A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of apparel and more specifically relates to a hand pad. The inventor commonly refers to the hand warmer of the present application as the: "Webbzro".

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] American football is a popular sport in North America. It is played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. One of the eleven players of the offensive team, usually positioned right behind the line is the quarterback (QB). Quarterbacks have a critical role, since they informally lead the offense.

[0003] The ability of the quarterback to handle the ball properly is critical since he has the delicate task to set up a throw to one of the back or receivers while they are running. Proper grip is of capital importance. That is why Article 4 "OTHER PROHIBITED EQUIPMENT, APPAREL" item 8 "Adhesive, Slippery Substances" of the 2015 National Football League (NFL) regulates the use of gloves as follow: "Adhesive of slippery substances on the body, equipment or uniform of any player; provided however, that player may wear gloves with a tacktified surface if such tacky substance does not adhere to the football or otherwise cause handling problems for players. "

[0004] It is well known in the sports world that football is played at different temperatures, and while rules may vary on a league by league basis, the NFL does not recognize a cold temperature as a reason to postpone or cancel a match. One of the practical problems associated with that is that quarterbacks, and receivers may have their extremities almost frozen when playing thus reducing their effectiveness.

[0005] Gloves alone, as allowed by NFL rules are not sufficient to effectively warm up the hands to a functional range. Other devices such as battery operated hand warmers are considered metal object and therefore prohibited under rule 4 item 1. Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, but to the best knowledge of the inventor no one is seen to describe the invention as claimed or any of its singular innovative and novel aspects.

[0006] Ideally, a football glove should provide a solid grip and, it should also be able to be used to warm up the player's hand when playing in extremely cold conditions, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable system to warm a player's hand within the allowed NFL rules and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known in the apparel art, the present invention provides a novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism based on an exothermic chemical reaction of elemental iron. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide a novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism based on an exothermic chemical reaction of elemental iron.

[0008] It is then a first objective of the novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football to provide a heating mechanism based on an exothermic chemical reaction of elemental iron that would not violate current NFL rules. It is a second objective of the novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football to provide a hand protector that would facilitate catching the football via a plurality of gripping patterns located on the palm's side of the user's hand.

[0009] It is then a third objective of the novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football to provide a glove that is impermeable to the rain and that can be used in the harsh conditions of a football field. It is a fourth objective of the novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football described in the instant application to provide a hand protector that would avoid scratches, and bruises to the player's hand by protecting it with a plurality of protective paddings placed on the side of the glove corresponding to the user's hand. It is a further objective of the novel glove of the present application to provide for a glove that can fit snuggly and that can be secured to the player' s hand via a strap. It is a final objective of the novel glove for playing American football disclosed in the present application to provide a device that is inexpensive to build and manufacture, but because of its unique design can be sold at a premium.

[00010] The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00011] The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, a novel glove for playing American football constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention.

[00012] FIG. 1 shows a pictorial representation of a top elevation view of the novel glove (1) for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the side of the hand (11) designed to cover or correspond the back of the hand of the user (top side).

[00013] FIG. 2 shows a pictorial representation of a top elevation view of the novel glove (1) for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the side of the hand (8) designed to cover or correspond the palm of the hand of the user (bottom side).

[00014] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the novel glove for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism. FIG. 3(a) shows the cross section of the three layers embodiment, and FIG. 3(b) shows the cross section of the two layers embodiment.

[00015] FIG. 4 is a pictorial representation of a sky mask (13) serving as a base element for a cotton layer (2), and base layer (3) coated with a durable water repellent (4). [00016] FIG. 5 is a pictorial representation of a sky mask (14) serving as a base element for a cotton layer (2), and base layer (3) coated with a durable water repellent (4).

[00017] FIG. 6 is a pictorial representation of the side of the glove corresponding to the back side of the user's hand (l l)(top side of the glove) of one of the preferred embodiments of the novel glove (1) for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism.

