Polymer-coated protective garment

Abstract

A polymer-coated protective garment is disclosed. The garment may be configured to fit around the arm, leg, foot or hand of a wearer. For example, in one embodiment, the protective garment comprises a glove. The glove includes a hollow member defining an opening for receiving a hand. The hollow member is made from an elastic laminate. The elastic laminate may comprise at least one nonwoven web. The hollow member further includes an elastomeric coating that covers at least a portion of the hollow member. In one embodiment, for instance, the elastomeric coating covers a palm portion and finger portions of the glove.

1 . A glove comprising: 
 a hollow member defining an opening for receiving a hand therein, the hollow member having an interior surface configured to be placed adjacent to a hand when the glove is donned and an opposite exterior surface, the hollow member comprising an elastic laminate, the elastic laminate including at least one nonwoven layer; and    an elastomeric coating covering at least a portion of the exterior surface of the hollow member, the elastomeric coating comprising a natural or synthetic polymer, the elastomeric coating forming a continuous or discontinuous film on the exterior surface.    
   
   
       2 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastic laminate comprises a spunbond laminate, a neck-bonded laminate, or mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       3 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow member comprises a first panel attached to a second panel along a seam.  
   
   
       4 . A glove as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the seam has a thickness of less than about 1 mm.  
   
   
       5 . A glove as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the first panel and the second panel are ultrasonically bonded together to form the seam.  
   
   
       6 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastic laminate comprises at least three layers, the layers including two outer nonwoven layers and a middle layer comprising elastic filaments, an elastic film, or an elastic nonwoven.  
   
   
       7 . A glove as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the outer layers are attached to the middle layer while the middle layer is in a stretched condition such that the outer layers gather when the middle layer is in a relaxed state.  
   
   
       8 . A glove as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the outer layers comprise spunbond webs.  
   
   
       9 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastic laminate has a basis weight of from about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm.  
   
   
       10 . A glove as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the first panel covers a palm portion of the glove and comprises a neck-bonded laminate, the second panel comprising a breathable stretch-bonded laminate.  
   
   
       11 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising a precoat positioned in between the elastic laminate and the elastomeric coating.  
   
   
       12 . A glove as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the precoat comprises a coagulant composition for the natural or synthetic polymer.  
   
   
       13 . A glove as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the precoat comprises a hydrophobic composition that resides on the exterior surface of the hollow member without forming a film.  
   
   
       14 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the glove includes finger portions, a palm portion, and a back side, the elastomeric coating only covering the palm portion and the finger portions of the glove.  
   
   
       15 . A glove as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the glove includes finger portions, a palm portion, and a back side, the elastomeric coating only covering a portion of the exterior surface of the hollow member, the elastomeric coating being present on the palm portion and covering the seam formed between the first panel and the second panel.  
   
   
       16 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric coating comprises at least two layers of the natural or synthetic polymer.  
   
   
       17 . A glove as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the middle layer comprises a plurality of parallel elastic filaments.  
   
   
       18 . A glove as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the elastic coating is present on the exterior surface of the hollow member so as to not substantially penetrate into the outer nonwoven layer forming the interior surface of the hollow member.  
   
   
       19 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the natural or synthetic polymer comprises natural rubber latex, a nitrile polymer, polyvinyl chloride, a polyurethane, a silicone polymer, an acrylic polymer or a block copolymer.  
   
   
       20 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the natural or synthetic polymer of the elastomeric coating comprises a styrenic block copolymer.  
   
   
       21 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric coating is present on the exterior surface of the hollow member so as to not substantially penetrate all the way through to the interior surface of the hollow member.  
   
   
       22 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric coating forms a continuous film on the hollow member.  
   
   
       23 . A glove as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric coating forms a discontinuous film on the exterior surface of the hollow member.  
   
   
       24 . A process for producing a glove product comprising: 
 forming a hollow member defining an opening for receiving a hand therein, the hollow member having an interior surface configured to be placed adjacent to a hand when the glove product is donned and an opposite exterior surface, the hollow member comprising an elastic laminate, the elastic laminate including at least one nonwoven layer; and    dipping at least a portion of the hollow member into an elastomeric coating composition containing a natural or synthetic polymer, the elastomeric coating composition forming an elastomeric coating on the exterior surface of the hollow member.    
   
   
       25 . A process as defined in  claim 24 , wherein the hollow member is placed on a former prior to being dipped into the elastomeric coating composition.  
   
   
       26 . A process as defined in  claim 24 , wherein the exterior surface of the hollow member is only partially coated by the elastomeric coating.  
   
   
       27 . A process as defined in  claim 24 , further comprising the step of first forming a precoat on the exterior surface of the hollow member prior to dipping the hollow member into the elastomeric coating composition.  
   
   
       28 . A process as defined in  claim 27 , wherein the precoat comprises a coagulant composition for the natural or synthetic polymer.  
   
   
       29 . A process as defined in  claim 24 , wherein the natural or synthetic polymer comprises natural rubber latex, a nitrile polymer, polyvinyl chloride, a silicone polymer, an acrylic polymer, a polyurethane, or a block copolymer.  
   
   
       30 . A process as defined in  claim 24 , wherein the elastic laminate comprises a spunbond laminate, a neck-bonded laminate, or mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       31 . A polymer-coated protective garment comprising: 
 a hollow member defining an opening, the hollow member having a shape configured to receive a hand, a foot, an arm, or a leg of a wearer, the hollow member having an interior surface configured to be placed adjacent to a wearer's skin and an opposite exterior surface, the hollow member comprising an elastic laminate, the elastic laminate including at least one nonwoven layer; and    an elastomeric coating covering at least a portion of the exterior surface of the hollow member, the elastomeric coating comprising a natural or synthetic polymer, the polymer comprising a natural rubber latex, a nitrile polymer, a polyvinyl chloride, a polyurethane, a silicone polymer, an acrylic polymer, or a block copolymer.    
   
   
       32 . A polymer-coated protective garment as defined in  claim 31 , wherein the elastic laminate comprises a stretch-bonded laminate, a neck-bonded laminate, or mixtures thereof.