Hand utility interface

Abstract

The present invention provides, inter alia, a hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface having a finger tip-receiving recess formed therein in the upper surface thereof at a location that is proximate a front edge/distal end of the hand utility interface substantially forward of at least one of the finger members or channels whereby the user may insert a finger tip into the recess to press the hand utility interface down firmly against a target surface at the front/distal end of the hand utility interface. This arrangement enhances control when the device is used to sand or otherwise treat surfaces of target objects in corners/regions that are otherwise enclosed and awkward to access. In other aspects the interface body is provided with a skirt to protect the user from fluids; or with a front that is angled tapering towards a forward-most point whereby the media may ride up the walls of the tapering front. In a yet further aspect the interface has a reservoir for a treatment fluid, the reservoir being separable from the hand utility interface and formed as a vessel with a compressible concertina-form perimeter wall.

1 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface having a finger tip-receiving recess formed therein in the upper surface thereof at a location that is proximate a front edge/distal end of the hand utility interface substantially forward of at least one of the finger members or channels whereby the user may insert a finger tip into the recess to press the hand utility interface down firmly against a target surface at the front/distal end of the hand utility interface. 
     
     
         2 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the recess is located in a region that is to the right or to the left of the hand utility interface. 
     
     
         3 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the recess is located at or near a right or left front corner of the hand utility interface. 
     
     
         4 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hand utility interface has at least two finger-tip receiving recesses, one to the left and one to the right of the hand utility interface. 
     
     
         5 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the recess has a front wall/face and a rear wall/face whereby when a fingertip is inserted into the recess the hand utility interface may be pressed and moved back and forth by the fingertip. 
     
     
         6 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the recess is substantially circular as viewed in plan whereby the recess may securely accommodate a fingertip to enable the hand utility interface to be readily pressed and moved back and forth or laterally by a fingertip inserted into the recess. 
     
     
         7 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hand utility interface has at least one medial finger channel or member and two lateral finger channels or members and the least one finger tip-receiving recess is located directly forward of the tip of one of the lateral finger channels or members. 
     
     
         8 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hand utility interface has at least one medial finger channel or member and two lateral finger channels or members and outer sidewalls of the lateral finger channels are substantially absent. 
     
     
         9 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hand utility interface body has a raised/domed palm portion extending proximally beyond the proximal end of the finger channels to overlie the user's palm . 
     
     
         10 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hand utility interface body has a utility media substrate such as an abrasive cloth, sheet or pad demountably mounted to its underside in use. 
     
     
         11 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the utility media substrate is an uncut rectangular sheet. 
     
     
         12 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the utility media substrate is a narrower standard abrasive width or less. 
     
     
         13 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hand utility interface body has a mounting substrate layer that is provided on, and suitably bonded to, the underside of the hand utility interface body and which has a plurality of minute hooks to co-operatively engage with the backing of common abrasive utility media substrates. 
     
     
         14 . A hand utility interface as claimed  claim 13  wherein the minute hooks are minute lugs with heads. 
     
     
         15 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the finger tip-receiving recess is located in a position where the user can reach it and insert their index finger tip without disengaging the rest of the hand and fingers from the finger channels/members. 
     
     
         16 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface further having a reservoir for a treatment fluid, the reservoir being separable from the hand utility interface and formed as a vessel with a compressible concertina-form perimeter wall, wherein the vessel is open-topped and capped by a demountable lid that has apertures to dispense the treatment fluid contents of the vessel. 
     
     
         17 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein concertina-form perimeter wall of the vessel converges to a neck at the top of the vessel and the demountable lid is formed with first co-operative engagement means to securely engage with complementary second co-operative engagement means provided on the neck. 
     
     
         18 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the first and second co-operative engagement means comprise mating screw threads. 
     
     
         19 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the upper face of the lid provides a docking receptacle into which the hand utility interface body may dock and be held against lateral displacement. 
     
     
         20 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the docking receptacle comprises a recess into the lid and or an upstanding perimeter wall or substantially opposing wall sections or flanges on the lid that constrain the hand utility interface body against lateral displacement. 
     
     
         21 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the hand utility interface body has media on the underside thereof to receive and apply the treatment fluid and the docking receptacle comprises a recess into the lid and or an upstanding perimeter wall that surrounds and substantially encloses the media when the hand utility interface body is docked therein. 
     
     
         22 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the docking receptacle comprises substantially opposing wall sections or flanges on the lid that extend up above any media on the hand utility interface body to constrain side walls of the hand utility interface body. 
     
     
         23 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the hand utility interface body has opposing sidewalls the outer faces of which are substantially straight/planar and the opposing upstanding walls or flanges of the lid have inner faces which are correspondingly substantially straight/planar whereby the walls or flanges serve to constrain the body against lateral or rotational movement relative to the vessel when the body is docked in use. 
     
     
         24 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the concertina-form perimeter wall of the vessel comprises less than four concertina elements. 
     
     
         25 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the concertina-form perimeter wall of the vessel comprises concertina elements wherein the angle between the pair of wall sections of each concertina element, when the concertina-form perimeter wall is in an un-compressed state, is greater than 20°. 
     
