TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to a glove and typically a motorcycle riding giove which contains a removable and adjustable mirror and which is safe to use at high speeds.

BACKGROUND

Any references to methods, apparatus or documents of the prior art are not to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that they formed, or form part of the common general knowledge.

Riders of motorcycles and bicycles need to be constantly aware of what is happening behind them. Motorcycles are therefore required to have rear vision mirrors. While man bicycles are also provided with a mirror, in many countries it is not mandatory.

One disadvantage with mirrors, especially on bicycles, is that for certain types of bicycles (for instance mountain bikes), the presence of a mirror can be quite dangerous should there b an inadvertent dismounting incident.

A disadvantage with mirrors on motorcycies and bicycles is that the mirrors are not very large and i is sometimes difficult to Iocate and view the mirror especially at higher speeds.

Therefore, attempts hav been made to locate rearview mirrors in other or additional places. For instance, it is known to place a rearview mirror o a bicycle helmet and possibly also on a motorcycle helmet. it is also known to provide a rearview mirror as a wrist attachment. Various attempts have been made to provide mirrors on gloves. However, most of these have not found success for a number of reasons. One disadvantage is that the mirror is not properly positioned on the glove. For instance, simply placing the mirror on the back of a glove will not provide the correct viewing angle when the glove is gripped about a motorcycle handle. With these types of gloves, it is usually necessary to hold the hand in a substantially vertical position such that the mirror is at the correct angle to provide rear vision. Clearly, this is not desirable especially o a moving motorcycle.

Another problem is in the attachment of the mirror. Thus, various attempts have been made to provide pouches in which a mirror can be placed and removed for the purposes of cleaning the glove. These pouches however do not provide the mirror with the correct rearview angle.

It seems that attempts have been made to attach a mirror to a fairly stiff folded separate support member and to Velcro the support member to a glov The fold in the support member locates the mirror at an angle - hopefully at the correct angle for easy rear-viewing. However, this arrangement is quite fiddly and at high speeds the wind load on the mirror/support member can be sufficient to distort the viewing angle or even to rip off the support member. No adjustment of the mirror whil attached to the glove is possible.

It seems that attempts have been made to attach a mirror to a stick and then to try to attach to stick to th back of a person's glove. This provides a measure of adjustability, but such an arrangement is clearly dangerous when used on the motorcycle glove due to wind loading, inadvertent striking and the like. At higher speeds, great care must be taken when attaching anything to a motorcycle glove. For instance, the attachment must not present an injury hazard during use or in any unfortunate inadvertent dismounting. A problem with attaching a mirror to a motorcycle glove is that the mirror should be removable for instance if the glove needs to be laundered or repaired. However, the mirror should also be fixed in a manner sufficiently secure such that the mirror does not inadvertently dislodge during higher speeds caused by wind loading on the back of the mirror. Furthermore, the mirror should be adjustable while still being secure and still being able to be removed.

There doe not appear to have been any solution to the above disadvantages in attaching mirrors or other attachment to a motorcycle glove. It is an object of the invention to provide a motorcycle giove with a mirror and which can overcome at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages or provide a commercial choice in the marketplace.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a glove assembly the assembl comprising a glove, the glove having an upper portion, a relatively rigid protective housing on the upper portion, the housing having a leading streamlined profile and an open trailing end, a mirror, a backing member to support the mirror and to which the mirror is attached, the backing member being adjustably mounted to the housing such that the mirror is protected by the housing.

In this manner, a mirror can be attached to a motorcycle glove in such a manner that the mirror is protected against wind Ioading by the streamlined profile of the protective housing, the mirror can be adjusted by the adjustable mounting of the mirror backing member and the mirror can be made removable from the glove should the mirror require repair, replacement or should the glove require laundering etc. The arrangement can provide safety to a motorcycle rider.

The arrangement substantially overcomes the disadvantages with previous attempts in attaching reflective members or mirrors to gloves. ίί is envisaged thai the glove assembly will find great use and acceptability with motorcycles that can achieve relatively high speeds. However,, it is also envisaged that the glove assembiy can be used with bicycles. Ther may even be circumstances where this type of glove assembiy may find use with car owners to provide a measure of rear vision with the driver's hands on the steering wheel. This may provide an advantage over constantly needing to (or forgetting to) look at the rear vision mirror in the car. The glove assembly may also find acceptabilit in industrial situations such as with forklift drivers that constantly need to be aware of any movement behind the forklift. Th glove assembl may also find suitability for use with jetskis, other types of water vessels, sailboards and the like. There may also b an advantage with this type of glove assembiy with law enforcement officers. There may be an advantage with this type of glove assembly for underwater use especially with scuba divers and the like Skiers may find the gloves useful to allow them to see behind in a convenient manner especially when gripping ski poles.

