U.S. patent application number 11/221016 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-09 for mountable glove dispenser.
This patent application is currently assigned to Foodhandler, Inc.. Invention is credited to Kimberly Ann West.
Application Number | 20060049199 11/221016 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35414681 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060049199 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
West; Kimberly Ann |
March 9, 2006 |
Mountable glove dispenser
Abstract
Provided is an apparatus for dispensing gloves, which includes a
container having front and rear surfaces, with a dispenser opening
in the front surface. A stack of glove elements is disposed within
the container, with the individual glove elements being attached to
each other by perforation lines or other lines of weakness. In some
implementations, the stack of glove elements is attached to an
insert within the container. Preferably, the apparatus includes a
mounting hole or other means for attaching the rear surface of the
container to a wall.
Inventors: |
West; Kimberly Ann;
(Stamford, CT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, LLP
11377 West Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles
CA
90064
US
|
Assignee: |
Foodhandler, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
35414681 |
Appl. No.: |
11/221016 |
Filed: |
September 7, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60607744 |
Sep 7, 2004 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
221/26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 42/00 20160201;
A61B 42/40 20160201 |
Class at
Publication: |
221/026 |
International
Class: |
B65H 3/58 20060101
B65H003/58 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for dispensing gloves, comprising: a container
having front and rear surfaces, with a dispenser opening in the
front surface; an insert disposed within the container; and a stack
of glove elements, each glove element having an upper section that
is attached to the insert and a glove attached to the upper section
by a line of weakness.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising attachment
means for attaching the rear surface of the container to a
wall.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attachment means
comprises a tab extending away from the container and having an
opening for accommodating a mounting device.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gloves are
comprised of plastic.
5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line of weakness
is a perforated line.
6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each glove is formed
from two flat sheets, one longer than the other.
7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container
primarily is comprised of a paper product.
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the paper product is
laminated with a water barrier.
9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the container is
formed from a single sheet of the paper product, folded to form a
cavity for holding the insert and the stack of glove elements.
10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container
primarily is comprised of a single sheet of folded material.
11. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising
attachment means for attaching the rear surface of the container to
a wall.
12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the single sheet of
folded material is laminated with a water barrier.
13. An apparatus for dispensing gloves, comprising: a container
having front and rear surfaces, with a dispenser opening in the
front surface; a stack of glove elements disposed within the
container and attached to each other by lines of weakness; and
means for attaching the rear surface of the container to a
wall.
14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the attachment
means comprises a tab extending away from the container and having
an opening for accommodating a mounting device.
15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the container
primarily is comprised of a paper product.
16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the paper product
is laminated with a water barrier.
17. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the container is
formed from a single sheet of the paper product, folded to form a
cavity for holding the stack of glove elements.
18. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the lines of
weakness are perforated lines.
19. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the stack of gloves
is attached to an insert within the container.
20. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the insert
comprises a tray.
Description
[0001] Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Patent Application
Ser. No. 60/607,744, filed on Sep. 7, 2004, and titled "Wall
Mounted Individual Glove Dispenser", which application is
incorporated by reference herein as though set forth herein in
full.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention pertains to a glove dispenser for
dispensing disposable gloves that can be mounted on a wall or on a
separate stand or other apparatus.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Disposable gloves are mandatory equipment in many industries
that require clean environments, such as the food-service industry.
The use of disposable gloves often reduces the spread of viruses
and other contaminants among individuals.
[0004] Many types of disposable gloves are known to and used by the
food-service industry. One type comprises two superimposed layers
of thermoplastic film sealed together along their peripheries,
leaving an opening for a hand to be inserted therein. A two-layered
disposable mitt is shown in Grinberg U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,099, and a
method of forming such a mitt is shown in Bradfield U.S. Pat. No.
4,928,322.
