The disclosed technology relates to a grip for hand-held tools. More particularly, to a grip for hand-held tools that promotes thumb opposition, e.g., a pinch grasp.
Thumb opposition refers to the ability to turn and rotate the thumb so that it can touch each fingertip of the same hand. Children begin to develop thumb rotation to form a spherical grip between their first and second year of life. The thumb begins to develop a better ability to rotate and oppose the other fingers. For a variety of reasons, many children lack the thumb stability for sustaining the thumb in a partially bent position when using writing and drawing tools. Often, they have difficulty holding implements between the tip of the thumb and opposing fingertips, e.g., a tip of an index finger. Children, sometimes, substitute thumb opposition by pulling the thumb straight up beside the index finger or wrapped over other fingers when writing and drawing. This substitution requires the use of stronger hand muscles which in turn causes hand fatigue and difficulty controlling the amount of pressure needed for writing with a pencil or crayon. Penmanship is less precise and work product may be messy.
Additionally, as people age due to medical factors, muscle deterioration and other aging processes, it becomes difficult for older people to grasp handheld tools. In some cases, older people can only use the tool for short periods of time before fatigue sets in. This also hold true with people with certain disabilities.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds