US20180022534A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20180022534A1
Application number: US15/215,739
Authority: US
Inventors: Michaela McCormick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-07-21
Filing date: 2016-07-21
Publication date: 2018-01-25

Abstract

A dispensing system for disposable gloves. The system includes a storage container defining an interior and an exterior, a flexible sheet contained in the interior of the storage container, and a plurality of gloves contained in the interior of the storage container. The storage container includes an opening which allows access to the interior of the storage container from the exterior. The flexible sheet include two slits which overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners. The intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container. The plurality of gloves are separated from the opening in the storage container by the flexible sheet. One of the plurality of gloves may be removed from the storage container by pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a container for dispensing disposable gloves. More particularly, the present invention relates to an insert for use with a box containing disposable gloves to facilitate dispensing a single glove at a time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Disposable gloves are used in numerous fields to protect a wearer's hands from undesirable substances the wearer might contact. For example, a physician or a dentist may wear disposable gloves to prevent the transfer of bodily fluids to or from a patient. In another example, a scientist working in a laboratory may wear disposable gloves to avoid contact with hazardous chemicals. Common materials for disposable gloves include, but are not limited to, latex, vinyl, and nitrile. Different materials may be suitable for different applications depending on several factors, including the type of hazardous substance, the wearer's allergies, etc.

Disposable gloves are typically distributed in large cardboard boxes which resemble tissue boxes and hold a large number of individual gloves (e.g., 100 or 200 gloves). Each box includes a perforated, elongated oval on one surface which is removed to form an opening in the box. The gloves are removed from the box through the opening. Unlike tissues which are folded to allow one tissue at a time to be easily removed from the box, disposable gloves are not packed inside the box in any ordered arrangement which would allow for one glove at a time to be easily removed from the box. Instead, multiple gloves, often more than are required, are pulled from the box. Excess gloves removed from the box are no longer sterile and must be disposed of in situations where sterilization is important. Waste has been estimated at approximately 10-12% per box. Because a medical or dental practice, for example, may go through large numbers of disposable gloves on a daily basis, this waste represents a significant cost. Therefore, a need exists for a way to dispense disposable gloves which reduces or eliminates this waste while not introducing substantial additional costs.

BRIEF SUMMARY

To meet this and other needs, and in view of its purposes, the present invention provides a system for dispensing disposable gloves in several embodiments. The system includes a storage container defining an interior and an exterior region, a flexible sheet contained in the interior of the storage container, and a plurality of gloves contained in the interior of the storage container. The storage container includes an opening which allows access to the interior of the storage container from the exterior. The flexible sheet includes two slits which overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners. The intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container. The plurality of gloves are separated from the opening in the storage container by the flexible sheet. One of the plurality of gloves may be removed from the storage container by pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

Further embodiments include an insert for dispensing disposable gloves from a storage container. The insert includes a flexible sheet having two slits which overlap at an intersection. The intersection of the slits defines four adjacent corners. One of a plurality of gloves may be dispensed through the flexible sheet by (a) inserting the flexible sheet into a storage container having an opening with the intersection of the slits aligned with the opening and the plurality of disposable gloves inside the storage container separated from the opening by the flexible sheet, and (b) pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container. Each of the four adjacent corners may be truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container. The truncated corners may be rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits. The flexible sheet may be made of plastic, for example polypropylene.

Further embodiments include a method of dispensing disposable gloves contained in the interior of a storage container having an opening. The method includes inserting into the interior of the storage container a flexible sheet which separates the plurality of disposable gloves from the opening in the storage container, where the flexible sheet includes two slits that overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners and the intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container; and pulling one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container. Each of the four adjacent corners may be truncated to four an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container. The truncated corners may be rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits. The flexible sheet may be made of plastic, for example polypropylene.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawing are the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a box of disposable gloves;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves ofFIG. 1 with the perforated portion removed;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a flexible sheet;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves ofFIG. 1 with an open end;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves ofFIG. 4 with the end closed and the flexible sheet ofFIG. 3 inserted in the box; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves ofFIG. 5 with a glove being dispensed through the flexible sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the various figures that comprise the drawing. Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, astorage container100 is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, thestorage container100 may be a cardboard box (or a box made of any other suitable material) which stores a plurality of disposable gloves200 (FIG. 2), for example latex or nitrile gloves worn by a physician or a dentist while examining patients. The plurality ofdisposable gloves200 are not limited to any particular shape, size, or material, other than that they lack a rigid structure and can be pulled through a small opening, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, reusable gloves or other items of similar composition may also be stored in thestorage container100 instead of disposable gloves.