[00018] FIG. 7 is a pictorial representation of the side of the glove (8) corresponding to the user's palm of the preferred embodiments of the novel glove (1) for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism of FIG. 6.

[00019] FIG. 8 is a pictorial magnification of one of the details of the side of the glove (8) corresponding to the user's palm of the preferred embodiments of the novel glove (1) for playing Quarterback in American football featuring a heating mechanism of FIG. 6 featuring grip bump texture (15).

[00020] The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00021] As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a piece of apparel and more particularly to a hand protector as used in the practice of American football to improve the current art by providing a chemically heating pad that does not necessitates any auxiliary outside energy to provide the heat.

[00022] Generally speaking, the inventive device of the present application comes in two embodiments: a first, three layer embodiment, and a second two layer embodiment. With reference now to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 a first preferred embodiment of the warming hand glove (1) for playing American football of the present application comprises: a first cotton layer (2) having the shape of a hand, and a second base layer (3) coated with a durable water repellent (4) FIG. 3(a). Polyester can be used in first layer (2) as alternative to cotton. Alternatively, a second preferred embodiment of the warming hand glove (1) for playing American football of the present application comprises: a base layer (5) coated with a durable water repellent (6) FIG. 3(b). Base layer (3) or (5) must be made of flexible material to allow flexibility and decrease stiffness from gloves on fingers. When used in a game the gloves of the present application may have colors allowed by the local football committee rules, such as the NFL rules. These color can be the primary and secondary color of the team, or others.

[00023] The durable water repellent may be a fluoropolymer such as polyvinylfluoride, polyvinylidene fluoride, and polytetrafluoroethylene, or it may be a silane such as (3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane, (3-aminopropyl)-diethoxy-methylsilane, and (3-aminopropyl)-dimethyl-ethoxysilane. The overall thickness of the durable water repellent (4) may be in between 10 ^{" 10} and 10 ^"2 m.

[00024] In both its three layer embodiment shown in FIG. 3(a) and in its two layer embodiment shown in FIG. 3 (b) the v irming hand glove for playing American football of the present application further comprises a warming pad (7) located on the side (8)(bottom side of the glove) corresponding to the palm of the user's hand and where said warming pad contains a mix of cellulose, water, elemental iron, activated carbon, and vermiculite.

[00025] Cellulose is an organic compound, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on Earth. The cellulose content of cotton fiber is 90%, that of wood is 40-50% and that of dried hemp is approximately 57%. Cellulose is mainly used to produce paperboard and paper. Smaller quantities are converted into a wide variety of derivative products such as cellophane and rayon. Conversion of cellulose from energy crops into biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol is under investigation as an alternative fuel source.

[00026] Iron is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is by mass the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust. Its abundance in rocky planets like Earth is due to its abundant production by fusion in high-mass stars, where the production of nickel-56 (which decays to the most common isotope of iron) is the last nuclear fusion reaction that is exothermic. Consequently, radioactive nickel is the last element to be produced before the violent collapse of a supernova scatters precursor radionuclide of iron into space.

[00027] Iron metal reacts in moist air by oxidation to give a hydrated iron oxide. This does not protect the iron surface to further reaction since it flakes off, exposing more iron metal to oxidation. This process is called rusting and is familiar to any car owner. Finely divided iron powder is pyrophoric, making it a fire risk. Air-free water has little effect upon iron metal. However, iron metal reacts in moist air by oxidation to give a hydrated iron oxide. This does not protect the iron surface to further reaction since it flakes off, exposing more iron metal to oxidation. This process is called rusting and is familiar to any car owner.

