U.S. patent application number 09/898632 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-06 for aloe vera glove and manufaturing method.
Invention is credited to Chou, Belle L..
Application Number | 20010048937 09/898632 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23105605 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010048937 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chou, Belle L. |
December 6, 2001 |
Aloe vera glove and manufaturing method
Abstract
A moisturizing and therapeutic glove is disclosed which includes
a thin layer of Aloe Vera coated evenly and uniformly on an inside
surface of the glove. Aloe Vera is attached to the surface through
a dehydration process achieved with a controlled drying method.
Aloe Vera soothes hand during the wearing of the glove.
Inventors: |
Chou, Belle L.; (Union City,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Otto O. Lee, Esq.
Intellectual Property Law Group, LLP
Twelfth Floor
12 South First Street
San Jose
CA
95113
US
|
Family ID: |
23105605 |
Appl. No.: |
09/898632 |
Filed: |
July 3, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09898632 |
Jul 3, 2001 |
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09288067 |
Apr 7, 1999 |
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6274154 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
424/443 ;
424/744; 442/123 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 442/2525 20150401;
B29C 71/0009 20130101; A61L 2300/452 20130101; A41D 31/305
20190201; A61B 42/60 20160201; A61L 31/005 20130101; A41D 19/0058
20130101; A41D 2400/52 20130101; A61L 2300/606 20130101; A41D
2400/32 20130101; A61B 42/00 20160201; A61L 31/16 20130101; A41D
19/0055 20130101; A61L 2300/30 20130101; B29C 41/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
424/443 ;
424/744; 442/123 |
International
Class: |
A61K 035/78; A61K
009/70 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An article comprising: a disposable examination glove; and a
coat of 100% Aloe Vera disposed on an interior surface of the
disposable examination glove, wherein an affiliation force between
the Aloe Vera and the interior surface was provided by dehydration,
and the coat contacts a hand during donning of the disposable
examination glove onto the hand.
2. The article of claim 1, wherein heating contributed to the
dehydration.
3. The article of claim 1, wherein the coat of 100% Aloe Vera is
evenly distributed on the interior surface.
4. A disposable examination glove comprising: a) only a single
layer of a flexible material forming a cavity to receive a hand;
and b) a coat of Aloe Vera on an inner surface of the layer of the
flexible material, wherein the Aloe Vera contacts the hand during
donning of the disposable examination glove.
5. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein the coat of
Aloe Vera comprises dehydrated Aloe Vera that was dehydrated from a
solution containing 100% Aloe Vera gel and water.
6. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein an
affiliation force between the coat of Aloe Vera and the flexible
material is due to dehydration.
7. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein the layer
of the flexible material is made of natural rubber latex.
8. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein the layer
of the flexible material is made of acrylonitrile.
9. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein the Aloe
Vera is evenly distributed on the flexible material.
10. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein the coat
of Aloe Vera has thickness of about 0.01 mm.
11. The disposable examination glove of claim 4, wherein the coat
of Aloe Vera has thickness that is about {fraction (1/16)} of the
thickness of the layer of the flexible material.
12. A disposable examination glove comprising: a) only a single
layer of a flexible material forming a cavity to receive a hand;
and b) a quantity of dehydrated Aloe Vera on an inner surface of
the layer of the flexible material, wherein the Aloe Vera is
attached to the flexible material through dehydration, and the Aloe
Vera contacts the hand during donning of the disposable examination
glove.
13. The disposable examination glove of claim 12, wherein the Aloe
Vera is evenly distributed on the flexible material.
14. The disposable examination glove of claim 12, wherein heating
contributed to the dehydration.
15. A glove product for protecting and soothing a hand during an
application of the glove comprising: (a) a disposable glove that is
made of natural rubber latex; and (b) a quantity of Aloe Vera,
wherein the quantity of 100% Aloe Vera remains attached to a
surface of the glove due to a force provided by dehydration of the
Aloe Vera, and during an application of the glove product, the Aloe
Vera is in direct contact with the hand.
16. The glove product of claim 15, wherein the quantity of Aloe
Vera is evenly and uniformly attached to the surface of the
glove.
17. The glove product of claim 15, wherein the Aloe Vera forms a
layer with thickness of about 0.01 mm.
18. The glove product of claim 15, wherein the Aloe Vera forms a
layer with a thickness that is about {fraction (1/16)} of the
thickness of the natural rubber latex.
