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Endoscopy gloveRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Body Garments, GlovesEndoscopy glove description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070199130, Endoscopy glove. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to gloves. Particularly, the present invention relates to an endoscopy glove used for medical procedures. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] Gloves are worn for a variety of reasons. Gloves can be worn decoratively, for protection, or to improve object handling. As a protective layer, gloves shield the hand from external elements such as temperature, contaminants, sharp materials, and impact forces. To improve object handling, gloves can be contoured to make them more adhesive. [0005] Gloves are worn consistently in the medical profession. They provide a barrier of protection between the patient and doctor to prevent the transmission of infection or contaminants. Typically, medical gloves are pin-hole free to provide an impenetrable barrier of protection to both the patient and the doctor. Medical gloves are also thin to retain tactile sensation and hand dexterity. Invasive procedures are a particular application in which tactile sensation, hand dexterity, and protection are necessary. [0006] Endoscopy is a minimally invasive medical procedure. This is a method which introduces instruments into the body through natural cavities or through small incisions. Degree of care is critical in this type of environment because of the specialized nature of the procedures. For this reason, handling of endoscopic tools is particularly important. Although surgical gloves have been used to perform endoscopic procedures, they suffer from a serious disadvantage. When surgical gloves get wet, as is the case in the presence of body fluids, they loose their gripping capabilities. In fact, they become slippery. The presence of body fluids or liquids between the surgical glove and the endoscopic tool makes the tool slippery and, thus, more difficult to handle. In other words, surgical gloves lack the proper gripping characteristics for handling the endoscope when body fluids are present. [0007] The issue of increased glove grip has been addressed for uses other than in medical procedures and several solutions have been proposed. Several of these devices have been disclosed. [0008] One solution to improving grip is the use of suction cups on a glove. U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,248 (2002, Albert) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,392 (2004, Albert) disclose a control-enhancing material which includes a plurality of recesses, such as suction cups, positioned on the palm portion of a bowling glove. The control-enhancing material is positioned at all or some of the areas on the glove that contact the bowling ball. These areas include the underside of the index, middle, ring, and little fingers as well as the thumb. The control enhancing material works to grip the surface of the bowling ball by a suction force and a friction force. [0009] Another device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,593 (2003, Sajovic) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,403 (2004, Sajovic), disclose a glove comprising a palm, a thumb, at least one finger, and a plurality of suction devices attached to the palm, at least one finger, or both. The suction devices have a Shore A durometer reading from about 20 to about 90. [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,928 (2000, Bourne) discloses a thin elastomeric glove with enhanced gripping surfaces molded into the gripping surfaces of the glove. The enhanced gripping surface is molded into each of the finger and thumb tips and body portions of the glove. The enhanced gripping surface may be comprised of a plurality of concave indentations molded into the gripping surfaces of the glove or a plurality of suction cups molded into the gripping surfaces of the glove. [0011] Another solution to improve grip is the use of a coating adhered to the glove. U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,813 (1985, Johnson) discloses an improved abrasion and cut resistant surface for work gloves, work shoes, and like wearing apparel. The surface of the glove provides a porous surface that is also breathable and has moisture absorbing properties. The surface is a foam surface laminated to a substrate. The foam, prior to lamination, may be foamed using mechanical or chemical means with varying amounts of air depending upon the degree of abrasion resistance required. [0012] U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,612 (1986, Johnson) discloses an improved slip and/or skid resistant surface for work gloves, work shoes, floor coverings in work areas, and the like. The surface has a porous gripping surface which is particularly useful in greasy and oily environments. The surface is a foam surface laminated to a substrate. The foam, prior to lamination, may be foamed with varying amounts of air, through mechanical or chemical means, depending upon the degree of abrasion resistance required. [0013] U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,628 (1992, Herrmann) discloses a glove having a patterned polyurethane coating adhered to the outer surface of the glove to give the glove slip-resistant and gripping properties. The coating is formed from a mixture of a pre-mixed thixotropic component and a cross-linking agent. The coating is applied to the glove as a strip and then cured. [0014] Other prior art devices choose a material more amenable to