[00028] An exothermic reaction is a chemical reaction that releases energy by light or heat. It is the opposite of an endothermic reaction. Expressed in a chemical equation:

reactants→ products + energy. An exothermic reaction is a chemical or physical reaction that releases heat. It gives net energy to its surroundings. That is, the energy needed to initiate the reaction is less than the energy that is subsequently released. When the medium in which the reaction is taking place gains heat, the reaction is exothermic. When using a calorimeter, the total amount of heat that flows into (or through) the calorimeter is the negative of the net change in energy of the system. Common exothermic reactions of elemental iron include: 4 Fe(s) + 3 02(g) -÷2 Fe203( _S ) and 3 Fe( _S ) + 2 0 ₂ ( _g )→FeO-Fe ₂ 03( _S ). Therefore, Iron is the element that allows for the generation of the heat as it is exposed to air.

[00029] Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. Activated is sometimes substituted with active. Due to its high degree of microporosity, just one gram of activated carbon has a surface area in excess of 1,300 m ² (14,000 sq ft), as determined by gas adsorption. An activation level sufficient for useful application may be attained solely from high surface area; however, further chemical treatment often enhances adsorption properties. Activated carbon is usually derived from charcoal and is sometimes utilized as biochar. Those derive from coal and coke are referred as activated coal and activated coke respectively. In the heating mixture of the present application activated carbon is used to evenly spread the heat.

[00030] In a separate preferred embodiment of the warming hand glove for playing American football of the present application, the glove further comprises a plurality of gripping patterns (9) on the side of the glove (8) corresponding to the user's palm. Said gripping patterns may be raised up to 1 cm (10 ^~2 m) from the glove's surface. A plurality of protective paddings (10) may be present on the side of the glove corresponding to the back side of the user's hand (1 l)(top side of the glove). These protective paddings are foam or plastic paddings designed to protect the hand of the user from bruises and contusions. Finally, the warming hand glove for playing American football of the present application may comprise a fitting strap (12) that in a separate preferred embodiment may be a VELCRO strap.

[00031] Velcro is a Registered Trademark referring to All-purpose straps composed of hook and loop fasteners registered at the USPTO in the name of Velcro Industries B.V.

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NETHERLD ANTILLES in Curacao NETHERLD ANTILLES . The term VELCRO will not be used in a negative or disparaging way in the present application.

[00032] Vermiculite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral. It undergoes significant expansion when heated. Exfoliation occurs when the mineral is heated sufficiently, and the effect is routinely produced in commercial furnaces. Vermiculite is formed by weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite. Large commercial vermiculite mines currently exist in Russia, South Africa, China, and Brazil. In the novel glove (1) of the present application vermiculite is used as water reservoir.

[00033] A durable water repellent (DWR) material is a coating added to fabrics at the factory to make them water-resistant (or hydrophobic). Most factory- applied treatments are fluoropolymer based. Durable water repellents are commonly used in conjunction with waterproof breathable fabrics such as Gore-Tex to prevent the outer layer of fabric from becoming saturated with water. This saturation, called 'wetting out,' can reduce the garment's breathability (moisture transport through the breathable membrane) and let water through. As the DWR wears off over time, re-treatment is recommended when necessary. Many spray-on and wash-in products for treatment of non- waterproof garments and re-treatment of proofed garments losing their water-repellency are available from sources of sporting apparel. Sprays are made by Grangers, Nikwax, Stormsure, McNett, Trek7, Dry Guy Waterproofing and others.

[00034] Older methods for factory application of DWR treatments involve applying a solution of a chemical onto the surface of the fabric by spraying or dipping. More recently the chemistry is applied in the vapor phase using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) machinery. The advantages of CVD include: (A) It eliminates the use of hazardous and environmentally harmful solvents in the application process; (B) The process requires less chemical; (C) the waterproof layer is extremely thin and has less effect on the natural look and feel of the fabric. [00035] A fluoropolymer is a fluorocarbon-based polymer with multiple strong carbon-fluorine bonds. It is characterized by a high resistance to solvents, acids, and bases. Example of fluoropolymers include: Ethylene based: Vinyl fluoride (fluoroethylene), Vinylidene fluoride (1,1-difluoroethylene), Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), and

Chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE). Propylene based: Hexafluoropropylene (HFP),

Perfluoropropylvinylether (PPVE), and Perfluoromethylvinylether (PMVE).