19. The glove product of claim 15, wherein heating contributed to
the dehydration.
20. A glove product for protecting and soothing a hand during an
application of the glove comprising: (a) a disposable glove that is
made of natural rubber latex; (b) a coating comprising Aloe Vera
and no detectable oil-based substance, the coating being attached
to a surface of the glove, such that during an application of the
glove product, the Aloe Vera is in direct contact with the
hand.
21. The glove product of claim 20 wherein the coating was attached
to the surface of the glove through dehydration.
22. An article for protecting a hand, the article comprising: a
glove that is without any porous layer; and a quantity of
dehydrated Aloe Vera on a surface of the glove, wherein an
affiliation force between the dehydrated Aloe Vera and the surface
was provided through dehydration, and, during donning of the
article onto the hand, the dehydrated Aloe Vera is in contact with
the hand.
23. The article of claim 22, wherein the glove is without any layer
of absorbent material.
24. The article of claim 22, wherein the dehydration included
heating the Aloe Vera and the glove.
25. The article of claim 22, wherein the glove comprises a glove
made of a resinous material or a polymer material.
26. The article of claim 22, wherein the glove comprises a glove
made of natural rubber latex.
27. The article of claim 22, wherein the glove is a disposable
examination glove.
28. An article for protecting a hand, the article comprising: a
glove that is without any porous layer; and a preparation including
Aloe Vera and no detectable oil-based substances on a surface of
the glove, wherein the Aloe Vera is in a dehydrated state, and,
during donning of the article, the Aloe Vera is in direct contact
with the hand.
29. The article of claim 28, wherein the glove is a disposable
examination glove.
30. The article of claim 28, wherein an affiliation force between
the Aloe Vera and the surface was provided through dehydration.
31. The article of claim 30, wherein heating contributed to the
dehydration.
32. An article for protecting a hand, the article comprising: a
glove that is without any layer of absorbent material; and a
coating of 100% Aloe Vera on a surface of the glove, wherein,
during donning of the article, the Aloe Vera is in direct contact
with the hand.
33. The article of claim 32, wherein the glove comprises a glove
made of vinyl.
34. The article of claim 32, wherein the glove comprises a glove
made of polyvinyl chloride.
35. The article of claim 32, wherein the Aloe Vera forms a layer
with thickness of about 0.01 mm.
36. The article of claim 32, wherein the glove includes a glove
wall, and the Aloe Vera forms a layer with a thickness that is
about {fraction (1/16)} of the thickness of the glove wall.
37. An article for protecting a hand, the article comprising: a
glove that is without any layer of absorbent material; and a
quantity of Aloe Vera on a surface of the glove, wherein the
quantity of Aloe Vera is attached to the glove through dehydration,
and, during donning of the article, the Aloe Vera is in direct
contact with the hand.
38. The article of claim 37, wherein the dehydration comprises
heating the glove and Aloe Vera gel on the glove.
39. The article of claim 37, wherein the quantity of Aloe Vera
consists 100% of dehydrated Aloe Vera.
40. The article of claim 37, wherein the glove is a disposable
examination glove.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] The present application is a continuation application of
commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/288,067, filed
Apr. 7, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention relates generally to hand care products, and
specifically relates to applying Aloe Vera on the inner surface of
disposable gloves to protect and soothe the hands during and after
application of disposable gloves.
[0003] Disposable gloves are widely used as a protective measure to
insulate hands from the objects handled by the wearer of gloves. To
allow ease in handling objects, disposable gloves are made of thin
and elastic material to minimize the space between the skin and the
glove. Due to poor air circulation resulting from tight insulation,
hand sweating is a common problem among glove wearers. Prolonged
wearing of disposable gloves causes a moist environment on the
surface of the hand that allows viruses, bacteria, yeast, and
fungus to grow and multiply. Itchiness is a frequent result of
wearing disposable examination gloves for extended periods.
[0004] Powders are commonly used on the inner surface of gloves to
alleviate sweating and to make donning, wearing and removal of
gloves easier. However, continuous sweating can easily overwhelm
the thin layer of powder that is commonly attached to the surface
of the glove. This is especially the case when continuous and
frequent wearing of gloves is required. For example, dentists may
continuously wear gloves during a dental surgical procedure for up
to 40 minutes. In addition, hand washing is necessary after the use
of powdered gloves. Frequent hand washing to remove powders may
also cause excess dryness of the skin.