The assembly may be used on one glove or on both gloves depending on the particular requirements. The term glove may also include mittens, welder's gloves, and the like. It is not considered that any unnecessary limitation should be placed on the term glove.

The glove may comprise a full glove, a fingeriess glove and the like.

The glove may be formed from any suitable material depending on its use. Thus, th glove may be a thick protective glove typically used on motorcycles, may be made of waterproof or semi waterproof materials, may be made of any suitable materials including leather, synthetic materials, lined materials, laminated materials, treated materials and the like. The glove has an upper portion which is meant to include the area between the wrist and the fingers and on the back of a person's hand. A relatively rigid protective housing is located on the upper portion. The housing will typically be a separate component which is attached by stitching, adhesive, RF welding, small rivets or any combination thereof or any other suitable means. Depending on the manufacture of the glove, it is also envisaged that part or all of the protective housing may be formed integrally with other parts of the glove .

The term relatively rigid is meant to include that the protective housing will not unduly deform under wind loads but is not so rigid as to provide an injury hazard or to shatter if struck inadvertently by road gravel etc. It is envisaged that the housing will be formed from somewhat resilient material. The material may be cushioning materia! to provide a measure of protection against the wearer of the glove. Thus, the material may comprise a fabric, artificial material, plastics material, and the like.

A function of the protective housing is to protect the mirror against being ripped off due to wind loading or damage of the mirror by insects, road gravel, etc. and to also enable the mirror angle to be adjusted and kept in a desirable adjusted position.

The shape and size of the protective housing may vary depending, inter alia, on the type of mirror that is desired. To enable the mirror to be of a good size, it is considered convenient that the housing extends substantiall across the top of the glov that is from approximately behind the first finger (or finger area) of the glove to behind the fifth finger of the glove. In a typical glove, this can enable the length of the housing to be between 5-12 cm which can then accommodate a suitably sized mirror.

The housing has a streamlined profile to minimise the wind loading effect on the person's glove. The streamlined profile will typically comprise a leading tapered end in a forward part of the glove rising to a higher trailing end which is preferably open or substantially ope or a least has an opening to accommodate the mirror. The height of the housing at the trailing end will determine the height of the mirror that can fit in, or be protected by, the housing. It is envisaged that a suitable height will be between 20-50 mm although there may be circumstances where this can vary.

The shape of the trailing end - by which is meant the opening shape can vary, inter alia, depending on the shape of the mirror. It is envisaged that the mirror will typically be substantially rectangular with curved ends or be somewhat oval and it is therefore envisaged that the shape of the trailing end of the housing will have a similar shape.

The glove assembly includes a mirror, it is preferred that the mirror is attached to some form of backing member. The mirror may comprise any suitable type of material with a reflecting surface and it is considered safest that the mirror is made of either safety glass or some form of plastics material that may be able to accommodate some deformation without splitting or cracking.

There may be circumstances where it is desirable for two or more mirrors to be provided in the housing. Each mirror may be independently adjustable. Alternatively, one of the mirrors may be fixed and the other may be adjustable.

The backing member may be made of any suitable material and if is envisaged that the backing member should be substantially rigid to properly support the mirror. However, if the mirror is mad of somewhat resilient or flexible material, it is envisaged that the backing member may also be made of somewhat resilient or flexible material. The backing member preferably has a shape and configuration to enable the mirror to be properly attached. The mirror may be attached by any suitable means such as adhesive o possible a hook and loop fastening arrangement. There may be circumstances where it is desirable to have the mirror press locked to the backing member or have some form of slide locking arrangement, a twist locking arrangement and the like. The backing member may aiso incfude tabs or turned in lips to provide a support for the mirror or mirrors and/or to protect the mirror edge. it is particularly preferred that the backing member is provided with part of a ball and socket arrangement to connect the backing member to the protective housing, In this manner, the mirror can be adjusted from side to side and up and down. Suitably, the backing member is provided with the bail part of the arrangement and the protective housing is provided with the socket part of the arrangement. However, it is also envisaged that the connection may be the other way round with the backing member containing the socket part. The bail and socket arrangement is preferably of the type that can be snapped together and pulled apart such that the backing member and the mirror can be removed should it be necessary to replace or repair the mirror or should it be necessary to repair or launder the glove or in the event that a mirror is not required or in the event that something else is to be placed within the protective housing.