[00036] Silanes are saturated chemical compounds consisting of one or multiple silicon atoms linked to each other or one or multiple atoms of other chemical elements as the tetrahedral centers of multiple single bonds. By definition, cycles are excluded, so that the silanes comprise a homologous series of inorganic compounds with the general formula Si ntbn ₊ 2. Commercially available silanes are synthetically derived. Each silicon atom has four bonds (either Si-H or Si-Si bonds), and each hydrogen atom is joined to a silicon atom (H-Si bonds). A series of linked silicon atoms is known as the silicon skeleton or silicon backbone. The number of silicon atoms is used to define the size of the silane (e.g., Si2-silane).

[00037] Related to silanes, is a homologous series of functional groups, side-chains or radicals with the general formula Si _n H2 _{n +} 2. Examples include silyl and disilanyl. Saturated hydrosilicons can be: linear (general formula Si _n H2 _{n +} 2) wherein the silicon atoms are joined in a snake-like structure; branched (general formula Si _n H2 _{n +} 2, n > 3) wherein the silicon backbone splits off in one or more directions; and, cyclic (general formula SinEbn, n > 2) wherein the silicon backbone is linked so as to form a loop. According to the definition by IUPAC, the former two are silanes, whereas the third group is called cyclosilanes. Saturated hydrosilicons can also combine any of the linear, cyclic (e.g., polycyclic) and branching structures, and they are still silanes (no general formula) as long as they are acyclic (i.e., having no loops). They also have single covalent bonds between their silicons. Straight-chain silanes are sometimes indicated by the prefix n- (for normal) for a non-linear isomer exists. Although this is not strictly necessary, the usage is still common in cases where there is an important difference in properties between the straight-chain and branched-chain isomers.

[00038] The members of the series (in terms of number of silicon atoms) are named as follows: silane, SiH ₄ - one silicon and four hydrogen; disilane, Si2¾ - two silicon and six hydrogen; trisilane, Si3¾ - three silicon and 8 hydrogen; tetrasilane, Si ₄ Hio - four silicon and 10 hydrogen; pentasilane, S15H12 - five silicon and 12 hydrogen. Simple branched silanes often have a common name using a prefix to distinguish them from linear silanes, for example n-pentasilane, isopentasilane, and neopentasilane. IUPAC naming conventions can be used to produce a systematic name. Silanes can also be named like any other inorganic compound; in this naming system, silane is named silicon tetrahydride. However, with longer silanes, this becomes cumbersome.

[00039] The silanes (Si _n H2n ₊ 2) are much less thermally stable than alkanes (C _n H2n ₊ 2) and they are kinetically labile, with their decomposition reaction rate increasing with increases in the number of silicon atoms in the molecule. This makes preparation and isolation of Si _n H2n ₊ 2 molecules with n greater than about 8 difficult. Greater catenation of the Si atoms can be obtained with the halides (Si _n ¾n ₊ 2 with n = 14 for the fluorides) because of pi back bonding from the halogen p orbitals to the Si d orbitals, which compensates for the electron withdrawal from Si towards the halogen that occurs through the sigma bonding. [00040] Silanes can also incorporate the same functional groups as alkanes, e.g. -OH, to make a silanol (an analogue of alcohol) or a halogen to make a silicon halide (an analogue of alkyl halide). There is (in principle) a silicon analogue for all carbon alkanes derivatives. Like carbon, there also exists silicocations, an important class is the silanyliums, of which simplest member is the silylium ion (SiH ⁺³ ). Chlorosilane examples: Chlorosilane,

Dichlorosilane, Trichlorosilane, and Tetrachlorosilane. Other halosilanes: Iodosilane, Tribromosilane, Silicic acid, Tetraiodosilane, Tetrabromosilane, and Tetrafluorosilane. Mixed halosilanes: Chlorotrifluorosilane, Dichlorodifluorosilane, and Trichlorofluorosilane.