Thestorage container100 also includes anend120 with afirst flap122 which overlaps asecond flap126. In the exemplary embodiment depicted inFIGS. 1 and 2, thefirst flap122 includes atab124 and thesecond flap126 includes aslot128. Initially, thefirst flap122 and thesecond flap126 may be attached using an adhesive to close theend120 of thestorage container100. Once thefirst flap122 and thesecond flap126 are separated, theend120 of thestorage container100 may be resealed by inserting thetab124 of thefirst flap122 into theslot128 of thesecond flap126. In other embodiments, thefirst flap122 and thesecond flap126 may exclude thetab124 and theslot128, respectively, and be resealable by another mechanism. For example, the adhesive used to attach thefirst flap122 and thesecond flap126 may be reusable, or thestorage container100 may include an alternative physical fastening element for rejoining thefirst flap122 and thesecond flap126.

Referring toFIG. 3, aflexible sheet300 is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. Theflexible sheet300 may be made of any suitable flexible material, for example a plastic such as polypropylene. Theflexible sheet300 has a length L2 and a width W2 and may have a size and shape substantially the same as the cross sectional size and shape of interior of thestorage container100 measured parallel to theface102 of the storage container100 (or alternatively, the face of thestorage container100 including the opening110). The length L2 and the width W2 are similar to, but slightly less than, the length L1 and the width W1 of thestorage container100, respectively. For example, the length L2 and the width W2 may be approximately 75% to approximately 99% of the length L1 and the width W1 of thestorage container100. Theflexible sheet300 also has a thickness (i.e., the dimension measured perpendicular to the length L2 and the width W2) but the thickness is negligible relative to the length L2 and the width W2. For example, the thickness of theflexible sheet300 may be less than 0.2 inches. The thickness of theflexible sheet300 is not limited, however, as long as theflexible sheet300 remains flexible.

Theflexible sheet300 includes afirst slit310 and asecond slit312 which cross at anintersection320. In an exemplary embodiment, theintersection320 is at approximately the center of theflexible sheet300. In other embodiments, theintersection320 may be off-center. Thefirst slit310 and thesecond slit312 define fouradjacent corners322 arranged around theintersection320. Each of thecorners322 may be truncated to form anopening330 in theflexible sheet300 at theintersection320. Theopening330 in theflexible sheet300 is smaller than theopening110 in thestorage container100. Although thecorners322 may be truncated to form any suitable shape, thecorners322 are preferably rounded such that there are no sharp edges formed at theintersection320.

In an exemplary embodiment, thefirst slit310 is oriented substantially parallel to the length L2 of theflexible sheet300 and thesecond slit312 is oriented substantially parallel to the width W2 of theflexible sheet300. Accordingly, thefirst slit310 is also substantially perpendicular to thesecond slit312. In other embodiments, thefirst slit310 and thesecond slit312 may be oriented at any suitable angle with respect to theflexible sheet300 and each other. Thefirst slit310 and thesecond slit312 may have any suitable length so long as the ends of thefirst slit310 and thesecond slit312 do not reach the outer perimeter of theflexible sheet300. In other words, the outer perimeter of theflexible sheet300 is not broken by either thefirst slit310 or thesecond slit312. Theflexible sheet300 may include one or more additional slits (not shown) which cross thefirst slit310 and thesecond slit312 at theintersection320, resulting in more than fouradjacent corners322.

Referring toFIG. 4, theflexible sheet300 may be installed in thestorage container100 by opening theend120 of thestorage container100 and inserting theflexible sheet300 into thestorage container100 with theintersection320 of thefirst slit310 and thesecond slit312 aligned with theopening110 of thestorage container100. Theflexible sheet300 is positioned with theopening110 in thestorage container100 and thedisposable gloves200 on opposite sides of theflexible sheet300. In other words, thedisposable gloves200 are separated from theopening110 in thestorage container100 by theflexible sheet300.

Referring toFIG. 5, once theflexible sheet300 is installed in thestorage container100, theend120 may be closed by inserting thetab124 into theslot128 to prevent thedisposable gloves200 from falling out of thestorage container100 and the sealingportion112, if present, may be removed as described above to expose theopening110 and allow thedisposable gloves200 to be dispensed through theopening110.

