# US 2016/0249694 A1 · Hand protection and covering > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0249694 A1 - Document ID: US20160249694A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/051,242 - Filed: 2016-02-23 - Published: 2016-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-27 - Assignees: Hand Out Gloves LLC - Applicants: Hand Out Gloves LLC - Inventors: Jake L. Sullivan; Donahue Wildman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160249694A1 ## CPC - A41D 19/01: with undivided covering for all four fingers, i.e. mittens ({A41D19/0055}, A41D19/015 take precedence) - A41D 19/0013: {with openings, e.g. for the nails or for exposing jewellery} - A41D 19/0017: {with slits for the fingers or part of the hand} - A41D 19/0048: {with cuff securing features} - A41D: OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES ## Abstract A hand covering configured to enclose a human hand, having a dorsal side and a palm side is disclosed. The hand covering comprises a wrist portion and a hand portion. In some embodiments, the hand portion includes at least one digit receptacle and a thumb receptacle. In certain embodiments, an arcuate opening may be formed in the dorsal side of the hand covering extending from a lateral portion of the hand covering positioned opposite the thumb receptacle, across the dorsal side of the hand covering, and to the thumb receptacle. A closure fastener may be operably attached to the arcuate opening and configured to open and close the arcuate opening such that a user can remove a thumb and digit from the hand portion without moving the wrist portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hand covering having a dorsal side and a palm side and comprising: a wrist portion for encompassing at least a portion of a wrist of a user; a hand portion comprising a digit receptacle and a thumb receptacle, wherein the thumb receptacle is located on the palm side at or near a thumb side of the hand covering; an arcuate opening extending from at or near a lateral side across the dorsal side and to the thumb receptacle, wherein the lateral side comprises a side of the hand covering opposite the thumb side; a closure fastener operably attached to the arcuate opening and configured to open and close the arcuate opening, wherein, in an open configuration, the user can remove a thumb and one or more digits from the hand portion without removing the wrist portion from a wrist of the user; and a structural member disposed proximate to at least a portion of the arcuate opening configured to enable the user to open and close the arcuate opening without substantially altering a curvature of the arcuate opening. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the thumb receptacle has a thumb receptacle width and the arcuate opening extends from the lateral portion to the thumb receptacle and across substantially an entire width of the thumb receptacle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the arcuate opening has a curvature corresponding to a natural shape of a user's knuckles. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein, in the open configuration, the palm side comprises a flexible portion configured to allow the hand portion of the hand covering to be flexed relatively to the wrist portion to move away from the user's thumb and digits. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the structural member comprises a material that is more rigid or inflexible than one or more other areas of the hand covering. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The hand covering of claim 5, wherein the material comprises at least one of a metal material, a plastic material, a rubber material, a leather material, a U-shaped material, an L-shaped material, a T-shaped material, and a hollow material. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The hand covering of claim 5, wherein the structural member comprises one or more of an increased padding density and one or more additional padding layers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The hand covering of claim 5, wherein the structural member is integral to the closure fastener. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the arcuate opening extends from the lateral side to a portion of the thumb receptacle approximately corresponding to a location of a metacarpophalangeal joint of the user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the arcuate opening extends from the lateral portion to a portion of the thumb receptacle approximately corresponding to a location of a carpometacarpal joint of the user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the arcuate opening extends from the lateral portion to a portion of the thumb receptacle, and wherein the arcuate opening extends across the thumb receptacle from a point approximately corresponding to a metacarpophalangeal joint of the user to a point approximately corresponding to a carpometacarpal joint of the user. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the wrist portion further comprises an extended cuff portion, wherein the extended cuff portion extends at least to about a distal radio-ulnar joint of the user. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the wrist portion comprises a frictional material configured to inhibit movement between the wrist portion and protective equipment of the user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the wrist portion comprises a frictional material configured to inhibit movement between the wrist portion and the wrist of the user. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the closure fastener further comprises an oversized tab attached to the closure fastener and configured to enable the user to grasp and manipulate the closure fastener while an opposite hand of the user is disposed in a separate hand covering. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, further comprising a securing device operatively coupled to the wrist portion and configured to selectively secure the hand portion to the wrist portion when the arcuate opening is in an open configuration. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, further comprising a flexible material at the arcuate opening. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, further comprising an inner insert disposed within the hand covering, and wherein the inner insert comprises an opening matching a shape of the arcuate opening to allow the insert to be removed from the hand of the user. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the closure fastener provides a substantially watertight seal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, wherein the closure fastener is selected from a group consisting of a zipper, a magnetic fastener, a hook-and-loop fastener, a clasp, a button, a cord, a snap, or an overlapping flap of a hand covering material. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The hand covering of claim 1, further comprising a securing device operatively coupled to the wrist portion and configured to create a seal around a user's wrist such that the wrist portion remains on the wrist when the arcuate opening is opened and the user removes the thumb and digit from the hand portion. ### Claim 22 A hand covering configured to enclose a user's hand, the hand covering having a dorsal side and a palm side and comprising: a wrist portion for encompassing at least a portion of a wrist of a user; a hand portion comprising a digit receptacle and a thumb receptacle, wherein the thumb receptacle is located on a palm side at or near a thumb side of the hand covering; an arcuate opening formed on the dorsal side and extending from at or near a lateral side to the thumb receptacle and across substantially an entire width of the thumb receptacle, wherein the lateral side comprises a side of the hand covering opposite the thumb side; and a closure fastener operably attached to the arcuate opening and configured to open and close the arcuate opening, wherein, in an open configuration, the user can remove a thumb and one or more digits from the hand portion without moving the wrist portion from a wrist of the user; wherein a material neighboring the arcuate opening is configured to enable the user to open and close the arcuate opening without substantially altering a curvature of the arcuate opening. ### Claim 23 A method of enclosing a user's hand while providing selective access to objects by a user's bare digits and thumb, the method comprising: enclosing the user's hand with a hand covering, the hand covering having a dorsal side and a palm side and including a wrist portion and a hand portion; opening a closure device operably attached to an arcuate opening formed in the dorsal side of the hand covering between the hand portion and the wrist portion; parting the hand covering at the opening to expose the fingers and thumb of the user while maintaining coverage of a dorsal portion of the user's hand; wherein the arcuate opening extends from a lateral portion of the hand covering across the dorsal side of the hand covering and to a thumb receptacle formed in the hand portion; and wherein the hand covering further comprises an additional padding at the arcuate opening configured to enable the user to selectively open and close the arcuate opening without substantially altering a curvature of the arcuate opening.