion thereof. Massaging projections protrude from the inner hand surface of the gloves along the end of the fingers and thumbs. Another grouping of projections is centrally secured along an area corresponding to a user's palm. The gloves may be used to provide a variety of massage therapies to a horse or similar animal, thereby building trust between the handler and the animal. The gloves are also adapted to permit a user to perform manual labor tasks such as shoveling hay, moving horse tack, and training the horse without removal of the gloves between activities.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 433,573 filed on Jan. 18, 2011, entitled “Massage Therapeutic Glove.”BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to hand implements, gloves and therapeutic massage devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pair of gloves with raised projections along the finger and palm region for providing therapeutic massage to a horse.[0004]Horse trainers and stable personnel have to perform a variety of tasks during the course of a workday. Some tasks are associated with the care and training of a horse such as feeding, brushing, and cleaning of hooves. Many of these duties require proximity to or touching of a horse. Horses, like many animals, are usually uncomfortable with strangers being close to them or touching parts of their body. To increase trust and build a bond between a staff member and a horse, st...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]Disposed on the palm and finger underside surface of the glove are a plurality of massaging projections. At least one projection is disposed at the end of each finger member and the thumb member. Additional projections are disposed along a central portion of the hand member, corresponding to the placement of a user's palm. These projections are circular, upstanding nubs for creating relaxing sensations when rubbed against or along the body of a horse. The nubs may be constructed from a variety of materials to suit the needs of individual horses and provide a glove having projections that is suited for manual labor. Some horses may prefer to be massaged by soft gel filled projections while other horses may like the deeper stimulation resulting from a solid, smooth projection. In an alternative embodiment, the projections on the palm region may be substituted for textured areas. In either embodiment, the user should have full range of motion and be able to curl the fingers into the palm area to assume a natural grip.

[0017]Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved animal massage glove that provides a user with the ability to massage a horse and perform manual labor with the same appliance.

[0018]Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved animal massaging glove allowing a user to curl the fingers into the palm and thereby assume a natural grip on objects.

[0019]A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved animal massage glove having resilient and durable construction to provide wear resistance and prevent blister development during manual labor activities.

Problems solved by technology

These devices have familiar design and structural elements for the purposes of massaging the skin of a person; however they are not adapted for multiple tasks, in particular the tasks of massaging a horse or performing manual labor in a horse stable environment.

The movably disposed balls and vibration assembly are not adapted for use with lifting, hauling, and other strenuous activities.

These elements of Dean are likely to be delicate and are therefore not suitable for use during manual labor tasks in a barn.

Furthermore, the gloves of Dean do not disclose massaging nodules disposed on the palm area of a glove.

If exposed to harsh environments or strenuous use, the bead pockets could become damaged or rupture, this makes the gloves of Spence unsuitable for working with horses or performing manual labor in a barn or stable.

Norton does not disclose individual nodules secured to the surface of the gloves.

The large projections on the lower palm would make it difficult to grasp and hold objects using a natural grip because the shape and size of the projections prevents the fingers from curling into the palm area.

This limitation would make it difficult to hold a horse bridle, a broom or any other thin object.

The devices disclosed by the prior art do not address the need for providing a massaging glove device that may be worn and used as work gloves.

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