[0005] These disposable gloves are typically fabricated using
vinyl, latex or polyethylene. Disposable gloves are generally sold
in stacked units comprising a supply of gloves layered one on top
of another. Gloves may be sold in a dispenser, such as a paperboard
box, which encloses the stack and from which gloves may be removed
one at a time. A box dispenser thus provides a simple and
economical means for protecting the stored gloves from
contamination and for dispensing the gloves. Variations of box
dispensers for disposable gloves are shown in U.S. Pat. No.
4,844,293 to McLaughlin and U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,682 to
Hoffrichter.
[0006] Box dispensers have several drawbacks, however. For example,
a disposable glove is often difficult to don after removing it from
a box dispenser. Upon being dispensed, the glove may have creases
and/or be folded, requiring a user to straighten it out before
donning it. A user may have difficulty first finding and then
separating the glove opening into which the hand is inserted.
Therefore, additional dispensing configurations have also been
developed. One such configuration comprises a stack of disposable
gloves held together by a heat-fused detachable portion of the
gloves, which portion may be covered by a flap as shown in Klecena
U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,741. The gloves advantageously remain flat as
they are removed from the detachable portion, in order to
facilitate the process of donning them after they are removed.
[0007] Conventionally, dispensing assemblies include a dispensing
box or a saddle or rack for mounting the gloves. By providing a
free-standing or a rack dispenser, the placement of the dispenser
itself may tend to interfere with food preparation, and the chance
is increased of contamination of the dispenser itself with the food
being prepared.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present inventor has recognized that contaminants are
less likely to be transmitted to food being handled by an employee
when that employee regularly wears gloves, and regularly replaces
used gloves with fresh ones. The gloves, therefore, should be
easily accessible, and should require little handling to be
donned.
[0009] The present invention addresses this problem by providing an
apparatus for dispensing gloves, which includes a container having
front and rear surfaces, with a dispenser opening in the front
surface. A stack of glove elements is disposed within the
container, with the individual glove elements being attached to
each other by perforation lines or other lines of weakness. In some
implementations, the stack of glove elements is attached to an
insert (such as a tray) within the container. Preferably, the
apparatus includes a mounting hole or other means for attaching the
rear surface of the container to a wall.
[0010] In a representative embodiment, a wall-mounted or
wall-mountable glove dispenser for facilitating individual glove
dispensing is provided. The dispenser has walls that define a
cavity and an opening thereof. A plurality of gloves is disposed
within the dispenser. The dispenser may be fabricated from a flat
sheet of material folded to define the cavity. Provision is made in
the design of the flat sheet for a tab extending away from the
cavity and having a mounting opening therein to allow the dispenser
to be mounted on a wall or other vertical surface. A disposable
glove may be donned easily and quickly from the present dispenser,
thus encouraging the frequent and regular replacement of used
gloves with new ones.
[0011] The present invention, in representative embodiments, uses a
wall-mounted or wall-mountable glove dispenser for facilitating
individual glove dispensing as opposed to a rack-mounted or
free-sitting glove dispenser. The present invention also provides
an improved configuration for a disposable glove system whereby a
disposable glove may be donned more easily and quickly than
heretofore, in order to encourage the frequent and regular
replacement of used gloves with new ones. The new and improved
system of the present invention is especially valuable in the
food-service industry, where efficiencies in the nature of
time-saving and in the ease and simplicity of donning the gloves
can result in significantly increased productivity and enhanced
hygiene.
[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a glove
dispenser is provided. The dispenser has walls that define a cavity
and an opening thereof. A plurality of gloves is disposed within
the dispenser. The dispenser may be fabricated from a flat sheet of
material folded to define the the cavity. Provision is made in the
design of the flat sheet for a tab extending away from the cavity
and having a mounting opening therein to allow the dispenser to be
mounted on a wall or other vertical surface.
[0013] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a
method of packaging gloves in a glove dispensing package is
provided. A sheet of material is formed having creases or folding
axes thereon. The sheet of material may be folded along these axes
to define the cavity enclosing one or more gloves. The folding
procedure also includes the formation of a tab extending from the
cavity and having a mounting opening therein to allow the dispenser
to be mounted on a wall or other vertical surface.