Referring toFIG. 6,disposable gloves200 may be dispensed from theflexible sheet300 by reaching into the interior of thestorage container100 through theopening110 and through theopening330 of theflexible sheet300, grabbing one of the plurality ofdisposable gloves200, and pulling the one of the plurality ofdisposable gloves200 through theopening330 of theflexible sheet300. Because theflexible sheet300 is flexible, thecorners322 will bend to expand the size of theopening330 to allow the one of the plurality ofdisposable gloves200 to be pulled through theopening330, but theopening330 will remain small enough to prevent the remainder of the plurality ofgloves200 from exiting thestorage container100. In embodiments where thecorners322 are rounded, the lack of sharp edges prevents irritation, discomfort, or harm when reaching through theflexible sheet300 to retrieve the one of the plurality ofdisposable gloves200. Accordingly, waste is reduced because only the desired number ofdisposable gloves200 are removed from thestorage container100 at a given time. At the same time, no substantial additional cost or complexity is added to thestorage container100 because only theflexible sheet300 is required. Further, because theflexible sheet300 is added to the interior of thestorage container100, thestorage container100 remains compatible with any secondary storage devices, for example a rack which orients thestorage container100 vertically or organizesmultiple storage containers100 including various sizes ofdisposable gloves200. Theflexible sheet300 also limits contact with the remainder of the plurality ofgloves200, which reduces contamination.

In some embodiments, theflexible sheet300 may be sold separately from thestorage container100 including the plurality ofdisposable gloves200. In other embodiments, thestorage container100 may already include theflexible sheet300 when provided to the end user. A further advantage of theflexible sheet300 is that it is reusable. In other words, theflexible sheet300 may be removed from afirst storage container100 and inserted into asecond storage container100, for example after thefirst storage container100 is empty. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a newflexible sheet300 with everystorage container100 and the price of eachstorage container100 is not increased. In some embodiments, theflexible sheet300 is preferably made of a serializable material which allows for theflexible sheet300 to be cleaned while being transferred betweenstorage containers100.

Although illustrated and described above with respect to certain specific embodiments and examples, the disclosure is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details with the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. It is expressly intended, for example, that all ranges broadly recited in this document include within their scope all narrower ranges which fall within the broader range. In addition, features of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. A dispensing system for disposable gloves, the system comprising:

a storage container defining an interior and an exterior and including an opening which allows access to the interior of the storage container from the exterior;

a flexible sheet contained in the interior of the storage container, the flexible sheet including two slits which overlap at an intersection, wherein the intersection of the slits defines four adjacent corners and the intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container; and

a plurality of disposable gloves contained in the interior of the storage container, the plurality of disposable gloves separated from the opening in the storage container by the flexible sheet,

wherein one of the plurality of gloves may be removed from the storage container by pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits, and the flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the storage container is a cardboard box.

3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the opening in the storage container is an oval, a rectangle, or a rectangle with one or more rounded corners.

4. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the storage container further includes a sealing portion which covers the opening in the storage container and has a perforated edge such that the sealing portion can be removed to expose the opening before removing the one of the plurality of gloves.

5. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the storage container has an end including overlapping flaps, wherein the overlapping flaps may be separated to open the end of the storage container.

6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein each of the four adjacent corners are truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits, wherein the opening in the flexible sheet has an area which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container.

7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the corners are rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits.

8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the flexible sheet is made of plastic.

9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the flexible sheet is made of polypropylene.

10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the storage container has a cross sectional size and shape substantially the same as the cross sectional size and shape of the flexible sheet.

11. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the storage container is rectangular in cross section.

12. An insert for dispensing disposable gloves from a storage container, the insert including:

a flexible sheet including two slits which overlap at an intersection, wherein the intersection of the slits defines four adjacent corners,

wherein one of a plurality of gloves may be dispensed through the flexible sheet by (a) inserting the flexible sheet into a storage container having an opening with the intersection of the slits aligned with the opening and the plurality of disposable gloves are inside the storage container separated from the opening by the flexible sheet, and (b) pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits, wherein the flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

13. The insert ofclaim 12, wherein each of the four adjacent corners are truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits, wherein the opening in the flexible sheet has an area which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container.

14. The insert ofclaim 13, wherein the corners are rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits.

15. The insert ofclaim 12, wherein the flexible sheet is made of plastic.

16. The insert ofclaim 15, wherein the flexible sheet is made of polypropylene.

17. A method of dispensing disposable gloves contained in an interior of a storage container having an opening, the method including:

Providing a flexible sheet including two slits that overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners

inserting the flexible sheet into the interior of the storage container, wherein the flexible sheet separates the plurality of disposable gloves from the opening in the storage container, and the intersection of the two slits is aligned with the opening of the storage container; and

pulling one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits, wherein the flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein each of the four adjacent corners are truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits, and wherein the opening in the flexible sheet has an area which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container.

19. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the corners are rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits.

20. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the flexible sheet is made of plastic.