Quilted insulating diving glove

Abstract

A diving glove includes quilted material defining a plurality of pockets. Each of the pockets is filled with aerogel beads. The glove may be worn underneath a waterproof layer in a dry diving suit. The glove includes multiple seams dividing the pockets. The seams are located to maintain a distribution of beads across the glove that effectively insulates the wearer's hand and prevents the beads from impeding the wearer's manual dexterity. The glove includes a web portion extending across a back side of the fingers. The web portion can be used to create an enclosed space for insulating the wearer's fingers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A glove comprising:
 quilted material defining a plurality of pockets and shaped to receive a hand of a wearer; and   aerogel beads filling each pocket in the plurality of pockets.   
     
     
         2 . The glove of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of pockets collectively extends across at least 75% of an exterior of the glove, and   the exterior of the glove is configured to enclose an entirety of the hand of the wearer distal of a wrist of the wearer.   
     
     
         3 . The glove of  claim 1 , comprising:
 four fingers configured to receive an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger of the wearer; and   a web portion extending across a back side of the four fingers.   
     
     
         4 . The glove of  claim 3 , wherein the web portion includes at least one of the pockets among the plurality of pockets. 
     
     
         5 . The glove of  claim 4 , wherein:
 each of the four fingers includes a front side opposite the web portion, and   a sum total quantity of the aerogel beads contained in the front sides of the four fingers is less than two thirds the quantity of the aerogel beads contained in the web portion.   
     
     
         6 . The glove of  claim 4 , comprising:
 a back portion configured to cover a back of the hand of the wearer;   a wrist portion located proximally of the back portion and a palm portion and configured to enclose a wrist of the wearer; and   a thumb portion configured to receive a thumb of the wearer;   wherein a sum total quantity of the aerogel beads contained in the back portion and the web portion is more than half of a sum total quantity of the aerogel beads contained by the glove outside of the thumb portion and distally of the wrist portion.   
     
     
         7 . The glove of  claim 6 , wherein the glove contains between 110 grams and 130 grams of the aerogel beads outside of the thumb portion and distally of the wrist portion. 
     
     
         8 . The glove of  claim 3 , wherein any one or any combination of the four fingers extend distally beyond a distal end of the web portion. 
     
     
         9 . The glove of  claim 3 , wherein each of the four fingers is defined at least partially by a respective piece of quilted material attached to the web portion. 
     
     
         10 . The glove of  claim 1 , comprising a palm portion configured to cover a palm of the wearer, the palm portion including multiple pockets among the plurality of pockets. 
     
     
         11 . The glove of  claim 10 , comprising:
 a thumb portion enclosing a cavity configured to receive a thumb of the wearer;   a digital seam separating the thumb portion from the palm portion; and   a thenar seam extending in an arc across the palm portion from a point located at a medial edge of the palm portion distal of the cavity to a proximal edge of the palm portion and separating at least one of the pockets of the palm portion from another of the pockets of the palm portion.   
     
     
         12 . The glove of  claim 11 , comprising a transverse seam extending from the point to a lateral edge of the palm portion and separating at least one of the pockets of the palm portion from another of the pockets of the palm portion. 
     
     
         13 . The glove of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a palm portion configured to cover a palm of the hand of the wearer and including at least one pocket among the plurality of pockets;   fingers each including at least one pocket among the plurality of pockets and configured to receive a respective one of an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger of the wearer;   a thumb portion configured to receive a thumb of the wearer and including at least one pocket among the plurality of pockets;   a first digital seam separating the at least one pocket of the thumb portion from the at least one pocket of the palm portion; and   at least a second digital seam separating the pockets of the fingers from the at least one pocket of the palm portion.   
     
     
         14 . The glove of  claim 13 , wherein any one or any combination of the thumb portion and the fingers of the glove includes at least a proximal pocket and a distal pocket separated by an intradigital seam located distally of one of the digital seams. 
     
     
         15 . A diving suit comprising:
 a first glove comprising:
 quilted material defining a plurality of pockets and shaped to receive a hand of a wearer; 
 aerogel beads filling each pocket in the plurality of pockets; and 
   a second, waterproof glove enclosing the first glove.   
     
     
         16 . The diving suit of  claim 15 , comprising multiple quilted articles defining additional pockets, wherein each of the additional pockets is filled with additional aerogel beads. 
     
     
         17 . A glove comprising:
 a palm portion configured to cover a palm of a wearer's hand;   a back portion configured to cover a back of the wearer's hand;   fingers extending distally of the palm portion and the back portion and configured to receive fingers of the wearer; and   a web portion extending distally of the back portion and across a back side of the fingers;   wherein the palm portion, back portion, fingers, and web portion are all constructed of quilted material defining pockets filled with beads.   
     
     
         18 . The glove of  claim 17 , further comprising a waterproof layer outside of the quilted material. 
     
     
         19 . The glove of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a wrist portion extending proximally from the palm portion and the back portion, the wrist portion:   configured to enclose a wrist of the wearer, and   constructed of quilted material defining wrist portion pockets filled with beads, the wrist portion pockets being separated from the pockets of the palm portion and the back portion such that the beads are prevented from traveling to the wrist portion from the palm portion or the back portion.   
     
     
         20 . The glove of  claim 17 , wherein the beads are aerogel beads.