[00041] The organosilanes are a group of chemical compounds derived from silanes containing one or more organic groups. They are a subset of the general class of

organosilicons, although the distinction is not often made. 'Organosilanes' has subsets of its own, such as organosilanols, organosilanones, and so forth. Alkylsilane examples:

Methylsilane, 3-(Trimethylsilyl)propanoic acid, Trimethyl(trifluoromethyl)silane, and Trimethylsilanecarbonitrile. Dialkylsilane examples: Dimethylsilane. Polyalkylsilane examples: Trimethylsilane^Triethylsilane^Tetramethylsilane, and Hexamethyldisilane. Organochlorosilane examples: Chlorodimethylsilane, and Chlorotrimethylsilane.

Organodichlorosilane examples: Dichlorodimethylsilane. Organopolychlorosilane examples: Trichloro(methyl)silane, Trichloro(chloromethyl)silane, Trichloro(ethyl)silane, and

Trichloro(octadecyl)silane. Oxalkylsilanes examples: Diethoxy dimethylsilane,

Triethoxysilane, (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, Trimethoxy(octadecyl)silane, Tetramethyl silicate, and Tetraethyl silicate. Other silanes: octodecyl trichlorosilane, phenyltrichlorosilane, aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, aminopropyltriethoxysilane, mercaptopropylmethoxysilane, hexamethyldisilazane, Ethenylsilane, Trimethylsilanol, Tris(i<?ri-butoxy)silanethiol, Iodotrimethylsilane, and ethynyltrimethylsilane.

[00042] Silanes are named by adding the suffix -silane to the appropriate numerical multiplier prefix. Hence, disilane, Si2¾; trisilane S13H8; tetrasilane S14H10; pentasilane S15H 12; etc. The prefix is generally Greek, with the exceptions of nonasilane which has a Latin prefix, and undecasilane and tridecasilane which have mixed-language prefixes.

[00043] Generally, gloves are made of different kind of materials including cloth, knitted or felted wool, leather, rubber, latex, neoprene, and metal (as in mail). Gloves of kevlar protect the wearer from cuts. Receivers Gloves - Receivers and running backs need to control and hold onto the ball, while remaining light and agile through traffic. Gloves designed for these features: enhanced palm grip, extended tack from the palm, around the fingers, and up the thumb, light padding on the back hand to protect from impact, and lightweight, flexible construction. Lineman Gloves - Lineman take the hardest hits on the field, so their gloves are built tough, to protect their hands and fingers from damage, abrasion, and hyperextension. Most lineman gloves feature: Rigid frames and finger stays to prevent fingers from bending back when holding back the other line, heavier, more durable materials than receiver gloves, to withstand more abuse, little to no tackiness in the palm, improved palm and backhand padding, to protect from impacts.

[00044] Additional desirable features in all football gloves include: Added Ventilation - Modern football gloves utilize mesh between the fingers, and ventilated backhands to improve air flow, dump hot air, and generally keep the hands cool, dry, and comfortable. Padding - Lightweight, flexible foam padding in the backhand and palm are typical in advanced lineman gloves, and help soften impacts to protect the hand. High Quality Materials - Great football gloves utilize high-quality materials to perform in all weather conditions. Their improved strength keeps them functioning season after season. Aggressive Style - The latest football gloves are coming out in incredible cool, aggressive styles and colors, with interesting palm configurations.

[00045] The combination of a first cotton layer (2), and a second base layer (3) coated with a durable water repellent (4) can be applied to different devices or artifacts to produce the same warming effects as in the case of the novel glove (1). These different devices include, for example sky masks (13) or toboggan (14) as shown in FIG.4 and FIG.5.

[00046] Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other kit contents or arrangements such as, for example, including more or less components, customized parts, different color combinations, parts may be sold separately, etc., may be sufficient.

[00047] It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of "step of should not be interpreted as "step for", in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, H 6. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient.

[00048] The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.