[0014] The first layer of the glove may be provided with one or
more mounting openings and matching lines of weakness extending
from the mounting openings to the rear edge of the first layer. The
first layer may also be provided with one or more mounting openings
near the rear edge of the first layer, separated from the remainder
of the first layer by a transverse line of weakness. In either
case, a plurality of gloves may be mounted in the present dispenser
using a fastener inserted through the mounting opening(s) of the
gloves to attach them to a tray or other insert. This insert may
then be placed inside the present dispenser, allowing the gloves to
be withdrawn through an opening in the dispenser.
[0015] Gloves may be removed from the dispenser by grasping a
potion of the glove and/or partially inserting a hand into the
glove and applying a force to the glove in a direction of donning.
As a result, the glove can be separated from its mounting means
either by tearing along the transverse line of weakness or along
the matching lines of weakness extending from the mounting openings
to the rear edge of the first layer. The first and second layers of
the glove may be fabricated from a material having little
elasticity, thereby causing the opening to open with little effort
by the user.
[0016] The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief
description of the general nature of the invention. A more complete
understanding of the invention can be obtained by referring to the
claims and the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an unassembled dispenser
container according to a representative embodiment of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of a glove contained
within a dispenser according to a representative embodiment of the
present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows an attached stack of glove elements that can be
contained within a dispenser according to a representative
embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a dispenser container
enclosing a stack of glove elements attached to a tray insert,
according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a closed and assembled
dispenser, in use, according to a representative embodiment of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0022] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an unfolded dispenser container
110 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The dispenser container 110 includes a front panel 120 and a back
panel 130 connected by a spine 140. In alternative embodiments, the
dispenser container 110 may be formed from a single sheet of
paperboard, chipboard, corrugated cardboard or other suitable
material. Preformed creases may be used to separate various areas
of the dispenser container 110, such as the aforementioned front
panel 120, back panel 130 and the spine 140. As such, the container
may be folded in upon itself to form a box capable of holding a
supply of gloves to be dispensed.
[0023] The dispenser container 110 preferably also includes a pair
of vertical flaps 150 and a pair of horizontal flaps 160. These
flaps aid in the conversion of the dispenser container into an
enclosed box. In one embodiment, the vertical flaps 150 may be laid
over and attached to one another with an adhesive or fastening
device. A number of tabs 170 that attach to the vertical flaps 150
and/or to the spine 140 allow the horizontal flaps 160 to be tucked
into the top and bottom openings of the dispenser container 110,
thus enclosing the fully assembled box shape of the dispenser
container 110.
[0024] The dispenser container 110 may be punched or cut out of a
single flat sheet of material, or it may be fabricated from
multiple individual sheets which are themselves laminated together
to form a single dispenser container 110. The container may be
fashioned with preformed creases to separate the various panels, or
it may be provided with perforations, allowing a user or producer
of the container to form the creases upon construction of the
enclosed box from the flat piece. In one embodiment, the dispenser
container 110 is made of cardboard and is laminated on one or both
sides with a water barrier, such as plastic, to further protect the
gloves contained within from contamination.
[0025] The dispenser container 110 includes a dispenser opening 115
allowing the supply of gloves within the assembly to be dispensed
one by one through the dispenser opening 115. The container also
includes an extended back panel 130 which, along with a reinforcing
panel 180, may be folded together to form a reinforced tab
extending for a greater length than the front panel 120 of the
enclosed box when the dispenser container is assembled into an
enclosed box. This reinforced tab, along with a mounting opening
190, allows the dispenser container 110 to be easily mounted on a
wall or other surface.
[0026] By mounting the dispenser container 110 on a wall or other
such vertical surface away from any work surfaces where food is
being prepared, allowance is made for an economical use of space.
