Seamless Utility Glove With 3D Elastomer Grip Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing utility gloves suffer from seams that absorb moisture and dirt, leading to difficulty in cleaning and reduced durability, and lack strategic abrasion and impact protection, with varying grip surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A utility glove with seamless, strategically placed elastomeric reinforcements molded onto fabric, featuring varying thicknesses, textures, and materials to enhance grip, flexibility, and protection, using injection molding to form three-dimensional molded portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If elastomeric material is applied to the glove by dipping the nylon glove into rubber, then the gripping surface is improved, but the fabric portion absorbs moisture and dirt making it hard to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The glove is divided into distinct functional zones: a non-absorbent elastomeric gripping portion and a separate fabric portion. The elastomeric material is applied only to specific gripping areas rather than the entire glove, creating segmented functional regions that prevent moisture and dirt absorption in the fabric areas while maintaining grip performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful absorption property is extracted from the gripping surface by replacing the fabric material with elastomeric material in the gripping zones. The fabric portion is removed from areas where moisture and dirt absorption would be problematic, leaving only non-absorbent elastomeric surfaces in those regions.
2Strength
If additional elastomeric material is added to strategic areas for protection, then abrasion and impact resistance is improved, but the glove density increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the glove are assigned different material properties and thicknesses based on their specific functional requirements. Strategic areas requiring protection (such as palms and fingers) receive additional elastomeric material and padding, while other areas maintain standard construction. This localized enhancement provides targeted abrasion and impact resistance without uniformly increasing overall glove density.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If seams are minimized in the glove construction, then durability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple components are merged into a seamless construction where the elastomeric gripping portion is integrally formed and attached to the fabric portion without traditional seams. The padding and reinforcement elements are incorporated into the elastomeric material itself rather than being separate attached components, eliminating numerous potential failure points from seam separation while maintaining manufacturability through modern molding techniques.
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 glove provides improved durability, ease of cleaning, enhanced grip, and targeted protection against abrasion and impact, while maintaining flexibility and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
additional material or padding is provided in areas most subject to abrasion and/or impact
Implementation Method 2
provide abrasion and impact protection by raising the elastomeric material in the areas that are most likely to be subject to abrasion and impact
Implementation Method 3
provide different textures in the elastomeric material at strategic areas, to further provide one or more enhanced gripping surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A utility glove formed of a glove blank of a fabric material in the shape of at least a portion of a hand having one or more areas of elastomeric material injection molded thereon to form one or more three dimensional molded portions, the three dimensional molded portions being the fabric material with the elastomeric material bonded thereto, wherein one or more three dimensional molded portions leave at least one area of fabric material of the glove blank without elastomeric material bonded to the fabric. The fabric material of the glove blank can be made from one or more fabrics, a treated fabric, a coated fabric or combinations thereof, or the fabric may have a portion with a coating on an area without elastomeric material.