Technical Field

The invention relates to a protective glove developed to protect the user from potential hazards in the work zone in accordance with the nature of the work.

In particular, the invention relates to a protective glove that is shaped considering the ergonomics suitable for the hand to allow the user to work comfortably and provides comfortable use in terms of providing good moisture transfer, having antibacterial, antimicrobial and antistatic properties, and providing hygiene and freshness.

Prior Art

All measures to be taken to ensure a safe working environment in order to prevent and reduce the exposure of workers to occupational accidents due to reasons such as physical environmental conditions at work, or work environment are called occupational safety. Taking necessary precautions against all kinds of risks that may arise in the workplace, such as occupational accidents and occupational diseases, fulfilling the conditions in this regard and ensuring that the tools and equipment that may help to fulfill these objectives are included are among the occupational health and safety issues.

Personal protective equipment used to protect personal safety in the workplace has a great role in meeting occupational health and safety requirements. The purpose of the use of personal protective equipment is to prevent any occupational accidents, to protect the health of the workers and to ensure that they are survived with minimal damage at the time of the accident. The protective gloves are one of the protective equipment that is widely used in various industrial fields today, in order to provide protection with different functional properties. The protective gloves made of cotton, leather, and synthetic materials are basically capable of protecting the hands of employees against dangers such as cutting, wear, puncture wounds, hot, cold, chemicals, and electricity.

Synthetic gloves, commonly used in current applications, are not ergonomic and comfortable enough due to their synthetic structure. This prevents employees from using their hands easily. These gloves do not breathe air, and since there is no moisture transfer, it is not possible to throw the sweat out. Therefore, bacteria are formed in the glove structure due to temperature, humidity and sweat factors in long-term use. This condition can also lead to fungus growth on the hands and nails, and also skin deformations. In addition, due to the lack of adequate washing of gloves, chemical residues in gloves may penetrate through the body of the user through the skin over time. All these disadvantageous situations cause the employees not wanting to wear their protective gloves for a long time and to remove them during the work. Furthermore, said gloves do not allow users to move their fingers sufficiently and cause insufficient efficiency in performing functions such as holding and gripping. As a result, the rate of occurrence of work accidents increases, jobs are disrupted and production efficiency decreases.

As a result, due to the above-mentioned drawbacks and the inadequacy of the existing solutions, an improvement in the technical field has been required.

Brief Description Of The Invention

The present invention relates to a protective glove of the ergonomic structure with comfortable use that meets the above-mentioned requirements, eliminates all disadvantages and brings some additional advantages.

The main purpose of the invention is to create a protective glove with an ergonomic structure that allows the user to move their fingers in a comfortable way without any restriction or limit.

Another purpose of the invention is to introduce a protective glove that provides comfortable use even in long-term use by offering moisture transfer, refreshment, and hygiene in a way that prevents the user's hands from sweating.

Another purpose of the invention is to produce a protective glove that provides antibacterial and antimicrobial effects by preventing the proliferation of bacteria, prevents the formation of bad odors and protects the natural balance of the skin.

Another purpose of the invention is to introduce a protective glove manufacturing method that offers strong grip advantage in wet, dry, oily, and humid environments.

Another purpose of the invention is to produce a protective glove that is resistant to abrasion, tear, and puncture.

Another purpose of the invention is to introduce a protective glove manufacturing method that prevents chemical residues from coming into contact with the body.

In order to fulfill the above-mentioned purposes, the invention relates to a protective glove having a woven layer on which a coating is applied, that comprises a thumb part, a forefinger part, a middle finger part, a ring finger part, and a pinky finger part, a palm portion structured in the continuation of said pinky finger part, and after said thumb part, a body having a lower body portion extending in the continuation of the palm portion and a wrist portion configured in the continuation of said body. Accordingly, the said protective glove comprises the finger part of the woven layer of the position of the index finger, middle finger and ring finger from the location of the part of a finger to ensure that they remain below a middle finger part and the palm with the ring finger portion, and a finger part that is configured between the said connection parts.

In order to accomplish the purposes of the invention, the yarns that make up the woven layer are single or double-layer twisted yarns supplied from nylon and / or polyester and their mixture with elastane.

In order to accomplish the purposes of the invention, the yarns forming the woven layer are preferably 40 - 350 denier thin and 250 - 450 rounds/m twist value.

In order to accomplish the purposes of the invention, the woven layer is preferably formed with the seamless knitting machine of a 15 gauge.

In order to accomplish the purposes of the invention, the said protective glove contains a silver ions applied surface formed by the finishing process.

The structural and characteristic features and all advantages of the invention outlined in the drawings below and in the detailed description made by referring these figures will be understood clearly, therefore the evaluation should be made by taking these figures and detailed explanation into consideration.

Brief Description of the Figures

Figure 1 is the detail view of the woven layer of the protective glove of the invention.

Figure 2 is the general view of the protective glove of the invention.

