Gloves for Touchscreen Use

Abstract

A glove that enables the wearer to interact with a capacitive touchscreen without removing the glove has a first portion formed from a non-conductive knitted material and a second portion formed from an electrically conductive yarn. Exemplary is the finger tip portions of the thumb and index finger being formed from the electrically conductive yarn and the remainder of the finger tips being formed from the non-conductive yarn. The second, conductive, portion may include a non-conductive yarn with an electrically conductive fiber distributed uniformly therethrough.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A glove consisting essentially of:
 a first, non-conductive, knitted material defining an inner surface and an outer surface forming a bulk of the glove;   a second, conductive, knitted material continuing from the first knitted material at one or more portions of the glove, wherein said second knitted material includes a conductive fiber, said second knitted material being electrically conductive between the outer and inner surfaces of the one or more portions; and   said one or more portions oversewn with a conductive thread.   
     
     
         2 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein the conductive thread includes silver. 
     
     
         3 . The glove of  claim 1  further comprising a pad adhered or sewn to a palmar surface of the glove. 
     
     
         4 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein the one or more portions include a tip of an index finger. 
     
     
         5 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein the one or more portions includes a tip of a thumb. 
     
     
         6 . A glove consisting essentially of:
 a first, non-conductive, knitted material defining an inner surface and an outer surface forming a bulk of the glove;   a second, conductive, knitted material continuing from the first knitted material at one or more finger tip portions of the glove, wherein said first knitted material and said second knitted material are a same gauge and said second knitted material includes a conductive fiber, said second knitted material being electrically conductive between the outer and inner surfaces at the one or more finger tip portions; and   said one or more finger tip portions oversewn with a conductive thread.   
     
     
         7 . The glove of  claim 6  wherein said second knitted material includes a non-conductive bulk yarn with said conductive fiber embedded therethrough. 
     
     
         8 . The glove of  claim 7  wherein said conductive fiber is a silver-plated nylon. 
     
     
         9 . The glove of  claim 8  wherein said one or more finger tip portions have a resistance of 0.2 ohm. 
     
     
         10 . The glove of  claim 7  wherein said conductive knitted material is switched in and said non-conductive knitted material is switched out in a continuous knitting process. 
     
     
         11 . The glove of  claim 10  wherein conductive knitted material portions of said glove and non-conductive knitted material portions of said glove have a same stitch pattern. 
     
     
         12 . The glove of  claim 10  wherein an interface between conductive knitted material portions of said glove and non-conductive knitted material portions of said glove has a saw-tooth configuration. 
     
     
         13 . A glove designed for use with a touchscreen that detects changes in local capacitance, consisting essentially of:
 a first, non-conductive, knitted material defining an inner surface and an outer surface forming a bulk of the glove;   a second, conductive knitted material continuing from the first knitted material at finger tip portions of a thumb and an index finger of the glove, wherein said second knitted material includes a first conductive fiber, said second knitted material being electrically conductive between the outer and inner surfaces at the thumb and index finger; and   said finger tip portions of said thumb and said index finger are oversewn with a conductive thread that provides a reduced resistance through said finger tip portions.   
     
     
         14 . The glove of  claim 13  wherein said conductive knitted material includes a non-conductive bulk yarn with said conductive fiber embedded therethrough. 
     
     
         15 . The glove of  claim 14  wherein said conductive fiber is a silver-plated nylon. 
     
     
         16 . The glove of  claim 15  wherein said finger tip portions of said index finger and of said thumb have a resistance of 0.2 ohm. 
     
     
         17 . A glove consisting essentially of:
 a first, non-conductive, woven or knitted material defining an inner surface and an outer surface, and   one or more predetermined locations having a pattern oversewn into the glove with a second, continuous conductive thread penetrating both the outer and the inner surfaces, effective to be electrically conductive between the outer and inner surfaces.   
     
     
         18 . The glove of  claim 17  wherein the conductive thread includes silver.