In addition, the danger of contamination of the glove supply by
food or other contaminants is lessened. In an alternative
embodiment, the reinforcing panel 180, together with the
reinforcing tab, may be provided with alternative fastening means
to allow the dispenser to be positioned on a wall or other vertical
surface. An adhesive may also be provided on the back panel 130 to
allow the dispenser container 110 to adhere directly to a wall.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a glove 310 for use in the present assembly.
The glove may be made of vinyl, latex, polyethylene, or any other
suitable material. The glove 310 has a front sheet 330 and a back
sheet 340. A demarcation line 320 denotes the edge of the sheet
nearer to the user for the top glove 310 in the dispenser container
110. The front and back sheets are joined together along their
peripheries, save along the demarcation line 320 (which is the open
seam into which the user's hand is inserted). The front sheet 330
is advantageously shorter than the back sheet 340 to provide a bare
inner surface of the back sheet 340 along which a hand may be slid
easily into the interior of the glove 310. The front and back
sheets are superimposed and preferably are fabricated from
tear-resistant plastic film, such as polyethylene film. This film
has the additional advantage of having little elasticity, causing
the glove 310 to open immediately with little effort by a user upon
donning the glove. The front and back sheets may be joined by heat
welding or a similar process along the outer edge 345.
[0028] The glove 310 may be non-transparent, transparent or
semi-transparent, and may have any desired color. The glove 310 may
have all five fingers, as shown in FIG. 2, or may be a mitt having
a single compartment for four fingers and a separate thumb
compartment. The glove 310 may also be provided in various
different sizes. A supply of multiple gloves in a single dispenser
container 110 may be provided in a range of sizes within a single
assembly, or all in the same size.
[0029] FIG. 3 shows a glove assembly 500 or "saddle" comprising a
stack of multiple glove elements for use in the present dispenser.
The back sheet 340 of each glove has a perforation line 530
substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the glove.
Above this perforation line 530 is at least one mounting opening
520 for receiving a fastener. In a preferred embodiment, two or
more mounting openings 520 are used to secure the glove assembly
500 within the present dispenser.
[0030] Alternatively, the back sheet 340 of each glove may have
longitudinal lines of weakness (not shown) extending from each
mounting opening 520 to the rearmost edge of the back sheet 340.
Such lines of weakness, substantially parallel to the longitudinal
axis of the glove, provide an alternative axis along which an
individual glove may be removed from the glove assembly 500.
Longitudinal lines of weakness replace the perforation line 530,
thus eliminating any residual portion of an individual glove that
might otherwise remain on the glove assembly 500 after the glove is
removed.
[0031] The glove assembly 500 may comprise an integral stack of
individual gloves heat welded together in one or more regions of
their back sheets 340. Alternately, the individual gloves may be
fastened to each other by tie straps extending through their
mounting openings 520. These tie straps and/or the fasteners may
also bind the glove assembly 500 to a tray or other insert (e.g.,
as shown in FIG. 4) immediately beneath the glove assembly 500 in
order to hold the assembly securely thereto. This insert may then
be placed inside the present dispenser, allowing the gloves to be
withdrawn through the dispenser opening 115 as needed.
[0032] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the gloves are held
together using fasteners (not shown) that are inserted through
holes 520 and through matching holes in a sturdier more
shape-retaining element 503. For example, element 503 may be formed
of cardboard.
[0033] Although the gloves of the glove assembly 500 shown in FIG.
3 may be worn on either the right or left hand, they are more
easily donned by the right hand. The glove may also be donned by
the left hand by rotating turning one's left hand palm-up while
donning the glove. A stacked unit of left-handed gloves comprising
a glove assembly 500 that is the mirror image of the assembly of
FIG. 3, but otherwise identical, may also be manufactured to allow
a user to don gloves on both hands in the more ergonomic palm-down
manner.