[0005] The need for disposable gloves that can prevent adverse side
effects caused by extensive use is apparent. Various patents
disclose different types of gloves that contain lotions. During
glove use the lotions come into contact human skin and condition
the skins. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,202 discloses a
moisturizing glove that contains a middle layer saturated with
lotion. The porous inner layer allows the lotion to pass through
and contact the skin. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,186,445 and 4,185,330
disclose gloves that have inner lining made of a lotion absorbent
material. By impregnating the lotion onto the absorbent material,
the lotion can condition the hands during application of the
gloves.
[0006] A common feature of the above disclosures is the use of
multiple layers in the glove design. Compared to single layer
disposable gloves, the complex design of multiple layer gloves
makes production far more costly. Most importantly, the thickness
of the layers and the complicated structures of the gloves hinder
hand flexibility when the glove wearer tries to pick up and
manipulate objects. Such multiple layer designs are suitable for
moisturizing hands, but are not suitable for manipulating objects,
especially for professions that require handling of fine tasks with
precision.
[0007] Disposable gloves are generally made of three types of
materials: natural rubber latex, acrylonitrile, and polyvinyl
chloride. Natural rubber latex is sensitive to oil-based
substances. Prolonged contact between latex and oil-based substance
can adversely affect durability and flexibility of the latex
material. Most commercially available lotions contain oil-based
substances. The use of lotions in prior arts will substantially
shorten the shelf life of a natural rubber glove.
[0008] There is therefore a need for low cost disposable gloves
that can apply moisturizing and therapeutic substances to the hands
during the glove use without leaving a greasy feel or look to the
skin, while at the same time, retain the characteristics and
functions of conventional single layer gloves.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention satisfies these needs. This invention
is a novel disposable glove with Aloe Vera uniformly applied to the
inner surface of the glove through a dehydration process, and a
method for making such a glove.
[0010] One object of this invention is to condition and soothe the
hands during glove use.
[0011] Another object of this invention is to produce a glove that
is equivalent to a single layer glove in the user's ability to pick
up and manipulate objects.
[0012] Still another object of this invention is to prevent growth
of bacteria, viruses, yeast and fungi on the hands, which become
more active in a wet environment resulting from sweating during
prolonged or frequent wearing of gloves.
[0013] A related object is to cause the anti-microbial substance to
dissociate and release from the glove surface in response to the
degree of wetness of hand.
[0014] A further object is to preserve the shelf life of glove by
using natural non-oil based substance and to preserve the activity
of the therapeutic substance by keeping the substance in a
dehydrated state.
[0015] The above objects are accomplished by applying Aloe Vera
evenly to the inner surface of a disposable examination glove
through dehydration.
[0016] The objects are further accomplished by a method of
manufacturing the Aloe Vera glove. The disposable gloves are first
treated with chlorine solution to wash off any powders, extract
soluble substances in the composite material, and kill
microorganisms. After drying, the gloves are turned inside out and
dipped into a prepared Aloe Vera solution to saturate the outer
surface. The gloves are then dried in a tumbling heater within a
controlled narrow range of temperature between 45.degree. C. and
65.degree. C., and for a specific length of time. This causes water
to evaporate and the Aloe Vera to evenly coat the glove surface.
After cooling to room temperature, the gloves are inverted so that
the side with Aloe Vera coating is facing inside.
DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is the front perspective view of a Aloe Vera glove
constructed in accordance with the principles of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of
figure
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment
of the invention and several variations of that embodiment. This
discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the
invention to those particular embodiments. Practitioners skilled in
the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For a
definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is
directed to the appended claims.
[0020] The invention is a disposable glove as illustrated in FIG.
1, which has Aloe Vera 10 evenly coated on the inner surface in a
dehydrated state, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The glove retains the
features of a disposable examination glove, which is simple and
convenient to use and allows the wearer to handle fine tasks with
precision. The invention also discloses a manufacturing method for
modifying a disposable glove by coating Aloe Vera on the inner
surface of the glove. The glove is coated with Aloe Vera 10 through
dehydration that is accomplished by a well-controlled heating
process.
[0021] A disposable glove is made of various materials to form a
layer 12. Resinous materials such as vinyl or polymer materials
such as acrylonitrile are common choices. Three commonly used
materials for making disposable gloves are natural rubber latex,
acrylonitrile and polyvinyl chloride.