     
         26 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the hand utility interface body has only three finger channels and no significant palm part extending proximally beyond the proximal end of the finger channels to overlie the user's palm and thereby is very compact to facilitate docking to the lid. 
     
     
         27 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface further having a reservoir for a treatment fluid, the reservoir being separable from the hand utility interface body and formed as a vessel with a compressible concertina-form perimeter wall, the vessel having a top with apertures to dispense the treatment fluid contents of the vessel, wherein the top is further provided with a docking receptacle into which the hand utility interface body may dock and be held against lateral displacement. 
     
     
         28 . A reservoir for a hand utility interface, the reservoir being mountable to a hand utility interface and formed as a vessel with a compressible concertina-form perimeter wall, wherein the vessel is open-topped and capped by a demountable lid that has apertures dispense the treatment fluid contents of the vessel, the demountable lid being provided with a docking receptacle into which a hand utility interface body may dock and be held against lateral displacement. 
     
     
         29 . A hand utility interface, comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, wherein the hand utility interface body has only three finger channels and no significant palm part extending proximally beyond the proximal end of the finger channels to overlie the user's palm. 
     
     
         30 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface body having a front that is angled tapering towards a forward-most point whereby the front of the body is wedge-shaped as viewed in plan, the interface body further having a utility media on the underside thereof in use, wherein the utility media extends beyond the front of the body whereby the media may ride up the walls of the tapering front. 
     
     
         31 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the utility media substrate is a circular disc and whereby it has frontal segments that extend beyond the body at the zones where the front of the body tapers. 
     
     
         32 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the utility media substrate is a sanding or polishing sheet or pad. 
     
     
         33 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the utility media substrate is a circular sanding or polishing disc. 
     
     
         34 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the front of the hand utility interface body tapers to a forward-most point that is substantially central transversely across the body, the hand utility interface body is axi-symmetric, the forward-most point being substantially coincident with the axis of symmetry of the hand utility interface body and the wedge shaped front being axi-symmetrical also. 
     
     
         35 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the the body is generally circular in foot-print, ie in shape as viewed in plan, corresponding to the circular shape of the utility media circular disc and is of substantially the same diameter. 
     
     
         36 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein a rear extension of the body is provided that preferably extends from the rear edge of the body to serve as a support surface for the heel of the user's hand in use. 
     
     
         37 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the utility media substrate is demountably mounted to the underside of the hand utility interface body by use of a mounting substrate layer that is provided on the underside of the hand utility interface body. 
     
     
         38 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the mounting substrate layer for mounting the utility media substrate to the hand utility interface body comprises a sheet that has a plurality of minute hooks to engage velour-backed/loose woven-backed utility media substrate/discs or minute lugs with heads to co-operatively engage with loose woven-backed or open cell foam-backed utility media substrate/discs. 
     
     
         39 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface body having, or being adapted to have releasably mounted thereto, a utility media on the underside thereof, wherein the utility media is a circular sanding or polishing disc of the type that is widely commercially available for use with powered rotary head tools such as rotary sanders/disc sanders. 
     
     
         40 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 39 , wherein the body has an approximately circular shape as viewed in plan and a diameter to substantially fit to a said disc. 
     
     
         41 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface body having a utility media on the underside thereof, wherein the utility media is demountably mounted to the underside by a mounting substrate on the underside, the mounting substrate comprising a sheet that has a plurality of minute hooks to engage velour-backed/loose woven-backed utility media substrate/discs or minute lugs with heads to co-operatively engage with loose woven-backed or open cell foam-backed utility media substrate/discs. 
     
     
         42 . A hand utility interface comprising a body having a plurality of finger members or channels each sized and shaped to receive one finger of the user's hand, wherein the user's hand is releasably gripped by the hand utility interface when the fingers of the hand are inserted into the members or channels, the interface body having in use on the underside thereof a foam pad or other media for applying, or working in, a treatment fluid to a target object, wherein the interface body is provided with a skirt extending from a perimeter of the body to shield the hand of the user from treatment fluid carried by the foam pad or other media. 
     
     
         43 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 42 , wherein the skirt extends upwardly, or downwardly to a level that at least partially covers the sides of the foam pad or other media. 
     
     
         44 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 42 , wherein the skirt is formed from the interface body by a perimeter flange that extends outwardly from the interface body beyond the perimeter of the foam pad or other media. 
     
     
         45 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 44  wherein the perimeter flange that extends outwardly then turns downwardly and/or upwardly. 
     
     
         46 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 45 , wherein the perimeter flange turns downwardly at an angle in an arc or curve or a straight line. 
     
     
         47 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 46 , wherein the angle of the turn is substantially less than 90°, thereby defining a bevelled edge to the hand utility interface body. 
     
     
         48 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 43 , wherein the skirt extends downwardly from the perimeter of the body to a level that is below the level of the whole of the rest of the body. 
     
     
         49 . A hand utility interface as claimed in  claim 43 , wherein the skirt extends downwardly from the perimeter of the body to a level that substantially fully covers the sides of the foam pad or other media when the foam pad or other media is compressed hard against a target object in use.