Fingerless hand garments, for example the Baby Mitt described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,966, have been used to facilitate the dressing of an infant. The baby mitt of the '966 patent is made of one piece of thermoplastic material with welded gathers or pleats at the wrist to prevent self-removal of the mitt by the infant. The mitts are designed to prevent the infant from grabbing hold of the insides of sleeves while the infant is being dressed. The thermoplastic material is not directed to keeping the hand warm and is therefore not suitable for cold weather outdoor use.
Fingerless mittens have also been used as cleaning and polishing cloths, as in the Cleaning and Polishing Mitt described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,505,409. The '409 patent describes a multilayer mitt having two polishing surfaces and a cuff element formed of woven or other wrist engaging material. The outer layers of the mitt are loosely secured to the cuff so that they may be successively removed as the layers become soiled beyond further use. Loosely stitched polishing mitts are not directed to withstand the wear likely to result from active outdoor play.
A fingerless mitten having pouches for receiving packages of heat-transfer material and directed to providing relief to people afflicted with arthritis, poor circulation, and similar medical problems associated with age, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5, 572,744, entitled: Mitten Suitable for Heat Transfer. The packages of heat-transfer material are inserted into the pouches and the mitten is placed in a microwave to heat the material, or in a freezer to cool the material. After sufficient heating or cooling, the mitten is placed on the user's had to provide hours of warmth or cold. With packages of heat-transfer material in the pouches, the '744 patent does not permit full or convenient hand use by the wearer.
Design patents for fingerless mittens have also been issued as shown in Pat. Nos. Des. 397,363 and Des. 377,053, both entitled: Display Garment for the Hand, and as in Des. 380,285 entitled: Fingerless Mitten. The display garments of the '363 and '053 Design patents are typically used at sporting events to signal support for a favorite team. The '285 patent is directed to a costume piece. None of the design patents is directed to a garment that permits convenient hand use.
The present invention is directed to overcoming drawbacks inherent in all fingerless garments, namely the ability to conveniently grasp objects in a normal fashion with opposing thumb, while at the same time providing a garment suited for young children, as well as for people of all ages who have motor control problems or other disabilities associated with the hand for which conventional mittens and gloves are uncomfortable or difficult to put on. For the very young, a hand garment that is not readily pulled off by the child, while at the same time easy and comfortable to put on, and that allows the wearer to grasp a bottle, or a ball, or play in the snow, for example, is desirable. For others, particularly those with disorders that affect hand use or mobility, such as Dupytron's contracture, which bends the fingers into a curl, or Rett Syndrome, in which stereotypic hand movements and loss of purposeful hand use prevent the wearer from cooperating with dressing, it is desirable to have a hand garment that is warm, lightweight, easy to put on, and shaped to comfortably fit the distended or disfunctional hand.