A high-breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist, said glove including an exposed perforated palm area (12) and a few cushioning pads (16, 18) surrounding said palm area, said cushioning pads (16, 18) being closedly spaced from one another so as to define at least a few air channels being formed radially therebetween, said air channels for evacuating bodily moisture escaping from said perforated palm area, each one of said air channels (20, 22) destined to be narrower than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar so that the bicycle handlebar cannot close said air channels upon the hand globe hand engaging the bicycle handlebar.
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0. 27. A cycling hand glove, comprising:
a main body for wrapping a hand and including an aperture extending through the main body as an air inlet and a moisture outlet;
a first compressible and resilient cushioning pad applied to the main body at a position spaced from the aperture, the first cushioning pad including a first sidewall and a first upper surface elevated from the main body; and
a second compressible and resilient cushioning pad applied to the main body at a position spaced from the aperture, the second cushioning pad including a second sidewall and a second upper surface elevated from the main body, wherein
the first and second sidewalls being spaced apart to define a channel bound by the first and second sidewalls and the surface of the sheet material at a location of the aperture, and
during a grasping engagement of the hand with a bar, a surface of the bicycle handlebar, the first and second sidewalls and the surface of the sheet material at the location of the aperture cooperatively bound a passageway open to the aperture.
0. 16. A hand glove, comprising:
a main body, through which a perforation is defined, for wrapping a hand;
a sheet material disposed on an area of the main body corresponding to a location of the perforation, the sheet material being formed to define an aperture exposing the perforation as an air inlet and a moisture outlet;
a first compressible and resilient cushioning pad applied to one of the main body and the sheet material at a position spaced from the aperture, the first cushioning pad including a first sidewall; and
a second compressible and resilient cushioning pad applied to one of the main body and the sheet material at a position spaced from the aperture, the second cushioning pad including a second sidewall, wherein
the first and second sidewalls face the aperture in respective directions to define a channel bound by the first and second sidewalls and the surface of the sheet material at a location of the aperture, and
during a grasping engagement or the hand with a bar, a surface of the bar, the first and second sidewalls and the surface of the sheet material at the location of the aperture cooperatively bound a passageway open to the aperture.
8. A high-breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist, said glove comprising:
a) a main body made from a flexible sheet material for wrap-around a cyclist hand, said main body including an exposed central palm area;
b) a number of air and moisture circulation apertures made through said central palm area;
c) at least one cushioning pad made from a soft material and fixedly applied against said main body adjacent to but spacedly spaced from said exposed central palm area thereof said pad being much thicker than said main body sheet material; and
d) an air channel member merging with said palm area and opening outwardly of said cushioning pad said air channel member merging forming both a fresh air intake port for providing outside said toward said palm area and a moisture outlet from bodily moisture escaping outwardly from said palm area;
said air channel member cooperating with said at least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental sealing of said apertures of said palm area upon grasping engagement of said glove around the bicycle handlebar; and
wherein there are two separate pads, each of irregular U-shape and closely spaced from one another and wherein said air channel member is defined by an X-shape passageway designed to be smaller than the diameter of the two separate pads, the width of said passageway designed to be smaller than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar.
9. A high-breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist cyclist's, said glove comprising:
a) a main body made from a flexible sheet material for wrap-around a cyclist cyclist's hand, said main body including an exposed central palm area;
b) a number of air and moisture circulation apertures made through said central palm area;
e) at least one cushioning pad made from a soft material and fixedly applied against said main body adjacent to but spacedly spaced from said exposed central palm area thereof, said pad being much thicker than said main body sheet material; and
d) an air channel member merging with said palm area and opening outwardly or said cushioning pad said air channel member forming both a fresh air intake port for providing outside air toward said palm area and a moisture outlet from bodily moisture escaping outwardly from said palm area;
said air channel member cooperating with said at least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental sealing of said apertures of said palm area upon grasping engagement of said glove around the bicycle handlebar;
wherein there are four generally equidistant separate cushioning pads closely spaced from one another and wherein said air channel member is defined by generally cross-shape passageways defined between said four separate pads, said glove for use with a bicycle handlebar having a diameter larger than the width of at least one of said passageways.