It is preferred that the backing member is mounted relative to the housing in such a manner that the backing member substantially fills the opening in the trailing end of the protective housing when the backing member is in the "rest" position, and that the backing member is substantially flush or eve slightly spaced in the protective housing when the backing member is in the rest position. The rest position is where the backing member has not been adjusted either left or right or up and down relative to the protective housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention ma be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows: Figure 1. Illustrates a perspective view of a g!ove assembly containing a protective housing with a mirror.

Figure 2. Illustrates the perspective view of figure 1 from the front.

Figure 3. Illustrates a partially exploded view better illustrating the mirror and the backing member.

Figure 4. Illustrates the view of figure 3 from the rear.

Figure 5. Illustrates schematically the adjustability ^' of the backing member and therefore the mirror relative to the protective housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, and initially to figure 1 , there is illustrated a glove assembly comprising a glove 3, a protective housing 1 on the back of glove 3, and a mirror 2 in the protective housing. Figure 2 illustrates a forward view of glove 3 and particularl illustrates the streamlined profile of protective housing 1. Protective housing 1 can be attached to the glove or be part of the glove. Protective housing 1 comprises a leading streamlined profile 10 which rises to a higher open trailing end 11. The leading streamlined profile 10 has a forward curved edge 12.

Housing 1 is positioned on an upper part of the glove immediately behind the finger portion and in use will be located just behind a person's knuckles. This means that housing 1 is positioned well forward of the person's wrist. An advantage of this i that it enables the housing and therefore th mirror to be easily moved simply b slight wrist movement. It is not necessary to remove the glove from the motorcycle grip.

The streamlined profile ensures that air will flow around the housing with minimal wind loading on the glove which otherwise could cause fatigue over time and may even be dangerous. The mirror 2 in the particular ^' embodiment and best illustrated in figure 3 is elongate with a substantially fiat lower edge, a slightly curved upper edge, and rounded end edges. Mirror 2 is attached to a backing member 4 which is best illustrated in figure 3. Backing member 4 has a configuration similar to the configuration of mirror 2. The mirror may be glued or attached to the backing member by Vetera or attached by any other suitable means. Backing member 4 is adjustably mounted to the housing and a particularly preferred embodiment of such an adjustable mounting is illustrated at least in figure 3 and figure 4. The rear of backing member 4 contains a bail 5 which is supported at the end of a small stalk 13. Stalk 13 is strongly reinforced by extending radial reinforcing fins 14. The strong reinforcement will minimise the ball 5 from snapping off the stalk 13 under high wind conditions, somewhat rough handling et cetera. It also allows the adjustability to be relatively robust as will be described in greater detail below.

Inside housing 1 is an abutment 6 which has a complimentary socket 15 to accommodate ball 5 on stalk 13. Thus, the ball can be press fitted inside socket 15 to provide universal adjustment- that is adjustment from left to right and up and down. The ball fits within a socket 15 with a reasonable amount of friction such that a reasonable amount of effort is required to push the mirror from side to side or up and down. Th reason for this is that once the mirror is in a particular position, it should retain that position even during relatively high speed riding. Thus, there is no need to provide any further holding members and the like to hold the mirror in a particularly desired position. Because of this relatively high friction, the load on stalk 13 can be quite high which is why stalk 13 is strongl reinforced by the fins 14.

The radial fins also provide an additional function which is to prevent extreme angled adjustment of the mirror which could damage the components. The socket in the abutment 8 has a surrounding land portion 20. The fins 14 are constructed such that they strike the iand portion if the mirror is turned too far and this prevents further adjustment of the mirror and relieves load on the bail and socket arrangement. Figure 5 illustrates schematically how a mirror 2 can be adjusted either up and down about axis 7A or lef and right about axis 7B.

Ball 5 can be removed from the socket with a reasonable amount of effort such that the mirror and the backing member can be removed if not required or for cleaning, repairing, replacing or for similar cleaning or otherwise of the glove.

USE FOR THE INVENTION

The above description identifies at least one specific, substantial and credible use for the invention. Specifically, the above description identifies the use of a robust adjustable and if necessary a removable mirror that can be fitted in a streamlined housing on the back of a motorcycle glove. in compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. The term "comprises ¹¹ and its variations, such as "comprising" and "comprised of is used throughout in an inclusive sense and no to the exclusion of any additional features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in an of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially' ¹ or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms. Any embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative oniy and is not meant to be limiting to the invention. Therefore, it should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,