[0022] In one preferred embodiment, the glove is made of natural
rubber latex. Since natural rubber latex is sensitive to oil-based
substances, gloves made of natural rubber latex should not be
exposed to oil-based substances. In this invention, Aloe Vera is
used to coat the gloves and it does not contain any detectable
oil-based substances. Coating gloves with Aloe Vera does not affect
the glove's shelf life. In another preferred embodiment the glove
is made of acrylonitrile polymer.
[0023] Aloe Vera is a natural plant extract that has a long history
of folk medicine usage. Aloe Vera has been used for external
treatment of wounds, burns and skin irritations, and internal
treatment of various conditions. Aloe Vera is a popular ingredient
in skin-care products. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and
anti-microbial agent. Aloe Vera is soluble in water and contains
non-detectable oil content.
[0024] Aloe Vera glove retains the characteristic of a disposable
glove without any visible modification, and is easy and convenient
to use. The affiliation between Aloe Vera and the glove surface is
through a force provided by dehydration. Such affiliation is
loosened when sweat dissolves Aloe Vera. The longer a glove is
worn, the more likely the hand will sweat, and consequently more
Aloe Vera will be dissolved and disassociated from the glove
surface, and be applied to hand. The active ingredients in Aloe
Vera can then condition hand skin and prevent microorganisms from
growing under the wet condition.
[0025] In one preferred embodiment, 100% Aloe Vera gel is used to
coat the gloves. Aloe Vera is evenly and uniformly distributed on
the inner surface of the glove at a thickness of about 0.01
millimeter. The association between Aloe Vera and the surface is
achieved by a non-covalent force provided through dehydration.
[0026] The method of manufacturing gloves involves treating a
commercially available disposable glove to eliminate residue
powders, soluble substances, and microorganisms, turning the glove
inside out, dipping it into an Aloe Vera solution and heating the
glove to cause water to evaporate.
[0027] A glove is preferably first treated with a chlorine solution
or chlorine gas. Chlorine solution can help to sterilize the
gloves, to wash off powders, and most importantly for natural latex
gloves, to dissolve residual proteins that could potentially
trigger severe allergic reactions among repeat users. After the
outside surface of the glove is treated with the chlorine solution,
it is turned inside out, and the glove is again treated with the
chlorine solution. The residue chlorine is neutralized by using
ammonia and the gloves are then dried.
[0028] An Aloe Vera solution will then be prepared. One hundred
percent concentrated Aloe Vera gel is dissolved in distilled water
to generate an Aloe Vera solution. The preferred concentration of
the solution is about 20%. To associate Aloe Vera with the surface
of the glove, Aloe Vera solution can be sprayed onto the surface of
the glove. Alternatively, the glove can be immersed into the Aloe
Vera solution. The latter method is preferred because it creates a
complete and even distribution of the Aloe Vera solution.
[0029] In one preferred embodiment, the dipping process is
accomplished by grouping a number of gloves in a batch to achieve
higher manufacturing efficiency. The gloves are immersed in the
solution for at least 10 minutes to allow adequate absorbency.
[0030] Aloe Vera is attached to the surface of the glove through a
controlled dehydration process. The water in the Aloe Vera solution
is caused to evaporate through heating. Although a higher
temperature will cause water to evaporate quicker, excess heat may
damage the gloves. For example, gloves exposed to excessive heat of
over 70.degree. C. may turn brownish and become brittle. To shorten
the heat exposure time, a heating oven is preheated to about
45.degree. C. before the gloves are introduced. The oven has a
temperature control mechanism to maintain a maximum temperature. In
a preferred embodiment the maximum temperature is set at
approximately 65.degree. C. and the heating process lasts from
about 35 to 40 minutes. The dehydration process provides an
affiliation force so that Aloe Vera can remain associated with the
glove surface for an extensive period of time.
[0031] Even distribution of Aloe Vera on the glove surface
maximizes therapeutic treatment of the hand and minimizes contact
between the skin and the glove's composite material. Stationary
drying is not preferred because the Aloe Vera solution tends to
flow in the direction of the force of gravity. In a preferred
embodiment the heating oven has a device to tumble during the
heating to make Aloe Vera distribute evenly on the glove surface
and to form a uniform coating.
[0032] Afterward the gloves are cooled to room temperature. The
gloves are then inverted so that the surface with the Aloe Vera
faces inside.
* * * * *