5. A high-breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist, said glove comprising:
a) a main body made from a flexible sheet material for wrap-around a cyclist hand, said main body including a central palm area;
b) a number of air and moisture circulation apertures made through said central palm area;
c) at least one cushioning pad made from a soft material and fixedly applied against said main body adjacent to but spacedly spaced from said central palm area thereof, said cushioning pad clearing said central palm area wherein said central palm area is thus explosed said pad being thicker than said main body sheet material; and
d) an air channel member, merging with said exposed palm area and opening outwardly of said cushioning pad, said air channel member forming both a fresh air intake port for providing outside air toward said palm area, and a moisture outlet from bodily moisture escaping outwardly from said palm area;
wherein said air channel member cooperates with said a least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental sealing of said apertures of said exposed palm area upon grasping engagement of said glove around the bicycle handlebar; and
wherein there are four generally equidistant separate cushioning pads closely spaced from one another and wherein said air channel member is defined by generally cross-shape passageways defined between said four separate pads, said glove for use with a bicycle handlebar having a diameter larger than the width of at least one of said passageways.
1. A high breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist cyclist's, said glove comprising:
a) a main body made from a flexible sheet material for wrap-around a cyclist cyclist's hand, said main body including a central palm area;
b) a number of air and moisture circulation apertures made through said central palm area;
c) at least one cushioning pad made from a soft material and fixedly applied against said main body adjacent to but spacedly spaced from said central palm area thereof said cushioning pad clearing said central palm area wherein said central palm area is thus exposed, said pad being much thicker than said main body sheet material; and
d) an air channel member, merging with said exposed palm area and opening outwardly or of said cushioning pad, said air channel member forming both a fresh air intake port for providing outside air toward said palm area, and a moisture outlet from bodily moisture escaping outwardly from said palm area;
wherein said air channel member cooperates with said at least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental sealing of said apertures of said exposed palm area upon grasping engagement at of said glove around the bicycle handlebar; and
wherein said at least one cushioning pad includes a first pad and a second pad, said each first pad and second pad being of irregular U-shape and closely spaced from one another, and wherein said air channel member is defined by an X-shape passageway defined between said (two separate) first pad and second pad, the width of said passageway designed to be smaller than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar.
0. 10. A high breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist, the glove comprising:
a) a main body made from a flexible sheet material for wrapping around a cyclist's hand, the main body including a central palm area;
b) a plurality of air and moisture circulation apertures made through the central palm area;
c) at least one cushioning pad fixedly applied against the main body adjacent to but spaced from the central palm area, the cushioning pad including a compressible and resilient material, the cushioning pad disposed generally peripheral to the central palm area wherein the central palm area is thus exposed; and
d) an air channel merging with the exposed palm area and opening outwardly of the cushioning pad, the air channel forming both a fresh air intake port for providing outside air toward the palm area, and a moisture outlet for moisture escaping outwardly from the palm area;
wherein the air channel cooperates with the at least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental sealing of the apertures of the exposed palm area upon grasping engagement of the glove around the bicycle handlebar; and
wherein the at least one cushioning pad includes a first pad and a second pad closely spaced from one another, wherein the air channel is defined by a passageway defined between the first pad and second pad and wherein the first and second pads comprise respective sidewalls and upper surfaces at edges of the sidewalls elevated from the flexible sheet material of the main body, the upper surfaces being disposed to contact the bicycle handlebar upon said grasping engagement and the first and second pads being responsively deformable such that the apertures in the central palm area are maintained at a distance from the upper surfaces.
2. A cyclist hand glove as in
4. A cyclist hand glove as in
6. A cyclist hand glove as in
7. A cyclist hand glove as in
0. 11. A hand glove as in claim 10, wherein the first and second pad protrude from the flexible sheet of the main body and wherein the central palm area is inset relative to the first and second pads.
0. 12. A hand glove as in claim 11, wherein the passageway is inset relative to the first and second pads.
0. 13. A hand glove as in claim 12 wherein the first and second pads protrude in a direction generally perpendicular to a plane of the flexible sheet of the main body and wherein the central palm area and the passageway extend across a portion of the plane of the flexible sheet, which is located between the first and second pads such that the passageway is maintained in an open configuration during the grasping engagement.
0. 14. A hand glove as in claim 12, wherein the passageway is delimited by the sidewalls and a bottom surface extending between the sidewalls.
0. 15. A hand glove as in claim 11, wherein a degree of protrusion of the first and second pads is sufficiently defined such that the first and second pads are disposed to contact the bicycle handle bar upon said grasping engagement with at least a portion of the central palm area maintained in a position proximate to and not in contact with the bicycle handlebar.
0. 17. The hand glove according to claim 16, wherein the sheet material is formed to define the aperture as being circular.
0. 18. The hand glove according to claim 16, wherein the sheet material is formed to define the aperture as being ovoidal and arcuate.
0. 19. The hand glove according to claim 16, further comprising a leather lining to respectively cover the first and second cushioning pads.
0. 20. The hand glove according to claim 16, further comprising third and fourth cushioning pads, each of the first through fourth cushioning pads being quadrangular and positioned at corners of a palm area of the main body.
