Abstract: When an elongate glove, such as a nitrile glove for a glove box, is made on a porcelain mold having a hand-defining portion, having an arm-defining portion, which extends from the hand-defining portion and which has an overall length at least two or more times the overall length of the hand-defining portion, having a substantially conical sub-portion, which flares upwardly and outwardly, when the porcelain mold is oriented in a dipping orientation, substantially the entire exterior of the porcelain mold is sandblasted before the porcelain mold is dipped successively into a bath containing a coagulating agent and into a bath containing a latex, then allowed to dwell in the bath containing the latex until enough of the latex coagulates to form a wet latex film on the porcelain mold, and then withdrawn with the wet latex film formed thereon from the bath containing the latex.

Abstract: An earplug dispenser (10) includes a container (12), a cover (14), and a rotatable member (16). The container (12) is adapted to hold a quantity of earplugs (18) to be dispensed, and has a downwardly opening mouth (20). The cover (14) is attached to the container (12) to close the downwardly opening mouth (20). The rotatable member (16) is carried in the cover (14) for rotation about a vertical axis (22). The cover (14) has a base (24), a dispensing port (26) extending through the base (24), and a facing cylindrical surface (28A) extending up from the base (24) and centered on the vertical axis (22). The rotatable member (16) has a plurality of conduits (29) extending vertically through the rotatable member (16), with each conduit (29) adapted to receive an earplug (18) from the container (12) and align one at a time with the dispensing port (26) to allow an earplug (18) carried in the conduit (29) to be dispensed downwardly through the dispensing port (26).

Abstract: A sealing device for positive pressure testing is attached to a respirator face mask and includes an outer frame integrally joined to a movable cap by a flexible link that biases the cap in an open position for the operational use of the face mask against a manually applied force to move the cap to a sealed position for the positive pressure testing to assure the proper fit of the face mask on the wearer. The method for positive pressure testing includes flexibly moving the sealing device from the open position to the sealing position such that the sealing surface of the cap seals the exhalation valve assembly closed. The wearer then exhales into the mask to test the seal of the mask. When the test is completed, the sealing device is released and the inherent biasing force moves the cap from the sealing position to the open position.

Abstract: A respirator comprising a facepiece having a cup shaped portion for sealingly engaging a face of a wearer and covering the mouth and nose of the wearer and a cover having a cup shape that is complementary to the cup shaped portion of the facepiece. The cover is capable to detachably mate with the facepiece to define with the facepiece a void area that is cup-shaped and suitable to receive a filter having a complementary shape. The filter includes an apex portion, a side portion depending from the apex portion and a continuous flange portion surrounding said side portion and projecting laterally therefrom.

Abstract: A rotationally adjustable respirator cartridge having a self-contained end of service life indicator adjacent the interior of a sidewall of the cartridge shell and in contact with the filter medium provides a color-changing display field that is visible to the wearer of the respirator through a transparent portion of the sidewall. A display window is defined by an opaque border area that surrounds the sensor display field and obscures a predetermined portion of the downstream end of the indicator to provide a desired margin of safety to the wearer. In order to permit the wearer to rotationally position the color-changing display field in the line of sight through the transparent portion of the respirator facepiece, the cartridge is provided with a rotatable mounting assembly that is continuously rotatable in one direction and that forms a seal with the cartridge shell.

Abstract: Two types of gloves with thermobonded seams that define fingers and a thumb portion that extends over the palm of the glove thus allowing free thumb rotation are disclosed. Devices for manufacturing the two types of gloves are disclosed. Methods from manufacturing the gloves, including two ways to manufacture the thumb portion, are disclosed. An improved die plate for thermobonding that holds a heat element in a channel using wedge shaped channel walls is disclosed.

Abstract: Nitrile rubber compositions, articles of manufacture made therefrom, and methods of making them, are disclosed. The nitrile rubber compositions of the invention are substantially free of zinc oxide, and have good strength and chemical resistance while being softer than many conventional nitrile rubbers. The invention provides articles of manufacture, including gloves, which are soft, yet strong, and can be economically manufactured.