[0034] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a dispenser container 110
with a stack of glove elements 510 attached to a tray insert 570
according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. As
shown, in the present embodiment dispenser container 110, when
folded into its operative shape, resembles a box having a tab 180
extending from its top edge. In the present embodiment, a hole 190
functions as a means for attaching the rear surface of dispenser
container 110 to a wall or other device. That is, hole 190 permits
dispenser container 110 to be hung from a hook, nail or similar
device.
[0035] In the present embodiment, a removable panel 610 covers the
dispenser opening 115. Preferably, panel 610 is simply a part of
the single sheet of material that is used to form the remainder of
the container and is formed by perforating its periphery 620.
Accordingly, removable piece 610 may be punched out by the user
along the perforation line 620 and discarded. In this manner,
gloves inside the assembly may be removed without making an
unnecessarily large hole in the front panel 120. The shape and/or
size of the dispenser opening 115 may be different in other
embodiments.
[0036] In the illustrated preferred embodiment, tray 570 is
slightly larger in width and length than a single glove element
510. In addition, tray 570 has holes 577 that match the holes 520
in the stack of glove elements 510. Accordingly, the stack of glove
elements 510 is laid into tray 570 and then attached to tray 570
using cable ties or other fasteners 575. Thereafter, tray 570 is
simply slid into container 110, e.g., through the top opening of
container 110. Upon closing flap 160, the device is completed and
ready for use.
[0037] The glove elements 510 are similar to those depicted in FIG.
3, with an upper section 540 when the glove portion is separated
from the remainder of the glove element 510 by tearing along
perforated line 530. Here, however, unlike assembly 500 shown in
FIG. 3, element 503 is omitted in favor of tray 570.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an assembled dispenser
100, in use. The assembly 100 is shown here having the front panel
120, reinforced extending panel 180, dispenser opening 115 (e.g.,
after removing panel 610) and mounting opening 190.
[0039] A portion of the horizontal flap 160 is shown in FIG. 5, as
are one or more gloves shown within the assembly 100. As noted
above, the gloves preferably are formed from two flat sheets, one
longer than the other.
[0040] The assembly 100 may have letters (e.g., stylized),
pictures, logos, designs and/or other markings placed thereon
through printing (e.g., multi-color), engraving, molding, or any
other suitable method.
[0041] To don a glove, a user grasps a potion of the glove,
preferably the edge of the front sheet 330 bounded by the
demarcation line 320, and/or partially inserts a hand behind the
front sheet 330 into the glove and applies a force to the glove in
a direction of donning. This force causes either the perforation
line 530 or, when present, the longitudinal lines of weakness to
separate releasing an individual glove from the glove assembly 500.
The glove may then be drawn out of the interior of the dispenser
container 110 through the dispenser opening 115.
[0042] It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art
that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or essential character hereof. The
present description is therefore considered in all respects to be
illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention to be
determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
[0043] For example, the dispensing assembly and the glove packaging
method of the present invention may be applied to other disposable
items such as stacks of food wrapping papers, food wrapping plastic
sheets, or the like, that require sanitary packaging.
Additional Considerations.
[0044] Several different embodiments of the present invention are
described above, with each such embodiment described as including
certain features. However, it is intended that the features
described in connection with the discussion of any single
embodiment are not limited to that embodiment but may be included
and/or arranged in various combinations in any of the other
embodiments as well, as will be understood by those skilled in the
art.
[0045] Similarly, in the discussion above, functionality sometimes
is ascribed to a particular module or component. However,
functionality generally may be redistributed as desired among any
different modules or components, in some cases completely obviating
the need for a particular component or module and/or requiring the
addition of new components or modules. The precise distribution of
functionality preferably is made according to known engineering
tradeoffs, with reference to the specific embodiment of the
invention, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
[0046] Thus, although the present invention has been described in
detail with regard to the exemplary embodiments thereof and
accompanying drawings, it should be apparent to those skilled in
the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present
invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and
the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not
limited to the precise embodiments shown in the drawings and
described above. Rather, it is intended that all such variations
not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as
within the scope thereof as limited solely by the claims appended
hereto.
* * * * *