gripping. U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,484 (1995, Drescher, et al.) discloses a non-slip glove having a front panel cut from a multi-layered laminated, flexible, sheet material where a polymer compound exhibiting a relatively high coefficient of friction is supported upon an inner fabric layer. It has a rear panel of breathable, elastic fabric having a hand-like shape substantially similar to the front panel. There is a cuff secured to the bottom of the front and rear panels and an eyelet lining in the cuff for fastening the glove to a retaining surface to prevent loss. Additionally, there is a light reflective material joined to the rear panel for increasing the visibility of the glove in conditions of low light. [0015] U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,122 (1985 Stanley et al.) discloses a protective glove constructed of shock-absorbent material. The glove pads the critical areas of wrap-around grasp yet permits unimpeded finger tip feel by exposing the distal phalanges. The glove also preserves the normal palmar/dorsal balance of sensation during flexion and extension by covering the palmar curve and dorsal surfaces of the second-innermost joints such that the glove exerts forces on the palmar surface and joints in proportion to the forces caused by normal compression and stretching at those perspective positions on an unprotected hand. [0016] A primary disadvantage to these devices is that they do not retain their gripping action when wet. Another disadvantage of these prior art devices is that increased gripping capabilities are provided at the expense of tactile sensation in the palmar region of the glove. [0017] Therefore, what is needed is a glove that provides improved gripping characteristics. What is also needed is a glove that provides improved gripping characteristics even when wet. What is further needed is a glove that retains sufficient tactile feeling for manipulating medical instruments. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0018] Present day surgical gloves provide the tactile feeling required for surgical procedures. Most surgical procedures, however, expose the gloved hands of the caregiver to body fluids. Body fluids make the surface of the surgical glove slippery, which is especially burdensome when handling medical equipment. [0019] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a glove for use with medical equipment. It is another object of the present invention to provide a glove for use with endoscopic instruments. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a glove which retains its gripping action even when wet, i.e. exposed to body fluids. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a glove that maintains its gripping capabilities when exposed to body fluids and provides sufficient tactile feeling for the intended use. It is another object of the present invention to make a glove that is inexpensive to manufacture. [0020] The present invention achieves these and other objectives by providing an endoscopy glove that maintains its gripping capability when exposed to body fluid while retaining sufficient tactile sensation for handling medical instruments. The material used to provide the gripping capability must also provide absorbency to wick away the wet fluid so that the material retains its gripping characteristics. The endoscopy glove of the present invention may be structured as (1) a complete overglove for use over a surgical glove, (2) an overglove that exposes portions of a surgical glove or (3) a single-use glove that provides gripping action when wet and prevents cross-contamination. [0021] In one embodiment, the endoscopy glove of the present invention includes at least palmar side areas that incorporates a material/fabric having both absorbency, wicking and friction characteristics. The absorbency characteristics enable these at least palmar side areas to absorb and wick away the body fluid that gets on the medical instrument such as, for example, an endoscope and the like, and then transferred to the glove of the user as the user handles the medical instrument. The friction characteristics enable these at least palmar side areas to continue providing the gripping capabilities of the glove even when the glove of the user is exposed to the transferred body fluids, i.e. even when wet. [0022] In another embodiment of the present invention, the endoscopy glove includes a body portion, a finger covering portion and a thumb covering. The body portion has a palmar surface and a dorsal surface. The palmar surface has areas with material/fabric that provide the absorbency, wicking and friction characteristics disclosed above. The finger covering portion includes an index finger covering and a remaining finger covering portion. The index finger covering has a tactile portion that does not have the gripping-when-wet characteristics of the palmar surface of the body portion. The tactile portion of the index finger may optionally be limited to the palmar side. Continue reading about Endoscopy glove... Full patent description for Endoscopy glove Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Endoscopy glove patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Endoscopy glove or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Support structure for forced air cooling vest Next Patent Application: Fingertip flexor glove Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Endoscopy glove patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.13156 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry 174 |
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