Protective hand covering and method of manufacture thereof

Abstract

A method of applying a slip-resistant surface to a hand covering, for example a glove, in a mold, comprising the steps of: a. placing a swatch of a host material in the mold, b. applying a slip-resistant material to the mold, c. applying heat and pressure to the slip-resistant material thereby bonding the slip-resistant material to the host material to produce a composite material, and d. constructing a hand covering using at least the swatch of composite material. The method may also include the step of cutting the swatch of composite material into a desired shape either before or after molding. The hand covering is constructed using the swatch of composite material and a second material, which may be the host material, the composite material or any other material. The slip-resistant surfaces may comprise a texture, and the hand covering may comprise a plurality of slip-resistant surfaces. Indicia and/or any other type of design can be applied to the host material prior to the application of a clear slip-resistant surface. The invention also includes a hand covering produced according to the method, for example a glove or mitten.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A method of applying a slip-resistant surface to a hand covering in a mold, comprising the steps of: 
 a. placing a swatch of a host material in the mold,    b. applying a slip-resistant material to the mold,    c. applying heat and pressure to the slip-resistant material thereby bonding the slip-resistant material to the host material to produce a composite material, and    d. constructing a hand covering using at least the swatch of composite material.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  including, before step d., the step of cutting the swatch of composite material into a desired shape.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the swatch of host material is cut to a desired shape before being placed in the mold.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the hand covering is constructed using the swatch of composite material and second material.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  in which the second material is the host material.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the composite material comprises a plurality of slip-resistant surfaces.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the composite material comprises a plurality of slip-resistant surfaces interposed with surfaces of the host material disposed in positions corresponding to joints of a user's hand.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the slip-resistant surface comprises a texture.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  comprising, before step a. or step b., applying a design to the host material.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the design comprises indicia  
     
     
         11 . A hand covering produced according to the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         12 . The hand covering of  claim 11  wherein the hand covering is a glove.