0. 21. The hand glove according to claim 20, wherein the channel is defined as two air channels at right angles to one another.
0. 22. The hand glove according to claim 21, wherein the aperture is plural in number and includes 10-30 apertures.
0. 23. The hand glove according to claim 21, wherein a width of a transverse one of the air channels is smaller than a diameter of the bar.
0. 24. The hand glove according to claim 16, further comprising third and fourth cushioning pads, each of the first through fourth cushioning pads being ovoidal and positioned at corners of a palm area of the main body.
0. 25. The hand glove according to claim 24 wherein two upper ones of the cushioning pads are smaller than two lower ones.
0. 26. The hand glove according to claim 16, further comprising a third cushioning pad, one of the cushioning pads being an upper rounded rectangular cushioning pad and the others being lower ovoidal cushioning pads.
0. 28. The hand loye according to claim 27, wherein the aperture is plural in number and includes more than three apertures.
0. 29. The hand glove according to claim 27, wherein a narrowest width of the channel is smaller than a diameter of the handlebar.
0. 30. The hand glove according to claim 27, wherein the cushioning pads have a surface area larger than a surface area of the aperture.
0. 31. The hand glove according to claim 27, wherein the main body is mesh material.
0. 32. The hand glove according to claim 27, wherein the apertures is located in a central palm area, the first cushioning pad is positioned above the central palm area towards finger portions of the hand glove, and the second cushioning pad is positioned below the central palm area towards a wrist section of the hand glove.
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This application claims priority of provisional application 60/264,015 filed Jan. 26, 2001.
This invention relates to clothing equipment for long-distance cyclists, and in particular to hand gloves with very comfortable features for competition racing cyclists.
Racing bicycles usually include a pair of arcuate tubular handlebars, laterally spaced from one another and spacedly overhanging the front wheel of the bicycle. Each handlebar carry a finger actuatable brake lever assembly, mounted at the foremost web of the handlebar and connected by a brake cable to a brake pad in transverse register with the rim of a corresponding one of the two wheels of the bicycle. These two fore and aft extending handlebars merge with a transverse tubular bar forming an integral fore part of the stem of the bicycle main frame.
When the bicycle is in motion, these handlebars are to be grasped by the two hands of the cyclist. It is critical that the cyclists hands have a good command and control of the handlebars, as they are provide inter alia for directional control of the vehicle, center of gravity stability control of the cyclist and bicycle assembly, proper positioning and access for actuating the wheel braking system if need arises. However, as the cyclist pedals to maintain the bicycle in motion in upright dynamic stability condition over ground, corresponding muscular exercise is generated, and thus bodily heat and perspiration levels increase. In particular, perspiration levels tends to increase substantially at the ends of the limbs, i.e. at the feet and hands.
Cyclists that ride racing bicycles for competition, and especially for long-distance “marathon” type tracks, tend to use hand gloves for improved comfort. Some of these hand gloves include pads inside the palm of the glove for comfort cushioning between the palm of the hand and the handle bar. Others include perforated mesh material that allow free escape and release of moisture from the hand palm perspiration.
However, an inconvenience of these hand gloves is that when the gloves engage the handlebar, the perforations in the central palm glove portions in direct contact with the handlebar are in effect undesirably sealed, thus preventing the escape and release of moisture through the glove mesh material at the palm center portion thereof. Unfortunately, that is where moisture build-up tends to be most acute.
An object of the invention is therefore to improve comfort of cyclists wearing hand gloves, by providing a glove that has features preventing sealing of the palm moisture-release perforations thereof when the handle glove grasps the bicycle handlebar.
In accordance with the object of the invention, there is disclosed a high-breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist, said glove comprising: a) a main body made from a flexible sheet material for wrap-around a cyclist hand, said main body including an exposed central palm area; b) at least a few air and moisture circulation apertures made through said central palm area; c) at least one cushioning pad, made from a soft material and fixedly applied against said main body adjacent to but spacedly from said exposed central palm area thereof, said pad being much thicker than said main body sheet material; and d) an air channel member, merging with said palm area and opening outwardly of said cushioning pad, said air channel member forming both a fresh air intake port for providing outside air toward said palm area, and a moisture outlet from bodily moisture escaping outwardly from said palm area; wherein said air channel member cooperates with said at least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental sealing of said aperture of said palm area upon grasping engagement of said glove around the bicycle handlebar.
Preferably, said at least one cushioning pad is made from a partly compressible material, for example closed cell foam.
In a first embodiment of the invention, it would be envisioned that there would be two separate pads, each of irregular U-shape and closely spaced from one another, and wherein said air channel member is defined by an X-shape passageway defined between said two separate pads, the width of said passageway destined to be larger than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar. At least some of said apertures in said palm area could be ovoidal in shape.
