Expandable glove with lateral closure

Abstract

An expandable glove includes a hand portion having a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity, a sleeve portion including a cuff having an opening therein for access to the hand portion, and a lateral closure extending from the hand portion to the sleeve portion. The lateral closure is configured to repeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position in which the opening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open position in which the opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than the first perimeter. The glove is formed of vinyl.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . An expandable glove comprising:
 a hand portion including a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity;   a sleeve portion including a cuff having an opening therein for access to the hand portion; and   a lateral closure extending from the hand portion to the sleeve portion, the lateral closure configured to repeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position in which the opening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open position in which the opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than the first perimeter,   wherein the glove is formed of vinyl.   
     
     
         2 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the lateral closure extends from an area located between the first cavity and the second cavity in the hand portion to an area in the sleeve portion. 
     
     
         3 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the lateral closure extends along a top surface of the glove. 
     
     
         4 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the lateral closure comprises a zipper. 
     
     
         5 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the lateral closure is selected from the group consisting of a ziplock, a snap, and Velcro. 
     
     
         6 . The glove of  claim 1 , further comprising an opening and closing device having a base portion configured to assist in moving the lateral closure between the closed position and the open position, the opening and closing device comprising a base portion configured to couple the opening and closing device to the lateral closure and a puller portion configured to be gripped and pulled to move the lateral closure between the closed position and the open position. 
     
     
         7 . The glove of  claim 6 , wherein the opening and closing device is made from a high density polyethylene material. 
     
     
         8 . The glove of  claim 1 , further comprising a gusset configured to be affixed substantially adjacent to a first edge of the lateral closure and a second edge of the lateral closure, wherein the gusset is configured to allow the opening of the cuff to expand to a size having the second perimeter when the lateral closure is in the open position. 
     
     
         9 . The glove of  claim 8 , wherein the gusset is configured to be hidden from view when the lateral closure is in the closed position. 
     
     
         10 . The glove of  claim 8 , wherein the gusset is made of vinyl. 
     
     
         11 . The glove of  claim 1 , further comprising an interior lining made of an absorbent material. 
     
     
         12 . The glove of  claim 1 , further comprising an interior lining including an antimicrobial material configured to prevent formation of mold and/or mildew within an interior of the glove. 
     
     
         13 . The glove of  claim 1 , further comprising an interior lining made of a heavy weighted cotton, antimicrobial material. 
     
     
         14 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the glove is configured to be reused. 
     
     
         15 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the glove is configured to be repeatedly and reversibly inverted to an inside-out position to clean an interior of the glove. 
     
     
         16 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein the first perimeter is approximately ten inches and the second perimeter is approximately thirteen inches. 
     
     
         17 . The glove of  claim 1 , further comprising a decorative design provided on at least one of the hand portion and the sleeve portion that is configured to be visible to a user. 
     
     
         18 . A method of cleaning an expandable glove comprising a hand portion including a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity, a sleeve portion including a cuff having an opening therein for access to the hand portion, and a lateral closure extending from the hand portion to the sleeve portion, the lateral closure configured to repeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position in which the opening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open position in which the opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than the first perimeter, the method comprising:
 inverting the glove to an inside-out position;   placing the glove into a dishwashing machine; and   running the dishwashing machine for a cleaning cycle.