Technical knit glove

Abstract

A glove formed of a knitted first panel conforming to at least a portion of one of a front or a back of the glove, the knitted first panel comprising four finger portions including a respective front or a back of the fingers, both sides of each of the fingers and the fingertips of each of the fingers integrally formed of a knitted material without seams, and a second panel conforming to at least a portion of the other of the front or back of the glove. The glove of the present invention is made using a flat knitting machine and the knitted first panel can comprise different yams or knittable materials that may impart different characteristics to the glove depending upon the end use or desired appearance, e.g., abrasion resistance, durability, wind protection, texture, color and the like, without a seam.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A glove comprising:
 a. a knitted first panel conforming to at least a portion of one of a front or a back of the glove, the knitted first panel comprising four fingers including a respective front or a back of the fingers, both sides of each of the fingers and the fingertips of each of the fingers formed from a knitted material without seams; and,   b. a second panel conforming to at least a portion of the other of the front or back of the glove.   
     
     
         2 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein the knitted first panel further comprises at least a portion of a thumb. 
     
     
         3 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein each of the  4  fingers comprise at least one transition junction forming a change of direction in the knitted material without a seam. 
     
     
         4 . The glove of  claim 3  wherein the transition junction forms a change of direction of substantially 90°. 
     
     
         5 . The glove of  claim 1  further comprising a wrist cuff attached to or formed integral to at least one of the knitted first panel and second panel. 
     
     
         6 . The glove of  claim 5  wherein the wrist cuff comprises cooperating closure members. 
     
     
         7 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein the second panel is comprised of a material taken from the group consisting of a knit material, a woven material, a leather, a polymer material, an elastomeric material, a fleece material, a fiber material, a coated material, a laminated material, a softshell material and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein different portions of the knitted first panel are formed of different yarns or fibers. 
     
     
         9 . The glove of  claim 2  wherein said thumb portion is seamlessly joined to said knitted first panel. 
     
     
         10 . The glove of  claim 1  wherein the knitted first panel further comprises one or more protective and/or decorative elements. 
     
     
         11 . The glove of  claim 1  farther comprising an insert. 
     
     
         12 . A method of making a glove comprising
 a. forming a knitted first panel conforming to one of at least a portion of a front or a back of the glove with a flat knitting machine, the first panel comprising four fingers including a respective front or a back of the fingers, both sides of each of the fingers and the fingertips of each of the fingers formed from a knitted material without seams; and,   b. joining a second panel conforming to the other of the front or back of the glove with said first panel.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the knitted first panel and second panel are joined by knitting, sewing, stitching, adhesives, heat sealing and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising forming a wrist cuff independently of the knitted first panel and the second panel and joining the wrist cuff to at least one of the knitted first panel and the second panel. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising forming a wrist cuff integrally with at least one of the knitted first panel and the second panel. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  where the wrist cuff comprises opposed ends, further comprising the step of attaching cooperating closure members on the opposed ends. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  where the wrist cuff comprises opposed ends, further comprising the step of attaching cooperating closure members on the opposed ends. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the wrist cuff is formed independently of the knitted first panel and the second panel and attached to at least one of the knitted first panel and the second panel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of forming the knitted first panel comprises forming different portions with different yarns. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of forming the knitted first panel comprises forming one or more protective and/or decorative elements on the knitted first panel. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of forming the knitted first panel comprises seamlessly forming a thumb portion. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising joining an insert to an interior of the glove formed by joining the knitted first panel and the second panel.