The drawings do not necessarily have to be scaled, and the details that are not necessary to understand the invention may be neglected. Other than that, elements that are substantially identical, or at least have substantially identical functions, are denoted by the same number.

Reference Numbers

10 Protective Glove 20 Woven Layers

21 Wrist Part

22 Body

221 Lower Body Part 222 Palm Part

223 Finger Connection Part

23 Thumb Part

24 Index Finger Part

25 Middle Finger

26 Ring Finger Part

27 Pinky Finger Part 30 Coating

31 Coating Surface 40 Silver Ion Applied Surface 41 Silver Ion

50 Moisture / Sweat Particles

Detailed Description Of The Invention

In this detailed description, the protective glove (10) of the invention is explained only for a better understanding of the subject matter and without any restrictive effect.

The protective glove (10) of the invention consists of a woven layer (20), a coating (30) applied on said woven layer (11), and a silver ion-applied surface (40) formed by nano - technological application, as will be seen in Figure 2. The woven layer (20), as seen in detail in Figure 1, consists of a thumb part (23), a forefinger part (24), a middle finger (25), a ring finger part (26) and a pinky finger part (27), a body (22) configured in the continuation of said finger part, and a wrist part (21) configured further downstream of the said body (22). The body (22) consists of a structured lower body part (221) following the beginning of the wrist part (21), a structured palm part (222) in the continuation of the said lower body part (221), and a structured finger connection part (223) in the continuation of the said palm part (222). The said thumb part (23) is structured on the line where the lower body part (221) and the palm part (222) intersect. The said index finger part (24), middle finger fragment (25) and ring finger fragment (26) are configured on the line where the finger connection portion (223) ends. The said pinky finger part (27) is structured on the line where the said palm part (222) ends and at the same time the finger connection part (223) begins. The woven layer (20) is obtained by knitting from the fingers towards the wrist part (21) in the seamless knitting machine. Accordingly, in the formation of the woven layer (20), the pinky finger part (27), the ring finger part (26), the middle finger part (25) and the index finger part (24) are respectively configured in that order. Then the ring finger part (26), the middle finger part (25) and the index finger part (24) are followed by the making of the finger connection part (223) and then in the continuation of the pinky finger part (27) and the palm part (222), the finger connection part (223) are configured. In the process, the thumb part (23), the lower body part (221) and the wrist part (21) are structured and the woven layer (20) is obtained. The manufactured woven layer (20) is in accordance with the European hand size specified in the EN 420:2003 + A1 : 2009 standard.

An ergonomic protective glove (10) that fits the user's hand is obtained by starting the pinky finger part (27) from a different position than the ring finger part (26), the middle finger part (25) and the index finger part (24) in the woven layer (20). Thus, the mobility of the fingers of the user is increased while using the protective glove (10) and accordingly, the protective glove (10) can be used more effectively.

The yarns used to form the woven layer (20) can be selected from cotton, nylon, polyester, aramid, polyethylene, glass fiber, steel wire, bamboo, CoolMax, Thermax, viscose, carbon, etc. natural or synthetic yarn groups. The protective gloves (10) to be obtained require high water holding capacity, improved abrasion and friction resistance and elasticity properties, and the protective gloves (10) preferably employ single or double-ply twisted nylon and /or polyester and yarns from elastane mixtures thereof. The yarns used are preferably 40 - 350 denier thin and 250 - 450 rounds/m twist value. Yarn fineness is determined by the number of needles in an inch in the used knitting machine. A 15 gauge machine is also used to obtain the protective glove construction of the invention.

After the knitted layer (20) is obtained, the protective glove (10) is preferably fixed in the dryer with hot air. By the fixing process, the internal stresses seen in the knitted layer (20) arising from the production are removed and the structure is stabilized to provide a durable and uniform shape. The fixed woven layer (20) is attached to hand molds with a temperature of 40 ± 10 °C, and then dipped into the coagulant solution and then into the coating chemical.

The coagulant solution may be selected from methanol-calcium nitrate solution, methanol- acetic or formic acid solution, water-calcium nitrate solution, water-acetic acid solution, ethyl alcohol-calcium chloride solution, ethyl alcohol-calcium nitrate solution or from the mixtures thereof. The immersion of the woven layer (20) into a coagulant solution aims to increase the polymerization of the polymer latex in the chemical used in the coating process to be applied and to provide homogeneous distribution on hand molds. Hand molds dipped in the coagulant solution are preferably kept in solution for 2.5 ± 1.5 minutes.

