Glove Cuff Widening and Beading for Donning Ease
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gloves, particularly those made of nitrile, polychloroprene, or latex, are difficult to put on and take off without damaging due to their length and material conformity, leading to potential breakage during the donning and doffing process.
Innovation Solution
A glove design featuring a wrist region that gradually increases in width from a narrow section near the palm to a wider cuff section, with an optional bead on the cuff for added strength, fabricated using a former with elliptical and circular cross-sectional shapes to facilitate automated manufacturing, allowing for easier donning and doffing and resistance to tearing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the glove is made of conforming material (nitrile, polychloroprene, or latex) to fit the hand, then the glove provides good fit and protection, but it becomes difficult to put on and take off without damaging the glove
Solution Approach 1:
The glove is segmented into distinct width zones along the wrist region. The wrist region includes a first section with gradual width increase and a second section with constant wider width, creating functional segments that facilitate easy donning/doffing while maintaining fit elsewhere
Solution Approach 2:
The glove has non-uniform width distribution with different sections serving different functions. The widened cuff section provides ease of operation, while the fitted sections maintain protection and conformability, creating local quality variations throughout the glove structure
2Reliability
If the glove material conforms tightly to the hand shape, then the glove provides good protection, but it increases the risk of breaking or becoming damaged during donning and doffing
Solution Approach 1:
The widened cuff section acts as a buffer zone that prevents stress concentration during donning and doffing. By providing extra width and material in the wrist region, the design cushions against tearing forces before they can propagate to critical areas of the glove
Solution Approach 2:
The glove width parameter is changed along the wrist region, transitioning from a fitted profile near the palm to a widened cuff profile. This parameter variation reduces stress concentration and prevents breakage during glove manipulation
3Ease of manufacture
If the wrist region has uniform width throughout, then the glove is simpler to manufacture, but it reduces ease of donning and doffing
Solution Approach 1:
The wrist region is divided into manufacturable segments: a first section with gradual width change and a second section with constant width. This segmentation allows the complex shape to be produced using standard dipping processes while achieving the desired functional geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The glove width profile is pre-designed during the dipping process to include the widened cuff section. By forming the graduated width profile in the initial manufacturing step, no additional complex processing is required, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving ease of donning/doffing
4Ease of operation
If the cuff area is made wider to facilitate donning and doffing, then the ease of operation improves, but the structural integrity at the cuff may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The widened cuff section provides extra material and structural buffer that prevents tearing at the cuff edge during donning and doffing. The additional width distributes stresses more evenly, maintaining structural integrity despite the increased opening size
Solution Approach 2:
The cuff section maintains optimal thickness and material density parameters despite the increased width. By controlling the width parameter while preserving other structural parameters, the cuff achieves both ease of operation and structural integrity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances the ease of putting on and taking off gloves while reducing the likelihood of damage, and the bead strengthens the cuff to resist tears, making the gloves more durable and user-friendly.
Implementation Method 1
the material from which the glove is fabricated, which tends to conform to the shape of the workman's hands
Data Source
AI summary
An ambidextrous or hand specific glove with a widened cuff area to aid in donning or doffing the glove is disclosed, together with a former for fabricating the glove and a method of fabricating the same. The glove may further include a bead on the cuff to resist tearing when the glove is put on or taken off. The glove may be fabricated on a continuous, automated chain machine or a batch or semi-batch machine. While the cuff region on the former for fabricating the glove is elliptical in cross-section and is flared, the region of the former on which the end of the glove is fabricated is circular in cross-section and thus allows the beading process to be successfully undertaken.