In an alternate embodiment of the invention, there could be three generally equidistant separate cushioning pads closely spaced from one another, and wherein said air channel member is defined by generally T-shape passageways defined between said three separate pads, the width of said passageway destined to be larger than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar.
In still another embodiment of the invention, there could be four generally equidistant separate cushioning pads closely spaced from one another, and wherein said air channel member is defined by generally cross-shape passageways defined between said four separate pads, the width of said passageways destined to be larger than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar.
Preferably, the thickness of said at least one cushioning pad ranges between 1 and 13 mm, most preferably between 3 to 6.5 mm, with a minimum of 1 mm after compression.
The surface area of said exposed central palm area could range between 0.5 to 1,500 square mm, preferably between 10 to 500 square mm, and most preferably be of a value of about 3 square mm.
The invention also relates to a high-breathability hand glove for use over a bicycle handlebar by a cyclist, said glove comprising: a) a main sheet body for wrap-around a cyclist hand, said main body including a central palm area; b) first channel means, integral to said central palm area for enabling both bodily moisture escape from said central palm area and fresh air intake into said central palm area; c) at least one cushioning pad, made from a soft material and fixedly applied against said main body adjacent to but spacedly from said central palm area thereof, said pad being much thicker than said main sheet; and d) second channel means, merging with said first channel means and opening outwardly of said cushioning pad, said second channel member forming both a fresh air intake port, for providing outside air to said first channel means, and a moisture outlet from enabling escape of moisture coming from said first channel means; wherein said second channel member means cooperates with said at least one cushioning pad in preventing accidental deactivation of said first channel upon hand grasping engagement of said glove around the bicycle handlebar.
Said first channel means could then consist of at least a few two-way air and moisture circulation apertures made through said central palm area, said palm area remaining constantly exposed during use.
There could also for example be at least two separate pads, each closely spaced from one another. Said second channel means could then be defined by a passageway defined between said at least two separate pads and opening outwardly thereon, the width of said passageway destined to be larger than the diameter of the bicycle handlebar.
The racing cyclist hand glove 10 of
In the first embodiment of glove shown in
Although the main sheet material of the hand glove 10 is preferably shown as being 100% mesh perforated flexible sheet material, the perforated mesh sheet material could alternately be limited to the central X-shape palm area 12a and along air channels 20, 22, while the remaining glove flexible sheet material peripherally of the cushioning pads could be made from non perforated sheet material.
What is important here is that there be a differential thickness between the thin central X-shape mesh palm area 12a, 20, 22, and the thick peripheral cushioning pads 16, 18.
Preferably, the cushioning pads 16, 18, will be made from a partly compressible material, for added comfort, for example, a closed cell foam. Alternately however, the cushioning pads 16, 18, could be made from a substantially incompressible soft material, for example, a bundle of fabric.
The thickness of the pads 16, 18, may vary for example between 1 and 13 millimeters (mm), but preferably in the range of approximately 3 to 6.5 mm.
The surface area of the exposed star-shape mesh palm area 12a, 20, 22, may vary for example between 0.5 to 1,500 mm2, but preferably in the range of 1 to 500 mm2, and most preferably of about 3 mm2.
With the present hand glove assembly, the following advantages are obtained:
In the second glove 10′ of
A leather lining 33 (
In the third embodiment of cyclist glove illustrated as 10″ in
In the fourth embodiment of cyclist glove illustrated as 10′″ in
Obviously, the number, size and shape of the cushion pads and of the moisture release apertures or air channels could vary in still other alternate cyclist gloves, without restricting the scope of the present invention. Other gloves could be envisioned, not illustrated in the drawings. For example, in another alternate embodiment of cyclist glove, not shown, there is formed through the band palm cushion a generally straight-U (or alternately V-shape) single notch, this notch extending approximately parallel to the thumb and opening downwardly at the wrist portion of the glove. The main perforate mesh material bridges the gap formed by the notch. In still another alternate embodiment of cyclist glove, not illustrated, there is provided four smaller separate hand palm cushions, generating therebetween an approximately H-shape thinning. In the H-shape thinning, only the perforate mesh remains to bridge the gaps between adjacent palm cushions.
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Sep 28 2009 | GARNEAU, LOUIS | LOUIS GARNEAU SPORTS | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 023395 | /0946 | |
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Mar 18 2021 | LOUIS GARNEAU SPORTS INC | NATIONAL BANK OF CANADA | SECURITY INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 055697 | /0116 | |
Feb 01 2023 | LOUIS GARNEAU SPORTS INC | NATIONAL BANK OF CANADA | SECURITY AGREEMENT | 062648 | /0775 |
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