Glove with impact resistant dorsal structure

Abstract

A glove includes a glove body in a shape of a hand and having a palm side and a dorsal side opposite the palm side. A protective structure is located on the dorsal side. The protective structure includes multiple openings with thermoplastic boundary segments and surrounding thermoplastic main segments that provided for a two-stage impact configuration.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A glove, comprising:
 a glove body in a shape of a hand, the glove body having a palm side and a dorsal side opposite the palm side;   a protective structure on the dorsal side, the protective structure comprising at least one thermoplastic rubber element secured on the dorsal side, the at least one thermoplastic rubber element comprising a base segment and a plurality of elongated finger segments extending from the base segment;   wherein the base segment is located across a base knuckle region of the dorsal side and each finger segment extends along a respective finger region of the dorsal side to a top knuckle region of the finger segment;   wherein each finger segment includes a plurality of through openings through which a material forming the glove body is exposed, wherein the plurality of through openings are spaced apart along a length of the finger segment;   wherein at least one through opening of each finger segment is bounded, at least in part, by a surrounding thermoplastic boundary segment and each surrounding thermoplastic boundary segment is bounded, at least in part, by a thermoplastic main segment, wherein the thermoplastic boundary segment is:
 shaped to be more flexible than the surrounding thermoplastic main segment; and/or 
 dimensioned to be more flexible than the surrounding thermoplastic main segment; and/or 
 comprised of a material that is more flexible than a material of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment. 
   
     
     
         2 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein each thermoplastic boundary segment has at least one portion that extends to a height that is higher than a height of all immediately adjacent portions of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment, wherein each height is measured in a direction perpendicularly away from the dorsal side of the glove. 
     
     
         3 . The glove of  claim 2 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, a recess is formed in the thermoplastic rubber element at least between an upper portion of the thermoplastic boundary segment and an upper portion of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment. 
     
     
         4 . The glove of  claim 3 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, the surrounding thermoplastic main segment has a main thickness, and the recess extends downward for at least 40% of the main thickness. 
     
     
         5 . The glove of  claim 4 , wherein the recess extends downward for at least 50% of the main thickness. 
     
     
         6 . The glove of  claim 3 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, a lower portion of the thermoplastic boundary segment is bonded to a lower portion of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment. 
     
     
         7 . The glove of  claim 3 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, the lower portion of the thermoplastic boundary segment is bonded to the lower portion of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment by co-molding. 
     
     
         8 . The glove of  claim 2 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, the at least one portion is configured as a peak formed by a first upwardly angled top edge and a second upwardly angled top edge. 
     
     
         9 . The glove of  claim 8 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, the peak is further formed by a first side wall and a second side wall that angle toward each other when moving upward to the peak. 
     
     
         10 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein a perimeter of each through opening is Y-shaped. 
     
     
         11 . A glove, comprising:
 a glove body in a shape of a hand, the glove body having a palm side and a dorsal side opposite the palm side;   a protective structure on the dorsal side, the protective structure comprising at least one thermoplastic rubber element secured on the dorsal side, the at least one thermoplastic rubber element comprising a base segment and a plurality of elongated finger segments extending from the base segment;   wherein the base segment is located across a base knuckle region of the dorsal side and each finger segment extends along a respective finger region of the dorsal side to a top knuckle region of the respective finger segment;   wherein each finger segment includes a plurality of through openings through which a material forming the glove body is exposed, wherein the plurality of through openings are spaced apart along a length of the finger segment;   wherein at least one through opening of each finger segment is bounded, at least in part, by a thermoplastic boundary segment, wherein each thermoplastic boundary segment is bounded, at least in part, by a surrounding thermoplastic main segment, wherein the thermoplastic boundary segment includes multiple raised sections that are raised relative to the surrounding thermoplastic main segment such that a planar object moving toward the dorsal side of the glove will impact one or more of the raised sections prior to impacting the surrounding thermoplastic main segment.   
     
     
         12 . The glove of  claim 11 , wherein each thermoplastic boundary segment defines a through opening perimeter that is Y-shaped. 
     
     
         13 . The glove of  claim 11 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, a recess is formed in the thermoplastic rubber element at least between an upper portion of the thermoplastic boundary segment and an upper portion of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment. 
     
     
         14 . The glove of  claim 13 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, the surrounding thermoplastic main segment has a main thickness, and the recess extends downward for at least 40% of the main thickness. 
     
     
         15 . The glove of  claim 13 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, a lower portion of the thermoplastic boundary segment is bonded to a lower portion of the surrounding thermoplastic main segment. 
     
     
         16 . The glove of  claim 11 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, each raised section is configured as a peak formed by a first upwardly angled top edge and a second upwardly angled top edge. 
     
     
         17 . The glove of  claim 16 , wherein, for each thermoplastic boundary segment, the peak is further formed by a first side wall and a second side wall that angle toward each other when moving upward to the peak. 
     
     
         18 . A glove, comprising:
 a glove body in a shape of a hand, the glove body having a palm side and a dorsal side opposite the palm side;   a protective structure on the dorsal side, the protective structure comprising at least one thermoplastic rubber element secured on the dorsal side, the at least one thermoplastic rubber element comprising a base segment and a plurality of elongated finger segments extending from the base segment;   wherein the base segment is located across a base knuckle region of the dorsal side and each finger segment extends along a respective finger region of the dorsal side to a top knuckle region of the respective finger segment;   wherein each finger segment includes a plurality of openings, wherein the plurality of openings are spaced apart along a length of the finger segment;   wherein at least one opening of each finger segment is bounded, at least in part, by a thermoplastic boundary segment, wherein each thermoplastic boundary segment is bounded, at least in part, by a surrounding thermoplastic main segment, wherein the thermoplastic boundary segment includes multiple raised sections that are raised relative to the surrounding thermoplastic main segment such that a planar object moving toward the dorsal side of the glove will impact one or more of the raised sections prior to impacting the surrounding thermoplastic main segment.