Inflatable Glove Bladder Structure for Adjustable Fit and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gloves, including sports gloves, often lack adequate size adjustment, leading to improper fit and instability during use, which can cause mishandling of objects and glove dislodgment from the wearer's hand.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of inflatable bladder components within the glove structure, allowing for adjustable fit and enhanced stability by inflating or deflating to secure the glove to the wearer's hand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional gloves are made with fixed structure, then manufacturing is simple, but fit and stability are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The glove incorporates an inflatable bladder component that can be adjusted between inflated and deflated states to dynamically change the glove's fit and stability characteristics, allowing the same glove structure to adapt to different hand sizes and provide optimal stability for each user
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the bladder component (inflated vs. deflated) to alter the glove's internal volume and pressure, thereby adjusting fit parameters such as circumference and stiffness without changing the fundamental glove structure
2Adaptability or versatility
If gloves include size adjustment features, then fit improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bladder component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides size adjustment, enhances stability, improves cushioning, and controls stiffness. This single multi-functional component replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses pneumatic principles by incorporating an inflatable bladder that can be filled with or release air to adjust the glove's internal volume and pressure, providing continuous size adjustment capability without mechanical fasteners or adjustable straps
3Reliability
If bladder is inflated to improve fit, then stability and cushioning enhance, but glove stiffness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bladder component is positioned specifically within the hand-receiving chamber to provide localized support and cushioning where needed, while allowing other portions of the glove to maintain their natural flexibility and movement characteristics
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 inflatable bladder components improve fit and stability, enhancing cushioning and controlling stiffness and rigidity, thereby preventing glove movement and improving performance.
Implementation Method 1
Inflation of the bladder component may displace one or more layers of the glove base member (e.g., fabric layers) to adjust or improve fit, to help properly position the wearer's fingers and/or hand within the glove
Implementation Method 2
to enhance cushioning, to control stiffness and/or rigidity
Data Source
AI summary
Hand-receiving devices, such as gloves (e.g., sports gloves including baseball gloves, softball gloves, batting gloves, cricket gloves, golf gloves, America football gloves, weightlifting gloves, exercise gloves, goalkeeper gloves (e.g., for soccer, hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, etc.), and the like) include an inflatable component, such as a fluid-filled bladder component. The fluid-filled bladder component may be structured and arranged within a glove base member to engage two or more digits of a wearer's hand (e.g., two or more of the thumb and/or fingers on one hand). Inflation of the bladder component may displace one or more layers of the glove base member (e.g., fabric layers) to adjust fit, help properly position the wearer's fingers and/or hand within the glove, help maintain the position of the wearer's fingers and/or hand within the glove and/or provide cushioning. Features of this technology also may be used to control stiffness and/or rigidity of the glove.