The coating process is applied in order to create a coating (30) on the woven layer (20) so that a coating surface (31) which increases the coefficient of friction and strengthens its grip in wet, dry, oily and humid environments is formed. The coating (30) on the knitted layer (20) creates a protective glove (10) with a highly durable, lightweight, breathable properties. In the coating chemical, preferably latexes such as nitrile, latex, polyurethane, isoprene, or mixtures thereof are used. In the formula of the coating chemical, the chemicals harmful to human health and the environment, such as DMF, DMSO, THF are not used. The ideal entry rate to the coating tank for coating the woven layer (20) in the protective glove (10) is quite fast as the fingers enter the coating chemical and then the speed slows down to prevent air from being trapped in the cavities between the fingers. In addition, the hand mold is dipped into the coating chemical at a certain angle. After completion of the coating process, the removal of hand molds from the coating tank is performed at a high speed and instantly in order to prevent coating thickness variations. The more the immersion time increases, the more the coating thickness will increase in direct proportion. After the hand molds are dipped into the coating tank, 270° and 360° rotations are made to the hand mold bars, preferably 2 ± 1 minutes are expected. This ensures that the coating chemical is evenly distributed on the protective glove (10), that the coating drops are not formed and that the coating surface (31) is smooth. This rotation process also allows for free drying. When the coating process is finished, the coating chemical is filtered without exceptions and used for the next coating process.

Following the coating process, water spraying is applied to increase the roughness of the surface of the protective glove (10) and accordingly to increase the grip strength. In the water spraying process, water particles are sent over the coating (30) and a rough and fluffy coating surface (31) is created to provide optimal slip resistance. The application is carried out preferably by spraying water at 2.5 ± 1 bar pressure from moving nozzles by holding the hand molds stable.

After spraying with water, the protective gloves (10) are washed preferably in 2 different water tanks of 50 ± 10 °C. The washing process allows the removal of the particles, chemicals, and salt residues left over from the coagulant solution on the protective glove (10). Following the washing process, the filtration process is done to drain the excess water remaining on the hand molds. The removal of water ensures that the protective gloves (10) enter the vulcanization ovens as dry and obtain an efficient vulcanization process. The vulcanization process ensures that the coating chemical dries and the cross links occur within the chemical to form a more durable layer. The vulcanization process is carried out preferably at 90 ± 20 °C for a period of 4 ± 1 hours. Vulcanization temperature and duration are determined according to the latex and the primer used for protective glove (10).

Following the vulcanization process, work gloves (10) are removed from the hand molds and, where necessary, coating reinforcement applications can be made to increase wear resistance and grip advantage. The application of coating reinforcement requires that the coated protective glove (10) be moist, and the prepared chemical is applied to the damp glove through a pattern mold and the vulcanization is performed in the oven. The coating reinforcement is preferably used as nitrile latex.

After vulcanization and, if done, coating reinforcement, the protective gloves enter the final washing process at preferably 45 ± 15 °C for hygiene and removal of chemical residues and then are dried.

Nano-technological product application is performed as the finishing process to the protective gloves (10). In this respect, silver ions are preferably used as nano - technological products in the protective glove of the invention (10). Silver ions have been selected as it has widespread use as a bacteriostatic material, providing excellent moisture management, keeps cool, preventing surface slippery and quick-drying properties, providing hygiene and freshness due to advantageous functional properties as such. Silver ions (41) are released slowly on the silver ions applied surface (40), ensuring that the structure remains chemically stable. Thus, a significant amount of antimicrobial active substance is effectively used. No binding agent such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethane, ethyl vinyl acetate is required for the application of silver ions (41). After the finishing process using the binding agent, an additional washing process needs to be done and this raises the extra process step, labor, and cost. Therefore, the absence of a binding agent creates an advantage in the production of protective gloves (10). Silver ion technology is resistant to up to 20 washes and therefore the protective gloves (10) have a long life-cycle without losing their functionality. The use of silver ions (41) does not cause any harm to the environment. On the contrary, it also provides an advantage because it has the ability to clean water. In the obtained protective gloves (10), no bacteria were detected in the water containing silver ion (41) in the tests performed according to TS EN ISO 9308-1 standard. When the protective glove (10) is used, the moisture /sweat particles (50) formed by the skin are evaporated by the effect of silver ions (41) and moisture from the protective glove (10) surface is evaporated and released into the external environment. In addition to moisture transfer, long-term use of protective gloves (10) results in bacteria and related bad odor formation due to temperature and sweat. This condition is prevented by silver ions clinging to the bacterium and thus the formation of bad smell is eliminated.

Following the nano - technological product application, protective gloves (10) are branded with heat transfer printing machines and then protective gloves (10) are packaged under the motto of hygienic gloves. The protective glove (10) of the invention has a structure so that the user can move their fingers comfortably due to the form of the woven layer (20). This structure allows the user to use the ergonomic protective glove comfortably and the glove can be used for longer periods of time due to the improved capacity to work. This prevents the disposal or the wearing out of the protective glove (10) and minimizes the risks of occupational safety. Furthermore, with the finishing process with nano silver ions (41) applied to the work gloves (10), moisture particles formed in the skin (20) during the use of the protective gloves (10) can be directed out of the protective gloves (10). Thus, a breathable and refreshing structure during use can be provided. In addition, the use of silver ions (41) provides protective gloves (10) with the antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antistatic properties. In addition, silver ions (41) provide adhesion to bacteria and the negative effects of bacteria caused by sweating as a result of long-term glove use (bad odor, etc.) are neutralized.